Home Blog Page 919

Backstage News On Last Minute WrestleMania: Backlash Changes

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

It’s not uncommon nowadays for WWE to have not decided on the match order and finalized scripts hours before Raw and SmackDown. Now latest reports reveal that it was the case with WrestleMania: Backlash as well.

According to the reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original idea for the main event of the night was different. The company had not made a final call on it until 5:30 PM on the day of the show.

Per the report, the original Backlash plan was for the triple threat WWE championship match among Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, and Drew McIntyre to close the show.

However, a push was made on the day of the PPV to have Roman Reigns’ match close the event. The idea was that he was the only franchise player on the roster.

The belief was that he should either go first or last. Since the triple threat match for the Raw women’s championship opened Backlash, the decision was made to let the universal championship match close the show.

The call was helped by the feeling that since Reigns and Cesaro were going to put on a long match, it might have left the audience exhausted for the WWE title match that would have followed.

John Cena’s WWE Return Reportedly In Works

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

John Cena might be returning to WWE in near future.

After more than a year without fans and being restricted to one location, WWE recently announced their return to touring with a big 25 city tour in July.

In an update to the touring plans, F4wonline is reporting that the company is discussing John Cena’s return for their first show back on the road on July 16.

The Cenation leader has been away from WWE programming since his Firefly Fun House match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 last April.

Though John Cena had expressed interest in a comeback during a recent interview saying that he ‘really, really’ wants to get back to WWE and he wants the audience to return as well.

The company’s 25 city tour will begin with the July 16 episode of SmackDown in Houston. It’s expected to be followed by the Money In The Bank PPV from Fort Worth on July 18 and Raw from Dallas on July 19.

There is no word yet on if Cena’s return is going to be a one off thing or if he is gonna make more than one appearances but the possibility of him wrestling for the promotion is thin.

Stay tuned for more updates on the story.

Alexander Wolfe On What He Was Told About His WWE Release

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Former Sanity member Alexander Wolfe was one of the reported names in the list of NXT talents which were released from their contracts earlier this week, alongside half a dozen other talents.

The now-former WWE star had his first interview after the news broke out recently. He spoke to German publication Sport1 and opened up about his release.

Wolfe first detailed his situation with WWE and explained that it’s more of an end of his run with the promotion than an abrupt firing like some others:

“Well, I got a call from WWE on Wednesday and was told that my contract was not extended, it wasn’t officially a dismissal because my contract expires on June 15th. From then on I am no longer a wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment.”

Alexander Wolfe then revealed the reason he was given for his release, confirming the previous reports that talents were told it was for budgetary reasons:

“The reason I was given was the pandemic time that savings are still necessary due to the global event restrictions,

Well, that’s better than no reason at all, but ultimately you know WWE makes so much money that no firing is really mandatory. But it is what it is.”

Alexander Wolfe was also asked what was next for him after the end of his time with WWE. He said that he hasn’t decided if he wants to sign with a different promotion or have a run in the independent circuit.

The former Sanity member discussed how you can never be completely carefree in the wrestling business and explained that he has prepared for a career outside of the industry just in case as well.

The Gunn Club On Advice They Got About Going To WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn of The Gunn Club have been impressing people with their performance in AEW. However, due to their heritage, a lot of people wonder why the duo did not start their career in WWE instead.

The two AEW stars recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho podcast where they talked about a number of things and explained why they did not try to get a job with WWE before joining AEW.

Talking about their decision to not join the WWE PC, Austin Gunn revealed the advice they got from their father and WWE Hall Of Famer Billy Gunn about it:

“This came up, and I was like, ‘What do you think about the Performance Center?’ He goes, ‘I don’t want you to lose your love for wrestling that you have right now by going there and then them having you turn into that Performance Center, follow directions. you need to be this

Instead of me being just free spoken and just express myself naturally.’ So it was a discussion that we had, but we tried everything to not go there.”

Colten expanded on his brothers’ comments recalling how their father’s advice to them was to find themselves and develop a character first:

“I think the discussion was, if I remember it correctly, more of like, you can go there, but you need to go do your own thing for two to three years,” recalled The Gunn Club member, “And find out who you are and try to develop a character yourself or feel out the landscape

Before you just go straight to the Performance Center and they tell you what to be, as opposed to you know kind of what you are when you go in there and you have a little more confidence.”

Chris Jericho then recalled similar advice he gave to Davey Boy Smith Jr. in past. Jericho told him that WWE would still be there in a few years but he would gain a lot of life experience competing for different promotions.

Apart from this, The Gunn Club also talked about Billy Gunn’s Hall Of Fame induction alongside DX, the freedom they get in AEW and more.

Watch Aleister Black Make His Return To WWE TV

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Aleister Black has finally returned to WWE TV.

This week’s episode of SmackDown featured another vignette of the former NXT champion which saw him reading from his “Tales From The Dark Father” book. The main event of the show then saw Apollo Crews defending his Intercontinental Championship in a fatal four-way match, before Black made his return.

Crews was defending the title against Big E, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. At a time it felt like E would take out the current champion to win the title back. However, the lights went low in the Thunderdome before the new day member could capitalize on his momentum and fog started filling the entrance ramp.

