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John Morrison Reportedly Injured On Raw

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former Intercontinental Champion John Morrison apparently suffered some sort of knee injury during this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

According to reports from the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the former champion injured his knee in his match against the current US champion Matt Riddle on the show.

Morrison did a twisting dive during the match but his leg got caught in the ropes and the high flying star landed awkwardly with his knee hitting the floor.

While he chose to continue the bout after getting checked by the referee, the Raw star was seen limping later in the match. The two stars then completed the match without Riddle working on his opponents’ knee.

It was noted that John Morrison was also seen limping and walking slower than his normal pace later in the same episode when he came out with the WWE champion The Miz for a segment.

The former champion also seems to have taken a note on the chatter about the botch on Raw and he posted a comparison video of himself practicing the move:

https://twitter.com/TheRealMorrison/status/1365424904590548997

With The Miz winning the WWE title, John is likely to get involved in the title picture sooner or later. There is no word yet on if his injury is serious and if Morrison will have to take a break from in-ring action but we will keep you posted on his status.

WWE SmackDown Results (2/26): Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks, Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. Daniel Bryan faced Jey Uso in this week’s main event and Bianca Belair selected her WrestleMania opponent tonight.

SmackDown Results (2/26)

  1. Otis & Chad Gable def. Rey Mysterio & Dominik
  2. Apollo Crews def. Shinsuke Nakamura
  3. Tamina def. Liv Morgan
  4. Street Profits def. Sami Zayn & King Corbin
  5. Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso ended in a double count out

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Daniel Bryan Will Earn A Title Shot If He Beats Jey Uso

Universal Champion Roman Reigns kicked off the show with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. Reigns boasted about his victory over Daniel Bryan at Elimination Chamber and claimed he operated at a higher level than anyone else in the ring. Roman said Edge got one when he hit him with the Spear at Elimination Chamber but he doesn’t really want this match.

Roman said he will give Edge a chance tp back out of the match and go back to his beautiful family. Daniel Bryan interrupted and mocked Roman for cowardly defending his title right after the Elimination Chamber match was over. Bryan added that he was baffled at how the Head of the Table decided to defend his title in the 2nd match of the night, and not the main event. Bryan suggested a title match at WWE Fastlane.

Jey got in Bryan’s face and said he was tired of Daniel’s excuses. Jey told Daniel that he will have to go through him if he wants another shot at the Universal Championship. Jey then attacked Bryan and beat him down. It was later announced that Bryan will earn a shot at the Universal Championship if he defeats Jey Uso later tonight.

Alpha Academy Picked Up A Win

Rey Mysterio and Dominik faced Otis & Chad Gable tonight on SmackDown. Otis and Rey started off the action and Otis connected with a shoulder tackle. Otis launched Mysterio around the ring and started unloading punches before Gable warned him to not get disqualified.

Chad tagged in and planted Rey with a Gutbuster. Mysterio connected with an Enziguri and made his way to the corner to tag in Dominik. Dominik hopped up to the middle turnbuckle and hit Gable with a Tornado DDT for a near fall. Mysterio tagged in and connected with a Senton.

Rey and Dominik hit a double 619 and then Rey quickly hopped to the top rope. Mysterio connected with a Splash and went for the cover but Otis broke it up at two. Otis slammed Mysterio to the mat and followed it up with a Splash off the middle turnbuckle for the pinfall victory.

Apollo Crews def. Shinsuke Nakamura

Apollo Crews came to the ring with some new ring gear and was sporting a scarf around his neck. Crews stated he has been nice, humble, and respectful for too long and he’s not receiving any of the same respect in return. Apollo said he is not from the streets, he is from Nigeria and is a real African American.

Crews explained how his family comes from royalty and how his grandfather ruled land in Nigeria. The colors of his new gear represent power, dominance, and wealth. Crews boasted about his attack on Big E last week and claimed that the Intercontinental Champion will never disrespect him again. Crews vowed to do the same to Shinsuke Nakamura tonight.

Apollo attacked Nakamura during his entrance and sent him into the steel ring steps as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Apollo was in control of the match and was stomping away on Nakamura in the corner of the ring. Crews planted Shinsuke with a Suplex for a near fall and then applied a Headlock in the center of the ring.

Nakamura battled to his feet but Crews connected with a German Suplex. Shinsuke hopped right up and hit a knee to the face that sent both superstars to the canvas. Nakamura connected with another knee to the face and went for the cover but Crews was able to power out at two.

Shinsuke hit the snap German Suplex for a near fall and then the action spilled out of the ring. Apollo sent Shinsuke into the steel steps and rolled him back into the ring. Crews used his scarf to send Shinsuke to the corner and hit him with the Angle Slam for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: I really liked Crews’ promo and hopefully this version of his character works out because the talent has always been there.

Tamina def. Liv Morgan

Tamina faced Liv Morgan tonight on SmackDown. Natalya and Ruby Riott were ringside for the match. Tamina dominated the action early and planted Liv with a Suplex for a near fall. Liv battled back and connected with an Enziguri. Liv hit Tamina with a Dropkick that sent Tamina to the corner. Liv hit another Dropkick off the second rope for a near fall. Tamina battled back with a slam for the pinfall victory.

