Stephanie McMahon recently took part in an interview with The Cosmopolitan to speak about women’s history month and being a woman in a male-dominated industry.
“I have been the only woman in very large groups of male-dominated meetings,” Stephanie said during the interview. “Growing up in this business, I have the advantage of being the boss’s daughter but there have certainly been times where I have felt like my voice didn’t matter as much. And in those situations, you just have to speak louder. You have to grab the moment because you cannot let it intimidate you. If you have a point that you want to make, make it. Call it out when you’re not being listened to.”
Stephanie was asked about what her biggest challenge in WWE has been, and she said it was facing Ronda Rousey in the ring.
“My biggest challenge was facing Ronda Rousey at Wrestle Mania. She was so amazing that I had to really train to even showcase her. She was the first woman champion in UFC, so she was tough. I had to train three times a day for three months. I had to do all of this on top of being an executive and a mom. It was a lot of pressure on me, but I learnt so much about myself and what I was capable of. That opportunity was a privilege which I chose to go for. That was one of my biggest challenges ever.”
Stephanie also mentioned during the interview that she loves playing the role of the heel.
“I have always gravitated towards the villains in any story. I find them to be deeper, more interesting characters. The persona I had created was an outlet for me. I have always drawn from people around me. I tend to be trusting and respectful because of which I’ve been taken advantage of all my life. I’ve had a lot of times when I have been undermined, so I draw from those people and I put that lens on. And it has been so fun to portray that character because ultimately, the bad guy never really wins. So, to be able to give that back to the audience is amazing. I love to be able to give the hero that moment because the bigger the villain, the more powerful is the hero that vanquishes the villain.”
Kenny Omega returned to Impact Wrestling this week. He and Don Callis are gearing up for the Rebellion PPV where Omega will face Rich Swann.
Impact 3/23 Quick Results:
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jazz
X-Division Championship TJP defeated Ace Austin (c) via DQ – Austin retains title
Rohit Raju defeated Fallah Bah
Trey Miguel defeated Acey Romero
Karl Anderson defeated Eddie Edwards
Kenny Omega and Don Callis Return
Don Callis informed Kenny Omega that Impact Wrestling is his home this week. They spoke about soon he would be standing there as the Impact World Champion after he beats Rich Swann. During the promo, Callis listed off all the wrestlers that Omega was better than, and Omega interrupted to ensure that Kota Ibushi’s name was mentioned.
They both praised Rich Swann but also noted that Omega hit Swann with the 1-Winged Angel at Hard to Kill and pinned him 1-2-3. They played a promo package of Omega hitting his move on multiple opponents, including Swann. Omega played up that nobody has kicked out of the move.
Callis talked about how despite being an executive with Impact Wrestling, his top priority is helping to secure Omega’s legacy.
FinJuice Sends The Good Brothers A Message From Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkba29CEnbo
Karl Anderson faced Eddie Edwards in the main event this week. The finish of the match came when Doc Gallows caused a distraction from the ring apron and then hit Edwards in the head with a chair as the ref was out of position. This allowed Anderson to hit a spine buster and pick up the win.
After the match, Finjuice appeared on the big screen from Japan. They were both in the recent New Japan Cup, with Finlay making it to the semi-finals. They took a few shots at the former champions before the show went off the air previewing their title match at Rebellion.
Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan Preview AEW Dynamite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juK6f2eODck
The two Tonys were joined by Don Callis and Kenny Omega this week. Callis and Omega spoke about Omega’s match against Matt Sydal tonight on Dynamite and then left before the ad was done. Khan and Schiavone then ran down the rest of tonight’s card.
Nyla Rose (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. Tay Conti
The Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) & Dante Martin vs. The Pinnacle (Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Shawn Spears) (w/Tully Blanchard)
The Young Bucks & Brandon Cutler vs The Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
TNT Championship Darby Allin (c) vs. John Silver
AEW World Title Eliminator Match Matt Sydal (w/Mike Sydal) vs. Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis)
TJP Beats Ace Austin Via DQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78hAf3sehY
Ace Austin retained his X-Division Championship this week against the former champion TJP but only because he lost via disqualification. The finish of the match came when TJP hit a Detonation Kick then the Mamba Splash and appeared to have the match won. Madman Fulton ran in and broke up the pin, however, saving the title for Austin.
After the match, Josh Alexander made the save and prevented Austin and Fulton from delivering a post-match attack on TJP.
Sami Callihan Saves Trey Miguel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MfaGK9PTcY
Trey Miguel picked up a win over Acey Romero this week after delivering a top-rope meteora. Larry D then attacked Trey after the match but surprisingly, Sami Callihan made the save. Callihan has been berating Trey for weeks and neither Matt Striker nor D’Lo Brown could make sense of why he prevented Team XXXL’s attack.
