Home Blog Page 721

Reported Plans For Ronda Rousey At WWE Elimination Chamber

Andrew Ravens
-
0

WWE is quickly approaching the Elimination Chamber event and the card is nearly complete as the company has already announced the top matches for it. However, one match that has yet to be revealed features Ronda Rousey. 

WWE is airing a live episode of SmackDown tonight (February 11) and also taping next week’s show that will air on February 18 as the talent and crew will be making the long trip to Saudi Arabia ahead of the show on February 19. 

Fightful Select reports a big tag team match is scheduled to be added to the Elimination Chamber lineup as the current plans call for the opening segment of the February 18th edition of SmackDown to be an announcement that a women’s tag team match between Ronda Rousey and Naomi taking on Charlotte Flair & Sonya Deville will take place at WWE’s next premium live event. 

On this week’s show, Naomi is scheduled to take on Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Rousey made her return at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in St Louis, Missouri by being a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. And winning the bout to earn the right to challenge Flair for the title at WrestleMania 38.

Lita Explains Why She Stayed With WWE Instead Of Joining AEW

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Prior to Lita’s latest return to WWE programming, it was reported that she considered going to World Wrestling Entertainment’s rival promotion, AEW. 

The former WWE Women’s Champion was asked in an interview with Esquire Middle East about why she stayed with WWE and didn’t join AEW. She first put over AEW for doing exciting stuff and they brought new life into the industry. She feels that any time there’s competition, it’s good as it revives the industry.

“When they reached out to me, I did consider it. I said, we can talk, I’m interested, you guys are doing some interesting stuff. But ultimately, upon talking to them, it just made me say to myself, ‘but I have all of these things already!’

Lita continued, “I have those things with my home that I’ve known for 20 years, with the people that I’ve worked with for 20 years. Basically, I gave them my blessing. I said, I will watch you and I support you. And I want you guys to do great, but this just doesn’t feel like the right fit for me right now.”

Lita made her in-ring return by working the Women’s Royal Rumble match last month and is slated to challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber on February 19.

Tony Khan Not Sure If Shane McMahon Would Be Good Fit In AEW, Willing To Take His Call

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Despite it not being likely, there has been speculation that Shane McMahon could wind up in AEW considering All Elite Wrestling is very fond of opening The Forbidden Door. As seen in the past, the promotion welcomes anyone willing to walk through the door. 

Shane McMahon was reportedly let go by WWE following the Royal Rumble event this year due to several backstage issues. It was said McMahon wanted to make the men’s Royal Rumble match all about himself and tried to pitch various ideas to make himself be the star of the bout. 

AEW President Tony Khan talked about the possibility of McMahon working in someway for the promotion while doing an interview with Sports Illustrated: 

“I’d certainly take the call,” Khan says. “I’m sure he’d be an interesting person to talk to about wrestling. I’m not sure exactly if he would be a fit. I have not heard from him, and I don’t expect to hear from him, but in this business, you never know.”

AEW just opened The Forbidden Door with NJPW/Impact Wrestling star Jay White making an appearance on Wednesday’s Dynamite.

AEW Signs AQA

Chris Stephens
-
0

Tony Khan revealed on Twitter today that AEW has officially signed AQA. She was defeated by Jade Cargill in a TBS title match this Wednesday on Dynamite.

The Alabama-native was trained by Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school and later signed to WWE. She performed in NXT under the name Zayda Ramier. She was released from her WWE contract on November 4th, 2021.

AQA was interviewed recently by A Wrestling Gal and spoke about dealing with anxiety during her time with WWE.

“Unbeknownst to me, I deal with anxiety. I have anxiety which almost everybody does but, I always have those exact symptoms except for it’s always followed by like the hyper, I’m like [breathing rapidly]. That’s how I know I’m having an anxiety attack but I had every symptom except for the breathing so it just canceled out in my mind,” AQA said on the show.

Wednesday’s match against Jade Cargill was her first since leaving NXT. Her last match was on June 1st, 2021 when she teamed up with Zoey Stark and they were defeated by Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell.

AQA is also a former 2x champion in Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling promotion based out of Texas.

