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Impact Results (3/30): James Storm Dedicates 1000th Match To Bob Ryder

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling on 3/30 featured James Storm’s 1000th match in the promotion as he faced Eric Young. We also saw some important matches booked for April 10th’s Hardcore Justice event.

Impact Wrestling 3/30 Quick Results:

  1. Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) defeated Havok & Nevaeh
  2. Sami Callihan defeated Larry D
  3. Brian Myers defeated Suicide
  4. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated TJP & Josh Alexander
  5. James Storm defeated Eric Young

James Storm Defeats Eric Young In His 1000th Impact/TNA Match

In a pre-match interview earlier in the show, James Storm dedicated this match to Bob Ryder, who co-founded the company and passed away in November. Storm was then joined by his old tag-team partner Chris Harris for a quick reunion as Chris Sabin and Jake Something looked on.

Storm would need his allies’ help to fend off Young’s Violent By Design faction during the match. The end of the match came as a giant brawl erupted on the outside, while inside the ring Young attempted to use his old-school hockey goalie mask as a weapon but Storm landed his Last Call Superkick and got the win.

Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Attack Rich Swann, Willie Mack, & Eddie Edwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh0h-a-uYy0

When Impact Wrestling makes the move to Thursday nights next week, Kenny Omega will wrestle on the show for the first time. It will be Omega and the Good Brothers going up against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards. We got a preview of the match this week. Don Callis had approached Willie Mack in the back and was showing him a video of Kenny Omega using the 1-Winged Angel. This brought out Rich Swann who confronted Callis. Swann was then attacked from behind and Omega and the Good Brothers took it to Swann and Mack. Eddie Edwards then came in to fight on the babyface side, however, and sent the heels packing.

Jazz To Put Career On The Line In Knockouts Title Match

Tommy Dreamer is putting the match card together for Hardcore Justice on April 10th. He announced this week that Jazz will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title on the show. Dreamer said that Jazz needs to put something up in the match to which Jazz suggested her career. Dreamer said she didn’t need to do that but Jazz insisted. With that, we have a career vs title match between Jazz and Purrazzo at Hardcore Justice.

Dreamer also announced that there will be a multi-woman scramble match with the winner earning a Knockouts title shot. All weapons will be legal, Dreamer mentioned, though Alisha Edwards still had trouble understanding.

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone Run Down Dynamite Lineup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM46uVo5NgU

The two Tonys were back this week. They ran down the lineup for AEW Dynamite but also made special mention of the match between Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian as the two had several matches while with Impact/TNA. The rest of the lineup for tonight’s Dynamite is below:

  • Exhibition Match 
    Referee: Arn Anderson
    Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall
  • Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian & Miro(w/Penelope Ford)
  • Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose & The Bunny(w/Vickie Guerrero)
  • The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) & Laredo Kid
  • MJF gives a present to the Pinnacle

Nevaeh Turns On Havok

Havok and Nevaeh dropped their 3rd match to Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz this week. Fire N Flava defeated the team in the finals of the Knockouts tournament, then again in a Texas Tornado match at No Surrender, and now again on last night’s show. After the match, Nevaeh evidently was fed up with all the losing. After weeks of teasing, the team finally imploded when Nevaeh attacked Havok from behind. She was heard yelling “I thought I was the weak link” during the melee as the segment came to a close.

Trey Miguel Doesn’t Return the Favor For Sami Callihan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCXnyv-fJAE

Last week, Sami Callihan rescued Trey Miguel from a beatdown from Team XXXL. This week, Sami Callihan defeated Larry D in singles action. After the match, Acey Romero attacked Callihan from behind. Trey would not return the favor for Callihan, however, and simply allowed the 2-on-1 to take place. Callihan seems pleased with this for some reason.

Later in the show, Callihan confronted Trey in the back. He said he wants the two of them to team against Team XXXL and that he wants to be Trey’s mentor.

Brian Myers Turns Down Matt Cardona’s Challenge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yux_DAv6_Is

Brian Myers picked up a win this week over Suicide. After the match, he got on the microphone to address Matt Cardona challenging him to a match last week. Myers turned down Cardona’s challenge and said that despite their long history together, Cardona isn’t part of Myers’ plans in Impact Wrestling.

TJP and Josh Alexander Can’t Get Along In Loss To Ace Austin & Madman Fulton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHrkZZhysY4

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton picked up the win in tag action this week over TJP and Josh Alexander. TJP and Alexander had difficulty working with each other throughout the match and that would ultimately cost them. TJP hit a Mamba splash on Austin but then he and Alexander began arguing over who the legal man was. This allowed Austin to roll up TJP for the win.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next Week (Thursday, April 8th)

  • Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack, Rich Swann, & Eddie Edwards

Hardcore Justice (April 10th)

  • Career vs Knockouts Championship
    Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Jazz
  • Multi-Woman Scramble Match For Knockouts Title Shot

Rebellion (April 25th)

  • AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship
    Kenny Omega (AEW) (c) vs Rich Swann (Impact) (c)
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) (c) vs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)

WWE Raw Ratings Hit New 2021 Low (3/29)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.701 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is down from last week’s 1.816 million viewers and 0.53 rating.

The previous 2021 low came on the February 8th edition with just 1.715 million viewers.Next week’s show should get a bump as it will serve as the go-home edition of Raw for WrestleMania 37. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 1.733 million viewers and a 0.53 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.697 million viewers and a 0.56 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.673 million viewers and a 0.58 rating.

