NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Nick Aldis, will be competing in ROH’s upcoming Honor United tour. It will be his first time in Ring of Honor.
News that Nick Aldis will be wrestling for ROH comes on the heels of Billy Corgan revealing the NWA title will be defended at All-In. Cody is scheduled to challenge whoever the champion is at the time. Now it appears, Aldis wants to get a piece of Cody’s Bullet Club teammates beforehand.
Shortly after the All-In Chicago press conference, Aldis seemed upset with Billy Corgan’s announcement. He sent out the following Tweet in response:
If back-room @billy & @CodyRhodes want me to sign on the line for #ALLIN#TenPoundsOfGold several things need to happen. They involve money & respect. But let's start with this: I want a match with The Young Bucks at #HonorUnited Edinburgh. @ringofhonor can pick my partner.
“Frontrunning contenders for “SmackDown” rights include Fox, Facebook and Amazon.” – Variety
Smackdown Live! is likely to have a new home when WWE and USA’s current agreement expires later this year.
Currently, Fox is the leading candidate to land Shane McMahon’s brand but there are other suitors out there. A recent article from Variety spoke to senior analyst for Wells Fargo, Eric Katz about how Smackdown will do on the open market.
“We think ‘SmackDown’ is due for a big raise as well, and likely still viewed as a bargain for several players reportedly interested,” Katz said.
The Variety article also included analysis from a Guggenheim report on WWE’s current television renewals situation.
“The company sits in a much stronger financial and negotiating position now than in 2014 (having just launched the WWE Network while PPV was winding down),” the report reads. “We believe that WWE stands to make significant headway during its coming television contract negotiations due to an enhanced brand, new [business-to-business] relationships, more potential bidders than ever, and a contract that under-indexes other live premium programming.”
Smackdown to Fox, Facebook, or Amazon?
Fox recently sold off the majority of their assets to pave the way for a switch to increased live programming. Facebook and Amazon are also interested suitors, however. The addition of streaming services and social media sites in the bidding has put the WWE in a greater place of leverage than ever before.
WWE previously partnered with Facebook Live for the Mixed Match Challenge. 35 million engagements were reported for the first episode of the tournament. WWE was said to be unhappy with the overall viewership of the Mixed Match Challenge, however. The tournament was eventually won by the Miz and Asuka.
Where do you want to see Smackdown Live end up? Fox? Amazon? Facebook Live? Tell us in the comments section below.
William Bernbach, one of the greatest minds in advertising stated that “advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art.”
When looking at the headline that the Cody Rhodes/Young Bucks financed show ‘All In’ had sold out in a staggering 30 minutes, I realized that the art form of professional wrestling was evolving at a rate that is quite frankly unprecedented. The talent involved isn’t just breaking boundaries inside the ring, they’re adopting a truly DIY ethic to show that a self-produced event without the help of the top ‘mainstream’ promotions can sell out a 10,000 seat arena. In 30 minutes. How can you not consider Cody and the Bucks artists?
If you were to ask a wrestling fan in May of 2017 whether this show would sell out so quickly they would likely laugh you out of the room. Yes, the show has been built on the strength of stars such as IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Marty Scurll, Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. One line of skepticism surrounding their chances was that they’d need CM Punk and/or Daniel Bryan to sell 10,000 tickets. Cue Ron Howard narration, “They didn’t.”
Curiously, CM Punk will be in Chicago during All In weekend for a signing at Pro Wrestling Tees – the Bullet Club affiliated retail store that just so happened to host the All In press conference this past Sunday. The prospect of Punk being involved at All In is exciting, but the hook of Punk’s involvement wasn’t necessary to sell out the Sears Centre.
In the headline I described ‘All In’ as having created a seismic shift in professional wrestling and it cannot be denied that this (currently) one-off special event has already blown away some of the biggest established independent companies in that market historically. Take into account that ECW peaked at around 6,000 fans at a time when wrestling was in the mainstream consciousness and at the highest peak on interest in history, WAY WAY above where we find ourselves in 2018. For a more modern comparison you can look at TNA and their reported 7,200 sales for the Lockdown event in 2013 which had confirmed feuds, storylines and an already well established fanbase to draw from…that’s nearly 33% less than ‘All In.’
When you also consider the fact that there was no major television exposure, there was no paid advertising in the local area AND not one major match has even been announced outside of Cody challenging for the NWA Title? Seismic might not even be the word…this is unprecedented in the history of professional wrestling, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks have changed the landscape and for the better.
SEScoops has learned that Major League Wrestling recently signed many of the top performers who have been working for the promotion.