Deonna Purrazzo Defeats Jazz With Help From Susan’s Shoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nptzhcr52VA
Jazz had a chance to put herself in a position to challenge for the Knockouts title this week when she faced the champion in non-title action. Purrazzo had Susan with her at ringside, however, and that would prove to be the difference here.
The finish of the match came when Susan helped Purrazzo by putting her foot on the bottom rope to break up a pin attempt. This led to Jordynne Grace charging at Susan but missing and hitting the ring post. Jazz then reached through the ring ropes to grab at Susan but the former Su Yung then hit her with a shoe. This allowed Purrazzo to roll up Jazz and get the 3-count.
“White Meat Babyface” Johnny Swinger has his own casino now. Swinger’s Palace was back this week on Impact. There appears to be some sketchiness with the casino’s business dealings, however. Alisha Edwards, John E Bravo, and others appeared in a promo ad for the casino this week. Swinger got the money to open the casino when he acquired a roll of cash that had been bouncing back and forth between Hernandez, Fallah Bah, and a few others.
Cardona and Brian Myers are long-time friends and tag partners. Myers does not seem happy that Cardona signed with Impact after he did, however. Cardona took part in a sit-down interview this week and challenged his podcast co-host to a match.
Rohit Raju Uses A Handful Of Trunks To Gain The Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhT6QYGDFes
Backstage before this match, Rohit Raju was harping on Fallah Bah for having lost all of his money at Swinger’s Palace. It looked as though Fallah was going to get a measure of revenge on Raju in this match but ultimately it would be the former Desi Hit Squad member who would pick up the win. The finish of the match came when Raju used a crucifix pinning combination with a handful of trunks to get the win.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next week, James Storm will wrestle in his 1000th match under the Impact/TNA banner. He’ll face another longtime Impact/TNA guy, Eric Young.
Next week on Impact Wrestling:
James Storm’s 1000th Impact Match James Storm vs Eric Young
Fire N Flava vs Havok & Neveah (non-title)
TJP & Josh Alexander vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Tessa Blanchard, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Kalisto were all training at the Hybrid School of Wrestling in San Antonio recently. Sho Funaki, Jazz, and Rodney Mack have helped train several wrestlers while instructing there. Chris Marvel owns the school.
The school recently took to Twitter to post a photo with Sasha Banks, Bayley, Kalisto, Hybrid school trainees, and Tessa Blanchard.
Blanchard’s last official wrestling match came at Warrior Wrestling in September. She dropped the promotion’s women’s title to Kylie Rae. She departed Impact Wrestling last summer. Her last set of tapings with Impact was in March of 2020.
Madi Wrenkowski, who has made multiple appearances on AEW Dark lately, was trained at the school in 2019. She spoke to Spectrum News 1 about the experience of training with Jazz.
“To be here and like watch her on TV – and I was scared of her growing up, I was,” Wrenkowski said. “Then to have her, like right there, like telling me what to do. Just seeing her intensity in the ring is like so crazy.”
In the same interview, Jazz spoke about her experience training students such as Wrenkowski.
“Just watching the girls just grow, each match they are getting better and better. It’s like seeing your child grow up and develop,” Jazz said.
Batista (aka Dave Bautista) will not be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year despite having been announced as a member of the Class of 2020. Both the 2021 and 2020 classes were to be inducted in a virtual ceremony this year. Batista recently revealed that he asked WWE to delay his induction.
“To the WWE Universe. Unfortunately due to previous obligations, I am unable to be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame this year. By my request, they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I’ll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible,” Batista Tweeted.
Wednesday night wrestling couple Adam Cole and Britt Baker have been dating since 2016. Baker recently commented on how she’d like to one day be in the same promotion as Cole, but she doesn’t plan on leaving AEW.
“It’s no secret he comes to AEW sometimes and hangs out in the back,” Baker said on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. “His best friends are the Bucks and Kenny, so he’s got tonnes of friends there.”
“I know this is going to create probably a little bit of controversy but I would love to work in the same company one day,” Baker continued. “I think that would make things a little bit easier. With that being said, I’m probably never leaving AEW because that’s my home.”
Baker noted recently that the two began dating after she stumbled upon his profile on the Bumble dating app and then messaged him directly on Facebook about it.
Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury last week on NXT. Unfortunately, NXT General Manager William Regal recently announced that the NXT tag-team titles will be vacated due to Burch’s injury.
“As first reported on the NXT Injury Report, Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury and I can now confirm, along with the following X-ray, that Danny suffered a separated shoulder. William Regal told me he will be providing an update shortly to the NXT Universe,” Tweeted host of WWE the Bump, Matt Camp.