Black then made his return to WWE programming. He was seen wearing a hooded robe. He removed the hood before entering the ring and stared down Big E. The distraction allowed Crews to crawl close to E and hold his leg, and Aleister Black then took out the former champion with his signature Black Mass kick.

The former NXT champion then went back to the ramp. He stared back at the ring as Apollo Crews pinned the former tag champion to retain his title. The show ended with Black standing tall.

Aleister Black has not been seen on WWE TV since being drafted to SmackDwon in October last year. While they had been teasing his return for a while with promos, a date for his return had not been announced. After tonight’s events it appears that Big E is going to be his first feud after returning from his hiatus.

Two NJPW Stars Announced For AEW Dark: Elevation

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

AEW has announced a number of interesting matches for the upcoming episode of AEW Dark: Elevation and it includes the addition of two NJPW stars in Rocky Romero and Ren Narita.

The company announced that the main event of the upcoming show will see NJPW’s Rocky Romero going one on one against former NXT star JD Drake.

Though this wasn’t all as they also confirmed the debut of NJPW young lion Ren Narita who will be facing Royce Isaacs in his first match for the promotion:

Rocky Romero is a Cuban American professional wrestler who has had a couple of stints with ROH. He has also competed for a number of well-known promotions in Mexico including CMLL and others.

He was originally trained by Antonio Inoki at the NJPW Dojo in Los Angeles. He has been a regular for the promotion ever since his return to the company in 2010.

Ren Narita on the other hand has been training under the company’s young lion program since 2017. The 23-year-old has received some praise for his work so far.

Other matches announced for the show include Thunder Rosa vs. Ashley D’Amboise and OT Marshall vs. Robo. AEW Dark Elevation airs on the company’s YouTube channel every Monday at 7pm ET.

WWE SmackDown Results (5/21): Fatal 4-Way For IC Title, Aleister Black Returns

Robert Lentini
-
0

WWE SmackDown aired live from the Yuengling Center in Tampa. It was the first episode of SmackDown following WWE WrestleMania Backlash. Apollo Crews put the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Big E in a Fatal 4-Way main event.

SmackDown Results (5/21)

  1. Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Bayley def. Natalya, Tamina, Bianca Belair
  2. Shinsuke Nakamura def. King Corbin
  3. Dominik def. Robert Roode
  4. Apollo Crews def. Big E, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

A Parade Of Champions Kicked Off The Show

Sonya Deville started off the show and welcomed everyone to a “extra special” edition of SmackDown. Deville noted that WWE is going back on the road soon and back with the WWE Universe. Sonya claimed that Adam Pearce is on the road scouting locations for their tour.

Deville introduced all of SmackDown’s champions but Apollo Crews grabbed a microphone. Apollo complained about having to defend his title in a Fatal 4-Way later tonight before vowing to destroy Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Big E tonight.

Sonya introduced Universal Champion Roman Reigns for the Parade of Champions but Paul Heyman came to the entrance ramp instead. Heyman said this wasn’t a parade of champions, its a parade of title holders. Paul stated that Roman Reigns is not a title holder, he is the champion in WWE.

Paul claimed that fans will buy tickets with confidence because WWE is represented by the Tribal Chief and that Reigns is not interested in being a part of this parade. Heyman added that there will be a “Parade of Champion” later tonight whenever Roman Reigns wants it to happen.

Bayley interrupted and complained about her title reign not being recognized during the ThunderDome era. Bayley mocked the babyface champions but was nice to Apollo and Commander Azeez. She claimed that Bianca Belair cheated in their title match at WrestleMania Backlash and demanded that Sonya Deville strip her of the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Bianca Belair started trading words with Bayley but was attacked from behind by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya & Tamina tried for the save but Nia and Shayna beat them down as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

Shayna, Nia, Bayley Picked Up A Win

Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Bayley then battled Natala, Tamina, and Bianca Belair in the first match of the night. Nia sent Tamina to the corner and connected with a Splash. Baszler tagged in as Michael Cole explained that Reginald is not ringside because of injuries sustained during the Alexa Bliss magic/fire interference last week.

Belair finally turned the momentum and planted Shayna with a big Spinebuster. Bianca made her way to the top rope but Nia and Bayley dragged Baszler to the outside. Belair opted to take out all three of them with a Crossbody off the top rope. Belair tweaked her knee during the move as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Bayley was in control and was targeting her attack on Bianca’s knee injury. Belair desperately tried to make it to the corner but Bayley dragged her back. Bianca battled back and launched Bayley out of the ring. Tamina tagged in and beat Bayley down in the corner.

Tamina knocked Shayna off the ring apron and delivered a Powerslam to Bayley. Natalya tagged in and connected with a German Suplex. Tamina tagged back in and leveled Bayley with a Superkick. Tamina went for the cover but Bayley grabbed the bottom rope to break it up at two.

