It’s easy to see why Lio Rush is so full of himself these days. He’s got Topanga (Danielle Fishel) from “Boy Meets World” as his biggest fan.

From 1993 to 2000, Danielle Fishel played the role of Topanga on the show “Boy Meets World.” She then reprised the role from 2014 to 2017 in the spin-off series, “Girl Meets World.”

Fishel is a huge wrestling fan. Her current favorite wrestler appears to be 205 Live’s, Lio Rush. She followed him in PWG as well.

That Topanga is a big wrestling fan is more or less impressive depending on what age group you fall into. WWE cameras caught last night’s backstage meeting between Rush and Fishel.

Fishel, who has attended PWG shows in Los Angeles in the past, was backstage at last night’s Smackdown and 205 Live shows from Ontario, California. Fishel has posed for pictures with Rush at PWG shows as well.

She was active on social media during Rush’s 205 Live debut.

? https://t.co/lbRbQ01f7n

— Danielle Fishel Karp (@daniellefishel) June 21, 2018

pic.twitter.com/LOTKztyQOm

— Danielle Fishel Karp (@daniellefishel) June 27, 2018

Rush struggled to get one of his expensive bracelets off his wrist before his match last night could begin. Fishel commented that she should give Rush a costume bracelet as a gift.

So proud of @itsLioRush on his amazing debut and win!! My congratulations gift will be a costume bracelet. ? https://t.co/nU6HLFy5YQ

— Danielle Fishel Karp (@daniellefishel) June 27, 2018

Lio Rush on 205 Live

Rush’s WWE career got off to an auspicious start late last year. The 23-year-old earned some heat for making an insensitive remark after Emma (Tenille Dashwood) was released. Perhaps as a result of this, Rush has been working a gimmick of a cocky, arrogant, young up-and-comer since being announced as heading to the cruiserweight division.

Rush has continued to engage in Twitter battles with his fellow WWE Superstars in 2018 as well. He’s been involved in back and forth social media arguments with Cedric Alexander and Ricochet.

The Rock and Gregory Helms have only met in single’s action once. It was a NO DQ match from March 10th, 2003. Despite the Rock being arguably the greatest sports entertainer of all time, it was Hurricane Helms who came out the victor that night.

The Rock and Helms were often involved in backstage skits together during this time. Recently, Helms posted video of one of the segments to his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkhtjbNHJFs/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=10o52vnkczmr8

The Rock took to Twitter to offer praise to Hurricane. He also explained why he lost to Helms in their only match back in 2003.

Dude always a pleasure working with you. Never an ego and always down to do whatever it took to entertain the fans. And to be honest, I only did “the job and put you over” because you paid me in hamburgers. https://t.co/8wsHGmYlxI

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 27, 2018

“Dude always a pleasure working with you. Never an ego and always down to do whatever it took to entertain the fans. And to be honest, I only did “the job and put you over” because you paid me in hamburgers.”

Hurricane Helms in 2018

Hurricane Helms began the year by being a surprise entrant in the men’s 2018 Royal Rumble. He has since continued competing for promotions such as Ring of Honor and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore.

Helms also played a key role in the most recent WWE documentary on Matt and Jeff Hardy. As a long time friend of the brothers, Helms is shown on camera often speaking on what the brothers have gone through over the years.

The 43-year-old is a former 3x cruiserweight champion (2x WWE, 1x WCW), European champion, Hardcore champion, and twice won the WWE tag team championships. Most recently Helms wrestled two matches on ROH’s State of the Art tour in Texas.

Last night on Smackdown, Kane returned to WWE and saved Daniel Bryan from a 2-on-1 beatdown at the hands of the Bludgeon Brothers. Kane and Daniel Bryan previously formed “Team Hell No” in 2012-13 and even won the WWE tag team championships.

Renee Young attempted to interview the team after Smackdown last night. It appears Bryan and Kane are a little out of sync so far, however.

EXCLUSIVE: #TeamHellNo is still workin' out the kinks, but @WWEDanielBryan & @KaneWWE certainly seem VERY excited to be reunited! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/F4mATHWDkD

— WWE (@WWE) June 27, 2018

Smackdown General Manager, Paige, revealed Team Hell No will challenge the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules for the Smackdown tag-team championships.

Team Hell No: Daniel Bryan and Kane

Daniel Bryan and Kane became a team in 2012. That spring, Daniel Bryan was left at the altar by AJ Lee. Instead of choosing to marry Bryan, AJ accepted the role as Raw General Manager offered to her by Vince McMahon. She then proceeded to deny Bryan championship matches and instead booked him in a match against Kane at SummerSlam.

Bryan’s anger began to get the better of him. After Bryan defeated Kane at SummerSlam, the same began to be the case for Kane. Lee, still serving as the General Manager at the time, then ordered both Kane and Bryan to attend counseling with Dr. Shelby.

Coincidentally (or perhaps not), a similar storyline is currently underway on Raw with Bayley and Sasha Banks. The two former friends will attend mandatory counseling next week as ordered by Kurt Angle.

Team Hell No as WWE Tag Team Champions

Bryan and Kane won the tag team championships at Night of Champions 2012. They defeated the team of Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the belts. They would hold the titles for 245 days before dropping them to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules 2013 nearly 5 years ago.

During their title reign, Team Hell No defended the titles 8 times on WWE programming. They defeated teams such as the Rhodes Scholars, Ziggler and Big E, and 3MB.

Will Team Hell No defeat the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules? Let us know what you think in the comments section below:

Kevin Owens lived out one of his biggest dreams last night. He attended the Shania Twain concert in Montreal, QC, Canada and was brought up on stage by the singer. Owens only returned to Twitter earlier this year in the hopes he would be able to convince Twain to sing the song “When” at the concert last night.

