Impact Wrestling star Lady Frost has decided to move on from the promotion. She has asked for her release less than a year into her run with the company.
The female star revealed this news on Twitter earlier today. She thanked the fans and the staff of the promotion for the opportunities she has been given:
“I have officially asked for my release from @IMPACTWRESTLING I want to thank the incredible fans, staff, and locker room, as well as @ScottDAmore and @gailkimITSME for the opportunities given to me. Thank you for a great experience.”
I have officially asked for my release from @IMPACTWRESTLING I want to thank the incredible fans, staff, and locker room, as well as @ScottDAmore and @gailkimITSME for the opportunities given to me. Thank you for a great experience.
Lady Frost made her wrestling debut at the age of 33 in March 2018. She competed for WWE in her very first match and the Impact star lost to Asuka in a squash match.
She went on to wrestle for some known promotions in the following years. The most notable of it was her AEW debut where Frost and Jennacide teamed up for a loss against Diamante and Ivelisse for an episode of Dark in November 2020.
Lady Frost made her Impact Wrestling debut in July last year. She answered an open challenge issued by the then Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo.
Impact Wrestling has not yet responded to the release request of the wrestling star. We will keep you updated on any development in the story.
When wrestling fans hear the name Roddy Piper, a number of different concepts might come to mind.
He was, perhaps, the greatest talker in wrestling history and certainly the host of the greatest wrestling talk show of all time. He was one of the best heels ever, and a darn good babyface too.
Then there’s the matter of WrestleMania.
Absolutely no one has a legacy at the Showcase of the Immortals quite like Hot Rod, ranging from all-time classic performances, to matches fans thought were his last, to a series of downright bizarre matches, to playing an interviewer, guest referee, and a number of points in between.
Roddy Piper’s Historically Great WrestleMania Performances
The original WrestleMania certainly wasn’t the greatest iteration of the event, but was one of the most historically important ones for establishing the WrestleMania brand and cementing WWE’s place atop the wrestling world.
Roddy Piper’s contributions to the event can’t be overstated. While Hulk Hogan was explosively popular and it was a score to sign Mr. T as his tag team partner, Piper was the engine of the heel side of that equation—the bad guy whom fans were all too eager to pay to see get his comeuppance against the heroes.
Paul Orndorff was the muscle and a formidable villain in his own right, but there’s no question Piper was the top bad guy on the show.
On the flip side of Piper’s great heel work at WrestleMania 1 came arguably his greatest babyface performance and perhaps the best match of his WWE career at WrestleMania 8. There, Hot Rod went out of his way to put over Bret Hart, taking a rare pinfall loss to drop the Intercontinental Championship.
It’s telling that, after this important victory, Hart would work world title matches at three out of the next four WrestleManias.
Roddy Piper’s First And Last Retirement Matches
At WrestleMania 3, a babyface Roddy Piper battled Adrian Adonis in a match that was billed to be Hot Rod’s last time in the wrestling ring. By all indications, he really did mean to transition to Hollywood, and did take part in his share of films in the years to follow.
Seeing him put Adonis to sleep and pass the upper mid-card babyface torch to Brutus Beefcake, who cut Adonis’s hair afterward, was a fitting enough send-off.
Of course, Piper wasn’t really done by a long shot.
Twenty-two years later, he’d work his true final match for WWE at a WrestleMania, when he teamed up with Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka in an elimination handicap match against Chris Jericho.
Hot Rod was a shell of his former self by then but performed respectably in an entertaining spectacle.
Roddy Piper’s Unusual Encounters At WrestleMania
Roddy Piper took diversification of his WrestleMania resume to the next level with his efforts at WrestleManias 2, 6, and 12.
WrestleMania 2 saw him headline his leg of the event from the Nassau Coliseum in a boxing match that went off the rails with celebrity visitor Mr. T. From there, he engaged in an even uglier spectacle at WrestleMania 6 with Bad News Brown.
The otherwise forgettable match achieved infamy for the poor choice for Piper to wear black paint over half his body.
Piper may have had his strangest match of all at WrestleMania 12 in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl with Goldust.
This was one of WWE’s first stabs at a cinematic match, staged outside before it gave way to a high-speed chase, clearly deriving from real-life OJ Simpson theatrics that was still in the news at the time.
Finally, the battle returned to the arena and culminated in the ring with Piper stripping Goldust’s garb to reveal lingerie underneath—a humiliation that was apparently profound enough for Hot Rod to be declared the winner.
Roddy Piper’s Guest Referee Appearances At WrestleMania
After appearing in the main event of the first WrestleMania, set in Madison Square Garden, it was only fitting that Roddy Piper returned to the venue for WrestleMania 10, this time to serve as guest referee for the last match of the show—a WWE Championship clash between Yokozuna and Bret Hart.
Piper counting the pin offered some symmetry to the first decade of WrestleMania, in addition to calling back to Hot Rod and The Hitman’s history from WrestleMania 8.
Piper officiated Hart’s match again at WrestleMania 11—a less auspicious affair when Hart won an I Quit Match over Bob Backlund.
While Hot Rod’s role felt a little random in this context—and a number of fans were annoyed with his insistence on repeatedly asking if either man gave up into a mic–it nonetheless kept Piper in the ‘Mania mix, adding another unconventional chapter to his history with the event.
In addition to the matches Roddy Piper wrestled or officiated at WrestleMania, he appeared at other events as well.
He hosted editions of Piper’s Pit with Morton Downey Jr. and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleManias 5 and 21, respectively. He was also Virgil’s cornerman against Ted Dibiase for WrestleMania 7 and interfered on Mr. McMahon’s behalf against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 19.
