Anthem Sports and Entertainment has released a statement regarding recent allegations made against several members of their roster. In the wake of the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter, several wrestlers have been called out for inappropriate conduct.
The statement sent to media reads as follows:
“It is a core value of the Anthem organization that we conduct our business with respect and integrity, providing a safe and secure work environment for our employees and performers. We are following carefully the various allegations being made through social media, and are reviewing all incidents involving Impact Wrestling talent and personnel to determine an appropriate course of action.”
when i was still training i was 100% groomed and sent unwanted photos by dave crist but any time i spoke about it i felt like i didn’t have a voice because i was a 20 year old trainee or was laughed at because ‘hE sHoWs EvErYoNe HiS dIcK’.
Who wants to see Mike Elgins dick pic? I still have the convo, unwanted photo, and emails he tried to send me under a fake name in 2016. @JordynneGrace tried to help me bring this to light when his first scandal came out but the wrestling media didn't care #SpeakingOut
For the last two days, several wrestlers have been speaking out about sexual misconduct and other offenses rampant in pro-wrestling. They are using the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter.
Former Impact Wrestling referee, Kris Levin (aka Kid Ref) also posted a statement online. According to Levin, he was released from his position with Impact shortly after making statements to a 3rd party regarding an investigation into sexual harassment. He also noted that the company “ghosted” him after the meeting. TNA World Champion Moose then issued a response.
Dave Lagana has resigned from his position with the National Wrestling Alliance. The promotion has also announced they will be halting the production of new content pending a change to their management team.
The NWA posted the following message to its social media accounts today:
“Pursuant to allegations made by pro wrestler Liz Savage on her Twitter account, 6/18/2020, NWA VP David Lagana has resigned his position, effective immediately. As well all production of NWA content is temporarily halted, pending a restructuring of executive management positions.”
Pursuant to allegations made by pro wrestler Liz Savage on her Twitter account, 6/18/2020, NWA VP David Lagana has resigned his position, effective immediately. As well all production of NWA content is temporarily halted, pending a restructuring of executive management positions.
The NWA had been building momentum until the pandemic halted production of new shows earlier this year. The promotion had been airing 1-hour episodes of NWA Powerrr exclusively on YouTube as well as producing PPV events.
This year’s Crockett Cup tournament was postponed after the outbreak. In lieu of producing new content, the NWA’s YouTube channel features interviews with wrestlers, wrestlers watching their first matches, and features on legends from the NWA’s past.
“You won’t find a bigger Rusev fan than me,” Aldis said. “I remember pretty much from the beginning, I would be like, ‘God, Rusev is money.’ I would text him [David Lagana] all the time, ‘God, Rusev is money,’ and he’d be like, ‘I know,’ and I remember when he first showed up on TV and they were doing kind of the Ivan Drago kind of stuff with him and Lana was very much playing that role. I was like, ‘This is money. This is perfect.’”
NXT UK stars Jordan Devlin and Ligero have each released statements regarding recent allegations made against them. Devlin and Ligero are two of several names from the UK scene who have recently been accused of offenses as part of the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter.
Jordan Devlin released a 3-part statement on Twitter regarding the allegations:
“I didn’t even want to address the hurtful allegation made against me, but for the sake of my followers and friends on this platform that may for whatever reason be unsure, I’m going to address this once,” Devlin Tweeted.
“The recent allegation made against me is completely and utterly false and I deny it entirely. This is a case of a malicious personal agenda being executed against me on the back of a very brave telling of true experiences by other women. I completely denounce it.”
“This is all I will say on the matter, and I am now working with a legal team to help decide how to proceed from here.”
Ligero also released a statement on Twitter regarding the accusations.
“The current story that has been released by Violet O’Hara/Claire-Michelle Oldfield is neither accurate nor true. This is a completely false allegation and whilst I’ve done other things in my life that I deeply regret, this isn’t an accurate or truthful portrayal of events,” Ligero Tweeted.
Matt Riddle has released a statement through his attorney regarding recent allegations made against him. A user on Twitter alleges that Riddle engaged in sexual misconduct with her in 2018.
According to statements from Riddle’s lawyer, these accusations are attempts to harass and humiliate him.
“The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and try to tarnish their reputation in the community,” the statement reads.
