Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix have declared: they’re All In.
The hard-hitting high-flying luchadors join a growing list of performers confirmed for the event, which will undoubtedly be the biggest independent wrestling event of 2018.
Other talent signed on to appear includes “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page, Stephen Amell and Tessa Blanchard.
All In takes place on Saturday night, September 1st from the Sears Centre Arena outside of Chicago, IL. Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks have stated they hope to draw 10,000 fans to the show. The venue can accommodate over 11,000 people, depending on the production setup.
In addition to the All In live event, a wrestling podcast convention is also being held as part of the weekend’s festivities. There will also be autograph signings featuring wrestling legends and other promotional events leading up to the show.
Additional talent announcements will be made in the coming weeks.
John Cena was interviewed by Irish media outlet Entertainment.ie this week to promote his new movie Blockers, which opens in theaters April 6th (WrestleMania weekend).
Cena spoke about his acting career taking off and credited comedian Amy Schumer and director Judd Apatow with giving him the chance to experiment and ‘find himself’ as an actor on the set of the movie Trainwreck.
The interviewer spoke about the number of athletes who have crossed over between WWE and UFC including Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and Ronda Rousey. When asked which WWE Superstars he thinks could be successful mixed martial arts fighters, Cena gave an answer that would make Vince McMahon proud.
“I don’t know why they would want to [leave WWE for UFC],” Cena said. “I guess I’m just a sucker for what we do. You look at an individual like Brock and I think he’s drawn towards what the Octagon offers.” I [prefer] what we do because we’re sitting here talking about a story. We tell stories in WWE and that’s what I like the most, so I can’t put myself in the shoes of, ‘I’d want to go do this in the Octagon'”
The host asked Cena about the possibility of Ireland’s most famous athlete, Conor McGregor, appearing for WWE one day. Cena was fully on board with that prospect, noting that McGregor understands the entertainment aspect of his sport better than anybody.
“He would do fantastic. Hell, he’d put me out of work. He gets the entertainment aspect of sport, and I think he gets it as good or better than anyone else.”
“The way he promoted the fight against Mayweather … that’s what we do, he did it as good or better than us. So, I hope one day, if you’re out there watching and you want to come to WWE, he would be a fantastic WWE Superstar.”
You can listen to John Cena’s interview with Entertainment.ie here:
The huge news of the week is WWE giving Daniel Bryan medical clearance to return to action after nearly three years on the sidelines. On Wednesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Dave Meltzer dropped some new information regarding Bryan’s situation:
– Daniel Bryan is not looking to work a full-time schedule. He will most likely work a schedule similar to Randy Orton – more dates than Brock Lesnar, but not 200+ dates per year like the majority of WWE’s roster.
– Many fans are assuming we’ll see Daniel Bryan team with Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn at WrestleMania, but WWE has not finalized plans for Bryan just yet.
– Meltzer noted that Daniel Bryan has been studying footage of Zack Sabre Jr. matches over the past year in an effort to learn a similar, safer ring style. ZSJ is a master technician and hopefully Bryan can avoid his signature [high risk] suicide dives or top rope head butts.
– Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s beatdown of Daniel Bryan was a last-minute booking decision. Bryan took some stiff bumps on SmackDown, including a powerbomb on the apron, which undoubtedly had people on edge at home and backstage.
– As noted earlier, Daniel Bryan was not medically cleared by WWE doctors until about one hour before the company made the announcement on social media.
Listen to the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live over at f4wonline.com.
In related Daniel Bryan news, its worth noting that this week’s SmackDown Live averaged 2.888 million viewers, a slight increase over 2.771 million viewers the previous week.
Ronda Rousey is in the unfortunate situation where she doesn’t have much room for error.
The former UFC women’s champion inked a deal to join WWE back in January and made her debut at the Royal Rumble before disappearing off television for several weeks to finish filming a movie in Colombia.
When she returned, Rousey was immediately paired with Kurt Angle over the course of three weeks where she “signed” her contract at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and then in the two subsequent weeks on Raw, she appeared to set up her WrestleMania 34 match.
