Home Blog Page 726

WrestleCon 2022 Schedule, Matches, Dates & Times, How To Watch

0

The annual WrestleCon event is about to take place during WrestleMania weekend for the 8th time.

WrestleCon is an annual event that takes place during WrestleMania weekend. This year, the event will take place in Dallas, Texas. The convention will happen from March 31 to April 2. The convention features signings, photo ops, and live events. For a full list of events, guests, and tickets, click here.

This year’s WrestleCon event features six live events. IMPACT Wrestling, AAA, New Japan Strong, and Zicky Dice have events scheduled for the Dallas convention.

This will be the go-to article for an updated list of the shows and matches that have been announced for this year’s edition of WrestleCon.

Where & How To Watch

Some of the shows are available for purchase individually on the FITE platform. However, there is also a bundle available for purchase that will host all of the events on a continuous stream. The AAA live event is only available if you purchase the FITE Fest WrestleCon Bundle. The bundle also includes Major Wrestling Figure Podcast: Live XII and Thuzio: SuperShow Live!. The full bundle is available now for $74.99. 

All of WrestleCon’s live events will take place indoors, inside the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Shows & Matches Announced

March 31st:

AAA Lucha Libre: Invades WrestleCon (6:00PM EST)

  • Taya Valkyrie, Niño Hamburguesa, and Micro Man vs. Los Mercenarios (Rey Escorpión & La Hiedra) and Mini Abismo Negro
  • Los Jinetes del Aire (Octagón Jr. & Aramís) and Mr. Iguana vs. Los Vipers (Arez & Abismo Negro Jr.) and Fabi Apache
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship: La Rebelión (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf 450) (c) vs. Aero Star and Drago
  • No Disqualification Match: Pagano, Drago Kid, and Jack Cartwheel vs. La Empresa (Puma King & Sam Adonis) and Gringo Loco
  • Psycho Clown vs. Black Taurus
  •  AAA World Cruiserweight Championship: Laredo Kid (c) vs. Bandido vs. Flamita

Mark Hitchcock Memorial WrestleCon Supershow (10:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Low Ki & Homicide
  • Bandido vs. Speedball Mike Bailey
  • Mia Yim vs. Athena
  • Ace Austin, Black Taurus & Josh Alexander vs Michael Oku, Rey Horus & Laredo Kid
  • Team Onita (Atsushi Onita, TBA, TBA, TBA & TBA) vs Team PCO (PCO, TBA, TBA, TBA & TBA)
  • Dirty Dishes Match: Taya Valkyrie vs John Morrison
  • Rock N’ Roll Express

April 1st:

Zicky Dice’s Trouble In Paradise 2 (2:00PM EST) – Free on Twitch 

  • EFFY vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Sensational Sextuplet Scramble: Frontman Jah-C vs Keita Murray vs Carlie Bravo vs Levi Shapiro vs Darian Bengston vs Lord Crewe
  • Lince Dorado vs Black Taurus
  • Rich Swann vs Scotty 2 Hotty
  • Jonah Turk vs Deonn Rusman
  • Masha Slamovich vs BEAR (a literal bear)

NJPW Strong: LoneStar Shootout (6:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Chris Dickinson vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey vs. Jay White
  • Ren Narita vs. Rocky Romero
  • David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Kevin Knight, & Daniel Garcia vs. Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors, Yuya Uemura, & Mascara Dorada
  • Minoru Suzuki vs Killer Kross
  • Blake Christian vs JONAH
  • Team Filthy (“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos & Royce Isaacs) vs Team Rosser (Fred Rosser, Alex Coughlin & Dylan Kyle Cox)

IMPACT: Multiverse of Matches (10:00PM EST) – $19.99

  • Ultimate X Match For The X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs Vincent vs Chris Bey vs Rich Swann vs Blake Christian vs Jordynne Grace
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Alex Shelley
  • Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe)
  • Jay White vs. Chris Sabin
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Edwards
  • Josh Alexander & JONAH vs IMPACT World Champion Moose & PCO
  • Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona vs Mickie James & Nick Aldis
  • Champ Champ Challenge: Deonna Purrazzo Open Challenge
  • IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championships: The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne) (c) vs. Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans vs. Havok & Rosemary vs. Gisele Shaw & Lady Frost

April 2nd

USA vs The World 2022 (12:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Undisputed British Cruiserweight Title Match: Rich Swann vs Michael Oku
  • Warrior Wrestling Lucha Title Match: Sam Adonis vs La Hiedra vs Mr. Iguana vs Abismo Negro Jr.
  • Davey Richards vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Rachael Ellering vs Jessica Troy
  • Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) vs Bandido & Rey Horus
  • Calvin Tankman vs. Big Damo
  • Gringo Loco & Flip Gordon & Caleb Konley vs. Aeroboy & Aramis & Arez

Athena and Jade Cargill Tease Match Through Fiery Twitter Exchange

0

Jade Cargill and Athena had a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter which teased a possible match between the two.

Athena, formerly known as Ember Moon, was released from WWE on November 4, 2022. She has since returned to the independent scene with her most notable match being against Thunder Rosa at Warrior Wrestling 19. She is currently scheduled to take part in some WrestleMania 38 weekend events when she faces Mia Yim at this year’s WrestleCon. 

On this past week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, the current TBS Champion asked who’s left for her. She urged someone to step up and answer her open challenge. Cargill defeated Tay Conti at Revolution last Sunday. She says she’s ready for real competition and that she’ll give them her “kiss of death”. Cargill posted this promo to her Twitter. 

The Twitter Exchange

To which Athena responded with, “Hmmmm [thinking face emojis]…”

“Hmmmm? What? Say how you feel if you feel it. I don’t play games. Open up,” Jade responded.

The former NXT Women’s Champion replied, “Sure, Jade Cargill. I’ll give in to your request and ill say loud enough for the people in the back…even though I’m pretty sure I know the answer. GIVE ME A MATCH SO I CAN TAKE YOUR TITLE! Talk to ya boy and make it happen… I’ll be waiting.”

Cargill answered by throwing shade in reference to her WWE release, “You’re welcomed kid. I’m a needle mover. I’ll help you out. Clearly you need it. Looking kind of dry out there without TV.”

Below is the full back-and-forth exchange:

Shayna Baszler And Natalya Want To Be In The Women’s Tag Title Match At WWE WrestleMania 38

0

Natalya and Shayna Baszler are currently petitioning to be added into the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match at WrestleMania 38.

New Women’s Tag Team In The Division

On the March 11 edition of SmackDown, Shayna Baszler and Natalya teamed up for the first time. They took on Naomi and Sasha Banks in a losing effort. Natalya was pinned by Banks after she was hit with a Codebreaker. 