He made a series of oddball backstage appearances for WrestleManias 21, 30, and 31, too, all adding up to the most unusual legacy any wrestler ever has, or likely ever will have at WWE’s biggest annual event.
One big star has now been removed from the upcoming AEW-NJPW crossover event, Forbidden Door.
The wrestling industry has been hit with a wave of injuries as of late. For AEW, the current string of injuries is at an all-time high. In this case, however, it was actually an NJPW star who has gone down with an injury.
As a result, this performer has been removed from a big title match.
Tomohiro Ishii Out of Forbidden Door
(via NJPW)
NJPW and AEW have announced that Tomohiro Ishii has suffered a left knee injury. As a result, he will no longer be able to compete in the four-way match with Miro, Malakai Black, and PAC for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.
Forbidden Door will be held inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois this Sunday night (June 26). It’ll feature an interim AEW World Title match between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line. Titleholder Jay White will look for a successful defense against Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page, and Adam Cole.
Keep it locked on SEScoops as we’ll provide live coverage of Forbidden Door this weekend. We’ll keep you up to speed with results and video highlights throughout the event.
WWE Superstar Damian Priest recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about his first meeting Vince McMahon.
“The first time I had a meeting with Vince McMahon, you know, I even told him, I was like, ‘You know, you’re very intimidating, it’s because, you know, we have this perception of you.”
“His first thing [Vince] said to me was like, ‘Yeah, don’t believe what you hear.’ He’s a human being, you know, he feels like we do.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.”
He then humanized the WWE boss, stating that McMahon is human like the rest of us.
Has emotions like we do too, so you know I think there is a perception because of the business, but at the end of the day he’s a human. He’s very friendly and you know I kind of like the guy.”
“I don’t want to give him too much away. I don’t want to ruin his wrath, but I will say, that was his line, he was, ‘Don’t believe everything you hear’, and he said that with a smile and I was like oh…. he’s a cool dude.”
Catch Steve Fall’s chat with Damien Priest here via NBC Sports Boston:
The injuries continue to pile up in AEW as another talent is on the sidelines.
Pwinsider.com reports Skye Blue is dealing with an undisclosed injury. She was last seen in action on Dark when she wrestled Marina Shafir on June 3rd with the match airing on June 7th.
Although she has not been officially signed to a full-time deal by the promotion, she has been a regular on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation since her AEW debut in April of 2021.
The wrestler got a big reaction from her hometown crowd at All Out 2021 when she came out for the Casino Battle Royal. It was won by Jade Cargill. She has scored wins over the likes of Amber Nova, Ruthie Jay, Robin Renegade, and others. She has also tagged with talent like Ryo Mizunami.
All of the injuries in AEW have caused various storylines to be changed. This includes AEW World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kyle O’Reilly, Buddy Matthews, and more.
Punk is dealing with a broken foot and had surgery that forced him out of Forbidden Door. Adam Cole’s injury status has been cleared up and he’ll work a fatal 4-way bout at this upcoming event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against champion Jay White, Hangman Adam Page, and Kazuchika Okada.
AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door is happening this Sunday, but the show will have to go on ahead without some major names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk, Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson are all off the show due to a series of injuries that have derailed some of Tony Khan’s plans.
In the case of Danielson, there will be a replacement for his match against Zack Sabre Jr., though AEW has yet to reveal who that will be.
Gargano in Chicago
One name that fans would love to see replace Danielson is Johnny Gargano, who will be in the area this weekend.
On Twitter, the former NXT Champion announced earlier today that he will be attending The Chicago Card Show in the Windy City this Sunday, the same city where Forbidden Door will take place.
Unsurprisingly, this got fans speculating that he will be the one to face Sabre Jr. though Gargano tried to dispel these ideas.
In a follow-up tweet, he said that the timings were “ridiculously coincidental” and that he’ll only be in Chicago for eight hours.
Gargano did admit that he estimates five percent of people will believe that he isn’t showing up at Forbidden Door, and joked that this is what he wants people to believe.
I promise you this is ridiculously coincidental and has been booked for months. I'll only be in Chicago for like 8 hours!
*I also realize in saying this that only like 5% of you are going to believe I'm actually telling the truth. ?
Gargano may (or may not) be appearing this Sunday, but there is one other option fans are considering.
Claudio Castignoli, aka Cesaro, hasn’t wrestled since his departure from WWE earlier this year and doesn’t have a non-compete clause to his name.
Some have speculated that given William Regal’s connection to the Blackpool Combat Club, that Cesaro (Regal’s final opponent) will be the one who answers the call.
WWE star Madcap Moss believes that former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is underrated in what he does.
Moss was recently interviewed on “The Power Trip After Party” and spoke about Brock Lesnar. The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner had nothing but good things to say about “The Beast.”
In fact, in Moss’ view, Lesnar doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done inside the ring. Even keeping in mind some already consider him to be an all-time great.
“To me, as good as he is considered, which I think a lot of people consider him to be an all-time great in the WWE, I still think he’s underrated,” Moss said. “I think he’s absolutely been one of the best WWE superstars of the past couple of decades in so many different ways.”
Madcap Moss even suggested he’d like to share the ring with Lesnar one day if the opportunity ever presented itself.
“We haven’t crossed paths in the ring yet, although that is something that I would love to do someday and I hope I get the chance to do,” Moss said.
Lesnar recently made his return to WWE TV on last week’s Smackdown Live. After Roman Reigns’ successfully defended his Undisputed Championship against Riddle, Lesnar hit the ring to make his WWE return.
