Major League Wrestling presented a special branded episode of Fusion last night. The main event featured Jacob Fatu of Contra Unit defending his MLW World Championship against Calvin Tankman.

The full episode can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Never Say Never Quick Results:

1. Jordan Oliver defeated Simon Gotch
2. Myron Reed defeated Daivari
3. MLW World Championship
   Jacob Fatu (c) defeated Calvin Tankman

Jordan Oliver defeats Simon Gotch

Injustice’s Jordan Oliver picked up a win in the night’s opening contest over his rival from Contra Unit, Simon Gotch. These two factions have been feuding for some time now and with the win, Olliver put his faction in the lead.

Gotch got in some early submission attempts and had control initially but Oliver battled back. After having multiple springboard cutter attempts thwarted during the match, Oliver finally hit it on his 3rd try and got the 3-count.

It’s a big win for Oliver, who picks up a measure of revenge after dropping his title match against Fatu recently.

Further Dragongate Involvement in MLW Teased

MLW is promoting that its relationship with the Dragongate promotion will continue into 2021. There have been rumors as of late that DAZN is hoping MLW and the Japanese promotion will throw a joint event in Hawaii. Hopefully, it will be much more organized than Tom Lawlor’s sketchy “Filthy Island” event.

Myron Reed Defeats Daivari

The second match between Contra Unit and Injustice saw Myron Reed pick up a victory over Daivari. The crafty veteran from Contra Unit opted to focus on Reed’s leg and ankle in an attempt to gain the advantage. Reed was able to thwart off Daivari’s offense, however, and then deliver his own. He landed a cutter followed by a vest-assisted springboard 450 splash for the win. With that, Injustice has won the series vs Contra Unit but up next is the most important match of the night. Calvin Tankman has been loosely aligned with Injustice as of late and will attempt to defeat Jacob Fatu for the MLW title.

Gino Medina vs Richard Holliday For the Caribbean Championship – April 14th

Alicia Atout hosted an interview with Gino Medina and Richard Holliday this week. Holliday and Medina can’t seem to agree on whether Medina was fired from the Dynasty or he quit. The two bicker for sometime, with Atout once complaining that Holliday wears too much cologne. Doesn’t seem like Holiday liked that.

Holiday and Medina will face each other on the April 14th show in what is now the second title match booked for that event.

Jacob Fatu Needs Contra Unit’s Help To Defeat Calvin Tankman

Two big heavyweights clashed over the world title in the Never Say Never main event this week. While the champion has been used to much smaller opponents during his reign, he would not enjoy such an advantage in this title defence.

The finish of the match came as Tankman was ramping up the offence. He’d scored near falls after a backbreaker and a lariat. This caused Daivari to attempt to interfere but Tankman fought him off. With the referee’s attention diverted, however, Fatu hit Tankman with the Contra flag. He then went to the top and delivered his moonsault for the win.

Fatu retains his title yet again, but Tankman had him on the run, forcing him to resort to underhanded tactics to gain the victory.

Coming Up In MLW

MLW presents a classic episode next week but then presents a big show. After that, there are two title matches booked for the April 14th show.

MLW Fusion – April 14th

• MLW National Openweight Championship
  Alexander Hammerstone (c) vs Mil Muertes
• Caribbean Championship
  Richard Holiday (c) vs Gino Medina

The Bella Twins were met with an unpleasant surprise at Tuesday’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony tapings.

Nikki and Brie discussed their experience at this year’ Hall of Fame ceremony on the latest episode of their Bellas Podcast. According to the Bellas, they prepared a speech that was set to run approximately 15 minutes, since that is what they are used to seeing from previous induction speeches. When they arrived at the event, they were caught off guard when WWE told them they were given only 3-5 minutes to speak.

“We had a speech written, but then we realized it was too long because we’re only allowed to do our speech for three to five minutes,” said Brie. “We wrote a 15-minute speech because usually, they are like ’10 to 15 minutes,’ then we found out they were like, ‘No, it has to be three to five minutes.'”

Brie recalls it being difficult to figure out what to cut and what to leave in the speech.

“To do your Hall of Fame speech and take out that much stuff is really hard,” she continued. “We’re wondering like, ‘How do we condense this. What’s important? We want to thank all these people and tell stories,'” said Brie on the podcast.

Nikki said they planned to spend a large portion of the speech thanking the people who guided their careers to the Hall of Fame. WWE told them to spend most of the 3-5 minutes talking about themselves.

“We’ve always been grateful women and that’s where it’s difficult,” said Nikki. “The majority of our speech is thanking people and they’re like, ‘talk more about yourself.’ We’ve already proven ourselves as Hall of Famers. It’s almost like winning an Oscar. You’re thanking the people who helped you get there.”

