Kofi Kingston’s road to WWE WrestleMania has taken a major hit due to an injury that has put him on the sidelines.
Kingston was sidelined when he suffered an injury on last week’s episode of SmackDown while doing a segment to set up this week’s fatal 5-way match.
Now, Xavier Woods has replaced him with the match now seeing Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. LA Knight vs. Karrion Kross vs. Xavier Woods. The winner will earn the right to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39.
The Latest
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Kingston’s ankle injury is only expected to keep him out of the ring for about 5 weeks.
Meltzer wrote, “Kingston suffered an ankle injury when McIntyre did a running flip dive on several people. It was just a fluke deal. The time frame we are hearing is five weeks. There was concern earlier it could be longer because he may have needed surgery and if he does need surgery it would be lengthy.”
The impression is that Kingston won’t need surgery. Unfortunately, it looks like Kingston will be missing WrestleMania though.
AEW Revolution marked the first pay-per-view event of the new year for All Elite Wrestling.
The show was headlined by a 60-minute Iron Man match pitting AEW World Champion MJF defending against Bryan Danielson.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports the show did between 120,000 to 129,000 buys, though Meltzer notes, “that number will probably grow to just under or a little over 130,000 with late buys.”
To compare, last year’s show drew between 165,000 and 173,000 buys. It was headlined by Hangman Page defending the AEW World Title against Adam Cole, but the biggest match featured on the card was CM Punk vs. MJF in a dog collar match.
The previous PPV event held by AEW was Full Gear in November, which drew 140,000 buys. The show was headlined by MJF, challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title.
Other Metrics
The ratings for both Dynamite and Rampage dropped heading into the show. Streaming and international numbers are also down right now for the promotion, although those two metrics can be hit-and-miss.
Regarding the Google searches, they were “big twice last year, after Double or Nothing and All Out with the brawl aftermath.” Revolution did 50,000 searches and was No. 12 in the United States for the day.
This week on Top Rope Nation, SEScoops Site Manager Ryan Droste and Justin Joynt discuss John Cena’s big return to WWE Raw this past Monday night (and some of the criticism it prompted online).
Each week, the video version of Top Rope Nation streams live to the SEScoops YouTube channel. You can join the live streams by subscribing to the channel and turning on notifications so you never miss a live broadcast. This will include a regular weekly edition of Top Rope Nation (typically Thursday nights), as well as reviews of all major WWE and AEW PLE/PPV shows.
Also on this week’s show, Ryan and Justin discuss Jey Uso’s turn on Sami Zayn, the WrestleMania card, AEW Dynamite this week, a question and answer segment and much more!
You can subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever podcasts are found. You can listen to the podcast via the player below as well.
ECW Legend Justin Credible (Peter “PJ” Polaco), along with his family, recently experienced a horrific incident. It has come to light that they were displaced from their apartment following a fire incident earlier this week.
Justin Credible had multiple stints in WWE and ECW, where he accrued several championships. During his time in WWE, Credible won the Hardcore Championship eight times.
In ECW, Credible gained massive success after forming a team with Lance Storm. The duo won the ECW Tag Team Championships on two occasions before Credible got a six-month run as the ECW World Heavyweight Champion.
Justin Credible and family self-evacuated
On Monday, March 6, NBC Connecticut had reported that the fire department rushed to the scene of an apartment building fire after receiving a call around 3:40 p.m. The fire swept through the Bradley Avenue apartments in Waterbury as four families self-evacuated. However, no one was harmed. Due to the damage, seven people were displaced, including Justin Credible and his family.
PWInsider identified Credible (real name Peter “PJ” Polaco) as one of the residents displaced from their apartments. The fire department traced the source of the fire to the second floor of the complex. The blazes spread to the third and fourth floors, in addition to the attic, before responders arrived to put it out and prevent further damage.
In addition to this, PWInsider revealed that Credible and his family resided on the third floor of the building, and evacuated with no injuries. As they await clearance to return to their apartment, they are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. No additional information has been released at this time.
Fans won’t have to wait much longer to learn who will be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame, it has been claimed.
Since 1993, WWE has celebrated wrestlers and icons of the industry with their Hall of Fame, with the first recipient being Andre the Giant.
WWE also has a celebrity wing of their Hall of Fame as well as the Warrior Award which was introduced in 2015.
