Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Chelsea Green was the latest guest on the Women’s Pro Wrestling Weekly show on AfterBuzz TV.

Green spoke about a variety of topics, including training under Lance Storm, her experience during and after competing on WWE Tough Enough, her Laurel Van Ness character in Impact Wrestling, dating Zack Ryder, if she’ll be participating in WWE’s second Mae Young Classic women’s tournament and more.

Audio of the appearance can be heard at the bottom of this article. Here are some highlights sent in by the show’s producers:

Whether She Goes Back To Train With Lance Storm:

“At first, since I have been wrestling for about 4 years now. For the first couple of years, I would go back often, even if it was just for a day to help out another girl to help out in his class, or to brush up on a move that I wanted to learn. Now, because I am based in Orlando, Florida compared to being based out in Canada, I don’t have that opportunity as much. However, whenever I do have a chance to go back to Calgary, I go back and visit him because honestly, as many lessons as I have learned, traveling and meeting new people [to train with], Lance Storm knows everything. I swear to you, any question you can have about moves, psychology, gimmicks, the history of Pro Wrestling, he knows. Lance Storm is an encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge. He really drills the necessities into you so that when you go out there you won’t do stupid things. You just start from the basics, which is amazing.”

Her Influences After Leaving Storm’s Wrestling Academy:

“I would say, because people don’t know this about me, but I knew nothing about Pro Wrestling. Not a thing. I had never seen a Pro Wrestling ring until I was maybe around grade 11. Lance Storm taught me everything that I know. Then, when leaving ‘Storm’s Wrestling Academy,’ I would say that the person who taught me the most after leaving the school would be [Former WWE Intercontinental Champion] Billy Gunn because he influenced me on Tough Enough, and now I am really close with his family. He always gives me great advice. The other person would be [Former WWE Women’s Champion] Gail Kim because she helped me get the job from Impact Wrestling. She trusted and supported me, as well as elevated me along the way as I went.”

Lessons Learned Being In The Pro Wrestling Business At This Stage Of Her Career:

“What happened was, I did Tough Enough, and when I got kicked off and didn’t get a contract, I thought—and this was naive of me, but I assumed that they would see how much that I loved this and how quickly I learned, and that no matter what even when I left I would be receiving a contract, so when I left Tough Enough and sat on my couch for about a month or two as I waited and waited and never received a call, I kind of had to think outside the box and had to think, okay, now what? I am now stuck in Canada. I am not legally allowed to work in the United States. I really don’t know what I am doing, and for the amount of time that I spent being on Tough Enough, I really wasn’t wrestling.

I had to come up with something different. I asked myself: where are people going to generate a buzz to make a name for themselves? The two places I thought of were Mexico or Japan. I worked on trying to get to Mexico, which was the first thing that I really wanted to do, but a couple of my girlfriends thought that I should learn how to wrestle before I go to Mexico, so I should try out in Japan. That is how I kind of got over there in Japan. I still didn’t really know what I was doing, but with the language barrier over in Japan, they don’t know that you don’t know what you are doing, so every crazy move that I wanted to try, they were like, okay, let’s try it. That is how my confidence and move-sets grew by trying things that I wouldn’t have tried had I been here in the United States.

Coming Up With The Laurel Van Ness Character:

“I started on Impact Wrestling as just a typical mean girl, Regina George [character in Mean Girls movie] knockoff. I was bored with it. I feel like that is what every girl falls into when they are trying to be a heel girl character. I just find it overdone, and unless you can do it really well it becomes overdone. They kind of threw me a bone when they gave me a storyline with [Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion] Allie and husband Braxton Sutter where I was able to get married. As we were planning this marriage segment and I am going to be left at the altar, I thought to myself, okay, how can I make this as dramatic as possible and make this as different and ridiculous. At this stage, nobody is talking about my character. Nobody is talking about a girl that is a typical blonde, mean girl that is on television. That is just not something people care about.

When we got into doing the segment on television, I was the most dramatic human on the planet. I would stay crying. I would drink champagne. I would throw flowers around, and when I got into the back when the segment was done, Dutch [Mantell] was there saying, “oh my gosh, that was absolutely brilliant!”. “We need to film something, anything, where you are continuing on this mental breakdown.” That is what it looks like you are doing in the ring, you are having a mental breakdown. So, we sat down in the makeup room and I sat on the floor and he told me to smear my lipstick, and I said that it isn’t going to work because my lips are my skin color so it’s not going to work. He told me to put on red lipstick, but I told him that during the scene I didn’t have red lipstick on, he said to me to put it on and smear it. He then told me to wet my face a little so my makeup can be smeared. He said to act crazy and sing a song and do something crazy.

I am sitting there with makeup smeared, sitting on the ground with no shoes on. Being an absolute nutcase. I am not joking, I didn’t think that it was ever going to be used, but all of it aired and it was one of the most-watched segments of that year. From there, we just carried on the craziness.”

Chelsea Talks On Her Boyfriend, Zack Ryder And How He Helped Develop Her Laurel Van Ness Character:

“I think the great thing is about my character is that talking with someone, someone always has some sort of suggestion because they can relate my character with a crazy ex-girlfriend, or a psycho mom or psycho sister, or a drunk-hot mess that they saw at the bar last week. You can relate it to whoever you want. With that comes these amazing suggestions from people. I get caught up in this character thinking that I have to go one way or another to the point that I believe that I need to be this drunk girl that never wrestles, but my boyfriend [Zack Ryder] takes a step back and says to me that I can take this character into whatever direction I want it to go.

I should also stop making the character drunk, but instead, I should make her a psycho. You need a snapping point, and with that snapping point how would the crowd know that I snapped? He suggested having my lipstick slipped to me and that becomes my ‘thing.’ That is my weapon so the crowd knows that this is it, she is turning it up, and the match doesn’t become what it was before. Those little kind of pointers is where he helps me with. Where in the match I should make it happen and where it should happen, but I mean, really, there are fans that help me with this. There are fans that help me with certain suggestions where even I hadn’t thought of it and I end up using it.”

Chelsea Talking About Dating Zack Ryder:

“I mean, at first we based on our relationship on everything but work, and I think that is what helped us and how we fell in love because on our first date we didn’t talk about wrestling. Like I said, I don’t know wrestling. I don’t know the things he has done in the past. He tells me stories, but I am not sitting there thinking that I already knew that and that I was watching it on YouTube. I genuinely have no idea, but I love it and am interested in it.

Of course, it is hard when we are on the road. Last week he was in Europe so we didn’t see each other for several weeks, but on the other hand, we are both doing the same thing and we are doing this together on the same team. I know what he is going through when he can’t call me and vice versa. I believe it is the best thing in the world to trust each other. I know when he is not texting me, I know he is busy at work and I am busy too, so it’s great. It’s hard. It’s a job, but that is kind of what every relationship is and you just try to make it work.

This past week it was harder than usual because he wasn’t home all week while I am sitting at home Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday, but the minute the weekend hits I am off to the Indie shows, I am off doing business so it is totally fine. It definitely is tough when one person is really busy and the other is sitting at home, but we rarely have that, so we have been lucky.”

