Month: April 2019

Batista Announces His Retirement From Pro Wrestling

Last night’s WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view from MetLife Stadium saw Triple H defeat Batista in a No Holds Barred match. Triple H’s career was on the line.

While not announced as a career match, this looks to be Batista’s final match for WWE. He previously spoke in media interviews of wanting to return to WWE for one more run and a match with Triple H at WrestleMania.

Batista took to Twitter after WrestleMania to thank WWE fans and officially announce his retirement from the ring.

He wrote, “@WWEUniverse Thank you for letting me entertain you. I love this business and whether you cheered me or jeered me, I’m grateful for being a small part of your life. I am officially retired from sports entertainment and I am grateful for every second of my amazing journey”

You can see his full tweet below:

https://twitter.com/DaveBautista/status/1115144897357602816

Batista took to Instagram later in the morning and posted a lengthier message on the retirement. He called WrestleMania 35 his story book ending.

He wrote, “To all the @wwe fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you. Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I’ll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey”

You can see the full post below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Some WrestleMania 35 Off Camera Notes

Wrestling Inc. staff that was at WrestleMania 35 and provided some off camera notes about last night’s event.

After the nasty Ali / Luke Harper elimination spot in the Andre the Giant battle royal, trainers were checking out Ali for a long while.

Earlier in the night, there was a bright yellow light that was hitting fans in the face. There were chants of “Please turn the light off” during the AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton match:

https://twitter.com/Jcooper770/status/1115037648329105408

Below is the reaction when the yellow lights were turned off:

https://twitter.com/MrJaredMoore/status/1115138222907064320

https://twitter.com/andrew_thom1122/status/1115008377216806912

https://twitter.com/deanreno/status/1115000145882636294

WWE used their XFL “sky cam” tonight at WrestleMania. This may the first time they’ve used it for a WWE event.

Below is an overhead view from the press booth of the big suplex Miz gave Shane McMahon off of the top of the camera scaffolding.

Kofi Kingston defeating Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship got the biggest reaction on the show.

The press booth exploded when Kofi Kingston won the title, which hadn’t happened all night. There were a lot of WWE Hall of Famers and NXT talent in the press booth as well.

People seemed drained later in the show, and the reaction for the main event wasn’t what you’d expect. Some fans were even leaving during the main event because they were so tired.

The transportation was a real issue as people left the stadium. People were waiting in the rain with insanely long lines.

WrestleMania 35 Results

(Kickoff) WWE Cruiserweight Championship: (C) Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese – Winner and new WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Tony Nese

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115004637755527168

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115004987900219393

(Kickoff) Women’s Battle Royal: Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Zelina Vega, Maria Kanellis, Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, Candice LeRae – Winner: Carmella

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115010032976842753

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115010582925570048

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115010822227369984

(Kickoff) RAW Tag Team Championship: (C) The Revival vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins – Winners and new RAW Tag Team Champions: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115016529827905536

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115019152693981185

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115019588373073920

(Kickoff) Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: Braun Strowman, SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O’Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Kalisto, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3, Harper – Winner: Braun Strowman

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115023144203382784

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115023581212078080

Universal Championship: (C) Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins – Winner and new Universal Champion: Seth Rollins

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton – Winner: AJ Styles

SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Usos vs. The Bar vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura – Winners: The Usos

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Shane McMahon vs. The Miz –

WWE Women’s Championship: (C) Sasha & Bayley vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. The IIconics – Winners and new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: The IIconics

WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston –

United States Championship: (C) Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio – Winner: Samoa Joe

Joe with a quick win, probably due to Rey’s recent ankle injury.

Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns – Winner: Roman Reigns

Elias performs – band all by himself.

“The Doctor of Thuganomics” John Cena interrupts Elias

No Holds Barred Match (Triple H’s career is on the line): Triple H vs. Batista – Winner: Triple H

Triple H “Mad Max” entrance

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115085594294489088

Kurt Angle’s Farewell Match: Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin – Winner: Baron Corbin

Intercontinental Championship: (C) Bobby Lashley vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor – Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: “The Demon” Finn Balor

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115098277286895616

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115099752507437056

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115100337667317760

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115100576306483200

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115101137424670720

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115101617878065153

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115101783238406145

Winner Takes All: RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – Winner and new RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champion: Becky Lynch

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115102781495332864

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115103350591082497

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115103961818652672

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115105495386214400

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1115106022744412162

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115106970648731648

https://twitter.com/WrestleMania/status/1115107532765192192

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115107825020063744

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1115108358938226688

Eli Drake Exits Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling announced former Impact World Champion Eli Drake is done with the company. Impact announced Drake’s exit on its website earlier today.

Impact Wrestling announced today that it has terminated its relationship with Shaun Ricker, known as ‘Eli Drake.’

Drake first began with the promotion back in 2015, during his time there he was a one-time Impact World Champion and one-time Impact World Tag Team Champion with Scott Steiner.