2023 Hall of Fame
Unlike previous years, WWE has been in no hurry to announce inductees into this year’s Hall of Fame.
At this point in the calendar, WWE would typically have most, if not all, inductees announced, but so far, nobody has been confirmed for this year’s class.
According to Wrestle Votes, inductees will be announced later today, given that we are now three weeks away from the ceremony.
The plan as of Monday was to begin announcing this years Hall of Fame induction class today. The annual HOF ceremony is 3 weeks from tonight in Los Angeles following SmackDown.
While nobody has been publicly confirmed by WWE, there’s no shortage of names rumored to be going into the Hall of Fame this year.
It has been reported that former World Champion Dave Batista will be headlining this year’s class, after withdrawing from the 2020 class.
The Animal withdrew given the Covid-19 pandemic, as 2020’s class were bundled with the 2021 class two years ago.
While some felt that 2022 would be the Animal’s time, the ceremony was (rightly) headlined by The Undertaker.
Last month, Ric Flair shared his belief that the Midnight Express should be inducted, calling the iconic faction a “great team.”
Trish Stratus who was inducted in 2013, said last month that Victoria and Impact Wrestling Knockouts World Champion Mickie James both deserve the nod this year.
We’re just weeks away from WrestleMania 39, but WWE officials are already looking ahead to the top programs for SummerSlam.
Becky Lynch is one of the top female performers in WWE. She has been working closely with the trailblazers of the women’s division and WWE Hall of Famers, Lita and Trish Stratus. ‘Big Time Becks’ had been in a feud with Lita in the past. Now, if the latest reports are to be believed, she could have a storyline with a WWE legend.
SummerSlam is one of the biggest events of WWE’s calendar each year. With this year’s installment taking place from Ford Field stadium in Detroit, Michigan, the company will want to line up some blockbuster attractions suitable for the occasion.
A new report indicates a major storyline is brewing between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus.
Becky Lynch could face Trish Stratus
According to a scoop from WRKD Wrestling on Twitter, there might be a legendary future feud coming Becky’s way:
“The long term plan, as of this moment, is that Trish Stratus will turn heel and work a program with Becky Lynch through SummerSlam.”
– WRKD Wrestling
WWE often shuffles up the plans late before showtime and that could also happen in this case. However, the WRKD account has been accurate regarding the rest of their Trish Stratus scoops. We will have to see how much truth lies in this report.
Becky Lynch and Lita recently defeated IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, winning the Women’s Tag-Team Championships. Damage CTRL leader Bayley had been interfering in the title match and tried to assist her team in retaining the gold. However, in the closing moments, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus made a shocking return. Stratus, Lita and Lynch celebrated together after the match
Becky Lynch already has some WrestleMania 39 plans as she would team up with Trish and her fellow WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Lita to take on Damage CTRL.
The Superstars of WWE could be heading down under in due time for a stadium event in Australia.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it is reported that the state government of Western Australia is “negotiating” with WWE to run a major stadium show.
Dave Meltzer writes that if successful, the likely city for the event would be Perth, which recently hosted a UFC show.
UFC shows outside the U.S. are, in essence, local governments bringing in UFC for tourism or other reasons, and WWE would bring a ton of attraction to Perth.
WWE in Australia
While Sydney may be approximately 10,000 miles from WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, the promotion has a solid history with Australia.
In 2002, over 56,000 fans filled Colonial Stadium for WWE’s Global Warning event, which saw The Rock defeat Triple H and Brock Lesnar to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event.
It would be over 14 years later that WWE would have taped content in Australia, filming matches for NXT in December 2016 that would air the next month.
70,000 fans packed the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2018 for Super ShowDown, and WWE has done several untelevised tours of Australia, the most recent being in 2019.
Homecoming
If this show goes ahead, it will be a homecoming for many of the Superstars in NXT and on the main roster.
On the main roster, recently returned Superstars Emma and Bronson Reed call Australia home, as does 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley.
NXT is also home to some exceptional Australian talent, including Duke Hudson, Xyon Quinn, Indi Hartwell, and Grayson Waller.
Ronda Rousey’s plans for WWE WrestleMania 39 remain uncertain, with the former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion still out with an injury.
During last week’s SmackDown, Rousey appeared in a sling as she accompanied Shayna Baszler for the latter’s match with Tegan Nox.
