Lawler’s attorney Ted Hansom said it was “a big misunderstanding and won’t happen again. We are happy with the outcome.”
Lawler, 66, and McBride, 27, were arrested in Memphis on June 17 after they both accused each other of domestic violence.
In the incident at Lawler’s home, McBride claimed Lawler held her against a kitchen counter during a argument. She said he hit her in the front left side of her head and pushed her against a stove. Then he retrieved an unloaded pistol, placed it on the counter and said, “Go ahead and kill yourself.”
According to the affidavit, Lawler said they argued over McBride lying about where she had been. He said she was intoxicated and tried to prevent her from leaving in her car. She then scratched the right side of his face, threw a candle at him and kicked him the groin. Lawler alleged that she got the gun from the garage and threatened to kill herself.
Both were arrested when officers could not determine who was the primary aggressor. Lawler was suspended indefinitely by WWE following the arrest.
Following a series of injury-related setbacks, Hideo Itami wrestled for the first time in over a year at tonight’s NXT live event in Winter Haven, Florida.
He joined TM-61, the tag team of Shane Thorne and Nick Miller, for a match against NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Wesley Blake and Tino Sabbatelli.
Itami has been out of action since May of last year due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. He was only expected to be sidelined for six months, but complications from the procedure delayed his return.
During a recent edition of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho said that the average career in WWE for a performer is four years. Jericho, who has been with the company for the better part of the last 17 years, feels his endeavors outside of the ring have contributed to his longevity.
“You look at my WWE activities since 2010 — and when I come back I’m not a part-time performer – but if you look at the overall schedule over the last six years, it’s part time. I’ll never be a full-time performer again and who knows how much longer I’ll do it for,” he said in an interview with For The Win.
“Ten years ago, I foresaw my own future and didn’t want to be at the mercy of the wrestling business. I wanted to come and go as I pleased and so I found ways to do that. Fozzy is bigger than it’s ever been before. I think the Jericho Network has the potential to be huge.”
“I’m 45 years old and pretty soon, I’m not going to want to take any more bumps. But if you look at the arc of entertainment, you can go until you’re 75 years old or beyond. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish in the world of entertainment. It’s all I’ve ever known since I was 19. I’m writing my fourth book, I’m doing more acting. I’m keeping all those balls in the air. It was a smart move on my part and I’m not going to stop. If I stopped wrestling tomorrow, I’d still be out there providing things for you guys to do to enjoy your lives.”
Jericho also offered his thoughts on Roman Reigns’ 30-day suspension for his first violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
“Reigns is a great guy and a great worker. That he was suspended shows there is no BS or (messing) around when it comes to the policy. There are things on (the banned list) that are not anywhere but on the WWE list. You see the things that happened 10, 15 years in the past that don’t happen anymore. You don’t see guys dying young,” Jericho said.
“Reigns is a cool cat. He’ll own it, come back and be a bigger star in the future. I’m a huge Reigns fan and continue to be.”
Jericho also discussed his latest venture with PodcastOne, the upcoming WWE Draft, Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 and more. You can check out the interview here.
– Alicia Fox will be returning to the ring soon as she is advertised for a WWE live event on Saturday, July 30 in Savannah, Georgia.
According to the official website of the Savannah Civic Center, she will be teaming up with Paige to face WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Natalya.
Fox last wrestled in April during WWE’s European tour.
– WWE Network subscribers can now watch the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro (airdate March 26, 2001). The historic program was added to the vault this week, along with other episodes from 1999, 2000 and 2001.
– WWE’s Community website posted photos of Darren Young meeting Pulse nightclub survivor Angel Santiago and paid his respects to those lost during the Orlando, Florida, shooting at a local memorial.
– Randy Orton is being advertised for another WWE live event in mid-August, a virtual guarantee that he’ll be back on television prior to SummerSlam on 8/21. Raziel Cano, the marketing director for the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, tweeted the following lineup for WWE’s 8/13 live event from the venue:
– NXT star Billie Kay tweeted the following about her WWE debut, which took place at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings from Miami, FL and will air Thursday night on USA:
– The Undertaker and Michelle McCool are celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary today, which the former WWE Diva acknowledged in a post on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHIY2WTB9bl/
They got married on June 26, 2010, in Houston, Texas.
– NXT wrestler Tucker Knight got married on Saturday in Denton, Texas.
– A writer for Forbes claimed in a recent article that WWE is interested in bringing back Goldberg, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy (who is under contract to TNA), John Morrison, Cryme Tyme (JTG and Shad Gaspard) and Shelton Benjamin, among other former Superstars. JTG is denying that he has been contacted by WWE.