He teased shaking Reigns’ hand, but instead hit him with an F5. Now, Reigns and Lesnar are booked to go one-on-one for the WWE Undisputed Title at SummerSlam later next month.
Lesnar’s return was his first appearance on WWE TV since WrestleMania 38. There, he dropped his WWE Championship to Reigns, who also had his Universal Title on the line in that match.
With the win, Reigns became the WWE Undisputed Champion, and has been running rampant alongside The Usos, also dual-brand champions, ever since.
Matt Hardy has shot down recent reports suggesting that he’s dealing with an injury.
Recently there have been a plague of injuries going on within All Elite Wrestling (AEW); with stars such as Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Anthony Bowens, Darius Martin, and more currently being banged up.
Earlier this week, a report from Lucha Libre Online suggested that Matt Hardy was the latest AEW star to be dealing with an injury. This was following his appearance at AAA’s TripleMania XXX: Tijuana show.
However, Hardy took to Twitter to shoot this report down, saying he’s “all good” and was even backstage at AEW Dynamite this week and is good to go.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m all good, ladies & gentlemen. I was at #AEWDynamite tonight & am good to go. Also, I loved & enjoyed my #TripleMania30 match for @luchalibreaaa. Thanks, TJ!”
Hardy had teamed with Johnny “Hardy” (aka Johnny Elite or John Morrison) to take on Dragon Lee and Dralistico. Initially, Matt was to team with his brother, Jeff Hardy, however, he was unable to compete after his DUI arrest earlier in the week.
During the match, Johnny ended up turning on Hardy, allowing Lee and Dralistico to get the win. However, Hardy, Dralistico, and Lee all teamed up to take out Johnny and end the show.
After the match, the report going around suggested that Matt was dealing with swelling in his knee. There was no indication on when the injury occurred, however, it should be noted that Dralistico did land on Hardy’s knees during a moonsault at the end of the match.
With that being said, Matt claims to be ready to go when called upon. He hasn’t been on AEW TV in two weeks.
Kurt Angle admits his last run in WWE wasn’t ideal.
Angle is a Hall of Famer and is widely regarded as one of the best performers the wrestling business has ever seen. With that said, many felt his final stretch with WWE left a lot to be desired.
Kurt definitely wasn’t as agile as he used to be by the time he returned to WWE. With that said, the general consensus is that WWE didn’t exactly give him a proper sendoff.
The reaction to his WrestleMania 35 loss to Baron Corbin certainly wasn’t a positive one and didn’t really do anything to elevate Corbin.
Kurt Angle on Last WWE Run
(via WWE)
During an appearance on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Kurt Angle said he wasn’t happy over how things ended with WWE.
“No, not at all. I went back to WWE. It wasn’t a big welcome home. It was more of a, ’We’re going to show you what you did when you left us.’ I didn’t have any hard feelings about it, but Vince McMahon just didn’t have any plans for me.
“I was doing more jobs than I was winning. I don’t blame him for that. I left the company high and dry in 2006, and coming back, I think he felt that I was a little bit of a liability because of my broken necks. I had four broken necks in WWE back in the 2000s. I also had a painkiller problem that I got myself out of, but I think that he thought I was a little bit of a liability so he didn’t want to utilize me the way he should have.”
Despite his feelings, Angle says he remains close with Vince McMahon. He said Vince simply got caught in the crossfire of his painkiller addiction when he decided to leave the company back in 2006 to go to TNA Wrestling.
Cody Rhodes isn’t exactly planning to wait nine months to get back inside the ring.
Cody is out of action at the moment due to a completely torn pectoral muscle. Despite the injury, Rhodes toughed it out and took on Seth Rollins in the main event of Hell in a Cell. Rhodes ended up undergoing successful surgery.
WWE later announced that Cody would be missing action for nine months. It’s a timeframe that Rhodes doesn’t plan on following, however.
Cody Rhodes Not Interested In 9-Month Wait
(via WWE)
Cody Rhodes took to his Instagram Stories to reveal that he plans on making the timeframe for his return shorter than what WWE has announced.
“I’ve heard 9 months, that’s their plan… I’ve never concerned myself with other people’s projections – I’ve got a plan of my own – let’s finish, all of us.”
WWE ran an angle during the post-Hell in a Cell episode of Raw. Seth Rollins attacked Cody from behind with a sledgehammer. WWE used this as a way of explaining the nine-month timeframe.
Many expect Cody to be back in time for the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant. Time will tell if that is going to come to fruition.
It’s been reported that WWE will be giving Cody a hero’s welcome once he’s fully healed and ready to return to action.
It seems Triple H has some level of power in WWE again.
At one point, it seemed like Hunter would be the one to take over once Vince McMahon’s time is up. He ran NXT to his liking and the brand garnered huge praise.
Triple H ran into problems when WWE wanted NXT to go head-to-head with AEW. NXT was often beat in viewership and “The Game’s” power soon dwindled.
Once the WWE legend suffered from heart failure, his entire NXT team was pretty much gutted. It seemed like it was a point of no return in terms of HHH’s power within the company but things may be turning a corner.
Triple H May Have Gained Back Power
(via SIPA USA/AP)
It was reported by John Pollock that during a recent visit to the WWE Performance Center, Triple H declared that he’s back.
Details have been scarce on exactly had that means. With that said, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer says that it would appear Triple H has gained some power within the company again.
What that exactly entails going forward remains to be seen.
