WWE has announced three things thus far for Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
On Saturday afternoon, the company confirmed two matches and a segment. First up is a contract signing that will see WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston make their next match official.
WWE has already confirmed that Bryan will make his next title defense against Kingston at the Fastlane pay-per-view event takes place on March 10, 2019 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Also, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura will battle Ricochet and Aleister Black in a tag team match as well as Johnny Gargano taking on Cesaro in a singles match with Sheamus and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa in their respected corners.
Just last week, Gargano and Ciampa beat The Bar in a tag team match. Thus, it appears that WWE is keeping this storyline going.
WWE invades Charlotte, NC at the Spectrum Center for this episode of SmackDown Live. If WWE announces anything else for the show we will sure to pass it along. The company will continue the build to the final pay-per-view event before WrestleMania 35, which is Fastlane, by announcing more matches for the show on this episode of the blue brand.
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder), as well as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Bayley, are hoping that 2019 will be a big year for the tag team divisions for both men and women.
WWE sent out this video on their official Twitter account with the teams interacting and talking about being champions, which you can see here:
While Dawson and Wilder are reviving the RAW Tag Team division, Banks and Bayley are set on defending their titles not only on the main roster shows – Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live – but also in NXT as well.
The Revival has gone as far as teasing bringing back the old design of the WWE Tag Team Titles, which has fans talking. This is just one of the many examples of how these two WWE stars want to bring back tag team wrestling to its glory days on the red brand.
The Revival beat Bobby Roode and Chad Gable to win the straps back on the February 11th episode of Monday Night RAW. On the flip side, Bayley and Banks became the inaugural Women’s Tag Team Champions at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.
Last night, Impact Wrestling presented their first show from their Las Vegas tapings held earlier this week. The show aired live on Twitch and Pursuit. The Lucha Bros faced LAX in the main event.
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/22:
Lucha Bros Defeated LAX – LAX Unmasked Lucha Bros
Pentagon Jr. and Fenix defeated LAX in what was supposed to be the final chapter of their rivalry. The 3-match series ends 2-1 in favor of the Lucha Bros.
After the match, Konnan congratulated the Lucha Bros and asked LAX to do the same. LAX was hesitant to do so but ultimately put out their hands to shake with their rivals. Perhaps remembering how LAX treated them after their first match, the Lucha Bros got up in LAX’s faces instead of shaking hands. LAX then attacked and would unmask both of the Lucha Bros, much to Konnan’s dismay. The show closed with LAX holding up Pentagon and Fenix’s masks.
Brian Cage & Johnny Impact Agree To Takeout Moose & Killer Kross
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3–BI4F2rd8
To kick things off last night, Johnny Impact announced he had defeated Cage, Kross, and Moose so he planned to move on to new competition. This didn’t sit well with Moose or Kross who both came out to confront Impact. A #1 contenders match between Moose and Kross was organized but resulted in a no-contest due to outside interference.
Later in the show, Impact presented Cage with a contract. The contract stated that if Cage helps Impact takeout Kross and Moose then Cage gets the next shot at his world title.
Tessa Blanchard Denied Title Match With Taya Valkyrie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiAuSpt9c1Q
We saw Tessa Blanchard in a backstage segment this week. She was storming out of management’s office, irate that she was denied another title match against Taya Valkyrie. Blanchard vowed she would get another shot at Taya one-way or another, however.
Later in the show, Blanchard would interrupt a match between Alisha Edwards and Delilah Doom and take out both Knockouts in an effort to make herself heard. Delilah Doom would later challenge Blanchard to a match next week.
A Dark War Is Coming
Rosemary has been haunting Dark Allie as of late. This week in a backstage segment, Father James Mitchell confronted Rosemary, claiming he is the one who owns Dark Allie. Rosemary asked Mitchell if they could cut a deal for Allie. Mitchell said he wants to bring Rosemary back to the underworld in exchange for Allie. Finally, the two sides decided to assemble their dark armies and battle it out in the ring. If Mitchell’s side wins, they get Rosemary. If Rosemary’s side win, she gets Allie.
