Shane McMahon returned to WWE television Monday night to introduce RAW Underground.
The son of WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon teased a new concept that would take place in the third hour of the show. Shane was in a room with dimmed lighting and a ring with no ropes surrounded by Performance Center talent.
The rules of RAW Underground contests were not made entirely clear. It has elements of an MMA fight, with competitors wearing gloves. There were also scantily clad women dancing in the corner, just because.
Once the segment aired, McMahon did the ring introduction for Dabba-Kato, who smashed jobbers with a series of strikes. Kato is formerly known as Babatunde.
The broadcast also showed shots of the door outside being guarded by NXT trainee Jordan Omogbehin, who had previously been used as one of Akira Tozawa’s ninjas.
WWE first announced that McMahon would be appearing on the show on Monday afternoon. The @WrestleVotes Twitter account teased that McMahon would be on the show to announce this new concept. There were later widespread reports of ‘chaos’ behind the scenes at WWE’s TV taping once the Raw Underground concept was presented to the crew.
Several WWE Superstars participated in Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground fight club, including Dolph Ziggler and Erik of the Viking Raiders. MVP’s new Hurt Business faction crashed Raw Underground at the conclusion of the show.
RAW Underground: Original Idea?
A few fans on Twitter noticed that the ‘underground fight club’ gimmick presented by Shne McMahon has already been done elsewhere, including GCW Bloodsport and Chikara.
Shane McMahon was written off of WWE television last when he lost to Kevin Owens in a ladder match on SmackDown with the stipulation of “loser leaves WWE.”
If #RawUnderground is a different way of getting Babtunde introduced on TV as a monster, then cool. But they got me excited thinking Raw itself would effectively end at 10pm and be a two hour show and now I am a sad panda.#WWERaw
I don’t particularly find #RawUnderground interesting, it feels like an attempt to try and make RAW cool again in one dramatic move. It is something different and that is better than say, having Orton feud with Big Show or bringing back some old name.
The funny thing is this WWE Underground thing totally accomplished its purpose, which was to get people like me to tune into Raw for the first time in weeks. The rest of the show is the same mix of bad/bland/boring that I remember. They hooked me and put me right back in the lake
Vince McMahon reportedly changed the finish to the Raw Women’s Championship match between Asuka and Sasha Banks at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on Sunday.
The original plan for the match had Asuka defeating Banks to retain the title. However, Vince McMahon made a late call and changed the finish at the last minute, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
There was no reason given for why Vince made the change.
Banks vs. Asuka ended in controversy as the referee took errant green mist from Asuka, blinding him while Bayley counted the pin for Banks. Bayley then intimidated the timekeeper into ringing the bell to end the match. Banks’ theme music then played as Bayley presented her with the Raw Women’s Championship.
Banks and Bayley later promised to explain what happened during tonight’s Raw on the USA Network, where they will also celebrate their wins at Extreme Rules. Below is post-PPV footage of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions making their escape with the gold:
It should be noted that WWE still lists Asuka as the Raw Women’s Champion.
Banks tweeted after Extreme Rules and commented on how The Golden Role Models are taking over.
“Officially taking over the whole company! Jajajajjajajajajajajajjajajajajajja #2beltzbanks #ExtremeRule,” she wrote.
Former legendary deathmatch wrestler Necro Butcher announced on Facebook recently that he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The 46-year-old retired in 2016 but returned in 2019. He made his return at GCW’s Joey Janela Spring Break 3 in April of 2019. Butcher did a few shows in Japan last December as well.
“Finally got that elusive diagnosis, stage 3 Hodgkins, it was taking forever, multiple biopsies and procedures, I might be that happiest guy ever to hear he has cancer,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
He is scheduled to receive between 6-8 cycles of chemotherapy as treatment. Butcher is the father of 6 children.
Necro Butcher in Wrestling
Butcher was voted “Best Brawler” by the readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2008 and in 2009. He has held titles for numerous promotions including CZW, where is a former Ultraviolent Underground Champion, tag champion, and won the tournament of Death in 2005. In JCW, the promotion run by the Insane Clown Posse, Butcher is a former heavyweight and tag-team champion along with Mad Man Pondo.