William Regal then responded to Camp’s comments by noting the NXT tag-team titles will now be vacated. Regal also stated that he will address the state of the titles on Wednesday night.
I can confirm this incredibly unfortunate news and make the difficult decision to vacate the #WWENXT Tag Team Titles. Furthermore, I will address the state of the titles further tomorrow night on @WWENXT. https://t.co/z3iQdC1Ruc
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan became the 20th team to win the belts since their inception in 2013. PAC and Oliver Grey were the inaugural champions.
Only 2 teams, The Revival (aka FTR) and Undisputed Era have won the belts more than once.
The Undisputed Era holds most records with the belts, having held them 3x for a combined 606 days. The Ascension holds the record for the longest single-reign with the titles. They held the belts for 364 days from 2013-14.
Bea Priestley is no longer a member of Will Ospreay’s United Empire faction. She was kicked out of the group, and seemingly Ospreay’s romantic life, at the conclusion of the New Japan Cup finals this weekend.
As it turns out, Priestley is not expected back in New Japan Pro Wrestling and the angle was likely her send-off. This was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Her contract with New Japan is ending very shortly and it’s not being renewed, she’s done with New Japan. And that is on her as far as the decision, it’s not on them. It’s not like they decided not to use her, it’s she decided not to do New Japan once her contract’s up.”
“This wasn’t an angle necessarily to do a big split-up. It’s possible she’ll come back on April 4th (Sakura Genesis), it’s only a couple of weeks away and she’s going to be in Yokohama which is 25 minutes from Tokyo.”
So, Priestley is finishing up with New Japan but may still be in the area for Sakura Genesis when Ospreay takes on Kota Ibushi. Ospreay has also promised that a new member of the United Empire will be revealed on the show.
Renee Paquette recently stated in an interview that she thinks it would be a shame if CM Punk never returns to wrestling. The host of Oral Sessions spoke to Metro UK recently about her former WWE Backstage co-host.
“I think it would be an absolute shame if he did not come back,” Paquette said about Punk during the interview. “Like you said, that passion is still there! He’s a wrestler! He is a wrestler through and through.”
“Whether he was busy doing movies or TV shows or other aspirations that he has, I think at the end of the day wrestling is the thing that makes that guy tick.”
CM Punk hasn’t wrestled a match since 2014 and has stuck largely to MMA commentator roles and acting.
“I think for him to not come back in some capacity, whatever creative he ends up working out that he really wants to do – I think ultimately, that that’s what it would come down to for him, is finding that great creative.”
Renee continued to say that it won’t be money that eventually gets Punk back in the ring, however.
“Paycheques are nice too, but really I think it’s just being able to tell the stories that you wanna be able to tell,’ she continued. “He’s got lots that he could serve up to both promotions – WWE or AEW.”
“But people would lose their minds to see him come back, so let’s hope that he doesn’t have too much dust on those boots.”
EXCL: In this feature, @ReneePaquette opens up on pregnancy cravings, Jon Moxley's cooking skills, her wrestling support network, Oral Sessions, finding her voice and much morehttps://t.co/l3N5SRuspq
Charlotte Flair hasn’t wrestled in 3 weeks and her fiancé was recently released by WWE. There appears to be some secrecy regarding future plans for Flair as it concerns WrestleMania as well. Flair’s image was recently removed from some promotional material for Mania. This led to many fans believing Flair won’t be on the card. Her status for the show was addressed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“As far as Charlotte and WrestleMania, I’ve been asking that all week and everyone’s avoiding me on that one,” Meltzer said on the show. Flair is currently filming a movie (Walking Tall reboot) but that might not be what is preventing her from being on Mania.
“There’s definitely a story that’s not the movie because if it was the movie it wouldn’t be hidden, I would know it. I think I know but whatever,” Meltzer continued. “It’s definitely something that’s being hidden.”
“It’s not just the movie thing, there’s something else going on,” Meltzer continued.
There had been rumors that Flair would be facing Asuka again at Mania this year. Flair defeated Rhea Ripley on the show last year. She lost to Becky Lynch in the main event triple threat match with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35. Flair defeated Asuka at WrestleMania 34. She lost a Fatal 4-way to Bayley at 33. Flair won the inagurual WWE Women’s Championship in a triple threat with Sasha Banks and Lynch at 32.
The University of Minnesota’s Gable Steveson celebrated winning the NCAA wrestling title at 285 lbs by doing a giant flip on the mat. He then took to Twitter to send a message to WWE’s Vince McMahon.
Gable’s brother Bobby Steveson is already training at the WWE Performance Center. University of Minnesota alumni Brock Lesnar has trained with both Steveson brothers as well.
