WWE Smackdown
The First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York (host of next week’s WWE Smackdown) is running the following ad on their website:
WWE SMACKDOWN
7/26/2016 7:00:00 PM – BUY TICKETS NOW
WWE announced that for the first time ever, SmackDown will air LIVE and move to Tuesdays every week beginning July 19. Experience one of the very first WWE Smackdown LIVE broadcasts from right here at First Niagara Center!
The WWE landscape dramatically changed on Tuesday night, following the 2016 WWE Draft. As a result WWE Superstars John Cena and Randy Orton were drafted to Smackdown Live and have officially been added to Smackdown Live in Buffalo here at First Niagara Center THIS TUESDAY July 26th!
See John Cena, Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt & AJ Styles! Plus see Randy Orton live!
Tickets are on sale now. Tickets are $103.50, $73.50, $53.50, $43.50, $33.50 and $23.50 (includes $3.50 facility fee) and can be purchased at the First Niagara Center Box Office, online at www.tickets.com or by calling 888-223-6000. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees. No service charge applies at the First Niagara Center Box Office. Dates and times subject to change without notice.
What is interesting is that the article was written after last night’s draft, but still references a match featuring Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, who were drafted to RAW last night. It could be speculated that the website ad would be changed to reflect the draft more accurately, but WWE.com is also still advertising the same stars, although the match is not listed.
Heath Slater
Following reports that he was a ‘free agent‘ and rumors about his WWE status, Heath Slater posted the following to his Twitter account:
.. @WWE pic.twitter.com/OMJTrerqoK
— Heath Slater (@HeathSlaterOMRB) July 20, 2016
Additionally, WWE is teasing Slater could sign with other promotions such as EVOLVE as they posted the following:
Rocker? Actor? Indies? All avenues are open for the Social Outcast.
After Tuesday night’s SmackDown Live, the WWE Universe watched helplessly as the lights quite literally went out on Heath Slater.
The Social Outcast member more than lived up to his former group’s moniker when he found himself sitting alone in the dark, the only Superstar not chosen during the WWE Draft. And though the awkward moment proved painful to watch and may have brought lesser men to their knees, the rejection seems only to have added fuel to the redheaded rocker’s fire.
“Guess who is the Hottest Free Agent… Yeah!!!! Me!!!” Slater tweeted, moments after SmackDown Live went off the air. And though his assessment may be overly optimistic – or arguably delusional – perhaps he has a point. After all, Slater is also a Slammy Award winner, a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion and the man who has defeated the likes of Seth Rollins, The Great Khali and Dolph Ziggler.
Any independent promotion with an ear to the ground knows Slater would be a respectable acquisition. Rumors have even surfaced that sports-entertainment’s newest free agent has already been in talks with EVOLVE Wrestling’s Gabe Sapolsky and has reached out to William Regal regarding promotions in the United Kingdom.
If Slater does decide to hang up his boots, however, it may well be time for his close-up. With a role in the upcoming film The Marine 5: Battleground and as host of WWE Game Night on WWE.com, the burgeoning actor appears to have caught the bug. If so, Slater finds himself uniquely poised to follow The Rock and John Cena as the newest WWE Superstar to conquer Hollywood.
And for those who have clamored to hear him fulfill his destiny as a front-man in a rock-n-roll outfit, don’t unplug your headphones just yet. With time now on his side, The One Man (Southern) Rock Band may soon be spending days laying down tracks in an effort to rock your face off before long.
Regardless of what path his journey may take, whether in the ring, on a movie set or in a recording studio, Heath Slater isn’t about to rest on his questionable laurels. To paraphrase rocker Neil Young, it’s better to burn out than to fade away … bay-bay!