Natalya tagged in but didn’t catch Shayna tagging in as well. Natalya set up for the Sharpshooter on Bayley but Shayna broke it up. Tamina hit Baszler with a headbutt but Bayley then sent her out of the ring. Bayley brought Bianca to the outside and hit a Bayley to Belly. Shayna then got Natalya in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. King Corbin

King Corbin said that Shinsuke Nakamura stealing his crown is the most disrespectful thing he has ever seen and that Nakamura is no king. Corbin vowed to beat Nakamura tonight and take his crown back. Rick Bugez showed up with his guitar and said he was here to rock out with the real king of SmackDown. Bugez riffed Nakamura’s theme and Shinsuke entered with the crown as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Boogz (Rick Bugez) was ringside as Nakamura was beating Corbin down. Corbin took control with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Shinsuke was able to kick out at two. Corbin then mocked Nakamura and hit Good Vibrations on him in the corner of the ring.

Shinsuke kicked Corbin in the face and followed it up with some knee strikes. Nakamura set up for the Kinshasa but Corbin countered into a slam for a near fall. Corbin went for a Chokeslam but Shinsuke escaped. Corbin quickly connected with the Deep Six for a near fall. Bugez played the guitar a bit and Corbin got distracted. Corbin went for End of Days but Nakamura countered into a roll-up for the pinfall victory.

Seth Rollins Attacked Cesaro

Universal Champion Roman Reigns came to the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. Reigns raised the title and pyro went off as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

Reigns claimed to be a humble man and didn’t want to brag on television. Roman instead said he will allow this time for his Special Counsel to celebrate him. Heyman listed off Reigns’ accomplishments and the superstars he has defeated during his Universal Championship reign.

Roman asked for Heyman to get Jimmy down here and Paul obliged. Heyman asked Jimmy Uso to come down to the ring but Cesaro’s music hit instead. Cesaro had his arm in a sling and made his way down the entrance ramp. Cesaro said he was looking for Seth Rollins but had to come to the ring due to the annoying yapping from Reigns and Heyman.

Roman joked that he will break Cesaro’s other arm and Cesaro laughed it off. Cesaro challenged Reigns to a rematch at Hell in a Cell but was attacked from behind by Seth Rollins. Seth slammed Cesaro’s arm into the steel steps and then hit two Stomps on the entrance ramp. Cesaro was stretchered out to end the segment. Rollins was interviewed backstage and claimed that he blacked out. Cesaro was stretchered by him and Rollins went insane. Seth shouted that this was all Cesaro’s fault as he was stretchered away.

Dominik def. Robert Roode

Robert Roode squared off against Dominik Mysterio tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Roode cut a promo and told Dominik not to let winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships go to his head. Roode added that Dominik can’t rely on his dad and that he is going to prove that Dominik does not belong here tonight.

Roode hit two Suplexes to begin the action and went for a third but Dominik countered into a roll-up for a two count. Dominik connected with a Crossbody and followed it up with a Frankensteiner. Dolph tried to interfere but Rey Mysterio fought him off. Dominik sent Roode into the ring post and followed it up with a 619. Dominik then hit a Frog Splash off the top rope for the pinfall victory.

Aleister Black Returned & Apollo Crews Retained

Apollo Crews defended the Intercontinental Championship against Big E, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn in a Fatal 4-Way match in this week’s main event. Owens and Zayn battled to the floor as Crews and Big E traded shots. Big E hit Zayn and Crews with a Splash on the apron but Owens leaped onto him as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Big E was beating down Crews in the corner. Apollo battled back and sent Big E out of the ring with a Dropkick. Crews sent Big E into the steel steps and then bounced Kevin Owens’ face off of them. Apollo hit a Moonsault but Sami Zayn launched him into the barricade.

Zayn then hit a Moonsault off the barricade but turned around into a Clothesline from Owens. Back in the ring, Owens hit a Swanton Bomb off the top rope and went for the cover but Big E broke it up at the last moment. Crews got back into the ring and hit Big E with a few German Suplexes for a near fall.

Sami sent Owens flying into the turnbuckle with an Exploder Suplex. Owens avoided the Helluva Kick and went for the Stunner but Sami was able to escape. Zayn connected with a Michinoku Driver but Owens was able to power out at two. Zayn went for a Suplex but Owens countered into a Neckbreaker.

Big E tried to Spear Apollo on the apron but Crews got his knee up. Owens went for the Stunner but Crews countered with a DDT on the ring apron. Big E then leveled Crews with a Spear off the apron as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Big E connected with a double Suplex on Zayn and Crews. Kevin Owens then hit Big E with a Frog Splash out of nowhere for a near fall. Owens followed it up with a Cannonball but turned around into a Blue Thunder Bomb from Zayn for a near fall.

Zayn and Owens then battled to the outside and Sami planted him with a Suplex. Big E got on a roll and connected with the Big Ending. Commander Azeez dragged Big E to the outside and beat him down. Big E sent Azeez into the ring post and the lights started flickering. Aleister Black showed up and hit Big E with Black Mass. Apollo Crews capitalized with a cover to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

The Usos Will Face Street Profits Next Week

Jimmy Uso approached Sonya Deville backstage and said that The Usos are ready to get back in the tag team division. Sonya wondered if Jey agreed with that and Jimmy claimed that he wouldn’t be saying this if Jey didn’t have his back. Jimmy added that they wanted the Street Profits and Sonya made the match official for next week’s show.