Baszler and Natalya appeared on the most recent episode of Talking Smack to talk with Kayla Braxton about their future as a team. Shayna asked what they need to do to get a match at WrestleMania. Natalya informed her that she will be taking WWE Official Sonya Deville out for dinner to try and make it happen. 

WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match At WrestleMania 38

There is already a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match scheduled for WrestleMania 38. On WrestleMania Sunday, Queen Zelina and Carmella will defend their titles against Sasha Banks & Naomi and Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan. Natalya & Shayna Baszler are currently trying to politic their way into the match.

Samoa Joe Talks About Being In WWE 2K22 After His Release

0

Samoa Joe was released by WWE back on January 6th, but he’s a playable character in the new WWE 2K22 video game.

The former ROH, Impact and NXT Champion is just one of many players released from WWE that still remain as playable characters in the WWE 2K22 game.

This list also includes Braun Strownman, The IIconics, Cesaro, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jeff Hardy, Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano, and many others. 

Samoa Joe on WWE 2K22

Samoa Joe spoke about how this process worked for him when he appeared on Kinda Funny Games Daily. He was asked about how WWE was still able to keep him in the game despite him no longer being in the company.

“Built into our contract is a licensing agreement,” he said. “I am Samoa Joe, that’s my trademark that I own. For me, it’s a little different than most guys because I have a licensing agreement and we negotiated our price based off that.

It’s essentially the same type of thing with guys who don’t have their own name. When you leave there, that character is still there for their properties.”

WWE 2K22 is now available on all platforms. Make sure to check out our WWE 2K22 Review. You can buy WWE 2K22 now from Amazon.

What’s Next For Samoa Joe?

Samoa Joe is still currently under a non-compete clause with the WWE. His 90 days will be up on April 6, 2022. Samoa Joe will be inducted into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class. He will be inducted with Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and the Briscoes. 

H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription

GCW: The Collective 2022 Schedule, Matches, How To Watch

0

It is time for the 2022 edition The Collective, presented by GCW, to take over Dallas, Texas.

On WrestleMania weekend, GCW will hold The Collective at Fair Park, which is the home of Big Tex and The Texas State Fair. From March 31 to April 2, The Collective will take place. It will feature live wrestling events, merchandise, food trucks, vendors, podcasts, games, stage shows, and more.

The Collective will feature 12 live wrestling events this year. Eight of those shows will be presented by GCW and the others are presented by Glory Pro Wrestling, Mission Pro Wrestling Unsanctioned Pro, and Black Label Pro.

This will be the go-to article for an updated list of the shows and matches that have been announced for this year’s edition of The Collective.

Where & How To Watch

Each of the shows are available for purchase individually on the FITE platform. However, there is also a bundle available for purchase that will host all of the events on a continuous stream. By buying GCW: The Collective 2022 bundle, you would save $37. The full bundle is available now for $139.99. 

image 100483602 15196221

All of The Collective’s live events will take place indoors, inside The Embarcadero building at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas.

Shows & Matches Announced

March 31st:

Glory Pro Wrestling: Cemetery Gates (12:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • Besties In The World (Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega) vs. No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero)
  • WARHORSE vs. Josh Alexander
  • Tootie Lynn vs. Janai Kai
  • Jake Something vs Max The Impaler
  • Mike Outlaw vs. Bryan Keith
  • Technical Difficulties vs. Fly Def vs. Alpha Omega vs. Hustle & Muscle
  • Myron Reed vs. Carlos Romo vs. Shane Sabre vs. Danny Jones
  • No DQ Loser Leaves The Neighborhood Match: Dan The Dad vs. Kody Lane
  • Submission Match: Allie Katch vs. Laynie Luck
  • Rohit Raju

GCW: Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 (4:00 PM EDT) – $19.99

  • Josh Barnett vs JONAH
  • Zeda Zhang v. Marina Shafir
  • Timothy Thatcher v. JR Kratos
  • Jon Moxley vs Biff Busick
  • Minoru Suzuki vs Chris Dickinson
  • Masha Slamovich vs Janai Kai
  • Ninja Mack vs Yoya
  • Alex Coughlin vs SLADE
  • Simon Gotch vs. John Hennigan
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Yuyu Uemera
  • Royce Isaacs vs Bad Dude Tito

GCW: Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, Part 1 (9:00PM EDT) – $19.99

  • GCW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. AJ Gray
  • Deathmatch for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs John Wayne Murdoch
  • GCW World Tag Team Championship: H8 Club (Nick Gage and Matt Tremont) (c) vs. SGC (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) vs. The Briscoes (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe)
  • Joey Janela vs. X-Pac
  • AR Fox vs Blake Christian
  • Mickie James vs Allie Katch
  • Scramble Match: Nick Wayne vs Jordan Oliver vs Jack Cartwheel vs Ninja Mack vs Gringo Loco vs Alec Price
https://twitter.com/JANELABABY/status/1506075541115396099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1506075541115396099%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwrestletalk.com%2Fnews%2Fmickie-james-gcw-debut-joey-janelas-spring-break-6%2F

April 1st:

GCW: Planet Death (12:59AM EDT) – $12.99

Hosted By Nick Gage

  • Sawyer Wreck vs Brandon Kirk
  • Reed Bentley vs Hoodfoot
  • Sadika vs Jimmy Lloyd
  • Akira vs Cole Radrick
  • Shane Mercer vs Neil Diamond Cutter
  • SLADE vs Bam Sullivan

LA Fights vs JCW (12:00PM EDT) – $9.99

  • Kevin Blackwood vs Cole Radrick
  • Big Vin vs Juicy Finau
  • Grim Reefer vs B-Boy
  • Charles Mason vs Dark Sheik
  • Billie Starkz vs Sandra Moone
  • Nick Wayne vs Marcus Mathers
  • Alec Price vs. Jack Cartwheel
  • Super Series of Survival Match: Team LA Fights (Titus Alexander, Bad Dude Tito, Hunter Freeman, Matt Vandagriff, Damian Drake, Jordan Cruz, Lucas Riley and Ju Dizz) vs Team JCW (Yoya, Janai Kai, Edith Surreal, Jordan Oliver, Charlie Tiger, Ellis Taylor, Bam Sullivan and Slade)

GCW: For The Culture 3 (4:00PM EDT) – $13.99

  • IMPACT Knockouts World Championship: Tasha Steelz (c) vs Big Swole 
  • HitMakerz (AJ Francis & Tehuti Miles) (w/Briana Brandy) vs Shane Taylor Promotions (O’Shay Edwards & Shane Taylor)
  • AJ Gray vs Darius Lockhart
  • 2 Cold Scorpio vs Bryan Keith
  • Deathmatch: Hoodfoot vs Bill Dixon
  • JTG vs Rich Swann
  • Trish Adora vs. MJ Jenkins

