– John Cena continues to pursue a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34. “The Leader Of The Cenation” has been calling out “The Deadman” on RAW for the past several weeks.
Cena took to Twitter to post a workout video of himself, taking a shot at Undertaker in the caption:
– Former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Big E took to Twitter to reveal the terrible gimmick idea he pitched nine years ago. He called it Mel Mann, who’s character was supposed to be a postal worker:
Almost 9 years ago, when I got signed, my very first pitch was to be a wrestling postal worker named Mel Mann. Shockingly, it was shot down.
– WWE announced that the annual post-WrestleMania 34 conference call will take place on Monday, April 9, 2018. Here is the official statement:
WWE® Network Post-WrestleMania® Conference Call
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) will host a conference call on Monday, April 9, 2018 to provide an update on the growth of WWE Network, including the level of subscribers following WrestleMania. The Company’s Co-Presidents, George A. Barrios and Michelle D. Wilson, will host the conference call beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CST) to discuss the results.
All interested parties are welcome to listen to a live web cast that will be hosted through the Company’s web site at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Participants can access the conference call by dialing 855-200-4993 (toll free) or 323-794-2092 from outside the U.S. (conference ID for both lines: 6005057). Please reserve a line approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time of the conference call.
The presentation referenced during the call will be made available on April 9, 2018 at corporate.wwe.com/investors. A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conference call concludes, and can be accessed on the Company’s web site.
Last week news broke that WWE and Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan were in talks for a potential return. WWE actually confirmed this with an official statement:
“We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter now reports that Hogan and WWE have had regular communication for the past year. He also noted WWE has always been looking for the right time to bring “The Hulkster” back, but feared backlash from sponsors.
Also, company sources say that the idea for bringing Hogan back would be to allow him to talk about how stupid he was for what he said. It would be angled as a redemption/forgiveness plot.
The overall goal from WWE was to ensure enough time had passed so that the return wasn’t controversial. Meltzer also acknowledged the rumors that Hogan could become the next SmackDown Live General Manager, however, they’re only rumors as of this writing.
Last August two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair underwent emergency hospitalization in order to remove an obstructed part of his bowel.
This led to several complications, and Flair was held in the hospital for over a month to recover. He suffered from kidney failure, which required dialysis treatment, and was at one point given a small chance to survive.
After returning home the following September, Flair has begun to turn around his life and focus more on his health – and the first step has been giving up drinking.
In a new update, Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer reports that Flair is set to undergo a “very serious” surgery on July 9th. The surgery will reportedly remove his colostomy bag.
Flair wants this done so he can return to serious training. He has had the bag in ever since having his life-saving surgery. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more…
Mae Young Classic competitor and current reigning Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) Women’s Champion Viper/Piper Niven recently faced fellow Mae Young Classic star and Stardom SWA Champion Toni Storm in a bout for their aforementioned titles.
You may remember that these two fought during the Mae Young Classic on episode 7 of the series, Storm took the victory on that occasion but went on to lose to eventual winner Kairi Sane in the Semi-Finals. Going into this match Storm had held the SWA belt for over 600+ days and Viper had recently gone through some gruelling bouts to finally become the ICW Champion…Viper eventually took the win to become a co-ICW/SWA Champion.
There have been rumors surrounding both women and their WWE statuses for quite some time, Australian star Toni Storm is expected to be heading to WWE in the very near future whilst news surrounding Piper Niven has been more sparse of late.
Former WWE Superstar and Hardcore Legend Mick Foley has commented on PROGRESS Wrestling’s upcoming WrestleMania weekend shows at the Pontchartrain Convention Center in New Orleans.
PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman and Foley are reportedly good friends having met on the comedy circuit in the UK. Smallman was the support slot for Foley’s 2013 UK stand up tour, he also supported William Regal as part of his speaking tour across the region in the same year.
Foley tweeted “Wishing @ThisIs_Progress all the best this #WrestleMania weekend. Still can’t believe it was only 5 years ago that @jimsmallman said “Mick, I have an idea for a different kind of wrestling promotion.”
Tickets for these massive shows are available to purchase from $25 from TicketFly and several big matches are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks as we head towards WrestleMania.
Former WWE Superstar James Ellsworth has been announced for IPW:UK’s upcoming ‘Chin Up Son’ event on Wednesday May 2nd from Milton Keynes Unit Nine venue.