Of course, this is all happening in the midst of an investigation into Vince McMahon’s alleged secret $3 million hush pact with a former employee. Vince has voluntarily stepped back as the CEO and Chairman of WWE.
Back in 2021 AEW President Tony Khan made a shocking announcement on Twitter revealing that top company superstar and former world champion Jon Moxley would be entering an alcohol treatment center, and would be out of action for some time trying to get sober. The response for Mox was largely supportive, and many, including fans and colleagues, wished him the best.
The Purveyor of Violence made his grand return to AEW at the tail end of the year looking like a million bucks, and has since formed the Blackpool Combat Club with William Regal and Bryan Danielson. He will also be entering this Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view with the chance of becoming the new AEW interim world champion.
While speaking with his wife Renee Paquette on the latest episode of The Sessions Moxley opened up about his time in rehab, and what eventually led him to making the decision.
“The not drinking part is easy. It’s not like I have some desire to drink. I have no desire to drink. I can’t even imagine drinking right now. Not drinking was easy. I wanted to stop drinking for a long time. I was trying to quit drinking for a long time. Just dealing with all the after effects and what happens to you physically when your body goes through this metamorphosis, trying to re-calibrate itself has not been easy.”
The revelation for Moxley was not easy. He reveals that a therapist suggested to him that he quit the business that he loves so much.
“The one therapist I had straight up told me to retire. She said, ‘Start a wrestling school. Train some kids. You know what the problem is? You gotta get out of there.’ I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s that.’”
Despite the suggestion Moxley continues to make a large impact in the pro-wrestling circuit, and has remained one of AEW most over acts since that incredible debut back at Double or Nothing 2019. When discussing his first match back after rehab Moxley admits that it was hard for him find his rhythm again.
“So my first match back, you think it’s gonna be like, ‘Okay, well, now you’re sober so you’re just going to feel like a million dollars.’ It doesn’t really work like that. It was weird. It was like my legs were in quicksand. I didn’t have any adrenaline, not that I didn’t have any adrenaline, so much is like, I wasn’t nervous.”
Moxley would eventually find his rhythm again, and has continued proving why he’s world champion material. He later adds that not going into a match hungover or feeling like crap has been massively beneficial.
“I think people who probably don’t spend their lives partying too much or whatever, probably take for granted just waking up in the morning and feeling good. I feel like I’m cheating. Like, the novelty hasn’t fully worn off of not having a hangover. Just like waking up and being like, okay, I don’t have to worry about being massively dehydrated or feeling like crap or whatever.”
Moxley will take on The Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi at this Sunday’s Forbidden Door.
Tonight will see Major League Wrestling’s fourth Battle Riot event, which will take place at the Melrose Ballroom, in New York City, New York.
The event will also see a taping of the promotion’s FUSION show with several huge matches announced.
The Battle Riot
The literal biggest match of the night will be the titular MLW Battle Riot match.
Like the WWE Royal Rumble, the match will see new competitors enter every 60 seconds, until all 40 participants have entered the match.
Names announced for the match include
Jacob Fatu
Killer Kross
Davey Richards
Real 1
Mads Krugger
Lince Dorado
EJ Nduka
Calvin Tankman
Alex Kane
Marshall Von Erich
Ross Von Erich
Matt Cross
Myron Reed
La Estrella of Dragon Gate
Lance Anoa’i
Little Guido
Juicy Finau
Ace Romero
KC Navarro
Mini Abismo Negro
The winner will earn a guaranteed shot at the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at any time of their choosing for up to one year.
The Smokeshow’s Debut
Scarlett Bordeaux will make her debut for MLW following her release from WWE last year.
After her release from WWE last year, Scarlett Bordeaux will be making her debut for MLW’s Featherweight Division.
Bordeaux will face off against Clara Carreras in the former’s debut for the promotion.
Championships on the Line
Myron Reed’s World Middleweight Championship is just one of multiple titles being defended tonight.
There’ll be plenty of titles on the line tonight, as MLW Featherweight World Champion Taya Valkyrie will make her first defense on the show, against Brittany Blake.
MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane (with Mr. Thomas) will defend against Davey Richards.
World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed will put his title on the line against La Estrella, Arez, and Lince Dorado.
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone was scheduled to defend against Bandido, but with the latter injured, it’s unclear what plans there are for the champ.
Other Matches
In addition to being in the Battle Riot, Killer Kross will face Matt Cross, while Real-1 (Enzo Amore) will take on Jacob Fatu.
The Von Erichs will face the Samoan Swat Team in tag-team action.
One star on the NXT brand was in the building for last week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
The show last week was heavily talked about as Vince McMahon made an appearance amid news that he voluntarily stepped back from his role as WWE CEO and Chairman due to an ongoing investigation.
There was also an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match between titleholder Roman Reigns and Riddle. Reigns won the match and Brock Lesnar ended up making a surprise return, laying out The Bloodline.
Behind the scenes, an NXT 2.0 star was present.
Sanga Backstage
(via WWE)
PWInsider is reporting that Sanga was backstage during SmackDown on June 17. What he was doing there isn’t known at this time.
Sanga has received a lot of praise for his work over in NXT. Sanga was used in a pre-show dark match on SmackDown one week prior. He took on Wes Lee just before the June 10 episode of SmackDown went on the air.
It’ll be interesting to see if Sanga is one step closer to being a permanent fixture on the main roster.
Sanga had been serving as Grayson Waller’s bodyguard on NXT but that was short-lived and the two ended up squaring off.
This Sunday, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will team to put on Forbidden Door 2022 at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois.
