Vice TV has released a trailer for CHYNA, the upcoming documentary on the life and career of Joanie “Chyna” Laurer. It premieres Thursday, June 17th at 9pm (EST) on Vice.
“The rise and fall of iconic, trailblazing female wrestler Chyna—told through exclusive footage from the last year of her life.“
Director Marah Strauch spoke to PEOPLE about the project.
“Joanie aka Chyna’s meteoric rise and fall is the stuff of Shakespearian drama, but underneath all that flash, she was an intelligent and sensitive person who struggled with addiction,” Strauch said.
“This documentary will give viewers an intimate and unfiltered view of her personal journey as a pop culture icon and beyond and will compassionately tell the true story of Chyna’s last year of life,” she continued.
Chyna’s mother, Janet LaQue, will participate in the documentary. She spoke to PEOPLE about her decision to do so.
“I participated in this documentary because, as Joanie’s mom, it was important to me to have the opportunity to tell my side of the story,” LaQue said. “Joanie was an awesome human being not only in the ring but, more importantly, beyond the ring. She was a wonderful person.”
“Joanie’s story is important to tell because people should know the vast extent her life’s positive impact had on so many others,” she added. “Her gentle, loving and caring way was astounding despite the inner grief and sadness she carried at the same time.”
Posted June 4th, 2021 in WWE, News. Tagged: Chyna.
Serena Deeb defeated Riho in a well-reviewed match from the Double or Nothing Kickoff show this weekend. She’ll look to defend her NWA Women’s Championship against Kamille on an NWA PPV this weekend. She spoke to Jim Varsallone from the Miami Herald recently about her time in the AEW, NWA, and what working as a trainer for WWE taught her about wrestling.
Deeb also mentioned that the Double or Nothing crowd she performed in front of this weekend was the most special of her career.
“This was the most special crowd I’ve ever been in front of in my entire career,” Deeb said. “I truly feel that way. The people were just clearly so happy to be there and so happy that we made it through, things are starting to resume normalcy a little bit, and it was amazing.”
Serena Deeb on How Working as a Trainer Improved Her Ability as a Wrestler
Deeb was with WWE as a trainer from 2017-2020. She spoke during the interview about how she feels this experience made her a better wrestler.
“The time that I was coaching, it really opened my mind up in different ways to wrestling,” she said.
“Because when you’re coaching you have to not only tell people what to do and how to do it and all these things but you have to tell them why, why they’re doing it. There’s a lot of whys in wrestling and if you don’t understand why you’re doing something at the time you’re doing it, there’s a little bit of a disconnect. So now I think I’m putting the pieces of the puzzle together a little bit better, a little bit more sharply.”
She was asked about why she decided to take the coaching position with WWE in 2017. Deeb noted that she had been out of wrestling for about 2 years at that point. She got very immersed in yoga and began teaching. WWE approached her about being in the Mae Young Classic and offered her a coaching position after. She said that at the time, it just seemed like the right next step for her.
Deeb was released from the position in April of 2020. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her, however. She now says she’s having the most fun of her career.
“When I took the coaching job I did feel a little bit torn,” Deeb continued. “I felt a little bit conflicted. I didn’t feel like I was completely done wrestling. There was a little piece of me that still felt I had something to contribute in the ring. So, the way that the cards were dealt with everything in the past year it’s been such a blessing in disguise because I was able to get back in the ring.”
“Right now, I feel that I’m doing the best work of my career and having the most fun in my career and I’m really thankful the way everything’s turned out,” Deeb continued.
Serena Deeb On Her Influences, What Wrestling She Watches and Studies
Now with AEW and NWA, Deeb says she’s watching and studying more wrestling than ever before.
“Right now, I’m watching more wrestling than I’ve ever watched in my life, I’m studying more wrestling than I’ve ever studied.”
She continued to say that she’s watching a lot of Bret Hart and Eddie Guerrero matches. Dean Malenko and Lance Storm were also mentioned. She likes the technicians.
Deeb will defend her NWA Women’s Championship this weekend on PPV. She’ll face Kamille on the NWA: When Our Shadow Falls PPV on Sunday.
Tony Khan is headed back to Impact Wrestling. The AEW President hasn’t been seen on the show in recent weeks. With Impact moving to Thursday nights, Khan’s weekly paid advertisement for Dynamite haven’t been airing. It was revealed on this week’s show, however, that Khan will return to Impact Wrestling next week.
Khan will appear on Impact Wrestling next week in order to help Impact’s Scott D’Amore sort out the issues between Kenny Omega, Sami Callihan, and Moose. This could involve changing the Against All Odds main event to a triple threat match.
Kenny Omega, The Good Brothers, and Don Callis caused a disqualification in the main event match between Moose and Sami Callihan this week on Impact. Scott D’Amore then told Callis that Tony Khan will be on Impact next week to potentially provide AEW approval for a change to the Against All Odds main event. Currently, Omega is scheduled to defend against Moose but it certainly sounds as though D’Amore wants Khan to agree to have Omega defend the title in a triple threat match against both Moose and Callihan.
