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Joey Ryan Awarded Default Judgement In Lawsuit Against Accuser

Joseph Meenan, better known to wrestling fans as Joey Ryan, has been awarded a default judgement against one of his accusers. Ryan was the subject of numerous allegations from multiple parties as part of the Speaking Out movement this summer. In the aftermath, he has launched multiple lawsuits against some of his accusers as well as Impact Wrestling.

As first reported by the SoCal Uncensored website, Ryan was awarded a default judgement after one of his accusers failed to respond in time.

According to a report from HeelByNature, the defendant was served with legal papers on October 26th, 2020 but never responded. The report states that the documents were left at the person’s residence but not served to them directly. It is still possible for the judgment here to be set aside, however.

Ryan’s legal team also asked for a default judgment to be awarded against Impact Wrestling after the company failed to respond in time. Impact did eventually respond to Ryan’s lawsuit and the case is still ongoing.

Recently, Joey Ryan posted to Twitter that he is not a criminal and has not committed any crimes.

 “I have not committed any crimes. I have never been investigated for a crime. There has never been any evidence connecting me to a crime. I have never even been a person of interest in a crime. It is bizarre that some would expect me to live my life like a criminal,” Ryan posted.

MLW Fusion (1/20): Injustice Spoils Contra Unit’s Clean Sweep

MLW Fusion on 1/20 featured a World Championship match between Jacob Fatu and ACH. Two other members of Contra Unit were also in action last night as Simon Gotch took on Jordan Oliver and Daivari faced Zenshi.

The full show can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion 1/20 Quick Results:

  1. Daivari (Contra Unit) defeated Zenshi
  2. Simon Gotch (Contra Unit) defeated Jordan Oliver (Injustice)
  3. MLW World Championship
    Jacob Fatu (Contra Unit) (c) defeated ACH

Here are 6 key takeaways from MLW Fusion 1/20:

Daivari Picks Up First Win For Contra Unit

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352046500646277123

While Josef Samael isn’t able to physically be in the venue for recent MLW events, he’s added new troops since the restart. In addition to “The Black Hand of Contra” Mads Krugger, the faction has added Daivari to its ranks as well.

The finish of this match came when Zenshi missed a 450 splash and Daivari hit a hammerlock short-arm clothesline for the win.

Caribbean Strap Match Scheduled

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352047507438649345

Savio Vega is finally going to get his hands on Richard Holliday. He might even get his Caribbean Championship belt back. Holliday has been proclaiming himself as the title-holder for months, despite not officially defeating Vega for it. This week, Savio Vega sent in a promo and promised to use the very same strap that he and Steve Austin beat each other with on Holliday. Later in the show, Holliday said he would accept the terms in the contract he was sent for the match.

This long-running feud will reach a boiling point next week when Richard Holliday faces Savio Vega in a Caribbean Strap Match.

Simon Gotch Picks Up 2nd Win For Contra Unit

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352049017304322056

We were supposed to get this match at Kings of the Colosseum but Gotch went MIA for the event, only returning to aid in a Contra Unit assault on Injustice. While Jordan Oliver provided significant competition for Gotch, it would be the Contra member’s submission skills that would earn him the victory here. The finish of the match came when Oliver springboarded off the ropes but was caught in a sleeper by Gotch. The ref called for the bell but Gotch wasn’t done. He held onto the submission after the bell and then gave Oliver a Gotch-driver.

Jacob Fatu Retains Title Over ACH

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352056315380703236

ACH went into his title match against Jacob Fatu with taped up ribs. This was due to an attack that took place outside his gym. It’s not clear who attacked ACH, but he would say he thought he heard the voice of Dominic Garrini from Team Filthy. Is Tom Lawlor upset that ACH is getting a title shot before him? Lawlor denied these allegations when confronted with them by Alicia Atout earlier.

ACH took a beating in the early parts of the match. He mounted a comeback despite his injuries, however. He hit a springboard cutter, a hurricanrana, and an enziguri but Fatu countered with a hard kick and followed that up with a pop-up Samoan Drop and then his springboard moonsault finish for the win.

Injustice Spoils Contra Unit’s Clean Sweep

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352056566984241158

It seemed as though nothing could go wrong for Contra Unit on this night. They’d won all 3 matches on the card including Jacob Fatu defending the World Championship. As Daivari and Fatu were cutting a promo on the stage at the end of the night, they were suddenly attacked by two flag-bearing members of the Sentai Death Squad. As the two members unmasked, they were revealed to be Jordan Oliver and Myron Reed of Injustice. Contra Unit may have won all 3 matches this night, but it would be Injustice who would close the show getting the last laugh.

Also this week in MLW

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1352051534004043776
  • Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy denied allegations that they attacked ACH before his match with Jacob Fatu. His faction found a creative way to pronounce “ACH” but said they aren’t worried about him and are focussing on the coming debut of “Filthy Island.”
  • Salina de la Renta blew off Alicia Atout’s questions about the change of ownership regarding Promociones Dorado. Salina says the only thing anyone should be worried about is what Mil Muertes is going to do next.
  • Mads Krugger cut a promo directed at Alexander Hammerstone. The two wrestlers fought to a draw at Kings of the Colosseum but now they will square off in 2 weeks in a Baklei Brawl.