Owens even brought a wrestling-styled sign to the concert for Twain which he was able to bring on stage with him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkg3gqqgrnR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=3j1niuegm6rt

Kevin Owens Loves Shania Twain

While Owens might be a huge Shania Twain fan, he confused the date of her Montreal performance last week. Owens spent hours posting on social media last Tuesday that he was going to see Shania Twain that night. When he discovered he had confused the date, Owens turned on himself.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1009064499884806144

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1009063057694347265

Kevin Owens Twitter Bio

“I got verified again so that I can beg Shania Twain to play my favorite song “When” at her concert this summer in Montreal because I’ll be there. I’m serious.”

Last Tuesday Owens sent out a Tweet reading the following:

“Hello @Shania Twain! I’m Kevin. I’m a @WWE wrestler and fellow Canadian,” Owens wrote in a since-deleted Tweet. “I had quite a rough couple of days. I was thrown off a very tall ladder by an awful man. I’m really hurting … What would make me feel better is hearing you sing ‘When’ at your concert in Montreal tonight.”

Aaron Steven Haddad, better known to WWE fans as Damien Sandow, has revealed a new look. The former “Intellectual Savior Of The Masses” is now sporting a clean-shaven appearance these days.

I am contemplating keeping this look for a while… pic.twitter.com/APWfUFJSob

— Aron (@AronsThoughts) June 26, 2018

Where is Damien Sandow?

In April of 2017, Sandow announced he was leaving Impact Wrestling and taking a sabbatical from sports entertainment. He has specifically stated he is not retired, however, only wishing to take a break from the wrestling industry.

“Ending on this note is not a bad thing,” he said. “I’m not saying that I’m never going to get in the ring again, but this is pretty cool and I’d much rather have people remember me for all the good stuff.”

He took to Twitter shortly after the comments and reaffirmed he was not retiring, however.

“I never said retirement,” Sandow Tweeted. “I’m just doing some other stuff for a while. One thing I will never do is lie to you guys.”

One promotion which has shown interest in bringing Sandow back to pro wrestling is Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance. Corgan and Sandow worked together briefly in Impact from 2016-17.

“I am not retired,” Sandow reiterated again on Twitter after leaving Impact. “@lmpactWrestIing was some of the most fun I have had in my career, great company. Just exploring other opportunities.”

One of those opportunities appears to be writing. Sandow is due to publish a book on his life after wrestling soon.

https://twitter.com/AronsThoughts/status/1002611164017143808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F961171-taiji-ishimori-returning-to-impact-wrestling-damien-sandow-announces-new-project

“Hello all, I am happy to announce I have co-authored a book with my good friend Dennis Vanasse titled “Off The Road” Available Soon.”

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and current rapper, Enzo Amore, has opened up further about his final days with WWE. Now going by the name @Real1, Enzo was a guest on the most recent episode of Steve Austin’s podcast.

One of the most controversial parts of Enzo’s WWE exit regards whether or not he informed WWE he was being investigated for a crime. Enzo is still claiming he did not know he was being investigated but did relay a story of his friend receiving an odd email from someone claiming to be an investigator.

“I got a buddy of mine who hit me up and said ‘hey man, my girlfriend got an email from a guy saying he was an investigator,” Enzo said. “Saying he was investigating a claim against a wrestler, never mentioned my name.”

Enzo then continued to say he called his lawyer who got in contact with the police department. The police told Enzo’s lawyer he was not being investigated or charged for anything. He then said the next he heard about it was when his accuser began posting on social media. Neither Enzo nor his friend’s girlfriend replied to the investigator’s email.

Enzo on What He Said To Vince McMahon and WWE The Day He Was Suspended

January 22nd, 2018 was the day the story began to leak. It was also the day of the Raw 25th Anniversary Special. Enzo was sent home that day and fired the next. He admitted he was wearing a t-shirt that said “Today is the Best Day of My Life, I Can’t Wait for Tomorrow” at the time. He also admitted that is kind of funny.

Enzo continued to say that when he left the Barclays Center that day he drove for 5 hours and recorded himself talking the whole time. He plans to release the footage someday.

Enzo said that when Vince McMahon told him to go home and wait to be called, he told Vince “I don’t deserve this, I’m a good person.”

When he was called the next day by WWE lawyers and told he was being fired, Enzo says he told them “It’s your loss, not mine.”

Enzo Amore and Liv Morgan

Enzo also spoke about his relationship with Liv Morgan. He said the pair remain friends despite having broken up a year and a half ago. Liv is even still roommates with Enzo’s friend. Previously, the three of them lived together in Orlando.

Evidently, Liv is not a great driver. Enzo relayed a story of how she damaged a car he gave her.

“I was leasing a Dodge Dart so I was broke bro, I didn’t have no damn money,” Enzo said. “So the Dodge Dart I called the Gionna Mobile because I gave it to my ex Liv Morgan, Gionna. She put dents, she didn’t know how to drive so she learned how to drive in that Dodge Dart. So we called it the Gionna Mobile, just chalked it up as an L bro.”

The full interview can be listened to here.

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming “Battle Riot” has gained another confirmed participant. The show will take place on July 19th from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

As of this writing, the event is scheduled to be a television taping for the promotion’s Fusion show which airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports. A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week stated they were looking at possibly broadcasting the event on traditional pay-per-view, however.

