As reported previously, AJ Styles and TNA have to come to terms on a new short-term agreement. According to one report, the deal will take Styles and TNA a little past Bound For Glory.
Whether or not he re-signs a longer deal to stay in the company will likely come down to how close each side can came to the financial part of the deal.
TNA has posted the AJ Styles promo from this week’s Impact Wrestling on their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
– Photographer Bob Mulrenin recently got some exclusive pictures of the Ultimate Warrior at a WWE 2K14 promotional event in Brooklyn, New York, which you can view here.
– WWE Hall of Famer Edge will be hosting a 1-hour pre-show leadaing up to the season premiere of the SyFy show Ghost Mine on September 4th, 2013:
Right before Ghost Mine starts its second season (Wednesday, September 4 at 10/9c – FYI), make sure to catch the one-hour special Ghost Mine: Back on the Mountain at 9/8c. Hosted by Adam Copeland (Haven), the special gathers the miners and investigators around the campfire for a spirited conversation about the highs – and lows – of the previous season, along with first-hand accounts of the creepiest moments. It also includes never-before-seen footage from Season 1.”
– WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee granted her first individual wish through Make-A-Wish at Monday’s RAW. She met nine-year old Heidie, who was dressed like AJ. For more information (including a photo of AJ & Heidie), visit Community.WWE.com.
– In his latest podcast, ESPN writer Bill Simmons advocated for a WWE offseason, stating that it’s crazy WWE talent doesn’t get 2 months off at a time to recover from life on the road. Listen here: ESPN.go.com.
– WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan recently had an MRI that revealed a torn rotator cuff. He will undergo shoulder surgery on September 9th at the National Training Center in Florida. He tweeted on Thursday:
– Ted DiBiase is now accepting bookings at IntegrityBookings.com. He’s available for autograph signings, conventions, Q&A sessions, seminars, and “DiBiase Posse” tailgate parties.
– Below is bonus footage of The Bella Twins and Daniel Bryan celebrating their “cheat day” (and Bryan’s birthday) with cupcakes:
– WWE will be returning to Mexico in October for a live events tour:
October 17th, Guadalajara at the VFG Arena
October 18th, Mexico City at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico
October 19th, Monterre at the Arena Monterrey
Tickets are now on sale. Advertised for the tour are Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio and more.
– WWE’s latest round of talent tryouts will take place this weekend at the Performance Center.
– Developmental wrestler Solomon Crowe (formerly Sami Callihan) made his NXT debut at last night’s live event from Tampa, Florida, losing to Xavier Woods. Here’s a picture from Solomon Crowe’s NXT debut:
WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler spoke to Mike Jones of the DC 101 radio station this week to promote this weekend’s WWE live event from Boston (Saturday) and Washington, D.C (Sunday). During the segment, Ziggler spoke out about the storyline of management backing Randy Orton as the “corporate” WWE Champion – and labeling Triple H as the power-hungry executive who is overstepping his bounds.
“If you’ve been familiar with WWE for the last 10 years or so, you would understand without Triple H coming up front and coming out and saying this is our hand-picked guy, he’s the face, no matter what we’re behind him. If you’ve been watching the last 10 years or so you would already know that they made up their mind a long time ago. No matter what he does, good or bad, they’re behind him and they will go out of their way to cut people’s legs out from under them to make sure Randy comes out looking great,” Ziggler told DC 101 radio host Mike Jones this week.
“So, now that that’s out in the open and I’m allowed to comment on it,” Ziggler continued, which plays into Hunter turning heel on TV, “it actually makes me kind of sick. I’m actually really happy for Randy. It makes me mad how good he is. But, the opportunities that he gets over and over again makes that chip on my shoulder seem that much bigger to me. I want to go out there and prove them wrong, prove to Triple H that he backed the wrong guy for the last 10 years.”
Ziggler said that he wants to be the first wrestler to “cross the line” and challenge Triple H’s reign of power.
Here are spoiler results for next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, airing Thursday, September 5th on Spike TV:
– EY beat Jay Bradley
– Mickie James comes out for a promo. ODB interrupts and they fight.
– Chris Sabin vs Knux. Knux brings a hammer in but Sabin takes it away and hits him with it. Winner via DQ, Knux.
– AJ Styles wins the gauntlet match.
– Storm/Gunner are out for a promo but are ambushed by the Aces & 8s. This leads to a match. Aces use a weapon behind the refs back to pick up the win.
– AJ Styles comes out to pick his opponent for No Surrender. He chooses Austin Aries.