Has WWE reached out to her regarding the second inaugural Mae Young Classic:

“I have not been contacted yet. I don’t know if you know who Britt Baker and Santana Garrett are. We stay in contact and there are no secrets with us girls. We tell each other exactly what is happening. What conversations we have had with WWE, but none of us have heard anything. I know that a lot of girls, a lot of buzz about it, where they have heard from people in the Performance Center, but I have not heard anything about it. I am keeping myself really busy at the moment, and it is really full. That way, if they don’t call, I am not worried about it, and if they do call I would be totally excited, but either way, I’m happy because I am busy.”

Get it all on this week’s brand new episode of AfterBuzz TV’s WPW Weekly. Two words for you…DOWNLOAD IT!

AXS TV sent in the following press release announcing a special block of programming dedicated to the historic IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign of Kazuchika Okada.

For 12 weeknights starting May 31st, AXS TV will air each of Okada’s first 12 title matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Katsuyori Shibata and more.

The Okada championship spotlight culminates on Friday, June 15th with the airing of The Rainmarker’s recent title defense against Hiroshi Tanahashi from Wrestling Dontaku 2018 earlier this month.

AXS TV CELEBRATES KAZUCHIKA OKADA’S HISTORIC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE REIGN WITH A LATE-NIGHT BLOCK SHOWCASING HIS 12 CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES FROM MAY 30-JUNE 14 AT 5aE/2aP

AXS TV Will Present Okada’s Record-Breaking Title Match Against Hiroshi Tanahashi on Friday, June 15 at 8pE/5pP

Los Angeles (May 29, 2018) – AXS TV—the exclusive U.S. broadcast home for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW)—celebrates IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada’s record-breaking fourth reign with a late-night programming block dedicated to “The Rainmaker.” For 12 weeknights starting May 31, the network will air each of Okada’s first 12 title matches, including his epic battles with Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Katsuyori Shibata and more. Fans are encouraged to set their DVRs to capture these legendary battles airing at 5aE/2aP.

Then, AXS TV presents Okada’s historic match against longtime rival Hiroshi Tanahashi on Friday, June 15 at 8pE/5pP from Wrestling Dontaku 2018, where he broke Tanahashi’s record for consecutive title defenses and continued his run as the longest-reigning champion in NJPW history.

AXS TV’s late-night Okada championship schedule is as follows:

• 5/30 – Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito – Dominion 6.19 – June 19, 2016
• 5/31 – Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji – King of Pro-Wrestling 2016 – Oct. 10, 2016
• 6/1 – Okada vs. Kenny Omega – Wrestle Kingdom 11 – Jan. 4, 2017
• 6/4 – Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki – The New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 – Feb. 5, 2017
• 6/5 – Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata – Sakura Genesis 2017 – April 9, 2017
• 6/6 – Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale – Wrestling Dontaku 2017 – May 3, 2017
• 6/7 – Okada vs. Omega – Dominion 6.11 – June 11, 2017
• 6/8 – Okada vs. Cody – G1 SPECIAL IN USA – July 1, 2017
• 6/11 – Okada vs. EVIL – King of Pro-Wrestling 2017 – Oct. 9, 2017
• 6/12 – Okada vs. Naito – Wrestle Kingdom 12 – Jan. 4, 2018
• 6/13 – Okada vs. SANADA – The New Beginning in Osaka 2018 – Feb. 10, 2018
• 6/14 – Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Sakura Genesis 2018 – April 1, 2018
• 6/15 at 8pE/5pP – Okada vs. Tanahashi – Wrestling Dontaku 2018 – May 4, 2018

It’s finally here. After five weeks of anticipation, Pentagon, Jr. is challenging Shane “Swerve” Strickland for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. It’s the first MLW title defense and I hope both men deliver.

Watch this week’s episiode of Fusion right here!

The show opens with Swerve and Barrington Hughes rolling up to the arena in an expensive red convertible. Strickland gets out and is flanked by reporters and photographers. Salina de la Renta approaches him and says that his car and his title are both rentals. She walks as Hughes calls her a “broomstick,” which he explains means she’s a “witch.” Swerve is about to say that she’s more like a “bitch,” but he gets cut off by the opening title card. That was pretty funny.

Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini welcome us and hype the big title match.

Santana Garrett vs. Chelsea Green

Winner: Santana Garrett with a jumping DDT

Thoughts and Highlights

• I believe this is the first women’s match on Fusion.
• These two started off as friends and then Green slapped Garrett, which turned the match into more of a stiffer brawl.
• After the slap, Green went into crazy woman mode, smearing her lipstick all over her mouth.
• One interesting move by Green was when she had Garrett on her knees and held her arms back. Then, she pushed Garrett into the middle turnbuckle with her foot a few times. Garrett hit the turnbuckle like someone hitting their face into a car dashboard during a sudden stop because they weren’t wearing a seatbelt.
• One awkward spot in the match was towards the end where Garrett went for a kick. Green dodged it. Garrett just turned her back on Green like she was just waiting for the next move to happen, which ended up being a lungblower. I guess Green should have gotten the move off quicker but it made Garrett look like a dope for just standing there.
• The two hugged after the match. I thought Green was going to turn but she turned off the crazy once the bell rang. Not a bad match.

We get a recap of Team Filthy’s beatdown on Jimmy Havoc followed by a promo from Lawlor. He apologizes for the beating and for the fact that Havoc can’t take a “vicious punch.” He mocks Havoc for being in British, saying that he’s probably in “London town” drinking tea and eating crumpets. After listening to some of Havoc’s promos, I think he likes to drink blood with his crumpets instead. Lawlor finishes by saying that Havoc can’t take him in the ring and he apologizes for that, too. Lawlor wasn’t the smoothest in this promo but he came across as an arrogant d—, which he’s pretty good at.

Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge

Winner: Simon Gotch (Duh- it’s his open challenge)

Thoughts and Highlights

• The “prize” in this open challenge is $250. What a cheap bastard.
• The first man to accept the open challenge was Danny Santiago. I was wondering if this guy was a jobber and he was. Three things confirmed this:

1. He didn’t even get his name displayed on the chyron.
2. He was wearing a white belt, which is the lowest level in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (I have to credit Bing with helping me on that one).
3. When he took off his jacket, his physique was…well…let’s just say unimpressive.

• Gotch won after a T-bone suplex and a Gotch piledriver.
• Gotch reached into the bag holding the money and pulled out an even smaller bag containing the $250. He waved it in Santiago’s face.

Kaci Lennox is outside Martin J. Friedman’s dressing room door, where she’s waiting for him to arrive. All of a sudden, Aria Blake and Joey Janela walk out of Friedman’s room. Janela is smoking a cigarette and drinking a Corona. Lennox asks why they were in there and Janela just says they weren’t doing anything bad.

After a commercial, Friedman arrives at his dressing room. Lennox is about to interview him when he smells smoke. He walks into his dressing room and it’s trashed. Cigarette ashes are all over his $3,000 shirt, there’s domestic beer cans all over the place, and there’s a condom on the floor (which was blurred out). Friedman is incensed and storms out of the room.

MLW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Shane “Swerve” Strickland (champion) vs. Pentagon, Jr. w/Salina de la Renta

We’re less than thirty minutes in and it’s time for the main event. A video package plays showing the events leading up to this match, including Pentagon’s mind games and the red mist attack from two weeks ago. We get a tale of the tape before heading out to the arena for the entrances. Pentagon is out first and spits his red mist at the top of the aisle. I hope he has enough left over to use for the match.