MLW announced recently that the 18th participant in the Battle Riot match will be “Filthy” Tom Lawler.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1011561467160784896

On the most recent episode of Fusion, Lawler, and stablemate, Simon Gotch, played a prank on manager Col. Rob Parker. Although not shown on camera, it is believed Lawler left a deposit of sorts in Parker’s hat.

Battle Riot Confirmed Participants

• Tom Lawler
• Pentagon Jr.
• Pierre Carl Ouellet
• Rich Swann
• Jason Cade
• Joey Ryan
• “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan
• ACH
• John Morrison
• Lance Anoa’i
• Swoggle
• Konnan
• Jake Hager
• “Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan
• Davey Boy Smith Jr.
• Teddy Hart
• Barrington Hughes
• Jimmy Yuta

Konnan will be coming out of retirement for the match.

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.

Elimination is by pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.”

“Filthy” Tom Lawler

Lawler is currently signed to UFC but is suspended for a USADA doping violation. He’s wrestled 6 matches for Major League Wrestling and another two which have yet to air on the promotion’s television show, Fusion.

In MLW singles matches, Lawler has a 4-1 record with his only loss being to the King of Bros, Matt Riddle. He’s defeated Jeff Cobb, MVP, ACH, and Fred Yehi.

The doctor responsible for counseling the members of “Team Hell No”, Dr. Shelby, has volunteered his services to Bayley and Sasha Banks.

Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, made the decision last night that both Bayley and Sasha Banks would attend mandatory counseling sessions beginning next week. They were told if they don’t attend the counseling sessions, they’ll both be fired.

The storyline is reminiscent of when Kane and Daniel Bryan were sent to anger management classes in 2012 with Dr. Shelby.

Dr. Shelby commented on the situation last night:

Does someone @WWEUniverse need my help?! #ToTheRESCUE https://t.co/sSh2EiSEyM

— Dr. Shelby (@DrShelbyTweets) June 26, 2018

Who is Dr. Shelby?

The character of Dr. Shelby was played by actor, Michael Aspinwall. He currently has roles in the television shows “Stupid Cupid” and “My Future Self”.  The Dr. Shelby Twitter account, which is run by Aspinwall (as revealed in an AMA session), Tweets infrequently about WWE. After not Tweeting for several months, Dr. Shelby popped back up in May when Daniel Bryan was feuding with Big Cass.

I see @WWEDanielBryan is still having issues with @BigCassWWE? Remember everything I taught you, Daniel! Hugs around the world! HUGS #SDLive

— Dr. Shelby (@DrShelbyTweets) May 16, 2018

Shelby also posted a video to Daniel Bryan after he was forced to retire in 2016.

Hey @WWEDanielBryan ! I heard you retired on @WWE #MondayNightRaw last night! I wanted to say… https://t.co/sPg9q79ldj

— Dr. Shelby (@DrShelbyTweets) February 10, 2016

Surprisingly, Dr. Shelby did not throw his support towards Kane’s Mayoral run earlier this year and did not Tweet out any messages of support. It’s possible Dr. Shelby does not feel Kane has advanced enough in his anger management.

Do you want to see Dr. Shelby return to WWE to counsel Sasha Banks and Bayley? Let us know in the comments below. 

Last night on Raw, Seth Rollins appeared to be poised to win back the Intercontinental Championship. Instead, Drew McIntyre interfered and caused a disqualification. Rollins would be saved from an aftermatch beatdown by Roman Reigns, however.

At the end of the show, it was Rollins and Reigns standing in the ring together but Ziggler is still the Intercontinental Champion. WWE correspondents caught up with Rollins after the show.

“I put in a lot of work this week and I was ready for everything,” Rollins said.”I had it all planned out in my head, I had Dolph covered for the 1-2-3 and the plan came unraveled just like that.”

“Drew McIntyre is not just a problem,” Rollins continued. “He is the problem.”

Seth Rollins’ Intercontinental Championship Reign

Rolins’ reign with the Intercontinental Championship lasted from April 8th, 2018 (WrestleMania 34) to the June 18th, 2018 edition of Raw. During that time, Rollins defended the title 7 times on WWE programming. He defeated Balor, Joe and the Miz at the Greatest Royal Rumble in a ladder match. Rollins also defeated Finn Balor, the Miz, Mojo Rawley, Kevin Owens, and Elias on Raw. He held onto the title via a DQ loss to Jinder Mahal on the May 28th, 2018 Raw as well.

In addition to his televised title defenses, Rollins also defended the belt on several live event shows. He usually defeated either Elias or Jinder Mahal on these tours.

The Shield Reunion?

With Roman and Rollins looking like they will be teaming up against McIntyre and Ziggler, it’s possible WWE will return to the Shield reunion angle when Dean Ambrose is medically cleared.

“Ambrose is the man,” Rollins said shortly after it was revealed Ambrose would miss WrestleMania 34. “He’ll be back. It’s not about Wrestlemania this year, it’s about Wrestlemania next year and the year after that. It’s about the long term.”

The wrestler formerly known as KENTA will be returning to Pro Wrestling NOAH later this summer. He will wrestle Noamichi Marufuji on September 1st, 2018.

It had previously been reported that WWE and Pro Wrestling NOAH had reached an agreement. Pro Wrestling NOAH announced the Itami vs Marufuji match at today’s show in Korakuen Hall.

Itami wrestled with Pro Wrestling NOAH for 13 years. He won the company’s junior heavyweight title 3x and their heavyweight title once.

It is not currently known if WWE and Pro Wrestling NOAH will continue a talent-sharing relationship past this match, however.

