WWE Announces Headquarters Move to New Stamford Location, Will Sell Titan Towers

WWE has announced that they will move its global headquarters to a new location in Stamford, Connecticut. Stamford is the site of the company’s current location, Titan Towers, which has served as the company’s headquarters for the past thirty-four years. Titan Towers was famously the location for WWE’s “Attitude Era” Super Bowl XXXIII ad in 1999.

The announcement noted that the new site will be an office complex located at 677 Washington Boulevard in Stamford, Connecticut, which will bring all operations including production studios and corporate offices together. The plan is to lease the space for a term of sixteen and a half years starting on July 1st, with the company expecting to move in in early 2021. The announcement notes that they will sell the Titan Towers location, “exit its leased spaces at 1266 East Main Street, and will evaluate options for its production studio facilities at 88 and 120 Hamilton Avenue based on strategic, operating and financial considerations.”

“One of the most important elements necessary to execute WWE’s long-term growth strategy is world-class talent collaborating seamlessly to create compelling content. Our workplace initiative will be the foundation to meet these objectives and underpins our ability to deliver long-term value,” said WWE co-president George Barrios.



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Sadie Gibbs Reportedly Signs With AEW

 Per F4WOnline.com, 26-year-old UK talent Sadie Gibbs has signed to join the women’s division for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Sadie Gibbs has recently been getting a lot of high praise for her work on the U.K. indie scene and Stardom last January.

AEW has not yet officially confirmed her signing. Gibbs’ background includes gymnastics, track and field, and CrossFit. You can also check out a sizzle reel that she released last month below. Her time in a recent Stardom tour was cut short due to the passing of her grandfather.

AEW is set to make its debut on May 25 with Double or Nothing. The card will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Fatal 4-Way next week on Smackdown, Winner to challenge Asuka at WrestleMania 35

WWE posted a short video shortly after Smackdown Live went off the air with Kayla Braxton attempting to interview Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville backstage, as both women have recently been having issues between the two of them.

Braxton went on to announce in the video that next Tuesday’s episode of Smackdown Live will feature both Rose and Deville, along with Naomi and Carmella in a Fatal 4-Way match to determine who will challenge Asuka at WrestleMania 35 on April 7 in New Jersey for the Smackdown Live Women’s Championship

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Impact Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling announce new developmental agreement

Impact issued the following press release announcing a new developmental agreement with Ohio Valley Wrestling going forward.

IMPACT Wrestling Re-establishes Developmental Agreement with Ohio Valley Wrestling

TORONTO | LOUISVILLE – IMPACT Wrestling announced today that it has re-entered into an agreement with Louisville-based Ohio Valley Wrestling to serve as an official development and training territory for IMPACT Wrestling.

The announcement of the renewed partnership follows the success of the co-promoted One Night Only: Clash in the Bluegrass event, a sold-out show from Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky, which featured stars from both organizations.

“We are excited to grow our outreach and partnership with promotions worldwide,” said IMPACT Wrestling Executive VP Scott D’Amore. “It is great to work with Al Snow and the team at OVW, which has a long history of developing great talent.”

“OVW is proud to be entrusted with the development of the true lifeblood of any professional wrestling promotion – the in-ring talent,” said OVW CEO and owner Al Snow.

As part of the agreement, IMPACT Wrestling management will look to OVW when scouting new talent and those on the development roster will see future opportunities to appear on the flagship weekly show IMPACT!, which is televised in more than 120 countries around the world.

Al Snow acquired OVW in June 2018 and formed Gladiator Sports Network, which also produces professional boxing events and a high school sports prep series while keeping wrestling as its signature brand. OVW served as the official development training ground for World Wrestling Entertainment from 2000 to 2008 and as IMPACT Wrestling’s training territory from 2012 to 2014. With more than 1,000 television episodes, OVW is the longest running professional wrestling series broadcast on local television in the U.S. The series is the signature of the company’s elite training program, which boasts more than 150 alumni who went on to international fame, including John Cena, Brock Lesnar and reigning IMPACT World Champion Johnny Impact.

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Updated WWE WrestleMania 35 Card

Here is the updated card for WrestleMania 35 on April 7 in three weeks:

WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins

RAW Women’s Championship – Triple Threat Match
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch

No Holds Barred Match
Triple H vs. Batista

WWE United States Championship
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

Retirement Match
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Confirmed so far: Braun Strowman

Plus, Alexa Bliss will act as the official host of WrestleMania

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Flip Gordon Cleared for In-Ring Return

 As previously reported, ROH talent Flip Gordon suffered an injury at ROH Honor Reigns Supreme and had a full MCL tear in his right knee. Flip Gordon has announced on his Twitter today that he’s been cleared to return to the ring.

Flip Gordon wrote, “UPDATE: I just saw the doctor, I passed all the tests, and I am officially CLEARED to WRESTLE!!!”

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WWE Smackdown Preview

WWE Smackdown is live tonight from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Scheduled to kick off the show tonight is a Gauntlet Match featuring Kofi Kingston taking on  Randy Orton, United States Champion Samoa Joe, Cesaro, Sheamus and Rowan. As reported earlier, Vince McMahon announced on Smackdown last week that if Kingston wins the gauntlet match, he will earn an opportunity at the WWE Title at WrestleMania.

Also advertised for the show is an appearance by WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Bayley and The Miz will respond to Shane McMahon.

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AJ Styles confirms he has agreed to terms on a new deal with WWE on Monday

AJ Styles will be remaining with WWE.

Styles confirmed on Twitter this afternoon that he agreed to terms on a new deal with the company, just hours after reports by PWInsider and F4WOnline indicated that Styles and WWE were close on coming to terms on a new contract.

The terms of the new contract were not immediately available. His current deal was set to expire in April, shortly after WrestleMania 35 in three weeks.

Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble and is a two-time WWE Champion. Styles will face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 35 on April 7.

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EC3 Reportedly In ‘Dog House’ In WWE

 Wrestlingnews.co reports that EC3 is allegedly in the WWE “doghouse” with management for unknown reasons, which is why he hasn’t been featured much on WWE TV after his main roster in-ring debut on RAW back in February.

He competed on RAW with a win over Dean Ambrose but after that began to lose his matches at live events. This includes to Shelton Benjamin at a February 16 event in Alexandra and most recently a TV loss to Tyler Breeze on WWE Main Event this past week. He did, however, defeat Apollo Crews and Tye Dillinger at other events. However, the belief is that his recent losses are because “for some reason” Vince McMahon is not too high on EC3 at this point in time.

EC3’s matches this weekend were triple threat matches for the Intercontinental title against Bobby Lashley and Apollo Crews. Lashley won the matches by pinning EC3.

Opinionated View- More proof Vince has lost any eye for talent 

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ROH Confirms Ladder Match For ROH Title At G1 Supercard

Ring of Honor has confirmed that there will be a triple threat ladder match for the ROH World title at the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard in New York. Jay Lethal will defend against Marty Scurll and Matt Taven at Madison Square Garden. The match was announced during this past weekend‘s taping. Here’s the current card:

* Jay White vs. Winner of 2019 New Japan Cup for the IWGP Heavyweight Title
* Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll vs. Matt Taven in a Ladder Match for the ROH Title
* PCO & Brody King vs. Guerrillas of Destiny for the ROH and IWGP Tag Team Titles
* Taiji Ishimori vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title
* Bully Ray vs. TBA
* Honor Rumble

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Latest On Charlotte Flair’s Ex-Husband’s Lawsuit Against Flair and WWE

PWInsider reports that Riki Paul Johnson, Charlotte Flair’s ex-husband, has been given until March 22nd to amend his lawsuit against Ric Flair, Brian Shields (the author of Second Nature, a book about Ric and Charlotte Flair’s careers), WWE, and Charlotte Flair. If he does amend his lawsuit, the clock on the defendants having to respond would reset after they were originally given until March 28th to respond.