“We have been aware for the last two years of this performer stalking the Riddle family.”
“In 2019, our firm had drafted a pleading against this performer to seek an injunction for cyberstalking in the Circuit Court for Orange County, Florida.”
Matt Riddle is scheduled to make his debut on the Smackdown brand tonight. He was introduced as the newest member of the roster by Kurt Angle recently.
Riddle recently left NXT after losing the tag titles to Imperium and then dropping a match to Timothy Thatcher. He had won the tag titles along with Pete Dunne before the pandemic hit. Riddle first signed with WWE in 2018.
Sasha Banks and Bayley retained their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships twice this week. They won a triple threat match against the Iiconics and Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss at Backlash. Then on NXT, Banks, and Bayley defeated Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart in the main event. In the wake of these title defenses, Sasha Banks made a very bold claim online.
According to Banks, her and Bayley are the greatest tag-team of all time.
Ring of Honor hasn’t held a live event since February. The promotion was forced to cancel events just before the planned 18th Anniversary show in March. It is believed that the event was to be the first where Marty Scurll’s planned direction for the promotion was set to take shape.
According to comments Joe Koff made to the Wrestling Observer, the promotion hopes to film shows next month.
“Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we are trying to develop what we believe would be safe production in July. Obviously, anything that does get finalized would come with an asterisk as we monitor the daily progressions of the pandemic,” Koff is quoted as having said.
Brodie King vs Tyler Bateman was filmed at the NJPW LA Dojo recently as well. That match could air on future ROH programming.
Marty Scurll On ROH Plans Before Pandemic
On ROH’s official podcast, Marty Scurll stated that the 18th Anniversary show and tapings were to be the first step in the direction he was to take the promotion.
The Forgotten Sons debuted on Smackdown shortly after WrestleMania this year. The team looked to be entering into a program with New Day when social media posts from Jaxon Ryker drew criticism from others on the roster.
Although both Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake quickly distanced themselves from their stablemate’s comments, plans for the Forgotten Sons have been shelved. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura will now take the their place in a planned angle with New Day.
“Nakamura & Cesaro are replacing The Forgotten Sons in a planned program with The New Day,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The change is notable as Ryker does not even wrestle for the team. Cutler and Blake last wrestled at Money in the Bank in a fatal 4-way match for the Smackdown tag titles. Ryker hasn’t wrestled a match since an NXT live event in February.
There was also said to be some debate backstage as to whether now is the time to have an angle like the one with the Forgotten Sons, however.
“There are those who felt the gimmick itself wasn’t the right thing in these turbulent times,” Meltzer continued.
Paul Heyman was removed from the WWE creative team last week. The former Executive Director of RAW is still under a performer’s contract with the company, however. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the USA Network was not happy with the change.
“Evidently those at the network did not find out much ahead of the rest of the world of the change, and were not happy with the news,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
According to the report, both Paul Heyman and the USA Network were supportive of the idea that new stars had to be created on RAW. The idea being was that the names on top were getting older.
Heyman looked to push several wrestlers during his 11-months in charge of RAW’s creative. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander were each pushed at one point. They were then put in a tag-team together. Aleister Black was another talent Heyman was said to be high on. Shayna Baszler was apparently taken off of television recently by Vince McMahon.
Shayna Baszler Taken Off Of Television?
Vince McMahon apparently made the move to take Shayna Baszler off of television recently.
“It will be obvious very quickly what talent McMahon didn’t want pushed over the next month. Aside from Baszler, who McMahon had taken off television weeks ago, the jury is still out on most,” Meltzer wrote regarding Vince’s take on Baszler.
WWE has released a statement regarding allegations lobbied against Jordan Devlin. Ligero from NXT UK has also been accused of sexual misconduct. The British wrestling scene is currently using the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter to call-out wrestlers on allegations of sexual misconduct.
“We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter,” WWE said to media regarding the allegations.
Natalie Sykes posted the following regarding Ligero:
i am so unbelievably scared but i guess i have nothing to lose. thank you to those who have encouraged me to come forward ? pic.twitter.com/P0AmpZWNp1
Very scary doing this. But I don’t want anyone else to have to go through what I did. Things need to change. #SpeakingOut Things didn’t end with Jake. I began training under Travis Banks. When I was 17, we had a secret one year relationship in which he wouldn’t speak to….
