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Dean Ambrose and Renee Young Ride Zamboni During Stanley Cup Finals

Married couple, Renee Young and Dean Ambrose, live in Las Vegas. They have both been seen supporting the NHL’s expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights franchise this season as well. The Golden Knights have made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals and both Young and Ambrose were there in person for game 2 last night.

Rather than sit in private box, however, the pair spent a portion of the evening riding atop the arena’s Zamboni.

Wrestling fans in attendance for the game made note of their appearance. Ambrose appears to have grown in a beard and gotten a haircut too.

Screenshot 2018 05 31 08.10.44

https://twitter.com/XtremeBliss/status/1002038719006691328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Dean Ambrose Injury Status

Ambrose has been out with a triceps injury since December. Although this hasn’t been confirmed, speculation is there have been several setbacks in his recovery.

Kurt Angle addressed Ambrose’s extended stay on the DL during a Q and A session on his Facebook page last month.

“LISTEN EVERYONE. Dean is healing nicely. He will be back soon!!!!! I get this question every week. I know how popular he is but asking me when he will return will not make him return any sooner than he can. He will be back soon. Promise.”

At the time of his injury, Ambrose was taking part in the Shield reunion storyline. In Ambrose’s absence, Roman Reigns has gone back into single’s action and Seth Rollins has since won the Intercontinental Championship.

There is still no timeline for Ambrose’s return.

David Arquette Announces Return To Pro-Wrestling

Former World Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, David Arquette, has announced he is returning to pro-wrestling.

Arquette held the title from April 25th, 2000 to May 7th, 2000. He won the title from Diamond Dallas Page during a tag-team match in which he and Page were partners and defeated Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff. The stipulation in the match had been whoever scored the pinfall also won the title.

Arquette then lost the title to Jeff Jarrett at Slamboree 2000. The match was a triple threat against DDP and Jarrett inside a triple-tiered cage. Arquette turned on Page during the match and helped Jarrett win the title. He donated everything he earned from WCW to the families of Owen Hart and Brian Pillman. Arquette is said to be a nice guy and a huge wrestling fan.

Now it appears Arquette is ready to return to pro-wrestling. He made the announcement during an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show, though it’s not altogether clear when/if fans can expect to see the 46-year-old booked on any upcoming wrestling shows.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjZ0HdIh3DR/?utm_source=ig_embed

David Arquette Announces Return to Pro-Wrestling

“I’d like to announce my return to professional wrestling!” Arquette proclaimed.

“I was promoting a movie I did called Ready to Rumble and it just so happened that I won the championship,” Arquette said. “(Fans) blamed me for ruining WCW, it’s no longer around and maybe I did have something to do with it.”

Arquette appears to have adopted a new gimmick as well. His new name is David “the Magic Man” Arquette.

“For 18 years, I’ve been trolled on the internet,” he continued. “And I just want to bring some respect back to my name!”

Check out his appearance on the Wendy Williams Show below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhMy8Gp6dZw

Cody Defends Starrcast From Scam Allegations, Ranks Star Wars Movies

In recent weeks, there has been some mild controversy over Vince Russo being specifically excluded from Starrcast. Another podcast host has now fired shots at Cody for how Starrcast is being organized as well.

The producers of the podcast “Wrestling Soup” are booked for Starrcast despite the fact the hosts have been critical of Cody in the past. Cody used their inclusion at Starrcast recently in a Tweet.

The producers of Wrestling Soup then disputed the “payday” Cody referenced above.

https://twitter.com/JoeNumbas/status/1001906137875263489

Cody then clarified that talent at Starrcast are being given an opportunity to earn new fans.

“Cody, this is the same scam that promoters (music, wrestling, etc) have ran for YEARS,” Wrestling Soup’s host said in a Tweet. “It’s an intangible promise therefore basically a lie. I was respecting your hustle till you said “I’m trying to get people paydays” and just NOW you denied making people pay. Wtf man?”

“I’m not seeing your argument,” Cody responded. “No scam ha. I’m not the operations manager of Starrcast, but ill personally refund any expense your team/brand has incurred or I’ll refund you and have somebody else take the spot. All In is meant to be fun, that’s all!”

Are Cody and the Young Bucks Teasing CM Punk Will Be At All-In?

Another fan then accused Cody and the Bucks from attempting to profit off of the talent booked for Starrcast. He also addressed the idea that CM Punk was involved in producing All-In.

Cody Ranks the Star Wars Movies

With the latest Star Wars movies in theaters, Cody recently ranked every Star Wars movie from best to worst. Cody is a noted Star Wars fan.

1- Empire
2- Last Jedi
3- Force awakens
4- Return Of the Jedi
5- Revenge of the Sith
6- New Hope
7- Solo
8- Clone Wars
9- Phantom Menace
10- Rogue one
11- Rebels
12- Attack of the clones

Cody most recently competed on Ring of Honor’s Honor United tour. After defeating Kenny King in London, it was revealed Cody will challenge for the ROH Championship before All-In. If Cody holds the ROH World Championship come September 1st, his match for the NWA World Heavyweight belt will be a title vs title match.

Impact Wrestling Confirms Matches For Upcoming Tapings

Impact wrestling will host two days of television tapings this weekend from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The city is home to Scott D’Amore’s long-running Border City Wrestling promotion. Border City Wrestling has long been a top feeder promotion to bigger organizations especially during periods in which D’Amore has been working with Impact Wrestling.

Tickets for the tapings are still available although all floor seats have been sold. Impact will then head to Mississauga, ON, Canada on Sunday to film a One Night Only PPV.

