Trent from the Best Friends took to Twitter today to share post-surgery photos. Evidently, the AEW star had neck fusion surgery recently. He’s been out of action for over 2 months. His last match was on April 21st when he faced Penta El Zero Miedo on Dynamite. There is currently no timetable for his return.
Trent had actually only been back in action for a few weeks after missing 4 months due to a torn pec. He missed from December 16th to April 7th due to that injury.
Mainly due to Trent’s injuries, the Best Friends have spent only 1 week in the AEW top-5 tag-team rankings this year. They were ranked on January 6th, 2021 but haven’t been back in the top-5 since. They’ve only wrestled two 2-on-2 tag matches and both were on Dark: Elevation. The last time the Best Friends challenged for the AEW tag-team titles was in October. They dropped a title match to FTR on the October 14th, 2020 Dynamite show.
As for the other members of the Best Friends squad, Kris Statlander is currently ranked #4 in her division and has a match with the Bunny tonight on Dynamite. Niether Orange Cassidy or Chuck Taylor have matches upcoming on the schedule. Cassidy beat Cezar Bononi last week in singles competition and is currently ranked #3 in his division, however.
The following are results from TNA’s “X-Travaganza” pay-per-view taping, which took place on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
– Low Ki def. Chris Sabin
– Rashad Cameron def. DJ Z
– Kenny King def. Rubix
– Ace Vedder (aka Trent Barreta) def. Manik
– Sonjay Dutt def. Rockstar Spud
– Tigre Uno def. Petey Williams
– The Wolves def. Bad Influence in an EC3 Invitational Ladder match for $25,000.
– Sanada def. Austin Aries in a Best Of Three Falls match by winning two straight falls.
– Low Ki won an Ultimate X match that consisted of all of the winners of the first six matches.
– Former WWE Superstar Trent Barreta spoke to Brandon Lewis of 1495 Sports at an Impact Championship Wrestling (ICW) ‘The Future is Now’ show where he notably says that his five-year tenure with Vince McMahon’s organization that ended in January was not enjoyable.
“Every indy show I do, it’s so much different [than] what I did for the past five years in WWE, it’s an opportunity to do whatever I want and have fun most of all,” said Barreta. “[Because] for five years I wasn’t getting to just have fun. And I’m just really having a blast now, so I just look forward to every match.”
– SLAM! Wrestlingpublished a review of Friday’s WWE live event at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, which featured World Heavyweight Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk in a Strap Match. It was announced at the event that an episode of SmackDown will be taped at the venue on Tuesday, November 19.
– Fans have the opportunity to meet WWE Hall of Famer and announcer Jerry “The King” Lawler at today’s Lakewood BlueClaws game at Firstenergy Park 2 Stadium Way Lakewood Township, New Jersey as he will be participating in an autograph signing beginning at 5:00 p.m. Lawler promoted the appearance on Twitter by saying that no mascot is safe from his clutches.
Recently released WWE superstar Trent Barreta recently spoke to Slam! Sports about his departure from the company:
“I always pictured myself being an indy guy and eventually down the road I would get to WWE. What ended up happening is I was signed when I was 20 so I never really got the chance to be an indy wrestler,” he said.
“I started wrestling when I was 15 but you don’t get booked a lot when you are 16 or 17. I didn’t have a lot of connections so I didn’t do too many indies. For me I am a wrestler no matter what, if I am in WWE or somewhere else it is cool. I didn’t see getting fired as my life being over, this is an opportunity to keep wrestling and doing my thing. I am not really down about it at all.”
As for what’s next for him, Barreta says, “It is a new chapter and I think it is going to be great. Now is my chance to get out and show people what I can do and there is nothing holding me back. There are no old men in suits to yell at me and tell me what I did wrong after my match. I am looking forward to just having fun.”
– The Rock has been added to another WWE RAW taping – the March 4th show from the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY.
– Following his release from WWE on Friday, Trent Barreta’s superstar profile has been removed from the company website. There was no official “future endeavors” announcement made.
– Early ticket sales for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony at Madison Square Garden are very strong. The event is expected to sell out well in advance.
– Here’s the Punk and Paul Heyman promo that aired on Friday’s SmackDown from inside the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL:
– This week’s episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange” features Santino Marella playing a detective as he tries to figure out who “killed” Yoshi Tatsu. The synopsis reads, “Things get a little … dark … this week on “Santino’s Foreign Exchange.” A ridiculous misunderstanding on the part of The Milan Miracle leads to a bonafide “whodunnit” caper. So, who “killed” Yoshi Tatsu?”
– Dolph Ziggler weighed in on Trent Barreta’s release from WWE yesterday. He wrote on Twitter this afternoon, “#WheresTRENT??? Oh right, being an awesome wrestler somewhere else….”
– Former WWE developmental wrestler Byron Wilcott defeated Carson Friday in Houston, Texas to become the new NWA North American Champion.
Barreta already has a post-WWE appearance lined up for WrestleMania weekend. He will be wrestling Sunjay Dutt at Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s “PWS Super Card Night 1″on April 4 in Metuchen, N.J.