– Magnus vs Roode is announced for No Surrender
– Bully Ray vs Sting in a non-title match. Hogan bans Tito from ringside and makes the match a NODQ. Bully takes the padding off the ring, Sting got the upperhand and the Aces interfered. MEM come out and the two factions brawl backstage. Anderson has the hammer, but it’s taken away by the ref leading to Sting winning via submission.
– Anderson & Bully get into an argument and it’s revealed that Anderson will face Bully for the World Title at No Surrender.
One of the main topics of conversation behind the scenes in TNA over the past few weeks has been AJ Styles’ contract expiring – and whether the “TNA Original” will be able to come to terms with the organization.
The latest on this story is that Styles and TNA have agreed to a short-term contract extension.
Styles’ contract was set to expire within a matter of weeks – and he was reportedly offered a deal that was for significantly less money than he’s made in the past.
It’s unknown how long Styles is now locked in for, but TNA will continue negotiating with him in hopes of keeping him on board for the long term.
In case you missed it, here is AJ Styles’ promo from Thursday’s Impact Wrestling:
-The new Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson film “Lore” now has David Green signed on as director, according to a new report today by The Hollywood Reporter.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch will be doing an autograph session this Sunday, September 1st, at the Wrestling Universe Store in Queens, New York. For more information, visit ICWZone.com.
-Former WWE Superstar Charlie Haas will work the Branded Outlaw Wrestling show on September 21st in San Antonio, Texas. Also booked on the show are former WWE Superstars Rhino and Rob Conway, who will wrestle each other for the NWA Title.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Adam “Edge” Copeland will be hosting SyFy’s Ghost Mine on September 4th.
-The following is an excerpt from a new online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley, where he discusses AJ Lee’s promo from Monday’s RAW:
Yes, that was an amazing promo by AJ – primarily because she believed every word of it to be true..or at least it seemed that way to this 28 year wrestling veteran. After all, going back to the lessons I learned from Michael PS Hayes, a heel is always at their most believable and frightening and believable when they absolutely believe in their own words and actions. AJ’s words were convincing and seem to be the ones being embraced by the WWE Universe. I know many people look at Bri and Nikki and see two beautiful women who have been given their spot in the company due to their beauty and choice in boyfriends.
That’s not what I see when I look at Bri and Nikki. I see two strong, proud women who walked away from WWE in April 2012 following a legitimate business disagreement with the company. Bri and Nikki wanted to have more say in what they could and could not do outside of WWE. The company disagreed. I know that feeling. I’ve been there. The Bellas took a stand and walked away. I know that feeling too. But they didn’t do it the Mick Foley way – whining and complaining, and (ask Layla about this sometime) even yelling a little bit. They did it the right way. They took a stand, did everything they were asked to do, and left with their heads held high; earning a heightened respect from everyone they dealt with on their way out.
And when they returned, they came back with a piece of the puzzle that had been missing from the Divas division. They returned with “Total Divas” – the vehicle the entire Divas division has driven to new heights of acceptance and mainstream recognition. I’ve often wondered why AJ wasn’t part of the show. Obviously, she’s a unique character and an an extremely talented wrestler. I would have really enjoyed the opportunity to see her outside the ring – to see how much AJ the performer and AJ the character had in common. I could completely understand any hard feelings she might harbor against the Bellas in that regard. But the idea that the Bellas haven’t worked for everything they’ve received is just plain wrong from this Hall of Famer’s perspective.
The following are highlights from a new Jim Ross blog:
On his UK speaking tour: “Our UK Tour was a huge success. My thanks to all who attended and supported our inaugural journey especially PSI Events & @americansoda. We sold out Cardiff, London, and Glasgow while Manchester had the largest crowd vs Man U vs Chelsea in football just down the street. The Q&A’S with the fans were a blast. I had so much fun meeting the fans one on one even though our unique accents were both humorous & challenging to understand at times. :) Travel was challenging and aggressive. As a great man once told me, “Sleep is our enemy” so I think we defeated our enemy on this trip. No sleep but a lifetime of memories. Lots of plans to do more Evening With…shows on the drawing board but time will tell. Stay tuned.”
On Monday’s edition of WWE RAW: “Stayed up LATE to watch RAW but it was worth it. Bravo to @CMPunk, @heymanhustle, & AJ Lee among many for a fun show. Raw has momentum and with so many new talents and issues evolving, the future is exciting.”
