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8 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 5/3

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling presented the first of two episodes taped the night after Rebellion from the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto. I was in attendance for the show and will provide live notes throughout this post.

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 5/3:

Rob Van Dam Is Back! Will Face Ethan Page Next Week

Rob Van Dam came out this week but his return was interrupted by “All Ego” Ethan Page.

As a member of “the North” and well-known independent wrestler from the nearby city of Hamilton, Page had plenty of supporters in the crowd but RVD got the largest reaction of the tapings.

RVD has been talking about how many on the Impact roster have been stealing his moves. Page noted that he doesn’t steal RVD’s moves and RVD was never a hero to him. The segment ended with a Van Daminator. A single’s match between the two was booked for next week.

Michael Elgin Is #1 Contender

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ZsZv6cuCQ
  • Michael Elgin defeated Johnny Impact, Pentagon Jr. – 3-Way Match

Michael Elgin kicked things off last night with an in-ring promo. He noted that it is customary for a new World Champion to kick off the episode after winning the title but in this case, Brian Cage is unable to do so due to injury.

Elgin was interrupted by both Johnny Impact and Konnan. Johnny disputed Elgin’s claim to a title shot and so did Konnan, who felt former world champion Pentagon deserved a shot as well. It was agreed that the 3 would meet in a triple threat match in the night’s main event, with the winner being declared the new #1 contender to Brian Cage’s title.

Pentagon Jr. injured:

Elgin got the win in the night’s main event but arguably the bigger story is Pentagon Jr. suffering an injury during the bout. My section was on the other side of the ring so I didn’t have a great view of it, however.

Something got messed up between Johnny and Pentagon as Johnny was going for a hurricanrana to the floor and Pentagon stayed down after. A medic and several referees helped him to the back as he was favoring his leg. There are no available updates on his condition other than he is dealing with an “undisclosed leg injury.”

Brian Cage Is Injured

It was noted on last night’s episode that Brian Cage is injured. He was taken to hospital following Rebellion with a back injury. Cage then said doctors told him they believe he suffered a deep bone bruise/inflammation or minor fracture after a Standing Spanish Fly from the entrance ramp to the floor.

He said on Busted Open Radio this Monday he didn’t expect to miss much time but he was pulled from the tapings this weekend due to the injury.

Madison Rayne Vs Taya Valkyrie Next Week – Non-Title

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDMcpSRbeE

Madison Rayne confronted Taya Valkyrie in the back this week. Rayne noted that Taya has never defeated her. Valkyrie woudln’t agree to deend her title but will face Madison Rayne in single’s competition next week.

Kiera Hogan Left Rosemary To Su Yung & Her Minions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pUk8fBQTIg
  • Kiera Hogan vs Rosemary – No Contest

A match between Kiera Hogan and Rosemary was thrown out this week when the Undead Bridesmaids interfered. The undead brides were attempting to rescue the Undead Maid of Honor who had been abducted by Rosemary last week.

Hogan was on the entrance ramp as Su Yung and her minions attacked Rosemary. She appeared to have second thoughts about getting in the ring and rescuing Rosemary, however, and in fact, never did come to her aid. What this means for her in the Rosemary/Su Yung/Undead Realm angle is unclear.

Killer Kross/Eddie Edwards Rivalry Brewing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBNvm0DxC3g
  • Fenix defeated Eddie Edwards

Killer Kross came out during the Eddie Edwards vs Fenix match last night. He stood ominously on the entrance ramp for a large chunk of the match.

Kross offered Eddie Edwards his kendo stick to use but then wouldn’t let go of it when Eddie grabbed for it. The distraction was all Fenix needed to go on offense and pick up the win with a muscle buster.

What does Kross want with Eddie Edwards?

Code Red Sunday Night – Impact +

This Sunday the first exclusive event to air on Impact + will be “Code Red.” Here is the lineup for the show:

  • Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
  • Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack
  • Impact Tag Team Championships: LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. oVe (Dave & Jake Crist) vs. New York Wrecking Krew (Smoothe Blackmon & Chris Seaton)
  • X-Division Championship: Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. Smiley vs. Evander James vs. Mantequilla
  • The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) vs. The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)
  • Tessa Blanchard & Violette vs. Scarlett Bordeaux & Sonya Strong
  • Moose vs. Ken Broadway

Ace Austin Gets The Win/Will Challenge For X-Division Gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgsGzk2r6SE
  • Ace Austin defeated Petey Williams

Ace Austin defeated a former X-Division Champion in Petey Williams this week. The win over Petey Williams could help Austin gain momentum as he gears up to challenge for the X-Division title on Sunday at Code Red. The match had originally been for the HOG Crown Jewel Championship but Josh Matthews announced the X-Division title would be on the line last night.

