Colonel Parker is returning to Major League Wrestling. The famed-manager hasn’t been seen in the promotion since 2018 when his Stud Stable came up short in that year’s Battle Riot event. Parker will be at MLW’s Intimidation Games from Chicago’s Cicero Stadium on April 18th, 2020.
“Having managed the likes of Steve Austin, Big Van Vader and Harlem Heat as well as promoting wrestling throughout the south, Colonel Parker has a stellar track record for success in the sport,” an MLW press release for Colonel Parker’s return reads.
MLW Signs Zachary Cooper
MLW has also recently announced the signing of Zachary Cooper:
The National Wrestling Alliance announced earlier this year that the Crockett Cup would return in April. An exact date or venue for the show was not immediately revealed, however. Already scheduled for the card is a rematch from the 2019 Crockett Cup event between Nick Aldis and Marty Scurll.
The NWA revealed to its email subscribers yesterday that the 2020 version of the Crockett Cup will take place on April 19th, 2020 from the Gateway Arena in College Park, Georgia. The venue is the home arena for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. The arena is also roughly a 30-minute drive from the GPB Studios that the promotion tapes NWA Powerrr in.
Last year’s winners of the tournament were PCO & Brody King.
Marty Scurll and Nick Aldis will once again square off for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Crockett Cup this year. There is a new stipulation added to their match this year, however. If Scurll should lose and is not able to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he will have to cut Aldis a cheque for $500,000.
Aldis originally wanted Scurll to pay to refund the cost of tickets for everyone who attends the event. Scurll later offered the stipulation that he would cut Aldis a cheque for $500,000 instead.
WWE has announced that Finn Balor will take part in the NXT UK tapings scheduled for Coventry SkyDome Arena in Coventry, England on the 6th and 7th of March. Balor’s scheduled appearance for the NXT UK brand comes on the heels of the promotion announcing NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin will take place on April 26th, 2020 from the 3Arena.
WWE announced Balor’s special appearance on both nights of the tapings on social media:
“The stage has been set for another epic event across the pond as NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin is slated for April 26 at 3Arena and on the award-winning WWE Network,” a WWE press release for the event reads.
Jordan Devlin On Friendship With Finn Balor
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin is likely looking forward to competing on the Dublin event from his home country of Ireland. He spoke to TV Insider recently about his friendship with Balor.
“He was the best wrestler in Ireland then and probably now,” Devlin shared.” He was the person I most aspired to be like. He was always the guy I wanted to measure up to and up with. He went from Ireland to Japan to train, as did I. He went to New Japan Pro Wrestling. I went to Zero-One. He went to the States and WWE. I was a couple of years behind him when WWE signed me. We’ve been running the same path for a long time.”
Eve Torres was discovered by WWE in the 2007 Diva Search. After winning the competition, she became a member of the smackdown brand in 2008. In 2009, Torres was at a WWE event taking pictures when she says she was forcefully grabbed by Donald Trump.
Torres took to Instagram to post a lengthy statement on the matter along with photos from the event.
“Happy Presidents Day. I look forward to having a president who doesn’t grope or objectify women. I have taken pictures with thousands of men at military bases, at WWE events, and signings, and very few have grabbed me and pulled me in as forcefully as he did without knowing me. Of course, at the time I believed it was my job to be eye candy in a photo for this supposed billionaire, and play along. It is actually hard for me to see that photo because it reminds me of my beliefs about my worth at the time. Swipe to see what I mean. Swipe again for a brush up on Creepy Hug Defenses including the Inappropriate Photo Squeeze. PS The pregnancy announcement is old so no I’m not pregnant again. Also, this was scary for me to post but it’s been on my mind. We haven’t forgotten about your p+$$y grabbing, Mr. President.”
“This is so helpful, thankful,” wrote Sasha Banks.
“So sorry you had to endure that,” wrote Terry Crews.
“Thank you for saying this,” wrote Gail Kim.
“Wow! Crazy! Sorry you had to go through that crap. Funny, that trumpers will still defend & support him,” wrote Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Eves Torres & The Divas Championship
Torres is a former three-time WWE Divas champion. Only AJ Lee had won the Divas Championship as many times as Torres did throughout her career. Torres ranks fourth on the list of total days spent with the Divas championship with 260.
WWE Divas Championship Stats:
AJ Lee (3x) 406 combined days spent as champion.
Nikki Bella (2x) 307 combined days spent as champion.