With the recent success of MLW and the launch of FUSION, its new weekly television series, there has been interest from other promotions in acquiring some of their talent. WWE in particular was interested in signing British star Jimmy Havoc, who also competes for Progress, Defiant and ICW.
The list of wrestlers who recently signed with MLW include:
MLW World Champion Shane Strickland
Jimmy Havoc
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor
Maxwell Jacob Friedman
Aria Blake
Salina de La Renta
Barrington Hughes
The MLW contracted wrestlers are given the opportunity to continue working elsewhere. The deals are win/win for all involved and allow the MLW performers to take independent bookings and continue honing their skills.
Visit our MLW News page for the latest on MLW’s next show on 6/7, MLW invading New York City in July and more.
Leader of the Los Ingobernables stable, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito is set to face Chris Jericho as part of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s upcoming Dominion event on June 9th at the iconic Osaka-Jo Hall. This will be Jericho’s first bout for New Japan since his show-stealing match against Kenny Omega at this year’s January 4th Wrestle Kingdom show in the Tokyo Dome and the seeds were sown for this clash way back on January 5th as part of the New Year Dash event.
Speaking on his feud with Jericho with Tokyo Sports, Naito stated that “Jericho lost at Wrestle Kingdom 12, attacked me unprovoked 1/5 (at New Year Dash). He’s not interested in the (Intercontinental) title, he’s interested in me. This can be a non title match.” He went on to state that “Even just the value of Naito transcends the belt, and Jericho is also world famous worldwide.”
The already stacked event will also feature the fourth instalment of Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega’s critically acclaimed series, the two men will face in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the whole show will be available to view with English language commentary on NJPWWorld.com.
PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s Champion and inaugural Mae Young Classic entrant Toni Storm has reportedly signed a deal with WWE. The Australian star reached the semi final of the Mae Young tournament before being eliminated by eventual winner Kairi Sane.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Storm is believed to have signed or is at least working on the two Royal Albert Hall shows on June 18th/19th. Storm had allegedly turned down past offers from the company as she wanted to continue working with Japan’s STARDOM promotion, Pro Wrestling: EVE in the UK and other independents across the globe.
It was also mentioned that WWE have likely stepped up their advances and been more aggressive in attempting to sign Storm, who is expected to make the Royal Albert Hall dates followed by an already confirmed appearance for Will Ospreay’s Frontline Wrestling event on June 28th at the Stratford Circus in London, England.
Storm is currently scheduled to defend her PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s title this Sunday at PROGRESS Chapter 69: Be Here Now against longtime rival Jinny. With this announcement it is likely that Storm finally loses the title which she brought into the company and has been the only performer to ever hold.
It has been revealed that contracted talents to WWE’s United Kingdom division are no longer allowed to be featured as part of On Demand services for independent companies across the UK…apart from two notable exceptions.
PROGRESS and Insane Championship Wrestling are arguably the two biggest independent companies in the UK and the working relationship between them and WWE has been well publicised; both feature WWE UK Superstars on a consistent basis (PROGRESS have more contracted talent) and appear to have struck deals with WWE early to ensure that their presentation is not affected.
The companies that will certainly be feeling the effect of this are Revolution Pro (Rev Pro), RIPTIDE, DEFIANT and Fight Club: Pro. The four well established brands use WWE UK stars on a regular basis and whilst Rev Pro have a strong working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling the loss of some of their stars such as Zack Gibson, Chris Brookes et al could affect them greatly.
Fans of the UK scene had predicted this situation occurring early on during the initial WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament, with companies such as Fight Club: Pro having to show feature bouts such as The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) vs British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) ‘behind closed doors’ to fans in attendance when they would certainly have generated a massive income from DVD sales prior to WWE striking deals with UK talent.
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently did an interview with The Mirror to help promote his upcoming one-man shows in Glasgow, Manchester and London next week. Here are a few highlights:
Making sporadic appearances and people not knowing when you may turn up or what shows you might be on, gives you a ‘marquee attraction’ feel as a performer, similar to what Brock Lesnar has in WWE. It keeps an appearance by you a special event, in of itself.
“Well, Brock Lesnar has what Chris Jericho has in WWE, you know what I mean? I come and go when I feel it’s right. I’m there more than Brock is when I’m there, but as far as being there/not being there, I’m not under contract to WWE. Everyone always thinks that, they’re always like ‘oh is WWE cool with you working in New Japan?’
“It doesn’t matter if they’re cool or not because I’m not under contract. My contract with them ended in May of last year. So I have the right to do whatever I want to do, I don’t have to ask permission from anybody. I tell them what I’m doing out of courtesy because I respect the company and respect Vince McMahon, but I don’t have a contract with anybody, other than the match I have with Tetsuya Naito coming up.”