Drew McIntyre Reveals What WWE Fans Tell Him Most When They Interact

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Drew McIntyre is feeling the love from the WWE Universe.

McIntyre was heavily relied on by WWE during the COVID-19 pandemic era. During that time, fans weren’t allowed in attendance and WWE had to resort to creating a ThunderDome, utilizing a virtual crowd.

McIntyre became a two-time WWE Champion in the midst of the pandemic.

  • Drew McIntyre
    (via WWE)

Drew McIntyre Gets His Flowers

When Drew McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36, he did so without a crowd. Appearing on The Jake Asman Show, McIntyre said that nowadays, fans thank him for his efforts during the pandemic.

“These days, now that we can walk down the street, it’s pretty cool. It’s mostly, ‘Thank you,’ for the time period when obviously the world had shut down and every sport and entertainment company had went down and WWE gave the world an escape with some original content and I was WWE Champion at the time.

“[I was] kind of the face of WWE during that time and it’s amazing. Sometimes they’ll do these virtual Q&A’s or sometimes in person now where people can ask any question they want and usually, they took the time to thank myself and WWE and the WWE superstars for that time period and giving them that escape. So, that’s really cool.”

McIntyre remains a top player in WWE. He and Brock Lesnar were the remaining participants in this year’s Royal Rumble event. Lesnar ended up winning the match and he will go on to headline WrestleMania 38.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Health Update On Konnan

Chris Stephens
-
0

Konnan is continuing to deal with health problems as of late. Last month, reports surfaced that the 58-year-old had heart surgery as a result of complications from a bad bout of COVID-19 from a year earlier. He also needs to have his second kidney transplant due to the impacts of the illness.

Konnan had a kidney transplant back in 2007 but now needs another one as a result of damage it took while he was sick with COVID-19.

According to a recent update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Konnan has two potential donors lined up. He is still waiting on one potential donor to get tested to see if they are compatible. A second potential donor was deemed too overweight but is currently in the process of losing enough weight to be able to donate.

“So right now it’s a waiting game. But he’s been beset by health issues of late but is hoping to travel for the next [of AAA] tapings,” wrote Dave Meltzer

An earlier edition of the Wrestling Observer addressed Konnan’s recent health issues.

“When he had COVID, which was about a year ago, it really messed up his heart and his kidneys. His kidneys are actually in very bad shape right now,” Meltzer said. 

“The kidney issue is still ongoing. He’s going to need a kidney transplant again. He thinks he has a donor,” Meltzer continued. 

Kyle O’Reilly’s Recent Absence From AEW Explained

Chris Stephens
-
0

Kyle O’Reilly has been absent from AEW programming in recent weeks. His last actual match with the promotion was on the December 29th New Year’s Smash show. He teamed with Bobby Fish and Adam Cole that night and defeated Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Orange Cassidy.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, O’Reilly has not been around recently due to the birth of his child.

“The reason Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly haven’t been out with Adam Cole and the Young Bucks thing has stopped is because O’Reilly was given time off since his wife just had a baby. It is expected to resume when he returns,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

This week on AEW Dynamite, however, Jay White debuted and helped Adam Cole and the Young Bucks attack the Best Friends in the back. In storyline, Cole brought White in without running it by the Young Bucks first. So now several dynamics are at play with the Elite, former members of Undisputed Era, and Bullet Club now with overlapping members.

O’Reilly was recently on The Sessions with Renee Paquette and spoke about why he decided to leave WWE. One thing that led to him signing with AEW is that he heard WWE was no longer looking for “pro wrestlers”.

“‘We don’t want pro rasslers’ was something I heard,” O’Reilly said. “And it was like ‘alright but I am a pro wrestler. And I want to be a pro wrestler still. So I want to go where I can be a pro wrestler.’ And I know that the things are the same, sports entertainment, wrestling, it’s all the same. But I don’t know if everyone looks at it that way.”

https://twitter.com/Machobeard4life/status/1492121989548544000

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcription.

Tama Tonga Re-Signs With NJPW

Chris Stephens
-
0

After a very short free agency period, Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has re-signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Tonga took to Twitter recently to state that his contract with the promotion expired on January 30th, 2022. Confusing matters was that Tonga had included the hashtag #Misinformation along with his Tweet.