This UK exclusive match for Ellsworth will be his debut for both IPW and in the United Kingdom in general. Since leaving WWE Ellsworth has been making sporadic appearances for independent promotions across the United States, including an upcoming bout against former UFC fighter Matt Riddle as part of Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2 on WrestleMania weekend.
This event takes place just days after IPW:UK’s International Battle Royale event which sees Austin Aries, Mark Haskins, Tenille Dashwood and more invading the Casino Rooms in Rochester, England.
Tickets for IPW:UK’s ‘Chin Up Son’ are available to purchase here.
New UK based promotion Frontline Wrestling (owned by NJPW star Will Ospreay) has announced the latest name for their debut event ‘Build Me An Empire’ which takes place June 28th at Stratford Circus in London.
Former Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh will be making his way to the Frontline alongside these already announced stars:
Travis Banks
Aussie Open
‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
Mark Haskins
El Phantasmo
Bea Priestley
Chris Brookes
Rob Lynch
Toni Storm
Wild Boar
Adam Brookes
Connor Mills
Maverick Mayhew
Kenoh has been a part of Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion since 2014, following an extremely successful stint in the Michinoku Pro promotion from 2007 when he was scouted by Jinsei Shinzaki. As well as being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion he has held the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, GHC Tag Team Championship and Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Frontline Wrestling are looking to bring the Japanese ‘Puro’ style to British shores in a way that has never been seen before. This announcement with these incredible athletes shows that the company is going full bore on ushering in a new era of Strong Style in Great Britain.
Jinder Mahal has had an interesting run with the sports entertainment company.
If you recall, in April of 2011, Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal.
After he was released from WWE, he returned to the independent circuit for two years where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. After some time on RAW upon his return, the shake-up moved him over to Tuesday nights on SmackDown Live.
Mahal would win a Six-Pack Challenge match that earned him the status as No. 1-contender for the WWE Championship, which was then-held by Randy Orton who defeated Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 for the strap.
Mahal would later beat Orton for the title and held it for several months before losing it to AJ Styles on an episode of WWE SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with the Times of India, and during the interview, she was asked if Mahal’s run as WWE Champion last year was a success. This is what she had to say:
“I think his Championship run was incredibly interesting and successful to our global audience and not just to India. If he became a bit of a hero in India as a result, well that is awesome too… Jinder of course is playing the antagonist here in the States.
I think he was received as a homecoming hero when he performed live in India and whenever there is a local star there is significance to the audience there. Our audience is so much bigger, it is global, so we have to entertain everyone.”
When speaking about Rusev, you have to bring up his wife due to her being such a big part of his life and career.
Lana debuted on the October 23, 2013 episode of NXT by scouting Rusev. The following month, WWE put her as Rusev’s manager on television. They had a short run while in the developmental brand. Lana made her main roster debut on an episode of SmackDown where she and Rusev in the following weeks appeared in a series of self-promotional videos and speeches. Fast forward to May of that year; they made their television debut. WWE has kept both Rusev and Lana strong on television. Rusev would end up winning the United States Title while with her.
When Lana and Rusev are together, they have success, but when separated, not so much. However, Rusev has caught some fire now that he has been paired up with Aiden English on SmackDown Live.
Lana recently spoke with Hollywood Life to talk about various topics. During the interview, she talked about her husband being a super athlete and talented person.
“I think he is a super athlete and I have been saying that for years. I would introduce him as a super athlete and he truly is one of the best in ring competitors. I also think in Total Divas, he also showed that he is really funny and entertaining. On the show, he shows that he has a great personality.”
Lana also commented on SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan being medically cleared to return to in-ring action.
“We are so excited. We are so excited to have him back. I know for me, personally, I was in tears when he did his speech on coming back because it gives me hope that no matter what anyone says, I am going to continue for my dreams and continue to wrestle and compete.”
The 619 will not be represented at WrestleMania 34.
Following a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, Rey Mysterio seemed like the perfect candidate to make a return to WWE at the biggest card of the year on April 8 in New Orleans.
Unfortunately, Mysterio says anybody who is looking for him to pop up out of nowhere will be disappointed because he recently suffered an arm injury that’s going to keep him out of action for several weeks, which will overlap WrestleMania 34.