Jey later talked to Jimmy backstage and wasn’t a fan of Jimmy booking matches for them. Jey said he has to inform Roman Reigns of the match next week. Jey told Reigns that he had nothing to do with next week’s match against the Street Profits. Roman got annoyed that Jey used the word “we” and said that this is we and everything we do represents the family.

Reigns hugged Jey and whispered something in his ear before walking away. As of now, The Usos are scheduled to take on Street Profits next week and it will be interesting to see if Jimmy and Jey are on the same page.

Details On Velveteen Dream ‘Behavioral Issues’ In NXT

Andrew Ravens
-
0

The Velveteen Dream was released by WWE on Thursday after he hadn’t appeared on NXT TV since dropping a loss to Adam Cole in December. He was backstage at Monday Night Raw back on May 10th, but wasn’t scheduled to appear. 

It turns out that Dream reportedly had some behavioral issues. He also had support from higher-ups in the company.

Bryan Alvarez noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Live that Dream had friends in WWE who were “very” high up in the company, which led to some people feeling uncomfortable with going to management about his behavior because he was close with management.

It was indicated that Dream’s release was not due to previous allegations against him. Instead, it was more because of the behavioral issues as there had been talk about his issues from his time in NXT, and from when he went to other promotions such as EVOLVE. 

He worked three dates for EVOLVE – in 2018 and 2019. Dream was training at the WWE Performance Center as recently as last week. 

There’s still no word yet on what he might be planning for his future but will have at least 30 days to figure it out as he is under a standard 30-day non-compete clause with his NXT contract. On June 19th, he will be free to sign with other companies. 

Expected Venue For This Year’s WWE SummerSlam

Andrew Ravens
-
0

It was reported earlier this month that WWE was planning to hold this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event on August 22nd, but at the time, the location wasn’t confirmed just yet. 

WWE has talked about holding this year’s SummerSlam in various locations such as Phoenix, Arizona, or somewhere in Texas.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that an announcement is coming very soon on the location of SummerSlam. Per the report,  August 22 is the targeted date and the plan is to run the show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

This is the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The stadium could hold somewhere around 60,000 for WWE, which is an ambitious goal as the country continues to come out of the COVID-19 restrictions that have been placed on sporting events and entertainment. 

This comes at a time where WWE just confirmed that they’ll be resuming live events as the July 16 SmackDown will take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Money in the Bank goes down on July 18th for the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, and Raw on July 19th will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

WWE’s next pay-per-view event is Hell in a Cell on June 20th from the ThunderDome. 

Ultimate Warrior Documentaries From A&E & Dark Side Of The Ring To Air Next Week

Andrew Ravens
-
0

It’s not often that two documentaries from two different companies about the same topic are released within days apart from the other, but that’s what will be happening next week about the life and career of The Ultimate Warrior. 

Warrior was fast-tracked to the main event scene in WWE where he became a popular wrestler among fans. He had an up-and-down relationship with Vince McMahon during his tenure. He worked for WWE from 1987 to 1991 and again in 1992 and 1996. He also had a stint with WCW in 1998. 

Warrior became a two-time Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion and won the WWE Championship when he pinned Hulk Hogan in the main event at WrestleMania VI in 1990. After being on the outs with WWE, he returned to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but died just days after appearing on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw in 2014 at the age of 54. 

ultimate warrior

A&E Biography Episode

WWE has teamed up with A&E for new “Biography” episodes with the latest edition to be about Warrior, which will air on Sunday, May 23rd. 

The synopsis for A&E’s WWE Biography reads, “The Ultimate Warrior inspired an entire generation of fans living by his mantra of ‘always believe.’ With his colorful face paint and equally colorful interviews, Ultimate Warrior is perhaps best remembered for defeating Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI to become both the WWE Champion and the Intercontinental Champion.”

You can view the A&E Biography trailer in this tweet:

Dark Side Of The Ring

Just a few days later, Vice TV drops their highly anticipated Warrior episode of Dark Side of the Ring on Thursday, May 27th:

https://twitter.com/DarkSideOfRing/status/1395817995633676288

Moose Teases AEW Appearance & Signing With NXT

Chris Stephens
-
0

Moose picked up a big win at Under Siege this weekend. He is now the #1 contender to Kenny Omega’s Impact World Championship. He noted on Twitter recently that he is hoping to win the title before he becomes a free agent next month.

Moose recently teased that he could show up in NXT:

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1395722962146320388

Moose and Kenny Omega came face-to-face last night on Impact. Sami Callihan surprisingly made the save for Moose when he appeared to be outnumbered. Moose teased that he could show up at Double or Nothing to confront Omega as well.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1395176956564549634
https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1390358667829161993

Moose In Impact Wrestling

Moose has been with Impact Wrestling for close to 5 years now. In that time, he’s yet to win the Impact World Championship despite being in the title picture for years. He’s been the TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the Impact Grand Champion but never the Impact World Champion. He was defeated by Rich Swann in a TNA World Champion vs Impact World Champion title for title match at Sacrifice 2021.