Confirmed Matches for Upcoming Impact Wrestling Tapings

The following matches are being advertised for the first night of tapings on June 1st, 2018:

  • Austin Aries vs Aiden Prince
  • Matt Sydal and Kongo Kong vs Reverso and A1
  • Dezmond Xavier vs Phil Atlas

The following matches are confirmed for the 2nd night of tapings held on June 2:

  • A1 and Moose vs Austin Aries and Phil Atlas
  • Fenix vs Rich Swann

New wrestlers debuting during the tapings:

Aiden Prince: 

Prince is a local wrestler from Windsor who has been a pro since 2012. In addition to wrestling with BCW, Prince is active in the Toronto independent wrestling scene. He has competed with Smash Wrestling and Greektown Wrestling in Toronto.

Prince has also wrestled on Impact Wrestling One Night Only PPVs run in association with BCW. Prince also wrestles for Santino Marella’s Destiny Wrestling promotion in Mississauga.

El Reverso

Another local Windsor talent, El Reverso wrestled from 2004 to 2008 with BCW before retiring. He recently ended a nine-year retirement and has been competing in Windsor and the surrounding area.

A1

A former member of TNA’s Team Canada stable in 2006, A1 is a long time veteran. As with El Reverso, he retired in 2008 during a low period for the business. He returned to the independent scene in 2015, however, wrestling for various promotions. Border City wrestling has always remained his home, however.

Phil Atlas

33-year-old Phil Atlas has also been a regular for Border City Wrestling, and Destiny Wrestling, which are basically both feeder systems for Impact at this point. He’s also wrestled for the Toronto promotion, Superkick’d, and several other Canadian independent companies.

Details On The Pitch That Helped Fox Secure WWE SmackDown

The current Executive Co-Chairman of 21st-Century Fox, Rupert Murdoch, is believed to have been the creative mind behind the pitch which landed his network WWE Smackdown.

According to a recent report from the Hollywood Reporter, Murdoch let WWE know that their competitors at NBC (USA Networks parent company) are embarrassed by sports entertainment on their network. This despite the ratings and revenue WWE brings in for them.

In the end, the USA Network was willing to let Smackdown go to another network. The Fox Network was then willing to do the same with the UFC after landing Smackdown.

Fox Pitch to WWE Centered Around “New Fox”

Fox recently cleared up a lot of budget by canceling several sitcoms and scripted programs. It is believed that with most of their assets being sold to Disney or Comcast, sports and live programming will become the most integral piece of the company’s broadcast schedule.

The report continued to say that the meeting between Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Fox executives concluded in under 3 hours. Within that time, the two sides had reached a handshake agreement and a new relationship had been forged.

The 81-year-old Murdoch reportedly told WWE that NBC was embarrassed by pro-wrestling. On the other hand, Murdoch said Fox plans to make them a key part of their lineup. WWE would fit right in with their plans for the new Fox. He promised WWE that Smackdown promos will air across sports programming on every night of the week. Fox also said they will produce a weekly studio show on FS1. This show will likely be similar to what they have done with UFC in the past.

In a private phone call with Vince McMahon, Murdoch is also believed to have said the new agreement would usher in the beginning of a marriage between the Murdochs and the McMahons. Both McMahon and Murdoch view themselves as rebels who built media empires.

WWE and Fox’s agreement will begin in October 2019. It covers the period from October 1, 2019, all the way to 2024.

NXT Preview (5/30/18)

NXT this week will be a taped down from Full Sail University in Florida. The main event will feature an NXT Women’s Championship match. Shayna Baszler will defend her title against Dakota Kai.

In recent weeks, Kai has seemed to be quite intimidated by the champion. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to being in the ring with her tonight.

NXT Preview 5/30/18

  • Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa Segment
    • Gargano will face Ciampa in a street fight at Takeover: Chicago.
    • Candice LeRae does not appear to support Gargano’s decision to continue the rivalry, however.
    • We should get an update on this rivalry tonight.
  • Bianca Belair Sit Down Interview
    • Belair is becoming one of the most highly featured members of the NXT women’s division.
    • She’ll take part in a sit-down interview tonight.
  • EC3 In Single’s Action
    • EC3 will be in single’s action tonight.
    • No opponent has been named for him, however. This will most likely be a squash match.
  • Aleister Black Appearance
    • Aleister Black will make an appearance in front of the live crowd at Full Sail tonight.
    • We don’t know who his opponent will be at Takeover: Chicago but wrestlers such as the Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, and Ricochet appear to be in the mix.
  • NXT Women’s Championship Match
    Shayna Baszler (c) vs Dakota Kai

    • While this might seem like a big opportunity for the challenger, she has been rather intimidated by the champion in recent weeks.
    • Last week, Dakota appeared determined to conquer her fears and get in the ring with Baszler, however. Behind the scenes, Nikki Cross is said to be driving Kai’s new found confidence.
    • What will happen when Kai finally gets in the ring to conquer her fears, however, won’t be known until tonight.
    • Tonight we will find out who goes into Takeover: Chicago as the champion and will likely find out more about who will be the challenger on that show.

Tessa Blanchard Talks Impact Wrestling and Not Signing With WWE

In the short time since she has been with Impact Wrestling, Tessa Blanchard is undefeated and could move into the Knockouts title picture shortly. The 22-year-old has competed in WWE and Stardom and is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable faces on Impact’s roster.

Blanchard recently took part in an interview on Busted Open Radio. She talked about the mood backstage in Impact Wrestling as well as details surrounding her 2014 WWE tryout.