“Unfortunately, I just suffered a torn bicep three weeks ago,” Mysterio revealed on “Below the Belt” with Brendan Schaub. “Opted not to get surgery.
“It’s a full tear but I’m just gonna kick back, do some therapy for it and hopefully I’ll be ready next month.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWk4b3RO4EA
It was natural to think that Mysterio might show up at WrestleMania 34 considering the response his appearance at Royal Rumble generated back in January.
Mysterio’s appearance at Royal Rumble was one of the biggest stories throughout the entire evening. In fact, Mysterio’s surprise entrance into the Royal Rumble generated over 14 million views for that video on YouTube. Even Ronda Rousey’s first official appearance in WWE from the same event only ended up with 3.7 million views by comparison.
“It was intense,” Mysterio said about his surprise appearance at Royal Rumble. “I didn’t know what to expect. I know the fans were excited cause you always get on social media ‘when you coming back?’ but to actually be there and live that moment. You got that butterfly sensation I always get before I step into the ring.
“Once I make that eye contact with the fans, I’m out there, I go that’s game time. Let’s go.”
Would you like to see Rey Mysterio make another run with WWE in the future? Sound off in the comments to let us know!
Goldberg has had quite the career in professional wrestling. He made his name known while being the top star of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at the peak of the Monday Night Wars.
While under contract with WCW between 1997 and 2001, Goldberg rose to fame in WCW with a lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition from 1997 to 1998, which was considered the longest winning streak in professional wrestling. After twelve years away from the WWE, 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 34 in Orlando, Florida. He was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on Raw. WWE has announced that Paul Heyman would induct Goldberg into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame class.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason Heyman is inducting Goldberg into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year is due to Heyman being one of the instrumental figures in the Lesnar vs. Goldberg storyline heading into WrestleMania 33 last year. Heyman largely produced Goldberg’s material and helped put together the angles for all the Goldberg vs. Lesnar matches. Thus, that’s where they developed a personal relationship.
Jeff Cobb has reportedly been offered a contract by Impact Wrestling. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is stating Cobb was offered a 2-year deal but has yet to sign.
Cobb most recently spurred some rumors he might be joining NJPW on a more regular basis. He Tweeted out a photo of himself at the New Japan dojo in Los Angeles recently.
Let the rumors begin ??????
This is where people need to be, scratching, clawing, and trying to get into to learn and get better in our profession. 2 great trainers teaching in Shibata and Scorpio Sky. Boys and girls, it’s in our backyard! pic.twitter.com/Ym0lQLaZjw
Impact Wrestling tonight is a taped show from the company’s January tapings in Orlando. The main event will feature a champion vs champion match between Matt Sydal and Austin Aries.
Impact continues to build towards their April 22nd Redemption PPV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWK_wtE0MLw
Impact Wrestling Confirmed Matches for Tonight (non-spoiler)
Fatal 4-way
Rohit Raju vs Taiji Ishimori vs Suicide vs Petey Williams
Brian Cage vs Bobby Lashley
Champion vs Champion
Matt Sydal (Grand Champion) vs Austin Aries (World Champion)
Eddie Edwards will go to Ohio seeking Sami Callihan and OVE.
Su Yung to make in-ring debut
KM vs Fallah Ball
In addition to building towards their Redemption PPV, Impact will also take part in a head-to-head show with Lucha Underground at WrestleCon.
Last week, WWE commented on rumors they had reached out to Hulk Hogan. The company released a statement indicating they had spoken with Hogan but he was not under contract.
“We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”
TMZ reporters caught up with Hogan recently. Hogan was on his way to the HBO Andre the Giant documentary premiere and he confirmed he won’t be at WrestleMania.
Mark Henry’s Delegation
Mark Henry has made several public comments regarding Hogan’s potential return to the company. Henry feels the time is not yet right for Hogan’s return. He also noted that he is part of a delegation of wrestlers who have spoken about what Hogan would have to do to redeem himself.
”The delegation is pretty much all of the more established African-American wrestlers in the country and in the world, for that matter. Every promotion… there’s not a wrestling promotion that doesn’t house someone from the delegation.” – Mark Henry on Busted Open Radio last week.
Henry continued to say everyone should be given a second chance but you have to own what you did.