Banks Will Face Belair At WrestleMania

Bianca Belair joined Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce in the ring. Reginald interrupted and said that Belair’s dream will dissolve into a nightmare if she picks Sasha Banks as her WrestleMania opponent. Belair got in Reginald’s face but Sasha Banks interrupted.

The SmackDown Women’s Champion made her way to the ring and told Reginald to stop speaking for her. Banks added that Belair isn’t the “EST” of WWE because she is the champion and #1. Sasha then told Belair that makes her 2nd best and cackled into the microphone before dropping it. Belair told Banks that she is going to make Banks eat her words at WrestleMania and pointed to the sign.

Street Profits def. Zayn & Corbin

King Corbin and Sami Zayn teamed up to battle Street Profits tonight on SmackDown. The SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Zigger & Robert Roode were shown watching the match backstage.

Corbin and Dawkins locked up in the middle of the ring. King Corbin went for his sliding Clothesline but Sami’ documentary crew was in the way as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Montez hit Corbin with an Enziguri and tagged in Dawkins.

Angelo leveled Sami with a Bulldog and went for the cover but Sami was able to kick out at two. Corbin got into the ring and Dawkins greeted him with a Dropkick. Zayn capitalized and planted Dawkins with a DDT for a near fall. Sami’s documentary crew got in Corbin’s face and started filming him. Corbin shoved them away but Montez flipped onto him. Dawkins planted Sami with a Neckbreaker and tagged in Ford. Montez hit Sami with the From the Heavens Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.

Cesaro Declined Seth Rollins’ Offer

Seth Rollins said that the letter he sent to WWE management and it trended on social media. Cesaro immediately interrupted and marched to the ring. Rollins told Cesaro that they go back a long way and give him a chance to make this right. Seth claimed that he did not call Cesaro “a loser” and Twitter blew that out of proportion.

Rollins told Cesaro that he is a star and is one of the strongest people to ever step foot in a WWE ring. Seth asked Cesaro why he seems to always come up short and wondered what he is missing. Rollins claimed that Cesaro was missing killer instinct and can give it to Cesaro.

Seth noted that he has already grabbed the brass ring and have accomplished things in WWE that Cesaro can only dream of. Rollins told Cesaro that it is never too late to start again and that all he has to do is “embrace the vision”. Seth told Cesaro to take a week or two to think it over but Cesaro opted to get Rollins in the Swing. Cesaro followed it up with an uppercut to end the segment.

Bryan vs. Jey Uso Ended In A Double Count Out

Daniel Bryan faced Jey Uso in the main event of SmackDown. If Bryan won the match, he would face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WWE Fastlane.

Bryan started off the match in control and hit Jey with a few uppercuts in the corner of the ring. The action spilled to the outside and Jey focused his attack on Daniel’s injured knee. Jey drove Daniel’s knee into the announce table and then the steel ring post as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

Jey Uso was still in control after the break and planted Bryan with a Samoan Drop for a near fall. Jey made his way up the top turnbuckle and went for the Splash but Daniel got out of the way.

Bryan regrouped in the corner and unloaded some Yes Kicks. Daniel sent Jey out of the ring and hit him with a knee to the face. Back in the ring, Jey hit Bryan’s injured knee with a Dropkick and locked in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring.

Daniel escaped and caught Jey with a boot to the face. Bryan geared up for the Running Knee but Jey countered with a chop block. Jey followed it up with a kick to the face for a two count. Bryan connceted with a Butterfly Suplex and went for the Yes Lock but Jey grabbed the bottom rope before Daniel could lock it in.

Jey brought Bryan to the outside and launched him into the steel steps. Bryan and Jey then continued to fight and the referee counted them both out. Daniel tried to get Jey in the Yes Lock after the match but Reigns broke it up. Bryan applied the Yes Lock to Reigns but Jey broke it up with a Superkick. Roman leveled Bryan with a Spear and choked him out to end the show.

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks Set For WWE WrestleMania 37

Andrew Ravens
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As advertised, Bianca Belair made the reveal for her opponent at WrestleMania 37 on Friday Night SmackDown. 

WWE announced earlier in the day that she would make her WrestleMania 37 decision on the show. Belair came out to the ring for a promo. She declared that she would challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks for the strap. Banks came out and they trade words. It’s a babyface vs. babyface build for now. 

Belair won this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match after entering at number three and she battled it out with various stars for nearly 57 minutes before last eliminating Rhea Ripley to get the win. 

This past Sunday night at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Belair and Banks teamed up but fell short when they challenged Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Belair has interacted with Banks several times since winning the Royal Rumble, but though she did also have an interaction with Raw Women’s Champion Asuka.

WWE holds WrestleMania 37 on April 10th and 11th in Tampa, Florida from Raymond James Stadium. WWE previously confirmed Edge will challenge Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. 

Edge speared Reigns at Elimination Chamber, which was a declaration he was  challenging for Reigns’ title at WrestleMania 37.