AEW Announces Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament

The AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament is coming soon to All Elite Wrestling. The announcement was made on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite. A 16-woman single-elimination competition will determine the #1 contender to Hikaru Shida’s AEW Women’s World Championship.

Notably, the tournament brackets feature an American flag on one side and a Japanese flag on the other. This implies half of the tournament will take place in the United States and the other half will be held in Japan. This could be due to some notable names in AEW’s women’s division being impacted by travel restrictions due to the global pandemic.

AEW advertises the tournament as “Coming Soon” with no start date announced as of this writing.

In terms of what wrestlers could be competing in the Japanese side of the bracket, there are a few options. Former AEW Women’s Champion, Riho, could likely take part, as is Yuka Sakazaki.

Emi Sakura seems likely to be in the tournament. She sent out the below Tweet in response:

There is also a possibility we will see women from the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Division in the tournmanet.

AEW’s Top Female Competitors

The current Top 5 rankings in AEW’s Women’s Division are as follows:

  1. Serena Deeb (2-0) (7-2) (+1)
  2. Big Swole (1-0) (18-9) (-1)
  3. Nyla Rose (1-0) (22-7)
  4. Penelope Ford (0-0) (14-9)
  5. Anna Jay (0-0) (9-5) (Previously unranked)

Britt Baker and Abadon are outside the top-5 now but they’ve been ranked previously.

Eric Bischoff Says Vince Russo’s Writing Was “Immature” and “Embarrassing”

Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo worked together twice in the wrestling business. The first time was at the tail end of WCW and the second was when they were both in TNA Wrestling at the same time. Bischoff is not a fan of Vince Russo’s writing. He recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast commenting on the “immature” nature of some of the angles and gimmicks Russo came up with while in WCW.

Conrad Thompson and Bischoff were talking about the “Misfits in Action” stable from WCW’s dying days when he had the following to say:

“It’s embarrassing. I mean, Hugh G Rection? Major Gunns? Come on! Are you 14 years old, for crying out loud?” Bischoff said about Russo’s creations.

Bischoff then spoke about a conversation he had with Brad Siegel about Russo.

“One of the comments that always has stuck with me that Brad said is ‘Look, Vince is just too dark. His approach to television everything is just nasty and dark.’ And I wasn’t really sure what he meant, because I hadn’t been watching.”

“Everything had a layer of dirt or scum on it,” Bischoff continued. “No story was clean and crisp and easy to follow and triggered emotions as a result of it. Everything had this dark, kind of, I don’t know, sewage scum kind of vibe to it.”

“All of his stuff had that same kind of juvenile just junky feel to it,” Bischoff concluded.

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the YouTube clip below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYEelcFn4Nk

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic Brackets Announced

WWE has announced the brackets for the first-ever edition of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic. The brackets for the 8-team single-elimination tournament were revealed today on WWE’s The Bump. All 3 of the recently signed wrestlers to WWE will be in the tournament.

Left side of the bracket:

  1. Candice LeRae & Indie Hartwell (The Way) vs Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) & Cora Jade (Elayna Black)
  2. Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark (Lacey Ryan)

Right Side of the bracket:

  1. Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm vs Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter
  2. Aliyah & Jessi Kamea vs Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

The first match in the tournament will take place tonight on NXT. Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm will team up to take on Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter.

Other matches scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT include Fight Pit II between Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa. That match had originally been scheduled for New Year’s Evil. It was postponed when Thatcher was out with an injury, however.

There will be two matches in the men’s Dusty Rhodes Classic tonight as well. The Lucha House Party will take on Imperium and Kushida and Leon Ruff will team up to take on Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory from “The Way” on tonight’s show.

WWE Announces 3 New Signings Including Priscilla Kelly

WWE has officially announced they have signed 3 new wrestlers to its roster.

The company announced the new signings on the WWE NXT Twitter account. Priscilla Kelly, Lacey Ryan, and Elayna Black will all receive new ring names now that they are members of the roster.

Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly)

23-year-old Priscilla Kelly has wrestled previously in the 2nd edition of the Mae Young Classic. She was eliminated by current Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, in the 1st round.

Kelly has also wrestled with AEW. She was in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out in 2019, and also wrestled a couple of matches on the Jericho Cruise in early 2020. She will now be going by the name Gigi Dolin.

Zoey Stark (Lacey Ryan)

Lacey Ryan has been wrestling for several independent promotions the last few years. She’s a former FSW Women’s Champion with the Future Stars of Wrestling promotion based out of the Las Vegas area. Ryan has also performed on UWN Live shows in recent months as well as with OVW, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and Shimmer. She will now be known as Zoey Stark.

Cora Jade (Elayna Black)

Elayna Black is a 2-year pro out of the Chicago area. She’s wrestled a couple of matches on AEW Dark previously. Black has also performed on Game Changer Wrestling PPVs, Warrior Wrestling shows in Chicago, Shimmer, and UWN. Black will now be going by the name Cora Jade.