A mariachi band comes into the ring and plays the Mexican national anthem. The crowd was respectful for the most part. Nobody booed and nobody chanted “U.S.A.” while it was going on. In fact, they applauded after it was over. The whole crowd reaction was very 2018. If this were 1988, garbage would have been thrown in the ring and Jesse Ventura would have been talking about “Chico” Santana’s tacos.

Pentagon had the “Cero Miedo” hand sign over his heart during the anthem. Nice touch.

Swerve comes out next and I think there’s definitely some crowd sweetening. Some of the cheering just didn’t sound like it was live.

Winner: Shane “Swerve” Strickland after the Swerve Stomp

Thoughts and Highlights

• This was a slower paced match but it wasn’t boring.
• At one point, Pentagon tied Swerve’s hands to the middle rope using audio cables and began chopping him. The ref was admonishing Pentagon for this but then just kind of let Pentagon do his thing.
• Bocchini compared Swerve to a “young Jon Jones.” Let’s just hope Swerve’s career doesn’t take a left turn at cocaine use and hit and run accidents.
• The pace started picking up when both men booted each other in the face. The ref began a double 20 count as they lay on the mat and the show went to commercial. That was kind of a weird spot to give Blue Moon their ad time.
• Pentagon hit a Canadian Destroyer on the apron. I thought for a second that we were going to get a countout finish but thankfully Pentagon got Swerve back in the ring.
• Towards the end of the match, Pentagon brought a chair into the ring. I don’t like when heels bring foreign objects like chairs or title belts into the ring right in front of the ref’s eyes, especially if they’re the ones challenging for the title. Why would you get yourself intentionally disqualified? It makes “cero” sense.
• Before the Swerve Stomp, Pentagon attempted to spit red mist into Swerve’s face, but Swerve ducked and de la Renta ended up getting the spicy spit in her face instead. Now, whereas Swerve reacted like he was going blind when the mist ended up in his face two weeks back, de la Renta just looked annoyed and acted like someone had spilt cranberry juice on her nice white clothes. She didn’t even look like her sight was affected in any way. It made Swerve look like an overreacting wuss.

After the show goes off the air, we get a commercial for next week’s episode, where former WWE superstars Rich Swann and Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) will make their MLW debuts. We’ll also see Jeff Cobb (Matanza Cueto) on Fusion for the first time as he takes on Hager.

Final Thoughts

• I really dug this week’s episode. The comedy on the show was just the right amount and it didn’t feel forced. When I watch Raw or Smackdown, I think to myself that the comedy on those shows feels contrived, like Vince McMahon has a comedy quota that needs to be filled in each episode. The funny spots on this show were quick and didn’t overstay their welcome.
• I’m happy to see Simon Gotch featured in MLW. Not every guy’s career works out in WWE but he’s talented and I’m glad to see him spotlighted. His membership in Team Filthy and the open challenge gimmick are going to help him get over.
• I loved the segment with Friedman in the dressing room and can’t wait to see a Friedman/Janela feud play out. It seems natural- the refined one percenter vs. the sloppy degenerate.
• I was more impressed with Swerve this week than in his match with Jimmy Havoc.
• Rich Bocchini is irritating and comes off as a dunce to me. When Schiavone questioned why Pentagon would bring a chair into the ring, Bocchini’s response was “You have to use that chair to make it illegal.” DUH. That’s the whole reason why Schiavone was questioning it.

That’s it for this week. Follow me on Twitter (@CliffofDoom). If you live in the States, enjoy your long weekend and please remember all of the men and women who died to protect America. Have a good week!

AXS TV sent in word that they will be airing a live broadcast of NJPW’s upcoming G1 Special In San Francisco on Saturday night, July 7th at 8pm ET.

Below is the official press release, including a quote from AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon .

AXS TV TO LIVE BROADCAST NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’S THIRD U.S. EVENT, THE ‘G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO,’ ON SATURDAY, JULY 7 AT 8pE/5pP

‘G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO’ Marks AXS TV’s Third Live NJPW Broadcast

10,000 Fans Expected at the Historic Cow Palace

Los Angeles (May 25, 2018) – AXS TV announced today that it will exclusively live broadcast New Japan Pro Wrestling’s third U.S. event—the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO—on Saturday, July 7 at 8pE/5pP. The G1 SPECIAL continues the network’s partnership with the fast-growing wrestling promotion and its Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi, building on the success of AXS TV’s presentation of STRONG STYLE EVOLVED in March 2018 and G1 SPECIAL IN USA in July 2017, along with its award-winning Friday Night NJPW series.

The event marks NJPW’s most ambitious foray into the U.S. market to date, with a crowd of over 10,000 expected at the historic Cow Palace in Daly City, California. Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett will call the action ringside as the best wrestlers in the world, including “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, enter the ring at the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO.

“As NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING continues their U.S. expansion, we are proud to provide a platform for NJPW and TV Asahi to bring their electrifying events to as many fans as possible through our live, primetime broadcasts,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The Cow Palace has a rich history of major pro wrestling events and we are excited to continue that tradition with our presentation of the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO.”

Tickets to the live event are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

The MLW World Heavyweight Championship will be defended on FUSION for the first time ever tonight. After weeks of build-up, World Champion Shane Strickland will face off with Pentagon Jr. in tonight’s main event. Team Filthy makes an appearance tonight with the first-ever Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge. And the firsts continue, as the initial women’s division matchup ever on MLW: FUSION will be featured tonight.

Learn more how you can watch FUSION on beIN SPORTS here. If you can’t access beIN SPORTS on your cable/satellite/streaming provider, the full episode will be uploaded to MLW’s official Youtube channel Saturday night at 6:05pm ET.

Battle of the Besties

Santana Garrett and Chelsea Green are best friends. They have traveled up and down the road together in professional wrestling. But tonight, they make history. Green and Garrett will be the first two women’s grapplers to be featured on FUSION. How will their friendship and intimate knowledge of one another affect this match? What effect will the outcome have on the MLW women’s division? Those questions will be answered at 8 p.m. ET in our first bout of the evening.

Filthy Fallout

Two weeks ago on FUSION, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Simon Gotch and Team Filthy laid out Jimmy Havoc. Havoc had just finished a brutal encounter with “Bad Boy” Joey Janela and accidentally bumped into Lawlor outside the arena. Lawlor wasn’t happy about being interrupted. So he and his buddies beat down an already exhausted Havoc. Tonight, Lawlor has promised to apologize for his actions. Stay tuned …

Gotch Prize Fight Challenge

Team Filthy and Simon Gotch have offered a cash prize to anyone who can last five minutes with “the Great Gotch.” The first man to step up and accept the challenge will get his chance tonight. According to Gotch, his opponent doesn’t even have to win tonight’s matchup, just avoid submission or pinfall for five minutes. Team Filthy says they have lined up an accomplished martial artist lined up as an opponent. Will Gotch hang onto his “large sum of cash”?

The Gold Is On the Line

Major League Wrestling fans know the impresaria Salina de la Renta lusts after championship gold. Heck, her company – Promciones Dorado – is named after the Spanish word for gold. Tonight, her top star Pentagon Jr. has the opportunity to bring gold home to Promociones Dorado with a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Shane “Swerve” Strickland.