You made a dramatic return to NJPW on May 4, ambushing NJPW icon Tetsuya Naito. The seeds had been sown for that back in January, when you first attacked him the day after Wrestle Kingdom. You have long been the master of keeping people guessing, spreading misinformation, and down the years you have kept a lot of big surprises secret, such as your appearance at the Royal Rumble in 2013. This time there were a few rumours and the cat got out the bag – why do you think that was?
“I don’t know man. It’s one of those things, the cat got out of the bag, but everyone was convinced I was going to be in Long Beach too [NJPW held a show titled Strong Style Evolved in California on March 25]. You can’t tell me that you really knew for sure because no one knew for sure. I have found out that fans have a way to track your flight patterns now… which really makes me feel safe.
“Maybe that’s how, they found out that Chris Jericho was flying into Tokyo or whatever it was, but once again, I don’t feel bad because we were very specific, very secret about it. I flew into Haneda Airport, stayed a night there, then secretly flew into Fukuoka and stayed at a different hotel, so if people say they knew I was there that’s wrong, because there might have been some rumors, but it’s not like I was busted or caught red-handed or anything along those lines. If I hadn’t have been there, people would have just said ‘oh that’s Jericho, we thought he was going to be at Long Beach too’.”
Are there opponents still in WWE that you would love to work, a long program with [Daniel] Bryan for example?
“It’s all about the story. If it’s a good story I will work with anybody. I enjoy wrestling still but I enjoy the storyline behind it. I liked the idea of a surprise attack on Naito, I like all these type of things that you don’t really expect to see. That’s why I still enjoy wrestling.
“Yeah sure, working with [Braun] Strowman would be great, working with Daniel Bryan would be great, working with any of those guys would be great, I love Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and all of those dudes. But what’s the story behind it? If we can come up with a good story, then I’m all in. If not, then I will just continue doing what I’m doing right now and having a lot of fun doing it.”
You can read Jericho’s full interview with The Mirror by clicking this link here.
Roman Reigns believes so long as fans are showing up to the arenas, it doesn’t matter if they boo him. The 32-year-old recently spoke to SunSport about his reaction to hearing fans respond negatively to him.
“I’ve done what I’m supposed to do and that’s draw people into the building,” Reigns said.
“What I and everybody in WWE thinks is to go out there and work hard and continue to show why I am the guy.”
Roman Reigns as “The Guy” in WWE
Roman Reigns has been in the main event of WrestleMania 4 years in a row. He is the company’s choice for their top babyface. Despite years of trying, however, the promotion has been unable to get fans to cheer him at live events.
“It’s not easy doing this every single day, going to every single town, and getting a reaction,” Reigns continued. “That’s what I do regardless of whether it’s all cheers, a mixed reaction, or heavy boos.”
Reigns would continue to say that although fans in the live arenas might boo him, WWE has to also consider the larger audience watching around the world.
“We have to look at it as a global company. We’re not just worried about the one town that we’re in, we’re covering our entire fanbase,” Reigns stated.
“The WWE Universe is humongous. We have to keep that in mind.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently took to his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to talk about working with fellow Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14. Austin said to the best of his recollection, he can’t remember shaking Michaels’ hand after the match:
“Proper etiquette is if you work a match with somebody, whether you’re working heel, baby, it doesn’t matter, new to the territory or been around, you always thank the guy you work with.” Austin explained, “that’s just what you do.
“Whether you knocked it out of the park or whether you s–t the bed, you always go thank the person that you worked with. So there wasn’t any animosity between me and Shawn. Me and Shawn we always cool. He just wasn’t in a good place and we just didn’t know if he was going to get in the ring.
“And there were a couple of stories about The Undertaker taping up his hands and stuff like that. Shawn was late to a few things, but there was never any heat between me and Shawn. Man, as long as I’ve known Shawn, we’ve never had heat. He was just in a bad place in that time in his life.
“He had a bad back and he wasn’t thrilled about dropping the [world] title, but he certainly did and he was a complete pro about it. But I do not remember getting a chance to shake his hand or talk about the match.”
The Texas Rattlesnake said that he always got along well with Michaels whenever they’d work together. In fact, Michaels would let Austin call some of their matches, something The Heartbreak Kid didn’t do too often back then:
“I had worked with Shawn at house shows many times before that and we had absolutely ripped the roof off of these places having these matches, just calling it on the spot, calling it on the fly. Shawn was always cool with me calling the matches because 90% of the time, he was calling his own matches because that’s how Shawn worked.