Eddie Edwards Beats Eli Drake With A Wrestling Move
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULXcx7wQhYQ
Eddie Edwards didn’t need hardcore wrestling to beat Eli Drake. He attempted to use his kendo stick in the match but ultimately won with a roll-up pin on Drake, who had previously tried to use the kendo stick as well. Will this mark the return of the old Eddie Edwards?
Rich Swann Calls Sami Callihan “Family”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-XJ3ewVtZ4
Sami Callihan visited Rich Swann in the hospital this week. Callihan again tried to plead with Swann that Callihan is family and the only one really looking out for him. The nurses tried to get Callihan to leave, telling him only family is allowed to visit. Swann told the nurses that Callihan is family. Callihan then left an OVE shirt on Swann’s hospital bed as he left.
The Great Gama Singh Outsmoked The Rascalz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FU523INeQw
Impact Wrestling held their most recent tapings in Las Vegas. Then they head to Windsor in March followed by Toronto in April. What do all of these places have in common? Legal marijuana! While this should lead to the Rascalz advantage, they got outsmoked by the Great Gama Singh before their match with the Desi Hit Squad this week. Despite this, the Rascalz were still able to pull off the victory as they continue to rise up the rankings in Impact Wrestling.
The former Disco Inferno competed in the early days of TNA wrestling and was recently hired back to the promotion by Don Callis. His hiring occurred on an episode of Konnan’s “Keepin’ it 100” podcast.
Gilbertti showed up for work but was given faulty directions to the management office and ended up locked out of the building.
Quick Results:
Moose vs Killer Kross – no contest
The Rascalz defeated the Desi Hit Squad
Eddie Edwards defeated Eli Drake
Alisha Edwards vs Delilah Doom – No Contest (Blanchard interfered)
Impact Tag Team Championships
The Lucha Bros (c) defeated LAX
Next week:
Delilah Doom vs Tessa Blanchard
Jake Crist vs Willie Mack
Johnny Impact & Brian Cage vs Moose & Killer Kross
Bruce Prichard is slated to make his return to the WWE as an employee while working on the creative team for the company.
On Saturday afternoon, Pwinsider.com reported that Prichard is returning full-time to the company to work in a top position on the creative team. His start date will be at Monday’s Raw TV event in Atlanta, GA.
It was noted in the report that his position in the company is being “as important as possible” in creative and he will be one of the top point people in the creative team going forward.
Although he’s best known on camera as Brother Love, his work behind the scenes has earned him the great reputation that he has due to him directly working with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon as one of his top lieutenants. According to the report, his new role is going to be very similar to his former position in that he will be working directly with McMahon on all things creative.
He worked for the company for decades before departing from the company in 2008.
Once WWE brought back Prichard as Brother Love for an appearance on RAW 25, which was an anniversary show that took place in January 2018, it led to a reunion with Prichard and the company that he worked for over the span of two decades.
Last year, WWE made a deal with Prichard and Thompson to bring a video version of their podcast that would air on their streaming service, WWE Network, for several episodes. Since then, fans have wondered about a potential second season of “Something Else To Wrestle With” and when it could air.
Fans of WWE NXT star Matt Riddle should be excited as the WWE is slated to air a documentary on his life and career.
Riddle is still in the early stages of his career with WWE but fans have high hopes for him in their developmental system NXT. It was revealed in August at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 that he had signed with the WWE as he was sitting front row at the show.
WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, is scheduled to air “Arrival: Matt Riddle” as it is currently listed to premiere on following RAW on Monday at 11 PM EST. Here is the synopsis:
“Join Matt Riddle, The Original Bro, on his journey from hard-fought beginnings to his thrilling debut in NXT.”
As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce who he’ll be taking on at the next NXT special, which is the NXT TakeOver: New York event that takes place on Friday, April 5, 2019 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.
What are your thoughts on WWE’s streaming service airing a documentary on Matt Riddle? Is this something that you are interested in watching? Sound off in the comment section.
Former WWE Champion CM Punk is going to wrestle again but it just won’t be inside of the squared circle while wearing his famous attire.
ROH (Ring of Honor) star Marty Scurll recently announced that he would be taking on Punk at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo that takes place from March 22 – 24th.