Tessa Blanchard on Busted Open Radio

“After my WWE tryout in 2014, I was like ‘alright, I’m getting signed, I’m going to be there, I’m ready, let’s do this’, Blanchard said in regards to her relationship with WWE. “Then when it didn’t happen, I was heartbroken. I honestly think it’s cause God had a plan for me. If I would have gone and they would have signed me, I don’t think I would have had the life experiences or the experiences in wrestling.”

“I wouldn’t be the wrestler I am today,” she continued.

The daughter of Tully Blanchard and step-daughter of Magnum TA also had this to say regarding the Impact Wrestling roster and mood backstage:

“At first I was a little nervous,” Blanchard said. “I didn’t really know what to expect. TV style is very new to me still. But the locker room and everyone has been so welcoming there and it’s just a very good environment there. Everyone wants the best for each other. I haven’t run into any problems where it’s like people talking about other people or saying one thing and turning around and saying a different thing. It feels just like good vibes there, like good energy. Everyone really, really wants the best for each other.”

Blanchard also credited Gail Kim, Petey Williams, and Jimmy Jacobs as creative minds backstage in Impact. She will take on Madison Rayne this Thursday on Impact’s branded episode “Under Pressure”.

Io Shirai Headed To WWE

According to Japanese media outlet, Tokyo Sports, Io Shirai is headed to WWE.

There had been reports last year that Shirai was WWE bound as well but the 27-year-old’s offer was rescinded after she failed a company medical. Shirai was found to have an injured neck and ended up returning to Stardom.

It appears WWE once again has a contract offer on the table for Shirai. It’s not clear if WWE has taken a second look at her medical records or not at this point, however.

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

Io Shirai

Tokyo Sports is reporting that Shirai’s last match for Stardom will be June 23rd, 2018. The media outlet notes that Stardom’s advertising for their July shows does not feature a picture of Shirai.

Shirai lost her “Wonder of Stardom” championship last week, spurring rumors she was leaving the company. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported the title change had always been in the works, however, and likely had nothing to do with Shirai leaving. The Observer also reported that WWE has made offers to several other talents from Stardom likely for the upcoming Mae Young Class tournament this summer. Stardom’s Toni Storm also recently signed with WWE as part of the UK division.

Shirai is one of the most talented and respected female athletes in all of Japan. She has won Tokyo Sports’ “Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize” award a record 3 straight times. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked her #6 in their Top-50 countdown of female wrestlers in 2017.

Lio Rush Comments On Heat From Emma Tweet

23-year-old NXT Superstar, Lio Rush, earned some criticism last year following the release of Australian Superstar, Emma, AKA Tenille Dashwood.

Emma had lost two consecutive losses in a row to Asuka before being released last October. Rush took to Twitter and offered an ill-timed comment on her release:

“I guess these are the things that happen when you’re not TRULY ready for @WWEAsuka” his Tweet read.

Several WWE Superstars were critical of his comments. Peyton Royce and Bray Wyatt both publicly responded to him.

https://twitter.com/PeytonRoyceWWE/status/924702054412701696

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/924713738980249601

Lio Rush Comments On Learning From Mistake

Rush spoke with ESPN recently about how the backlash to his comment affected him.

“It was definitely a difficult situation,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard and spent years trying to brand myself and to show the world that Lio Rush is a top prospect in the professional wrestling world. So it was a bit rough to see so many people turn on me for that, but I’ve owned up to my mistakes.

“I have said my apologies. What else can you do? You live, you make mistakes and you learn,” Rush continued. “I know a big thing that I tweeted out shortly after that — ‘a mistake shouldn’t be your attacker, it should be your teacher.’ I’ve definitely learned from that situation. I definitely have not let that situation change the pacing of me succeeding in anything.”

Rush competes mainly on the NXT live tour. So far, he’s only appeared on NXT programming twice. He’s lost to Lars Sullivan and the Velveteen Dream.

William Regal stated the following in regard to Rush’s comments about Emma last year:

“We all make mistakes. All the people who’ve had “heat” or problems, have I ever joined in with the pack on you? Perhaps a chat and a bit of guidance would be better. Being a Pro comes in many ways in and out of the ring.”

Scott Hall Invaded WCW 22 Years Ago Today

Scott Hall invaded WCW Nitro on May 27th, 1996. His appearance kicked off one of the most significant angles in wrestling history.

Former WCW President, Eric Bischoff, commented on the famous angle during his “83 Weeks” podcast recently.

“It’s hard for me to create a timeline that occurred 20 years ago, especially with the angle of the nWo,” Bischoff said.  “When I knew Scott Hall was coming in, probably a couple of weeks before he was due to arrive, at least in my mind, from what I remember now, that is when the idea started to form in my head. I knew that I wanted to do this reality-based angle.”

“I wanted to do this storyline where the audience didn’t know whether or not the story was real or it was scripted. Scott and Kevin worked with WCW previously. Scott and Kevin both felt that WCW didn’t treat them well, and that they weren’t being treated as stars, etc. We have heard it all before. They went to WWF and became bigger stars, or big stars in WWF. Storyline-wise it became apparent to me that it was a perfect catalyst of these two guys that used to work here and got pissed off, they left, became big stars and then came back to exact revenge. That was the premise of the nWo storyline.”

transcription credit: Wrestling Inc.

Owen Hart Wins the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Owen Hart became the first foreign wrestler to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on this day 30 years ago. Hart defeated Hiroshi Hase on May 27th, 1988 for the belt.