Recently on his podcast, however, Tonga revealed that he really was a free agent but has since re-signed with NJPW.

“It’s true. I was a free agent on January 30. I am now officially signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling,” Tonga said on the show.

Tonga is a founding member of NJPW’s Bullet Club faction along with Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Bad Luck Fale, and Karl Anderson. He’s been with the promotion since 2010. Tonga has also been competing in Impact Wrestling as of late. His Guerrillas of Destiny team along with Tonga Loa will face the Good Brothers for the Impact World Tag Team Championships on the February 19th No Surrender show from New Orleans.

The last time Tonga performed for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan was the World Tag League tour in December. He was not on any of the Wrestle Kingdom shows on January 4th, 5th, or 8th.

H/T To Fightful for the above transcriptions.  

Tony Khan Hopeful To Have Jorge Masvidal Compete In AEW

Chris Stephens
-
0

Tony Khan says he hopes to have UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal perform in an AEW ring at some point. Masvidal had been involved in some of the American Top Team vs Inner Circle feud but has never competed in a match. Khan recently spoke with Josh Martinez about the possibility of Masvidal getting more involved with his wrestling promotion.

“Well I do think it’s still a possibility [Jorge Masvidal competing in AEW]. I mean, you know, we’ve established [that] the American Top Team fighters are very dangerous and we’ve [had] Junior dos Santos in the ring and Andrei Arlovski’s gone out and beat people up, so I do think there’s a constant threat and of course, Paige VanZant had been around AEW before and now she’s back so it’s something to keep an eye on and we’ll have to see how Masvidal’s fight schedule lines up but I’d certainly be open to it in the future.”

American Top Team has become a fixture in AEW with Dan Lambert increasingly being featured on Dynamite and Rampage. Recently, Paige VanZant and Brandi Rhodes were involved in a pull apart as ATT and the Rhodes family continue to take shots at each other in promos.

Khan would continue to say that he understands Masvidal must make his UFC career his top priority, however.

“But, you know, he’s gotta make the UFC a priority too. I really like those guys at the UFC. Dana has been so good to me. Dana White and Hunter Campbell are great executives and I really have a lot of respect for the UFC. So it just depends on what his schedule is like but it’s something I would love,” Khan continued.

Masvidal has dropped his last two fights in the UFC, both to Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship. His previous fight before then was a victory over Nate Diaz for the unofficial “BMF” title.

H/T to Post Wrestling for the above transcriptions.

Ronda Rousey & Brock Lesnar’s Opponents For MSG House Show Revealed

Chris Stephens
-
0

WWE has revealed the opponents for Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey on a March 5th live event from Madison Square Garden. WWE sold less than 6000 tickets for their last event in MSG back on December 26th, 2021.

Brock Lesnar will go one on one with Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden. Considering this will be after the Elimination Chamber premium live event, it’s not clear which one of them will be the champion, however.

Ronda Rousey will also be on the card. She is scheduled to team with her one-time rival Sasha Banks to go up against Charlotte Flair and Natalya. Later in the month, Rousey and Banks are scheduled to face Flair and Shayna Baszler on a house show from Laval, Quebec.

The Madison Square Garden website has the following posted in regards to the event:

““The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley -WWE Championship Match

Roman Reigns vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins -Universal Championship Match

Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley -RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match

2022 Royal Rumble Winner Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks vs. Smackdown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair & Natalya -Tag Team Match“

Also scheduled for the show are RK-Bro, AJ Styles, Big E, Kofi Kingston, and the Usos.

WWE Reportedly Interested In AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill

Chris Stephens
-
0

WWE is reportedly interested in Jade Cargill now that they’ve been given a chance to see what she can do on television. According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, WWE officials have been impressed with Cargill’s performances as of late.

“I know for a fact that people in WWE are interested in her now that they’ve gotten to see what she can do on TV,” Zarian said.

This comes on the heels of WWE reportedly being interested in Wardlow and Maxwell Jacob Friedman as well.