Maryse (2x) 265 combined days spent as champion.
Eves Torres (3x) 260 combined days spent as champion.
Michelle McCool (2x) 218 combined days spent as champion.
Beth Phoenix (1x) 204 combined days spent as champion.
Charlotte Flair (1x) 196 combined days spent as champion.
Kaitlyn (1x) 153 combined days spent as champion.
Layla (1x) 140 combined days spent as champion.
Paige (2x) 119 combined days spent as champion.
Melina (2x) 119 combined days spent as champion.
Kelly Kelly (1x) 104 combined days spent as champion.
Cody Rhodes recently took part in a media call to promote tomorrow night’s episode of Dynamite from Atlanta. Rhodes noted during the call that this week’s Dynamite is from his hometown and the show will carry a special significance for him. Cody is scheduled to face Wardlow in the first-ever AEW steel cage match on the card.
During the interview, Cody was asked about the trademarking of WCW Pay-Per-View names and if we will see any more of those in the future. Cody noted that we likely won’t see many more WCW Pay-Per-View names used though he made a point of noting there is one former WCW PPV that we might see return, though he would not say which one.
“I’d actually say it’s unlikely you see many more of those, maybe one *wink wink wink,*” Cody said during the call.
“That’s more about protecting (Dusty’s) legacy for my mother,” Cody continued to say about the WCW PPV trademarks.
Cody also addressed Jeff Cobb’s status while on the call. Cobb made a surprise appearance on last week’s episode of Dynamite and is scheduled to face Jon Moxley on this week’s. Cody would not go into too much detail regarding Jeff Cobb, noting that he is signed for more shows but that he hopes Cobb will sign a longer deal in the future.
Cody named Jack Evans as an underrated guy in AEW. He noted that several other names came to his mind as being underrated as well. Cody also said that he and Taz will be scouting some NCAA wrestling events for talent.
The interview with Cody can be heard in the player below:
Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance is preparing for the 2020 version of the Crockett Cup this April. The promotion has taken big strides in the last few months with the debut of NWA Powerrr last fall. Billy Corgan spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently about what he learned during his time with Impact Wrestling.
“I was intimately involved and happily so with the whole Deletion angle, Broken Universe, got to shoot a lot of great stuff with Matt & Jeff,” Corgan said during the interview. “Shot on the Hardys property for the one crazy segment, drones, I mean we did it all. I can’t believe the fire marshalls didn’t show up.”
“Wrestling is 100+ years old and like music, a cynicism can creep in that tells you there’s really nothing new,” Corgan continued. “And kids and great ideas can prove over and over again that’s not true, you can always rewrite the rules of gravity.”
Corgan continued to talk about the Deletion angle. He explained how the angle taught him you can do new things in an old business.
“So being intimately involved with the Deletion angle told me that if you got a cool idea and you have great talented people like Matt and Jeff and the other people that were involved with that – Rosemary comes to mind, and Abyss, and Crazzy Steve – you can change the world. You can turn it upside down on its head. If you remember during that period of time, that was the most talked about thing in professional wrestling. Good and bad, as it should be.”
Corgan’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Randy Orton seemed conflicted on RAW this Monday when he apologized to and then attacked Matt Hardy. He sent out a Twitter message to Matt Riddle recently which seemed to be just as conflicted.
Orton sent out the following to his followers on Twitter recently:
I woke up at the crack of noon today and saw this, and I all I could think was “Randy is the Coolest! Also don’t smash my head with a chair bro” #viper#bro#stallionhttps://t.co/tfMV3L6kZX
Matt Riddle also put out what he is referring to as an official statement regarding Johnny Gargano’s actions from TakeOver: Portland. Gargano turned on Tommaso Ciampa in the main event, costing Ciampa the title in his match against Adam Cole.
Caught up in the celeBROtory festivities in Portland, forgot to comment on @JohnnyGargano’s actions at #NXTTakeOver.
Riddle and Pete Dunne are currently celebrating winning the NXT Tag Team Championships from Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish. Riddle and Dunne are the 17th team to win the NXT tag team championships. They enter the title’s 20th reign in its lineage.
Kyle O’Reilly wrote the following about Undisputed Era dropping championships lately:
So what if we lost some gold, just means we gotta be the first 4X tag champs and 2X NA champ. Having a group of friends like this is worth its weight in gold anyways, and with the 4 of us here that’s AT LEAST 300 lbs of gold. https://t.co/khEisKrifA
Triple H recently addressed Matt Riddle’s possible heat with Vince McMahon at a press event for TakeOver: Portland.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t asked anybody about it. Vince didn’t express his disapproval of anything that was said, and I’m sure if there were an issue, he would’ve called me directly. He’s not shy about that.”