”There’s gonna have to be more community service and outside work. Support for programs and even creative programs that deal with diversity in the workplace. … I don’t process everything like everybody else. I believe that everybody should be given a second chance but I also believe that you have to own your issue, whatever that issue is. You gotta try to make closure on everybody else’s behalf, not just yours.”
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and other members of the creative team made a decision to add Rusev to a key match at WrestleMania 34 at the last minute.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Pittsburgh, PA at the PPG Paints Arena on the USA Network, it was announced that Rusev had been added to the United States Title match at WrestleMania 34. It will now see Randy Orton defending the title against Bobby Roode, Jinder Mahal, and Rusev in a Fatal 4-Way. We now know the reason for this as Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason why Rusev was added to the match at WrestleMania 34 was because of his massive merchandise sales. Those who are wondering what the WWE originally had planned for him, it was noted in the report that Rusev was initially slated to be in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale at the event, but plans were changed.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is re-launching the XFL under Alpha Entertainment. The announcement was made earlier this year during a press conference. McMahon noted that the new XFL will begin in 2020. There will be eight teams with 40-man rosters, a ten game regular season, and a four-team postseason including a championship game. McMahon made it clear that there will be no crossover from WWE to the new XFL. The original XFL only had one season, which took place in 2001 and was produced by WWE and NBC. It took place during the NFL off-season and promoted as having fewer rules and encouraging rougher play than other major leagues. There were only eight teams in two divisions. Some of the teams took place in major markets such as Birmingham, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Orlando. The XFL operated as a single entity, with all teams centrally owned by the league.
Although NBC signed with WWE to air two seasons of the league, NBC pulled out of its broadcast contract for the XFL after the inaugural season, citing the poor viewership. The league ceased operations entirely in May 2001. The Los Angeles Xtreme was the XFL’s first and only champions. McMahon has gone on record in the past by stating that the league was a “colossal failure.”
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon did media with ESPN on Wednesday on First take to promote WrestleMania 34. During the interview, Triple H was asked about McMahon bringing back the XFL football league in 2020. Here is what “The Game” had to say:
“I think if anything he has proven over time that you learn from failure, much more than you learn from success,” he said. “He’s gone at this once and it didn’t work out. I think he learned a ton from that and he’s been chomping at the bit from the time to be right to do it again. I feel like he believes the time is right, now. I think he’s learned more fro that success and certainly I wouldn’t bet against him.” “I think the time is right in the world, I think the time is right on a global basis. Social media and the ability to get it out on a digital level. Instead of playing catch up to that, you’re starting it fresh with that. I think the time is right in a lot of ways.”
WWE is gearing up for the next Takeover event for the NXT brand.
As seen on this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network, the sports entertainment company announced several matches for this upcoming special. Johnny Gargano would take on Tommaso Ciampa in an unsanctioned match.
Also announced was a six-man Ladder Match featuring Ethan Carter III, Ricochet, Killian Dain, Adam Cole, Lars Sullivan and The Velveteen Dream to crown the inaugural North American Champion.
This event will have to go head-to-head with many shows on this night during WrestleMania 34 weekend including the ROH Supercard of Honor event just a few miles away.
The advocate for the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is one of the best talkers in the history of pro wrestling. Paul Heyman is better than ever on the microphone as he represents his client.
With WrestleMania 34 around the corner, Paul Heyman has started to conduct interviews to promote the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company.
During an interview with Newsweek, he was asked what happens if Lesnar loses the WWE Universal Championship to Roman Reigns.
There is a lot of speculation about Lesnar’s future with WWE as his contract is up after WrestleMania and he could head back to the UFC.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Brock is looking to get back into the octagon. He is obviously eyeballing another fight in UFC. There’s no secret. He’s posing for pictures with Dana White wearing a UFC shirt in the UFC offices in Las Vegas. That’s not a negotiating tactic, Brock Lesnar wants to compete inside of the octagon. There’s no leveraging that; it’s a fact. I have an agency that has expanded so fast we’re now expanding into also being a full-fledged production studio. We have several projects and deals we will be announcing after April 8, for film, television, representing clients etc. We both have a number of projects we have been interested in pursuing that will start to kick off after WrestleMania.”
Since SmackDown General manager Daniel Bryan was cleared last week by WWE doctors, various WWE Superstars have commented on the news while fans have speculated on who Bryan could wrestle in the near future.