Hart was just the 6th ever champion in the belts lineage. He defended it just once against Keiichi Yamada. Hart would hold the title just 28 days before dropping it to Shiro Koshinaka. The current champion is CHAOS’, Will Ospreay, who is currently competing in the 25th Best of the Super Juniors tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQU-fJB1N_g

Don Callis On Impact Wrestling: “The Brand Has Not Been Cool”

Since Anthem announced the new Impact Wrestling management team late last year, the promotion has set out to improve their image.

Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, and Ed Nordholm have now run two sets of TV tapings, a pay-per-view, and several live events since taking over the helm. While ratings and fan response have both seen moderate improvement in the last few months, the bookers know it will be an uphill battle to erase some of the promotion’s past in the minds of wrestling fans.

The three members of Impact’s management team took part in an interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated recently.

Don Callis on Re-Building Impact Wrestling

“The brand has not been cool,” Callis stated to PWI. “And we all know that if we create a great product with compelling storylines and excellent talent, and we have an open environment, working collaboratively with talent and with other promotions, we all of a sudden are breaking paradigms of the wrestling business. That will then make us cool and give us a buzz.”

Callis can also be heard on his weekly podcast, “Killin the Town w/ Storm and Cyrus”, giving his theories on wrestling booking. This week, Callis discussed how he is not in favor of scripted promos for wrestlers as he believes few wrestlers are good enough actors to pull this off.

“It’s going to be destination programming,” he said of his plans for Impact. “And we’re not going to have to ask for it. I just think we’re going to get it. And that may sound a bit brash, if I have my executive hat on. But if I and Scott and Ed and the team did not believe we could be the best, then we have no business in this position.”

Impact Wrestling features a branded show this Thursday night. Austin Aries challenges Pentagon Jr. for the Impact World Championship at “Under Pressure”.

Daniel Bryan Admits He Doesn’t Ask To Be Pushed

Daniel Bryan recently appeared on the “Why Not Now?” podcast hosted by Amy Jo Martin. During the episode, Bryan spoke about how he struggles to advocate for himself and his character backstage.

“I’ve never been very good at being like, ‘Hey you guys should do more with me’ or ‘you guys should do this or do that with me’,” Bryan stated during the podcast. “I’ve never been someone who is motivated by that or pushes himself towards that or pushes myself towards financial goals, or pushing myself towards anything other than what I love to do. And I’m constantly having to remind myself, like, ‘hey, if you want to get to the next level where I want to be, you do have to do some pushing here.’ And so yeah, that’s a constant thing that I struggle with.”

Bryan and the show’s host are starting a book club as well. They will be reviewing Hans Rosling’s “Factfulness” beginning next month.

Daniel Bryan in 2018

It’s been an up and down return to WWE recently for Daniel Bryan. Including house shows, Bryan has now wrestled 16 matches since being medically cleared to compete.  Bryan teamed up with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and they beat their rivals Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in his first match back after 3 years.

A dream match between Bryan and AJ Styles went to a no-contest on the first episode of Smackdown after WM34. Bryan then lasted a record amount of time in the Greatest Royal Rumble from Saudi Arabia. At Backlash, Bryan submitted Big Cass in just under 8 minutes. He then suffered his first televised loss in a single’s match to Rusev on the May 8th edition of Smackdown. Rusev qualified for the Money in the Bank match as a result of the victory.

This week on Smackdown, Bryan submitted Jeff Hardy in a match where the winner qualified for another shot at MITB qualification. Bryan will meet Samoa Joe next week with the winner moving on to the MITB match.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quote

Kenny Omega Responds To Jim Cornette Burying His Work

Jim Cornette is not a fan of Kenny Omega. As he does with all of his opinions, Cornette has made this one perfectly clear.

While previous rivals of Cornette’s have gone so far as to take out restraining orders against him, Omega believes a good hard-handed Tweet is enough to get the job done.

Cornette sent out the following response to a video of Kota Ibushi giving repeated Canadian Destroyers to a dummy:

To which Omega responded with:

Jim Cornette vs Kenny Omega on Social Media

Kenny Omega really has warned Cornette about tagging him in his posts before. Omega has said Cornette can bury him all he wants but would rather he didn’t tag him in the comments so that they appear on his Twitter timeline.

Omega first made these statements to Cornette last year:

The Young Bucks were a little surprised that Omega let Cornette off so easy:

https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/888077757527097344

Meanwhile, Chris Jericho at one time thought Cornette would make the perfect manager for him while he feuded with Omega.

What is Jim Cornette’s Issue with Omega and the Young Bucks?

Cornette’s old-school no-nonsense approach to pro-wrestling is unwavering. As a result, he is not in favor of highspot-centric wrestling which he feels is exhibited by many of today’s modern wrestlers.

In some cases, Cornette believes this wrestling is too dangerous and at other times he feels it hurts the credibility of the sport.

In response to a question about why he continues to tag Omega in his posts, Cornette posted the following:

Kenny Omega probably isn’t too concerned about Cornette at the moment, however. One of the biggest matches of his career is upcoming at NJPW’s Dominion show on June 9th, 2018.

Omega will challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada, in a best 2-out-of-3 falls match. Should Omega be victorious, he will only be the second member of Bullet Club to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Bret Hart Remembers Owen, Possible Shot Thrown At Martha?

This week was the 19th anniversary of Owen Hart’s tragic death. He was to descend from the rafters of Kansas City’s Kemper Arena on May 23rd, 1999 but tragedy struck. Owen died after falling from the arena rafters and landing chest first on the top rope.