While it’s about the World Title, this matchup also got a bit more personal over the last few weeks. First, de la Renta tried messing with Strickland’s mind, doing some “interior decorating” in his locker room. Then, Pentagon Jr. tried messing with Swerve’s eyesight. In a backstage altercation, set up by de la Renta, Penta sprayed red mist into Strickland’s face, causing damage to the champion’s eyes. Following that brazen attack, MLW officials stripped Pentagon Jr. of his No. 1 Contender status and forced him to put his World Title shot on the line against his brother Rey Fenix last week. Following an incredible battle, Pentagon Jr. reclaimed the opportunity to take on Strickland for the World Title.

Will Strickland’s vision be affected by the mist attack? Was Swerve’s ability to train for this important defense of the World Championship impacted by his injuries? How much does Pentagon Jr. have left in the tank after the brutal match with Fenix last week? Or will his victory give Pentagon the momentum needed to unseat the champ?

We’ll find out, as it all goes down tonight on FUSION!

Join Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini as they call the action for an action packed 60 minute shot of Major League Wrestling: FUSION!

Use #MLWFusion when tweeting about tonight’s broadcast.

On Thursday, we had a chance to speak with Major League Wrestling competitor Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The 22-year-old wrestling prodigy from Plainview, Long Island is perhaps best known known for his oversized ego and lavish North Shore upbringing.

Friedman sounded off on a wide range of topics, including what it’s like being a pro wrestler in this social media era, his upcoming fight against Joey Janela at MLW’s next Fusion tapings (6/7) and much more.

We did our best to transcribe the interview accurately – our audio recording of the conversation was hard to make out at times, as MJF was in a helicopter en route to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend when we spoke.

SEScoops: You’ve been a part of Major League Wrestling since the promotion’s re-boot last fall at One-Shot. How did you first get involved with MLW?

MJF: “[MLW CEO] Court [Bauer] basically begged me to join. I felt pretty bad for the guy. He said, ‘Look, we need star power. We need top guys, somebody that can carry the company to the next level and get us on national TV.’ Let’s face facts, without me, they wouldn’t have gotten that TV deal. So I said, ‘Look Court, if the money’s right, I’ll think about it.’ We took it from there and ever since, we’ve been off to the races.”

What is it like coming up in today’s era of social media, where fans can interact with you 24/7? It seems there would be pro’s and cons to this dynamic. On one hand, you can promote yourself nonstop. But there might also be the risk of being ‘too accessible,’ which takes away from the mystique of you as a performer. 

MJF: “Here’s the thing. I don’t let those nerds and losers into my life completely. What I do is, I tell it like it is.  I tell them facts and the fact of the matter is, I’m the fastest rising star in professional wrestling. That’s the positive about social media. People get to see what MJF is doing and where MJF is going to be. At the same time, the negative is, these fans have an opinion that they think is valid. It’s not. They’re not important. They’re poor, they’re stupid and quite frankly, almost never know what they’re talking about.”

Ok. With the recent launch of MLW FUSION, the show has featured a hybrid of various wrestling styles – amateur, brawling, lucha libre, MMA, etc. How would you describe your in-ring style?

MJF: “My style is that I’m better than anyone I’m in there with. I don’t need to do flippy flops, I don’t do cool technical wrestling. At the end of the day, I do what I have to do to win. And that’s just that. That’s what’s wrong with pro wrestling today. People are concerned what the fans think. They want to look cool, they want to act tough. I don’t care about that. You know what I care about? The bottom dollar. I care about filling up my bank account. So you know my style is? My style is making money and winning.”

On June 7^th, you’ll be across the ring from Joey Janela at the next MLW FUSION taping from Orlando. You’ve competed against Janela before and have seen what he’s done thus far in MLW. What’s your strategy going into this match?

MJF: “Joey Janela is brain dead. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but he’s  been in some incredibly brutal matches, one of them with me, where I defeated him at Cage of Death in CZW, so I know what it’s like to get in the ring with that lunatic, and I’m quite proficient at it. The picture with Joey is that fans seen to take likening to him because he’s willing to put his body on the line. But that’s what’s wrong with Joey Janela. Joey doesn’t understand that you don’t have to do that, he doesn’t have to play to these people, if he wasn’t so dumb, I bet he could be a very talented, well-rounded wrestler. He puts his body on the line trying to impress people. Time after time again, he gets hurt.

Here’s what’s going to happen, I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen in our match. Joey Janela is going to have me on the ground. He’ll probably be close to having me beaten. But what he’s going to do wrong is he’s going to try to do something stupid. He’ll try to do a big stunt like he’s Evel Knievel, I’m going to move out of the way, he’s going to break every bone in his body and I’m going to pin him. The guy has so much potential, but he doesn’t think things through. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of the wrestling fans of today. They don’t think things through and they act on instinct and emotion. It’s really sad, honestly.”

MLW recently crowned a World Heavyweight Champion in Shane Strickland. Are you focused on making a run at MLW’s top prize in the near future?

MJF: “Here’s the thing. I think Court is protecting his little pet project there in [MLW World Heavyweight Champion] Shane Strickland. I think the MLW office is protecting Shane Strickland. I think everyone who is reading this interview right now is very well aware that if I wanted to, I could tap Shane Strickland out like a little school girl, ok? Right now, that’s not what I’m interested in. I’m interested in focusing on myself, making my money and proving week in and week out, show after show, month after month, year after year, I’m the best in the ‘biz.

Maybe, just maybe, Shane will stop ducking me, maybe the office will allow me to wrestle Shane, maybe that will go down. When it does, there will be a new MLW World Heavyweight Champion. You know, there’s talk of there being other belts, other titles, other championship titles. Quite frankly, I’d rather pioneer the next class of championship, the next generation. Once I’m done doing that, if I feel like it, if Shane Is done being a scared little girl, I’d love to wrestle him for that title.

I can’t badmouth Shane Strickland. He’s quite possibly one of the best hybrid wrestlers in the world today. He’s very proficient in almost every style. But as I said, my style is winning – and business is good right now.”

As one of the top prospects to come out of New York in recent years, what’s it going to be like for you when MLW comes to New York City on July 19^th for the big MLW FUSION TV taping at the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City?

MJF: “It’s going to be a homecoming. The people are going to out in the streets. They’re going to be going nuts. There’s going to be parades for MJF. I think you and I both know that I’m the hometown hero. Everybody loves me. Everybody loves me everywhere!

I don’t know if it’s going to be crazy different, because let’s face facts: every town I go to, people are excited to see Maxwell. But it’s going to be a little bit of a different feel. Born and raised in Plainview, Long Island, I think people are going to emotionally connect with that. I’m excited to perform in front of people of my ilk, so to speak.”

Where do you see MLW one year from now?

MJF: “I see MLW growing rapidly already, so I can’t imagine where we’ll be in a year from now. I’m just excited for the future, but more importantly, I’m excited for myself. It’s not like MLW is the only spot I’m working. I’m all over the place. I’ve worked for every top-tier promotion in independent wrestling. If you can think of a top-tier company, I’ve wrestled there twice. Places like Progress, House of Hardcore, Limitless, Beyond Wrestling, CZW, the list goes on and on. If I keep going I’ll probably lose my voice.

If there’s a difference about MLW compared to all those companies, it’s that MLW 1) Has phenomenal TV, 2) Has one of the best rosters in all of professional wrestling. I think you’re going to be seeing a lot of growth out of Major League Wrestling over the next year.”