Top Amateur Wrestler Joins WWE

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has been on a signing spree as they’ve signed over two dozen independent wrestlers and athletes.  

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Bobby Steveson is set to start working with WWE soon. He is a former University of Minnesota heavyweight amateur wrestler. Per the report, he’s slated to start with WWE with the next class of recruits as he’s been training at the WWE Performance Center as of late.

In 2017, he was an NCAA Qualifier and a two-time Letterwinner at the University of Minnesota. 

He won his first two career open tournament appearances at the 2015 Cobber Open and the 2015 Buena Vista Open, and then finished runner-up at the 2015 UNI Open. In addition, he was a Redshirt Senior with an overall record of 4-3 for the 2019-2020 season.

His younger brother, Olympic heavyweight wrestling hopeful Gable Steveson, is expected to come to WWE after he finishes college. 

Earlier this week, WWE announced the largest class of recruits in history. Thus, Steveson will likely be part of the next class in a few months. 

Steveson has been backstage at a few different WWE shows as he documented on Instagram. He was with Triple H and Paul Heyman at a Raw show in August 2019 and even got the chance to meet  Brock Lesnar at a WWE live event on March 9, 2018 in Minneapolis:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ZD5SdBKv_/?utm_source=ig_embed
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJlcOSDmfg/?utm_source=ig_embed

Tony Khan Discusses AEW Programming Plans For This Year

Andrew Ravens
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AEW currently airs Dark on Tuesdays and Dynamite on Wednesdays, but starting March 15th, Dark: Elevation will be airing every Monday night on YouTube as well.

When this was first announced, some thought this was supposed to be the second show on TNT that was confirmed when AEW signed an extension with the network in 2020, but that’s not the case. 

AEW President Tony Khan later stated on Twitter that a second AEW show on TNT would still be coming in 2021. He then did an interview on Thursday with Wrestling Observer Radio where he further commented on their programming for this year.  

He started out by noting that he thinks it’s very appropriate to have two television series and two streaming shows as some of the most successful wrestling companies of all time have had a couple of flagship shows and then a couple of shows that are more for developmental talent. 

“So, you’ll have the two Dark properties and the two TNT properties and I’m really excited about it. I think we’re ready for it.”

He noted that he thinks you can get a lot of or most of the viewing experience by just watching Dynamite and the PPVs. He brought up how there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people watching Dark every week. He noted that there’s an audience for Dark and will be the same for Elevation, which turned out to be an idea by TNT. 

“It was TNT’s idea, I’ll be 100% honest. I originally had the title Elevation and they’re right, the executives made a great point to me, ‘You don’t want to create confusion with different brands.’ Elevation is an extension of Dark so they essentially said, ‘Call it AEW Dark: Elevation.’ And I said that’s a great idea.”

Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show, and Tony Schiavone will be doing commentary for Dark: Elevation.

AEW Interested In Zelina Vega

Andrew Ravens
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Zelina Vega could be receiving a phone call with AEW President Tony Khan in the near future. 

Khan said he’s interested in talking with the former WWE star during an appearance on the Thursday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. He was asked about his interest in her, which he thought that she was still under a 90-day non-compete clause, which he has been waiting to pass before he could legally speak with her. 

“When we get through his (Women’s title eliminator tournament) and through (Revolution), I would be interested to see where she’s at,” he said.

Last November, she was released by WWE after having issues with the company’s new policy regarding talent making deals with third party companies like Twitch. 

Vega has an OnlyFans account, which is for cosplays only, and streams on Twitch. At the time, Sports Illustrated reported that it was due to her breaching her contract. It was later clarified that wrestlers can use the likes of YouTube and Twitch, but must use their real names to do so.

It was reported by Fightful Select that her non-compete clause expired earlier this month, which means she’s free and clear to sign with any promotion that she wants whether that’s to be a wrestler or a manager.

WWE Announces Documentary On High School Wrestling Star, Heaven Fitch

Chris Stephens
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WWE has announced an upcoming documentary on amateur wrestling standout, Heaven Fitch. The film will be released on the free version of the WWE Network and WWE’s social media platforms on March 7th.

“The story of Heaven Fitch is the beginning of a new genre of storytelling for WWE Network Documentaries. She has inspired so many with her elite athleticism as well as her numerous accomplishments. We are excited to share Heaven’s championship story with the WWE Universe,” says Ben Houser, VP & Executive Producer, WWE Network Documentaries.

Fitch made headlines after she won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state wrestling championships in the 106lbs division while competing against male wrestlers last year. The story garnered strong reactions from many wrestling personalities, including Shayna Baszler.

WWE sent out a press release today regarding the upcoming documentary. They noted it marks a departure from the typical content they produce. It will also air in March to coincide with Women’s History Month.

“HEAVEN, which premieres during Women’s History Month, marks a departure from WWE Network Documentaries’ typical subject matter focusing on the squared circle.”