Moose spoke with Sportskeeda earlier this year about his progression as a pro-wrestler.

“I still feel like I have a lot to learn, in growing every day as a performer. I’m going to keep doing it. Right now, I’m still working on my in-ring and my promos, my body. Hopefully, soon, you guys will see close to a finished product,” Moose said during the interview.

WWE Reportedly Looking To Sign “Speedball” Mike Bailey

Chris Stephens
-
0

WWE is reportedly looking to sign a popular Canadian wrestler who had been banned from entering the United States for years. In 2016, Bailey was caught entering the United States without a work visa to wrestle and was banned from entering the country for 5 years. His ban expired last month and Bailey is now a sought-after free agent.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is looking to sign Bailey and make sure he has a work visa to enter the United States as well.

“(WWE) is working on signing and getting visa issues taken care of for a deal with Speedball Mike Bailey,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Bailey was interviewed earlier this year by WrestlingHeadlines and spoke about his options in wrestling.

“I have friends right now and people I want to work with in all the major promotions. Of course, there’s a lot of pros to AEW and there’s a lot of pros to NXT..there’s also a lot of pros to Ring of Honor. Same with IMPACT, who I think have been putting out a phenomenal product for the past several years, and everyone I know that works there seems happy,” Bailey said.

“Over the last five years I’ve had to redirect my career and I’ve been traveling internationally…I’ve spent a lot of time in Japan, in Europe, doing indies in Canada. I’ve been teaching wrestling as well and that is something I love to do. So I consider all those perfectly cromulent options going forward. I could teach full-time or I could keep traveling, or I can go to Japan full-time, or I can sign with any major company. Whatever makes the most sense at the time is what I will do.”

Mike Bailey vs Brian Cage from Smash Wrestling can be viewed in the player below:

Multiple NJPW Wrestlers Reportedly Upset With Company

Chris Stephens
-
0

It’s been a difficult last few weeks for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The company has postponed its two planned “Wrestle Grand Slam” events including the May 29th show which was to eminate from the Tokyo Dome. At least 9 wrestlers on its roster has tested positive for COVID-19 following night 2 of Wrestling Dontaku at the start of the month. On top of all that, Will Ospreay has been forced to vacate the IWGP World title due to a neck injury.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, several of the promotion’s foreign talent are upset with the company over being kept in the dark regarding the company’s schedule and quarantining rules.

“There is also a lot going on behind-the-scenes with New Japan since the COVID outbreak and unhappiness regarding going through quarantine, particularly among the foreign contingent,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The report would continue to say that wrestlers who have tested positive for the virus have been quarantining in the Dojo. The only reported names at this point are David Finlay and Jay White.

“There is a lot of unrest among some of the foreign talent because of the situation there, the dates canceled and the feeling they’ve been kept in the dark,” Meltzer continued.

David Finlay Considering Leaving NJPW?

Recently, it was reported that David Finlay is looking at options outside of NJPW. His father Fit was on a podcast recently and spoke to his sons situation.

“I don’t know how New Japan are going to handle this new outbreak or, I don’t know, no one does,” Finlay said (transcriptions via POST Wrestling). “But, he’s a little bit confused at the minute as what to do next, you know? Is he going to stay in Japan, does he want to try here, like WWE or whatever. But him and I are gonna sit down when he does eventually come home and try and figure it out but he just needs a little bit of wisdom put in his head. Not that I have any.”

Impact Results (5/20): New Tag Team Champions Crowned

Chris Stephens
-
0

Impact Wrestling was back this week with their first show since Saturday’s Under Siege event. The tag-team titles were on the line in the main event….twice.

Impact Wrestling 5/20 Quick Results

  1. Rohit Raju defeated Jake Something
  2. Tenille Dashwood defeated Kiera Hogan
  3. Petey Williams defeated VSK
  4. Rachael Ellering defeated Jordynne Grace
  5. Impact Tag Team Championships
    FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
  6. Impact Tag Team Championships
    Rhino & Joe Doering (Violent By Design) defeated FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) – New Champions

Shera Helps Rohit Raju Defeat Jake Something

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiTi5bW68dg

Rohit Raju was able to defeat Jake Something in this week’s opening contest. It was not without help from Shera on the outside, however. Shera grabbed at Jake Something’s foot during a suplex attempt, causing Raju to land on top of his opponent. Shera then held Something’s boot down as Raju got the 3-count.

After the match, Something turned his attention to Shera and assaulted him after the match. Raju did not appear interested in helping his ally. Something put Shera through a table and then stared down Raju to end the segment.

Taylor Wilde Still Definitely Not Interested In Teaming With Tenille Dashwood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLv8Ba-0Aw

Tenille Dashwood has been attempting to form a tag-team with Taylor Wilde as of late but Wilde has expressed quite clearly that she is not interested in this. This week, Dashwood pulled off the victory over Kiera Hogan with a roll-up before being assaulted post-match.

