– Congratulations are in order for WWE Superstars Maria and Mike Kanellis. WWE.com reports that Maria gave birth this morning to Fredrica Moon, a healthy 6-pound baby girl. Both Maria and baby Fredrica are both doing great after the delivery.

– Today marks 7 years since WWE Hall of Famer Edge wrestled his final match. The Rated R Superstar was forced into retirement due to a chronic neck injury, diagnosed as cervical spinal stenosis.

I watched @EdgeRatedR wrestle his last match behind the curtain as a fan, and a friend, 7 years ago today. His career was so special and I am grateful to have been a part of the lockeroom that he helped lead. #ThankYouAdam pic.twitter.com/Ya3mtAT7I3

— THE GLAMAZON (@TheBethPhoenix) April 4, 2018

– Mark Henry teased that his infamous salmon sports jacket might make an appearance this Friday night when he’s inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

You know you were wondering, too… will @TheMarkHenry wear THE salmon jacket during his #WWEHOF Class of 2018 Induction?! pic.twitter.com/IFIG9IYIAV

— WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2018

– For what it’s worth, Roman Reigns re-tweeted this article featuring a quote from Paul Heyman talking about managing Roman Reigns (should Brock Lesnar leave WWE for UFC).

.@HeymanHustle: Working with @WWERomanReigns would be an absolute career defining moment for me https://t.co/HMwuZRok5N pic.twitter.com/MH1iKdcH44

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 4, 2018

Major League Wrestling sent in the following announcement that “Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been medically cleared to compete at next Thursday’s MLW: Road to the World Championship event.

This is a TV taping for the new MLW: Fusion show which premieres on the beIN SPORTS network Friday night, 4/20.

“FILTHY” TOM LAWLOR RETURNS TO ACTION AGAINST ACH NEXT THURSDAY AT MLW TV TAPING IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – After fracturing his arm earlier this year, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been medically cleared to compete next Thursday at Major League Wrestling’s April 12th card in Orlando. League officials today confirmed that Tom Lawlor vs. ACH has been added to MLW: The World Championship Finals at Orlando’s Gilt Nightclub.

Lawlor, who was replaced by ACH as an alternate in the World Heavyweight Championship semi-finals, will battle the man who took his place in the tournament.

Will ACH’s dynamic blend of speed, innovation and power conquer “Filthy” Tom Lawlor’s MMA pedigree and ruthless rulebreaking tactics? Find out on April 12th in Orlando.

MLW’s April 12th card is confirmed as a MAJOR LEAGUE WRESTLING: FUSION TV taping for beIN SPORTS.

You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.

Matches signed for April 12th thus far include:

MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND

THE REMATCH:
PENTAGON JR. REY FENIX

MATT SYDAL VS. LOW KI

SAMI & JOEY’S BOGUS ADVENTURE MATCH:
SAMI CALLIHAN & JOEY JANELA VS. JIMMY HAVOC & DARBY ALLIN

ACH VS. “FILTHY TOM LAWLOR

FRED YEHI VS. MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN

SANTANA GARRETT VS. AERIAL MONROE

Also scheduled to appear:
MVP
Mike Parrow

Impact Wrestling sent in the following press release detailing their activities this weekend in New Orleans:

IMPACT Wrestling Announces Full Card, Twitch Streaming Schedule, Press Conference for WrestleCon

TORONTO | NEW ORLEANS – IMPACT Wrestling announced today the full line-up and Twitch streaming schedule for WrestleCon, highlighted by IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground on Friday, April 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET (9:00 p.m. CT, local time).

IMPACT Wrestling will live stream 30+ hours of on-site coverage from WrestleCon, in and out of the ring, including daily IRL streams, exclusive podcasts and the historic live event on Fridaynight from The Sugar Mill in New Orleans (1021 Convention Center Blvd).

The main event for IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground will feature an intra-promotional fight with ramifications on the Redemption pay-per-view, as IMPACT World Champion Austin Aries will team up with Fenix against the team of Alberto El Patron and Pentagon Jr.

The main event for Redemption, which takes place on Sunday, April 22 in Orlando, Fla., is a World Title match with Austin Aries putting his gold on the line against former titleholder Alberto El Patron – and the two will be talking all about their feud on Friday, April 6 at a press conference starting at 5:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. CT) at the Royal St. Charles Hotel (135 Saint Charles Ave). The public is invited to attend the press conference streaming live on Twitch, as Aries and El Patron continue their personal war of words.

IMPACT Wrestling’s coverage of WrestleCon won’t be limited to in-ring action, as there will be plenty going on from April 5 to April 7, and the IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Twitch will be live streaming all the festivities from WrestleCon, starting on Thursday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT) with a live two-hour “Twitch Cast” anchored by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt.

The confirmed matches for IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground include:

– Austin Aries & Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron & Pentagon Jr.
– Eddie Edwards vs. Jeremiah Crane (I Quit Match)
– Allie vs. Taya Valkyrie (Knockouts Championship)
– LAX vs. Killshot & The Mack (Tag Team Championship)
– Dezmond Xavier, Andrew Everett & DJZ vs. Drago, King Cuerno & Aerostar

More matches for IMPACT vs. Lucha Underground: @TeddyHartIsBACK and Scott Steiner vs. @TheDaveCrist and @TheJakeCrist

@famousb23 vs. @TLee910@findevan, @calebkonley, @TheMooseNation, @mexwarrior, @JackEvans711 and Matanza in a Six Way!