Shawn Michaels: Kazuchika Okada Would Adjust “Fantastically” To WWE

Chris Stephens
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Kazuchika Okada and Shawn Michaels recently expressed respect for one another while discussing which matches first got them interested in pro-wrestling. SI.com ran an article where Okada mentioned that the Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho match from WrestleMania 19 taught him a lot about wrestling.

“There was one other match I used to watch a lot. It was on a DVD at my mentor Ultimo Dragon’s house, and that was Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 19. I learned so much from that match,” Okada said through a translator.

The comments were then brought to Shawn Michaels, who was also interviewed for the article. HBK then gave his opinion on how he feels Okada would do if he was in WWE.

“I’m so incredibly appreciative of that,” Michaels said “I’ve always admired the style in Japan, and here’s a guy that admires my style.

“Someone once asked me how Okada would adjust if he were ever in the WWE, and I know the answer to that—he’d adjust fantastically, because he’s a fantastic talent. It’s like me. People would say, ‘Well, you only wrestled in the WWE,’ but I could have wrestled anywhere. When a guy is talented, he’s talented. So I’m thankful that Okada, this unbelievably talented young man, gained one or two things from my match.”

Okada is scheduled to face EVIL tomorrow on night 1 of Castle Attack in Osaka, Japan.

NJPW Negotiating With Multiple American TV Networks (Report)

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling announced at Wrestle Kingdom that they would be returning to American television shortly. Not long after, it was revealed that the promotion had struck a deal with the Roku channel. According to a recent report from PW Insider, however, the company is in negotiations with multiple other networks.

The report states that some of the networks have been in talks with NJPW going back to early next year. Other networks NJPW is said to be negotiating with came along just recently, however.

NJPW negotiating with networks in the United States was also addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Regarding the talks with AXS, the company is in talks right now with a number of U.S. stations, AXS being one of them,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Previously, the Observer stated that talks between NJPW and AXS TV had hit an advanced stage.

“There are significant talks involving New Japan returning to AXS television. AXS was wanting the programming back, and it would likely involve more dealings with New Japan and Impact, as the Juice Robinson & David Finlay debut as regulars show,” wrote Dave Meltzer. 

A big episode of New Japan Strong will air tonight on New Japan World. KENTA finally challenges Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship on the show.

Konnan Gives An Update On His Health

Chris Stephens
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Konnan was recently hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. His situation was complicated by the kidney transplant he received in 2007. He is now out of the hospital and gave an update on his health while speaking with Disco Inferno.

“Just so you know, from here on out, I’m a whole different mother****er. I am not cow-towing to nobody,” Konnan said.

Konnan then told a story about how his doctors were trying to get him to take his situation more seriously.

“I was in the hospital, I wake up, there’s 6 doctors in front of me,” Konnan said.

“(The doctors) are very mad with me because I’m not taking my pills, I’m being very rude, I’m not listening to instructions.”

“Because I didn’t want to believe it was as bad as they were telling me, I didn’t want to hear bad news.”

Konnan then said one of his doctors told him there was a 60% chance his heart was going to stop and his kidneys were failing.

“Then another guy walks in, a chaplain, and you know I hate religion. The mother****er wanted to pray with me, I almost threw him out the window.”

He would continue to say he considers himself lucky to be alive now, however.

“I am very fortunate, and I do not over-dramatize this, to be alive.”

“I was looking at death dude, it’s not a script.”

Konnan said at that point he was taking a survey of his life. He also spoke about how he appreciates his friendships with Rey Mysterio, Disco and others.

While he didn’t say exactly how he contracted the virus, Konnan did offer some thoughts on what may have led to it.

“I was in a 1000% compromised situation,” Konnan said when Disco asked him how he thinks he contracted the virus. “Because I’m in a business where everybody in my business is a *Bleeped*.”

Konnan’s comments can be heard in the below video:

Scorpio Sky Injury Update Following Torn Meniscus

Chris Stephens
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Scorpio Sky is scheduled to take part in the upcoming ladder match at AEW Revolution. He hasn’t wrestled since January 7th, when he defeated Nick Comoroto on an episode of Dark.

As it turns out, Sky has been out of action with a torn meniscus. The match at Revolution will mark his return to the ring after 2-months on the shelf dealing with it.

Sky spoke about returning at the PPV recently on his Wrestling with the Week podcast.

“First match back coming off a torn meniscus,” Sky said. “I like to dive into the deep water and see if I can swim without getting wet. People like to think of things today as a TV business and the TV matches are most important. As an old-school guy, pay-per-view is where it’s at and I’m excited to be back on pay-per-view in a marquee match.”

Scorpio Sky on Revolution Ladder Match

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Scorpio Sky knows this is a big opportunity to catapult himself right back into the top of AEW’s rankings. “It’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “You can’t turn down a match like this. If I had to cut my leg off and crawl into the ring, I would do it. Anytime you’re attached to the name Cody Rhodes, it’s big.”

AEW Revolution takes place Sunday, March 7th and airs live on pay-per-view.

Watch Scorpio Sky’s comments about the AEW Revolution Ladder Match:

H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

Update On Sammy Guevara & Impact, Who Is Impact’s Head of Creative?

