• WWE Sparks Outrage In Israel After Announcing “Invasion” On October 7
WWE recently announced a special NXT vs. TNA event called Invasion for October 7. The company likely made it a special show as AEW Dynamite’s special “Title Tuesday” episode will go head-to-head with NXT next week.
The event will feature Survivor Series-style matches for both men and women and a Winner Takes All Match between The Hardy Boyz and DarkState for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships.
WWE also announced a rematch between Oba Femi and Trick Williams, though the bout could change after Ricky Starks dethroned Femi as NXT Champion at No Mercy. No official announcement has been made regarding any potential changes to the match yet. It is also unknown if it will be contested under the Winner Takes All stipulation.
Sky News Arabia reports that the announcement of Invasion has angered fans and media in Israel. One commentator in the country called the decision “stupidity and insensitivity” and said that the choice of date and name prompts questioning and reflection. The criticism is linked to the fact that October 7 marks the two-year anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, making the timing particularly sensitive.
Israeli news outlet Israel Hayom claims that WWE has repeatedly disregarded criticism from Israeli audiences. They pointed to past controversies, including United States Champion Sami Zayn, whose support for Palestine sparked backlash in Israel, but was only addressed after public outcry. Another name who angered the Israelis was CM Punk, who has been very vocal about his support for Palestine.
The outlet also criticized the timing of Invasion on October 7, noting the date carries heavy significance for Israelis and that using the name “Invasion” on this day is seen as particularly insensitive.
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• Chelsea Green Says WWE Isn’t Doing Enough With The Women’s US & IC Titles
Chelsea Green is never afraid to share her opinions about WWE, and that includes the company’s handling of the Women’s United States and Intercontinental Championships.
The SmackDown star recently spoke with CinemaBlend about why she’s happy the titles were introduced, but also why she believes more needs to be done with them.
“I definitely am so happy that we introduced those titles, because I felt like for a long time we were missing, we were missing opportunities for a bunch of the girls.
We just have such a stacked roster between RAW, SmackDown, NXT. I mean, now we’ve got ID, we’ve got Evolve, we’ve got LFG. We have so many different brands, and we just didn’t have enough titles to really represent all the girls and the variety of women, you know, and so I’m very happy that we got them. I think that they’ve been a beautiful addition in terms of getting people in the mix, getting women to have a spot on TV.
Do I think that we’re doing all we can with them? No. I would love to see more being done with them. I want Giulia to be wrestling on TV every single week with that title. I wanted Zelina on TV every single week. I want Michin to win the title and be on TV every single week. There’s so many hours of WWE, and we can find a place for those championships if we try. It’s tough. I’m not a part of the creative meetings. I don’t know how that looks.
So all that I can do on my end is make the title mean something. I hope that by putting it out there on social media and making storylines on social media, it garners the attention that those titles deserve.”
Becky Lynch, a constant presence in major storylines, is the current Women’s Intercontinental Champion. Giulia holds the Women’s United States Title, but hasn’t done much of significance with it yet.
