As revealed on TNA Impact last night, Cody Rhodes, using just the name “Cody” as WWE has his full name trademarked, will make his official debut at Bound For Glory on 10/2. TNA issued this announcement on the signing today:

IMPACT WRESTLING Signs Cody!

Rumors were buzzing last Friday as TMZ Sports announced that Brandi Rhodes, a former In-Ring Announcer, would be joining the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Roster. On Monday, TNA Management confirmed those rumors to be true.

So it was official, Brandi Rhodes would be joining the IMPACT Wrestling team, but there was much speculation about her husband, Cody.

On Thursday, we saw a tease of who would be making their way to IMPACT. The world went wild with guesses and possibilities!

But during Thursday night’s IMPACT on POP, we got confirmation. Cody is coming to IMPACT. And he’ll be making his arrival at Bound For Glory on October 2.

A game-changer to say the least. But what does this mean? What will happen when Cody makes his presence felt at Bound For Glory? And who does he have his eye on?

So many unanswered questions and so much to learn in the future. Being at Bound For Glory 2016, will be one of the best decisions that you will make all year. Purchase your VIP Package Today to be able to witness the Glory up front and honest at Bound For Glory.

Eva Marie checked in with an update on Thursday, playing up the storyline that she was injured back on the August 3rd edition of SmackDown.

During her hiatus from WWE, she’s been filming scenes for the upcoming season of Total Divas and will soon begin working on the Nicolas Cage movie Inconceivable.

The SmackDown brand’s All Red Everything star posted this video and message on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKrQpDlhrb1/

AJ Lee’s autobiography “Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules” will be released on April 4th, 2017. You can pre-order now at Amazon.com. She published the following blog talking about the process of writing the book:

“I must be crazy. Why else would I write a soul-baring, life-exposing memoir after years of being painfully private? Why would I open the impenetrable gates to my little corner of the world? I am viscerally protective of it. I have guarded it like a knight and shielded it from scrutiny. My world is a remote island- a safe, warm, cozy island full of love, adventure, dogs, video games, comic books, and an inordinate amount of coffee. The idea of sharing it initially felt as traumatically vulnerable as how I assume walking stark ass nude down a busy intersection around noon-ish might. But if people are willing to listen to what I have to say then it is my responsibility to say something worthwhile.

My Twitter is mostly asinine jokes that make only me laugh. And I don’t use Instagram because A) my IPhone’s camera roll is basically 5,000 pictures of dogs sleeping in funny positions and B) my cleavage is not that impressive. I’m not great at sharing my day-to-day like my breakfast, gym schedule, or selfies, but I wanted to find a way to share a part of myself that would matter. This book felt like the right way to do just that.

With this book I want to shine a light on the darkest corners of my past. I have grown from them, learned from them, and they have shaped me into the person I am today. And that person is kind of a dick, but has also lived a wild, hilarious, tragic, messy, beautiful life and has learned a lot of lessons. I’ve always told myself that the adversity in my life happened for a reason. Someday I would be able to tell my story, and if that could help even one person, then the chaos had been worth it.

Writing this book was the hardest and scariest thing I have ever done. In its pages lie the worst mistake of my life, the best day of my life, a deeply personal photo album, stories of heartbreak, stories of true love, and secrets I’ve kept for far too long. I have never felt more exposed, and that’s coming from someone who has had several wardrobe malfunctions on international television.

This is not a cautionary tale. This is not a memoir that will shame my mistakes and delicately guide you down a better path. This is a memoir that will unabashedly encourage you to f–k s–t up. To embrace your “crazy”, your “weird”, your “weakness”- the things that others will mistake as flaws but will end up being your greatest strengths.

You have all supported me through the years and accepted me as the freak and geek that I am. You have come along for the incredible journey and helped me make all of my wrestling dreams come true. And now you have given me the courage to make my dream of writing a book a reality. I hope this memoir will help you find the strength to fight for your dreams. I hope it will inspire you to find your very own superpower. And most of all I hope it will convince you to wear sensible shoes.

Full disclosure, the majority of this book was written while wearing pajamas well into the day, ingesting an ungodly amount of snack foods, and in between save points of a videogame in which I slayed several dragons, so maybe the word “memoir” sounds a little too extravagant. Let’s just call this “my story”. This is my story. Welcome to my little corner of the world.”