@TheEliDrake vs. @MrGMSI_BCage pic.twitter.com/Lsvv9qwr1f

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 4, 2018

Also scheduled to appear are IMPACT Wrestling stars Eli Drake, Brian Cage, Moose, Matt Sydal, Trevor Lee, Caleb Konley, oVe and Scott Steiner, plus Lucha Underground’s Famous B, Jack Evans, Chavo Guerrero and Matanza.

Follow IMPACT Wrestling’s live streaming schedule on Twitch below:

THURSDAY

8:00 p.m. ET – 10:00 p.m. ET – “Twitch Cast” hosted by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt from the lobby of WrestleCon in New Orleans.

10:00 p.m. ET – 11 p.m. ET – Dinner with the stars of IMPACT Wrestling.

11:00 p.m. ET – 1:00 a.m. ET – Moose travels to WaleMania to hang out with rap star Wale and other professional wrestling luminaries.

FRIDAY

8:00 a.m. ET – 9:00 a.m. ET – Morning workout with former IMPACT World Champion Eli Drake.

9:00 a.m. ET to 10:00 a.m. ET – “Car Cast” hosted by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt as they get ready for the first day of WrestleCon.

10:00 a.m. ET to 4:00 p.m. ET – IRL WrestleCon floor featuring a talent signing with IMPACT Wrestling stars Matt Sydal, Eli Drake and Alberto El Patron.

4:00 p.m. ET to 5:00 p.m. ET – Knockouts star Rosemary visits a voodoo shop to have her palms read.

5:00 p.m. ET to 5:30 p.m. ET – “Twitch Cast” with Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt as they prepare for the Redemption press conference.

5:30 p.m. ET – 6:30 p.m. ET – Live press conference for IMPACT: Redemption featuring main event rivals Austin Aries and Alberto El Patron.

6:30 p.m. ET – 8:00 p.m. ET – Dinner with the Cult of Lee: Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley.

8:00 p.m. ET – 9:00 p.m. ET – Live pre-show for IMPACT vs. Lucha Underground hosted on-site at The Sugar Mill.

9:00 p.m. ET – 10:00 p.m. ET – WrestleCon VIP experience featuring all the stars of IMPACT Wrestling.

10:00 p.m. ET – 12:30 a.m. ET – IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground LIVE

12:30 a.m. ET – 1:00 a.m. ET – Live post-show for IMPACT vs. Lucha Underground, including exclusive interviews, fan reactions and more.

1:00 a.m. ET – 2:00 a.m. ET – The IMPACT Wrestling cameras follow DJZ as he competes at a local event.

SATURDAY

7:00 a.m. ET – 8:00 a.m. ET – Coffee with former IMPACT World Champion Eddie Edwards.

8:00 a.m. ET – 9:00 a.m. ET – Morning workout with IMPACT Tag Team Champions LAX.

9:00 a.m. ET – 10:00 a.m. ET – “Twitch Cast” hosted by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt.

10:00 a.m. ET – 4:00 p.m. ET – IRL WrestleCon floor featuring a talent signing with IMPACT Wrestling stars Moose and Eddie Edwards.

4:00 p.m. ET – 5:00 p.m. ET – Beignet donut tasting with Jimmy Jacobs.

5:00 p.m. ET – 6:00 p.m. ET – Hangout with oVe – Dave Crist, Jake Crist and Sami Callihan.

6:00 p.m. ET – 7:00 p.m. ET – “Twitch Cast” hosted by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt.

7:00 p.m. ET – 8:00 p.m. ET – Dinner with the stars of IMPACT Wrestling.

8:00 p.m. ET – 10:00 p.m. ET – Knockouts prepare for their Pre-Mardi Gras party, featuring Rosemary, Allie, Sienna and Laurel van Ness.

SUNDAY

8:00 a.m. ET – 10:00 a.m. ET – “Twitch Cast” hosted by Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt.

10:00 a.m. ET – 11:00 a.m. ET – Eddie Edwards visits Crescent City Cat Club for a session of cat yoga.

11 a.m. ET – 12 p.m. ET – The stars of IMPACT Wrestling compete against each other in a high-stakes game.

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com.

2018 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett was backstage at this week’s SmackDown Live, which emanated from his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

It was the first time in 19 years that Jarrett stepped foot inside a WWE arena.

WWE released footage of Jarrett reuniting with old friends and making new ones as part of the annual WrestleMania Diaries series, which chronicles the company’s biggest week of the year.

With Shane McMahon stepping down as SmackDown commissioner and Daniel Bryan returning to active competition, Jarrett would be an interesting pick to be an on-air authority figure for WWE’s blue brand following WrestleMania. WWE went a similar route with Kurt Angle last year, with Angle becoming the General Manager of Monday Night Raw after his induction. Another Superstar Shake-Up is expected after WrestleMania and Jarrett would certainly give the show a different feel.