“And I was used to calling my matches, so he was like, ‘dude, you want to call the match?’ It gives him a night off. You’re talking about hands down probably the best worker in the history of the business, and he’s going to let you call a match, so he can take the night off and just do his part, he’s down for it.
“I don’t remember shaking his hand after that match.” Austin added, “but never any heat, but that’s what you do. You shake people’s hand after. You’re trusting this person with your life, basically.”
Austin also shut down any rumors that he had heat with Shawn after what happened at the WrestleMania 14 press conference:
“Anyway, he shows up at the press conference that was for me, and Mike Tyson, and Vince [McMahon], or whoever it was, to answer questions.” Austin recalled, “and Shawn left, but Shawn was totally cool after that. And Shawn is probably one of the people I keep in contact with most.
“I mean, we don’t call each other everyday, obviously, but I give him a call every three to four months just to see how he’s doing, what’s going on, how the ranch is doing or if he’s able to get out and enjoy the woods anymore now that he’s down there working in Orlando [Florida] at the [WWE] Performance Center. And he’s doing really well and he’s happy. But I keep in contact or regular contact just to shoot the breeze with one of the guys and he’s one of my all-time favorites.
“I really think from bell-to-bell, Shawn Michaels was probably the best to ever do it in the business of professional wrestling. That’s my opinion. When it comes to well-rounded, athletic, storytelling, psychology, everything, performance, Shawn is the guy.”
You can listen to The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.
World of Sport (WOS) recently held TV tapings at EPIC Studios in Norwich, England. The returning brand will be shown on one of the UK’s largest channels in ITV and the first episode of this second ‘reboot’ attempt is likely to air around July 21st.
One of the biggest pieces of news coming from the tapings include the announcement of new WOS General Manager Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett who recently stepped down from his role as the DEFIANT Wrestling GM, this move now sheds more light on that decision.
The following stars have also been contracted by ITV to feature on the new 10-part show: Will Ospreay, Davey boy Jr, Grado, Moose, Primate, Joe Hendry, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Kay Lee Ray, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Adam Maxted, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.
According to live reports the action on the show is far superior to that of the original New Years Eve special from a few years ago. It was also noted that the show would be heavily focused on two names in particular; Will Ospreay and Davey Boy Jr who had the most anticipated and hyped bout during the tapings.
This past weekend, NWA President Billy Corgan made a surprise appearance at the All In press conference from Chicago at the Pro Wrestling Tees store.
Following Corgan’s announcement that the NWA would be involved with All in and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship would be defended at the show, Cody Rhodes approached the podium and announced he’d be the one challenging for the gold.
On Thursday, NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis noted on Twitter that he hasn’t signed on the dotted line to face Cody at All In – and there are certain stipulations that must be met in order for him to do so. Like most, he’s after “money & respect.”
Aldis says he wants a match against The Young Bucks at the upcoming Ring Of Honor: Honor United show from Edinburgh, Scotland next week (5/24). Aldis is so confident in his abilities that he’ll let ROH management choose his partner.
If back-room @billy & @CodyRhodes want me to sign on the line for #ALLIN#TenPoundsOfGold several things need to happen. They involve money & respect. But let's start with this: I want a match with The Young Bucks at #HonorUnited Edinburgh. @ringofhonor can pick my partner.
The WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event was held last month in Saudi Arabia, and there’s a ton of controversy surrounding the involvement, or lack thereof, WWE’s female Superstars.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that none of the female Superstars have been paid for missing out on the show due to Saudi Arabia’s culture. It was noted that none of the female stars expect to be paid and they’ll be very surprised if they do.
WWE has been receiving a lot of negative feedback for agreeing to do a show in a country where the culture towards women is completely opposite of the Women’s Revolution WWE has been pushing recently.
WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson took to a recent earnings call to defend the company’s decision:
“I think everyone is familiar with the fact that we have obviously been very vocal about our female performers and re-branding them as Superstars,” Wilson said.
“We feel really good about our continued commitment on that front. There are many countries around the world where we perform and we’re respectful to the cultures there but we certainly hope to be a part of the change moving forward.
“We’re proud and happy with how the event went,” Wilson added. “And we will continue to treat those cultures respectfully while hoping to be a part of some of the change that will be taking place.”
Wrestling Observer Newsletter also notes that there is currently no news on the pay for WWE’s GRR event, because as of a few days ago it still hasn’t come in. Nobody reportedly knew about pay before the event except top WWE Superstars who were there for one-shot appearances.