On upcoming tryout at WWE Performance Center: “Working a tryout camp Thursday & Friday at WWE Performance Center. Always looking for the next star. Good luck to all. Effort is your key. Be passionate. It’s your Wrestlemania.”
Check out the complete blog online at JRsBarBQ.com.
– Samuray del Sol is no more as the Mexican-American luchador will be known as Kalisto going forward as part of WWE’s NXT division. The 26-year-old issued the following message Thursday on Twitter announcing the name change.
“KALISTO! ESTA LISTO PARA @WWENXT! #LUCHALIFE.”
– At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2010, Natalya and Beth Phoenix competed against Layla and Michelle McCool in the first-ever Divas Tag Team Tables Match. In WWE’s latest edition of Behind The Match, the third-generation wrestler reflects on this historic encounter.
– Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who became engaged at this year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event to artist Korin Faught, announced last night that they tied the knot in July. They are expecting their first child. (Article)
TNA Wrestling issued a statement this afternoon through its company website concerning tonight’s Bound For Glory Series matches on Impact Wrestling since tournament leader Magnus will be not be appearing on the show “due to an unforeseen issue.”
The British grappler was scheduled to compete against Jeff Hardy and as a result of his absence, they have announced the following changes to the show.
“Magnus, due to an unforeseen issue, will not be appearing on tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV. Magnus currently has competed in 5 matches and was scheduled to face Kazarian on Xplosion this week and Jeff Hardy on Spike TV tonight. Due to the circumstances, TNA officials have met and made the following decision:
“Magnus will stand with his current total of 39 points. Jeff Hardy and Kazarian will face each other tonight on Impact Wrestling on Spike TV to make up their originally scheduled match with Magnus. Also the originally scheduled Kazarian vs. Hernandez match will move to Xplosion this week.
“Must Win Thursday“ tonight will now feature three matches with serious implications on the BFG Series Final Four scheduled for No Surrender in St. Louis; Austin Aries vs. Christopher Daniels, Jeff Hardy vs. Frankie Kazarian, and AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode. Tune in tonight at 9/8c for all this and the return of Hulk Hogan on Spike TV.”
Appearing on 4th & Pain, Titus O’Neil talks openly and in-depth about the reaction of the WWE locker room to Darren Young’s decision to reveal he was gay. He says the reaction has been “very positive.”
On Darren Young: “Darren is a great friend of mine away from the ring. I consider him a part of my family. My kids call him ‘Uncle Darren.’ They run, they play, they joke with him. For him to exhibit the courage that he did to go and discuss his sexual orientation to the world was a brave move to some, but to me is just an act of what type of man he is. You can only live behind certain people’s stereotypes or certain barriers in life for so long. At some point you have to say ‘man, to hell with it. I am who I am. I do what I do and I’m going to be who I want to be.’ ”
O’Neil says he’s know about Young’s sexual orientation for “a while,” but that it was irrelevant.
On how the reaction would be different in NFL locker room: “The football locker room and the WWE locker room are two completely different things.”
He says that unlike an NFL locker room where 53 players comprise a single unit, the wrestling locker room is constructed of more individuals which lends itself to “more shots” for backstabbing.
“If you play a position, you play a position. if you don’t play a position, you’re really not a threat. In WWE, everybody really plays the same position. Everybody is trying to be a WWE Superstar. So, whatever shot you can take, whether it be if a person is gay or not, they’re going to try to make something of it. Whereas in football, whether a person is gay or not it doesn’t matter. If they go out and make plays, they make plays. Period. I can assure you there are guys, whether they came out openly gay or not, there gay guys in NFL and college locker rooms.”
– Ryback is featured on the promotional poster for WWE’s Battleground pay-per-view event taking place on October 6 in Buffalo, New York at Niagara Center.
The official synopsis for the pay-per-view event is as follows: “The battle for dominance in WWE is just beginning. See John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, The Shield and all your favorite WWE Superstars square off at WWE BattleGround, Sunday, October 6 at 8PM ET/5PM PT, Live on Pay-Per-View.”
– Alicia Fox channels “Macho Man” Randy Savage in this photo gallery on WWE.com.
– Lanny Poffo’s limerick book released in 1988, Leaping Lanny: Wrestling With Rhyme, has been released on Kindle by Solstice Publishing.
TNA Impact Wrestling emanates from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio for a live broadcast tonight on Spike TV. The company will also tape next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling tonight in Cleveland.