While some had initially believed the injury was just part of the storyline as Baszler and Rousey had brawled with Nox & Natalya, it has been clarified that she is legitimately hurt.
The Injury
It has been reported that Rousey’s injury is actually a reaggravated injury that she suffered years earlier.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that Rousey is believed to be dealing with a “hairline fracture.”
Meltzer added that the injury occurred during a training session and not from anything physical that transpired on TV or at a WWE live event.
Typically, a hairline fracture takes a few weeks to fully recover from but can require surgery in rare cases.
WrestleMania 39 Plans
This injury could not come at a worse time given that Rousey and WWE are now just 22 days away from WrestleMania 39.
As one of the biggest mainstream stars on WWE’s roster, Rousey was always booked to be part of the show.
In his report, Meltzer states that the plan remains for Rousey to compete for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Baszler next month.
There is the possibility that WWE Women’s Tag Champions Lita and Becky Lynch will have to compete twice at WrestleMania, as they have been confirmed for a six-woman tag-team match.
A former name from All Elite Wrestling will make his return to the promotion next week, Tony Khan has confirmed.
2022 saw several names depart the All-Elite promotion, the majority of which having signed three-year deals with the company upon its launch in 2019.
Of course, the biggest loss for AEW last year was Cody Rhodes, who has since become WWE’s top babyface and possibly the next World Champion.
Stu Grayson
In May of last year, it was announced that Stu Grayson had left AEW, after he and the promotion failed to come to terms over a new deal.
In later reports, it was reported that a difference over money had been a stumbling block in negotiations and that a lack of consistent TV time was also a factor.
While Grayson is no longer under contract, the Dark order alum will make his return to AEW next week as part of a six-man tag-team match.
Grayson will team with Evil Uno and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to face the Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli.
AEW President announced Grayson’s return on Twitter.
In AEW's debut in Winnipeg + first 2023 international event, Hangman Page & Evil Uno call in Canada's own Stu Grayson to fight the BCC Wednesday night! pic.twitter.com/97rUqAKweB
It shouldn’t be too surprising that Grayson is back, as at the time of his release, it was reported that the door had not shut on his return.
Next Week’s Dynamite
The return of Stu Grayson will be just part of a stacked AEW Dynamite, which will be the promotion’s first Dynamite in Winnipeg.
AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy will face Jeff Jarrett to determine the first AEW International Champion.
New AEW Trios Champions the House of Black will face The Elite and the Jericho Appreciation Society in title action.
AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill will put her title and her strike on the line against a yet-to-be-named opponent, while AEW World Champion MJF will have his ‘re-Bar Mitzvah.’
Are matches involving celebrities a good or bad thing for the world of professional wrestling?
While other promotions do use the occasional outside name, nobody does it quite like WWE, as the promotion often uses celebrities around WrestleMania season.
In recent years, Bad Bunny, Johnny Knoxville, and Logan Paul (who has since signed with WWE) have all competed at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Pros and Cons
To many, celebrities stepping into the ring is an inherently bad thing, as it takes away from a full-time member of the roster.
Speaking on Superstar Crossover, GUNTHER noted that he understands the frustration from stars who don’t get to wrestle on the card.
“Somebody that wrestles all year round, and then comes WrestleMania, and it’s somebody who is always working and it’s their drive of ‘I want to be in the big spectacle,’ and some spots won’t be available because we have celebrities come in.”
GUNTHER.
The reigning Intercontinental Champion added though that these celebrities do make the effort, and that they bring a lot of good attention to WWE.
“It helps our business in general to generate way more attention. The only thing I think is important is, whoever comes in from the outside and takes part in what we do, they have to have a passion for it and has to take it as serious to be part of our product.“
GUNTHER.
The Imperium leader name-dropped Logan Paul and Bad Bunny as two key examples of the benefit of celebrities stepping in the ring.
GUNTHER went so far as to claim that Paul (who has competed four times for WWE,) is taking risks he would be hesitant to take himself.
GUNTHER at WrestleMania
The reigning Intercontinental Champion does not have to worry about losing his spot at WrestleMania 39, which will be his first WrestleMania.
On tonight’s SmackDown, a five-way match will determine the Austrian’s challenger for WrestleMania.
The match will consist of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, LA Knight, and Xavier Woods, who is replacing the injured Kofi Kingston.