However, it turns out that they will be thumb wrestling, according to the former WWE star. You can see their exchange here:
Once he signed with the WWE, his career took off, and he would later hold several championships including the WWE Title. However, after dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to walk out of the company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014.
Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the Octagon in the UFC.
The former WWE Champion fought Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. As seen in the fight, Jackson dominated it and Punk showed a ton of heart but was winded after the first round. Jackson was able to pick up the unanimous decision win. He lost in his MMA debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 by first round submission.
TJ Perkins was among several WWE wrestlers released from the company on Friday. The former Cruiserweight Champion was vocal about his frustrations in recent weeks, but was gracious to WWE after his departure.
Perkins has been tweeting about the situation and provides more details on what led to him leaving WWE. He wrote, “Hey so there’s a lot of messages/tweets/texts/emails/calls for me right now and it’s a bit overwhelming. If I miss your message here I apologize. Many are expressing sadness, and thank you, but its ok. And those who hate me w/a passion, thank you too. Sincerely. Thx for watching.”
A fan asked him if he got in trouble for recently getting new tattoos. He replied, “I mean, the boss thought they were pretty cool last Tuesday when we met …and also when he gave me permission to get them 6 months ago.”
He also set the record straight on reports that he was disgruntled behind the scenes. “There was nothing negative,” he said on Twitter. “I have been swinging for the fences quietly behind the curtain for a year and this was a “spread your wings” thing. Boss said he respected my effort and diligence and it just didn’t fit what they wanted. It’s not my call, and I’m cool with it.”
When asked if he quit WWE or if it was their decision. Perks says he doesn’t believe in quitting and both sides worked together to find a meaningful role for him on television.
“Thought about it several times but no I never believe in quitting. For months the mutual goal was to find a way for me to accomplish my goals on a bigger platform. Tuesday was the same. But inevitably that doesn’t fit into what they want to do. I’m only a cog in a big machine.”
Perkins also said his goal in WWE was to represent Filipinos and he’s proud to keep that goal alive with whatever is next. So what is next for TJP? Follow him on Twitter at @MegaTJP to find out.
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter was the latest guest on Sam Roberts’ Not Sam Wrestling Podcast. During the discussion, Slaughter went in-depth about his relationship with Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation from the late 80’s through the early 90’s.
Slaughter had several runs with WWE. He first worked for the company in from 1980-81, returned from 83-85 and later had a run with the WWE Championship in 1991. Slaughter told Sam Roberts that he was initially supposed to main event the very first WrestleMania against Hulk Hogan.
Of course, that was not meant to be – and he explains why. “I went for six years with G.I. Joe and left the WWE,” he said. “For the first WrestleMania I wasn’t there and I believe it was supposed to be Hogan and I in the main event for WrestleMania I.”
Hogan instead teamed up with Mr. T against the team of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorf. That feud generated so much mainstream attention for WWE it’s hard to imagine the alternate scenario where Hogan faced Slaughter instead.
Slaughter’s deal with the G.I. Joe franchise eventually led to a falling out with WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “I made this deal with Hasbro and I thought that Vince would be happy about it, but he wasn’t. He said, ‘I just signed with LJN and that’s a conflict of interest.'”
He continued, “Being the great leader [Vince] is, he figured I’d say, ‘Let’s go to WrestleMania,’ but I said, ‘You can only be a G.I. Joe once in your life, as far as a real live GI Joe cartoon.’ Out of all the G.I. Joe cartoons and action figures, I was the first living one. That was a big deal. It is today. I declined. I said, ‘I’m going,’ and he wasn’t too happy about that. I don’t regret it. I missed being in those first six WrestleManias, but in the long run I’m glad I did it.”
Slaughter said he didn’t speak to Vince McMahon for many years after that falling out. He didn’t watch WWE programming and actually made more money working around the world and from promoting G.I. Joe. He heard back from Vince McMahon in 1990 after WrestleMania VI. Slaughter told Vince he was very impressed with the WWE product, although he wasn’t crazy about Hulk Hogan’s match against The Ultimate Warrior.