Parting words for the readers of SEScoops.com:

MJF: “You’re all dumb, stupid and poor, but at the end of the day, if you need somebody to look up to, if you need someone to distract you from being a complete loser, just follow me on Twitter and Instagram @The_MJF. My name is Maxwell Jacob Friedman. I am better than you and you know it.”

Catch MJF each week on MLW FUSION, which airs Friday nights on BeIN SPORTS. The weekly episodes are also uploaded to MLW’s official YouTube page Saturday nights at 6:05pm ET.

Ronda Rousey will be going overseas for WWE once again later this summer.

The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion competed at her first WWE live event earlier this month from Geneva, Switzerland at the SEG Geneva Arena (Video). During the recent European tour, it was announced that Rousey will be in action when WWE returns to London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday, August 29th, as part of a special, one-night-only WWE live Event.

It has now been confirmed that Rousey will also be at the WWElive event from Osaka, Japan just two days later on Friday, August 31st. For more information on this show, visit WWELive.jp.

Rousey will be appearing on WWE television regularly in the coming months, including television, pay-per-view and live events. In addition to the London & Osaka shows, WWE is advertising Ronda Rousey for the following dates through the end of August:

• Monday Night RAW TV Event: May 28th in Richmond, VA
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 11th, in Little Rock, AR
• MITB Event: June 17th, in Chicago, Illinois
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 18th in Grand Rapids, MI
• WWE Live Event: June 24th in Anaheim, CA
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 25th in San Diego, CA
• WWE Live Event: July 7th in New York City
• WWE Live Event: July 8th in Bridgeport, CT
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 16th in Buffalo, NY
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY
• Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA

Former Ring of Honor World Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes recently spoke with Mike McGuire about a number of topics related to All In, the biggest independent wrestling show of the year scheduled for 9/1 from Chicago. Here are some highlights from the discussion, with the video of the interview available at the bottom of this article.

Bringing a sense of unity to Independent wrestling:

“Somebody told me, ‘You’ve stumbled upon wrestling’s ‘Woodstock’’. As much as I’d like to say that and cut that promo, I won’t know that until that Thursday, All In weekend.. This has the feeling. I think we all need it. Wrestlers, fans, whether there’s a bunch of All In’s or just one, we’re going to make it count.”

Challenging for the NWA Championship:

“Billy (Corgan) wanted the NWA Championship represented on All In and I said “absolutely, and I’ll be the one to challenge for it.” We also talk a little in storyline about Nick Aldis and his refusal to want to do the match without being asked.

The Possibility of Live Streaming All In

After a long pause and a bit of a smirk, “I don’t know. I can’t say. I don’t know, but I am gonna do my damndest to give people who couldn’t get tickets an opportunity to see it”.

Cody also gave some great feedback on the unknown Indy wrestling hotbed that is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, even teasing he’s going to endorse it to The Young Bucks to make a visit. You can watch the full interview below:

As if the upcoming June 7th MLW FUSION taping wasn’t stacked already..

MLW has announced the return of high-flyer Sammy Geuvara. “Mr. Money’s Worth” will square off against Fred Yehi as part of the “5 Main Events In One” card from Orlando.

This will be a MLW FUSION taping for beIN SPORTS. Tickets are available at MLWTickets.com.

Guevara’s MLW return was brokered by Promociones Dorado impresaria Salina de la Renta. Yehi, known as “The Man of 1,000 Counters,” uses a cutting edge counter grappling style that converts his defense into a dominant offense which often leaves adversaries disoriented.

Matches signed thus far for MLW’s June 7th card include:

BOUNTY MATCH:
Shane Strickland vs. Brody King

TRIPLE THREAT TO CROWN THE WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS:
Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix (presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta vs. Dirty Blondes (managed by Col. Parker)

BOILER ROOM BRAWL MATCH:
Sami Callihan vs. MVP

Jake Hager (managed Colonel Parker) vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor

Rich Swann vs. ACH

Fred Yehi vs. Sammy Guevara (presented by Salina de la Renta)

Talent signed for June 7th thus far include:

• Barrington Hughes
• Kotto Brazil
• Simon Gotch
• “Bad Boy” Joey Janela (with Aria Blake)
• Maxwell J. Friedman
• Mike Parrow (managed by Colonel Robert Parker)
• Rhett Giddins

Watch Major League Wrestling: FUSION Friday nights at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on beIN SPORTS. Learn more about MLW’s new TV series: MLW.com/fusion.

Former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore (Eric Arndt) will be making his first public appearance since his departure from the company back in January.

The former Cruiserweight Champion posted a photo and message announcing that he will be in Times Square in New York City next Monday night at 9pm to thank his supporters.

“I want to engage, interact, and personally thank all of you who ever supported me! It was you who wished me luck on my future endeavors,” he wrote. “But I won’t need luck … just you.”

Enzo Amore’s WWE Departure

Amore was suspended and later released from WWE following an allegation of sexual assault. The alleged victim accused him of assaulting her at a Phoenix hotel in October 2017 while she was under the influence of drugs.

He vehemently denied the allegations, but reportedly did not speak with WWE about the situation until it went public. He was released on January 23rd.

Last week, Amore and issued a statement (via his attorney) announcing the case had been dropped due to insufficient evidence.

• Would Impact Wrestling Sign Enzo Amore?

https://instagram.com/p/BjDxLCmgw5w/?utm_source=ig_embed

– The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida now has an official website. If you’re interested in becoming a WWE Superstar, visit WWEPerformanceCenter.com, where you can learn more about the facility and submit an application to attend a tryout and begin your Superstar journey.

– The Heyman Hustle has released a video of Paul Heyman kicking off WrestleMania 34 Week from New Orleans with his sold out “An Evening With Paul Heyman” live show from the Joy Theatre. Award-winning documentarian Ary Dalton was on hand to capture this exclusive report from the event:

– Former WWE Superstar Summer Rae (Danielle Moinet) is featured in this new ad for Kicker Audio. The spot will air on national television in the coming weeks.

Kicker produces a wide range of audio products and is the official sponsor of the upcoming Country Stampede music festival.

– Former WCW Champion David Arquette returned to the ring over the weekend. Arquette stopped by RC’s Wrestling School in Woodford, Virginia and spent the day training with Chris Sharpe. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Arquette was there filming for a documentary and spent all day there running drills. Sharpe noted that Arquette got put through his paces but showed dedication throughout the day.

Massive props to @DavidArquette who jumped right in & wrestled with the class all morning. He could have easily just come to hit a few moves, take some pictures & then leave. He didn't. He stuck it out & busted his butt for several hours. He has earned our respect! pic.twitter.com/iLS8MOXeXK

— Chris Sharpe (@WWEChipDanning) May 20, 2018

Last weekend, the All In press conference took place from the Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago, Illinois. It was an eventful afternoon to say the least. In addition to the announcements that Rey Mysterio is All In and Cody Rhodes will challenge for the NWA Championship on the show, All In sold out 10,000+ tickets in just a half hour.

Jenn Sterger hosted the press conference and dropped a bombshell during an appearance on Collider’s Bodyslam podcast. Sterger says

“I’m just saying [All In] literally might be the best in the world. I will only say someone wearing sweatpants and training for something walked into the back of the building that the press conference was in, with marks, mind you, lining the entire sidewalks in the front of the building, and I just kept thinking ‘If they knew you were back here, they would literally tear down the front of the store.'”