“This is scary. I’m really scared. Jordan Devlin did this to me. And this is I hate resharing these photos but, your boys club did this. Our industry allowed this to happen. I was let down by a promotion. But please see this, please believe this. Please put measures in place for this not to happen again, and listen to women when they come to you for help.”
David Starr has taken his social media private. Before he did so, he released the following statement:
“If this is the end of wrestling for me, that’s ok. I know I’m not a predator and I know the truth of this situation. I know that I’ve learned from my wrongdoings. There’s no sense in going on the offensive. No matter what I say, I’m the bad guy. No pity party. It is what it is.”
Owen Hart’s tragic death was the topic of Dark Side of the Ring’s Season 2 finale earlier this year. The episode brought in record-numbers for the show and Vice TV. Now, UK-based company, Kaleidoscope Film Distribution, plans to release a feature-length documentary on the youngest son of Stu & Helen Hart next year.
“Told in five enthralling chapters covering Owen’s upbringing, rise to fame, his life away from the ring, through the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the WWE, and its increasingly outlandish storylines that eventually led to his death, ‘Owen‘ will feature wrestling legends including Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, Owen’s close friend, The Rock, Mick Foley, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, Jim Ross, and many more,” reads a description for the film.
The film is currently in production. It is expected to be released in late Q1 (spring) in 2021.
Vaughan Sivell (Pistorius, Mr. Calzaghe), Keaton Stone, and Jo Lewis are listed as producers. Lewis will direct the film.
Owen Hart Merchandise To Support The Owen Hart Foundation
In the build-up to the Dark Side of the Ring episode focussed on Owen, the Owen Hart Foundation and Vice released official merchandise. Proceeds from the first official Owen Hart t-shirts available in two decades will go to support the Foundation’s work.
Vice released a deleted scene from the episode after its premiere. The clip features people talking about Owen’s epic pranks.
Titus O’Neil has been named as a finalist for the 2020 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. The award was formerly known as the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award. It was renamed in 2017 to honor Ali.
The award is annually “given to an athlete whose continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a measured positive impact on their community through sports. The candidate must embrace the core principals that Muhammad Ali embodied so well, including confidence, conviction, dedication, giving and respect.”
Other finalists for the award this year include Nelson Cruz, Kevin Love, Devin & Jason McCourty, and Maya Moore.
Past winners of the award include Chris Long, Kevin Durant, Mark Giordano, and Chris Paul.
Nelson Cruz Kevin Love Devin & Jason McCourty Maya Moore Titus O’Neil
All have made the world a better place. All are finalists for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.
O’Neil spoke to Sports Illustrated the wake of being named a finalist for the award. He talked about how a harsh upbringing helped make him the person he is today.
“For those that don’t know, I’m the product of sexual assault,” said O’Neil. “My mother was raped at 11 years old and had me at the age of 12 against the wishes of many. Life was very tough for me growing up impoverished in government housing, and I was mad at the world.”
“Slowly, I started to believe in myself, and that’s when I learned there were people in the world who wanted to help me for no other reason than to see positive outcomes.”
Titus O’Neil’s last WWE match was in April. He competed in the last chance MITB qualifying gauntlet match.
AEW has signed two wrestlers after they each made their Dynamite debut last night. Abadon defeated Anna Jay on Dynamite and Ricky Starks dropped a TNT title match to Cody on the show as well.
Tony Khan and AEW have since announced that both Abadon and Ricky Starks have been signed to AEW contracts.
Abadon’s Twitter bio now reads, “I am Abadon. Living dead girl. RMP Dead I am the dog, hound of hell you cry, devil on your back I can NEVER die.”
Thank you @starkmanjones for a great effort tonight. While he didn’t win the open challenge & the TNT Title, he opened a lot of eyes on #AEWDynamite. Thank you @CodyRhodes & Arn for nominating a great challenger; I was glad to sanction the match. Now: congrats Ricky you earned it pic.twitter.com/K9dTVRlv1I
Starks was revealed as Cody’s TNT Title Open Challenge opponent on last night’s edition of Dynamite. He was previously a member of the NWA roster and former NWA Television Champion.
Anna Jay Joining The Dark Order?
