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Emperor Smeat 02-22-2019 09:18 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
For those asking, we are told by numerous WWE sources that TJP was released by the company. This was not a case where he asked for a release and was granted one, similar to Tye Dillinger or Hideo Itami, who's WWE exits were also announced today.
Found it surprising that none of the 3 guys got the "future endeavors" line as part of WWE's announcements. Last guy who didn't get that was Alberto Del Rio due to WWE feeling he was a very bad influence for Paige.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Pop TV president Brad Schwartz spoke to Deadline about Impact Wrestling no longer being on the station: “Yes, we had a wrestling show every Thursday night, which by the way was one of our 10 highest-rated shows on the network. They wanted to keep going, obviously. It was two hours of original content every Thursday night, 52 weeks a year that would do 400 thousand-500 thousand viewers every Thursday night. We had to really start focusing on brand and expectation, and I think if you’re going to pitch yourself and tell audiences that you’re this place for premium content, Schitt’s Creek, Flack, Florida Girls, this type of stuff, then people need to know what to expect from you when they come to the channel.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
If you are going by live viewership through Showbuzz Daily, Impact topped 400,000 viewers once and it was for the Final Deletion episode in July 2016 and then did 399,000 viewers for an episode in March 2018. They never hit 500,000 viewers nor were they ever consistently hitting 400,000 viewers. From July 5th through October 18th last year, the show averaged 233,250 viewers and Pop moved them to 10 pm on Thursday nights. In the new timeslot, their live viewership fell to an average of 151,000 for the final 11 weeks before moving to Pursuit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Noam Dar worked today's NXT UK tapings in Coventry, England and declared he was now with the brand full-time.

We are told by WWE sources Dar will be moving back to Europe full-time and from that point on, he will be working primarily for NXT UK.

Until Dar moves back overseas, he will continue to appear on 205 Live, where he just completed a feud with Tony Nese in a great No Disqualification match several weeks ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
After last month's Homecoming PPV in Nashville Impact Wrestling will hold three additional PPVs in 2019, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

After the 4/28 Rebellion PPV in Toronto, the current plan is for the company to hold Slammiversary 2019 on Sunday 7/7.

Bound for Glory will take place on Sunday 10/13.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Former NWA and ECW World Champion Steve Corino has changed his social media bio to reflect that he is no longer a Coach for WWE NXT and is now a WWE Producer. He is producing for the main roster and we are told he made the move several weeks ago, although the social media bio was changed within the last few days.

We are told Corino is now working on the booking and production for Raw and Smackdown live events. He replaced Jamie Noble on the team that works on the live events, which also includes Michael Hayes and Joey Maloney, among others, so that Noble had more time to focus on his other WWE responsibilities.

Corino had been handling the production of live events for WWE NXT live events in Florida, so this is a similar role, just on a larger scale.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson has departed World Wrestling Entertainment ...

Anderson had been behind the scenes as a Producer for the company, which has brought in a number of new Producers over the last month, seeking to bring a younger, fresher vibe to their in-ring content. The departure of Anderson has led to discussion within the company about whether some of the other "old guard" producers may also be on the way out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
As noted, WWE announced the releases of three Superstars today - TJP (more), Hideo Itami (more) and Tye Dillinger (more). Regarding speculation on the released talents possibly debuting for AEW at their Double Or Nothing event on May 25, all three would be able to appear if they are under WWE's standard 90 day non-compete clauses as those would end before AEW's first big event. The non-competes would end just a few days before Double Or Nothing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
Taz and The Honky Tonk Man are now rumored for the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Class.

Honky Tonk is apparently a lock for this year's class while Taz is not for sure, according to a new report by @Wrestlevotes.

It looks like The Hart Foundation (Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Jimmy Hart, Bret Hart) will also still be inducted this year. There was some speculation on their induction as a group after WWE confirmed DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, "Road Dogg" BG James, Billy Gunn, Sean "X-Pac" Waltman) as the headliners, but apparently they are inducting two groups this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Matt Hardy casually noted on Twitter that his WWE contract expires in 11 days and that he’s “100% comfortable” working outside of WWE.

GD 02-23-2019 12:04 AM
Sportskeeda is unbearable.

"Batista rejects AEW's offer; set to face 5-time Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania?"

That's Triple H :nono:

slik 02-23-2019 01:48 PM
PWInsider reporting Bruce Pritchard has joined the creative team

Bad News Gertner 02-23-2019 02:19 PM
Vince got his "yes man" back

erickman 02-23-2019 02:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slik (Post 5227969)
PWInsider reporting Bruce Pritchard has joined the creative team
guess his podcast is at an end

Droford 02-23-2019 03:24 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by erickman (Post 5227978)
guess his podcast is at an end
They aired it on the network last year?

Emperor Smeat 02-26-2019 10:01 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
I’m told that they are planning do a Shield reunion match and it’s only a question of whether it will be a 3-on-3 match against Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin or if it will be 4-on-4 with Braun Strowman and Elias added. It has been debated back-and-forth and as of Monday night, they were unsure what option they would go with. I was not told when the match would take place, although Fastlane seems to make the most sense given Seth Rollins already is in a match for WrestleMania.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Monday’s episode of Raw concluded with a major angle involving Batista returning and attacking Ric Flair to set up his expected match with Triple H at WrestleMania ...

After Raw ended, there was a bit where Jinder Mahal crashed the party and Kurt Angle put him through the birthday cake with the Angle Slam. The lights came up and the show ended without Ric Flair ever coming out. I did hear from people that attended the show that was disappointed, which is a fair criticism given it was promoted for weeks around Flair’s birthday and he should have appeared once in front of the audience and done a quick promo either before, during, or after the show.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Vince McMahon was the first one to learn of Roman Reigns being cancer free. He was told of the news early last week. The decision to come back in such quick fashion was completely Roman Reigns' call. Only Vince, Stephanie McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Michelle Wilson and Triple H were aware of all the details until this morning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
As previously noted, Bruce Prichard is set to return to the WWE in a top, full-time position as part of the company's creative team.

Prichard has actually been traveling with WWE and working as a backstage consultant since January of this year, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. It is believed that the deal to advance Prichard in to his current, new role within the company was finalized this past Friday.

Apparently, the idea of bringing Prichard back to the creative team in a full-time position was first mentioned early last week. It was instantly well received and the idea gained enough momentum by the weekend that Prichard will now reportedly be Vince's right-hand man and a "very key guy" to the creative functions in WWE.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
PWInsider is reporting that CM Punk is looking to have the lawsuit brought on by Colt Cabana tossed out, claiming that Cabana has failed to explain why the suit should move forward after the initial filing was tossed out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
In that filing, Punk once again argued that Cabana has failed to explain under Illinois law why his amended lawsuit should be allowed move forward after the initial filing was dismissed. Punk's attorneys are claiming that Cabana have failed to properly argue why the lawsuit should stand, instead choosing to point back to the allegations in the amended lawsuit ...

Punk's attorneys also alleged that Cabana has "all but abandoned his contention that there was any initial "offer" in December 2014", referring to Punk's text message that he could cover Cabana legally, which Cabana has previously argued amounted to a legal contract that Punk did not live up to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Matt Hardy returned to WWE TV tonight on Smackdown Live, teaming with Jeff Hardy.

The word backstage is that WWE has involved a clause in Matt and Jeff Hardy's existing WWE deal, rolling it over for a third year. Had WWE not rolled over the contract, it would have expired next month.

Matt Hardy had been teasing a countdown until the expiration of his WWE deal on social media of late, but it would appear that was simply Hardy's latest attempt to use social media to his advantage by creating a buzz online.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Dave Schilling, who has written for outlets including Bleacher Report, The Guardian, Grantland, and VICE has announced that he will be joining the WWE creative team in March.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
More trademark trouble for AEW.

Wrestling Inc reports that AEW's application for the trademark 'Double or Nothing' has been given an initial refusal partly due to "likelihood of confusion." The USPTO pointed to 75 existing trademarks to suggest that the AEW Double Or Nothing trademark might be too confusing to consumers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Sami Callihan has signed a new contract with Impact Wrestling. Impact confirmed the news after it was reported by Wrestling Inc today. Wrestling Inc's report noted that it's a multi-year deal.

Another member of the Impact Wrestling roster has re-signed with the company. Impact announced today that Fallah Bahh has signed a new contract with the promotion. The announcement confirmed Wrestling Inc's report on Bahh signing a multi-year deal with Impact.

Impact also announced that -- after premiering on Fridays -- episodes of Impact will replay on Twitch at 6 p.m. Eastern on Mondays going forward. The show will be available on demand on the Global Wrestling Network on Tuesdays: "You asked for more ways to catch up on IMPACT. We're listening, and we're giving it to you. Beginning today, IMPACT replays on Twitch at 6 PM ET every Monday, and it's available to everyone on demand on Global Wrestling Network every Tuesday."
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett and his company Global Force Entertainment filed a second amended lawsuit against Impact Wrestling and its parent company Anthem in the U.S. District Middle District of Tennessee, on 2/21. The amended lawsuit was brought on by Impact's admission that they have deleted the master tapes of the 16-hours of Global Force Wrestling Amped!, the Jarrett TV series that he independently produced before returning to Impact after Anthem seized control of the company from Dixie Carter in early 2017.

The 33-page amended lawsuit alleges Anthem has Prevented Jarrett and GFE from filing copyrights on the GFW Amped! TV footage with the amended lawsuit noting, "The last remaining step in the registration process is submission of deposit copies, which GFE cannot provide to the Copyright Office due to Defendants’ unlawful possession and/or deletion of the only master recordings of the 16 one-hour GFW Amped videos. Defendants admit that the master recordings were deleted while in their custody and no longer exist. "
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
The moment everyone has been waiting for has arrived. Becky Lynch posted her mugshots following her "arrest" Monday on Raw.

Lynch was arrested after attacking Ronda Rousey during a tag team match on Raw. Lynch was warned prior to the event that if she showed up again under "suspension," she would be hauled away by Atlanta's finest. Lynch showed up and the "police took her into custody."

Given that she's back on social media, it would appear that she's out of jail.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ronda, you go back and get that BELT because I didn’t come this far to collect it from Stephaine. I came all this way to take it from you. <a href="https://t.co/ap3Q6cBRP2">pic.twitter.com/ap3Q6cBRP2</a></p>&mdash; The Man (@BeckyLynchWWE) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1100561278060429314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Emperor Smeat 02-27-2019 09:42 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
On the day of this month's Double or Nothing ticket announcement party, All Elite Wrestling revealed that they're partnering with Lucha Libre AAA.

That was followed up on today, with it being announced that Cody Rhodes will appear at AAA's Rey de Reyes in Puebla, Mexico on Saturday, March 16. The news was announced via a video from Cody.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WWE.com has started advertising Roman Reigns for upcoming episodes of Raw, including Monday's show in Philadelphia. PWInsider reported that Batista is also scheduled for Monday's Raw.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
In an interview after his match on SmackDown, Matt Hardy explained returning as part of The Hardy Boyz by saying he’s “learned how to control the woken wonder” that’s inside of him. Matt said he’s back together with Jeff to prove they’re the greatest tag team in time and space.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WWE Network News reported that tomorrow’s Black History Month-themed additions to the Network’s Hidden Gems section are:
  • Ernie Ladd & Art Thomas vs. Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch (AWA, 1972)
  • Thunderbolt Patterson & Bill Watts vs. Ole & Gene Anderson (Georgia Championship Wrestling, 1977)
  • Big Daddy Ritter (Junkyard Dog) vs. Jim Neidhart (Stampede Wrestling, 1979)
  • Booker T and Craig PIttman “engage in some friendly amateur wrestling at the WCW Power Plant” (WCW, 1998)
Link: https://www.wwenetworknews.com/2019/...m-4-companies/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
PROGRESS Wrestling is unifying their men's division singles titles. It was announced today that PROGRESS World Champion WALTER will face Atlas Division Champion Trent Seven in a unification match at Alexandra Palace in London, England on Sunday, May 5. That's the second day of PROGRESS' Super Strong Style 16 tournament.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
As noted, Impact has signed Josh Alexander.

Fallah Bahh signed a two year deal. We are told the deal doesn't guarantee a number of dates per year. There have been similar deals offered to other undercard talents.

Several deals expire on 3/1, including Caleb Konley.

Expect some Pro Wrestling NOAH talents to make appearances in the months ahead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Charly Caruso confirmed through a Twitter response that she will be a part of the next season of "Total Divas", although she didn't specify that she was joining the cast
Link: https://twitter.com/CharlyCarusoWWE/...30034459201537

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Sami Zayn is good to go.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that Sami Zayn is "ready to return" to WWE. Zayn underwent surgery on both rotator cuffs in June 2018 and was aiming for a return by WrestleMania 35. WWE began airing vignettes for his return on the Dec. 17 episode of Raw. WWE claimed Zayn would be "returning soon." That same night, vignettes aired for the return of Kevin Owens, who was also scheduled to "return soon."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Seth Rollins gives his opinion on Brock Lesnar.

Rollins took to social media late Tuesday night to comment on his Raw promo. Rollins tweeted, "Eyes on the prize, heart with my homie" in reference to him not losing sight of his ultimate goal, the WWE Universal Title while also expressing his excitement for the return of Roman Reigns.

But it was the follow up that put Rollins in the headlines.

Yes, Seth Rollins believes Brock Lesnar is a ho. And if we don't believe Rollins, we can ask Lesnar ourselves. Brock hasn't sent a tweet that wasn't a retweet since May 2017, so don't expect him to answer any inquiries about his status as a ho on social media. Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman has yet to issue a statement on the matter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eyes on the prize, heart with my homie....Always bros before hos. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lesnarisaho?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lesnarisaho</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/justaskhim?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#justaskhim</a> <a href="https://t.co/eNNRq59ior">https://t.co/eNNRq59ior</a></p>&mdash; Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWERollins/status/1100654600380710912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
On the latest episode of Road to Double or Nothing, AEW announced that they have signed Bea Priestley to their women’s division and that she will debut at July’s “Fight for the Fallen” show.

Priestley has wrestled for Stardom in Japan, World of Sport in the UK and lots of other indie promotions. She’s also in a relationship with Will Ospreay, so we’ll see if that has any effect on the possibility of Ospreay in AEW. His NJPW contract reportedly expires some time this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
WWE announced that they have signed five new wrestlers to the NXT UK brand.
  • Jazzy Gabert
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Ilja Rukober
  • Oliver Sauter
  • Jay Melrose
Jazzy Gabert and Kay Lee Ray both competed in the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

Mr. Nerfect 02-28-2019 08:36 AM
Minus 5 stars, Seth.

slik 03-01-2019 02:43 AM
ProWrestlingSheet reporting Dana Warrior has joined WWE Creative.