AEW Rankings Report 1/20: Serena Deeb, Jon Moxley, & FTR Ranked #1

All Elite Wrestling has released new rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.

AEW Men’s Singles Rankings

AEW World Champion: Kenny Omega (1-0) (37-10)
TNT Champion: Darby Allin (1-0) (22-13-1)

  1. Jon Moxley (0-0) (27-3-1)
  2. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (0-0) (19-4)
  3. Cody Rhodes (1-0) (33-9-2)
  4. Ricky Starks (1-0) (19-5) (+1)
  5. PAC (1-0) (12-7-1) (previously unranked)

Brian Cage drops out of the rankings this week after losing his TNT title shot against Darby Allin on last week’s Dynamite. As a result, Ricky Starks moves up one spot and Pac is back in the rankings.

#5 Pac defeated Eddie Kingston last week, helping him move into the top-5.

#1 Jon Moxley will be in action on Dynamite tonight. His opponent has yet to be announced.

#2 MJF will be in the triple threat tag match to determine the Inner Circle’s official team tonight.

#3 Cody Rhodes will face Peter Avalon tonight.

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AEW Women’s Singles Rankings

AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (1-0) (30-7)

  1. Serena Deeb (2-0) (7-2) (+1)
  2. Big Swole (1-0) (18-9) (-1)
  3. Nyla Rose (1-0) (22-7)
  4. Penelope Ford (0-0) (14-9)
  5. Anna Jay (0-0) (9-5) (Previously unranked)

Abadon drops out of the rankings this week after losing to Hikaru Shida 2 weeks ago. #5 Anna Jay moves into the top-5 as a result.

#1 Serena Deeb moves into the top-ranked spot after defeating Tay Conti in an NWA title defence last week.

#4 Penelope Ford will take on Leyla Hirsch on tonight’s show.

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AEW Tag Team Rankings

AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (0-0)

  1. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (1-0)
  2. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (1-0)
  3. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) (2-0) (+1)
  4. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (0-0) (-1)
  5. Santana & Ortiz (1-0)

#1 FTR maintained their top ranking after defeating #2 Jurassic Express last week on Dynamite.

#3 the Acclaimed and #4 the Dark Order switched spots. The Acclaimed have been active on Dark while Uno and Grayson have yet to wrestle a 2-on-2 tag match in 2021.

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More Topics For Dark Side Of The Ring Season 3 Revealed

Dark Side of the Ring will be returning for a 3rd season sometime in 2021. Vice ordered 14 episodes for the upcoming season. Previously, it was revealed that the first episode to air will focus on the life of “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman.

Dark Side of the Ring: Season 3 Topics

The following topics are in the works for Dark Side of the Ring, Season 3:

  • “Flyin'” Brian Pillman (season premiere)
  • FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)
  • XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)
  • Nick Gage
  • WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea 1995
  • The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith, Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin & Jake “The Snake” Roberts)
  • Ion Croitoru (a.k.a. Bruiser Bedlam, Johnny K-9)

Mance Warner seems quite happy that XPW will be the focus of one episode in the new season.

https://twitter.com/ManceWarner/status/1351678469747449857

XPW was a hardcore promotion based out of Philadelphia that formed in 1999. When ECW went out of business a couple of years later, XPW became arguably the most well-known hardcore promotion there was. The owners of the promotion have a long backstory that will likely make up a considerable chunk of the Dark Side of the Ring episode. XPW went under in 2003, though a couple of reunion episodes have since been held.

XPW did appear in one episode of last season’s Dark Side of the Ring. It was the promotion that hosted the infamous scaffold match between New Jack and Vic Grimes in 2002.

Impact Results (1/19): Tony Khan, Matt Hardy & Private Party Appear

Impact Wrestling on 1/19 featured the first episode filmed during the tapings over the weekend. Some significant events took place on the show including an in-person appearance by Tony Khan. “Big Money” Matt Hardy brought Private Party into the promotion as well.

Impact 1/19 Quick Results:

  1. Eric Young defeated Rhino
  2. Kimber Lee & Susan defeated Jordynne Grace & Jazz
  3. Brian Myers defeated Fallah Bah
  4. #1 Contenders Impact Tag Team Titles
    Private Party defeated Chris Sabin & James Storm

Here are 8 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/19:

Tony Khan & Jerry Lynn Help Matt Hardy & Private Party Qualify For Tag Title Shot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcf5KipibqM

Earlier in the night, the Good Brothers were cutting a promo when they were interrupted by Chris Sabin. With Alex Shelley on the shelf with an injury, James Storm also came out as Sabin’s new, albeit temporary, partner. All 4 men were then interrupted by Matt Hardy making his return to Impact Wrestling. Hardy was decked out as “Big Money Matt” and lobbied for his clients, Private Party, to be added to the tag title mix as well. The Good Brothers then pointed out that Private Party and Sabin/Storm could face each other with the winner facing the Good Brothers down the line. This set up the main event for later in the evening.

Before the match began, Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn came out in person and set up chairs at ringside. Lynn, of course, has a long history in Impact. Along with guys like AJ Styles and Low-Ki, Lynn is a pioneer of the X-Division.