Johnson claims that the book includes false statements about him losing two jobs due to drug use, that he could not have children because he was sterile, and allegations of physical and psychological abuse. Johnson claims he can prove the abuse claims are false with police reports and dash cam footage. Johnson adds that the false claims in the book have humiliated his family, including his children, and that he was intentionally made out to be the villain in the book so that Charlotte would look better by comparison. He’s seeking $5 million in damages.

WWE told TMZ back in October of 2018 that the lawsuit was “meritless” and that they will “vigorously defend ourselves.”

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WWE Raw Preview

WWE RAW is live tonight from Chicago, Illinois.

Scheduled for tonight’s show is an appearance by Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, just three weeks before he defends his title against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 35.

Also advertised for the show is Kurt Angle revealing his WrestleMania opponent for his retirement match, Ronda Rousey defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Dana Brooke, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor and a mystery partner vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush and WWE is teasing the possibility of Beth Phoenix making a return to the ring.

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Gauntlet Match to kick off Smackdown Live

WWE has announced that the Kofi Kingston gauntlet match will be kicking off Smackdown Live this Tuesday night from Indianapolis.

As reported earlier, Vince McMahon announced on Smackdown last week that if Kingston wins the gauntlet match, he will earn an opportunity at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. Kingston will be going up against Randy Orton, United States Champion Samoa Joe, Cesaro, Sheamus and Rowan.

Also announced for Smackdown is The Miz responding to Shane McMahon.

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Chelsea Green suffers injury at NXT TV tapings at Full Sail on Wednesday night

Chelsea Green wrestled at Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University and ended up suffering an injury during a dark match.

Green ended up breaking her wrist in a dark match against Jessie Elaban. Despite the injury, Green ended up finishing the match.

Green, a former Impact Wrestling star who signed with WWE last October, has been wrestling at NXT live events. Wednesday was her first match at an NXT TV taping.

Green shared the following message on Twitter about the injury.

Twitter Post

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SPOILERS: 3/13 NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University to air on WWE Network

The following was taped on Wednesday at Full Sail University.

3/13 NXT TV tapings:

– Dark Match: Chelsea Green defeated Jessie Elaban. Green ended up breaking her wrist during the match, but was able to finish.

– Triple H opened the taping addressing NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa undergoing neck surgery. He was originally going to announce that Ciampa would defend the NXT Championship at TakeOver: New York against Johnny Gargano. Instead, Ciampa has been stripped of the title and a new champion will be crowned at TakeOver. A fatal five way match is booked tonight to determine the No. 1 contender that will face Gargano in four weeks in a best two out of three falls match.

– Adam Cole defeated Ricochet, Aleister Black, Matt Riddle and NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream to become the new No. 1 contender for the NXT Championship. Cole vs. Gargano will now take place at NXT TakeOver: New York in a best two out of three falls match to determine a new NXT Champion. After the match, The Forgotten Sons attacked Ricochet and Black.

– Punishment Martinez defeated Riddick Moss.

– Humberto Carrillo defeated Albert Hardie Jr. (aka ACH in his debut).

– NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders defeated a local tag team.

– NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders defeated Adrian Jaoude and Cezar Bononi.

– Jaxson Ryker defeated Oney Lorcan.

– Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair went to a no contest. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke attacked. More NXT wrestlers ran down to clean house, including Io Shirai.

– Raul Mendoza defeated Brennan Williams.

– Segment takes place between Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano to hype the title match at NXT TakeOver: New York.

– Aliyah and Vanessa Borne vs. Lacey Lane and Kacy Catanzaro ended in a no contest. Baszler, Shafir and Duke all ran down again to interfere. Baszler choked out Catanzaro.

– Matt Riddle defeated Kona Reeves. NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream showed up to watch the match from the stage. Riddle said he would see Dream at TakeOver: New York.

– Ricochet and Aleister Black defeated The Forgotten Sons to win the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. After the match, a big celebration took place with confetti. NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders walked out to have a stare down with Ricochet and Black. This confirms a title match for TakeOver: New York in four weeks. When the War Raiders left, Ricochet and Black announced it would be their final appearance for NXT at Full Sail.

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Jeff Jarrett Will Reportedly Be ‘Very Influential’ On WWE Creative Team

It was reported last week that Jeff Jarrett has joined the creative team in WWE, which will be a full-time executive level role in the company. In the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said that the belief in WWE is that Jeff Jarrett will be “very influential” or become a “key guy” in creative. It’s believed he’ll be one of the most influential behind the scenes, aside from Triple H and key writers like Ed Koskey, Dave Kapoor, Brian James and Michael Hayes, as well as perhaps Paul Heyman.

Jarrett is said to be “well known for being very charming” in that if one works with him, he has the ability to make that person feel like a friend. In addition to that, many of the wrestlers grew up watching him and knew that he ran his own company, which gives him authority that a non-wrestler wouldn’t have, especially with wrestlers who grew up as fans.

The Observer noted that Jarrett’s departure from Impact was said to be due to drinking, but now that he is sober and completed a stay in rehab, he has not had any issues.

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Update on WrestleMania 35 Plans for John Cena

As we move closer to WrestleMania, the rest of the card appears to be taking shape. However, with the event just a few weeks away, it’s still not clear what will be happening with John Cena at WrestleMania 35, if anything at all. According to a story by John Pollock on Post Wrestling, WWE does have a plan in place for Cena at WrestleMania. However, his opponent is currently unknown. One issue is apparently Cena’s availability for TV before the event, since he’s currently in the midst of a film shoot.

Cena has recently been mentioned on TV by both R-Truth and Samoa Joe. However, it’s been reported by the Observer that Cena facing either of those two would not happen.

At WrestleMania 34, The Undertaker defeated Cena in two minutes and 45 seconds. WrestleMania 35 is set for April 7 at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The event will be broadcast live on the WWE Network.

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Jake and Dave Crist Re-Up With Impact Wrestling, Jake Crist Speaks on Their Loyalty to Impact

– WrestlingInc.com reports that Jake and Dave Crist have re-signed with Impact Wrestling. They have reportedly signed new multi-year contracts with the promotion. WrestlingInc.com also interviewed Jake Crist, who commented on the news. Below are some highlights.

Jake Crist on Impact being home for them: “IMPACT has always been home to us. They always gave us a platform and were the first ones to give us a chance so why not stay loyal? I know this business isn’t a loyal business, but we’re loyal people.”

Jake Crist on wanting to stay loyal to Impact: “We were always deadset on staying loyal to IMPACT. They took a chance on my brother and I, so why not keep rocking and rolling? We love the direction and we are literally taking over everything. Sami Callihan, us…you’ll see what’s coming down the pipe. Ultimate X… it’s an amazing time for me as a performer with IMPACT Wrestling.”

Jake Crist on his Ultimate X debut at Homecoming: “It was nerve-racking. I can speak for every single one of us. They tell you otherwise – I can look them straight in the face and tell them they’re a liar. I was nervous but it was a dream come true because that’s where everything started for Impact Wrestling. I had a broken thumb going into it so I was just trying to concentrate on my grip the whole time.”