Quick Results:

  1. Ace Austin defeated Petey Williams
  2. Rosemary vs Kiera Hogan – No Contest
  3. Fenix defeated Eddie Edwards
  4. Impact World Title #1 Contendership: Michael Elgin defeated Pentagon Jr. and Johnny Impact

Next Week:

  • Taya Valkyrie vs Madison Rayne
  • Rob Van Dam vs Ethan Page
  • OVE Street Fight: Sami Callihan, Madman Fulton, & the Crist brothers vs Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Tommy Dreamer, & Fallah Bah
  • LAX vs Moose & Josh Alexander

Willie Mack Signs Multi-Year Deal With Impact Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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Willie Mack has just re-signed with Impact Wrestling. Mack broke the news to Wrestling Inc recently and had the following to say on his new deal:

“Well, the contract was good and everything seemed alright,” said Mack on the WINCLY podcast. “Impact Wrestling – I’ve been watching it since way back in the day when they used to have the weekly PPVs for like 12 bucks. The reason I wanted to go there was because of the X-Division and the six-sided ring but they don’t have that no more. They have the best talent in the world, so why wouldn’t I want to be here?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui16rh19cJk

Willie Mack Signs New Deal With Impact Wrestling

Mack most recently has been aligned with Rich Swann in the promotion as part of a rivalry with OVE. Swann also recently signed a new deal with the promotion.

“My goals are just to have fun, do my thing and wrestle. Of course I want to be the X-Division champion, but I want to be heavyweight champion and tag team. The only thing I can’t go for is the Knockouts championship,” Mack continued. 

Mack also recently lost the NWA National Championship at the Crockett Cup event last weekend.

The Great Muta Returning To Impact Wrestling For “A Night You Can’t Mist”

Chris Stephens
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The Great Muta will be on-hand when Impact Wrestling and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion team up “A Night You Can’t Mist.” The event will take place June 8th inside Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

“On Sunday, June 8th LIVE on IMPACT+ at 8PM ET IMPACT Wrestling presents: ‘A Night You Can’t Mist’ in partnership with House of Hardcore,” a press release for the event reads.

The Great Muta Returns To Impact Wrestling

The show will be just the second to air as an exclusive event on Impact+, the recently revamped version of their streaming service formerly known as the Global Wrestling Network. The first event, Code Red, will take place Sunday night.

“The event will not only be the second ever IMPACT+ Exclusive Event, but it also features the IMPACT Wrestling return of THE GREAT MUTA!”

The Great Muta wrestled a few match for Impact in 2014/15. He teamed with SANADA and Yasu and defeated Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, & Chris Sabin at Lockdown 2014. He teamed with Tajiri and defeated James Storm and the Great Sanada at Bound For Glory 2014 as well.

“The former World Champion and Japanese icon returns to IMPACT Wrestling at the World Famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Tickets are available NOW at 2300Arena.Com. Get them now while they last.”

Spoilers: Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results (5/3/19)

Andrew Ravens
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The spoilers from the Impact Wrestling TV taping that took place on Friday, May 3, 2019, in Philadelphia, PA at the 2300 Arena has surfaced online.

These matches and segments will air over the coming weeks on the Pursuit Channel and Twitch. You can read the results here, courtesy of WrestleZone:

Impact Wrestling TV Taping Results

– The Rascalz def. The Crist Brothers

– Disco Inferno won a Knockouts Battle Royal. Participants included Madison Rayne, Scarlett Bordeaux, Alisha Edwards, Jordynne Grace, Tessa Blanchard, Kiera Hogan, Solo Darling, Ashley Vox and others.

– Demon Dog Collar Match: Rosemary def. Su Yung. After the bell, Rosemary put both dog collars on Su and dragged her to the back.

– Killer Kross def. Eddie Edwards

– Rich Swann def. Michael Elgin by DQ. The finish saw Elgin attack Swann and he was saved by Willie Mack, who ran out to disrupt things. Johnny Impact ended up attacking Mack. they had a standoff to end the segment.