In regards to his contract, Drake said in an interview with The Wrestling Pespective Podcast his was ending with Impact on May 31.

“I know AEW is out there, all of that stuff, so, the fact is, there’s a lot of options at this point,” Drake explained. “This is a time where, truth be told, I run up on May 31 at Impact, so, if that’s the case, it’s time to start thinking about what options I have, things like that.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Enzo Amore And Big Cass Brawl With ROH Wrestlers At G1 Supercard (VIDEO)

Former WWE stars Enzo Amore and Big Cass got into a brawl with ROH wrestlers in Madison Square Garden at G1 Supercard.

It all went down after the four-way tag team match when Enzo and Cass hopped the barricade and began fighting talent. Bully Ray then ran over to get some shots in.

Things began to escalate, but security didn’t jump in. This would seem to signal that this was planned beforehand and not like Enzo’s stunt at Staples, but the fight wasn’t show on the broadcast. We’ve been unable to verify with 100% certainty at this time if this was a work, but all signs point in that direction.

Once the wrestlers were all split apart, Enzo and Cass were escorted through the crowd.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Watch a brief portion of the brawl at the link below.

Velvet Sky & Angelina Love Debut In ROH At G1 Supercard

Kelly Klein might be the new Women Of Honor champ, but she has some new enemies — former Impact Wrestling tag team The Beautiful People.

Following Kelly’s victory at G1 Supercard in which she became a two-time Women of Honor champion, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky made their surprise debut at G1 Supercard.

As they stared down Kelly Klein in the ring, Mandy Leon turned on Kelly to team with Angelina and Velvet. After a vicious beatdown on Kelly, they made their way up the ramp and a graphic came up for their new ROH faction called “The Allure.”

https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1114685533601652737

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Triple H Fires Shots At AEW During WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony (Video)

Triple H used the DX WWE Hall of Fame speech to fire shots at All Elite Wrestling.

While joking around about being corporate these days, Triple H said apparently these days if you put the “EVP” title in front of someone, it makes them feel important. AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents include Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

Triple H then called AEW a “piss-ant” company after DX joked around about not being able to name Vince McMahon during their speech. Billy Gunn said Vince couldn’t fire him anymore, a reference to Gunn working for AEW.

The Gunn joke led to fans in the audience doing an “AEW” chant. Triple H responded, “Billy, let’s be honest. He would buy that piss-ant company just to fire you again.”

Everyone laughed at that reference and another line from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. When joking about always counting on Gunn to under-deliver, Michaels said, “You can always count on ‘ol Billy Gunn to over-promise and under-deliver. We thank you for being out here and being ‘All In’.”

You can hear Triple H’s “piss-ant” line below:

https://twitter.com/coupdebanks/status/1114715221111631872

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bret Hart Attacked During Hall Of Fame Induction Speech (VIDEO)

Bret Hart’s 2019 Hall Of Fame induction speech came to an abrupt stop on Saturday after someone from the crowd tried to tackle the wrestling legend.

Bret — who was being inducted as one half of the Hart Foundation alongside the late Jim Neidhart — was in the middle of his speech when the attacker rushed him from behind.

The broadcast briefly cut to black, before returning to shots of confused audience members.

Eventually the action returned to the ring, where Bret was regaining his composure. Drake Maverick approached the microphone and told the crowd to ignore the attacker.

Bret then resumed his speech and continued as if nothing had happened.

Word from the Barclays Center is that several people laid hands on the man as he was being taken out. RAW Tag Team Champion Dash Wilder, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Travis Browne (boyfriend of RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and former UFC fighter), The New Day, Titus O’Neil and Bret himself, reportedly got a few stiff shots in on the unidentified man.

WWE issued a statement on the incident and said the man has been turned over to the proper authorities. You can see their statement below:

“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.”

The man who attacked WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart at Saturday’s 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn has been identified as 26 year old Zachary Madsen from Nebraska, according to CBS New York.

CBS reports that the man also caused minor injuries to a security guard who tried to hold him down, in addition to the minor injuries Hart suffered. It was noted that the man punched Bret at least once, but Bret did not need medical attention.

Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com reported today that Bret did visit a hospital last night as he was experiencing some hip discomfort from the fall.

The man was charged with 2 counts of assault in the 3rd degree and disorderly conduct, according to Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times.

Madsen is an amateur MMA fighter where he’s from. He has a bizarre Twitter account at @iAmMad______sen and that account shows several strange tweets he’s sent to Vince McMahon, Triple H and others for the past few months.

There are also new details on Madsen’s criminal history being revealed. Madsen was arrested back on December 28, 2018 for violation of a protection order. He appears with green hair in the mugshot for that arrest seen below. He was then arrested for stalking on January 5 of this year. He appears with a shaved head in that mugshot, also seen below.

https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1114970537564893184

MMA rankings website Tapology lists Madsen with an amateur MMA record of 2 wins and 1 loss. His last fight took place on March 9, 2018, a loss. You can see a screenshot of his stat page below also.