Crist on the Ultimate X match at United We Stand: “With the second one, the nerves will not be there and I’ll know what to expect. When you’re standing on that turnbuckle and you jump and reach for those ropes, it’s very nerve-racking the first time. Very few times do you do it the first time so coming into the second match I’ll know what to expect.”


Crist on wanting to beat Rich Swann for the X-Division title: “Absolutely. But the thing is, we want Rich Swann to come ‘home’ to Ohio, so the focus for me hasn’t been on the Ultimate X Championship. On April 4 my focus is Ultimate X. Rich Swann is one of our brothers. We’ve got a long, long history with Rich Swann. Rich Swann just needs to come home.”

Crist on wanting to recapture the tag team titles: n”Absolutely. We’re gonna bring the tag team championships back to oVe and if Rich Swann doesn’t join oVe and the X-Division Championship isn’t a part of us, I’ll go out and get that as well. My brother and I will always be a team. It’s us versus them. We’ve always had that mentality. That’s why it’s ‘For Ohio, By Ohio.'”

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Impact Wrestling announces television tapings for May at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia

Impact Wrestling announced on their website Tuesday the company will hold television tapings at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on May 3 and 4.

You can read the official announcement from Impact Wrestling below:

IMPACT Wrestling Heading to Philadelphia: May 3 and May 4

This coming May, after United We Stand and after Rebellion, IMPACT Wrestling will be traveling to the World Famous 2300 Arena for 2 nights of IMPACT LIVE! This is your first chance to see your favorite Stars and Knockouts of IMPACT Wrestling in the same arena that made ECW a household name over 20 years ago. Tickets will be available Thursday, March 21st at 10AM ET at 2300Arena.Com.

What will happen when IMPACT Wrestling comes to Philadelphia in May? Don’t miss your chance to find out. The 2300 Arena is filled with rich history and promises to make more memories when IMPACT comes to town for the first time ever!

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Updated WrestleMania 35 Card

Here is the updated card for WrestleMania as of this week:

WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins

RAW Women’s Championship – Triple Threat Match
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch

No Holds Barred Match
Triple H vs. Batista

Retirement Match
Kurt Angle vs. To Be Determined

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Tenille Dashwood’s ROH Contract Set to Expire This Month

Tenille Dashwood’s days in Ring of Honor could conceivably come to an end soon. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Dashwood’s contract is set to expire at the end of the month and that while there are currently discussions to potentiall sign a new deal, nothing’s completed yet.

Dashwood, formerly known as Emma in WWE, signed with ROH in February of 2018. She has been out of action after having to undergo shoulder surgery late last year, but has been training in the ring to get ready for her return. According to PWS, if she does re-sign she could return at ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard over WrestleMania weekend in Madison Square Garden.

Opinionated View- Poor Dashwood for years badly misused in WWE than she going to ROH where they blow her momentum so they can give Sumi a "You deserve it" run. Than she gets hurt and when she comes back she's not even used for WOH and used to carry Lifeblood

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Eminem Signs Deal With WWE For Appearance, Contribution to WWE 2K20 Soundtrack

Eminem has reportedly signed a deal to appear on WWE later this year and contribute to the WWE 2K20 soundtrack. Fightful Select reports that the rap icon reached a deal with WWE that will help promote WWE’s launch of Smackdown on Fox in the fall. It will see him contribute to the video game soundtrack and also includes WWE planning a championship belt that will be produced for Eminem.

The deal was reached on Tuesday and will be the self-proclaimed Rap God’s first appearance for WWE. Eminem’s most recent album, Kamikaze, released in August of last year and was certified platinum in December.

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WWE Smackdown Preview

WWE Smackdown is live tonight from Dayton, Ohio.

Scheduled for tonight’s show is Shane McMahon explaining his attack on The Miz at Fastlane this past Sunday, something he opted to not do at the PPV.

Also advertised for the show is Samoa Joe defending the United States Championship against R-Truth, along with an eight man tag team match featuring The Hardy Boyz, Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. The Bar, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura.

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Harlem Heat announced as fourth inductees into Class of 2019 WWE Hall of Fame

WWE has confirmed the fourth inductees for this year’s Hall of Fame.

Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) were officially confirmed as the latest inductees for the upcoming Class of 2019 ceremony taking place during WrestleMania 35 weekend.

Harlem Heat, as described by WWE, were one of the most dominant wrestling tag teams of the 1990s, holding the WCW Tag Team Championships a record 10 times.

Excerpt from WWE’s write up about Harlem Heat’s career below:

Bursting on the scene straight off 110th Street in Harlem, N.Y., Booker T & Stevie Ray arrived in WCW in summer 1993, bringing a streetwise, in-your-face attitude to the squared circle. They stared directly into the camera on their way to the ring, warning fans at home that they were about to bust some heads when they stepped between the ropes. And bust heads they did. Harlem Heat wasted no time in mixing it up with the top stars of WCW at the time, like Sting, Ric Flair and British Bulldog. They even joined forces with Sid and Vader to enter the unforgiving battleground known as WarGames.

It was when the brothers took on the managerial services of 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Sensational Sherri that their stars began to shine. With “Sister” Sherri in their corner, it wasn’t long before Harlem Heat captured their first WCW Tag Team Championship, defeating Stars & Stripes on WCW Saturday Night. Booker T & Stevie Ray brawled with the likes of The Steiner Brothers, Sting & Lex Luger and The Nasty Boys on their way to seven reigns as WCW Tag Team Champions.

By 1997, the two brothers went their separate ways, Stevie going on to become a trusted member of the infamous nWo, while Booker became a breakout singles star, capturing the WCW Television Title on several occasions.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday (April 6) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with NXT TakeOver: New York taking place the day before.

D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” Jesse James, X-Pac and Chyna), The Honky Tonk Man and Torrie Wilson were all announced as inductees prior.

Opinionated View- Stevie Ray is not a hall of fame level guy. But hey after last week with Torrie the hall of fame is pretty much worthless

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WWE Raw Preview

 WWE has announced an Intercontinental Championship match to take place on this week’s episode of Raw. Finn Balor will defend the title against Bobby Lashley on Monday night, with the show airing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Also set for the show is Triple H confronting Batista over the latter’s attack on Ric Flair a couple of weeks ago, which is leading into their assumed WrestleMania match.

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Kurt Angle Will Reportedly Retire Immediately And Not Get Wrestlemania Match

We reported last month that there were talks of Kurt Angle getting a retirement match at Wrestlemania 35, which would mark the end of his in-ring career. However, as the event draws closer that no longer seems to be the case. The Twitter account for Rajah noted that a source stated that Angle will not get a match on the Wrestlemania card and is set to retire immediately. They wrote:

Hearing that a Kurt Angle "retirement" is not only a foregone conclusion at this point, but probably imminent.    Sadly, it doesn't sound like he'll get a dream retirement match or anything.   Working on getting more info.

Angle made his return to WWE back in 2017 and has wrestled sporadically since then. His in-ring return was with The Shield against The Miz, Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Sheamus and Kane at TLC 2017. He mostly recently wrestled on this past Monday’s RAW, a losing effort with Finn Balor and Braun Strowman against Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley.