This episode featured Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus, a contract signing for Asuka and Rhea Ripley’s Raw Women’s Championship match, Dirt Sheet segment, and Drew McIntyre working two matches at the end of the show against Ali and Ricochet. 

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.191 million viewers. This is up from the 2.093 million viewers on FOX that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same as the 0.57 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.030 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.945 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.020 million viewers while hour two did 2.041 million viewers. The show did 1.868 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.023 million viewers a week ago.

Eric Young Out 6-9 Months With Torn ACL

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling’s Eric Young will be out of action for quite a while, possibly for the remainder of 2021. He revealed recently on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast that he has a torn ACL. Young is hoping to be back in six months, but typical recovery times from such an injury is 6-9 months.

The match he suffered the injury during is scheduled to air tonight on AXS TV. He wrestled James Storm on the show in what was Storm’s 1000th match for the promotion.

“At the last tapings I tore my ACL,” Young said on the podcast. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been injured. I missed my first wrestling show this Friday that I was booked on in 24 years of doing it. So, it’s frustrating, man. I’ve never been injured. I’ve been hurt lots, but I’ve never been injured. I have to have surgery in like a week and a half. And it’s going to be a long, long road. So, we’ll see, man. It’s going to get real interesting for me.”

Unfortunately, Young was the leader of a new stable in Impact. Along with Joe Doering, Rhino, and Cody Deaner, the faction is known as Violent By Design. It’s possible he’ll remain on television as the mouthpiece for the group.

“My ACL is completely torn, which I didn’t know,” Young continued. “That happened on Monday during the match with Storm. I finished it like nothing happened. I wrestled a hardcore war eight-man tag the following day, then I wrestled Eddie Edwards on Tuesday in a singles match. It was like 20 minutes — on one leg. And I would put that match against anything that airs anytime, for any wrestling company, anywhere in the world, and I did it on one leg. And I’m very proud of it.”

Health Update On “Road Dogg” Brian James

Chris Stephens
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There is good news to relay as it concerns the health of “Road Dogg” Brian James. The 51-year-old has been in hospital since suffering a suspected heart attack late Thursday night. James will be released from the hospital today and according to updates from his family, test results have yielded only positive news so far.

His wife Tracy took to Facebook to share the positive news:

“Wanna give everybody an update. I just got the best birthday ever!! my husband has no blockages and he’s getting to come home today. We still have some doctor visits to take him to but his heart is good. Thank you all so much for all the prayers I do believe in that.”

His brother, Scott Armstrong, took to Twitter to give an update:

“I’m happy to say my brother (Road Dogg) is going to be released from the hospital today. There’s still work to do but, as of today, the future is bright! TY again “Twitterverse” for all the positive vibes and prayers! For those who were negative…BLESS YOUR HEART!”

His wife Tracy originally broke the news a couple of days ago that James was on the hospital.

“I want to thank everyone for the prayers and text. Brian most likely suffered a heart attack late Thursday night after returning from Orlando. He has had test run and we’re currently waiting for the results. He has also seen a kidney specialist and will have a stress test done.”

King Corbin Talks Attacking Drew McIntyre on Monday Night RAW

Jake Skudder
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Last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW ended with Bobby Lashley standing over his WrestleMania 37 opponent, Drew McIntyre. Lashley had issued a reward for any talent who could take McIntyre out of contention for their ‘Mania match in just over a week.

Both Ricochet and Mustafa Ali stepped up near the end of the show and faced the Scottish Superstar. Both men were unsuccessful against Drew McIntyre, but SmackDown Superstar King Corbin appeared right at the end of the programme and took out his former stable-mate.

King Corbin sent out a tweet saying why he chose to take up Bobby Lashley’s offer and attempt to take out McIntyre.

King Corbin on Drew McIntyre

“We used to run RAW” King Corbin wrote on Twitter; referencing when he, Lashley and McIntyre were a trio for a short time. “We destroyed monsters and punished everyone. Then one guy sold out and wanted to sell T-shirt’s.”

“Bobby Lashley made an offer and I showed up!” King Corbin concluded.

It has not been confirmed if King Corbin will now be a RAW Superstar. It’s also not been confirmed if he will be in Lashley’s corner at WrestleMania 37.

It was confirmed at the start of RAW that The Hurt Business stable as it stands is now disbanded; with Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander getting booted from the group.

Buddy Murphy Told To Delete Instagram Post Directed At Mysterio Family

Chris Stephens
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Buddy Murphy was involved in an angle with Seth Rollins and the Mysterio family recently. He’s no longer involved on-camera with either the Mysterios or “The Monday night Messiah” however.

Murphy briefly posted to Instagram a storyline update regarding why he was no longer involved with the Mysterio family. The post was later deleted.

“Let’s point out the obvious! The Mysterio’s used me! I never needed them!” Murphy wrote. “I’m beyond one of the most talent in-ring performers on the planet! Aalyah used me to be on tv and advance an acting career. Dominik used me so he had a reason to stand ringside. Rey was jealous that I became the new face of the cruiserweight and he was left out of the discussion. They took what they wanted then they left me in the shadows! Sounds like my time in NXT.”

According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE ordered Murphy to delete the comments.

“Buddy Murphy, I guess he did an Instagram post trying to shoot his own angle with the Mysterios,” said Dave Meltzer. “He was ordered to delete it, so he did.”