Emperor Smeat 03-01-2019 04:31 AM
Thursdays Extra Late Sheets Edition:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
There was a story making rounds because Dean Ambrose was advertised on dates past April, with the idea that he may have now agreed to a new deal. According to WWE, the advertising was dated and he will no longer be promoted for those events.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reports that WWE is hoping Roman Reigns can be the "Dean Whisper" backstage. It is no secret that Reigns is one of Ambrose's best friends on the roster with the two being travel partners over the years. Fightful reported on Monday that Ambrose was very emotional while Roman was sharing the positive news about his return.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
The term "Deadman Talking" that Starrcast applied for a trademark on was not for a podcast, but it was a name they would use for proposed speaking tour events. There is no deal in play for an Undertaker podcast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
A former Knockouts Champion has re-signed with Impact Wrestling.

Rosemary appeared on Impact's Press Pass podcast today and announced that she's signed a two-year deal with the company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
After returning to Raw on Monday and announcing that his leukemia is in remission, Roman Reigns is being advertised for a match at Fastlane.

The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is advertising Reigns & Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley in a two-on-three handicap match for Fastlane. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Quicken Loans Arena on March 10.

WWE has yet to officially announce the match. It being advertised doesn't necessarily guarantee that the match will happen, or that it will happen in that two-on-three form.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Though the tournament has yet to get underway, an injury has forced a change to the New Japan Cup lineup.

NJPW announced on Wednesday night that David Finlay will miss the New Japan Cup due to a left shoulder injury. A replacement for Finlay has yet to be announced. He was scheduled to face Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a first round match on March 10.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
NJPW has confirmed that they have visas for their Japanese wrestlers to wrestle in the United States as they prepare for the G1 Climax 29 Opening Day this summer ...

The company also confirmed that tickets will go on sale for their G1 Climax 29 Opening Day event in Dallas, Texas on March 13 starting at 12 p.m. Central time. Prices will start at $50 and will go as high as $300.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
We were told by one person in the WWE that the decision to make the switch involving Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens for the Fastlane title match was made last week. If Kofi Kingston does, in fact, get the title match at WrestleMania it is going to be a unique set of circumstances that led to that match. It stemmed from a concussion that Mustafa Ali sustained earlier this month at a house show and the momentum Kingston gained going into Elimination Chamber.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Tanga Loa was interviewed on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast by Colt Cabana and mentioned that he is not under contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling despite holding the IWGP tag titles with Tama Tonga.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
As for Rousey, she is being advertised for events through the Raw after WrestleMania. She is currently being advertised to appear on the Apr. 8 episode of Raw in Brooklyn, the night after WrestleMania. She is not being advertised for the Apr. 15 Raw in Montreal, which is being billed as the International Superstar Shake-Up.

It was reported in January that Rousey would be "taking a break" from WWE following WrestleMania. Rousey's contract with the company runs through April 2021.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
This week’s update on WrestleMania is that HHH vs. Batista is obviously a done deal. HHH said in January that he was able to start training after his surgery for the torn pec although doing a match five months after that surgery would be ahead of the usual six month timetable for that surgery. The match had been planned dating back to an angle on Smackdown before HHH’s injury, but it was only finalized this past week. As noted here before, Batista had no interest in wrestling anywhere but WWE but as late as last week had not finalized a deal. Both Undertaker and HHH had been looked at as opponents.

As of the weekend, Undertaker was not on the card and John Cena and Kurt Angle still were. There’s still not a lot definite for the show and this is the latest period I can ever recall where most of the show wasn’t pretty much finalized. From television, and this has not yet been confirmed, it does look like Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston will replace Bryan vs. Kevin Owens as the WWE title match on WrestleMania. Mustafa Ali, who at one point was to face Bryan at Fastlane, has not returned to action since suffering a concussion more than two weeks ago, although he was being evaluated on 2/26 and his return is expected shortly ...

We were told that a few days before the show Vince McMahon made the decision to put Owens, who was Bryan’s Mania opponent at Fastlane instead. The one negative is that Owens, who was supposed to return as an everyman babyface, hence the videos, that were to peak in a few weeks, was rushed back and put in the position to take the title shot as a handpicked person by McMahon, and take it from the guy people wanted ...

With the constant changes in Bryan’s opponents, he’s now lost three matches via pin on the last three episodes of Smackdown, two to Kingston (the first on 2/12 to get Kingston into the Chamber and over in the gauntlet; and then, after Bryan had pinned Kingston in the Chamber final, because Kingston got over so big and they decided to put him in the PPV main event they had him beat Bryan in a six-man on 2/19, and then when the decision was made to flip flop he and Owens, to get Owens over after a long absence, he pinned Bryan on 2/26 in a tag match). Granted, the champion getting pinned in non-title and tag situations is just basic booking, when you overdo it, you make the champion look weak and any kind of angle repeated three times faces the law of diminishing returns. Bryan had already back in December dropped a TV fall to Mustafa Ali to elevate him into title challenger level, so it’s actually been done four times, due to booking changes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
There’s talk of a few multiple person matches, which gets more people in big matches but when the main event is multiple person, you probably want to limit those type of matches on the undercard, not that the main event needs protection since it’ll probably be the hottest match on the show. As far as what goes on last, that decision won’t be made until the week of the show but everyone expects it to be the Lynch match and talking about the first woman’s main event in history would seem to make it a lock, but they’ve also referred to Lesnar vs. Rollins as the main event. But clearly the focal point of the promotion of the show will be the women.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Hiromu Takahashi is expected to show up as a surprise on a show very soon to announce his comeback. He’s been regularly tweeting percentages that his neck has healed. They are made up numbers where it’s like 990 percent and numbers like that. What we were told some time back is that he would be returning at some pont, that was a given, and it would be this year and big deal would be made of it. He’s going to have to tone down his style. Hopefully it’s more like Bushi, who has had to tone down but is still very good, than Honma, who is very limited in what he can do. Takahashi was really on a role at the time of his injury at the Cow Palace show and due to his charisma was the most popular junior heavyweight in the company dating back to the heyday of Jushin Liger
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Adam Bueller, who was a death match wrestler for Midwest independent groups including IWA Mid-South and Resistance Pro Wrestling, was diagnosed as being HIV-Positive. This is actually a huge story because with the deregulation of pro wrestling by athletic commissions around the country, he had never had to take a blood test, and with that, and his competing in many bloodbath matches, it put the people he worked matches with at very serious risk. Bueller first found a growth in his armpit and was told he was suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and began a program of radiation and chemotherapy. This took him out of wrestling. But the treatment wasn’t working on his white blood cell count. After further testing, it was found out he was HIV-positive. He was also suffering from pneumonia. He noted in his entire career not only did he never have to take a blood test, but the subject of taking one never came up.

Bueller claims he doesn’t know where the HIV came from but feels it may have been from being involved “with someone that I shouldn’t have” but that doctors believe he’s been HIV-Positive for years and just didn’t get any symptoms until recently. He said he had been doing death match style wrestling since 2015, said he doesn’t think he got HIV from bloody matches but also said he would never know for sure. He actually has talked about wanting to wrestle, but not in matches involving blood, with the proviso that if there is any blood by accident, they’d go right to the finish. But that would require a company comfortable with using him and opponents willing to wrestle him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
There have been a lot of questions regarding Howard Finkel, 68, the Hall of Fame ring announcer and longest employee of the Vince McMahon Jr. company ever since Jerry Lawler on his podcast said Finkel suffered a serious stroke. WWE has kept all information on Finkel quiet, and even friends of his didn’t know what was going on. What we do know is that Finkel, who nobody has seen since Lawler said that, has been in poor health since that time and it’s really a sad story. Finkel was also a friendly guy, was, as far as I’ve been told, the conduit in the WWF office getting the Observer from the start and he’d run off copies for most of senior management, and obviously was the greatest ring announcer of his generation, and I’d even rate him above Michael Buffer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa has a neck injury that has forced him out of action, resulting in a rewrite of this past Monday’s episode of Raw, PWInsider.com has confirmed with multiple sources.

Originally, Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were slated to compete in a four-way tag match that would have also featured Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins as well as Aleister Black & Ricochet and another team PWInsider.com has not confirmed. Raw Tag Team Champions the Revival were slated to be ringside for the match but once it was confirmed Ciampa would not be cleared to wrestle, it was changed to the Revival vs. Black and Ricochet. Ciampa and Gargano instead appeared in a non-wrestling roles on the show.

We are told the neck issue has been a lingering thing for at least 4-5 weeks, possibly longer. Depending on if and when Ciampa is cleared to return, WWE will have to be creative regarding the NXT Championship and the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic, which Ciampa is competing in. We are told all options are on the table, depending on what the final determination is regarding his injury, but as of Monday he was not cleared to wrestle medically.

slik 03-01-2019 08:52 AM
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dana Warrior Has Joined WWE’s Writing Team: <a href="https://t.co/hxwCNW6fbZ">https://t.co/hxwCNW6fbZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/1jsITDGwQW">pic.twitter.com/1jsITDGwQW</a></p>&mdash; Pro Wrestling Sheet (@WrestlingSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingSheet/status/1101373454350249984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Volare 03-01-2019 09:18 AM
That photo wtf.

Black Widow 03-01-2019 09:42 AM
Now we are gonna get Mojo running out in face paint and tassels.

Big Poppa Pauly 03-01-2019 11:11 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volare (Post 5229699)
That photo wtf.


That's her face, bud.

Droford 03-01-2019 11:50 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Widow (Post 5229702)
Now we are gonna get Mojo running out in face paint and tassels.
Remember when Hogan did the promos in the mirror and startief seeing Warrior...

Black Widow 03-01-2019 12:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Droford (Post 5229720)
Remember when Hogan did the promos in the mirror and startief seeing Warrior...
Nah.

I remember Taker doing it to Orton though.

ClockShot 03-01-2019 04:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slik (Post 5229697)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dana Warrior Has Joined WWE’s Writing Team: <a href="https://t.co/hxwCNW6fbZ">https://t.co/hxwCNW6fbZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/1jsITDGwQW">pic.twitter.com/1jsITDGwQW</a></p>&mdash; Pro Wrestling Sheet (@WrestlingSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingSheet/status/1101373454350249984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I understand you don't need much, if not any experience to write for WWE.

But? What does she bring to the table?

Emperor Smeat 03-01-2019 11:21 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Overnight, Pro Wrestling Sheet ran a story on how Dana Warrior, wife of the late Ultimate Warrior, joined the WWE writing team to offer more of a female perspective. Our Dave Meltzer reports that the role is that of a consultant and not a member of the writing team, although that may change in the future. She was at WWE TV last week and is scheduled for this week.

Some other notes from Dave:

Bruce Prichard's role with WWE and in the pecking order has been a bit overstated and that he's also a consultant and not on the writing team. Prichard and Conrad Thompson will continue their Something To Wrestle podcast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
On Friday’s “Something to Wrestle” podcast, Bruce Prichard discussed his recent re-hiring by the WWE. This past week was Prichard’s first week back at television and stated his role was still being defined. Prichard and Conrad Thompson are not canceling the podcast and are planning to continue a weekly show, but will likely be doing far fewer live shows, if any, because of Prichard’s new schedule. He is also still scheduled for Starrcast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WA week after he was granted his release, the former Tye Dillinger has been announced for his first matches since departing WWE.

Create A Pro Wrestling announced today that Dillinger, who is going by the name Shawn Spears, will have his "first post-WWE independent match" at their event in Lynbrook, New York on Friday, May 31.

Shawn Spears is the name Dillinger used at the beginning of his career.

Dillinger is also set for Beyond Wrestling's Uncharted Territory show in Worcester, Massachusetts on Wednesday, June 5.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Madison Rayne is returning to Impact Wrestling.

One day after it was revealed that she had departed ROH, Impact Wrestling announced on Friday that Rayne is returning to Impact. Rayne is a former five-time Knockouts Champion in the promotion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WrestleCon has announced a first-time matchup for their WrestleMania week Supershow.

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido is set for this year's Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow, which is taking place at the Hilton New York Midtown Ballroom in New York City at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, April 4.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Former IWGP Champion and WCW star Scott Norton has announced he is releasing an autobiography on 5/25 titled Strong Style. For more details and to pre-order, click here.
LINK: https://www.scottflashnorton.com/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
The angle to put The Shield back together for Fastlane is expected for Monday’s episode of Raw from Philadelphia. The local advertising in Cleveland is listing Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins teaming against Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Baron Corbin, but we have been told Dean Ambrose will be part of the match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
AXS TV has announced that they will be carrying the first night of the G1 Climax live from Dallas, Texas on Saturday, July 6th.

Bad News Gertner 03-02-2019 10:20 AM
That Norton book should be awesome. He was there in the last days of the AWA, his long run in Japan, WCW, Portland, arm wrestling etc..

owenbrown 03-02-2019 12:39 PM
In hindsight, Norton should have gotten somewhat of a push in WCW.

ClockShot 03-02-2019 01:17 PM
Would have loved to see Madison Rayne go to AEW.

Jordan 03-02-2019 01:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by owenbrown (Post 5229927)
In hindsight, Norton should have gotten somewhat of a push in WCW.
I agree. NWO or Team WCW could've used him in a similar way to how Paul E. used 911. Have Norton just crash NWO matches and start tearing people apart leading to a big showdown with Hogan or Nash. He gets beaten of course and then starts up a tag team with Benoit. I always found some commonality between the two and Benoit would've balanced him out.

erickman 03-02-2019 03:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClockShot (Post 5229934)
Would have loved to see Madison Rayne go to AEW.
now she is out of roh she may be able to work aew, I just wonder what the impact aew work agreements will be.

slik 03-04-2019 02:13 PM
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Along with the influx of new minds backstage including Bruce Pritchard, Jeff Jarrett, Abyss &amp; others, an interesting name has begun to sit in on important creative meetings, with his ideas &amp; opinions viewed in high regard: Jason Jordan.</p>&mdash; WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1102646077210144768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Emperor Smeat 03-05-2019 10:02 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
During tonight's [Monday] Smackdown live event in White Plains, NY, WWE Smackdown Women's Champion Asuka appeared to be injured while wrestling Mandy Rose.