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David Finlay Jr.’s Injury Revealed To Be A Torn Labrum

It was reported last month that David Finlay Jr. was pulled from the New Japan Cup due to a left shoulder injury. He should scheduled to face Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the first round, but was replaced by Ryusuke Taguchi. In a post on Twitter, Finlay revealed that the injury was a torn labrum. He wrote:

The shoulder man said my labrum is torn. He’s gotta get deep up in there and tie everything back together or whatever shoulder people do.

Meanwhile, in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Finlay will be out for around six months to recover from the injury, as he needs surgery.

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Report: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows turn down “multi-million dollar deals” from WWE

Mike Johnson at PWInsider is reporting that the one of main topics of conversation at this past week’s Smackdown Live tapings was the future of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

According to the report Anderson and Gallows had multiple meetings with WWE about their future over the last several days and turned down “multi-million dollar deals” from the company.  It is being said they are looking to exit WWE after their current contracts expire in late September of 2019.

Gallows and Anderson made headlines in 2016 when they left New Japan Pro Wrestling for WWE.  The report from Johnson also states that the duo has not been pleased over the recent years in how they have booked after their initial arrival to WWE, which includes inconsistent television appearances and storylines.

Before their WWE run the pair spent a long time working for New Japan Pro Wrestling as a main part of the Bullet Club faction. It even appeared at one point as if WWE was going to recreate their own version of faction with both men and fellow Bullet Club member AJ Styles who also signed with WWE just prior to both Anderson and Gallows.

Also according to Johnson’s report one source pointed out that while Anderson and Gallows have been brought to WWE television, they aren’t currently being booked on live events, claiming their removal from events following initial meetings that didn’t lead to the pair agreeing to new contracts. 

Should Gallows and Anderson actually exit WWE, Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling more than likely would be interested in signing the pair. However, due to their long history with members of the Elite (Young Bucks) from their time in NJPW and ROH, this would make them highly sought after by All Elite Wrestling. It should be notes that when the pair originally negotiated with Impact in 2016 and turned down an offer to sign with WWE, the company was under different management then.

Also, the fairly new WWE Network series “Botch Club” starring the pair was dropped right after its first debut episode, which could be another reason the duo is looking to exit WWE.

Opinionated View- First any "Multi-Million" deal would likely have tons of catches. That is not going to be you downside guarantee. So they could take deal and just get booked the same way and thus never get close to the money. And they are never used. Hell even when they had a short run with the Raw tag belts they were still treated like jobbers.

So the real question is do they some bring up one of the NXT tag belts or do the create a new one to put on The Good Brothers? Because that's the move now team wants to leave put tag belts on them.

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Update on Lars Sullivan Following Personal Issues & Absence From WWE

Lars Sullivan is reportedly doing much better following personal issues that forced back his WWE debut from earlier this year. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Sullivan is “in a good place” after he sought profesional help for his anxiety issues that overwhelmed him in January. Sullivan was set to debut in early January on Raw, but the incident (an anxiety attack) caused plans — including a feud with John Cena into WrestleMania 35 — to be cancxelled.

Sullivan has been working with mental health professionals and according to the site, WWE has been very willing to accommodate him while he gets to a better place. Sullivan is said to be feeling much better, though there is not yet any word in when or if he’ll return to WWE TV.

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Knockouts Title Match Set For Impact Wrestling United We Stand

 Impact Wrestling has announced the Knockouts Title Match for Impact Wrestling’s United We Stand. The show takes place on April 4th in Rahway, NJ.

– Impact Wrestling has announced the Knockouts Title Match for Impact Wrestling’s United We Stand. The show takes place on April 4th in Rahway, New Jersey and will see Taya Valkyrie defend the championship against Rosemary, Jordynne Grace, and Katie Forbes in a Fatal Four-Way. This will be Forbes’ first match for Impact Wrestling.

The full card for the event is as follows:

* Extreme Death Match: Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. Rob Van Dam and Sabu
* Ultimate X Match: Jake Crist vs. Dante Fox vs. Pat Buck vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Jack Evans vs. TBA
* Monster’s Ball: Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc
* X-Division Championship Match: Rich Swann vs. Yamato
* Knockouts Championship Match: Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Katie Forbes
* Brian Cage, Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Johnny Impact vs. Drago, Daga, Aero Star, and King Cuerno
* Eli Drake vs. Tessa Blanchard

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Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer passes away, WWE issues statement on Thursday

Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, who is considered one of the most known non-Mexican masked wrestling stars in the industry per F4WOnline, has passed away.

Beyer was 88 and had been in hospice care in recent weeks.

Dave Meltzer has a lengthy write up on Beyer’s wrestling career, including one of his most famous matches in 1963 in Japan when he defeated Rikidozan. It was noted that Beyer was “haunted for years” regarding the death of Rikidozan, who was stabbed at a night club and later died as a result. Beyer had opted to skip out on going out with Rikidozan that evening and instead decided to return home to be with his family.

WWE issued the following statement on Thursday about his passing:

WWE is saddened to learn that Dick Beyer, a masked wrestling pioneer who was better known to ring fans as The Destroyer, has passed away at age 88.

Beginning his career in the 1950s, Beyer thrilled fans and terrified opponents for more than three decades. He came to prominence in the Los Angeles territory, where he rivaled the likes of Freddie Blassie and Gorgeous George. Beyer famously defeated the latter in a Hair vs. Mask Match at the hallowed Olympic Auditorium in 1962, resulting in Gorgeous George losing his trademark golden locks.

Beyer achieved perhaps his greatest notoriety, however, in Japan, becoming one of the first foreign attractions in the country. His 1963 match against Rikidōzan, a former sumo wrestler and cultural icon in Japan, drew the eyes of more than 70 million TV viewers, making it one of the most-watched bouts in history. Beyer eventually became a beloved figure in Japanese pop culture himself and was even a regular performer on a top-ranked variety show.

Beyer also made waves in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association under the alias “Doctor X,” capturing the territory’s heavyweight title from Verne Gagne in 1968. As Doctor X, he wore a different but no less menacing mask, and his veiled countenance became immortalized when Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry was once photographed onstage wearing a shirt with his likeness on it.

A regional sports hero in upstate New York, Beyer wrestled and played football at Syracuse University before turning to the ring. His impact on sports-entertainment was felt long after his retirement, too, as Beyer is credited with training former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotundo.

WWE extends its condolences to Beyer’s family, friends and fans.

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Jushin Thunder Liger announces he will retire from pro wrestling next January

Legendary Japanese wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger announced at a press conference on Thursday morning in Japan that he plans to retire at the beginning of 2020.

Liger, real name Keiichi Yamada, said he hopes to wrestle around the world and have a final retirement match at the Tokyo Dome next January according to F4WOnline.

Liger, 54, has been booked for WrestleCon during WrestleMania 35 weekend this April in New York. He hopes to wrestle on the card for the joint Ring of Honor/New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Supercard event at the sold out Madison Square Garden as well.

He is an 11-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and has wrestled for Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling and made a one-time appearance for WWE wrestling at NXT TakeOver in 2015 against Tyler Breeze.

Liger has remained active in the ring, wrestling recently at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s 47th anniversary show when he challened Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior title.

Opinionated View- Will go more in depth in a video but he is greatest Jr Heayvweight/Crusierweight/X-Divison/Light Heavyweight ever. One thing this article doesn't say or talk about is how he change his style after a brain tumor in 96 but that allowed him to keep his career going and stay on top. He was with New Japan through so many ups and down. And even at 54 can still turn that clock back just enough to invoke the glory days. 