– Sami Callihan def. Fallah Bahh. The Crist’s came out and interfered, and Scarlett Bordeaux ended up taking them out with a somersault dive from the apron. Sami used the distraction to cheap shot Fallah before driving Fallah’s head into the mat.

– Taya Valkyrie defeated Madison Rayne to retain the Knockouts Title. Post-match, Rosemary cut a promo about how she was coming for the Knockouts title.

– Impact Tag Team Title Match: LAX (c) def. The North

– Glenn Gilbertti came out for a promo to show off some skills in an exhibition against a woman. He ended up slamming her into the turnbuckle and jabbing his thumb into her throat. He went for another but Tessa Blanchard ran out and chased him off.

– Dezmond Xavier def. Petey Williams, Ace Austin & Rohit Raju

– Rob Van Dam def. Tommy Dreamer. RVD won with a Five Star Frog Splash. The North and Moose ran out and attacked them, but Sabu made the save, and the ECW Originals cleared the ring and celebrated to end the night

AEW Crashes Another Indy Show, Jericho & Omega Brawl (Video)

Chris Stephens
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Kenny Omega, Cody and Chris Jericho all appeared at a Southern Honor Wrestling event last night. The show was being held in Canton, Georgia where the promotion holds events on the 1st Friday of every month.

Chris Jericho, who also made news in NJPW this morning, was the first to appear at the event. Jericho’s opponent at Double or Nothing, Kenny Omega, was quick to intercept him, however.

The promotion posted video of Omega and Jericho’s surprise encounter.

“If it wasn’t for All Elite Wrestling, if it wasn’t for fans like you, and if it wasn’t a promotion like this developing young and upcoming talents that indeed will debut for AEW we would not exist,” Omega said after the melee. “And that is why I will never forget the roots that I come from.”

“As long as independent wrestling exists, we’ll support you,” Omega continued.

Cody & Pharaoh Appear

Cody appeared on the show in a segment separate from Omega and Jericho’s. He brought Pharoah with him as well.

Cody will face his brother Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing on May 25th, 2019 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The two brothers cut promos on each other recently on the Road to Double or Nothing YouTube series.

Chris Jericho Returning To NJPW, Facing Okada At Dominion

Chris Stephens
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2

Chris Jericho is returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling. He will challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for the title at Dominion on June 9th.

Jericho appeared via video message at today’s Wrestling Dontaku event to announce his return. You can view Jericho’s video message in the player below:

“I am Chris Jericho, I am the pain-maker,” Jericho said. “And on June 9th at Dominion in Osaka, I will challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and I’m going to win. I’m going to win!”

Chris Jericho Returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling

Multiple members of the AEW roster have it written into their contracts that they are able to wrestle for NJPW as well. Jericho spoke to the Wrestling Observer about if he felt the promotion would use them back in February:

“I don’t know if it’s a smart business move for [NJPW] not to use us, especially when we want to do it,” Jericho said. “It’s not cheap to work there but I think the business dividends are way more than what the money that they’re spending on it is. I can’t speak for them, I just know there hasn’t been much talk lately after a lot of talk. They know where to find me and my door is open, and I’m interested and want to do it, but as far as anything further with them, I can’t say there’s anything on the horizon right now.”

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at Independent Wrestling Event

Last night, both Jericho and Kenny Omega appeared unadvertised at an independent wrestling event. A user on Twitter posted video of their appearance which can be viewed below:

Daniel Bryan Reveals His Biggest Regret About WrestleMania 30

Andrew Ravens
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Daniel Bryan was recently interviewed on Jimmy Jacobs’ podcast and during the interview, he talked about the one regret that he had about WrestleMania 30.

This is an event that is this is considered one of the best moments in Bryan’s career in the pro wrestling business. WrestleMania 30 took place in 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana and saw him beat Batista and Randy Orton in a triple threat match to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title that served as the headliner.

“The worst part about WrestleMania 30 itself is that my wife didn’t get to come to the ring.” He would continue by bringing up how he was going to marry Brie Bella just a few days after this show but WWE officials told her not to come out to the ring after she asked. 

Bryan made it known that he’s not somebody who likes to relive life through pictures but did enjoy seeing himself, his sister and niece all in the ring at this show. He admitted that he doesn’t remember what he did in those matches but does remember hugging Conor, seeing his family in the front row and Brie and William Regal in the backstage arena.