“I guess he decided to come up with a reason to end (the angle) and turn heel and they didn’t want him shooting his own angle on Instagram.”

Murphy also recently sent the following to Aleister Black on Twitter:

Dalton Castle Officially Re-signs With Ring of Honor

Jake Skudder
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Ring of Honor has confirmed that former company champion Dalton Castle has re-signed with the company.

ROH issued the following regarding the re-signing of Castle:

Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Dalton Castle has re-signed with the company.

There had been speculation in recent months regarding Castle’s future, but after his victory over Josh Woods at the 19th Anniversary pay-per-view on Friday, the former ROH World Champion told backstage correspondent Quinn McKay: “I ain’t going nowhere. I’m staying in Ring of Honor.”

Dalton Castle Stays With ROH

Castle, one of the most charismatic and colorful athletes in pro wrestling, made his ROH debut in 2013. He competed in the 2015 Top Prospect Tournament and has been a fixture in ROH ever since.

Castle reached the pinnacle of the sport when he won the ROH World Championship from Cody at Final Battle 2017. He also is a former co-holder of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Title.

It was previously believed that Dalton Castle was potentially looking at ‘what else is out there’ in terms of signing a long term deal.

WrestlingINC recently confirmed that Ring of Honor had offered Castle a new deal. The new contract was said to be “good,” but at that point there were no specifics.

As aforementioned, Castle was considering the offer but wanted to see “what else is out there.”

Triple H Talks NXT Fans Migrating Over To Tuesday Nights

Jake Skudder
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It was recently confirmed that WWE and USA Network will be moving the NXT program to Tuesday nights starting on April 13. Triple H recently spoke to Joe Otterson of Variety regarding the move.

“We now feel like we’re in a good place where we can move that consistent fanbase over to Tuesdays,” Triple H began. “We believe they’ll follow us. That way we can grow the brand more given the lead in from ‘Monday Night Raw,’ which we’ve seen in the past.”

Something that the company is likely not going to discuss is the ‘Wednesday Night Wars.’

The ‘wars’ saw AEW consistently beat NXT most Wednesdays in the overall rating and also in the key 18-49 demographic.

Triple H Talks NXT on Peacock

It was also confirmed that NXT will be airing on the NBC Peacock streaming service every Wednesday going forward. Triple H also discussed how this will help further the reach of WWE’s Gold brand.

“The ability for us to be on [Peacock], a bigger platform where so many more people have the opportunity to experience it and and to let it grow into something more, is very exciting,” Triple H noted. “And once you sample it? We believe that the product is something that people will stick with and become involved in.”

The move of NXT to Tuesday nights has been a wish of fans over the past few months. With NXT and AEW arguably being some of the best weekly programming in North American pro wrestling; this gives fans the chance to watch both on a live basis going forward.

William Shatner To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

Chris Stephens
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WWE announced today that William Shatner will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Shatner has made several appearances on WWE programming throughout the years. The first time he did so was on an episode of Jerry Lawler’s King’s Court in 1995. Shatner would later induct Lawler into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

The 90-year-old actor is famous for portraying Star Trek’s Captain Kirk but currently hosts the History Channel’s “The UnXplained.” Shatner also stars in a romantic-comedy “Senior Moment” available in theatres on on-demand now.

Shatner spoke to USA Today and compared the fanbases of WWE and Star Trek.

“It’s very much the same, the approbation, the joy,” Shatner said of wrestling and Star Trek. “The enthusiasm the wrestling audience shows toward its favorite people is not dissimilar to the enthusiasm ‘Star Trek’ fans show.” 

“I’m going to admit it now. I missed a career when ‘Star Trek’ was over,” he continued. “I should have gone into wrestling as Captain Kirk.”

Shatner joins Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Kane, The Great Khali and Rob Van Dam in the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The Class of 2020 featuring the Bellas, nWo, Jushin Liger, British Bulldog and JBL will also be inducted on April 6th.

NXT Moves To Tuesdays On 4/13, Multi-Year Extension With USA

Michael Reichlin
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WWE’s NXT show on the USA Network is moving to Tuesday nights beginning April 13th. The news was made official Tuesday morning, effectively ending the ‘Wednesday Night War’ against AEW Dynamite.

WWE executive Triple H commented, “The move to Tuesdays provides a new opportunity for us to grow the NXT brand and enables our partner, USA Network, to continue to build its strong portfolio of sports and entertainment programming.”

Triple H’s comments are more than just spin. The competition of a head-to-head battle with AEW Dynamite has improved the quality of both products. However, it also forced fans to choose. Many viewers decided to watch one show or the other. With NXT and Dynamite going unopposed, there’s a strong chance viewership will increase for both shows. In fact, Triple H tells Variety that he’s confident WWE fans will migrate to Tuesday nights when NXT makes the move on 4/13.

WWE & USA Network Extend Partnership

In addition to NXT moving to Tuesday’s, WWE announced a multi-year extension of their partnership with USA. NXT will air live on the USA Network every Tuesday night through at least April 2023.

“We are incredibly proud of our three-decade partnership with WWE and in extending USA’s NXT deal, we are further establishing our portfolio as an unrivaled home for quality WWE content,” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal. “By transitioning NXT to a Tuesday timeslot where WWE has performed well in the past, we are giving our passionate fanbase more of what they love with back-to-back nights of exhilarating, live programming.”

All new episodes of NXT will be available on-demand in the United States exclusively on Peacock, the day after its airing on USA Network.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast was first to confirm that WWE would be announcing the move to Tuesday and extended USA Network deal.