Tammy Lynn Sytch (aka Sunny) has been in prison for almost a year stemming from legal problems catching up with her in early 2019. Sytch’s legal troubles are a result of multiple DUI offenses and various dangerous driving charges. Sytch has also had bail revoked in recent years for failing to report her whereabouts, or what the courts refer to as “failing to maintain a stable residence.” She also has failed to pay court-ordered payments of $120 to remain out on bail.
There could be some good news coming for Sunny soon, however. According to PW Insider, she has a hearing on February 20th, 2020 as part of a parole petition filed by her new attorneys last month.
Tammy Lynn Sytch In Wrestling
Sunny was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 and has been referred to as the original Diva. Her role with the company in the 1990s in many ways helped kickstart the Attitude Era. In addition to her Hall of Fame induction, Sunny has been honored by the Cauliflower Alley Club and is a 2x Slammy Award winner.
Sonya Deville recently sat down for an interview with RondaRousey.com. During the interview, Deville commented that both Bayley and Becky Lynch are two talents she feels comfortable going to for advice.
“Bayley is definitely one—she’s like the locker room leader always. She’s someone you could go to for advice or if you have questions about how things work or whoever it was, she’s definitely just a natural leader in the locker room,” Deville said of Bayley during the interview.
Deville also mentioned Becky Lynch as someone she could go to for advice.
“Becky was someone that I always went to too. Becky’s cool because she’s one of those people that leads by example. She’s not going to tell you what to do with your life, but she just carries herself in a way that’s admirable.”
Deville was also asked about what wrestlers she enjoys the most. Becky Lynch was again mentioned as someone Deville is a fan of. Deville also mentioned Charlotte Flair and Lita.
“I always liked Becky Lynch. She was always, to me, just different and unique, and she was always a badass. I think she still is. Charlotte… I liked how strong she was and how she kind of redefined femininity for me. She didn’t fit in the perfect square mold of what it means to be a Diva, to say, back in the day. She kind of reinvented the meaning of the women’s wrestler. And Lita, obviously, from back in the day. I mean she stood out to me because she was a tomboy living in a world of super girly Divas at the time.”
Deville also spoke about her experiences on Tough Enough, being the first openly gay female in WWE, and her current work with Mandy Rose on Smackdown and YouTube show. The full interview can be found here.
Lawyers for Major League Wrestling have reportedly contacted WWE in regards to concerns of contract tampering. PW Insider is reporting that a source within MLW told them their lawyers have contacted WWE about contract-tampering concerns regarding “multiple talents.” A source within MLW says they have evidence against WWE in this regard.
The situation is said to have nothing to do with Davey Boy Smith Jr. recently appearing on WWE’s the Bump, however.
It is not clear which wrestlers or talent under MLW contract were approached by WWE but this is not the first time such concerns have been raised. In late 2018, MLW is reported to have sent a cease and desist order to WWE regarding contacting their talent.
“I had guys at WaleMania approached by WWE people backstage in the green room about signing,” Bauer said on Wrestling Observer Radio in late 2018. “I’m like ‘you can’t do that, I’ll give you a freebie, don’t do it again’. Boom, they do it again. I had to send a cease and desist to WWE, that’s called tortious interference.”
MLW continues to enjoy a good relationship with AEW, however. AEW and MLW have shared wrestlers such as MJF for months with seemingly no issues cropping up between the two promotions.
Major League Wrestling presented a special episode of Fusion this week on BeIN Sports and YouTube. As per an agreement with Richard Holliday’s lawyer/father, the Dynasty was put in charge of producing this week’s show from Dallas.
MLW Fusion 2/15/20 Quick Results:
Gino Medina defeated Septimo Dragon
National Openweight Championship Alexander Hammerstone (c) defeated Septimo Dragon w/Konnan
MLW Tag Team Championships Ross & Marshall Von Erich (c) defeated MJF & Richard Holliday (the Dynasty)
This week’s episode of Fusion was filmed in Dallas and this Texas crowd loved the Von Erichs. The NYTEX Sports Centre looked to be a standing room only crowd and they were all cheering for Ross and Marshall as they took on MJF and Richard Holliday. This was the Dynasty’s contractually obligated title rematch after having dropped the belts to the Von Erichs at Saturday Night SuperFight last November.