“It’s interesting, seeing that gave me more emotion than the actual thing and the actual fanbase and all that. My biggest regret is that I didn’t get to celebrate in that moment, with the confetti coming down, with my wife.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMPWvuGw3iQ

H/T to 411Mania for the transcription

Chris Jericho Responds To Fan Defending Lio Rush

Andrew Ravens
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Chris Jericho recently responded to a fan who was defending Lio Rush over some issues that have been reported as of late.

There have been several reported issues involving the WWE Monday Night RAW star that has apparently led to him getting backstage heat and being removed from television.

In this situation that Jericho was talking about, it involves Rush having issues with carrying the bags of veteran talents. PWinsider.com reported this week that the standard backstage etiquette for the junior member of the roster on overseas tours includes sitting at the gorilla position after matches to provide water to talents as they returned from the ring.

Also, carrying coolers and drinks into the hotels where the roster was staying in order to set up a common area. This area is used to have wrestler socialize properly together.

Rush’s take was given to Fightful where he noted that the look of him carrying waters and bags for other wrestlers is not a good look.

A fan defended Rush’s stance on the situation which has since been deleted by the user. This didn’t stop Jericho from responding by writing the following:

Mick Foley Would Rematch Undertaker In HIAC If Saudi Arabia Paid Him Enough

Andrew Ravens
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13

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley understands a big payday when he sees one.

The legendary pro wrestler recently spoke with TalkSport’s Pro Wrestling Show where he made it known that he would be willing to not only wrestle again but do a rematch of one of the most famous matches in WWE history for the right price.

Foley made it known that he would be willing to wrestle at the show if the right amount of money was offered. He brought up how if they wanted a rematch of his Hell in a Cell Match with The Undertaker badly enough he would even entertain that.

“I can be had for a certain price,” Foley said. “If they wanted a rematch of the cell badly enough and were willing to pay for it, then my god they’d probably get it. Working slower than I did 21 years ago, but I’d be out there.”

His Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker took place at King of the Ring 1998. It should be noted that it’s been years since Foley has worked a match. 

WWE is slated to hold an event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7th. The event will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, and stream live on WWE Network.

Rob Van Dam Opens Up On Returning To Impact Wrestling

Andrew Ravens
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0

Rob Van Dam has opened up on his decision to be back under contract with Impact Wrestling (formerly known as TNA Wrestling).

The former WWE, ECW and Impact Wrestling Champion signed a new deal with Impact Wrestling last month.

This was before he made his return to the promotion alongside Sabu where they teamed up to take on Pentagon Jr. and Fenix at the United We Stand event. The show went down on April 4th during WrestleMania weekend from the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, New Jersey.

RVD, who has worked a few matches for Impact since then, spoke with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful about making his return to the promotion.

In this interview, RVD would explain that money combined with a light schedule and Scott D’Amore convincing him were factors in his decision to compete under the Impact Wrestling banner again.

“When I first talked to Scott, we were just talking about (United We Stand). Over the last three years, I’ve had about 10-12 matches a year. I haven’t really been interested in doing more than that. But good business is good business.

I’m always interested in business when it’s good. Scott said he wanted to run by some future dates with me and as you could imagine, the biggest factors were on the business end. That’s what most of us look for is compensation and the schedule. It looks like a schedule that’s not too heavy. It’s not going to change a whole lot of my life.”

https://youtu.be/Y74COCP2nKc

Brian Cage Pulled From Impact Tapings

Chris Stephens
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1

The Impact Wrestling World Champion won’t be at the upcoming tapings in Philadelphia. According to a report from Wrestling Inc, Cage has been pulled from this weekend’s tapings and could miss even more time due to injury.

Cage was injured at the Rebellion PPV and did not appear at the tapings held the next night. Impact is scheduled to film 4 episodes of Impact Wrestling this weekend from the famed 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Brian Cage Injured

Cage was taken to hospital following the event. He is believed to have been injured during a standing Spanish Fly from the entrance ramp to the floor. Cage finished the match but was taken to hospital after.

He updated fans on his condition during the Busted Open Radio episode on Monday. At the time, Cage didn’t think he would miss much time.

“It doesn’t look like I’m going out. [The doctor said] I think you’re gonna be fine, you just have severe inflammation and bone bruise, there could be a small fracture there… however, if it is a fracture, I don’t see it being any major fracture and even then, there’s nothing you can do much for that, so maybe just err on the side of caution.”