Chris Stephens
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It was reported earlier this month that Sammy Guevara had been sent home from recent Impact Wrestling tapings. The tapings took place in Nashville from February 9th-11th. Various reports have suggested that creative differences are what led to him not taking part.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Guevara was scheduled to win 3 matches during the tapings. He is also said to have pitched to win the X-division title and not lose it before returning to AEW. There was an update on this in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Regarding the Sammy Guevara stuff here, there were losses proposed and beatdowns scheduled and while he was to win his last match, it involved a post-match beatdown that he wasn’t coming back to get revenge for,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continued to state that Guevara did propose winning the X-Division title.

“Guevara did propose to Impact that he win the X title which (Impact) didn’t plan for,” Meltzer continued.

It was also noted that Jimmy Jacobs is the current head of creative for Impact Wrestling. Jacobs reports to D’Amore who ultimately has the final say but for the most part, Impact’s television is booked by Jacobs, Robert Evans, and Tommy Dreamer.

Kelly Klein Files Lawsuit Against ROH & Jay Lethal

Chris Stephens
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Former WOH Champion, Kelly Klein has filed a lawsuit against her former employers for employment discrimination. Listed as defendants are Ring of Honor, the company’s General Manager Greg Gilliland, the head booker “Delirious” Hunter Johnston, COO Joe Koff and Jay Lethal.

According to documents obtained by HeelByNature, Klein is suing for “breach of an implied contract, unpaid royalties, violation of state and federal equal pay acts, abusive discharge, discrimination and harassment and an unsafe work environment.”

“Plaintiff alleges that the Defendants terminated her contract as of December 31, 2019, because of her complaints regarding the disparate pay for WHO female wrestlers, the lack of safety and medical protocols after Plaintiff suffered the concussion in October of 2019, and the sexual harassment at ROH,” read documents relating to her case.

In the fall of 2019, Kelly Klein and Joey Mercury both made public statements regarding ROH’s work environment. ROH then stated that they would not be renewing Klein’s contact but disputed claims that they had fired her.

“We normally don’t discuss these matters but since it seems to have been made public — We did not fire Kelly but we did notify her that we would not be re-signing her when her current agreement expires. She is still under contract through the end of the year,” ROH stated to various media outlets in November of 2019.

Lacey Evans Confirms Pregnancy: “I’m Having A Baby, Y’all!”

Michael Reichlin
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WWE Superstar Lacey Evans is proud to announce, “I’m having a baby y’all!”

Evans is currently on hiatus from WWE. She was recently embroiled in a heated feud with Charlotte Flair, but announced on television that she was pregnant. It was implied on television that Charlotte’s father, Ric Flair, might have had something to do with her situation.

Ric Flair’s involvement was just for storylines, but the former United States Marine is in fact expecting another child. She recently appeared on American Brain and Braun to confirm the news.

“I’m having a baby y’all!” she announced. “I didn’t expect it to be right now, as of a week ago. Women in sports entertainment, women in general, you never know. I don’t have an office job where I can get a big belly and type away at a computer desk. That’s not what God put in my life. Unfortunately, I gotta’ take it easy.”

She was scheduled to face Asuka at the recent WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, but that obviously was not meant to be.

Lacey Evans (Macey Estrella-Kadlec) and husband Alfonso already have one daughter together, Summer. She spoke fondly about the possibility of having a son, but will be happy with the baby’s gender no matter what.

SEScoops wishes Lacey Evans and her husband big congratulations on their growing family.

NJPW & CMLL Release Joint Statement Solidifying Their Partnership

Michael Reichlin
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New Japan Pro Wrestling and Mexico’s CMLL promotion have issued a joint statement about their “unique and prosperous” working relationship.

The public show of solidarity comes after the cancelation of their Fantasticamania event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since November 2009, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and CMLL have enjoyed a unique and prosperous working relationship,” the statement reads. “This relationship has seen CMLL stars travel to Japan every January for the annual Fantasticamania tour as well as competing in New Japan rings on a frequent basis, and NJPW prospects developing in excursions to CMLL in Mexico. NJPW remains deeply proud of the strong bond it has with CMLL. Unfortunately, the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic prevented Fantasticamania from taking place in January 2021.”

The remainder of message addresses the healthy state of their partnership.

“New Japan Pro-Wrestling would like to reassure fans that its relationship with CMLL is unwavering, and that CMLL will continue to be the exclusive business partner for NJPW in Mexico.”

New Japan Pro-Wrestling is proud to issue this joint declaration with CMLL to reaffirm our mutual commitment. There is plenty more to come from NJPW’s partnership with CMLL in the future, and we appreciate your support.”

CMLL President Salvador Lutteroth Lomeli added, “New Japan Pro-Wrestling is the leader of the Japanese pro-wrestling industry, and we have developed a strong relationship of mutual trust for 12 years now. It is an honor for us to continue working with NJPW moving forward. Gracias!”