Slaughter recalled that fateful phone call with Vince McMahon. “‘Sarge? It’s Vince.’ There’s only one Vince. I sent him a little handwritten note about WrestleMania VI. I wasn’t crazy about the match between Hogan and Warrior, The Ultimate Puke and Pukamania, but I said, ‘The production is unbelievable, the cameras.’ Vince said, ‘I got your note. I appreciate that. I never got that type of thing. It’s usually, ‘That was a great match, great show, but I never heard about the production end of it.’
Vince had heard through the grapevine that Slaughter’s deal with G.I. Joe and Hasbro expired. He asked Sarge if he was ready to get back to work. He was and Vince invited him over to his house the next day to pitch a big idea.
The idea was to turn the all-American hero into an Iraqi sympathizer. Slaughter loved the idea, but questioned how Vince would be able to make Hulk Hogan into a villain. Vince replied, “Hogan? No, I’m not making Hogan a villain. I’m gonna make you a villain.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Slaughter returned to the WWE in 1990, betrayed his country and captured the WWE Championship from the Ultimate Warrior at the 1991 Royal Rumble. He would later face Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania VII, where Hogan prevailed. Better late than never.
Listen to Sgt. Slaughter on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast:
(H/T to Michael McClead for the transcribed quotes)
Roman Reigns is training for his return to the ring, according to personal trainer David Gonyea.
Reigns is scheduled to appear on Monday’s WWE Raw to provide fans an update on his health. He has been out of action since October, when he announced to the world he is battling a recurrence of leukemia.
During his time away from WWE, Reigns has been undergoing treatment for leukemia. He’s also taken a few acting roles, including a role in Hobbs and Shaw, the Fast and Furious spinoff starring his cousin Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
On Saturday, David Gonyea posted a photo of himself with Reigns, who has been training at the land Club and Spa gym in Waikiki, Hawaii. Gonyea says it’s been very humbling and an “absolute honor and privilege” to help prepare Reigns for his in-ring return.
The journey of bringing the WWE NXT UK brand to the more fans has continued as the company held TV tapings on Friday from the Coventry, England at the Planet Ice Coventry.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when these shows will air but WWE likely start to air these episodes on their streaming service, WWE Network, shortly. Here are the spoilers, courtesy of WrestleZone:
February 22nd Taping
– Isla Dawn defeats Killer Kelly.
– Ligero defeats Joseph Conners. Post-match, Conners rejects a handshake.
– Mike Hitchman & Primate defeat Sam Stoke and his partner.
– Nina Samuels defeats Charlie Morgan.
– Jordan Devlin defeats Travis Banks in a falls count anywhere bout.
– Wolfgang defeats Flash Morgan.
– Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan defeat Saxon Huxley and Tyson T Bone.
– Noam Dar walks out to the ring where he cuts a promo about he’s now full-time in NXT UK and calls out Mark Andrews. They brawl.
– Kay Lee Ray debuts and defeats Candy Floss.
– Eddie Dennis defeats Ligero.
– Moustache Mountain cut a promo in the ring about how they’ll be competing at tomorrow’s taping.
– Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel defeat Howley and Stoker.
– Kassius Ohno defeats Ashton Smith. Post-match, he continues to attack after until Travis Banks makes the save.
– Pete Dunne and WALTER defeat Joe and Mark Coffey in the main event. WALTER and Dunne stare each other down afterwards.
A surprise 70th birthday party was held for Ric Flair Friday night in Atlanta, Georgia.
Flair turns 70 this coming Monday, February 25th. WWE is advertising a big birthday celebration for the 16-time world champion on Raw. However, the festivities are underway a few days early.
LA Times columnist Arash Markazi was on hand for the surprise party and provided some details of what’s going on inside. The guest list includes Triple H, Shane McMahon, Chris Jericho, Ricky Steamboat, Charles Barkley, Evander Holyfield, Dennis Rodman and many more.
Championship belts were on display (big gold and the winged eagle), as were Flair action figures and one of his signature pink robes. They even showed a Flair vs. Steamboat match, officially making this one of the coolest parties ever.
Check out this video of the guests yelling “Surprise!” and Ric Flair being greeted by his guests.