Now Rousey will make her in ring debut at the biggest event of the year when she teams with Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match. With Rousey’s return to television, WWE also promoted that she would be appearing at every Monday Night Raw between Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 34.
There’s only one problem — Rousey has been completely absent from live television the past two weeks outside of a vignette that was shown this past Monday night that talked about her journey from the UFC to joining WWE.
As it turns out, Rousey actually was in Dallas for Raw but she didn’t make any appearance during the live broadcast, but instead came out for a non-televised “dark” segment where she addressed the crowd and then had an incredibly awkward spot with Dana Brooke.
Now no one is going to accuse Dana Brooke of being the best worker in the company but the sequence of moves with Rousey — from the poorly blocked punch to Brooke literally jumping into Rousey’s arms to help her with a suplex — was just terrible execution. She’s only been training for her in-ring debut for a handful of months, so it’s going to take a long time before she’s pulling off moves with fluidity like watching Charlotte Flair take on Sasha Banks.
It seems rather obvious that WWE is giving Rousey a chance to learn on the job with a segment like she had with Dana Brooke this past week, but then that also begs the question — will she truly be ready for WrestleMania in three weeks time?
It’s easy to point at past celebrity appearances for WrestleMania matches — from Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather and even President Donald Trump — to know that WWE isn’t exactly banking on them suddenly transforming into A.J. Styles overnight. By that same account, no one expected Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar to suddenly pick up the business in a matter of days when they first joined the WWE universe.
The difference with both Angle and Lesnar as high level athletes who transitioned into WWE is that they had time to develop in promotions away from the bright lights. Angle worked matches in several developmental promotions before finally being eased into a role on television. Lesnar famously teamed up with Shelton Benjamin as a tag team in Ohio Valley Wrestling and spent two years working in a developmental league before finally being called up to the main WWE roster.
Even fellow UFC veteran Shayna Baszler, who counts Rousey as one of her best friends, spent several years working her way up through the independent circuit before she was given a shot in WWE as part of the “Mae Young Classic” and now she’s still developing as part of the NXT roster.
Meanwhile, Rousey will have none of those luxuries as she prepares for her first match on the biggest stage possible at WrestleMania 34. Chances are Rousey won’t be expected to carry much of the match — what’s more likely is Stephanie McMahon will shy away from Rousey the entire match leaving the bulk of the work to Triple H and Angle. By the end, Rousey will likely find her way into get the tap out and the victory as she officially kicks off her WWE career.
That being said, Rousey’s spots thus far in WWE have been tough to watch.
Her mic work has a lot of room for improvement, but that will come over time. She has an undeniable presence about her, despite the limited emotive range we’ve seen thus far (either a huge grin or her ominous ‘murder face’). Add to that, she’s been awkward with the pair of slams that she’s landed on Stephanie and Dana Brooke in her two more physical altercations in the ring.
The toughest part about those sequences is that no first time wrestler would be expected to pull off those moves flawlessly — but 99.9-percent of first time wrestlers aren’t doing that in front of thousands of people with millions more watching at home on television.
Ronda Rousey making her WWE debut in front of a jam-packed stadium will do big business and draw mainstream headlines. At the end of the day, that’s what this is all about.
However, her room for error as a worker under this bright spotlight is virtually non-existent and the reality is that’s not fair, because it takes years to develop into a good worker. Unfortunately because Rousey undoubtedly signed a lucrative contract to work for WWE, she won’t have the luxury of spending two years working the independent circuit before finally joining the main roster.
It’s a catch 22 situation, but is Rousey being set up for success or failure?
Only time will tell but with three weeks remaining until WrestleMania 34, Rousey will be jumping from the frying pan in the fire in quick fashion and at that point it’s sink or swim.
When it comes to the reaction from savvy professional wrestling fans, there is no third direction.
