Ricky Saints NXT Segment Removed After Fan Backlash

Ricky Saints NXT Segment Removed From WWE Social Media After Fan Backlash

A recent WWE NXT segment featuring Ricky Saints has been quietly removed from the company’s social media platforms. The segment originally aired on the March 3 episode and was initially shared across WWE’s official accounts. Fans later noticed the clip had been taken down without any explanation.

According to Fightful Select, the removal was directly tied to the reaction the segment received online. The moment, promoted as “The Ricky Saints Absolute Experience,” featured Saints performing a parody musical number aimed at mocking NXT Champion Joe Hendry ahead of their match at NXT Vengeance Day. Saints performed a song titled “I Believe in Ricky,” mirroring Hendry’s signature musical performances.

The idea was meant to build heat between the two, but the response was overwhelmingly negative. Viewers criticized the performance heavily, with many comparing it unfavorably to The Rock’s classic “Rock Concert” segments. The comparisons led to accusations that the bit felt more like a knockoff than a tribute. As backlash grew, WWE removed the clip from its platforms.

Fightful Select also reported that the segment was not Saints’ idea. Sources within NXT indicated that Saints had been trying to move his character away from comparisons to The Rock before the segment was produced. Despite the criticism, WWE kept the closing portion of the segment — where Joe Hendry attacked Saints with a guitar — available online.

The Ricky Saints NXT segment removed from WWE’s social platforms didn’t derail the storyline. The feud continued at NXT Vengeance Day, where Hendry successfully defended the NXT Championship, leaving Saints empty‑handed after the title match. While the segment may have struck the wrong chord online, the rivalry ultimately reached its conclusion inside the ring.

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WWE SmackDown Ratings for March 6 Drop as 3/7 AEW Collision Sees Small Increase

WWE SmackDown Ratings for March 6 Drop as 3/7 AEW Collision Sees Small Increase

Ratings for the March 6 episode of WWE SmackDown saw a noticeable drop in audience engagement compared to the previous week’s broadcast on the USA Network. According to figures from Programming Insider, the WWE SmackDown ratings for March 6 averaged 1.19 million viewers, marking a 14% decline from the 1.379 million who tuned in on February 27. The decrease continues a pattern of weekly fluctuations for the blue brand as it moves deeper into the spring season.

The downward trend extended to the key adults 18–49 demographic. The March 6 broadcast delivered a 0.27 rating, down from the 0.34 recorded the week prior. Despite the dip, SmackDown remained highly competitive, finishing second overall on cable for the night and trailing only NBA coverage on ESPN. The timing of this decline is notable, as WWE typically sees rising interest during the build to WrestleMania.

Most Viewed WWE SmackDown (3/6) Videos on YouTube

  • FULL MATCH: Cody Rhodes reclaims the Undisputed WWE Title from Drew McIntyre (1.5 million)
  • Randy Orton hits Trick Williams with the RKO en route to WrestleMania (608K views)
  • Rhea Ripley to Jade Cargill: “I’m taking your title by force” (449K views)
  • Damian Priest & R-Truth become The MFTs’ No. 1 Contenders | Tag Team Turmoil (359K views)
  • Oba Femi destroys Johnny Gargano in an impromptu showdown (298K views)

AEW Collision, airing March 7 on TNT, experienced a minor uptick in total viewership. The episode drew 370,000 viewers, slightly above the 365,000 from its February 28 airing. However, Collision mirrored SmackDown’s trend in the core demographic, posting a 0.05 rating in adults 18–49, down from the previous week’s 0.06.

Most Viewed AEW Collision (3/7) Videos on YouTube

  • Tommaso Ciampa BETRAYS Mark Briscoe with vicious ATTACK! (55K views)
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla sends a vicious message to Kris Statlander (52K views)
  • Timeless Love Bombs vs Megan Bayne & Lena Kross (36K views)
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs Konosuke Takeshita (34K views)
  • Swerve Strickland vs Gravity (29K views)

The WWE SmackDown ratings for March 6 represent the more significant shift of the two shows, highlighting the volatility both companies are navigating as the wrestling calendar approaches a busy stretch of premium live events. With major storylines unfolding across both promotions, upcoming episodes will reveal whether these numbers stabilize or continue to shift.

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AEW Revolution 2023: Retro 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Whoever followed Hangman Page and Jon Moxley was going to have a tough time, and unfortunately for Samoa Joe and Wardlow, their AEW TNT Championship match had to take place in front of a crowd that had almost seen everything already on this night.

The story going into this match was that Joe and Wardlow were tag team partners in the back end of 2022, with the ultra-cool name of WarJoe…yes really. However, Joe would turn heel and take the AEW TNT Championship from Wardlow at Full Gear, and with him already holding the ROH World Television Championship, Joe proclaimed himself as the “King of Television.” Joe had Wardlow’s number at every turn, to the point where Joe cut off Wardlow’s trademark ponytail, something that “Mr. Mayhem” rocked as a tribute to his late father, and with that added motivation, he wanted war at Revolution.

