Month: January 2024

Mustafa Ali Is Coming To TNA

Former WWE star Mustafa Ali has officially signed with TNA Wrestling, months after he was released by WWE.

The former Retribution member featured in a vignette on the 25 January 2024 episode of TNA iMPACT, which appeared at the end of the show. In the vignette, Ali, who was dressed in a suit, delivered a message, with two people mimicking secret service members standing behind him. 

“Change, often it happens gradually over time. But sometimes it happens in a flash. TNA has recently undergone a change, gradually, years in the making. But now it’s time for a different kind of change, one that’s immediate and ignited by the introduction of an x-factor. I’m Mustafa Ali and I approve this message,” he concluded smiling at the camera.

Following his WWE exit, Ali began a “World Tour Campaign,” wrestling around the world with his politician gimmick. Ali has wrestled in a few indies and also in GCW since leaving WWE, while a vignette of his also aired on NJPW recently. After his WWE non-compete clause expired, Ali announced a “Mustafa Ali 2024” campaign and promised that change is coming. The gimmick is similar to the one that he had in “WWE NXT” last year, which he debuted a few weeks before his WWE release.

Ali joins former WWE colleagues like Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler) and Ash By Elegance (FKA Dana Brooke) who have made TNA their new home. It remains to be seen when Ali will debut in TNA, but he has several upcoming matches in promotions like NJPW, Progress, and House of Glory

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Report Names Brock Lesnar As WWE Star Mentioned In Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Lawsuit

A bombshell was dropped on the wrestling world Thursday afternoon, after a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, alleging that Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis engaged in sex trafficking made headlines. Among the allegations in the suit were that McMahon sexually abused and exploited Grant, trafficked her to other WWE employees, including Laurinaitis, and attempted to do so with “a former UFC Heavyweight Champion the company was actively trying to re-sign” in 2020.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the former UFC Heavyweight Champion in question is none other than long-time WWE star Brock Lesnar. According to the suit, Grant was instructed by McMahon to create “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar, referred to only as a “UFC and WWE star” in the lawsuit, in an attempt to sway Lesnar towards re-signing with WWE. Grant alleges Lesnar told McMahon that he enjoyed the content and that McMahon later told Grant that Lesnar re-signed with WWE, in part, so he could have sexual relations with Grant.

The suit further claims that McMahon gave Lesnar Grant’s phone number in December, leading to Lesnar requesting that she send him more explicit content. Grant then alleges Lesnar told her he would like to set up a “play date” between the two of them, though the encounter would ultimately not take place due to a snowstorm “disrupting his [Lesnar’s] travel plans.” Grant alleges McMahon would attempt to traffic her to Lesnar one final time in March 2022, with McMahon once again telling her to send explicit photos to Lesnar. Ultimately, the suit alleges that a physical meeting between Lesnar and Grant never took place.

Lesnar has not commented on the matter at this time.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon Sued Over Sex Trafficking Claim By Former Employee Who Took Hush Money Payments

The following comes from a report from The Hollywood Reporter.

Janel Grant accuses the wrestling mogul of coercing her into sex with him and others at the company. She calls the company probe into sexual misconduct allegations a “sham.”

WWE founder Vince McMahon and a former executive have been sued for sex trafficking and battery by a ex-administrative employee, who questioned the extent of the company’s investigation into hush money payments after she wasn’t interviewed despite stating her cooperation.

Janel Grant, in a lawsuit filed in Connecticut federal court on Thursday, said she was coerced by McMahon into having sex with him and others at the company at his direction during his tenure as chief executive of the wrestling outfit. WWE was named in the complaint for attempting to “conceal the wrongdoing.”

The suit escalates growing legal troubles for the company tied to payments by McMahon to silence sexual misconduct allegations. He initially retired in 2022 amid the probe, only to return the next year by using his power as WWE’s controlling shareholder to appoint himself and two former executives to its board, which went on to name him executive chairman. McMahon in November was sued in a shareholder complaint over his corporate coup that paved that path for him to merge the sports entertainment powerhouse with Endeavor’s UFC. It accused him of accepting a sweetheart deal that allowed him to stay on as executive chairman of TKO Group and avoid scrutiny in connection with the probe that could’ve ousted him from the company.