It’s already been confirmed that Bryan will team up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34.
During this interview, Heyman was asked about Bryan being cleared to return to the ring and Lesnar potentially wrestling Bryan.
“Ecstatic. This is all Daniel Bryan has wanted since the moment he was told he was being forced to retire. And the emotional rollercoaster that he has been on since that moment has always been with the light at the end of the tunnel, thinking ‘somehow, someway a miracle will be bestowed upon me that I can be cleared and step back into the ring and do what I love to do more than anything else in this world.’ That’s all he wants to do. It’s what he dreams about, what he envisions, it’s what he wakes up wanting to do and thinks about when he’s going to sleep. So ever since that moment the doctors told him ‘sorry we’re going to have to advise if you retire’ the only dream Daniel Bryan has had, the fantasy in his life, is to be cleared and to exploit the opportunity of stepping back into the ring. And now he has that chance. So I’m ecstatic for Daniel Bryan. Very few people I know deserve to live out their dreams more than Daniel Bryan.”
“I have wanted to see Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan even before Lesnar debuted on the main roster when Bryan was known as The American Dragon. I loved his matches even in the early part of his career and found him to be one of the most compelling, riveting performers in the history of this industry.”
More testimony in defense of the Fabulous Moolah has come to light. Earlier this week, 9 former Moolah students came together to deny the allegations against their trainer.
Now, the son of Sweet Georgia Brown, Michael McCoy, has also come to Moolah’s defense. He has said his mother had an agenda for saying the things she did against Moolah. Brown’s statements against the former women’s champion played a key role in her name being removed from the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
Sweet Georgia Brown’s Son Denies Allegations Against Fabulous Moolah
“I come to say today, that’s not true. That’s not true at all. Especially knowing the Moolah that I had grew to know.”
McCoy would continue to say members of his family may have an agenda for making the claims against Moolah.
“I’m not a fake. I’m not a phony and I’m not fronting today. And nobody is coercing me to say what I’m saying. Moolah did the right thing and she helped my mother.”
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano Was Made Official For NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
NXT opened up with Tommaso Ciampa arriving at the venue as fans booed him. Reporters asked Tommaso a couple of questions, but he ignored him. Ciampa approached NXT GM William Regal and blamed Regal for Gargano’s actions. Ciampa asked what he has to do get rid of him for good. Regal said that Ciampa will face Johnny Gargano in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
Regal added that Gargano will get his job back if he wins, but will be banished from NXT forever if he loses. Regal stated that if Ciampa wants Gargano gone forever, he is going to have to do it himself this time.
EC3 Interrupted William Regal’s Announcement For The North American Championship
NXT GM William Regal made his way down to the ring for a special announcement. Regal welcomed the crowd to NXT and said that NXT is a brand that brings you the best competitors from around the world every week.
Regal announced that at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans they will be introducing the NXT North American Championship. EC3 interrupted and swaggered his way down the entrance ramp to join the NXT GM in the ring.
The crowd chanted “EC3!” and EC3 said that he was going to enjoy this moment because he deserves it and instructed the crowd to keep chanting. EC3 bragged about his theme song and the lucrative contract that Regal gave him to come to NXT. EC3 assumed that Regal was going to award him the new championship and said that he was the only man capable of representing North America.
Regal shook EC3’s hand and said that he was incredibly happy that EC3 was finally in NXT as a competitor. Regal noted that nobody gets handed anything in NXT. Regal then announced that EC3 will compete against five other competitors in a Ladder match. EC3 wasn’t too pleased with that decision as the crowd chanted “thank you Regal!”.
EC3 changed his tune and said that he could line up the entire locker room against him and it wouldn’t matter. EC3 vowed to show Regal and the NXT Universe why he is in the top 1% of this industry at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
Later on the show, Cathy Kelley interviewed NXT GM William Regal backstage. Regal stated that Adam Cole will be the second competitor in the match. Velveteen Dream interrupted and said that if he was in that match, it will make it a memorable experience. Regal agreed and announced that he was the third competitor in the match.
The Authors Of Pain Advanced To The Finals Of The Dusty Rhodes Classic
Street Profits faced Authors of Pain in the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Ford and Rezar started shouting at each other before the match. Montez heard enough and decided to tag Angelo Dawkins in. Rezar immediately beatdown Dawkins and then tagged in Akam. Dawkins battled back with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Spinebuster.