A quick trip to Atlanta for Ric Flair’s surprise 70th birthday party. The guest list includes Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Triple H, Shane McMahon, Charles Barkley, Todd Gurley, Evander Holyfield, Dennis Rodman, Chris Jericho, The Nasty Boys, Brad Nessler and like everyone else. pic.twitter.com/AcmyG4Ducx
Ric Flair took to Twitter on Saturday morning to speak about the party. He thanked his wife Wendy for arranging it and wrote, “I am so overcome with emotion! Last night ws truly a night I will never forget! Thank you!!!”
I Cannot Even Begin To Describe How Much Last Night Meant To Me! First, I Want To Thank My Lovely Wife Wendy For Planning The Whole Thing! Next, I Would Like To Thank All My Wonderful Friends And Family Who Came Out And Made It Such A Memorable And Amazing Night! pic.twitter.com/dpMrwbAtj9
Popular rap artist Mega Ran will host Ring of Honor’s upcoming 17th Anniversary event. In addition to hosting, Mega Ran will also will perform his new song “Going to the Garden.”
Mega Ran is a lifelong wrestling fan who appeared on WWE SmackDown back in 2017 during the New Day’s rap battle against The Usos. Video of the rap battle is embedded below
The former teacher from Philadelphia has released two wrestling-themed albums titled “Mat Mania.” He hosts a weekly wrestling podcast of the same name. Visit Megaran.com for details on his upcoming release, The Dewey Decibal System, which drops this spring.
No matches have been announced for ROH’s 17th Anniversary show as of this writing.
Talent signed to appear include ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes, World Television Champion Jeff Cobb, Women of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein Villain Enterprises, Bandito and many more.
ROH’s 18th Anniversary pay-per-view takes place Friday, March 15th from Las Vegas, NV at Sam’s Town Live. The show will be available for purchase via traditional pay-per-view outlets and will stream live on the HonorClub VIP service.
It was announced earlier this month that former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops will be coaching the XFL’s Dallas team. This was the XFL’s first coaching announcement since revealing the team’s cities in December. Now, we have another head coaching announcement to pass along. Pep Hamilton will be coaching the XFL’s Washington D.C. franchise:
OFFICIAL: Pep Hamilton is the head coach and general manager of @XFLDC.
Hamilton has experience working with NFL teams such as the Browns, Colts, Bears, 49ers, and Jets. He has also worked in college football with the Michigan, Stanford, and Howard University programs. Hamilton’s job in Dallas is his first opportunity at head coaching a team. He released the following statement in response to the news:
“I’m excited to join the XFL and lead the team in Washington, a city with which I have a lifelong attachment. I appreciate the confidence Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck have in me, providing an opportunity to be the head coach and placing the football operations of their Washington team in my hands.
“We plan to put together a terrific, hard-working staff, and a great football team for fans in and around our nation’s capital.”
With Washington and Dallas now having announced their coaches, only six cities have yet to do so. Those being Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, and Tampa Bay. The XFL’s re-launch season is set to kickoff on Saturday, February 8th and Sunday, February 9th, which is the weekend after the NFL’s Super Bowl.
What do you think of how the coaching staff is shaping up for the XFL?
Cruiserweight Classic winner TJ Perkins and Tye Dillinger have both vented publicly about their frustrations. Dillinger issued a statement earlier this week telling fans on social media that he requested to be released. He expressed gratitude for his time with WWE and wrote,
“To the male and female locker rooms, coaches and producers, to the production/ring crew, all the way up to the very top of WWE and most of al the fans…I wish you all the very best and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.”
TJP wrote the following in response to WWE’s announcement:
Thanks for giving me a chance and letting me play for the team I grew up watching ????? https://t.co/r7001mqjx2
As noted early Friday morning, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has also been released. Anderson had been working with talent backstage as a producer. AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes commented on AA’s situation:
Love AA. I stole all of his catchphrases & use them on a daily basis. He went to bat for young talent & at the same time is essentially responsible for all of the current top guys & “golden circle”. He’s not corporate, but that’s a compliment. Can’t take wrestlers outta wrestling
Tye Dillinger is no longer under contract with the WWE.