– “Broken” Matt Hardy turns 42 today.

– Drew Galloway revealed on Twitter that he’s currently out of action after taking a bad shot last week during a match. Galloway is scheduled to face Aron Rex at Bound For Glory to crown the first Impact Grand Champion. He tweeted on the injury:

https://twitter.com/GallowaySpeaks/status/779049135454449664

– The main event of next week’s TNA Impact on POP will feature Lethal Lockdown with Team EC3 vs. Team Lashley, with the winner picking the stipulation for their World Championship Match at Bound For Glory on 10/2. Next week’s go-home show will also feature DJZ defending the X Division Championship against Eddie Edwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMfeUE4HRew

Thursday marked 20 years since Mark Henry made his WWE in-ring debut at “In Your House: Mind Games” with a submission win over Jerry “The King” Lawler. The World’s Strongest Man spoke with the WWE website about the milestone at this link. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The advice he gives to young Superstars:

“Well, one, I explain to them the culture of the locker room. That’s the foremost thing you have to learn. To respect, to honor the people that came before you, and don’t talk so much. [And] listen. Learn how to humble yourself, and be able to take advice and not feel like you know everything. Once you can do those two things, you open yourself up for the psychology lessons, because people think that our business is being able to flip, jump, catch and all that. It’s really psychology-driven. Sometimes [it’s] simple psychology — big vs. small, fast vs. slow, good vs. evil. But then, it takes an unbelievable turn where – with your movements and your looks and your eyes and actions – you have to be able to tell people what they usually use words for.”

Which Superstar in particular he took under his wing:

“There have been several. Daniel Bryan was one that I take a lot of pride in saying I saw him on the independent scene and told him what his future was going to be before he started here. He just laughed and looked at me like, “OK, I’m just happy to be here.” [Laughs] I said, “No, brother, don’t be happy to be here. You gotta take the initiative to be what I’m telling you that you could be.” Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston … To sit here and say I had a hand in [their careers] is awesome, but I can’t take credit for the work. I can only say I saw something in that person, and did my best to try and help.”

– WWE Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan noted on Talking Smack that WWE is withholding the footage shot for a WrestleMania 32 comeback documentary. He gets the fans to chant “Release the Bear,” as he rallies their support:

https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/778430577661865987

– The final NXT tapings of 2016 will take place on 11/30 at Full Sail University. Tickets go on sale Monday. Triple H also revealed the Takeover: Toronto pre-sale this week:

Be one of the first to get tickets for @WWENXT #NXTTakeOver: Toronto with code: NXTLIVE at https://t.co/pcQU3cSnfR right…NOW! #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/mcnTBnVoFJ

— Triple H (@TripleH) September 22, 2016

– Below is another vignette for Curt Hawkins who’s scheduled to return to WWE Smackdown any week now:

"2016's Most Popular Baby Names? @TheCurtHawkins… @TheCurtHawkins…. and @TheCurtHawkins!" #FaceTheFacts #SDLive pic.twitter.com/vBJSLvLsUn

— WWE (@WWE) September 21, 2016

– It appears The Dudley Boyz won’t be doing much work together on the indy scene. There’s talk of Devon Dudley coming to work for WWE as an agent, which indicates a singles run for Bubba Ray Dudley on the indys. The two would still run their Team 3D wrestling school together in Kissimmee, Florida.

– Despite Summer Rae indicating on Twitter that she is not suffering from an injury, The Wrestling Observer reports that she is suffering from neck, elbow and back injuries. There’s no word yet on when she will be back but she hasn’t wrestled since August.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– Not only will next week’s WWE RAW go head-to-head with the Atlanta Falcons versus the New Orleans’ Saints, but also the first of three scheduled US Presidential Debates.

– Former WWE star Vladimir Kozlov is featured in the debut episode of WWE’s Where Are They Now, seen below. Kozlov now acts for the production company he co-owns in Miami, Quasar Entertainment.

The first episode of #WhereAreTheyNow features former @WWE Tag Team Champion and #MoscowMauler @WWEKozlov! https://t.co/B1Cr4pcruW

— WWE (@WWE) September 22, 2016

– Tamina Snuka posted the following regarding her successful surgery and road to recovery. She promises to return better and stronger than ever:

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

– We noted last week that Mojo Rawley is set to participate in a fashion show for David Alan Clothing on October 14th to benefit the American Cancer Society. It looks as though Mojo won’t be the only wrestler, as Sheamus, Titus O’Neil and Wade Barrett are also scheduled to appear, as are several NFL players.