Best in the world .. training for something .. if that wasn’t obvious enough, she added,

“What better way, if you were going to make your return to wrestling, than the biggest indie show ever?”

As reported earlier this month, a CM Punk meet and greet event will be taking place in Chicago during “All In” weekend (8/31) at the same venue this press conference took place. We’ll find out on September 1st if CM Punk is in fact All In, but it’s remarkable either way that Cody and the Young Bucks didn’t even need a confirmed appearance from CM Punk to sell out the event.

You can listen to a clip of Jenn Sterger’s comments below:

https://twitter.com/attitanium/status/997598858233380864

FOX is ready to get into business with WWE and they are definitely paying for it.

On Monday reports surfaced that FOX had agreed to a multi-year deal to bring WWE ‘Smackdown Live’ to their network starting in October 2019. The deal would reportedly put ‘Smackdown Live’ on Friday nights as part of FOX’s revamped broadcasting lineup after the company sold the majority of their assets to Disney.

Now details of that deal are beginning to emerge as the Hollywood Reporter has now added that FOX is paying WWE $1 billion over five years for the rights to ‘Smackdown Live’.

The deal averages out to around $205 million annually for the broadcast rights. NBCUniversal had reportedly paid around $30 million annually for ‘Smackdown’ rights back in 2010.

Additionally, WWE reportedly received an even higher offer from another suitor but the company ultimately settled on FOX with the network committed to promoting the ‘Smackdown Live’ brand with broadcast rights deals already in place with commodities such as the NFL and Major League Baseball.

Of course there’s been a lot of speculation about ‘Smackdown’ returning to a taped format on Friday night but that seems highly unlikely based on a number of factors.

First off, FOX paying more than $200 million per year wouldn’t make any sense for a taped broadcast. Second, FOX executives have stated that following the sale to Disney, the wanted the ‘New FOX’ to focus on about 80-percent live programming for the network.

That commitment was confirmed when FOX inked a massive five year deal to land the rights to NFL Thursday Night Football in a deal reportedly worth $3 billion.

Considering how much FOX would be paying to land ‘Smackdown’, there’s almost no chance they would allow that to return to a taped format.

FOX is also reportedly attempting to keep UFC programming on their network as well with the network willing to pay around $175 million annual to keep the mixed martial arts promotion. The UFC recently inked a deal for $150 million per year for 15 events to air on ESPN+ with the remainder of their broadcast deal still up for grabs.

The move will also be a game changer for WWE with ‘Smackdown’ expected to air on FOX rather than their offshoot sports network FS1. This will be the first time WWE will land on one of the four major broadcast networks with a weekly offering.

‘Smackdown Live’ is currently averaging 2.59 million viewers per week versus ‘RAW’, which averages around 3 million viewers. ‘Smackdown’ will now have the benefit of airing on network television versus cable where ‘RAW’ currently airs on USA Network.

‘RAW’ is expected to stay on USA Network as part of a new multi-year deal with NBCUniversal, with the Comcast owned company reportedly paying three times the current rights feel to keep WWE programming on their network.

What do you think about Smackdown moving to FOX on Friday nights? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

As noted last week, WWE veteran Randy Orton recently underwent surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee.

The Viper gave a brief statement to WWE.com about the procedure and revealed he’s needed surgery for many months.

“I’ve known I needed the surgery since late last year, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to get my knee cleaned out,” Orton told WWE.com. “Right now was the right time.”

The Viper recently competed at Backlash, losing clean to United States Champion Jeff Hardy. WWE did not give a timeframe for his return, but F4WOnline.com notes that he could be back in time for SummerSlam in August if his recovery goes well.

Randy Orton did not travel to Europe for WWE’s latest live events tour, which has now concluded. While he has more schedule flexibility than most WWE Superstars and is not required to work every tour, his knee surgery is the reason he did not travel overseas this time.

• Randy Orton Teases WrestleMania Match With Former WWE Champion

We’re one week away from Shane “Swerve” Strickland’s first World Title defense on MLW Fusion. The question is, will it be Pentagon, Jr. or his brother Rey Fenix? Pentagon’s red mist attack on Swerve last week forced MLW officials to strip him of his title shot and put it on the line in a re-match between the two luchadores. We’ll find out who’ll be the #1 contender tonight.

We start with a video recap showing how this week’s main event came to fruition. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini welcome us to the show and update us on the condition of Swerve, which includes seeing eyes specialists at John Hopkins University.

Kotto Brazil vs. Trey Miguel

Winner: Trey Miguel after a jumping double knee smash from the top rope.

Thoughts

• Miguel’s nickname is the “Fresh Prince of Mid-Air.” That’s pretty creative.
• This was a cruiserweight match with action so quick that it was hard to keep up.
• There were some pretty innovative spots, including a running Sliced Bread #2 from Brazil and a corner 619 from Miguel with Brazil’s head tucked into the top turnbuckle. I’m looking forward to seeing these two in action again.

They play a tape of an interview that Rich Bocchini had earlier in the week with Salina de la Renta from her palatial estate. She’s very arrogant and clearly likes the smell of her own s—. The interview ends when she pushes Bocchini in the pool.

That interview is immediately followed by another one backstage with de la Renta. This time the person holding the mic is Andrea Ocampo. De la Renta announces that she’s signed both Pentagon and Fenix, meaning that she’s guaranteed to get the MLW World Title in her faction.

We get a recap of last week’s main event between Jimmy Havoc and Joey Janela and the post-match beatdown outside the arena by Team Filthy on Havoc. A camera walks up to a jacuzzi occupied by Tom Lawlor and Simon Gotch. They say that Havoc deserved a beating and aren’t worried about the repercussions. After seeing some of Havoc’s handiwork, I’d be worried. Maybe when he’s done with them, they’ll be less sensitive to people bumping into them.

The Dirty Blondes vs. Team TBD in an Elimination Match

Winner: The Dirty Blondes

Order of Elimination

• First Elimination: Michael Patrick pinned Jimmy Yuta after Yuta landed a diving crossbody but Patrick rolled through and grabbed the tights for the three count.
• Second Elimination: Jason Cade pinned Michael Patrick with Black Magic (backslide driver).
• Final Elimination: Brien pinned Cade after the ref was distracted and the Blondes hit an illegal double Alabama Slam.

After the match, Cade pushes Yuta away from him. They argue backstage. Ocampo interviews them. Yuta says they’re going to win the Tag Title tournament. Considering Cade’s attitude after losing the match and in an inset promo where he called himself the “captain” of the team, I smell a heel turn.

Swerve is interviewed by Ocampo. She asks how he’s recovering from the red mist attack. He says he doesn’t believe that Pentagon has zero fear. Furthermore, Pentagon can take his arms, his legs, or even his head; Pentagon still can’t take his heart. I don’t know, Swerve. If you lose all those body parts, Pentagon can pretty much take whatever he wants.

Pentagon, Jr. vs. Rey Fenix to become the #1 Contender to the MLW World Title

Winner: Pentagon, Jr. after hitting the Fear Factor

Thoughts

• Another excellent main event between the two brothers.
• Pentagon is so good with the crowd and they love him. Out of all the wrestlers I’ve seen on Fusion so far, I think Pentagon is the biggest star.

We get some replays of the match, an announcement of next week’s World Title match, and go off the air.