?9.1???? ???????!?
9?1???????????????????20???????????????????!
????????vs????????
??????????????????https://t.co/n6If3lTv72
????????????????#noah_ghc pic.twitter.com/sr98gU3Bfi

— ?????????? ?PRO WRESTLING NOAH (@noah_ghc) June 26, 2018

Hideo Itami in WWE

Itami has struggled to find his place in WWE. Expectations were high when he signed with the company in 2014 but injuries set him back and prevented him from moving up the card.

Now on 205 Live, Itami seems to have taken over the top heel spot. He most recently defeated Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match. Itami will likely be the next to challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship as a result.

Rumors of Itami Going Back To Japan in 2017

Last summer there were rumors that Itami was going to go back to Japan full-time. The rumors started after Itami lost an NXT Championship match at Takeover: Chicago (the first one). Rumors were then that Itami had discussed giving up on WWE and going back to Japan. He then dispelled those rumors in the segment below which aired on NXT programming last summer.

As Cody and the Young Bucks gear up for All-In on September 1st, 2018, questions remain as to how the WWE might respond to the event. Cody responded to a suggestion on Twitter that WWE may decide to sign talent booked for All-In.

A fan asked Dave Meltzer if WWE would possibly organize a show near Chicago on September 1st to rival All-In.

“Nope and tickets are sold,” Meltzer replied. “All they can do it try and sign the talent on the show and pull them, and most are under contract elsewhere past that date.”

Evidently, Cody was following the discussion and offered a response.

That’s a possibility. Everybody has different goals. If your goal is to take a meet/greet style handshake photo, and pretend to be excited about going back to wrestling school…that’s your prerogative ha. https://t.co/mDMQ6FQNfc

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) June 24, 2018

“That’s a possibility. Everybody has different goals. If your goal is to take a meet/greet style handshake photo, and pretend to be excited about going back to wrestling school…that’s your prerogative ha.”

Cody and WWE

Since leaving the company in 2016, Cody has had both positive and negative things to say about WWE. Cody has taken issue with the company running a Starrcade themed house show but also responded positively to NXT running a War Games themed event.

Earlier this year, Cody responded to a fan on Twitter who asked if he’ll ever go back to WWE. “Unlikely. They have a huge place in my heart. They raised me,” Cody Tweeted.
“But my music is my music and I play it how I want, I am literally incapable of taking direction.”

Cody has earned the praise of his fellow Bullet Club members. Adam Page recently had this to say on his Cody’s work ethic:

“He’s just a person who, legitimately every minute of every day, he’s on,” Page said. “He’s two-a-day at the gym, or coming up with stuff for The Elite, or thinking of long-term ideas for what he wants to do at Ring of Honor or New Japan or for a match that day, he’s just somebody who legitimately is always on, and I think that has motivated me as well a little bit.”

WWE recently filed for a new trademark. The company has applied for a patent on the term “British Strong Style.” The name has previously referred to the stable of wrestlers consisting of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate.

Dunne and Seven originally formed the stable in Progress back in June of 2016. Bate was added to the group a few months later. The name is said to be derived from their mash-up between British and Japanese style wrestling. Although they have primarily competed for Progress, the stable has also appeared in Chikara. They won the King of Trios tournament in 2017.

WWE filed for the trademark on June 18th, 2018 with the status officially being updated on June 21st, 2018.

Pete Dunne on British Strong Style and WWE UK Division

In a recent interview, Pete Dunne talked about the role he and his fellow WWE UK wrestlers are playing on NXT programming as of late.

“It’s a big part of it, again using this as the marker, not only are we now finally relaunching our own brand kick-starting that properly, but we are also now becoming a big part of NXT,” Dunne said. “It feels great to have had that journey but also I’ve had my own independent stuff with British Strong Style and Progress wrestling, so it feels like two worlds are meeting in the middle and we get to take something that we built alongside WWE in a company like Progress and we get to bring that together when we face the Undisputed Era at the Royal Albert Hall.”

Dunne also spoke in regards to the future of WWE’s UK Division. “Something you’ll find in wrestling, in general, is that people have a respect for the British style,” Dunne continued. “So to be able to have this title now and create something a little bit unique and have a unique part of the NXT show that has our stamp on it is great, and to hear that Johnny Saint is going to be the general manager of the UK show, you know if anybody epitomizes British wrestling as something quirky and unique it’s that man, and he brings so much experience to the table and hopefully that really adds to our show.”

The wrestling world lost Leon White earlier this week. The wrestler better known as Big Van Vader touched a lot of people in his 63 years. Wrestling legends and personalities, such as Mick Foley and Jim Ross, have paid tribute to Vader in the days since his death. His memory was honored at the NJPW shows this weekend as well.

TMZ has published an interview with Vader’s son, former NXT wrestler Jesse White. White wrestled under the name Jake Carter in WWE developmental from 2011 to 2013. According to Jesse, Sting was a big help to the family in Vader’s final days.

“Dallas Diamond Page, [Stone Cold Steve] Austin, Mick Foley,” White mentioned as having helped but one of Vader’s old friends made an extra special impression. “I do have to send a big thank-you out to Sting, Steve Borden.”

I want everyone to know that there are few things my father and I have been working on for some time now. Please stay tuned. Coming Soon!!!!

It will always and forever be VADER TIME!!! pic.twitter.com/bDnTMzOPMi

— Jesse White (@mr_JesseWhite) June 23, 2018

“Sting has been a huge blessing,” White said, also noting they had grown closer since Vader’s health began to decline.  “My father was a God-fearing man and so was Sting, and they would sit down and read the bible together. Go over the Bible, just talk about life and good time stories and, yeah, Stings been a huge blessing throughout this process.”