– It seems Viktor from the Ascension can relate to the promo cut by Dolph Ziggler on this week’s Smackdown, as seen below :

Hate to say it but I get it @HEELZiggler the Ascension haven't exactly been winning lately either but that's no reason to stop #SDLive

— Vik_The_Spacelord (@VikTheSpacelord) September 21, 2016

– The Usos and Becky Lynch talk childhood dreams over Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles in this new WWE 360 video:

– As seen below, WWE Music has released new theme songs for cruiserweights Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN7PcBxUWz0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULF5oQaG2-o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9iYE2hupZE

– As reported, this week’s WWE RAW, featuring the final hype for this Sunday’s Clash of Champions, drew just 2.68M viewers, slightly down from last week’s 2.69. This is a 20-year low for a non-holiday broadcast, and the second lowest including holidays. RAW’s final rating was 1.97, up from last week’s 1.88, although this is the first time WWE RAW has come in below 2 for back-to-back weeks since the 1990s.

– This week’s episode of WWE RAW came in behind the Voice at number two in terms of social media ratings for the night. RAW drew more than 25,000 unique authors posting over 131,000 tweets. This is up from last week’s show, which drew 22,000 unique authors posts 115,000 tweets.
This week’s broadcast also drew 129,000 unique authors on Facebook with more than 190,000 interactions. This number is actually down from last week’s 213,000 Facebook interactions with 143,000 unique authors.

– WWE posted the following look at Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and the New Day visiting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital earlier this month:

– This Sunday is WWE RAW’s Clash of the Champions. The official theme for RAW’s first exclusive pay-per-view of the new era is “Bulletproof” by Young Guns.

– As seen below, Sheamus was doing MMA training with Josh Rafferty yesterday:

Spot of standup #MMA training with @joshrafferty… no need to take it to the mat… throwing hands & legs. pic.twitter.com/hde99WNlLH

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) September 22, 2016

– The developers behind WWE 2K17 posted the following clip looking at table matches in the upcoming game:

– As noted, September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and below is a WWE clip featuring WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero:

Cody Rhodes is coming to TNA Bound For Glory. Well, “Cody” is.

In a promo that aired on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, TNA confirmed former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes is headed for the company’s biggest show of the year.

TNA Bound for Glory takes place Sunday, October 2nd from Orlando, FL.

@CodyRhodes is #BoundForGlory !!! Huge @ImpactWrestling announcement #ImpactOnPop pic.twitter.com/lUxH2Tj4GL

— Whipclip (@whipclip) September 23, 2016

When I released wwe I had no idea the opportunities & places I was bound for…#BoundForGlory https://t.co/hN3J7AbQO8

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) September 23, 2016

See you at #BoundForGlory @CodyRhodes pic.twitter.com/cKJlXS0scu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 23, 2016

#BrotherGarrett… I KNEW YOU'D COME.#IMPACTonPOP https://t.co/3uzN9BFtsx pic.twitter.com/bPJEsu7dTz

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) September 23, 2016

Looks like the Prince will be joining his Princess ?. See you at #BoundForGlory @CodyRhodes #BrandiRhodes #RhodesDynasty @IMPACTWRESTLING

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) September 23, 2016

Current TNA star and former WWE star Gail Kim has worked with most of the big names in women’s wrestling, but was able to narrow down her top three favorites in a recent interview with Ring Rust Radio. The top spot on her list goes to none other than fellow former WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix.

“She is probably, from my recollection, the best person I have been in the ring with from a worker’s point of view,” Gail said. “She is always so calm and collected and really knew what she was doing in the ring. She was a great leader as well.”

The other two names that made her top three were Alicia Fox, and second-generation wrestler Natalya Neidhart. As far as who she hasn’t worked with yet, Gail said that Sasha Banks and Bayley catch her eye.

She spoke on the new generation of female talent in TNA, noting that her and Madison Rayne are the only two left from the previous generation of Knockouts. Gail says she is in a place in her career now where she can help younger talent and rebuild the division in TNA. She says many of the new women in TNA have a “thirst and passion” for the business, and she loves working with them on improving the entire division.

