NJPW/Bullet Club star Tama Tonga recently spoke to WrestlingINC on a variety of topics, including NJPW’s loss of KUSHIDA to WWE.

The Samoan star revealed that he and KUSHIDA share a longtime friendship. This dates back to when both men first joined the company.

When asked how he believes NJPW will cope without the Junior Division legend Tonga replied “It’s gonna be a huge gap, but I know we’ve got guys to step up and fill that gap. But KUSHIDA and I made our debut together on the same day here in New Japan in 2010 for the Best of the Super Juniors. We always remembered that.”

Tonga elaborated further, saying “I worked with him a lot for the first couple of years, and then when I went heel we shared a lot of memories going against each other. He’s just an all-around great dude.” Tama also spoke about KUSHIDA’s personal life, saying “He just had his child last year, and so did I. I feel like his story and my story kind of intertwine here and there, which is nice and unique. He’s been great for the company, he held the junior division very, very tight and held it up very high, set standards for everybody to come up to.”

Tama Tonga finished by saying “He’s gonna be really missed out here. He’s a good friend of mine, and he’s gonna be really missed. But since I live in Florida, if that’s where he’s going, I’ll see him out there.”

This past weekend saw Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) Wrestling present their High Stakes 2019 event. The show took place from the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.

The main event featured an independent dream match with NEVER Openweight Champion Will Ospreay facing Dragon Gate star PAC. The match featured a run in from CCK’s Chris Brookes and Jon Gresham. The bout ended in a time limit draw, with the contest going the allocated 30 minutes.

PAC took to the top rope and counted along with the fans in the final seconds, opting not to hit his Black Arrow finishing move. The contest was a critical hit with fans in attendance but many were questioning the finish, blaming ‘politics’ between New Japan and Dragon Gate.

Potential ‘politics’ aside, Ospreay took to Twitter to essentially confirm that this is just the beginning of the feud. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ tweeted a mid-match image of the two men and wrote “Chapter 1.” Whilst there’s no confirmation of where the second match could be taking place there’s a very good chance that the WrestleMania weekend show for Rev Pro could see the two high-flying stars go at it once again.

High Stakes 2019 is now available to view online via Rev Pro’s official On Demand service. If you sign up now you can view the entire event for free with a 7-day trial.

Chapter 1 pic.twitter.com/Ypt2xeOR2A

— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) February 18, 2019

Over The Top (OTT) Wrestling has announced that Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger will be part of the upcoming ScrapperMania 5 event. The New Japan Pro Wrestling legend will be facing Scotty Davis at the event.

Will Ospreay had previously been confirmed for the event. Due to outside commitments Ospreay has now been pulled, Liger being his replacement. It is not confirmed if his NJPW contract stopped Ospreay from appearing, however Liger appears to be a ‘make good’ from the Japanese company.

OTT has also announced that British Strong Style will be taking part in the upcoming ScrapperMania 5 event. ScrapperMania will be taking place on March 16th from the National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

British Strong Style consists of WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven. The trio are three of the top stars of the NXT UK division. With OTT being one of the ‘greenlit’ promotions for NXT UK Superstars BSS are likely to still perform for the company going forward. OTT are the biggest promotion in Ireland, their hype videos for their events are critically acclaimed and they’re quickly being regarded as one of the best promotions in Europe.

Already announced for the show are David Starr, NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin and WALTER. Devlin will be facing WALTER in the main event for the OTT Heavyweight Championship.

#ScrapperMania
??St Patrick’s Weekend??
March 16th Dublin’s National Stadium
Ireland Vs The World
Davis Vs liger
Tickets https://t.co/ZOpbPuEPGI #OTT pic.twitter.com/fW0APrbQKb

— OTT WRESTLING (@OTT_wrestling) February 18, 2019

We reported multiple changes to the NXT UK contracts at the tail end of 2018. Yet whilst there were conflicting reports the actual reality of the situation is still no closer to being clear.

The Wrestling Observer recently made some comments on the contractual situation of certain NXT UK Superstars. Millie McKenzie and Charlie Morgan of Pro Wrestling: EVE reportedly left the brand at the end of 2018. Although, this was not widely publicised. The Observer suggests that EVE may be the reason for Morgan leaving the WWE UK brand. The WON wrote that “Morgan has attracted a lot of mainstream press as the “Ace” of Pro Wrestling Eve, including a recent appearance on the BBC’s general affairs magazine show, The One Show.” Whilst McKenzie’s decision to leave NXT UK “may have been influenced by her desire to continue to perform in intergender matches.”