Anna Jay is another recent signing to the promotion. There was some hype for her match on Dynamite this week against Abadon. In the end, however, it was Abadon who would pick up her first AEW victory and not Anna Jay.
Following the match, the Dark Order helped Jay to the back. This has led to speculation she could be the next to join the faction.
WWE has once again canceled a planned taping of WWE Smackdown. The company was originally supposed to tape the show yesterday. A positive COVID-19 test from a developmental wrestler then caused yesterday’s taping to be postponed. The WWE roster underwent testing for the virus yesterday instead.
Reports are now coming out that today’s planned taping of Smackdown has also been cancelled. Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda was the first to report that the show was being called off. John Pollock has since reported that today’s tapings of 205 Live, Main Event, and next week’s RAW are going ahead as planned, however.
The Smackdown taping was delayed for 40 minutes due to yesterday’s COVID-19 test results still coming in. Now, the plan is to tape Smackdown this Friday.
Can confirm that today's SmackDown taping at the Performance Center is off, first reported by @WrestlingGary.
This was for the June 26th episode (this coming Friday's show has already been taped).
WWE still plans to tape 2 episodes of NXT tonight from Full Sail University. Tonight’s episode will air live. They will then tape next week’s episode immediately following.
WWE released the following statement to media earlier this week:
“A developmental talent, who was last on site at WWE’s training facility on Tuesday, June 9, has tested positive for COVID-19. Since that time, no other individuals that attended the facility have reported symptoms. However, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the health and safety of the company’s performers and staff, all talent, production crew and employees on site at the training and production facilities will be tested for COVID-19 immediately. Following the test results, WWE plans to proceed with its normal television production schedule.”
AEW has released updated top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s edition of Dynamite. MJF continues to top the men’s single’s rankings with an undefeated 6-0 record.
#3 Penelope Ford and #4 the Dark Order also made gains in the rankings this week.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (13-0) TNT Champion: Cody (12-1)
MJF (6-0)
Lance Archer (6-1)
Brodie Lee (5-1)
Kenny Omega (4-0)
Chris Jericho (2-1)
There was no movement in the men’s single’s division this week in AEW. TNT Champion Cody successfully defended his title against Marq Quen. #2 Lance Archer picked up a single’s victory on Dark. Champion Jon Moxley, #1 MJF, #3 Brodie Lee, #4 Kenny Omega, and #5 Chris Jericho all had the week off.
#4 Kenny Omega will team with Hangman Page tonight to defend the tag belts against the Natural Nightmares. #5 Chris Jericho will team with Sammy Guevara to take on the Best Friends with the winners facing the champions at Fyter Fest. #1 MJF will face Billy from the Gunn club tonight as well.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Hikaru Shida (11-1)
Nyla Rose (6-2)
Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured)
Penelope Ford (4-3) (+2)
Britt Baker (4-4) (injured) (-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1) (-1)
#3 Penelope Ford moves up 2 spots after pinning the champion in tag-team action last week. She teamed with #1 Nyla Rose to earn the victory over champion Hikaru Shida and #2 Kris Statlander last week.
Unfortunately, Statlander announced this week she’s out with a torn ACL that will require surgery. #4 Britt Baker is also on the shelf/in a “Role’s Royce” for awhile.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (7-0)
Best Friends (9-3)
The Natural Nightmares (5-0)
Private Party (4-2)
The Dark Order (6-0) (previously unranked)
Young Bucks (2-2)
SCU drops out of the tag rankings this week and #4 the Dark Order are ranked once again. Stu Grayson and Evil Uno picked up a win on Dark this week after having been absent for weeks due to travel restriction between the US and Canada.
It’s a big week for the tag division tonight, however. The tag titles are on the line as the champions defend against #2 the Natural Nightmares. #1 The Best Friends will put their previously earned title shot on the line against Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara (Le Sex Gods) as well.
Impact Wrestling has been going all out teasing wrestling fans that some free agents will be appearing at Slammiversary on July 18th. On this week’s show, it was noted on commentary that what happens at Slammiversary will change the company’s course for possibly years to come. The tagline for the event is “Our World Will Change.”
On the Impact post-show with Jimmy Jacobs and Don Callis last night, the co-Vice President of the company teased that another name could be on their way to the promotion. Callis noted that he learned a lot from this person beginning in 1999. That was the year Callis began working for Extreme Championship Wrestling.