What do you think about the possibility of Jeff Jarrett as an authority figure on SmackDown Live? 

– Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella announced on Tuesday that his wife is pregnant once again.

We don’t yet know if it’s a prince or a princess, but either way Stasiu is going to be a big brother #expecting #3monthspregnant pic.twitter.com/bkxrrah4wG

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) April 3, 2018

– Fans who will be in the NYC area in August for SummerSlam weekend can check out the Bruce Prichard and Conrad’s Something To Wrestle live stage show at the Gramercy Theater.

Wrestling fans rejoice! @BrucePrichard returns to Gramercy Theatre on 8/18 for Something To Wrestle With (@PrichardShow) hosted by @HeyHeyItsConrad!

Tickets on sale Friday at 10AM: https://t.co/svFp4YRnfD pic.twitter.com/3F3xOhBoH5

— Gramercy Theatre (@GramercyTheatre) April 2, 2018

– Pro Wrestling Tees has launched a new merchandise store for WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid already has 8 t-shirts up for sale. .

"The Showstopper" @ShawnMichaels has signed a merch deal with https://t.co/O6bpncMD8f! 8 exclusive designs are available now, with tons more to come. Let us know what you think! https://t.co/Ov4h0aZeZv pic.twitter.com/N59QrsKYLz

— One Hour Tees (@OneHourTees) April 3, 2018

– It ain’t much – but the first video has surfaced of pyrotechnics being tested at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans ahead of Sunday’s WrestleMania 34.

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

Triple H has unveiled the brand-new NXT North American Championship.

The first champion will be crowned this Saturday night when 6 men will compete in a ladder match at NXT Takeover: New Orleans. The participants include Adam Cole, EC3, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, Lars Sullivan and Killian Dain.

“One man will make history. One man will climb the ladder books into history. One man will forever be remembered as the first NXT North American Champion.”

Check out this video of Triple H introducing the belt:

What do you think of the NXT North American Championship Belt? Who do you think will be the first champion? 

Later this month, Eric Bischoff and Conrad Thompson are launching a new podcast, “83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff.”

As you can tell by the name, the show will feature Bischoff talking about his time as WCW President and the weekly Monday Night Wars with WWE’s Monday Night RAW during the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

83 Weeks will premiere later this month and will be a weekly podcast.

Eric Bischoff was quoted in a press release saying, “Bruce Prichard and Conrad have done an amazing job creating not only one of the most entertaining, but one of the most popular pro-wrestling podcasts in the world, and I am grateful to be part of this line up. No one has ever accused me of being too funny, and impressions are not my thing. But unlike so many others who claim to know what really went on behind the scenes in Turner Broadcasting and WCW, I was at the epicenter. I appreciate Conrad’s ‘prosecutorial’ approach to interviews. His style will no doubt bring out the best in me, and I look forward to a platform that will expose the urban legends and false narratives created by those who have attempted to convince the audience that they have a clue. No brag…just fact.”

For all show announcements, topics, and listener interaction, follow the show on Twitter @83Weeks.

Ashley Massaro #ThisIsHardRock

Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro has resurfaced as part of the#ThisIsHardRock campaign presented by the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas. The 2005 WWE Diva Search Winner, Playboy Magazine covergirl and Miss Hawaiian Tropic is looking hotter than ever in this must-see photo shoot at HeymanHustle.com.

Bullet Club’s New Logo

Last week, Bullet Club member Cody Rhodes announced that the faction’s iconic logo was being retired in favor of something entirely new. One Hour Tees, distributors of the official Bullet Club merchandise, announced on Monday that Nick and Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks, with the support of the Bullet club, have opted to NOT change the logo.

Due to the overwhelming response to Cody's proposed logo change. Matt & Nick Jackson, with the support of the Bullet Club, have opted to NOT change the logo. pic.twitter.com/7J400yakp3

— One Hour Tees (@OneHourTees) April 2, 2018

The scrapped plans to change the Bullet Club logo are the subject of the 99th episode of Being The Elite, which you can watch here:

Cody Rhodes gave this explanation as to why they stuck with the original logo:

Ultimately I felt it was in the best interest of the Bullet Club and the fans, to maintain the current logo. I hope the viewers are pleased with my decision. https://t.co/IvPOn8alKr

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) April 2, 2018

With just six days to go until WrestleMania, tonight’s edition of WWE RAW from Atlanta, Georgia is sure to be an eventful broadcast.

In addition to Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor and a confrontation between Kurt Angle/Ronda Rousey and Triple H/Stephanie McMahon, WWE is teasing if The Undertaker will finally answer John Cena’s WrestleMania challenge(s) and who Bruan Strowman will be teaming with this Sunday.

Ahead of tonight’s RAW, there are several big names in attendance who have not been seen on WWE television in recent months. The following Superstars have been spotted at the Philips Arena Arena, according to PWInsider:

• Jeff Hardy
• Samoa Joe
• Alicia Fox
• R-Truth

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has been spotted in the Atlanta area, so there’s a strong chance

It’s also worth noting that Paige posted a video on her Instagram story depicting former Impact Wrestling world champion “Cowboy” James Storm backstage.