Sting and Vader were rivals in the ring. Vader won his first WCW World Championship from Sting in 1992, simultaneously ending Sting’s first run with the belt. Vader would lose the belt to Ron Simmons but gain it back just 5 months later. In 1993, Sting defeated Vader to win his 2nd WCW World Championship. He would drop the title back to Vader just 6 days later, however. All throughout 1992 and 1993, Sting and Vader would wrestle each other on WCW house shows as well.

Major League Wrestling’s upcoming Battle Riot match has 3 more confirmed participants. So far, the promotion has confirmed 17 of the planned 40 participants.

The Battle Riot match will take place July 19th, 2018 from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

Sami Callihan, Joey Ryan, and Jason Cade are the latest 3 wrestlers to be confirmed for the match. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also stated MLW was hoping to broadcast the show on pay-per-view. As it stands now, however, the event is scheduled as a TV taping for MLW Fusion on the BeIN Sports Network.

List of Confirmed Battle Riot Participants: 

1. Pentagon Jr.
2. Pierre Carl Ouellet
3. Rich Swann
4. Jason Cade
5. Joey Ryan
6. “Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan
7. ACH
8. John Morrison
9. Lance Anoa’i
10. Swoggle
11. Konnan
12. Jake Hager
13. “Worldwide Desperado” Sami Callihan
14. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
15. Teddy Hart
16. Barrington Hughes
17. Jimmy Yuta

In addition to the Battle Riot match, ACH and Rich Swann will team up to go against the New Hart Foundation. Teddy Hart will team with Davey Boy Smith Jr for the first time in years. Hart and Smith will also be managed by Brian Pillman Jr.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1010685183580876802

What is a Battle Riot Match?

Major League Wrestling describes the rules of Battle Riot to be a mash-up between a Royal Rumble and Lucha Underground’s Aztec Warfare.

“A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds.

Elimination is by pinfall, submission or by throwing an individual over the top rope.

Anything is possible July 19^th in a Battle Riot!”

Where Can I Watch MLW?

MLW signed a television deal with BeIN Sports and has broadcast 10 episodes on the network thus far. The episodes air on Friday nights but viewers who are unable to get BeIN Sports can check out the full episodes on YouTube the day after they air.

Adam Cole will defend the NXT North American Championship tonight. He will face the powerhouse Austrian, Walter at EVOLVE 107 from Melrose, MA.

“I’m not just the best in NXT, I’m not just the best in the WWE, I’m the best on the freaking planet,” Cole said to Sports Illustrated recently. “Part of backing that statement up is competing outside of WWE, and the North American championship has given me the opportunity to do that. I can go to a company like EVOLVE and wrestle a talent as good, as big, and as strong as WALTER and defend my championship on a non-WWE show. That’s the epitome of making the North American title a world championship, one I can defend all over the world.”

Tonight is really special on so many levels, but one thing remains the same…and that is I’m #Undisputed #AdamColeBayBay #UndisputedERA #ShockTheSystem #IndustryRuler pic.twitter.com/Y4sUXfKl9X

— Adam Cole (@AdamColePro) June 24, 2018

“Who’s to say I won’t defend the North American championship later this year in the U.K. or Australia or Japan?” Cole continued. “My goal is to make the North American championship the most important championship in NXT, and I feel like I’m on the path to doing that by taking on all challengers around the world.”

Adam Cole at EVOLVE 107

EVOLVE 107
Sunday, June 24th, 2018
Melrose Memorial Hall
Melrose, MA

• NXT North American Championship
  Adam Cole (c) vs. WALTER
• EVOLVE Championship Match (If Riddle Retains At EVOLVE 106 against Shane Strickland)
  Matt Riddle (c) vs. AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk
• FIP World Heavyweight Championship
  Austin Theory w/ Priscilla Kelly vs. DJZ
• Tracy Williams vs. Chris Dickinson with Stokely Hathaway
• Darby Allin vs. Jarek 1:20 with Candy Cartwright
• Dominic Garrini with Stokely Hathaway vs. Josh Briggs

“Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Bobby Fish all share that exact same mentality,” Cole said on the Undisputed Era. “We said we’re going to take WWE and NXT over. Actions have to speak louder than words, and our actions have spoken much louder than our words.”

There has been no shortage of theories as to why exactly Big Cass was fired from WWE recently. A report from Sports Illustrated indicated Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was to blame but there’s been speculation this was not the only reason.

A report from Wrestlingnews.co claims to have insider information regarding the situation.

“We were told that he went up to her and, according to a well-placed source, caused a scene while asking her to forgive him, apparently in hopes for a reconciliation,” the website states in their report. “Carmella tried to walk off but he grabbed her arm and wrestlers in the area stepped in. We’re told that The Usos and Erick Rowan were the ones to get Cass to back away.”

Robbie Fox from BarStool Sports is claiming these are false accusations, however.

I've been pretty silent about Big Cass' release from the WWE because he's a good friend of mine and it's just an unfortunate situation all around that I've felt really bad about, but this report that it's because of an "altercation with Carmella" is complete and utter bullshit.

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) June 24, 2018

Big Cass Allegations False?

“I’ve been pretty silent about Big Cass’ release from the WWE because he’s a good friend of mine and it’s just an unfortunate situation all around that I’ve felt really bad about, but this report that it’s because of an “altercation with Carmella” is complete and utter bullshit.”

There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate "journalists" in modern pro wrestling history.

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) June 24, 2018

“There never was an altercation with Carmella, or Vic Joseph, or the Usos, or ANYONE, and it fucking sucks to see Cass getting dragged through the mud because of a report from one of the most notoriously inaccurate “journalists” in modern pro wrestling history.”

It's disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn't make THEM look good it's not worth it, right? ?????