There’s further confusion with regards to talent still contracted to NXT UK. The Observer specifically mentions Nina Samuels, the Pro Wrestling: EVE Champion and NXT UK Superstar. The Observer wrote “despite previous suggestions that WWE UK talent could not work for Pro Wrestling EVE, at their recent Global Strike 2, Nina Samuels retained her title over Emi Sakura, whilst Kay Lee Ray won a number one contender tournament.”

Essentially, the situation is still no clearer than it was at the end of 2018.

There were recent reports that Nia Jax would be taking on Dean Ambrose at a WWE Live Event on February 22nd in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The match was recently ‘cancelled’ for that live show. The ‘feud’ between the two started on a recent episode of WWE RAW, where Ambrose lost to Seth Rollins. After the match, Ambrose began to cut a promo in the ring before being interrupted by Nia Jax and Tamina. The two had a standoff for a brief moment, before Ambrose attempted to leave the ring. However, Jax clocked “The Lunatic Fringe” with a forearm and sent him through the ropes and out of the ring.

There are apparently still plans for WWE to present intergender matches at some point in the future. The Wrestling Observer stated that “The idea of such a match at some point is still alive. It’s not as if they are dead set against it as much as it’s just not happening there and it all depends on the new creative direction with Ambrose.”

The announcement of the intergender match had caused a huge buzz. Before Jax’s involvement in the recent Men’s Royal Rumble there was absolutely no chance of seeing male and female Superstars facing off like this. The only recent exception was seen at last year’s WrestleMania, where Ronda Rousey took on Triple H to a huge response from the crowd, this came during a mixed tag match.

WWE’s UK division aired its latest show earlier this week on WWE Network. The brand has been on a roll since the Takeover: Blackpool show and this week’s show was set to be big.

The main event saw WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne take on Wolfgang in a non-title match. Jinny was also in action against Mia Yim and Noam Dar took on Jordan Devlin earlier in the programme.

Here’s the results from NXT UK (02/13):

• NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm appeared in ring. The Champion talked about beating Rhea Ripley for the title at Takeover: Blackpool and that she would beat her again. Ripley then appeared and the two brawled after trading words
• Noam Dar b. Jordan Devlin – Dar took the win in 10:17 with a roll-up
• A graphic aired showing that WALTER will face NXT’s Kassius Ohno in two weeks. Storm will defend her title against Rhea Ripley next week
• Jinny b. Mia Yim – Jinny had her feet on the rope in 7:57 after hitting a kick to the face
• The Coffey Brothers will be taking on ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews next week
• WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne b. Wolfgang – Dunne made Wolfgang submit with an armbar in 10:43

Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) has announced that British Strong Style will be taking part in the upcoming ScrapperMania 5 event. ScrapperMania will be taking place on March 16th from the National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

British Strong Style consists of WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven. The trio are three of the top stars of the NXT UK division. With OTT being one of the ‘greenlit’ promotions for NXT UK Superstars BSS are likely to still perform for the company going forward. OTT are the biggest promotion in Ireland, their hype videos for their events are critically acclaimed and they’re quickly being regarded as one of the best promotions in Europe.

Already announced for the show are Will Ospreay, David Starr, NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin and WALTER. Devlin or Starr will be facing WALTER in the main event for the OTT Heavyweight Championship. Starr and Devlin will be colliding at the Homecoming 2019 event this Sunday.

The full card for the Homecoming event is as follows:

• WALTER vs PAC
• Jordan Devlin vs David Starr
• Lads from The Flats vs Kings of The North
• Will Ospreay and Scotty Davis vs Besties In The World
• Mark Haskins vs Andrew Everett vs Terry Thatcher
• Justy and MJF vs Angel Cruzers
• Ilja Dragunov vs Shigehiro Irie
• More Than Hype vs Charlie Sterling and The No Fun Police

Happy Valentine's Day#ScrapperMania 5
March 16th, National Stadium Dublin
Tickets https://t.co/ZOpbPuEPGI #Valentines #OTT #OnlyTheBest pic.twitter.com/GZ4n2iiBpz

— OTT WRESTLING (@OTT_wrestling) February 14, 2019

Over The Top (OTT) Wrestling has announced that Will Ospreay will no longer be appearing at the ScrapperMania 5 event in Dublin. The show takes place on March 16th from the National Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The company issued a statement saying “Due to other commitments, Will Ospreay can no longer appear at March 16th ScrapperMania March 24th Live In Belfast. Both Will and OTT are gutted but the situation is unavoidable. We have worked hard (with Will) and have found star replacements. Announcements tomorrow.”