Impact Wrestling’s 2nd last show before next weekend’s Against All Odds event aired last night. The “Before the Impact” show also featured a 60-minute Ironman match pitting X-Division Champion Josh Alexander against TJP.
Impact Wrestling 6/3 Quick Results:
X-Division Championship 60-Minute Ironman Match Josh Alexander (c) defeteated TJP (2:1 in Overtime)
Tables Match Jake Something defeated Rohit Raju
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) defeated Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering
Satoshi Kojima defeated Deaner
Moose vs Sami Callihan – No Contest
Josh Alexander Retains X-Division Gold In 60-Minute Iron Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jExPhinXpQk&t=66s
Josh Alexander retained the X-Division Championship in an epic Ironman match with TJP. The match began on BTI, spilled into the main broadcast, and caused the locker room to empty out from the back to watch the show.
Alexander would score the first fall 20 minutes into the match with a pinning combination. That would be the only fall before the match moved from BTI to the regular weekly Impact Wrestling broadcast. The second fall wouldn’t come until just seconds of the match were remaining when TJP rolled up Alexander to tie the score. This sent us to sudden death overtime.
Alexander hit a big moonsault on TJP early in the overtime period for a near fall. He then hit a big power bomb for another close 2-count. Finally, Alexander hit his double-underhook piledriver, got the pin, and successfully retained his title.
Jake Something Defeats Rohit Raju In A Tables Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypZjPMPHzuw
Jame Something and Rohit Raju had the unenviable task of following the Ironman match this week. This match dates back to Raju interfering in a match where Something had the chance to qualify for a #1 Contenders match at Under Siege. Something would get his revenge against Raju this week, however. The finish of the match came when Raju tossing a chair at Something’s head had little impact and Something then speared him through a table.
W. Morrissey Attacks Rich Swann Before Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kANC9X3h3tA
W. Morrissey has been making quite the impact since debuting in the promotion. This is a bitter, angry, and violent man. Morrissey approached Scott D’Amore in the back about a match with Swann this week. D’Amore obliged, noting that Swann had requested the match as well. As Swann made his way to the ring, however, Morrissey attacked him from behind. Security had to come out to pull him off the former world champion and Willie Mack also came out to assist.
A match between Swann and Morrissey was made for Against All Odds. Another match between Mack and Morrissey was made for next week under No DQ rules.
Fire N Flava Retain Over Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2vWlKWjxzA
Fire N Flava picked up another win over former champions Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering this week. This likely ends the long-running rivalry between the two teams. The finish of the match came shortly after Steelz took Ellering out with a DDT on the floor. This allowed Fire N Flava to double team Grace. Hogan hit Grace with a splash off the top while Steelz had a sleeper locked in and this allowed the champs to pick up the pinfall win.
The former Forgotten Sons member Steve Cutler (aka Steve Maclin) is on his way to Impact Wrestling. A vignette aired on this week’s show featuring Maclin sitting at a desk and enjoying a drink.
Satoshi Kojima Debuts in Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UEcyAF6e70
Satoshi Kojima will rekindle his old feud with Joe Doering at Against All Odds this weekend. He faced Deaner in his Impact Wrestling debut on this week’s show. The members of Violent Design attempted to cause some interference but Eddie Edwards came out to thwart them off. This allowed Kojima to hit a Koji Cutter followed by a lariat for the win.
Against All Odds Main Event To Be Changed To A Triple Threat?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njLqH7GFb90
The main event match between Moose and Sami Callihan was broken up this week by the Good Brothers. Earlier in the show, Callis visited with both Moose and Callihan to butter them up for various reasons. Neither man seemed to be fooled by Callis disingenuous efforts, however. Omega and the Good Brothers continued the assault on both men before leaving the ring area.
Scott D’Amore then confronted the group in the back after. D’Amore put it out there that perhaps a triple threat match should be made involving both Moose and Callihan. He also noted that Tony Khan will return to Impact Wrestling next week as AEW would have to agree to such a match. Khan will be on-hand to help D’Amore deal with the issues that have developed between Omega, the Good Brothers and Moose and Sami Callihan. This could involve a change to the Against All Odds main event.
Many fans were surprised that former Universal Champion Braun Strowman was released from WWE this week.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, multiple factors went into his release. These included his high salary, the debut of other giants to the main roster, and the lack of a no-cut clause in his contract. Strowman was earning $1.2 million and did not have a no-cut clause in his contract which many top-talent do.
“One person noted he made a huge mistake in negotiations because when he signed his new deal, he was considered a hot commodity and if he pushed for it, probably could have gotten a no-cut contract that a few of the bigger names have,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The addition of new giants to WWE’s main roster is believed to have played a role in Braun’s release as well.
“The decision was made because of the feeling he was two years past his peak and he had become obsolete as the roster giant because of Omos on Raw, Commander Azeez on Smackdown, and perhaps Shanky on Raw,” Meltzer continued.