In a statement, a spokesperson for McMahon said, “This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth.”

WWE didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to the complaint, Grant in 2019 was directly hired by McMahon as an administrator-coordinator in WWE’s legal department. While McMahon was chief executive, she alleged he “recruited individuals to have sexual relations” with her and directed her to engage in sexual activity at WWE headquarters during working hours.

The suit details a June 2021 assault by McMahon and John Lauriantis, former head of talent relations who was also named in the complaint. 

“Behind a locked door, the two men cornered her and pulled her in between them, forcibly touched her, before ultimately putting her on top of a table in between them,” the complaint stated. “She begged them to stop, but they forced themselves on her, each taking turns restraining her for the other.”

According to the complaint, Grant was terminated when McMahon’s wife discovered the affair. She says she was coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement under the threat of McMahon releasing pornographic content he captured and his vast legal resources.

“Ultimately, Ms. Grant succumbed to the pressure and signed the NDA in exchange for payments – which McMahon later stopped making,” the complaint stated.

Instead of intervening to address the alleged misconduct, Grant claims that WWE moved to “sweep the matter under the rug” with a payment of $3 million. She takes issue with the company’s board of directors touting the conclusion of the “sham” probe into sexual misconduct allegations by McMahon despite the special committee neglecting to interview or request documents from her.

Additionally, the suit calls into question WWE’s characterization of hush money payments from McMahon, which were initially footed by the company. In securities filings, WWE called the payouts  “immaterial accounting errors,” per the suit.

Grant claims suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation due to the alleged misconduct. She seeks unspecified damages and brings claims for battery and violations of federal laws related to sex trafficking, as well as negligence against WWE.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

SmackDown Announcer Kevin Patrick Released By WWE

After nearly three years with the company, “WWE SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick has officially been released, according to PWInsider. Multiple sources only recently reported that Patrick would be removed from “SmackDown,” with the reasoning that it “just wasn’t working out.” Despite this, it originally seemed there could have been a future for him in the promotion after some restructuring, especially since he was liked backstage. 

A replacement for Patrick has not yet been announced.

It was also reported that Michael Cole was initially brought back to “SmackDown” to help Patrick gain his footing, but that Cole was removed from the team to determine whether Patrick could hold his own, with some believing he was not “the right person for the role”. Additionally, PWInsider says that Patrick was set to travel to attend “SmackDown” in Florida this Friday, making his release seem like a last-minute decision. Before his stint with WWE, Patrick worked as a broadcaster for Sirius XM, beIN SPORTS, CNN International, and multiple other companies. During this time, he even interviewed Liv Morgan, who he praised for her conduct during their chat.

Less than a year ago, Patrick recalled his journey to WWE during an appearance on the “Out Of Character” podcast. According to him, he received his audition call while he was shaving in preparation for an appearance on CNN International, since WWE was headhunting for broadcasters at the time. During the same interview, Patrick notably claimed that he had been trying to learn from as many industry veterans as possible.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Impact Preview 1/25/2024

Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV is all-new. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

  • The System (TNA Champion Moose & Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards) vs. Motor City Machine Guns and the returning Kazuchika Okada
  • TNA Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Trinity
  • Nic Nemeth’s TNA in-ring debut vs. The Rascalz’s Zachary Wentz
  • TNA Tag Team Champion Chris Bey vs. Kevin Knight
  • MK Ultra vs. Dani Luna & Jody Threat
  • Dirty Dango & Oleg Prudius vs. Damian Drake and Dante King

ROH TV Preview 1/25/2024

ROH will air a new episode of its weekly television show tonight at 7 pm ET on HonorClub. 