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Tampa Bay to host WrestleMania 36 at Raymond James Stadium in April 2020

WWE issued the following press release on Thursday morning, confirming earlier reports that Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay will host WrestleMania 36 in 2020.

TAMPA BAY TO HOST WRESTLEMANIA®

TAMPA BAY, FL – March 7, 2019 – Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the Tampa Sports Authority and WWE® (NYSE: WWE) are proud to announce that Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, on Sunday, April 5, 2020.

“Tampa Bay is proud to host WrestleMania,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “Our region enjoys a special place in sports entertainment history and has produced many of its iconic figures. We look forward to WWE fans from around the world converging on our city in 2020 to enjoy all that we have to offer.”

“On behalf of everyone at WWE, we thank Mayor Buckhorn and Commissioner Hagan for bringing WrestleMania to Tampa Bay for the first time,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “I am confident that Tampa Bay will be an outstanding host for our fans around the world.”

“We are honored to bring WrestleMania back to Florida,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. “The week of WWE events will not only bring excitement to fans, but also generate a significant economic boom for Tampa Bay’s economy.”

WrestleMania is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania 36, other activities planned include WrestleMania Axxess, WWE’s interactive fan festival, as well as four nights of events; SmackDown® Live; 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; NXT® TakeOver™ and Monday Night Raw®. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.

Over the past 12 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.2 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. This year, WrestleMania 35 takes place Sunday, April 7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and streams live around the world on WWE Network.

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Jim Ross to part ways with WWE, Current deal set to expire at the end of March

Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be parting ways with WWE at the end of March, according to Ross himself on a recent edition of “The Jim Ross Report” podcast.

POST Wrestling provided a recap of Ross’ comments, revealing a recent conversation with Vince McMahon where they “mutually agreed” to part ways.

Ross had come to terms on a new two-year deal with WWE back in 2007, which was just weeks after the sudden passing of his wife Jan. He noted he wants to “stay busy” and on the road, adding he doesn’t think he will be out of work long.

Excerpt courtesy of POST Wrestling:

“I’m 67, I still feel I can get the job done doing wrestling play-by-play and I want to explore that opportunity and possibility. I’ll be moving on in a positive way, nothing but good things to say about everyone involved. You know, I have my critics in WWE as we all do, as people do when you’re there for very long. It’s a very unique community and I have no regrets. The smartest thing I ever did was come to work for Vince McMahon in 1993.”

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Tommaso Ciampa Reportedly Needs Neck Surgery

Last week, we reported that Tommaso Ciampa was reportedly suffering from a neck injury which caused changes to RAW. Ciampa was one of four NXT call-ups to the main roster, along with Johnny Gargano, Ricochet and Aleister Black, but hasn’t been featured since his first week due to the injury.

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that the NXT champion is getting neck surgery “in the next couple of days.” WWE confirmed the news and Ciampa will not be wrestling “for a long, long time.” The exact time the champion will be out is unknown, but could be anywhere from 6-14 months (judging from previous neck surgeries).

He noted that since Ciampa is the current NXT champion, he will have to vacate the title and the rumored match with Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: New York is no longer going to take place. He said “it was known” that Ciampa was going to be out after Wrestlemania and he’d work through the injury, but the situation likely changed to where “they had to do the surgery now.” As a result, he’s been “pulled from everything.”

WInsider is also reporting that the rumors of Tommaso Ciampa needing neck surgery are true. However, the timetable on when he will be getting the surgery is not yet confirmed.

Per the report, the decision for Ciampa to get neck surgery was made late last week. It’s unknown how WWE plans to handle the issue with Ciampa currently holding the NXT title or competing in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

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AEW’s Fight for the Fallen Show May Not Be PPV

In the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that he doesn’t think AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event, which was announced yesterday, will be a PPV. He noted that AEW wanted to do a show in Jacksonville since Jacksonville is the closest thing to a hometown that AEW has (AEW owner Shahid Khan owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and AEW has been using some resources from the Jaguars including their offices), but that this will be a benefit show for the local market. He added that the “real big stuff” will “probably be booked for Chicago,” likely a reference to the third AEW show which many speculate will be All In 2.

The first All In took place in September, so based on AEW’s current schedule of a show every two months, it would make sense that they’d do their third show in September. Fight for the Fallen is set to take place on July 13th, 2019 while Double or Nothing is set for May 25th. No other AEW shows have been officially announced.

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WWE Smackdown Preview

WWE Smackdown is live tonight from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Scheduled for tonight’s show is R-Truth issuing another open challenge with the WWE United States Championship on the line, along with The Miz vs. Jey Uso.

WWE is also teasing the latest involving Kevin Owens’ return last week to television and The Hardy Boyz declaring renewed interest in the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

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Ronda Rousey Last Day in WWE Rumored for Raw After WrestleMania 35

During a recent edition of The Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer had a tidbit on the last day for Ronda Rousey with WWE before she’s rumored to take a hiatus from the ring. According to Meltzer, the day after WrestleMania 35 will be Rousey’s last day with the promotion.

The Raw following WrestleMania is set for April 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. WrestleMania 35 is set for April 7 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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WWE issues new statement about the passing of King Kong Bundy on Monday

As reported during the early morning hours of Tuesday, King Kong Bundy (Chris Bundy) passed away on Monday. Bundy was 61 years old.

WWE issued the following statement on Bundy, who was best known for taking part in the main event of WrestleMania 2 against Hulk Hogan.

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Legend King Kong Bundy has passed away at age 61.

Bundy was appropriately called the “walking condominium,” standing at an impressive 6-foot-4 and weighing 458 pounds. The sight of Bundy stepping between the ropes was intimidating enough, but his crushing offense proved that he was every bit as destructive as advertised. In fact, Bundy was so powerful that he demanded referees count to five when he pinned his opponents to show that there was no way they were getting up.

The Atlantic City, N.J., native broke into WWE in the 1980s, dominating at the first WrestleMania and memorably challenging Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship inside a Steel Cage at WrestleMania 2.

Although Bundy left WWE in the late ’80s, he returned in 1994 as part of The Million Dollar Corporation, once again destroying rivals with the Avalanche Splash and proving that he was one of the greatest and most eye-catching big men to lace up a set of boots.

WWE extends its condolences to Bundy’s family, friends and fans.

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Former WrestleMania main eventer King Kong Bundy passes away at the age of 61

King Kong Bundy (Chris Bundy) has passed away.

Bundy, 61, is believed to have passed on Monday night. David Herro and Shane “Hurricane” Helms were the first to confirm Bundy’s passing on Twitter.

Details regarding his passing were not immediately known as of very early Tuesday morning. Bundy is best known for main eventing WrestleMania 2 against Hulk Hogan for the WWF/WWE Championship at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Bundy departed WWE in 1988 and later signed with WCW. He would go on to make a brief return to WWE in 1994 joining the Million Dollar Man Corporation.

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Latest Details on Arn Anderson Being Fired Over Alicia Fox Incident, Who Talent is Siding With

– The big news story of the day is the report that Arn Anderson’s firing came over allowing Aliica Fox to work intoxicated, and a bit of new information is out. On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alkarez touched on the story and confirmed the previous reports. He noted that while he didn’t know the specific details of what happened, the story that Anderson allowed Fox to compete while intoxicated “was absolutely the story [backstage], and Vince and Arn ended up in a big kurfuffle about it, and Arn ended up fired.”