The event will be the first crossover show of this magnitude for both promotions, and Tony Khan has said he has plans for future Forbidden Door shows.
Final Match Card
With this week’s AEW Dynamite and Rampage being taped, here is the final match card for the highly-anticipated show.
Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Toni Storm
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: PAC vs. Miro vs. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Malakai Black
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
ROH & IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. United Empire vs. Roppongi Vice
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Replacement for Bryan Danielson
Bullet Club (Young Bucks, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo) vs. Dudes with Attitudes (Sting, Darby Allin, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi)
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki v. Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino
Gunn Club & Max Caster vs. NJPW Dojo (Buy-In Show)
Notable Absences
While Forbidden Door will be a stacked show, featuring major stars from both promotions it will go ahead without some top names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk is out of action, with no timeline for when he will be back, and Bryan Danielson confirmed on this week’s Dynamite that he is not medically cleared to compete.
Kenny Omega is still recovering from multiple injuries, that have kept him out since November 2021.
John Cena will return to WWE on next week’s Monday Night Raw, marking 20 years since his debut on the main roster.
On the June 27, 2002, edition of SmackDown, Cena answered Kurt Angle’s open challenge, ushering in an era of ‘Ruthless Aggression.’
Cena has become one of WWE’s most decorated champions of all time, but his actions outside of the ring should also be commended.
Cena’s Record-Breaking Wish
One of Cena’s biggest contributions outside of the ring is his work with the Make-A-Wish foundation, making dreams come true for children facing life-threatening battles or terminal diseases.
Now, Cena has reached a milestone 650th wish and holds the record for the most wishes by far.
While fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan has granted an impressive 200 wishes, no one has passed 300 other than “Big Match John.”
WWE themselves shared news of Cena’s latest wish with a tweet.
While Cena has become a powerhouse of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his first wish did not go exactly as the 16-time WWE World Champion had hoped.
Speaking to People, Cena said how he granted his very first wish in 2002, mere months after his debut on SmackDown.
Cena explained how he had not been requested, as the young fan wanted to meet another Superstar who was unavailable.
“We’re shuttled in and [I] said my hellos and took my pictures and then left. And they’re like, ‘Thank you, Make-A-Wish thanks you.’ I was like, ‘What is Make-A-Wish.”
After learning about Make-A-Wish, Cena vowed to always be around if a wish needed to be granted.
The June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite has come to a close but the fisticuffs didn’t end once the cameras stopped rolling.
This week’s edition of Dynamite ended with a tag team match featuring Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi taking on Chris Jericho and Lance Archer. The match ended when Tanahashi pinned Archer with the High Fly Flow.
After the match, members of Suzuki-Gun and the Jericho Appreciation Society brawled with Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta, and Shota Umino.
Moxley and Tanahashi had a long staredown in the ring as they are set to collide in an interim AEW World Title match at Forbidden Door.
NJPW’s top star Kazuchika Okada also made an appearance. He saved Hangman Page from a two-on-one attack at the hands of Jay White and Adam Cole.
Off The Air
The brawl kept going once the TBS broadcast ended. Chris Jericho and other members of the JAS continued fighting with Eddie Kingston in the crowd.
Things have gotten personal between Jericho and Kingston. It’ll all lead to the Blood & Guts match on June 29.
Before that, they’ll get their hands on each other again on June 26 for the Forbidden Door PPV event. Jericho will team with Minoru Suzuki and Sammy Guevara to take on Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, and Shota Umino on the show.
Kazuchika Okada has stepped foot inside an AEW ring.
The June 22 episode of Dynamite featured a match between former AEW World Champion Hangman Page and Silas Young.
Page ended up getting the win but he had no time to celebrate as he was interrupted by Adam Cole, followed by IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White.
Jay and Cole put the boots to Hangman but Okada’s music hit and he ran down to make the save.
Later in the show, AEW announced a four-way match between Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page, and Adam Cole for the IWGP gold at Forbidden Door.
There was a lot of speculation on “The Rainmaker’s” status for Forbidden Door. He has put the rumors to rest and many can agree that the AEW-NJPW crossover show set for June 26 just wouldn’t have felt right without him.
It was announced on this Monday’s episode of Raw that top women’s superstar Rhea Ripley was not medically cleared to compete and would no longer be wrestling at the upcoming Money In The Bank pay-per-view, where she was set to challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw women’s championship.
Today Ripley revealed the extent of her injury and it is much more serious than originally anticipated. When a fan commented on her Instagram post stating that Ripley didn’t appear to look very hurt she responded with, ““Brain/teeth. Can’t see a brain injury. Stop being incompetent and reaching at nothing.” There is no confirmation at this time as to how much time Ripley will miss.
Ripley recently joined the Judgement Day faction led by WWE Hall of Famer Edge and Damian Priest. However, Edge was recently removed from the group after Priest, Ripley, and new leader Finn Balor, betrayed the R-Rated superstar.
In Ripley’s place former SmackDown women’s champion Carmella will be taking on Belair at Money In The Bank.. The Queen of Staten Island earned the opportunity by winning a matchup on Monday’s Raw.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. It was the final episode of Dynamite before AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door on June 26th. Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi teamed up in the main event ahead of their Interim AEW Championship match at the PPV. Kazuchika Okada also walked through the Forbidden Door tonight on Dynamite and made his debut in All Elite Wrestling.