Karrion Kross Wants NXT Champion Finn Balor At WrestleMania 37

Rayan Sayyed
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0

Karrion Kross says he wants to fight WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor at WrestleMania 37 for the title. This was in response to Balor saying in an interview that Kross deserves a title shot.

Finn Balor proposed the idea of defending the NXT Championship against Karrion Kross while appearing on After The Bell. He said that a dream scenario for him would be to defend the title one night on TakeOver and the next night at WrestleMania.

“The Prince” empathized with Kross and said that he really feels for him, in regards to Kross having to relinquish his title. Balor said that Kross deserves a title shot, whether it’s at TakeOver or at WrestleMania. Karrion Kross was asked about Finn Balor’s comments and if he would be down to have this hypothetical match.

“100 percent. Yes, I would,” Karrion Kross told FOX Sports. “I don’t know where that began — whether it was online or if it was Finn’s suggestion through another interview — but people have been creating these pictures where they post the both of us with the WrestleMania background for weeks now. I hope the company is listening to that because there seems to be an interest and a demand for that.”

Karrion Kross added that he hoped fans get what they’re looking for as he would be more than happy to step up on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”

Karrion Kross In NXT

Karrion Kross joined NXT last year where he quickly rose to the top of the scene and defeated Keith Lee for the NXT Championship during just four months of his stint at the company. Unfortunately, Kross suffered a separated shoulder, forcing him to relinquish the title, making his championship reign the shortest at just 4 days.

Returning from injury in December, Karrion Kross would then go on to feud with Damian Priest and Santos Escobar. Meanwhile, the NXT Championship has been wrapped around Finn Balor’s waist who has defended the title against the likes of Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne. When Kross was asked if Balor has been a worthy champion, he vehemently agreed.

“Absolutely. Yes, he has. He’s gone through virtually every single major name in NXT. He’s had killer matches. And that’s what this company is all about. When someone is not able to carry the ball for one reason or another, we’ve got the best guys in the world ready to step up, and he did that. If the situation were reversed, I would have done it as well, and I’m looking forward to eventually stepping into the ring to compete with him,” Karrion Kross said of Finn Balor.

Hikaru Shida Beats Jon Moxley AEW Championship Record

Rayan Sayyed
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Hikaru Shida, the current AEW Women’s World Champion, has beaten an impressive record that was previously set by former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. The record in question, is of holding a championship for the longest duration in the company. Moxley won the title back in February 2020 at the Revolution 2020 event by defeating Chris Jericho. He held the title for a notable 277 days, but this record has been beaten by Shida’s reign which has surpassed a total of 278+ days.

Hikaru Shida won the AEW Women’s World Championship in a No Disqualification and No Countout match at the promotion’s Double or Nothing event by defeating Nyla Rode back in May 2020. She has successfully defended the title six times against the likes of Penelope Ford, Thunder Rosa, Big Swole, Nyla Rose, Anna Jay and most recently Abadon during the January 6, 2021 edition of Dynamite. She will be defending the title for the seventh time against the winner of the ongoing AEW Women’s Eliminator tournament at the upcoming Revolution PPV on March 7. Rose, Yuka Sakazaki, Ryo Mizunami have already emerged as the semifinalists and a fourth competitor among Rosa and Riho will be determined in a special airing on Sunday, February 28.

Meanwhile, Jon Moxley as the AEW World Champion defended the title a total of nine times. Starting with Jake Hager back in April 2020, Moxley successfully defended against Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, Darby Allin, MJF, Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, Lance Archer and Kingston again at Full Gear in November. He lost the title to Kenny Omega on the December 2, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Moxley will try to capture the title again from Omega at Revolution in an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch, no less.

Related: Bully Ray Talks How Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega Need To Approach Revolution Match

The Miz Says He Doubted He’d Be WWE Champion Again

Rayan Sayyed
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The Miz became WWE Champion during Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against Drew McIntyre and entered into his second reign as champion. He also became the only 2-time Grand Slam Champion in the company by capturing the title.

His first reign a decade ago in 2010 wasn’t as significant though, as he appeared merely as a secondary character in the main story between John Cena and The Rock. After losing the title to Cena in 2011, Miz was moved from the main event scene to the midcard, where he slowly climbed up the ranks and was even lauded as a champion who bought importance and prestige to the Intercontinental Championship which was treated as a somewhat unimportant title with throwaway reigns.

Entering into the main event scene again and becoming the top champion seemed like a long shot for The Miz again, with even him admitting that he himself wasn’t sure a successful Money in the Bank cash-in against a strong competitor like Drew McIntyre was possible. In fact, it wasn’t until the day of the Elimination Chamber event that he found out that he could be cashing in his briefcase.

Speaking to the Bleacher Report, The Miz said: “To be completely honest with you, I thought, ‘I’m never going to cash in until these two get rid of the titles because they’re such strong champions. I can’t remember the last time we had such strong champions in WWE. To be able to go in there, beat Drew McIntyre, who has been on fire as of late, and win my second WWE Championship… I wasn’t sure it was ever going to happen.