Tasha Steelz hit the ring and went after Dashwood, as did Deonna Purrazzo, Susan and Kimber Lee. Dashwood was badly outnumbered but eventually, Taylor Wilde came out to stop the beat down. The heels still had the numbers advantage and took out Wilde as well. Then Havok came out and cleared the ring for the babyface side to close the segment.

Petey Williams Picks Up A Win Over VSK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq4ue1lI844

Petey Williams picked up a win this week in singles action. He defeated VSK with a Canadian Destroyer Piledriver.

W. Morrissey Attacks Rich Swann

After defeating Willie Mack at Under Siege, W. Morrissey picked a new target this week. While Rich Swann was being interviewed in the back, Morrissey attacked, leaving the former World Champion laying to end the segment.

Moose and Kenny Omega Come Face To Face

Moose came away from Under Siege the new #1 contender to Kenny Omega’s Impact World Championship. Moose was cutting a promo on Omega when Callis and the champion made their way to the ring. Callis talked about how Moose never won a Super Bowl, couldn’t even win a world title in ROH, and more.

Moose wanted to get at Omega tonight but Omega instead backed away as Doc Gallows made his way to the ring. It looked as though the Elite were about to have the numbers advantage against Moose when the lights went out and Sami Callihan appeared in the ring to even up the odds.

Later in the back, Callihan told Moose that he doesn’t care who wins between him and Omega, he’s got next.

Former Tag Champs Collide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyKkybB3QZM

Former tag-team champions Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering went one-on-one this week. In what was a good natured sporting contest between the two, Ellering scored the victory on a pinning combination. The match ended with one of those multiple near fall pinning combination spots, only Ellering was able to hold Grace’s shoulders down for the 3 to pick up the win. How will this impact the team moving forward?

FinJuice Retain Over Ace Austin & Madman Fulton

In the scheduled main event this week on Impact, Juice Robinson and David Finlay retained over Ace Austin and Madman Fulton after Robinson hit the Pulp Friction on Fulton. FinJuice would be surprised as the members of Violent By Design then made their way to the ring.

New Tag Team Champions Crowned!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In0Yxexn_GE

At Slammiversary last year, Rhino won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match which earned him a title shot at a time of his choosing. Many thought he’d wait for his partner Heath to return but now that he’s a member of VOD, he decided to cash in along with Joe Doering at the end of this week’s show.

The match wouldn’t take long, as FinJuice was already worn down from their match with Austin and Fulton. Rhino gored Finlay and Joe Doering finished off Juice Robinson with a lariat for the win. Rhino and Joe Doering from Violent By Design are your new Impact World Tag Team Champions.

Chelsea Green Reportedly In Talks For Impact Return

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Recently released WWE star Chelsea Green is reportedly in talks with Impact Wrestling officials for a return to the company in near future.

Dave Meltzer talked about the future of the female star on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he reports that green has been in talks with Impact officials this past week.

Though while they have been in negotiation, Meltzer noted that an agreement has not yet been reached for Green’s return to Impact wrestling.

The former NXT star was signed by WWE after a tryout in August 2018. Before this, She also competed in the sixth season of Tough Enough finishing at fourth place for the females.

After a stint in NXT, Chelsea Green made her SmackDown debut in November last year. However, she broke her wrist in her debut match, causing original plans that saw her winning the bout to be changed.

After months of inactivity, the company finally made the decision to let the former champion go. She was released from her contract in April earlier this year.

Chelsea’s previous run with Impact wrestling started in 2016 which ended in Janaury 2018. She even won the knockouts title one time during her run.

The former WWE star has been released with a standard 90 days non-compete clause which means that she will only be able to join Impact after July 14, once an agreement is reached.

WWE Announces 25 City Tour Beginning In July

Chris Stephens
-
0

WWE announced today a 25-city tour that will begin in mid-July and run until Labor Day. Only the first 3 days have been officially unveiled so far, however. 3 dates in Texas will kick off WWE’s return to touring.

“WWE will return to Live Event touring with a 25-city schedule through Labor Day. The tour will debut this July in Texas with a trio of shows,” a WWE press release reads.

  • Friday, July 16: SmackDown – Toyota Center in Houston
  • Sunday, July 18: Money In The Bank – Dickies Arena in Fort Worth
  • Monday, July 19: Raw – American Airlines Center in Dallas

WWE welcomed fans back at WrestleMania 37 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. They then returned to the ThunderDome but will head out back on the road beginning in July.

“On Saturday night, I stood on stage at Raymond James Stadium, surrounded by WWE Superstars, in front of a 103 ft long pirate ship, and looked out into a sea of fans,” Stephanie McMahon said following WrestleMania 37. “My father, WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, addressed the crowd and said: “Throughout this past year our WWE Superstars performed tirelessly for all of you. Week after week, month after month but we all knew there was something missing, something very important, THE most important, and that would be all of you, our fans, the WWE Universe.”

Impact Teases Daniel Bryan In Latest Slammiversary Video

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Slammiversary is the biggest event on the IMPACT Wrestling calendar. Scheduled to take place on July 17th, it is an event that has a lot of people talking following a recent promo video.

The video, which gives nothing away in terms of scheduled matches, was full of excitement generating teases for potentially huge names.