Are you excited to see Ronda Rousey make her professional wrestling debut at WrestleMania 34 and what do you expect? Sound off in the comments and let us know
Newsweek.com has published an interview with Bruce Prichard of the wildly popular Something To Wrestle podcast. Here are some highlights:
Prichard told Phillip Martinez from Newsweek that he’s really looking forward to WresetleMania, especially the top few matches. As a longtime member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle, Prichard has seen it all when it comes to booking WrestleMania main events. When asked about WWE’s portrayal of Brock Lesnar in the Universal Championship match at WM34, Prichard says WWE has done the right thing by limiting Lesnar’s exposure and keeping him as a special attraction.
“It depends on your perspective,” Prichard said. “In a situation where Brock is champion, he’s coming in for a certain number of days doing what he does, and when he comes in, he draws people. People are interested in what he does. So from my point of view, not having to overexpose the talent is a great thing. People become complacent and used to the talent. When you’re only getting them every once in a while, that adds to the talent’s mystique… Whether it’s Brock’s idea or WWE’s idea, I think it’s a good one for a big draw to only be seen in a limited way.”
Regarding the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, Prichard compared Styles success to that of a rookie Kurt Angle. He also praised Nakamura, who has gotten over with the WWE Universe on work rate and charisma without speaking much English.
John Cena’s role at WrestleMania has not been made official as of this writing, but it seems like the 16-time world champion is headed for showdown with The Undertaker. Prichard said fans love The Undertaker so much that he could wrestle several more years and people would eat it up. The Undertaker’s physical ailments are well-documented, but Prichard revealed that he saw the Dead Man several months ago and he looked to be in great physical shape.
“I saw him recently, around Thanksgiving, and I haven’t seen him look that good in 10-15 years … He was skipping up steps and looked great.”
There’s a lot more to the interview, which you can check out at Newsweek.com.
WWE announced on Tuesday evening that United States Champion Randy Orton will defend the gold at WrestleMania in a triple threat match against Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal.
On 205 Live from Dallas, Texas, Mustafa Ali defeated Drew Gulak in the tournament semi-final match. As a result, it will be Ali vs. Cedric Alexander in the tournament finals to crown a new Cruiserweight champion at WrestleMania.
With those matches set, here’s the updated card for WrestleMania 34, which takes place on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, Louisiana at the Mercedes-Benz SuperDome.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns
Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor
US Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Bobby Roode
Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
The first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Braun Strowman and a partner of his choosing
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
What do you think of the WrestleMania 34 card? Which match are you most looking forward to?
I couldn’t be happier for Daniel. Being away for two years must have felt like an eternity…but today, he’s back and where he belongs. https://t.co/HNtSw1RwKI
This may be a first in all of professional sports. So stoked for Bryan and for what it could mean for head trauma research and rehabilitation in contact athletics. https://t.co/g3nnD11wVM
I am happy for Daniel Bryan, who has been cleared to return to in-ring #WWE action. I'm very conservative on returning after #concussions, but if Dr. Cantu and the other experts all agree he's ready, it's good enough for me. Good luck buddy! #YEShttps://t.co/AD9c2pqx4t
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) March 20, 2018
On Tuesday, WWE sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world by announcing Daniel Bryan has been medically cleared to return to action.
Bryan has been on the sidelines since his last match nearly three years ago. He’s served as the General Man ager as SmackDown Live since July 2016, but has been campaigning for a return to the ring ever since.
In his first statement since the news of his return broke, Bryan acknowledged the people in his live who never gave up on him or his dream to wrestle once again
Bryan will open tonight’s SmackDown Live to address his return and perhaps his role at WrestleMania. Based on the past several months of SmackDown storylines, there’s a good chance we’ll see Daniel Bryan teaming with Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in less than three weeks in New Orleans.
WWE Hall Of Famer Rocky Johnson has a new hip and a new whip.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to social media this week to a story about his father recently undergoing hip surgery. Johnson called his son and mentioned his doctor told him he should be driving a bigger car – you know, because of his hip. The Rock took the hint and hooked his dad up with a brand new Cadillac truck.