His official cause of death was listed as internal bleeding due to blunt force trauma. He was only 34 at the time of his death.

Yesterday, Owen’s older brother Bret sent out the following to his social media accounts:

What Did Bret Hart Mean?

Owen’s widow Martha does not want WWE to profit off of using Owen’s likeness. This likely has prevented Owen from being inducted into the Hall of Fame or receiving the historical attributes many feel he should on WWE programming.

In 2010, Martha and WWE were in court over WWE continuing to use Owen’s likeness. Bret responded with the following statement:

“I feel that it’s ridiculous for anyone to think they are serving the best interests of Owen’s memory or his children to pretend he wasn’t a wrestler. Not only was he a wrestler, he was a great one and proud of it. I personally believe Martha Hart has done nothing to keep his memory alive and sadly, he fades from view a little more every year. I do suspect this lawsuit is more about publicity, ego, and small-mindedness than it is about pro-wrestling and all of those that are in it.”

The Fight Network talked with Bret in 2015. He spoke to John Pollock on the topic of Owen’s 2015 DVD:

Owen Hart DVD

In 2015, a planned DVD about Owen was in the works. After learning of the planned documentary, Martha made the following statement:

“My children and I were unaware of this project until May 7, when it was brought to our attention by a friend who had read about it online. Contrary to your report, we do not back or support it in any way, nor has WWE requested our backing or support. From what little we know of the project, it seems to be another attempt to exploit Owen’s memory, and his tragic death, for commercial gain. We have resisted that kind of initiative for almost 16 years. If WWE really wanted to honor Owen’s legacy, it would just let him rest in peace.”

CM Punk’s Lawyers Pushing For Trial With WWE Doctor

There is reason to believe that 2018 could feature yet another “Summer of Punk”. The 39-year-old is scheduled to face Mike Jackson on the main card of UFC 225 in Chicago later next month. He also could be headed to trial with WWE’s doctor, Chris Amann.

Last week, reports were the two sides were negotiating on a settlement. Now it appears Punk is pushing for a trial by jury.

Amann filed the suit against him in 2014 after Punk appeared on his friend Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast. During the interview, Punk made derogatory comments regarding the medical care he received from Amann while in WWE. Amann’s legal team is seeking $1 million in damages from the libel and slander lawsuit.

Before his fight with Mickey Gall in 2016, Punk was asked if WWE or Vince McMahon had wished him luck. Punk responded, “No, he’s currently bankrolling a lawsuit against me, so I don’t think he’s going to be reaching out.”

CM Punk at All-In

There has also been recent speculation that CM Punk could appear at the “All-In” event on September 1st, 2018. Punk was not announced as one of the many wrestling personalities taking part in Starrcast or All-In. He is scheduled for a Meet and Greet with fans at the Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago the night before the event, however. This has led some fans to believe Punk could make an appearance at the show.

Punk was also reported to have been backstage during the All-In press conference which was also held at the Pro Wrestling Tees retail outlet.

“I’m just saying [All In] literally might be the best in the world,” said Jenn Sterger, the host of the press conference. “I will only say someone wearing sweatpants and training for something walked into the back of the building that the press conference was in, with marks, mind you, lining the entire sidewalks in the front of the building, and I just kept thinking ‘If they knew you were back here, they would literally tear down the front of the store.’”

Impact Wrestling 5/24/18 Announced Matches and Segments

Impact wrestling presents a taped show from their April TV tapings in Orlando tonight. It will be the final show before the branded episode titled “Under Pressure” next week.

While next week’s episode will feature an Impact Wrestling world championship match between Pentagon Jr and Austin Aries, tonight’s episode will feature the X-Division title in the main event.

Impact Wrestling 5/24/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-a7rIbupGs

LAX vs the Cult of Lee

  • LAX has defeated Cult of Lee before but that was when they had Konnan in their corner.
  • Following losing their titles to Scott Steiner and Eli Drake, LAX then lost to Andrew Everett and DJZ.
  • These two teams were shown arguing backstage last week.

Dezmond Xavier vs Petey Williams

  • This X division contest could go along way in determining future title challengers.

Kongo Kong vs Moose

  • Moose saved Grado from a beating by Kongo Kong last week.
  • This week, Jimmy Jacobs’ monster goes one-on-one with “Mr. Impact”

OVE vs Drago and Aerostar

  • This one is being billed as a matchup between different styles. The unpredictable nature of Sami Callihan’s run-in buddies against the highflying luchadors.

X-Division Championship 
Matt Sydal (c) vs El Hijo Del Fantasma

  • Sydal faces the biggest test to his X-Division reign so far tonight against Fantasma.
  • As King Cuerno, Fantasma is a former Gift of the Gods champion in Lucha Underground.

John Hennigan Possibly Headed To New Japan Pro Wrestling?

There is speculation that John Hennigan (Johnny Mundo/Impact/Morrison/Nitro) could be headed to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In addition to being featured in the upcoming 4th season of Lucha Underground, Hennigan is also expected to be a contestant on the upcoming season of the reality TV show Survivor.

According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hennigan has inquired about possibly being brought into New Japan Pro Wrestling. NJPW had previously been interested in Hennigan but at the time his contract situation made a deal difficult. Hennigan’s relationship with AAA was seen as preventative to him coming in as NJPW’s Mexican talent exchange partner is CMLL. NJPW has been less strict on this policy as of late, however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wp-ayjD2KE

Johnny Impact in 2018

Hennigan wrestled his first match in 3 months on May 12th, 2018. He competed for Rey Mysterio’s Lucha Mayhem show from El Cajon, CA. Mysterio and Psychosis defeated Brian Cage and Hennigan. It has since been revealed that Hennigan had stepped away from wrestling earlier this year in order to film Survivor.