• Photos & Insider Details From Tuesday’s WWE HOF Ceremony Tapings

Charly Caruso (Charly Arnolt) recently announced that she is now with ESPN full-time. This comes on the heels of reports that she had been taken off of WWE television due to “backstage heat” from being late to interviews. A report from Fightful said she had been taken off television after Vince McMahon was made aware of her tardiness.

Caruso recently denied these reports in an interview with TV Insider. Her departure from WWE was also addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“There is always going to be chatter,” Caruso said regarding reports of her having heat backstage. “The contract was coming up. Instead of renewing, I’m moving on. Everyone is going to have their own opinions regardless. I never had any issues while I was at WWE. Nothing bad happened. As far as I’m concerned, I’m leaving on a positive note and beginning what I believe to be the next step in my career.”

Caruso’s departure was also addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer, Caruso was taken off of television due to her choosing not to re-sign with WWE when they offered her a new contract.

“It’s pretty clear she was leaving anyway,” Meltzer said. “That’s what this was all about. Because she was offered a new contract and didn’t take it. They pretty much knew she was out the door, so that’s what happened.”

Andrade was recently released from WWE and does not have a 90-day no-compete clause. This has led many to wonder where he might perform for next. He recently took part in an interview with Mas Lucha that has been translated by Lucha Blog. During the discussion, he talked about where he might want to wrestle next.

“Andrade would like to reunite with La Mascara or Rush as Los Ingobernables, or go it alone. Andrade says he’s open to either option, says he’s open to working with and has talked with various companies in Mexico but doesn’t want to sign a Mexico contract,” Tweeted Lucha Blog.

The possibility of Andrade turning up in Ring of Honor seems quite plausible.

“Andrade’s not going to sign a contract in Mexico, though he might in the US. He’s brought up the concept of facing Rush in ROH a couple of times during this, as a idea he likes,” another Tweet reads.

Andrade On What Went Wrong In WWE

Andrade was also asked about what went wrong in WWE. He’s not really sure, he just knows that it didn’t go well. He also noted that he’s got offers to wrestle from all over the world.

“Andrade explains he got Lasik eye surgery in November. When he was in CMLL, the longest he went without wrestling was one month, so being out and then not being used for four months was uncomfortable,” Lucha Blog Tweeted. “That made his decision quick to leave; he’s got offers to wrestle everywhere in the world now.”

“He’s not pointing the blame at one person or reason why WWE didn’t work out, he doesn’t fell like he really understands the why, just that it didn’t it,” another Tweet reads.

Ethan Page made his AEW debut at Revolution as the surprise entrant in the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match. He literally had a chance to grab the brass ring in his first match. Page spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently about the experience.

“I still can’t comprehend that I’ve finally been able to achieve my dream,” Page said. “Because it’s like your one step closer, one step closer, one step closer. I’ve never actually made it to the point where I had envisioned from when I was a kid. I don’t even know how to digest it or comprehend that it’s happened. It’s great obviously, but I can’t explain it.”

Page also spoke about his family’s reaction to seeing him on the PPV.

“Nobody knew I was debuting other than my parents. So they got the pay-per-view at their house and threw a little pizza party. My daughter is there, my wife is there. They made an AEW cake with the world title on it, they all wore my T-Shirts. But I think for my dad to see Jake the Snake clothesline me on a pay-per-view is the most full circle moment, because my dad is the one that introduced me to wrestling. We would watch in the early 90’s. Taking that line from Jake was cool for me, but I can’t imagine how cool it was from my father.”

Page also spoke about the possibility of him and Josh Alexander re-forming The North.

“I’m very proud of what we accomplished as a team, and if there is potential down the road for The North to do a tag team then I’m in. I think now, especially for both of us, it’s best to venture off into singles, I’ve always wanted the spotlight to shine on me. So this is a Natural fit for “All Ego” Ethan Page. I had a singles run with Evolve prior to IMPACT Wrestling, so I’m comfortable with both, so I’m excited to see what happens.”

Impact Wrestling on 3/30 featured James Storm’s 1000th match in the promotion as he faced Eric Young. We also saw some important matches booked for April 10th’s Hardcore Justice event.

Impact Wrestling 3/30 Quick Results:

1. Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) defeated Havok & Nevaeh
2. Sami Callihan defeated Larry D
3. Brian Myers defeated Suicide
4. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated TJP & Josh Alexander
5. James Storm defeated Eric Young

James Storm Defeats Eric Young In His 1000th Impact/TNA Match

In a pre-match interview earlier in the show, James Storm dedicated this match to Bob Ryder, who co-founded the company and passed away in November. Storm was then joined by his old tag-team partner Chris Harris for a quick reunion as Chris Sabin and Jake Something looked on.

Storm would need his allies’ help to fend off Young’s Violent By Design faction during the match. The end of the match came as a giant brawl erupted on the outside, while inside the ring Young attempted to use his old-school hockey goalie mask as a weapon but Storm landed his Last Call Superkick and got the win.

Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Attack Rich Swann, Willie Mack, & Eddie Edwards

When Impact Wrestling makes the move to Thursday nights next week, Kenny Omega will wrestle on the show for the first time. It will be Omega and the Good Brothers going up against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards. We got a preview of the match this week. Don Callis had approached Willie Mack in the back and was showing him a video of Kenny Omega using the 1-Winged Angel. This brought out Rich Swann who confronted Callis. Swann was then attacked from behind and Omega and the Good Brothers took it to Swann and Mack. Eddie Edwards then came in to fight on the babyface side, however, and sent the heels packing.

Jazz To Put Career On The Line In Knockouts Title Match

Tommy Dreamer is putting the match card together for Hardcore Justice on April 10th. He announced this week that Jazz will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title on the show. Dreamer said that Jazz needs to put something up in the match to which Jazz suggested her career. Dreamer said she didn’t need to do that but Jazz insisted. With that, we have a career vs title match between Jazz and Purrazzo at Hardcore Justice.

Dreamer also announced that there will be a multi-woman scramble match with the winner earning a Knockouts title shot. All weapons will be legal, Dreamer mentioned, though Alisha Edwards still had trouble understanding.

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone Run Down Dynamite Lineup

The two Tonys were back this week. They ran down the lineup for AEW Dynamite but also made special mention of the match between Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian as the two had several matches while with Impact/TNA. The rest of the lineup for tonight’s Dynamite is below:

• Exhibition Match 
  Referee: Arn Anderson
  Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall
• Christian Cage vs. Frankie Kazarian
• Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian & Miro(w/Penelope Ford)
• Hikaru Shida & Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose & The Bunny(w/Vickie Guerrero)
• The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) & Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) & Laredo Kid
• MJF gives a present to the Pinnacle

Nevaeh Turns On Havok

Havok and Nevaeh dropped their 3rd match to Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz this week. Fire N Flava defeated the team in the finals of the Knockouts tournament, then again in a Texas Tornado match at No Surrender, and now again on last night’s show. After the match, Nevaeh evidently was fed up with all the losing. After weeks of teasing, the team finally imploded when Nevaeh attacked Havok from behind. She was heard yelling “I thought I was the weak link” during the melee as the segment came to a close.

Trey Miguel Doesn’t Return the Favor For Sami Callihan

Last week, Sami Callihan rescued Trey Miguel from a beatdown from Team XXXL. This week, Sami Callihan defeated Larry D in singles action. After the match, Acey Romero attacked Callihan from behind. Trey would not return the favor for Callihan, however, and simply allowed the 2-on-1 to take place. Callihan seems pleased with this for some reason.

Later in the show, Callihan confronted Trey in the back. He said he wants the two of them to team against Team XXXL and that he wants to be Trey’s mentor.

Brian Myers Turns Down Matt Cardona’s Challenge

Brian Myers picked up a win this week over Suicide. After the match, he got on the microphone to address Matt Cardona challenging him to a match last week. Myers turned down Cardona’s challenge and said that despite their long history together, Cardona isn’t part of Myers’ plans in Impact Wrestling.

TJP and Josh Alexander Can’t Get Along In Loss To Ace Austin & Madman Fulton

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton picked up the win in tag action this week over TJP and Josh Alexander. TJP and Alexander had difficulty working with each other throughout the match and that would ultimately cost them. TJP hit a Mamba splash on Austin but then he and Alexander began arguing over who the legal man was. This allowed Austin to roll up TJP for the win.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next Week (Thursday, April 8th)

• Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack, Rich Swann, & Eddie Edwards

Hardcore Justice (April 10th)

• Career vs Knockouts Championship
  Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Jazz
• Multi-Woman Scramble Match For Knockouts Title Shot

Rebellion (April 25th)

• AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship
  Kenny Omega (AEW) (c) vs Rich Swann (Impact) (c)
• Impact Tag Team Championships
  FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) (c) vs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows)

Impact Wrestling’s Eric Young will be out of action for quite a while, possibly for the remainder of 2021. He revealed recently on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast that he has a torn ACL. Young is hoping to be back in six months, but typical recovery times from such an injury is 6-9 months.

The match he suffered the injury during is scheduled to air tonight on AXS TV. He wrestled James Storm on the show in what was Storm’s 1000th match for the promotion.

“At the last tapings I tore my ACL,” Young said on the podcast. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been injured. I missed my first wrestling show this Friday that I was booked on in 24 years of doing it. So, it’s frustrating, man. I’ve never been injured. I’ve been hurt lots, but I’ve never been injured. I have to have surgery in like a week and a half. And it’s going to be a long, long road. So, we’ll see, man. It’s going to get real interesting for me.”