Paul Heyman will be ringside Sunday night for the main event of WrestleMania 34 when his client, Brock Lesnar, defends the WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns.

Later this week (Thursday, April 5th), Heyman’s one-man stage show, An Evening With Paul Heyman descends upon New Orleans as one of the weekend’s must-see events.

Heyman has been doing the media rounds to promote both shows and made some very interesting remarks to NBC Sports about Cody Rhodes’ meteoric rise. As a former manager and promoter of wrestling icon Steve Austin, Heyman explained that he sees a parallels between Austin’s success after leaving WCW in 1995 and the success of Cody Rhodes since leaving WWE in 2016.

When asked which WWE Superstars he think could thrive outside of the company like Cody has, Heyman said, “Cody reminds me a lot of when Steve Austin got out of WCW. In that Steve needed to find himself and when I put him on camera in Philadelphia at 5 o’clock in the morning, after a show, is when a truly pissed off, tired, aggravated Steve Austin found his inner persona that morphed into Stone Cold Steve Austin”

Heyman continued, “Cody has found himself in that very same way in that his angst over not being able to bring forward what he envisioned for himself in WWE has propelled him to new heights outside of WWE. He would have never found that within the company. Kudos to Cody for leaving and for sticking to his vision and to finding that box office appeal that has always lived inside of him.”

Heyman said there are certainly WWE performers who could do better working for other promotions, but a big part of peoples’ success is timing and how well they pitch themselves to management. As someone who is well known for recognizing talent and maximizing the value of talent, Heyman says sometimes it’s simply a matter of making the right pitch at the right time to the right person. It’s advice that translates to all aspects of professional life – people should be pitching,

“This is how the company can make more money with me.”

There’s much more wisdom to be found in this interview, which we strongly encourage you check out over at NBCSports.com.

The final edition of WWE RAW before WrestleMania 34 takes place tonight from Atlanta, GA at the Philips Arena.

The top item WWE is advertising for the show is a face-to-face confrontation between the two teams squaring off in Sunday’s big mixed-tag team special attraction match: Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

With WrestleMania just six days away, John Cena is still without an opponent for WWE’s biggest show of the year. After weeks of calling out The Undertaker – will the Dead Man, or another persona of his, emerge tonight to answer the challenge?

Finn Balor and Seth Rollins both challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship this weekend in a triple threat match. Tonight, the two men will battle one-on-one.

After being brutalized by Brock Lesnar last week, what’s going through Roman Reigns’ mind ahead of the fight of his life?

Plus, who will Braun Strowman select as his tag team partner for WrestleMania?

Join us here tonight for our Live Coverage of tonight’s WWE RAW!

Catch up on the Top 10 Moments from last week’s show:

Brock Lesnar will once again become the most coveted free agent in professional wrestler or mixed martial arts in just a matter of days.

The reigning WWE universal champion has a contract that reportedly runs through WrestleMania 34 where he will compete in the main event against Roman Reigns. Now it’s entirely possible that Lesnar will opt to remain with WWE but there’s also little doubt that he would love the opportunity to fight in the UFC again.

Lesnar is a former heavyweight champion but at 40 years of age, time will begin ticking away on how much longer he has left to compete with the best fighters in the world so his next contract negotiation may decide that.

Paul Heyman, who has worked alongside Lesnar for nearly two decades, knows that Lesnar is seriously considering a return to the UFC even if some believe that’s just a negotiating tactic to get the WWE to offer him a bigger deal.

‘I don’t think it’s any secret that Brock is looking to get back into the Octagon,” Heyman told Newsweek about Lesnar’s future. “He is obviously eyeballing another fight in UFC. There’s no secret. He’s posing for pictures with Dana White wearing a UFC shirt in the UFC offices in Las Vegas.

“That’s not a negotiating tactic, Brock Lesnar wants to compete inside of the Octagon. There’s no leveraging that; it’s a fact.”

“That’s not a negotiating tactic, Brock Lesnar wants to compete inside of the Octagon.” ~ Paul Heyman

While it might seems that Lesnar is stuck in an ‘either/or’ situation, Heyman suggests that it’s still entirely possible that the hulking heavyweight has an opportunity to do both at the same time.

Lesnar’s last fight inside the Octagon took place at UFC 200 while he was still under contract with WWE. Vince McMahon signed off on allowing Lesnar to fight again while UFC president Dana White was more than happy to have him back if only for one night.

There’s no telling if that would happen again but it’s entirely possible Lesnar could use that as part of his deal to re-sign with WWE so long as they allow him to pursue another fight in the UFC.

“Brock Lesnar fought Mark Hunt at UFC 200 and, six weeks later, main evented SummerSlam against Randy Orton,” Heyman said. “Brock Lesnar can do both and he has proven that time and time again.”

Because Lesnar rarely makes public appearances much less does interviews, he’s been quiet on any decision making about his future behind his current contract.

As for Heyman, he’ll certainly address Lesnar and much more during WrestleMania 34 weekend when he conducts a popular one man show in New Orleans where he engages with fans and answers questions on stage.