Currently in Impact Wrestling, his absence has been explained via an injury angle with Kongo Kong and Jimmy Jacobs.

Hennigan held the Lucha Underground Championship for most of season 3 but ended up losing it at Ultima Lucha III.

WWE’s Win Is UFC’s Loss In TV Contract Negotiations

WWE is entering into a new age of profitability via new television contracts with both the USA Network and Fox Network. The company’s stock hit an all-time high earlier this week.

The new agreements will go into effect beginning in October 2019 and covers the period between October 1st, 2019 to September 30th, 2024.

A recent report from the Wrestling Observer has revealed new details about WWE’s new television contracts.

Fox Walks Away From UFC After Deal With WWE

Fox had been negotiating on a possible deal with the UFC at the same time they were negotiations with WWE. The Network had a $200 million budget to work with in order to go after live programming and had tabled offers to both the UFC and WWE. The deal they signed with WWE is estimated at $4 million per week or $205 million annually.

After the deal to bring Smackdown to Fox was completed, the Network walked away from negotiations with the UFC.

“UFC played chicken with FOX and lost,” stated an anonymous TV insider.

The Sports Business Journal reported that Fox wanted an exclusive deal with the UFC but was willing to negotiate a deal that would involve other networks only not at a $10 million per show asking price.

The UFC ended up signing a deal with ESPN (separate from the previously announced streaming deal) believed to be valued at $150 million per year or $50 million less than the offer Fox had tabled.

ESPN and UFC’s two deals combined are estimated at $300 million per year.

FOX and ESPN Release Statements

ESPN released the following statement about their new agreement with the UFC:

“ESPN’s unparalleled multimedia platform is the perfect home for the UFC and will deliver tremendous value to both parties,” the ESPN statement reads. “UFC fans are passionate and loyal and we plan to bring the full power of ESPN’s live coverage, powerful storytelling and unmatched distribution to serve them in an unprecedented fashion. We can’t wait to get started.”

Fox released the following statement following news the UFC would be leaving their network:

“FOX Sports has enjoyed an amazing partnership with the UFC over the last seven years. As FOX Sports was planning the launch of FS1, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were the first partners to believe in the idea and vision of the new network. We look forward to finishing out 2018 with more exciting live events and wish the UFC continued success in the years to come.”

205 Live Results (5/22/18)

205 Live last night presented a show from Worcester, MA. Next week will be a show from the brand, as Cedric Alexander will finally defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Buddy Murphy.

205 Live Results 5/22/18

1. Drew Gulak defeated Gran Metalik

  • Before the match, a backstage promo from Gulak was shown. Gulak said he plans on showing all the high-flying cruiserweights that when they get in the ring with him, they will tap out.
  • The submission expert got his knees up as Metalik went for springboard moonsault and this allowed Gulak to lock in the Gu-Lock and get the victory.
  • Gulak has now defeated Kalisto and Gran Metalik from the Lucha House Party.

2. TJP defeated Christopher Guy

  • Christopher Guy is actually Chikara’s Juan Francisco de Coronado.
  • TJP won with a Detonation Kick.
  • After the match, TJP was interviewed in the ring and stated he is the best technical wrestler in the world and has carried the division on his back. He seemed frustrated with 205 Live GM, Drake Maverick and said he wants bigger challenges. The commentators speculated he could sign somewhere else.

Several mentions were made of some well-reviewed matches between Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali on the recent European tour.

3. Hideo Itami defeated Akira Tozawa

  • These two had been a team in recent weeks but lost two straight matches. They ended up in a shoving match last week following their loss.
  • In a promo to start the show, Itami said he didn’t need a partner and didn’t want one either.
  • Tozawa missed his diving Cannonball Senton and this allowed Itami to go on offense. He hit several basement dropkicks before hitting a neckbreaker into a knee-to-face (not a GTS).

Cody Left WWE 2 Years Ago, Here’s What’s Happened Since

Cody Runnells was granted his release from WWE on May 22nd, 2016. A lot has happened since that time. It was believed then that Cody was frustrated with WWE’s creative department. He had been pleading with writers to end the Stardust gimmick for months and felt his numerous storyline pitches were being ignored.

Shortly after Cody was released, several members of the media chimed in with their belief WWE never gave Cody a chance.

“I can’t say I blame him a bit. Not even a little bit. WWE never gave him a real chance, and that’s just sad to me,” Dave Scherer of Pro Wrestling Insider stated.

Dave Meltzer noted at the time that Cody was “used as more of a lower and mid-card wrestler in a number of changing roles”, and also added that “his career had gone nowhere and he hadn’t been used well.”

Cody 2016-Present

Cody’s frustration would continue shortly after leaving the company when it was revealed WWE would be preventing him from using the last name “Rhodes”. Although he had never used the name outside of WWE, Cody protested against the patenting of a name his father made famous and that was associated so strongly with his family.

Cody debuted in Ring of Honor at the Final Battle PPV that December. He promptly turned heel during his match with Jay Lethal at the event. Cody then signed a deal to make Ring of Honor is home promotion but a few months later the deal would be re-worked.

On December 10th, 2016, Cody was shown in a video package which aired during NJPW’s World Tag League. Cody was announced as the newest member of Bullet Club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Gag53jOCM

Cody Wins ROH World Title

Cody won the ROH World Title at Best in the World 2017. He defeated Christopher Daniels after being involved in a 3-way feud for the title which also involved Jay Lethal.