As seen below, the teaser is full of hidden cryptic references to various former WWE Superstars who would be free agents by 7/17.

Some of the hints include the Iconics and the Forgotten Sons. Both teams were recently released by WWE. The July date of Slammiversary would coincide nicely with the end of the obligatory 90-day release clause.

The video also teases the return of two previously successful IMPACT stars in Samoa Joe and NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito. With the recent exchange of talent including now ex-tag team champions FinJuice and the legendary Satoshi Kojima, this feels like a very likely possibility.

However, the name that has set the IMPACT fan base abuzz is that of Daniel Bryan. The man behind the yes movement let his WWE contract run out last month. No work has been given on where Bryan will head, or if it is all a work by WWE creative. However, eagle-eyed fans spotted the YES! sign in the Slammiversary video package.

E17iI MWQAI c3p?format=jpg&name=small

Daniel Bryan is a huge name and would be an incredible draw for the Slammiversary event. Especially as IMPACT look to continue their brand after being a huge part of the Forbidden Door movement.

Even if just one or two of the teased names actually make an appearance, Impact could make some significant additions to their roster.

WWE Artist Calls Velveteen Dream ‘The Most Unprofessional Person’ He Has Encountered

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

WWE quietly letting Velveteen Dream go became a talking point among fans yesterday when the news about his release from the company broke online.

Among the people who reacted to the news was longtime WWE artist Rob Schamberger who made some interesting comments about the former NXT star.

Schamberger reacted to the news not long after it came out. He took Twitter to describe Dream as the ‘most unprofessional person’ he has encountered:

“Without saying anything further: He was the single most unprofessional person I’ve encountered in this business. I hope this is the wake up call he needs to start doing the emotional work to become a better person. All told.”

https://twitter.com/robschamberger/status/1395514460912201730

Rob Schamberger has had a long standing relationship with WWE and his work is printed on a variety of merchandise sold by the company. He also holds Canvas 2 Canvas show on YouTube in collaboration with WWE Network.

Velveteen Dream signed with WWE back in October 2015 after competing in the sixth season of Tough Enough. He acquired the Dream Moniker in May 2017 and received praise for his work with the new character.

However, he was accused of inappropriate behavior with underage boys and girls in 2020, leading to his removal from WWE programming.

While the officials initially claimed that they didn’t find anything in their investigation against Dream, it was reported yesterday that the NXT star has been released from his contract.

Simone Johnson Impressing Folks at the Performance Center

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Wrestling is in The Rock’s blood, so should come as no surprise that his daughter is showing all the signs of being a great wrestler herself. Reports from the WWE performance center say that Simone Johnson was the most improved talent in squats. The period in question runs from January through to May, and in itself shows that her dad’s hard work ethic has been passed on to his daughter.

The Rock is one of the biggest names in the world. One of the highest-paid movie stars of all time and holds God-like status to the WWE universe. One of the faces of the attitude era, his legacy in the ring cemented during a surprisingly short in-ring career.

Simone Johnson signed for the performance center back in 2020 but has yet to make her in-ring debut. Sources say she is still some way off doing so, but surely, if she keeps topping the training lists, it won’t be too long before we see her in action.

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

Since signing Simon Johnson has modelled for Alistair Black’s clothing label. She was also reportedly seen shooting some footage with Zelina Vega recently, ahead of Vega’s return.

With The Rock’s eagerness to appear before a WWE crowd, and the recent success of the Mysterios, could it be long before we see a father-daughter team in a WWE ring? Either way, Simone Johnson looks set for an in-ring career. With quite the wrestling heritage behind her, she is never going to be short of advice or support. The question is, will she look to carry on her father’s legacy, or build one of her own?

Jim Ross Reveals When His AEW Contract Expires, Future Plans

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Jim Ross has less than a year left in his current contract with AEW and he has started thinking about his future after his current deal with the company expires.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with DAZN where he discussed a number of things and also opened up about his current run with the promotion.

During the interview, Ross talked about the length of his current contract with All Elite Wrestling and revealed that he signed a three-year deal with the promotion when he first joined the company in 2019:

“The contract I came in here was three years because that’s what he (Khan) wanted. He wants stability. It made Time Warner happy because they’re used to my work in their company for many years and the WWE stuff as well.”

Discussing his plans after his contract expires, Jim Ross said that he would like to continue working for Tony Khan but take things one year at a time:

“I’d like to, in a perfect world, Steven, I would say I’ll do this year, and then let’s evaluate and see where we are health-wise, motivational-wise. Then if I come back, I’d like to come back for a year at a time.”

Jim Ross signed for three year with AEW in April 2019 which means his current deal would expire sometime around the same month next year. We will have to wait and see what decision the company makes about him after that.

Buy Jim Ross’ latest book now from Amazon:

News On Don Callis’ Backstage Position With Impact Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Don Callis is no longer an Impact Wrestling executive and he has been relieved of his backstage duties with the company according to latest reports.

The former NJPW commentator was present for the latest Impact tapings. However, he only stayed around to film his content with Kenny Omega and left after day one of the four day taping schedule.