Unfortunately, Young was the leader of a new stable in Impact. Along with Joe Doering, Rhino, and Cody Deaner, the faction is known as Violent By Design. It’s possible he’ll remain on television as the mouthpiece for the group.

“My ACL is completely torn, which I didn’t know,” Young continued. “That happened on Monday during the match with Storm. I finished it like nothing happened. I wrestled a hardcore war eight-man tag the following day, then I wrestled Eddie Edwards on Tuesday in a singles match. It was like 20 minutes — on one leg. And I would put that match against anything that airs anytime, for any wrestling company, anywhere in the world, and I did it on one leg. And I’m very proud of it.”

There is good news to relay as it concerns the health of “Road Dogg” Brian James. The 51-year-old has been in hospital since suffering a suspected heart attack late Thursday night. James will be released from the hospital today and according to updates from his family, test results have yielded only positive news so far.

His wife Tracy took to Facebook to share the positive news:

“Wanna give everybody an update. I just got the best birthday ever!! my husband has no blockages and he’s getting to come home today. We still have some doctor visits to take him to but his heart is good. Thank you all so much for all the prayers I do believe in that.”

His brother, Scott Armstrong, took to Twitter to give an update:

“I’m happy to say my brother (Road Dogg) is going to be released from the hospital today. There’s still work to do but, as of today, the future is bright! TY again “Twitterverse” for all the positive vibes and prayers! For those who were negative…BLESS YOUR HEART!”

His wife Tracy originally broke the news a couple of days ago that James was on the hospital.

“I want to thank everyone for the prayers and text. Brian most likely suffered a heart attack late Thursday night after returning from Orlando. He has had test run and we’re currently waiting for the results. He has also seen a kidney specialist and will have a stress test done.”

Buddy Murphy was involved in an angle with Seth Rollins and the Mysterio family recently. He’s no longer involved on-camera with either the Mysterios or “The Monday night Messiah” however.

Murphy briefly posted to Instagram a storyline update regarding why he was no longer involved with the Mysterio family. The post was later deleted.

“Let’s point out the obvious! The Mysterio’s used me! I never needed them!” Murphy wrote. “I’m beyond one of the most talent in-ring performers on the planet! Aalyah used me to be on tv and advance an acting career. Dominik used me so he had a reason to stand ringside. Rey was jealous that I became the new face of the cruiserweight and he was left out of the discussion. They took what they wanted then they left me in the shadows! Sounds like my time in NXT.”

According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE ordered Murphy to delete the comments.

“Buddy Murphy, I guess he did an Instagram post trying to shoot his own angle with the Mysterios,” said Dave Meltzer. “He was ordered to delete it, so he did.”

“I guess he decided to come up with a reason to end (the angle) and turn heel and they didn’t want him shooting his own angle on Instagram.”

Murphy also recently sent the following to Aleister Black on Twitter:

WWE announced today that William Shatner will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Shatner has made several appearances on WWE programming throughout the years. The first time he did so was on an episode of Jerry Lawler’s King’s Court in 1995. Shatner would later induct Lawler into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

The 90-year-old actor is famous for portraying Star Trek’s Captain Kirk but currently hosts the History Channel’s “The UnXplained.” Shatner also stars in a romantic-comedy “Senior Moment” available in theatres on on-demand now.

Shatner spoke to USA Today and compared the fanbases of WWE and Star Trek.

“It’s very much the same, the approbation, the joy,” Shatner said of wrestling and Star Trek. “The enthusiasm the wrestling audience shows toward its favorite people is not dissimilar to the enthusiasm ‘Star Trek’ fans show.” 

“I’m going to admit it now. I missed a career when ‘Star Trek’ was over,” he continued. “I should have gone into wrestling as Captain Kirk.”

Shatner joins Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Kane, The Great Khali and Rob Van Dam in the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. The Class of 2020 featuring the Bellas, nWo, Jushin Liger, British Bulldog and JBL will also be inducted on April 6th.

On the heels of several rumors and unconfirmed reports, it is now official that Rob Van Dam will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021. WWE took to Twitter to announce the news shortly after it was revealed by Fox Sports.

News of Rob Van Dam’s pending Hall of Fame induction leaked recently. First, Sabu commented that RVD was to be inducted during a conversation with NonStop Wrestling Chat.

“Hey, Rob Van Dam is getting into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, I think,” Sabu said on the show. “I wasn’t supposed to say nothing, but you can tell people that.”

Paul Heyman later took to Twitter to tease that he had filmed content for RVD’S video package for the ceremony.

Rob Van Dam’s Championship Resume:

• 1x WWE Champion
• 1x ECW Champion (while in WWE/WWECW)
• 4x WWE Hardcore Champion
• 6x Intercontinental Champion
• 1x European Champion
• 3x Tag Team Champion (2x w/Kane, 1x w/Rey Mysterio)
• 2006 Money in the Bank Winner
• 1x ECW Television Champion
• 2x ECW Tag Team Champion (w/Sabu)
• 1x TNA World Champion
• 1x TNA X-Division Champion

RVD was most recently a member of the Impact Wrestling roster along with Katie Forbes. He last performed for the promotion at their tapings in September.