The Dynasty used every dirty tactic they could think of including attacking the brothers before the bell. Near the end of the match, with all competitors down on the mat, Hammerstone came out to cause some interference. He was followed by Mance Warner, however, who found a way into the building after having been banned by the Dynasty. Warner hit Hammerstone with a chair shot and then began brawling with Gino Medina, who came out as well.
With the outside interference fended off, the Von Erichs hit the Claw Slam for the victory and the live crowd went crazy!
Mance Warner played a big role in helping the Von Erichs retain their titles in the main event this week. He was not even supposed to be in the building, however. The Dynasty had Warner banned but Warner found a way in regardless. The Dynasty had Gorgon posted outside to prevent Warner from entering but after Warner offered the big man a few light beers, Gorgon noted that MJF is “an asshole” and allowed Warner to enter the building and make the big save in the main event.
Tom Lawlor and Dominic Garrini Disrespect The Dallas Sportatorium Grounds
Since episodes of Fusion began to be taped from Dallas, Tom Lawlor and his Team Filthy stablemate Dominic Garrini have been featured in spoof episodes of TV’s “Dallas.” This week, Lawlor and Garrini warned the Von Erichs not to “piss away” their time as tag champs and then motioned as if they were going to urinate on the hallowed grounds of the Dallas Sportatorium, though the camera cut away before they did.
The newest member of the Dynasty, Gino Medina, would kick things off on this week’s Dynasty produced version of Fusion. Medina joined the Dynasty after turning down Konnan’s offer of mentorship and then joining his new stablemates in an attack on the legend. This week, Konnan recruited Septimo Dragon to take on Medina. Dragon would give him all he had but Medina was able to take advantage of his ring positioning at the end of the match, using the ropes for leverage as he got a 3-count from a small package.
The Dynasty kept on the attack after the match, even unmasking Septimo in the process. Konnan would run-in with a slapjack to make the save.
Alexander Hammerstone Resorts To Underhanded Tactics Against Aerostar
Konnan was on commentary for this match and continued to build up the rivalry between him and the Dynasty. Hammerstone had a significant power advantage during this match and made use of this fact often. Aerostar began countering much of Hammerstone’s high-impact offense, however, and that may have led the big man to panic. He opted to rip the mask off Aerostar and roll him up for a quick pin rather than win in a more honorable fashion. Konnan took Aerostar to the back while covering his face with a towel.
Coming Up In MLW
Jacob Fatu will defend the MLW World Championship against CIMA in 3 weeks:
Next week’s episode will be the last from the Dallas tapings. It will feature Ross Von Erich vs Tom Lawlor, Erick Stevens will make his MLW debut against Douglas James and King Mo returns!
Kurt Angle appeared on TKO recently while in the UK promoting WWE. According to comments Angle made on the show, he is currently dealing with the physical toll that his career has had on his body. Angle’s last official wrestling match of his career took place last year at WrestleMania. He lost to Baron Corbin on the show.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m hurting pretty badly,” Angle responded when asked if he’d repeat what he did throughout his career. “My knees, my back, my neck. Sometimes I think about would I go back? My quality of life right now sucks. So, I do have a lot of suffering. I had a painkiller addiction that I overcame about 6 years ago. You know, staying clean and struggling the way I have been, it’s very difficult.”
Angle also spoke about the injuries he dealt with in his amateur career. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Angle won a gold medal with a broken neck.
“I couldn’t get passed by any doctor. No doctor would pass me or would allow me to wrestle. So I eventually found a doctor and he said, the only thing you can do, you can’t train so we’ll just stick you in the neck with Novocain. Every match I had at trials and the Olympics I got 12 shots of Novocain in the back of my neck. I couldn’t feel it for about an hour. I go out and wrestle and then an hour later I’d be in a lot of pain.”
Angle went into further detail about his injuries, the Olympics in 96, and his pro-wrestling career. The full interview can be found in the player below:
When NXT presents Takeover Sunday night from Portland, it won’t be the night before a major WWE PPV. Triple H noted during a recent interview with Yahoo Sports that the change in PPV schedule which sees NXT Takeover events presented on Sundays independent of WWE events has created a different vibe backstage.