He released the following statement on Instagram the day after the injury occurred:

“Not the way I wanted to end the night or the picture/post I thought I’d be making. Very disheartening and disappointed how it went down. This is a moment I’ve dreamt about and have waited, trained, sacrificed and busted my ass for. And to say it doesn’t break my heart and sour my victory would be lying. Thanks for all the congrats and well wishes from everyone. Will see where we go from here…..”

CIMA Reveals His Partners For AEW Double Or Nothing

Chris Stephens
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1

CIMA will be bringing in 2 partners at AEW’s Double or Nothing event on May 25th, 2019 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. They will take on the SCU team of Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky.

CIMA revealed today that his partners at the event will be T-Hawk and El Lindaman.

Here is the video announcement CIMA made earlier today:

Who Are T-Hawk and El Lindaman?

T-Hawk is a 29-year-old from Japan who currently competes for Oriental Wrestling Entertainment in China. He also wrestles frequently for the Wrestle-1 and Dragon Gate promotions in Japan. He is the current Wrestle-1 Champion.

T-Hawk also took part in PWG’s Battle for Los Angeles last year, losing to Bandido in the 1st round.

El Lindaman is a 24-year-old from Japan. He also wrestles for both the OWE promotion in China and various Japanese promotions as well. He wrestles for Wrestle-1 and Dragon Gate in Japan and also for the comedy promotion DDT.

AEW Double or Nothing Lineup

The updated lineup for Double or Nothing now looks like this:

  1. AAA Tag Team Championships:The Young Bucks (c) vs the Lucha Bros
  2. Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho
  3. Hangman Page vs PAC
  4. Dr. Britt Baker vs Nyla Rose vs Kylie Rae
  5. Cody vs Dustin Rhodes
  6. SCU vs CIMA & El Lindaman & T-Hawk (OWE)
  7. Over The Budget Battle Royal
    1. Ace Romero
    2. MJF
    3. Glacier
    4. Sunny Daze
    5. Sonny Kiss
    6. Brandon Cutler
    7. Kip Sabian
    8. Brian Pillman Jr.
    9. Joey Janela
    10. Chuck Taylor
    11. Trent Barreta
    12. TBD

Garza Jr. Debuts At NXT Live Event

Staff
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Garza Jr. made his in-ring debut for WWE at Thursday night’s NXT live event from Melbourne, FL. He lost to Mansoor Al-Shehail in the opening match.

Garza is a 3rd-generation wrestler who began training at the Performance Center earlier this month (along with KUSHIDA and Shane Strickland).

He is the grandson luchador El Ninja, nephew of former WCW Superstar Hector Garza and cousin of NXT and 205 Live Superstar Humberto Carrillo. The high flyer from Monterrey, Mexico has been competing since 2008. He has worked for AAA, Crash, Pro Wrestling NOAH and various independent promotions.

NXT Live Results From Melbourne, FL (5/2/19)

  • Mansoor Al-Shehail defeats Garza Jr.
  • Kacy Catanzaro & Lacey Lane defeat Reina Gonzalez & Taynara Conti
  • Albert Hardie Jr. defeats Luke Menzies
  • Brendan Vink defeats Brennan Williams
  • Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeat Rinku Singh & Saurav Gurjar
  • Tyler Breeze defeats Shane Thorne
  • Bianca Belair defeats Jessie Elaban
  • Keith Lee defeats Bobby Fish

WWE Money In The Bank Poster Released (Photo)

Andrew Ravens
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4

The official poster for this year’s WWE Money In The Bank show has been released and features Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. You can see it here:

MITB poster

WWE presents the Money In The Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, May 19, 2019 in Hartford, CT at the XL Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE Money In The Bank Card

WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens

WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Baron Corbin vs. Randy Orton vs. Andrade vs. Finn Balor vs. Mustafa Ali

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Dana Brooke vs. Mandy Rose vs. Bayley vs. Ember Moon vs. Carmella

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon – Steel Cage Match

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor Goes To War Against CONTRA Unit On June 1st

Staff
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MLW World Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will finally get his hands on CONTRA Unit next month. MLW has announced that Lawlor and a partner will battle CONTRA Unit at MLW Fury Road.

In addition to this marquee match, Fury Road will also see the crowning of MLW’s first National Champion. This new title will be defended under “openweight” rules, so MLW fighters of all shapes and sizes will be eligible to challenge for it.

MLW Fury Road takes place Saturday, June 1st from the Waukesha County Expo Center in Milwaukee, WI. If you’re in Milwaukee area, visit MLWTickets.com for tickets starting at just $10.