“We all got daddy issues lol,” wrote The Rock. “My pops just had his hip replaced and called me and said ‘Hey Mr. D the surgeon really feels like I should have a bigger car since my hip rehab..’ I cut my dad off and just started laughing because I knew what he was hustling for.”
Rock continued, “I said ‘say no more..I got you.. just go down and pick out what you want,’ then we hung up and hours later I get this pic. Lol. Hey my old man was a tough MF on me. He’d kick my ass from one side of the gym to the other for years. I hated it when I was a kid, but grateful for it as a man. Im lucky I could do this and thanks for the ass kickins. Thanks Shawn Burnett and Ed Morse Cadillac for handling business for me and finding the gold bow. #MyDoctorSaid #NewHipsAndWhips.”
If the story sounds somewhat familiar, that’s because The Rock posted a similar photo and story back in December 2016, when he bought his dad a new Ford truck for Christmas.
WWE has uploaded unseen footage from Monday’s RAW involving Ronda Rousey getting physical with Dana Brooke.
Fans at the arena on Monday night did not see “Woken” Matt Hardy’s Ultimate Deletion. Instead, they got a segment with Elias and after that, Ronda Rousey came out. Rousey was interrupted by Dana Brooke and you can see how that went below.
Rousey is weeks away from her in-ring debut at WrestleMania. The former UFC champion has been training vigorously with WM34 tag team partner ahead of their match against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.
Check out this footage of Rousey making short work of Brooke.
In this moment you didn’t see on Raw, “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey deals with an interruption from Dana Brooke.
Major League Wrestling announced on Monday that Matt Sydal will be debuting for the promotion next month. Sydal will square off against Low Ki of Black Friday Management at MLW: The World Championship Finals on Thursday, April 12th from Orlando, FL.
The main event of that show will feature Matt Riddle vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland in the tournament finals to crown a new MLW World Champion.
MATT SYDAL TO DEBUT IN MLW ON APRIL 12TH IN ORLANDO AGAINST LOW KI
ORLANDO – Two elite fighting athletes will clash as Matt Sydal vs. Low Ki (representing Black Friday Management) is set for the April 12thMLW: The World Championship Finals card in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.
Will Sydal’s blistering aerial attacks and spin kicks triumph or will Low Ki add another victim to his impressive undefeated streak? Find out live in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub on Thursday night April 12th at MLW’s next TV taping!
You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.
Posted March 19th, 2018 in MLW, News. Tagged: MLW.
Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder wrestled his final collegiate wrestling match on Sunday night for Ohio State University. What was the first thing he did afterwards?
He called out WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Kyle Snyder’s amateur credentials are staggering. He won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic games from Rio – making him the youngest gold medalist in history – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He’s youngest wrestler ever to win the World, NCAA, and Olympic championships in a single year. Earlier this year, he won his third-straight individual national championship as a heavyweight.
The 22-year-old Snyder tweeted the following on Sunday night, indicating that he’s considering a future with WWE.
A WWE showdown between Snyder and Brock Lesnar is unlikely, but not impossible. If Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar’s success in WWE are any indication, Snyder would almost certainly be a quick study should he decide to begin training for a pro wrestling career.
Brock Lesnar’s future with WWE is also uncertain, with his contract rumored to be expiring some time after WrestleMania 34 next month.
Kyle Snyder Also Considering An MMA Career
There’s also the possibility that Snyder decides to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. Just last month, Kyle Snyder offered to train Conor McGregor for his next fight, so the UFC is also on his radar. Snyder attended two UFC shows last year (UFC 203 in Cleveland and UFC 207 in Las Vegas) and admitting that he’s considering a future in the Octagon.
“They put on a great show, it’s really exciting,” Snyder said about the UFC last year. “I think it’s something that I could excel in. I haven’t done much boxing or jiu-jitsu or striking or stuff like that but I think that I could pick it up pretty quickly. The crowd and the way they made the whole thing a big show was just exciting for me. It’s something that I want to do.”