We wish the legendary deathmatch wrestler the best as he undergoes treatment. Necro Butcher vs Low-Ki from IWA-MidSouth can be seen in the player below:
Wrestling veteran Haku recently appeared on the In the Room Podcast where he talked about his wrestling career in detail among other things.
The former WWE star first discussed his position on the card saying never working on the top never bothered him. He ran with whatever the officials gave him and did his part.
Talking about his team with Andre The Giant, Haku said that he respected the legend very much and he later explained how Andre was in real-life, outside the ring:
“'(Andre thought) he was the same as you; he never thought that he was bigger. If he drank 16 beers, you had to drink 16 beers with him.
If he drank two or three cases, you had to drink two or three cases with him. There were so many times I had to find the door on the way back to my room; he thought it was funny”
Haku continued to explain that he knew Andre before he came to WWE. He claimed that it was fun to be around the Monster Sized Athlete and it was fun to be in the ring with him.
Haku and Andre The Giant were put in a tag team known as The Colossal Connection in 1989. The two tagged for a year and they even won the Tag Team Championship once before disbanding in 1990.
The coronavirus outbreak has forced the wrestling world to make drastic changes to its programming and bigger companies like WWE and AEW have been running their shows without an audience for a while now.
On the other hand, the smaller companies of the independent circuit have ceased their operation completely because their business is centered around the revenue from the live audience. Though now at least one of them is returning to business.
Indy Wrestling promotion Game Changer Wrestling or GCW has announced an event for later this month which will allow the fans to attend the show.
The event will take place from Indianapolis, IN on June 20. The ticket info for the event will be released later on but the company announced some social distancing guidelines for the show from their Twitter recently:
– Fans are requested to wear face masks – Masks will be provided at the door at no cost for fans in need – Please respect your fellow fans space pic.twitter.com/qecleGPvda
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) May 31, 2020
Both WWE and AEW have been forced to cease their regular operations due to coronavirus and they have been producing shows with no audience since mid-March.
The March 13 episode of SmackDown was the first WWE show to be produced from an empty arena and since then the company has continued the production of their shows from the Performance Center.
The PPV events have also seen the effect of this change and this year was the first time WWE produced WrestleMania as a two night event from multiple locations, without any audience.
Game Changer Wrestling’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 is scheduled for Friday, April 3rd, 2020 but will not feature the Great Muta as originally announced. The promotion is stating publicly that Muta being pulled from the show has to do with shady negotiating tactics by Muta’s self-described agent, Sonny Onoo.
GCW posted the following message to their social media accounts:
An update regarding The Great Muta appearing at Joey Janela's Spring Break 4… pic.twitter.com/Jlr9V7GPuq
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) March 2, 2020
The message states they reached a deal for Muta to come in for Spring Break 4 back in November. GCW was then contacted by Sonny Onoo, who works as an agent for many Japanese wrestlers, in December and said he would be taking over as Muta’s representative even though the deal was already finalized. Onoo informed GCW he would be looking for other events WrestleMania weekend for Muta as well. GCW said that was fine so long as the other promoters shared in Muta’s lodging and travel expenses. This is how wrestling promoters often work together to reduce costs for bringing in top-talent for a weekend. GCW says Onoo was shocked by this part of the deal.
GCW then pieced together that Onoo himself was the vendor for Muta’s other booking. They concluded the message by saying they are still open to working with Muta on a deal for Spring Break 4.
GCW then posted the following regarding Sonny Onoo’s demands for WrestleMania weekend:
As an aside, here were some of the extras that Sonny Onoo tried to tack on while holding us up… pic.twitter.com/RlQbZpsQj9
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) March 2, 2020
They also posted the following Tweet alleging a possible fake account that has popped up on Twitter:
Also, this account has started popping up with some tweets in the last couple days suggesting GCW failed to meet our deal with Muta.
It has been announced that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will face All Elite Wrestling star Jon Moxley at Barnett’s Bloodsport III on April 2.
Barnett made the announcement on his Twitter, writing: “The match you’ve waited for Barnett vs @JonMoxley. Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport III 4/2 from The Cuban Club in Ybor City. Get your tickets now! https://Bloodsport2020.eventbrite.com”
Jon Moxley was scheduled to face Josh Barnett at GCW Bloodsport II held in September 2019, but he was not able to make it to the event due to an MRSA infection in his elbow.
Bloodsport III is set to take place during WrestleMania weekend in Tampa, Florida at The Cuban Club in Ybor City. Tickets can be purchased from this link.