CONTRA Unit Unleashes Chaos On MLW

CONTRA Unit has been the most dangerous force in MLW since their arrival. The following is a recap of the events that led to the Fury Road encounter:

CONTRA Unit has unleashed chaos since Jacob Fatu crashed down on “Filthy” Tom Lawlor from high atop of the steel cage 2 months ago in Chicago. Vowing to disrupt and destroy the league, the trio of outsiders in Fatu, Josef Samael and Simon Gotch have caused chaos since emerging in MLW.

Sudden, brutal and unleashing total destruction at any time, CONTRA Unit is an international organization cloaked in mystery but driven to gain power, disrupt leagues such as MLW and conquer all in their path by any means necessary. With whispers of connections to the dangerous and shadowy underworld, CONTRA has put the entire sport on edge.

Self proclaimed “global dealers in violence,” CONTRA struck Lawlor again on April 5th in the closing minutes fo the live 2019 Battle Riot broadcast where they pummeled the World Heavyweight Champion during his post fight press conference.

Now Lawlor looks to take to the battlefield at Fury Road.. and he’s not coming alone. Will it be two on two? Three on three? Only time will tell but Lawlor isn’t coming alone.

Jeff Hardy Undergoes Knee Surgery

Chris Stephens
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3

The Hardy Boyz were recently forced to vacate the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. Jeff Hardy is going to be out of action for approximately 6-9 months following surgery to repair a damaged knee.

Jeff Hardy posted the below video to Instagram following completion of the surgery:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-uMwLHZdm/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share

Jeff Hardy Injury

“I’m going to be out for six to nine months,” Hardy said to WWE.com in regards to his injury. “I’m gonna have my whole right knee repaired, everything in there that’s bad. Hopefully, the first four months go extremely well. It’s a bummer, but I needed a new knee. There’s a lot of wear and tear on it.”

Hardy Boyz on Smackdown

The injury to Hardy comes at an inopportune time for both the brothers and the Smackdown tag team division. The blue brand lost the Usos, the Club, and the Bar recently in the Superstar Shakeup. New Day are also focussed on Kofi’s WWE Championship reign as well, leaving precious few challengers left for the now vacant titles.

WWE has yet to announce how they will determine new champions for the Smackdown tag titles.

The Hardyz defeated the Usos for the titles on the Smackdown after WrestleMania last month.

Bray Wyatt Wants Luke Harper On FireFly Fun House

Chris Stephens
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1

Bray Wyatt recently said on Twitter he is working on getting former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper as a guest on his new show. Wyatt is now the host of the FireFly Fun House. Videos featuring Wyatt’s PeeWee Herman style children’s show have been airing on RAW and Smackdown in recent weeks.

A fan on Twitter expressed that Luke Harper might make a great guest on the FireFly Fun House and Wyatt agreed.

Luke Harper Has His WWE Release Request Denied

Luke Harper publicly requested his release from WWE last month. According to a recent report, Vince McMahon denied his request in writing. Harper apparently asked for his release after WWE creative neglected to place him on either brand during the Superstar Shakeup and Vince McMahon expressed he doesn’t “get him”.

Bray Wyatt Forgives Randy Orton

Wyatt also made public comments recently forgiving Randy Orton.

Orton defeated Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. Wyatt and Orton would meet again the next month in a House of Horrors match as well. Prior to that, Orton and Wyatt held the Smackdown tag team championships together.

The director of the FireFly Fun House vignettes, Jason Baker, recently praised Wyatt’s commitment to the character:

“I’ve had the opportunity of working on films with Russell Crowe, Tom Cruise, Will Smith and a bunch of other people working here in the Pittsburgh film industry and his mindset for his character development is on par with those guys,” Baker said.

Walter On Why He Is Different Than 99% Of The Wrestlers

Anutosh Bajpai
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2

Walter has made quite an impact since his arrival in WWE. He has overtaken the NXT UK Brand by ending the dominating championship reign of Pete Dunne and becoming the new UK Champion at the NXT Takeover: New York event last month.

During a recent interview with the Daily Star, Walter discussed a number of things and also revealed the quality that makes him different than 99% other wrestling stars.

The UK Champion explained that he is different than the other stars because he doesn’t let his emotions dictate his decisions when he is in a pro wrestling ring:

“That’s also the difference between me and 99% of my fellow wrestlers. My wife, family, and friends they mean everything to me, but when I’m in a Pro Wrestling environment, I’m focused on the task and in charge of my emotions, I won’t let my emotions connect with anything I do in Pro Wrestling.”