There was a spot where Rose "dropped Asuka" as she was executing a wheel barrow into a Facebuster, but there appeared to have been a miscommunication as Asuka instead went for a victory roll reversal and it ended up with Asuka landing at an akward angle on the side of her face/head. The match was stopped. Asuka was checked on the outside by WWE medical staff and eventually walked to the back, holding her neck and shoulder.

Live in the Westchester County Center, the bout was being ruled a no contest as Asuka could not continue "due to injury."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Asuka posted another update on the back injury that she suffered at last night’s SmackDown house show, again noting that she’s feeling fine: “Good morning. I’m very very fine and energetic. Thank you for your concern”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Despite Fastlane being billed as the last time the Shield will team up, the Wells Fargo Arena is advertising the same match pitting the Shield against Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre for the 4/22 Raw. The match may just be a placeholder for advertising.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The official autobiography of WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography Of Wrestling's Living Legend has been re-released with a new, expanded version and can be ordered by clicking here.

The updated version of the book was being worked on prior to Sammartino's passing last year at the age of 82 and after his passing, was pushed back to incorporate his passing and legacy. Bruno has been expanded from the original version that was published in the late 1980s, removing material that protected the realism of the business during that time period. The book also features new aterial that expands Sammartino's story, including comments and stories from others who knew and worked with Sammartino.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/17...R6647DEGA0V4Z5

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The 3/3 episode of Total Bellas on E! brought in 411,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 424,000 overnight viewers.
Replaces last week as the new 2nd lowest ever in series history.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
The WWE Network premiered a new edition of Chronicle on Monday featuring Roman Reigns. The 30-minute special chronicled a three-day period from February 22nd through February 25th, which was the night of his return on Raw in Atlanta last week. Reigns spoke about the diagnosis last fall where he heard the news at a live event about an issue with a blood test. That Monday at Raw, he was informed of the findings and that his blood test showed an elevated white blood cell count. Reigns said he was diagnosed with CML (Chronic myelogenous leukemia) and caught it in the earlier stages with his treatment consisting of an oral form of chemotherapy through a pill. He added that there were side effects but stated it was a huge breakthrough that he could combat his disease through a pill. He added that he did not expect to return as soon as he did, noting he was 33 years old and wasn’t 22 when he was first diagnosed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of coverage of King Kong Bundy’s passing. He was a well-remembered character with a great look and easily recognizable name ... Despite being a character that many people associated with their childhood, he was not one of the legends that the WWE ever brought back or marketed.

If you look at his last tweets, he was retweeting a lot of messages from fans requesting he enter the WWE Hall of Fame. While some will debate the merits of the WWE Hall of Fame, it’s become evident that it does mean a lot to these past performers. In the case of Vader, Jim Neidhart, and Chyna, they all died before they could be inducted, and each had expressed a desire to be included with Bundy appearing to have the same aspirations. Yes, there is an appearance fee and it leads to additional appearances through the WWE publicity, but it also allows some of these people that well beyond their active days in the ring to have one more night where there is a spotlight placed upon them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
The promo that Ronda Rousey cut in the final segment on Raw was supposed to go longer than it did.
Would explain why the last few minutes felt like a disorganized mess.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Alexa Bliss shuts down reports of her injury.

Earlier today, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that Alexa Bliss is dealing with an injury, but didn't have details on the extent of the injury or what kind of injury she was dealing with. Bliss last wrestled on Feb. 24 at a live event in Montgomery, Alabama.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
PWInsider reports that Eli Drake's contract with IMPACT Wrestling expires in the next 60 days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Despite rumors that Ambrose may have changed his mind about leaving WWE when his contract expires next month, as of last night, Ambrose is still planning on leaving, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He could change his mind of course, but as of now, he’s still leaving.

Strangely, Renee Young mentioned on commentary last night that Ambrose would be “moving on to greener pastures.”

Emperor Smeat 03-06-2019 09:23 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Colby Corino worked as an enhancement wrestler on last night’s 205 Live and faced Mike Kanellis. Steve Corino tweeted about his son’s appearance: “So proud. For so many reasons.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Ethan Page signed a two-year deal with Impact Wrestling that kicked in at the beginning of this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
LA Park vs. Masato Tanaka is set for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3, part two in Jersey City, New Jersey on April 6.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
As expected, Tampa, Florida is set to be officially confirmed as the host city for WrestleMania 36.

WWE has announced that they'll be making a "very important announcement" in Tampa Bay at 11 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Thursday, March 7). The Tampa Bay Times confirmed that the press event is to formally announce Raymond James Stadium (the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) as the host of WrestleMania 36.

WrestleMania 36 will take place on Sunday, April 5, 2020.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
During Wednesday’s 47th anniversary card, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the dates and locations for the G1 Climax this summer.

The annual tournament kicks off on Saturday, July 6th with the opening night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It will culminate with three consecutive nights at Budokan Hall from August 10 – 12th with the final night on a Monday, as opposed to the traditional Sunday night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Base pay for top WWE executives revealed.

A new SEC filing by WWE shows the 2019 salary pay for the top 5 executives:
Analysis: George Barrios’ Defense Of WWE's Declining Popularity Metrics
Related Article Analysis: George Barrios’ Defense Of WWE's Declining Popularity Metrics

- Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon - $1.4 million in 2019 (equal with 2018 and 2017)

- Co-President George Barrios - $935,250 in 2019 ($870,000 in 2018, $783,510 in 2017)

- Co-President Michelle Wilson - $935,250 in 2019 ($870,000 in 2018, $791,044 in 2017)

- Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative Triple H - $710,000 in 2019 ($684,125 in 2018, $650,000 in 2017)

- Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Production Kevin Dunn - $950,000 in 2019 ($925,000 in 2018, $909,560 in 2017)

These salaries are just the base pay numbers for each executive and does not include bonuses, stock options, or, in the case of Triple H, performer pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pro Wrestling Sheet
Conrad Thompson has addressed the rumor and innuendo surrounding the “Dead Man Talking” trademark filed by Starrcast LLC.

Thompson was interviewed on the latest episode of Total Engagement with Matt Koon and was quick to shutdown any speculation regarding a potential podcast with The Undertaker.

“I just thought it was a cool name,” Thompson said when host Matt Koon inquired about the filing. Thompson then clarified that although he has petitioned for the trademark, he’s yet to be awarded it.

“We did book the Undertaker for Starrcast and we have talked about the possibility of there being a second booking or there being a stage show or whatever involved with that,” Thompson continued. “Maybe there might be something besides just pictures and autographs, but I don’t have anything confirmed with anyone.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
There is now speculation that John Cena will be involved in the WWE United States Title match at WrestleMania 35, possibly in a singles bout against new champion Samoa Joe.

Joe defeated R-Truth on last night's WWE SmackDown episode to capture the title. Truth dropped the title during an US Open Challenge, which was created by Cena, and Truth had been name-dropping Cena a lot during recent promos, talking about how he wanted to make Cena proud and how he wanted to be like Cena.

Some feel that Joe's post-match interview with Kayla Braxton was teasing an upcoming showdown with Cena ...

Cena's WrestleMania 35 status has been up in the air as of late because there is no match planned for him after the planned match with Lars Sullivan fell apart due to Lars' questionable status. WWE usually has matches for top stars like Cena and The Undertaker locked in by now, but this year has been different. Cena is currently in Vancouver filming the "Playing with Fire" movie but he announced this week that he will be doing an "Elbow Grease" book signing in New York City during WrestleMania 35 weekend, confirming that he will be in town during the biggest weekend of the year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
WWE RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey appears to be wrapping up her current WWE run soon.

WWE has been releasing new advertising for events after WrestleMania, and Rousey is not featured for any shows after the post-WrestleMania episode of RAW at the Barclays Center on Monday, April 8th. She is advertised for all of the remaining RAWs heading into WrestleMania.

Rousey is also not advertised for any more live events following the RAW live event a week from Sunday on March 17th at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
The risk of injuries is one of the reasons WWE decided to go with a Triple Threat for the RAW Women's Title at WrestleMania 35, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE talents get hurt a lot more these days and there's an added risk when booking longterm angles. WWE decided on going with Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. champion Ronda Rousey so that they could still do a singles match if one of the others suffered an injury. This was not a major reason for going with the Triple Threat, but it was one of the reasons, as there was a fear of losing one of the participants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Tommaso Ciampa will be undergoing neck surgery in the next couple of days and will be out for a “long, long time,” according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said that WWE confirmed to him that the surgery would be happening.

It’s not known how long he’ll be out, or what the nature of the neck injury is, but Meltzer said that historically, neck surgery has kept wrestlers out from anywhere between 6-14 months.

RP 03-06-2019 09:35 PM
So much for the Ciampa vs Gargano glorious ending.

Sepholio 03-06-2019 09:46 PM
That fucking sucks for Ciampa.

owenbrown 03-06-2019 10:55 PM
I don't think this is how Vacant wanted to be NXT champion

Emperor Smeat 03-07-2019 09:33 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Richard "Dick" Beyer, who was probably the single biggest non-Mexican masked wrestling star in pro wrestling history as The Sensational Intelligent Destroyer, as well as Dr. X, passed away today at the age of 88 ...

Beyer had been in hospice care in recent weeks and a number of his friends had called him in recent days, including Ric Flair.

In particular, in Japan, The Destroyer was legendary for having beaten Rikidozan, who he was good friends with and whose death haunted him for years. Rikidozan asked him to stay an extra day after the conclusion of the final tour of 1963 in Japan, and go out with him on December 8, 1963. Instead, Beyer decided, after thinking about it, to go home to see his family. Rikidozan went out to a club that night, where he was stabbed, and one week later, passed away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
To show how big the Rikidozan vs. Destroyer match in Japan was, the final minute of the 61 minute draw, with the audience growing from start to finish, was a 72.6 rating. Not hare, but rating,which meant that 72.6 percent of the homes that had television sets in Japan in 1963 watched the ending of that match live. It is believed to be the single most-viewed live pro wrestling match in history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
With the WrestleMania press conference today, there is a reason only WrestleMania was announced. At this point they haven't figured out the schedule for the other shows because of the move to FOX and a live Friday night show. Stephanie McMahon told the Observer "We're still figuring that out right now. So we don't even know. Everything is to be determined."

For what it's worth, the name Kairi Sane came up several times regarding NXT wrestlers likely to perform on next year's Mania show.

Tampa got the show because of a relationship with WWE over the new XFL, which I guess shows the idea they were two completely separate entities is a little overblown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line in a three-way match at ROH & NJPW's G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden.

ROH announced today that Taiji Ishimori will defend his Junior Heavyweight title against Dragon Lee and Bandido at G1 Supercard. NJPW (Ishimori), CMLL (Lee), and ROH (Bandido) will all be represented in the match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Jim Cornette went in-depth on the latest Jim Cornette Experience podcast on his return to commentary with MLW and his future.

Cornette says he has not signed officially with the company. He is committed to the company through New York Battle Riot II event Wrestlemania weekend. Beyond that, he is not opposed to working more dates for the company, but nothing is set in stone.

As for the report that he was an agent, he assisted backstage with promos for talents and helped out where talent need assistance. But he is there to be a color commentator for the most part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE Network News is reporting that an interesting piece of AWA footage is being added today to the WWE Network. The one-hour promotional video done in conjunction with Kellogg's features four matches with wrestlers representing brands:

Quote:
THE BATTLE OF BREAKFAST CEREAL

MAY 01, 1989

Legendary superstars such as Nutra Rockne, Total the Terrible and Hondo the Honeybee compete in this bizarre battle for breakfast supremacy.
Today is National Cereal Day, so this is a tie-in to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
The latest update on Lars Sullivan.

According to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, Lars Sullivan is “in a good place” after seeking professional help following a reported anxiety attack in January ...

Satin goes on to report that Sullivan immediately began seeking help from mental health professionals and WWE has been incredibly accommodating the whole time. However, it is unclear when he will return to the company.
Link: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/lar.../#.XIF3KlNKjOQ

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
One of the two WrestleMania main events, the much talked-about Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair match for the women’s title is probably the most-discussed and really least-understood match in a long time. The idea dating back a year was to possibly have women headline the biggest show of the year, particularly when Ronda Rousey took to pro wrestling so quickly and her match stole the show at WrestleMania, and another women’s match (Flair vs. Asuka) was probably the second best match on the show ...

The WrestleMania result largely depends on Rousey’s final date with the company. Right now that is the day after WrestleMania, meaning that is her blow-off. As we’ve seen, Vince McMahon can be very persuasive on people who want to leave, or perhaps some guys can be very good at making McMahon feel he’s being very persuasive, depending on Lesnar’s real goals and motives. And while Lesnar and Rousey share Paul Heyman as their main confidante and story teller, they are very different people. Most would concede from a traditional standpoint, a singles match is better than a multiple-person match, and Rousey vs. Lynch was a strong singles match. A comparison has been made to the second Rock vs. John Cena match, where they could have added C.M. Punk but didn’t. That shows the difference between the PPV model and the network model, and also the difference between doing the match for the crowd on that day, and doing the match for historical purposes ...

When Rousey took the kendo stick shots, she asked for Flair to hit her as hard as she could over and over. The idea was to have real welts, bruises and blood. Of course, after that beating, she was fine and wrestled the next day on television and retained her title, which kind of defeated the purpose which is usually to make the beating look legit without welting the other party up, and then selling it the next day to give it magnitude. Similarly Lynch was told by both in the crutch angle to hit them as hard as she could. Rousey was told this past week for Rousey to do everything she would in a real fight at real fight intensity, but no punches or kicks to the face (there was a pretty brutal knee by wrestling standards) and obviously not to actually hurt her, with the idea she took Rousey’s best shots and still came to television and fought the next day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
A report by Wrestling Inc. claimed that the firing of Arn Anderson (Marty Lunde) as a agent came because he allowed Alicia Fox to wrestle on a show when she was allegedly under the influence. We had been told a number of different stories, including that one, but all off the record. The stories varied but it was confirmed to us that Anderson was the agent in Fox’s last match which was the match in question, believed to be on 2/10 in Saginaw, MI, or a match around that loop. Nobody has denied the basics of the story as it was reported. Talent was quiet on the nature of the story but those we had heard from were still defensive of Anderson’s role in the story, even though on the surface it seems pretty open-and-shut.

Fox (Victoria Crawford, 32), has not wrestled since 2/10 in Saginaw, MI, in a trios match teaming with Nikki Cross and Mickie James against Bayley & Natalya & Dana Brooke. She has not been at television of late. One person directly involved would not talk about the situation past saying that Fox was not in rehab, and that nobody knows what the situation fully is with Fox right now.