You can listen to the entire interview here.

– Despite speculation that Vince McMahon favors the RAW brand, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported this week that Vince is still hands-on with SmackDown. Meltzer said it’s simply “not the case” that Vince only works on RAW.

– Meltzer also commented on the possibility of WWE acting as a distributor and airing other companies’ wrestling shows on their Network, similar to Netflix. He feels that it would make sense, but is unlikely due to Vince’s “weird mindset” about any other company “getting credit” for the Network’s success.

– As previously reported, WWE has purchased a TV production facility in Stamford, CT for $26.9 million. They made the purchase under “WWE Real Estate Holdings, LLC,” and received a loan for $23 million after paying $2 million to the seller and $1.9 million to the lender up front.

WWE uses about 20,000 square feet in the facility, and plans to double that. The main tenant is AmeriCares, which occupies 90,000 square feet of the property. WWE is honoring AmeriCares’ lease with the previous owner, which runs until 2033.

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

Jim Ross has weighed in on today’s news that WWE reportedly wants to sign Matt Hardy next year, saying fans would be even happier if the company could get back both Hardy brothers. In his latest blog entry, the WWE Hall of Famer says he doesn’t know the validity of the report, but was in favor of Matt returning to the company with or without his brother Jeff.

“Matt has developed the freshest, most unique pro wrestling TV persona in the biz, which is a tribute to a talent with an established persona recreating himself with a new persona,” Ross wrote. “If more talents would think outside the box like this, more talents would have less to complain about regarding their elusive “push.” Matt Hardy will be joining me on the Ross Report Podcast in November so stay tuned for that show. “

J.R. noted that Hardy will be joining him on his Ross Report podcast in November. Hardy has appeared on recent podcasts fully in-character as “Broken” Matt.

Ross also touched on the cruiserweight division on RAW that debut this week, advising the new WWE stars that it takes more than high spots to have success. “The Cruiserweights longevity is directly tied to how well they connect to the fan base including how good their verbal skills are perceived,” he said. Ross added that this new division has “amazing potential” and that he hopes the athletes take advantage of the opportunity.

One of the big stories coming out of WWE SummerSlam was the backstage incident involving Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar. While Lesnar was still in the ring and Randy Orton was laying in a pool of blood, Jericho asked Michael Hayes if Lesnar had gone into business for himself and gone farther than what was planned. Hayes reportedly indicated to Jericho that Lesnar may have broken from the script, which led to Jericho confronting Lesnar once he got backstage. Brock essentially told him to screw off and they got into a shoving match. Based on several reliable reports – Brock kissed Jericho on the forehead and said something along the lines of, “Either kiss me or hit me.” Triple H and Vince McMahon wound up getting involved and putting an end to the altercation.

Chris Jericho recently appeared on Chael Sonnen’s “Your’re Welcome” podcast and addressed the altercation for the first time publicly.  “I just thought the finish of that match was very brutal and very violent, and I just didn’t know if Randy was ok”, he said. “I said something and he said something, next thing you know we’re nose-to-nose kinda yelling at each other and it diffused fairly quickly.” Jericho added, “Brock is a trained fighter and he’s a beast, but I’m not the type of person to back down from anybody.”

Jericho admits the finish of the match was really none of his business, but what he witnessed was unlike a typical WWE wrestling match.  “When I see a friend of mine lying in a pool of his own blood, whether it’s a work or not, that’s real blood. That’s a real concussion that he suffered. So I wanna go check and see if he’s ok.”

Visit PodcastOne.com to hear the full episode.

TNA is advertising the following items for tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Pop:

• X Division Champion DJZ vs. Trevor Lee
• The Decay sends a message to The Hardys
• Maria Kanellis hosts a public workout for Bound For Glory
• Impact Grand Championship Tournament Match: Aron Rex vs. Eli Drake
• Impact Grand Championship Tournament Match: Drew Galloway vs. Eddie Edwards

Plus, they’re teasing “he is coming” – which appears to be hyping the TNA debut of Cody Rhodes.

Tomorrow Night, Impact Wrestling is can not miss. He Is Coming. pic.twitter.com/YoWelbiSVh

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 21, 2016

Top WWE officials are reportedly interested in signing Matt Hardy when he becomes a free agent next year. Hardy has completely revitalized his career over the past year, transforming himself into “Broken Matt” and producing some of the most entertaining segments from any wrestling promotion. According to the Wrestling Observer, intermediaries of Triple H have made it clear to Hardy that he’d be welcomed back in WWE. He hasn’t worked for the company since 2010.