Will Brock Lesnar return to WWE or go back to fight again in the UFC? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

Paul Heyman spoke with Digital Spy this week to promote next weekend’s WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view. Heyman will be ringside for the main event when his client Brock Lesnar defends the WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns.

Just days before WWE’s biggest show of the year, Lesnar’ advocate will be the star of An Evening With Paul Heyman, a one-man stage show at the Joy Theater in New Orleans on Thursday night, April 5th.

Heyman spoke to Digital Spy about a number of topics, including his role as Bill Goldberg’s Hall of Fame inductor, CM Punk’s UFC career, the recent controversy surrounding the Fabulous Moolah, The Undertaker’s in-ring future and much more.

Here are some highlights of what Heyman said about:

Hulk Hogan Returning to WWE

“I’m not a ticket buyer. Nor am I part of the target demographic that is catered to to subscribed to the WWE Network. So whether or not I want Hulk Hogan back in WWE is irrelevant. It’s whether the audience and the advertisers and the sponsors and the chairman of the board want Hulk Hogan back in WWE.

“And when those stars align Hulk Hogan will be back and until then he won’t. My opinion on Hulk Hogan coming back to WWE, whether pro or con, is irrelevant and so is everyone else’s besides the audience itself, the sponsors themselves and the chairman himself.

“As for Hulk Hogan stepping into the ring with Brock Lesnar, Brock Lesnar is focused on April 8, he’s focused on Roman Reigns, he’s focusd on the main event of WrestleMania. We have not discussed any potential WWE opponents past April 8 because Brock’s focus is on delivering a main event for the ages at WrestleMania this year.”

Ronda Rousey in WWE

“Ronda Rousey is a woman of extraordinary accomplishment and anything that Ronda Rousey does is going to come with extreme scrutiny because she is such a pivotal figure in not only American sports but in global sports as well.

“Just remember Dana White was asked about a woman fighting in the Octagon as UFC was negotiating to buy out Strikeforce where Ronda Rousey was the biggest star. And Dana White said not only would a woman would never main event UFC, a woman will never fight in UFC.

“Within a year of that statement Ronda Rousey was main eventing a major UFC event. Ronda Rousey is a groundbreaker. She is one who charts through territory that has never been explored before and is one of the biggest sports stars in the world, male or female.

“I don’t think anything Ronda Rousey does is going to be the norm. I think everything she does is going to be to set a new trend and blaze a new trail.”

Visit Digital Spy to check out the full interview.

The 619 will not be represented at WrestleMania 34.

Following a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, Rey Mysterio seemed like the perfect candidate to make a return to WWE at the biggest card of the year on April 8 in New Orleans.

Unfortunately, Mysterio says anybody who is looking for him to pop up out of nowhere will be disappointed because he recently suffered an arm injury that’s going to keep him out of action for several weeks, which will overlap WrestleMania 34.

“Unfortunately, I just suffered a torn bicep three weeks ago,” Mysterio revealed on “Below the Belt” with Brendan Schaub. “Opted not to get surgery.

“It’s a full tear but I’m just gonna kick back, do some therapy for it and hopefully I’ll be ready next month.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWk4b3RO4EA

It was natural to think that Mysterio might show up at WrestleMania 34 considering the response his appearance at Royal Rumble generated back in January.

Mysterio’s appearance at Royal Rumble was one of the biggest stories throughout the entire evening. In fact, Mysterio’s surprise entrance into the Royal Rumble generated over 14 million views for that video on YouTube. Even Ronda Rousey’s first official appearance in WWE from the same event only ended up with 3.7 million views by comparison.

“It was intense,” Mysterio said about his surprise appearance at Royal Rumble. “I didn’t know what to expect. I know the fans were excited cause you always get on social media ‘when you coming back?’ but to actually be there and live that moment. You got that butterfly sensation I always get before I step into the ring.

“Once I make that eye contact with the fans, I’m out there, I go that’s game time. Let’s go.”

Would you like to see Rey Mysterio make another run with WWE in the future? Sound off in the comments to let us know!

Impact Wrestling sent in the following press release announcing a partnership with the Illinois-based RISE women’s promotion.

IMPACT Wrestling Partners with RISE to Develop Female Talent and Original Content

TORONTO | CHICAGO – IMPACT Wrestling announced today a partnership with Illinois-based RISE to host seminars with a focus on developing women’s professional wrestlers, as well as the creation of original content for IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling) and Global Wrestling Network (GWN) multi-platform digital service.

On May 11 in Pittsburgh, PA, IMPACT Wrestling and RISE will present RISE – Lights, Camera, ACTION: The Art of TV! The full-day seminar will focus on areas specific to performance in a television environment and cover a wide variety of topics by some of the most influential minds involved in producing IMPACT Wrestling, including writer/producer Jimmy Jacobs, Creative Director Sonjay Dutt, Hall of Famer and Knockouts producer Gail Kim and Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. The seminar will provide education and exposure for the RISE roster and its prospective talent pool.