Final Thoughts

• The wrestling on this week’s show was exceptional from start to finish.
• I’m not a big fan of Swerve, especially on the mic. I believe the word “painful” can describe this week’s interview.
• After the first five episodes of Fusion, I have to say that it is SO MUCH easier to watch than Raw or Smackdown. I know Fusion is only an hour long compared to three hours on Monday and two hours on Tuesday, but still, MLW is entertaining from start to finish while Raw and Smackdown drag. Fusion lives up to its name with a variation of fighting styles. Plus, no two matches each week are the same. In WWE, I feel like if I watch one match on the show then I’ve seen all of them. You know when a rest spot is coming, you know when they’re going to commercial, and you know when the finish is coming. Predictability isn’t always bad, but it certainly isn’t always good, either. MLW keeps me engaged and interested for its entirety.

That’s it for this week. Next week, Pentagon will finally challenge Swerve for the World Title and I certainly hope we see a champion with “Cero Miedo.” Follow me on Twitter (@CliffofDoom). Have a good week!

Watch this week’s episode of MLW FUSION below:

Today, May 18th, marks 16 years since the passing of wrestling legend Davey Boy Smith. He was just 39 years old when he passed away from a heart attack.

Smith had a storied career competing for WWE, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and WCW. Along with the Dynamite Kid, he was one half the British Bulldogs tag team before embarking on a singles career in 1990. Throughout multiple runs with WWE, held multiple championships including the Intercontinental, tag team, European and Hardcore titles.

On the anniversary of Smith’s passing, his son and daughter posted messages on Twitter acknowledging the date and expressing their love for him.

Davey Boy Smith Jr., Son

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the passing of my father. ? Although it feels like yesterday, time sure does fly, and not a day goes by where he’s not thought of and missed dearly. I’m sure he would have loved following my career in Japan, the advancements in video games,

— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) May 18, 2018

the new training equipment and advances now today, and new comedy and action movies and special effects of today. Lots of Love ??, thanks to fans who have remembered and appreciated Davey today as well. ??????????? pic.twitter.com/kW1k4y92Ts

— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) May 18, 2018

Georgia Smith, Daughter

16 years today, we got the heartbreaking news that we lost @dbsmithjr’s & my dad. It’s changed us forever, but I don’t just remember him today, or when we lost him. But Davey is in my heart and in my thoughts ALWAYS. I cherish the memories we have, I love you Davey and miss you. pic.twitter.com/Wg2n8BCZsq

— Georgia Joyce Smith (@georgiasmith87) May 18, 2018

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair announced on Instagram that he’ll be unable to fulfill his scheduled appearances this weekend due to “sudden illness.” Flair thanks fans for their support and vows to be back Stylin’ and Profiln’ in no time.

Ric Flair underwent emergency hospitalization last August in order to remove an obstructed part of his bowel. This led to several complications, including kidney failure, which required dialysis treatment. Flair spent over a month in the hospital and was touch-and-go at times.

We’d like to with Ric Flair a speedy recovery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi7GoQ5hzlN/

SEScoops has learned that Major League Wrestling recently signed many of the top performers who have been working for the promotion.

With the recent success of MLW and the launch of FUSION, its new weekly television series, there has been interest from other promotions in acquiring some of their talent. WWE in particular was interested in signing British star Jimmy Havoc, who also competes for Progress, Defiant and ICW.

The list of wrestlers who recently signed with MLW include:

• MLW World Champion Shane Strickland
• Jimmy Havoc
• “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Maxwell Jacob Friedman
• Aria Blake
• Salina de La Renta
• Barrington Hughes

The MLW contracted wrestlers are given the opportunity to continue working elsewhere. The deals are win/win for all involved and allow the MLW performers to take independent bookings and continue honing their skills.

Visit our MLW News page for the latest on MLW’s next show on 6/7, MLW invading New York City in July and more.

This past weekend, NWA President Billy Corgan made a surprise appearance at the All In press conference from Chicago at the Pro Wrestling Tees store.

Following Corgan’s announcement that the NWA would be involved with All in and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship would be defended at the show, Cody Rhodes approached the podium and announced he’d be the one challenging for the gold.

On Thursday, NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis noted on Twitter that he hasn’t signed on the dotted line to face Cody at All In – and there are certain stipulations that must be met in order for him to do so. Like most, he’s after “money & respect.”

Aldis says he wants a match against The Young Bucks at the upcoming Ring Of Honor: Honor United show from Edinburgh, Scotland next week (5/24). Aldis is so confident in his abilities that he’ll let ROH management choose his partner.

If back-room @billy & @CodyRhodes want me to sign on the line for #ALLIN #TenPoundsOfGold several things need to happen. They involve money & respect. But let's start with this: I want a match with The Young Bucks at #HonorUnited Edinburgh. @ringofhonor can pick my partner.

— Nick Aldis (@RealNickAldis) May 17, 2018

The Bucks Are [All] In

Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks has since replied to Aldis.

Let’s do it. https://t.co/nZND8q0spE

— Being the Elite (@BeingTheElite) May 17, 2018

? https://t.co/nQFJuCQdky

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 17, 2018

Honor United

The upcoming Honor United UK tour will feature talent from both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Talent signed on to appear includes:

• ROH World Champion Dalton Castle
• ROH World Television Champion Silas Young
• ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe)
• ?Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai
• Cody
• Jay Lethal
• The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
• Adam Page
• Bully Ray
• The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia, and TK O’Ryan)
• Punishment Martinez
• Kenny King
• Shane Taylor
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Toru Yano
• EVIL
• SANADA

WWE stock prices climbed to an all-time high after word about a pending television rights deal was revealed on Wednesday.

Stock prices for WWE climbed a whopping 17-percent with shares valued at $51 each and a total valuation on the professional wrestling company sitting at approximately $3.9 billion overall.

The surge in stock prices comes from news that broke on Wednesday that WWE is nearing a deal to keep ‘Raw’ on the USA Network with NBCUniversal reportedly willing to pay three times the current rights fees to keep the program. In addition to that news, WWE is also now expected to shop ‘Smackdown Live’ to a new network with FOX reportedly leading the bidding war to land the franchise.

With that kind of expected windfall, WWE stock prices went up dramatically and now sit 150-percent higher than this time last year when the company was trading at $19.66 per share. To put that in different terms, a $10,000 investment in WWE last year at this time would now be worth $25,000.

The biggest previous surge for stock prices with WWE came back in 2014 when the company was prepared to ink a deal for its last television deal. Unfortunately at that time, the stock prices proved to be rather erratic as WWE was preparing to launch the WWE Network.

At the time, WWE was moving all of their pay-per-view cards to the network, which would seemingly eliminate a huge source of income. Over time, however, WWE Network has proven to be a big winner for the company with subscriber numbers continuing to climb with each passing year.

The total valuation of WWE at $3.9 billion also puts the company in the same neighborhood as the UFC enjoyed back in 2016 just before selling to a conglomerate led by Endeavor, which ultimately purchased the mixed martial arts promotion for just over $4 billion.

There has been speculation that with WWE stock prices at an all time high that perhaps this could be the best possible time for WWE CEO Vince McMahon and his family to cash out with a potential sell to a network such as FOX or even Disney. FOX actually tried to buy the UFC back in 2016 but they were ultimately out bid by Endeavor.