Trent Barreta has been released from WWE, according to a report at PWInsider.com.
Barreta has been with WWE since 2008, when he signed a developmental deal. He wrestled on the SmackDown brand with Caylen Croft as part of the Dudebusters tag team. After Croft was released by WWE, Barreta had a brief singles run and was moved back down to developmental.
— In this week’s episode of Z! True Long Island Story, Zack Ryder laments his return to WWE Superstars. Also featured are cameos by Dolph Ziggler and Scott Stanford, the latest dig on Trent Barreta’s disappearance and a segment on Ryder’s new growth chart product line.
— Beth Phoenix competed at Friday’s Raw live event in Glens Falls, New York, losing to WWE Divas Champion Layla. It was her first match since losing the WWE Divas Championship to Nikki Bella on the April 23 Raw SuperShow.
— WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele stated Friday on Twitter that he was released from the hospital following an extensive stay. He added, “Praise the LORD, GOD is so good.”
— Matches taped tonight at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for this week’s episode of WWE NXT Redemption are as follows:
* Derrick Bateman vs. Heath Slater
* Darren Young vs. Percy Watson
* Trent Barreta vs. Tyson Kidd
* Kaitlyn vs. Maxine
* Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso
— Brodus Clay squashed WWE developmental wrestler Damien Sandow in a dark match at tonight’s SmackDown SuperShow taping in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sandow was accompanied by Abraham Washington.
— The February 4 episode of A.M. Raw garnered a 0.59 cable rating, with 723,000 viewers.
— Accounts of Husky Harris competing at Sunday’s SmackDown live event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are incorrect as it was WWE developmental wrestler Calvin Raines who partnered with Drew McIntyre in a tag team match against Ezekiel Jackson and Trent Barreta.
Jackson was asked on Twitter who his opponent at the event was and he replied Calvin Raines.
— Dennis Haskins, who was known as Mr. Belding on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Saved by the Bell and Saved by the Bell: The New Class, will appear on AfterBuzzTV.com’s post-show for Raw tonight alongside former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis. The program airs at www.ustream.tv/afterbuzztv immediately following Raw.
Haskins, who is now 61 years old, is pushing a petition on Twitter for the Mr. Belding character to be instated as the General Manager and/or principal of Raw.
— WWE will hold a Raw live event at the EA Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday, March 24, 2012.
— The following matches were taped Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for this week’s episode of NXT Redemption:
* Johnny Curtis vs. Yoshi Tatsu
* Jimmy Uso vs. JTG
* Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil vs. Darren Young and Tyler Reks
— The following matches were taped Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* Jinder Mahal vs. Trent Barreta
* Ezekiel Jackson vs. Tyson Kidd
— A Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza employee told an attendee at tonight’s WWE television tapings that the event drew 4,000 fans. This is approximately half the venue’s capacity.
— WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham, 68, was hospitalized Monday in Phoenix, Arizona for pneumonia. He is on antibiotics and in stable condition.
“Billy had a bad cough last night when I spoke to him,” said his agent Scott Epstein. “He said he also had a low grade fever and was going to go to the ER as a precaution. Valerie (his wife) called me this morning to tell me he was admitted. She will update me later this evening.”
— Matches taped Monday in Liverpool, England for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:
* Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty
* Curt Hawkins vs. Justin Gabriel
— Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso beat Derrick Bateman and Trent Barreta in a dark match at tonight’s tapings in Liverpool, England.
— WWE developmental wrestler Naomi is pictured in the official WWE souvenir program exclusive sold at the ongoing European live event tour.
Zack Ryder tweeted a cell phone shot of the page featuring Curt Hawkins and Trent Barreta, which includes Naomi.
Though Naomi placed in second in last year’s all-female season of NXT, she is the last remaining contracted contestant to be situated in developmental. A.J., Aksana and Kaitlyn are all members of the SmackDown roster, while Maxine appears on NXT. She has, however, appeared at several non-televised events since the season’s conclusion.
— Inspired by the recent surge of news surrounding former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler, Brooke Anderson will join Eve, Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox in a WWE ring to interview them for a special segment on the syndicated tabloid television news program The Insider. The segment was scheduled to air on Wednesday’s show, but was postponed.
Eve tweeted, “Our @TheInsider segment should be airing later this week :-) We’ll keep you posted!”
— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has added Jake Carter to their roster page. He is Jesse White, son of former WWE star Vader. He signed a developmental contract with WWE in April following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.
White, 25, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma and was touted for the National Football League, but retired following a hip injury. He then followed his dad’s footsteps to the world of professional wrestling.
— Theodore Long kicked off Friday’s SmackDown by announcing that the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.
Randy Orton won the 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating The Miz. Battle Royal elimination order is as follows: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Barreta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz.
— Both John Morrison and R-Truth are backstage at tonight’s SmackDown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
— A match pitting Heath Slater against Trent Barreta was taped for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars.