John Cena is on the road to WrestleMania 39, and the 16-time World Champion made a stop this week to help the next generation of wrestlers.
During this week’s Raw, Cena made his return to WWE and after some goading, accepted Austin Theory’s offer for a United States Championship match at WrestleMania.
This will mark Cena’s first match with WWE since teaming with Kevin Owens to defeat Sami Zayn and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in December 2022.
Guest Speaker
As a leading man in Hollywood (and now with his new WWE commitments) John Cena is an exceptionally busy man.
Despite his schedule, the GOAT made time to visit the Nightmare Factory training facility, run by Cody Rhodes and AEW’s QT Marshall.
In a tweet from the account, Cena can be seen with several of the facility’s trainees.
John Cena will always be one of WWE’s biggest stars, but it is hardly a secret that he is in the latter stages of his wrestling career.
Cena has wrestled just three televised matches in the past three years, as his claim that ‘You Can’t See Me’ has become painfully true for fans.
Taking to Twitter after his return on Raw this week, Cena said that for the first time, he felt like this could be the last time he makes a return to WWE.
It’s unclear how many appearances on WWE programming Cena will make before his match with Theory at WrestleMania 39 this April.
Last night was the first time I entered the arena and had the thought that it might be the last time. I’ll never be able to put into words how much I love the #WWEUniversehttps://t.co/FR5T3r1tld
AEW’s decision to change the name of the All-Atlantic Championship has been a long time in the making.
During this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan announced that the All-Atlantic title will be renamed the AEW International Championship next week.
On next week’s Dynamite, Orange Cassidy, the current AEW All-Atlantic Champion, will face Jeff Jarrett to determine the AEW International Champion.
The Decision
The decision to rebrand the AEW All-Atlantic Championship was made months ago, according to Fightful Select.
In their report, it is noted that Warner Bros asked for something big in order to cross-promote Shazam: Fury of the Gods, which releases March 17.
Tony Khan was the one who had the idea of doing a “level up” of the championship to the International Championship.
A new championship title was created months ago to prepare specifically for this week and next week in order to promote the new film.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is the sequel to 2019’s Shazam, which tells the story of Billy Batson and his adoptive siblings, who an ancient wizard gives god-like superpowers.
Cross-Promotion
Next week’s reveal of the AEW International Championship to promote Shazam: Fury of the Gods is hardly the first time AEW has dabbled in cross-promotion.
AEW hosted a dragon-themed edition of AEW Dynamite in August last year, to cross-promote the Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon.
Fightful reports that AEW “is always excited to do the cross-promotional work” and attempts to have newsworthy items in association with them.
AEW also wanted to put something newsworthy on the Winnipeg show and increase the prestige of a title they put on television often in prime positions.
The WWE traffic accident case was closed on March 7th in Florida Middle District Court regarding the lawsuit brought against WWE regarding a 2019 traffic accident in Tampa.
The jury trial occurred after a lawsuit was filed against them by Jackson Parsons, who was injured in the accident. His representation convinced a jury to side with them, resulting in WWE being forced to pay $331,800 to Jackson. The percentage was based on the level of negligence in the incident.
The jury ruled that the negligence by WWE led to Jackson being injured. However, Jackson’s own negligence was a factor in the incident taking place as they stated that Jackson held 65% of the negligence while WWE was responsible for 35%.
The Lawsuit
Parsons filed the lawsuit in June 2021 after the incident took place in July 2019 where he alleged that a van rented by the company with a driver who was a WWE employee and prop expert, Gaitan Thomas, “who was on the job at the time” was involved in a traffic accident with Parsons, who had been riding a bicycle.
Parsons claimed he “suffered physical injuries, pain-and-suffering, disability and the inability and loss of the capacity to lead and enjoy normal life, inconvenience, disfigurement, scarring and mental anguish.” He also cited “suffered physical injuries, pain-and-suffering, disability and the inability and loss of the capacity to lead and enjoy a normal life, inconvenience, disfigurement, scarring and mental anguish,” while saying his injuries and suffering are permanent. He also claimed he has incurred past medical expenses and will incur future medical expenses on account of the motor vehicle accident, and that he has suffered “a loss of earnings and earning capacity, both in the past and in the future.”