After a fun back and forth match, Lynn would get involved in the finish. Sabin was on the top turnbuckle as Private Party was looking to set him up for their Gin and Juice finisher. Sabin tried to escape but Jerry Lynn ran to ringside and held onto his foot, holding him in place for Private Party to hit their finisher and get the win. Now, Private Party has earned a title shot against the Good Brothers.

Taya Valkyrie Arrested For Attempted Murder, Future Plans Teased

It’s not clear if Taya was really at these tapings or if they just filmed this scene ahead of time. Regardless, it appears Taya Valkyrie’s run in Impact Wrestling has come to an end. What a run it was too. She held the Knockouts Championship for the longest single-reign in history and was involved in major storylines throughout her entire time here. I don’t even think she missed anytime for injury either.

Acey Romero brought new evidence to Tommy Dreamer this week that proved Taya Valkyrie was the one who shot John E Bravo. She was taken away to prison after sharing an emotional moment with Rosemary.

After Taya was gone, Tommy Dreamer, Acey Romero, and John E Bravo had a very humorous exchange where they commented on what “prison” Taya might be going to. I’ve taken the liberty of transcribing their comments:

Tommy Dreamer: “If she’s lucky, she’ll go to Jacksonville (AEW)….state prison. But for what she did and she’s not that lucky, I think they are going to send her to Stamford (WWE) Maximum Penitentiary for 2 years, maybe an option for 3, and trust me, that will change a person’s soul forever.”

Acey Romero: “I hope they don’t send her to Baltimore (ROH)”

Tony Khan Explains Why He Sent “Big Money Matt” To Impact

After Matt Hardy had made his first appearance on the show, we were treated to another Tony Khan video this week. Tony Schiavone wasn’t with him this time, however, rather it was Jerry Lynn by his side. In this video, Khan explained why he sent Matt Hardy to Impact. Khan explained that he can’t “out carny” Impact because he’s a nice guy, and not a carny. Big Money Matt is a carny, however, so Khan sent him to Impact to cause chaos in response to Impact stars showing up on his program.

Moose and Rich Swann Rivalry Continues

At Genesis a couple of weeks ago, Moose earned a title shot against Rich Swann by defeating Willie Mack in an “I Quit” match. Then, after their Hard to Kill main event match where they teamed together along with Chris Sabin against Omega and the Good Brothers, Moose attacked Swann in the back. Swann cut an in-ring promo this week and said he had trust issues with Moose in the match at Hard to Kill. He calls out Moose, who joins him in the ring. Swann said he wants to give Moose his title shot tonight, but Moose declines, saying he wants the match to take place on his terms. The champion can’t wait, however, and goes after Moose and sends him retreating to the back after a Phoenix Splash.

Violent By Design Takes Out Rhino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoiF_bXE9s

Eric Young and Rhino faced off in singles action to kick-off Impact this week. Both had been involved in the trios “Old School Rules” match at Hard to Kill. Young had Joe Doering and Deaner at ringside and Rhino brought Cousin Jake with him. Deaner would provide a distraction at ringside that allowed Doering to hit a brutal clothesline on Rhino and toss him back into the ring where Young was waiting. Young locked in a heel hook and made Rhino tapout for the win.

After the match, the faction continued the assault on Rhino’s leg, much like Young has done to Rich Swann in the past. They wrapped Rhino’s leg in a steel chair and Doering stomped on it, possibly leading to an injury. It might be awhile before Rhino is 100% again.

Kimber Lee & Susan Pick Up Win Over Jordynne Grace & Jazz

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

Su Yung was Susie and is now Susan, a straight-laced business-suit wearing persona. She teamed with Kimber Lee this week and had Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo on the outside. Their opponents were the team of Jordynne Grace and Jazz, who went to the semi-finals of the Knockouts tag-team title tournament.

The finish of this match came, when Kimber Lee had the ref distracted, allowing Purrazzo to hit Jazz with the Knockouts title. Susan then covered Jazz and picked up the win for her team.

It appears Susan is something of a “Susan” as well:

Brian Myers Defeats Fallah Bah, Will Face Eddie Edwards Next Week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4XLUaI8hvE

The “Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers didn’t shy away from taking shortcuts to pick up the win this week. He was taking on Fallah Bah, who has lost a dramatic amount of weight lately and is looking good. The finish of the match came when Fallah Bah inadvertently poked Myers in the eye. As Myers was explaining this to the referee, he was able to hit a low-blow with the ref out of position. Myers then hit a big clothesline and got the pin.

Later in the show, Myers went to Dr. Ross Foreman to get his poked eye evaluated. At the time, the doctor was treating Eddie Edwards for the many injuries he sustained at Hard to Kill. This set up a match between Myers and Edwards for next week.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

The following matches have been confirmed for next week’s Impact Wrestling:

  • Brian Myers vs Eddie Edwards
  • Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs Josh Alexander & Matt Cardona
  • Joe Doering vs Cousin Jake
  • Tenille Dashwood vs Rosemary
  • Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz host “Fire & Flava Festival” in celebration of tag title win

In 2 week:

  • Rohit Raju vs TJP (Non-title)

Matt Riddle Says Gillberg Is 10x The Man Goldberg Is

Last night on WWE RAW, Gillberg made an appearance on John Morrison and the Miz’s “Dirt Sheet” interview segment. Since debuting as the character in 1998, Gillberg has been WWE’s satirical gimmick of Bill Goldberg.