Jade Cargill Comments On Choosing AEW Over WWE

Cargill was on Talk is Jericho recently and discussed her reasons for choosing to sign with AEW over WWE. She noted that WWE sent her a contract but she ultimately chose to sign with AEW.

“So [WWE] sent the contract, they wanted me to do it,” she explained. “AEW came about, and I came here, I got the experience, and I felt calm. I remember you and I had this conversation in the car. It made me feel at ease about the decision that I wanted to make, I didn’t have to relocate, I felt at home.” 

“I could call the owner of our company and talk to him, you know, he knew my name and knew my purpose,” she said. “He knew that I wanted to do this and that I wasn’t just a number. He knew exactly who I was, so that made me feel comfortable.”

Cargill is undefeated in her AEW career thus far. She is 27-0, the inaugural TBS Champion, and most recently defended her title against AQA on Dynamite.

Sonya Deville Seen With A Sling (Photo)

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

On screen WWE official Sonya Deville appears to be dealing with some sort of arm injury. She was recently spotted with a sling in her left arm.

The WWE star posted a photo from the red carpet of NFL Honors show on her Instagram earlier today. In the photo as seen below, she is wearing a sling in her arm:

“Thank you @glaad and @nfl for an incredible event tonight in LA, inclusion is so important and brands like @wwe and the @nfl showing their support and representation matters so much. Go LA”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ029Z5LUqE/

Sonya Deville last wrestled during the Royal Rumble PPV. She took part in the women’s Royal Rumble. She entered the match at #11 and was eliminated by Naomi two minutes later.

She also had an interaction with Ronda Rousey on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown. Deville tried to get between Charlotte Flair and Rousey. As a result, she was put in an armbar by the former UFC star.

There is no word yet on if Sonya Deville has suffered a real injury or if she is selling the attack from Rousey. We will keep you updated on her status if any details about her health come to light.

Sonya Deville On Her Experience Of Working With Vince McMahon

Kyle O’Reilly Details The Underlying Problem With NXT 2.0

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Kyle O’Reilly was one of pillars of the Black and Gold brand of NXT. He was also there for its transition to the NXT 2.0 era before he left for AEW.

The AEW star recently had an interview with Renee Paquette for her Oral Sessions podcast. He discussed things such as his AEW debut and more.

Speaking of the rebranded NXT, O’Reilly revealed the underlying problem he believes it has, mentioning how a lot of its stars are not passionate about the sport:

“I think people in wrestling are really rare in the sense that you really, really have to love it. I think that might be an underlying problem in this new NXT. There’s a lot of people coming in that I don’t think really have that true love for it.

I’m sure they’ll do well, they’ll make a big splash, be a big star, and make a ton of money,” said Kyle O’Reilly, “but at the end of the day, if your heart isn’t really in it, I don’t know. It’s tough.”

The former ROH world champion also discussed his transition to AEW. He mentioned how the AEW locker room is full of guys he has been friends with for years.

He said that he felt there was no spot for him on the WWE main roster. Kyle O’Reilly made the jump to AEW because he wanted to be somewhere where he would be happy and be utilized.

Shawn Michaels Comments On Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, & Kyle O’Reilly Leaving NXT

Mickie James Believes WWE And Impact Will Work Together Again

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The Royal Rumble PPV was historical for many reasons. One of them was the appearance of current Impact Knockouts champion Mickie James who competed in the women’s Rumble.

This was the first time a champion not belonging to the company made an appearance on the show and competed in the battle royal.

James talked about this moment recently with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture. She expressed the belief that it wasn’t a one and done deal:

“I think yes [we will work together again], I don’t know that it will be immediately, I think this was an opportunity for WWE to test the water, to see if it was something.”

Mickie James also discussed the possibility of the current Impact World Champion Moose making an appearance on WWE programming:

“I feel that now that they see the potential and how much the fans responded to it, the idea of it happening with the men, or with the World Championships, or something like that, now, at least the idea of that possibility and that door is open.”

WWE had talks with NJPW about a potential partnership last year. So James’ assumption that this collaboration may extend beyond the Rumble is not unimaginable.