McMahon sold off a portion of his own stock last year as he prepared to re-launch the XFL football league but there’s still no word if he would be willing to cash out completely and sell WWE to a new owner.

For now, investors will enjoy the surge in stock prices from this latest stock jump as WWE is now valued higher than ever before.

Do you think the McMahon’s will ever cash out and sell WWE or will this continue to be a family business for years to come? 

WWE Australia Stadium Show

For the past several months, it’s been rumored that WWE will be running a stadium show in Australia later this year. WWE has yet to acknowledge plans for the down-under mega event, but prominent Melbourne sports media figure Craig Hutchinson says the show is happening on October 6th from MCG Stadium. The venue has a capacity of over 100,000 people.

WWE 2K19

On Wednesday, WWE made the first official announcement about WWE 2K19, the next installment of the company’s annual video game franchise.

Last year’s game was released in mid-October for PS4 & Xbox One, with the Nintendo Switch version arriving in December.

We’re pleased to announce that the next entry in the @WWEgames franchise, #WWE2K19, is scheduled to release this fall. More details to come at a later date. #ad pic.twitter.com/qrOWQ1IFVg

— WWE (@WWE) May 16, 2018

“Mean” Gene Okerlund Still At It

WWE Hall of Famer “Mean” Gene Okerlund is featured in a new Mountain Dew commercial with comedian Kevin Hart. The 75-year-old broadcasting legend is depicted in familiar surroundings – conducting a backstage interview with a screaming ‘wrestler.’

Hey Gang. Here is my @MountainDew commercial with my associate, @KevinHart4real
#MtDewKickStart #Ad pic.twitter.com/Fcf3YKBf8K

— Gene Okerlund (@TheGeneOkerlund) May 16, 2018

WWE ‘Smackdown Live’ may have a new television home in the very near future.

According to a report from the Hollywood Reporter, NBCUniversal — the owner of the USA Network — is making a significant offer to WWE to keep ‘Raw’ on their network but plan on letting ‘Smackdown Live’ go to another bidder.

NBCUniverse is expected to pay around three times what they are currently dishing out to WWE to keep Raw on the USA Network on Monday nights where it’s not only one of the longest running episodic show in television history but also still a ratings juggernaut from week to week on the network.

As of now, FOX appears to be leading the bidding war to land ‘Smackdown Live’ as the network has long coveted the WWE as a potential partner for the future. Just recently, FOX sold off the majority of their assets to Disney with the focus at the network then shifting to around 80-percent live programming.

FOX landed a deal NFL Thursday Night Football just recently and the addition of ‘Smackdown Live’ would give the network a potent one-two punch for live programming during the week.

‘Smackdown Live’ boasts the sixth biggest audience amongst cable originals and will likely fetch a high asking price of its own now that its expected to hit the open market with NBC bowing out of the bidding.

As for NBC, the network has also been interested in potentially obtaining the remaining television rights to the UFC after the mixed martial arts promotion just recently signed a $750 million deal with ESPN for 15 live cards a year to air on ESPN+. NBC nearly landed the UFC back in 2011 before FOX swooped in with an offer at the 11^th hour to become the exclusive home to the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion.

Whether or not NBC’s potential interest in the UFC had anything to do with only keeping one of the WWE properties rather than both is unknown at this time.

For now, ‘Smackdown Live’ will begin looking for suitors who are interested in teaming up with WWE with the deal reportedly kicking off in September.

Former WWE superstar Enzo Amore will not face any charges after he was accused of sexual assault back in January.

Amore — real name Eric Arndt — was released from the WWE after the allegations first surfaced, where the former cruiserweight champion was accused of assaulting a woman at a Phoenix hotel in October 2017 while she was under the influence of drugs. At the time, Amore was the WWE cruiserweight champion prior to his release.

Immediately after the allegations were made, Amore vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Phoenix Police confirmed on Wednesday that following an investigation into the matter, no charges would be filed against Amore although the case could be re-opened if new evidence comes to light.

“The Phoenix Police Department recently informed Mr. Arndt and his counsel that there is insufficient evidence in this matter to warrant any criminal charges, that the matter will not be transferred to the County Attorney for prosecution and that their investigation and case is closed. No charges were ever filed. The matter is closed,” Amore’s attorney Tom Cargill wrote in a press release on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/qTr5hMs3Oi

— REAL1 (FKA Enzo Amore) (@real1) May 16, 2018

Following his release from WWE, Amore fell out of the public spotlight but according to his attorney, he is already working on his next venture ‘in the entertainment industry’ but there’s no word yet if he plans on resuming his professional wrestling career.

The latest episode of the NWA’s “Ten Pounds of Gold” series documents the organization’s involvement with All In, including Nick Aldis defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Cody Rhodes.

Ten Pounds of Gold: All The Way In features exclusive footage of this past Sunday’s All In press conference from Chicago. In addition to surprise appearances from Aldis and NWA President Billy Corgan, it was also announced that Rey Mysterio is All In.

• Conrad Thompson Talks Starrcast, The Possibility of All In 2

Check out the footage below:

https://youtu.be/0vvctxWafAM

For more on the All In press conference, you can also check out the latest episode of Being The Elite, appropriately titled, “Sold Out” –

“All In” tickets get put on sale. Marty finds himself in a pickle. What’s in Kenny’s box?

BRODY KING LOOKS TO COLLECT $20,000 BOUNTY WHEN HE FIGHTS SHANE STRICKLAND JUNE 7TH AT MLW FUSION TV TAPING IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – Brody King has been called the “intelligent monster” and “The Destroyer” but now you can call him “bounty hunter” as the 6’5″ violence machine has accepted the $20,000 bounty on Shane Strickland. MLW officials can confirm that a Bounty Match has been signed featuring Brody King vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland for June 7th at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando as MLW tapes Major League Wrestling FUSION for beIN SPORTS.

You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com. Ticket prices range from $15-$45 with a limited number of “VIP Packages” also available.

Earlier this week Salina de la Renta called out “all bounty hunters and sicarios to step up and collect” after the events of the May 3rd Strickland-Pentagon Jr. title fight. League officials have publicly condemned this controversial move by the founder of Promociones Dorado.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynudBk09wNM

Overnight, MLW.com received a video where Brody made his intentions known that he was coming to collect the bounty. Upon hearing rumors that Brody had stepped up to collect, Strickland formally requested MLW set the match.

“If Brody wants to try and collect that bounty, let’s do it… but let’s do it in my house. June 7th at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando,” said Strickland.

Brody quickly accepted and thus on June 7th, Brody King will fight Shane Strickland in a bounty match.

https://youtu.be/ICTNv8zkBoM

Matches signed thus far for MLW’s June 7th card include:

• BOUNTY MATCH: Shane Strickland vs. Brody King
• Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix (presented by Salina de la Renta) vs. Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta vs. Dirty Blondes (managed by Col. Parker)
• Rich Swann vs. ACH

Talent signed for June 7th thus far include:

• Barrington Hughes
• Sami Callihan
• MVP
• “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
• Kotto Brazil
• Simon Gotch
• Jake Hager (managed by Colonel Robert Parker)
• “Bad Boy” Joey Janela (with Aria Blake)
• Maxwell J. Friedman
• Mike Parrow (managed by Colonel Robert Parker)
• Rhett Giddins

More matches and wrestlers will be announced in the coming days and weeks at MLW.com.