You can sign up for the streaming service here. Below is the lineup for the show: 

  • Willie Mack & Blake Christian vs. The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum)
  • Angelico & Serpentico vs. Cole Karter & Griff Garrison w/Maria Kanellis
  • Zak Knight vs. Aaron Solo
  • Taya Valkyrie, Leila Grey, & Diamante vs. Lady Frost, Kiera Hogan & Trish Adora
  • Ethan Page vs. TBA
  • Nyla Rose vs. TBA
  • The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) vs. TBA

WWE’s Natalya Possibly Helping Produce Hart Family Film Following Success Of Iron Claw

Following the recent success of A24’s “The Iron Claw,” many have wondered what other wrestling stories could be made into blockbuster pictures, and it seems that WWE star Natalya might be playing a part in bringing her family story to the silver screen. On January 14, Natalya posted an image on her Instagram account where she was pictured with Rory Culkin, the star of movies like “Signs” and “Scream 4.” Culkin wasn’t the only person of note in the picture, which also included Jordan Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Productions, the company that has produced movies like “The Kill Room,” “Seven Faces of Jane,” and “Becky.”

Natalya’s caption noted that she was working on something near and dear to her heart, and according to a recent report by Fightful Select, that something involves possibly making a movie based on the Hart family, an idea that has been in the pipeline for some time. Levine and Beckerman have reportedly had interest in the idea for a while, to the point where some casting ideas have already been pitched. This could be where Culkin comes in, as the actor is a long-time wrestling fan and the brother of Kieran and Macaulay Culkin, the latter of whom has history with WWE after making a cameo on an episode of “WWE Raw” in 2009.

“The Iron Claw” has (perhaps ironically) turned into something of a feel-good story at the box office; as of this writing, it’s grossed more than $32 million domestically, which is uncommon for a R-rated film. That success may have spurred renewed interest in movies about wrestling families, and the Harts are better known than “The Iron Claw’s” subjects, the Von Erichs. Natalya is the granddaughter of family patriarch and Stampede Wrestling founder Stu Hart and the niece of former WWE stars Bret and Owen Hart.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2FjMiMuyOb/

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/24/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.

  • AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) and “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn (c) vs. Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Kaun)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Adam Copeland (Tony Khan announced on social media that this match will air commercial free)
  • Hangman Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Jeff Hardy vs. Swerve Strickland
  • Wardlow vs Trent Beretta
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Red Velvet
  • “Timeless” Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo face-to-face
  • Sting and Darby Allin to speak

Cora Jade Had Surgery On Torn ACL

Cora Jade has gone under the knife to surgically repair a torn ACL.

During the main event of a WWE NXT live event earlier this month, Jade’s match against Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Title had to be stopped due to an injury.

Jade posted the following on Twitter, confirming the news:

https://twitter.com/CoraJadeWWE/status/1749899099736883337

Ava Raine Becomes Youngest-Ever WWE GM In NXT Segment With Returning William Regal

“WWE NXT” has a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ava Raine.

Tuesday’s episode of “NXT” marked an important meeting for 22-year-old Ava Raine, as she was seen standing outside the office of Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels. A returning William Regal then emerged from the office, sharing the news that Raine had been named as the new General Manager of “NXT,” making her the youngest general manager in WWE history.

As Raine thanked Regal for sitting in on their meeting, Regal noted that while this role is often a thankless job paired with long hours, he is confident that Raine can keep up with its demands. Regal also reminded her that he is always a phone call away if she needs advice along the way.

Regal previously took on the on-screen General Manager duties for “NXT” in 2014, serving in this role until his eventual release from WWE in January 2022. Following his exit from WWE, Regal joined All Elite Wrestling, serving as a managerial figure for the Blackpool Combat Club. The veteran performer later requested his release from AEW, which was then granted in December 2022, on the condition that he could not appear on WWE television in 2023. With his non-compete clause now over, Regal is free to resume any on-screen duties that WWE may have for him, including tonight’s new “NXT” GM unveiling.

Raine isn’t the only member of the Samoan dynasty to receive an authority position this week. Earlier today, WWE revealed that her father, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was appointed to the board of directors at TKO Group Holdings.

Source: Wrestling Inc.