Chris Featherstone of Pancakes & Powerslam, a podcast JTG appears on, issued the following statement.
I actually communicate with JTG relatively frequently, and had to reach out to see if these rumors are true as far as contacting him.
He responded, “Nobody called me lol.”
So, it looks like at least one half of Cryme Tyme can be extinguished from this rumored list.
– Following a three month absence from the ring, Billie Kay returned to action at Saturday’s NXT live event in Cocoa, Florida. She lost to Daria Berenato via submission.
The former Kelly Kelly, Barbie Blank, opened up on the 2009 passing of one-time boyfriend Andrew “Test” Martin in an interview on Thursday.
During an in-studio interview with The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro to promote the E! reality show WAGS, Blank revealed that shortly before Martin passed away, the two talked about potentially getting back together.
“I saw him up until the week before and yeah it was rough,” said Blank. “That was about seven years ago now. He was healthy, he was doing better. We were talking about like future and I was like, ‘you know we’ll see what happens down down the line,’ and I was like, ‘I’ll always love you, I’ll always love you.’ I was like, ‘I still don’t know what I want to do, you need to work on yourself, I need to grow up a little more, but you never know, down the line.'”
Martin was found dead in his Tampa, Florida home on March 13, 2009, four days before his 34th birthday. His death was ruled an accidental overdose of oxycodone. Blank says that she learned of his passing after having just wrestled at a WWE show.
“The police called me before they called his family,” she explained. “They were like, ‘we can’t tell you much, but you know we have Andrew here,’ and I just immediately knew. I was backstage, I just had a match, I was like the one to tell.”
– The status of Eric Young has been unclear since the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion appeared at two NXT events in late April. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, revealed over the weekend that the 36-year-old will continue to appear for WWE’s developmental branch.
Meltzer responded with the following after being asked about Young’s status with NXT.
– Filming for WWE Studios’ The Marine 5: Battleground, which stars The Miz, Maryse, Naomi and The Social Outcasts, wraps up this week in Vancouver. Director James Nunn tweeted the following on Monday.
The Miz will be back in action next week as the official WWE website has him listed for Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Miami, Florida. He has an autograph signing scheduled that same day at the Cricket Wireless Store at 12530A Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, Florida.
– Former WWE ring announcer Eden is celebrating her birthday today as she turns 33-years-old. She was granted her release from WWE on May 24, just days after her husband, Cody Rhodes, also requested his release.
Obviously the big story of the day is Roman Reigns being suspended for 30 days for violating WWE’s talent wellness policy.
In a breaking news audio update, Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE was aware of Reigns failing a drug test prior to Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. It explains why WWE took the title off him, but booking him in the main event of the next PPV is a curious decision to say the least.
Reigns’ suspension will be over in the days leading up to Battleground on 7/24, but he will not be appearing TV prior to the show. It remains to be seen how WWE will handle the situation on air. The company could have had Seth Rollins defeat Reigns on RAW last night, challenge Ambrose in a singles match at Battleground then hold off on the triple threat until SummerSlam. It’s somewhat odd that WWE didn’t go this route, but perhaps in time we’ll find out why things unfolded the way they did.
The other big issue is the upcoming WWE Draft, scheduled for July 19th. After being pushed as “the guy” for the past several months, Reigns would have almost certainly been the top pick by either the RAW or SmackDown. With the way he’s been pushed, it’s not far fetched to assume Reigns would have been the first overall pick of the draft, ahead of John Cena. Again, we’ll just have to see how this one plays out.
It’s also worth noting that WWE will have to also change the main event the upcoming live event from Madison Square Garden on 7/16, which was scheduled to be Reigns vs. Seth Rollins.
WWE announced Tuesday that Roman Reigns (real name Joe Anoa`i) has been suspended 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the organization’s Talent Wellness Program.
Reigns issued a statement on Twitter this afternoon regarding his suspension.
I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy. No excuses. I own it.
Reigns lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Seth Rollins on Sunday at Money in the Bank. The following night on Raw, a Triple Threat Match between Reigns, Rollins and new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose was announced for WWE Battleground on July 24. The match could still take place since Reigns’ suspension ends on July 20.
– Sunday at Money in the Bank, Natalya attacked her own tag team partner, Becky Lynch, following their loss to WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Dana Brooke. This was not WWE’s original plan.
Bryan Alvarez revealed Monday on Figure Four Daily that WWE had planned for Lynch to turn on Natalya. His claim was corroborated by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com on Tuesday.