On May 12, several episodes of RISE – ASCENT will be taped for premiere in May on RISE’s new streaming platform www.riseascent.com and future broadcast on GWN. Several prospects will be selected from the seminar to be part of the new weekly series where they will perform alongside the likes of Phoenix of RISE Champion Delilah Doom, SHIMMER Champion “The Queen of Suplexes” Nicole Savoy, Jessicka Havok, Tessa Blanchard, Shotzi Blackheart, Britt Baker, Dust, Mercedes Martinez and more.

IMPACT Wrestling Knockout Sienna will serve as a color commentator for RISE – ASCENT. In addition, one talent featured on the RISE – ASCENT series will be selected for an opportunity to perform for IMPACT Wrestling at an upcoming event.

“We are delighted to partner with RISE on the development of new women’s talent, reinforcing our commitment to the trailblazing Knockouts division,” said Scott D’Amore, Executive Vice President of IMPACT Wrestling. “RISE was founded on the principle of talent development, so we will combine our efforts to foster the next generation of women’s professional wrestling stars. We are also committed to collaborating with RISE on innovative content for our viewers on Twitch and GWN, where subscribers can already access events from the RISE catalogue.”

“From our beginnings, we have said that the future of pro wrestling is in collaboration, not competition,” said RISE founder and Executive Producer Kevin Harvey. “IMPACT Wrestling clearly believes this too. We can’t wait to work in tandem to build a bridge to a very bright future for women’s wrestling.”

Past events from RISE can now be seen on GWN, including all 2016 and 2017 shows. IMPACT Wrestling will work with RISE to develop other original content for the platform, as well as its Twitch channel.

A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, GWN is available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including online at GlobalWrestlingNetwork.com, iOS and Android, Xbox, and coming soon to Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Smart TVs. A premium subscription is priced at US$7.99 with a 30-day free trial available for new members.

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com and www.globalwrestlingnetwork.com.

9 female wrestlers who trained & lived at the infamous “Camp Moolah” come forward to denounce the allegations against the Fabulous Moolah, which led to WWE removing her name from the upcoming WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.

The allegations against Moolah involve her stealing money, drugging and prostituting the young female wrestlers she was housing, training and managing. In the wake of these allegations, 9 former female wrestlers who worked for Moolah and lived at the infamous “Camp Moolah” in Columbia, SC, have stepped forward to denounce the claims and proclaim her innocence.

The following accounts were sent in by The Matt Riviera Show:

One of the women, Leilani Kai, is a former WWE Women’s Champion & lived at Camp Moolah for 20 years: “She had never once drugged any of us” Kai stated on a recent episode of Madusa’s Full Throttle Podcast. “She was a champion, she was a booker, and she was a great legend. And she deserves to be honored for enternity…”

One man who has been working diligently to shed light onto this situation is wrestling industry insider, Nigel Sherrod, who has been interviewing former female wrestlers that worked for Moolah ever since the controversy broke. He has interviewed 8 of Moolah’s girls, so far, including:

Former NWA Women’s Champion,  Susan “Tex” Green: “How much (money) did Moolah take from you?” Sherrod asks. “30%” replies Green. “Which… I signed a contract. I didn’t have a problem with that… she was putting me in the ring, in front of the people, in front of the writers that put my face & pictures out in magazines. So I took that all in stride.” As for allegations of Moolah pimping girls? “… nobody ever came to my room late at night”.

“Golden Girl” Lisa Darnell, the youngest trainee ever at “Camp Moolah” at age 16: “She never did anything that was inappropriate at all…  And me being the youngest person there, like they said, she was pimping the girls out? That’s just ridiculous… I would have been the one she pimped out. I was a young, fresh girl, you know?”

Moolah’s daughter, Mary Ellison, who also trained at “Camp Moolah”: “I don’t know who made up the rumors, but it’s a lie… About Sweet Georgia Brown, I don’t know who brought that up, but she did go with Buddy Lee (Moolah’s Ex Husband) when they split… some of the girls went with him, & some of them stayed with my mother. And the ones that went with him, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were drugs & prostitution involved. Which would be back on him, not on my mother.”

Brittany Brown, Multi Time Champion: “If anything like that ever did happen to me, I would have flown back home to Boston faster than you could even write her name down… and I’m sure most everybody else that I knew there would’ve, too… I saw the contracts. It spelled out word for word, by the penny, what percentage she took…. 40 years later or 30 years later, for people to say, “Oh, my God! I can’t believe she took 30% of my pay. I should’ve been getting that.” Well, no. You signed the contract. You wanted to be on TV so bad, that 30% was okay with you… Was it high? I don’t know, but if you thought it was, you shouldn’t have signed it.”

Little wrestler, Diamond Lil on Moolah pimping out wrestlers: “That’s a lie, it never happened. Whoever’s saying that is crazy.”

Native American wrestler, and former Tag Team partner of Luna Vachon, Winona Littleheart: “No way. She never pimped me out. And as far as I know, none of the other girls that I know.