Braun Strowman’s Future
Braun Strowman put out the following tweet shortly after news of his release was announced:
What a chapter in life. Thank you!!!!!
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) June 2, 2021
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the big man. If he decides to stay in wrestling, there will surely be several companies vying for his services.
One promotion that is already sending out feelers is the National Wrestling Alliance. NWA President Billy Corgan addressed Braun Strowman’s situation this week. During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Corgan said:
“Braun Strowman, if he was green in NXT, I’d be jumping all over it. There aren’t a lot of big guys that have that little of ability. So you think ‘how do you let a guy like that out the door?’ I don’t mean to be critical; I’m not making the business decisions. But I don’t know how you let a guy like that out the door.”
Mark Henry’s relationship with WWE began in 1996 when the company sponsored him in the Summer Olympics that year. The 49-year-old has now signed with AEW. His signing was announced officially during the Double or Nothing PPV broadcast.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Henry made his loyalty to Vince McMahon clear before speaking with Tony Khan. His contract with WWE had expired 6 months prior, however, and when it was not renewed, he made the decision to approach Tony Khan about employment. WWE did not counter what AEW offered him.
“(Henry) said he talked to Vince McMahon, spoke of his loyalty to McMahon, ahead of time even though he hadn’t been with the company, and wanted an office role, and McMahon didn’t offer him something to counter,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Will Mark Henry Wrestle Again?
As was the case with Paul Wight’s signing, there are many wondering if we could see Mark Henry wrestle in an AEW ring. In April, Henry said he plans on wrestling again sometime this year.
“I’ll be 50 years old, and I want to be able to say I wrestled after I was 50 and had a good match,” said Henry on Busted Open Radio in April. “I wrestled in four decades, and that I was able to help somebody in the process or bring attention to somebody that nobody knew. So that’s the whole point in me doing it.”
Last week, reports of negotiations between WWE and NJPW regarding a talent-sharing deal drew much attention. Further details about what exactly has been discussed and what is still being discussed have since been revealed.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a potential deal between the two companies would involve the NXT brand quite a bit.
“The deal talked about would have been more likely be NXT focused and would have things beneficial for both sides and it’s not like WWE is going to buy New Japan or bring in Kazuchika Okada to job for Randy Orton or all the crazy speculation from the past week,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
In terms of whether or not this deal is going to happen, Meltzer speculated that Tony Khan would not have given the speech that he did at Double or Nothing if the WWE/NJPW deal was likely to go through.
“Logic would indicate Tony Khan would not have cut that video thinking this deal is going to happen any time soon so it’s more likely than not this deal isn’t happening,” Meltzer wrote.
It was also noted that while Nick Khan is a key person in these negotiations, this was not his idea. Daniel Bryan has actually stated in interviews that it was his or at least he was a driving force behind it. Khan has reportedly recommended to Vince McMahon that he pursue a deal with NJPW, however.
What does this have to do with Daniel Bryan?
Daniel Bryan is currently a free agent. He is not signed to WWE. Early discussions between WWE and NJPW are said to have entered around Bryan. This is no longer the case, however.
“Also, while Bryan Danielson was absolutely part of the early talks, that hasn’t been the case of late as far as the major aspect, and one source said he hasn’t been a part of any recent talks,” Meltzer continued.
Ruby Riott was one of the names released by WWE as part of the roster cuts on June 2nd, 2021. The 30-year-old had been with the company since 2016. She released a statement on Instagram today regarding her release.
“Yesterday in a matter of minutes, my life changed very drastically. But after some tears, some panic and a full box of Oreos, I was able look back at how lucky I’ve been to accomplish what have,” the former Heidi Lovelace wrote.
“I never thought I’d make it to WWE. I’ve been honored to be apart of a Squad of the most incredible women I’ve ever met, I’ve gotten to see the world, share locker rooms with some of the most talented women I know, some of which I’ve made lifelong friendships with. I’ve gotten to meet fans that were just like me, introverted kids, who never quite felt like they fit in. And between the locker room and those fans, I felt like I belonged and I’m so grateful for that feeling. With that, I am overwhelmed by the amount of calls/texts/tweets and support that I have received from former coworkers, friends, family and fans. Thank you so much for the kind words. You’ll never know how much it helped.”
“In the beginning ‘Heidi Lovelace’ was given to me, at the end ‘Ruby Riott’ was taken away. So I don’t know what I’ll be called or where I’ll end up. But please know this is far from over. Thank you,” she concluded the message with.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqboOkFb1S/
Outpouring of support for Ruby Riott
Numerous people have been posting online about how much respect they have for Ruby Riott.
“Dori got all the dog Moms roses on Mother’s Day, sent me flowers when my grandma passed away, organized locker room birthday parties, sent a gift to Chelsea from all of us when she got hurt, made Jess a video to tell her we miss her AND is one of the greatest wrestlers out there,” Bayley Tweeted.