Bloodsport is a shoot-style event with a ring featuring no ropes or turnbuckles. The event is presented as a hybrid between MMA and pro-wrestling with a unique ruleset. The only way to win the match is by KO or submission.
The event, which was created by Game Changer Wrestling in 2018, saw Minoru Suzuki defeat Matt Riddle in the main event. In 2019, Josh Barnett defeated Chris Dickinson in the main event.
Apart from Jon Moxley, Jeff Cobb is also signed for Bloodsport III.
Former WWE Superstar Luke Harper is seen in a recently posted Instagram photo by All Elite Wrestling star and member of Chris Jericho-led Inner Circle, Sammy Guevara.
Both the wrestlers attended a Corpus Christi Icerays game against Shreveport Mudbugs. They were even given special jerseys by the team. You can check out the photo posted by Sam Guevara below:
Harper and Guevara attended an event before the match organized by indie fed GCWA. The event, dubbed “Pro Wrestling Night” featured matches outside the American Bank Center prior to the hockey game. Harper and Guevara were both part of the ceremonial puck drop as well as a meet and greet.
AEW Executive VP Cody Rhodes is a fan of Harper and thinks he would make a great fit in AEW. In an interview, Rhodes was asked about Luke Harper, and this is what he said: “He would be great as part of AEW. He’s a name that when you hear they’ve asked for their release, you definitely think about that and the next steps, for sure. I think he’s going to flourish with what he does next, he’s very special.”
Luke Harper was released on December 8, 2019, as he requested to be let go. He previously asked for a release back in April last year but he was denied. According to reports, Harper along with other names who were released during the time, are under a 90 days non compete clause and they can’t make TV appearances during this time. This means Luke Harper will only be able to join a major promotion after March 8, 2020.
Harper seems to be already preparing for a return as he recently applied to trademark his former wrestling ring name of Brodie Lee on November 26, 2019. The last time the 39-year-old used Brodie Lee as his ring name was in a match against BJ Whitmer on a Dragon Gate USA show in November 2011.
UFC legend Frank Mir recently appeared on the Chris Van Vliet podcast. The man who defeated Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut made some interesting comments regarding his own journey from the octagon to the squared circle. Somewhere that he envisions himself being in the future.
Bloodsport – Frank Mir
CVV asked Frank Mir how it was working the ‘Bloodsport‘ event earlier this year; a ‘worked shoot’ event that had many similarities to both pro wrestling and MMA. “You know working at Bloodsport and then the event they had here (Future Stars of Wrestling in Las Vegas). Those are easy transitions, because it’s grappling. That I do every day, I roll with guys all the time.”
“I’m not gonna look very good”
Frank Mir also discussed how he wanted to ‘earn’ his way in pro wrestling as he trains with friend Austin Aries learning the craft. “I was upset when CM punk got to have a UFC fight for his debut,” Mir stated. “Well if all of a sudden my first ever pro wrestling match I jumped into AEW or WWE [they would say] what an assh*le! So just on my name I jump out there. I’m not gonna look very good, I’m not going to do a great job. And what does that say to all of the guys who have worked? Have wrestled for fifty fu*king bucks, you know? I mean like it’s kind of a spit in their face.”
“I wasn’t mad at CM Punk for getting that opportunity” – Frank Mir
The mixed martial artist also made it clear that he was not upset with Punk for getting the shot in the big time. “Now I was the one upset before when the guy [Punk] came over my sport and just took another [fighter’s spot]…that was my problem. I wasn’t mad at CM Punk for getting that opportunity. I was mad because it took the opportunity away from somebody else.”
All Elite Wrestling’s Joey Janela recently reflected on the reception he received for his matchup against Kenny Omega. The two competed in a Lights Out match on the 10/15 episode of AEW Dark. Despite Janela’s best efforts, Omega would emerge victorious from their encounter.
“The response was crazy. Actually, we were supposed to have a straight up, regular match on Dark. Nothing too crazy and I got the call the night before from Tony Khan, changed it to the f— fest that it became, and me and Kenny, we went 30 minutes which wasn’t supposed to be the case and it was kind of a big match for me and one of the main reasons I signed to AEW was to wrestle Kenny Omega and I got it so soon and it came so sudden,” Janela told POST Wrestling.