NJPW Reveals New IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Belt

Michael Reichlin
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New Japan Pro Wrestling unveiled the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship belt at Tuesday’s Road to Sakura Genesis event.

Kota Ibushi is the first IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. The belt was introduced following the unification of the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.

Ibushi’s historic first defense takes place this Sunday at Sakura Genesis. He will face Will Ospreay, winner of the recent New Japan Cup.

Here is a clip of the big reveal, along with some additional photos:

Belt Backlash

Believe it or not, some wrestling fans on social media had a mixed reaction to the new belt design. Some compared it to the retired WWE Divas ‘butterfly’ belt, while others compared the center plate design to the most notorious tattoo in the game.

https://twitter.com/benris84/status/1376837494247976963?s=12

Belt Maker Responds

Dan Beltzer created the new championship belt for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He issued the following statement on Wednesday in response to fans who are complaining about the new design:

WWE RAW Results (3/29): The Hurt Business Implodes, Cage Match Set For WrestleMania

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome inside Tropicana Field. Rhea Ripley and Asuka had a contract signing for their RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania tonight.

RAW Results (3/29)

  1. Sheamus def. Riddle
  2. Braun Strowman def. Jaxson Ryker
  3. Bobby Lashley def. Shelton Benjamin
  4. Xavier Woods def. AJ Styles via DQ
  5. Naomi def. Shayna Baszler
  6. Drew McIntyre def. Ricochet
  7. Drew McIntyre def. Mustafa Ali

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

The Hurt Business Broke Up

Hurt Business came down to the ring to begin this week’s episode of RAW. MVP said we are less than two weeks away from WrestleMania and claimed that Lashley will walk out of the event still as WWE Champion. Lashley announced that if anyone takes out McIntyre, they will take his place in the title match at WrestleMania.

Lashley noted that Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin are becoming an embarrassment and tarnishing his image. MVP called them failures for not beating McIntyre in a Handicap match.

Shelton and Cedric got pissed off and Benjamin claimed that Lashley wouldn’t be champion if it weren’t for them. A brawl then broke out and Lashley took out Alexander and Benjamin.

Alexander and Benjamin approached Adam Pearce backstage and Shelton wanted a match against Lashley. Cedric wanted a match against Lashley next week and demanded Pearce make the match official.

Sheamus Pinned The United States Champion

United States Champion Riddle battled Sheamus in a non-title match. Sheamus dominated the action early as MVP filled in commentary for Samoa Joe. Riddle connected with a knee to the face that knocked Sheamus out of the ring. Riddle followed it up with the Floating Bro off the ring apron as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, Sheamus connected with a Backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus made his way to the middle rope but Riddle brought him back to the canvas with a Suplex. Riddle hit a Pele Kick and then some kicks to the Celtic Warrior’s chest. Riddle unloaded some knee strikes and hit a Broton for a near fall.

Riddle applied a Triangle submission in the middle of the ring. Sheamus tried to break the hold with a Powerbomb but Riddle wouldn’t let go. Sheamus finally was able to reach the bottom rope and Riddle broke the hold. Sheamus planted Riddle with White Noise on the ring apron and went for the cover but Riddle was able to kick out at two. Sheamus hit an Alabama Slam for another two count. Riddle went for a kick but Sheamus countered with a knee to the face for the pinfall victory. It was later announced that Sheamus will face Riddle for the US Title during Night 2 of WrestleMania.

Opinion: I can’t stand what they have done with Matt Riddle. He’s the United States Champion but comes off as a dork that is easily defeated. He lost to Ali that led to a title match and now the same thing is happening with Sheamus at WrestleMania.

Shane & Strowman Will Battle In A Steel Cage

Shane McMahon, Elias, and Jaxson Ryker came to the ring for an expose on Braun Strowman. Shane threw up a photo of Braun’s 5th grade report card that gave him all Ds. The teacher’s comments on the report card made it seem like Braun was an idiot and Shane showed an image of Strowman in a dunce cap. Strowman then faced Jaxson Ryker as Elias & Shane were ringside.

Strowman dominated Ryker and taunted Shane while doing so. Strowman lifted Ryker up on his shoulders and planted him with the Running Powerslam for the quick victory. After the match, Strowman chased Shane around but Elias caught him with a knee from behind.

Shane and Elias then beat Strowman down in the middle of the ring. Strowman got up and Shane ran away to the top of the entrance ramp. Braun noted that Shane told him that he can pick any match that he wanted at WrestleMania. Strowman announced that it will be a Steel Cage match at WrestleMania.

Bad Bunny Sent A Message To The Miz

The Miz and John Morrison hosted a new episode of the Dirt Sheet tonight. Miz and Morrison hyped up the premiere of their new “Hey Hey Hop Hop” video poking fun at Bad Bunny. Miz claimed Bad Bunny was out of line for attacking him with the guitar and vowed to pay him back at WrestleMania.

After the music video, Damian Priest and Bad Bunny interrupted. Priest said that Bad Bunny will defeat The Miz at WrestleMania and Bad Bunny added that he is going to make The Miz his bitch. The Miz tried to attack Bad Bunny but Damian got in the way. Bad Bunny caught Miz with a punch to the face to end the segment.