Earlier this month, The University of Minnesota’s Gable Steveson won the NCAA wrestling title at 285lbs and then proceeded to do a giant backflip on the mat. He followed that up by Tweeting a “waving hand emoji” at Vince McMahon.

Steveson Tweeted out yesterday that he plans on being the biggest star WWE has ever had:

Gable’s brother, Bobby Steveson, has already reported to the WWE Performance Center.

The Steveson Brothers and Brock Lesnar

University of Minnesota alumni Brock Lesnar has trained with both Steveson brothers at their school. Clips of Lesnar training with the brothers can be seen below:

Clips of Gable competing recently can be viewed in the Tweets below:

Triple H has also posed for one of his famed pictures with Bobby Steveson.

Gable spoke about his relationship with Brock Lesnar during an interview with Gopher Sports.

“My relationship with Brock has been awesome. It’s outstanding that a guy like that has noticed me and has gone out of his way to be there for me and guide me in the right direction. We all know who Brock is on TV, but behind everything else, he is a nice person and he has done some amazing things for me.”

The Rock took to Instagram yesterday to reveal that his “Black Adam” film in the DC Comics universe has been given a release date. The film will premiere on July 29, 2022.

The release date represents a 7-month postponement from the original release date. Before the global pandemic, the movie was scheduled for a December 2021 release.

“Like most kids growing up, I dreamed about being a superhero. Having cool superpowers, fighting for what’s right and always protecting the people. 
It all changed for me, when I was 10yrs old and was first introduced to the greatest superhero of all time – SUPERMAN. 
As a kid, Superman was the hero I always wanted to be. 
But, a few years into my fantasy, I realized that Superman was the hero, I could never be. 
I was too rebellious. Too rambunctious. Too resistant to convention and authority. 
Despite my troubles, I was still a good kid with a good heart – I just liked to do things my way. 
Now, years later as a man, with the same DNA I had as a kid – my superhero dreams have come true. 
I’m honored to join the iconic #DCUniverse and it’s a true pleasure to become, BLACK ADAM.”

The official trailer for the film is below:

John Cena was impressed with Shaquille O’Neil’s AEW debut recently. Shaq teamed with Jade Cargill and defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet at AEW’s special “Crossroads” event on March 3rd.

Bleacher Report Tweeted out highlights of Shaq and Cena both appearing on the post-game show from NBA on TNT. During the appearance, Cena commented on Shaq’s AEW debut.

“I want to say, you are one of that Mount Rushmore of sports entertainers,” Cena said to Shaq. “It’s a shame that you were born so large and so gifted on the basketball court because you could have been something in WWE, I still think you can be.”

The clip Shaq and Cena were looking at featured Shaq giving a Brodie Lee tribute and power-bombing Cody Rhodes.

“Well, I just wanted to represent your guys,” Shaq said about his performance. “Right here, giving a shoutout to the Brodie Lee power slam right there, wanted to make it look good. Listen growing up, you know, I watched you guys… Junkyard Dog, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, I just wanted to represent you guys.”

“I think I did pretty good. I just wanted to represent you, wrestlers, because you guys are some of my favorite athletes. You know how I feel about you. I love you, big fan of yours, congratulations on everything that you’re doing,” Shaq continued.

Watch John Cena talk to Shaq about his pro wrestling debut for AEW:

“Road Dogg” Brian James is currently in hospital. The 51-year-old is thought to have suffered a heart attack late Thursday evening. James’ spouse, Tracy James, took to Facebook to give an update:

“I want to thank everyone for the prayers and text. Brian most likely suffered a heart attack late Thursday night after returning from Orlando. He has had test run and we’re currently waiting for the results. He has also seen a kidney specialist and will have a stress test done.”

“He’s always been on bp meds for high bp. Just please pray all the test come back for something we can fix. I am a total wreck but I’m trying so hard to be positive! Please pray for Brian He feels horrible and for God to please heal my husband so he can come home! Thank y’all all so much!”

Road Dogg was with WWE from 1994-2001. He was then with TNA from 2002 until 2009. James then re-signed with WWE as a producer in 2011 after inducting his father into the WWE Hall of Fame that year. James was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame himself in 2019 as part of DX. During his WWE career, Road Dogg was a 6x tag-team champion along with Billy Gunn, a 1x Hardcore Champion, and a 1x Intercontinental Champion as well.

The New Japan Cup USA tournament will run throughout April on episodes of New Japan Strong on New Japan World. The final qualifying matches for the tournament have now taken place and NJPW has released the full brackets for the tournament.

