Month: April 2018

WWE Hall Of Fame 2018 Legacy Wing Inductees Revealed

WWE will be making additions to the Legacy Wing of the Hall of Fame tomorrow night in New Orleans.

 The following Legends are set to be inducted into the Legacy Wing, according to PWInsider:

* Lord Alfred Hayes
* Stan Stasiak
* Boris Malenko
* Dara Singh
* El Santo
* Cora Combs
* Jim Londos
* Rufus R. Jones
* Sputnik Monroe

The Legacy Wing was created in 2016 and currently includes 16 stars – Martin Burns, June Byers, Judy Grable, Dr. Jerry Graham, Haystacks Calhoun, Bearcat Wright, Rikidozan, Toots Mondt, Luther Lindsay, Art Thomas, Mildred Burke, George Hackenschmidt, Frank Gotch, Pat O’Connor, Ed Lewis and Lou Thesz.

Source: WrestlingINC

Impact Wrestling Preview 4/5/18

* Road to Redemption: ALL ACCESS PASS

* Lashley wants revenge on Brian Cage

* Case vs. Case: Moose vs. Eli Drake

* Allie summons the Undead Bride

* Taiji Ishimori vs. Johnny Impact

Carmella Became The Longest-Reigning Money In The Bank Holder

Image result for Carmella breaks the record for most days with the Money in the Bank contract

Carmella became the longest-reigning Money In the Bank holder in WWE history this week. WWE announced the following on the milestone:

The Money in the Bank record book just became even more F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S.

After 281 days of moonwalking, trash-talking and keeping every single SmackDown LIVE female Superstar on her toes, Carmella has now held the Money in the Bank contract longer than anyone in WWE history. The Princess of Staten Island surpassed the likes of Edge, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Kane and literally every other Superstar to hold the all-powerful contract. #MellaIsMoney has never rang truer, and, naturally, Carmella took to Twitter to proudly celebrate the milestone.

Ms. Money in the Bank, indeed.

https://twitter.com/CarmellaWWE/status/981560346656768000

Backstage News On The Expected Undertaker Vs. John Cena Match At WrestleMania

Image result for John Cena vs The Undertaker WrestleMania 34

As seen on RAW this past Monday night, The Undertaker did not respond to John Cena’s challenge for a match at WrestleMania. The bout had been expected for months, with Taker’s wife, Michelle McCool, even posting videos of The Undertaker training.

If the match ends up taking place as expected, it would be the first time that a major WrestleMania match would take place that had been built up without ever being announced on television. Either way, Taker will clearly be at WrestleMania in some form, whether it’s for a match with Cena, or a segment which leads to a physical altercation between the two.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer that Vince McMahon believes that the audience knows that Taker will be showing up this Sunday, so this is the story to bring him back to get his revenge on Cena. A source told the Observer that there is the belief that announcing the match in advance won’t lead to additional network subscriptions, since the fans who would want to see it will be watching the event on the network anyway. The source said that the storyline is McMahon’s and he’s happy with it, and that, “I think part of it is that Vince McMahon can say, ‘people are invested in the mere chance Undertaker will show up!”‘

While it’s not known if the Cena – Undertaker segment at WrestleMania will be an actual match or a confrontation to build to a bout next year, Meltzer noted that it was scheduled to be a match several months ago.

As noted, WWE posted the following blurb regarding the Cena – Undertaker storyline after RAW this past Monday night:

So, what now for Cena? With The Undertaker offering no answer to his challenge, perhaps the showdown between the two iconic Superstars is simply not meant to be. Is Cena destined to experience this year’s Showcase of The Immortals as a spectator? Will he aid another Superstar to victory or perhaps offer his expert knowledge of The Grandest Stage of Them All as a guest commentator? Or, is there still a chance that a match between John Cena and The Undertaker may take place? Find out this Sunday at WrestleMania, streaming live on WWE Network at a special start time of 7 ET/4 PT!

Source: WrestlingINC

Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Fight For Conor McGregor’s Belt, McGregor To Be Stripped Of UFC Lightweight Title, McGregor Responds

Image result for UFC 223 Holloway vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

Dana White said Wednesday that the UFC will be stripping Conor McGregor of the lightweight title.

As expected, McGregor isn’t going to go accept that without a fight.

“The Notorious” tweeted an ornery — and vulgar — response to White’s words early Thursday morning.

“You’s’ll strip me of nothing you’s do nothing c*nts,” McGregor wrote.

Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Max Holloway in what the promotion is calling a UFC lightweight title fight in the main event of UFC 223 on Saturday in Brooklyn. The issue is that McGregor is still technically the lightweight champion and has been since November 2016. White has said that McGregor will cease to be champ as soon as the first punch is thrown this weekend at Barclays Center.

McGregor has not fought in the UFC since beating Eddie Alvarez for the belt at UFC 205. He had a blockbuster boxing match with Floyd Mayweather last year, but there are currently no firm plans for an Octagon return.

On Wednesday, White did say that McGregor would “100 percent” be back in the UFC this year.

Whether or not he’ll be holding a belt seems to be very much open for debate.