Former WWE Superstar and current Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Tenille Dashwood (a.k.a. Emma) recently did an interview with TV Insider‘s Scott Fishman to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Dashwood first opened up on her current run with ROH and how she feels it’s going:
“I feel revived and alive again with wrestling. I started this because I love wrestling. Back when I was younger in Australia, I wanted to be a wrestler and loved what I did with WWE.
“It’s completely different now. It’s not five minutes on TV where I’m asked to do such and such. It’s having competitive singles matches every night. There are different opponents every night. I’m meeting new people and improving my own skills every time by working with different people in the ring. It got me going again.”
She also revealed that she got some advice from fellow former WWE star Cody Rhodes recently:
“We talked about how to go about things and make sure I enjoy it and taking advantage of the opportunities I have now. Just to do the things I haven’t been able to do in years.
With WWE you don’t always get to do things the way you like to do them, so now he said to remember that I’m in control and can do things my way. To be doing things for a reason and to wrestle around the world. And not to do it for job, but to do it because you love and enjoy it and travel and meet people and wrestle. It was to remember all that.”
In regards to what’s going on in WWE, Dashwood offered her thoughts on The IIconics making their main roster debut on SmackDown Live:
“I kind of knew it was coming, but I told them not to tell me if it’s happening because I wanted to be in the moment. I called Peyton out. I called her a liar. I said, ‘You’re not at home right now.’ She was like, ‘Oops you got me.’ I said, ‘No, don’t tell me!’ I have been friends with those girls for years.
“I just talked to the girls yesterday. They are on the European tour right now. We always catch up. We stay in contact. They come over my house, and we go into the hot tub. We’re good friends. I’m so excited for them. Seeing them really warms my heart doing what they love. I know what it feels like to have those big moments and that feeling. So, I’m happy for them.”
You can read Dashwood’s full interview with TV Insider by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was released from WWE back in February for a domestic abuse incident that occurred with his wife. Since then, Swann and his wife have reconciled and he has begun working for IMPACT Wrestling.
PWInsider Elite’s Mike Johnson recently discussed the possibility of WWE bringing back Swann, and said he believes the company could bring him back at some point:
“I think WWE will bring him back at some point. Whenever somebody gets in trouble, WWE has them serve their penance and then they eventually get brought back into the fold. I think that is the process that Rich Swann is in right now. He’s working for Impact but he’s not signing a 5-year contract.”
H/T Ringside News for the transcriptions
Batista Praises Titus O’Neil
WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil took to Twitter to celebrate staying in shape at the age of 41. He’s nearing his goal of cutting down to 270 pounds, as he currently weighs 284. His good friend and former WWE Superstar, Batista, responded to O’Neil’s Tweet and praised him for his hard work:
284lbs now 6weeks from today I’ll be ready for a Lifelong Goal 2be reached&I’m excited about the process to go down to a Leaner 41 year old 270lb @Marvel Character ?? Has nothing to do with @WWE but everything to do with being a Blessed Man! @DaveBautista I’ll see you soon ? pic.twitter.com/zdeuhaQ7GK
WWE stock prices climbed to an all-time high after word about a pending television rights deal was revealed on Wednesday.
Stock prices for WWE climbed a whopping 17-percent with shares valued at $51 each and a total valuation on the professional wrestling company sitting at approximately $3.9 billion overall.
With that kind of expected windfall, WWE stock prices went up dramatically and now sit 150-percent higher than this time last year when the company was trading at $19.66 per share. To put that in different terms, a $10,000 investment in WWE last year at this time would now be worth $25,000.
The biggest previous surge for stock prices with WWE came back in 2014 when the company was prepared to ink a deal for its last television deal. Unfortunately at that time, the stock prices proved to be rather erratic as WWE was preparing to launch the WWE Network.
At the time, WWE was moving all of their pay-per-view cards to the network, which would seemingly eliminate a huge source of income. Over time, however, WWE Network has proven to be a big winner for the company with subscriber numbers continuing to climb with each passing year.
The total valuation of WWE at $3.9 billion also puts the company in the same neighborhood as the UFC enjoyed back in 2016 just before selling to a conglomerate led by Endeavor, which ultimately purchased the mixed martial arts promotion for just over $4 billion.
There has been speculation that with WWE stock prices at an all time high that perhaps this could be the best possible time for WWE CEO Vince McMahon and his family to cash out with a potential sell to a network such as FOX or even Disney. FOX actually tried to buy the UFC back in 2016 but they were ultimately out bid by Endeavor.
McMahon sold off a portion of his own stock last year as he prepared to re-launch the XFL football league but there’s still no word if he would be willing to cash out completely and sell WWE to a new owner.