“She always made me feel so welcomed whenever I was around her. It meant so much to me. Truly a lovely soul,” said Indi Hartwell.
The last remaining member of the Riott Squad on the WWE roster, Liv Morgan, also commented:
Whoever is lucky enough to get Heidi Lovelace on their roster, you win.
Shortly after Aleister Black was released by WWE yesterday, many fans voiced their opinion that he would make an excellent new leader of the Dark Order. The late Brodie Lee was revealed as the leader of the faction on the May 18th, 2020 episode of Dynamite. He would tragically pass away a little over 7 months later.
John Silver recently took to Twitter to say the Dark Order doesn’t want or need a new leader as they already had the best. Anna Jay responded to say she agrees.
John Silver was on the Kurt Angle podcast recently. During the discussion, he also stated his belief that no one should replace Brodie Lee.
“Whatever Tony wants to do with this I’m okay with. I just didn’t really want anyone to be the next Exalted One. All that I wanted was for no one to replace him (Brodie). If they did have Erick Redbeard come in he’d just be a Dark Order member I wouldn’t want him to be the leader.”
During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Silver discussed the impact that Brodie Lee had on him.
“He was the man. He was such a happy good guy,” Silver said. “There was no negativity, he was always laughing, he would always have this big smile, especially with this big beard he had going on. But he’s just a good guy. He bought the ring jacket I have just because it would help me look more like a star if I had it. He also bought me matching gear that I wore at the Brodie show.”
Yuji Nagata was recently interviewed by NJPW1972.com about his experience in AEW. Nagata challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States title on AEW Dynamite but according to him, he had thought his entire trip to the US was to film shows for New Japan Strong.
“I honestly had thought the whole time we were going to do it on NJPW STRONG. However much I thought about how NJPW and AEW relate, I didn’t think we would do it on Dynamite at all,” Nagata said during the interview.
Nagata was also asked about having returned to TNT in the United States. Nagata regularly appeared on WCW Nitro as part of his excursion to the United States in the 1990s.
“It was a nice piece to that story. In a real way that was part of a warm welcome from them, to have that touch of having that match live on TNT,” Nagata said.
Good morning. I slept slowly until almost noon this morning after a long absence. With plenty of room, start acting in the afternoon. Relaxing my feelings, Yuji Nagata, the oldest 53-year-old, will do his best today.
“I’ve always believed in showing that Yuji Nagata has a lot more fire than the average wrestler. That’s the same for every match, but this time in particular, I was back on TNT for the first time in 23 years.”
“It was being broadcast across the US, and there was a big reaction before the match even started, with social media I definitely got that impression. It was just a shame with COVID, the crowd was pretty limited.”
Yuji Nagata On Wrestling in the United States
Nagata continued to talk about how he was wrestling for the cameras and TV audience while in AEW.
“When you wrestle over there though, it isn’t as much about wrestling to the people in the building as it is wrestling to the cameras and the TV audience. That’s what had me fired up.”
Nagata continued to talk about meeting Moxley in June of 2019 when he ran into the former AEW World Champion at a World Tag League show.
“I thought I would just say hello to be polite, but we ended up chatting for a while. He said he had been watching my matches for a long time, that he had wanted to meet me for a while.”
“I’m a different generation to him, but apparently he saw recent matches of mine and got drawn in,” Nagata continued to say of Moxley.
Nagata also mentioned that he got to meet up with his old WCW manager, Sonny Onoo at the AEW show. He also was visited by Shinsuke Nakamura.
“Sonny isn’t in the best of shape with his heart, but he made it all the way from Iowa to Jacksonville. Shinsuke Nakamura came by my hotel as well.”
Good morning. This morning I went running outside for the first time in a long time. I feel very fit while sweating. Yuji Nagata, the oldest 53-year-old, will continue to do his best for the next turn.
Shaul Guerrero was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet. During the discussion, she mentioned that WWE told her on her first day with the company that she would not be allowed to use the Guerrero name. The daughter of Eddie and Vickie Guerrero was known as Raquel Diaz throughout her time in WWE.
“I remember being told, I’m not going to say by who, that if you suck, we can’t drag your family’s name in the mud. I’m like [shocked expression]. I understood that. Again, it’s like they never said I had to be as good as my dad, but there was always little things like that which are hard to ignore. That was day one.”
Guerrero noted that coming into WWE as the daughter of a legend was difficult.
“When I first went into wrestling, I went into the largest and most prestige company in the world. I am very grateful for that, but that also comes with the biggest amount of pressure. It was so intense, not to mention the Guerrero way, go hard or go home. High expectations are just in the family. I was having panic attacks just going to training sessions.”
Trying to not beat the shit out of myself for needing a slower schedule. Panic attacks and depression everyday is getting tiring and discouraging. Keep holding on. It will get better.