Wherever Snyder winds up, UFC or WWE, it’s not a stretch to bestow upon him the label Brock Lesnar once enjoyed as “The Next Big Thing.”
WWE Champion AJ Styles is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will be evaluated by WWE doctors backstage at tonight’s RAW, according to a report at PWInsider.
Styles was scheduled to work this past weekend’s WWE live events, but only appeared at Friday night’s show from Madison Square Garden. Styles was advertised to team with Shinsuke Nakamura against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but that match never took place due to Zayn and Owens attacking Styles before the match.
Fans on Twitter freaked out at the prospect that AJ Styles might be injured with less than three weeks until WrestleMania.
Shinsuke Nakamura wound up defeating Kevin Owens in singles action, with AJ Styles making the save afterwards when Owens and Zayn were attacking Nakamura.
At this weekend’s SmackDown live events, Randy Orton subbed in for AJ Styles, teaming with Nakamura against Zayn and Owens.
As of this writing, AJ Styles is still scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against SShinsuke Nakamura at Wrestlemania 34 on April 8th.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan was in Abu Dhabi over the weekend to attend the Special Olympics IX Mena Games at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
While there, Bryan was interviewed by The National and spoke about a variety of topics, including his unforgettable night at WrestleMania XXX back in 2014, working with Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on SmackDown, next month’s WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event from Abu Dhabi and more.
Bryan was asked about his role at WrestleMania and gave a surprisingly encouraging update on the possibility of him competing on the show. Bryan’s quest to get medically cleared by WWE is well documented. He is determined to wrestle again, whether it’s in WWE or elsewhere. He has been cleared to compete by every single doctor that WWE has sent him to, yet the company has stopped short of giving him the green light to return.
Bryan says there are two paths for him at WrestleMania and it will be WWE’s call which scenario plays out. When asked about the rumor that he’ll be lacing up the boots at WrestleMania 34 next month, Bryan said:
“I don’t know, and I don’t think they know. I think it all depends on whether or not I get cleared. As of this moment, as of today, I am not cleared by WWE. I have done everything in my power – everything they have asked me to – and I have gone above and beyond as far as ‘OK, what doctors do you need me to see? Send me to any doctor you want, any doctor that you want and lets get their feedback on what is going on with me.’
So far, every doctor has cleared me that they have sent me to, and so there is a chance. I used to think that the percentage of the WWE ever clearing me was low. I think, with the stuff that I have done, it has gone a little higher, but I don’t know how much higher.”
Bryan added, “There is one way to go if I don’t get cleared and then there is another way to go if I am cleared. I am hoping to be cleared, but I don’t know which way it goes.”
WrestleMania 34 takes place in less than three weeks on Sunday, April 8th from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tonight’s edition of WWE RAW takes place from Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center.
The Ultimate Deletion is finally upon us. A great battle will transpire on the Hardy Compound between Woken Matt and Bray Wyatt. SEScoops correspondent Irvin Lassley wrote a great featured looking at the long road that led us to Ultimate Deletion:
WWE.com is also advertising the following items for the show:
Brock Lesnar finally emerges
After weeks of no-shows – because he’s a selfish part-timers who doesn’t love the fans as much as Roman Reigns does, WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar returns. How will Lesnar (or more specifically, Paul Heyman) respond to the recent charges levied against him?
Asuka puts her streak on the line against Alexa Bliss
At Fastlane, Royal Rumble winner Asuka made it clear that she will challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte at WrestleMania. RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss might have dodged a bullet for WrestleMania, but she’ll step in the ring with Asuka tonight.
Will Braun Strowman take on The Bar at WrestleMania?
Braun Strowman is the #1 contender to RAW tag team champions The Bar after winning last week’s tag team battle royal. Will Strowman face The Bar at WrestleMania by himself, will he get the chance to choose a partner, or will he be assigned one?
Join us here later tonight for our weekly WWE RAW Live Coverage.