Lashley def. Shelton Benjamin

Lashley faced Shelton Benjamin tonight. Cedric Alexander was ringside and MVP was on commentary for the match. Shelton controlled the action early but the WWE Champion quickly battled back. Lashley brought Benjamin to the outside and launched him into the ring post.

Lashley chased Alexander around and Cedric retreated backstage. Shelton hit Paydirt when Bobby returned to the ring and went for the cover but Lashley kicked out at two. Bobby connected with a massive Spinebuster and then applied the Hurt Lock and Benjamin passed out.

Omos Attacked New Day

New Day brought AJ Styles and Omos to the ring to play some games to see who is the better team. They started with charades and New Day won that round. New Day won the next round of games and Omos put a stop to it. Xavier Woods then faced AJ Styles as Omos & Kofi Kingston were ringside. Woods controlled the action early and sent Styles out of the ring. Xavier then flipped onto Styles and taunted Omos while RAW went to a commercial break.

Woods connected with a Back Body Drop for a two count when RAW returned. Styles planted Xavier with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Xavier connected with a Tornado DDT and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. Omos hit Woods with a cheap shot and the match ended in a DQ. Omos then hit Woods with a Powerbomb and put his boot on his chest. AJ counted to three and posed with Omos to end the segment.

Alexa Bliss Warned Randy Orton

Alexa Bliss cut a promo holding a box in her swingset. Bliss said that legends say that these boxes have spells written all over them, including a demonic presence. Alexa stated that The Fiend was only weakened and was trapped in the box. All he needed was time and now he is ready to stand across from Orton at WrestleMania. Alexa claimed that the Legend Killer will die at WrestleMania. It was then revealed that The Fiend was sitting next to her on the swingset.

Naomi def. Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler squared off against Naomi tonight on RAW. Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke joined commentary as Lana, Reginald and Nia Jax were ringside. Baszler dominated the action early but Naomi took control. Naomi went for a Leg Drop but Reginald hopped on the ring apron. Lana then shoved Nia Jax onto Mandy Rose and then Dana Brooke attacked her. Shayna booted Lana off the apron and Naomi rolled up Baszler for the pinfall victory.

Ripley & Asuka Signed The Contract

Asuka and Rhea Ripley had their contract signing for their RAW Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania. Before the match, Riddle scooted up to Asuka, completely forgot his lines, and scooted away.

https://twitter.com/wrestlingfan83/status/1376721828723490816?s=20

Ripley vowed to win the title and signed the contract. Asuka signed the contract and said that Rhea is not ready for Asuka. Rhea flipped the table onto Asuka and it looked like the RAW Women’s Champion actually got bashed in the face again. Shayna, Nia, and Reginald interrupted. Shayna boasted about kicking Asuka’s teeth out and challenged Ripley and Asuka to a tag match. Ripley accepted for the both of them as RAW went to a break.

Opinion: What an original idea. Will these WrestleMania opponents be able to coexist as a team? We definitely didn’t just see that exact same thing with Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair.

King Corbin Attacked Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre rushed into the locker room and wondered who was going to attack him. McIntyre told Strowman that he should be a five time champion by now. Strowman told McIntyre that he will come find Drew after he rips Shane McMahon to shreds at WrestleMania. McIntyre launched Humberto Carrillo across the room and got in Ricochet’s face. Ricochet told McIntyre that Lashley’s word is worth nothing but will give him a fight tonight.

Ricochet controlled the action early as WWE Champion Bobby Lashey was shown watching backstage. Ricochet connected with a Dropkick off the barricade as MVP cheered him on from commentary. Back in the ring, Ricochet climbed to the top rope and went for the 630 but McIntyre got out of the way. McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Mustafa Ali attacked McIntyre from behind as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Ali leveled McIntyre with a Dropkick and beat him down for a few minutes. Eventually, McIntyre responded with a Suplex that sent Ali flying across the ring. McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pinfall victory and called out Lashley.

Lashley made his way to the entrance ramp as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, McIntyre accused Lashley of being afraid of him. A brawl then broke out and the two superstars traded shots in the middle of the irng. McIntyre knocked Lashley out of the ring. King Corbin attacked Lashley from behind and hit him with Deep Six. Lashley applied the Hurt Lock on McIntyre and threw him to the canvas to end the show.

Opinion: I didn’t enjoy a single thing on this week’s RAW. It is so dissappointing that this is the build for WrestleMania. There are so many great matches on paper that do not feel special because of empty storylines. The event will still feel special next weekend, but there was no “WrestleMania season” this year. I had zero reaction when King Corbin showed up at the end of the show and thought this was the worst episode of RAW in 2021 so far.

Updated WrestleMania 37 Card: Steel Cage Stipulation, Title Match

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has announced a few new things for WrestleMania 37. 

On Monday’s episode of Raw, WWE confirmed that United States Champion Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus will take place at this show. Also, Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon will now take place inside of a Steel Cage structure. 

WWE has yet to announce which nights these bouts will take place on. Strowman defeated Jaxson Ryker with Elias and McMahon at ringside on Raw. After the match, Strowman announced the stipulation. On this same show, Sheamus beat Riddle in a non-title match.  After the match, Riddle attacked Sheamus to get payback.

WWE presents WrestleMania 37 on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida that will air on Peacock.  