Matt Riddle has publicly called out Goldberg on numerous occasions. After RAW last night, however, he posted a photo of him with Gillberg. According to Riddle’s comments, Gillberg is 10x the man that “Willy G” is.

Riddle’s MMA career was derailed due to multiple failed drug tests for cannabis. He recently reacted to the news that cannabis is no longer a prohibited substance in the UFC.

Last month, Riddle stated that he could “redeem” Goldberg.

“I’m all about the quality of the work. So, hey, if we could make quality work and you’d would be willing to listen to what I have to say, I’ll listen to what you have to say. I will. But I think it could be magical, and I think the fans would eat it up.”

Riddle has been feuding with the Hurt Business as of late on RAW. He dropped a United States championship match to Bobby Lashley two weeks ago. The Hurt Business defeated Riddle and the Lucha House Party on last night’s show.

AEW Files To Trademark “Too Sweet”

Kenny Omega, the Good Brothers, and The Young Bucks are all involved in a program in AEW at the moment that references their past as members of Bullet Club. According to information publicly available on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, AEW filed to trademark the Bullet Club-related term “Too Sweet” on January 14th, 2021.

“Too Sweet” was a common phrase used by members of the New World Order in WCW. It then became part of the Bullet Club angle in NJPW beginning in 2013. The Young Bucks were reportedly sent a cease and desist letter in 2017 preventing them from using the “Too Sweet” hand signal. This occurred after the Young Bucks, Cody, and other members of Bullet Club “invaded” a WWE event. WWE writer, Jimmy Jacobs, was released after posing for a selfie with the “invading” members of Bullet Club.

Tama Tonga recently expressed skepticism that WWE did actually send the Bucks a cease and desist letter, however.

Shortly after Tonga Tweeted his doubts, the Young Bucks posted the following:

On Dynamite last week, the Good Brothers teamed with Kenny Omega. The Young Bucks had thought they would be teaming with him. Don Callis swerved the Bucks and the fans when he introduced the Good Brothers, however.

Update On Bullet Club Branding Appearing On Impact Wrestling

In the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers wore Bullet Club branding. Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie, Doc Gallows had the faction’s logos on his gear, and Kenny Omega wore a cut-up Bullet Club Halloween special edition t-shirt. Branding for the faction appearing on Impact was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Everyone thinks it has something to do with New Japan, it’s got nothing to do with New Japan,” Meltzer said.

The words “Bullet Club” were never mentioned on commentary.

“I cannot imagine that wearing a t-shirt would be illegal in any way shape or form. I mean, if he was selling the t-shirt that would be illegal. Giving them publicity for wearing a t-shirt? No, there wouldn’t be anything illegal about that at all. They should be happy that he’s publicizing their t-shirt on television.”

“Why would (NJPW) ever get mad about something like that?” Meltzer continued. “Gallows and Anderson are going to be in New Japan soon enough and they are going to be in Bullet Club. Or at least the theory is they will be in Bullet Club, I don’t know that 100%”

Impact Wrestling is back tonight with the first episode from the tapings held over the weekend. Eric Young will face Rhino, and Jordynne Grace & Jazz will face Kimber Lee and Susan (aka Su Yung) on the show.

Jeff Jarrett-Anthem Lawsuit Officially Dismissed

The lawsuit involving Jeff Jarrett and the owners of Impact Wrestling, Anthem Sports and Entertainment, has been officially dismissed. The lawsuit can be re-opened, however, if the agreed-upon settlement between the two parties falls through. Jarrett and Anthem are reported to have reached an undisclosed settlement in the first week of January.

According to a report by PW Insider, sources within WWE have stated that Jarrett has been in a “great mood” since the settlement. This would seem to indicate he is happy with what was agreed upon. The settlement follows more than 2-years of legal battles between the two parties. Jarrett was officially released by Impact Wrestling in the fall of 2017.

Jarrett filed a lawsuit against Anthem Sports and Entertainment following the 2017 attempt at combining his Global Force Wrestling with Impact Wrestling. At some point during the aftermath of the falling out between the two parties, tapes of Jarrett’s GFW Amped show were deleted.

Jarrett won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 6x while with TNA. He was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Jarrett appeared on WWE RAW last night. He gave his opinion of the scheduled Drew McIntyre vs Goldberg match at the Royal Rumble.

Lio Rush Returning To NJPW

Lio Rush will return to New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 29th, 2021. It will be his first match back for the promotion since competing in the Super J-Cup last month. NJPW recently announced matches for the next two weeks of NJPW Strong airing on New Japan World with Rush appearing in the main event of the show on the 29th.

Rush will team with TJP and Fred Rosser (aka Darren Young) to take on the Bullet Club team of El Phantasmo, KENTA, and HIKULEO on the show.