The angle was followed up on Raw last night as Natalya ambushed Lynch backstage. “The Queen of Harts” explained that she’s worried about just one person: herself.
– Stephanie McMahon was not at Raw last night because she is in Cannes, France for the Cannes Lions festival. The festival kicked off over the weekend, and she will be joined by John Cena on Thursday to talk about how WWE “has kept audiences engaged the past 50 years.”
– Stephanie McMahon is missing Raw tonight as she is currently en route to France.
She revealed her whereabouts this evening in the following Instagram post.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG5QFQvhEYP/
– After serving a 60-day suspension for a violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, Konnor returned to action at tonight’s WWE Superstars taping in Phoenix, Arizona.
Reuniting with Viktor, the duo known as The Ascension took on Golden Truth.
– WWE says reports of the 2017 Royal Rumble taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California are incorrect.
Officials from the organization contacted F4WOnline.com on Sunday to deny reports. They said that an announcement will be coming soon concerning the location of next year’s Royal Rumble.
The story popped up following Saturday’s house show at the Staples Center, where multiple attendees claimed an announcement was made to the live crowd about WWE returning to the venue in January for the Royal Rumble.
– Renee Young tweeted the following after Dean Ambrose captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank.
– Last Wednesday at NXT TakeOver: The End…, legendary wrestling manager Paul Ellering made a surprise appearance moments after a massive duo clad in camouflage viciously attacked American Alpha. The WWE Hall of Famer seemingly aligned himself with the pair, who are known as The Authors of Pain, as he commanded them to the backstage area.
Speaking to Bill Apter on Saturday at the semi-annual Legends of the Ring convention in Monroe, New Jersey, Ellering discussed his appearance, daughter Rachael’s career on the independent circuit, and more.
– Former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase was backstage at WWE’s live event in Jackson, Mississippi. Here he is with Natalya and Kofi Kingston.
– This past Monday on Raw, Teddy Long made a surprise return and threw his name in the running for taking control of SmackDown when it goes live on July 19. Long, however, was turned away by Stephanie McMahon and eventually escorted out of the building by security.
This was only a guest appearance by Long. According to PWInsider.com, WWE has no creative plans for him going forward.
– Sheamus joked about John Cena’s fashion sense during an interview promoting his role as Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
Afa Anoa’i, Jr., who wrestled for WWE in 2008 and 2009 under the name Manu, revealed Wednesday that he is fine after rumors surfaced that he was in bad health.
The rumors were based on some cryptic messages he had been posting on Facebook in recent days about being very sick and making frequent trips to a doctor near his home in Pennsylvania.
He wrote last Wednesday, “Fighting a losing battle! ?#?KeepMeInPrayers.”
Anoa’i, Jr. also said that he had been puking a lot.
“Eventually I’ll stop getting sick ?#?PukedAllWeek? ?#?IbetterLoseSomeWeightAfterAllThis? ?#?SaveMe? ?#?BringMeFluids? lol,” he wrote on Thursday.
Anoa’i Jr. continues to wrestle regularly after being released by WWE in February 2009. In recent years, he has been attached to Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling as well as World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.
After cutting ties with over ten workers this month, there are rumblings of yet another release in the company. This is according to David Herro, who frequently books former WWE wrestlers on Great Lakes Championship Wrestling events.
He tweeted Tuesday afternoon, “Rumblings about another WWE release.. … #StayTuned.”
Rumblings about another WWE release.. … #StayTuned
Cody Rhodes has asked to be released from his contract with WWE.
The wrestler, who portrays Stardust, said on his personal Twitter account on Saturday, “The past ten years have been quite the trek, but as of earlier today I have asked for my release from WWE.”
“I’ll speak further on the matter shortly. Thank you to all the pro-wrestling/sports entertainment fans worldwide. Thank you.”
– There is currently a poll on WWE.com asking fans which female Superstar should grace the cover of People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful Woman” issue. The poll, however, is limited to female Superstars who wrestle, so members of the announce team are excluded. WWE ring announcer Eden addressed the snub on Twitter, stating, “I guess you aren’t beautiful if you don’t wrestle ha.”
Nikki Bella and Sasha Banks are currently tied for the lead in the poll.
– Alex Reyes (real name Alex Del Barrios), who was released by WWE this week from his role as ring announcer and backstage interviewer in NXT, spoke out on his time with the organization.
“I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling and WWE since I was 10 years old. It has always been my dream to be a part of this incredible industry and one day make it to WWE. It finally happened for me last November and I am honored to have been in NXT for the short amount of time I received,” he said in a statement. “Despite my brief tenure, I accomplished my childhood goal and got the chance to perform at WrestleMania Axxess in my home state of Texas in front of family and friends.”