New Japan Cup USA 2021 Brackets:

1. Clark Connors vs. Lio Rush
2. Brody King vs. Chris Dickinson
3. Ren Narita vs. Tom Lawlor
4. Hikuleo vs. Fred Rosser
5. Semi-Final #1: Winner 1 vs Winner 2
6. Semi-Final #2: Winner 3 vs Winner 4
7. Finals: Winner 5 vs Winner 6

Qualifying matches took place throughout March for the tournament:

1. Clark Connors defeated TJP
2. Lio Rush defeated Rocky Romero
3. Brody King defeated Bateman
4. Chris Dickinson defeated Blake Christian
5. Ren Narita defeated Misterioso
6. Tom Lawlor defeated The DKC
7. Hikuleo defeated Jordan Clearwater
8. Fred Rosser defeated JR Kratos

KENTA was the winner of the tournament last year. He defended the briefcase for months before finally facing Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship earlier this year. Moxley won the match. KENTA is not entered into this year’s tournament.

NJPW has also announced recently that beginning on Thursday, old episodes of New Japan Strong will air for free on FITE TV. NJPW is gearing up for April 4th’s Sakura Genesis event. Kota Ibushi will defend his IWGP World Championship against the New Japan Cup Winner Will Ospreay on the show.

The WWE Network has been airing shows counting down the top-50 female superstars of the modern era. Female Superstars who made their names before the 1990s have not been included in this list.

The top-50 WWE female superstars of the modern-era are:

1. Trish Stratus
2. Charlotte Flair
3. Becky Lynch
4. Chyna
5. Asuka
6. Sasha Banks
7. Alundra Blayze (Medusa)
8. Lita
9. Ronda Rousey
10. Bayley
11. Beth Phoenix
12. Mickie James
13. Alexa Bliss
14. Victoria
15. Molly Holly
16. Sable
17. Paige
18. Shayna Baszler
19. A.J Lee
20. Natalya
21. Rhea Ripley
22. Michelle McCool
23. Stephanie McMahon
24. Luna Vachon
25. Io Shirai
26. The Bella Twins (Ranked together)
27. Melina
28. Ivory
29. Bull Nakano
30. Naomi
31. Kairi Sane
32. Jaqueline
33. Gail Kim
34. Carmella
35. Bianca Belair
36. Nia Jax
37. Maryse
38. Jazz
39. Lacey Evans
40. Eve Torres
41. Ember Moon
42. Layla
43. Nikki Cross
44. Candice LeRae
45. Kelly Kelly
46. Shotzi Blackheart
47. Sonya Deville
48. Kay Lee Ray
49. Kaitlyn
50. Toni Storm

Some performers on the list have commented on their ranking.

The Twitter account for the late-Chyna posted the following:

Gail Kim was asked about only coming in at #33. Kim had two runs with WWE from 2002-04 and again from 2008-11.

“I didn’t do much there. Besides the title win, there was nothing else besides gimmick matches. It’s WWE rankings. Not women’s wrestling rankings, but thanks anyway,” Kim Tweeted at someone who expressed they thought she should have been ranked higher.

Thea Trinidad has signed with someone but what company has landed her remains a mystery. According to a report today from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Trinidad has signed a short-term deal with someone, we just don’t know who or even if it is a wrestling company.

It is being reported, however, that the company is not AEW and the deal she signed will prevent her from working for AEW, at least in the short-term.

“Trinidad has signed a deal. We don’t know with who or even that if it’s with a wrestling promotion, but the deal she signed would not allow her to work for another wrestling company and it was not with AEW. It was a somewhat short-term thing and the door wasn’t shut on her eventually working with AEW but it won’t be any time imminently,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

AEW’s Tony Khan has expressed interest in bringing Trinidad in, however.

“She was in a non-compete last time I checked. I’ve been waiting for that… I don’t talk to people when they have the non-compete,” Khan said on Wrestling Observer Radio last month. “I’ve been waiting on her non-compete to expire… when we get through this tournament and through this pay-per-view, I’d be interested to see where she’s at.” 

Before Orange Cassidy signed with AEW, he frequently used the Jefferson Starship song “Jane” as his entrance music. Recently, Tony Khan said he tried to get the rights to use the song in AEW but was unable to. It was then revealed that he has purchased the rights to the Pixies’ song “Where is my mind?” as Orange’s new entrance theme.

Orange Cassidy will team with Chuck Taylor against Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake on AEW Dark: Elevation next week.

As it turns out, the new entrance music turned out to be “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies. Khan made a statement to Pitchfork about the news.

“A few weeks ago, I played it for him, he said he loved it. I asked if he wanted to me to try to license it, he gave me his ‘thumbs up,’” AEW CEO Tony Khan said in a statement to Pitchfork. “I signed a multiyear agreement to use the song, and every use of the song in AEW will live in our content library forever in perpetuity.”