Steveson spoke to Gopher Sports about his relationship with Brock Lesnar.
“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.”
In the same interview, Steveson spoke about his WWE ambitions.
“This is a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. Everybody grew up watching WWE when they were young, I know I watched it. It’s just been a lifelong dream of mine.”
Steveson also said he hopes to be a “Paul Heyman Guy” during his time with WWE.
“Every great spokesperson needs its next public figure. Some day, I wish that I can be that next public figure for [Heyman].”
Mick Foley recently penned a column for Chris Jerichos’ website, WebIsJericho, about Lex Luger. Foley makes the case for Luger to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the piece.
“In the simplest terms, Lex Luger was far too big of a star not to be in the WWE Hall of Fame,” Foley wrote. “He was one of the very biggest stars of his era, and during his heyday – 1987-1999 – he headlined more pay-per-view shows, sold more tickets, and appeared on more magazine covers than all but a select few superstars of his era.”
Luger is a 2x WCW World Champion. He won the title for the first time in 1991, defeating Barry Windham in a steel cage match at the Great American Bash that year to win the vacant belt. He’d win the belt again in 1997 after defeating Hollywood Hogan on an episode of Nitro.
Wow Mick !!!
Thank you so much for this beautifully written kind and thoughtful article. I admire you as as a fellow performer but much more so for the positive difference you make in my life and so many others just by being who you are. Honored and grateful my friend ? https://t.co/s2MPL2I0Yv
“For comparison’s sake, I consider myself a pretty solid choice for the WWE Hall of Fame,” Foley continued. “I certainly don’t remember any type of outcry coming from people who did not think I deserved induction. My career covered the same general era as Luger’s – give or take a few years. I headlined 10 PPV main events in my career – about half as many as Lex. I appeared on the cover of PWI twice. And I was a pretty darn important guy in the business. But so was Lex – and unlike me, he had the pressure of carrying his promotion for months on end.”
Luger also had a run with WWE in the early to mid 1990s. He started with Vince McMahon’s World Bodybuilding Federation in 1992 before debuting as the Narcissist in 1993. Luger would be packaged as the All-American after that and entered into a feud with Yokozuna. He’d later form the Allied Powers with the British Bulldog before returning to WCW for the first-ever edition of Nitro in 1995.
“It is my hope that this article will get people talking so that even if it does not open the right eyes or change the right minds to facilitate a 2021 WWE Hall of Fame induction, this article – and the buzz I hope it creates – might just serve as a reminder to fans of his era, just how good Lex really was, and perhaps introduce a new generation of fans to “The Total Package.”
Lex Luger replied to Mick Foley’s article, telling, him, “Wow Mick !!! Thank you so much for this beautifully written kind and thoughtful article. I admire you as as a fellow performer but much more so for the positive difference you make in my life and so many others just by being who you are. Honored and grateful my friend.”
Foley revealed that he’s been planning to write this article for several years.
Will Ospreay will have the chance to win the IWGP World Championship (formerly the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles) at Sakura Genesis on April 4th. He earned the right to challenge Kota Ibushi for the title after winning the 2021 New Japan Cup.
Ibushi and Ospreay have met 3x in singles competition. The first time was at WrestleKingdom 13 when Ospreay defeated Ibushi for the NEVER Openweight title. Ibushi has defeated Ospreay 2 years in a row in the G1, however.
NJPW has announced the full lineup for the show.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO & YOH
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. The Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & a mystery partner
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Full card for Sakura Genesis!
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Ibushi vs Ospreay!
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Desperado & Kanemaru vs Roppongi 3K!
Will Ospreay Comments On Actions During New Japan Cup Final
Ospreay spoke backstage about winning the cup and delivering a cutter to Bea Priestley at the end of the show.
“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions that need answering” Will Ospreay began, speaking backstage. “I can answer some questions. I love the idea of being the best wrestler in the world.”
“As much as this trophy means a lot to me It doesn’t make me the best wrestler in the world, does it?” Ospreay continued. “Being the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion means you’re the best wrestler in the world, does it not?”
“And I love that more than I love anything, or anyone. So if I can give an OsCutter to a woman I love more than anything in the world? A woman that’s been in my life now for five years; I have a house, I have a family with that girl…but it means nothing to me.”
Paul Heyman appeared on the latest edition of Talking Smack and spoke about Eric Bischoff being announced as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
“This is an honor that is long overdue, and it’s well-earned,” Heyman said. “It’s most deserved. The criterion to be in the WWE Hall of Fame is impact upon the industry and it would be very hard for anyone to argue that Eric Bischoff did not make as significant an impact on this industry as almost anybody else in its history.”