Montez Ford celebrated the news with his solo cup outside the ring. He danced around and bumped into Paul Ellering. Ford offered Ellering a drink and Paul slowly lifted his hand towards the cup. Ellering slapped the cup out of Ford’s hand and Montez started walking towards him. Back in the ring, the Authors of Pain connected with the Last Champter on Angelo Dawkins for the victory. The Authors of Pain are now in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic.
Sullivan faced John Silver and immediately beat the crap out of him. Lars launched him into the turnbuckle and then launched him into the turnbuckle into the opposite corner. Sullivan connected with a Splash and followed it up with a Powerslam. Sullivan climbed up to the top rope and hit a diving Headbutt. Lars picked Silver up and planted him with the Freak Accident for the easy pinfall victory.
After the match, Lars Sullivan spoke with NXT GM William Regal backstage. Regal announced that Lars Sullivan will compete in the North American Championship Ladder match at NXT TakeOVer: New Orleans. Sullivan vowed to bring destruction to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Lars demanded to to face Killian Dain and Regal announced that Sullivan will face Dain next week. Regal also noted that Dain will is in the Ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans as well.
During Dakota Kai’s entrance, Andrade “Cien” Almas was shown attacking Aleister Black in the parking lot. Almas beat the hell out of Black and dunked his face in a cooler fool of ice water. Almas slammed Black into the door as the beatdown continued back into the arena. Andrade brought Black all the way down to the ring while Zelina Vega shouted “that is what you get!” at Black.
Almas grabbed a steel chair and bashed Black across the back with it. Andrade set up the chair over Aleister and taunted him. Almas connected with a couple of kicks and then raised the NXT Championship over his head as the crowd booed. Almas and Vega exited the ring as NXT officials checked on Aleister Black.
Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong Advanced To The Finals Of The Dusty Rhodes Classic
Eric Young and Alexander Wolfe of SAnity faced Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne in the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. Strong and Wolfe started off the match. Strong applied a Headlock but Wolfe quickly broke free. Wolfe connected with a Body Slam and Pete Dunne and Eric Young got into the ring. The referee backed them both up and told them to get back on the apron.
Young and Dunne tagged in and Pete wrestled him to the corner. Dunne went for a roll-up but Young kicked out at one. Dunne connected with a kick to Young’s left arm and then Strong and Wolfe got into the ring. Once again, the referee told them to get back onto the ring apron. Dunne connected with a shoulder tackle to Young for a two count. Young responded with a Clothesline and tagged in Wolfe.
Young held up Dunne in an Abdominal Stretch and Wolfe booted him in the midsection as NXT went to a break. When NXT returned, Dunne had taken control and Eric Young was back in the ring. Strong tagged in and connected with a chop that echoed in the arena. Dunne tagged in and delivered another loud chop. Strong held up Young in a Backbreaker and Dunne leaped off the second rope with a knee for a two count.
Dunne launched Young back to the corner and connected with another chop to the chest. Young tried to crawl for a tag but Dunne stomped on his arm again. Pete Dunne applied a Wrist Lock but Eric Young countered into a Suplex and both Superstars crashed to the canvas.
Strong and Wolfe tagged in and traded punches in the middle of the ring to the delight of the crowd. Wolfe connected with an uppercut and lifted Strong up onto his shoulders. Strong broke free and connected with a knee to the ribs. Wolfe responded with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Death Valley Driver for a two count.
Wolfe tagged Young back in and Eric planted Roderick with a Neckbreaker. Young went for the cover but Dunne broke it up. Wolfe climbed to the top rope and jumped into a punch from Dunne. Young connected with a running Neckbreaker to Dunne and quickly climbed up to the top rope.
Roderick met him up there and greeted him with a chop to the chest. Strong went for a Superplex, but Young blocked it and threw Strong to the mat. Eric Young connected with an awesome Elbow Drop and went for the cover but Strong somehow kicked out at two. Strong battled back and planted Young with a Backbreaker. Strong went for the cover but Wolfe broke it up.