— Robbie Fox (@RobbieBarstool) June 24, 2018

“It’s disappointing that none of the names involved in the report have come forward to dispel the rumor like I figured they would, but hey, I guess if it doesn’t make THEM look good it’s not worth it, right?”

Hangman Page was busted open at a World Series Wrestling show in Australia yesterday. The 26-year-old was wrestling Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. Page lost the match and had his eye split open in the process.

He posted a photo of the injury to his Instagram account:

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

World Series Wrestling just announced a deal for their events to stream on the Global Wrestling Network. Impact’s streaming service also features events from promotions such as Destiny Wrestling, Border City Wrestling, RISE, and Smash Wrestling.

Hangman Page

Page revealed in an interview recently that he only quit his job as a teacher after learning he was to become a member of Bullet Club in 2016.

“With one phone call I was told I would be in Bullet Club and I was going to Japan for three weeks, then continually after that. It was pretty cool and life-changing. At the time I was a high school teacher,” Page said.

“I taught graphic design, multimedia, and journalism. I would take sick days and wrestle on the weekends. At that point, I knew if I was doing three-week tours of Japan I couldn’t keep teaching because I couldn’t be “sick” that long.”

Here is a Tweet Page sent shortly after finding out he was joining Bullet Club:

https://twitter.com/theadampage/status/732985688115793921?lang=en

Page started wrestling in 2011 and started working for Ring of Honor the following year.

“I could also afford not to teach anymore because I would be more in-demand so to speak. I quit teaching and became a full-time wrestler. That more than anything in my whole career changed my life.”

Page is scheduled to team with Marty Scurll to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA at the G1 Special in San Francisco next month.

Alberto Del Rio says he only takes 2-3 wrestling bookings a month these days and the rest of the time is for his children and other projects. He recently talked about his current schedule,  his transition to other forms of entertainment, and his relationship with WWE in an interview with Chris Van Vliet.

One of the most interesting topics Del Rio addressed, however, was CM Punk’s UFC career. Del Rio himself has a background in MMA. He has a 9-5 pro record in the sport. Del Rio is currently involved with the Combate Americas promotion as well.

“I just hate to hear people talk crap about someone like Phil,” Del Rio said about Punk. “Someone’s who’s got the balls to go and try something different.”

“90% of the m*****ers in this business have never been in a real fight in their life.” Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio Interview

In regards to his current wrestling schedule, Del Rio mentioned he’s keeping his wrestling bookings to a minimum these days.

“A lot of people know I only take 2 or 3 wrestling shows or indy booking or whatever wrestling shows out there per month,” Del Rio said. “my time is for my kids, my time is for the other stuff I’m doing.”

“I’m in the middle of the transition from being a pro-wrestler to being an entertainer,” he continued. “I still love wrestling, I still have a lot of passion for wrestling but I think it’s time for me to start moving on to other stuff.”

At NXT Takeover: Chicago II on Saturday, Velveteen Dream had a very Hulk Hogan-esque look to him. This led the Hulkster to comment that he should play the role of Dream’s manager.

Yo when VelveteenMania hires me as his manager,then we will have “all the gold,HollyWood style”. Brother. HollyWoodHHoganLife

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 19, 2018

Unfortunately for Hogan, it appears Velveteen Dream is not going to be his ticket back to WWE.

https://twitter.com/VelveteenWWE/status/1009972953960853504

Hulk Hogan’s Possible Return to WWE

Speculation regarding Hogan’s possible return to the company increased earlier this year when Hogan attended the premiere for HBO’s documentary on Andre the Giant. Just before the screening, WWE made a public statement regarding Hogan. They said they had reached out to him in order to discuss how others could learn from mistakes he’s made. WWE insisted Hogan was not under contract, however.

In March, it was revealed by Mark Henry that there is a delegation of wrestlers who don’t believe Hogan is ready to return.

”The delegation is pretty much all of the more established African-American wrestlers in the country and in the world, for that matter. Every promotion… there’s not a wrestling promotion that doesn’t house someone from the delegation,” Henry explained.

”I believe that everybody should be given a second chance but I also believe that you have to own your issue, whatever that issue is. You gotta try to make closure on everybody else’s behalf, not just yours.”

Booker T on Hogan Returning to WWE

Booker T has also commented on Hogan’s possible return to the company. While both Henry and Booker agree that people should be given second chances, Booker is more forgiving of Hulk than Henry is.

He made the following statements on his Heated Conversations show:

“The only thing Hogan can do is apologize, atone for it, and we move forward,” Booker said. “Everyone deserves a second chance that’s just the way I am.”

Booker also explained that he believes Hogan was responsible for Harlem Heat receiving a push in WCW.

“I talk about Hulk Hogan being in my corner, back in the day and a lot of the boys they may look at me and say, ‘Why is Booker T talking to [Hogan]?’ Back in the day, if it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, I don’t know if Booker T and Stevie Ray would have got the push that we got,” Booker said. “Back in the day, Sister Sherri was an intricate detail to Harlem Heat, and our success, and it was all because of Hulk Hogan. Saying ‘Hey man, those are the guys you need to put your money behind.'”

Transcriptions courtesy of Wrestling Inc

In WWE storyline, Ronda Rousey is suspended until after the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 15th, 2018. Rousey beat up several WWE referees on Raw this Monday causing Kurt Angle to suspend her for 30-days.