“I respect WWE for having the intelligence, and for understanding just how much Eric Bischoff belongs in the Hall of Fame. And I congratulate, profoundly congratulate my old rival Eric Bischoff for his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.”
Heyman and Bischoff were both in WCW in the early-90s but Heyman was gone by the time Bischoff was promoted to an executive role. More recently, Heyman served as Executive Director of RAW from 2019-2020. Bischoff was Executive Director of Smackdown for a few months in 2019 as well.
“The 1990s in this industry were ruled by Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, and Vincent Kennedy McMahon. And only one of us is still relevant enough to be on television each and every week,” Heyman continued.
Retired MMA fighter, Ben Askren, recently revealed he received an invite from WWE to attend the Performance Center in Florida. Askren told Chris Van Vliet recently that he spent some time at the PC in October.
“I went down there in October. It was fun, they were really cool,” Askren said. “I left with an open door there. I’m running my Askren Wrestling Academy business so I don’t think it’s something I would do full time but I would be interested in doing a little something with them. I really like them, everyone there was really cool and they run a really professional operation down there, it was awesome.”
Askren continued to reveal that he was scouted by Gerald Briscoe during his collegiate wrestling career as well.
“There was this guy named Gerald Brisco, he would always come to the NCAA tournaments and actually you know the thing he used to always tell me? He would tell me like every single year, ‘Ben if you were over 200 pounds I could make you a million dollars’. And I said, ‘Gerry, I’m not going to be that big ever. So, sorry. And I want to wrestle in the Olympics. I’m just not that interested’. So actually when I was at the Performance Center, Gerald came over and we bulls****ted and he’s a great guy.”
Askren retired from MMA in 2019 after suffering his second straight defeat. His pro-career finished with a 19-2-1 record.
Andrade recently confirmed reports that he asked WWE for his release. The request was reportedly denied by WWE. It is not known how much time the 31-year-old has left on his contract with the company. When he leaves, he is expected to revert back to his old La Sombra name.
Andrade trademarked the term “La Sombra” for wrestling purposes in 2019. He filed for the trademark 4 years into his WWE career and 1.5 years after his main roster call-up in the spring of 2018. He’s able to use the name without receiving any permission from CMLL to do so. Andrade used the name in CMLL from 2007 until signing with the WWE in 2015.
Can Andrade/La Sombra Put His Mask Back On?
Andrade won’t be able to put on his mask once again without causing some controversy, however. While wrestling as La Sombra, Andrade lost a mask-vs-mask match to Atlantis. The match took place on CMLL’s 82nd Anniversary show in 2015. It was Andrade’s 6th “Luchas de Apuestas” match and first loss.
Andrade is one of a small number of wrestlers to have won major titles in the United States, Mexico, and Japan. He’s a former NXT Champion, WWE United States Champion, IWGP Intercontinental Champion with NJPW, and won a large number of titles throughout his career with CMLL in Mexico. He also took the masks of Volador Jr., Olimpico, and El Felino.
WWE’s Charly Caruso is not expected to return to the company. According to a report from PW Insider, Caruso’s contract is up shortly and she is not expected to re-sign. Caruso is a co-host of ESPN’s “First Take, Her Take” as well.
Caruso is not expected to make any further appearances with WWE and will leave the company when her contract officially expires. Caruso has reportedly gotten into hot water with some backstage in WWE for being repeatedly late for interviews.
WWE recently hired Kevin Patrick as the new host of RAW Talk.
“A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows she has none.” -Marilyn Monroe
In 2018, Caruso spoke to Lillian Garcia about her time in WWE.
“It’s been such a great platform, and getting to meet all different types of people and have this amazing experience on an international platform and travelling… Sometimes your just like, ‘I just wanna sleep in my bed,’ but, I mean, like any job, you take the good with the bad. Traveling’s not bad, but it does get to be a lot sometimes.”
“So yep, here I am – officially an ESPN employee!” She continued. “I’ll be doing a few things at ESPN from time to time for now, including SportsCenter on Snapchat show. I’m still in disbelief. WWE + ESPN = KILLER COMBO! I am so incredibly appreciative and fortunate for both of these wonderful opportunities.”
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and several others are showing their support for the #StopAsianHate campaign online. Over the last year, there has been a signifcant rise in racially motivated violence against Asian-Americans.
“Racially motivated violence and other incidents against Asian-Americans have reached an alarming level across the United States since the outbreak of COVID- 19,” reads a United Nations report released last year. “Chinese Americans and other Asian-Americans, including Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Burmese descent, among others, have been subject to racist, xenophobic attacks.”
The advocacy group “Stop AAPI Hate” noted over 2800 reported incidents of anti-Asian racism in the United States from the start of the pandemic to the end of 2020.