“Ten years ago, I was WWE champion, and I’ve had opportunities here and there but sometimes you just wait and you see and you push and you make sure you’re always evolving, always getting better, always doing the right things,” The Miz said regarding his rise.

The Miz expressed confidence on his comeback to the top spot, stating earlier that he does not plan to be just a transitional champion. He is set to face Bobby Lashley on next week’s Monday Night Raw as part of the deal he stuck with The Hurt Business. Miz expressed confidence and said that his second reign will be better than the first because this time he’s ready.

“It feels better because I feel that I’m ready and I’m worthy,” The Miz said. “When I first won the WWE Championship, I was still gaining my confidence in WWE. I was pretty new to the main event scene.

“As a matter of fact, I think that was my first main event,” he continued. “I wasn’t in the main event picture. To be able to work with Randy Orton and John Cena, who literally took me from his lower-level midcard Superstar into a main eventer… This is how good they are, that when you’re in the ring with them, you have to elevate yourself and get to that level. If you don’t, they’ll swallow you up and spit you out, and so many Superstars have done that,” The Miz concluded.

RetroMania Wrestling Releasing Friday, First DLC Announced

Michael Reichlin
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RetroMania Wrestling is the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved WWF arcade game, WrestleFest. The game is scheduled for release this Friday, February 26th for PC Steam. (Purchase Here)

The Nintendo Switch console version will be out soon following a slight delay. Developer Retrosoft Studio says there were some last-minute bug fixes and the game is now in the certification process. PS4 and Xbox One players will also be able to purchase the game in the near future.

Retrosoft has announced the first DLC characters that will be available for RetroMania Wrestling. They include:

  • “Cowboy” James Storm
  • Mr. Hughes
  • Chris Bey of Impact Wrestling

Storm & Hughes will be on sale for a small fee, while Chris Bey is a free bonus character. More DLC content will be announced in the months ahead.

Discussion: Will you be playing RetroMania Wrestling?

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Melina Clarifies Reports About Her WWE Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE women’s champion Melina was reported to have agreed to a new contract with the company late last year but she never returned to the promotion as people were expecting.

The female star recently had an interview with WrestleTalk where she cleared the air on her status with the promotion and the reports of her return.

Melina first confirmed that she had talks with the company officials about a potential return last year. However, she revealed that she couldn’t sign a contract because of her injured knee:

“It was talks of [a return]. Talks of seeing if it was possible and all that stuff. Everyone made such a big deal out of it. I was in talks with [WWE], but I never signed a contract,

There was nothing going on.” said Melina, “Just ‘hey would you consider, would you be open?’. I’m like ‘hell yeah’. Well it turned out I have like a bad knee, and I can’t wrestle.”

The former diva’s champion also explained that her re-signing wasn’t guaranteed even if she didn’t have a bad knee and it was possible that the company might not have signed her even if she was cleared:

“Who knows if I didn’t have a bad knee if they would have signed me? Or you never know, if I had a good knee they wanted to see if I was open to it, but probably not get signed. That’s just the way wrestling is. It’s never a guarantee.”

Melina has not been a part of the WWE roster since her release in 2011. Though she did make a cameo during the Raw legends night earlier this year in January.

Don Callis Recalls Almost Joining WCW With Joey Styles In 2001

Jake Skudder
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Don Callis is the latest guest on Gallows & Anderson’s Talk’n Shop podcast. The ‘Invisible Hand’ the Good Brothers for a conversation about the ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline involving AEW-NJPW-Impact, as well as some other interesting topics.

Callis revealed that he and fellow ECW alumnus Joey Styles almost joined WCW in 2001 as their new commentary team.

Vince McMahon and WWE purchased WCW in 2001 for a measly sum, but things almost unfolded entirely differently. Former WCW Eric Bischoff almost purchased the fledgling promotion alongside Fusient Media. Unfortunately, the deal did not go through, as Bischoff and Fusient were unable to secure a television deal in time.

Don Callis’ Brush With WCW

“In 2001 when WCW was about to go out of business, I had a gig lined up with Bischoff,” Callis revealed. “Joey Styles and I were gonna go in and be the commentators.. I was gonna make more money than I ever made, but that deal fell through.”

It was a tumultuous time in the pro wrestling industry. Callis recalls having leverage one minute and the deal falling through soon thereafter.

“All of a sudden, it was like, I went from being able to leverage three companies (WWF, WCW and ECW), to a monopoly (WWE). And I knew when a monopoly happens, guys on top like Jericho do well, but the guys underneath, don’t do well.”

Callis currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Impact Wrestling. He’s also the manager of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

Listen to the full episode of Talkin’ Shop with Don Callis at MLWRadio.com.

EC3 Officially Signs With Ring of Honor Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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Ring of Honor has confirmed that former WWE Superstar EC3 has signed with the company. The company issued a press release earlier today confirming that the former IMPACT World Champion will be joining the promotion going forward.

Here is the full release from ROH:

Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that EC3 has signed with the company.

EC3, who had been pro wrestling’s hottest free agent since he hit the open market last summer; made a few appearances with ROH in the fall. He made his unannounced return on last weekend’s episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling” to confront Jay Briscoe.

