Month: May 2021

WWE Announces SummerSlam Date, 21 More Dates For Summer Return To Touring

WWE has officially announced SummerSlam for Saturday, August 21.

This will be the first time that the biggest show of the summer airs on a Saturday. SummerSlam 1992 was held on Saturday, August 29 in England, but did not air until Monday, August 31.

WWE has not named the location for SummerSlam, but noted that it will be announced on NBC next Saturday, June 5 during the 2021 Belmont Stakes’ pre-race show. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is said to be the front-runner for the SummerSlam location.

SummerSlam tickets will go on sale Friday, June 18.

WWE has also announced the next 21 dates on the summer return to touring. The tour was originally announced as a 25-city schedule, but now they have 27 dates confirmed. The new announcement includes weekend events billed as Supershows. Tickets for the remaining live events will go on sale Friday, June 11. The current line-up runs through Labor Day on Monday, September 6, which is the original date announced for the end of the tour.

Below is the full schedule that has been announced, with the 21 dates that were just announced today:

* Friday, July 16: SmackDown from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX (Previously Announced)

* Sunday, July 18: Money In the Bank from the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX (Previously Announced)

* Monday, July 19: RAW from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX (Previously Announced)

* Friday, July 23: SmackDown from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH (Previously Announced)

* Saturday, July 24: Supershow from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

* Sunday, July 25: Supershow from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

* Monday, July 26: RAW from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO (Previously Announced)

* Friday, July 30: SmackDown from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN (Previously Announced)

* Saturday, July 31: Supershow from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI

* Sunday, August 1: Supershow from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI

* Monday, August 2: RAW from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL

* Friday, August 6: SmackDown from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL

* Saturday, August 7: Supershow from the Hertz Arena in Fort Myers, FL

* Sunday, August 8: Supershow from the Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL

* Monday, August 9: RAW from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL

* Friday, August 13: SmackDown from the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK

* Saturday, August 14: Supershow from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

* Sunday, August 15: Supershow from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

* Monday, August 16: RAW from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX

* Friday, August 20: SmackDown from the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, AZ

* Saturday, August 21: SummerSlam

* Sunday, August 22: Supershow from the Ball Arena in Denver, CO

* Monday, August 23: RAW from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA

* Friday, August 27: SmackDown from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, AR

* Monday, August 30: RAW from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

* Friday, September 3: SmackDown from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL

* Monday, September 6: RAW from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL

AEW Dynamite Preview 5/28/21

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. This week’s show was preempted on Wednesday due to the NBA Playoffs.

* Miro (c) vs. Dante Martin (AEW TNT Championship)

* Joey Janela vs. Hangman Page

* Anthony Ogogo and Cody Rhodes weigh-in

* Jade Cargill issues an open challenge

* A celebration of the Inner Circle hosted by Eric Bischoff

* Evil Uno and Stu Grayson vs. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page

* Darby Allin with Sting vs. Cezar Bononi with Ryan Nemeth

* One year anniversary of Hikaru Shida as AEW Women’s World Champion

* Orange Cassidy will respond to Kenny Omega’s offer to defer his title shot

AEW Double Or Nothing 5/30/2021

DATE: May 30, 2021 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
AVAILABLE ON:B/R Live, Traditional PPV, FITE (Outside of the U.S.)

CARD

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Kenny Omega (c) vs. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.

AEW TNT CHAMPIONSHIP
Miro (c) vs. Lance Archer with Jake Roberts

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston

STADIUM STAMPEDE MATCH
The Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle

CASINO BATTLE ROYALE
Christian Cage, Matt Sydal, Powerhouse Hobbs, 10, Evil Uno, Colt Cabana, Matt Hardy, Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, Jungle Boy, Penta El Zero Miedo, The Acclaimed, Nick Comoroto, Lee Johnson, Dustin Rhodes, Varsity Blonds(Brian Pillman Jr and Griff Garrison)
Winner receives future title shot.

Sting and Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage

NWA WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (BUY IN)
Serena Deeb (c) vs. Riho

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/28/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

WWE has announced just one match for tonight’s show and that’s The Usos vs. The Street Profits.

Tonight’s match will be the first time The Usos have teamed up since the March 27, 2020 SmackDown episode.

It’s believed that the first blue brand match for the Hell In a Cell pay-per-view will be announced on tonight’s show as well.

WWE Reportedly In Talks With New Japan To Be Its “Exclusive American Partner”

WWE is apparently in talks with New Japan with a view to becoming the promotion’s exclusive American partner.

If there has been a buzzphrase in wrestling so far in 2021, then it is almost definitely forbidden door. The make-believe barrier that previously prevented major companies from working together. AEW proverbially kicked it open by working with Impact, as well as the NWA and New Japan. The AEW Champion Kenny Omega is even holding the Impact Title right now, not to mention AAA’s Mega Championship.

One of the main reasons wrestling promotions working together has been seen as being forbidden for so long is WWE. Ever since WWE bought its competition in 2001, Vince McMahon has seemingly been averse to rival promotions existing, let alone working with them. However, in light of its rivals starting to work together, Triple H has previously insisted WWE is open for business on that front.

A new report suggests Triple H wasn’t just saying this to keep up appearances. According to Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, WWE is actively trying to build a relationship with New Japan. Apparently, WWE president Nick Khan has been heading up the talks and they may have been going on since March of this year. The deal would see WWE become New Japan’s “exclusive American partner”.

The word exclusive is the key here. New Japan has been very open to working with American promotions throughout the pandemic and even before it. An AEW star is currently the New Japan US Champion, and it has previously run joint supershows with Ring of Honor. Should it enter into an agreement with WWE, its working relationship with AEW would likely have to come to an end.

Details surrounding the potential deal are scarce right now, especially when discussions are in such early stages that it might not even happen. Early indications are the deal would very much be a two-way street. WWE Superstars would go to Japan and work shows there, with New Japan sending wrestlers the other way. Perhaps Daniel Bryan’s attempts to convince WWE to let its stars work elsewhere while remaining under contract actually worked.

Source: The Sportster

Impact Wrestling Preview 5/27/21

Tonight on Impact Wrestling at 8/7c on AXS TV

  • “The Draw” Sami Callihan will kick things off. What does the former Impact World Champion have to say or declare before Moose and Omega do battle in the main event of Against All Odds in three weeks?
  • Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Knockout Tag Team Champions Fire ‘N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz), Kimber Lee and Susan will collide against Havok, Rosemary, Tenille Dashwood, Rachael Ellering and Taylor Wilde in a Knockouts tag team match. Who will come out on top and possibly become Purrazzo’s new rival(s)?
  • Japanese icon Satoshi Kojima will make his Impact debut.
  • The new Impact World Tag Team Champions Rhino and Joe Doering of Violent By Design will address the roster.
  • Petey Williams and the X-Division Champion Josh Alexander will face TJP and Fallah Bahh

WWE Reportedly Releases Tom Phillips

Longtime WWE announcer Tom Phillips is reportedly no longer with the company.

While not officially announced by WWE as of this writing, Fightful reports that Phillips has been let go. Nick Hausman noted on The Wrestling Inc. Daily on Thursday that there was another major departure expected on the WWE commentary team.

There is no word yet on details surrounding the departure.

Phillips signed with WWE in 2012. He has done work on just about every WWE TV show, including WWE NXT, 205 Live, Main Event, RAW and SmackDown. He has also hosted WWE YouTube and WWE Network shows, and done behind-the-scenes work. Tom was replaced by Adnan Virk as the lead RAW announcer the night after WrestleMania 37. Virk left the company this week after less than two months on the job, and is being replaced by Jimmy Smith.

Tom recently changed his social media handles to show his real name, Tom Hannifan. His bio lists him as a “WWE Broadcaster & Producer.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Star Brian Cage Joins Movie Cast With Horror Icons

AEW star Brian Cage has joined the cast of the “Jasper” horror movie.

Producer Shaun Cairo (Pitchfork) sent word that the FTW Champion will play the role of a character named “Hammer” in the movie.

Written by award-winning writer-director Keith Vaile, “Jasper” tells the story of a young woman (Erin O’Brien) and her friends as they are stalked by a vicious serial killer who disposes of bodies using the hogs on his small southwestern farm.

“Jasper” will also star horror icons Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th franchise, Hatchet), Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) and Emmy-winner Bill Oberst Jr. (The Chair). You can see the full cast listing on IMDB at this link.

The tagline for the film is, “The Hunt for the World’s Most Vicious Serial Killer has just begun.”

The film was shot in Egg Harbor, NJ and Mays Landing, NJ, according to IMDB.

“Jasper” is scheduled to be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 25, 2022 by Unmanned Media and KHV Films Inc. Cairo, Vaile and Judy Fox will are producers for the movie.

Cage will be in action at Sunday’s AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view as he faces “Hangman” Adam Page in singles action.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Jimmy Smith As Adnan Virk’s Replacement On RAW

WWE has officially announced Jimmy Smith as the new member of the RAW announce team.

Smith will debut as the play-by-play voice of RAW beginning this Monday, May 31. He will call the action every Monday night with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

WWE acknowledged in their announcement issued last night that Smith worked as an analyst for WWE NXT, serving on the “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” pre-show panels, and working on special projects for the black & gold brand, which included the video package for Finn Balor vs. NXT Champion Karrion Kross. WWE also pointed to how Smith is the host of SiriusXM’s Unlocking The Cage, and previously hosted American Ninja Warrior.

As reported earlier, Smith has been working with Michael Cole and other WWE staffers as of late to train for a potential announcing role. Cole has reportedly praised Smith heavily, and found him to be very versatile.

The 43 year old Smith is best known for his run with Bellator MMA from 2010 – 2017. He worked as an analyst with Bellator and UFC. In addition to Unlocking The Cage, Smith also hosts ESPN International’s UFC Fight Camp show. He retired from MMA fighting in 2007, with a 5-1 record, and has also done commentary for pro boxing, and other combat sports leagues.

Smith will be replacing Adnan Virk, who parted ways with WWE on Tuesday after less than two months on the job.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Drops Spoiler On Future Of TNT Title, Talks AEW Moving To TBS

AEW star and EVP Cody Rhodes has confirmed that the TNT Championship will not be renamed when AEW programming moves to TBS in 2022.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Rhodes said he’s “99 percent sure” that “the second most important title in wrestling” will not be altered with next year.

“I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but I mean, I’ll drop a spoiler,” Rhodes said. “I don’t think we’re going to change the title’s name one bit. TNT is the place that the first alternative challenger brand in two decades appeared on. Their excitement, our partners at WarnerMedia, and the TNT title, as I’ve stated, I think it is, if not the most important title in wrestling, the second most important title in wrestling.

“I don’t see us changing that name, and I think that’s kind of across the board. I don’t think you’ll find anybody in management or Tony himself who wants to change that name. We’ll always roll with the punches and we’ll always pivot, but I’m 99 percent sure the TNT title stays the TNT title.”

Rhodes went onto explain why upcoming show AEW Rampage will provide a platform to wrestlers who don’t regularly appear on AEW Dynamite.

“I think having Rampage will help considerably,” said Rhodes. “That way we can share the wealth. However, Dynamite’s a very hard show to get on. The best wrestlers in the world are on Dynamite. We have a very full locker room, and on the way to the ring, you walk by a lot of people who are on the bench that week.

“I think you’ll see a lot of that bench get unloaded for Rampage, and that’s very, very exciting. And the two shows will have their own identities surrounding the AEW championships that kind of tether us all together. But other than the logo for Rampage, the details are all still forthcoming, other than I think it will be really great for our locker room.”

Rampage will premiere Friday, August 13, on TNT. The one-hour show will also move to TBS in Jan. 2022 along with Dynamite. When asked how he reacted to the big announcement, Rhodes heaped praise on AEW President Tony Khan.

“Tony [Khan] was able to facilitate the best possible deal for All Elite Wrestling, and that means more money for the content, and then more importantly, the term that Brett [Weitz] at WarnerMedia used is the best term, it truly is an expansion. We’re just expanding our brand on to TBS, that being Rampage, coming over to TBS, Dynamite itself, four specials [on TNT], a la Clash of the Champions, our Saturday Night’s Main Event.

“So for me, I was excited. I’m always kind of the eternal … I’m very reserved in what I think, and so we put it out there on the medium, but it would be remiss if I didn’t think of the fact that TBS has been a part of my life since I was a little kid.”

Rhodes, a big fan of the show American Dad!, also floated the idea of AEW doing a little cross-promotion with the TBS show.

Rhodes will use his father’s “American Dream” moniker in his match against Anthony Ogogo this Sunday at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

Source: Wrestling Inc.