Mickie James Reacts to WWE Royal Rumble Appearance

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Lita Defends Competing in Saudi Arabia After Previous Comments

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Lita had previously been outspoken about WWE’s Saudi Arabian events being driven by money and not the desire to help the culture of the country move forward. The Hall Of Famer however has since decided to take the road herself. She is currently scheduled to face the Raw women’s champion Becky Lynch at the next WWE event from the country, Elimination Chamber.

Lita discussed her previous comments on the matter during a recent appearance on Ring The Belle podcast. She noted how she had criticized the lack of women’s matches on the card. She mentioned how things have changed since then:

“I’ve talked to the women personally that have been over there. And they’re like, ‘It’s unbelievable. There are women crying, never thinking they would get to see two women be so strong in the ring’. They’re like, ‘It’s really powerful. You’re going to enjoy that.’ And so, sure, do they have a long way to go? Do we as a society have a long way to go? Absolutely. But, you got to take the opportunities when they’re there.”

Lita On WWE Shows In Saudi Arabia

lita 1

Lita had talked about WWE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia after their first event back in 2018. The former champion claimed that she understood WWE was a business and they are always looking to expand their global presence. Though she felt like it was a direct conflict of interest:

“However, I do feel this was a direct conflict of interest with them maintaining any integrity or truth to the fact that they say they would like to push forward women, their roles and their reputations in this business as anything resembling equal to a male. Make the money, that’s fine, but don’t try to cover it up.”

The first three WWE PPV events in Saudi Arabia did not feature any women’s matches. Although during the 2019 Crown Jewel event, Natalya and Lacey Evans became the first female competitors to wrestle a match in the country. The Crown Jewel 2021 event then featured two women’s matches on the card.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2022: Matches, How to Watch

Thanks to PostWrestling for the transcribed quotes

Seth Rollins Reveals His Mt Rushmore Of Money-Drawing Wrestlers

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

People usually pick names for Mt Rushmore based on their wrestling abilities, but Seth Rollins has a different approach to selecting his picks.

The Visionary recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show. During the talk, he was asked which names he would put in his Mt Rushmore of wrestling.

Answering the question, Rollins put his picks in two categories. He first revealed his choices based on their ability to draw:

“Are we talking wrestling or are we talking drawing money because those are different things. Well, in our business, which is the entertainment business, money-drawing is the biggest thing.

So, if we’re talking there, you got to start with [Hulk] Hogan, [John] you got to put Cena in there, Rock, and [Stone Cold Steve] Austin. Top four.”

Though later he also revealed his picks based on the in-ring wrestling abilities and he named people such as Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart:

“In-ring, all time? Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Bret The Hitman Hart. Number four, controversial pick because he’s still active, Bryan Danielson,

I actually think, in-ring, is one of the greatest of all time. And I think when all’s said and done, he’ll be up there with the guys.”

Seth Rollins is currently scheduled to compete in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the namesake PPV on Saturday, February 19.

Dominik Mysterio Was Shocked WWE Booked Him To Face Seth Rollins

Thanks to 411Mania for the transcribed quotes

Jim Ross Says Sting Has “Taken Darby Under His Wing”

Tyriece Simon
-
0

AEW broadcaster Jim Ross shared his thoughts on Sting’s relationship with Darby Allin.

Wrestling fans didn’t know what they would see from the WCW legend when he arrived in AEW on Dec. 2, 2020. At 61 years old, he signed a multi-year deal after initially retiring from wrestling due to a neck injury. His new employers decided to pair him with Darby Allin on Jan. 20, 2021, and make him an on-screen mentor.

Teaming with Allin, Sting has had a resurgence in his wrestling career. He made his in-ring debut for AEW with Allin defeating Team Taz’s Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at AEW Revolution on Mar. 8, 2021.

Since his in-ring debut, the company has had Sting and Allin team up against other groups like FTR and the Acclaimed. Ross on Grilling Jr. shared that Sting is also helping Allin and others behind the scenes.

“… He’s taken Darby under his wing. If nothing else on traveling and planning a match or whatever it may be, said Ross. He continued, “… He’s really a good mentor to the entire roster. He also added that AEW is blessed to have Sting on the roster.