GCW: Gringo Loco’s The WRLD on Lucha (8:30PM EDT) – $13.99

  • Lucha Extrema Match: Pagano vs Sadika
  • Lucha Extrema Match: Dr. Wagner Jr vs Psycho Clown
  • Psicosis vs Tony Deppen
  • Johnny Caballero (fka John Morrison) vs Jack Cartwheel
  • Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Demonic Flamita & Abismo Negro Jr.) vs Team Laredo (Laredo Kid, Rey Horus & ASF)
  • AR Fox vs. Ninja Mack
  • Scramble Match: Golden Dragon vs. Octagon Jr vs. Drago Kid vs. Aero Boy vs. Chris Carter vs. Shane Mercer

April 2nd:

GCW: Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, Part 2 – The Greatest Clusterf*ck (12:59AM EDT) – $19.99

  • Chris Dickinson w/ Missy Hyatt vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
  • EFFY vs Minoru Suzuki
  • Tony Deppen vs Biff Busick
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs PCO
  • The Greatest Clusterf*ck: Maven, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jazzy Yang, Nasty Leroy, Kevin Matthews, Edith Surreal, Lord Adrean of the Walmart Dudes, Shazza McKenzie Kamikaze, Invisible Man, and Sean Ross Sapp

GCW: EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch 4 (12:00PM EDT) – $13.99

  • EFFY vs Pimpinela Escarlata
  • Keita Murray vs Billy Dixon
  • Parrow vs Dark Sheik
  • Max The Impaler (w/ Amy Rose) vs Edith Surreal
  • Jai Vidal vs Carlos Romo
  • 4-Way Tag Team Match: Pretty In Pink (Dillon McQueen & Kenzie Paige) vs Devon Monroe & Brooke Valentine vs Ashton Starr & AC Mack vs Maine State Poser (Aiden Aggro & DangerKid)
  • Allie Katch vs. Dango
  • Kidd Bandit
  • Pollo Del Mar
  • Jordan Blade
  • Shay Purser

Mission Pro Wrestling: Bangerz Only! (4:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) & Laynie Luck vs. Renegade Twins & Jazmin Allure
  • La Rosa Negra vs. Jody Threat
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Lindsay Snow
  • Bougie Reality (Madi Wrenkowski & Rache Chanel) vs. KiLynn King and Jennacide
  • Tasha Steelz vs. Janai Kai
  • Holidead vs LuFisto
  • JP Harlow vs Allie Katch
  • Thunder Rosa vs Trish Adora

Unsanctioned Pro: Mulligan (8:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • Robert Martyr vs. Charlie Tiger
  • Billie Starkz vs. Kristian Robinson
  • Big Vin vs. Casanova Valentine
  • Ohio State Championship Match: Tre LaMar (c) vs. TBA
  • Bryan Keith vs. Lexus Montez vs. Kevin Blackwood
  • Fuck Jeffrey John Memorial Gauntlet: Jeffrey John vs. ???
  • Scramble Match: Sam Stackhouse vs. Hoodfoot vs. Jake Something vs. Ace Perry vs. Everett Cross vs. The Whisper
  • Unsanctioned Pro Hardcore Championship Match: Alex Colon (c) vs. Kevin Giza
  • Unsanctioned Pro Tag Team Championship Match: Cincinnati’s Most Wanted (Lord Crewe and Aaron Williams) (c) vs. Yokai (Yoya and Janai Kai)
  • Unsanctioned Pro Heavyweight Championship Match: Cole Radrick (c) vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Akira
  • T.I.M.
  • Ron Bass Jr.

April 3rd:

Black Label Pro: Norm (4/3 – 12:59 AM EDT) – $12.99

  • BLP Championship: Jake Something vs PCO
  • Faces of Fear (Meng & The Barbarian) vs. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)
  • Shazza McKenzie vs. Billie Starkz
  • Texas Deathmatch: Levi Everett vs. Big Beef
  • Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) & Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Richards, Kevin Blackwood & Matt Makowski)
  • EFFY vs Charlie Haas
  • Blake Christian vs Black Taurus
  • WARHORSE vs Big Damo
  • Anthony Greene vs. Alex Zayne

Big E And Goldberg Promote WWE 2K22 On Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab

0

Big E and Goldberg appeared on Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab to answer questions, eat hot wings, and cut a promo on each other.

“Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat”

On the New Day: Feel The Power podcast back in 2020, Big E explained why Goldberg was his dream match while cutting the famous “big meaty men slapping meat” promo.

It seems like that promo led to the most recent edition of Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab YouTube show. Big E and Goldberg both competed in a truth-or-dare game with hot wings beginning the dare. On Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab, you must either truthfully answer the host’s question or eat a chicken wing with hot sauce on it. 

Second Round: The Spicy Questions

In the second round, the host, Sean Evans brings the pressure to both Superstars by asking them spicier questions after an easy first round. 

Evans says, “Big E, we’re back with you. Your tag team, The New Day, you guys have had a Hall of Fame career. But, I’m curious how you would rank yourself against your tag team partners, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, in an individual matchup.”

The former WWE Champion said, “Yeah, you know, you know I can’t do that. Yeah, we’re gonna- we’re gonna do this,” and then took a bite of a level two hot wing. 

Big E declined to answer the question and chose to eat a hot wing. He had a lasting reaction but decided to try and ‘no-sell it’ for the most part. 

When it was time for Goldberg to get a harder question, the multi-time champion had no problem answering. 

Sean Evans asked, “Goldberg, perhaps it’s time for you to join the party. From interviewing wrestlers in the past, I know the pre-fight rituals is the stuff of locker room legend. Is there a wrestler who annoyed you the most behind the scenes, even if you respected what they brought to the ring?”

Goldberg responded with, “Oh yeah, how much time do I have? I’d say Scott Hall may be at the top of that list. 100%. As much as I’d like to eat these wings, I’d much rather select him as the number one guy in that category.”

Final Round: Line-For-Line Promos

Goldberg has always been Big E’s dream opponent, but this is the first time we’ve seen them go face to face. Towards the end of the video, Evans challenges the two former champions to face off, eat hot wings, and cut back-and-forth promos on each other. This line-for-line promo battle ends with a simulated 2K22 matchup. 

If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.

Mia Yim’s First Post-WWE Match Announced, Facing Athena At WrestleCon

0

Mia Yim was released from WWE on November 4, and now her first match since being in WWE has been announced.

Mia Yim vs. Athena Booked For WrestleCon

WrestleCon has announced that Yim’s return match will take place at the March Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow on March 31. She will be facing Athena who is formerly known as Ember Moon. 

This is Mia’s first match following her release from WWE. She was released by WWE on November 4. Athena was also released from WWE on that same day. She has already returned to the ring with her most notable match being against Thunder Rosa at Warrior Wrestling 19.