It seems Rousey is counting down the days until she can get her hands on Little Miss Bliss. She posted the following to her social media channels recently:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkSzbIDjBEq/?hl=en&taken-by=rondarousey

Raw Women’s Champion, Alexa Bliss, has not responded to Rousey. Bliss, who will face Nia Jax at Extreme Rules, posted the following graphic recently which states her MITB cash-in was the 3rd fastest in history.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkQegLNB0nr/?hl=en&taken-by=alexa_bliss_wwe_

Ronda Rousey’s Goals in WWE

Similar to Kenny Omega, Ronda Rousey wants to change the world through pro-wrestling. WWE.com correspondents spoke with Rousey about her goals in wrestling and what she wants to accomplish before having children.

“I feel like I have so much potential, that even though I’ve accomplished a lot I feel like I’m always capable of more. I have more to contribute to this world than I already have. The WWE seems like the most direct way to affect lasting social change that I want to happen before I bring children into this world. This is the right time, this is the right place, and I have an idea whose time has come. I don’t want my kids to put up with some of the bullshit I had to, so I’m going to change it. And this is how.”

Rousey won over even her harshest critics with her performances at both WrestleMania 34 and the Money in the Bank PPV. On Sunday, it was reported that both Rousey and Nia Jax received standing ovations backstage after the match.

Cody has launched his own YouTube channel. The self-proclaimed leader of Bullet Club released his first video yesterday. The video features Cody and the Bucks talking about the process of organizing All-In.

“On May 13th, 2018, ALL IN sold out in 29 minutes. The ALL IN event was created by Cody Rhodes, Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson to prove a point. This series, ALL US, was created to document their process as they produce this landmark event on September 1st.

Is the success of ALL IN a blessing or a curse? Who called the three after the sell-out? What is their biggest fear the night before the event? And what makes ALL IN work?”

What Went Into Organizing All-In?

The Jacksons and Cody discussed how fans’ perception is All-In will be a money-making project. The three were quick to point out that even with 10,000 seats being sold, they will be lucky to break even.

“Some people think we’re getting rich, that’s completely the opposite,” Nick Jackson said. “We’re probably going to break-even at the end of the day because we don’t realize how much goes into an actual show. Every day it’s like ‘oh, we have to pay for this guy’s flight, I forgot'”

The trio also mentioned that Hulk Hogan had expressed interest in participating but his asking price is too high for them.

Potential Matches for All-In

The only match officially announced for the show thus far is Cody challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Current NWA Champion, Nick Aldis, will have to remain champion through the summer but if he does, he will face Cody in the main event.

Other possible matches for the show include Joey Ryan taking on Hangman Page. The two wrestlers have been building a rather bizarre angle which has played out on Being the Elite.

Another possible angle which could lead to something at All-In involves Jay Lethal. Recently on Being the Elite, Lethal has been slipping in and out of his old Black Machismo character. This started when Lanny Poffo gave Lethal a pair of Randy Savage’s old sunglasses at an ROH show earlier this year.

Flip Gordon still has not been booked.

All-In takes place September 1st, 2018 from the Sears Centre in Chicago.

Yesterday, Kenny Omega took part in an AXS TV media conference call to promote the G1 Special in San Francisco. During the press conference, Omega mentioned Matt Riddle as someone who he feels should do well in NJPW.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle do in Japan,” Omega said. “Matt Riddle should have a very successful career in Japan. It’d be cool if he became the foreign Shibata.”

Word reached Riddle about comments made by Omega and he responded in a way consistent with his moniker as “the King of Bros”.

Stallion @KennyOmegamanX https://t.co/3PdZ8heliK

— Matthew Riddle (@SuperKingofBros) June 21, 2018

The former UFC fighter is no stranger to receiving praise. After winning “Rookie of the Year” and “Most Improved” in the 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, Riddle turned in a solid 2017 which saw him ranked at 116th in the PWI 500.

Riddle is the current Evolve champion, former WWN Live champion, and also held the PWG tag titles along with Jeff Cobb. In May, Riddle made it down to the final 2 competitors in Smash Wrestling’s Northern Tournament. The Northern runs a similar format to BOLA and was eventually won by Tyson Dux. Other competitors in the tournament included Joey Janela, Joey Mercury, Mia Yim, Kimber Lee, and Andrew Everett.

Kenny Omega Interview Notes

During the press conference, Omega also noted that he is proud of the Golden Lovers storyline.

“I’m proud of it. I’m not going to lie, that story was created for us,” Omega said. For myself and Ibushi…we built to it for years and years and years. For it to finally culminate and to hear the positive feedback, it was overwhelming.”

Omega also took some shots at Los InGobernables and most notably, their leader Tetsuya Naito.

“Naito is a pseudo-Steve Austin. I really don’t appreciate his message,” Omega said. “It only works in Japan. They live rough lives, it’s easier to fit in than rock the boat. Naito’s message is to calm down and not care. I think that message only has life in Japan.”

The captain of Team Kick has been on something of a losing skid as of late. She’s dropped her last two matches in NXT.

Kai was defeated by Shayna Baszler on the May 9th episode of NXT. She had been portrayed as having been scared of the NXT Women’s Champion but finally did overcome her character arc and learned she can compete with the best the brand has to offer.

This week on NXT, Kai lost to Bianca Belair in a match taped from Chicago’s All-State Arena before Takeover: Chicago II. The 30-year-old from New Zealand recently commented on her loss.

https://twitter.com/DakotaKai_WWE/status/1009594515123064833

https://twitter.com/DakotaKai_WWE/status/1009636249974530048

Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans Comment on Dakota Kai

Kai’s loss to Bianca Belair on NXT this week will likely move Belair closer to a title shot. The former track and field star has been moving up the rankings steadily the last few months. Since WrestleMania, Belair has defeated Candice LeRae, Aliyah, and now Dakota Kai.