— Justin Gabriel beat WWE developmental wrestler Hunico in a dark match prior to tonight’s SmackDown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gabriel hit the 450° splash on the masked grappler for the win.
— The July 23 episode of A.M. Raw did a 0.37 rating, with 452,000 viewers.
— WWE.com is advertising a match between World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on Syfy. Other matches taped Tuesday night in Corpus Christi, Texas for tonight’s show include:
* Christian vs. Sheamus
* Trent Barreta vs. Ted DiBiase
* Big Show, Kane and Ezekiel Jackson vs. Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett
* Natalya vs. Brie Bella
* Daniel Bryan vs. Chavo Guerrero
— SmackDown Superstar Trent Barretta worked last night’s Florida Championship Wrestling television tapings in Tampa as Mr. Florida, a masked wrestler. Meanwhile, NXT Season 3 contestant appeared as Ms. Florida, also under a mask.
— Jon Moxley, who recently signed a developmental contract with WWE, was on hand for last night’s Florida Championship Wrestling television tapings but not used.
— Silvervision has announced that WWE’s upcoming three-disc DVD set on Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man, will feature a total of twenty matches—two ECW matches, six WCW matches and twelve WWE matches.
— A match pitting Trent Barreta against SmackDown newcomer Tyson Kidd was taped Tuesday night in Greensboro, North Carolina for this week’s episode of WWE Superstar.
WWE Superstars announcer Jack Korpela complemented the match on Twitter, writing: “Don’t miss WWE Superstars this week on WWE.com! @trentylocks and Tyson Kidd just had an incredibly thrilling match. Best I’ve ever called.”
— NXT Season Four winner Johnny Curtis beat Alex Riley in a dark match prior to last night’s television tapings in Greensboro, North Carolina. Riley, who drafted to SmackDown earlier in the day, stated before the match that he would show why doesn’t need The Miz.
— Raw Superstar Vladimir Kozlov celebrates his 39th birthday today.
— Gail Kim responded to speculation online that she may retire in the near future.
“Retiring? haha why would I do that?” she wrote on Twitter. “I can still go with the best and still look good :))))hehe can’t get rid of me that easily! Haters u wish!”
Kim also commented on former TNA rival Awesome Kong joining the promotion.
She wrote, “Looks like my old friend is coming :) I’m ready 4 round 2. Anytime. Anywhere. We have some unfinished business….”
— Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins was taped last night in Albany, New York for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars.
Though WWE Superstars was canceled by WGN America, the show will continue to air internationally. It is unclear whether WWE will feature the program online as no announcement has been made.
— Trent Barreta beat Johnny Curtis in a dark match prior to last night’s television taping.
— Money in the Bank winner Jack Swagger was trending on Twitter in the New York City area while last night’s SmackDown taping was taking place.
— Shawn Michaels is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling, which you can view at www.pwi-online.com. The headline reads: “Heart-broken Kid.”
— WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts noted on his Twitter account yesterday that he did voice-over work for THQ’s upcoming WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 video game.
— In yesterday’s birthdays, SmackDown star Trent Barreta turned 23 years old while WWE producer Mike Rotunda turned 52.
— When asked on Twitter whether rumors of her daughter Stephanie being pregnant were true, Linda McMahon confirmed the rumor as true.
“Yes it’s true and the family is very excited,” Linda wrote.
Apparently, the rumor was in light of photographs that had surfaced online of Stephanie looking visibly pregnant while attending her mother’s GOP Senate candidates debate this past week.
McMahon already has two daughters; Aurora Rose Levesque (born July 24, 2006) and Murphy Claire (born July 28, 2008).
— Tiffany, Caylen Croft, Trent Barreta and Goldust are now apart of SmackDown as their respective bios have been moved to the SmackDown Superstars section on WWE.com. Talent yet to be assigned to a new brand include Abraham Washington, Byron Saxton, Tony Atlas, Tyler Reks, Vance Archer and Vladimir Kozlov.
— Tickets for next month’s WWE pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, went on sale this morning via Ticketmaster. The event will be held Sunday, Apr. 25, 2010 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
— It appears the team of Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft are heading to SmackDown as they took on Cryme Tyme at last night’s SmackDown television taping in Kansas City.
— Mickie James has posted a blog on the WWE Universe website promoting the debut of her first single to country music radio off her debut album, Are You With Me?!.
“Words can not begin to describe how incredibly excited I am,” James wrote. “Its been a lot of hard work and tons of fun! I am so very grateful to have been blessed with such an extraordinary team that has helped bring this dream to a reality. For everyone who has stood by my side through this all and help keep me on this wonderful journey. My friends, My family, My James Gang!, The entire WWE Universe…. I could not have gotten to this place without each and every one of you. I have poured my heart and soul into the entire album that will be released March 23rd entitled “Strangers & Angels”. I do not know what will come of it all but I hope and Pray for the best! I have my faith…. Through this entire project God has provided miracle after miracle…. So I let go… He shall lead the way!”
— The WWE Raw house show on May 15th, 2010 will be held at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Bell time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale March 6th, 2010 at 10 a.m. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)