“I’m All The Flavors Of Ice Cream”
Although known for his proficiency in hardcore matches, Janela has faith in his technical wrestling ability. He noted how he has been delivering technical matches for a while, pointing to previous bouts with Matt Riddle and Zack Sabre Jr.
“[…] people on the indies know I can wrestle because I’ve done it all in front of these fans,” he said. “But the new fans coming into AEW, see me for the first time—saw me as kind of [a] hardcore, car accident, f— fest, f—g fall off a ladder and kill yourself wrestler which is not the case so now it’s me doing the same thing after I got thrown off that building a few years ago and proving people wrong on a larger scale and convert people and say, ‘Listen, this is not what I’m all about. I’m all the flavors of ice cream all rolled up.”
Joey Janela is set to wrestle Jon Moxley on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. You can watch his matchup against Kenny Omega in the video below:
Erik and Ivar, collectively known as The Viking Raiders, were recent guests on WWE’s podcast, After The Bell. During the course of their conversation with host Corey Graves, Erik opened up about their attempts to convince Vince McMahon to allow them to change their team name after discovering WWE wanted to call them The Viking Experience.
“We knew at this point we weren’t going to be Hanson and Rowe. The primary focus was The Viking Experience,” Erik revealed. “We caught Vince as he was going somewhere else and we pleaded our case about the name. It sounded like a Disney name and there were 10 names we gave him. The last one we gave him was Viking Raiders and he kind of paused on that one. He said they would introduce us as Viking Experience and if they didn’t feel it they would rename us to something else.”
The RAW Tag Team Champions mentioned Vince McMahon’s alleged love for the TV show Vikings. Because of this affinity for Viking culture, one that is reflected in the team’s outfits and armor, Erik felt confident about their position and hopeful about the name change. He noted how when they first came into NXT, Viking Raiders was one of the first names they pitched.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) legend Jyushin Thunder Liger is counting down the days to his retirement. Liger will officially retire next January, with his last match taking place in the Tokyo Dome for NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom event.
In an interview with njpw1972.com, Liger sat down with long-time friend Togi Makabe to discuss his career. During their conversation, the two discussed Liger’s retirement and the surprise the announcement caused in the NJPW locker room.
Makabe revealed that when he first found out that Liger was retiring, his first thought was “Is he serious?” followed by “Is the company serious?”
He continued, “So when I first heard I was thinking ‘what are you talking about?’. Like maybe he’s thinking about taking a bit of a break and then going internationally, or making a next step, all of that’s stuff only he knows for sure. But I was just like ‘hold on a second!’”
Liger then confessed that despite their friendship, he didn’t speak to anybody about his plans to retire until after he announced it. He claimed he didn’t even confer with his family, stating that the decision was his choice.
“I don’t think it’s right for a wrestler to talk with his colleagues about retirement, you know? I didn’t even tell my family until after I’d made up my mind to retire. […] It just felt like the right time to put a full stop on things.”
He explained how he’d rather leave with fans asking “‘Why is he quitting now? He can still go!’” as opposed to laughing at “old man Liger.” Liger added that leaving this wa is the more dignified decision and that he never intends to go back on his retirement.
When Santino Marella debuted for WWE, winning the Intercontinental Championship in the process, he was billed as being from Italy. Although he is of Italian descent, the former Superstar was actually born in Ontario, Canada.
Catching up with Lilian Garcia for her podcast, Chasing Glory, Marella discussed his impressive Italian debut. He also spoke about how his lack of ego helped him gain popularity.
Milan Miracle
Marella recalled learning basic Italian phrases while stuck in horrific Toronto traffic during his daily 115-minute commute. Turns out these phrases would help change his life.
“I didn’t really learn to speak Italian, but I can say things on the tape so when they [WWE] called me and asked me to say something in Italian I just said ‘I want to buy a half kilo of cheese’ in Italian. It was on the tape. I can hear them looking around with each other and thinking that it sounded pretty good even though they don’t know what I had said, so that was it. I had said another phrase and they were sold.”
He continued, “They flew me to Italy and me winning the IC title had [been planned] the night before… I got the phone call Friday, flew out Saturday, landed Sunday and debuted Monday, so it was a crazy whirlwind of, like, ‘what just happened here?’ I didn’t even really believe it until it happened. I didn’t want to almost believe it and then something changes last minute, but it happened, and that was it.”
No Ego
Synonymous with comedy sketches and matches, Santino believes that his lack of ego helped him grow as a WWE Superstar.
“[…] one of the things that made me different was that I wasn’t one of those guys that had a massive ego and I think that was what was refreshing for even some people. For example a lot of the guys I am the wives’ favorite, or I am someone’s grandmother’s favorite because everyone is putting on that macho, badass cool guy and this guy isn’t trying to do that. He is just going out and having fun and being silly which is what made me stand out as a character and as a person too.”
Santino Marella is currently scheduled to appear at GCW’s BloodSport II event on September 14th. He will be competing under his real name, Anthony Carelli.
Carelli actually has an extensive history with Judo, having trained in the martial art since he was 9 years old.
Given that GCW’s BloodSport II intends to be a hard-hitting blend of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts, it appears that the former Santino will fit in nicely with the promotion’s efforts.
After initially retiring a few years ago, Carelli has since been competing in the odd match. He has competed and appeared for Destiny World Wrestling, Battle Arts Academy, and Impact Wrestling. He recently returned as Santino Marella for a short skit during WWE’s RAW Reunion show.
BloodSport II takes place on September 14th. It will be available live via FITE TV.
Cassidy is a 15-year pro performing for promotions such as Chikara, Beyond Wrestling, Bar Wrestling, and Game Change Wrestling. He formerly competed under the name JC Ryder and was trained by Mike Quackenbush, Chris Hero, and Bryan Wenzel.
Over WrestleMania weekend this year, he threw his own event broadcast on FITE.
He then noted that we are likely to get the next AEW match announcement on Friday.
Cody also commented on what venue AEW would prefer to use when they head to Atlanta for a show. “State Farm,” Cody replied. “Georgia hasn’t had a true homecoming style show since the Goldberg’ nitro. TNT being based in Atlanta, it would be a helluva party.”
“I would say so,” Cody answered when asked if Bob Holly was a good mentor to him. “Took me to the gym…a lot. Was protective of me in the ring too. Also, didn’t sugarcoat how green and unprepared I was. I needed that.”
Cody also commented on his favourite movie of the year thus far:
That Bigfoot movie with Sam Elliott.
Watched it on a flight and it’s locked in my brain. Such a wild concept ha. I either hated it or really loved it. https://t.co/x11dophZvU
Jon Moxley is currently wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in the G1 Climax 29 tournament, but his schedule is filled with bookings for other promotions.
It was recently announced he would be wrestling against Josh Barnett at GCW’s Bloodsport II show.
Now it’s been confirmed that Moxley will be facing former WWE Superstar Big Cass, now known as Caz XL.
Northeast Wrestling announced Moxley versus Caz XL will be the main event for their Wrestling Under The Stars show in August.
nZo (fka WWE’s Enzo Amore) will be in Caz XL’s corner.
This announcement actually sees the payoff for a feud established last month in NEW.
nZo and Caz XL issued an open challenge—one that Moxley answered.
The Norwich Wrestling Under The Stars event features a number of names including Dustin Rhodes, Rhyno, Teddy Long, and Jerry Lawler, as well as WWE Japanese announcers Funaki and Shun Yamaguchi. Renee Young, who is married to Jon Moxley, will also be in attendance for an autograph session.
NEW’s Wrestling Under The Stars takes place on August 17th from Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT.
It is part of a long weekend’s worth of NEW shows beginning on Friday 16th with their Prison Break event. Prison Break will see Jon Moxley face off against fellow AEW wrestler Pentagon Jr.
Jon Moxley continues to explore his options throughout the world of pro wrestling. The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler is currently competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s G1 Climax 29 tournament, but already has another monumental date set in his calendar.
On Saturday, September 14th, Jon Moxley will compete against former UFC Heavyweight champion, Josh Barnett.
The two will clash in the main event of Game Changer Wrestling’s Bloodsport II event, which takes place at The Showboat in Atlantic City.
This marks the second former UFC Heavyweight champion that Moxley will have competed against in a pro wrestling match, the first being Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 in 2016.
Advertised as “the ultimate hybrid,” Bloodsport II promises an experience where MMA meets pro wrestling in the most “intense, physical, and groundbreaking event in years.”
A video accompanied the announcement, with Moxley winding his way through streets armed with a molotov cocktail as Barnett trains in a gym.
In a voiceover, Moxley tells fans to “forget what you heard. Forget what you read. If you’re looking to the past to try to predict the future, you won’t be ready. Because what happens next has never been done before.”
The video ends with a face-off between the two of them in front of a wall set ablaze, fists raised.
Bloodsport I took place this April in Jersey City, NJ, and featured a main event between Barnett and NJPW wrestler, Minoru Suzuki. The two would battle to a time limit draw.
As previously reported, there was an altercation between Enzo Amore and Joey Janela at a Blink-182 concert last night in New Jersey. Footage of the scuffle has since been posted online.
According to Tweets from both Janela and Enzo, Janela introduced himself to Enzo at the show and a scuffle broke out between the two.
Shortly after Cass and Enzo invaded the G1 Supercard in MSG this April, Janela Tweeted at Enzo.
“Just saying this, straight up if @real1 wants some buzz, he can come shoot with me next year at @GCWrestling_ Bloodsport I’ll do 4-6 months of whatever MMA Training Barnett Recommends so I don’t make a fool out of his art, the way NZO makes a joke out of the wrestling business…” Janela Tweeted.
Enzo then said he’d pay for Janela’s MMA training and Janela responded that he wouldn’t want Enzo to blow the last of his money.
Joey Janela & Enzo Amore Altercation At Blink-182 Concert
David Arquette and Luke Perry were good friends. In fact, when Arquette was injured following a deathmatch at a GCW event, it was Luke Perry who drove him to the hospital. Arquette wrestled Perry’s son, AEW’s Jungle Boy, last night in the main event of a show at Bar Wrestling.
Arquette has noted that Perry helped get him his role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
“He actually helped me get that role in Buffy,” Arquette said to People magazine. “He campaigned for me and put in a good word. I had to audition and still get it, but it really helped that he was in my corner.”
Arquette would continue to speak about what a great guy Perry was.
“Luke was just such a tremendous friend and just an incredible person,” he continued. “Everyone loved him. He had such incredible wit and humor. I have so many memories of him. I mean, when he got cast for 90210, he was renting a room in my mother’s house where we grew up, so it was a really exciting time for him.”
Since invading the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden last weekend, Enzo and Big Cass have announced they are reforming their tag team. Now known as the Free Agentz, nZo and CazXL say they aren’t signing any exclusive contracts and could potentially appear in any promotion.
One promoter/wrestler, GCW’s Joey Janela, sent a message to Enzo on Twitter. He challenged Enzo to appear on next year’s Bloodsport event:
Just saying this, straight up if @real1 wants some buzz, he can come shoot with me next year at @GCWrestling_ Bloodsport I’ll do 4-6 months of whatever MMA Training Barnett Recommends so I don’t make a fool out of his art, the way NZO makes a joke out of the wrestling business…
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) April 12, 2019
For those unfamiliar with Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport, the annual event uses a more realistic style similar to the UWF promotion in Japan during the 1980s. Minoru Suzuki and Josh Barnett wrestled in the main event of the show this year.
Enzo posted the following to his Twitter account the next day:
I wouldn’t want you to blow the last of your money…
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) April 13, 2019
When asked if he actually has beef with Enzo, however, Janela stated he is just having fun.
Been doing this shit for years, I like to have fun
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) April 13, 2019
Enzo and Big Cass Are The Free Agentz
Enzo and Cass told SI.com this week that they do not plan on signing any exclusive contracts. This would theoretically free up the pair to appear on a GCW show at some point in the future if Enzo and Janela plan on capitalizing off their online back-and-forth.
“This is the real-life NWO,” said Enzo this week to Sports Illustrated. “We are not signing any exclusivity contracts, we are not signing a non-compete. We have all the right in the world to promote ourselves shamelessly and have as much fun as we want. If fans want to see us in a ring, then let their voices be heard.”
Hurricane Helms is not happy with how David Arquette was booked at the Game Changers Wrestling PPV over the weekend. Arquette was filling in for an injured Joey Ryan and was busted open pretty badly in a hardcore match with Nick Gage.
Arquette made a public statement that he’ll no longer be participating in any deathmatches. He said he has nothing but respect for Gage, Joey Janela, and the rest of the team from GCW.
Helms made his comments in response to Arquette’s statement.
With all due respect, they took advantage of your name value and put you in a situation that you weren’t trained or prepared for, and it came close to ending very badly. Regardless of whether you wanted to do it or not, that’s shitty and irresponsible booking. https://t.co/LynHWT5Ds6
“Regardless of whether you wanted to do it or not, that’s shitty and irresponsible booking,” Helms Tweeted.
22-year-old Marko Stunt broke his fibula in a match with Eli Everfly on the show as well. Joey Janela injured his knee in several places on a September 21st GCW event in a match against Psychosis. Janela was diving from the ring ropes to the floor when the injury occurred.
Hurricane Helms on David Arquette’s Deathmatch
Helms continued to comment on Arquette’s booking as his followers responded to his initial comments.
They put a barely trained guy in a death match that resulted in him being hospitalized. Does someone actually have to die before you admit that that was irresponsible? And of course they took advantage of his name, they wouldn’t have booked him in the main otherwise. ?????
“They put a barely trained guy in a death match that resulted in him being hospitalized. Does someone actually have to die before you admit that that was irresponsible? And of course they took advantage of his name, they wouldn’t have booked him in the main otherwise.”
Helms continued:
And he already said he didn’t realize how bad it would be. Don’t forget, I know him personally. I’ve seen people agree to shit a bunch and get taken advantage of. And don’t throw SOLD OUT like it was a 10,000 seat arena dude. FOH with that. They wanted the attention he’d bring.
Another up-and-coming star on the independent scene has gone down to injury. “Mr. Fun Size” Marko Stunt revealed following last night’s show that he suffered a broken fibula at Game Changer Wrestling’s PPV last night.
Stunt was wrestling Eli Everfly when the injury occurred. Twitter user @GIFSkull posted video of the injury:
Stunt is already scheduled for surgery this morning. He sent out the following Tweet after the event:
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on me, or wished me a speedy recovery! Unfortunately I did suffer a bad break in my leg tonight. I have to have surgery in a few hours, and will keep everyone updated
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on me, or wished me a speedy recovery! Unfortunately, I did suffer a bad break in my leg tonight. I have to have surgery in a few hours, and will keep everyone updated”
Marko Stunt Breaks Leg On Game Changers Wrestling PPV
Less than 3 weeks after both Joey Janela and Marko Stunt appeared at All In, Janela wrestled Psychosis on a GCW PPV. While diving from the ring ropes to the floor, Janela suffered multiple injuries to his knees. He required surgery and is expected to be out 9 months to a year.
Janela posted the following to Twitter early this morning in regards to Stunt’s injury:
Unfortunately my man @MarkoStunt suffered a bad break of his Fibula and needs immediate surgery in the morning, can we take care of him in whatever means necessary everyone? ?
“Unfortunately my man @MarkoStunt suffered a bad break of his Fibula and needs immediate surgery in the morning, can we take care of him in whatever means necessary everyone?”
3 weeks removed from his breakout performance at All In, Joey Janela has gone down with a knee injury. The rather unique indy wrestler is the man behind “Joey Janela’s Spring Break” and “Joey Janela’s Lost In New York.”
“Not looking good,” Janela Tweeted. “Sorry to all the fans tonight in Asbury Park. Just got to the emergency room, let’s hope for the best… if not then I’ll come back better than ever!”
Not looking good ? sorry to all the fans tonight in Asbury Park. Just got to the emergency room, let’s hope for the best… if not then I’ll come back better than ever! https://t.co/Y37niQ6pwJ
Several wrestlers offered up messages of support for Janela after his injury.
“Steve Austin had two knee braces and he was the fucking best. No doubt you’ll come back strong,” Tweeted Joey Ryan.
“Hope it’s not as bad as it looks, man. Oof,” offered former Impact tag-team champion, Andrew Everett.
“Damn,” current X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, Tweeted. “Mcl? Looks bad. Hopefully not as bad.”
Meanwhile, Trent Berretta simply offered up “XOXO” to Janela.
Joey Janela in 2018
It’s been a big year for Janela, as it has been for many independent wrestling stars. Janela is the current WWN Live Champion for EVOLVE. He most recently successfully defended the title against AR Fox at EVOLVE 112.
He was defeated by Hangman Page in a Chicago Street Fight at All In.