“When you come into an area and you know that tomorrow night there is going to be another pay-per-view taking place, there’s a slightly different buzz,” Triple H said. “The conversations are different, some of the people are different. There’s also this moment of, ‘Hey, we have to prove ourselves so when we leave here we can say, follow that.’ When you’re in this business, every time you step into the ring, you want to leave with a moment that fans will remember you by. When you have the stage to yourself and you have the whole audience, that’s different, but the buzz is just as high.”
Triple H also took some time during the interview to talk about Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley. Belair won a battle royal on a recent edition of NXT to earn the shot against the new champion.
“You find yourself in this situation where you have Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair both on fire right now,” Levesque said. “If Bianca Belair wins this, would anybody be upset if it was Bianca versus Charlotte, if that was the road we went down? Would anybody be upset if it was Rhea and Charlotte? Would anybody be upset if it was a triple threat? There are so many opportunities because you have phenomenal talent, performing in incredible ways and the storylines write themselves. It’s win-win-win.”
The full interview with Triple H can be read here.
While many had assumed Monday’s appearance on RAW might be Matt Hardy’s last, it has recently been announced that Hardy will face Randy Orton next week. Stemming from Orton’s attack on Hardy on this week’s RAW, Hardy and Orton will go one-on-one in a No Holds Barred match on Monday.
“Matt Hardy is expected to leave WWE in March,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Hardy is the leading speculated name for the leader of the Dark Order since they just started teasing a leader and Hardy just started putting out the videos,” Meltzer continued.
Corey Graves spoke about Hardy on his podcast recently. Graves feels Hardy would make an excellent addition to the WWE creative team.
“We’ve seen what he is capable of on his own outside of WWE and within. I mean, the guy’s resume speaks for itself. It’s not like you’re hiring some guy off the street who went to theater school, this is Matt freakin’ Hardy.”
At the most recent set of Impact Wrestling tapings held at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas last week, a new inductee into the promotion’s Hall of Fame was announced. Ken Shamrock will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Shamrock won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on the first-ever TNA Wrestling event in 2002. He would hold the title until the 8th ever TNA Wrestling event when he lost it to Ron “The Truth” Killings (aka R-Truth).
Impact Wrestling’s Hall of Fame dates back to 2012 when Sting was the inaugural inductee.
Sting (2012)
Kurt Angle (2013)
Team 3-D (Bully Ray & Devon) (2014)
Jeff Jarrett (2015)
Earl Hebner (2015)
Gail Kim (2016)
Abyss (2018)
Ken Shamrock (2020)
Shamrock will be the 8th wrestler and 9th person inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Most inductions take place around the time of Impact’s Bound For Glory PPV. The PPV is usually held around October.
Shamrock has already been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2003 as part of the Pioneer Wing.
Cathy Kelley has announced she is leaving WWE. The 31-year-old signed with WWE in February of 2016. Her last day with WWE will be Sunday’s TakeOver event from Portland.
Kelley posted the following to Twitter to announce her departure from WWE:
Before joining WWE in 2016, Kelley was a host with AfterBuzz TV. Her official website can be found here. She has a degree in journalism and is a member of Mensa International.
“I’ve typed out and deleted this about 20 times over the past few days, still unsure what to write… I have come to the decision to leave WWE, with Sunday’s NXT Takeover being my last day. If you know me, you know this was more than a job, you know how much I loved it and how difficult this decision was. But sometimes in order to have room for growth, you have to step away.
I am so thankful for getting to live out a crazy dream the past four years. Thank you to the WWE digital team for being a platform that never stifled creativity. Thank you to Stephanie McMahon for being a mentor and inspiration in every way. Thank you to Triple H for heading up the best wrestling show currently on tv and letting me be a part of it. And thank you to everyone who has supported me, whether it’s watching a video I’ve done or sending a tweet of encouragement. Words cannot begin to express how much it means.
I’m not sure yet where my next chapter will take me, but I am damn excited for it. And I promise this isn’t a goodbye, it’s just a see you later – CK”
After making a surprise appearance in the men’s Royal Rumble match and then wrestling Rey Mysterio on RAW recently, MVP is moving into a backstage role with WWE. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, MVP is transitioning into a producer role with the company.
“MVP is being transitioned into a producer role,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The segment on Raw was not necessarily meant to be a regular thing, but he was so good in the role that since he’s going to be working for the company most likely, it’s something they can use whenever they need it.”
MVP hosted a segment of his “MVP Lounge” this week on RAW. His guest was Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre.