Parsons had been looking for $76,500.00 for pain and suffering, mental anguish and inconvenience, and $401,500 for future pain and suffering.
Although Kane has not wrestled in a few years, he’s not retired.
The former WWE Champion last wrestled when he was part of the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble match. Regarding a normal match, he hasn’t wrestled a singles or tag team bout since Crown Jewel in 2018, when he teamed with the Undertaker against Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Kane was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021. His career will be covered on A&E Biography: WWE Legends on Sunday, March 12.
One More Match?
While speaking to PWMania, Kane was asked about the possibility of wrestling one more match.
“I’ll always leave that door open. In WWE we never say never. I don’t know what will happen. I do some stuff here and there in the WWE. That’s a part of me and it’s something I enjoy and want to do for the rest of my life. If it’s something in the ring, I don’t know. Maybe you have to ask Kane that question,” he said.
Kane did make an appearance at last year’s SummerSlam in Nashville, Tennessee, to announce the attendance for the show. While away from WWE, he continues to be the Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee.
WWE’s efforts to legalize gambling on its matches continue as the company has registered with another state in addition to the previously reported Colorado and Michigan.
As previously reported by CNBC on Wednesday, the company has met with regulators in Colorado and Michigan regarding wagering on “high profile” WWE matches. On Thursday, the same media outlet updated its report to confirm that the company registered with the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Consideration?
The Colorado Division of Gaming told CNBC that it is currently not even considering the idea of legalized wagering on WWE matches. The Colorado Division of Gaming also noted that the state has a statute that prohibits gambling on predetermined contests such as awards shows or, in this case, pro wrestling.
Should the Michigan Gaming Control Board approve legalized wagering on WWE matches, that information will be made public on the organization’s Sports Wagering Catalog.
To get this pushed through, WWE has partnered with the accounting firm Ernest & Young to secure match results and demonstrate to regulators that gambling on predetermined contests can be done safely.
It was a logical partnership as the firm already works to secure results for predetermined contests, including the Academy Awards.
WWE has proposed that to get this through, they will have match results locked in months ahead of the bouts taking place as a way to prevent the results from being leaked to the public, leading to wrestlers involved in the matches not knowing until right before the match takes place.
Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of FOX, is ready to engage in talks with WWE regarding their partnership together.
On Thursday, Morgan Stanley TMT held a media and telecom conference where Murdoch spoke and was asked about the evolution of the partnership with the wrestling promotion.
That partnership sees FOX air SmackDown every Friday night. It initially included the WWE Backstage show that aired on FS1, but it was canceled.
The Partnership
Murdoch would not describe it as an ‘evolution’ of the partnership but praised WWE for being great partners.
Regarding the potential sale of WWE, he noted that he hopes the new buyers keep the current management team together because they’ve done a great job from his point of view.
“So, I don’t think it’s an evolution of the partnership (between FOX & WWE). I think they’ve been great partners. They’ve been great partners throughout our partnership, our relationship. If they ultimately sell the business, I hope the acquirer, I’m sure they’ll be as good a partner as they’ve been. I hope the management team stays intact because they’ve done a tremendous job. From a rights point of view, we’re focused on their rights renewal. We’re ready. We haven’t engaged with them on the rights yet. We’re ready to engage with them when they ask, when they’re ready. But ultimately, our appetite for a renewal depends on what happens with the rest of our sports portfolio.”
FOX’s deal for SmackDown expires next year, but negotiations are expected to start later this year.
Triple H is doing a great job in the role of WWE Chief Content Officer since taking over the position last year. Fans have certainly loved his work and are eager as to what ‘The Game’ has in store for them.
While the card for this year’s WrestleMania 39 event is all stacked up, Triple H is reportedly chalking out plans for WrestleMania 40. The show is set to take place in Philadelphia, and The WWE Executive already appears to have big plans for the event.
“Next year they’re going to pack and stack the hell out of the card, because of the anniversary. It means something to Triple H.”
In addition to this, WrestleVotes noted that the ‘door is open’ for two major names to work next year’s event who rejected appearing at this year’s show.
These names include The Rock, who told WWE he wouldn’t be able to get in ring shape for a match with Roman Reigns in time for the show, and WWE Hall of Famer ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake had also rejected numerous pitches for this year’s event, including matches with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
The show is over a year away and it is quite certain that several changes in plans will occur. It is needless to say that the company will try to make the most of this one year, once WrestleMania 39 goes into the history books.