This made many wonder if Callis is no longer working in a backstage capacity for the promotion and a latest report from PWinsider confirms these speculations.

According to reports, the Impact star had been preparing for his exit for a while and he had slowly been decreasing his responsibilities outside of the Impact creative team in the past year.

Don Callis finally left the creative team in April as well, marking the end of his tenure as an executive for the company. He is now only working as an on-screen personality for the promotion.

Though this exit was not dramatic and he remains on friendly terms with Impact officials. The former WWF star is expected to continue his on-screen role as the manager for Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers.

Impact wrestling has streamlined their creative team since his exit. The team of Scott D’Amore, Tommy Dreamer, RD Evans and Jimmy Jacobs are overlooking creative process now. There is no plan to replace Don Callis as of now.

Ronda Rousey Teaming With Kurt Angle For New Project

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Former Raw women’s champion Ronda Rousey is once again teaming with WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle for a new project.

The wrestling veteran teased the new project sharing a photo of the two on social media earlier yesterday. Both the former WWE stars are seen standing in front of a truck marked ‘Rowdy’s dairy home delivery’ with the following caption:

“Wait and see what @rondarousey and your Olympic hero have in store for you. Yes! That’s Ronda’s milk truck behind us. We had a great day filming the show. #itstrue”

There is no word yet on what the project is about. It’s likely that the Browsey Acres farm in California which is owned by the female star and her husband Travis Browne, is involved in it.

Ronda Rousey’s relationship with Kurt Angle goes back to the former UFC star’s debut match in WWE. She teamed up with the Olympic Gold Medallist to face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34.

Though the former champion has been away from WWE since WrestleMania 35. She left the company to start a family and Rousey revealed in April that she was four months pregnant with her first child.

Stay tuned for updates on their project.

Title Change In Tonight’s Impact Wrestling Main Event

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling saw a title change as Rhino and Joe Doering from Violent By Design defeated FinJuice to become the new Impact Wrestling tag team champions.

The main event of this week’s episode of the weekly show saw the team of Juice Robinson & David Finlay successfully defending their title against the duo of Ace Austin and Madman Fulton.

However, after the bout, VBD leader Eric Young announced that they were going to cash in Rhino’s Call Your Shot Trophy, leading to the champions defending their titles the second time in the night.

The ending to this match saw Doering hitting Robinson with a massive lariat while Rhino crushed Finlay with a Gore. Doering then picked up a pin fall victory for his team, making them the new champions.

FinJuice had won the tag team titles in March earlier this year. They had defeated Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson, The Good Brothers at the Sacrifice PPV.

Rhino had won the Call Your Shot Trophy in a 20-wrestler intergender gauntlet match at last year’s Bound For Glory event in October. He had last eliminated Sami Callihan to win the match.

This wasn’t the only big news coming out of the show and the company also announced the arrival of a former IWGP heavyweight champion for next week. You can check out their announcement here.

NJPW Veteran Satoshi Kojima To Make Impact Debut Next Week

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

NJPW veteran and former IWGP heavyweight champion Satoshi Kojima will be coming to Impact Wrestling and making his debut next week as part of the two company’s partnership.

The company revealed the news during the latest episode of Impact Wrestling and they aired a promo hyping up the NJPW star’s arrival during the show.

They announced that Kojima will be making his Impact debut during the May 27 episode of the show and he will challenge an opponent that has yet to be named:

The wrestling veteran has had a couple of stints with NJPW with a combined time of more than two decades with the promotion. His current run started in 2010 when he returned to the company.

Satoshi Kojima has wrestled in United States before. He most notably had a stint with Major League Wrestling in 2002-2003 where he won the MLW world heavyweight championship once.

Apart from being a two-time IWGP heavyweight champion, the NJPW star has had seven reigns with the company’s tag team championship with different partners and won several other accolades as well.

Whether his Impact Wrestling appearance will be a one off thing or he will stick around for a longer program is not known yet. It would be interesting to see if Satoshi Kojima gets involved in a feud.

Davey Richards Revealed As Latest MLW Signing

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

MLW has announced the signing of former TNA and ROH star Davey Richards and confirmed that he will be making his debut for the promotion in July.

The company has been looking to restock its roster following their new TV deal with Vice. Just last week they confirmed Dario Cueto as El Jefe of Aztec Underground.

They announced another big addition to their roster as part of their open draft concept this week and confirmed that Davey Richards who announced his return to pro wrestling in March has signed with the promotion:

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1395520528950169603

The episode featured Alicia Atout interviewing the company’s newest signing. During the interview, the former ROH star revealed that he actually signed with the promotion a while back.

Richards claimed that he was offered contracts by several companies when he announced his return to professional wrestling. He chose MLW as his new home because it stood out as a sports-oriented option.

The heavyweight star has had a successful career and he has competed for many well-known companies as well as the most famous independent promotions.

Davey Richards has won gold everywhere he has been. Apart from being a former ROH champion, he is a former TNA tag team champion and IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champion as well.

MLW will return to Philadelphia for their July 10 event which will be held in front of fans and their newest signing will also be making his debut on the same show.

1...918919920...3,399Page 919 of 3,399