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351396826520326146

The full lineups for the next two episodes of NJPW Strong is below:

July 22nd, 2021 New Japan Strong

  1. Kevin Knight & Jordan Clearwater vs Logan Riegel & Sterling & Riegel
  2. Brody King vs JR Kratos
  3. Ren Narita vs Bateman

July 29th, 2021 New Japan Strong

  1. Clark Connors vs The DKC
  2. Rocky Romero vs Chris Dickinson
  3. Lio Rush, TJP, & Fred Rosser vs Hikuleo, KENTA, and El Phantasmo
https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351306718878175233

Lio Rush was eliminated in the 1st round of the Super J-Cup, losing to El Phantasmo. He recently defeated Myron Reed to win the MLW World Middleweight Championship at Kings of the Colosseum.

The next big NJPW show will be the New Beginning in Nagoya on January 30th, 2021. The promotion will then present the New Beginning in Hiroshima over 2-nights on February 10th and 11th.

https://twitter.com/TheLionelGreen/status/1351298285399511041

Kofi Kingston Details Recent Jaw Injury, Getting Teeth Knocked out

Kofi Kingston hasn’t wrestled since the January 4th, 2021 edition of WWE RAW. He missed last week’s show due to a broken jaw. On the most recent edition of the New Day “Feel the Power” podcast, Kingston detailed when and how he suffered the injury.

“I got kneed in the face by Cedric Alexander like 3 weeks ago and a couple of my teeth chipped. It was all fine, it was cool and the point of impact was just real sore. I thought ‘okay it’s a bruise or whatever.’ The next week we actually had like a 6-man match and everything was fine, a little pain but not terrible”

The day after New Day lost the RAW tag-team titles to the Hurt Business at WWE TLC, Kingston Tweeted out the following:

Kofi Kingston Jaw Injury

Kingston would continue to say that his jaw just didn’t feel right in the weeks and matches that followed.

“Then the next week when we had our match — right before we went out, it just kept feeling like it was just loose,” Kingston continued.

“As soon as we get out there to the ring, I’m moving around and now I’m feeling it kind of like come out of place and just feel like it wasn’t set in. And I feel like if the fans were there, I wouldn’t have felt that. Like throughout the whole entire match, anytime something would happen, I would get hit or whatever, I’ll grab my jaw. And I’m like, the entire match thinking about it the whole time.”

Kingston also mentioned he’s not sure if he would have noticed the injury had there been fans in the arena.

“I’ve been not necessarily injured but been hurt in a match and you feel the adrenaline of a crowd and it makes you will your way through it.  It changes the whole dynamic of how we do what we do and the approach.”

Jim Ross Comments On Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart Feud in 98

After the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997, Owen Hart returned to the WWF and looked as though he was going to enter a long-term program with Shawn Michaels. It didn’t work out that way, however. Owen and Shawn’s feud never seemed to take off and eventually, Owen and Triple H began feuding over the European Championship leading to WrestleMania 14.

On a recent episode of Grillin Jr, the topic of Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels’ abbreviated program in 1998 was brought up. Conrad Thompson mentioned that some rumors hold that Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Shawn working with Owen. JR believes that while that might be true, it’s also the case that Vince McMahon didn’t have full faith in Owen.

“Could it have happened? Of course, it could have happened,” JR responded when asked if Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Owen feuding with Shawn. “Can I confirm that it definitely happened? No, I cannot. I don’t know the answer.”

“I don’t know if there was as much confidence in Vince’s eyes in Owen because of the perception that Owen didn’t have this animal magnetism that Bret possessed.”

“So maybe Vince’s lack of total confidence in Owen affected that decision making. Owen was another guy just like Shawn, you knew that bell-to-bell, nobody was going to be better. Owen Hart was a great worker but maybe he didn’t have that zest of charisma to the level that Bret had and that is what he was being compared to. That was obviously not that fair, but that’s the only thing I can think of, Conrad.”

“Maybe Shawn and Hunter just wanted to get away from the Hart thing. They rode that horse a long time. I don’t know, I don’t have the answer to that scenario, I wish I did.”

A clip of JR talking with Conrad Thompson about the Owen Hart vs Shawn Michaels feud in 1998 is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAq2YlD1-xQ

Eric Bischoff On Brock Lesnar Beating Kofi Kingston In 7 Seconds

On the first edition of WWE Smackdown to air on Fox in 2019, Brock Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE Championship in just 7 seconds. Many fans were disappointed with how Kofi’s title reign came to an end. Eric Bischoff was the Executive Director of Smackdown when the title change took place. He spent some time recently on the 83 Weeks Podcast talking about Lesnar’s quick victory over the former champion.

“Brock is Brock as a character, Brock’s character is Brock’s character. He eats people, he eats big people, he eats tough people,” Bischoff said on the show.

Bischoff continued to talk about the the size-difference between Brock and Kofi and how that played into what happened in their match.

“Kofi is my size, granted he’s in shape. But Kofi is maybe 200lbs, 210lbs, 220lbs-guy, whatever it is. Is there a story that would be remotely believable that would allow Kofi in this match to be in there and mix it up with a guy like Brock, in a believable way, that would have allowed him to maybe hold onto that underdog status?”