Guerrero stepped away from wrestling in 2014 to deal with an eating disorder. She would marry Matt Rehwoldt/Aiden English in 2016. In 2018, she began performing burlesque under the stage name Miss Nyxon. She returned to wrestling in recent years but this February announced she would be taking a hiatus again to deal with mental health issues. During the interview, Guerrero noted that wrestling can be a bit of a trigger for her.
“I want to be honest and say that wrestling has been a huge blessing in my life. It’s always been the thing that has put food on our table, from me being a child to my husband being in WWE, that’s all I’ve known. But with me wrestling, there is so much pressure and so many expectations. I have put so much pressure on myself because I have huge shoes to fill. It was getting to an unhealthy point for me. I keep trying to be a wrestler and be the wrestler everyone wants me to be, but I think I am content with my skills on the microphone and commentary. I feel the most at home doing that so hopefully someone will have me.”
Jon Moxley was recently interviewed by Metro UK and spoke about the difference between how WWE handles main roster call-ups now and how they did when the Shield was brought up from NXT.
“I mean, it’s different because you’re a known commodity on NXT now, whereas when we came in we were complete nobodies,” Moxley said.
“So, there’s a benefit to that. On the one hand, nobody knows who you are, but on the other hand, you have a completely fresh slate, you’re a complete mystery. You can come right in and starting whooping whoever’s ass you want!”
Could WWE Create Something Similar To The Shield Again?
Moxley was also asked if WWE could possibly create something similar to the Shield again. Mox believes it’s all a matter of if WWE would follow through on their plans.
“The problem is – it doesn’t matter if they’re on NXT, if people know who they are or they don’t. If somebody’s getting over, you’re giving them the opportunity to get over, you’ve gotta actually follow through on pushing a guy or girl.”
“It doesn’t really matter where they came from! That could definitely happen again, it’s just they gotta follow through with it all the way!”
Jon Moxley On How WWE Handles Main Roster Call-Ups Now Vs Then
Moxley also spoke about how getting called up to the main roster used to mean more than it does now. This, he said, impacts how the wrestler then performs on the main roster.
“It was a lot harder to get called up,’ Mox recalled from his time in developmental. “We were this island of misfit toys, and very occasionally somebody might get plucked out like a little toy from Toy Story, picking up the alien guy and he gets to go to this promised land of the main roster.”
“You always have this fear that you’re never going to get called up, so this adds a lot of stress. You can’t just relax. Every day that passes down there before you get called up, you’re like, ‘Is this ever gonna happen? Am I gonna get fired today?’”
Pre-orders for Moxley’s upcoming book are available now:
Sonya Deville was recently interviewed by Variety and spoke about being WWE’s first openly gay female wrestler. She also spoke about the incident last summer involving an obsessed fan breaking into her home.
With Pride month kicking off this week, Deville spoke about being a role model and voice for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I really just want to be a voice for the community in sports — specifically, in the WWE,” said Deville. “I want to let people know that their sexuality doesn’t define them and how they identify doesn’t define them. And I’m a perfect example of it.”
Stop ??? you’re the sweetest and you already are doing it all and some! Thank you for your support and love ?? https://t.co/SPD4DySnxB
She also spoke about coming out on an episode of Tough Enough and worrying that it would hurt her chances of getting hired by WWE.
“I honestly thought that was going to hurt my chances of getting hired. That’s just how naive I was,” she continued. “I didn’t accept myself, so I didn’t think anyone else was going to accept me.”
Deville was also asked about the incident involving an obsessed fan breaking into her home last summer.
“So the trial hasn’t even begun yet,” Deville said of the case. “We’ll probably be dealing with that for the next several months. But I will definitely speak on it once it’s all legally wrapped up. There are things that I want to say that I think could help performers, and just people in general, in the future.”
Sonya Deville on Receiving Messages From Fans
Despite the ordeal, Deville still loves hearing from her fans. She won’t stop being a voice for those who look up to her.
“I would say that about 70% of my fan base is part of the community somehow, some way. I get messages constantly on Instagram and Twitter and emails, just all the people always asking me like, ‘Hey, do you have any advice on how I should come out?’ Or ‘Thank you. You helped me feel OK with myself and my sexuality.’ That’s literally the reason I use my voice.”
The National Wrestling Alliance will allow fans back into the studio this weekend for the first time since the onset of the global pandemic. The promotion has announced that a small number of fans will be permitted to attend this weekend’s PPV and Powerrr tapings.
The NWA will be taping inside the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studio in Atlanta, GA June 5 – 7.
“After an extensive process we are happy to announce we are now able to sell tickets to a small group of fans to be in attendance for the upcoming taping. We understand that this is coming at short notice but we assure you the National Wrestling Alliance has been working very hard for weeks to get plans in place that included having fans in the building,” reads the event description on Eventbrite.
Fans who purchased tickets to a canceled event and did not receive a refund can contact nwa2020tickets@gmail.com to have their tickets transferred to the upcoming tapings.