Dynamite Results (6/22)
Orange Cassidy & Roppongi Vice def. Will Ospreay & Aussie Open
Malakai Black def. Pentagon Jr to qualify for the 4-Way at Forbidden Door for the Mid-Atlantic Championship
Hangman Page def. Silas Young
Toni Storm def. Thunder Rosa
Jon Moxley & Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Lance Archer & Chris Jericho
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Bryan Danielson Will Miss Forbidden Door and Blood & Guts
Bryan Danielson kicked off this week’s episode of Dynamite with another unfortunate announcement for the promotion. Danielson said he’s got some good news and some bad news. He announced that he is not cleared to compete at Forbidden Door or at Blood & Guts. Danielson started ranting about all the injuries he’s overcome in the past and vowed to return to action soon. Zach Sabre Jr. showed up and stared at Danielson from the entrance ramp. The two were rumored to battle at Forbidden Door. Danielson added that his replacement will be amazing but did not reveal who it was. Bryan had some fun with fans on social media following his promo.
Orange Cassidy & Roppongi Vice (Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero battled Will Ospreay & Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) in a Trios match in the first match of the night. Cassidy and Roppongi Vice controlled the action early and posed in the ring. Rocky and Orange went for a couple of Suicide Dives but they both got caught. Ospreay and Davis Powerbombed them on the ring apron as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Cassidy hit his lazy kicks on Aussie Open in the ring. He followed it up with a Hurricanrana that sent Fletcher and Davis flying to the mat. Cassidy stared at Ospreay as a “freshly squeezed!” chant broke out. Roppongi Vice got back in the action and the three leveled Ospreay and Aussie Open with some dives outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Rocky Romero hit Ospreay with a Dropkick and Cassidy followed it up with a terrible Elbow Drop for a near fall. Cassidy went for the Orange Punch but Ospreay blocked it. Will responded with an Enziguri but Cassidy shrugged it off and hit the Stundog Millionaire.
Mark Davis and Rocky Romerto tagged in and traded strikes in the middle of the ring. Fletcher tagged in and continued to beat Romero down in the corner. Kyle connected with a Spinebuster and went for the cover but Rocky powered out at two. The action broke down and Roppongi Vice emerged from the brawl. Trent tagged in and but Ospreay caught him with a kick to the face.
Davis hit Trent with a Piledriver but Cassidy broke up the cover. Cassidy dodged a Moonsault and Ospreay turned around into a Crossbody. Trent hit a DDT on Davis and tagged Orange in. Cassidy hit Davis with the Orange Punch for the pinfall victory. Jeff Cobb & Great-o-Khan joined the party but ROH Tag Team Champions FTR made the save. FTR, Cobb & Khan, and Roppongi Vice will battle in a winner’s take all match at Forbidden Door.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Christian Cage on this week’s episode of Dynamite. Christian attacked Jungle Boy on last week’s show. He claimed that he wanted to align himself with Jurassic Express so that he could make a ton of money and doesn’t care about the younger talent.
Christian said that he never wanted to be a father figure to Jungle Boy. Cage noted that Jungle Boy’s dad (Luke Perry) is dead and that is probably a good thing because he didn’t live to see him become an embarrassment. He joked about Jungle Boy’s injury and congratulated him on “retiring” at the age of 25.
Jungle Boy’s theme hit but Luchasaurus rushed the ring. Luchasaurus grabbed Christian by the throat but Cage begged him to stop. Cage added that Luchasaurus is like a son to him and whispered something into his ear to end the segment.
— AEW Out Of Content (@zerocontextAEW) June 23, 2022
Malakai Black Qualified For The Mid-Atlantic Title Match
Pentagon Jr. squared off against Malakai Black in a qualifying match for the 4-Way to crown the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Champion this Sunday at Forbidden Door. Penta connected with a Backstabber and went for the cover but Malakai kicked out at two.
When Dynamite returned, Penta and Malakai were battling on the ring apron. Malakai got back into the ring and Penta caught him with a Cutter for a near fall. Malaki battled back with a Moonsault off the middle rope and then a Double Stomp off the top for a near fall.
Penta hit a Piledriver off the middle turnbuckle but took an eternity to go for the cover and Malakai got his boot on the bottom rope. Malakai then hit Black Mass for the pinfall victory. After the match, PAC rushed the ring and Miro cut a brief promo vowing to win the Mid-Atlantic Championship.
Silas applied a headlock but Page quickly escaped. Page booted Young in the face and launched him out of the ring. Hangman went for a Crossbody but Silas dodged it. Hangman connected with a Clothesline and made his way to the top turnbuckle. The former AEW Champion connected with a Moonsault as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Silas was in control but Hangman battled back with a Clothesline. Page then followed it up with a Belly to Back Suplex and the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory. Adam Cole went to cut a promo but IWGP Champion Jay White interrupted on the entrance ramp. Jay said that he is responsible for making Forbidden Door as big as possible, but his opponent can’t be Adam Cole at Forbidden Door.
Jay noted that Adam Cole lost to Hangman Page twice and walked right by him. White entered the ring and told Hangman he won’t be facing him either. Hangman knocked the microphone out of Jay’s hands but Cole tripped him up. Adam Cole then waited for Jay to turn around and made it seem like he would hit him with the title. Cole asked Jay White to hit him with the title before Okada’s theme hit. Okada made his way to the ring and brawled with Cole & White. Hangman Page got back up and beat Cole down in the corner. Okada unloaded some strikes on Jay White before having a stare down with Hangman. Jay and Cole escaped out of the ring to end the segment.