Hardy’s TNA deal runs through Spring 2017. While the notion of Broken Matt back in the WWE Universe is full of entertaining possibilities, there are several hurdles standing in the way. Aside form whatever efforts TNA would make to keep the deranged performer, Matt currently has free reign over the creative direction of his character. He would have far less creative control in WWE and he’s very aware how different things would be with WWE’s creative writers scripting Broken Matt.

There is also the issue of WWE’s travel schedule. He currently works limited dates for TNA and commands top dollar on the independent scene without having to endure everything associated with life on the road full time.

2K Announces WWE® 2K17 Downloadable Content Offerings, Season Pass and Digital Deluxe Editions

Content to include playable WWE, NXT, WCW and WCCW characters; playable WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016 content; access to a wide variety of new moves; and unlockable content and player progression features

New York, NY – September 22, 2016 – 2K today announced details surrounding the downloadable content offerings, Season Pass and Digital Deluxe Editions for WWE® 2K17, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. The downloadable content offerings will include playable characters from WWE, NXT, WCW and WCCW; a playable match showcase based on the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016; a host of new in-game moves; and access to both unlockable content and player progression features. The individual content packages will begin releasing in late 2016, with some packages releasing in early 2017, for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems, as well as Xbox One and Xbox 360.

“WWE 2K17’s extensive and diverse downloadable content offering celebrates WWE’s past, present and future, including playable characters from WWE, NXT, WCW and WWE, match-driven content based on the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016 and a large number of new in-game moves,” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “Alongside WWE 2K17’s commitment to authentic, simulation-based gameplay, an extensive playable roster and fan-favorite features, such as MyCareer and the Creation Suite, this year’s offering complements our all-inclusive WWE experience at a great value.”

About the WWE 2K17 Downloadable Content Offerings*

The WWE 2K17 downloadable content offerings are scheduled to include the following items and be available for purchase on the PlayStation™Network for the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 systems, as well as Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft for Xbox One and Xbox 360:

Accelerator

* Players will gain access to all unlockable content available at launch in the game’s VC Purchasable section (excluding downloadable content);
* Players can also decide the overall rankings and attribute levels for all playable characters throughout the life of the product;
* The Accelerator will be available for $4.99.

Future Stars Pack

* Playable WWE and NXT Superstars: Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Mojo Rawley and Tye Dillinger;
* The Future Stars Pack will be available for $8.99.

Hall of Fame Showcase

Playable matches include:

* Cactus Jack and Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael “PS” Hayes) (WCW Saturday Night 1992);
* The Fabulous Freebirds (Buddy Roberts and Michael “PS” Hayes) vs. Kerry and Kevin Von Erich (WCCW 1986);
* Ivory vs. Jacqueline (SmackDown 2000);
* Sting (gold and black tights) vs. Ric Flair (Clash of Champions 1988);
* Sting (n.W.o. Wolfpac ring gear) vs. Bret Hart (WCW Halloween Havoc 1998);
* Papa Shango vs. The Godfather (Dream Match);
* Big Boss Man (with Albert) vs. The Big Show (Armageddon 1999);

The Hall of Fame Showcase will be available for $9.99.

Legends Pack

* Playable WWE Legends: Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Eddie Guerrero, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Sycho Sid and Tatanka;

The Legends Pack will be available for $8.99.

MyPlayer Kick Start (PS4™ system and Xbox One Exclusive)

* Players will gain access to unlock and boost created Superstar ratings and attributes made available at launch as part of the game’s MyCareer mode;
* Players can also unlock all clothing made available at launch that provides attribute boosts in MyCareer;

MyPlayer Kick Start will be available for $9.99.

New Moves Pack

* Explore a wide variety of new in-game moves, including the Swingout Neckbreaker (made popular by current WWE Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte); the Elbro Drop (made popular by WWE Superstar Zack Ryder); the Face Wash Combo (made popular by NXT Superstar Samoa Joe; and the TJP Clutch (made popular by current WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins);

The New Moves Pack will be available for $3.99.