Gable Steveson’s career in WWE will likely face another delay given the young Superstar’s plans to return to the Olympics.
In 2021, weeks after winning Gold in Tokyo, Steveson signed with WWE putting rumors to bed that he could join the NFL, UFC, or even AEW.
That same year, Steveson was drafted to Monday Night Raw, making him the first person in history to be drafted before having a professional match.
The Olympics
Steveson has been with WWE for close to two years, but he is yet to wrestle a match for the promotion.
In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Steveson said that he plans on competing at the Summer Games in Paris, France next year.
“I’m 22 and next year I’ll be 23 at the Olympic games. It’s definitely a blessing to be able to call yourself an Olympic gold medalist and to be able to have the WWE fans recognize you with that, but in my eyes, there’s always a next and there’s always a bigger show to accomplish. WWE is another show to accomplish, but being a two-time Olympic gold medalist is also on the top of my list.”
Gable Steveson.
It has been reported that WWE intended to ‘fast track’ Steveson to the main roster, but he has not shown the level of progress in training that was expected of him.
Steveson’s one and only offensive maneuver in WWE came at WrestleMania 38, when he suplexed (fellow Olympian) Chad Gable.
Debut
If Steveson goes ahead with plans to wrestle in Paris, then it’s unlikely he will be wrestling for WWE before then, and risk an injury.
That doesn’t mean that Steveson could not show up on WWE TV, and in the interview, said he feels he is close to being on programming.
“It will be coming really, really soon. And when I mean really, really soon, probably after [WrestleMania] or just a little bit after that.”
Gable Steveson.
There are currently no reports that reveal if WWE has plans for Steveson to be used on-screen in any capacity anytime soon.
Former Impact Wrestling star Angelina Love and Fodder are tying the knot as man and wife.
Love took to her Twitter account to announce the news as she shared photos of herself sporting an engagement ring alongside the fellow wrestler.
The two have been wrestling on the independent scene and in the NWA. Fodder has only wrestled for two years while Love has been in the wrestling business for 22 years where she has competed in promotions such as TNA Wrestling, Ring Of Honor, Game Changer Wrestling, SHINE Wrestling, and AAA. They signed with the NWA last year.
The Announcement
Love, who is a former six-time TNA Knockout’s Champion, captioned the post that had photos with the following:
“It was so easy to say YES! to this man ? My King, my best friend, my soulmate and David’s Big Cheese ? love you always and forever @LoKeys910.”
Congrats to the happy couple!
Love most recently wrestled on NWA Powerrr on February 12th when she lost to La Rosa Negra. Fodder’s last match happened on this same episode when he beat VHS.
It was so easy to say YES! to this man ? My King, my best friend, my soulmate and David’s Big Cheese ? love you always and forever @LoKeys910 ?? pic.twitter.com/HyvcCBcnOy
WWE is taking a huge risk with their new gambling proposals which would allow fans to make more and bigger bets on the matches.
Despite being scripted entertainment, WWE does allow some small bets on matches, and has teamed with popular services including DraftKings and FanDuel.
While fans do not know the results of matches for certain until they see the bout itself, there are people within WWE who know the results well ahead of time.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that WWE could be risking it all if the match results leak under their proposed gambling initiative.
“If they do this, legitimately, they can’t tell anyone. It’s not like you’re going to sneak around the system. There’s going to be safeguards and everything. The minute they tell people [the results] and it gets out… they’d be in an incredible amount of trouble for gaming violations. That’s nothing to mess with. They literally can’t do that. So the talent will not be able to know their finishes at least in the stuff that’s being gambled on.”
“The minute they tell people [the results] and it gets out… they’d be in an incredible amount of trouble for gaming violations.”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer confirmed rumors that WWE Superstars would not be told the results of their own matches until the last minute, which could cause serious problems backstage.
“I think it is limited to only the biggest matches, which actually makes it even funnier. Because let’s just say you’re planning a title change. You’re not going to tell the champion, or the challenger about the title change until about an hour or two before the match starts.”
Dave Meltzer.
Bryan Alvarez jokingly wished WWE good luck the next time they want Brock Lesnar to wrestle without telling him the result of his own match until the last minute.
Surprise
WWE’s gambling plans have taken fans by surprise, as well as those in the company.