Toni Storm battled Marina Shafir tonight on Dynamite. Nyla Rose accompanied Marina Shafir to the ring. Storm will face Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s Championship at Forbidden Door. Toni controlled the action early and caught Shafir with a Dropkick to the face. Marina battled back with a lariat and then a knee to the face. Marina distracted the referee and Nyla hit Toni with a Senton as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Storm battled back and connected with a German Suplex. Toni fired up the crowd and hit Shafir with a Hip Attack in the corner of the ring. Shafir went for a Gutwrench Suplex but Toni countered into a roll-up for the pinfall victory. After the match, Nyla Rose attacked after the match but AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa made the save.
Jon Moxley & Hiroshi Tanahashi Picked Up A Win Ahead Of Their Interim Title MatchAt Forbidden Door
Chris Jericho & Lance Archer battled Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi in tonight’s main event. Moxley and Tanahashi will face each other at Forbidden Door this Sunday to crown the Interim AEW Champion. Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti accompanied Jericho to the ring.
Moxley flipped Sammy and Tay off before entering the ring with Tanahashi. The match started out in a brawl with Jericho & Moxley exiting the ring. Jon unloaded a ton of punches as Archer and Tanahashi traded strikes. Hiroshi connected with a Dropkick and then went for a Clothesline but Archer was ready. Lance sent Tanahashi to the mat with a Chokeslam and tagged in Jericho.
Chris hit Tanahashi with a few chops to the chest and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Hiroshi battled back and hit some strikes of his own. Tanahashi awkwardly perched Jericho up on the middle turnbuckle and delivered a forearm strike to the back of his head. Jon Moxley tagged himself in and got Chris in a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Moxley transitioned into a bunch of elbow strikes and then savagely bit Jericho on the top of his head. Moxley followed it up with a Clothesline to the outside and followed Jericho out there. Jon bounced Jericho’s face off the ring apron and slammed him into the barricade. Sammy Guevara tripped Jon up while the referee was distracted and Jericho capitalized with a Dropkick.
Lance Archer tagged in and traded punches with Moxley. Archer got the better of the exchange and sent Moxley to the canvas with a shoulder tackle as Dynamite went to the final commercial break of the night.
When Dynamite returned, Tanahashi rolled up Jericho for a near fall. Chris responded with a Codebreaker and went for the cover but Moxley broke it up at two. Jon leveled Archer with a dive through the ropes as Jericho & Tanahashi traded punches. Hiroshi ducked under the Judas Effect and connected with a slam. Tanahashi went for a Crossbody but Chris rolled through into the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring.
Moxley got into the ring and broke it up with a Cutter on Jericho. Tanahashi hit Archer with a Slingblade and everyone was down. Moxley and Archer tagged in and traded strikes. Archer went for a Powerslam but Moxley countered into the Paradigm Shift. Tanahashi tagged in and hit the High Fly Flow for the pinfall victory. Moxley and Tanahashi will compete for the Interim AEW Championship at Forbidden Door. Eddie Kingston and Wheeler Yuta rushed the ring to end the show in a brawl. Minoru Suzuki made his way down the ramp and traded punches with Wheeler Yuta traded punches. Suzuki bashed Yuta with a chair as Daddy Magic & Cool Hand Ange joined the brawl. Moxley and Tanahashi got back into the ring to trash talk some more as the show ended in chaos surrounding them.
Fans hoping to see Bryan Danielson back in action soon may not want to hold their breath.
Danielson has been out of action ever since the Anarchy in the Arena match held at Double or Nothing late last month. He suffered an undisclosed injury that many within the company thought would only take a week or two to clear up.
As it turns out, things may be a bit more serious.
Bryan Danielson May Not Wrestle For A While
Bryan Danielson (Photo: AEW)
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported that sources told him that Bryan Danielson is “definitely out” of the Forbidden Door PPV set for June 26. On top of that, Alvarez has been told that Danielson may not be wrestling again for a while.
Danielson made an appearance on the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite. He addressed his status for Forbidden Door and the Blood & Guts match set for June 29.
Danielson confirmed the news, saying that he has been forced off both shows. He has promised a replacement for Forbidden Door and Blood & Guts but fans won’t find out who that person is until June 26.
While the extent of Danielson’s injury hasn’t been made public, many are obviously fearing that it may be related to head trauma. That is simply speculation at this time. Of course, Danielson was forced to retire at one point as WWE doctors wouldn’t clear him due to a history of concussions.
Danielson was eventually cleared to wrestle in WWE again. He had worked a safer style in the company, however, and certainly hasn’t taken things easy since jumping ship to AEW.
Triple H may have just given a big update on his future with WWE.
“The Game” has been dealing with health issues, which forced him to retire from in-ring action. He has a defibrillator in his chest due to heart failure and many have questioned whether or not he can take on a potentially stress-inducing role behind the scenes ever again.
While details are scarce at this time, Triple is said to have made quite the statement during a recent visit to the WWE Performance Center.
Triple H Says He’s Back
(via WWE)
John Pollock of POST Wrestling is reporting that Triple H spoke while inside the WWE PC on June 22. It’s been said that “The Game” declared he’s “back,” although exactly what he means by that remains to be seen.
According to multiple sources, Paul Levesque was in Orlando today and spoke at the Performance Center.
Of the people I heard from, Levesque stated "he's back" – it is unknown what that entails but that was the wording I was given.
“According to multiple sources, Paul Levesque was in Orlando today and spoke at the Performance Center. Of the people I heard from, Levesque stated ‘he’s back’ – it is unknown what that entails but that was the wording I was given.”
Many have speculated that this is in regards to a potential return on the creative side of things for NXT 2.0. When Hunter was forced to step away due to health issues, his NXT team was gutted and the vision was changed.