MVP In WWE
Real name Hassan Hamin Assad, MVP signed with WWE in 2005. He made his debut on Smackdown the following year under a high-priced free agent gimmick. MVP had a good run from 2006 to 2010 before leaving WWE to wrestle with New Japan Pro Wrestling where he won the 2011 Intercontinental Championship tournament and became the promotion’s first IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
"You can't get what you want, til you know what you want." – J. Jackson
Simone Johnson, the 18-year-old daughter of Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson has signed with WWE. WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch offered up some advice for Johnson when reporters from TMZ caught up with her recently.
“Work hard, work as hard as you possibly can,” Lynch said when asked if she had any advice for Johnson. “Work harder than everybody else.”
“The thing is it’s going to be a lot of pressure on her,” Becky Lynch continued. “There is big shoes to fill, she’s going to feel that, she’s going to know that everybody expects a lot more from her and that she is going to be under a lot more criticism than everybody else.”
“She doesn’t get that chance, that slack-line that other people might get but I think she’s up for the challenge and I think that tests you, that makes you into the woman that you want to be and to be a champion. And hey, whenever she’s ready I’ll be holding down the fort. I’ll still be holding onto this whenever she’s ready.”
“I think it’ll be good for her to try and make her own way, don’t rely on the past, don’t rely on what got other people over, try to make something new for yourself. I think there’s merit in that,” Lynch said about Johnson blazing her own path.
Lynch’s comments can be viewed in the full with the player below:
Billy Corgan’s NWA is back on PPV in April with the 2020 edition of the Crockett Cup. An exact date and location for the show have yet to be announced, however. Corgan sat down with Chris Van Vliet recently to discuss his plans for the National Wrestling Alliance.
According to Corgan, he is approaching the NWA today the same way he has approached the music scene with his band, the Smashing Pumpkins.
“We are nowhere near as funded as the other companies that are being talked about,” Corgan said, noting that he is not himself a billionaire.
“Ring of Honor, AEW, and WWE are all owned by billionaires. So to even be in the conversation without that same level of resources, that’s more a credit to our hard work and our creativity and that’s exactly the way I raised the Smashing Pumpkins through the ranks of the rock business,” Corgan continued.
Corgan would continue to talk about the mentality the Smashing Pumpkins had.
“We had to be a better band, we had to tell better stories musically-speaking and that’s exactly the blueprint for the NWA.”`
Corgan also hinted during that the throwback feel to the NWA is being done to get people’s attention
“You have to get people’s attention first,” Corgan said. “If you don’t have their attention they are not going to listen to what you have to say down the road.”
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
Ring of Honor has announced plans to replace the Women of Honor Championship with the Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship. The promotion will begin a tournament starting on April 24th.
ROH Quest for the Gold will take place April 24th, 2020 from Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena.
“To emphasize ROH’s commitment to women’s wrestling, a new Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship has been created. This title will replace the Women of Honor Title and carry the utmost prestige as only the best competitors will earn its gold,” an ROH press release for the tournament reads.
TOURNAMENT TO CROWN ROH WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPION BEGINS AT QUEST FOR GOLD IN PHILADELPHIA APRIL 24TH!
“Quest For Gold” tickets go on sale Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. ET for HonorClub members and Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. ET for the general public. pic.twitter.com/kQASkiBeE1
ROH Women’s World Championship To Replace WOH World Championship
A tournament to determine the first-ever WOH World Champion began in early 2018. Sumie Sakai would defeat Kelly Klein in the finals to become the inaugural holder of the title.
Klein is a 3x holder of the title but was officially stripped of the belt on January 1st, 2020 due to her departure from the company.
All Elite Wrestling releases new rankings every Wednesday. The rankings for this week have been released as the promotion prepares for tonight’s episode of Dynamite from Austin, Texas.
The only movement in the men’s singles division rankings this week sees Kip Sabian move into the top-5 as a result of his victory over Joey Janela on Dynamite last week. Sabian knocks Sammy Guevara out of the rankings as a result. Jon Moxley picked up a win over Ortiz this week. Kenny Omega was on the losing side of an 8-man tag while PAC had the week off. Cody didn’t wrestle this week but rather faced 10 lashes from MJF.
Women’s Single’s Division
Champion: Riho (3-0)
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0) (previously unranked)
Britt Baker (1-2) (-1)
Awesome Kong drops out of the rankings this week. Yuka Sakazaki moves into the #4 position as a result of her victory over #5 Britt Baker, though she also lost a tooth in the process. Riho defeated Shoko Nakajima in a non-title match on Dark last night. Hikaru Shida also picked up a win over Cassandra Golden on Dark.