Sting with Bat in AEW
Sting (Photo: AEW)

Sting Wanting to End His Career on His Terms

Before signing with AEW, wrestling fans thought Sting’s career was over. He suffered his neck injury during his match with Seth Rollins at Night of Champions on Sep. 10, 2015. While recovering from his injury, he decided to retire from wrestling. However, the success of AEW made him choose to end his retirement and finish his career on his terms.

The legend spoke to Sports Illustrated Justin Barrasso on Dec. 22, 2021, about rewriting the end of his wrestling career.

“Not many people get to rewrite their final chapter, not at this level,” Sting says. “I had great matches at the Greensboro Coliseum with Lex Luger, and now I get to do it with Darby and CM Punk against MJF and FTR. It’s a great way to end my career. The crowd their appreciation makes me want to tear up. It’s almost as if they don’t want to say goodbye.” (h/t Justin Barrasso)

Sting doesn’t seem ready to end his career anytime soon. Based on Ross’ comments, the company also wants the legend to continue helping mentor younger talent.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2022: Matches, How to Watch

Michael Reichlin
-
0

Elimination Chamber is WWE’s next premium live event. 2022 marks 20 years since the chamber match was first introduced at November 2002 at Survivor Series.

The Road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble, but there is one last big stop on the way. WWE is putting the pieces in place for WrestleMania and we’ll soon have a clearer look at the biggest spectacle of the year.

Elimination Chamber – Wikipedia

Date, Time, Location & How to Watch

WWE Elimination Chamber 2022 takes place on Saturday, February 19th from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the Jeddah Super Dome.

The show streams live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally at 12pm (ET) / 9am (PT).

The venue opened in 2021. “The world’s largest pillarless superdome” accommodates approximately 35,000.

Jeddah Super Dome – Wikipedia

Elimination Chamber at the Jeddah Superdome
Jeddah Superdome to host WWE Elimination Chamber

Matches

This is a solid lineup with a few special attractions and big developments taking us to WrestleMania.

Goldberg is back in action against . Bobby Lashley will defend the WWE Championship he just won inside the cell against 5 men including Brock Lesnar.

WWE Hall of Famer Lita challenges for the Raw Women’s Championship in her first singles match in years. The 4-time Women’s Champion last held a title in 2006. Plus, there will be a Women’s Chamber match (with a mystery participant) to determine Becky Lynch’s challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania

Here’s the final match card for WWE Elimination Chamber 2022:

  • Chamber Match for the WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins vs. Riddle vs. Austin Theory
  • Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Lita
  • Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg
  • Chamber Match to determine Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch’s WrestleMania opponent: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop vs. Nikki A.S.H vs. TBA
  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Viking Raiders
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

Killer Kross Returns To MLW (Video)

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Brace yourselves MLW fans, a “major player” was teased and it was Killer Kross.

MLW was streaming its Fusion show for free on YouTube.

Just before Fusion got started, Court Bauer revealed a big talent would be taking the leap to MLW.

“Tonight on MLW Fusion a major player enters MLW. 8pm et streaming worldwide.”

During the show, a vignette was shown and it appeared to indeed be Killer Kross. MLW hadn’t stated that Kross was indeed the “major player” until later in the show.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1491945581274562562

MLW confirmed that Killer Kross will be making his return on Feb. 26. He’ll be in action inside the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Speculation had run rampant on social media. Many believed that Killer Kross was the one stepping back into the world of MLW. Kross was released by WWE along with his fiancé Scarlett Bordeaux late last year.

Doudrop Explains How Becky Lynch Has Inspired Her

Fernando Quiles Jr.
-
0

Doudrop may have just had a rivalry with Becky Lynch on WWE TV but outside of the ring, “The Man” has served as an inspiration to the former Piper Niven.

Becky is the current Raw Women’s Championship. She has built herself up as one of the top stars in WWE thanks to her rise in 2018 going into 2019 where she became the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion.

“The Man” Is An Inspiration

During an appearance on Out of Character with Ryan Satin, Doudrop admitted that Becky has been an inspiration for her in terms of going from rags to riches (h/t 411Mania.com).