Khan also recently purchased the rights to use the song “Tarzan Boy” for Jungle Boy. Additionally, he purchased the rights to “Ol’ 55” by Tom Waits for the Brodie Lee tribute show.

Video of Cassidy using the theme can be viewed in the Tweet below:

Impact Wrestling has announced that its weekly flagship television show is moving from Tuesday to Thursday nights. The first episode in the new slot will be April 8th, 2021.

Impact also announced that the main event of that show will feature Kenny Omega wrestling on the weekly show for the first time. He will team with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows against Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, and Willie Mack.

“IMPACT Wrestling has years of  history airing on Thursdays, which was the night for high-energy, action-packed matches, starring some of the most high-profile stars in pro wrestling history,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Nothing is changing from that front when IMPACT! jumps back to Thursday nights.”

“The new home, once again, for must-see matches is Thursday nights on AXS TV,” D’Amore added.

NXT is rumored to be moving to Tuesday nights immediately following WrestleMania. If this holds true, it would mean NXT’s first Tuesday night show would be April 13th. On SundayApril 10th, Impact will present Hardcore Justice as an afternoon show so as not to go head-to-head with WrestleMania. Impact’s Rebellion PPV recently moved to April 25th, 2021 from April 24th, likely to not go head-to-head with UFC 261.

Red Velvet teamed with Cody Rhodes at Crossroads in a losing effort to Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neil. Today, Cody Rhodes announced that Red Velvet is officially all elite after the company upgraded her contract.

Rhodes took to Twitter to announce the news:

Red Velvet In AEW

Velvet made her pro debut in 2016 and has performed primarily in the Florida area. She has won championships with promotions such as Fighting Evolution Wrestling and Full Throttle Pro Wrestling.

Velvet has wrestled 25 matches for AEW since debuting last June. She holds a 10-10 singles record but is on a 9-match winning streak in one-on-one matches. Her last loss in one-on-one competition came to Tay Conti on the November 11th, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Her singles record in 2021 is 5-0 and that is good enough to have her ranked at #2 in the AEW women’s division.

She has a 3-2 record in tag-team matches to bring her overall AEW record to 23-22.

During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Velvet talked about how she got her ring name:

“A show came up asking for wrestlers and anyone can do it. I had to cut a promo. I went to my friend’s house and I was like, ok, I’m going to cut a promo. I’m going to be a wrestler. He said, ‘What is your wrestling name’, and he was a huge wrestling fan. I said, ‘Red Violet.’ He said, ‘Ew, That’s not good.’ I said, ‘I have nothing. That’s like my alter ego.’ He said, ‘You’re small, petite, spicy, you’re very elegant in the way you do things. Your hair is super red. Your skin is beautiful chocolate. You remind me of a red velvet cake.’”

Thunder Rosa defeated Britt Baker in a Lights Out match to headline last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Rosa was the guest this week on the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. Amongst other topics, Rosa spoke about the response she received backstage after her match with Baker last week.

“It’s one of those moments where you cannot fake it,” said Rosa “I was already crying at the end of the match because of all the things that I felt and all the things I’ve been through in the last 7 months. Just coming to a new place and knowing that you are ruffling some feathers and you know that you have to work really hard to show that you are one of the best talents and that’s why they brought you here.”

Backstage Ovation

When Rosa began speaking about the response she received backstage, she got choked up.

“Just walking through and seeing absolutely everybody clapping is that moment that I just want to recall it for the rest of my life until I die.”

“I’ve worked so hard, so hard to get recognized and still working so hard to keep this spot and just that moment right here, if I die tomorrow, I’ll die happy because I know we made a difference on Wednesday.”

Listen to Thunder Rosa on AEW Unrestricted here or in the player embedded below:

Jim Cornette says a lot of controversial things. He is a polarizing figure in pro-wrestling. Jim Ross recently spent some time on his podcast talking about what wrestlers on the AEW roster think of Cornette.

“I’ll be honest with you,” JR responded with Conrad Thompson asked him about the AEW roster’s opinion of Cornette. “I’ve never heard one talent say a word about him. And I talk to a lot of guys and I shoot the breeze about what’s going on in the business, so forth and so on and for better or worse, I have a link to Cornette.”

“We’ve been friends for 30 years, we were partners, we were broadcast partners. I worked with him in Mid-South in his first big manager’s gig.”

“I don’t think they pay a lot of attention to it,” JR continued. “Now, they may in smaller circles, I don’t know that because I’m not in those circles but I can tell you, it’s not a topic of conversation. In other words, when I see Tully and Arn for example, they don’t come and say ‘hey JR, what did you think of what Cornette said last week? Those words have never been spoken.”

“I don’t agree with everything that Cornette says,” JR continued. “Let’s make sure that’s clear and I’m sure he doesn’t agree with everything I say but I respect his right to say it.”