Men’s Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (3-0)
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU) (2-1)
Matt & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks) (1-1)
Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (The Dark Order) (2-0) (+1)
Santana & Ortiz (Proud and Powerful) (0-1) (-1)
Pentagon Jr. & Fenix (The Lucha Bros) (0-1) (previously unranked)
Last night on AEW Dark, Evil Uno & Stu Grayson picked up a victory over Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt that helped them move up one spot in the rankings this week. SCU picked up a victory over the Best Friends which knocked Trent and Chuck Taylor out of the rankings. The Lucha Bros teamed with the Butcher and the Blade successfully in 8-man action which helped them land back in the rankings this week.
Jordynne Grace is officially the new Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. She won the title in Mexico last month but her victory over former champion Taya Valkyrie aired on last night’s broadcast.
Grace becomes the 23rd wrestler to win the title and begins the 54th championship reign in the title’s lineage. The title dates back to October 14, 2007, when Gail Kim became the inaugural champion by winning a 10-wrestler Gauntlet match.
I held this division on my back for over a yr. Reinvented myself, challenged myself & everyone that faced me in that ring. In between spitting truths & victories, I became the longest reigning Knockouts champion in history. The bar I set is high, good luck tryin 2 get on my level pic.twitter.com/Q0wGIwgRSK
Taya Valkyrie tops the list of former Knockouts Champions in terms of the longest single reign with the title. Gail Kim holds the record for most title reigns and combined days spent with the title, however.
Gail Kim (7x) 711 days spent as champion.
Madison Rayne (5x) 404 days spent as champion.
Taya Valkyrie (1x) 377 days spent as champion.
Awesome Kong (2x) 347 days spent as champion.
Taryn Terrell (1x) 279 days spent as champion.
Rosemary (1x) 266 days spent as champion.
Mickie James (3x) 241 days spent as champion.
Angelina Love (6x) 226 days spent as champion.
Tara (5x) 222 days spent as champion.
Sienna (2x) 187 days spent as champion.
Miss Tessmacher/Brooke (3x) 156 days spent as champion.
ODB (4x) 153 days spent as champion.
Tessa Blanchard (1x) 147 days spent as champion.
Velvet Sky (2x) 145 days spent as champion.
Taylor Wilde (1x) 121 days spent as champion.
Su Yung (1x) 110 days spent as champion.
Allie (2x) 103 days spent as champion.
Jade (1x) 87 days spent as champion.
Laurel Van Ness (1x) 65 days spent as champion.
Winter (2x) 53 days spent as champion.
Maria Kanellis-Bennett (1x) 50 days spent as champion.
Jordynne Grace (1x current) 25+ days spent as champion.
Impact Wrestling presented a show from Mexico again this week. The main event for the show featured a Knockouts Championship match between Taya Valkyrie and challenger, Jordynne Grace.
Impact Wrestling 2/11/20 Quick Results:
Best of 5 Series: Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards (Elgin leads 2-0)
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/11/20:
Jordynne Grace Wins Knockouts Championship
Jordynne Grace is the new Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. She defeated the longest-reigning champion in the title’s lineage to do so in the main event of this week’s episode.
John E Bravo made several attempts to steal the victory for Taya but Grace had an answer for him each time. It looked as though Grace would be counted out of the ring after taking a powerbomb on top of the steel steps followed by a Road to Valhalla on the stage but the challenger persevered and was able to make it back to the ring in time.
The closing moments came when Grace hit the Grace Driver but Bravo pulled the ref out of the ring. Taya then missed a spear and hit Bravo. Grace then hit a senton on both Bravo and Taya from the top before hitting another Grace Driver on Taya for the win. She would celebrate with her new title to close the show.
Rob Van Dam Counters Penis-Plex, Defeats Joey Ryan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varW8Kymnks
Rob Van Dam and Joey Ryan have been at odds in recent weeks. RVD has said that what Joey Ryan does makes him embarrassed to be a pro-wrestler. Ryan countered by saying that RVD is just jealous because Katie Forbes wants to “touch it.”
The turning point of this match came when Ryan attempted to hit RVD with his patented penis plex. RVD countered the move with one of his signature kicks before hitting the 5-Star Frog Splash for the win.
Su Yung Murders James Mitchell
Finally..@MinisterReal is locked back inside the Undead Realm.. Father will have him punished for his failure..@FearHavok is left alone with the Bride @realsuyung..