On Friday afternoon, WWE confirmed that the SmackDown star has been released after requesting the termination of his contract. The company issued the following statement announcing the news:
“WWE has come to terms on the release of Ron Arneill (Tye Dillinger).”
Back in October, the company announced that he suffered a hand injury and had to undergo surgery as a result of it. According to the statement that was posted on the official website of the company, the SmackDown star suffered the injury while competing at a live event in Macon, GA at the Macon Centreplex. At this show, he lost to Shelton Benjamin in a singles match.
The announcement came just a few hours before he was supposed to challenge then-champion Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship on the blue branded show in Atlanta, GA. R-Truth would later replace him.
He worked under the WWE banner as recently as February 18 against EC3 at a live event. Dillinger had two stints with the WWE with the latest run starting in 2013 on the NXT brand. He would later be called up to the main roster in 2017.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that the upcoming G1 Supercard event will be streamed on the NJPWWorld.com platform. The company wrote the following on their English language site NJPW1972.com. “New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor are pleased to announce that G1 Supercard will stream live on NJPW World and HonorClub worldwide on April 6, 2019 for all subscribers.”
G1 Supercard will be taking place on Saturday April 6th from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show is a co-branded event alongside Ring of Honor.
New Japan recently announced IWGP Champion Jay White’s match. The company said that 68th IWGP Heavyweight Champion Jay White will be defending his title against the New Japan Cup winner. Previously, the winner of the Cup was able to receive a title shot of their choosing. This year, the winner can only challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
The New Japan Cup is a single-elimination tournament held annually since 2005. Zack Sabre Jr. was the winner of the 2018 cup and he went on to challenge Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight title at Sakura Genesis in a losing effort.
White won the title at the from Hiroshi Tanahashi on February 11th at the New Beginning in Osaka show. The win came as a shock to NJPW fans and saw White ascend to the top of the company.
Two more WWE stars have been granted their releases from the company today (Fri. February 22, 2019). WWE announced that they have come to terms on the release of former Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins and 205 Live star Hideo Itami. WWE did not wish either man good luck in their future endeavors.
Perkins signed with WWE back in 2016 after winning the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament. With the tournament win, he also captured the Cruiserweight Championship. He’d go on to lose the strap to Brian Kendrick at that year’s Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV). As for Itami, he has been rumored to be leaving the company for quite some time now.
It was reported last month that the Japanese star asked for his release from the company. This came after his loss to Akira Tozawa on the January 29th episode of 205 Live. Itami was reportedly unhappy with the way he was being used. As of this writing, four releases were granted today by WWE. Those being Arn Anderson, Tye Dillinger, Itami, and TJP.
This makes things particularly interesting now that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is on the rise. Perhaps some of these names could be seen at Double Or Nothing in May.
What do you think about WWE’s decision to release TJP and Itami?
Earlier this month saw Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) Wrestling present their High Stakes 2019 event. The show took place from the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.
The main event featured an independent dream match with NEVER Openweight Champion Will Ospreay facing Dragon Gate star PAC. The match featured a run in from CCK’s Chris Brookes and Jon Gresham. The bout ended in a time limit draw, with the contest going the allocated 30 minutes.
PAC took to the top rope and counted along with the fans in the final seconds, opting not to hit his Black Arrow finishing move. The contest was a critical hit with fans in attendance but many were questioning the finish, blaming ‘politics’ between New Japan and Dragon Gate.
Rev Pro has now announced that Ospreay and PAC will be teaming to take on CCK. The company will be heading to the Hilton New York Midtown Ballroom this WrestleMania weekend on Friday 5th April. Tickets for the show are available to purchase now.
There were rumors that Ospreay and PAC would be involved at the New York showing following their time limit draw. Initial reports indicated that it would be another singles match however CCK’s involvement in the original bout makes much more sense.
NEW YORK: OSPREAY & PAC combine for the first time ever to take on CCK: Gresham & Brookes
Can they co-exist? Can Ospreay finally earn the respect of one of his heroes? Can CCK spoil the party?