WWE returned to Madison Square Garden on Friday night for a live event featuring the top Superstars of RAW and SmackDown. Brock Lesnar, John Cena, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were all in action for the event.
The Garden was not sold out, but a live correspondent noted that there were approximately 12-13,000 fans on hand. It was announced that WWE is returning to MSG on Saturday, July 7th and Ronda Rousey will be in attendance.
Here are the results from WWE Live at Madison Square Garden:
– Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were scheduled to face WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in tag team action, but Owens and Zayn attacked Styles before the bell. They did an injury angle and Styles was helped to the back, leading many fans to wonder if there was something more to Styles not competing. It was announced Kevin Owens would face Nakamura in singles action.
– Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Kevin Owens by disqualification after Sami Zayn interfered. AJ Styles ran out and made the save for Nakamura, which got a huge pop.
– Cedric Alexander defeated Drew Gulak.
– Asuka defeated Mandy Rose with the Asuka Lock.
– Bray Wyatt defeated “Woken” Matt Hardy.
– RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar retained in a Fatal 4 Way over Titus Worldwide, The New Day and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson.
– WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman and Kane in a triple threat match, with Kane taking the pin. The Bar came out and attacked Strowman after the match, putting him through a table before Strowman fought back and beat up the champions.
Afterwards, Bliss and Mickie James beat down Banks, but Nia Jax ran out for the save. Nia had a brief confrontation with Alexa Bliss and gave Mickie James a Samoan backdrop.
– John Cena and Nikki Bella defeated Elias and Sonya Deville.
A WrestleMania 35 press conference was held on Friday morning at MetLife Stadium. The event featured appearances from Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Ronda Rousey, John Cena and The New Day.
It was a rather uneventful affair, aside from Triple H noting that Ronda Rousey will be competing at the event. After running down some of her past accomplishments and stating that he hopes Rousey does not injure him or his wife at WrestleMania next month, he introduced Rousey and the two had a brief stare-down.
You can watch the full half-hour WrestleMania 35 press conference below. Triple H and Ronda Rousey’s confrontation occurs around the 24-minute mark of that broadcast.
The upcoming 50-man “Greatest Royal Rumble” event from Saudi Arabia will be featured on the WWE Network as special programming. RAW Superstar and WrestleMania 34 headliner Roman Reigns mentioned the news on Friday morning during an appearance on Jim Norton & Sam Roberts’ Sirius XM show.
Reigns told Jim and Sam that he hopes he isn’t spoiling anything, but, “I believe it’s going to be a huge network special.”
The Greatest Royal Rumble will beheld at the King Abdullah Sports City venue, which holds approximately 62,000 people. Talent announced for the event includes John Cena, Triple H, Roman Reigns, WWE Champion AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura.
WWE is pulling out all the stops to make the event a success – with Chris Jericho and The Undertaker rumored to be appearing as well.
The Greatest Royal Rumble is being co-presented by the Saudi General Sports Authority as part of a new long-term partnership with WWE.
“The Greatest Royal Rumble will be a spectacle of historic proportions,” said Vince McMahon when the event was first announced. “Our partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority reflects a long-term commitment to present WWE’s world-class entertainment to a global audience on a grander scale than ever before.”
This coming Monday, WWE RAW will feature The Ultimate Deletion – a one-of-a-kind battle between “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt from the Hardy family compound in Cameron, North Carolina.
Queen Rebecca, King Maxel, Lord Wolfgang, Senior Benjamin, Vanguard 1 and Skarsgård will all be on hand for the Great War.
It’s not that easy getting booked for WrestleMania – just ask John Cena.
In an effort to secure a spot on WWE’s biggest card of the year, SmackDown Live star Rusev put out an open challenge for celebrities to step and test their might in front of 75,000 fans.
Rusev got several responses, including actor Skylar Astin and even The Rock volunteering the services of his friend and frequent co-star, Kevin Hart.
