Randy Orton is set to team up with Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose and Shane McMahon to take on Team Raw at Survivor Series, then Orton will be taking some time off.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Randy Orton is scheduled to be off after Survivor Series, and he will return for the 11/29 SmackDown tapings in Columbia, SC. Orton is taking time off because his wife is pregnant and she’s due to have the baby soon.
It’s also being reported by the WON that Team SmackDown’s mascot James Ellsworth is still taking indie bookings, which indicates that he has not signed a full time deal with WWE.
WWE announced the following:
WWE® AND SKY DEUTSCHLAND ANNOUNCE MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT
MUNICH, Germany and STAMFORD, Conn. 16 November, 2016 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and SKY Deutschland today announced a new multi-year agreement to distribute WWE’s premier pay-per-view events starting this Monday with Survivor Series® and televise WWE’s flagship programs Raw® and SmackDown® live on SKY Sports beginning April 2017.
SKY customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland will be able to order one of WWE’s biggest events of the year, Survivor Series®, this Monday, November 21 at 1:00 a.m. Central European Time featuring a Mega Match twelve years in the making between WWE Superstars Brock Lesnar™ and Goldberg™ as well as 5-on-5 elimination matches between Superstars from Raw® and SmackDown®.
“We are very happy about WWE coming back to Sky Deutschland,” said Dr. Malte Probst, Senior Vice President Programming Operations & Transactional Business, SKY Deutschland. “With this new long-term agreement with WWE, we can offer our customers many spectacular events, combining the best of sports with top entertainment. This mixture fits perfectly with Sky.”
“We are excited to once again partner with SKY to showcase WWE’s flagship programs Raw® and SmackDown® and our marquee pay-per-view events to our fans in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland,” said Ed Wells, WWE Executive Vice President, International.
“This agreement illustrates the power and global growth of WWE, while creating another destination for our fans to enjoy our unique blend of thrilling, family-oriented entertainment.”
With this agreement, SKY plc now distributes Raw® and SmackDown® in three of its biggest markets – Germany, Italy, and the UK.
WWE’s popularity in Germany continues to grow with viewing options that now include SKY Deutschland, ProSieben Maxx, and WWE Network.
Ellsworth just posted on his facebook, that he is NOT taking any independent bookings anymore.