NJPW has announced three of the stars who will be appearing at the upcoming Royal Quest event.
The company confirmed earlier this month that “Three of our top Japanese wrestlers have confirmed they will be on the card and they will be bringing New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s fighting spirit to the heart of the UK’s capital.” Those three stars are Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi.
NJPW aren’t strangers to the United Kingdom. They have held numerous events in conjuncture with other promotions. Most notably Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro) and Ring Of Honor (ROH). ‘Royal Quest’ will be their first major solo show in the UK.
You can find more information on their website, NJPW1972.com.
We’re still working out a few final tweaks to the seating, but we have great news!
Tanahashi, Okada and Naito are wresting at NJPW Royal Quest!
Last week, it was reported that Jimmy Uso was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. TMZ reported that Naomi was driving with Jimmy Uso in the passenger seat when they were pulled over for going the wrong way on a one-way street. Jimmy is then said to have exited the vehicle and “squared up” as if he was going to fight the officer, leading to his arrest.
Naomi commented on the recent incident on Twitter:
I was NOT ticketed, I was NOT drinking, leaving the lot I was unaware that it exits to a 1 way street (it was dark snow no signs no traffic I was pulled immediately made a mistake and I own it) as for my husband he’s more of a man you’ll ever be & I’ll leave it at that #blockedhttps://t.co/ymRRanIQeH
WWE issued the following statement to media following Jimmy Uso’s arrest: “Jonathan Fatu is responsible for his own actions.”
Naomi Featured In Kontrol Magazine
Naomi was recently featured in Kontrol Magazine. During the interview, she spoke on how having her personal life broadcast on Total Divas can be difficult.
“It is very difficult at times, but I’m happy we get to share our story and literally watch ourselves grow and learn together,” she said. “I like to think that our children and grandchildren years from now will watch us back, be proud and get a kick out of it (She Laughs)”.
Naomi’s latest storyline on Smackdown has involved her teaming with Carmella. The pair were the first eliminated from the Elimination Chamber match on Sunday, however. Mandy Rose had been antagonizing Naomi as of late by making overtures to Jimmy Uso.
The Usos just won the Smackdown tag-team titles from the Miz and Shane McMahon at Elimination Chamber. As a result of the events from Smackdown this week, the Usos will again face Miz and McMahon on March 10th at Fastlane.
Pop TV President Brad Schwartz spoke with Deadline.com where he talked about a wide range of topics including the reason why Impact Wrestling is no longer airing on the network.
Last month, it was announced that Impact had signed a new television deal with Pursuit Channel to air their flagship show in the United States. It also saw a change as the show was moved from Thursday’s to Friday’s.
This deal came about once Impact had to find a new home to air their weekly television series after not agreeing to a new deal with Pop TV. Since then, Impact has simulcast its program on both Pursuit as well as Twitch.
“Yes, we had a wrestling show every Thursday night, which by the way was one of our 10 highest-rated shows on the network,” Schwartz said. “They wanted to keep going, obviously.”
He brought up Impact provided two hours of original content every Thursday night every week of the year that would do 400 thousand-500 thousand viewers every Thursday night.
He would add, “We had to really start focusing on brand and expectation, and I think if you’re going to pitch yourself and tell audiences that you’re this place for premium content, Schitt’s Creek, Flack, Florida Girls, this type of stuff, then people need to know what to expect from you when they come to the channel.”
When Lucha Underground hit the pro-wrestling scene in 2014, it was received as a truly unique take on what pro-wrestling could be. The show has generated over 90% positive reviews on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
After 4 seasons and 127 episodes, however, it looks like Lucha Underground could be finished. Co-Executive Producer, Chris DeJoseph, responded to a fan on Twitter asking about the future of the show:
Lawsuits Launched Against El Rey Network were launched recently by Ivelisse, Kobra Moon, and Joey Ryan in attempts to get out of their contracts. King Cuerno has also filed a separate suit as well.
DeJoseph also commented on what they saw in Pentagon Jr. when they first brought him into Lucha Underground.