Updated WWE WrestleMania 37 Card

Night 1 

  • WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair
  • Bad Bunny vs. The Miz
  • Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
  • WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. AJ Styles and Omos

Night 2 

  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge
  • WWE Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Randy Orton vs. The Fiend
  • Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Match Date TBA

  • Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon – Steel Cage Match
  • WWE United States Champion Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus

Andrade: Charlotte Flair Was Pulled From WrestleMania 37 After WWE Thought She Was Pregnant

Andrew Ravens
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Charlotte Flair has had an interesting last month or so while WWE continues to build up to WrestleMania 37. 

She was originally all over the advertisements for the show and rightfully so as she is one of the biggest stars the company has right now. Then she came out to announce she had tested positive for COVID-19. When this news was made, many people thought this was the reason she had been pulled from the advertisements. 

It turns out that wasn’t necessarily the case. Instead, Andrade, her fiance, told a story about how Flair was originally pulled from WrestleMania 37 because WWE thought she was pregnant. 

It started when a WWE doctor contacted Flair and said that she was pregnant. The couple decided to go get their own tests to prove she wasn’t pregnant. 

“We went to the pharmacy [to take a test] and it was negative,” Andrade told Hugo Savinovich of Lucha Libre Online (H/T to WrestleZone). “They took her out of the story because they said she was pregnant. Four days later the tests were negative.”

Andrade requested his release from WWE earlier this month and during the Fastlane pay-per-view event, the company announced it. 

https://twitter.com/TheLouisDangoor/status/1376687831926632452

WWE Raw Star To Be Honored In This Year’s Hall Of Fame

Andrew Ravens
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0

The recipient of the Warrior Award for the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class will be Titus O’Neil. Fightful reported that was the plan as of February. With the Hall of Fame and WrestleMania being based around the city of Tampa this year in addition to O’Neil being heavily involved with charity throughout his life, the powers at be thought this was the right choice. 

Aside from his pro wrestling career, which saw him wrestle for FCW in the area for a couple of years, O’Neil played professional football for the Tampa Bay Storm in 2006. He hasn’t wrestled since dropping a loss to Bobby Lashley this past November. 

The ceremony is set to be filmed on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. The ceremony will air on April 6th on Peacock.

Batista, who is good friends with O’Neil, was supposed to be part of the 2020 class where he would’ve likely headlined. However, he has already confirmed that he won’t be able to make it due to a schedule conflict but plans to be inducted in the coming years. 

2020 Class

  • The nWo
  • John “Bradshaw” Layfield
  • The British Bulldog
  • The Bella Twins
  • Jushin “Thunder” Liger

2021 Class

  • RVD
  • Kane
  • Molly Holly
  • Eric Bischoff
  • The Great Khali

Josh Alexander Talks Ethan Page Signing With AEW

Jake Skudder
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0

IMPACT Wrestling star Josh Alexander recently spoke to TSN’s This is Wrestling on TSN 1200. The former tag team partner of Ethan Page discussed his The North tag team partner moving to All Elite Wrestling.

“I didn’t even think about it because I hadn’t been watching AEW really too intently,” said Josh Alexander. “And I haven’t been keeping up with storylines or anything. I looked up the pay per view, I think it was the day before, and I saw that they had the ladder match and it was a mystery for it. And I knew that, of course, they were teasing a different ex- Hall of Famer to debut as well.”

“So I just remember looking at it like, I bet it’s going to be him” Alexander continued. “You know what I mean? I just wanted to be left in the dark like everybody else so I can be a fan. I love watching wrestling as a fan if I’m pleasantly surprised by something like that happening.”

“I miss the old music. I will say that,” Alexander continued, discussing The North. “But otherwise it was just awesome to see because I know how much hard work has gone in to get him there. He’s going to be nothing but successful.”

With IMPACT and AEW now working in tandem, there’s a chance that the two former tag team partners could work together again.

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin Reveals WrestleMania 37 Status

Jake Skudder
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0

Stone Cold Steve Austin recently spoke to WrestlingINC and confirmed his status for WrestleMania 37.

“They didn’t reach out to me this year,” Austin revealed to Nick Hausman. “I think they got their hands full with what they’re doing. I think it only makes sense for me to come back maybe in Texas or LA.”

“It’d be great to go back to Dallas” Stone Cold continued. “So we’ll see what happens there, but I’m fine sitting at the house watching this one.”

Steve Austin Talks WrestleMania 37

“We’ve been trying to move out of LA and move permanently over here to Nevada” Austin noted. “So we’ve had a ton of stuff going on. I’ll be watching. I’m okay not being there.”

Stone Cold Steve Austin has been appearing sporadically in WWE over the past year years. With WWE looking to get WrestleMania 37 ‘back in business’ they will likely be looking to bring back some major names.

Hulk Hogan has already been confirmed as a host for the show alongside Titus O’Neil. Beyond that it has not been confirmed if any other legends will be returning for the two nights in April.

Beth Phoenix On Jaw-Breaking Injury During Raw Singles Debut

Rayan Sayyed
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Beth Phoenix made her singles debut in WWE on the June 5, 2006 episode of Raw in a match against Victoria which would prove to be unfortunate for her as she would suffer a broken jaw from a slap by Victoria which would send her back to developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling from the main roster. Recalling the incident on “WWE Icons”, Phoenix highlighted how bad it really was. “I’m finally gonna have my debut as a singles wrestler, and I’m facing Victoria, and we had something planned where I was supposed to slap and then slap back,” “The Glamazon” harked back.