WrestleCon SuperShow Match Card

Below are the current announced matches for the WrestleCon SuperShow:

WrestleCon SuperShow (3/31) Matches: 

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Low Ki & Homicide
  • Bandido vs. Speedball Mike Bailey
  • Mia Yim vs. Athena

Other Announced Talent: 

  • Black Taurus
  • PCO
  • Michael Oku

Paige VanZant Did First AEW Appearances For Free, Starts Training on 3/14

0

The new AEW signing spoke to ESPN, and revealed that she did many of her first appearances with AEW for free, which led to her falling in love with wrestling.

Paige VanZant signed her AEW contract on this past Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. After Scorpio Sky won the TNT Championship, VanZant laid out Tay Conti, seemingly setting up her first feud. VanZant is a former UFC fighter and her record was 8-5. In addition to AEW, Paige is also signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. Paige first started making appearances in AEW back in September as a part of the American Top Team faction. 

Paige On Venturing Into Pro Wrestling

Paige spoke with Marc Raimondi of ESPN and talked about her interest in wrestling and how she always considered venturing into professional wrestling.

VanZant said, “The more I got involved, the more I loved it. I just realized I was meant to be a part of the show. I wanted to be one of the wrestlers for them and I knew I would be really good at it.”

VanZant On Her Pro Wrestling Journey

VanZant will begin her pro wrestling training on Monday, March 14 with David Heath, aka Gangrel. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reports that Van Zant will be training at Coastal Championship Wrestling in Pompano Beach, Florida. One of the coaches that work at Coastal Championship Wrestling is former WWF talent Gangrel.

“My only frustration so far with my whole pro-wrestling journey is I would show up and I said, ‘Hey, I want to jump off the ropes tonight. I want to slam someone through a table tonight — someone is getting slammed through a table.’ They’re like, uh, you should probably train first. 

My only concern is they don’t let me do the crazy stuff right away. I want to go in there and I want to do all the crazy stuff. I want to fully immerse myself in this world,” Paige said.

You can watch video of Paige VanZant’s conversation with ESPN here:

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships And AEW Partnership

Bernie Bahrmasel, a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships spokesperson, has said before that BKFC and AEW will work together to develop her career. She has said that she has no plans to leave the promotion, and her AEW deal will still allow for her to work with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships.

It’s unclear how VanZant will balance working for AEW and BKFC. The injuries for BKFC could be significant that could impact her wrestling career. She’s also lost two bare-knuckle boxing fights by unanimous decision. Van Zant hasn’t shared if she’s contemplated retiring from professional fighting to focus on her wrestling career. Regardless, the former UFC fighter will begin training at Coastal Championship Wrestling to become elite in the wrestling ring.

The President of BKFC, David Feldman, previously said, “If she wins this fight, then she has a future. If she loses this fight, she’s probably not going to want to do this, either, and we’ll part ways amicably. But I don’t expect that to happen. I think she’s learned this craft, and she has a lot of tenacity. I do expect her to perform even better this time.”

VanZant has also explained that she still sees MMA in her future. We are unsure when Paige will work her in-ring debut with AEW.

H/T to Tyriece Simon for context regarding Paige’s training school and BKFC career

AEW Rampage Results (3/11): Swerve Strickland Debut, Keith Lee In Action, Matt & Jeff Hardy

0

AEW Rampage aired tonight on TNT. Swerve Strickland made his AEW in-ring debut against Tony Nese. Mercedes Martinez battled Jamie Hayter, Darby Allin squared off against Marq Quen of Private Party, and Keith Lee battled QT Marshall on tonight’s show. In addition to the takeaways below, Scorpio Sky vowed to keep his undefeated streak alive and retain the TNT Championship against Wardlow on next week’s Dynamite.

Rampage Results

  1. Darby Allin def. Marq Quen via submission
  2. Jamie Hayter def. Mercedes Martinez
  3. Keith Lee def. QT Marshall
  4. Swerve Strickland def. Tony Nese

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Darby Allin Tapped Out Marq Quen, The Hardys Appeared

Darby Allin faced Sting in the first match of the night. Isiah Kassidy and Sting were ringside for the match. Quen controlled the action early and kept Allin grounded. Darby battled back and made his way up to the top turnbuckle for the Coffin Drop but Kassidy provided a distraction.

Sting took out Kassidy but Marq capitalized on the distraction and knocked Allin off the turnbuckle and to the floor. Quen climbed to the top rope and hit a crazy 450 Splash onto Darby below. Quen quickly got back into the ring but Darby was able to make it in as well just before a ten count and the match continued. Quen went for a Shooting Star Press but Darby dodged it and applied an Armbar for the submission victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502483150789914634?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

After the match, Andrade El Idolo and his crew rushed the ring for an attack but Matt & Jeff Hardy made the save. The Hardys came down to the entrance ramp and Andrade Family Office retreated. Matt & Jeff were in matching ring gear and had another brief stare down with Darby Allin & Sting before Rampage went to a commercial.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502483976472117250?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Jamie Hayter Picked Up A Win

Jamie Hayter faced Mercedes Martinez tonight on Rampage. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker & Rebel were in Hayter’s corner for the match. Martinez dominated the action early and leveled Hayter with a Clothesline as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Rampage returned, Martinez hit a couple Suplexes and went for the cover but Hayter wouldn’t stay down. Martinez and Hayter battled to the top rope and Mercedes connected with a German Suplex. Jamie had a rough landing on her neck during the move but was alright. Baker tripped up Martinez off the top rope and Hayter capitalized with a Clothesline for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Thunder Rosa rushed the ring to break up the post match beatdown. Baker retreated and will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Thunder Rosa on Dynamite in a Steel Cage match.

Keith Lee Dominated, Team Taz Attacked

Keith Lee faced QT Marshall tonight on Rampage and this one went just about as you’d expect. Lee launched QT around the ring like he was nothing to start off the match. QT battled back and was able to hit a missile Dropkick off the top turnbuckle. QT went for a Cutter but Lee countered into the Powerslam for the pinfall victory. After the match, Solo & Commorato went for an attack but Keith Lee fought them off with ease. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse rushed the ring and attacked Lee. Powerhouse Hobbs sent a message and planted Lee with a big Spinebuster to end the segment.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502490933199355910?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Swerve Strickland Won His AEW In-Ring Debut

Swerve Strickland faced Tony Nese in the main event of this week’s edition of AEW Rampage. It was Strickland’s in-ring debut in All Elite Wrestling. Strickland appeared at Revolution this past Sunday and announced that he had signed with the promotion in an interview with Tony Schiavone. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. Nese mocked Swerve and said that this isn’t a hip hop show. Strickland said he was a mogul and not just a rapper as Nese called him.