He added, “I will say this. This is the story that has been going around for a while now. It didn’t just come out today, the wrestlers have been aware of it. And for whatever it’s worth, there were a lot of wrestlers that backed Arn.”

Anderson was released last month, with today’s report claiming that Vince McMahon fired Anderson after finding out that Fox was allowed to wrestle drunk. Alvarez also noted that there is not yet any concrete indication that Fox’s absence from WWE TV and the road has anything to do with the incident, pointing out that “Alicia Fox regularly vanishes for extended periods of time. They just have nothing to do with her.”

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Alicia Fox Was Reportedly Offered Rehab by WWE But Went Absent Instead

Following earlier news that Arn Anderson was reportedly fired from WWE for allowing Alicia Fox to wrestle while intoxicated at a WWE live event, Fightful has more details on Fox’s turbulent behavior.

They report that Fox was offered rehab, but instead went absent, leaving many in WWE in the dark about where she was. This incident was the latest in a series of incidents including one with Travis Browne last year and another in 2017 where she arrived over two hours late to a show at a time when she was set to receive a push.

Opinionated View- If this is true fire her! If she has a problem and its sounds like she does I am all for trying to help her. And if she wants argue she doesn't have a problem than she needs to at least act like an adult. 

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WWE Reportedly Planning to Turn Ronda Rousey Heel Before WrestleMania 35 Match

 WWE is shifting Ronda Rousey’s alignment as she heads into her match with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35. PWInsider reports (per Sportskeeda) that Rousey’s more controversial tweets in her social media war with Becky Lynch are part of WWE’s plan to turn Rousey into the villain so that she plays better off Lynch.

With Flair already turned full heel, that should in theory get the crowd support fully behind Lynch and avoid potentially splitting the fanbase. Lynch is expected to be added to the Rousey vs. Flair match for the Women’s Championship that will take place at the April PPV.

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Dean Ambrose’s Role at Fastlane Reportedly Set

 With the Shield reuniting at WWE Fastlane, it’s not surprising that plans for Dean Ambrose are set. However, they may not be revealed until the last minute. Post Wrestling reports that Ambrose will be part of the Shield’s match at the PPV (of course), but won’t be added to the match until the show itself.

Ambrose is currently set to leave WWE in April when his contract expires, though there is some question to that now that Roman Reigns is back. The Shield is expected to take on Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin at this coming weekend’s PPV.

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Arn Anderson Reportedly Was Fired For Allowing Alicia Fox To Wrestle While Intoxicated

It was reported last month that Arn Anderson was released from the WWE after working for years as a road agent and producer. It was said at the time that his release followed an argument with Vince McMahon, and Anderson’s dismissal is expected to cause a blow to the roster’s morale. Now more details have come to light on why exactly Anderson was let go from the company.

According to Wrestling Inc, Anderson was fired after Alicia Fox showed up intoxicated at a live event and he allowed her to perform anyway. Anderson was the agent for Fox’s match. Vince McMahon was said to be furious when he found out and it was the “final straw,” which led to Anderson getting fired.

It’s unknown what Fox’s status in the company is. She was not backstage at RAW last week and hasn’t wrestled since a live event in Saginaw, Michigan on February 10. At that show, she teamed with Mickie James and Nikki Cross in a loss to Bayley, Dana Brooke and Natalya.

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OVW Content Coming to GWN App?

PWInsider also reports that Impact is in talks with Ohio Valley Wrestling regarding adding OVW content to the GWN app.

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Update on Eli Drake's Impact Contract

 PWInsider reports that Caleb Konley and KM’s Impact Wrestling deals expired on March 1st and that Eli Drake’s current deal is expected to expire within the next 60 days. It remains to be seen if he decides to sign a new deal with Impact.

Opinionated View- I hope they hold onto him.

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Updated Card For ROH 17th Anniversary Show

– Here is the updated card for the ROH 17th Anniversary event on March 15. It happens in Las Vegas at the Sam’s Town Casino.

*ROH Champion Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven.

*ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. Villain Enterprises’ Brody King & PCO.

*Rush vs. Bandido.

*Women of Honor Champion Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein.

*Kenny King vs. Marty Scurll.

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Moose Signs New Deal With Impact Wrestling

– Impact Wrestling has announced that Moose has signed a new deal with the company.

Link To Video Here

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Details On How Dana Warrior Got Creative Team Gig

Last week, we reported that Dana Warrior has joined the WWE creative team, with her new job officially beginning at last Monday’s RAW. She sat in on a production meeting and shadowed writers. She was reportedly hired for the job to give the shows a woman’s perspective. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Ringside News), Warrior asked for the job herself.

He said: “The basic gist of Dana Warrior is she was looking for a job — she asked Vince McMahon for a job and Vince goes, ‘What would you like, a full-time position? What would you like to do?’ She said she’d like to work in creative. She said she could offer a female point of view — there are other women on the writing team.”

She is expected to be backstage this week as well. She is reportedly being trained with the intention of working full-time. She is said to be closer to being an intern without actually having that title.

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AEW Announces Fight For The Fallen Event In July

In the latest episode of Being the Elite, AEW officially announced their second event Fight for the Fallen, which will happen on July 13 in Jacksonville, Florida. A portion of the gate will be donated to victims of the mass shooting at Jacksonville Landing during a Madden video game tournament, along with other victims of gun violence. It will take place at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater, which holds 5,500 people and is located at TIAA Bank Field, the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.



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Torrie Wilson announced as third inductee into Class of 2019 WWE Hall of Fame

WWE has confirmed a third inductee for this year’s Hall of Fame.

Torrie Wilson was officially confirmed as the latest inductee for the upcoming Class of 2019 ceremony taking place during WrestleMania 35 weekend this April.

Wilson, a former WCW star, signed with WWE in 2001 after WCW went out of business.

Excerpt from WWE’s write up about Wilson’s career is below:

Wilson joined WWE when the company purchased WCW in spring 2001. Her athleticism and penchant for entertainment made her a great fit for WWE during one of the sports-entertainment industry’s biggest eras. Wilson’s partnership with her friend (and sometimes rival) Stacy Keibler made her a key figure in WCW’s invasion of WWE. Once that invasion was fought off, Wilson became a pivotal member of the WWE Women’s division, engaging in memorable rivalries with the likes of Keibler, Sable and Melina. She even fought for her family’s honor against the nefarious Dawn Marie.

Wilson later joined forces with Candice Michelle and Victoria to sow chaos on Monday Night Raw, even bringing her pet dog Chloe into the fray while battling Superstars, such as Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Injuries forced Wilson out of the ring in 2008, but she soon found a new passion: helping others get in shape through ventures like her business, Torrie Wilson Fit.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Saturday (April 6) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with NXT TakeOver: New York taking place the day before.

D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” Jesse James, X-Pac and Chyna) and The Honky Tonk Man were announced as inductees in the previous weeks.

Opinionated View- The WWE Hall of Fame officially means nothing now. No matter how you want to spin it Torrie's role was to show up wearing an outfit and and walk around the ring. She didn't have great matches, she never manged anyone all that well. Her reason for having a job was VInce wanted a girl for Photo Shoots and Bikini Contests

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WWE Raw Preview

WWE RAW is live tonight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advertised for the show is the fallout from last week when Batista made his return to WWE and attacked Ric Flair. WWE is teasing a response by Triple H.