It has not been confirmed if Ospreay’s NJPW commitments are the reason for the cancellation. Whilst this is the most likely there is also a chance that the WoS series could be returning and tapings are booked for those dates. We do not have confirmation at this time.

OTT has also announced that British Strong Style will be taking part in the upcoming ScrapperMania 5 event

British Strong Style consists of WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven. The trio are three of the top stars of the NXT UK division. With OTT being one of the ‘greenlit’ promotions for NXT UK Superstars BSS are likely to still perform for the company going forward. OTT are the biggest promotion in Ireland, their hype videos for their events are critically acclaimed and they’re quickly being regarded as one of the best promotions in Europe.

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) will be presenting their long awaited High Stakes 2019 event later this week. The company sold out tickets for the show based on one match alone, Will Ospreay vs PAC. The company’s High Stakes 2019 event takes place from the world famous York Hall in London.

Since the announcement UK fans have been anticipating this dream match. Ever since PAC (formerly Neville) left WWE Ospreay has made his intentions to face the high flying star clear.

When the match was finally announced for Rev Pro Ospreay took to Twitter and stated “If I have learnt anything from Rev Pro booking what is being titled a “genuine dream match” is that this is a symbol to show even though some guys in the UK are being locked down in where they can compete, our country can thrive without being part of the system.”

Here’s the full card for High Stakes 2019 this Friday (02/15):

• Main Event: Will Ospreay vs PAC
• Aussie Open vs CCK (Chris Brookes and Jon Gresham)
• Rev Pro Women’s Championship – Zoe Lucas (c) vs Bea Priestley
• Besties In The World vs Team White Wolf
• Mk McKinnan vs Chris Ridgeway
• El Phantasmo vs MJF
• Josh Bodom vs El Phantasmo

Your #HighStakes2019 full card.
Show will be available to view online within 48 hours at: https://t.co/vhLx7kP8wf pic.twitter.com/uJSnHetXRa

— Revolution Pro (@RevProUK) February 14, 2019

The Revival won the RAW Tag Team Championships this past Monday night. The team were one of the highlights of the NXT brand during their time there, having blow away matches with the likes of DIY and American Alpha. Triple H took to Twitter to congratulate the team on their win, saying “Uncompromising in beliefs. Undying in passion. And unstoppable in their pursuit to be the best. Congratulations to @DashWilderWWE and @ScottDawsonWWE on becoming the NEW #Raw Tag Team Champions.”

Former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper is reportedly close to a return to WWE. PWInsider claimed that Harper was backstage for last night’s Smackdown in Toledo, OH. Harper did not appear on the programme and there’s no word on when he is likely to return to television. It is also unclear if he will be paired with Erick Rowan, his Bludgeon Brothers tag team partner. Rowan is currently working alongside WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, so there is a chance that Harper joins the team and they become a full stable. Harper has been off television since August 2018. Harper was seen with a cast on his left hand a few months ago, possibly indicating that he had surgery. He has been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando recently working towards his in-ring return.

Uncompromising in beliefs…
Undying in passion…
and unstoppable in their pursuit to be the best.

Congratulations to @DashWilderWWE and @ScottDawsonWWE on becoming the NEW #Raw Tag Team Champions. #WeAreNXT #Forever #FTR pic.twitter.com/HDROhzdH8T

— Triple H (@TripleH) February 13, 2019

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently joined the WrestlingINC podcast to discuss his return to WWE. The former TNA and WCW World Champion talked about a variety of topics, here’s some of the highlights.

When asked about the plan for his surprise Rumble appearance Jarrett said “Some things are better left unsaid….” Jarrett stated that it was always the plan for him to square off with Elias at The Rumble and then at Raw. “Heck, I didn’t even know the plan of anything. All I knew was: show up because Double J’s in the Rumble. So, don’t ask me about a plan!”

“Sunday Night Was Special”

Jarrett also mentioned just why the Rumble was a special moment for him. “Sunday night was special for a lot of reasons, but as things were transpiring the Roadie/Road Dog and Double J had not appeared on camera in a long, long time in that set of circumstances,” stated Jarrett. “I knew that was gonna be special, and Nick, I can not tell you what an incredible moment personally and professionally it was for me and [Road Dogg] to be on stage.”

Changes to WWE

The WWE HOF Superstar also commented on the changes WWE has made since he was last in the company. “It’s amazing. Obviously, they’re publicly-traded,” stated Jarrett. “I left the day before they went public… So everything that goes with that – not that they were a small organization, by any means, in 1999. But they are an enormous operation with NXT in Orlando and one in the UK. The international business – India…My time in TNA, I was working extensively in the international side of things – India properties, the UK properties, Africa, all of that. So, I know the international business side quite well.” Jarrett elaborated further, saying “It’s amazing the footprint WWE has around the globe. When you look at the scope of the amount of live events they run, it’s mind-boggling.”

*Credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription

PROGRESS has announced a huge Tag Team Title match for their upcoming Chapter 84 event.

Swords of Essex (Will Ospreay and Paul Robinson) will be defending against Aussie Open. Ospreay and Robinson shockingly won the titles at Chapter 82: Unboxing. The Unboxing show is an annual event where the card is a complete mystery to fans. Ospreay appeared alongside his longtime friend/rival Robinson just days before Wrestle Kingdom in January. Ospreay and Robinson then took the titles off of Aussie Open, ending their first reign with the belts. Aussie Open won the Championship back at the PROGRESS Wembley show last year.

This will be the Sword’s second defence of the titles, having defeated CCK back at Chapter 83: Remove Child Before Ironing. Ospreay and Robinson defeated Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos in a great match to retain their new belts.

Aussie Open recently defeated the Do Not Resuscitate team to earn this shot at the tag team Champions. Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher have been an electric tag team ever since they joined the UK scene just a few years ago. The two men arrived in England as singles competitors but quickly joined forces to become one of the most beloved tandems in the UK scene.

In the last 2 months: #AussieOpen have lost the tag titles, regrouped, beaten #DoNotResuscitate for a chance to win them back; #SwordsOfEssex have made a huge return to PROGRESS, won the tag titles, and seen off #CCK. Huge title match for #Chapter84 in store! #ThisIsPROGRESS pic.twitter.com/Yk3zb9yrqk

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 11, 2019

The new feature length film ‘Fighting With My Family’ has been garnering rave reviews recently. The biopic of WWE Superstar Paige follows her early life through to her career in the WWE. The film was written by Office star Stephen Merchant and produced by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Hollywood star John Krasinski recently saw the film and tweeted some comments on the biopic. Krasinski said “Had the great pleasure of seeing the film #Fightingwithmyfamily tonight, written and directed by good friend @stephenmerchant and produced by Dave @therock Johnson! It’ll make you laugh, cry… and suplex! Congrats to all involved!”

The Rock was quick to note that his name had been…incorrectly written. Dwayne responded to Krasinski saying “Whaaaaat an assh*le. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times… it’s Darnell, not Dave. Thrilled you and Blunty loved our movie.”

Johnson recently made some public comments on the film and why Hollywood studios weren’t interested in Paige’s story. “We wanted a studio to buy into it, and no one did,” Rock said. “We got passed on everywhere. It was a small British comedy about a crazy wrestling family that wasn’t famous.”

Danny Garcia, who oversees Seven Bucks Productions added, “Wrestling is the conduit for Paige’s journey, and that has a certain stigma.”

Had the great pleasure of seeing the film #Fightingwithmyfamily tonight, written and directed by good friend @stephenmerchant and produced by Dave @therock Johnson! It’ll make you laugh, cry… and suplex! Congrats to all involved! pic.twitter.com/XkVjBr1Rzb

— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) February 12, 2019

WWE’s UK division will be airing its latest show tonight on WWE Network. The brand has been on a roll since the Takeover: Blackpool show and this week’s show is set to be big.

Pete Dunne will be taking on Wolfgang in the main event. The WWE United Kingdom Champion has been seeing off all comers since the Takeover show. Wolfgang of Gallus will be looking to get the team back to winning ways after Mark Coffey lost to WALTER last week. Dunne was clearly paying close attention to the main event last week, WALTER is being portrayed as a top Superstar in the UK brand and a match with Dunne is all but inevitable.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm will also be in action. The Mae Young Classic 2 winner will be opening the show. Storm is one of the top Superstars from the UK scene. The Australian Superstar is being touted for a move to the main roster within the next year, such is her appeal and ability.

Noam Dar will also be taking on Jordan Devlin. Devlin is one of the most underrated performers on the UK scene and has been building his brand for the OTT promotion in his native Ireland. Jinny will also be locking horns with NXT’s Mia Yim

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) will be presenting their long awaited High Stakes 2019 event later this week. The company sold out tickets for the show based on one match alone, Will Ospreay vs PAC. The company’s High Stakes 2019 event takes place from the world famous York Hall in London.

Since the announcement UK fans have been anticipating this dream match. Ever since PAC (formerly Neville) left WWE Ospreay has made his intentions to face the high flying star clear.

When the match was finally announced for Rev Pro Ospreay took to Twitter and stated “If I have learnt anything from Rev Pro booking what is being titled a “genuine dream match” is that this is a symbol to show even though some guys in the UK are being locked down in where they can compete, our country can thrive without being part of the system.”

Ospreay has been vocal regarding the recent NXT UK Superstar contract changes. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ is one of the few UK stars signed to NJPW alongside Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. This bout shows that there are opportunities for promotions outside of the ‘WWE bubble’ to thrive on the UK scene.

The match will be available to view on demand over the weekend.

Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi earlier this week to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion. White won the belt in the main event of The New Beginning in Osaka.

The win came as a shock to many NJPW fans. Much the same as Kazuchika Okada beating Tanahashi did nearly seven years ago. Okada won the IWGP Heavyweight title in a nearly identical style, it was in the same building and came as a complete shock to fans.

According to The Wrestling Observer, White’s ascension to the top of the card is in part attributed to the departure of Kenny Omega. The G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden was to be headlined by Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada facing off for the title. This original plan meant that Kenny would’ve defeated Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom in January. With Omega’s current status with AEW New Japan opted to take the belt off of him.

Dave Meltzer also commented on White going forward. Meltzer claimed that the G1 Supercard show would likely now be headlined by White versus Okada. The match would of course be contested for the IWGP Championship. G1 Supercard will be taking place from Madison Square Garden on April 6th in New York City.

AEW has announced that one of their latest signings will be joining the Starrcast 2 celebrations. Former PROGRESS and IPW:UK Champion Jimmy Havoc will be part of the Memorial Day Weekender in Las Vegas.

The former PROGRESS World Champion has been making rounds in the American indie scene with his recent involvement with Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). This past weekend at MLW Superfight, it was announced that Jimmy Havoc is set to return soon to MLW.

The following stars and on screen personalities are now confirmed for Starrcast 2:

• Former WCW and WWE Superstar Sting
• Bruce Prichard
• Tony Schiavone
• Eric Bischoff
• Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart
• Sean Mooney
• Jim Ross
• ‘The Hurricane’ Shane Helms
• Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler
• Lita
• Scott Hall
• Magnum T.A
• Kevin Nash
• Sean Waltman
• Ricky Steamboat
• Tommy Dreamer
• Arn Anderson
• Tully Blanchard
• JJ Dillon
• Barry Windham
• Bill Apter
• Joey Ryan
• David Arquette
• Colt Cabana
• Jerry Lynn
• Konnan
• Terry Funk
• The Godfather
• Rob Van Dam
• Leva Bates
• ‘Hornswoggle’ Dylan Postl
• Brian Pillman Jr

Starrcast II welcomes England’s Most Dangerous Man! Our next Superstarr is Jimmy Havoc, who will be joining us this Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/Q05YVd2cIo

— Starrcast (@StarrcastEvents) February 12, 2019

PROGRESS has announced the next confirmed match for their Chapter 85 and 86 weekender. Former IMPACT Tag Team and 2 time X Division Champion DJ Z will be appearing for the company and taking on Angelico as part of the PROGRONAUT event. Chapter 85 will be taking place on Saturday March 9th from the O2 Academy in Bournemouth and Chapter 86 will be taking place on Sunday 10th from the O2 Academy in Birmingham. This match will be a qualifier for the upcoming Super Strong Style 16 tournament.

#Chapter85: We promised you another #SSS16 qualifier for @o2academybmouth… @AngelicoAAA goes up against @IAmDJZ on 9th March, winner earns a spot in May's epic tournament! TICKETS: https://t.co/tuaPxHqxM8 #ThisIsPROGRESS #ProgroNaut pic.twitter.com/7CZXSeBG4f

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 12, 2019

This comes after the news that EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory would be joining the weekender. Theory became the new EVOLVE Champion at the EVOLVE 117 event. Austin defeated both Fabian Aichner and Roderick Strong to win the belt. Theory pinned Aichner after hitting the Ataxia. after the match Theory took the microphone and declared that “EVOLVE is Theory.” The new champion also fired Priscilla Kelly as his manager. Darby Allin appeared and brawled with Theory until he escaped to the back.

The working relationship between WWE and EVOLVE has long been publicised. WWE’s ties to PROGRESS are also now more in the limelight than ever before, with PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman apparently being groomed to run the NXT UK territory. Theory heading over to the UK might well be an opportunity to get him working with NXT UK Superstars and get more seasoning before moving up to NXT in either North American or the United Kingdom.

Ring of Honor star Mark Haskins was recently interviewed by the company, discussing a variety of topics. Haskins recently signed for the company alongside the likes of PCO, Brody King and Bandido. The former PROGRESS World Champion talked about his recent calf injury, embarrassing in ring moments and more.

When asked about his injury, Haskins responded “It happened mid-match at a live event. I took a kick to the calf and it twinged a little, nothing too major. I thought nothing of it. I finished the match and then as I’m strolling around backstage I realized I was in a tremendous amount of pain, which wasn’t fun.”

Haskins was also asked what the best advice he had received whilst training. Mark stated “Keep your mouth shut and your eyes and your ears open. Quite a few people told me that. Looking back, maybe they just wanted me to be quiet. Oh well, it ended up being sound advice in the end, as I learned a lot.”

Finally, Haskins was asked what the most embarrassing moment he has ever had in-ring. Haskins responded that there’s “Eurgh, so many. Once Dalton Castle tried to deadlift German suplex me and he squeezed me so tight I farted down his chest.”

WWE recently filed a 10-K SEC with an article detailing how the company would be affected if Chairman Vince McMahon retired, suffered a disability or passed away.

The filing had the following statement. “In addition to serving as Chairman of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. McMahon leads the creative team that develops the storylines and the characters for our programming. (including our television, WWE Network and other programming) and live events.” The article continued, saying “from time to time, Mr. McMahon has also been an important member of our cast of performers. The loss of Mr. McMahon due to unexpected retirement, disability, death or other unexpected termination for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our ability to create popular characters and creative storylines or could otherwise adversely affect our operating results.”

The article also stated that McMahon would not be shifting focus from the company when the XFL launches in 2020. Saying “Mr. McMahon has established Alpha Entertainment LLC, to explore investment opportunities across the sports entertainment landscapes. Alpha Entertainment LLC plans to launch a professional football league in early 2020. While he has provided the Company assurances that his focus on WWE will not be diverted by these efforts. Any such diversion or perception of such diversion could adversely affect our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our stock price.”

PROGRESS Wrestling has revealed the first two names for their Super Strong Style 16 tournament later this year. The annual tournament is held over 3 days and features some of the best independent (and sometimes WWE) talent across the globe. The World Famous Alexandra Palace in London, England will be hosting the 3 shows once again.

NXT UK Superstar Travis Banks will be taking part in this year’s tournament. The ‘Kiwi Buzzsaw’ actually appeared during the Wembley Arena event last year and confirmed his participation. Banks was the PROGRESS World Champion back in 2018. The South Pacific Power Trip member held the title for a year plus before finally losing to WALTER.

PROGRESS has also confirmed that Ilja Dragunov will also be part of the tournament. The former wXw Unified World Champion has been heavily linked with WWE over the past few months.

Last year’s event was won by Zack Sabre Jr, who unfortunately could not challenge for the PROGRESS Championship at Wembley as initially expected. ZSJ was booked in a New Japan event in the United States, this wasn’t announced until after PROGRESS had confirmed their Wembley main event. Will Ospreay was also removed from the Wembley Arena event, he was expected to face Jimmy Havoc.

ICYMI: first two confirmed entrants for this year's #SSS16 tournament are @Travis_BanksPW and @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR!
We hit @yourallypally on 4th-6th May, tickets here: https://t.co/4Sj1N0WAAP. @wrestlingtravel packages available for a few more weeks only: https://t.co/qfngYW6eBL pic.twitter.com/lxPj6kmco3

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) February 10, 2019

UK based company Fight Forever Wrestling has announced a PPV deal with FITE TV. The company revealed on Twitter earlier today that two PPV events would be streamed live on the platform. The two shows being Dance of The Dragon and Fight Syndrome. These two shows will be recorded on March 29th and shown on FITE on April 8th and 15th respectively. Dance of The Dragon will be a free event on the platform. Fight Syndrome will be an official PPV stream.

Fight Forever made the following comments on the new PPV deal: “With a double-taping already announced for March 29th at PRYZM Birmingham. Fans in attendance can expect to see a world-class roster of talent including PAC, Fight Forever Men’s Champion Joe Hendry, David Starr, Candy Floss, El Phantasmo and many more.”

The first of the two events, Dance of the Dragon will debut for FREE on FITE TV on Monday 8th April. The second event, Fight Syndrome airing one week later on Monday 15th April.

Fight Forever Co-Founder Jonathon Kay said of the deal “We’re really excited to bring the Fight Forever brand to FITE TV. The best digital network for global combat sports. Fans all over the world will be able to enjoy our unique vision and presentation of Pro-Wrestling. And this first set of tapings will be unmissable!”

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: FITE TV ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH FIGHT FOREVER WRESTLING WITH THE FIRST TWO PPV’s TO BE FILMED ON MARCH 29th IN BIRMINGHAM (UK)

We can confirm a world-class roster of talent including PAC, Fight Forever Men’s Champion Joe… https://t.co/ty6HaDTrOI

— Fight Forever Wrestling (@fightforeveruk) February 11, 2019

WWE recently announced that Becky Lynch had been ‘invited’ to WWE RAW this Monday by the McMahon family. Lynch was suspended by Stephanie McMahon on this past episode of RAW as she was unwilling to see a doctor for her knee injury sustained at the Royal Rumble.

Lynch attacked Stephanie on RAW and then confronted Triple H the very next night on Smackdown. After exchanging words with ‘The Game’ Lynch slapped Triple H before exiting the ring and leaving the arena. Becky has been on an incredible hot streak over the past few months, the self proclaimed ‘Man’ has become an anti hero ever since Summerslam last year. Lynch of course won the Women’s Royal Rumble back in January and chose to face Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania. The match will be contested for the RAW Women’s Championship. There are conflicting reports on Charlotte Flair’s involvement in the match, with the Smackdown Superstar being considered to make the bout a Triple Threat affair.

‘The Man’ has now responded to the McMahon’s offer. Lynch took to Twitter and wrote “The McMahon family have me all confused. For a bunch of people who keep telling me to go home, you sure invite me to your shows a lot. The Man will come around, I guess. See you Monday.”

As we reported recently Dean Ambrose will be taking on Nia Jax at an upcoming WWE Live event. The ‘feud’ between the two started on a recent episode of WWE RAW, where Ambrose lost to Seth Rollins. After the match, Ambrose began to cut a promo in the ring before being interrupted by Nia Jax and Tamina. The two had a standoff for a brief moment, before Ambrose attempted to leave the ring. However, Jax clocked “The Lunatic Fringe” with a forearm and sent him through the ropes and out of the ring.

The announcement of the intergender match has caused a huge buzz. Before Jax’s involvement in the recent Men’s Royal Rumble there was absolutely no chance of seeing male and female Superstars facing off like this. The only recent exception was seen at last year’s WrestleMania, where Ronda Rousey took on Triple H to a huge response from the crowd, this came during a mixed tag match.

Former Smackdown Live General Manager Paige recently took to Twitter to react to the intergender match being announced. Paige stated “Yessss an actual intergender match!! Couldn’t be happier for my girl @NiaJaxWWE killing it every damn day! You better werkkkk sis!”

It is not confirmed if we will see the match on television or if it is being kept exclusively to this Live event. There have been recent rumors that WWE are potentially considering putting this match on the WrestleMania card.

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