The defense of Anderson from talent is that they believe and even insist he didn’t know anything regarding Fox was that bad before the match, nor did the talent at the time. The women are used to Fox behaving erratically, which she did then but has done, more of late. Anderson and Vince McMahon had previously had a tenuous relationship and it was noted Paul Levesque had saved his job in the past, and that he had a strong relationship as John Cena’s personal agent for all his major matches (and he worked with most of the top names).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
The WWE’s PPV schedule for the remainder of 2019 was released this past week. The most notable change is that Money in the Bank, the traditional June PPV, has been moved up a month to 5/19 in Hartford, CT. Because of that, the Takeover schedule has been changed. Takeovers are usually held the night before Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, SummerSlam and Survivor Series, which are now considered the big five events. While WWE has not confirmed this, the word going around is that the decision is that a May Takeover is too soon after the biggest show of the year, and that they feel June is better. The June PPV is 6/16 in San Diego, which is a fairly tough wrestling market when it comes to working two shows on successive nights. The July PPV is 7/14 in Philadelphia, which is a strong market where Takeover would do well, but that would mean Takeovers in both July and August, which is where June fits in, as it’s two months after one show and two months before the other, rather than trying to do Takeovers in successive months.

The impression we were given is that the Takeover show would be held on 6/8 at San Jose State University, using the 5,000-seat arena that was where the show that spawned the Takeover concept took place when the company sold out an event the Friday night before WrestleMania in Santa Clara on March 27, 2015 ...

The most notable thing about the schedule is there is no Evolution PPV. Even if the reasons, given the timing, were transparent as a make good for running the lucrative shows in Saudi Arabia, where the women performers were not allowed, the show ended up being a major aesthetic and public relations success. The Evolution PPV in 2018 was one of the best received in years. It didn’t have the interest level of other shows as searches were way down, but they did sell out the Nassau Coliseum, although it had the softest secondary market of the year. When it was over, the feeling was they had to make it an annual thing. They may be not doing it if they can get the women into Saudi Arabia, which they’ll no doubt market by taking credit for that breakthrough as justification for going there. Obviously that’s all up to the Saudi Arabian government, which, quite frankly, sort of owes them a favor, although they’ve paid big for those favors already.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Right now the belief is Reigns will be working a full-time schedule starting with the European tour in May, if not earlier, but will be on Raw every week and PPV shows from this point forward
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Regarding Bruce Prichard, he’s not the No. 2 guy in creative or anything at quite that level, but will have influence. He was described as now working full-time with the term roving consultant used, although we don’t know if that’s the official job title. He was described as being a guy in the process, but when it comes to influence, would be below Paul Levesque, Brian James, Dave Kapoor and Ed Koskey. One person who has heavily praised how Jeff Jarrett has been handling himself since coming said that he thinks Jarrett will end up more influential as well. Prichard and Dana Warrior were among four new people hired, who are not on the writing team although are consultants in some form. Dana had been looking for a regular gig in the company and wanted to be on creative, so this is a way of testing her out and she may end up on the writing team, and is being groomed for that possibility, but isn’t at this time. The line about her being able to give a women’s perspective was hers, although WWE has a few women on the writing team, who have been praised to us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
While Styles has not signed a new contract, and his deal with WWE is due shortly, he had told friends and all expectations are that he will sign. The basic gist regards his age, and the stability of WWE at this point in his career. Styles is Kenny Omega’s dream opponent and he’s good enough friends with the Young Bucks that they have talked with him when they were considering their own futures late last year. Those in AEW had not expected Styles to consider coming although they obviously would have wanted him if he was interested
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
The web site Squared Circle Sirens reported a list of names that have been contacted about being in th cast of a new Bunim-Murray reality show called “Superstar Search.” Basically it’s the old Diva Search show, but they no longer use the word divas (except in Total Divas). The show is being filmed starting later this month. Names listed were Lady Frost, who was part of a December tryout and once wrestled Asuka on television; Tasha Steelz, who is the women’s champion for New England’s Chaotic Wrestling, Dolce Delta, a model from New Jersey, Nicole Marie, a transgender Northern California bodybuilder and independent wrestler, Lexi Layne, a model and singer, Lexus Amanda, also a singer, Karissa Rivera, who had a December tryout and did an NXT loss to Lacey Evans, Hayley Jade Poston, who was part of the December tryout and is a model and fitness instructor out of Nashville, Alexis Evans, who has competed in bodybuilding and rugby and was part of the December WWE camp
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Jim Ross announced on the latest episode of his podcast that he’ll be leaving WWE when his contract expires on March 29.

Ross said:
“After talking a couple of weeks ago with Vince McMahon, we have mutually agreed that I need to move on. I will not be returning to WWE after the 29th of March. I’m leaving with great thoughts, very positive. I made a lot of money. Vince was amazing to Jan and myself. He set us up for life, financially, for which I can never repay him.”

JR said that he’s not done and “still wants to play the game,” hinting that he could end up somewhere else soon…
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Jeff Jarrett has officially joined the WWE creative team, according to PWInsider, which described the position as a “full-time executive-level role.”

Jarrett returned to WWE in January and was initially hired to be a backstage producer. He has been in that role at WWE’s production meetings for the past few weeks, but spent several days last week at WWE headquarters in Connecticut in advance of being added to the creative team, PWInsider says.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger announced at a press conference today that he’ll be retiring at next year’s NJPW Tokyo Dome show in January. He said that in his last year, he hoped to wrestle all over the world and hoped to be at the G1 Supercard show in April at MSG. When he retires, he’ll be 55 years old.

Emperor Smeat 03-08-2019 09:12 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
One of the big topics of conversation at this week’s Smackdown tapings were the future of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, PWInsider.com has learned.

The former WWE Raw and multi-time IWGP Tag Team Champions have been among the talents that WWE management approached about signing new deals well in advance of their current contracts expiring this fall.

While Gallows, 35 years old and Anderson, 39, had multiple meetings with WWE about their future, we have been told by three sources over the last two days that the pair have turned down “multi-million-dollar deals” from the company and intend to exit after their current deals expire.

From sources we have spoken to, part of the reason the pair are looking to exit is how they have been handled in recent years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
ROH has revealed some of the details for the G1 Supercard pre-show.

The pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, April 6, leading into the main card starting at 7:30 p.m. The pre-show will feature an Honor Rumble match, with wrestlers from ROH and NJPW taking part in it. Further information on entrants for the match has yet to be announced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
During the opening night of the New Japan Cup, NJPW aired a video hyping an upcoming debut. The video announced that El Phantasmo is coming to NJPW soon, though a date for his debut wasn't given. It was indicated that El Phantasmo will be a member of Bullet Club, with the Bullet Club logo being shown at the end of the video.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Game Changer Wrestling put out a teaser with LAX challenging the Rock ‘N’ Roll Express to a match at Spring Break over WrestleMania weekend. Those shows are going to incredible crowds and that type of match is going to get over so well on that card.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
ACH had first match as a member of the NXT roster on Thursday in Largo, Florida. The recent signing was introduced under his real name of Albert Hardie and lost to Raul Mendoza. Sasha Banks and Bayley also appeared at the show as they were in town for the WrestleMania press conference earlier in the day. The WWE women’s tag champions sat ringside for a three-way match with Io Shirai and Kairi Sane vs. Rhea Ripley & Reina Gonzalez vs. Vanessa Borne & Aliyah.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Ring of Honor owner Sinclair Broadcast Group has partnered with The New York Yankees, Amazon and several private equity firms to close a $3.5 billion deal to purchase the YES Network, the New York Yankees-centric cable network. The deal was first reported by Deadline.com and is expected to be officially announced shortly. 21st Century FOX owned 80% of the cable network and needed to divest itself of ownership as part of its impending merger with Disney.

One would think that Sinclair would be able to position Ring of Honor television on the cable network, which would give the promotion a regular TV home in all of New York as well as several other surrounding States. Matt Turk also pointed out that the YES Network also has a national feed they switch to when the Yankees play, so ROH could potentially land on that feed as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE released the following tribute video for the late King Kong Bundy:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ouk9AJxATP4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ClockShot 03-09-2019 08:05 AM
6:30 start time for the G1 Supercard. Noted.

Sinclair bought YES. Not bad. Now they can probably pull Ring of Honor off NESN and put it in a solid time slot instead of just fans trying to guess what time it's on.

Emperor Smeat 03-12-2019 10:02 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Coming off Fastlane, Raw had another strong rating last night with an average of 2.82 million viewers, up one percent from last week.

It was the second best number the show has done since September 3.

The notable thing about last night is that, even coming off a pay-per-view, the first hour was significantly down from the past two weeks. However, the audience retention over the three hours was the best in a long time, meaning this was a show that audience stuck with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
In an interview with The Mirror, Dash Wilder said that the report of him and Scott Dawson asking for their release back in January was “lost in translation”. “There were some things that got out there that I don't think people knew the full story about,” he said. “I don't think it aggravated us, it kind of gave us… again, we like to be angry. We like to be mad at things and have something to fight for. So that gave us more fuel for the fire and we were like… 'we’ll have fun with the internet over that, as they don't know what's what, so we're not going to tell them otherwise.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
On 3/5, "Shanghai Martialism Sport and Culture Communication Co" applied for a US trademark for "OWE Kungfu Wrestling" ...

This is the same company that is partnering with All Elite Wrestling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
The card for WrestleMania has taken shape with most of the talent accounted for. After SmackDown tonight, it should answer some of the lingering questions. I’ve been told that there are a few variables left at the bottom of the card to be determined but everything else seems to be set ...

John Cena vs. TBA – All I’ve heard is that they do have a plan for Cena but I don’t know the opponent. One option could be Elias if Cena is just coming in for something quick with low expectations. There is also the question of how available Cena is to do any television before ‘Mania considering he’s in the middle of shooting a movie. Based on television, it feels that Cena should do something involving R-Truth after all the references. Maybe they can attack Elias and rap together ...

The questions marks would be Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, Kevin Owens, Mustafa Ali and Andrade (all of which could be grouped together). Asuka doesn’t have a clear direction. At one point, there was a plan for Asuka and Lacey Evans but as of one month ago that was no longer the direction, things could change as you would think Evans has something noteworthy at ‘Mania given all the time spent building her up. Hopefully, tonight’s show sheds some light on these SmackDown wrestlers, including the tag team picture ...

There have been no hints regarding The Undertaker being involved on the show ...

They have not announced the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal or a women’s battle royal, but those options are there to ensure everyone on the roster is booked on the show.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
John Cena took to Instagram today and posted a rare throwback photo of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, fueling speculation on a Cena vs. Angle match at WrestleMania 35.

Cena has used his Instagram account to tease feuds in the past. He posted several photos of The Undertaker, also with no captions, leading up to their match at WrestleMania 34.

Cena would be a good fit for Angle's last opponent because of the history that they have. Cena debuted on WWE SmackDown back on June 27, 2002 by answering an open challenge from Angle. Cena lost that match but it began his historic WWE run ...

There has been speculation on a Cena vs. Joe title match for WrestleMania 35, but Dave Meltzer recently noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Cena vs. Joe was not the plan for WrestleMania 35, at least as of a week ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
Lance Storm announced on the Figure Four Daily show that he will be working as an agent at the upcoming Impact Wrestling tapings this month at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. The tapings are scheduled for March 22nd and 23rd with Storm seeing if it’s a good fit for him and likewise for Impact. Storm stated he is open to doing the role on a regular basis but is only scheduled for the Windsor tapings, so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Tenille Dashwood's pending free agency has been brought to the forefront.

Current Ring Of Honor star Tenille Dashwood is set to become a free agent at the end of this month according to Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet. Sources close to the site have informed them that Tenille Dashwood is in negotiations with Ring Of Honor to possibly sign a new deal but nothing is official as of this writing. Dashwood is set to be present at Ring Of Honor's 17th Anniversary pay-per-view this Friday in Las Vegas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
There could be a major change coming to WWE's Saudi Arabia shows, if some in the company have their way ...

Fightful reported a couple of weeks back that Roman Reigns had expressed his unwillingness to attend the Saudi Arabia event "Crown Jewel" just before he was diagnosed with leukemia. He joined John Cena and Daniel Bryan as high profile names that wouldn't go, either. We've also learned several employees refused to go on the trip.

However, as reported on Fightful Select this afternoon, there's a major pitch by several names of influence within the company to get an all-women's match on an upcoming Saudi Arabia show. We've not been able to gain any confirmation that it's actually going to happen, but it's something that many within WWE are angling for, with some suggesting they can spin the public relations aspect of it into a positive --- a rarity for them when attending the country.

We've also been told that the idea has been ran by some of those in charge of helping facilitate the events, but nothing beyond that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
It looks like WWE will not be releasing the Crown Jewel event on DVD, according to WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. It's likely that the release was nixed due to the controversy surrounding the event, WWE's working relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state-sponsored murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It was originally reported back in October that Crown Jewel would be released on DVD in early 2019 but those plans have been scrapped, meaning DVD collectors will have to wait to add WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels' ring return to their collections.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
On last night’s episode of Total Bellas on E!, Brie Bella announced that she is now “fully retired” as of the Evolution PPV in October.

On the episode, which was recorded before Evolution, Brie made an announcement to her family, saying, “Bryan and I have an announcement. So I decided that after Evolution, I’m gonna be fully retired. Fully done, and Bryan and I are looking for a house in Phoenix cause we’re moving back.”

Emperor Smeat 03-13-2019 10:00 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WWE Network News reported that a “March To WrestleMania IX” special will be added to the Network’s Hidden Gems section tomorrow. The matches on the special are:
  • Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna
  • Mr. Perfect vs. Skinner
  • Kamala vs. Kim Chee
  • Money Inc. (Irwin R. Schyster & Ted DiBiase) vs. Jerry Sabin & Reno Riggins
  • Tatanka vs. George South
  • The Bushwhackers (Butch & Luke) & Tiger Jackson vs. The Beverly Brothers (Beau Beverly & Blake Beverly) & Little Louie
  • Bam Bam Bigelow vs. The Undertaker
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
MLW announced that they’ve “come to terms with Jim Cornette to extend his presence ringside as an analyst” for their programming. Cornette is scheduled for MLW’s shows in New York City on April 4 and 5, Milwaukee on June 1, and Cicero, Illinois on July 6.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
The fate of the NXT title match at Takeover: New York has been determined,
SPOILER: show
as a new challenger will face Johnny Gargano for the vacant title.

Triple H made the announcement at tonight's NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University. He opened the show carrying the NXT Championship with him. He announced that a fatal five-way match between Ricochet, Adam Cole, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream and Matt Riddle would take place tonight, and the winner of that match would face Gargano at TakeOver in a 2 out of 3 falls match.

