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All In: Texas Plans Affected Due To An Injury

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• All In: Texas Plans Affected Due To An Injury

As AEW barrels toward its biggest event of the year, All In: Texas, behind-the-scenes plans have seen some unexpected reshuffling, largely due to injuries throwing a wrench into original creative. AEW President Tony Khan hinted at some of these challenges during a recent media call, where he acknowledged that recent injuries forced the company to pivot creatively. According to Fightful Select, one of the biggest impacts was the continued absence of former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter.

Hayter was initially in the mix for All In’s long-term storyline buildup, but after suffering an injury at Double or Nothing, she hasn’t been medically cleared to return. That development reportedly caused a ripple effect behind the scenes, especially when it came to how the company handled the debut of Thekla.

AEW kept details around Thekla’s introduction tightly under wraps, with early creative plans seemingly tied to Hayter’s involvement. The idea, at one point, was to bring in Thekla in a way that allowed Hayter to still play a role, setting the stage for something that could escalate once Hayter was ready to return.

Unfortunately for AEW, Hayter’s recovery has taken longer than expected, which led to changes in how and when Thekla would be integrated into programming. There’s still optimism within AEW’s camp that once Hayter is back in action, the company can revisit some of those early ideas and pick up the story where it was originally intended to go.

• Shayna Baszler Has Returned To WWE Under A New Role

Shayna Baszler was released from WWE in May, but she’s already back in the company, but under a new role. According to Bodyslam, Shayna worked as a Producer on this week’s NXT, and produced the match between Kelani Jordan and Lainey Reid. Fightful Select confirmed this story and added that WWE is testing out this new role for Baszler.

Below are Shayna Baszler’s top accomplishments in WWE:

– 2x NXT Women’s Champion

– 3x WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion (2x with Nia Jax and 1x with Ronda Rousey)

– Ended Ronda Rousey’s WWE career by defeating her in an MMA Rules Match at SummerSlam 2023

• July 4th SmackDown Drew Record Low Viewership

While many Americans were watching fireworks light up the sky on the Fourth of July, WWE SmackDown was lighting up the cable ratings, though not without some setbacks. Last Friday’s episode of SmackDown managed to secure the top spot among all primetime cable shows in the coveted 18-49 demographic. When factoring in both cable and broadcast programming, the blue brand landed in third place overall for the night, trailing only NBC’s massive Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks broadcast, which claimed the top two positions.

Yet even with its strong performance in the key demo, SmackDown hit a rough patch in total viewers. The show recorded its lowest-ever audience for a non-preempted broadcast, setting a new record low outside of instances when the program was bumped to FS1, a move that typically results in smaller numbers. Historically, WWE has struggled to maintain normal ratings levels on Independence Day, a holiday notorious for lower television viewership across the board. The record low didn’t come as a complete shock to industry watchers, given the timing.

The July 4th SmackDown, which was taped after the June 30th episode of RAW, drew 1.17 million viewers with a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demo, which is down from previous week’s 1.45 million viewers with a 0.41 rating.

• RAW Viewership Falls to Record Low on Netflix

The latest numbers for WWE RAW on Netflix reveal a bit of a slide in the show’s streaming performance. Last week’s June 30th episode (which featured Judgment Day defeating The New Day to win the World Tag Team Championship) pulled in about 2.5 million global viewers on Netflix, slipping from the previous week’s audience of roughly 2.6 million. Fans also spent less time watching the show overall, with total viewing hours dropping to 4.6 million worldwide. That’s down from 5.2 million hours the week before.

These figures mark the lowest worldwide viewership and watch time that RAW has logged since joining Netflix’s platform, setting new record lows for the program on the service. On Netflix’s Top 10 list for English-language shows globally, RAW landed at the #5 spot for the week, one rung lower than the previous week’s #4 finish.

Regionally, RAW’s performance varied. The show grabbed the #3 slot in the United States, came in at #10 in the United Kingdom, reached #5 in Canada, and placed #9 in India among Netflix’s English-language rankings in those markets.

Despite the dip, RAW continues to hold a presence on Netflix’s charts across multiple countries. It’ll be worth watching whether WWE can regain momentum in the weeks ahead as storylines heat up and SummerSlam approaches.

• Veteran Personality Has Left WWE After 15 Years

Longtime WWE personality Scott Stanford has officially departed from the company after an impressive 15-year tenure. The news broke through his X account, where Stanford confirmed his departure. Joining WWE back in 2009, Scott initially made his mark as the host of Bottom Line, eventually moving into commentary roles on Superstars. Over the years, fans came to recognize him as a consistent presence across WWE programming, anchoring pre-shows such as RAW Talk, SmackDown LowDown, Afterburn, and This Week in WWE.

In his heartfelt message, Stanford shared gratitude for the journey: “15‑year run… nothing but love! Hope to make it back one day!” A video accompanying his tweet showed him receiving applause from WWE staff as he exited the studio, a fitting send-off from his colleagues.

Beyond WWE, Stanford has built a distinguished career in broadcasting. He’s been a familiar voice on 1010 WINS and 92.3 FM in New York City, co-hosting The Suki & Scott Show, and has earned numerous Emmy Awards for his work in sports anchoring.

Also Read: Why John Cena Apologized To The Rock’s Mother After WrestleMania 28

        
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