Nese and Strickland started off the match back and forth with neither wrestler gaining and advantage. Strickland caught Tony with a Dropkick to the face but Nese battled back. Tony got Strickand caught in the ring skirt and beat him down as Rampage went to the final commercial break of the night.

When Rampage returned, Strickland dodged a Moonsault and unloaded some chops to Tony’s chest. Swerve followed it up with an uppercut and a Brainbuster for a close two count. Nese and Strickland battled to the corner of the ring. Nese slammed Strickland to the canvas and connected with a 450 Splash but Strickland somehow kicked out at two.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502494772044435456?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Strickland connected with a standing Double Stomp and went for the cover but Nese was Abe to kick out at two. Swerve hit an Enziguri and made his way to the top turnbuckle and connected with another Double Stomp for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502495597827342336?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

WWE SmackDown Results (3/11): Rousey & Flair, Title Match, Lesnar Appears, Big E

0

WWE SmackDown aired live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. In addition to the takeaways below, Jackass star Johnny Knoxville gave out Sami Zayn’s phone number ahead of their matchup at WrestleMania 38.

SmackDown Results

  1. Sheamus & Ridge Holland def. Big E & Kofi Kingston
  2. Sasha Banks & Naomi def. Natalya & Shayna Baszler
  3. Rick Boogs def. Jey Uso to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
  4. Ricochet def. Sami Zayn to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Paul Heyman Escaped Brock Lesnar

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar kicked off the show and didn’t stop on the entrance ramp to tip his cowboy hat this week. Lesnar was pissed about Roman Reigns attacking him at the WWE Live Event at Madison Square Garden and marched down to the ring. Brock raised the WWE Championship and grabbed a microphone.

Lesnar stood in silence for a bit before shouting “Roman Reigns!”. Brock said that Roman has changed the game and showed the wounds from the attack from the Tribal Chief. Lesnar said he doesn’t care about WrestleMania contracts or the WWE Championship right now and threw it out of the ring. Lesnar demanded that Reigns get his ass out here for a fight.

Paul Heyman interrupted to a chorus of boos. Heyman told the crowd to relax and announced that Universal Champion Roman Reigns was not here tonight. Lesnar told Heyman to shut up and chased him backstage. Lesnar tackled a few security guards and beat them down as Heyman escaped in a limo. Later on SmackDown, it was promoted that both Lesnar & Reigns will be at SmackDown next week.

Pete Dunne Debuted as “Butch”, Big E Injured

Sheamus & Ridge Holland faced Big E & Kofi Kingston tonight. Pete Dunne, now known as “Butch” on the main roster, was ringside for the match. Butch was wearing a top hat, suspenders and was aligned with Holland & Sheamus.

Big E & Kofi dominated early but Big E missed with a Splash on the apron. Sheamus leveled Big E with a knee to the face and posed with Ridge as SmackDown went to a commercial.

When SmackDown returned, Kingston hit Sheamus with SOS and went for the cover but Holland broke it up at two. Ridge knocked Big E to the out of the ring and hit an overhead Suplex and Big E landed hard on his head. Butch provided a distraction and Sheamus capitalized with a Brogue Kick on Kofi for the pinfall victory. Big E looked to have been legitimately injured during the match and was stretchered out during the break.

*Big E provided an update that he has broken his neck but has all movement. You can check out Big E’s video message below.

Happy Corbin’s Plan Backfired

Drew McIntyre was set for a match but Shanky & Jinder Mahal attacked him. Happy Corbin joined in on the attack and slammed McIntyre into the ring post. Madcap Moss joined the beat down but McIntyre battled back and hit him with a headbutt. Corbin retreated and McIntyre sent Moss to the outside. McIntyre planted Shanky with a slam and stared at Corbin. Drew grabbed Angela the sword and Shanky retreated. McIntyre will battle Happy Corbin at WrestleMania.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1502462748441018369?s=20&t=SApXYn1qVmpYMoV2q20uKg

Sasha Banks & Naomi Picked Up A Win

Sasha Banks and Naomi faced Natalya & Shayna Baszler tonight on SmackDown. Women’s Tag Team Champions Queen Zelina & Carmella joined commentary for the match. Natalya connected with a Falcon Arrow for a two count and tagged in Baszler. Shayna applied a submission hold but Naomi was able to escape. Banks and Natalya tagged in and battled in the corner of the ring.

Banks connected with Double Knees and then slammed both Natalya & Shayna to the mat. Sasha followed it up with a Hurricanrana that sent Natalya onto the champions outside the ring. Sasha got distracted and Natalya hit a lariat for a near fall. Queen Zelina hopped on the apron again and Sasha launched Natalya onto her. Sasha then hit Natalya with a Codebreaker for the pinfall victory.

Ronda Rousey Vowed To Leave WrestleMania With The Title

Ronda Rousey cut a promo in the ring about her SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38. Rousey noted that Charlotte called her a “one trick pony” with her Armbar submission. Ronda said that she knows a thousand ways to get to that hold and has also picked up the Ankle Lock from Kurt Angle.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair interrupted and told Ronda that she shouldn’t be concerned with honoring her mentor (Kurt Angle) at WrestleMania, she should focus on trying to win on the biggest stage. Charlotte promised that she will not tap out to Rousey and Ronda noted that she has already made her tap. Charlotte then vowed to tap out Ronda at WrestleMania and exited the ring. Ronda told Charlotte that she cannot run away at WrestleMania and she’s leaving with the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Nakamura & Boogs Earned A Title Shot At WrestleMania

The Usos came to the ring for a promo about what their plans are at WrestleMania 38 as SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Jimmy & Jey claimed that nobody can step up to their level and beat them at WrestleMania. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs then interrupted. Jimmy suggested a singles match, if Boogs can beat Jey Uso, they will get a title shot at WrestleMania. Boogs revealed that his knee was no longer injured and quickly planted Jey with a Powerslam for the pinfall victory. Boogs & Nakamura will face The Usos at WrestleMania. After the match, The Usos beat Boogs down and smashed his guitar.

Ricochet Retained, Charlotte Flair Attacked Ronda Rousey Backstage

Ricochet defended the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn tonight. Before the match started, Austin Theory showed up in a chair next to Pat McAfee and started taunting him. Pat wound up leaping onto Theory and getting in some punches before security separated them. McAfee will battle Austin Theory at WrestleMania 38.

Sami applied a Headlock to begin the action but Ricochet quickly escaped. The champion leveled Zayn with a Dropkick but Sami responded with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Sami knocked Ricochet to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a final commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Sami went for a Powerbomb but Ricochet countered into a Hurricanrana for a close two count. Ricochet and Sami traded punches in the middle of the ring. The champion connected with a boot to the face and lifted Zayn up in the Fireman’s Carry. Sami escaped and hit another Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.