Dunne booted Wolfe in the back of the head and Strong planted Alexander with the End of Heartache.Pete Dunne tagged in and teamed up with Strong to slam Eric Young to the canvas. Dunne then pinned Eric Young for the victory. Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong will face the Authors of Pain next week in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Ricochet Will Battle For The North American Championship At NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
Cathy Kelley once again interviewed NXT GM William Regal backstage at the end of the show. Cathy asked if Regal had any updates on who the 6th competitor will be in the North American Championship Ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
Regal said that he did had an update on who the final competitor in the match is and that he was going to go get him now. Regal shut the door of his office and the door opened up a few seconds later. Ricochet appeared and said “I will see you at TakeOver” as NXT went off the air.
Ricochet, EC3, Killian Dain, Adam Cole, Lars Sullivan and Velveteen Dream are the six Superstars in the Ladder match for the North American Championship at NXT TakeOver:New Orleans.
Impact Wrestling sent in the following press release announcing a partnership with the Illinois-based RISE women’s promotion.
IMPACT Wrestling Partners with RISE to Develop Female Talent and Original Content
TORONTO | CHICAGO – IMPACT Wrestling announced today a partnership with Illinois-based RISE to host seminars with a focus on developing women’s professional wrestlers, as well as the creation of original content for IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling) and Global Wrestling Network (GWN) multi-platform digital service.
On May 11 in Pittsburgh, PA, IMPACT Wrestling and RISE will present RISE – Lights, Camera, ACTION: The Art of TV! The full-day seminar will focus on areas specific to performance in a television environment and cover a wide variety of topics by some of the most influential minds involved in producing IMPACT Wrestling, including writer/producer Jimmy Jacobs, Creative Director Sonjay Dutt, Hall of Famer and Knockouts producer Gail Kim and Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. The seminar will provide education and exposure for the RISE roster and its prospective talent pool.
On May 12, several episodes of RISE – ASCENT will be taped for premiere in May on RISE’s new streaming platform www.riseascent.com and future broadcast on GWN. Several prospects will be selected from the seminar to be part of the new weekly series where they will perform alongside the likes of Phoenix of RISE Champion Delilah Doom, SHIMMER Champion “The Queen of Suplexes” Nicole Savoy, Jessicka Havok, Tessa Blanchard, Shotzi Blackheart, Britt Baker, Dust, Mercedes Martinez and more.
IMPACT Wrestling Knockout Sienna will serve as a color commentator for RISE – ASCENT. In addition, one talent featured on the RISE – ASCENT series will be selected for an opportunity to perform for IMPACT Wrestling at an upcoming event.
“We are delighted to partner with RISE on the development of new women’s talent, reinforcing our commitment to the trailblazing Knockouts division,” said Scott D’Amore, Executive Vice President of IMPACT Wrestling. “RISE was founded on the principle of talent development, so we will combine our efforts to foster the next generation of women’s professional wrestling stars. We are also committed to collaborating with RISE on innovative content for our viewers on Twitch and GWN, where subscribers can already access events from the RISE catalogue.”
“From our beginnings, we have said that the future of pro wrestling is in collaboration, not competition,” said RISE founder and Executive Producer Kevin Harvey. “IMPACT Wrestling clearly believes this too. We can’t wait to work in tandem to build a bridge to a very bright future for women’s wrestling.”
Past events from RISE can now be seen on GWN, including all 2016 and 2017 shows. IMPACT Wrestling will work with RISE to develop other original content for the platform, as well as its Twitch channel.
A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, GWN is available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including online at GlobalWrestlingNetwork.com, iOS and Android, Xbox, and coming soon to Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Smart TVs. A premium subscription is priced at US$7.99 with a 30-day free trial available for new members.
Jax has been quickly moved up the ladder in WWE. She was positioned as a big star while she was competing in WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, and even when she was called up to the main roster.
Slowly but surely she has gone from beating jobbers to being a big name in the women’s division on the RAW brand. Jax recently spoke with Planeta Wrestling to talk about various topics. During the interview, she was asked about possibly being drafted to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup, which is rumored to take place at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view event in May.
”I wouldn’t be surprised at all. I think SmackDown is filled with talented people. I personally enjoy watching the show on that side. There are a lot of female Superstars that I would like to work with. It would be great to go over there and switch it up. I wouldn’t mind it at all.”
Jax is slated to challenge Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34. Although the sports entertainment company has yet to finalize the match order of this event, she was asked about her take on potentially working the pre-show instead of being positioned on the main card.