On tap for the live Impact Wrestling broadcast tonight is the return of Hulk Hogan, as well as a follow-up to the storyline of Bully Ray dropping Brooke Hogan in favor of Brooke Tessmacher, the fallout to Devon leaving TNA following the Aces & 8’s loss to Main Event Mafia and AJ Styles explaining why he dropped his loner gimmick.
TNA will also wrap up their Bound For Glory Series “regular season” tonight, with the following matches:
-AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode
-Austin Aries vs. Christopher Daniels
-Kazarian vs. Hernandez
www.IntegrityBookings.com is very pleased to announce that Former WWE Superstar TED DIBIASE JR has chosen us as his official representative for any future bookings you may have!! The demand for Ted Jr. has been tremendous and we are very excited to be able to bring him to you. Ted DiBiase Jr. is available for Autograph signings, Conventions, Question & Answer sessions, Seminars, DiBiase Posse tailgate parties and the like. A third generation wrestling superstar and two-time WWE World Tag-Team Champion, Ted starred in the 20thCentury Fox movie “The Marine 2” (co-starring Michael Rooker of TV’s “The Walking Dead”).
For ALL of your appearance requests please fill out our “Book A Client” form located here: http://integritybookings.com/book-a-client/.We can also be reached by sending an e-mail to: [email protected] or a private message on Facebook to Facebook.com/IntegrityBookings
Ted DiBiase Jr flies out of Jackson Airport (JAN) in Mississippi. Hotel, airfare, ground transportation and deposits are required to secure the booking. Serious Requests Only!
NOTE: Ted Jr. will NOT be doing shoot interviews of any kind. Due to his schedule, Ted will also be doing a very limited amount of media interviews at this time. For interview requests, please e-mail your credentials [email protected].
Ted DiBiase Jr.’s official social media profiles are:
Facebook.com/TedDiBiaseJrOfficial
Twitter.com/TedDiBiase
– Since 2011, WWE has been heavily promoting the anti-bullying campaign ‘Be a STAR,’ which carries a mission to “ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness.” The program, however, has drawn great criticism as many of the sports-entertainment organization’s on-air scenes and storylines tend to counter the goals of the campaign, such as Ryback’s bullying persona and numerous instances of Jim Ross being ridiculed. Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, Creative, addressed criticism of the campaign in a Twitter message on Wednesday.
A fan asked McMahon, “What do u say to those fans who say @WWE is going against their own Anti-Bullying campaign w/ showing HHH & Ryback bullying?” In response, she said the bullying that occurs on WWE programming should be strictly viewed as entertainment.
“No diff than bullying in a movie,” wrote McMahon. “WWE is Entertainment @beaSTARalliance is real.”
– This week’s episode of WWE NXT is now available on Hulu.com. Four matches take place on the show, including Adrian Neville vs. Conor O’Brian, Enzo Amore vs. Scott Dawson, Emma vs. Summer Rae, and CJ Parker vs. Tyler Breeze.
– The official Tumblr account of WWE reveals five things you didn’t know about Kaitlyn.
-WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler will be the next guest on the “Steve Austin Show” podcast. The latest edition of the show, which features Shane “Hurricane” Helms and was released today, can be accessed online at PodcastOne.com.
-WWE Superstar William Regal will be holding “An Audience With A Wrestling Villain 2” on Monday, November 11th at The Frog & Bucket Comedy Club on Oldham Street in Manchester at 11:00PM. For more information, visit Facebook.com/ErosComedy.
-30 Rock star Judah Friedlander has signed on to pen the introduction to the Headlocked comic book, which features contributions from pro wrestling stars such as Jerry “The King” Lawler, Rob Van Dam, Shane “Hurricane” Helms, Ken Anderson, Christopher Daniels, Beth Phoenix and others. For more information, visit Kickstarter.com.
– Nine days after undergoing surgery on a torn triceps, 13-time World Champion John Cena is still unable to move his arm. He released the following injury on Thursday morning.
“Day 9, post Op. still can’t move arm, may be bending rules a bit. I refuse to sit still. Stitches out in 5days. Then time 2 b #evenstronger,” wrote Cena.
Cena is facing a four-to-six month timetable before he returns to the ring again.
– WWE.com has added late 1980s star Hillbilly Jim to its Alumni section. Now 61-years-old, Jim hosts a show on Sirius Satellite Radio, Hillbilly Jim’s Moonshine Matinee, which plays a wide variety of classic country music and Southern rock. Between records, he tells stories of his time with the World Wrestling Federation.