Zayn went for a Superplex but Ricochet knocked him off the turnbuckle with some punches to the face. Ricochet went for a move but Sami tripped him up and hit an Exploder Suplex off the top rope. Ricochet battled back and made his way to the top rope again. Ricochet connected with a 630 Senton for the pinfall victory and retained the Intercontinental Championship.

After the match, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey were show battling in the parking lot. They kept fighting off security guards and throwing strikes at each other. Rousey booted Flair in the midsection but Flair battled back. Charlotte punched Pat Buck in the face and Suplexed Ronda onto a car. Flair locked in a Crossface before bashing Ronda’s face off the windshield to close the show.

Big E Suffers a Broken Neck at WWE SmackDown

0

Big E suffered a broken neck at Friday’s WWE SmackDown. He posted the following video from a hospital bed:

Big E took two hard bumps on SmackDown and one resulted in him being stretchered out of the arena.

The former WWE Champion worked a tag team match alongside Kofi Kingston against Ridge Holland and Sheamus. At one point, he fell hard outside of the ring, but seemed to be okay. However, moments later, he landed right on his head during a belly-to-belly suplex from Holland. 

Fans in attendance immediately knew something was wrong. Several began posting videos on social media showing Big E getting taken out on a stretcher.

In late 2020, WWE decided to push Big E as a singles star as they split him away from Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in that year’s Draft. He would go on to have a run as the Intercontinental Champion and later won the Money in the Bank match back in July 2021. He would win the WWE Title from Bobby Lashley on an episode of Raw after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract. He held it for 110 days before losing it to Brock Lesnar at the Day 1 event.

Pete Dunne Moved To WWE SmackDown, Receives A New Name

0

Pete Dunne is now a member of the main roster as part of WWE SmackDown. The former NXT UK star was shown on this week’s episode of SmackDown in a backstage segment where he was introduced by Sheamus with a new name, which is “Butch.” 

Sheamus stated that he goes way back with Butch and called him more powerful than two sledgehammers combined. The former Pete Dunne is now in a group with Sheamus and Ridge Holland as the fellow former NXT star has been teaming with Sheamus for several months on SmackDown. 

Butch and Holland had an alliance while in NXT before Holland was moved to SmackDown. 

Butch accompanied Sheamus and Holland to the ring for their match with Big E and Kofi Kingston where the heels went over. During it, Big E had a rough fall for his bump outside of the ring and he landed right on his head. Post-match, Butch attacked Kingston. 

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1502456709457059846

Butch has found success since arriving in WWE back in 2016 as he is a former WWE United Kingdom Champion and also a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Matt Riddle.

WWE Releases Salaries For Vince McMahon & Nick Khan

0

WWE finds itself in an interesting time as they are making more money than ever thanks to lucrative television deals with NBCU and FOX in addition to the big money they receive twice a year for holding two events per year in Saudi Arabia. 

WWE made a new SEC filing that revealed the salaries for Vince McMahon and Nick Khan. The WWE Chairman made 1.4 million last year while now he is making $2 million per year while the WWE Chief Revenue Officer is making 1.2 million. 

Khan also has a sign-on equity grant, which was previously $9 million. It has risen to $7.5 million this year, which makes it a total of $16 million. McMahon has 42% stock of the company and also has 83% of the company’s voting power. 

Last year in an SEC filing, WWE revealed that Stephanie McMahon was making $730,000 as Chief Brand Officer while EVP, Global Talent Strategy & Development Triple H earned $730,000. 

Last month, WWE reported its 2021 earnings. Revenue increased 12% to $1.095 billion, which is the highest in the company’s history, in which they netted $63.9 million. In the fourth quarter alone they made $310.3 million of which they netted $180.4 million

Orange Cassidy Dealing With A Significant Shoulder Injury

0

Orange Cassidy is currently plagued by a shoulder injury but there is some good news.

Cassidy competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match on March 6. He was vying for a chance to compete for the TNT Championship. “OC” lost the match and suffered a bad-looking shoulder injury when he was tossed outside of the ring by Keith Lee.

Cassidy was supposed to land on his opponents but he overshot them and landed on the floor.

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1500852566523064325

Orange Cassidy Update

Dave Meltzer has given an update on Orange Cassidy through Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Orange Cassidy suffered a significant shoulder injury at the PPV. In the ladder match, they copied the big Biel throw by Lee but Cassidy overshot the guys catching him a little, and landed shoulder-first on the floor. He won’t need surgery but his arm was in a sling on television and he won’t be wrestling for a while.”

As mentioned in the report, the good news for Cassidy is that he will be able to avoid going under the knife. That was a big concern coming out of AEW Revolution and he managed to escape the worst outcome.

For now, it looks like “OC” will be sharing out of the ring shenanigans with Danhausen in support of Kris Statlander, Best Friends, and Wheeler Yuta.

Riddle Still Wants to Wrestle Brock Lesnar

0

There’s been a long standing rivalry between Riddle and Brock Lesnar, with the current WWE Raw Tag Team Champion having long advocated for a match against the current WWE Champion.

Riddle has called Lesnar out on social media on numerous occasions. The two even had what was reported to be a backstage altercation at the 2020 Royal Rumble

With both men having a history in the world of MMA, a potential match has a uniqueness to it that could certainly sell tickets and be a memorable encounter. So far, though, Lesnar has had zero interest in facing the young star in a singles match. They both were involved in the recent Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship in Saudi Arabia.

During a new interview with Adam’s Apple, Riddle brought up the topic yet again when asked about possible opponents.

“I would really like the one on one match with, you know, Brock,” Riddle said. “That would be good. But there’s a lot of talent out there. You’ve got the Edges, you know, me and Randy are partners, you never know we might wrestle one day. There’s a lot.”

Of course, a match between these two seems like it would be down the road several months, if at all. Lesnar is currently embroiled in a feud with Roman Reigns that will culminate in the main event of WrestleMania 38. Meanwhile, Riddle and Randy Orton hold the Raw Tag Team Championships; their team will eventually split and spill into a feud of its own.

The matches confirmed so far for the two-night WrestleMania 38 event include:

  • WWE Universal Championship vs. WWE Championship Match (Main Event for Night Two)
    Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match (Main Event for Night One)
    Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
  • WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match
    Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
    Queen Zelina Vega and Carmella (c) vs. Sasha Banks and Naomi vs. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley
  • Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Logan Paul
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin
  • Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn
  • Edge vs. AJ Styles
  • Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory

Would you like to see a match between Riddle and Lesnar? Let us know in the comments section below.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Johnny Knoxville Trolls Sami Zayn With Epic Prank

0

Johnny Knoxville is stepping up his psychological warfare against WrestleMania 38 opponent Sami Zayn.