“Between March 19, 2020 (when Stop AAPI Hate began collecting reports) and December 31, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate received over 2,808 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate from 47 states and the District of Columbia,” a statement released by the organization reads.
For more information or to report an incident, please visit the Stop AAPI Hate website here.
Wrestlers Support #StopAsianHate
In the wake of these incidents and the recent shootings in Georgia, several wrestlers have been showing their support for the #StopAsianHate hashtag online.
America is so full of hate. The senseless violence against our Asian American community once again showing how broken we are. Let's be diligent and protect our Asian Brothers and Sisters.
This is the GoFundMe account for the sons of Hyun Jung Kim — one of the many victims in the Atlanta shooting. Both of her sons are now alone in the US and will need to fend for themselves.
WWE has announced that Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil will co-host this year’s WrestleMania event. The company took to Twitter recently to announce that the two will be on-hand for both nights of this year’s festivities.
Tickets for the event are on-sale now. WWE is hoping to have 25,000 fans in attendance on each night.
Titus O’Neil and Hulk Hogan’s names were linked together following Hogan’s return to the company in 2018. O’Neil expressed at the time that he did not feel Hogan’s apology for past remarks was sincere.
“Unfortunately, I must echo the sentiment and dissatisfaction expressed by many of my fellow contemporaries concerning Mr. Bollea’s apology and its lack of true contrition, remorse and a desire to change,” O’Neil said in a statement. “Mr. Bollea’s apology ‘that he didn’t know he was being recorded’ is not remorse for the hateful and violent utterances he made which reprise language that has caused violence against blacks and minorities for centuries.”
Titus O’Neil and Hulk Hogan Have A Private Conversation
O’Neil did have a private conversation later, however. O’Neil spoke about this on the WINCLY podcast.
“I had a private conversation with him long before the Be A Star Rally and heard from his perspective,” said Titus. “At that moment I realized the situation he was in where he clammed up and started rambling. He could have been more concise and contrite with his message. But at the end of the day, I’m not one to put anybody in a doghouse forever. I’m not saying he was in the doghouse with me, but I like for men to be men and women to be women and both be transparent, truthful and honest with me.”
“At the end of the day, we’re part of this WWE family and our job is to put smiles on people’s faces. Arguably he’s put more smiles on anybody’s face, young and old, than any other WWE Superstar in the history of the company.”
Sean Waltman is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the second time this spring. He was first inducted in 2019 as a member of DX and is also apart of the 2020 class with the NWO. The 48-year-old isn’t finished wrestling, however. He recently spoke to SI.com about potentially returning to in-ring action. If WWE isn’t interested in his return, Waltman said, there are other places putting on great wrestling too.
“I’d be psyched to have more matches in a WWE ring,” said Waltman. “If they’re not interested, there are a lot of other places putting on great matches too.”
“I didn’t leave this business on my terms,” Waltman continued. “I wasted a lot of years of my life wandering around in the darkness, but I’m grateful that I still have some time left. And the style has changed, which is good. The bumps are more meaningful than in my era, which is a difference, but they bump less. That extends your shelf life.”
Waltman continued to talk about if he thinks he can keep up with today’s younger wrestlers.
“I watch the product now and I think, if I had both knees under me, I could keep up with a lot of these guys. If people want me, I’ll do it, but I am also mindful of being an older guy taking up too much oxygen. That’s not what I want. If there is some room for me to have a few matches, that’s all I want.”
As just announced by @SInow, starting Thursday April 1st @TheRealXPac will present Pro Wrestling 4 Life on all podcast platforms!
Featuring Sean discussing the top pro wrestling news as well as talking w/ his famous friends and some of his fans! #PW4Lifehttps://t.co/D6RxXKd5AI
— Pro Wrestling 4 Life w/ Sean "X-Pac" Waltman (@ProWres4Life) March 17, 2021
Pro Wrestling 4 Life
Waltman has a new podcast out as well. Replacing his older X-PAC 1-2-360 podcast is “Pro Wrestling 4 Life.”
Here is @TheRealXPac telling you all you need to know about the launch of Pro Wrestling 4 Life!
Launching April 1st on all major podcast platforms with additional content on Patreon!
The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith was named to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Unfortunately, the 2020 ceremony was postponed to this year due to the global pandemic. In her Calgary Sun column recently, Natalya posted comments she had received from other members of the Hart family regarding Bulldog’s pending induction.
Diana Hart on the British Bulldog
Diana Hart was married to Smith from 1984 to 2000. They had two kids together, Georgia and Harry.