– John Cena’s first match back from injury takes place on the May 30th edition of Raw in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
According to the official website of the Resch Center, Cena will team up with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to take on the team of AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. This will likely be a dark match.
– According to this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there is talk within WWE of finding a woman to team with Kalisto to face Rusev and Lana in mixed tag team matches. Lana has been wrestling more frequently at live events in case the idea transpires.
Lana made her NXT in-ring debut at last Friday’s show in Lakeland, Florida. Teaming with Mandy Rose, the blonde bombshells lost to Carmella and Daria Berenato.
– Since coming up short in the WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 32, Sasha Banks’ on-screen role has been considerably deemphasized. In the weeks since the night after the event, where she beat Summer Rae in a singles match, she has only competed one other time on television (an eight-women tag team match on the April 18 Raw). It was her last appearance on television.
In the meantime, Banks continues to work a full-time schedule with WWE and has been competing at non-televised events. While she could pop up on television at any time, she is purposely being kept out of a program for “long-term storyline reasons.” This is according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer, who revealed her status Monday on Twitter.
After being asked, “whats up with @SashaBanksWWE? Injury? Any current plans for her or just dying on the vine for no reason?,” Meltzer responded, “Working a full schedule, just being kept off a TV program for long-term storyline reasons.”
Working a full schedule, just being kept off a TV program for long-term storyline reasons. https://t.co/uGjjtXp5nF
– The Bella Twins and John Cena represented WWE today at the NBC Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The traditional event is where NBC Universal stars and executives pitch their television portfolio to advertisers.
Here is a photo of the WWE Superstars together at the event.
– After throwing out the first pitch at Cooley Law School Stadium’s WrestleMania Night in Lansing, Michigan, former WWE Superstar Rhino was asked in an interview with WLNS-TV why he uses that particular name.
The one-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion said that it was a better name than “Mary,” and revealed that WWE wanted to name him that (when he joined the promotion in 2001).
“[Rhino is] a lot more marketable than Terrance Guido Gerin,” he said. “But Guido’s actually pretty over. It’s better than Mary. Actually WWE wanted to name me Mary, believe it or not.”
– After competing at WWE live events over the weekend, Eva Marie will be backstage at tonight’s Raw in Greensboro, North Carolina.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFeQT8xmzfv/
Lilian Garcia confirmed she will be at Raw tonight after being absent for two weeks.
Sources within WWE indicate that Seth Rollins is scheduled to return to television the week of June 6. The news comes from a report at report at PWInsider.com.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion has been doing Cross Fit classes in recent weeks, an indication that his return was imminent. We can confirm Rollins was training at the WWE Performance Center last week.
Rollins has been out of action since November when he underwent reconstruction surgery on his knee.
In light of word getting out that Rollins will almost certainly be back on television within the next month, John Cena tweeted a supportive message on Monday morning:
I have done my best to return to @WWE as fast as I can, but I hope people understand just how amazing @WWERollins recovery is #Respect#GG
As noted earlier, Lilian Garcia issued a statement yesterday on Facebook “to set the story straight” on her status with WWE after disappearing from television two weeks ago and rumors of her being released from her contract had spread online.
Garcia said she is still with WWE and that she will return to Raw on Monday after tending to her ailing father. Her father has been battling bladder cancer as well as multiple Myeloma, and had recently become very ill. Garcia, however, says his health has improved and he is doing much better now.
On today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed the situation and said that many people in WWE were under the belief that Garcia was among the performers released on May 6. However, he did note that there were also people in WWE saying she wasn’t let go.
“There were so many people of the impression that she was gone,” Meltzer said. “I had heard from so many people. People in the company thought she was gone, but there were people in the company who told me she wasn’t gone, too. But it had spread like crazy.”
After WWE publicly announced the releases of Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Santino Marella, Cameron, Hornswoggle, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter, Meltzer was told that there were few more names who had been cut and were not announced. He received confirmation that Christian and Steve Lombardi (a/k/a The Brooklyn Brawler) were released from their respective contracts, and was told there were a few other names that hadn’t come out yet. Based on what he had been told, Meltzer was under the impression that Garcia “was one of the names.” He inquired WWE for official confirmation, but they never got back to him.
“Like I said, within the company, I know a lot of people within the company, people who were very close to the company, I heard over and over, all week long,” Meltzer said. “But again, since they didn’t confirm it, I didn’t want say nothing. I don’t know, it’s weird.”