Continuing on the topic, the Austrian star claimed that the belts and accolades he has achieved mean nothing to him and he steps in the ring to restore the honor of the sport. You can check out the UK Champion Walter’s full interview at this link.

Kofi Kingston Claims New Day Is Obeying The Freebird Rule With WWE Title

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Freebird rule allows a member of any faction to be champions even when his other teammates win the belt and the current WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is no stranger to this rule.

Kingston has been a part of the New Day since 2014 and the group has applied this rule throughout their five tag title reigns since the group’s inception.

However, during a recent interview with The Daily Star Kingston talked about the members of the New Day possibly challenging him for the WWE title and claimed that they obey the Freebird rule with the WWE title too.

Continuing on the topic, Kofi said that he would have supported Big E or Xavier Woods the same way they are supporting him now if they became the WWE Champion and when one of them achieves success, they all achieve it:

“If Big E or Woods were WWE Champion right now I would support them as much as they have supported me. And they feel the same way. We all work together and when one of us achieves the ultimate level of success, we all achieve it.”

Kofi’s claims make the situation pretty interesting and the Freebird rule being applied to the WWE title is something fans would love to see. Though so far, WWE has not confirmed this and they have only acknowledged Kofi Kingston alone as the WWE Champion.

Dean Ambrose Makes First Post-WWE Appearance At Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion (Video)

Anutosh Bajpai
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The internet has been buzzing with rumors and speculations about Dean Ambrose’s future since he dropped the Jon Moxley promo video.

People have been wondering where Ambrose will appear next however his first post-WWE public appearance didn’t come at a wrestling related event.

The Lunatic Fringe made an appearance at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion Awards in Las Vegas earlier this week, where he gave a small speech before presenting an award to his mentor Cody Hawk.

Ambrose recalled the time Hawk became his mentor. He claimed that his early years are not a time he remembers fondly and Cody took him under his wing when he was a young man with just about every problem and social anxiety one can imagine.

He then told the story of how Hawk worked closely with him and matched whatever amount of work Ambrose was willing to put in. You can check out Dean Ambrose’s full speech in the video below:

As we noted before, Dean confirmed the return of Jon Moxley in a new video he dropped on Wednesday and a lot of people noted that it had signs suggesting that Moxley might be making an appearance for AEW soon.

However, at this point, all we know for sure is that the former WWE Champion is expected to return to the ring in June if not sooner and he will be making an appearance for a number of wrestling promotions.

Details On Lio Rush’s Financial Issues With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Lio Rush has been in news lately due to reports of his backstage conduct. Most of the reports are related to his behavior towards industry veterans and violation of locker room ethics. He has earned a reputation of having an inflated perception of his value in WWE.

A report from PWInsider sheds new light on Rush’s situation. Rush reportedly turned down a big money offer from WWE, despite his public complains about compensation.

Rush has had complaints about his road expenses, including having to pay for his own vehicle and not having enough money to cover his hotel bills. This is an issue Mark Henry touched recently and the WWE Hall Of Famer suggested that he needs to change the way he is spending instead of blaming it on the office.

Rush also complained about not being involved in the meet and greet sessions of Bobby Lashley and not being paid royalties for merchandise with his catchphrase on it. During his recent interview with Fightful, Rush implied that his issues were not his on-screen persona but “walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support.”

What’s interesting to note here is that despite these claims, the former NXT Star who is believed to be on a development contract right now was offered a new five-year contract that was in the $300,000/year range. That sounds like a great offer for someone in his position, but he turned it down and allegedly wanted double that amount.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says there are plans to send Lio Rush back to NXT. The idea was to build him a new character which would present him as something more than just a mouthpiece to the all-mighty Bobby Lashley. Though Rush on at least one occasion instead suggested that they should release him so he can “show them” what he can accomplish outside of the company.

Lio Rush has not appeared on WWE TV for the past few weeks and while he was backstage for the previous 2 episodes of Raw, he wasn’t used on screen. The decision was made to pull him out of the upcoming European Tour last week.

There is no word on what WWE is planning for his future but his current contract with the company expires in 2020.

Possible Timeframe For Jon Moxley’s In Ring Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Former WWE Champion Dean Ambrose broke the internet this past Wednesday by dropping the Jon Moxley promo video, confirming the return of his indie persona.