For now, investors will enjoy the surge in stock prices from this latest stock jump as WWE is now valued higher than ever before.
Do you think the McMahon’s will ever cash out and sell WWE or will this continue to be a family business for years to come?
For the past several months, it’s been rumored that WWE will be running a stadium show in Australia later this year. WWE has yet to acknowledge plans for the down-under mega event, but prominent Melbourne sports media figure Craig Hutchinson says the show is happening on October 6th from MCG Stadium. The venue has a capacity of over 100,000 people.
WWE 2K19
On Wednesday, WWE made the first official announcement about WWE 2K19, the next installment of the company’s annual video game franchise.
Last year’s game was released in mid-October for PS4 & Xbox One, with the Nintendo Switch version arriving in December.
We’re pleased to announce that the next entry in the @WWEgames franchise, #WWE2K19, is scheduled to release this fall. More details to come at a later date. #adpic.twitter.com/qrOWQ1IFVg
WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund is featured in a new Mountain Dew commercial with comedian Kevin Hart. The 75-year-old broadcasting legend is depicted in familiar surroundings – conducting a backstage interview with a screaming ‘wrestler.’
There have been some rumors going around suggesting that former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton is injured or has backstage heat – being the reason why he missed WWE’s European Tour.
This is not true. Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer reports that Orton missed the tour because he was not contractually obligated to attend. The Viper’s current WWE deal allows him to work a lighter tour schedule, thus he was able to hang back state-side and spend time with his family.
Orton does not have any backstage heat and has no injuries as of this writing. At this point in his career, he simply worked out a deal that would limit the amount of overseas traveling he has to do in order to be able to spend more time back home with his wife and kids.
Randy, son of WWE Hall Of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton, has been with WWE for almost 20 years. It’s safe to say he’s earned some say-so in how many tour dates he works.
Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars The Young Bucks recently appeared on Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1,2,360 podcast to discuss their upcoming “All In” event. During the show, The Young Bucks discussed not only selling out a wrestling show will “All In,” but also selling out a party.
All In: Wrestling Show Party
Nick: “We have such passionate fans and we wanted to give back to our fans in a way, to make something special for one night.”
Matt: “It’s been very strategic too, how we were going to roll out the whole plan… We knew that we couldn’t just sell a wrestling event. You have to sell more than a wrestling event, you have to sell a feeling, you have to sell a movement. To make them {Fans} feel something like ‘hey this is for you’.
“Because right now is the best professional wrestling that there has ever been. Everybody can work, some of the best matches you’ll ever see… You’ve got to give the people something more than that you know what I mean? And I feel like they agreed with it, they felt it. They wanted to be apart of it. This movement, this change, you know? We wanted to show them, hey this is something new, fresh, and organic.
“It’s an alternative and it may be only celebrated one-time so let’s party. And that’s what we’re selling we’re selling a party and everyone wants to party with us and we’re glad they’re on board.”
Paul Heyman Congratulating Them
Advocate for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, recently Tweeted out and praised Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks for selling out the Sears Centre in Chicago for their self-funded event. Nick and Matt were blown away by the sentiment:
Nick: “Almost everyone I’ve looked up to has reached out in a way. That blows my mind because it’s so cool to see some of the guys I grew up praising, praising us now its’ so weird.”
Matt: “For me, I think the Heyman one was really big because it feels like what he did with ECW was kind of a revolutionary new style of wrestling and he changed the wrestling business forever you know what I mean.
“And for him to say that about us I feel like he’s one of the greatest promoters of all time and that’s what we essentially are now… So just to hear from a guy who always has his finger on the pulse of what’s cool in wrestling to give it up to us like that when he didn’t have to was really really cool of him.”
Which WWE Talent They’d Like To Use At All In
The Young Bucks also listed off some WWE names that they wish could be involved in the event if they weren’t under contract with the professional wrestling juggernaut:
Nick: “Oh man that’s a hard one. I’d have to use at least a few AJ Styles and Kevin [Owens}, the first two as well as a Sami Zayn. I’d like to use a lot of the guys though.”
Matt: “Man, Nick kinda stole my answers but I feel like giving a team who hasn’t really got called up, haven’t really had a fair shake, I’d love to have The Revival on the show and do The Young Bucks vs The Revival. That’d be my match probably.”
A lot of fans think that WWE should turn former World Champion Roman Reigns heel and Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the people who believe the same.
During a recent interview with The Express in middle of the company’s ongoing UK tour, the Big Dog talked about the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV and also responded to Austin’s comment about how he should turn heel which Steve made on his podcast.