“What could Kofi have done in the body of that match that would have been believable and allow Kofi’s fans to hold onto some hope that he might find a way to overcome Brock Lesnar? I challenge people to think of it.”

Eric Bischoff on Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston

Bischoff believes that WWE made the inevitable problem of ending a popular champion’s title reign worse by having it end in such a short match.

“People were hot that Brock ate Kofi in the manner in which he ate him and spit him out. They were hot, and I understand that. But what else could you do that would have been believable?”

“So I think it was destined to failure from the beginning to the end. It was a mistake. But I think that mistake was exacerbated by the fact that they did it so quickly.”

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVT83n8PFR4

Knockouts Tag Team Champions Call Out AEW & Tony Khan

Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz, collectively now known as Fire & Flava, won the Knockouts tag team championships at Hard to Kill. After the show, cameras caught up with the new champions celebrating. The video was posted to Impact’s social media accounts and features Hogan and Steelz calling out AEW and Tony Khan.

“We said it from the beginning, Fire & Flava is the team not to F with,” Steelz said in the video. “And Tony Khan, you want to talk about better tag-teams in AEW? What you think about the Knockouts tag-team in Impact. This is how you crown tournament champions, not participation medals.”

“2021 and the next years to come, Fire & Flava is it baby,” Hogan added.

Fire & Flava defeated The Sea Stars, Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie, and Havok & Neveah in an 8-team single-elimination tournament to win the belts.

Steelz comment about participation medals is in regard to the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup held last year. The tournament was won by Diamante and Ivelisse, who have responded to Fire & Flava’s comments as well.

Diamante, who previously wrestled in Impact as a member of LAX, congratulated her partner, Kiera Hogan, on her win at Hard to Kill, however.

Sareee Headed To WWE After Announcing Final Joshi Match

Joshi wrestler Sareee is on her way to WWE. The 24-year-old signed with the promotion in February of 2020 but has been unable to report to the Performance Center due to the ongoing global pandemic. She is considered a standout star on the Joshi scene.

Sareee sent out a Tweet confirming that her upcoming match for the SEAdLINNNG promotion on the 22nd will be her last bout before moving to the United States. She is expected to report to the WWE Performance Center after she does so.

In August, it was reported by Tokyo Sports that WWE would allow Sareee to continue to wrestle in Japan while she waits out the travel band.

Like many Joshi wrestlers, Sareee got her start at an early age. She was just 15 when she began performing for the World Woman Wrestling Pro Diana promotion. Sareee is a 2x World Champion with the company and a 1x tag-team champion.

Sareee spoke about moving to the United States and starting with WWE in the below video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgQJKXsbWwY&feature=emb_logo

“WWE is handling my schedule to move to the States. Their initial plan was for me to be training over there already but look at the circumstances around the world… maybe best when the vaccine is developed rather than re-debuting with worries. I want to show my solid wrestling live without any anxieties.”

Mark Henry Says Ryback Should Apologize To The Wrestling Industry, Ryback Responds

Mark Henry has taken offense to former WWE Superstar Ryback’s lack of respect for the wrestling business. During a recent episode of Busted Open, Henry said that many of Ryback’s peers found him difficult to work with and unsafe in the ring.

“A lot of his peers looked at him as difficult, a lot of his peers looked at him as dangerous,” Mark Henry said on the show.

Henry also took offense to Ryback stating that wrestling championships are just “props.”

Henry takes pride in his accomplishments in pro wrestling and defended the value of titles.

“The championship is the championship, it’s not a prop and he’s wrong,” said Henry. “I’ve been a world champion in 3 sports and I consider pro-wrestling one of those. Ryback can’t take away what I achieved. You are wrong. Every wrestler that sees your face should walk up to you and say ‘hey, you’re an asshole.’ And I hope you know how to fight for real because you know and I know, there’s a lot of people that would whoop your ass.”

Henry finished by saying, “You owe the wrestling industry an apology. If you don’t, I think that pro-wrestlers all over the world should never give you respect.”

You can listen to Mark Henry’s comments about Ryback in the audio player embedded below:

Ryback Responds To Mark Henry

Ryback has since responded to Mark Henry’s comments with a series of Tweets posted last night.

https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351029848014249984
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351032569459048450
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351034260308840452
https://twitter.com/Ryback/status/1351075800896970752

Nyla Rose Off Dynamite This Week Due to COVID-19 Protocols

Nyla Rose was scheduled to face Leyla Hirsch on the upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite. She’s been forced off the show after an immediate family member tested positive for COVID-19, however.

Rose released a statement on Twitter explaining her situation:

“I’ve found out that an immediate family members has tested positive for COVID-19 and as a result, I’ve been directly exposed,” wrote Rose.

“As per safety protocol I will be isolating/self quarantine for the next 14 days. Why do I mention this? Because of the seriousness of the situation and the timeline for quarantine, this will affect this weekend’s Virtual Meet & Greet with Damage 365 promotions and prevent me from competing against Leyla Hirsch this coming Wednesday on Dynamite.”