“Producers wanted Pentagon Jr. on Lucha Underground,” DeJoseph Tweeted. “He was a masked, cool looking heel and had charisma, we were told he “wasn’t the guy” and didn’t have ‘it’. We needed mid-level guy and thought he could be more. End of story.”
In 2016, DeJoseph told the Wrestling Mayhem show that WWE tried to shut Lucha Underground down.
“They basically tried to sign our entire roster, and pretty much tried to shut us down,” he said on the show. “I think that’s what they want to do is just take everybody, sign them into NXT and then wipe out companies. I know they tried to do it with TNA too, and I’m sure ROH too, but it makes sense for them to pay someone $750 a week, put them into developmental and then in the meantime, they try to take away a company’s roster. And they can just leave those guys down in NXT, they don’t care.”
Impact Wrestling’s event over WrestleMania weekend this year will now be a PPV on the FITE app. The promotion earlier announced a dream tag-team match for the event featuring Rob Van Dam & Sabu teaming up to face Pentagon Jr. and Fenix, the Lucha Bros. Sami Callihan vs Jimmy Havoc in a Monster’s Ball match was also scheduled for the event recently.
United We Stand takes place on April 4th from the Rahway Center in Rahway, New Jersey.
Impact Wrestling has recently announced 3 more matches for the event. Tessa Blanchard and Eli Drake will face each other in a special inter-gender match.
A team representing Impact Wrestling will also take on a team wrestling Lucha Underground on the show. Brian Cage, Johnny Impact, Moose, and Eddie Edwards will make up Team Impact. The Lucha Underground team will consist of Aerostar, Drago, King Cuerno, and Daga.
Jake Crist, Jack Evans, and Kotto Brazil are all confirmed for the Ultimate-X match that night as well.
“We are delighted to welcome two legends in Rob Van Dam and Sabu back to an IMPACT Wrestling ring,” said Ed Nordholm, President of IMPACT Wrestling. “Add this to the list of other matches we have announced and United We Stand is becoming a dream night of action for wrestling fans all over the world made available through our partners at FITE.tv.”
The most iconic member of the 4 Horsemen not named Ric Flair has been let go from WWE. According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, Arn Anderson is no longer with the company. As of this writing, it is not clear what led to Anderson’s departure.
Anderson began working for WWE as an agent not long after WCW closed. The 60-year-old was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of the 4 Horsemen. WWE has planned a 70th birthday celebration for Arn’s longtime ally Ric Flair on Monday.
While Anderson has spent most of his behind-the-scenes career in WWE, he spent most of his in-ring career outside of it. He only wrestled in the company for one stint between 1988 and 1990. During that time, Arn teamed with his longtime teammate Tully Blanchard. They were named “the Brain Busters’ and were managed by Bobby Heenan.
Despite winning the tag titles on one occasion with Blanchard, Arn returned to WCW in early 1990.
The readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted Arn as the “Best on Interviews” in 1990. The highest ranking he ever achieved on the PWI top 500 was at #9 in 1991. He was forced to retire in 1997 due to injuries.
According to comments he recently made on Twitter, Matt Hardy has about a week and a half left on his WWE contract. He also stated he’s always been comfortable outside of WWE even though he loves the company.
Hardy posted some throwback pictures on Twitter from 2014:
A fan responded that Hardy’s comments made it sound as though he was going to leave the company. To which Hardy responded with the following:
Not a threat at all, just a fact. I have 11 days left on my current deal. I love @WWE, but I’m 100% comfortable being outside the walls of pro wrestling’s "Alexandria" Safe-Zone. I’m a born SURVIVALIST.
the Hardyz signed with WWE just before WrestleMania 33 where they would return and win the RAW tag-team championships. It’s likely then that given Hardy’s comments both he and his brother Jeff signed 2-year-deals with the company back in 2017 that are coming up for renewal soon. It’s possible Jeff and Matt signed separate deals but that seems unlikely.
With the Hardyz likely testing free agency in the coming weeks, it could lead to speculation they are entertaining the idea of signing with a non-WWE promotion, possibly AEW. The last match the Hardyz had before signing with WWE in 2017 was against the Young Bucks at ROH Supercard of Honor XI. The Hardyz returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 the next night.