Masks will be required and temperature checks will be done at the door. Having previously received a vaccine or negative COVID-19 test is recommended but not required.
“The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase was once WWF Champion…sort of. Immediately after Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan to win the title on The Main Event in 1988, he quickly surrendered it to Dibiase. The Hebner brothers were involved as well. It was a fairly controversial night.
Distinguished WWE figurehead Jack Tunney ultimately vacated the championship due to the controversy. A tournament to crown a new champion was set for WrestleMania IV, with Dibiase making it to the finals against the winner, “Macho Man” Randy Savage.
Dibiase now wants his ‘phantom’ title reign to be made official. This despite the fact he never actually beat anybody to win it. He has issued a petition to make his reign official.
“In February of 1988, Ted enslisted the services of the legendary Andre The Giant to assist with capturing the WWF Championship,” reads a description of the petition. “Andre was successful in pinning Hulk Hogan at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, IN. In the history books WWE has decided not to recognize this title reign even though Ted defended the championship at a live show against Bam Bam Bigelow.”
Dibiase did wrestle Bam Bam Bigelow at several WWF house shows in February of 1988 before Tunney had officially declared the title vacant.
“Support Ted by signing this petition asking WWE to #MAKEITOFFICIAL.”
#MakeItOfficial
Although WWE does not recognize Dibiase’s short WWF Championship reign, he has held several other titles. Along with IRS, Dibiase’s Money Inc team are 3x WWF tag-team champions. In 1989, he would declare himself the Million Dollar Champion. He even had his own belt commissioned.
Thousands of fans have signed the petition already and I didn’t buy a single one! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Both Shanna and Awesome Kong’s bios were removed from AEW’s roster page over the weekend. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, both wrestlers’ contracts expired recently and were not renewed by AEW.
43-year-old Awesome Kong (Kia Stevens) has not wrestled since January 2020. In total, she only wrestled 5x with AEW. Kong’s 1st match with AEW was a fatal 4-way won by Britt Baker at Double or Nothing 2019. Her second match was in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out 2019. Kong then wracked up 3 straight singles victories while being managed by Brandi Rhodes but would be removed from television shortly after.
In February 2020, Brandi Rhodes explained Kong’s absence and how it played into the formation of the short-lived Nightmare Collective.
“Awesome Kong was not physically feeling great. And she’s my friend so I would never want to ask somebody to work in a capacity where I know they’re going to hurt themselves so what then happened was more of a greater group discussion of ‘okay well what do we do here’ and the Nightmare Collective came to be,” Rhodes said on Wrestling Observer Live in February of 2020.
As for Shanna, the 38-year-old last appeared on Dynamite in a loss to Britt Baker in January. She had been performing on episodes of AEW Dark and Elevation. Shanna dropped her last match in AEW to Leyla Hirsch on April 7th (aired April 12th).
Kavita Devi was reported to be amongst the names released by WWE last month.. According to Devi herself, however, she is still with the company. She took part in an interview with the Hindustan Times recently and clarified her status with WWE.
According to Devi, she has not been released. Rather, she returned to India in January to care for a family member who contracted COVID-19.
“I’ve read some of those reports, and they aren’t accurate,” Devi said. “I have been back at home in India since January. My husband contracted Covid earlier this year and I needed to be here with my family, I chose not to go back to America. Everyone at WWE has been incredibly supportive, I am filled with gratitude for everything they have done for me.”
Devi’s absence has also been due to an ACL injury.
“I have also had an ACL injury for over a year and have been unable to perform in the ring but WWE still supported me through all of that. They understand that India is where I need to be. We are working together on a new arrangement that allows me to be home, but still part of the WWE Universe,” she continued.
News of her release was reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last month. Devi signed with WWE in 2017 after winning gold in weightlifting at the South Asian Games in 2016. She made her pro-wrestling debut in a losing effort to Dakota Kai in the 1st round of the Mae Young Classic.
Kylie Rae will make her NWA debut this weekend on the When Our Shadows Fall PPV. It will be Rae’s first professional match since taking part in Impact Wrestling tapings last October.
Kylie Rae will team with former Knockouts Champion Taryn Terrell to take on Thunder Rosa and Melina on the show. The match will also be Terrell’s first since 2017. She returned to wrestling on the March 21st NWA PPV, Back for the Attack in a commentary role.
Kylie Rae vs Thunder Rosa had been announced for a Warrior Wrestling show scheduled for June 5th. That match got rescheduled until August, however, due to Thunder Rosa’s NWA tapings schedule this weekend. This could potentially mean Rae will take part in the tapings for Powerrr as well.