“From the first time I saw Davey wrestle, back in spring of 1981, when he was only 18, I knew he was incredible,” Diana said to Natalya. “He just got better and stronger in the ring with every match. Davey was really something to behold. Fast forward from 1981 to 2021, I’m absolutely thrilled Davey finally is going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He loved his fans, he loved being a part of the WWE Family and he loved his family. He would be so honoured. I am so proud of what Davey accomplished in his career. He will continue to be immortal in this huge but truly hard-earned privilege.”
Davey Boy Smith Jr. On SummerSlam 92
Harry Smith, aka Davey Boy Smith Jr., commented on the importance of his father’s match against Bret Hart at SummerSlam 92.
“SummerSlam `92 was such a special moment in time for my father Davey Boy Smith, uncle Bret Hart, and for WWE fans around the world. More than 80,000 fans packed into Wembley Stadium in England to see what in my opinion was the greatest Intercontinental Title match of all time. As a child being there live to see such a spectacle was amazing. It was one of the matches that made me realize how much I loved wrestling and how much I wanted to do this for my career. Bret and Davey were both so popular in the U.K. as well.”
“It was exciting, hard-hitting, back and forth seesaw action that told a great story. The ending of the match saw a counter off of a sunset flip reversal that was brilliant and never before seen. The arena was so loud that when my dad got the victory, he couldn’t hear himself because the noise of the fans cheering was so powerful. It’s a match I could watch over and over a thousand times and still never get tired of. I’m incredibly proud of them both for that match.”
Bulldog’s daughter Georgia also commented on Bulldog’s pending induction.
“My family and I have been waiting years for this. This is like a missing puzzle piece for my dad’s wrestling legacy. I’m so proud, excited, and the happiest person in the world that my dad, the British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith is a WWE Hall of Famer.”
I wrote this column a year ago and I’m so happy I can finally share it as we approach the @WWE hall of fame on our road to #WrestleMania. @_daveyboysmith deserves this so much. He’s got the best seat in the house with my dad, Owen, Dynamite Kid and Stu.??https://t.co/cDDePnZuFD
It was reported earlier this week that AEW World Champion Kenny Omega was in Nashville for the most recent set of Impact tapings. The promotion announced today that Omega, along with Don Callis, will be on next week’s episode.
This week on Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann was confronted by Don Callis during an in-ring promo segment. Swann defeated Moose at Sacrifice on Saturday night, meaning he’ll face Omega at next month’s Rebellion PPV.
This will be Omega’s first time back in Impact since the Hard to Kill PPV in January. On that show, Omega pinned Rich Swann with the One-Winged Angel in a 3-on-3 match. Swann teamed with Moose and Chris Sabin against Omega and the Good Brothers.
3 matches have been scheduled for this week’s Impact Wrestling. The X-Division will be on the line when Ace Austin defends against former champion TJP.
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (c) vs TJP
Deonna Purrazzo vs Jazz
Karl Anderson vs Eddie Edwards
Impact is building to Hardcore Justice on April 10th, streaming on Impact Plus. Rebellion will take place on PPV two weeks later on April 24th, 2021. In addition to Swann vs Omega, FinJuice vs The Good Brothers for the tag belts has also been scheduled for the show.
The bloody Lights Out match between Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker closed out last night’s special St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of AEW Dynamite. Following the match, Tony Khan took to Twitter to comment on the bout.
“What a great main event, thank you to everyone who joined us tonight for the Lights Out Match, Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker, the culmination of a classic rivalry as a 4 month story paid off in one of the greatest & most memorable main event matches ever on AEW Dynamite!” Khan Tweeted.
Thunder Rosa also took to Twitter following her match with Britt Baker last night.
“My goal in life has always been to champion things for those women who don’t belong, who are ostracized and criticized, for those who are push aside and not taken serious. This win was bigger than me. It was for you! Never allowed anyone to tell you don’t belong…” Rosa Tweeted.
Britt Baker also took to Twitter following last night’s main event.
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida also commented on the show. She referred to recent comments she made to SI.com about the division being able to carry the show. Shida defeated Rosa at the All Out PPV last September.
I told you in Sports Illustrated interview,
“We’re proving our division has the power to carry the show” #AEWDynamite#AEW
Major League Wrestling Fusion this week featured a triple threat for the tag-team titles, a middleweight title bout, and the return of Mil Muertes. The full show is available on YouTube and key takeaways from the show are below.
MLW Fusion 3/17 Quick Results:
MLW Middleweight Championship Lio Rush (c) defeated Brian Pillman Jr.
Mil Muertes defeated Mike Parrow
MLW Tag Team Championships Triple Threat Los Parks (c) defeated Injustice and Contra Unit
Last week on Fusion, Lio Rush put an open contract up on the wall in the back. Evidently, Brian Pillman Jr. was the first to answer the call and he was granted a shot against Rush this week. After a back and forth match, Rush hit a springboard stunner off the bottom rope followed by his patented frog splash for the win.
