Month: April 2019

Miami Student Arrested For RKO Attempt On Principal (Video)

Gianny Sosa of Miami, Florida has been arrested for assaulting his principal at Southridge Senior High School. The 18 year old allegedly tried to use Randy Orton’s RKO finishing move on the principal, according to The Miami Herald.

Sosa was charged with battery on a school employee and interference with an educational institution for the RKO attempt on his principal, who was identified as Humberto Miret in an arrest report. Miret was said to be adamant about pressing charges. Sosa had his first court appearance this morning and you can see video from the arraignment above.

During today’s court appearance, defense attorney Roy Ugarte called the arrest report “hands down one of the most insane” he’s ever read.

Sosa was arrested after the incident at school on Wednesday. One student filmed video of the assault and Sosa could be seen yelling “RKO!” as he tried to grab Miret’s neck. School officials and security responded to the incident and Sosa was said to be uncooperative. He was booked into jail and placed on a $750 bond today, but he could be released at any time without having to post bail because a judge determined at today’s hearing that he was eligible for pre-trial services.

Sosa’s family defended him on Thursday and said the RKO attempt was just a joke gone wrong. “He did tell all of us he was just going to hug the principal. He wasn’t going to harm him in any way and if he really wanted to harm the principal in any way he would have to do the RKO move from a distance. Like you just can’t walk up to somebody and grab him by the neck and drop him,” sister Camila Sosa said.

Miret was named the Miami-Dade County Public Schools principal of the year in 2018. He has worked with the district for 22 years.

Court Video at the link below:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article229126254.html

The local NBC affiliate in Miami included video of the incident during their coverage, which you can see HERE.

Sosa posted a Instagram video of himself in the drama room with Miret after the incident, which you can see below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFMeF1lwGl/

Update On Bret Hart’s Attacker From The WWE Hall Of Fame

Zachary Madsen, the 26 year old amateur MMA fighter from Nebraska who attacked Bret Hart at Saturday’s WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony during The Hart Foundation’s induction, bonded out of the Brooklyn Detention Complex on Wednesday. His bond was set at $1,500.

Madsen is due back in a Kings County Criminal Court room tomorrow, April 12. He was charged with two counts of 3rd degree assault, one count of 3rd degree criminal trespassing and interfering with a sporting event. Madsen, who has a public defender, will be facing up to 1 year in jail for each count of assault, if he’s found guilty. The judge at his hearing earlier in the week also granted an order of protection against Madsen to Hart and the WWE security guard that also suffered minor injuries in the attack, Thaddeus Jones. During that arraignment, Madsen’s lawyer had urged the judge not to set bail, arguing that Madsen was “agreeable and cooperative” and that would be hard for him to come up with the money.

As noted, prosecutors said in court that Madsen told police that it felt like “the right time” for him to attack Bret on Saturday night during the induction. He was quickly taken down by security and a group of wrestlers and other people, including Ronda Rousey’s boyfriend Travis Browne, Dash Wilder, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Shane McMahon, The New Day, Bret himself and others. Madsen was taken to the back by security and handed over to police, then booked in jail.

Hart and Jones were examined at a local hospital but released after the incident. Hart was said to be dealing with pain and stiffness in his hip after the incident. Jones was kicked in the ribs by Madsen.

WWE issued a statement on the incident and said the man has been turned over to the proper authorities. Their statement read like this: “An over-exuberant fan surpassed our security at ringside and made his way briefly into the ring. The individual has been turned over to the proper authorities.”

Madsen was linked to bizarre Twitter account that has been sending strange tweets to WWE Superstars for months now, including messages to Triple H and Vince McMahon. Madsen is also due in court next week to face stalking charges from an arrest a few months ago. Madsen was arrested then for allegedly stalking MMA fighter Haris Talundzic. That was Madsen’s third arrest related to the situation with Talundzic.

Bret issued a statement this week that said he was not injured. “What a wild weekend to say the least! First of all I want to thank WWE for not only the Hall of Fame honor for myself and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, but for their hospitality with my family and friends,” Bret wrote. “Regarding the ceremony, firstly I want to let everyone know that I am okay and was not injured. If there’s one thing I want everyone to take away from the Hall of Fame ceremony is not so much what happened, but how I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from completing my tribute to my best friend and our team. I’m also glad I got to join @natbynature and @thebethphoenix for their WrestleMania moment. Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words.”

Wrestling Veteran Vampiro Announces Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Wrestling veteran and current AAA Director of Talent Vampiro took to Facebook earlier today to announce that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Got some results from the doctor yesterday,” he wrote. “Not the best of news. But in my heart I know it’s a fight I am gonna win. I am not worried about anything. I am worried about how I can give more back to everyone who needs support. I Don’t give a f–k about being sick , as me and my doctors have a plan! And I will be fine!”

The former WCW Tag Team Champion returned to Facebook this evening and posted a video for his fans. He noted that the disease in the beginning stages and said it’s “not that big of a deal” to him because he knows he will beat it.