NWA When Our Shadows Fall PPV Lineup
NWA presents When Our Shadows Fall on June 6th at 4PM est. The following matches have been announced:
NWA World Heavyweight Championship Nick Aldis (c) vs Trevor Murdoch
NWA Women’s Championship Serena Deeb (c) vs Kamille
NWA Tag Team Championships Aron Stevens & JR Kratos (c) vs The War Kings vs Chris Adonis & Thomas Latimer
Thunder Rosa & Melina vs Kylie Rae & Taryn Terrell
Tyrus w/Austin Idol vs Pope
The End vs Mecha Wolf & Bestia 666 vs Rockett & Slice Boogie vs Sal Rinauro & Rudo
WWE has announced the addition of 3 new executive members to its senior leadership team. This comes on the heels of mass releases to both talent and corporate employees.
Former Executive Vice President of Global Content for DAZN, Jamie Horowitz, has been hired. He will serve as the new Executive Vice President of Development & Digital for WWE. Horowitz will also serve as the head for WWE Studios in Los Angeles. Prior to joining DAZN, Horowitz was the Vice President of Original Programming and Production at ESPN from 2012 to 2015. He became the President of National Networks for Fox Sports after leaving ESPN.
Horowitz was fired from Fox Sports following allegations of sexual harassment in 2017. He began working for DAZN soon after.
Wow. #WWE just announced the hire of Jamie Horowitz, a successful but controversial name in the sports media landscape. The innovator behind First Take among other shows…and the breather of life for Skip Bayless, of course.
Workplace culture has been a longtime talking point within #WWE, especially the last two years with the cuts around the time of the pandemic. The hiring of Horowitz, whose success is marred by accusations of harassment and controversial content strategies, will be scrutinized.
Matt Drew has been hired as Senior Vice President of International. He will over see WWE’s brand and business outside of the United States. He will work with global media partners and devise an international strategy for live events, digital products, and new streams of revenue. As with Horowitz, Drew leaves DAZN to begin work for WWE. He had previously served as Executive Vice President of Rights Acquisition for the company.
The two hires from DAZN are likely to replace roles that were left vacant last week after WWE released several employees.
The hiring of Horowitz and Drew seem to replace roles vacated after last week's lay-offs. "Horowitz will also be responsible for WWE Studios in Los Angeles."
Susan Levison (former head of WWE Studios) and James Rosenstock (former EVP of International) left the company last week.
Samira Shah has been hired by WWE as the new General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. She will oversee the company’s legal affairs and be the principal legal advisor for WWE. She previously worked as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Moda Operandi, Inc.
The hiring of Shah looks to fill a vacancy that was left open months ago and not related to recent cuts.
Shah replaces Brian Nurse, who was reported to have left WWE several months ago. Shah comes from Moda Operandi. Her time there overlapped with current WWE CFO Kristina Salen.
Horowitz and Drew were both previously EVPs at DAZN.
During a recent media call to promote Double or Nothing, Cody Rhodes teased that there could be new title belts coming to AEW. Rhodes confirmed there are no plans to rename the TNT belt with the move to TBS, but did note that there could be a new set of team-based titles coming to the promotion soon.
“The TBS title has not been discussed yet, but another title as a lot of people can guess has been the title that has been more discussed about potentially coming in the future,” Rhodes teased (transcriptions via Wrestling Inc.) “I’ll let y’all speculate on what that is. Hint hint, we have a lot of people, teams, on the roster.”
AEW has hinted that trios titles could be coming to the promotion previously.
Rhodes continued to talk about the origins of the TNT title and why it is his favorite in all of wrestling.
“Remember the origins of the TNT Title was WarnerMedia, our television partner and provider, was the one that wanted us to have it,” Rhodes continued. “That was a first in all of wrestling, for your partner in the space to say, ‘We’d like you to represent us,’ which is why we’ll keep it the TNT Title throughout its time. It’s my favorite belt in all of wrestling.”
Tony Khan addressed reports of negotiations between WWE and NJPW recently in a pre-event promo to the live crowd before Dynamite on Friday night.
“There is room for only room for one Khan in the wrestling business,” Tony Khan said before the show. “It’s me, Tony Khan, not some con man from Connecticut.”
During the post-event media scrum from Double or Nothing last night, Khan revealed that he spoke to NJPW before cutting that promo to ask if they thought it was a good idea.
“I talked to New Japan and I asked them if they thought it would be a good idea and a good promo. They thought it was great and I thought it would be a great promo,” Khan said (transcriptions via Fightful).
Khan continued to tease that there are big things coming regarding the relationship between his company and New Japan.
“It made sense. It was a big weekend for us and it’s true, we have a lot of stuff going with New Japan. Everyone is welcome to talk to each other and we’ve done some great stuff with New Japan just in the last few weeks and I think we’re going to do a lot of great things going forward with everything we’ve talked about and agreed to. I’m excited about it.”
NJPW has a Road to Dominion event tomorrow. The show will be headlined by the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defending the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles against Dangerous Tekkers, Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi.
Tony Khan says he asked New Japan Pro Wrestling if they thought it was a good idea for him to cut the promo on Nick Khan. He said they said yes. Plans more work with them. #AEW#DoubleOrNothingpic.twitter.com/gLoL5Ox1sE
Lio Rush was the surprise entrant into AEW’s Casino Battle Royale last night at Double or Nothing. Rush’s contract status was addressed after the event on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Lio Rush actually has signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling,” said Dave Meltzer on the show. He continued to talk about if we will see more of Rush in AEW.