“I think it’s maybe a coincidence or it could’ve been by design subconsciously. I think the two of us have like a little bit of respect for each other because we have come from similar places – middle of nowhere Scotland and Ireland and doing the indies and wrestling all over the place.

“So, she knows that I know what it was like kind of a thing, which is nice. I’m going to try and paraphrase this story, my uncle, who’s won bodybuilding competitions and stuff, he told me this story that nobody thought it was possible for someone to do a 400-pound deadlift and then one year, one guy did it, he broke the record, he was the deadlifting champion.

“Then the same year, five other people did it. It’s all about perceptions and if you think it can be achieved, you can do it but if you don’t think it can be achieved you can’t do it.

“So for me, she was the one who showed it is possible to come from this place and succeed and get to the top. She was just such a pinnacle of your dreams are possible but you just gotta keep working through it.”

Doudrop was unsuccessful in her bid to capture the Raw Women’s Title from Becky at the Royal Rumble event. Time will tell if she will be able to break the glass ceiling and eventually become a world champion under the WWE banner.

Christopher Daniels on AEW Return: “I’m Sort of at the Mercy of Circumstance”

Tyriece Simon
-
0

“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels is unsure if he’ll wrestle for All Elite Wrestling again.

Daniels hasn’t competed for AEW since he and Frankie Kazarian’s lost to the Young Bucks at AEW Dynamite on May. 12, 2021. The result of the loss made him and Kazarian end their tag team. While his partner has competed for AEW as a singles talent, the company has Daniels working as a Head of Talent Relations.

Although he hasn’t wrestled for AEW, he is competing for other wrestling promotions. He made his Impact Wrestling return defeating Madman Fulton on Sep. 30, 2021. However, in an interview with Chris Van Fleet, Daniels shared that he still hopes to be an in-ring talent for AEW soon.

“…The landscape of AEW is in constant flux. Addition, subtractions, so I mean it’s just a crowded field right now, and hopefully, I can make my way back there, said Daniels. He continued, “…There no real timetable as to when that might be, so I’m sort of at the mercy of circumstance.”

Keith Lee AEW
Keith Lee (Photo credit: Scott Lesh)

AEW Signing New Talent

Daniels isn’t the only talent unsure of his in-ring future in AEW. Joey Janela revealed on the Barstool’s Rasslin Podcast with Brandon Walker that his AEW contract is coming up on Apr. 30, and he isn’t sure if the company will re-sign him. As some talent in the company is unsure of their future, AEW President Tony Khan continues to sign free agents like Keith Lee on Feb. 9.

When the WWE released or didn’t re-sign talent throughout last year, fans speculated if Khan would attempt to sign them. With the signing of Lee, Khan has signed four former NXT Champions within a year. As the AEW roster gets more stacked with talent, veterans like Daniels or Janela may lose opportunities to compete.

It’s unclear if AEW has plans for an in-ring return for Daniels.

Keith Lee Comments on Joining AEW: “Let’s Grind”

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Keith Lee is ready to get to work. After making a surprise debut on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Lee is now the 5th former NXT Champion to jump ship to AEW.

The Limitless one was revealed to be Isiah Kassidy’s mystery opponent in the Face of the Revolution qualifier. Lee was in top form as he disposed of Kassidy and punched his ticket to the upcoming AEW Revolution pay-per-view.

On Thursday, Lee commented on this next chapter of his storied career. He’s changed his Twitter name to “All E Leet” and sounds ready to get to work.

He also alluded to “sad family times” that he hopes are behind him.

Keith Lee is All Elite

Tony Khan has officially welcomed Keith Lee with the ceremonial “… is ALL ELITE” graphic:

AEW did not waste any time rolling out Keith Lee merchandise. His first “Limitless” t-shirt is now available at ShopAEW.com.

Keith Lee’s new entrance music, “I AM” is now online as well:

AEW music composer Mikey Rukus commented on Lee’s new theme, specifically why Keith Lee did not rap the verses in the song.

Keith Lee’s Road to AEW

Keith Lee found a lot of success in WWE, but also found some disappointing moments as hee was pushed as a top star in NXT. While there, he became the North American Champion and NXT Champion.

