WWE: Apollo Crews Resumes Training for In-Ring Return, Two New Matches Set for 8/15 WWE SmackDown Show, DoorDash Reportedly To Become Presenting Sponsor of WWE RAW, Shayna Baszler on Open to Discussing Producer Role with WWE

WWE

Aug 15, 2025

Apollo Crews Torn Pectoral Injury & Surgery Update – Crews Resumes Training for In-Ring Return

As noted before, Apollo Crews has been out of action for WWE since this past January due to a torn pectoral injury and surgery.

Crews provided an update on Thursday on Instagram revealing that he recently resumed training at Natalya and Tyson Kidd’s Dungeon training school for an in-ring return in the future. In a video posted, indie wrestler Eli Knight was shown helping Crews train for his in-ring return.

DUNGEON WRK ft. Apollo Crews pic.twitter.com/jMNstwhq1J
— Eli Knight (@stepupplease) August 14, 2025

Two New Matches Announced for Friday’s WWE SmackDown Show

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announced two new matches for the card of tonight’s WWE SmackDown show at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

The first new match announced was a singles match of Alexa Bliss vs. Piper Niven.

The second new match announced was a tag team match of The Miz & Carmelo Hayes vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom).

#SmackDown GM @RealNickAldis has big things planned for tomorrow night's edition of SmackDown live from BOSTON!

🎟️ https://t.co/W6HxwQGQxT
📺 8/7c @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/G6V7FYwTcd
— WWE (@WWE) August 14, 2025

Current card for August 15th WWE SmackDown show

The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano)
The Miz & Carmelo Hayes vs. Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom)
Alexa Bliss vs. Piper Niven
Drew McIntyre to address his attack on Cody Rhodes

DoorDash Reportedly To Become Presenting Sponsor of WWE RAW

AdWeek reported that food, grocery, and retail deliver company DoorDash recently signed a deal to become a new presenting sponsor of WWE RAW on Netflix for the upcoming new RAW season.

It was reported:

“Regarding its offerings, the streamer’s ads leader said clients were looking forward to live programming, including WWE Raw, with Netflix partnering with DoorDash as the presenting sponsor for the new season.”

Shayna Baszler Comments on Being Open to Discussing Producer Role with WWE

As noted before, Shayna Baszler recently has been working as a producer for WWE in a tryout role following her release from the company this past May.

A recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show featured Baszler as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Baszler clarifying her current backstage producer status in NXT.

“It’s really funny. This whole thing kind of blew up to be bigger than it was. I have a really good relationship with WWE. Especially with NXT and the time I put in and the coaches there. I happened to, I’m not going to name any names, but I happened to be in to help some friends of mine work on submission transitions. It happened to be on a Tuesday. The truth is, years ago, when Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), during the COVID era, in Gorilla, you have the opporutnity to sit on a headset and hear all the communication going on with the truck and production. Generally speaking, it’s just for the top guys. I wasn’t in a position to sit and do that on the main roster, but I remember Daniel Bryan telling me, ‘If you ever get a chance to do that, it completely changed my understanding of how wrestling works.’ He understood, ‘they want me to do this because of this camera, and it takes this long to switch to this angle.’ You see wrestling differently for TV. I always remembered that, and anytime I was around NXT after that, I would jump on a headset and listen. I happened to be there that Tuesday, jumped on a headset and listened to the call. I wasn’t on a microphone.”

Baszler also gave her thoughts about the origin of her working as a producer in NXT.

“I hadn’t been gone for a million years. I know many of the talent there. If anything could be said it was maybe, ‘I have an idea. Why don’t you do this and this,’ but I wasn’t standing there putting this match together, writing down the notes and on a mic to the truck being like, ‘We’re gonna need a floor camera.’ It wasn’t any of that. We have that kind of open relationship where, is it a possibility someday? Sure. I would like to think so. I shouldn’t speak for them, maybe they think differently, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. I would love to be the (Antonio) Inoki of NXT and bring a little visceral reality into things. I’m also not sure I’m ready to be done in the ring. I’m also not sure I’m one of those people that would ever feel like I’m ready to be done.”

Baszler also gave her thoughts about if she was only on the headset for one show.

“It’s been a few times. As far as sitting on a headset in NXT, I’ve been doing that forever. No one paid attention because I was a talent and it was normal to see me there. I’ve been doing that. Pretty much my whole 90 days, I’ve been in there helping out with a couple of matches here and there. It wasn’t until NXT had a show before Evolution with all the Raw and SmackDown girls showing up for the battle royal. I know it was one of them! [laughs].”

Baszler also gave her thoughts about her being currently open to the idea of becoming a full-time producer with WWE.

“I’d be open to discussing something like that. A conversation would need to be had about the normal things like the money. I’d have to really sit and figure out what in-ring looks like. I’m very aware of where I’m at. I’m in my 40s. There are people in their 40s at the height of it, so could I? This would all be stuff I would have to navigate. I do not take lightly that they even allow me (to be on a headset). I think any talent could go to NXT and sit on a headset, I think the anomaly is that I was released and they still allowed me to do that. This is a male dominated industry and I think they are always looking for women that can step into a role like that. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility and I don’t take lightly the compliment it is for them to allow me to do that post-released. Even if nothing comes of it, I’m learning the craft so it’s more tools to put in my toolbag.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com