EC3 and Briscoe had been scheduled to face each other at Final Battle in December. The match was called off after EC3 tested positive for COVID-19.

EC3 Signs With ROH

Recognized as a two-time former world champion, EC3 boasts one of the most chiseled physiques in the sport and stellar speaking skills.

EC3 seized control of his narrative during his time as a free agent. A darker, more intense and more dangerous EC3 showed up in ROH declaring that he was on a quest to see if honor is real.

Now that EC3 is making ROH his home, he’ll have ample time to find out.

Since leaving WWE last year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the former 24/7 Champion has been promoting his character via YouTube videos and his social media presence. The former Derrick Bateman confirmed with Chris Van Vliet on his podcast that he wanted to work where he was offered creative freedom and be able to ‘control the narrative.’ It appears as though ROH have offered the former Ethan Carter 3rd what he was looking for.

Shayna Baszler Talks Why Not Just ‘Anyone’ Can Do BloodSport

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. The former MMA fighter discussed a number of topics during her time on the show; including the concept of the BloodSport PPV and the WWE ‘lite’ version, RAW Underground.

Creator of the current run of BloodSport PPVs Josh Barnett has a unique relationship with Shayna Baszler. Both former fighters transitioned into pro wrestling from martial arts, and Barnett was one of the trainers, alongside Billy Robinson, who helped Baszler adapt her martial arts background into a career inside the squared circle.

Renee Paquette suggested during the podcast that she felt the now defunct RAW Underground was created ‘especially’ for Baszler.

Shayna Baszler on BloodSport/RAW Underground

Baszler replied and said that the concept of RAW Underground/BloodSport would’ve worked perfectly for her. “Obviously [it would have], with my martial upbringing and everything with Josh and Billy Robinson. [It was] Kind of that Pancrase/UWF-i style, that’s what Bloodsport and RAW Underground was I think.”

Shayna Baszler also noted how she believes not every professional wrestler is suited to the ‘faux shoot fight’ style. It was discussed during the podcast how Jon Moxley was a big part of the recent BloodSport PPV events, and Baszler said how it really does take a certain type of performer to pull off the gimmick.

“The difficult part is that, and I’m just speculating I’m not speaking for anyone, but just knowing how I trained for that style of professional wrestling? I don’t think you can grab just any pro wrestler nowadays, and just throw them into this and they know how to do it and make it look the way it’s supposed to look.”

Would you like to see RAW Underground return for the likes of Shayna Baszler? Let us know in the comments

Hiromu Takahashi Vacates IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Chris Stephens
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One of the top IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions in recent years, Hiromu Takahashi, was forced to vacate the belt this morning. It was announced recently that Takahashi is going to miss 6 months with a torn pec. He appeared on this morning’s Road to Castle Attack show and officially vacated the belt.

Takahashi asked his Los InGobernables teammate, Bushi, to take his place on Night 2 of Castle Attack against Bullet Club’s El Phantasmo. Suzuki-Gun’s El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru then won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships later that night. After the victory, El Desperado asked to be inserted into the title picture at Castle Attack as well. It’s not year clear who will wrestle for the now-vacant title on Sunday.

NJPW Castle Attack Lineup

Night 1:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) vs. United Empire(Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, and Jeff Cobb)
  • Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tanga Loa
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Tama Tonga
  • KOPW Trophy
    Toru Yano (c) vs Chase Owens
  • Tomohiro Ishi vs Jay White
  • Kazuchika Okada vs EVIL

Night 2:

  1. Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) vs. United Empire (Will Ospreayand Jeff Cobb)
  2. Chaos (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano) vs. Bullet Club (Jay White, Evil, and Chase Owens)
  3. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
    Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Chaos (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi)
  4. NEVER Openweight Championship
    Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs The Great-O-Khan
  5. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
    El Phantasmo vs TBD
  6. IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships
    Kota Ibushi (c) vs Tetsuya Naito

PCO Confirms Expiry Date Of His Current ROH Contract

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran PCO has become one of the top stars for ROH since joining the company in 2018 and he has won multiple titles in the company including the promotion’s world title in 2019.

The former world champion recently had an interview with WrestleZone where he talked about things such as the development of his new persona and more.

During the interview, the former WCW star confirmed that his ROH contract is set to expire on December 1, 2021, but PCO claimed that he is very happy with his current situation:

“I haven’t even looked at options yet, I’m very happy with where I’m at right now and what I’m doing.”

PCO also talked about the success he achieved in 2019 mentioning his various accomplishments and he admitted that it was a huge year for him:

“I just think I had a tremendous year last year, being World Six-Man Tag Champ, World Tag Champ, World Heavyweight Champ with Ring of Honor,

And then the NWA World Tag Team, the Crockett Cup winner, and think that this is a lot of success, it’s pretty huge,”

With the amount of success he achieved before the coronavirus pandemic, PCO is likely to attract some attention when his contract expires.

It would be interesting to see if he stays with ROH or decides to join a different promotion when the time comes.

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