“So, Jimmy, you might want to bring your autograph book because I just got the scoop. Someone who we didn’t even think was available might be coming, I’m just saying,” Callis said. “I’ll say this, I learned a lot from him, Jimmy, I learned a lot from him from 99 to 2001, do your homework, everyone. All you internet people out there, you figure out, who am I talking about? Who’s undergone some changes recently?”
A few names are possible here. One is Gabe Sapolsky, who was a writer with ECW from 1993 until the company closed in 2001. Sapolsky had been with EVOLVE but the company recently announced a hiatus in the wake of the global pandemic.
Another option here is Lance Storm, who was recently furloughed or released by WWE. Storm closed down the Storm Wrestling Academy last year to accept the position with WWE. He had actually worked at least one taping for Impact in a similar role before signing with WWE.
Many fans have suggested Paul Heyman as someone Callis could be referring to here. Heyman is still under a performer’s contract with WWE, however, in spite of being let go from the creative team. It’s not clear when Heyman’s contract as a performer with WWE is up.
Steve Corino is a dark horse possibility here too. Corino is currently a trainer in NXT and there has been no news that he was released or furloughed but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened and the news simply hasn’t leaked out.
Another dark horse theory suggested by some is Joey Styles. The reasoning here being that Callis and Styles worked commentary together from 99-01. Callis mentioned the person recently “underwent some changes” though, and there hasn’t really been any news relating to Styles since he left the industry in late 2016.
After a scheduled taping of WWE Smackdown was canceled yesterday, it appears WWE is filming nearly 2 weeks’ worth of content today.
A positive COVID-19 test of a developmental wrestler who had been acting as a fan at tapings caused WWE to change plans. Instead of taping Smackdown yesterday, WWE instead had its roster tested for the virus.
The company is set to resume tapings today and is filming a large amount of content. The following shows will be taped today from the WWE Performance Center:
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson will star in and serve as a producer on NBC’s “Young Rock” next year. The network announced its fall schedule recently and noted multiple shows that had been pushed back to midseason/summer next year, one of them being the series focused on the Rock’s early career.
NBC pushed “Young Rock” back to midseason along with other new shows “Kenan” starring “Kenan Thompson” and the Tina Fey’s Mr. Mayor. Former WWE head writer Brian Gerwitz is also set to be involved with the show. The show is expected to premiere next summer.
Young Rock will focus on the Rock’s days before he was in WWE.
Earlier this year, the Rock posted a video to social media talking about what fans can expect from the series.
“We’re going to find the Rock wreaking havoc in the streets of Hawaii getting arrested,” Johnson said in the above video. “We were forced to leave the island and move to all places, Nashville, Tennessee. Those were the years that were very formative and helped shape me. The confluence of wild personalities that came in and out of my life during these times are just fascinating.”
Impact Wrestling continued its build to Slammiversary last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The promotion continued to tease that several recently released WWE wrestlers could be on their way to the promotion. In particular, EC3 was heavily teased.
Impact Wrestling 6/16 Quick Results
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) defeated The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz)
Neveah defeated Kimber Lee
Rhino defeated Rohit Raju
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Moose (c) defeated Hernandez
Reno Scum defeated Team XXXL
Street Fight Ace Austin defeated Eddie Edwards
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact 6/16:
Former World Champion To Return To Impact Wrestling
At least one former World Champion will make his return to IMPACT on Saturday July 18th at #Slammiversary.
Impact has been heavily-teasing that recently released wrestlers from WWE could be on their way to Impact. They have teased that Rhino’s former tag partner who “has kids” could appear at Slammiversary. EC3, Anderson & Gallows, and several others have been teased as well. This week, Impact confirmed that at least one former World Champion will be at Slammiverary.
Slammiversary will take place on Saturday July 18th, 2020. The tagline for the event is “Our World Will Change.”
EC3’s Music Plays Following Moose Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl11DSQq26g
Moose continues to claim he is the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. This week he defended the title against Hernandez. Moose hit his opponent with an inadvertent (or perhaps purposeful) low-blow before picking up the win with a No-Jackhammer-Needed spear.