The match was won by Adam Cole, who pinned Ricochet with a shining wizard to advance.


Tomasso Ciampa, the previous champion, underwent neck surgery last week and will be out of action for the foreseeable future.
SPOILER: show
The feud between former tag team partners Gargano and Ciampa came to a head at the last set of tapings, coming to blows after a temporary reunification. It was previously set to lead to a singles match between the two at TakeOver.
Spoiler tags used since it concerns tonight's episode for those that haven't watched it yet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
An ROH World Championship challenger has been announced for G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden.

A promo from Marty Scurll aired at the end of the press conference/contract signing video for Jay Lethal and Matt Taven's World title match at this Friday's ROH 17th Anniversary pay-per-view. Scurll announced that he's cashing in his title shot to challenge the ROH World Champion at G1 Supercard on Saturday, April 6.

Scurll is owed a World title shot as a stipulation of winning ROH's Survival of the Fittest tournament in November 2018.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
PWInsider reports Jim Ross has applied to trademark “The Voice of Wrestling” through his Blackhat Enterprises company. The trademark application lists the relevant services as “Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, providing podcasts in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment; Entertainment services, namely, providing video podcasts in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Dolph Ziggler provides an update on his status with WWE.

Appearing on 98.5 Wrestling Inside The Ropes, Ziggler was asked whether he is currently under contract with WWE. Ziggler said, "Technically, I am, yes. The last two years I've had somewhat of a handshake agreement, behind closed doors deal with WWE. I've been able to do a lot of things on my own, not WWE, just because of the relationship we've had over the last 14 years. I have a bit of a handshake agreement right now, but we'll know some more details in the coming months."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
In a new clip from Enzo Amore's extensive three-hour shoot interview with Title Match Wrestling, the Realest Guy in the Room discussed payouts once the WWE Network came along.

"Payouts got a million times worse," stated Enzo. "Now, because of the WWE Network, they can hide the numbers and not payout the boys the money that they should get based on old school booking. I understood what it was going to do."
If I remember, WWE still uses the old PPV model for payouts but gutted all the incentives wrestlers could earn for extra money (merch, gate, match awards). Even stuff like royalties from shows got tweaked so WWE could pocket more of the money after the Network launched.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon spoke with The National while in Abu Dhabi for the beginning of the 2019 Special Olympics World Games this week.

When asked about a second WWE Evolution pay-per-view possibly taking place, Stephanie would not confirm plans for another all-women's event.

"We haven't announced any plans yet for Evolution but we have a lot of things in the works right now," Stephanie said. "One thing that is important to note with Evolution that it was our first ever all-women's streaming special pay per view is that it trended #1 world wide for two and a half hours during the last game of the World Series and during NFL Sunday Night Football. Both huge audiences in the United States but it was WWE Evolution that was trending No 1."
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Impact announced that oVe, the team of Dave and Jake Crist, have signed new multi-year contracts with the company.

Droford 03-14-2019 02:12 AM
what the hell did enzo know about payouts before the network launch? He started in nxt in may of 2013..the network in feb of 2014..everything he did in 2013 was aired on wwe.com and nxt wasnt "televised" until the network launched

Black Widow 03-14-2019 04:08 AM
Ziggler needs to fuck off already!

ClockShot 03-14-2019 06:45 AM
Nice! Scurll shirt I just bought is gonna come in handy for the G1 SuperCard.

Mr. Nerfect 03-14-2019 07:14 AM
I’m not the biggest Scurll fan, but I was struggling to think of anyone who could face Lethal at the show.

Big Vic 03-14-2019 08:33 AM
Quote:
Dolph Ziggler provides an update on his status with WWE.

Appearing on 98.5 Wrestling Inside The Ropes, Ziggler was asked whether he is currently under contract with WWE. Ziggler said, "Technically, I am, yes. The last two years I've had somewhat of a handshake agreement, behind closed doors deal with WWE. I've been able to do a lot of things on my own, not WWE, just because of the relationship we've had over the last 14 years. I have a bit of a handshake agreement right now, but we'll know some more details in the coming months.
Let give this guy the W and end Drews undefeated streak.

Fignuts 03-14-2019 07:22 PM
That honestly explains a lot in terms of zigglers lack of direction. WWE would never get behind a guy with such a loose agreement unless they were a megastar.

erickman 03-14-2019 08:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fignuts (Post 5233524)
That honestly explains a lot in terms of zigglers lack of direction. WWE would never get behind a guy with such a loose agreement unless they were a megastar.
well vince must have a hell of a lot of trust in ziggler, I thought vince stopped having handshake deals in the 90's when hall and nash went to wcw.

GD 03-14-2019 08:30 PM
Low key, he had a decent year with respect to championships, wins, and even main-evening a PPV.

Emperor Smeat 03-14-2019 09:10 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
More episodes of WCW Thunder are set to be made available on the WWE Network next week.

WWE Network News reported today that more Thunder episodes will be uploaded to the Network next Monday (March 18). The report stated that 20 episodes will be added on that date.

The first set of Thunder uploads were added to the Network in March 2018. The first 77 episodes of Thunder are currently available on the Network, with them ranging from the show's premiere in January 1998 to the end of August 1999.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Battle of the Sexy is coming to WrestleMania Weekend.

Joey Ryan announced a huge six person intergender tag team bout for his upcoming Penis Party event on Apr. 5. Ryan will team with Val Venis & SeXxXy Eddy to take on Session Moth Martina, Scarlett Bordeaux & Priscilla Kelly ...

Joey Ryan's Penis Party is scheduled for Apr. 5 in New York. Also announced for the show is John Morrison & Taya Valkyrie vs. Lucha Brothers and David Arquette vs. Timothy Thatcher.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
We would have had KofiMania a decade ago if Freddie Prinze Jr. got his way.

In July of 2008, WWE hired actor Freddie Prinze Jr. to join their creative team. Prinze Jr. best known for classics such as "Summer Catch," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," and marrying Sarah Michelle Gellar is a longtime wrestling fan who had his own blog on WWE Universe community at the time. Prinze Jr. didn't last long in WWE, leaving the company in February 2009.

However, before he left, he claims to have pitched a storyline that we're currently seeing on SmackDown Live.

Kingston was Intercontinental Champion when Prinze Jr. was hired in 2018. After losing the title at SummerSlam, he was involved in storylines featuring World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Kingston and Punk won the World Tag Team Titles in October 2018.

So, it's not entirely out of the question that Prinze Jr. wanted to elevate Kofi even further as Kofi was a featured player in the company during Prinze Jr's short stint.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Braun Strowman is set to be an "Honorary Shield" member during the upcoming UK Tour.
Link: https://twitter.com/Slaythe_Beast/st...53014557949953

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
The WWE Fastlane event drew just under 10,000 fans, which has to be a disappointment for a PPV event. We had listed the show as sold out last week, but that’s because checking to see if tickets were on sale, they weren’t. But at the time they had blocked off most of the upper deck.

The 3/18 Raw in Chicago with Lesnar is expected to sellout with more than 11,000 paid. Neither Boston nor Washington, DC look to be selling out. This would probably be the fewest Raw sellouts in Mania season that I can recall, but certainly dating back more than a decade.

The one thing about today is there may be less fans, but more are willing to spend huge money. WWE is taking advantage of that as ticket prices for SummerSlam in Toronto are ranging from $153 (upper deck) to $2,305 (front row). And all the less expensive tickets went instantly
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
The 8/31 NJPW show at the Cooper Box Arena in London sold 4,500 tickets for the pre-sale (the place will be set up for about 7,500) and they were holding a lot of tickets back for the public sale which starts on 3/14. Ospreay was the first name announced and Ibushi should be announced imminently. It’s going to be a major show with most of the top stars, including a major star who has been out of action for a long time is expected back. I don’t know the identity but it’s been expected for a long time that Hiromu Takahashi would be back at some point around mid-year. The hoped for plan is with a good showing here, it will lead to a several city tour of the U.K. in 2020.

Tickets for the 7/6 NJPW G-1 opening day in Dallas, TX went on sale on 3/13. They didn’t do a presale and first day sales were just over 1,600 tickets, which is a real momentum killer in this country. Since it’s a new market rather than a fourth time in the Los Angeles market, basically it is a sign that the American/Canadian talent losses have hurt the company’s marketability in this country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Longtime Virginia independent promoter Marvin Ward and his Awesome Wrestling Entertainment group have gotten negative publicity in the Waynesboro, VA market due to a canceled show and tickets reportedly not being refunded. Ward had announced an April show in the city, with meet and greets with Undertaker & Kane as the main attraction, to benefit a local girl who was fighting cancer. Ward said that the cost of getting Undertaker & Kane, and doing the show, ended up more than $100,000. To do that, he needed to sell 600 tickets and with the top price of $250, it just didn’t work. He was only able to sell 118 tickets.

In late January, they quietly took Undertaker & Kane’s names off the web site and the site ended up taken down. Ward said he was changing web site providers and took the web site down when he realized he needed to cancel the event due to lack of ticket sales. There was one web site that reported Undertaker being off the show claiming it was due to miscommunication with AWE on 1/11, and Ward the next day said refunds would be send to those buying tickets. Ward said on 2/5 he started sending money back on 1/16, but was still waiting for other money to be returned on deposits he had made for the show to refund the rest, and claimed all money would be refunded within 30 to 45 days. That time period isn’t over yet but the story was written noting some people have not had their money refunded.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Conrad Thompson and Jim Ross are in negotiations with Westwood One to do a new podcast, where Ross will talk more about his career and history and less about the present. This is not a replacement for Bruce Prichard as according to Thompson, they are going to continue that podcast even with Prichard working full-time with WWE
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
PW Insider reported that Gallows & Anderson have turned down multi-million dollar offers ... and they are expected to exit in September. So here’s the basic situation. Everyone whose contract expires anytime this year is being given big money offers to sign for obvious reasons. Many have not signed because they are waiting to see the lay of the land when their deals are up.

For Gallows & Anderson, they’ll have a far better idea in September about their next five years than now ...

With Gallows & Anderson, here is the situation. Anderson loved his time in New Japan, he’s 39 and has a family and has said publicly that he doesn’t want to be away from them for weeks at a time. Gallows is 35, so both have to look at five years as possibly being their last big deal. There’s also the thought of life after being an active wrestler. If AEW is a solid stable group, the AEW schedule will be less days which means more days home which is a real big deal because your kids only grow up once, but last five years as an active wrestler are a big deal in two ways. The first is the idea of making the most money for your family but the second is making yourself into a marketable star in some form for later life.

Today WWE seems the better option but having the great career run in the U.S. that can make a legacy and money on the next end may be better outside, and openings post-career which are impossible to predict past if AEW doesn’t get traction than inherently WWE is better. If AEW gets traction, being a featured player will be better for long-term legacy than five years on the bench in WWE would be ...

WWE has basically unlimited money now and doesn’t want talent to leave. But, unless AEW loses all momentum, the marketplace will be even more competitive at the end of the year than it is now, meaning it probably is better not to rush to sign anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Ricochet & Black are coming to the main roster. Gargano’s situation is uncertain. Dunne and Baszler both should be brought up just because it’s time, and Sane was on the list. They could keep Dunne down since he could be the strongest building block of a full-time U.K. promotion and there is a very good chance Vince will see him as not worth pushing based on size and look, plus he’s not a great promo and right now they are looking for people who can cut a 15 minute promo.

Now, I know what you’re saying, given nobody should almost ever do that. And EC 3 is one of the best talkers in the company and they gave up on him without any promo time. Baszler right now would be one of the top women on the main roster at playing a character and Sane would be as good a worker as anyone. Sane’s size will work against her, but she’s the type of worker who can both go and play a babyface character that always gets over. Baszler will have to overcome the stigma of wanting people who look like their version of TV stars on top, even though Baszler looks perfect for her character, and the idea of introducing and pushing and investing in a woman who starts out on the main roster at 38.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Two guys who are getting rave reviews internally are Eric Bugenhangen and Stacey Ervin Jr.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Jerry Lawler, 69, said that he needs double knee replacement surgery but that he’s not going to get it and he’s going to continue wrestling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucha Central
While AAA and CMLL have always been competitors, things have heated up between the two sides recently after both promotions found themselves on rival TV networks, with AAA leaving Televisa to join TV Azteca and CMLL replacing AAA on Televisa. This past weekend was the first time both AAA and CMLL have been on TV and through one week, the advantage belongs to AAA. Lucha Central has learned that AAA’s Friday broadcast on TV Azteca’s Azteca (which showed matches from their highly acclaimed Tepic taping) drew a 4.4 rating, with 2.4 million total viewers. A replay of the show shown on TV Azteca’s A+ network on Sunday drew a 1.3 rating, giving AAA a 5.7 rating total between the two shows on two different stations. In contrast, Lucha Centrla has learned that CMLL’s first show on Televisa’s Gala TV, which aired on Saturday and replayed the 3rd, 4th and 6th matches from Friday’s Super Viernes show, only drew a 1.3 rating (good for 1.2 million viewers), the same number AAA did on its replay show Sunday.

The numbers aren’t altogether surprising; AAA has been on TV for years now between Televisa and TV Azteca while CMLL is only recently returning to network TV. It could also be argued that AAA’s airing time, in the afternoon on Friday for two hours, is a much more favorable position than CMLL’s time slot on Saturday. Regardless, this is tremendous news for AAA, whose Friday rating (and overall combined rating including the Sunday replay) is higher than what WWE draws in the US most weeks. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to build on the momentum, as well as if CMLL can build on their number with some stronger shows in the upcoming weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Chelsea Green wrestled at last night’s NXT TV tapings (likely a dark match) at Full Sail University for the first time, but said on Twitter that she suffered a broken wrist during her match and would have to undergo surgery this morning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Kevin Smith said on Instagram that Chris Jericho will have a small role in the upcoming “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” movie, which will be released some time this year ...

Jericho also has a role in another upcoming Kevin Smith-directed horror movie called “Killroy Was Here.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, and Dean Ambrose are missing from promotional posters advertising upcoming August events in Toronto, including SummerSlam.
https://www.fightful.com/sites/defau...es/uwnugka.jpg

Mr. Nerfect 03-14-2019 09:10 PM
He was microwaved. It doesn’t matter and now he’s gone no one cares.

Mr. Nerfect 03-14-2019 09:18 PM
Interesting that those contracts aren’t being signed.

owenbrown 03-15-2019 02:53 PM
I worry that Lawler is going to die in the ring

Mr. Nerfect 03-15-2019 06:41 PM
It’s either going to be in the ring or having sex with his girlfriend.