“I’m very sorry to anyone that was looking forward to these events but keeping everyone as safe as possible must be priority at this time. Thank you for understanding. Stay Safe everyone. Please social distance and Mask up.”

Nyla Rose finished 2020 with a 14-2 record in AEW singles matches. Her only losses were both to Hikaru Shida. She lost to Shida at Double or Nothing to drop the AEW Women’s Championship. Shida then successfully defended the title against Rose at Full Gear in November. Rose has only wrestled on Dark since dropping the match to Shida at Full Gear.

Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers Wear Bullet Club Branding At Hard to Kill

When Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows walked to the ring last night at Hard to Kill, they were each wearing Bullet Club branding.

Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie to the ring, Gallows’ gear was all decked out in Bullet Club logos and Kenny Omega wore a limited edition Bullet Club Halloween t-shirt as well. The commentary team never referred to them as Bullet Club, however.

Omega and the Good Brothers defeated the team of Rich Swann, Chris Sabin, and Moose on the show. Moose was replacing Alex Shelley, who was pulled from the event in the days leading up to it.

Fans on social media took notice of Omega and the Good Brothers rocking Bullet Club merchandise during their entrances.

https://twitter.com/KhalafSammy/status/1350646775175131136
https://twitter.com/riversinthedust/status/1350664935513194497

The Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has been critical of the faction’s reunion in AEW and Impact. He believes only the wrestler still in NJPW are true members of the faction. Tonga posted the following last night:

“At this point, it’s only BulletClub when the Tongans are in it. Anything else is just guys that wished they were back in BulletClub,” Tonga Tweeted.

Karl Anderson is one of the 4 founding members of the faction along with Tonga, Bad Luck Fale, and Prince Devitt. Gallows joined later in 2013. Omega wouldn’t join until 2014 as a junior heavyweight.

Alex Shelley Releases Statement On Missing Hard to Kill

Alex Shelley was scheduled to be in the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV tonight. Yesterday, the promotion announced that Shelley would be unable to perform on the show. He has been replaced in the main event by Moose.

Shelley released a video statement through Impact’s social media channels and spoke about the situation.

“There are certain things in life that are just out of our control and unfortunately, my ability to compete at Hard to Kill has been dropped into that bucket,” Shelley said in the video. “So, on that note, I owe an apology to Chris Sabin. I owe one to Rich Swann, I owe one to the fans. And I owe a receipt to the Good Brothers and Kenny Omega.”

Shelley then confirmed that he does not have COVID-19.

“I assure everyone out there, I do not have COVID, I am not orthopedically injured.”

Although not explicitly said, it sounds as though Shelley is missing the show due to precautions regarding the ongoing pandemic. This could mean he came into contact with someone who tested positive, but that is just speculation.

“(Impact management) they are doing the utmost in terms of precautions to make sure that nobody is at risk at Hard to Kill or moving forward.”

He concluded the video by saying he’ll be back in Impact Wrestling. Shelley’s full video can be viewed below:

Michelle McCool Has Tested Positive For COVID-19

Former Divas Champion, Michelle McCool, announced on her Instagram Friday evening that she has tested positive for COVID-19. The 40-year-old says she thought she just had allergies but then tested positive for the virus.

McCool also stated her symptoms are mild and nobody else in her home has tested positive for the virus. The Undertaker and McCool have one child together. The couple’s daughter appears to have built a large “COVID Communication Telephone” for use in the home.

McCool’s posted can be viewed below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKFeejaBqs5/

Michelle McCool

McCool was interviewed earlier this summer and spoke about not wanting Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak to end.

“The streak is just so big to me and as a fan being selfish, I didn’t want the streak to end like a lot of other people. Obviously, it’s business. There were no questions asked when they asked Mark to do it and obviously he’s a consummate professional. But it was shocking. I think I was just as shocked as a lot of people, it was so crazy.”

Update On How Long AEW Will Broadcast From Daily’s Place

AEW has been broadcasting its shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville for several months now. At the outset of the pandemic, they also filmed some shows from QT Marshall’s gym in Georgia. There had been rumors that AEW was seeking to leave the venue, with Miami being a possible new location. It had been reported that the cold climate in the outdoor venue was a motivating factor for the company to look for a new home.

According to an update from by Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net, an email went out to AEW employees yesterday stating that the plan is to stay in Jacksonville at Daily’s Place “indefinitely.”

AEW World Champion, Kenny Omega, spoke about the difficulty of wrestling in Daily’s Place last November in an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio.

“These performances are killing me. It’s dangerous out there, man. I can’t stress that enough. People know what we’re capable of. They’ve seen us have great performances in front of a packed house of 10,000 fans or more, and now, we’re thrust into this outdoor location.”

“But all of us are pushing ourselves and wrestling as if we’re in normal conditions. And now, as of this week, it’s the reverse because we’re walking out there and now its super cold. If you’re not prepared for it, you get these goosebumps due to the chilly wind. It’s very strange and a brand new experience that I’m not used to, and I’m not sure anyone is. It’s a challenge.”