Also advertised for the show is the status of the RAW Women’s Championship after Ronda Rousey threw down the title last week. Charlotte Flair stated on Smackdown Live last week that she would be showing up to RAW to be crowned the new champion.

WWE is also teasing the possibility of a Shield reunion after the return of Roman Reigns last week. Michael Che and Colin Jost will also be appearing as special guests.

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Women in New Japan, Ambrose Staying? and more (Audio Only)

Ronda Rousey Reportedly Frustrated With WWE Booking

 Ronda Rousey is said to be legitmately frustrated with the current booking in WWE around her. Ringside News reports that Rousey’s recent video in which she talked about why she “walked out” on Raw and how she doesn’t need this job financially was entirely unscripted and that she is not pleased with the way WWE’s creative choices have been around her feuds.

Rousey is scheduled to face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35 currently, with Becky Lynch officially “suspended” but expected to be added to the match. She is not currently advertised for any shows following WrestleMania.

Opinionated View- Well Ronda is no idiot. She can clearly tell they haven't handled her well. And she has a perfect story with Becky that pretty much fell into WWE's lap yet they are trying to ram rod Charlotte into it.

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Jim Cornette Now Working with MLW

The legendary Jim Cornette made his official MLW (Major League Wrestling) debut on Saturday night at the promotions event in Chicago.

Cornette joined former WWE commentator Rich Bochini on commentary during the event, which will be part of the “Intimidation Games” special on BeIN Sports TV.

PWInsider reports that this wasn’t a one-time appearance as Cornette will be working backstage as an agent for the company going forward

Opinionated View- We know how this goes

1 Jim will talk about how "This is how Rasslin should be"
2 Jim will try to drag the company back to the crappy 1970's he thinks is perfect
3 Jim will get pissed off over something that is modern or some talent getting pushed he doesn't like
4 Jim will get fired
5 Jim will start bashing MLW as another company that is killing the "Rasslin"

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SNL stars to be special guests on RAW tomorrow

WWE is reporting that “Saturday Night Live” stars Michael Che and Colin Jost, who host the “Weekend Update” on the show, will be special guests on RAW tomorrow night.

“Yes, the popular duo of SNL’s “Weekend Update” will be special guests on tomorrow’s Raw from Philadelphia. With neither Che or Jost afraid to tell it like it is, what will the two popular personalities have in store for the longest running episodic program in television history?”

Opinionated View- Oh this is going to be stupid and unfunny and just a giant waste of time

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Harley Race diagnosed with lung cancer, Statement reveals diagnosis isn’t terminal

Over the weekend, Ric Flair (along with Hulk Hogan) took part in a Q and A session in Atlantic City (per Uproxx) moderated by Jimmy Hart.

During the appearance, Flair was asked about Harley Race and stated that he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Flair reportedly said the diagnosis was terminal.

According to a new statement by David Marquez, while Race was indeed diagnosed with lung cancer recently, the diagnosis wasn’t terminal and he is still being treated.

“I’ve just spoke to Harley Race’s family and yes he has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer but it’s not terminal. He’s being treated and supervised by his doctors. He is still very active in @worldleaguewlw and appreciates everyone’s concerns.”

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NXT TakeOver: San Jose Set for June Without Major WWE PPV Event on Sunday

 According to a report by the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE apparently has a significant change in mind for an upcoming edition of NXT TakeOver. According to the report, NXT TakeOver in June would be held on a Saturday night without a dual-branded WWE pay-per-view being held the next day. You can read more on WWE’s recently revealed June and July 2019 events schedule RIGHT HERE.

Traditionally, WWE holds TakeOver events the night before another major WWE pay-per-view being held the same weekend, such as Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam, etc.

NXT TakeOver: San Jose is set for Saturday, June 8. The event will reportedly be held at the SJSU Event Center, which was the same venue for NXT’s first major touring live event.

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WWE Announces US Title Open Challenge & More For Smackdown

WWE has announced two new matches for next week’s episode of Smackdown, including R-Truth laying out a US Title Open Challenge. Truth will continue the open challenge this week after retaining the championship in an open challege that saw him face Rey Mysterio and Andrade this week.

Also set for the show is a singles match between The Miz and Jey Uso, in a preview of their involvement in the Smackdown Tag Team Championship match at Fastlane. Smackdown airs Tuesday live on USA Network.

Opinionated View- This is going to suck

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Madison Rayne signs new deal with Impact, Look back at EC3’s Greatest Matches

Just one day after it was revealed she had parted ways with Ring of Honor, Madison Rayne has now signed a new multi-year deal with Impact Wrestling.

Rayne was reportedly unhappy creatively with ROH. She had just signed an exclusive deal with the promotion last September after appearing on the ALL IN card.

The announcement of her new deal was made by public by Impact this afternoon.

Opinionated View- Great pick up for IMPACT. Madison is one of the most underrated talents I have ever seen. She's been able to have great matches with Taya, Tessa, Su Yung just last year. I think she could do some excellent stuff with Allie and Rosemar again. Plus Alisha, Jordyn Grace, Kiera, and other young talents will benefit from working with her. 

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WWE Reportedly in No Hurry to Pick Brand for New NXT Call-Ups

– Ringside News has a report on the recent NXT Superstars who debuted on the main roster with Aleister Black, Ricochet, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano. Their call-ups came about a month after WWE called up several other NXT Superstars up to the main roster in Lacey Evans, EC3, Heavy Machinery, and Nikki Cross. However, the call-ups are still moving around the main roster shows, and it doesn’t appear WWE has made a decision yet on which brand to put them. Ringside News reports that WWE is not in a hurry to pick a show for the new NXT call-ups.

The report added that WWE is not currently planning on calling up any additional NXT Superstars, but the situation is apparently unpredictable and “you never know” when Vince McMahon is involved with the creative process.

As previously reported, Tommaso Ciampa recently suffered a neck injury that caused changes to Raw booking this week. The Ringside report also notes that the Ciampa neck injury caused problems with WWE’s plan for the call-ups. Also, WWE is said to be considering all its options regarding the new Superstars on the main roster.

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WWE Comprehensive Superstar and Staff Salaries Reported: Brock Lesnar Is Highest Paid Talent

 The Mirror has an extensive list of WWE staff and Superstar salaries for both male and female Superstars. Per the report from The Mirror, WWE Universal champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar pockets $500,000 per main event appearance in WWE and is now earning $12 million a year as of mid-2018, giving him the highest base salary for a Superstar in WWE.

Additionally, other than their base wage, Superstars also receive a benefit from a percentage of their merchandise sales. WWE Superstars also receive bonuses from headlining major events

The list puts John Cena, who is now generally a part-time performer for WWE, as the second highest-paid Superstar in WWE behind Brock Lesnar with a base salary of $8.5 million a year from WWE. He also reportedly earns $500,000 from his major main event slots and five percent of all his merchandise sales.

For the women, Ronda Rousey is said to be the highest paid female Superstar with a contract worth $1.5 million a year. She made her WWE debut in early 2018. You can check out the full comprehensive list below.