You can read Vampiro’s original, full post below and see the video below:

Got some results from the doctor yesterday
Not the best of newsBut in my heart I know it’s a fight I am gonna win

I am not worried about anything

I am worried about how I can give more back to everyone who needs support

I
Don’t give a f–k about being sick , as me and my doctors have a plan! And I will be fine!

Alzheimer’s is bulls–t. I am scared about potential Parkinson’s disease because it might f–k up my PlayStation time

I have been beaten up for so long , this is an easy one

Also

Look at the news of the world

So much
Bulls–t going down

Just do what’s right and be cool to everyone

Don’t get involved in the stupid s–t

Not worth it

Be safe y’all and talk soon

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Sasha Banks Reportedly Tried To Quit WWE Due To WrestleMania 35 Title Change Decision

Sasha Banks reportedly tried to quit WWE over WrestleMania 35 Weekend, according to one higher-up source to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

It was noted that Banks felt blindsided when she found out at the last minute that she and Bayley were dropping the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 35. That Fatal 4 Way saw The IIconics capture the titles by defeating Banks and Bayley, Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka, and Natalya and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix.

Banks was reportedly under the impression that WWE would be giving them a chance to have a strong run with the titles, to bring credibility to the new belts and to establish them as serious titles. The decision was then made to go with The IIconics as champion, a team that some say will make the titles feel like gimmick comedy belts.

Regarding her WWE status, Banks has been given a few weeks to think things over before making a decision on a choice that WWE officials believe may have been made as a rash decision. Another source noted to The Observer that Banks has been given time to figure out if she wants to leave the company or stay, but that source couldn’t confirm the reason why, and said Banks probably would not have known about the WrestleMania 35 finish until late, and did believe that Banks and Bayley were going to be given a chance to make the titles mean something. It was also noted that it was logical for Banks and Bayley to assume they would have a run of defending the titles on WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown, just because that storyline was started in the first place.

Another source just said Banks was clearly unhappy, which has been speculated on at various points over the past few years of Banks’ WWE career.

As we’ve noted, Banks’ strange post-WrestleMania 35 week began when WWE had Alexa Bliss call out Banks and Bayley for RAW on Monday night. Bayley would appear for a loss to Bliss, but Banks was nowhere to be soon. Banks did post a cryptic message during RAW that mentioned a line she had used before, about wanting to feel magic again. The cryptic post read like this:

“There is something about the way life happens today that makes it hard to look ahead. There are things that make it difficult to laugh; difficult to live the way you want. There are things that make it almost impossible to trust where you are, or to believe in where you want to be. You look around and life is happening way too fast. Sometimes it feels like the moments are gone. Everything happens all at once and right away. We’re marching towards a destiny we cannot understand, towards the kingdom of convenient. Then one day you look up and you can’t find the meaning. Your crisis of purpose and passion is acting up, but they tell you that that’s suppose to be normal. Well… I don’t want normal, I want magic; cause that’s the place that feels like home to me. That’s the place where I remember what dreams look like, where meaning is effortless, and purpose is simple. That’s the place where love still matters. I want that feeling of coming home again. I want to feel like myself….. I want that magic.”

Banks then pulled out of a Tuesday appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, causing issues with the staff of the show because it was a late cancellation out of nowhere. Banks announced the cancellation on Twitter and cited personal reasons. Sasha added the “#IfYouOnlyKnew” hashtag to the cancellation post, indicating more to the story. She wrote, “Due to personal reasons, I had to pull out of my appearance today on @WendyWilliams . Sorry to everyone who was looking forward to it. Hopefully the opportunity will be there again later. #IfYouOnlyKnew”

Wendy noted on Wednesday’s episode that Banks had a family emergency, which is why she canceled her appearance on the show. Williams wished the best to Banks and her family, indicating they had smoothed over any issues they had with her from the late cancellation. It was also revealed that Banks’ people contacted the show just after midnight the night before filming to cancel. Banks has not commented on the family emergency, but it was revealed that she is currently on a post-WrestleMania vacation to the Dominican Republic with Kalisto and their significant others. Social media posts indicated that they flew out the day that Banks was scheduled for the TV appearance.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Big E Injured In Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown Live Main Event

It looks like Big E is currently dealing with a knee injury.

The big man of The New Day took to Twitter today and indicated a meniscus tear, possibly suffered during the six-man main event of Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown Live, which saw The New Day defeat Drew McIntyre and The Bar. Big E’s cryptic tweet indicates he suffered the injury while doing or taking a crossbody. He ended with a “Bye for a bit” and that could mean time off to heal.

According to our coverage from Tuesday night, Big E did take a crossbody from Cesaro towards the end of the match but he worked for a few minutes after that, even going for a pin right after and a Big Ending attempt.

You can see Big E’s tweet below:

WWE has confirmed that Big E is currently dealing with a knee injury and is not cleared to compete.  There’s no word yet on if he will need surgery or how long he will be out of action.