Ironically, these plans were kept a closely guarded secret in WWE, but have since leaked to the public. Meltzer explained:
“This surprised a lot of people, including the company. Because this wasn’t something that people knew WWE was doing, trying to get this stuff done. But what I’m guessing, more than guessing, is that Draft Kings wants to sponsor them. And Draft Kings does sponsor WWE, and they do sponsor AEW as well. And if WWE gets this, would AEW then follow?”
Meltzer chalked up these big plans to WWE’s CEO Nick Khan.
“This is Nick Khan’s baby. He’s a sports guy. And there’s a lot of money in sports gambling.”
Ric Flair is one of the most recognized professional wrestlers in history, but he will take photos when it is right for him.
In 2005, Flair won the Intercontinental Championship from Carlito at that year’s Unforgiven Pay-Per-View, marking Flair’s one and only reign with the gold.
This win would also be Flair’s first taste of singles gold in WWE in 13 years after previously holding the WWE Championship twice in 1992.
Being Fined
Ric Flair was on WWE’s roster for years, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the ‘Dirtiest Player in the Game’ got in trouble backstage at times.
Speaking on the latest episode of his To Be the Man podcast, Ric recalled being fined for failing the Wellness Policy.
“I got popped for a steroid test. [John] Lauriniaitis. I said I said ‘I got a prescription.’ He said ‘the doctor said it doesn’t work on a guy your age.’ I said ‘I’m 55 years old wrestling 25-year-old kids!’ And he said ‘you’re fined 40 grand but you’re not going home. Be at work every day I’m just not going to pay you for a month.'”
Ric Flair.
Five-Grand Fine
Being fined for his Wellness Policy violation was hardly the only time Flair would get in trouble with WWE.
During the show, Flair recalled his Intercontinental Championship win, and being fined almost immediately after his victory.
“They still don’t have a [studio] picture of me with the Intercontinental belt. It drives them crazy, right? I said ‘I’m not taking a picture with the Intercontinental belt’ and so they fined me five thousand dollars. And I told them. ‘When you guys are so starved for talent, that you’ve got to fine a 55-year-old guy for not taking a picture with the Intercontinental belt, you’ve got a developmental problem with talent.
“I said ‘I’m not taking a picture with the Intercontinental belt’ and so they fined me five thousand dollars.”
Ric Flair.
When co-host Conrad Thompson asked whether the 16-time World Champion felt the IC title was a step-down, Flair refuted the idea.
“No no no. It wasn’t that. I just didn’t want to take off my shirt any more than I had to. I’m talking about vanity. It wasn’t the belt, I mean that was awesome having the belt. That’s a misconception. I just didn’t want to take off my shirt any more than I had to. Man, I was ducking and diving. Paying Kevin Dunn off to shoot me at different angles.”
“I just didn’t want to take off my shirt any more than I had to.”
Ric Flair.
Flair’s 155-day reign would end in February 2006 when he dropped the title to Shelton Benjamin on Monday Night Raw.
Brian Cage’s time with All Elite Wrestling will seemingly be coming to an end soon enough, despite the promotion’s best efforts.
In January, a report from Fightful Select noted that Cage’s AEW contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks, but that there was the possibility it could be extended.
Cage originally signed his AEW contract in 2020 with a two-year deal, but his option year was picked up by the promotion.
Running Out of Time
In its update, Fightful Select reports that AEW was hoping to extend Cage’s current deal due to the time he was injured, which would have made his deal last until the end of June.
Some of the time that was supposed added to Cage’s contract is actually because Cage was signed while injured after leaving Impact Wrestling.
Cage, a former Impact Wrestling World Champion, “pushed back” on that idea, and said he was “interested in exploring free agency.”
Fightful was told that Cage has had some “heavy hitters” within AEW in his corner of late, and that Chris Jericho has been putting over his work.
The head of the Jericho Appreciation Society has spoken publicly about his desire that Cage re-signs with AEW.
In 2021, Cage reportedly had heat backstage in AEW after his wife Melissa bashed the promotion on social media and said her husband should be used more.
WWE Interest
In January, it was reported that “feelers” from WWE had tried to gauge if Cage would have any interest in signing with the promotion.
Fightful Select has been told that WWE has maintained an interest in Cage in the event he becomes a free agent, and is open to having conversations.