I challenge @RusevBUL to a match at Wrestlemania. But I’m assembling my faction first! And if you think I’m outmatched, wait until you hear who I have in mind for my stable… ? ?? ? ? https://t.co/RYy51EL21z
Rusev, who almost always backs up his tough talk, walked back his open challenge and claims he can’t hit the man who portrayed iconic film characters like Kevin McAllister (Home Alone) and Richie Rich.
AXS TV sent in the following press release detailing their New Japan Pro Wrestling programming schedule leading up to and including the huge Strong Style Evolved event taking place later this month (3/25) from Long Beach, California.
AXS TV COUNTS DOWN TO STRONG STYLE EVOLVED WITH A STACK OF ‘NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’ ON FRIDAY MARCH 16 AND 23 FEATURING ‘THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA’ AND ‘HONOR RISING: JAPAN 2018’
Plus, NJPW’s 46th Anniversary Show on Friday Nights Following the Live Broadcast of ‘STRONG STYLE EVOLVED’ on Sunday, March 25
Los Angeles (March 15, 2018) – With less than two weeks until AXS TV’s exclusive live broadcast of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s STRONG STYLE EVOLVED on Sunday, March 25 at 8pE/5pP, the network’s weekly Friday night series will feature coverage from NJPW’s New Beginning in Osaka (March 16 & 23), plus a special bonus episode from Honor Rising: Japan 2018 (March 23). In the weeks following the live broadcast, AXS TV will continue its Fridaynight series with coverage of NJPW’s 46th Anniversary Show.
The New Beginning in Osaka kicks off this Friday, March 16 at 8pE/5pP with two title matches featuring Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship and Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. A second hour from Osaka premieres Friday, March 23 at 8pE/5pP as IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada takes on challenger SANADA; then at 9pE/6pP AXS TV premieres a special hour from Honor Rising: Japan 2018 featuring the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) versus Bullet Club members Cody & Marty Scurll plus The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) and Hangman Page take on Jay White, Chuckie T and YOSHI-HASHI.
AXS TV goes live for STRONG STYLE EVOLVED from the Walter Pyramid at California State University Long Beach on Sunday, March 25 at 8pE/5pP. Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will call the action ringside for a stacked card headlined by the Golden Lovers vs. The Young Bucks. In the co-main event, IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Champion Jay White puts his title on the line for the first time against Hangman Page; and, in a matchup of two legends, Jyushin Thunder Liger takes on Rey Mysterio. The complete televised card for STRONG STYLE EVOLVED is forthcoming.
Following an encore presentation of STRONG STYLE EVOLVED on Friday, March 30 at 8pE/5pP, AXS TV presents two nights from NJPW’s 46th Anniversary Show. First, on Friday, April 6, Minoru Suzuki and Togi Makabe battle for the IWGP Intercontinental championship and three tag teams fight for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship. Then on Friday, April 13, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay face off in a special IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion match and Tetsuya Naito takes on Taichi.
AXS TV’s upcoming NJPW schedule is as follows (subject to change):
Friday, March 16 at 8pE – The New Beginning in Osaka Part 1
NEVER Openweight Championship – Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship – Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Friday, March 23 at 8pE – The New Beginning in Osaka Part 2
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
Friday, March 23 at 9pE – Honor Rising: Japan 2018
Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. Cody & Marty Scurll
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & Hangman Page vs. Jay White, Chuckie T & YOSHI-HASHI
LIVE – Sunday, March 25 at 8pE – STRONG STYLE EVOLVED
Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship – Jay White vs. Hangman Page
Jyushin Thunder Liger vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
More matches to be announced
Friday, March 30 – STRONG STYLE EVOLVED (Encore Presentation)
Friday, April 6 – 46th Anniversary Show Part 1
IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Minoru Suzuki vs. Togi Makabe
IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match – Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado
Major League Wrestling has announced the long-awaited Santana Garrett vs. Priscilla Kelly match is taking place at the upcoming MLW: The World Championship Finals event on 4/12 from Orlando. Here’s the official press release recapping the events that have led us to this blockbuster match:
SANTANA GARRETT TO FINALLY BATTLE PRISCILLA KELLY ON APRIL 12TH IN ORLANDO
ORLANDO – The Modern Day Wonder Woman will finally get her chance at Hell’s Favorite Harlot. Major League Wrestling has confirmed that after four months of trying to make this blockbuster bout, Santana Garrett vs. Priscilla Kelly is officially signed for the April 12thMLW: The World Championship Finals card in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.