WWE Senior Staff Salaries

Triple H (Vice President of Live Events) – $1.1 million + $1.65 million (talent contract)
Vince McMahon (Chief Executive Officer) – $2.4 million
George Barrios (Financial and Strategic Officer – $800,000
Kevin Dunn (Producer) – $800,000
Michael Luisi (WWE Studios President) – $70,000

WWE Male Superstar Base Salaries
Figures from mid-2018


Brock Lesnar $12 million

John Cena $8.5 million

Roman Reigns $5 million

Randy Orton $4.5 million

AJ Styles $3.5 million

Seth Rollins $3 million

The Miz $2.5 million

Triple H $2.5 million

Undertaker $2.5 million

Dean Ambrose $2 million

Kevin Owens $2 million

Dolph Ziggler $1.5 million

Sheamus $1million

Jeff Hardy $1 million

Bray Wyatt $1 million

Finn Balor $1 million

Jinder Mahal $900,000

Kane $900,000

Big Show $850,000

Samoa Joe $800,000

Rusev $800,000

Sin Cara $700,000

Matt Hardy $650,000

Luke Harper $550,000

Erick Rowan $550,000

R-Truth $550,000

Kofi Kingston $500,000

Xavier Woods $500,000

Big E $500,000

Rhyno $500,000

Cesaro $500,000

Sami Zayn $500,000

Goldust $400,000

Shinsuke Nakamura $400,000

Heath Slater $400,000

Fandango $400,000

Kalisto $350,000

Titus O’Neill $300,000

Bo Dallas $300,000

Braun Strowman $300,000

Apollo Crews $300,000

Scott Dawson $250,000

Luke Gallows $250,000

Jey Uso $250,000

Jimmy Uso $250,000

Curtis Axel $250,000

Curt Hawkins $200,000


WWE Female Superstar Base Salaries
Figures from mid-2018


Ronda Rousey $1.5 million

Charlotte Flair $550,000

Nikki Bella $350,000

Alexa Bliss $350,000

Mickie James $300,000

Brie Bella $300,000

Natalya $300,000

Asuka $250,000

Becky Lynch $250,000

Dana Brooke $200,000

Bayley $200,000

Lana $200,000

Naomi $180,000

Carmella $120,000

Nia Jax $100,000

Sonya Deville $100,000

Mandy Rose $80,000

Ruby Riott $80,000

Sarah Logan $80,000

Tamina $80,000

Liv Morgan $80,000

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Dana Warrior Joins the WWE Creative Team

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Dana Warrior has joined the WWE creative team. Dana started her new role at the RAW taping on Monday. WWE wants Dana to offer a female perspective. WWE wants to see how Dana does before making her new role permanent.

Dana married Ultimate Warrior in 1999 and became a WWE brand ambassador after his passing in 2014.

Opinionated View- Uh does she have any background in wrestling or as any type of writer or creative person? Yes I know obviously she was married to Warrior but look I don't trust Daniel Cormier's wife to be the match maker for the UFC.

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Tommaso Ciampa Suffering From Neck Injury That Caused Raw Rewrite

WWE had to rewrite Raw due to the fact that Tommaso Ciampa is suffering from a neck injury that has him unable to compete. PWInsider reports that Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were originally set to be part of a four-way tag team match that would have included Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins, Aleister Black & Ricochet and another team. The Revival would have been at ringside for the match. Once it was clear that Ciampa couldn’t be cleared, the match was changed to The Revival vs. Black and Ricochet.

The injury is said to be one that has been lingering for at least four to five weeks and possibly more. Ciampa is not on the road this week and it’s not clear when he is going to be cleared. However, and Gargano are part of the Dusty Rhodes Classic and of course Ciampa is the NXT Champion, so his being out could have a big impact on NXT storylines.

The site says that all options are currently on the table, but that as of Monday he was not medically cleared.

Opinionated View- Notice this happens a lot? They call a guy up who has been on the Indys and that put in NXT for a long time and than they get hurt. Why do they keep putting guys in NXT? Oh right to fed Triple H's ego of his third brand.

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WWE Officials Reportedly Expect Fans To Boo Roman Reigns Again

Roman Reigns made his return on this Monday’s episode of RAW and outside of one obnoxious fan, the reaction was almost unanimously positive. He announced his leukemia was in remission to a huge ovation and later came out to save Dean Ambrose to cheers. However, WWE officials reportedly don’t expect this goodwill from fans to last. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Ringside News), it’s believed that once Roman is back to being pushed as the top babyface again, fans will once again start to boo him on television.

The report reads: “As far as what is next. Nobody can predict the future and many people feel things will eventually revert to being what they were before, with Reigns as the top babyface being constantly booed on television shoots.

Opinionated View- Here is the thing I am not a Roman Reigns fan. But I do think there are way to limit people booing him. You have to book correctly. Don't go back to forcing him into the top spot simply because he's Vince's chosen one. Let his return to the main event make sense and get built to. Don't just make him super man that can over come it all have him "struggle" and be real because when over comes said struggle it will make him more popular. And don't sacrifice everyone use just to build up Roman. 

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WWE Superstars Rumored to No Longer be Scared About Being Vocal Toward Management

Speaking on The Wrestling Observer Radio  this week, Dave Meltzer discussed how WWE Superstars are less scared about being vocal to management and complaining than they apparently were before. There’s reportedly an idea now in the WWE locker room that Superstars who complain more will be given some type of push on TV.

One example of this idea could possibly be The Revival. As previously reported, the team was rumored to be unhappy with their booking on Raw, and the duo requested their releases. However, just a few weeks later, The Revival won the Raw tag team titles, giving them their first titles on the main roster.

It should also be noted that WWE producer Adam Pearce wrote in a series of tweets this month about the “squeaky wheel” getting replaced. However, he reacted defensively when it was asked if the tweets were wrestling related.

Opinionated View- WWE you reap what you sow. You wanted this world where everyone under contract to you one way or another. Yet at the same time you destroyed the tag divsion, the mid card and pretty much have made it clear unless you are golden child pre chosen by the company you have almost no chance of moving up. Instead of building long term stories and talent up you go for a cheap nostalgia pop when ever possible. 

Well now there the the option of AEW, Impact is back on solid ground and if you listen to Jericho and see what they are doing they are willing to spend and give you the option to take indy dates. ROH is trying to grow, MLW is doing well. New Japan is going to need and want well known American talent especially with the G1 show in Dallas looming. The tipping point is here people. 

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Details On When WWE Finalized Batista’s Return

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter  plans for Triple H vs. Batista at Wrestlemania were finalized last week. Batista made his return this past Monday on RAW, attacking Ric Flair and taunting Triple H

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Hiromu Takahashi Rumored to Announce His Full-Time Return Soon

– The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via WrestlingInc.com) has an update on injured NJPW star Hiromu Takahashi. According to the report, Takahashi is gong to make a surprise appearance at an upcoming NJPW and will announce his comeback.

Additionally, it’s stated that Takahashi will make his full-time return to the ring later this year. NJPW is slated to give Takahashi’s return a big push.

Takahashi previously suffered a serious neck injury during his match with Dragon Lee at the G1 Special in San Francisco. As a result, he was forced to relinquish his IWGP junior heavyweight title.

Opinionated View- Wow! I legit thought he would never come back based on things I heave heard. 

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Rosemary Re-Ups With Impact Wrestling

 Impact Wrestling announced today on Press Pass that former Knockouts champion Rosemary has re-signed with the company. She first debuted with Impact back in 2016. You can check out the announcement tweet below. She recently made her return to Impact at last month’s Homecoming event. She had recently been on the shelf with a torn ACL injury.

IMPACT

✔@IMPACTWRESTLING

BREAKING: As revealed on Press Pass, @WeAreRosemary has signed a new contract with IMPACT Wrestling!

LISTEN: https://youtu.be/vEX0JVtgajs

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