After the match, EC3’s old music played briefly instead of Moose’s. This clearly unnerved the self-proclaimed champion. Eventually, Moose’s music played and he celebrated with the TNA title to close the segment.
The North Retain Over The Rascalz, Trey Attacked In The Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGt1UEvai9s
Ethan Page & Josh Alexander picked up a win this week over Dez & Wentz to kick off the show. The Rascalz earned the title shot by defeating TJP and Fallah Bah previously.
Page took Dez out of the match after countering a suicide dive and throwing him into the guardrail. Then, in the ring, Alexander crotched Wentz on the top-rope before the North hit their assisted-spinebuster finish for the win.
Following the match, the North went to the backstage area and were insulted to find nobody at the monitors watching their match.
When the Rascalz went to the back, they noticed someone had attacked Trey.
“The Virtuoso” Deonna Purrazzo Attacks Jordynne Grace Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGumQVumZzY
Deonna Purrazzo attacked Jordynne Grace last week on Impact. She locked the champion in an armbar to close the show. This week, we were shown highlights of an interview with Purrazzo who talked about debuting for Impact early in her career. She referred to herself as the best women’s technical wrestler in the world and is confident coming back to the promotion.
After the segment, Grace was interviewed in the back. She said that if Purrazzo wanted a title shot, all she had to do was ask. Purrazzo then attacked and locked Grace in an armbar once again.
Madman Fulton Aligns With Ace Austin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtpHNAbbhuo
This week’s main event pitted former rivals Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin in a street fight. The two will also be involved in the 5-way Impact World Title match at Slammiversary.
Edwards gave Austin a brutal neck breaker onto a table leg and looked to be setting his opponent up for the Boston Knee Party when Madman Fulton interfered. Fulton delivered a choke slam to Edwards and held him up for Austin to give him the Fold.
On commentary they revealed that Fulton was likely the man who attacked Trey in the back.
Rhino Defeats Rohit Raju As Commentary Teases Ex-WWE Wrestlers To Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReWMpeTvW3k
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Rohit Raju and Rhino were involved in a mild altercation in the back. Rhino told Raju he has a tag-team partner and that tag-team partner “has kids.” This provided an opportunity for Josh Matthews and Madison Rayne to tease ex-WWE wrestlers showing up at Slammiversary. Matthews stated that what happens at Slammiversary could change the projection of Impact for years to come. Rayne said her sources confirmed that Slammiversary will be “can’t miss.”
Rhino picked up the win with a Gore. After the match, Raju looked distraught as Matthews wondered aloud if he would throw a childish fit again.
Neveah Picks Up Victory Over Kimber Lee, Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz Look On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MW1a0qLw40
Kimber Lee faced Neveah this week on Impact. Neveah is now aligned with Havok after having ominously watched her matches from the crowd in recent weeks. This week, however, Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz played that role. Hogan & Steelz had an altercation in the back last week with Havok & Neveah.
Neveah picked up the victory with a vicious-looking DDT. The win gets a measure of revenge for the new team after Kimber Lee had previously defeated Havok. After the match, Hogan & Steelz threw popcorn in the face of Havok and the two teams almost came to blows until Hogan & Steelz fled the area.
Reno Scum Defeated Team XXXL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NPGfRn3drM
Reno Scum picked up a victory over Team XXXL this week. On commentary, they noted that with The North’s victory over The Rascalz this week that the winner of this match could be in line for a title shot. It looks like the North vs Reno Scum could be a match we get some time in the near future.
WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt has responded to allegations that recently surfaced regarding the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia last year. A lawsuit launched on behalf of WWE stockholders stating the company misrepresented its dealing in Saudi Arabia now features a former WWE wrestler acting as a confidential witness.
The wrestler serving as a confidential witness made several statements regarding the infamous delayed flight out of Saudi Arabia from the Crown Jewel event last fall. Documents relating to the case confirm the wrestler in question ceased working for the company this April.
“A former WWE wrestler, who performed for the Company from 2012 to April 2020 and who participated in the October 31st, 2019 Crown Jewel event, confirms the substance of media reports,” reads documents relating to the suit.
“CW-2 explained that he asked the Senior Director of Talent Relations, Mark Carrano, about what was going on and that Carrano told him that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and McMahon had gotten into an argument over late payments in connection with the June 7, 2019 Super ShowDown event.”