“That is obviously not the ideal position that you would want to be in, but to be fair, our show is watched all around the world by millions of people, and I am pretty sure a lot of people would still catch us on the pre-show. It’s an honor to be on the card, period, but I definitely feel that the women have earned a shot on the main card. I don’t think that’ll be happening this year.”
Former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Justin Credible recently did an interview on WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s Houston Sports Radio 610 radio show, Heated Conversations, to talk about several professional wrestling topics.
Credible opened up about his past struggles with drug addiction, and revealed he got his first opioid from his mentor at the time, Scott Hall:
“I started to do it simply to get along,” Credible recalled. “I remember the first pill I ever took. I wrestled The Brooklyn Brawler at a high school show and I was traveling with Scott Hall. And I hurt my shoulder real bad and we had a long tour ahead of us and he popped a pill in my beer and told me, ‘drink it.’ And I drank it and I felt good and I liked that feeling. It made me feel good.”
He then discussed the rumors of rampant drug use in the locker rooms of ECW, noting he took cocaine before his entrance when his music would hit:
“Oh, it’s true. It’s true, man.” Credible continued, “I can recall when I got a little up there in the game, I haven’t said this to too many people, but I’ll just keep myself named in this, I remember in the War Memorial [Auditorium] in Fort Lauderdale [Florida], I was hip enough and cool enough at the time to have my own locker room and I’d have a good amount of cocaine put out there because I’d know nobody would come into my locker room. And literally, my music would be playing and I’d take a couple of good rips and I’d go out there.”
Credible also admitted that his issues with drug abuse also played a role in why he was unable to accomplish as much as he’d liked in WWE:
“I was so disappointed with where I thought I was headed or could have been going because when I got there, I couldn’t do the superkick and that was one of my big things because of Shawn [Michaels], couldn’t do my tombstone because of Taker, and, of course, these are guys that I love and respect, I’m not pooh-poohing anybody. But I knew Vince McMahon wasn’t going to push me.
“Paul Heyman had this genius about making chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what. He really knew how to get the best out of you. He was a great director whereas for Vince, I mean, he’ll let you do it too, but I think it was a combination of the drugs, of course, a huge impact, I’m not going to deny that, but also I was still when I went back, Book, I was still Aldo.
“I was Justin Credible and all that stuff I accomplished, but in my heart and the way I behaved in the locker room.” Credible added, “I think that kindness was mistaken for weakness and I was taken advantage of a lot, but, hey, if I was mentally fit and not on the drugs I was taking to deal with my mental health issues, then I would have gone further. I still believe that because I did essentially get fired for not showing up and that’s a whole story in itself.”
You can listen to Credible’s interview on Heated Conversations with Booker T by clicking this link here.
WWE Superstar Lana recently did an interview with Hollywood Life while in attendance for the premiere of the “Game Over, Man” film. “The Ravishing Russian” first discussed the surging popularity of her husband, Rusev’s, Rusev Day gimmick:
“I think he is a super athlete and I have been saying that for years. I would introduce him as a super athlete and he truly is one of the best in ring competitors. I also think in Total Divas, he also showed that he is really funny and entertaining.
“On the show, he shows that he has a great personality. I think it took – instead of a ‘U-S-A’ chant, they want to be part of something more. They want to chant ‘Rusev Day’ because every day is Rusev day!”
She then discussed her on-screen feud with Rusev in which she had a storyline romance with Dolph Ziggler. That storyline went nowhere after Lana and Rusev announced their real-life engagement on social media:
“Oh yeah! I really enjoy being his enemy. One of my favorite stories in WWE was when he was the jealous boyfriend and I used Dolph Ziggler as revenge, basically. That was so much fun.
“We had so much fun with that story when we were fighting and our segments on TV would be so much fun. I would love to be in a story or movie where maybe we were enemies.”
Lana also discussed this past week’s huge news that SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition for WWE:
“We are so excited. We are so excited to have him back. I know for me, personally, I was in tears when he did his speech on coming back because it gives me hope that no matter what anyone says, I am going to continue for my dreams and continue to wrestle and compete.
“The world told him ‘no,’ and that he would never wrestle again and he is wrestling again. So, I think that gives us all hope to be resilient and to do you no matter what!”
You can read Lana’s full interview with Hollywood Life by clicking this link here.