This match was fine, that’s really all you can say to be honest. Much like the women’s three-way earlier in the night, it’s not a bad match, but it would have made much more sense if another match was in its place. That being something involving Powerhouse Hobbs, who won the annual Face of the Revolution Ladder Match on “AEW Dynamite” to earn a shot at Joe’s TNT Title. You would think that the man who won the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match would end up with a match at Revolution wouldn’t you? But no, this WarJoe story had to come to an end, and the blow-off was nothing more than a fairly standard TV match.

If you really wanted, you could have had Hobbs, Joe, and Wardlow run back their three-way match from Full Gear, especially given that Revolution 2023 took place in San Francisco, California and two thirds of the match would have been California natives. Hobbs won the title from Wardlow anyway a few days after this show, why not do that here? Because Wardlow needed revenge on Joe, and that’s another thing, the ending is fairly bad all things considered. Wardlow, the submission specialist that he is, chokes Joe out with his own finishing move. Like seriously? You’re going to choke out Samoa Joe? At least MJF used wrist tape to help him do it at Grand Slam later that year, but just a standard choke? I’m not a fan.

Speaking of MJF, his match literally ends with him forcing Bryan Danielson to tap to his own LeBell Lock, did producers and coaches not talk to each other before this show to make sure none of the finishes were too similar? Clearly not. Easily the lowest point on what had been up to this point one of the best AEW pay-per-views for some time. It didn’t really need to be on the show, the guy who had a shot at it sat in the crowd watching on, and Wardlow should grow his hair back because he just looks like a guy with short hair.

WWE Announces New International Broadcast Deal With Netflix

Since the announcement that WWE would begin a broadcast partnership with Netflix at the start of 2025, the promotion has only grown closer with the streaming giant. Earlier this year, Netflix and WWE expanded the availability of the PLE library, with a large selection of past events available in the United States.

Now, according to a new press release, Netflix is set to expand PLE access in Germany beginning next month, complete with German commentary to boot. Calvin Knie and Tim Haber will be on the German commentary team live for every PLE available on Netflix going forward, kicking off with the biggest event in WWE: WrestleMania. Additionally, those with Netflix subscriptions in Austria will also have access to the live PLEs with German commentary.

In January of this year, Netflix released programming statistics detailing WWE’s performance from July to December 2025, showing the overall views the promotion brought over that span. In terms of PLEs streamed, WrestlePalooza topped the charts at 1.9 million views, while Survivor Series: WarGames followed closely at 1.8 million views, and SummerSlam following in third at 1.6 million viewers across both nights. Right at the bottom, however, Evolution was listed as the least watched PLE.

Based on the report, “WWE Raw” has been performing well on Netflix, with the most watched episode naturally being John Cena’s final bout on the show on November 17. From July to August, “Raw” surpassed the 3 million viewer mark per week, before eventually falling. Of course, the highest rated episode was the debut episode on January 6th 2025, with 7.1 million viewers. In light of these numbers, it’s no surprise that WWE and Netflix continue to expand on the promotion’s streaming availability.

Former UFC Fighter Francis Ngannou Revives Jon Jones Fight Hopes

Francis Ngannou has revived talks of a would-be dream fight against Jon Jones in light of the two-weight champion’s falling out with UFC. 

Jones retired and vacated the Heavyweight Championship in 2025, thus seeing Tom Aspinall, the Interim Champion, promoted to Heavyweight Champion. But for a while prior to that, Aspinall had been dismissed by Jones as an opponent in favor of a bout against Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira. Jones has since said he was in negotiations with the UFC to return on the White House card, which will feature Pereira fighting Jones’ second-to-last opponent Ciryl Gane for the Interim title — but no Jones, as Dana White would continue to dismiss any talks with Jones about the event as “bulls***.” That prompted Jones to once more reiterate talks were underway, saying the UFC had “lowballed” him in negotiations. 

Ngannou responded to Jones following the address, having also left UFC as Heavyweight Champion following a pay dispute. 

“Watching this story unfold yesterday was very interesting. I have lots to say, but for now, Jonny boy, if you manage to get your freedom, then let me know,” he wrote. “You deserve that $30M+ after everything you’ve done for the sport, and they should be rolling out the RED CARPET for you.”

Many would and have said that Jones waited for Ngannou to leave before making his move on the Heavyweight title, having spent much of his career at Light Heavyweight as a two-time champion. There was always hope from fans and talks of a fight between them, but it never materialized. 

Ngannou recently left PFL after fighting one bout and becoming PFL Super Fights Heavyweight Champion, but will be fighting Philipe Lins on the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano MVP card in May.