– William Regal is scheduled to display his comedic talent as he headlines “An Audience With A Wrestling Villain 2” on Monday, November 11 at the The Frog & Bucket Comedy Club, Oldham Street, Manchester, England, at 11:00 p.m.
– Nick Cvjetkovich, who briefly appeared as Kizarny in WWE, turns 40-years-old today.
– In this week’s edition of WWE Inbox, Kaitlyn addresses such topics as the spear, who inspired her to become a WWE Diva, the type of match she desires to face AJ Lee in, her favorite The Simpsons character and episode, and which former WWE Diva she is most interested in facing in. In response to the last topic, the “Hybrid Diva” wants Kharma since she reminds her of a character from Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
“I never got a shot to face Kharma,” said Kaitlyn. “I guess the biggest reason is because she really reminds me of Ursula the Sea Witch, just because of her laugh.”
– Former WCW wrestler Bobby Blaze has released an autobiography, Pin Me, Pay Me!: Have Boots, Will Travel, chronicling his journey throughout the world of professional wrestling. The synopsis reads, “Bobby Blaze Smedley’s forthright autobiography, Pin Me, Pay Me, Have Boots Will Travel, is a powerful and insightful look at the inner workings of the world of professional wrestling, written in an introspective story-telling style that puts you in the ring with him. Overcoming illness and adversity to rise to the heights of his chosen profession, Bobby takes you on the road and around the world as he realizes his lifelong dream, to be one of the rare individuals who earns his living as a professional wrestler.”
Prior to joining World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990’s, Blaze competed for Smokey Mountain Wrestling. On February 26 1995, he defeated Jerry “The King” Lawler to capture the Smokey Mountain Heavyweight Championship.
– Sami Callihan is no more as the independent wrestling standout will be known as Solomon Crowe going forward as part of WWE’s NXT division. The 25-year-old issued the following message Wednesday evening on Twitter announcing the name change.
From the ashes of Sami Callihan, Solomon Crowe was born…. Soon the Songs of Solomon shall be sung…..
– CM Punk was in attendance at tonight’s UFC event at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The show aired live on FOX Sports 1 as the WWE Superstar was shown seated next to UFC President Dana White.
– The official WWE website has published an article highlighting the personalized Money in the Bank briefcases of Damien Sandow, Edge, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler.
– Independent wrestler Christina Von Eerie turns 24-years-old today.
– Monday’s Raw saw AJ Lee unleash a scathing “pipe bomb” towards her fellow Divas as she passionately complained they were handed opportunities she had to sacrifice for. “You’re all worthless excuses for women, and you will never be able to touch me,” said Lee in her promo. “And that’s reality.” The official WWE website has issued a poll asking fans which person did she burn the worst during her tirade—The Bella Twins, The Funkadactyls, Natalya, Eva Marie, JoJo, or Tyson Kidd.
Though The Bella Twins were not specifically referenced in Lee’s tirade, they are currently leading the poll at 40%. They are trailed by Natalya, and Tyson Kidd, who she labeled as “not much of a man” based on his dealings with Natalya on Sunday’s episode of Total Divas.
– TVTechnology.com has published an article on WWE recently completing a major upgrade of it technical operations center in Stamford, Connecticut that included “HD ingest and edit rooms, QC and transmission, core router replacement and upgrade, and Audio Post 3, the newest 5.1 surround sound audio suite in the facility.”
WWE commissioned a company in Mahopac, New York to upgrade the center.
“WWE brought me in to do my thing, within the budget, not to give them more than they needed, but not undershoot either,” said Francis Manzella of Design Limited. “They gave me complete freedom in the design of the new room. I was told not to duplicate the old room [that Audio 3 replaced] nor the other audio post rooms in the facility.”
For additional details on the upgrade, click here.
– John “Bradshaw” Layfield revealed on Twitter that this week’s episode of The JBL & Cole Show was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, the site of last night’s SmackDown taping.
– Former WWE Champion CM Punk hung out with actress Aimee Garcia of George Lopez and Dexter fame at last night’s Chicago Cubs game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Punk tweeted this image of himself with the fellow Chicago native.
– As part of their continued efforts to provide viewership engagement data for the television industry, Twitter has purchased Trendrr, the company that reports the weekly “social media score” for shows such as WWE RAW, SmackDown & Total Divas.
– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle blog has posted exclusive pictures of Ric Flair from the controversial WWE 2K14 “30 Years of WrestleMania” panel from SummerSlam weekend in Los Angeles, California. Flair got a lot of heat for his conduct during the panel due to his conduct. To view the photos, visit HeymanHustle.com.