WWE Responds to Allegations
WWE since has responded to these allegations.
“These false allegations were originally made in two suits filed by two different law firms,” reads a statement WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt sent to Forbes.
WWE’s statement confirms the company will attempt to have this lawsuit dismissed.
“After the Court appointed a third firm to be lead counsel, WWE provided all three law firms with specific detailed facts from the persons with actual knowledge of the situation, including the phony allegation about the plane. The first two law firms then dropped their lawsuits to avoid sanction motions, but the third firm chose to ignore the specific facts they had been provided, and instead cited an unnamed disgruntled former wrestler with no knowledge of the facts. WWE is preparing its response to the lawsuit and will be moving to have it dismissed.”
Charlotte Flair appeared on RAW Talk last night following Monday night’s show from the Performance Center. While on the show, Flair took aim at her critics as well as who she referred to as “entitled” WWE Superstars who “stay home.”
The below user on Twitter noted posted some of Flair’s comments to social media:
“The thing is, it’s not about who gets under my skin, it’s about why they get under my skin,” Flair said on the show addressing a question her father asked her on RAW last night.
“I see, I hear, and I read what people say about me, that I’m entitled, that I’m always in the title picture, and here’s the thing, I am the only person that shows up to work 365 days a year.”
“I am the hardest-working person in this company. I’m on Raw, I’m on SmackDown. Hell, I do media for FOX and I’m not even on FOX. And then they send me to NXT. No, I do anything and everything they ask because I love this business and I strive for greatness.”
Flair then said it is the entitled people who get under her skin. She stated that it is the people who sit at home for a year and then come back with whom she gets frustrated.
“So it’s the entitled people that get under my skin. It is the people that sit at home for a year and then come back and are in the title picture and you call me entitled because I am busting my ass 365 days a year to be the best?”
Nia Jax was recently out of action for a year and then challenged for the title at Backlash.
“No, it’s the people like Nia Jax who come back and are in the title picture,” Flair continued.
“It’s people like Sasha Banks who take time off and then come back in the title picture but I’m entitled?” Flair continued.
WWE has canceled its scheduled Smackdown tapings for today at the WWE Performance Center. This was done in the wake of a developmental talent testing positive for COVID-19. The roster is being tested today for the virus. Also as it concerns WWE’s handling of the pandemic, it is being reported that the company is not allowing those playing the role of fans at the tapings to wear masks.
Bryan Alvarez noted on Twitter that he had heard from multiple sources that WWE was not permitting people to wear masks while acting as fans at the tapings.
On top of nobody finding out about the COVID failure until it hit social media, I was told by multiple sources that WWE would not allow anyone in the crowd at the RAW taping Monday to wear masks.
WWE talent is being tested today for the virus. Mojo Rawley posted to Twitter regarding his experience being tested.
Precautionary #COVID19 testing! Gotta make sure we’re healthy and safe to entertain the globe every week!
I’m telling you, this test is really not bad at all! No pain, just a weird feeling! So don’t hesitate in case you need to take your test! #StaySafe#StayHYPEDpic.twitter.com/sx3ib3f5yB
“A developmental talent, who was last on site at WWE’s training facility on Tuesday, June 9, has tested positive for COVID-19. Since that time, no other individuals that attended the facility have reported symptoms. However, out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the health and safety of the company’s performers and staff, all talent, production crew and employees on site at the training and production facilities will be tested for COVID-19 immediately. Following the test results, WWE plans to proceed with its normal television production schedule.”
Last night on WWE RAW, Christian faced Randy Orton in an unsanctioned match. The bout didn’t go long, however. Ric Flair gave Christian a low-blow before Randy Orton delivered a punt and pinned the returning Superstar. Booker T recently addressed Christian’s WWE return on his radio show and YouTube channel.
“You get the bug once you get back in. Once you get a little taste…” Booker said when asked if he thinks Christian’s performance was a one-off.
“It’s something that wants to just pull you back in, something that just wants to draw you back in, make you feel like ‘I can do this.'”
“We all feel that way, we all feel like we got one last run and Christian, I’m going to tell you right now, after just getting in the ring, just making that walk, I can only imagine if there had been 10,000/15,000/20,000 people in the arena, he would have really lost his mind when he got back to the hotel room. He would have had goosebumps looking in the mirror going ‘I think I can still do this.'”