“When Victoria hit me, I had had my mouth open ever so slightly. I knew something was wrong. I stuck my tongue between my teeth and I was like ‘Oh there’s a gap there.’ So I thought something had happened and I’d lost a tooth,” Beth Phoenix continued. She was able to continue the match and emerged victorious despite suffering the injury. Trish Stratus, who was ringside (as Phoenix served as Stratus’ ally against Mickie James during her debut), got in the ring and saw Phoenix bleeding from her mouth. “Trish took one look at me and saw that I had a little bit of blood on my mouth. She just told me ‘Smile, look up. It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay.'” Stratus walked her up to the ramp and took her to the medical.

“I’m sitting there and I’m kinda like ‘Guys, I just lost a tooth, I’m sure it’s okay.’ And I’m sitting on the thing and then they opened my mouth like this and I saw everyone in the room recoil like that and I was like, that’s when I knew it was probably bad.” Beth Phoenix suffered a fractured mandible, with the slap leaving her jaw entirely severed. The subsequent surgeries that she had to get for it left a portion of her face permanently numb. She had to get a titanium plate and nine screws placed in her jaw.

“They take me to the hospital, I get X-rayed. They said your jaw is shattered, dislocated, displaced. One mandible’s up, one’s down. You have to have full plastic surgery to put everything back. You have to have steel plates in your face and screws, and it was a lot to take in,” Beth Phoenix remembered. “I just cried. I didn’t know what else to do. I just processed everything. I was like, ‘I just had a singles match on Monday Night Raw, and… it’s over. All of it. I just didn’t understand why after so many years things were gonna end like this and set me back.”

Even though she spent a year going through surgeries and recovering from the injury, Beth Phoenix was only out of action for two months. She returned to OVW and perform there until mid-2007 when she would return back to Raw as a heel this time as opposed to the face that she was the first time around. She would then go on to become a four-time Women’s Champion and a one-time Divas Champion. Phoenix would also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the Class of 2017.

Logan Paul To Be Involved In WrestleMania 37 Match: Report

Rayan Sayyed
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0

Logan Paul was already confirmed during this week’s Friday Night SmackDown to be the special guest at Sami Zayn’s premiere of the documentary trailer on next week’s SmackDown. But that’s not the only time the social media star would be involved in WWE programming, because according to reports he might be involved in more than just a segment on the weekly show. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Paul will be involved in the WrestleMania 37 match between Zayn and Kevin Owens. While Meltzer wasn’t able to confirm if Paul will play the role of special referee in the match, he did say that the YouTube personality will be involved in some way. Paul and Bunny will be the two celebrities for this year’s WrestleMania, it was added in the report.

Logan Paul was announced this week for making an appearance at next week’s episode of SmackDown after his recent interactions with Sami Zayn on Twitter. During this week’s SmackDown, we saw Kevin Owens hosting the KO Show with Sami Zayn present as his guest. During this segment, Zayn announced that he will be hosting a “red carpet premiere” for his documentary next week with Paul as his special guest.

A match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens was also announced for WrestleMania during the show as the longtime rival Owens challenged Zayn at the “Grandest Stage Of Them All” with him accepting. Meanwhile, Logan Paul and Zayn have been exchanging messages on Twitter for the past few weeks, with Paul siding with Zayn regarding the purported conspiracy against him. “Hey man, I noticed you started following me on here. Check your DMs, I sent a bunch of raw footage that my documentary crew has collected over the past few months. What you saw was the tip of the iceberg. No one understands how bad @WWE has it out for me. Judge for yourself. Thx,” wrote Zayn to Paul on Twitter.

Rob Van Dam Announced for the WWE Hall of Fame

Chris Stephens
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0

On the heels of several rumors and unconfirmed reports, it is now official that Rob Van Dam will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. WWE took to Twitter to announce the news shortly after it was revealed by Fox Sports.

News of Rob Van Dam’s pending Hall of Fame induction leaked recently. First, Sabu commented that RVD was to be inducted during a conversation with NonStop Wrestling Chat.

“Hey, Rob Van Dam is getting into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, I think,” Sabu said on the show. “I wasn’t supposed to say nothing, but you can tell people that.”

Paul Heyman later took to Twitter to tease that he had filmed content for RVD’S video package for the ceremony.

Rob Van Dam’s Championship Resume:

  • 1x WWE Champion
  • 1x ECW Champion (while in WWE/WWECW)
  • 4x WWE Hardcore Champion
  • 6x Intercontinental Champion
  • 1x European Champion
  • 3x Tag Team Champion (2x w/Kane, 1x w/Rey Mysterio)
  • 2006 Money in the Bank Winner
  • 1x ECW Television Champion
  • 2x ECW Tag Team Champion (w/Sabu)
  • 1x TNA World Champion
  • 1x TNA X-Division Champion

RVD was most recently a member of the Impact Wrestling roster along with Katie Forbes. He last performed for the promotion at their tapings in September.

Tickets Now On Sale For AEW: The House Always Wins (Full Card)

Michael Reichlin
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0

All Elite Wrestling is set to hold the first ever non-televised ‘house show’ in company history. AEW: The House Always Wins takes place Friday, April 9th from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. The event coincides with WrestleMania weekend.

All of AEW’s top champions will be in action on this card, including AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, TNT Champion Darby Allin, World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks and Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida.