UFC 223 Fight Card:

MAIN CARD

  • Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov TITLE FIGHT
  • Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
  • Renato Moicano vs. Calvin Kattar
  • Anthony Pettis vs. Michael Chiesa
  • Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder

UNDERCARD

  • Joe Lauzon vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
  • Devin Clark vs. Mike Rodriguez
  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Felice Herrig
  • Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno
  • Bec Rawlings vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
  • Artem Lobov vs. Alex Caceres
  • Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Evan Dunham

Source: MMAFighting

 

WWE Remembers Johnny Valiant After Sudden Passing

johnny valiant dead dies passes away wwe hall of fame

As noted, WWE Hall of Famer Thomas Sullivan, a.k.a. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant, was killed after being struck by a pickup truck Wednesday morning in Ross Township, Pennsylvania. He was 71 years old. According to WPXI, Valiant was crossing a busy road and was not in a crosswalk.

 WWE remembered Valiant with the following announcement:

WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Valiant passes awayWWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer “Luscious” Johnny Valiant reportedly passed away this morning at the age of 71.

Valiant began his sports-entertainment career in 1969 in the Detroit territory owned by WWE Hall of Famer The Sheik, setting up rings, refereeing and competing. After learning the basics in the Motor City, he spent years competing in more than 20 territories across North America, including WWE.

In 1974, The Valiant Brothers “Luscious” Johnny and “Handsome” Jimmy captured the World Tag Team Championships and held them for more than one year. In 1979, Johnny teamed up with “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant to capture the tandem titles again, this time managed by WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano.

Soon after, “The Luscious One” followed in Albano’s footprints and became a manager of tag team champions himself. After guiding some of the biggest names in the AWA, Valiant returned to WWE in 1985. “Luscious” Johnny led the Dream Team of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine & Brutus Beefcake to the World Tag Team Championship with a win over Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo. Canadian strongman Dino Bravo and Demolition were also managed by Valiant for a portion of their WWE tenures.

Valiant proved he was multi-faceted by also doing color commentary for WWE before returning to the AWA in 1989 as a manager. In 1996, “Luscious” Johnny and “Handsome” Jimmy were immortalized when then were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

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

Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Will Be Returning To UFC

dana white brock lesnar ufc return video wwe interview

Brock Lesnar is returning to UFC … at least according to Dana White.

White was a guest this evening on UFC Tonight and when asked if Lesnar would be returning said, “Yeah, Brock Lesnar’s coming back. I don’t know when, but yes he is.”

As we reported back in July, Brock made it clear to WWE officials that he did not plan to sign a new contract and would be leaving the company when his contract expires after WrestleMania 34.

It’s unclear if they’ve since come to a new agreement that would allow him to do both, but MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reports that a new UFC deal is already in place and Dana is confident that Lesnar’s WWE duties will be wrapped up soon.

Brock has not competed in UFC since 2016 when he fought Mark Hunt. After the bout, Brock failed a pair of drug tests and the decision was reversed to a no-contest. He was fined $250,000 and suspended for a year, but subsequently announced his retirement (which froze the suspension).

Watch the announcement below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Shawn Michaels Cuts Off His Long Hair

Shawn Michaels had his long hair cut off.

A local barber in Florida posted pics of HBK’s new hairdo with the following caption:

Today i had the honor of meeting a childhood hero of mine Shawn Michaels, and getting him ready for Wrestlemania this weekend. Shawn has had the pony tail for over 20 years, and today he had me cut it off and give him a new look. Such a genuine and down to earth guy it was such a privilege being trusted with the famous locks.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Hall Of Famer Johnny Valiant Killed After Being Hit By A Truck

johnny valiant dead dies passes away wwe hall of fame

WWE Hall of Famer Thomas Sullivan, a.k.a. “Luscious” Johnny Valiant, was killed after being struck by a pickup truck Wednesday morning in Ross Township, Pennsylvania. He was 71 years old. According to WPXI, Valiant was crossing a busy road and was not in a crosswalk.

“We do have witnesses. There was other traffic on McKnight at the time, so we were able to speak with people who actually witnessed the accident,” Ross Township Det. Brian Kohlepp said. “The driver of the truck stayed here on the scene. There’s no indication that this was anything other than a terrible accident at this point, but we’re still investigating.”

Valiant won the WWWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. After his in-ring career was over, Valiant had a successful career as a manager. After managing Hulk Hogan in the AWA, he signed with the WWF and managed superstars like Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo and even Demolition. He left the promotion in 1988 and finished his wrestling career in the AWA.

Source: WrestlingINC

Johnny was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 with “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant as The Valiant Brothers.

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Mike & Maria Kanellis Welcomes First Baby Girl

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Congratulations to Mike & Maria Kanellis on the arrival of their first child, a baby girl named Fredrica Moon.

 WWE announced the arrival today with this announcement:

Maria and Mike Kanellis welcome daughter Fredrica MoonDo you feel the power of love?

You should, because SmackDown Superstars Maria and Mike Kanellis just welcomed their first child into their loving family.

Their daughter, Fredrica Moon, arrived this morning, weighing 6 pounds. Mom and baby are both doing great.

Please join WWE in welcoming this new addition to the Kanellis family!