Top-10 Rankings Released
After releasing top-5 rankings for its middleweight and tag-team divisions the previous two weeks, MLW released top-10 rankings for its singles division this week.
MLW World Champion: Jacob Fatu (Contra Unit)
Alexander Hammerstone (National Openweight Champion) (Dynasty)
Azteca Underground’s Mil Muertes defeated Mike Parrow this week. Presented by Salina de la Renta, Muertes pinned Parrow after delivering his patented “Straight to Hell” flatliner. That’s 2 wins in a row for the former Lucha Underground Champion, who defeated Savio Vega at Filthy Island.
Muertes and Alexander Hammerstone appear headed to a big match. Last week, Muertes stole Hammerstone’s National Openweight title. Hammerstone cut a promo on the “Man of 1000 Deaths” this week but it is still not clear when he might be able to get his hands on him.
A scheduled match between TJP and Bu Ku Dao did not take place this week. Alicia Atout reported that Bu Ku Dao was injured, there had been some type of incident, and TJP has been suspended. We will likely find out more in the coming weeks.
3-on-3 Chain Match Upcoming Between Team Filthy and The Von Erichs & ACH
Tom Lawlor wants revenge for how the Von Erichs ruined his Filthy Island event. Lawlor cut a promo this week saying him and Team Filthy want to face the Von Erich brothers and their Texan ally, ACH, in a chain match. That match will take place next week.
Azteca Underground Dominates as the Mystery of El Jefe Deepens
This week fans were treated to an expose segment on Azteca Underground. The piece noted that the mysterious “El Jefe” is looking for rental property somewhere, preferably with no police presence nearby.
Azteca Underground’s Los Parks would also defend the MLW tag-team championships this week. The match was originally just to be between Los Parks and Injustice but after members of Contra Unit were involved in a brawl in the back, they were added to the match as well. In the end, it would be LA Park hitting the Spear on Jordan Oliver for the win.
Los Parks and Salina de la Renta celebrated in the ring with the belts to close the show. It was a good night for their Azteca Underground stable.
WWE’s Andrade has confirmed recent reports that he has asked WWE for his release. The 31-year-old has not been part of WWE’s main roster since the fall. He took to Twitter this morning to release a statement.
“The rumors are true and I don’t know what the future holds but I want to make my dreams come true. thank you for giving me so much support these last days,” Andrade Tweeted.
The rumors are true and I don’t know what the future holds but I want to make my dreams come true. thank you for giving me so much support these last days Los rumores son ciertos y no se lo que me prepara el futuro, pero quiero hacer realidad mis sueños. Gracias por tanto apoyo??
Rumors began circulating last week regarding Andrade after the Superstar removed all mention of WWE in his social media profiles. It was later reported that WWE has denied his request to be released. It is currently unknown how much time he has remaining on his contract with the company.
Charlotte Flair noted in a recent interview that she was interested in working with her fiancé on-screen.
“I’ve actually pitched that,” Flair said when asked about working with Andrade by TV Insider. “I would be very much open to that. I’ve done a lot in my career, but nobody has seen me in an on-cam relationship, or in that light. I can come across cold on TV.”
Check out the latest video on our YouTube channel covering this story:
Former AEW and Impact Wrestling wrestler, Kylie Rae, is returning to wrestling. Chicago’s Warrior Wrestling announced recently that Rae will come out of retirement and compete on their June 6th card.
The 28-year-old has dealt with mental health issues the last couple of years that has caused her to take time away from the industry.
SMILIE.
KYLIE.
RAE.
She's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.
Saturday, June 5th. Warrior Wrestling. Chicago.
Defending her title.
Match announcement to follow…(but the timing of this announcement may give you a clue….)
— Pro Wrestling Ventures (@ProWresVentures) March 18, 2021
In 2019, Rae asked to be released from her contract with All Elite Wrestling. She had competed on the promotion’s first event and was scheduled to perform again at Fyter Fest but didn’t end up doing so. Tony Khan would later say she requested and was granted her release.
In 2020, Rae was scheduled to perform on Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory but did not end up doing so as well. It was later revealed that she had suffered a setback with her mental health and would be leaving wrestling. She will be returning, however, at Warrior Wrestling’s event in June.
Shortly after missing Bound For Glory last year, Kylie released a statement on her Patreon:
“I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused and miscommunication, I am currently unwell. I’m also sorry that I wasn’t able to get this out before your monthly subscription charge,” Rae told her subscribers. “I wanted to take this time to say I am no longer a professional wrestler and am currently taking a break from social media. It’s been a very hard decision to make but please understand.. When I am well, I will try to fulfill any obligations that have missed.”