Bad News Gertner 03-15-2019 06:49 PM
Jerry Lawler hasnt taken a bump in Memphis in 15 years. It's Memphis. You can get away with doing shtick all night. Especially in front of that crowd. Hell, Bill Dundee and Jimmy Valiant are both in their mid 70's and still wrestle in that area.

Mr. Nerfect 03-15-2019 06:53 PM
Lawler’s heart attack was also brought on by trauma. Lawler will be fine.

Bad News Gertner 03-15-2019 07:05 PM
That being said, he's used the 2nd rope fist drop for years as a finisher, so I can imagine his knees are destroyed.

Evil Vito 03-15-2019 08:16 PM
I saw Lawler wrestle against Robbie E at a show a couple of years ago. Definite Memphis-style match, Lawler didn’t take a bump.

Robbie E rolled up Lawler with his feet on the ropes, ref caught it at the count of 2. Robbie starts being a prick to the ref. Lawler rolls up, feet on the ropes. Ref counts 2, sees Lawler’s feet on the ropes, counts the 3 anyway lol.

Emperor Smeat 03-15-2019 09:32 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Bert Villacorta sent the following....I was watching TNT's NBA halftime show during the Mavericks and Nuggets game and Charles Barkley gave a shoutout to Ric Flair and wishing him well in his surgical procedure on Friday. This was followed by a couple of 'whoos,' one of them from Barkley himself.

PWInsider.com has confirmed Flair is indeed undergoing a procedure. We are not aware of the nature of the situation but want to take this moment to wish Flair nothing but the best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
WWE star Finn Balor will be walking to the ring this Sunday with Irish boxer Mick Conlan at this Sunday's Top Rank Boxing card at the Hulu Theatre inside Madison Square Garden.

The event will air live on ESPN+ at 3 PM EST. Conlan's fight will likely air in the 7 PM hour.

This will be the second year in a row that Balor has appeared alongside Conlan for St. Patrick's Day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Anthem Entertainment and its subsidiaries filed a flurry of motions on Thursday 3/13 in the U.S. District Middle District of Tennessee, requesting yet again that the latest, amended lawsuit brought against them by Jeff Jarrett and his company Global Force Entertainment be dismissed.

In the motion, Anthem argued that Jarrett and GFE have failed to state an “adequate claim” of copyright infringement because they never registered the copyrights on the Global Force Wrestling Amped! footage before filing the lawsuit against Anthem. They are also arguing that since Jeff Jarrett himself authorized the usage of that footage during the time he was Chief Creative Officer for Impact, he granted them a license for the content and the usage of his name and likeness. They are also again asserting that they own the trademark and copyright on “Jeff Jarrett” after they took over Impact Wrestling and the ownership of those trademarks were transferred into their ownership. They also deny that they have abandoned that trademark, therefore Jarrett cannot petition the court to have it awarded back to his ownership.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The Ronda-Becky stuff seems like it's Paul Heyman-esque bombastic in the promos, the delivery, the violence, even the Tweets. Am I right?

You are 100% right. As we have mentioned on PWInsider Elite audio over the last several weeks, Heyman has been working in concert with Ronda Rousey to script everything surrounding the build to her Wrestlemania main event. So, if you are enjoying all the twists and turns, it's absolutely Paul Heyman's work in the middle of all this.

---

I seem to remember a TV show where Jesse Ventura played a cop who was a wrestler, but I can't find anything on it. Any ideas where I can find it on DVD?

You are remembering the ABC pilot "Tag Team" which starred Ventura and Roddy Piper as blackballed wrestlers who become police officers. The pilot was actually pretty good for its time. Unfortunately, there was an issue between the network and the production company and the entire thing was dropped. The in-ring footage that was shot would actually be the last time Ventura wrestled, although he would later appear as a referee. The show is not available on DVD, officially.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Starrcast was announced for Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas from 5/23 to 5/26
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
In that Sports Illustrated report, they also had an interview with Arn Anderson who will be appearing at Starrcast, where he will be doing a "no-holds barred" interview. Anderson commented, "It used to be a dangerous setting when they handed me a live mic. So we’ll see if it will be again."

On his WWE exit, Anderson said, "I was fortunate enough to work with WWE for 18 years. Certainly that provided my family and myself with a nice living, and I have no regrets. A lot of my best friends still work there. Everything has a shelf life, and I guess mine ran out."
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
On 3/9, Arn Anderson applied to trademark his wrestling name for "Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer."

There are no records of anybody previously officially owning the name.

On 3/10, a company based in Alabama called "Toot Toot" applied to trademark "Four Horsemen" ...

The address given for the applicant is the same that was used by Conrad Thompson when he applied for "83 Weeks", "Something to Wrestle" and "Starrcast" trademarks so this could be a possible new venture between between him and Anderson.

There are also no official records of any prior Four Horsemen wrestling-related trademarks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Also on 3/10, Cody Rhodes applied for two trademarks "The American Dream" and "The American Nightmare"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
NOVA Pro Wrestling has announced that their WrestleMania Weekend card as part of “The Collective” at the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City is off. The Saturday at Noon timeslot is going to be picked up by Game Changer Wrestling and they will be honoring the tickets sold to the Nova card.

The big match Nova was promoting for that show between Shinjiro Otani and Jonathan Gresham will still be happening at the new show in its place. The promotion has announced it is going on hiatus after their March 30th card following a swarm of messages online this week regarding talent not being paid. It is unknown if any of the other matches that were booked for ‘Mania weekend will be salvaged. Talent booked for the Nova card in Jersey City included Jordynne Grace, Saraya Knight (Paige’s mother), Puma King, Session Moth Martina, Faye Jackson, Shazza McKenzie, Jimmy Yuta, and Chris Brookes among others.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WWE is hyping that Kurt Angle will reveal his WrestleMania 35 opponent on Monday's Raw. Angle announced this week that he'll be having his farewell match at WrestleMania on April 7.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
WWE fueled speculation on the WrestleMania 35 Farewell Match opponent for WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle today with an Instagram graphic, as seen below. The post asks fans who they want to see as Angle's final opponent, and the graphic includes John Cena, WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe, Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Shelton Benjamin and WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley.

As we've noted, Cena vs. Angle has been rumored due to their history. Angle noted in his post-RAW interview on Monday night that names discussed included Cena, Joe, McIntyre, Corbin, Lashley and AJ Styles. Styles is now confirmed to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania, Joe has an ongoing feud with Andrade, Rey Mysterio and R-Truth, and Lashley is expected to defend his title. Corbin or McIntyre are rumored to face Roman Reigns. It is interesting that they included Benjamin on the list.
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvAPxRVF7Cj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">@ who you think @therealkurtangle's final opponent should be!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wwe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> WWE</a> (@wwe) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-03-14T21:29:34+00:00">Mar 14, 2019 at 2:29pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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Mr. Nerfect 03-15-2019 10:27 PM
I have this undying love for Shelton Benjamin. He hasn’t been “hot” for years, but he was so close once upon a time. His fundamentals were great, but people mainly remember him for big spots (me included), but there was this charisma in him as someone you really want to see succeed. The guy is also huge compared to current wrestlers. He still looks great and probably has a few years left given he’s “only” 43. He’s only five years older than Kofi Kingston.

I want there to be a fine wine quality with Shelton so bad. He doesn’t need to be flashy anymore. He can just use his mat stuff and relative size to muscle people around.

Fignuts 03-15-2019 10:32 PM
He’s fucking god awful whenever he has to talk.

His mama was better on the mic.

Mr. Nerfect 03-15-2019 10:35 PM
True, but he doesn’t have to talk. Or maybe when there’s not so much pressure on him to climb the ranks, per se, he can be slightly more natural.

Emperor Smeat 03-19-2019 10:19 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Mustafa Ali stated during his appearance on Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast that he believes Daniel Bryan played a role in him getting called up to the main roster but Bryan well never admit it. Former WWE creative writer Kazeem Famuyide shed some light on Ali's thoughts when he joined the 'Wrassle Rap' podcast and recalled a creative meeting when Daniel Bryan came in the room and expressed that there is a spot for a fresh, young babyface on the SmackDown roster and Famuyide believes that is how the decision to bring Mustafa Ali up to the main roster came to be.

“People would come and sit in creative sometimes. I’ll tell you one story, and I was still pretty new then, and he did it in jest but he meant it. We’re sitting in the writers room and Daniel Bryan just storms down the hallway and he’s walking and he’s walking and he kicks the door open, and he walks in and he was like, ‘Hey! We need, a hot, young, babyface! Right now!’ and I was like huh? He’s like, ‘The youngest babyface you have is pushing 40-something years old. How’s this gonna work?’ And he came in joking but he was dead ass, and in a roundabout way, I think that’s how we got to Mustafa Ali where it was like, he was a pure, white-meat baby-face on 205 Live that got real emotion, that could fu*king sell agony and Vince is so huge on that like, ‘You gotta bring em’ in. If you can fight from underneath, oh God. That’s such an advantage because they gotta see that you’re fighting and the agony and pain and the face’. So when you finally overcome, they’re with you and that’s the genius of Vince [because] he understands the dynamics of good versus evil, and fighting against the odds, and underdogs and he might beat it to a pulp sometimes."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
A title match has been added to the final night of this year's New Japan Cup.

NJPW has announced that Juice Robinson will defend his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Chase Owens at the New Japan Cup finals. The show is taking place in Niigata on Sunday (March 24).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Inter Species Wrestling had to change the marketing of one of their matches that will take place at the “Balls Out” card on Thursday, April 4th during WrestleMania Week. The promotion had been advertising a “Fans Bring the Lego Deathmatch” for a four-way match involving Matt Tremont, Addy Starr, Jeff Cannonball, and Viking. The promotion received a cease-and-desist letter from a paralegal on behalf of Lego asking the promotion to remove all mentions of Lego and stop using their IP. The promotion acknowledged they were in the wrong and are now having some fun with the renaming of the match and calling it a “Fans Bring the Brightly Colored Blocks” match. The show takes place from the White Eagle Hall in Jersey City on the Thursday of WrestleMania Week at 8 pm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Armando Alejandro Estrada returned to manage “The Samoan Werewolf” Fatu, the nephew of Umaga, at a recent AAW event.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy0-0lYb9mA

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Total Bellas on Sunday fell to 395,000 viewers, down from last week’s 441,000, a new series low.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Eric Angle, the younger brother of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, has been charged with assault after being captured on video picking up a student he was coaching at an amateur wrestling meet by his neck at The Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Video shows Angle lifting the child off the ground and then throwing him back down on the mat.

WTAE reported that Angle claimed he was trying to "keep the child from messing up" but made things worse.

Angle was escorted from the venue after the incident and was charged by police with assault.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The United States District Court, Western District of North Carolina ruled on 3/14 that Ric Flair and Brian Shields, the author of WWE book Second Nature, which told an intertwining story about the careers and lives of Ric and Charlotte Flair, could have an extended time period to respond to the lawsuit filed against them by Charlotte's ex-husband Riki Paul Johnson regarding claims made about him in Second Nature. They now have until 3/28 to respond.

However, on 3/15, Johnson was awarded additional time to amend his complaint against them, World Wrestling Entertainment and Charlotte Flair. Johnson now has until 3/22 to file an amended complaint. Should he do so, the clock would reset for the defendants to respond to his allegations.

Johnson (who was married to Charlotte for a year before she broke into WWE), has previously alleged there are false statements made about him in Second Nature, including a claim that he lost two jobs due to drug use, a claim that he was sterile and could not have children and "multiple false allegations physical and/or psychological abuse", which Johnson stated he believes he can prove are incorrect with police reports and dash cam footage. Johnson has alleged Second Nature has humiliated his family, including his three children, because the family are the subject of shame and ridicule and that he was intentionally presented in the book as a villain to make Charlotte look better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
During a backstage vignette on tonight's edition of WWE Smackdown Live, it was announced that Rey Mysterio will challenge Samoa Joe for the WWE United States Championship. It will be Mysterio's first appearance at Wrestlemania since competing in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans back in 2014 ...

The match will be Samoa Joe's official Wrestlemania debut. The former Ring of Honor, WWE NXT and Impact Wrestling Champion has been on the main WWE roster for several years but has yet to work the company's flagship event. He was brought to the main roster right before Wrestlemania 33 and was not figured into the card. He was slated to compete against John Cena last year at Wrestlemania 34 but an injury suffered resulted in Joe being removed from the lineup before the match was made official. Cena instead worked against The Undertaker. If all goes well, Joe will finally appear on the company's grandest stage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The word backstage last night is that Drew McIntyre worked this past weekend's live events and last night's Raw despite being pretty sick. Given the quality of the match against Seth Rollins last night, it’s pretty insane how good McIntyre was being that ill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
CBS Philly 3 reports that the main events for Extreme Rules will be Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin and Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre. Extreme Rules is scheduled for July 14, so take this with a grain of salt. As always, the card is subject to chance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
Aleister Black missed last night's WWE RAW because he and wife Zelina Vega were on their honeymoon. Vega also missed the SmackDown live event in Rockford, IL. We noted last week how Black and Vega were headed to Amsterdam for half of their honeymoon. They were married back in November 2018. Last night's RAW saw Ricochet defeat Jinder Mahal in singles action due to Black's absence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrestlinginc
This increase in length for WrestleMania is a trend that has been proven true every year, and it's an idea that has carried over in to the other annual PPV events. WrestleMania 32's main card ended around the 286 minute mark, WrestleMania 33 reached 305 minutes, and last year's WrestleMania 34 had a runtime of 314 minutes. If those are any sign of what is to come, Forbes.com may be correct when they say that this "will likely become the longest WWE pay-per-view of all time."
Current rumor is 17-18 matches for this year's Mania card.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Kane and Titus O’Neil are each coming out with autobiographical books later this year.
Kane

Glenn “Kane” Jacobs’ book will be called Mayor Kane: My Life in Wrestling and Liberty and will be released on November 26 ...

Titus O’Neil’s book, under his real name Thaddeus Bullard, will be called There’s No Such Thing As a Bad Kid: How I Went from Stereotype to Prototype and will be released on August 6.

Jordan 03-20-2019 08:26 AM
17/18 matches... wtf. That's just ridiculous, they need to make this a two day event.

Bad News Gertner 03-20-2019 08:32 AM
Just get rid of all the womens matches aside from Becky/Ronda/Charlotte. Nobody cares about them anyways

owenbrown 03-20-2019 05:13 PM
Jesus Christ why so many matches?