Belair took to Twitter to claim that after defeating Kai, she is the new captain of Team Kick.

I'm the Captain Now.#TeamKick@DakotaKai_WWE pic.twitter.com/3K8AJdbnp6

— Bianca Belair (@BiancaBelairWWE) June 21, 2018

Another member of NXT’s women’s division, Lacey Evans, also took to Twitter in response to Kai’s recent loss.

Another big match for @DakotaKai_WWE and yet again…another loss. Nxt isn’t for little girls sweetheart. ? #StandDown #MoveOver #LadyOfNxt
.@WWENetwork @WWENXT

— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) June 21, 2018

Evans might be on quite a winning streak but she has lost to Dakota Kai in the past. Kai defeated her earlier this year on the February 8th, 2018 edition of NXT. Evans also lost to Belair on a show which aired last August. The First Lady of NXT recently defeated Kairi Sane, however, seemingly indicating she is in line for a push.

Toni Storm will be the next in line to challenge for Shayna Baszler’s championship. The two will meet next week on the WWE UK Tournament shows. Depending on what happens between Baszler and Storm, Belair or Evans could be the next in line for a title shot.

NXT Women’s Roster:

Champion: Shayna Baszler

• Nikki Cross
• Bianca Belair
• Lacey Evans
• Kairi Sane
• Dakota Kai
• Candice LeRae
• Vanessa Borne
• Taynara Conti
• Aliyah

Impact Wrestling has said tonight’s episode will be the last before the promotion begins airing matches from their tapings held in Windsor, ON, Canada at the beginning of the month.

The company is building towards Slammiversary on July 22nd from Toronto’s Rebel nightclub.

THIS THURSDAY on IMPACT – the train to Slammiversary keeps on rolling as July 22nd in Toronto is coming up fast!

oVe vs. Fantasma and Pentagon, LAX vs. Z&E for the tag titles, the Aries/Moose press conference, Madison Rayne vs. Taya plus what does Killer Kross want in IMPACT! pic.twitter.com/oDMrHYYygZ

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 19, 2018

Impact Wrestling 6/21/18 Preview

1) Madison Rayne vs Taya Valkyrie

The winner of this match likely moves into contention for a title shot at Su Yung. With both Rosemary and Allie out of action, the Knockouts division is wide open. Madison Rayne scored a victory over Tessa Blanchard recently on Impact. She also defeated KC Spinelli on the most recent One Night Only pay-per-view, Zero Fear.

As for Taya, she defeated Rebel in her last match out. She lost a title match to Allie earlier in the year, however. Taya is currently celebrating her “HoneyMundo” with John Hennigan in Hawaii. The couple was married recently. Taya can also be seen competing in the 4th season of Lucha Underground.

2) Impact Tag Team Championships
Z&E (c) vs LAX

LAX had fallen down the rankings without their leader Konnan but things are looking up for them now. Eddie Kingston, going by just King, is now the new defacto leader of the group. After bringing the stable back to their winning ways, they now have their first chance to win titles under King’s leadership. Diamante and the other members of LAX seem suspicious of him, however.

Z&E defeated Eli Drake and Scott Steiner for the titles. They have defended the belts once so far with a win over Aerostar and Drago.

3) oVe vs Fantasma and Pentagon Jr

Two of Lucha Underground’s biggest stars, El Hijo Del Fantasma (King Cuerno) and Pentagon Jr, will face the brothers from oVe tonight as well.

After losing the Impact World Championship to Austin Aries at Under Pressure, what will Pentagon have in store tonight?

Also booked for tonight’s show:

• Footage of Austin Aries and Moose from the Impact Press Conference in Toronto. Moose defeated Eli Drake last week to earn the right to challenge Aries at Slammiversary on July 22nd, 2018.
• Last week, Killer Kross was revealed as the mystery man behind the attacks in the back. Tonight, Impact Wrestling is teasing we will find out more about the man tonight.

Last week, it was reported that the Ring of Honor was looking at booking Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania 35 weekend next April. A report from Pro Wrestling Insider then stated WWE had blocked them from booking the famous arena.

Chief Operating Officer for Ring of Honor, Joe Koff, spoke to PWI’s Mike Johnson.

“You know, I’m going to tell you Mike because you are asking. I’m not going to discuss beyond this statement because I am not going to litigate this in the press. We had a deal with (the) Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE. We are not able to get any other dates in any kind of discussion. I’m expecting that our lawyers will be contacting all the parties involved and the best we can hope for is that we can find resolution, and we can bring the kind of energy and excitement that ROH and our partner New Japan brings to a bigger audience and to bigger arenas to the fans of New York City.”

A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now stating WWE was able to block ROH booking the building with just one phone call.

WWE Blocks ROH From Booking Madison Square Garden

According to the Observer, ROH officials are furious about what happened and are looking at legal options.

“We were told last week by sources close to the situation that it could and probably would turn into an ugly legal fight.” Dave Meltzer on WWE blocking ROH at Madison Square Garden

Ring of Honor officials had been of the belief a deal had been struck, although the terms were agreed to orally and not in writing. MSG canceled the deal reportedly after one phone call from a high-ranking WWE employee (not Vince McMahon).

Sinclair believes a court would not uphold MSG’s cancellation of their agreement. This is the case despite the agreement never having been signed. There is also speculation that Madison Square Garden officials were looking for other wrestling promotions as WWE only runs house shows in the arena a few times a year. WWE does not generally broadcast television shows or PPVs from the arena due to the increased cost the venue charges for such rights. Some are saying MSG was upset the company will not be running WrestleMania from the arena despite being in the surrounding area.

AAA Lucha Libre has also expressed interesting in running MSG later this year.