He defended the title 14x and held it for 175 days before dropping it to Dalton Castle at Final Battle 2017. Cody has only recently announced he plans to cash-in his rematch clause later this summer.

Cody Reacts to Starrcade

That September, Cody reacted negatively to news WWE would be running an event named Starrcade.

Michael Hayes then offered Cody a spot on the show:

Just days after Hayes’ offer to appear on a WWE show, Cody and ROH announced he had signed a multi-year exclusive deal with the company.

Being the Elite and Bullet Club Civil War

Tension began to mount between Cody and Kenny Omega over the leadership of Bullet Club in 2017. This played out mainly on the YouTube series “Being the Elite” as well as on NJPW and ROH shows.

In 2018, the long-teased rivalry between Omega and Cody kicked off. Cody turned on Omega at the New Beginning in Sapporo after Omega lost his IWGP US title to Jay White. The split in Bullet Club would lead to a Young Bucks vs Golden Lovers match at Strong Style Evolved and a match between Cody and Omega at ROH’s biggest show of the year.

Cody would defeat Omega and recently defeated Kota Ibushi at Wrestling Dontaku 2018. There has been tension teased between Marty Scurll and Cody recently as well which could turn into a storyline soon. His feud with Omega appears to be on the backburner as Omega prepares to face Kazuchika Okada on June 9th, 2018.

All-In

Not long after leaving WWE, Cody tweeted a list of goals he was setting for himself. One goal he has mentioned repeatedly in the last 2 years is to main event a show in a 10,000 seat arena.

The All-In event organized by the Young Bucks and Cody sold out the Sears Center in Chicago just minutes after going on sale. Cody will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the event.

It’s been an eventful 2 years for Cody, ROH, NJPW and Bullet Club and it’s possible we haven’t even seen the full extent of what Cody can do outside WWE.

XFL Posts Several Job Openings, Including For Football Players

The XFL is hiring!

The new league which is expected to kick off in 2020, is in need of qualified people for several positions including for football players.

In order to apply for the job of “football player” to the XFL, one need only fill out this form.

Players are asked to fill out a form indicating what position they play and asked to mention if they have ever played in the NFL, CFL, XFL, Arena, or European football leagues. Players are expected to send the XFL links to their social media accounts as part of their application.

XFL Job Openings

The league needs more than football players, however. 6 executive positions located in Stamford, CT have also been advertised on the XFL Careers page.

The XFL is looking for a VP of Finance and Accounting, a Director of Social media and Content, SVP of Marketing, VP of Communications and Media Relations, Director Project Management, and VP of Project Management.

As for big-name players who could end up in the league in 2020, it’s not clear who exactly could end up in the league. Charlie Ebersol’s other league begins next year and could scoop up several non-NFL players the XFL might be interested in.

Jonny Manzeil recently signed with the Canadian Football League, which likely will prevent him from ending up in the XFL later.

As for Tim Tebow, he had this to say about possibly ending up in the XFL:

“That’s very nice of him, but 2020 is a long way from now,” Tebow said. “I’m focused on today, I’m focused on spring training and a lot of things before that. I’m not even close to thinking about that right now.”

“What if it’s an “I have no idea?” Tebow answered. “That’s in 2020 and I’m super excited about baseball.”

Tebow is currently in the Mets’ organization pursuing a career in professional baseball.

Lana Reacts to Qualifying For Money In The Bank

Last night on Smackdown, Lana scored her first single’s victory on the WWE main roster. The victory also earned her a spot in next month’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Aiden English unveiled a “Lana Day” sign shortly before the match and led the crowd to chant “Lana Day” throughout the match. Lana’s opponent, Billie Kay, was distracted by English’s actions on the outside which allowed Lana to hit a facebuster and get the win.

WWE cameras caught up with her backstage after the win. Lana spoke about the possibility of her and Rusev becoming Mr. and Mrs. Money in the Bank. Rusev qualified for the men’s Money in the Bank match by defeating Daniel Bryan in the main event of Smackdown on May 8th, 2018.

Lana’s WWE Wrestling Career

Lana has won a few matches on NXT house shows but her first win on the WWE main roster came in the 1st round of the Mixed Match Challenge. Rusev and Lana defeated Bayley and Elias before being eliminated by Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode in the 2nd round.

Not including house shows, Lana has wrestled 13 matches on the WWE main roster. She’s now lost 11 of those matches and won 2. She’s wrestled for the Smackdown women’s championship 3x and lost all 3 to Naomi. Although originally hired to serve as a valet for Rusev, Lana has been wrestling consistently on house shows since being sent to NXT for additional training last year.

“Lana is the best, Lana #1” – Rusev (and others)

Rusev Day Not Lasting Much Longer?

Fans of Rusev will not be pleased to learn his character is believed to be in for a change soon. Current speculation is the funny side of Rusev is not expected to be shown on television much longer. Yesterday, it was reported Rusev may return to his more ruthless character shortly.

What do you think of WWE’s booking of Lana and Rusev? Tell us what you think below:

Smackdown & 205 Live Previews For Tonight (5/22/18)

Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from the DCU Center in Worcester, MA tonight. A few changes have been made to the card since matches were announced last week.

Big Cass was originally scheduled to face Samoa Joe in a Money in the Bank qualifying match but after selling an injury on the recent European tour, WWE has pulled Cass from the match. Instead of Cass vs Joe, Daniel Bryan will face Jeff Hardy with the winner facing Samoa Joe in a MITB qualification match next week.

