Below are some top WWE news stories of the day, involving Monday Night RAW and Stephanie Vaquer.
• Adam Pearce has announced that Sami Zayn will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Ilja Dragunov on Monday’s RAW.
Below is the updated card for the July 15th episode:
– King of the Ring Gunther and World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest will come face-to-face
– Sami Zayn (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov for the Intercontinental Championship
– Sheamus vs. “Big” Bronson Reed
– Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai
– Drew McIntyre will have a meeting with Adam Pearce
– Rhea Ripley will kick off the show
🚨 🚨 🚨 @ScrapDaddyAP has some BIG announcements regarding this Monday's #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/gseKyBY1Ue
— WWE (@WWE) July 13, 2024
WATCH: Candice Michelle Stripped:
• Stephanie Vaquer, former NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion, has opted to sign with WWE, bypassing an AEW contract and canceling her remaining independent dates.
This decision led her to withdraw from upcoming CMLL shows, including NJPW x CMLL Fantastica Mania. Many speculated her exit was to appear at WWE’s Live Events in Mexico City and Monterrey this weekend, which WWE confirmed via social media.
See @Steph_Vaquer LIVE at #WWEMonterrey and #WWEMexicoCity this weekend!
🎟️ Tickets available at https://t.co/4hk4UOC9xb. https://t.co/IHGDzUFyIm
— WWE (@WWE) July 12, 2024
Vaquer reportedly caught WWE’s attention after her match against Mercedes Mone at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. She had also wrestled Lady Frost on AEW Collision and was offered a deal by All Elite Wrestling, but chose WWE instead.
This decision has allegedly upset NJPW, CMLL, and AEW. CMLL, in particular, is disappointed as they intended for Vaquer to drop the CMLL Women’s World and Women’s Tag Team titles before her departure, which were vacated instead.
In an update, the Wrestling Observer is reporting that WWE doesn’t have any plans to change Stephanie’s name.