Watch the video of what aired at the link below, as well as footage from in the arena in the tweets.

https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/status/1114684760763379712

https://twitter.com/dRAIL2k3/status/1114689242377093120

https://twitter.com/WWEGP/status/1114683686673362945

https://twitter.com/christoplack/status/1114693778558701568

https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/1114684329412763648

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Inc.

Former ROH World Champion Signing With WWE Soon?

There are now rumors on former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin possibly signing with WWE.

New Japan Pro Wrestling announced this week that Elgin has left the company after his contract expired on Sunday, March 31. Elgin chose not to renew the deal, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and the door is open for him to return if he wants to.

Regarding Elgin and WWE, there have reportedly been preliminary talks between the two sides.

Elgin participated in a WWE tryout back in mid-2010, the same camp Kevin Owens was at before being signed. Elgin noted in interviews back in 2015 that signing with WWE was one of his goals. WWE had interest in signing Elgin at the time but he ended up signing with NJPW after his ROH contract expired.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard At MSG Results

(Pre-Show) Kagetsu, Jenny Rose & Hazuki vs. Hana Kimura, Stella Grey & Sumie Sakai – Winners: Kagetsu, Jenny Rose & Hazuki 

(Pre-Show) Honor Rumble:

  1. Kenny King
  2. Minoru Suzuki
  3. Cheeseburger
  4. Beer City Bruiser
  5. Sho
  6. Shingo Takagi
  7. BUSHI
  8. Yoh
  9. Shaheem Ali
  10. Rhett Titus
  11. LSG
  12. Ryusuke Taguchi
  13. Will Ferrara
  14. Chase Owens
  15. Rocky Romero
  16. Brian Milonas
  17. Bad Luck Fale
  18. Jonathan Gresham
  19. Tracy Williams
  20. YOSHI-HASHI
  21. PJ Black
  22. Jushin Thunder Liger
  23. TK O’Ryan
  24. Vinny Marseglia
  25.  Delirious
  26. Tomohiro Ishii
  27. Toru Yano – has Colt Cabana take his place and he takes Cabana’s place on commentary
  28. Hirooki Goto
  29. Haku
  30. Great Muta

Winner: Kenny King

After the match, Muta gets back in the ring and nails King with the mist. Liger alsow as back in the ring for a moment.

Title vs. Title: NEVER Openweight Champion Will Ospreay vs. ROH World TV Champion Jeff Cobb – Winner: Jeff Cobb (Still ROH World TV Champion and new NEVER Openweight Champion)

Dalton Castle vs. Rush – Winner: Rush

ROH Women of Honor World Championship: (C) Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein – Winner and new ROH Women of Honor World Champion: Kelly Klein

Post-match, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love made their way down to the ring. Mandy Leon got in the ring to back Klein up, but then Leon cracked Klein in the back with her heel. Love hit Kelin with a pump kick. Jenny Rose came out to help and immediately get dropped, Stella Grey tried and got hairsprayed in the eyes, Leon dropped her too. The new stable is called “The Allure.”

Commentary says Juice Robinson will no longer be able to compete against Bully Ray after the backstage attack.

New York City Street Fight: Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordan

Gordon gets right after Bully, goes for a springboard, but gets hit with the 3D. Bully heads out under the ring and pulls out a table and a kendo stick. Shane Taylor and Silas Young head out and help Bully beat up Gordon. Suddenly, Juice Robinson and Mark Haskins show up on the ramp and want to make it a 3 vs. 3 match. Robinson brings a whole host of weapons to the ring.

New York Street Fight: Bully Ray, Shane Taylor & Silas Young vs. Juice Robinson, Flip Gordon & Mark Haskins – Winners: Flip Gordon, Juice Robinson & Mark Haskins

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: (C) Taiji Ishimori vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido – Winner and new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion: Dragon Lee

Winner Takes All Tag Title Match: ROH World Tag Team Champions PCO & Brody King vs. IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny vs. EVIL & SANADA vs. The Briscoes – Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny (Still IWGP Tag Team Champions and new ROH World Tag Team Champions)

Post-match, Yano is standing on the stage with the IWGP Tag Team Titles and heads off with them. Also, it looks like Enzo and Big Cass are at the event and some kind of brawl broke out on the outside at the end of the match. Likely a storyline with the amount of time the two were given once they jumped the barricade. Most of what happened wasn’t shown on camera.

RPH British Heavyweight Championship: (C) Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: (C) Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi – Winner and new IWGP Intercontinental Champion: Kota Ibushi

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship Nick Aldis (with Kamila) joins commentary.

ROH World Championship – Ladder Match: (C) Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll vs. Matt Taven – Winner and new ROH World Champion: Matt Taven

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada – Winner and new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion: Kazuchika Okada