Former WWF Superstar, Peggy Lee Leather: “No, she was not a pimp. She was my booker. She booked me for a certain percentage. And all this about being a pimp, it just makes me just almost sick inside. Because that’s saying that I was pimped out by The Fabulous Moolah. She was nothing but a business woman. A shrewd one.  On allegations by the late Luna Vachon that Moolah forced her to take inappropriate pictures for a local doctor while she was underage: “I think it was Dr. Goldstein, and he liked women’s wrestling, and he liked to take photos of them… Moolah would just, you know, approach the girl & just ask them would they like to go out there… I know several of them that went out there… not one of them told me that he did anything derogatory in any way or mentioned anything about sex… When Luna got there, she’d already had two children at that time & she was going through a divorce with her husband… She was in her 20’s when she got to Moolah’s, she wasn’t 16.

Multi Time Champion, Joyce Grable: “As far as I was concerned, she never sent me nobody. And hey, I had a good body, back then.  I was kind of pretty, long blonde hair. Especially when I went to Puerto Rico. Mexico. If she was gonna pimp somebody out, I would’ve been #1 on the list”

https://youtu.be/jtm1biU-1Bc

Actor, podcaster and musician extraordinaire Macaulay Culkin is still pushing for a match at next weekend’s WWE WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view.

Earlier this month, the Home Alone star answered a challenge by Rusev, who was campaigning on social media to fight a celebrity at WrestleMania. Unfortunately that match never came together, but Culkin hasn’t given up hope.

On Monday night, Culkin issued a WrestleMania challenge to Paul Smackage, a fictional character from Edge and Christian’s Podcast. This led to the following exchange between Culkin and WWE legend Christian:

I'm still looking for an opponent for this year's #wrestlemania, so I figured I'd challenge the one, the only, #paulsmackage.
Hey @Christian4Peeps and @EdgeRatedR let's make this happen!!

— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) March 27, 2018

Paul will have a response to your challenge on this weeks @EandCPod https://t.co/YJHTNBmtIT

— Jay 'Christian' Reso (@Christian4Peeps) March 27, 2018

Well, then have me on the pod, J-Weeds… Unless he's scared??

— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) March 27, 2018

Paul paged me. He says he usually only talks to relevant stars but he’s willing to make an exception.. open invite brother brother. Also, he doesn’t know what a j-weed is but assumes it’s a compliment. https://t.co/xSYo2ZXdjv

— Jay 'Christian' Reso (@Christian4Peeps) March 27, 2018

Culkin ended the exchange with a savage burn on Christian, referring to him as the Marty Jannetty to Edge’s Shawn Michaels. Ouch.

If Paul only talks to relevant stars then why is he letting Jannetty speak for him?

— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) March 27, 2018

Culkin is obviously a longtime pro wrestling fan and even got physically involved at a Bar Wrestling live event in California back in December.

• Macaulay Culkin Pins Hornswoggle With Help From Santa Claus at Bar Wrestling (Video)

WWE announced on Monday that Shane McMahon has been diagnosed with the intestinal disease acute diverticulitis and and an umbilical hernia.

The news comes two weeks after Shane announced his indefinite leave of absence from his post as the commissioner of SmackDown Live. After stepping down as SmackDown commissioner, Shane was assaulted by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Many fans assumed this attack was to set up a match at WrestleMania. Especially with Daniel Bryan being medically cleared to compete, it seemed like a given that Shane and Bryan would be teaming up against Zayn and Owens at WrestleMania. However, this medical update jeopardizes Shane’s chances revenge at WrestleMania in less than two weeks.

WWE.com writes “While [in the Caribbean], Shane developed a massive infection due to acute diverticulitis and was hospitalized for several days in Antigua before being flown back to a New York-area hospital, where he is currently being treated with heavy doses of antibiotics. The doctors in New York have also discovered that Shane suffered an umbilical hernia during the attack, which will require surgery once the infection has been eradicated.”

A massive infection, a diverticulitis diagnosis and pending surgery to repair a hernia all point to Shane missing WrestleMania. We should find out what this means for Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the coming days.

It remains to be seen how much of this news is WWE storyline fiction – hopefully all of it.

WWE has uploaded an uncut 17-minute of The Ultimate Deletion.

Related News: 

• Matt Hardy Already Campaigning For Another Ultimate Deletion, Responds To Michael Cole’s Snub
• Details On If WWE Would Consider Another ‘Ultimate Deletion’

• Matt Hardy On Vince McMahon’s Reaction To The Ultimate Deletion (Video)

Relive “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt’s bizarre battle on The Hardy Compound in its entirety.

Major League Wrestling (MLW) is coming to national television with a new weekly series on the beIN Sports Network premiering April 20th.

Sports Illustrated broke the news on Monday that MLW has inked a deal with beIN Sports, which is available throughout 50 million homes across the Untied States.

MLW: Fusion is joining beIN Sports’ “Friday Night Fury” fight block. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini will call the action, with tapings being held monthly throughout Florida.

MLW CEO Court Bauer revealed to SI that he’s been in talks with beIN Sports since the fall.

“We offer a different presentation because we identify ourselves as a combat sport, but we have a lot more creative freedom than every other combat sport to give the most high-octane presentation,” Bauer said.

MLW will crown a new World Heavyweight champion at the upcoming MLW: World Championship Finals show from Orlando (4/12).  Later this year, Bauer confirmed, MLW will unveil both tag team titles and a middleweight title.