Knoxville, who is celebrating his 51st birthday on Friday, reveals that Sami Zayn got a hold of his personal phone number and was “stalking him” with text messages.

The Jackass star isn’t one to be bullied, so he took matters into his own hands.

Knoxville reveals that he rented a plane to fly a banner over Los Angeles displaying Sami Zayn’s phone number.

“So today, for my birthday, I am flying his phone number over Los Angeles,” says Knoxville. “407-574-1532. See ya at WrestleMania, Shnookums.”

Here’s video of the stunt, courtesy of TMZ Sports:

The prank worked. Sami Zayn’s phone is blowing up with random people texting and calling his soon-to-be-changed mobile number.

Well played, Knoxville. Well played.

Sami Zayn and Johnny Knoxville will finally get their hands on one another at WrestleMania Sunday on April 3rd.

Ronda Rousey Named ‘Most Abused Female Athlete on Twitter’

0

Ronda Rousey is currently a babyface on WWE television, but that hasn’t stopped wrestling and sports fans from directing negativity toward her on social media.

According to this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, an independent study of abuse on women’s athletes noted that Rousey is the most abused female athlete on Twitter. This distinction was based on her receiving the highest percentage tweets classified as negative.

Becky Lynch was also on the list, coming in at third place. However, Lynch is currently portraying a heel on WWE television and plays into that role on her social media as well, so some of that makes sense. Lynch actually received a higher total number of negative tweets, but Rousey’s percentage was higher.

The study looked at the overall abuse that names such as Sha’Carri Richardson, Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Megan Rapinoe, Claressa Shields, Emma Raducanu, Paiage Spiranac and Serena Williams have received on Twitter. The study was done in conjunction with International Women’s Day. In terms of negativity percentage, Biles came in second place behind Rousey and just ahead of Lynch.

Rousey made her return to WWE at the Royal Rumble event in St. Louis back in January, winning the Rumble match to earn a championship opportunity at WrestleMania. She will face Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas.

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Hulk Hogan Staying Retired After 23 Surgeries in the Past Decade

0

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan wishes he could have a retirement match, but unfortunately that ship has sailed.

The Hulkster appeared on the Two Man Power Trip podcast this week and said “forget it” when asked if we could see him compete one last time.

“No, no, no, no, no,” said Hogan.

The 68-year-old grappler gave his body to the sport of professional wrestling. Hogan detailed some of the health issues and medical procedures that he’s had to endure.

“In the last 10 years, I’ve had 23 surgeries, 10 back surgeries, both hips, both knees.. forget it.”

If not for his physical condition, he’d be up for it. “If I was healthy, shoot.. yeah, man, all day long,” he added.

Hulk Hogan’s Dream “Retirement Match”

Hypothetically, if he were to wrestle one more match, Hogan sees two WWE Superstars that he could draw big money with. Not surprisingly, it’s the two men who are main eventing WrestleMania 38.

“The first one I’m trying to pick off would be Roman, then I’d like to get to Brock, but good God, I’d be in a wheelchair by the time I get done with that.”

Hogan gave a little more thought to the prospect of wrestling Brock Lesnar again. He then came to his senses and joked, “I don’t need no rematch with Brock. I’m good!”

At this stage, if you want to see Hulk Hogan in the ring against Roman Reigns, your best bet is playing the new WWE 2K22 video game.

Listen to Hulk Hogan’s appearance on the Two Man Power Trip podcast:

William Regal Fires Back At Report Stating He’s In Poor Health

0

AEW star William Regal is setting the record straight about his health.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote:

“Apparently Regal’s health issues at this stage are far more serious than have ever come out and there is an interview that will be released next week that he did for Talk is Jericho that will detail them.”

Regal says Meltzer is dead wrong about his condition and indirectly called out the veteran wrestling journalist for perpetuating rumors and gossip.

According to Regal, he’s healthier than he’s been in many years. Whatever Meltzer was referring to from Regal’s conversation with Chris Jericho, Regal says it’s old news.

Despite Dave Meltzer’s incorrect spin on things, William Regal’s appearance on the next Talk is Jericho podcast should be a must listen.

Regal made a surprise appearance at Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view from Orlando, Florida. He is now managing AEW’s newest tag team, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.

Original Plans for Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38

0

Austin Theory will battle SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. It should be an entertaining match, but it’s not what WWE originally had planned.

At one point, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was rumored to be competing against McAfee at the company’s biggest show of the year.

When McMahon was announced as a guest on the Pat McAfee’s Show, it seemed this would be the forum to set up the special attraction. McMahon offered McAfee a chance to compete at WrestleMania, which he accepted. On a subsequent episode of WWE SmackDown, Austin Theory revealed himself to be McAfee’s opponent.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed some light on how McAfee vs. Theory came to be and what the original plan was for Vince McMahon’s involvement.

Vince McMahon’s Role at WrestleMania 38

“Obviously, from the 2/28 Raw, where Theory talked about McAfee perhaps attacking Vince McMahon and he’ll be there to help McMahon if that happened him on the 3/3 episode of McAfee’s show,” wrote Meltzer. “Then nothing at all transpired and Theory wasn’t even there, indicating a major change in plans.”

WWE sources confirmed there was a significant change from the original plans. While Vince McMahon won’t be wrestling, he’s still slated to be a big part of the match and will help get heat on Austin Theory.

Meltzer added, “What appears to be the idea is that there will be an angle to get McMahon into the match, likely overseeing the match and being at ringside rather than it being a handicap match, although that has been talked of as well.”

Had the Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee match taken place, Austin theory would have been heavily involved and taking all the bumps on McMahon’s behalf.

It’s speculative, but perhaps McMahon soured on the idea because he did not feel it was right to advertise himself in a match while ‘outsourcing’ his bumps to Austin Theory.

WrestleMania 38 takes place over two nights on Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Steve Austin Slated for a “Fight Sequence” at WrestleMania

0

Steve Austin will not be wrestling a sanctioned wrestling match at WrestleMania 38. Plans for his physical involvement are being described as a “fight sequence.”

After weeks of speculation, WWE finally kicked the Steve Austin & Kevin Owens program into high gear this week. Owens called out Austin at the conclusion of Monday’s Raw. He ran down the state of Texas once again and invited the Texas Rattlesnake to be his guest on a special WrestleMania-edition of the KO Show.

Austin accepted Owens’ invitation in a pre-recorded video promo. Austin delivered a promo that shows he hasn’t lost a step when it comes to opening up a can of verbal whoop-ass. In the latest Wrestling Observer NewsletterDave Meltzer shed some light on what Steve Austin will do at WrestleMania.