NXT Enhancement Pack (PS4™ system and Xbox One Exclusive)

* Playable NXT Superstars: Apollo Crews, Nia Jax and Shinsuke Nakamura;
* Players will earn a 50 percent boost in points while competing at NXT during MyCareer;

The NXT Enhancement Pack will be available for $9.99.

NXT Legacy Pack (PS3™ system and Xbox 360 Exclusive)

* Playable NXT Superstars: Apollo Crews, Nia Jax and Shinsuke Nakamura;

The NXT Legacy Pack will be available for $4.99.

About the WWE 2K17 Season Pass

Players may purchase select WWE 2K17 downloadable content at a reduced price point through the game’s Season Pass. For $29.99, a savings of more than 15 percent versus individual content purchases, players will receive the following items as they become available:

* Accelerator;
* Future Stars Pack;
* Hall of Fame Showcase;
* Legends Pack;
* New Moves Pack.

About the WWE 2K17 Digital Deluxe Editions

2K also announced Digital Deluxe Editions for WWE 2K17 will be available via PlayStation™Network and Xbox Live as follows:

PS4™ system and Xbox One ($89.99) – available for pre-order now:
* Copy of WWE 2K17;
* WWE 2K17 Season Pass;
* WWE 2K17 MyPlayer Kick Start;
* WWE 2K16 MyPlayer Kick Start (available immediately with pre-order purchase);
* Goldberg Pack (access to two playable Bill Goldberg characters, as well as playable WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc arenas);
* Theme (PS4™ system only; available immediately with pre-order purchase).

PS3™ system ($79.99) – available beginning October 11, 2016:
* Copy of WWE 2K17;
* WWE 2K17 Season Pass;
* NXT Legacy Pack.

* PlayStation™Network or Xbox Live account and Internet connection required. Copy of WWE 2K17 required to play.

Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K17 is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. WWE 2K17 is currently scheduled for worldwide release on the PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®3 systems, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on October 11, 2016. Consumers who pre-order WWE 2K17 at any participating retailer will receive two playable Bill Goldberg characters, as well as playable WCW Monday Nitro and Halloween Havoc arenas, at no extra cost on launch day. For more information on WWE 2K17 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #WWE2K17 or subscribe on YouTube.

2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

There’s talk of forming a new stable on the SmackDown brand that would feature talent with collegiate wrestling credentials, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The group would be similar to the classic Varsity Club group that competed in the NWA/WCW in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Names discussed for this new group include Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin recently underwent shoulder surgery and will be out 5-6 more months.

Chad Gable is the most accomplished amateur wrestler on the roster and actually headed up a ‘shooters’ stable in NXT at one point. It was eventually dropped because Vince McMahon has never been a fan of those types of gimmicks.

TNA has announced the Bound For Gold match for the 10/2 Bound For Glory pay-per-view in Orlando.

No word yet on participants but they should be announced on tonight’s Impact.

The updated BFG card looks like this:

World Championship No Holds Barred Match: Lashley (c) vs. EC3

Tag Team Championship Match: The Decay (c) vs. The Hardys

Knockouts Championship Match: Maria (c) vs. Gail Kim

Bound For Gold Match

Impact Grand Championship Tournament Finals

Moose vs. Mike Bennett

It appears Cody Rhodes’ TNA debut will come on tomorrow’s Impact on POP episode, likely by taped video. TNA posted this teaser video for Rhodes’ debut:

Tomorrow Night, Impact Wrestling is can not miss. He Is Coming. pic.twitter.com/YoWelbiSVh

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 21, 2016

As noted, Rhodes’ wife Brandi recently signed to wrestle in the TNA Knockouts division.

This week’s WWE SmackDown drew 2.292 million viewers, down from last week’s 2.658 million viewers. By comparison, Monday’s RAW did 2.684 million viewers.

SmackDown featured Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena in the main event, The Miz retaining his WWE Intercontinental Championship over Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton vs. Erick Rowan and more..

SmackDown was #6 for the night in viewership and #1 in the 18-49 demographic.

During a recent appearance on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast,  WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart gave his latest comments regarding Seth Rollins’s in-ring work. Despite being very outspoken about Rollins injuring John Cena, Sting and Finn Balor, Bret says he’s actually a big fan. “I mean, it sounds like I’ve been a little hard on him the last few months, but I’m trying to make a point to make him a better wrestler, to live up to what I expect out of him. And we’re in this business. It’s not about hurting people, and, too often, people misunderstand my point, and, maybe, including him. Now, he thinks I’ve got a hard on for him, or I’m out to get him, or out to make him sound bad. I’m not. I love his wrestling and I like him as a person. He’s always a respectful guy and I know he’s trying his hardest.”

