Author: John Bass

AEW Head Tony Khan Reacts To Warning From Oklahoma State Athletic Commission

Earlier this week, news emerged that the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission had sent a warning to All Elite Wrestling after the company had violated its ban on intergender wrestling. In particular, OSAC raised issues with a December 20, 2023 match between Nyla Rose, a transgender wrestler, and Alejandra Lion, a cisgender wrestler. As a result, the OSAC has threatened to take “punitive action” if AEW sanctions another match between a transgender and cisgender athlete in the state of Oklahoma. On the AEW Dynasty media call, AEW President Tony Khan addressed the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission’s warning, asserting that he, and the entire AEW family, firmly support and embrace Nyla Rose.

“I was disappointed by the Commission’s position and by that warning,” Khan said. “I don’t think we did anything wrong. I’m really, really shocked by it. I don’t think there should be discrimination against transgender wrestlers or transgender people at all. They have rights, and to that end, I absolutely stand by Nyla Rose. AEW stands behind Nyla Rose and all transgender people who want to play sports. This is wrestling. There is nothing wrong with it. Nyla Rose is a great wrestler. She’s been a great world champion and I love Nyla. I love working with Nyla.”

“… She deserves the same chances as everybody else,” Khan continued. “And if the AEW locker room, which consists of people from all over the world, all kinds of different backgrounds, all different beliefs, if everybody in the locker room can embrace Nyla, I would hope that the Oklahoma Commission could do the same thing.”

As AEW continues to support Rose, Khan pointed out that Rose has been as equally supportive toward AEW, and its diverse roster of talent. Khan also reiterated that Rose remains an important part of AEW’s history, as she stands as one of the talents brought in during the company’s first year of operations, and the second-ever AEW Women’s World Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to AEW

WWE SmackDown Preview 4/19/2024

WWE SmackDown airs live tonight on FOX, from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship number one contender’s match: LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi
  • SmackDown Tag Team title number one contender’s match: The Street Profits vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Angel & Humberto vs. The Authors of Pain

TNA Airs Cryptic ‘Lights Out’ Video At Rebellion Press Conference Teasing New Arrival

During Thursday’s press conference to promote Saturday night’s TNA Rebellion pay-per-view event, a cryptic video aired that appears to tease a new arrival.

As the presser came to an end, a teaser video played showing a montage of images, saying that it’s “Lights Out” at the show.

You can check out the video below:

https://twitter.com/WrestlingCovers/status/1781109918965072289

has announced that DJ Ashba and Lars Frederiksen will be appearing at the pay-per-view event.

Ashba will perform the National Anthem at the show, while Frederiksen (Rancid) will accompany Spitfire to the ring for their Knockouts Tag Team Championship match against DECAY.

Source: eWn

Erick Rowan Believed To Be Returning WWE

Erick Redbeard, previously known as Erick Rowan, sparked discussions among fans when it was revealed that he had withdrawn from various independent bookings, including one for East Coast Pro Wrestling (ECPW). The reason cited was “new contractual obligations,” leading to speculation that he might be returning to WWE.

Later reports indicated that Rowan had been in Pittsburgh recently, a common city where WWE sends talent for medical evaluations before signing them.

This has caused fans to speculate Rowan is returning to WWE to be aligned with Bo Dallas when he portrays Uncle Howdy. Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“Joseph Ruud, 42, who has been wrestling on indies as Erick Redbeard, but best known as Erick Rowan, pulled out of all his upcoming dates citing signing a new contract that would prevent appearing. The natural speculation would be WWE, with the idea of a connection with the returning Bo Dallas. WWE did not confirm that as they wouldn’t officially but within the company there was that expectation.”

Backstage Update On Drew Gulak’s WWE Status

No Quarter Catch Crew has been missing a member as of late, as faction founder Drew Gulak has been missing from WWE programming, and presumed dead in storyline. Even his name has disappeared from the No Quarter Catch Crew entrance graphics on “WWE NXT.” On the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer said the reason for his absence is Ronda Rousey’s recent allegations that the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion put his hands on her clothing without her consent.

“What I was told was that there was no conclusive thing,” Meltzer said. “The witnesses were not conclusive…but Gulak was bad publicity, so he got whacked.” Rousey alleged that Gulak grabbed the drawstring on her sweatpants, while Gulak is adamant he merely missed a handshake and tried to turn the awkward situation into a joke. As it stands, Gulak is still with the company, though Meltzer thinks that could change soon.

“I don’t know that he’s been fired but when I asked it was like ‘Well, if he hasn’t been, he probably will be,'” Meltzer chuckled. “It’s not looking good for him.”