GD 03-20-2019 05:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordan X (Post 5234780)
17/18 matches... wtf. That's just ridiculous, they need to make this a two day event.
2-day event in two separate cities with two special attractions. Announce the cards that’ll take place in each city.

Emperor Smeat 03-20-2019 05:35 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by owenbrown (Post 5234860)
Jesus Christ why so many matches?
Way too many belts and bloated main roster.

Also WWE now leans very heavily towards hours watched instead of quality content to measure success on the Network and social media. Its why they have the #1 channel on Youtube for videos since they pump out a lot daily regardless of quality.

Emperor Smeat 03-20-2019 09:19 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live drew 2,208,000 viewers on USA Network, up from last week’s 2,198,000 viewers.

SmackDown was #1 on cable for the night in the 18-49 demographic.

This time last year, the March 20, 2018 episode of SmackDown Live drew 2,888,000 viewers. The March 21, 2017 episode drew 2,647,000 viewers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
“You should see me in a crown” by Billie Eilish and “Are You Ready” by Disturbed are official theme songs for NXT TakeOver: New York.
LINK: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/1108458489884672001

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
WWE Network News reported that tomorrow’s Hidden Gems addition to the Network is the full “March to WrestleMania X” special.
LINK: https://www.wwenetworknews.com/2019/...network-vault/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Cody Rhodes filed trademarks for “Prince of Wrestling,” “Battlebowl,” “Bash at the Beach,” and “Bunkhouse Stampede.” Cody and The Young Bucks posted tweets teasing the Bash at the Beach trademark, but Cody later wrote: "I’d turn off the google alerts on trademarks. They’re personal and most aren’t intended for AEW. I’ve filed/claimed over 50 the last few months. I’m just trying to get some of Dad’s cattle back. That’s the story."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Rey Mysterio files for a new trademark.

On Mar. 12, Rey Mysterio filed to trademark "Prince Mysterio"
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
One day before the United States Patent And Trademark Office's March 20, 2019 deadline, WWE has filed to oppose independent wrestler Tatevik Hunanyan's 'Sister Abigail' trademark.

In June 2018, Hunanyan applied to trademark 'Sister Abigail' for use in professional wrestling after WWE abandoned its application to obtain the trademark.

On March 19, 2019, WWE officially contested Hunanyan's attempt at securing the 'Sister Abigail' name claiming that Hunanyan did not create the 'Sister Abigail' character and has consequently attempted to "usurp" the intellectual property of WWE.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
United Kingdom wrestler Sadie Gibbs is the newest member of the women's division signed to All Elite Wrestling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Post Wrestling
The latest additions to the WrestleMania card include a United States title match between Samoa Joe and Rey Mysterio. They are teasing an angle with Mysterio’s son Dominic announcing he will be sitting in the front row. The Cruiserweight title match is set after Tony Nese defeated Cedric Alexander in the finals of the tournament to face Buddy Murphy. It was also announced Tuesday night that a fatal four-way match will take place on SmackDown next week involving Naomi, Carmella, Mandy Rose, and Sonya Deville with the winner facing Asuka.

We have been told there will be a SmackDown tag title match and a women’s battle royal on the show. The SmackDown tag title picture has no shortage of teams with The Usos as champions, The Hardys, New Day, and Aleister Black & Ricochet among the options.

John Cena is also scheduled for a role on the show, which could be a match or getting involved in a segment with some physicality.

As of Tuesday, the plan is for Kurt Angle to face Baron Corbin at WrestleMania despite acknowledging on television that the fans are upset with Corbin being in the match. This was reported Tuesday by both the PWinsider and Wrestling Observer outlets and I was told the same.
If Cena does have a match, that would put the total at 18 for Mania and if Taker somehow does get booked for a match, that would put the final tally at 19 although he's still not penciled in for an appearance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Dave Meltzer says the actual plan for WrestleMania is Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, not a swerve. Justin Labar says Corbin won't be Angle's WrestleMania opponent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Brad Shepard claims that WWE and Fox are looking to bring back Saturday Night's Main Event, while Wrestling Observer denies this claim.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
Detroit police have released body camera footage from the February 13 arrest of SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso, as seen above.

As noted before, Naomi was driving their car down the wrong way of a one-way street in downtown Detroit when the two were pulled over at 10:22pm that night.. Police noted that their 2018 Dodge Journey reeked of alcohol.

Police said Naomi told them that she was visiting from out of town and didn't know the streets. Naomi also said that Jimmy was intoxicated.

"He's had a lot to drink. He's intoxicated," Naomi said.

Police said Jimmy pulled Naomi back into the car when they asked her to get out to talk. Police also said they asked Jimmy to stay seated in the car, but that's when he got out, took his shirt off and "squared up" with officers like he wanted to fight. An officer pulled out his Taser and ordered Jimmy to get on the ground, and he did.

"Man, you don't understand. I'm just here in and out. I'm in and out, man," Jimmy said.

Jimmy was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction. He was taken to the Detroit Detention Center, where he bonded out.
Link: https://youtu.be/3Y8o_LgrcA4

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
On last night's episode of SmackDown Live, Kofi Kingston ran the gauntlet of The Bar, Rowan, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton. The final victory over Orton was supposed to secure Kofi a WWE Title shot against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35. But Vince McMahon swerved Kofi, adding Daniel Bryan as the final boss. Kofi could not survive the sixth competitor, losing to Bryan and the chance to turn WrestleMania into KofiMania.

Following the event, New Day reflected in their locker room, wondering if they would be better off quitting WWE. You can view the somber moment in the video above. Earlier this morning, Big E posted a video to social media, still wondering if quitting is the best option as "people like us" won't make it to the top in WWE.

"You think of this business being, to some degree, a meritocracy. If you work hard, you show up early, stay late, do all the right things, jump through hoops, you're respectful, you don't break the law, you get good at your craft, you separate yourself from a character and in-ring perspective. You check all the boxes. If you do all of those things that you have a good chance of making it to the top," said Big E. "Now, we understand the game. People like us will only get so far. You can climb the mountain -- they'll let you climb -- but as far as getting to the peak or staying at the peak...it's not a thing. People like us, historically, and moving forward clearly, can only get so far. We've done a lot of cool things here but clearly, we are never meant to be more than this. For people like us, that's not enough. And it will never be enough. If this is all we ever will be. I don't know if it's worth it."
Link: https://twitter.com/WWEBigE/status/1108388035027263488

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
The recent Kofi Kingston storyline has sparked controversy on social media with some fans believing the story is as simple as "Vince McMahon is holding a black man down." Fans have pointed to WWE's lack of minority champions over the years, noting that there has never been a black WWE Champion.

It should also be noted that Booker T and Mark Henry each held the World Heavyweight Title, but their respective title reigns are often dismissed by fans as the World Heavyweight Title is not the same as the historic WWE Title.

Then there's The Rock. He held the WWE Title on eight separate occasions, but many wonder if The Rock identifies as black or Samoan. The Rock caught wind of a thread on Twitter questioning which race he identifies as, putting all speculation to rest.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Glad I came across this and I’ll give you guys some context &amp; truth. <br>I identify as exactly what I am - both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan. <br>And my friend, let me expand your thoughts a bit here - I transcended race in wrestling so there was no “booked that way”. Thx guys</p>&mdash; Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1108202967671496704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

xrodmuc316 03-20-2019 09:36 PM
They can't really have 18 or 19 matches right? That is insane. That would be 4 to 5 more matches then last year. Holy Cow

Volare 03-21-2019 01:02 AM
United Kingdom wrestler Sadie Gibbs is the newest member of the women's division signed to All Elite Wrestling.

https://snusercontent.global.ssl.fas...64_6049999.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8e71jXP.jpg

https://yt3.ggpht.com/a-/AAuE7mCob5W...ffffff-rj-k-no

https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/ima...3310/image.jpg

Droford 03-21-2019 01:38 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordan X (Post 5234780)
17/18 matches... wtf. That's just ridiculous, they need to make this a two day event.
2.5 matches an hour

Mr. Nerfect 03-21-2019 02:28 AM
Sadie Gibbs is fucking hot.

Mr. Nerfect 03-21-2019 02:30 AM
WrestleMania really should be a two-day event at this point. You don’t need to do the Hall of Fame anymore, and they’re clearly reaching for names. You can do two four-hour shows and that’s more content overall for the Network.

Mr. Nerfect 03-21-2019 03:09 AM
You could run a Raw one and a SmackDown one. The cards for this year could have been:

* Ronda vs. Becky
* Brock vs. Seth
* Triple H vs. Batista
* Roman vs. Drew
* Kurt Angle vs. Chad Gable
* Sasha & Bayley vs. Nattie & Beth
* Lashley vs. Balor
* Braun vs. Corbin
* Revival vs. Black & Ricochet
* Cruiserweight Title

* Bryan vs. Kofi
* Asuka vs. Charlotte
* Orton vs. Styles
* Cena vs. Joe
* Shane vs. Miz
* Rey vs. Andrade
* Owens & Zayn vs. Nakamura & Rusev
* Sasha & Bayley vs. Sky Pirates
* Usos vs. Hardys
* The Bar vs. New Day

Jordan 03-21-2019 03:49 AM
I miss when they could easily get most of the roster on a 3 hr POV and all featured talent would get 4 weeks of promos and matches that lead up to the big show. Too much tv, too many shows, too many wrestlers. Thankfully we get this ideal booking with NJPW and I’m hoping AEW keeps it simple for me as well.

penak 03-21-2019 12:59 PM
Indeed, very interesting threadhttps://juragan.club/assets/5/o.png

slik 03-21-2019 02:00 PM
Per today's Wrestling Observer 16 matches currently planned but more expected as WWE is still deciding what to to do with Balor, Lashley, Kevin Owens, Mustafa Ali & The Raw Tag Titles.

Evil Vito 03-21-2019 02:24 PM
I’ve never heard of Sadie Gibbs until that post and now I want my head to be crushed between her thighs.

XL 03-21-2019 04:09 PM
I figured they’d scrap the Women’s Battle Royal given Charlotte, Becky, Rhonda, Bayley, Sasha, Tamina, Nia, Beth, Natalya, The IIconics (maybe), Asuka, Mandy and (maybe) Sonia in matches already.

ClockShot 03-21-2019 04:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slik (Post 5235036)
Per today's Wrestling Observer 16 matches currently planned but more expected as WWE is still deciding what to to do with Balor, Lashley, Kevin Owens, Mustafa Ali & The Raw Tag Titles.
That's insane.

SlickyTrickyDamon 03-21-2019 04:27 PM
I bet it'll fucking rain too. Gotta get a poncho and maybe a pair of sweatpants.

XL 03-21-2019 04:44 PM
They’ve got so many plates spinning at the minute.

Usos, Hardys, Andrade, The Bar, Roode & Gable, Lashley, Balor, EC3, Heavy Machinery, Mojo, Ricochet/Black, Rusev/Nakamura, Kevin Owens all with varying degrees of focus on them and nothing set up at Mania.

They should say “fuck it, let’s make the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal for both sets of Tag Titles to commemorate the 19th anniversary of The Colossal Connection’s Tag Title run” :shifty:

The Revival (c)
The Usos (c)
The Bar
Hardy Boyz
Ricochet/Black
Heavy Machinery
The Ascension
Ryder & Hawkins
Rusev & Nakamura
Gallows & Anderson
Sanity
Slater & Rhyno
The B Team
Roode & Gable
Owens & Zayn

Do a thing with Strowman being told he’s out of the match as he doesn’t have a partner, throw a fit backstage the guys from SNL, only for him to turn around and there’s Nicholas.

That’s 16 teams, if you want more you can add some cruisers as teams.

XL 03-21-2019 04:59 PM
I can count 13 women that probably aren’t scheduled for a match

Alicia Fox (who might be taking time off)
Carmella
Dana Brooke
Lacey Evans
Lana
Liv Morgan
Maria
Mickie James
Naomi
Nikki Cross
Ruby Riot
Sarah Logan
Zelina Vega

That’s a lot of spots for NXT to fill.

Emperor Smeat 03-21-2019 09:39 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that John Cena has been "confirmed" for a match at WrestleMania 35. An opponent was not given and WWE has not officially announced Cena as being part of the show.

Cena has not appeared on WWE television since the Jan. 14 episode of Raw where he competed in a fatal four-way bout against Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and Baron Corbin. In the match, he suffered an "ankle injury" as a result of an ankle lock applied by McIntyre. Cena was announced for the Royal Rumble but the "injury" kept him from appearing in the match. In reality, Cena began filming "Playing with Fire" and has been on set since February. Filming will reportedly conclude on Mar. 29.

This past Monday on Raw, the crowd chanted for Cena after Kurt Angle announced that Baron Corbin would be his opponent at WrestleMania 35. As of now, the plan is for Angle to face Corbin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WrestlingInc
It looks like the negative reactions to Baron Corbin being the final opponent for WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle have reached WWE officials.

Corbin vs. Angle at WrestleMania 35 is now being reconsidered, according to a new report by @Wrestlevotes. There's no word yet on who might replace Corbin for Angle's Farewell Match at WrestleMania ...

WWE officials did not expect this type of negative reaction, according to the report, and they don't want such a negative feel to Angle's final match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Garza Jr and Shane Strickland are scheduled to report to the WWE Performance Center on Apr. 9.

Meltzer reports that Garza Jr initially signed with the company (no date was given), but the deal was pulled after he failed his physical due to shoulder issues. He was offered a new deal recently and was able to pass his physical this time around. He is expected to finish up with The Crash on Mar. 23 ...

Strickland has been long rumored to be WWE bound, but his Lucha Underground contract caused a delay in his signing. In January, Strickland announced that he was officially a free agent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
All Elite Wrestling announced today that they have signed Allie.

Her Impact contract expired at the end of 2018 and she was not signed to a new deal, according to PWInsider.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Allie's last appearance for Impact Wrestling will air on tomorrow's episode of Impact and she will not be appearing at this weekend's TV tapings. Impact Wrestling informed her in January that they would not be renewing her deal and that she would be finishing up at their last set of TV tapings in Las Vegas. We are told that it was just a decision made to refresh the roster and she was genuinely well liked. There were quite a few people from Impact who praised her work to me today, especially her attitude from the last set of TV tapings as she showed up and worked hard and had a great attitude towards everyone despite being put into a difficult situation where she knew she was done. We are also told that Allie kept the fact she was finishing up to herself and no one on the roster was really aware of it until today's AEW signing announcement. At one point, she was one of the hottest characters in Impact, so it should be interesting to see what AEW plans to do with her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
During our recent interview with Adam "Hangman" Page, he noted that AEW didn't own a wrestling ring yet, and he wasn't sure of what the design for their championship would end up looking like. However, on the most recent episode of AEW Road To Double Or Nothing, Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes shed some light.
Allie Signs With AEW; No Longer Under Contract With IMPACT Wrestling
Related Article Allie Signs With AEW; No Longer Under Contract With IMPACT Wrestling

Brandi was speaking to noted belt maker Dave Millican, where she mentioned that Cody Rhodes and Tony Kahn had a fixation on the All Elite Championship being as big as the Mid-South North American Championship. Millican would confirm that the target of the title is one they're reaching.