Below is WWE’s announcement on the injury:

Big E suffers torn meniscusBig E of The New Day has suffered a torn meniscus, according to a tweet from the Superstar posted Thursday afternoon.

He is not currently medically cleared for action.

Stay with all of WWE’s digital platforms for more details on Big E’s status as they become available.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Daniel Bryan Injured At WrestleMania 35?

Daniel Bryan may have suffered an injury during his WWE Title loss to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Bryan was waiting to be examined this week, but word coming out of Sunday’s big event was that Bryan may have been injured.

This is why Bryan was sent went home earlier this week and was not backstage for Tuesday’s SmackDown from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Eli Drake’s Impact Wrestling Firing Might Get Ugly

Earlier this week, Impact Wrestling announced Eli Drake was done with the company via an announcement on its website.

The full statement by Impact at the time was, “Impact Wrestling announced today that it has terminated its relationship with Shaun Ricker, known as ‘Eli Drake.'”

PWInsider received word from those within Impact that the company will look into a breach of contract claim against Drake. This move would delay his ability to sign with another promotion until its settled.

Drake’s contract was set to expire on May 31, but he was officially terminated on April 7 over comments he made about Impact Wrestling. The report noted some in Impact believed Drake was headed to AEW once his contract expired.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Writer Says He Quit At The Hall Of Fame Ceremony

As noted earlier, Robert Evans was released from the WWE creative team during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this past Saturday night. The story going around is that Evans was fired because Vince McMahon’s name was mentioned in the speech and segment that Evans helped come up with, Bret Hart’s speech for The Hart Foundation. Vince has strongly stressed over the years that his name not be mentioned or praised during speeches, to the point that it has become a running joke.

In an update, PWInsider reports that the situation was more of a “You can’t fire me, I quit” scenario. Evans reportedly quit the company when it became obvious that WWE was going to fire him.

Furthermore, Evans took to Twitter this morning and issued an “official statement” on his WWE departure. Evans, who worked on the WWE creative team since the fall of 2016, said he quit. You can see his simple statement below:

https://twitter.com/Oh_Robert_Evans/status/1116323690684264449

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Possible New WWE Roles For “Road Dogg” BG James, More Details On WWE Creative Situation,

It was reported earlier that 2019 WWE Hall of Famer “Road Dogg” BG James had stepped down as the co-lead writer of the SmackDown brand, and that he informed officials that he was stepping down on Wednesday as WrestleMania 35 Week was coming to an end in Brooklyn. Word was that James had become increasingly frustrated with changed made to blue brand TV scripts by Vince McMahon, and that he finally “hit a breaking point” at Tuesday’s SmackDown.

It was also noted that James could be transitioning into another role with WWE. There was no role on a possible replacement for James, but the report also stated that the way WWE creative is set up these days the lead writer is more of a formality as opposed to a specific voice that drives the show. Everything pitched for SmackDown TV comes through the writing team to Vince, and is then approved with Vince tweaking the script up until it’s time to go live.

In an update, James is not leaving the company, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. Word is now that James could fill the behind-the-scenes role once held by WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson at live events. There was also talk of James possibly working as a commentator.

Regarding the situation with James, it was described as a mutual decision to change his position with SmackDown moving to Friday nights on Fox in October, not necessarily James “stepping down.” WWE officials reportedly want to keep James’ position flexible at this time, and use him as a “utility player” so they can see where he would fit best moving forward. However, sources made it clear that this was not a contentious decision, and that both sides thought it was best.

James had been working on the SmackDown creative team since 2016. He was quickly promoted to become co-lead writer with Ryan Ward.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

More On Possible AEW TV Deal, AEW Weekly TV Show Not Airing Year Round To Be More Wrestler-Friendly?

As noted, Twitter insider @fightoracle reported that WarnerMedia/Turner Sports (TNT, TBS) was set to present All Elite Wrestling to advertisers at their 2019 Upfronts presentation on Wednesday, May 15 in New York City. This report came after it was recently stated by AEW announcer Jim Ross that AEW was close to signing with a network that many people have access to.

The Wrap now reports that Turner is in advanced talks with AEW for a weekly TV show that would likely air on TNT. It was noted that the deal is “definitely not signed” and the talks are “pretty complex” but “not imminent.” It is not a sure thing that AEW will be presented at the Upfronts.

The potential deal would see a weekly AEW TV series air on TNT, but AEW would also have a multi-platform existence. The Wrap noted that Turner’s Bleacher Report Live platform would be “the most sensible outpost for the sports entertainment overflow.”

It’s also possible that the AEW TV show would not be year-round, indicating that the promotion may have plans for an off-season. The Wrap noted, “That would likely be a combination of the newness of the league and its desire to be more wrestler-friendly than rival WWE, which has a punishing schedule for talent.”

The Wrap also reported that AEW’s first big event, Double Or Nothing on May 25 from Las Vegas, is set to stream on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. It sounds like that could change as a streaming deal with a network is announced.

Source: Wrestling Inc.