“I don’t think it’s going to be a one-off, I think Christian’s going to come back, I think he’s going to get the bug.”
“I think Christian will be at Extreme Rules in the ring, and the thing is, he’ll have time to get ready for it.”
Edge and Randy Orton faced off in what was billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” at Backlash on Sunday. One person who has been in several matches that many consider to be amongst the best of all-time recently took part in an interview on the subject. Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat’s clashes with “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair are often mentioned in the discussion of best matches of all-time.
During an interview with the Sporting News, Steamboat compared Edge vs Randy Orton to his WrestleMania III match against Savage.
“Edge being away for a while reminds me of the time back in December of 1986 when Randy Savage and I started our angle for WrestleMania 3. I had virtually a three-month layoff from an injury angle we ran so I didn’t wrestle at all,” Steamboat said.
“I can remember that my match with Savage at WM3 lasted less than 20 minutes. Understand this: I’ve routinely gone an hour wrestling Ric Flair, Harley Race and Blackjack Mulligan. But after the Savage match, I collapsed in the locker room because I was so gassed out.”
Ricky Steamboat Compares Randy Savage to Ric Flair
Steamboat also discussed the differences working with Randy Savage and Ric Flair during the interview.
“Randy was the type of guy that would have everything lined up for a match from top to bottom. But with Flair, we wrestled maybe 30 matches to a one-hour draw and only had a few spots lined up.”
“Flair was a guy who 90 percent of your match was called on the fly while Savage was a guy who had 90 percent of it set in stone before the match began.”
Ricky Steamboat On Wrestlers He’d Like To Work With
Steamboat was also asked during the interview about wrestlers from today’s WWE roster he’d be interested in working with.
Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. Seth Rollins was a guy who came to WWE with years of time in the indies but he listened and he just got it. Styles is a great mix of old and new school. Bray Wyatt has always been able to step up when asked to do something different. He’s very athletic for his size but it’s all about his creativity,” Steamboat said.
Jaxson Ryker, Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake were called up to the WWE main roster shortly after WrestleMania. The Forgotten Sons then began competing in Smackdown’s tag-team division. They have not been seen in several weeks, however.
The team has not competed in a match since the Money in the Bank PPV on May 10th, 2020.
According to a report from Fightful, there is significant heat on Ryker due to his recent activity on social media. While Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake are not receiving any of their own backlash, they are being impacted by Ryker’s actions nonetheless.
The team had been planned to enter into a program with the New Day but that no longer appears to be happening anytime in the near future.
Backstage Reaction To Jaxson Ryker Social Media Posts
Further social media posts Ryker made that were critical of the Black Lives Matter movement were also uncovered before Ryker ultimately he took some of his social media accounts private.
The freedom you speak of entitles you to speak your mind all you want. I’m not here to argue that. I just really need to tell you that I think you pushing your shitty wrestling catchphrase as all of this is happening is absolutely fucking pathetic.
“According to one person high up in the company, the belief is that Lail can’t be fired for expressing freedom of speech, but that the locker room is fuming at him,” wrote Dave Meltzer on the situation involving Cutler.
Although I am part of a tag team while I wrestle, I am my own person with my own thoughts and beliefs. It pains me to see what’s going on in the world. I fought for the freedom of our country and ALL of the people who live here.
Hulk Hogan once filed suit against Post Foods, the manufacturer of Cocoa Pebbles. The cereal once marketed a character named “Bulk Boulder” in commercials that was portrayed as a professional wrestler. The two sides settled out of court in 2010. No financial terms of the settlement were ever revealed but the commercial was pulled.
On a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff commented on the suit.
“One of the things that people don’t realize is when you have a trademark, you have to protect it,” Bischoff said.
“If you, through your attorneys, don’t take some kind of action, affirmative action in response to it that is, in effect, abandoning your trademark.”
“Had Hulk Hogan and his attorneys not protected that trademark, they could have easily lost the rights to that trademark by not defending it.”
“I don’t think that Hulk Hogan was looking for a billion-dollar payday or any of those things. I think he just wanted a cease & desist and prove to the USPTO.gov group that he was indeed protecting his trademark.”