According to SI, MLW is getting television rights fees for the programming, which sets them apart from Impact Wrestling on Pop TV and Ring of Honor on Sinclair affiliates. MLW has also inked a deal that will allow Lucha Underground stars like Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix to appear regularly for the promotion.

For more on this huge story, visit SportsIllustrated.com.

Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Heyman is about to crossover from professional wrestling into the world of unscripted television.

Heyman, best known as the advocate and mouthpiece for WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar, has inked a deal with Roy Bank’s Banca Studio to develop several new television series including one that will star the former ECW owner.

Bank is best known for producing reality series such as “The Apprentice”, “Are You Smarter than a 5^th Grader?” as well as “Flea Market Flip”. Now Bank is teaming up with Heyman to produce a new series of unscripted television shows including the debut project that will star the humble advocate.

“Against my strenuous objection, Roy Bank has decided our first collaborative project will be centered around me,” Heyman told The Wrap. “I have come to the educated conclusion Roy has made this decision based on a desire when pitching from the networks that we learn how to deal with rejection.”

All jokes aside, Heyman’s initial project with Bank remains shrouded in secrecy but the series will reportedly “straddle the line” between a talk show, opinion, comedy and pop culture.

“If you are a fan of Paul Heyman or you’re a fan of the energy that Paul Heyman exudes — even if you are not familiar with him directly — you’ll love this show,” Bank said about the planned series.

From the sound of things, Heyman will lead a talk-show style format of some kind with plans to pitch the series directly after WrestleMania 34 wraps up next weekend in New Orleans. Heyman already has a one man show scheduled that same weekend in New Orleans as well as inducting Bill Goldberg into the WWE Hall of Fame. 

Then on April 8 Heyman will join Lesnar for his WrestleMania main event match against Roman Reigns.

Heyman’s work on his new television series won’t interfere with anything he does with WWE, although it’s entirely possible there would be some future crossover with his new show and the professional wrestling world.

Will you watch Paul Heyman in his new show? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

The road to WrestleMania continued tonight as WWE Raw rolls into Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena. WWE is advertising the following items for the show:

– John Cena takes on The Big Red Machine

– Fallout from last week’s Ultiamte Deletion. What is “Woken” Matt’s next move?

– Braun Strowman still needs a partner for his tag title match against The Bar at WrestleMania.

– Are Stephanie McMahon & Triple H ready for Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle?

– Will Roman Reigns be 100 percent for WrestleMania?

– Nia Jax’s pursuit of Alexa Bliss continues

– Does Finn Bálor owe Seth Rollins a rematch?

As always, join us here tonight for WWE RAW Results & Live Discussion. 

Catch up on the top moments from last week’s show:

• 7 Takeaways From WWE RAW (3/19)

WWE announced on Friday that 2-time WWE Women’s Champion Molly Holly will induct Ivory into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday night, April 6th.

BREAKING: #MollyHolly will induct @MorettiIvory into the @WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018! #WWEHOF https://t.co/sp5encgaoe

— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2018

WWE also announced that Chloe x Halle, the R&B duo made up of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, will be singing America The Beautiful at WrestleMania.

This #WrestleMania, #TheKidsAreAlright. @chloexhalle, who will be performing #AmericaTheBeautiful, drop their debut album today! pic.twitter.com/dd8KVsskW4

— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2018

Lilian Garcia will serve as the guest ring announcer for the first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.

The Battle Royal will feature competitors from Raw, SmackDown Live and NXT. Talent confirmed for the match includes:

• Sasha Banks
• Natalya
• Becky Lynch
• Naomi
• The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan)

Other women’s matches scheduled for WrestleMania include Asuka challenging Charlotte for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Nia Jax challenging Alexa Bliss for the RAW Women’s Championship. In one of the card’s featured matches, Rond Rousey makes her WWE in-ring debut teaming with Kurt Angle against former WWE Women’s Champion Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.

WrestleMania 34 takes place on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

Major League Wrestling just announced that Pentagon Jr. (managed by Salina de La Renta) vs. Rey Fenix has been signed for next month’s MLW: The World Championship Finals.

It’s a rematch from their battle at January’s MLW: Zero Hour show that many have called the best match in the promotion’s history.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix 2 will serve as the co-main event alongside the finals of the MLW World Championship tournament – as Matt Riddle and Shane “Swerve” Strickland will square off to crown a new MLW World Heavyweight Champion.

MLW CEO Court Bauer said, “We’re building a super card for the April 12th show.  Adding the 2 best luchadores in the sport today just took it to a whole new level.”

MLW.com notes that MLW: The World Championship Finals is a TV taping. The company has been teasing a big announcement is forthcoming regarding some sort of TV deal.

MLW: The World Championship Finals takes place on Thursday, 4/12 from Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub. You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.

MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND

REY FENIX VS. PENTAGON JR. (MANAGED BY SALINA DE LA RENTA)

MATT SYDAL VS. LOW KI

FANS VOTE ON STIPULATION
SAMI CALLIHAN & JOEY JANELA VS. JIMMY HAVOC & DARBY ALLIN

Also scheduled to appear: MVP and SANTANA GARRETT