He was later called up to the main roster and when that happened, there was a lot of optimism for him and his future. However, it was first derailed with a case of COVID-19, which led to heart issues, WWE brought him back to TV only to repackage him with the “Bearcat” gimmick.

WWE tried to use him as a heel in dark matches, but it wasn’t getting over as he’s a likeable guy. Although he was used on TV for a few months with the new gimmick, Lee was part of the most recent round of talent cuts and was waiting for his 90-day non-compete clause to expire.

Tony Khan Slams False Report That He’s Running For Congress

Chris Stephens
-
0

Tony Khan has responded to reports that he is planning to run for Congress. Earlier this morning, ProFootballTalk.com reported that Khan had filed to run for Florida’s 4th Congressional District. Not only did Tony Khan refute these reports, he compared ProFootballTalk’s sources to MJF and Tony Schiavone.

“The fact checking standard for @ProFootballTalk reporting is far lower than that of @AEW’s roving reporter @tonyschiavone24. I’m definitely not running for Congress; this filing is faker than Eddie Gilbert’s apology to Tommy Rich in 1984. PFT sources as trustworthy as @The_MJF.”

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reported the news.

Jacksonville attorney Chris Hand got to the bottom of the news, however, and confirmed that Tony Khan definitely is not running for Congress.

Things continued between ProFootballTalk and Khan.

Who Filed Tony Khan’s Name To Run For Congress?

The two options appear to be that Tony Khan filed to run but then didn’t follow up on it or someone filed Tony Khan’s name as a joke. Since Khan is denying the reports, the latter seems far more likely. Perhaps it was an AEW, Jaguars, or Fulham fan.

“But whether someone filed the statement as a joke or @TonyKhan filed it in 9/21 but decided not to complete the process, the bottom line is this: He isn’t an active candidate for Florida’s 4th Congressional District.”

The Great Khali Joins Bharatiya Janata Political Party In India

Chris Stephens
-
0

The Great Khali is now officially a member of the Bharatiya Janata Political Party in India. Bharatiya Janata is one of two major parties in the country and has been in power since 2014. They are considered a right-wing party with policies that align with Hindu nationalist positions.

Real name Dalip Singh Rana, he officially joined the party today.

“I have wrestled all over the world. If I just loved money and fame, then I would have stayed in the United States and in the WWE. However, I have always loved my country. I was also impressed by all the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So I told myself that even I should join him and help the country progress. I am a fan of his hard work and thinking,” Khali said, shortly after joining the party.

Khali has formerly worked as an assistant Sub-Inspector with the Punjab police. The 49-year-old also participated in the farmers protests held in India in late 2020/early 2021.

Khali is a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021. The Wrestling Observer voted him the Most Overrated in 2007 and the Worst Gimmick in 2008.

Tony Khan Comments On When Deal To Bring In Jay White Was Made

Chris Stephens
-
0

Jay White made his AEW debut on Dynamite last night in a backstage segment with Adam Cole and the Young Bucks. Tony Khan would later post to social media that the deal to bring him in was only secured on Sunday. This was after Khan and AEW announced that there would be a big announcement made on this week’s Dynamite.

Khan said that he may have used the term “Forbidden Door” incorrectly, and this left fans assuming someone from another promotion was being brought in rather than a new signing. Evidently, Khan decided to bring in White in addition to Keith Lee to ensure these fans were satisfied.

Khan wrote:

“I didn’t secure @JayWhiteNZ until Sunday. I realized after the fact that Friday night I butchered my own definition of Forbidden Door in hyping tonight. I heard the fans’ feedback, & wanted to ensure that tonight was a special #AEWDynamite for all. Thank you everyone who watched!”

Khan’s original promise is below:

In storyline, Adam Cole brought in Jay White without mentioning this to the Young Bucks. He did the same thing with Kyle O’Reilly and just isn’t checking in with them before doing stuff. Cole also mentioned that they made an oath that they were Bullet Club 4-life. The Young Bucks, however, were concerned that White and Kenny Omega were once rivals. A Bullet Club vs Elite storyline in AEW seems imminent.

1...720721722...3,370Page 721 of 3,370