Rosemary brought about the return of Su Yung on last week’s episode but Suzie seemed to appear backstage this week. Suzie quickly morphed back into Su Yung, however, and proceeded to choke James Mitchell with a noose. Mitchell then awoke in the undead realm and remarked that “Daddy’s home.”
Michael Elgin Goes Up 2-0 On Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9jWBbWd4VM
Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards are in a Best of 5 series but Elgin has opened up a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 lead. This series came about after Edwards defeated Elgin at Hard to Kill but Elgin claims Edwards had tapped to the crossface at one point during the match (Edwards was really just reaching for the ropes.)
Elgin won with the Elgin Bomb and now is in control of this series. They meet again next week in a pivotal 3rd bout.
Johnny Swinger Rescues Willie Mack, Mack Ditches Swinger
Willie Mack was scheduled to take on Mahabali Shera in single’s competition this week but the Desi Hit Squad interfered causing a no contest. Johnny Swinger came out to save Mack despite the fact that Mack has not been receptive to Swinger’s attempts to align with him in recent weeks.
The match was then turned into a tag team match between the Desi Hit Squad and the team of Mack and Swinger. The Great Gama Singh got involved from the outside by grabbing Mack’s leg. Mack then left the match to go after Gama, leaving Swinger outnumbered. Shera picked up the pin on Swinger after a Sky High.
Madman Fulton Defeats Daga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093tYyqowuo
OVE’s giant, Madman Fulton, took on Daga this week. Daga looked to have the match going his way but Dave and Jake Crist interfered. Turning his attention to the members of OVE, Daga dove to the outside to take out the Crist brothers.
Daga was looking to go for a springboard DDT but it was countered into a suplex by Fulton who then pinned his opponent for the victory.
Fallah Bah Defeats Ethan Page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5c-W8Q-r90
TJP and Fallah Bah might have their sights set on the Impact tag team titles. Fallah Bah met one half of the tag team champion, the North, this week on Impact Wrestling when he took on Ethan Page.
TJP prevented Josh Alexander from getting involved in the match by taking him out on the outside. As Page got back into the ring, Bah rolled him up in a small package for the win. Josh Matthews noted on commentary that TJP and Fallah Bah might be putting themselves in a position to challenge for the tag team titles.
WWE has announced that John Cena will make an appearance on Smackdown as the company heads to WrestleMania 36. Cena will return to Smackdown on Friday, February 28th, 2020.
The show is scheduled to take place inside Boston’s TD Garden. Cena was born and spent his early life in nearby West Newbury, Massachusetts.
News of Cena’s return to Smackdown was first reported on Fox’s WWE Backstage.
Cena has several movies slated for a 2020 release. He plays Jakob Toretto in F9: The Fast Saga and voices the role of Yoshi in Dolittle. Cena is also scheduled to join the cast of the upcoming Suicide Squad movie slated for a 2021 release.
“It was on SmackDown where The Cenation Leader made his dynamic debut nearly 18 years ago, when he channeled “Ruthless Aggression” to challenge WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in his debut match,” a WWE press release for Cena’s appearance reads. “Since that fateful night, Cena went on to become WWE’s standard-bearer, earning 16 World Championships and inspiring countless WWE fans to “Never Give Up.”
Earlier this week, WWE announced WrestleMania 37 will be held at the brand new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Stephanie McMahon took part in a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday morning and spoke about what and who she hopes to see at the big event next year.
“We’re always talking to Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson and hoping he’s gonna come back,” Stephanie said when asked if WWE hopes the Rock will be part of the event. “Sometimes it pans out and sometimes it doesn’t but we’re always talking.”
“I think the Rock is the perfect example of what happens when WWE and Hollywood come together so I hope he’ll be a part of it but I can’t promise anything,” she added.
As for Ronda Rousey, McMahon is also hoping to see a return of the former RAW Women’s Champion at WrestleMania 37.
“I sincerely hope we have Ronda Rousey back for WrestleMania here at SoFi only I don’t want to be the one facing her in the ring,” McMahon joked. “It didn’t work out so well for me last time, I think I’ll let her do her own thing.”
“In all seriousness, I hope so,” McMahon later added about Rousey. “I think she’s very serious about coming back. I think she has some things in her personal life that she wants to do and when the time is right she’ll be back, I have no doubt about that.”
McMahon’s comments can be heard in the player below:
