Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live from 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
* Fallout from AEW Revolution
* AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
* PAC vs. Chuck Taylor (with Trent and Orange Cassidy)
* Lance Archer debuts
* Leva Bates vs. Big Swole
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will feature two Steel Cage matches.
Jeff Hardy was a guest on WWE Backstage this week and talked about entering an inpatient rehab facility last year after his arrest for DWI.
Hardy was interviewed Tuesday night by Renee Young and confirmed he’s been backstage at SmackDown the past two weeks in preparation for his return to television.
As you’ll recall … Jeff made headlines during his time away for injury due to two separate arrest incidents related to alcohol. Hardy addressed this while speaking with Young, saying the morning after his second arrest in October he entered inpatient rehab.
“It was one of the best things I could have ever done for myself,” he added. “I’ve done something every day to better myself and it’s just going to be so good to be back in front of all those people. And the mindset that I’m in right now. And to feel that energy. Because there’s something left for me to do in the WWE. I’m not sure what that is, but I want to make that happen.”
Watch the clip from his interview below.
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235057156992299009
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Last night on WWE Backstage, John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL) was announced as an inductee for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
JBL joins nWo, Batista and The Bella Twins. “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and Jushin thunder Liger are also rumored to be inducted into the WWE HOF Class of 2020.
JBL was in-studio after the news broke. JBL attributed a lot of his success to Eddie Guerrero and Ron Simmons. John Cena also sent in a video message congratulating JBL about his induction, which you can see in the clips below.
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235059251518660610
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235060574318288896
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235061173290074113
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235061457232023552
JBL, who wrestled for WWE from 1996-2009, is a Grand Slam Champion and a Triple Crown Champion with one reign each as WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion and United States Champion as well as a 18 time Hardcore Champion, European Champion and 3 time Tag Team Champion with his partner WWE Hall of Famer Ron Simmons. JBL and Simmoms (Faarooq) was known as The Acolytes/Acolytes Protection Agency (APA).
The ceremony takes place on Thursday, April 2 at Amaile Arena and will air live on the WWE Network.
This Tuesday at 8/7c on AXS TV & Twitch, there will be no time to catch your breathe on an absolutely loaded episode of IMPACT!
* Historic Title Match – Impact World Championship: Tessa Blanchard (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
* No DQ Match: Su Yung vs. Havok
* TJP and Fallah Bahh vs. Impact Tag Team Champion The North
* Petey Williams vs. Moose
* Joey Ryan vs. Acey Romero
* Madison Rayne comes to Gut Check
The following was taped for tonight’s AEW Dark episode on YouTube at 7pm ET:
* Britt Baker and Penelope Ford (with Kip Sabian) vs. Yuma Sakazaki and Riho – dark match from AEW Revolution
AEW announced a special episode of Dynamite called “Blood & Guts” that will take place on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The show will feature two rings covered by a giant cage for a WarGames-like match.
At the AEW Revolution post-event press conference, Wrestling Inc. asked AEW President Tony Khan about the match and using the “WarGames” name, which is owned by WWE. Khan quickly pointed out that the match is not called WarGames.
“I have not used that term and will never use that term,” Khan said. “You’ll never see me using that expression.”
Khan confirmed to us that the match will be called “Blood & Guts.”
“The expression we’re using for this match is Blood & Guts,” Khan stated. “It’s everything to us, it’s a heart and soul struggle, but it’s also a metaphor for our company in that it’s both a serious thing in that it’s wrestling-centric, but we’re also having fun with it.”
Khan said that “it’s a blood and guts match”, and it’s “going to be awesome.”
“Blood & guts” is a play on a phrase Vince McMahon used when referring to AEW during an earnings call last year. When asked about WWE having more competition, McMahon said that he hopes that AEW doesn’t continue “the blood and guts and gory things that they have been doing.”
You can listen to Khan’s comments about the “Blood & Guts” episode below:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling are in talks about a possible partnership, according to Wrestling Observer Radio.
It was noted that WWE is “making moves” in Japan and while nothing is official, they are focused on getting the WWE NXT Japan brand going. The goal is to launch the brand this year, but there’s no word yet on how close they are. WWE has had talks with a number of Japanese pro wrestling companies about teaming up, including Pro Wrestling NOAH before they were bought earlier this year, and they have tried to purchase at least one Japanese company. It’s said to be inevitable that WWE will have the NXT Japan brand and the WWE Japan Performance Center, it’s just a matter of working everything out.
There’s also reportedly concern in the country over how WWE might disrupt the Japanese pro wrestling industry, according to the report. This concern is based on how WWE launched the NXT UK brand and changed the pro wrestling landscape in the UK and Europe. It was reported earlier this year that WWE had reached out to WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki, as well as Japanese politician & former pro wrestler Hiroshi Hase, about the political situation surrounding the planned WWE Japan Performance Center.
Legendary Japanese star Jun Akiyama will be guest coaching at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando from Tuesday, May 12 through Friday, May 22. This PC stint for Akiyama is part of the talks with AJPW. Triple H and Akiyama have had talks about bringing him in since last summer.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Vice officially announced today that their popular pro wrestling series “Dark Side of the Ring” will premiere on Tuesday, March 24 at 9pm ET on the network.
You can see the new season two trailer below.
The two-hour season premiere will focus on the Chris Benoit tragedy, featuring interviews with Benoit’s family and friends, including his other son David Benoit, and Nancy Benoit’s sister, Sandra Toffoloni.
The show, which was Vice TV’s most-watched show in history during the first season, will air each Tuesday night at 10pm ET. AEW star Chris Jericho will be the narrator. There will be a new show premiering each week at 11pm ET after “Dark Side of the Ring” with Chris Gethard hosting a rotating panel of guests from the worlds of pro wrestling and entertainment.
“The first season of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ was a massive hit,” said Morgan Hertzan, executive vice president and general manager of Vice Television, in a press release. “These powerful stories transcend wrestling fandom and resonate with both fans of the sport and newcomers who were captivated by this incredible storytelling. We rise to the challenge and do not shy away from the truth. I am proud and excited to continue telling these courageous stories in season two.”
“As lifelong fans, we have always been fascinated by the behind-the-scenes, human stories of the world of professional wrestling,” said executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener. “For our second season we’re going even deeper into its secretive past. Many wrestlers and family members we interviewed have never spoken out before. Our series seeks to help bring closure to their stories.”
The following topics were confirmed for season two:
* The Benoit tragedy
* The murder of Dino Bravo
* Brawl For All leading to career-ending injuries
* The career of New Jack
* David Schultz’s run-in with a 20/20 reporter
* The death of Nancy Argentino
* The story of WWE Hall of Famers The Road Warriors
* Herb Abrams’ attempt to build a wrestling empire
* Owen Hart’s death
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Lita, Gail Kim and Christy Hemme have launched a Kickstarter to raise money to produce a pilot for a new show inspired by true events which blends scripted drama with pro wrestling.
In a video announcement on the page, the three wrestling stars explain the series is “about women, made by women” and will give them a chance to tell their stories.
“But this is still truly a wrestling show with some of the best talent in the world,” Hemme added while noting the show would feature in-ring action.
The press release further explains:
Part TV drama, part wrestling promotion, the show will effectively demolish the fourth wall between characters and audience for a viewing experience that wrestling fans have never seen before. In a traditionally male-dominated industry, KAYFABE is a dramatization and collection of female stories inspired by real life events.
“I think KAYFABE is a great feminist story about a group of empowered women who have—in the most literal sense you could imagine—taken control of their own narratives,” said Hemme, a fan favorite who wrestled for both Impact Wrestling and WWE.
Named after the wrestling craft term that refers to the strict manner in which performers were once forbidden from breaking character or sharing industry secrets, KAYFABE is the perfect name for the new show, which will be taking that term and turning it on its head.
“All the stories we’ll be presenting in this show are something that, in one way or another, happened in real life,” said Kim, a one-time WWE Diva and recent inductee to the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The producers—who all enjoyed storied careers in professional wrestling and each command a sizable and fervent following—have taken to Kickstarter to fund the creation of a pilot in an attempt to bring their vision to life without compromise. In addition to their on-screen careers, all three also share extensive backgrounds behind the camera – Kim being the first female wrestling agent in Impact Wrestling, Hemme becoming the first female talent to join the Impact creative team as director of the women’s division and Dumas, as the first female to become a producer for WWE.
Additional wrestling-related talent working on the show include:
The project is looking to raise $400,000 by April 7 to get the pilot funded.
Watch the teaser for KAYFABE by CLICKING HERE.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
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