Roman said that everybody has their opinion comparing it to people having their favorite flavor of ice cream but claimed that Steve Austin knows the territory he is in.
Continuing on the topic, the former Shield Member said that there is a lot of truth in what the Texas Rattle Snake has to say but went on to explain that he can’t guarantee a heel turn:
“So I think there’s definitely a lot of truth in what he has to say and I value his opinion. Is it going to happen? I can’t guarantee that. It’s one of those situations where you kind of got to take it week by week and just understand the role”
Apart from this, Roman Reigns also talked about how John Cena has been in his shoes before and claimed that he is in a good place to do whatever he needs to do with his character without necessarily being a heel or babyface.
Enzo Amore revealed on Twitter recently that no charges will be filed against him and the investigation of sexual assault allegations has been closed.
The statement he posted also revealed that the former WWE Star will be returning to the Entertainment Industry and since then people have been discussing if Impact Wrestling could be his next destination.
During a recent media call, Impact’s co-executive vice president Don Callis was asked about the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion possibly joining their company.
Replying to it, the Impact Official claimed that talents are evaluated based on needs and what they are looking to do and said that you should never say never:
“Never say never. You evaluate talent based on need and what you’re looking to do. We have a long term plan for how we engage with talent in terms of who’s gonna be on the roster, what roster spots we need filled, etcetera. So you know… as with any other talent, I think time will tell.”
While this answer hardly reveals whether the company has any interest in Enzo or not, the statement does not end any possibilities either.
So while it may not happen in the foreseeable future, there is a chance that Enzo Amore will end up working for the company formerly known as TNA somewhere down the line.
Discussion: Do you think Impact should also hire Enzo after hiring another former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Impact Wrestling is back with another taped show tonight. The company will hold the 3rd set of tapings under the new regime on June 1st and 2nd in Windsor, On, Canada.
Impact Wrestling Preview (5/17/18)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8l_FI1Ggq4
Street Fight Hosted by House of Hardcore Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan
Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion will host this street fight between the two rivals.
Callihan has driven Edwards to the brink by stalking his wife in the hospital. Edwards then convinced Impact management not to fire Callihan so that he can get his revenge.
It’s not clear if this will be the blow-off to the feud or if this angle will continue building to Slammiversary on July 22nd. We will probably find out tonight.
Matt Sydal & Austin Aries vs Fantasma & Pentagon Jr.
It’s the X-Division champion (Sydal) teaming up with the Impact Grand Champion (Aries) to take on the #1 contender to the X-Division title (Fantasma) and the Impact World Champion (Pentagon Jr.).
Don Callis revealed yesterday during his state of Impact address that Aries vs Pentagon will happen on the May 31st episode. This might not have been announced on Impact yet, however.
Fantasma vs Matt Sydal will be the next X-Division title match after Fantasma won a fatal 4-way match last week.
Kiera Hogan vs Tessa Blanchard
This has been building for the last few weeks.
Blanchard appeared on commentary during Hogan’s match at the Redemption pay-per-view. Hogan seemed to indicate she was upset with Blanchard for stealing her moment.
Blanchard is coming into Impact Wrestling confident, claiming she’s the hottest free agent the company could’ve signed. Tonight we should find out how quick her rise to the top of the Knockouts division will be.
Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships Eli Drake and Scott Steiner (c) vs Z&E
DJZ and Andrew Everett defeated former champions, LAX, last week. The win likely earned them the shot at Steiner and Drake tonight.
Meanwhile, LAX seems to be falling apart without Konnan or Homicide.
Su Yung’s Funeral for Rosemary
Two weeks ago on Impact, Yung and her army of undead brides locked Rosemary in a coffin.
Last week, we saw a segment where Allie received an ominous note from a charred stuffed bunny. The note was likely an invitation to Rosemary’s funeral, which will take place tonight.
Also booked for the show:
The return of Madison Rayne.
Brian Cage’s world tour continues. This time the Machine stops in Canada.
Did an online mob-mentality unfairly rip apart the legacy of the Fabulous Moolah? There are a growing number of people in the industry who believe that is exactly what happened.
Earlier this year, WWE announced they were naming the women’s battle royal at WrestleMania after the Fabulous Moolah. This led to the resurfacing of allegations against Moolah for exploiting (both financially and sexually) her female students. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer details the discussion had at the latest Cauliflower Alley Club reunion regarding Moolah and her legacy.
In Defense of the Fabulous Moolah
The most serious allegations against Moolah are the charges she “pimped out” her female wrestling students. Wrestlers Luna Vachon and Mad Maxine are the two wrestlers most associated with these allegations. Meltzer recounted a discussion he had with Vachon on the matter before her passing, however.