Austin has reportedly agreed to do a “fight sequence” at WrestleMania, indicating his physical involvement will be more than just a stunner or two. Austin has been working on his cardio conditioning and knows fans will have high expectations for his “first physical confrontation in 19 years.”

Jim Ross on Steve Austin’s Return

AEW broadcaster Jim Ross commented on Steve Austin’s return on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast.

“He and I have talked,” said Ross, “but at the time we talked, he didn’t know what he was going to do and he didn’t sound overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it.”

JR says Steve Austin is a perfectionist. He keeps himself in good physical condition. He can still cut a great promo and he can do a photoshoot looking like the Stone Cold fans remember.

Austin has turned down multiple offers to return over the past 19 years. If he were to agree to one more match, Ross feels that Austin would want at least 6 months to train and get himself into the shape he’d be satisfied with.

Latest Update On The Chances of Cody Rhodes Returning to WWE

0

The drama surrounding Cody Rhodes’ next career move continues.

The American Nightmare was once considered a sure-thing to be joining WWE, but that is no longer the case. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided an update on what’s next for the former AEW Executive Vice President.

Just a couple weeks ago, Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins was planned as one of the top WrestleMania 38 matches. WWE hoped to have Cody signed by now and recently told the creative team to stop working on ideas for the former AEW EVP.

“The creative team was only told that it was not 100 percent that he was coming in, when they believed it was a done deal with the key parts of creative having already been worked out for him to debut,” wrote Meltzer.

He added, “They were told this week to hold off on working on Rhodes vs. Rollins until Rhodes signs the contract, because they had already worked on it, and then had to stop everything when they weren’t sure if Rhodes was coming.”

This does not sound encouraging, but it’s important to note that Cody Rhodes to WWE is far from a dead deal.

Cody Rhodes is said to be fielding multiple offers regarding the next stage of his career. He very well might end up in WWE, but the odds have undoubtedly decreatd.

Is Cody Rhodes angling for a better deal with WWE? Could we see him back in AEW, or even Ring of Honor, for that matter?

We’re going to continue monitoring this story closely. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on Cody Rhodes’ next move.

Swerve Strickland Reveals Initial Talks With NJPW Before Signing With AEW

Swerve Strickland is All Elite but another prominent promotion was knocking on his door.

Back in Nov. 2021, Strickland was surprisingly released by WWE. He along with other members of the group, Hit Row were given their walking papers despite just being called up to the main roster.

While the release was abrupt, many were convinced that Strickland wouldn’t be out of work for long. That hunch was correct as he is now a member of the AEW roster.

NJPW Tried Signing Swerve Strickland

Appearing on Adam Silverstein’s Getting Over Podcast, Swerve Strickland revealed he was first contacted by NJPW (h/t Fightful).

“My first call was New Japan. I was on the phone with Rocky Romero and talked with Will Ospreay about it. That’s a little brother to me, he wants me to be over there as much as them.

“My cousin, Will Washington, who helped produce ‘Who We Are’ AEW album, he talks with Tony Khan frequently and does a lot of media scrums as well. He also does the Grapsody podcast with Righteous Reg and Phil Lindsey, shoutout to them. Tony Khan reached out to him because we’re family and was like, ‘what can we do about getting him here?’

“That was the bug in the ear. I was happy about interest being there really early on. I didn’t want to just show up there. I’m glad I had the 90 days. It gave me time to go out, travel, build a team, network, meet other people.

“I went to LA for 12 days and met so many people in the industry and outside the industry, in the music industry, fashion. I’m building a podcast team, a music team.”

Swerve made his AEW debut at the Revolution PPV. He’ll have his first match with the promotion against Tony Nese on the March 11 episode of Rampage.

Brock Lesnar Comments On Logan Paul’s Time In WWE

0

Brock Lesnar has shared his take on Logan Paul having a presence within the WWE Universe.

Paul ate a Stunner from Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 37 last year and he’s returning to “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” At WrestleMania 38, Paul will team with The Miz to take on Rey & Dominik Mysterio. The match will be featured on night one of the event on April 2.

Brock Lesnar Supports Logan Paul

Brock Lesnar will be headlining night two of WrestleMania against Roman Reigns in a title unification bout. Speaking to the NY Post, Lesnar said he digs what Logan Paul and his brother Jake Paul have been able to do.

“Great for YouTube. I’m happy for those guys. They worked at something. They built their name up. They thought outside the box, they promoted themselves.”

As far as whether or not Logan can hang with WWE superstars, Lesnar thinks it’s possible.

“Can he become a professional wrestler? Maybe if he puts as much ambition into that.”

One celebrity who has garnered the respect of the WWE locker room is Bad Bunny. Many have praised the Latino music star for his dedication to the wrestling business. Randy Orton has gone as far as to say he considers Bad Bunny a full-fledged WWE superstar.

Whether or not Logan Paul can obtain that same level of respect remains to be seen.

Strong Estimated PPV Buys for AEW Revolution 2022

0

Early PPV buy estimates are trickling in for last weekend’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view from Orlando, FL.

The main event saw Hangman Adam Page successfully defend the AEW World Championship against Adam Cole. The event also had CM Punk get revenge against MJF in a highly anticipated Dog Collar Match.

According to Dave Meltzer, Revolution is estimated to have sold approximately 110,000 buys on the Bleacher Report and FITE streaming services.

Factoring in buys from traditional pay-per-view providers, Meltzer believes AEW Revolution could finish in the range of 145,000-170,000 total buys.

If AEW Revolution 2022 did on the low end of estimates, with 145,000 buys, the show would still be considered a huge success. It would be the most-purchased Revolution ever and the second-most purchased PPV in company history.

AEW Revolution Historical Buys (Estimated figures by Wrestlenomics)

  • AEW Revolution 2020: 90,000 buys
  • AEW Revolution 2021: 135,000 buys
  • AEW Revolution 2022: 145,000-170,000 buys

All Out Remains AEW’s Biggest PPV of All Time

AEW All Out 2021

AEW Revolution’s early numbers are impressive. However, the company is still hoping to surpass its biggest PPV of all time, All Out. The PPV took place on Sep. 5, 2021. at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. AEW heavily promoted the event with the in-ring return of CM Punk. All Out earned 205,000 buys and grossed over $10 million in revenue.

The company’s second-highest PPV is the Nov. 13, 2021 event Full Gear at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The big moment from the event was Page defeating AEW World Champion Kenny Omega for the title. The event earned 145,000 buys and four million in revenue.

If AEW Revolution does 146,000 buys, it will surpass Full Gear 2021 as the company’s second-biggest PPV ever. Although All Out remains AEW’s most successful PPV, their PPV numbers stay above 100,000.

AEW last PPV under 100,000 was Full Gear 2020 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, which did 85,000 buys.