Smackdown 5/22/18 Preview

Daniel Bryan vs Jeff Hardy

  • Smackdown General Manager, Paige, announced this match on Twitter recently. She stated that due to big Cass’s injury, the winner of Daniel Bryan versus Jeff Hardy will meet Samoa Joe next week. The winner of that match will qualify for Money In The Bank.

MizTV w/the New Day

  • New Day defeated the Bar in a match to determine which team would be able to select one member to compete in the Money In The Bank match.
  • This week on Smackdown, the Miz has promised to find out which member they will pick.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
Billie Kay vs Lana

  • Billy Kay will wrestle Lana in singles action with the winner qualifying for the Money In The Bank match.
  • It’s a big match for both as Lana doesn’t have much success in the ring and Billie Kay is still relatively new to the main roster.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match
Naomi vs Sonya Deville

  • The former member of Absolution, Sonya Deville, will get a chance to qualify for the money in the bank match tonight. Naomi will be a tough opponent, however.

205 Live 5/22/18 Preview

Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander Segment

  • Buddy Murphy will challenge for Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship next week on 205 Live. We can expect some type of segment to preview this match tonight.

Akira Tozawa vs Hideo Itami

  • These two had been a tag team in recent weeks, only two successive losses led to infighting amongst the pair.
  • Tonight they will meet in one-on-one action to determine who was the stronger of their team.

WWE PPVS Going To 4-Hours, Big Shows Even Longer

WWE has informed their broadcast partners that all PPV events will now be extended to 4 hours in length. The promotion only recently reverted back to all co-branded PPVs following WrestleMania 34.

Big events, such as SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, could even run longer than the new 4-hour standard. This is according to a recent report from PW Insider which is stating WWE has communicated this information to those who still air these shows in a traditional pay-per-view format.

Listings for the Money in the Bank PPV are stating the start time as 7PM. The Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia was 5 hours in length.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNH_50ibzLM

WWE PPV Length

The length of WWE pay-per-views has been steadily increasing over time. Originally, even the big 4 PPVs rarely lasted longer than three hours. When the company first switched to a monthly pay-per-view format, non-cornerstone shows were dubbed as “In Your House” events and had a run time of only two hours.

In recent years, however, PPV lengths for WWE and other promotions have increased. While New Japan Pro Wrestling has seemingly decreased their show length, it was not uncommon for some shows to run as long as five hours or more not too long ago.

The switch to longer PPVs is likely a way to book more talent on the shows. Following WrestleMania 34, WWE moved away from brand-specific PPVs and announced that all of these events will now be co-branded. As this creates more competition for spots on the events, WWE may have decided it was in their best interest to create more space on these shows.

What do you think of the new 4-hour standard length for all WWE PPVs? Tell us in the comments section below:

Eric Bischoff Explains Why He Unmasked Rey, How He’d Book Roman Reigns, more…

Arguably one of the most influential figures in the history of pro wrestling, former WCW President Eric Bischoff, recently took part in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. The always outspoken Bischoff commented on controversial decisions he made during his tenure with World Championship Wrestling as well as how he would book WWE’s current product today.

Eric Bischoff AMA Highlights

Bischoff’s response to being asked why he unmasked Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juventud Guerrera:

“The goal in unmasking Rey and Juventud was to further establish their real characters with the audience. And while the strength of the mask in Mexico is obviously very important and even moreso today in the United States than it was back in the late ’90s, but Rey and Guerrera were very good-looking athletes.

As anyone who’s worked with Vince McMahon or WWE will tell you, you sell emotions with your face and expressions during a match. To a certain degree, masked wrestlers are at a certain disadvantage at getting the audience to relate to them by seeing their facial emotions during a match. The goal was to attempt to broaden the appeal for those characters by allowing the audience to feel their emotions at a greater level during matches.”

On if he would stick with Roman as the top guy if he were in charge of WWE:

“I might stick with Roman or move onto someone else. It’s impossible to say unless someone is involved with the process on a very close basis. I don’t know enough about Roman’s strengths/weaknesses as a person to know what his potential really is.

I think that is often the case when fans judge talent and wonder why someone is not getting a bigger push, or why someone is getting such a big push, when as fans/viewers you don’t really see everything there is to see when it comes to a specific talent’s skills, abilities, or potential.”

On how he would make modern day wrestling feel less bland:

I would try to bring more spontaneity to the product, I would de-emphasize the scripted performances, and emphasize talent who have the ability to cut great unscripted promos. The scripted nature of both matches and promos creates an atmosphere of sameness. Clearly this works, as we’re reading now with the Smackdown on Fox news, but that sameness makes the product feel stale and predictable.”

On if he regrets not pushing more mid-card talent or cruiserweights in WCW:

“I don’t regret anything because I’ve said in my 83 weeks podcast, context is really king. In terms of context, the Cruiserweight division was a very important part of Nitro’s success. That, combined with the fact that we had a very dense main event roster (Savage, Hogan, Piper, Sting, Luger, Goldberg, DDP, to name a few) that there’s only so much room at the very top. With context of the time, I don’t regret pushing some of that well-established talent off to the side to try to make room for a lesser known, though incredibly talented roster, but any objective person would most likely agree that the only reason why Jericho/Eddie/Benoit were able to get over the way they did was because of the massive amount of prime time exposure that I gave them in WCW.

But I wouldn’t have been able to achieve that same thing during the late ’90s with the Cruiserweight division because I had too many bigger stars in main event positions.”