Tickets for AEW The House Always Wins are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com. Here is the lineup:

  • AEW World Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks & Brandon Cutler vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix)
  • TNT Champion Darby Allin will face the winner of a 12-man Battle Royal. Participants include Lance Archer, Scorpio Sky, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, QT Marshall, Butcher, Blade, Dustin Rhodes, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, 10 and Colt Cabana.
  • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa vs. Matt & Mike Sydal
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Ethan Page
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida, Tay Conti & Red Velvet vs. Dr. Britt Baker, Nyla Rose & Allie
  • The Pinnacle (With Wardlow) vs. Jurassic Express & Dante Martin
  • Eddie Kingston vs. Cezar Bononi 

Plus, Orange Cassidy and Jade Cargill will be in action.

Roman Reigns Calls His WrestleMania Match ‘One & Only Main Event’

Rayan Sayyed
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0

Roman Reigns’ upcoming match at WrestleMania 37 saw a major change a couple of days ago at Friday Night SmackDown as it was announced that the Universal Championship bout has been changed to a triple threat match involving Reigns, Edge, and Daniel Bryan. It was also confirmed that the match would take place at Night Two of the event, making it a main event match.

Some WWE fans have been rallying for making Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship match to be made the main event of Night One at WrestleMania 37. As soon as it was confirmed that the Roman Reigns’ match will take place on Night Two, fans began trending the hashtag “MainEventBanksvsBelair” in order to show support for the match to be a main event. Many from the wrestling industries also joined in and showed support for the campaign. During this, the Universal Champion decided that it needs to be made clear who’s actually main eventing WrestleMania. Writing in a Twitter post, Reigns simply said, “2 weeks. 14 days. The 1 and ONLY Main Event.”

The opening segment of this week’s episode of SmackDown saw Daniel Bryan demanding another shot at Roman Reigns’ Universal title, only to be taken out by Edge. It was finally confirmed after some building up towards the announcement that Bryan would be added to the main to the main event of WrestleMania. The segment would end in chaos as the three would try taking each other out. The episode ended with Edge standing in the ring.

WrestleMania 37 Card

WrestleMania 37 will air on Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Here is the card of the event:

Night 1 

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Bad Bunny vs. The Miz

WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. AJ Styles and Omos

Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Night 2 

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Randy Orton vs. The Fiend

WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Randy Orton Buries Rapper Soulja Boy Again For Talking Trash

Michael Reichlin
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0

Randy Orton and rapper Soulja Boy continue to exchange trash talk on social media.

The beef began earlier this month, when Soulja Boy tweeted that the ‘rap game’ is faker than WWE. Any wrestling fan knows, using the “f word” is a blatant sign of disrespect to the athletes who devote their lives and risk their health for our entertainment.

The tweet got the attention of several WWE Superstars, including Randy Orton. The Viper went off on Soulja Boy. You can see two of his tweets below and their entire exchange from early March here.

Randy Orton RKO’s Soulja Boy

Soulja Boy must have liked the attention he received by the online tussle with Orton, because he’s back at it again. He fired off a few flagrant tweets at WWE and ‘Randy Organ’ Sunday morning:

Randy Orton responded late Sunday night by putting Soulja Boy’s physical size into perspective and saying “you’re welcome” for giving him some attention.

Gable Steveson: “I’m Going To Be The Biggest Star WWE Has Ever Had”

Chris Stephens
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Earlier this month, The University of Minnesota’s Gable Steveson won the NCAA wrestling title at 285lbs and then proceeded to do a giant backflip on the mat. He followed that up by Tweeting a “waving hand emoji” at Vince McMahon.

Steveson Tweeted out yesterday that he plans on being the biggest star WWE has ever had:

https://twitter.com/gsteveson/status/1376280393817657346?s=12

Gable’s brother, Bobby Steveson, has already reported to the WWE Performance Center.

https://twitter.com/GSteveson/status/1373804070474031112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1373804070474031112%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com%2F2021%2F03%2Fgable-steveson-tweets-at-vince-mcmahon-following-ncaa-title-win%2F

The Steveson Brothers and Brock Lesnar

University of Minnesota alumni Brock Lesnar has trained with both Steveson brothers at their school. Clips of Lesnar training with the brothers can be seen below:

Clips of Gable competing recently can be viewed in the Tweets below:

https://twitter.com/JoshNorris/status/1373454789607047174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1373454789607047174%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com%2F2021%2F03%2Fgable-steveson-tweets-at-vince-mcmahon-following-ncaa-title-win%2F

Triple H has also posed for one of his famed pictures with Bobby Steveson.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ZD5SdBKv_/?utm_source=ig_embed

Gable spoke about his relationship with Brock Lesnar during an interview with Gopher Sports.

“My relationship with Brock has been awesome. It’s outstanding that a guy like that has noticed me and has gone out of his way to be there for me and guide me in the right direction. We all know who Brock is on TV, but behind everything else, he is a nice person and he has done some amazing things for me.”

The Rock’s “Black Adam” Receives Release Date

Chris Stephens
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0

The Rock took to Instagram yesterday to reveal that his “Black Adam” film in the DC Comics universe has been given a release date. The film will premiere on July 29, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM-vIvGhBPX/

The release date represents a 7-month postponement from the original release date. Before the global pandemic, the movie was scheduled for a December 2021 release.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B42odCrFF42/?utm_source=ig_embed

“Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero. Having cool superpowers, fighting for what’s right and always protecting the people. 
It all changed for me, when I was 10yrs old and was first introduced to the greatest superhero of all time – SUPERMAN. 
As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. 
But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be. 
I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority. 
Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way. 
Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true. 
I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM.”

The official trailer for the film is below:

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