And it appears that fans won’t have to wait for a long time to see him back in action either and he would return to the ring next month, if not sooner.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Mox has bookings with several indie companies for June which are going to be announced in the near future.

The observer notes that in indies, Ambrose can command a higher booking fee than most other stars and work as much or as little as he likes.

Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have to wait until then to see the Hardcore Star back in action and it’s possible that he makes his return much sooner.

We noted before how the Jon Moxley video was full of metaphors and subtle hints and fans have dug out some signs they believe point towards him making an appearance at the upcoming Double Or Nothing PPV on May 25th.

It makes a lot of sense for the former WWE Star to make an appearance on the show to make the most out of the buzz surrounding his next move.

He can then return to indies in the meantime when AEW tries to put together a TV Deal and a regular wrestling program for themselves.

Though whether or not this will actually happen will be revealed later this month. For now, one thing that is certain is that fans will not have to wait for a long time to see Dean Ambrose back into a wrestling ring.

Reason Why Braun Strowman Hasn’t Been Used Much Since WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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15

Braun Strowman hasn’t been used in any significant storyline on WWE Programming in recent times and it appears that his absence from main event caliber feuds can be linked directly to his WrestleMania performance.

According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Strowman messed up a number of spots during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at the show.

One such spot that went viral was when Mustafa Ali and Luke Harper were on the apron and Strowman had to eliminate both the stars via a run in.

However, the Monster Among Man forgot this spot in the first try and Harper had to remind him of the elimination for it to be executed successfully the second time, as seen in the video below:

https://twitter.com/uncle_callum/status/1115025907197018112

Not only this but Braun Strowman apparently also botched the ending of the bout and while he still won the match, the sloppy finish took the sheen away from his victory.

All this made Vince McMahon angry and this bad impression on the Boss is the reason why the former Wyatt Family Member hasn’t been used much on WWE Programming since the Show Of Shows.

It’s worth mentioning here that this is not the first report of Strowman being in hot water as it has been said previously that the former NXT Star comes late for the shows and leaves earlier than a lot of stars.

It’s not hard to imagine that this and some other incidents that have been reported over the last few months are the reason why Strowman’s momentum has been derailed in McMahon’s eyes.

Randy Orton Takes Shot At Goldberg Over His WWE Return

Andrew Ravens
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Randy Orton decided to take a shot at WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg after the news that he would be returning to WWE.

He’s signed a new contract with the company and will be making his return their next event in Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7. The show will take place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah and will air live on the WWE Network. The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar are the other big name stars on the show.

It’s been reported that since Goldberg doesn’t wrestle very often, he’s coming in for big money especially for such a controversial event in the country.

Thus, Orton took to his official Twitter account where he took a job at the former WWE Universal Champion for the money he’s going to earn. Orton wrote the following:

After twelve years away from the company, he returned to WWE in 2016 and headlined Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar, and Fastlane against Kevin Owens where he won the WWE Universal Championship. He lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida.

Goldberg was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year during WrestleMania 34 weekend and was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on RAW.

Seth Rollins Explains Disadvantage Of Having Part-Time Stars As Champions

Andrew Ravens
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0

WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins recently talked about WWE having part-time stars such as former WWE Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and former WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar as top champions in the company and how it impacts the rest of the roster.

The top champion has talked about how he respects Lesnar but didn’t agree with him being a part-time champion and the way that he presented himself as champion.

While speaking with The Independent, Rollins made it known that while it’s great to have them around, the fact that they’re champions in the company but doesn’t work all events does have an impact on attendance for live events, which has been struggling over the last few years.

“It was a nice little thing to have Brock Lesnar run roughshod with the title for two years, and it was lovely to have Ronda Rousey come in and show her dominance for a year,” Rollins said. “But the nice thing about having champions who are on all the live events is that those events need people to come and see them.”

Rollins, who is slated to make his next title defense against AJ Styles at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view event, would continue by bringing up how himself, SmackDown and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston are going to be at all of the shows with their titles and that adds something extra for the fans.

“To have a reliable talent like myself, Becky Lynch or Kofi Kingston, who are going to be at all of those live events with their championships; that just adds something extra. From a fans perspective, if you’re buying a ticket and you get to see the champion, that’s always a great story to tell. When I was a kid and went to WWE events, it was all about seeing whoever was on top, whether that was Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart of Shawn Michaels – they were always there with their title. It made for an incredible experience from a youngsters’ perspective.”

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