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Major League Wrestling presented the go-home show for next week’s Never Say Never event this week. The main event featured a chain match pitting the Von Erichs against Team Filthy’s Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini.

The full show can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion 3/24 Quick Results:

1. Gino Medina defeated Zenshi
2. Mil Muertes defeated Gringo Loco
3. Calvin Tankman defeated Sendai Death Squad Member #1
4. Chain Match
   The Von Erichs defeated Team Filthy

Gino Medina Uses Under-Handed Tactics To Score Victory Over Zenshi

Gino Medina took a shortcut to victory this week when he faced Zenshi in singles competition. Zenshi had just hit a kick in the corner and looked as though he was in control. Medina then rolled him up into a small package for a 2-count but as Zenshi kicked out, Medina grabbed at his mask and nearly removed it. As Zenshi was adjusting his mask, Medina hit a question-mark style kick to the back of the head and got the pin.

Mil Muertes Picks Up Win, Will Face Alexander Hammerstone On April 14th

Azteca Underground’s Mil Muertes came out for his match with Gringo Loco this week wearing Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship. Muertes stole the title from Hammer recently after Salina de la Renta suggested she wanted the belt in her stable.

Muertes put away Loco with the Straight To Hell flatliner. After the match, Hammerstone cut a backstage promo and agreed to give Muertes a shot at the title belt he stole on April 14th.

Later in the show, Salina said she agreed to Hammerstone’s challenge. El Jefe’s representative then told her that the proprietor of Azteca Underground was not happy and wants to meet with her.

MLW Tag-Team Top-5 Rankings

MLW released new top-5 rankings this week for its tag-team division.

MLW Tag-Team Champions: Los Parks (LA Park, El Hijio de LA Park, & LA Park Jr.) (Azteca Underground)

1. The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich)
2. Violence is Forever (Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini)
3. Injustice (Myron Reed & Jordan Oliver
4. Contra Unit (Simon Gotch & Daivari)
5. The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Mike Patrick)

Calvin Tankman Makes Quick Work Of Sendai Death Squad Member

1-week before he takes on Contra Unit’s Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship, Calvin Tankman made quick work of a Sendai Death Squad member on this week’s edition of Fusion.

After the match, Daivari, Simon Gotch, and Jacob Fatu marched to the ring. The members of Injustice then came out to help Tankman and a wild brawl erupted. Tankman gave Daivari the Tankman Driver and stood tall in the ring to end the segment.

Chain Match Between The Von Erichs and Team Filthy Headlines Fusion

Tom Lawlor removed himself from this match on short notice citing injuries. MLW league officials are a little skeptical of his claims, however. Instead of a 6-man match with the Von Erichs teaming with ACH, the match was changed to a 2-on-2 contest with Lawlor and ACH both removed from the bout.

The ropes were replaced with chains for this bout, creating a unique match environment. Lawlor was on the outside with his arm in a sling and frequently got involved in the match. The finish came when Lawlor attempted to toss brass knuckles into his stablemates but missed and they landed in the hands of Marshall Von Erich. He decked Kevin Ku and then delivered the Iron Claw-slam with his brother on Garrinni for the win.

Coming Up At MLW Never Say Never

Next week in MLW, it’s Never Say Never 2021. The lineup is below:

• Jordan Oliver vs Simon Gotch
• Myron Reed vs Daivari
• MLW World Championship
  Jacob Fatu (c) vs Calvin Tankman

You will not be able to find Roddy Piper’s WrestleMania VI match against Bad News Brown on Peacock’s version of the WWE Network. As the Peacock streaming service has been uploading content from the WWE Network, it has been removing controversial content such as Piper’s appearance at WrestleMania that year.

Other edits have been made as well. These include a 2005 segment at the Survivor Series where Vince McMahon used the N-word and Booker T wanted someone to tell him Vince didn’t just say that.

Why Did Roddy Piper Paint Half His Body Black at WrestleMania VI?

Piper painted half his body black for his match against Brown at WM6. In 2012, Piper spoke to The Score about this decision.

“I’m looking at Bad News, who was a really good judo player and just a so-so professional wrestler, and here’s what’s going through my mind. I’m looking at him and I’m going, ‘I’m going to have 45 interviews about this guy.’ And I’m thinking Nelson Mandela at that time had said something that really stuck with me,” Piper said during the interview.

“Nelson Mandela was put in jail for 20-some years for political crimes. Every morning, he was the first man when the guard came to extend his hand to the guard. What a hell of a man. At the same time, Cindi Lauper had ‘True Colors’ out. In my mind, what I was trying to do — there is no difference. I needed material on Bad News Brown. I did something where I sang ‘True Colors’ and I did a thing about Nelson Mandela. But, they don’t seem to remember that.”