Hart continued, “I hope Seth Rollins becomes the safest, best wrestler in the world. And I wish him all the luck in the world. And I’m not trying to pick on him. I’m just trying to remind him that it’s not about hurting guys. That doesn’t make you a good wrestler. It makes you a really lousy wrestler.”

Bret would then compare Rollins’ to Goldberg, the guy who ended Bret Hart’s career and cost him millions of dollars.  “Goldberg was the same with me. He was a great guy and I love Bill Goldberg, but he cost me millions of dollars and he hurt me really badly. And there’s no room for it,” Hart said. “You’ve got to go back to the dressing room every night and beat that wrestler and look him in the eye, and go, usually, Book, you know, you come back, you meet, you shake hands, you hug each other, because you put your life in this guy’s hands. And I know accidents are going to happen. Accidents happen. Bill Goldberg was an accident. He didn’t try to kick my head off, but he did.”

Bret would then go on to claim that Rollins’ is lucky that he did not kill Cena with that messy knee to the face.

“Chris Jericho and Seth did a podcast a few months ago and they were kind of ragging on me for making such a big deal about one little accident in the ring. But I watched, really closely, the match where he kneed John Cena in the face. And do you know what? There’s no excuse for those kinds of mistakes. If you’re doing CrossFit all day and you’re too tired to do your stuff in the ring… there’s just no excuse. And you watch a guy grab a guy and jerk his head down and see him full blast knee him in the face as hard as you can, and actually move his nose to the side of his head, there’s just no room for those kinds of mistakes. He’s lucky, really lucky, that he didn’t kill John Cena right in the middle of the ring. That’s a potential fatality when you make those kinds of mistakes. And then, I know I kind of made a big thing about it, and, the truth is, there’s no room for mistakes in wrestling. When you make a mistake, one time, you could cost somebody’s family everything that they’ve got.”

On the subject of Rollins’ buckle bomb, The Hitman questioned the logic behind the move.

“That move that Seth Rollins did where he hurt that Finn Bálor. Well, if you just think about it logically, ‘okay, I’m going to pick somebody up, and I’m going to go through their legs under the ropes, and then, I’m going to do like Razor Ramon and I’m going to just grab you and do the Razor’s Edge’. It’s basically the move. And if you just think about it, ‘okay, I’m going to pick you up, and then I’m going to run full blast, as hard as I can, just hurl your body against that padded wall’. And if you watch it, it’s, like, as soon as I saw it, I thought that if somebody had done that to me, I would have been pretty mad.”

Hart added, “I go, ‘it didn’t even mean anything. It didn’t help the match any more. It didn’t make the match any better. It’s not like everybody went home that night and thought, ‘what a great move that was.” It was a wasted effort, I think, to go through all that trouble to do this move, and then, you hurt somebody.”

Click here for the full podcast.

Randy Orton continues to be outspoken on Twitter regarding matters of politics and race. Earlier this week, Orton addressed the recent trend of professional athletes protesting by kneeling during the National Anthem.

If you're sneering that it doesn't take courage to raise your fist during the anthem, then you're one of the reasons why it takes courage.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 20, 2016

Sneering? More like shaking my head. Courage? Lol riiiight. Courage. Thats what it takes to stand up and fight, not raise a fist. https://t.co/DqQt11cNmS

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 20, 2016

A teacher in North Carolina has been suspended after stomping on an American flag while giving a history lesson. Orton does not approve of the teacher’s act of protest and says he should be fired. Some of Orton’s followers challenged his opinion, but Orton wasn’t backing down.

Suspends? Should fire his ass! https://t.co/dGV0WqSsq2

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 21, 2016

https://twitter.com/googleafijian/status/778459391804579843

'Literally just a flag' wow. Loss for words https://t.co/mkLrgLEdBw

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 21, 2016

https://twitter.com/googleafijian/status/778463176094384129

Americans are dying. Pigment of skin doesn't matter. American people matter. https://t.co/MgUbMiPteM

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 21, 2016