“Her (Luna Vachon) actual claim later was that she was sent to a guy who paid her for a photo shoot, and other women said the same thing, but they said there was so sex involved, just a photo shoot.”
There were also the claims by wrestler Sweet Georgia Brown. She claimed she was raped and drugged while training to be a wrestler with Moolah. Georgia Brown’s son, however, spoke out against these claims in a video intended to help repair Moolah’s legacy.
Other allegations involve Moolah taking a high-percentage of her wrestlers’ earnings. She is generally believed to have earned 25% of her wrestler’s booking fees. This was then compared favorably to other promoters, such as Lord Littlebrook. In general, it seems to be agreed Moolah took a high-percentage but all her students were aware of the deal before they agreed to it.
Meltzer’s report notes the following names were in attendance for the discussion: Despina Montaguas, Vicki Tosi (Princess Victoria), Beverly Shade, Joyce Grable, Judy Martin, Peggy Lee Leather, Malia Hosaka, Sandy Parker, Debbie Combs, and Ramona Isbell.
The general consensus in the room as reported in the Observer is that Moolah’s name should not have been removed from the Battle Royal. Furthermore, many felt that WWE should apologize for having done so.
Was the Fabulous Moolah’s Legacy Unfairly Convicted by Social Meda? Tell us what you think below!
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament kicks off tomorrow from Korakuen Hall. The tournament will run until June 4th, when the final night will once again be held in Korakuen Hall.
Tomorrow’s main event will feature the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Will Ospreay, take on Taiji Ishimori.
Best of the Super Juniors Night 1 Lineup
Shota Umino & Kushida vs Ren Narita & Chris Sabin
Tomoyuki Oka & Dragon Lee vs Yoshi-Hashi & Sho
Ryusuke Taguchi & Toa Henare vs El Desperado & Minoru Suzuki
Hiromu Takahashi & Evil vs Marty Scurll & Chase Owens
BOSJ 25 A Block
Tiger Mask vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru
BOSJ 25 A Block
ACH vs Flip Gordon
BOSJ 25 A Block
Yoh vs Flip Gordon
BOSJ 25 A Block
Will Ospreay vs Taiji Ishimori
Night 2 of the tournament runs on Saturday and will feature wrestlers from the B Block.
Best of the Super Juniors 25 Night 2 Lineup
Night 2 of the tournament will see Marty Scurll and Hiromu Takahashi in the main event.
Shota Umino vs Ren Narita
Tomoyuki Oka, Tiger Mask, and ACH vs Yoshi-Hashi, Yoh, and Will Ospreay
Toa Henare & Flip Gordon vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Minoru Suzuki
Bushi & Sanada vs Taiji Ishimori & Chase Owens
BOSJ 25 B Block
Dragon Lee vs Sho
BOSJ 25 A Block
Ryusuke Taguchi vs El Desperado
BOSJ 25 A Block
Kushida vs Chris Sabin
BOSJ 25 A Block Hiromu Takahashi vs Marty Scurll
There are several possible stories to develop out of this year’s tournament. Kushida has won two of the last three tournaments with only two other wrestlers in history having won the tournament three times.
Current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Will Ospreay, won the tournament in 2016. Kushida and Ospreay are set up in different blocks this year and could meet in the finals again this year as they did in 2017.
Tell us who you think will win the 25th edition of the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament:
This week’s episode of Raw saw Braun Strowman teaming up with Finn Balor to face the team of Dolph Ziggler and the former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.
However while most of the match on the show played out as it was drafted, it appears that one of the spots during the bout did not go as planned.
According to PWinsider, the moment where the Greatest Royal Rumble trophy broke after Strowman accidentally slammed Drew through it, was not scripted.
No word yet on if there is any heat on any of these men for the incident but since it was just an accident, it’s possible that Officials have already forgotten it.
Austin Aries Congratulates Ex On SmackDown Debut
As seen on SmackDown Live this week, former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas made his main roster debut along with her manager Zelina Vega.
Almas defeated a local talent upon his arrival on the Blue Branded Show and Zelina then went on to cut a promo, warning the SmackDown Locker room.
After the show, former WWE Star Austin Aries posted a tweet in which he congratulated Vega on her SmackDown debut.
In the tweet, as seen below A Double revealed that the two are no longer a couple but said that he knows the effort she has put into making this dream a reality:
Congrats to my ex-girlfriend @Zelina_VegaWWE on her #SmackDownLive debut. I know firsthand all the time, effort, and sacrifice that went into making this special dream a reality.