AEW and Cage have agreed to work together through the end of March, specifically the ROH Supercard of Honor Pay-Per-View.
Ric Flair may have spent much of his wrestling career as a dastardly heel, but even he knows when a line has been crossed.
At AEW Revolution 2023, MJF retained his AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson, winning the first Iron Man match in AEW history.
During the match, MJF took a beverage (believed to be Tequila) from a fan and threw it on a child sitting in the crowd.
Many have called this a step too far for MJF who has earned praise in the past for his dedication to his heel-wrestling persona.
Totally Against
Ric Flair may be no angel (as fans learned from VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring) but he believes that MJF’s actions at Revolution were not warranted.
On his To Be The Man podcast, co-host Conrad Thompson asked Flair for his thoughts on MJF’s actions.
“It’s cheap heat. You want to do something to get heat and get the people excited that won’t hurt anybody? You cut yourself so deep that when you swing your hair, you throw blood all over them. I used to do it all the time when I had long hair. Then they feel like they’re part of the action.”
Ric Flair.
While Flair did seem to say that last part in jest, he made his stance perfectly clear.
“I’m totally against throwing anything on a kid.”
Ric Flair.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said that this sort of behavior would not fly in WWE, the promotion MJF has teased joining next year.
AEW’s Response
What happened at Revolution was not an intended part of the show, and both the young fan and their guardian were incredibly upset.
The fan, Titus, was given AEW merchandise, tickets to this week’s Dynamite, and was able to go backstage at Revolution to meet the wrestlers.
At the Revolution post-show press conference, AEW President Tony Khan said that he and MJF had a serious talk about the champion’s actions.
The future of the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships has been made clear after the tragic passing of Jay Briscoe earlier this year.
In January, Jay died in a car accident minutes from his home in Laurel, Delaware at the age of 38.
The accident resulted in the death of the driver of the other vehicle, and Jay’s daughters Jayleigh and Grace have both had to undergo surgery.
ROH World Tag Team Championships
Since Jay’s passing, Mark Briscoe has continued to be promoted as an ROH World Tag Team Champion during his appearances on AEW and ROH programming.
During this week’s taping of AEW Rampage (which is set to air on March 10,) Mark announced that a ‘Reach for the Sky’ Ladder match will decide the next champions.
The match is set to occur at Ring of Honor’s upcoming pay-per-view, Supercard of Honor on Friday, March 31, 2023.
It was also confirmed that former AEW World Tag Team Champions the Lucha Bros. will be part of this match.
The Briscoes
Considered to be the greatest tag team in the history of Ring of Honor, the Briscoes wowed fans for years with their no-nonsense style.
Together, Mark and Jay became 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champions, with their most recent win coming at Final Battle last December.
The pair also held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships at one time with Bully Ray, and are seven-time ROH Year-End award winners.
In addition to Jay’s two reigns as ROH World Champion, the brothers were inducted into the ROH Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sarray’s tenure with WWE as part of the NXT brand has come to an end, according to the latest report from Tokyo Sports.
Sarray signed with WWE in 2020, but her debut was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and she would not debut until March 2021.
When NXT became NXT 2.0, she was given a gimmick where she would transform from a pigtailed schoolgirl to a more glamorous appearance thanks to a medallion.
The Japanese Superstar’s most recent match came in August of last year, when she lost to then-NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose.
Leaving WWE
Sarray will hold a press conference on March 13, to announce the resumption of her wrestling career in Japan
Her return match will take place at a ‘Sareee-ISM’ event on May 16 at Shinjuku Face.
The Sarreee part of the show’s name comes from Sarray’s pre-WWE ring name.
Saraeee Before WWE
Training under the tutelage of Kyoko Inoue, Sareee would make her wrestling debut in April 2011 aged 15, as part of the World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana promotion.
After six years with the promotion, Sareee left to join Seadlinnng in February 2017, but would leave the promotion later that year.
Immediately after leaving Seadlinnng, Sareee announced her return to Diana, and make her in-ring return that October, losing to Kaoru Ito.
Despite a clavicle injury suffered in the match that should have seen her out for a year, Sareee made a John-Cena-esque recovery and was back after three months.
Sareee is a one-time WWPWD Tag Team Champion (with Jaguar Yokota) and two-time WWPWD World Champion.