No Quarter Catch Crew is currently feuding with The D’Angelo Family, with Tony D’Angelo claiming the Catch Crew hired The Family to take out Gulak and never paid for the hit. Gulak wasn’t just pulled from “WWE NXT,” as the former 24/7 Champion was also pulled from various WrestleMania Weekend events, including the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where Gulak was reportedly set to sit near a friend of Rousey’s.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Janel Grant Spokesperson Buries Two High Profile WWE Names For Vince McMahon Association

After he resigned from WWE this January, very little regarding the happenings of former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had emerged. That changed Wednesday, when an NBC news story gave a glimpse at McMahon’s life since his resignation, particularly in how he’s handling Janel Grant’s lawsuit against him, a lawsuit that accused McMahon of sex trafficking and abuse. The story also shined a light into McMahon’s private life, including the revelation that McMahon has remained in contact with two key WWE figures in the form of John Cena and TKO board of directors member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Shortly after the story on McMahon emerged, a spokesperson for Grant reached out to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston with a statement regarding Johnson and Cena maintaining a relationship with McMahon. Posted on X, the statement called Johnson and Cena “shameful” for maintaining a relationship with McMahon despite the allegations against him, and that “behind-the-scenes support is louder than any public statement could ever be.”

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1780697405152719142

The statement, as well as the revelation of Cena and Johnson’s continued association with McMahon, comes shortly after both wrestlers played integral parts in WrestleMania 40, an event seen by many as an attempt by WWE to distance itself from McMahon. Appearing as a regular through WrestleMania season, Johnson competed at Night One of WrestleMania 40, teaming with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, before interfering during Rhodes and Reigns’ match on Night Two. Cena also interfered during the match and even briefly confronted Johnson moments before Rhodes emerged as the victor.

While Johnson hasn’t publicly acknowledged McMahon since the latter’s resignation, Cena has spoken about McMahon’s ongoing situation in both 2023 and 2024, receiving criticism both times for showing McMahon support. Neither Johnson nor Cena have responded to the statement from Grant’s spokesperson at this time.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Impact Preview 4/18/2024

It’s the final stop on the road to TNA Wrestling’s spring pay-per-view extravaganza, Rebellion! Don’t miss an all-new TNA iMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for Insiders.

  • Nic Nemeth and TNA Champion Moose to appear
  • TNA Tag Team Championship: Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards (c) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
  • X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali & Grizzled Young Vets vs. Rhino & Deaner & Jake Somethin
  • Rosemary vs. Jody Threat
  • Alexander Hammerstone vs. Little Guido
  • Joe Hendry vs. LSG

ROH TV Preview 4/18/2024

The lineup tonight’s episode of ROH TV on HonorClub.

* ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Griff Garrison
* Abadon vs. Allysin Kay
* Nick Comoroto vs. The Beast Mortos
* Bryan Keith vs. Aaron Solo
* Lee Johnson vs. JD Drake
* Marti Belle vs. Lady Frost
* Taya Valkyrie, Leila Grey & Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch, Kiera Hogan & Trish Adora
* John Silver & Evil Uno vs. TBA
* Lance Archer & The Righteous vs. TBA

Adam Cole Not Returning To The Ring Anytime Soon

Fightful Select has provided an update on the status of Adam Cole who has been out of action for several months due to an ankle injury.

According to the report, Cole is not expected to return to the ring anytime soon.

The reason for Cole’s absence from AEW TV was reportedly due to concerns that it was slowing down his recovery progress.

Cole broke his ankle in September 2023 and there is currently no specific timetable for his return to the ring.

However, Cole can still make appearances on TV, although they may be less frequent.

Before his injury, Cole was a prominent figure on AEW TV and was revealed as the leader of The Undisputed Kingdom, who caused chaos and contributed to MJF losing the AEW World Title to Samoa Joe at Worlds End 2023 on December 30.

Source: eWn

AEW Stars Ruby Soho And Angelo Parker Announce Pregnancy

For most of 2024, AEW’s Ruby Soho has been embroiled in a feud with Outcast stablemate Saraya, while growing closer with Angelo Parker. As the storyline progressed, however, Soho’s in-ring output decreased, with her last match occurring back in February, and she had recently disappeared from television altogether as Parker continued to feud with Saraya and her brother, Zak Knight.

As it turns out, Soho had a pretty good reason for not being around. Following “AEW Dynamite” last night, in a segment taped for Saturday’s “AEW Rampage,” Soho appeared for the first time in weeks to reveal to Parker she had been absent because she discovered she was pregnant. Fightful Select would later confirm this wasn’t just a storyline, and that Soho and Parker, who are a real-life couple, are expecting their first child, with the couple deciding to incorporate Soho’s pregnancy into their TV romance.

Soho’s announcement last night was the only segment taped for “Rampage,” as the show is scheduled to air outside of its 10:00 Friday timeslot this weekend, instead airing live immediately following “Collision” on Saturday. While no firm reason has been given for why the segment was taped last night instead of airing live, Soho is a native of Lafayette, Indiana, only an hour away from last night’s “Dynamite” location in Indianapolis, thus allowing the AEW star to announce her pregnancy in her home state.

Though the segment will air this Saturday, footage of Soho’s announcement and Parker’s emotional reaction can be found on social media. No further details were given on when Soho is expecting, let alone when she’d return to the ring. Wrestling Inc. would like to offer its congratulations to both Soho and Parker.

Source: Wrestling Inc.