You can purchase tickets now at MLWTickets.com starting at $15.
Since being attacked Priscilla Kelly at MLW: Never Say Never (watch for free), Santana has been the target of numerous disturbing encounters with the dark and mysterious Priscilla Kelly. This has included Priscilla posting a creepy video where she broke into Santana’s house while she was asleep.
Now after four months of aggressive and bizarre behavior, Priscilla will meet her “dark wonder” Santana Garrett for the first time ever in the ring on April 12th. Will the “Modern Day Wonder Woman” triumph over darkness or will Priscilla death grip over the women’s division get tighter? Find out April 12th in Orlando.
Matches signed for April 12th thus far include:
MLW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS – MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND
– SANTANA GARRETT VS. PRISCILLA KELLY
Posted March 16th, 2018 in MLW, News. Tagged: MLW.
WrestleMania is returning to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, April 7th, 2019. This will be the fourth WrestleMania being held in New Jersey, following WrestleMania IV and V at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City (1988 and 1989) and WrestleMania 29 (2013) from MetLife.
Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports first broke the news on Twitter back in January. Several media outlets, including the New York Post and NJ.com, ran stories on Thursday night stating that an announcement from WWE was coming Friday morning. The company has since confirmed the reports.
In addition to Wrestlemania 35, that will weekend will also feature an NXT: Takeover event, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony and the post-Mania Raw and Smackdown broadcasts all taking place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The location of the AXXESS fan fest has yet to be announced.
“There is so much to celebrate in WrestleMania returning to New York and New Jersey in 2019, where we look forward to building upon all the amazing successes from 2013,” John Saboor, WWE’s executive vice president of special events, told The New York Post.
WWE announced on Thursday that the Women’s Battle Royal match scheduled for WrestleMania 34 will no longer be known as the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal.
Following a strong backlash about Moolah’s name being used to celebrate women’s empowerment, the company ultimately decided against honoring the controversial former Women’s champion. The company issued the following statement addressing the change:
“After further consideration, we believe it’s best to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’
What remains most important is that this historic match is part of WWE’s unwavering commitment to the Women’s Division.”
Thank you @WWEUniverse for using your voice. What remains most important is that the “@WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal” will be a historic match and is part of @WWE’s unwavering commitment to our Women’s Division. #WomensEvolution#ChangeTheName
For more on why the Fabulous Moolah was a profoundly poor representative for WWE’s women’s movement, check out this article by David Bixenspan over at Deadspin:
Rousey has praised CM Punk in previous interviews and says she’d be honored if she could work with him in WWE one day.
“I think everybody on Earth would love to see [CM Punk] back in WWE, and I would completely fall all over myself and be honored if he wanted to be involved with me in any way, shape or form.”
As much as she (and many wrestling fans) would love to see Punk back in a WWE ring one day, Rousey says it’s Punk’s life and he needs to be passionate about whatever he’s doing. Many people would love for her to fight in UFC again, but she never fought for the fans, she fought because it’s what she loved.
Rousey continued talking about Punk, stating that he had a special gift as a pro wrestler. She’s eager to work with him in WWE, but he’s got her full respect no matter what the future holds for him.
“Everyone in the world knows he has a gift for wrestling and he has something special, and if he ever feels like sharing it with us again, then hell yeah, please, even if it’s not with me, I just hope I’m there to see it. If he never wants to get back in that ring again, he has every reason not to, and all the respect in the world from me.”
Visit our affiliate site MMANews.com for much more on CM Punk’s next fight and all the top stories in UFC and MMA.