"We're going for that ballpark," said Millican. "Obviously a unique design, so that we won't look like that title belt. But we're swinging for the fences to get that knockout effect on the title belt itself."
LINK: https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/sta...31545861771265

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
At least for last week, the highest-rated pro wrestling show in North America was not Raw, but the two-hour AAA show on Azteca 7, even in the weak time slot of Friday’s from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The show did a 2.4 rating with a 4.8 share, with 4.4 million viewers on 3/8. CMLL debuted on Televisa 9, a stronger station in a better time slot, airing Saturday, 3/9, from 4-5 p.m., and did a 1.2 rating with a 2.6 share and 1.3 million viewers ...

For this past weekend, AAA on Azteca 7 in the same time slot did a 2.5 rating and 10 share, with 3.9 million viewers. CMLL on Televisa from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, moved up a half hour from the week before, which likely confused viewers, did a 0.9 rating and 5 share, and 1.3 million viewers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
AAA this past week was in negotiations with Madison Square Garden for a fall date. For anyone who knows how this goes, it really means nothing because they can’t run there until they get strong U.S. television. It only says MSG is open to booking them a date, which has been known for about a year, and after the precedent of the ROH/NJPW show and WWE’s attempt to block it not working, it pretty much says MSG isn’t wasting its time doing talks if they aren’t open to having the show whether WWE likes it or not
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
There are plans for a major NJPW show in Melbourne, perhaps as early as the summer

Regarding the Dallas and London shows, the London shows are being run by the Harold Meij regime while Kaname Tezuka, who runs Bushiroad USA, is handling the Dallas show. Tezuka is a former New Japan President. But in the expansion, the Meij side is doing U.K. and Bushiroad USA is handling the U.S. side including cities, date and price point ...

Dallas tickets were moving a little better as they were at 2,300 by the early part of the week. London is at almost 5,000 ...

Another note is that the 2020 G-1 Climax tournament is going to be very interesting. The summer Olympics are in Japan and all the venues that run wrestling are going to be used for the games. Most of the Japanese companies are probably going to be unable to book significant shows in Tokyo during that period. This may necessitate the G-1 to be more international as far as live events go next year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
David Starr, who faces Jay Lethal for the ROH title on 4/21 in Netanya, Israel, cut a promo for the match and in the body of the promo was critical of Sinclair Broadcasting politics, calling them a corporate propaganda machine. Starr was asked to take the promo down by the Israeli Pro Wrestling Association, which was contacted by ROH and upset about the politics involved with the promo. There have been reports that they threatened to pull Lethal from the date if the promo wasn’t removed, but there is no evidence of such a threat taking place past the IPWA fearing that would happen if the promo wasn’t taken down. Starr posted, saying, “Last night, I posted a promo for my historic championship match on April 21st against Ring of Honor champion Jay Lethal in Netanya, Israel for Israeli Pro Wrestling Association. I have been asked by the powers that be to remove said promo. Out of respect to IPWA, who have already paid for Jay’s very expensive flight and accommodations, I will comply. My complying with this request is not an admission of wrongdoing or a retraction. I stand by my entire statement and do not regret any of my actions regarding this subject.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
There are talks going on where Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix would end up exclusive for AEW in the U.S. market while working through AAA
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
The Sports Daily reported that in order to cut down the time for this year’s Hall of Fame, that there will be no inductors this year and that the inductees will be limited to 15 minutes. Sean Waltman, who is being inducted this year as part of DX, also brought up that it has been talked about to not have inductors. WWE has said that this is not accurate. “While we are looking at format options, the plan is to have inductors, but there could be a mix of ways to introduce inductees. We are also looking at flow, but I don’t know where the 15 minute time limit info is coming from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
Whatever issues there were with Undertaker doing Starrcast may not have been settled, but they aren’t strong enough to keep Undertaker off the Saudi Arabia show on 5/3 as that appearance was just confirmed this past week. That also means Undertaker is not retired. Between the change from network to PPV and the ridiculous money involved, even though Mania is promoted as the biggest show of the year, the two Saudi shows are, by a wide margin, the two biggest money events of the year for the company
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
There is at least talk in NXT, if Shayna Baszler is brought up to the main roster, and really it’s time for that once she loses the title, that Marina Shafir would be moved to add sizzle to the Undisputed Era. Shafir did team with them at some Florida shows. Jessamyn Duke would then be pushed as a singles wrestler. Then again, The Undisputed Era should be brought up by this point as well. It’ll be a real test for creative because the Undisputed era did great in NXT but they aren’t Vince’s kind of group, and Baszler, for all the clear pros of being one of the best in the entire company at playing a character and it’s a viable female bully character that her ring style backs up, has the obvious cons when it comes to starting out on the main roster at 38 and not being the type of woman they have traditionally pushed
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
A “mask vs. hair” match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade was WWE’s original plan and was “on the books” for WrestleMania at one point, but the idea “fell by the wayside,” according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

As of now, Rey Mysterio is booked to face Samoa Joe for the US title at WrestleMania.

Dave Meltzer speculated that a possible reason why it didn’t happen is that WWE didn’t want Andrade to lose his hair.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWMania
After successfully defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Nikki Bella last October at WWE Evolution, Ronda Rousey celebrated with the entire women’s division at the top of the ramp as WWE’s inaugural all-women’s pay-per-view event went off the air. With Rousey slated to defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35 on April 7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the WWE creative team has planned on the ending the show in a similar fashion.

WWE’s original and longterm plan for the match was for Lynch to win the Raw Women’s Championship and then for her, Rousey and Flair to emotionally embrace in the middle of the ring. Stephanie McMahon would then come out with the entire women’s division and they would give all three competitors a round of applause to end WrestleMania 35 on a heartwarming note.

However, this idea may have been scrapped.

With Rousey’s recent heel turn (which was not planned heading into February), WWE creative no longer thinks it’s a good idea to end WrestleMania 35 in an emotional feel-good manner. While we don’t know if the idea has been completely scrapped, it seems unlikely at this point.

Black Widow 03-21-2019 10:50 PM
Didn't expect a negative reaction to Corbin?

I think wwe officials still think that dumbass from Empire hate crime was legit Ha!

Droford 03-22-2019 04:23 AM
the bit about not wanting to end WM with becky winning on a high feel good note and Cena getting a match make it painful obvious theyre going with Angle Corbin in a squash and then a Cena surprise to pop the crowd and Kurt winning feel good moment.

the only reason Im not entirely pissed off is because its kurt angles last match, but fuckin Ric Flair didnt even get that treatment with HBK.

DaveWadding 03-22-2019 05:52 AM
Andrade vs. Rey in an apuestas match at Wrestlemania would be fucking great, unfortunately you're not going to do that without Rey taking off his mask permanently, losing all that merch money, and then realizing that he still looks 12 under the mask.

Droford 03-22-2019 07:45 AM
his 19ish year old son is bigger than he is, the fact he looks 12 is irrelevant

Big Vic 03-22-2019 12:03 PM
WWE should not be making Kofi/Bryan about race.

XL 03-22-2019 02:25 PM
They’ve got an “out” with it; New Day haven’t been explicit in the way they’ve spoken about “people like us”.

Big Vic 03-22-2019 02:44 PM
If I were them I wouldn't want 3rd party new orgs picking up the story of "First Black WWE Champion" and diving in to the racist history of the WWE/WWF.

Mr. Nerfect 03-22-2019 07:01 PM
I hope AAA beats them in the ratings each week.

Emperor Smeat 03-22-2019 08:59 PM
The Sheets:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Stacey Ervin Jr looks to be moving on.

According to Casey Michael from Squared Circle Sirens, Stacey Ervin Jr has left NXT following a concussion scare. Casey reports that Ervin Jr was "given some time to think about it but people think he's 100% done."

Ervin Jr, 25, signed with WWE in 2018 and was highly touted due to his background in gymnastics. He has been a regular at NXT live events and last wrestling on Mar. 8. He won the Unleash The Universe Tournament, a one-night NXT live event tournament that took place in Citrus Springs, Florida on Jan. 19.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Regarding rumors that Stacey Ervin Jr. has quit WWE, the only comment WWE has made is that Ervin Jr. remains under contract. The story that he was thinking of quitting due to a concussion goes back a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
Keith Lee is out of action with an undisclosed injury.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer
It appears that Villain Enterprises will have a Tag Team title defense before G1 Supercard.

ROH posted video of a promo today where The Briscoes said they're invoking their rematch clause for a Tag Team title rematch against Villain Enterprises (PCO & Brody King) at Road to G1 Supercard: Baltimore. PCO & King won the ROH Tag Team titles by defeating The Briscoes in a no disqualification match at last week's 17th Anniversary pay-per-view ...

Road to G1 Supercard: Baltimore is taking place at the UMBC Center on Sunday, March 31 and is ROH's last show before Madison Square Garden.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
The Rock tweeted the following commemorating the 20th anniversary of Steve Austin driving a beer truck into Raw and sharing some suds with The Corporation:

My tough SOB brother @steveaustinBSR was operating here with a legit broken neck so we had to be creative with keeping our physicality to a minimum until our big WrestlemMania match.
The result was one of the most entertaining segments to ever take place on LIVE TV. ???????? https://t.co/oiSdm0MIOI
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 22, 2019
Link: https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1109129808137588737

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Sting still wants the dream match against The Undertaker.

In September 2015, Sting competed in his last match when he wrestled Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Night of Champions. During the bout, Sting took a Buckle Bomb that caused a neck injury. As a result of the injury, Sting announced his retirement during his 2016 WWE Hall of Fame induction speech.

But there's one match would bring him to don the face paint once more.

“I mean, everyone knows who it would be. Taker, he’s the only guy I’d come out of retirement for now," Sting told Wrestling Travel. "No one else. We could just never get it together to make it happen. When I started talking to WWE he was booked with Brock and then I did the deal with Triple H and he had another feud going on at the time, so it was just one of those things we couldn’t make happen. But I don’t regret it not happening either, I mean I got to face Triple H at my first WrestleMania and then wrestle Seth for the world title, so I didn’t do too badly out of that deal. But yeah, now, the only person I’m getting back in the ring for is Taker.”
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Rhea Ripley posted a photo of herself in a walking boot, but according to Squared Circle Sirens, the injury is not anything serious and is believed to be a minor sprain. She isn’t expected to miss much time, if any.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
Former TNA X-Division Champion Robbie E, going by his real name Robert Strauss, made his NXT debut last night at a house show in Sanford, Florida.

Strauss played the role of a manager for the tag team of Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar. Strauss managed Gurjar in a singles match against Jonah Rock, helping Gurjar win when Strauss got on the apron to distract Rock.

Strauss’ NXT signing was announced earlier this month.
Link: https://twitter.com/RobertStrauss/st...01359494025216

Quote:
Originally Posted by TPWW Frontpage via Triple A
WWE will be bringing in Hulk Hogan to be part of WrestleMania weekend in some capacity, according to PWInsider.

There have been rumors that Hogan’s longtime friend Brutus the Barber Beefcake could be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, so if that does happen, the most likely guess for what Hogan will be doing would be inducting Brutus.

It’s also possible, of course, that he could make a cameo at the WrestleMania PPV itself. Or WWE could be bringing him in to do “community outreach” appearances, PWInsider says.

WWE is also finalizing plans to bring in more names from the past to be part of WrestleMania weekend, with Stone Cold Steve Austin being rumored, PWInsider added.

Emperor Smeat 03-23-2019 09:37 PM
Seems another talent from NXT has asked for a release according to Fightful and Squared Circle Sirens.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fightful
Another up-and-coming NXT talent has requested his release from WWE.

With the news coming to light that NXT talent Stacey Ervin Jr. has requested his release from WWE, Casey of Squared Circle Sirens sent out a tweet which read that Performance Center recruit Ricardo Miller has also requested his release from the sports-entertainment company.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp has independently confirmed that Miller requested his release. Miller was a part of the Performance Center class that included Elliot Sexton, Jonah Rock, Trevor Lee, Karen Q, ACH, Samuel Shaw and more notable names.
In regards to Ervin, him and Eric Bugenhagen recently were getting very high praise from WWE officials. Also seems this likely was the spot that led to him becoming very concerned over his health.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/zWuuCFR36B">pic.twitter.com/zWuuCFR36B</a> this is the spot</p>&mdash; Kev ⭐️ (@CtkCtk73580214) <a href="https://twitter.com/CtkCtk73580214/status/1109229942661922816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jordan 03-24-2019 08:53 AM
It's a shame because he is a special talent but obviously not meant to be in the ring.

Jordan 03-24-2019 08:53 AM
Plus he wasn't a fan so he has no passion.

Mr. Nerfect 03-24-2019 12:07 PM
Dutch Mantell, Brian Pillman and Brock Lesnar are also three guys that weren’t fans but became great.

Jordan 03-24-2019 01:16 PM
Yeah but he's like 20, different generation of man.

Ol Dirty Dastard 03-24-2019 02:31 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jordan X (Post 5235481)
Yeah but he's like 20, different generation of man.
honestly, by the time Pillman was 20, just for context and to agree with what you're saying, he'd already lived the life of a grizzled Clint Eastwood-esque man.

XL 03-24-2019 02:50 PM
Tbf, Pillman/Brock were both football players, right? Used to taking heavy hits, and probably had a concussion or two under their belt. Ervin was a gymnast.

Bad News Gertner 03-24-2019 05:14 PM
Ever see those fuckers not stick a landing and crash

Fignuts 03-24-2019 05:23 PM
Seriously. Gymnastics is no walk in the park.

Mr. Nerfect 03-24-2019 06:18 PM
Dude may not have had business being in the ring, but I don’t think being a fan nor him being a gymnast dictates that.

GD 03-24-2019 07:13 PM
Kurt Angle is wrestling Styles on Smackdown

https://www.wwe.com/f/styles/talent_...aa7c5c3d55.jpg

Mr. Nerfect 03-25-2019 02:38 AM
We’re going to see just how magic Styles is.


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