“He would be in Japan a lot except he can’t go but I didn’t know that,” Meltzer continued. “New Japan obviously have allowed him to do the show, so essentially he’s a New Japan guy. He may work more shows with AEW but he’s not like signed by AEW nor will he be signed by AEW, he’s a New Japan guy.”
Rush recently made it to the semi-finals of a tournament on New Japan Strong to determine the first-ever New Japan Strong Openweight Champion. He was defeated by Brodie King who would eventually be eliminated in the finals by champion, Tom Lawlor.
Rush has also been competing in MLW as of late as well. He won and then lost the MLW World Middleweight Championship to Myron Reed of the Injustice faction in recent months.
The 26-year-old spent from 2017 to 2020 with WWE. He’s a former 1x NXT Cruiserweight Champion in the promotion.
Eric Bischoff and Bret Hart have each had some negative things to say about the other in the past. There was a time when they two got along, however. Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast speaking about what working with Bret was like in WCW.
The conversation about Bret started when Conrad Thompson asked Bischoff if bringing in Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog to WCW was done to placate him.
“No, Bret didn’t need to be placated,” said Bischoff. “You know, Bret has a lot of negative things to say about me and I respond to those negative things. But I’ve also said and I will continue to say that I have a lot of respect for Bret, in a lot of different ways.”
Bischoff then said that Bret didn’t play politics the way many top talent in wrestling did at the time.
“I will tell you that when it came to the kind of politics of top talent, Bret was not one of those guys. Bret was very straightforward, one of the reasons I really – you know, Bret and I got along really great in the beginning because he was as straightforward as you could get. There were no extra words in the conversation, he was just so perfectly professionally straightforward.”
“He didn’t require to be placated. It may have looked like that from the outside or sounded like that in the dirt sheets or people may have jumped to that conclusion for obvious reasons but it wasn’t the case.”
Bischoff continued to say that Bulldog was brought in because he was a draw for the UK market and not to placate Bret.
The conversation about Bret begins around the 4-minute mark in the below video:
Tonight at AEW Double or Nothing, Sting will wrestle in his 2nd official match with the company. It will also be just Sting’s 2nd match since suffering what many thought at the time was a career-ending injury in 2015. Sting recently spoke to SI.com about the injury he suffered at Night of Champions against Seth Rollins and his determination to finish the match.
“I knew something was really, really wrong when my legs would not work,” said Sting. “They just wouldn’t function. They felt like rubber bands, which is when I went on all fours.”
Seth Rollins defeated him that night in Sting’s 4th and final WWE match. Sting continued to discuss how determined he was to finish the match.
“It made me think of when I first started in the business,” he continued. “Eddie Gilbert, who managed Rick Steiner and me and Jim Hellwig, he’d always talk to us about the finish. ‘The finish, the finish, you’ve got to get to the finish.’ That’s stuck with me all these years. So that night I was thinking, ‘I can’t not finish the match.’ I had to finish. I remember thinking, ‘Please God, let me get back on my feet. Don’t let me end my career in a catastrophe.’ I remember my legs coming back to me, and I wanted to finish the match.”
He continued to say that it was the response from the fans that made him keep going.
“The fans knew something wasn’t right,” said Sting. “They started chanting, and they started chanting some more. I’ll always remember the way that made me feel. That made up my mind–I needed to find a way to finish.”
Why didn’t a match between Sting and The Undertaker ever happen?
“To this day, I don’t know why,” said Sting. “Maybe Taker never wanted to work with me. I have no idea… but it should have happened.”https://t.co/q2io5qFsz0
Curt Hennig signed with WCW in mid-1997 during the height of the Monday Night Wars. Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks Podcast talking about Hennig’s time in the company.
Bischoff spoke about how he had a lot of expectations for Hennig coming into WCW as he had been a fan of his work previously.
“Consciously or subconsciously there was a lot of expectation that I had,” Bischoff said. He would continue to say, however, that injuries really hampered Hennig’s ability during his time in WCW.
“After a certain point you have to go ‘it’s just not there anymore.’ And you understand why, I understood why, the end was just injuries. Your back is kind of a big deal,” Bischoff said.
“You can work around certain injuries, I guess,” Bischoff continued. “But a back is you can’t sit, you can’t sleep, you can’t stand up, you can’t walk and you can’t not walk. I mean, you’re in constant pain and you have to be really careful about what you do in the ring and really work around a lot of things and not do things you used to be able to do. I think that reality became clear by this point, for sure,” Bischoff continued.
Hennig spent 3 years in WCW from mid-1997 until mid-2000. During that time, he won the United States Championship once and held the tag titles once along with Barry Windham as the West Texas Rednecks.
Bischoff’s conversation with Conrad Thompson can be heard in the player below: