WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts spoke about Virgil’s health on the latest edition of his DDP Snakepit Podcast. The Master of the DDT stated that despite his condition Virgil has remained positive about his situation.

“I just wanna throw some love out there to that guy. He went through a lot and he’s, he’s still positive, man.”

Roberts does add that it was hard for him to see his old friend because of how badly the strokes have left him.

“Seeing him this weekend played with my heart quite a bit because, you know, seeing him not be able to lift the one arm. Strokes, yeah, two of them.”

We’ll keep you updated on Virgil’s health. Wishing him the best from all of us here at Sescoops.

(Quotes via EWrestlingNews)

Last night AEW held their annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view from the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas Nevada, the promotion’s first major event from Sin City since the inaugural Double or Nothing back in 2019.

Company President Tony Khan spoke with the wrestling media in the post-Double or Nothing scrum, where he touched on a number of different topics, including addressing fan concerns that the event ran too long. It clocked in at around 4 hours and 40 minutes.

Khan begins by admitting that he did add some length to Double or Nothing to help them out commercially as the show was going up against Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

“I ended up adding a little bit to the length of the show to help the show commercially and help the show make money. I think it made, if not a seven-figure difference, at least a six-figure difference.”

On that subject he adds that if not for the stiff competition he may have ended the show a little sooner, which would coincide with the length of previous AEW PPVs.

“I probably would have ended the show the same time they always end. We’ve done a lot of the best pay-per-views anyone’s ever done, they’ve all ended between 11:40 and 11:55-ish, 11:56, 11:57 on the east coast.”

While Khan seems pretty happy with the show length he isn’t opposed to shortening events in the future. He tells the media that fan feedback is important to him, and he will do his best to listen and adjust for the future.

“I will listen to the feedback of the fans. Revolution had pretty good response and commercially the show was really successful, and had similar length bell to bell… But like I said, I’ll listen to the feedback. This was a unique circumstance.” 

Double or Nothing saw the crowning of the Owen Hart tournament come to an end, the debuts of Athena and Stokely Hathaway, and CM Punk becoming the promotion’s fifth world champion.

(Quotes via F4Wonline)

One of the most anticipated wrestling shows happening this summer will be the June 26th Forbidden Door pay-per-view, which will pit top superstars from AEW against top superstars from NJPW in a number of dream matches that is sure to excite both fanbases.

Bryan Danielson told Sports Illustrated that he is ecstatic about the marquee event, as getting to face some of Japan’s greatest professional wrestlers has been on his bucket list since his WWE days. When the American Dragon was asked about who he specifically hopes to face at Forbidden Door, he revealed the following:

“There are a ton of guys I’d like to wrestle. You mentioned Okada, and that’s a match I really want. I would love to wrestle Okada. But in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about Zack Sabre Jr. and wrestling him to see who is the best technical wrestler in the world. We have two very different styles of technical wrestling.”

Danielson and ZSJ have crossed-paths before back in 2008, an encounter he remembers very well.

“We wrestled in 2008, and he was just a kid, but I was super impressed with him then. He’s grown into this amazing wrestler, and I don’t ever recall seeing anyone wrestle with his technique.”

The Blackpool Combat Club member wouldn’t stop there. He would go on to name Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, KENTA, Katsuyori Shibata, and the great Hiroshi Tanahashi as potential opponents, but ends by saying that he will take on whoever AEW President Tony Khan books him to face.

“I’m open to whoever Tony [Khan] and New Japan want me to go up against.”

Danielson will team with Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Santana, and Ortiz to battle Chris Jericho and the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society at this weekend’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in Las Vegas.

Who do you guys want to see Danielson face at Forbidden Door?

New Japan Pro Wrestling President Takami Ohbari and Bushiroad Founder and President Takaaki Kidani held a press conference earlier this morning to address the ongoing situation with former world champion Kota Ibushi, and his status with the company.

Earlier this month Ibushi shared a text conversation between himself and NJPW official Yusuki Kikuchi on Twitter, which showed Kikuchi chewing Ibushi out for making an appearance at a Just Tap Out event in March. In the thread Kikuchi also indicated that NJPW could potentially release Ibushi, as his appearance at the event was a breach of his exclusive contract.

Furthermore…Ibushi exposed some details regarding how NJPW handled his shoulder injury, and called the company out for other abuses of power. The situation became bad enough that Ibushi also revealed that his mother tried to take her own life due to the stress.

Ohbari began the press conference by going through the events as they happened, and the private conversation he had with Ibushi after he made his Just Tap Out appearance. Obhari states that he did reprimand Ibushi for breaching his contract, but that they were able to hash things out. To summarize…neither Ibushi, nor Kikuchi, are expected to be released from NJPW.

“Today, on behalf of New Japan Pro-Wrestling I would like to address recent claims made by Kota Ibushi.

Starting May 10, Kota Ibushi began releasing statements critical of certain members of NJPW staff on Twitter. Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for the concern these comments caused amongst fans and personnel.

The statements posted on Twitter included screenshots of a text conversation with a member of staff (henceforth “Official”) that included a threat that Ibushi’s contract would be terminated. On investigation, we ascertained from the individual concerned that these screenshots were indeed genuine. I would now like to take a moment to explain the series of events that led up to the aforementioned posts to the extent of our current understanding.

Kota Ibushi is a wrestler exclusively contracted to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. As such, it is understood that in order to devote full attention to NJPW matches and associated events, he is required to inform, and receive express permission from NJPW before outside appearances.

On March 4, in breach of the terms of his contract, Mr. Ibushi made an appearance seconding wrestlers at a Just Tap Out event. The aforementioned Official is responsible for contacting various wrestlers contracted to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but also has a long personal history with Mr. Ibushi that extends far before him becoming an exclusively contracted talent.

The Official contacted Mr. Ibushi in the belief that Mr, Ibushi’s actions in breach of his contract were taken deliberately to persuade NJPW to terminate its agreement with him. Perceiving this as a betrayal of personal trust established over a number of years, his messages were sent in an emotional state as a result.

When I myself learned of Mr. Ibushi’s appearance in a different promotion, I requested a full status report from the Official. Therefore it is possible that the official’s contact with Mr. Ibushi also involved a desire to find out the exact particulars of the situation to relay to myself. In relaying this report, the Official told me that he thought Mr. Ibushi wanted to leave NJPW.

Not wanting to lose the services of Kota Ibushi in such a manner, and wanting to find out his true mental state and opinions on this matter, I arranged a meeting with Mr. Ibushi at his personal training facility on March 31.

In my brief meeting with Mr. Ibushi, we chatted while we conducted some light exercise. As we moved on the mat, and participated in some jump training, I was amazed at his super human physical abilities, yet Ibushi confided that he found recovery from his 2021 shoulder injury was taking longer than he had expected, and that his range of motion was far from ideal.

After our conversation, Mr. Ibushi took me by car to a restaurant where we continued our conversation. Our conversation was amicable, and Mr. Ibushi explained to me that he had been invited to Just Tap Out by its manager TAKA Michinoku. He also explained that while he was in the dressing rooms, he made an impulsive decision on his own accord to head to ringside and second the wrestlers.

After receiving Mr. Ibushi’s explanation, I reprimanded him, reminding him that this was a breach of his contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as a breach of licensing agreements we hold with other companies. Mr. Ibushi sincerely apologised for his actions. Mr. Ibushi’s penalty for his breach was limited to a reprimand as, on hearing with Mr. Ibushi, it was clear there was no intention to breach the terms of his contract, nor did he believe a breach had taken place because he had not participated in a match.

At the point of our meeting, I did not know the exact wording or particulars of Mr. Ibushi’s text conversation with the Official and as a result, did not offer a proper apology for the content of the conversation.

Several weeks later, on May 10, screenshots of the conversation on the LINE service were made public. I have since learned that those tweets were made when Mr. Ibushi was acting in a state of concern for his mother. Mr. Ibushi told me that this situation triggered his mother’s mental distress, leading to a suicide attempt at the start of May in which she suffered a broken bone in her back.

After the first series of Mr. Ibushi’s tweets were posted, a meeting was held on May 10 including our company’s legal staff in order to understand the particulars of the situation, and to determine the best possible course of action for both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Mr. Ibushi. We determined that said best course of action would be to directly meet with Mr. Ibushi, to formally apologise and hear one another’s opinions before making a public announcement should one be deemed necessary.

As a result, there has been no formal announcement from the company on this matter until this time. However yesterday, myself and the company owner Mr. Takaaki Kidani were able to meet with Mr. Ibushi, and discuss this statement to you here as well as our opinions on the matter. Before proceeding I would like once again to sincerely apologise to fans for the concern caused by this series of events.

I would now like to relay the company’s stance on this situation.

Mr. Ibushi’s actions in attending an outside event without proper procedure, as well as publicly disclosing internal affairs were actions in breach of his contract, and after consideration of the particulars I previously mentioned, an appropriate penalty for Mr. Ibushi will be determined.

However, the words of the Official in his text conversation were inexcusable, especially in their direction to a wrestler who risks his life in order to fulfil his role as a professional. It is this mindset that directly led to Mr. Ibushi posting his critical tweets about the company. For the thoughtless content of these messages, we fully and unreservedly apologise to Mr. Ibushi.

Despite the Official’s lengthy relationship with Mr. Ibushi, the lack of consideration shown to him and by extension our wrestlers at large should also be met with an appropriate penalty.”

Takaaki Kidani would speak next, apologizing to fans for the way NJPW came off in the allegations, and expressing how important it was that Ibushi, and his mother, were taken care of in the situation.

“First let me express my sincerest personal gratitude to Kota Ibushi for his contributions to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and his thrilling matches in the ring. It is my sincerest hope that he continues to be connected to NJPW moving forward. However, his utmost priority at this time must be to the care of his mother, as well as full recovery from his injury. It should go without saying that he will remain under contract for as long as that process takes.

Mr. Ibushi receives so much support from fans all over the world. While it might be difficult for him to perform in the ring, I sincerely hope that he can continue to contribute outside of it, at signings, talk shows, or, and this is my personal wish, to assist in operations at STARDOM. I continue to hold Mr. Ibushi in the highest regard, and if he ever again feels he wants to move away from NJPW, I hope we can have a full and frank exchange of ideas.

It’s my opinion that Kota Ibushi’s contributions to his company and the world of professional wrestling have been innumerable. I join fans in hoping that he continue to shine as only he can, and take any issues he has outside of the ring as a top priority. I hope with this conference today we can put these issues behind us and move forward together.”

We will keep you updated on Ibushi’s status following this morning’s press conference.

One of the most popular eras of pro-wrestling took place in the 1980s, as WWE (WWF at the time) was the home of some of the most iconic characters of all-time, including the Immortal Hulk Hogan, The “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and many more.

While WWE, and the rest of the industry, would change drastically in the 90s and even more in the new millennia, the love of the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Era remains strong, and no one knows that better than A-list actor, Jon Hamm.

Hamm, who is best known for his role as Don Draper on the Emmy award winning series Mad Men, recently spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote his role in the feature film Top Gun: Maverick, which was released in theaters yesterday and stars box-office juggernaut, Tom Cruise. While Hamm spoke about the film he also touched on this particular era of pro-wrestling, one that he admits he’ll always be a fan of.

“That’s the golden era of professional wrestling. I’ll always be an ’80s WWF guy.”

Hamm is not just a fan of wrestling…he also understands how the business works. He later tells the publication that film acting is very similar to the babyface/heel dynamic that exists in the sport.

“In film acting, you’re only as good as the person you’re sharing that space with, and in this case, I had the opportunity to share it with one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. It’s no different [in pro wrestling]; you need that [heel], that someone to play off of.”

Finally Hamm reveals one of his favorite stars of that era, as well as a moment that he will never forget.

“I was a big Andre the Giant fan. He made everything he did so interesting. And Hogan slamming Andre, that’s a moment you never forget. I’ll always be in awe of that ’80s era.”

Top Gun: Maverick is currently rocking a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is eyeing a potential $100 million dollar opening weekend.

This weekend AEW will invade the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada for their fourth-ever Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

Company president Tony Khan recently joined Sports Media with Richard Deitsch to hype up the annual event, as well as discuss a number of interesting topics regarding AEW’s third year in business.

Khan began by addressing the constant criticism of WWE Hall of Famer and former WCW president Eric Bischoff, who believes that AEW needs to do a better job at catering to the casual fan. Khan believes that Bischoff has a point, but thinks it is just as important to remember the hardcore fan.

“I think Eric’s point that you want to have a lot of fans is also valid. But my thoughts on it are – and you know this, some of this might relate to Eric’s experiences. But certainly, there were a lot of things that happened with the history of WCW, and the rise of WCW and then what became of it, that I think it’s really important to remember the hardcore fan.”

Hardcore Fans Have Helped AEW

On the subject of the hardcore fan Khan explains how vital they have been to AEW’s business growth, crediting their word-of-mouth and engagement with one another as a key reason he likes to make a product suitable for them.

“I think another great thing about the hardcore fan is the word of mouth. From when I started in high school, wrestling was not cool when I first got into high school as a function of what was happening with the world of wrestling. And before it had a chance to get really hot as a business, I made a few fans right off the bat as a virus spreading fan, just by being a hardcore, that would rope other people into watching wrestling with me.”

“And if you get some social people, what you can get is really good word of mouth, just like in the film industry and with TV shows, in which we are a TV show. So I think you can grow your TV show by having a big hardcore base that you service and support, but also by trying to spread the word and trying to not only spread the word of yourself and get out and engage with fans, but hopefully have the fans engaging with other fans.”

Ending his rant…Khan states that catering to all fans are important, especially for a young company, but does believe that turning those casuals into hardcores is the ultimate goal.

“And I think in general, all the fans are important, but you have to remember, again, you know, everybody has a beginning. So you want to make fans from the beginning and then hopefully try to make them into hardcore fans. I mean, the more hardcore fan somebody is, that’s good, right?”

Listen to Tony Khan’s appearance on the Sports Media Podcast:

This weekend’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view will be headlined by CM Punk challenging Adam Page for the AEW world championship.

(Thanks to WrestlingNews.Co for the quotes)

The Hardcore legend Mick Foley is finally getting his own podcast.

The WWE Hall of Famer and former multi-time world champion announced that he will be partnering with Conrad Thompson and releasing his podcast on June 3rd through AdFreeShows.com under the name, “Foley Is Pod.” The first episode will focus on Foley’s classic No Way Out 2000 retirement match against Triple H.

June 3rd will be a VERY nice day! https://t.co/ImMXXeO973

— Foley Is Pod w/Mick Foley (@foleyispod__) May 24, 2022

Foley and Thompson recently spoke with The New York Post about their collaboration, which will see Foley putting in extra effort to make his podcast unique. To do that he will be traveling once a week from his home in Nashville to Thompson’s place in Alabama. The duo have already taped about 13 episodes.

Speaking on his chemistry with Thompson Foley says, “It’s been a really natural chemistry and something I enjoy very much, especially for those people who are in-depth fans who choose to get the video in addition to the audio, they will see the smile on my face is very genuine and it’s very obvious that I enjoy doing the podcast.”

He later adds, “I realized I really enjoyed telling my stories on the stage across the country and different countries around the world. I think it just took a little bit of encouragement that there was a market for taking a stroll down memory lane through my career.”

“Foley Is Pod” will take a deep dive on Foley’s full career, including his stints with WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, Japan, and the territory days.

Looks like Kyle O’Reilly will be with AEW for a lengthy run.

The former multi-time NXT tag champion revealed during an interview on the Toddcast that he has signed a five year deal with the promotion, stating that he’s excited to continue living his dream.

“For me, in five years, I’ll still be with AEW. I signed a five-year deal with them. Hopefully, by then, champion of the company or several time tag champion, just having fun and never losing that love I have for the business.”

O’Reilly debuted for AEW back in December of 2021, which means his deal won’t expire until the end of 2026 or potentially early 2027 depending on when he actually signed. Regardless…he says he’s adamant about continuing to put on marquee in-ring performances much like the one he just had against Rey Fenix in the Owen Hart Memorial tournament.

“Hopefully, having kick ass matches because that’s what it’s about for me. Getting in the ring. That’s where Kyle O’Reilly is best suited, between those ropes, just trying to have good matches with guys.”

O’Reilly will be taking on current Ring of Honor Television champion Samoa Joe in the semifinals of the Owen Hart Memorial on this week’s AEW Dynamite from Las Vegas. If he were to win, he will be facing fellow Undisputed Elite member Adam Cole in the finals, which take place at Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

(Quotes via Fightful)

Jim Ross is remaining with AEW.

The WWE Hall of Famer revealed during the the latest episode of his Grillin JR podcast that he has signed an extension with the company, and will continue to call matches for the foreseeable future.

After his announcement Ross expresses his gratitude to AEW President Tony Khan for keeping him around (the extension is for a year-and-a-half) and allowing him to continue doing what he loves.

“I don’t think we’ve made this announcement, but I signed an extension with AEW not too long ago. I appreciate Tony Khan’s confidence and his willingness to keep me on the team and contribute. We’re not going a long time, but I think I signed for about a year and a half or something like that to stay in the position I’m in. I’m just really pleased that at 70, I still have a future, and at 70, I’m still loving what I do.”

Ross originally signed with AEW back in April of 2019, and has been at the desk, along with Excalibur, since the promotion’s first-ever event, Double or Nothing. He adds that if he makes it to 2024 it will mark 50 years in the pro-wrestling industry.

“I want to get to 2024. I really do. That’s 50 years in the wrestling business. Not a lot of guys can say that they’re in the same job in a fickle, crazy-ass, unpredictable business like pro wrestling for 50 years. The good lord is looking down and cutting me a break, and if I can get to 50 [years in wrestling], I’ll be the happiest guy in Norman, Oklahoma.”

Aside from commentary Ross occasionally conducts backstage interviews, with key focus being placed on superstars and feuds ahead of AEW’s big pay-per-views. Expect Ross to continue this over the next year as AEW approaches this year’s Double or Nothing on May 29th.

(Quotes 411 Mania)

The big news coming out of WWE’s Monday Night Raw was the sudden departure from Sasha Banks and Naomi, who both reportedly walked out on the company after butting heads with management backstage, and even left their WWE women’s tag team titles behind during the process. WWE has since issued their own statement on the issue, while many stars from across the industry have weighed in on the incident.

While there seems to be universal support for Banks and Naomi, one WWE star who is somewhat under fire is Raw color-commentator, Corey Graves. The former NXT tag champion called the duo unprofessional during last night’s broadcast, a comment that didn’t sit will with the WWE Universe. His full call was, “”Sasha Banks and Naomi summarily and unprofessionally walked out.”

Graves’ wife, former SmackDown women’s champion Carmella, came to his defense on Twitter after one fan in particular tagged her regarding the line. Carmella fired back, stating that Graves was just doing his job, while also indicating that the line was most likely fed to him from someone backstage. Her full response was:

“Imagine still living in a world where you think he just says whatever he wants. He does his job. Period.”

You can see the exchange below.

Imagine still living in a world where you think he just says whatever he wants. He does his job. Period.

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) May 17, 2022

Several years ago MLW star Simon Gotch gave a shoot interview regarding his time in WWE, where the former NXT tag champion unloaded on nZo (fka Enzo Amore) for being a klutz in the ring, and very difficult to get along with backstage.

One key aspect Gotch focused on was the 2016 WWE Payback pay-per-view, when he accidentally knocked nZo unconscious during a tag team match, a move that gave nZo a concussion, and reportedly gave Gotch a ton of backstage heat. You can see Gotch’s full rant, which includes him discussing the accident, here.

nZo spoke about his beef with Gotch during his latest interview with Inside The Ropes. In that chat the Realest Guy In The Room says that despite Gotch’s hatred for nZo, he credits himself for making the guy’s career more relevant than it actually is.

“Literally, he’s famous for that one thing. Nobody remembers any matches he had. Nobody remembers any good matches he had. Nobody remembers anything in his life except he’s the guy that knocked out Enzo. I guess he holds a grudge and he’s really upset about it.”

Later the former NXT cruiserweight champion admits that he has no hatred for Gotch, or anybody for that matter, nor would he waste a breathe on trying to argue with him.

“I don’t have any hate in my heart for anybody. if I saw him, I wouldn’t say a fuckin’ word to him, he’s not worth my breath. On this conversation, congratulations kid, I made you famous.”

nZo has been working steadily for MLW ever since returning to the ring last year.

(Quotes via Fightful)

Powerhouse Hobbs has many goals in AEW, but the ultimate is to become the company’s first ever black world champion.

The Team Taz member spoke about his dream on the latest episode of the Wrestling Perspective podcast, which included Hobbs opening up about how he expects to have to go on a singles-run at some point.

“There’s gonna be a point where I’m gonna have to step away on my own. I just think that next step for me is, I think what’s gonna come up for me is I’m just gonna have to show a whole new, kick-ass, different style.”

He continued, “You can tell I’m having fun in the ring and when I got someone in a hold and I’m kicking the shit out of them, so I’m having fun. I don’t know what that next step is gonna be. It’s just gonna happen.”

Big Goals in AEW

The big man has been teaming with Ricky Starks, and is currently locked into a feud with Keith Lee and Shane “Swerve” Strickland, but a future tag team title matchup seems to be on the horizon. While that will serve as a landmark achievement for Hobbs, he still hopes to keep his eye on the prize.

“A personal goal of mine is to be the first African American AEW World Champion. Any title I get, I’m gonna — I know how to fight and I know what it’s like to starve and struggle. Any title I get, it’s gonna be hell for anybody to take that away from me. But I plan on being a big name and being around for a long time. That’s always been my goal, ever since I became a professional wrestler. “

Hobbs got to showcase some of his singles-skills at the last AEW pay-per-view, which was Revolution in Florida. On that night he competed in the Face of the Revolution ladder match, a dangerous bout that was eventually won by Wardlow.

Quotes via Fightful

Shane “Swerve” Strickland recently joined the Talk Is Jericho podcast to discuss the short-lived Lucha Underground promotion.

The AEW star worked under a mask during his LU days as Killshot, a troubled war-veteran whose haunted past confronts him inside the squared circle. The former NXT North American champion recalls coming up with the character, and how he it differed from the tone of the other lucha characters on the show.

“I came up with Killshot, a military character and all the stuff. I’m a Metal Gear Solid fan, so I put some espionage in there. I was writing my character to be able to interact with other characters, and they liked that, so they took all of it and formed something. People really gravitated towards that character because it was a person. A lot of the characters were Mayan, Aztecan [monsters] – it was very fantasy. It was cool, but I was like, ‘I have to do something to be different over here.’ The same with my wrestling style.”

Much like AEW Lucha Underground gave talent a good amount of creative control, something Swerve very much appreciated, even when it proved to become difficult for a taped product.

“That was another place where the creativity just flowed. They were so open to ideas. It was a little tricky because they can’t modify or change too much direction because it was written seasonally. So, if like, ‘We want this but this person is getting over, we already shot the scenes for this and that.’ You shot like a three-month block from March to June, and say this character is getting over in December, oh well. Gotta catch you in the next season. That was the only tricky part about that.”

Despite growing in popularity Lucha Underground eventually folded in 2018 after being on El Rey Network for four years. A big reason Swerve believes the run was short-lived was because the studio didn’t want to spend the money to grow it.

“It was growing in popularity, but I don’t feel like the studio wanted to grow along with it. They didn’t want to spend the money to grow it. We should have been touring with that roster. You can’t see those characters anywhere else. I feel like merchandising, they didn’t want to spend the money on that.”

While Lucha Underground is no longer active Major League Wrestling did revive the company’s spirit by introducing their Azteca Underground brand, which is run by Cesar Duran, also known as the former host of the LU temple, Dario Cueto. Many stars from the promotion continue to make waves in the wrestling industry throughout WWE, AEW, IMPACT, and NJPW.

Swerve’s Killshot was a big hit with LU fans, with his Weapons of Mass Destruction showdown against company rival AR Fox being a marquee bout that many still talk about until this day.

(Quotes via 411 Mania)

Pro-wrestling legend Virgil has fallen on hard times.

The former million-dollar champion announced today on Twitter that he has Stage 2 Colon Cancer, a diagnosis he received roughly one month after revealing that he was battling dementia. His full statement online reads:

“It’s really shitty right now. Too make things worse I know have stage 2 colon cancer. I am a fighter but need your help. I cannot afford any of the medical bills and would love your support.”

Furthermore, Virgil recently suffered two strokes that had him hospitalized, an incident that forced the former WWE star to shoot down online rumors that he passed away.

Many fans will remember Virgil’s huge victory over Ted DiBiase at SummerSlam 1991, a feud that began with Virgil serving as DiBiase’s lackey. He originally signed with WWE and Vince McMahon back in 1986. He had a cameo for AEW back in 2019.

You can donate to Virgil’s fundraiser to help him with his health problems by clicking here. Check out his tweet below.

Eddie Kingston wants to give back to the independent scene that treated him so well.

The Mad King recently spoke with Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful about the importance of indie wrestling, stating that while he enjoys making money now in AEW, it was never the reason he got into the business.

“To me, money’s never been a factor because if I did this for money, I would have been out three years in. After getting to twenty dollars to split amongst eight of us.”

Now that Kingston is a regular player in AEW it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about his roots. He tells Sapp that he’s been giving back to the independents because they kept him fed during harder times, and always took good care of him.

“I like giving back to the independents because for so long I was on the independents and they kept me fed. So I like giving back to certain places trying to book me. I try to do good by the people who did good by me. That’s why you’ll see me at DEFY or then the next thing you’ll know, you’ll see me at Glory Pro and people be like, ‘Why is he at Glory Pro?’ Those dudes are good people to me.”

Aside from DEFY Kingston regularly appeared for AAW and AIW, and names them as two other federations that he will give back to.

“Same thing with AAW and AIW and certain places. I try to go to the people who were good to me and try to give back now. That’s it.”

Kingston has been involved in a months-long feud with former world champion Chris Jericho, and his Jericho Appreciation society faction. After scoring a huge victory over the Demo God at Revolution Kingston would be ganged up on by Jericho and his lackeys, and has reunited with Santana and Ortiz to fend them off.

Hikaru Shida has provided an update on the company’s decision to pull her from the women’s Owen Hart cup tournament.

On Friday, the former AEW Women’s World Champion posted a message on social media expressing confusion about pulling her from the tournament. She maintained that she was healthy, despite AEW claiming she was not medically cleared.

Shida was scheduled to face Red Velvet in the opening round next week. However, on Friday’s Rampage, Tony Schiavone revealed that Shida was hurt, and would be replaced by Kris Statlander.

Shida took to social media and wrote:

“What?” In a separate tweet she added, “Well…. I already had 4 matches after the street fight and just finished the greatest fighting musical show. But I seem to have been injured…Japanese wrestling is nothing for them. I’m so sorry. And sorry couldn’t be in the tournament too.”

Hikaru Shida Owen Hart Tournament Update

Early Saturday morning, Shida posted an update about her situation.

She wrote, “After my Philadelphia street fight a doctor check from AEW was required to participate in the Owen Hart Cup. And I couldn’t re-enter the country in time. I’m so sorry to disappoint everyone. These difficulties sometimes happen with international talents.

I feel healthy and never stop trying to improve.

Please cheer for Kris [Statlander] while I do my best in Japan!

Holy Shida will be back soon

AEW star Eddie Kingston has a wild story from his childhood about heading into a fight with a number of his friends, and the bizarre weapon that they created beforehand.

The Mad King shared the tale with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp during their latest interview together, where Kingston referred to his generation as different, even comparing himself to the Ducky Boys from the film The Wanderers.

“We were different kids then. We were different kids then. Like I tell people, we were the Ducky Boys, if you ever saw the movie The Wanderers. We were the Ducky Boys.”

The weapon in question was a whiffle ball bat, a non-violent item that one kid turned into a dangerous tool by adding rocks, and later, nails. Kingston describes the weapon’s creation as something that was “nuts.”

“A kid took a whiffle ball bat, right? Corked it with a bunch of rocks to make it heavy, then taped up the bottom, and then—we were nuts—put nails on it. Like super glued, gorilla grip glues nails on it. Then we went to the fight. “

Kingston’s authenticity as a performer only grows stronger by him sharing tidbits from his real life. His hardcore nature is currently blending perfectly in his feud with former world champion Chris Jericho, who has adopted a new “Sports Entertainer” gimmick, and recently flung a fireball into Kingston’s face.

Along with the Blackpool Combat Club and Santana and Ortiz, Kingston returned from the fireball incident on this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, and exacted some revenge on the Demo God and his Jericho Appreciation Society lackeys. Kingston’s last matchup was a victory over JAS member Daniel Garcia on an episode of AEW’s second weekly televised program, Rampage.

The Nature Boy Ric Flair spoke about his escapades on the road in the latest edition of his To Be The Man podcast.

The former 16-time world champion specifically recounted some stories from his time with the legendary faction Evolution, which as a reminder, consisted of himself, Randy Orton, Dave Bautista, and The Game, Triple H. The foursome at one point all held WWE gold, and is considered one of the most important factions in the company’ s long history.

Flair begins his tale by revealing that the nightlife for each man was drastically different. He says that Triple H didn’t go out the same way he did, and Orton decided to “stray away” due to the amount of spending he would do. That left Flair and the Animal to hit the town together.

“Well, Hunter didn’t go out. Randy kind of strayed away because we were living pretty large. The best times I had was taking Dave Bautista to these country bars in these small towns and having Dave take off his shirt.The girls like Dave. “

Despite not going out on the town Triple H did spend time with the group. Flair recalls that the Cerebral Assassin would spend more of his money eating than anything else, even comparing it to the insane amount of cash he threw down for alcohol.

“Hunter spent more money on food than I spent on booze. You eat six New York Strips a day at thirty bucks apiece, that adds up.”

Evolution’s biggest run was between 2003 and 2005 on the Raw brand, but they would reform down the line in 2007, as well as in 2014 for a marquee feud against The Shield. The group’s eventual breakup led to Orton and Batista transitioning from member lackey’s to superstar solo-performers, the affects of which are still being felt in today’s product.

Quotes via Fightful

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre says he pitched to have a matchup with Triple H at this year’s WrestleMania 38.

The Scottish Warrior revealed during an interview with TalkSport that without the Game’s assistance he would not have returned to WWE back in 2017, a run that saw McIntyre become NXT champion, Raw tag champion, a Royal Rumble winner, and a two-time WWE champion.

“He’s the reason I’m back in WWE 100 percent. My mind was set at the time when I wasn’t going to re-sign with IMPACT that I’m going to Japan.”

McIntyre later elaborates on the pitch he made to face the Cerebral Assassin at the Showcase of the Immortals, stating that it’s unfortunate he had to retire for health reasons but is happy that he’s going to be okay for his family.

“I wanted a match (with Triple H). It’s unfortunate it won’t happen but I’m just glad he’s healthy for himself and his family. I pitched (a match) at every opportunity I could. How about us at WrestleMania? ‘What’s the story?’ [Triple H said] and I’d say ‘What’s the story? We’ll figure it out, but what about you and me at WrestleMania?!’ How awesome would that be.”

This wouldn’t have been the first time this duo stood across the ring from each other, but a proper singles-matchup at this point is off the table. McIntyre does recall in the interview the few times he got to share the ring with Triple H, and what a pro he is, even calling him a general in the ring.

“It was cool to go back and forth a little bit and you understand just how good he is, what a ring general he is. You can see watching, but you don’t know until you’re in there with them just how good. Just some interactions during an 8-man tag in Japan I could tell like ‘wow, he’s really frigging good.'”

McIntyre seems to be headed towards another showdown with Roman Reigns at WWE’s upcoming Clash at the Castle pay-per-view, their first major event in the U.K. in over three decades.

The Blackpool Gazette recently conducted an interview with Lord William Regal, who spoke in-depth with the publication about his new popular AEW faction, The Blackpool Combat Club.

During their chat Regal revealed that former AEW world champion Jon Moxley came up with the group’s name,

“I would love to claim it was my idea, but it wasn’t. It was Jox Moxley’s idea. Jon came up to me and said he’s got a great idea for a name, because he had come up with different Blackpool things. I told him it’s not about me, it’s about the two of them, I’m just a spare part here and riding on your coattails. But he insisted we called it this.”

He further elaborates that he was planning to take some time off after his NXT release, but hearing that he would be involved in something with Moxley peaked his interest.

“I was initially planning to take a year off, I wasn’t going to do anything because I haven’t done anything other than wrestling for the last 39 years. All of a sudden, I heard Jon’s name was involved which piqued my interest even more and it’s ended up how it’s ended up.”

Regal reveals that he just ran with the idea once it was confirmed on television, as the group already had t-shirt designs and other merch items in the works.

“We went out that night and I had no idea he was going to say it on TV, but he said it and the next morning there are t-shirts out, so I ran with it. When you get an opportunity, you run with it. So that was how it happened.”

Since their formation Blackpool Combat Club has added Wheeler Yuta to their group, who under the guidance of Regal won the ROH Pure Championship at Supercard of Honor. As a trios team the BCC is undefeated.

Major League Wrestling’s Court Bauer has provided an update on the company’s lawsuit against WWE that was filed back in January.

The lawsuit stated that WWE was tampering with MLW’s business practices, specifically their streaming deals with VICE TV and Tubi. It claimed that WWE intimidated VICE TV out of airing additional MLW content after the network agreed to air their weekly episodic Fusion, and got their potential deal with Tubi completely canceled.

Bauer told Raj Giri on the latest Wrestling Inc. Daily that MLW has “exceptional” evidence against WWE, but wasn’t willing to share it due to the nature of the lawsuit. He does state that the evidence will be available for the public to see in the near future.

“Yeah, it would probably be strategically unwise to spill the beans on that here and now. I’m not trying to blue-ball you here, but all I can share is that we have exceptional, exceptional evidence of tortious interference. And as the legal process plays out, the public will see the evidence. It will come out and it’s pretty damning.”

Later in the interview Giri would press Bauer for more information regarding the case, but Bauer remained tight-lipped.

WWE did respond to the initial lawsuit claim back January. They wrote: “WWE believes these claims have no merit and intends to vigorously defend itself against them.”

Stay tuned for more information.

(Quotes via WrestleZone)

Darby Allin is hyped to be facing Jeff Hardy at this evening’s AEW Dynamite from Long Island.

The former TNT champion spoke with the New York Post about his showdown with Brother Nero, which will be a quarterfinals matchup in the Owen Hart Memorial tournament. Allin begins by recalling the affect Hardy had on his career.

“It’s the way I see him live his life outside of the ring, the stunts and the craziness that kind of draws me to him. I don’t get that from a lot of wrestlers. I don’t think I get that from any wrestlers. Nobody excited me outside the ring.”

Allin may be facing Hardy this evening, but he was lucky enough to team up with him earlier this year, along with Matt, and his longtime partner Sting. Speaking on that alliance Allin states the following:

“It was really like an organic relationship. It was super fun. For us to have that one tag match, me, Sting, Matt and Jeff down in Texas, that was also a lot of fun.”

While Allin is excited to face his hero, he does wonder what a matchup would have looked like if they had been given proper vignettes and time to build it up with promos.

“It’d be nice. Like I said, this match kind of came very quick on me and I just thought originally it would have been crazy if we had a build to a singles match and like we had a promo battle were we could get crazier outside the ring leading up to the match. But here we are. We’re gonna get crazy this Wednesday.”

Allin defeated Swerve Strickland in a qualifier to earn his spot in the tournament. Meanwhile Hardy bested Bobby Fish. Who do you think wins tonight?

It was revealed over the weekend that top AEW superstars Britt Baker and Adam Cole had filmed an episode of the hit reality series Bar Rescue, a show that follows host Jon Taffer as he shares advice to struggling nightclubs, bars, and pubs in an effort to help their business.

Cole was a guest on today’s Busted Open Radio to discuss his experience filming the series, which airs on the Paramount Network. He begins by revealing that Baker had no idea what the show was about.

“It was kind of a random thing brought up to Britt actually where someone within AEW said, ‘Hey, we have a chance for you and Adam to do this show, Bar Rescue.’ The best part was Britt wasn’t really sure what it was.”

Cole adds that his younger brother is a big fan of the series, so he felt like had to appear just for him.

“My younger brother watches Bar Rescue all the time. He’s like the biggest fan of the show. So aside from the fact that I’ve really liked the show as well, I felt like I had to do it for my younger brother. I’m like, oh my god, we have to do this.”

Cole then recounted what their experience was with Taffer, and how great he was to work with. When Cole mentioned to Taffer that his younger brother was a big fan the host kindly sent him a personal video.

“Jon Taffer was awesome. I thought this was really cool. I told him that my younger brother was such a big fan of his show. He immediately went, ‘Well, let me film a video for him.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He goes ‘Yeah, yeah, just let me say hello to him. What’s his name?’ I said, ‘It’s Brent’, and then he filmed this 30-45 second promo to my younger brother and he’ll cherish that forever. So he was such a pro. The entire team was really really cool.”

The episode featuring Baker and Cole aired on Sunday night.

(H/T WrestlingNews.Co for transcription)

The Superstar Crossover program recently conducted an interview with rising AEW superstar Wardlow, and his thoughts on his current feud with MJF.

The two men are set to meet for a contract signing at tomorrow’s AEW Dynamite from Long Island, where it will be revealed when a match will take place, most likely at the May 29th Double or Nothing pay-per-view. When speaking about MJF Mr. Mayhem states that the thought of hitting him with the Powerbomb Symphony makes him drool.

“Dude, the thought of powerbombing Max makes me drool.It’s literally, I obsess over it. I cannot wait to powerbomb that kid. I’m going to powerbomb him until my arms go numb.”

Later Wardlow discusses his journey in AEW, admitting that his slow rise to the top could not have been written better, nor would there be any aspects of it that he would change.

“I think even this is exceeding my expectations. I couldn’t have wrote myself a better future than what I’m currently living. Or I guess I should say I couldn’t have wrote a better reality for what I’m currently living. I wouldn’t change a single thing that has happened or a single thing that is happening right now.”

Since making his AEW debut and joining MJF back in 2019 Wardlow has been featured in some marquee matchups in the company’s short history. He wrestled against Cody Rhodes in the very first AEW cage match, he stood toe-to-toe with CM Punk and would have defeated the Chicago Savior had it not been for MJF, and he won the Brass Ring Ladder Match at Revolution 2022 earlier this year.

Watch Wardlow’s appearance on Superstar Crossover with Josh Martinez:

Quotes via WrestleZone

AXS TV sent out the following press release announcing the NJPW programming schedule for the month of May.

The biggest detail is that this week’s episode (Thursday May 12th) will feature two matchups from the recent Windy City Riot event held in Chicago. This includes a classic encounter between Tomohiro Ishii and Minoru Suzuki, and the critically acclaimed first-time meeting between Will Ospreay and top AEW superstar, Jon Moxley.

Other programming includes the Wrestling Dontaku pay-per-view from the end of April, an event that saw Jay White and the Good Brothers return to Japan, and Juice Robinson joining the Bullet Club. Full details are below.

Full details can be read below.

LOS ANGELES (May 10, 2022) – AXS TV, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc., closes out May with a fresh crop of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) episodes—showcasing unforgettable moments from the trailblazing promotion’s landmark Windy City Riot event, followed by three weeks of coverage from NJPW’s iconic Wrestling Dontaku event, airing every Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The series puts the spotlight on world-class New Japan Pro-Wrestling action every week, delivering one hour of exclusive content compiling the absolute best moments from the promotion’s most recent broadcasts.

The upcoming roster is as follows:

May 12—Windy City Riot, filmed live from Chicago, Illinois on 4/16/22

-NJPW makes its long-awaited Chicago debut with an epic evening, headlined by a dream match main event as the Death Rider and the Commonwealth Kingpin take their feud to the next level when wrestling legend Jon Moxley goes toe-to-toe with Will Ospreay for the first time ever.

-The night also includes a bitter grudge match between two of wrestling’s hardest hitters, as longtime rivals Tomohiro Ishii and Minoru Suzuki seek to settle their differences in the squared circle.

May 19—Wrestling Dontaku, filmed live from Fukuoka, Japan on 4/28/22

-AXS TV kicks off three weeks of exciting Wrestling Dontaku, which returned to its birthplace—the PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan—for the first time since 2001 with a massive fight card that captivated the wrestling world. In this episode, Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens hope to ring-in the ninth anniversary of the Bullet Club, which was formed at Wrestling Dontaku in 2013, by seizing the Tag Team belts from newly-crowned champions Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan in a three-way showdown that also includes Bishamon duo Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.

-Then, the United States Heavyweight Championship is up for grabs, when Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii vie for the title SANADA was forced to vacate due to injury earlier this year.

May 26—Wrestling Dontaku, filmed live from Fukuoka, Japan on 4/28/22

-AXS TV’s Wrestling Dontaku coverage continues with the last stop on the road to the Best Of The Super Jr. tournament, as reigning Junior Heavyweight Champion El Desperado defends his belt against Bullet Club assassin Taiji Ishimori.

-And former friends meet as foes, when Tama Tonga seeks to become an NJPW singles champion for the first time in his career—and get revenge for the Bullet Club’s shocking betrayal, in the process—by taking on Bullet Club brawler EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship.

June 2—Wrestling Dontaku, filmed live from Fukuoka, Japan on 4/28/22

-Wrestling Dontaku closes out with a rivalry renewed, as World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada puts NJPW’s most coveted prize on the line against Tetsuya Naito for the second time this year, following The Rainmaker’s defeat at the hands of the Los Ingobernables de Japón boss in the New Japan Cup.