The show has been doing far worse in viewership than it was when Triple H was at the helm. The whole point of the change, however, was to make the NXT brand a true developmental system to build the type of characters Vince McMahon would want on the main roster.
It’s pretty much certain that Hunter isn’t talking about an in-ring return. As one would imagine, WWE’s medical team wouldn’t clear him to have another match.
WWE is full of writers and members of the creative team, who are tasked each week with coming up with new stories for the shows.
The Company’s creative team are often criticized by fans for the storylines we see on TV, but will now have to operate without one notable name.
Dewey Leaves
PW Insider were the first to report that Foley has parted ways with WWE.
It’s reported that while many have been released by WWE due to budget cuts, Foley chose to leave the promotion.
One source claimed that Foley left in April though that has not been confirmed at this time.
Dewey in WWE
Dewey Foley’s first WWE appearance came all the way back in 1999, when he and the Foley family watched at ringside for Mick’s I-Quit match with The Rock at that year’s Royal Rumble.
Before joining the WWE, Foley proved his credentials by posting writing samples on CreativeWWE.wordpress.com containing a lot of storyline ideas for the company.
In 2015, Dewey signed with WWE and served initially as a writing assistant, before becoming a fully-fledged part of WWE creative.
In August 2020, it was reported that Foley, alongside Adam Pearce was now running 205 Live, with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter describing the pair as “the key creative forces” behind the Cruiserweight division.
Foley occasionally played the role of Mr. Bootyworth in segments featuring the New Day.
AEW star Athena recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about what it is like working for Tony Khan vs Vince McMahon.
“Tony is extremely busy, but my interactions with him have been insanely different than that of my former boss,” Athena said. “Because he’s just excited, he’s pumped, he wants to get everyone pumped up as he is. It’s the first time I think I had a show … He’s just going up to every match like, ‘Let’s go! Let’s get this!’ I’ve never had that. And it’s just energy on cloud nine, every step of the way. Sometimes, the couple of days I’ve been there, we’re there for like fourteen hours and his energy doesn’t drop. He’s so motivating, he’s so pumped about everything that’s on the TV product, which I’m not used to on any level.
“Normally it’s like, ‘Alright. Go out there, blah, blah, blah. Cool, you know what you’re doing.’ And then on the other end, you’re getting Tony like, ‘You pumped for this?! You ready to go?!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah! Let’s go!’ I don’t know how to explain it. He’s so high energy and so positive that you just want to feed off that aura. I’m like, ‘I want that caffeine level that you’re at, but I’m afraid I might have a heart attack!’
For fourteen hours, there’s not a drop. Not a drop. And he’s extremely appreciative that everyone is there. I don’t know how to explain it, but so far, I’m just like, amazed. I could people watch Tony all day long because you want to go so much harder for him, out in the ring and stuff. You’re like, ‘Yeah! He’s pumped! He loves it! Yeah!’”
“I think the best way to describe it is I think the former place, if you will, demanded perfection,” Athena said. “It didn’t matter what curveballs were being thrown at you, there was just very stoic energy of, ‘Alright, this is what we expect out of you. Do it.’ And if you don’t do it, you get ripped a new one. Sometimes it’s like, ‘Okay, cool, we understand problems happen.’ But there was never that high energy.
Hunter was the exception to that, I will say that. But coming into AEW, you get pumped, you get excited. Every match, he (Tony) is there. He’s in the huddle with everyone. I’m like, ‘Where did you come from?’ I feel like he’s just teleporting backstage; I’ll leave one area and see him talking here, but in some kind of way, he’s doubled in front of me. I’m like, ‘How? You were…’
“He cares, and he shows outwardly that he cares. And it’s not demanding perfection, it’s like, ‘Hey, you go out there and do the best damn job. And if it’s perfect, I’m happy. If it’s not, I’m happy. I’m just excited that you’re here, willing to put your body on the line for this company.’ That’s the type of energy. So it’s like, ‘Alright, I’m going to go put my body on the line! Let’s go!’ The energy, the aura backstage, it’s so different, it’s so positive. Everyone wants to help each other, everyone is just excited to be there, right? Which is weird because I’m not used to that on any level. It’s so exciting.”
Fans of former Ring of Honor World Champion Bandido won’t be seeing much of him, as he’s currently dealing with some kind of injury.
Bandido was advertised for a WrestleRex event set to go down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 30, but has now been pulled from the event.
The promotion confirmed that Bandido is dealing with some kind of injury, but did not specify what has happened to the wrestler.
It isn’t known who Bandido was scheduled to face at the event, but he has been replaced by former WWE Superstar Lince Dorado.
Due to an unfortunate injury at AAA’s Triplemania Bandido will not be appearing on June 30th at WrestleRex. We wish him a speedy recovery and we will get him to PGH ASAP!
Bandido hasn’t confirmed when exactly the injury took place, but the current belief is that it happened at the recent AAA TripleMania event.
On the show, Bandido faced Rey Fenix, Black Taurus, Laredo Kid and El Hijo Del Vikingo in a match for both the AAA World Cruiserweight and Latin American Championships.
During the match, Bandido landed badly on his head and was stretchered out.
He later stated on Instagram that his neck was not fractured though added that he did need to rest.
Fenix would win the match and both titles.
Future Plans
At tomorrow’s Battle Riot IV event in New York, Bandido had been scheduled to face MLW World Champion Alex Hammerstone.
However, given this injury, it is unlikely that Bandido will make it to the match.
At this moment, no timeline has been given as to when Bandido will be fully healed and back in the ring.
