WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA.
Former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter hasn’t competed in a match since May when she lost her title to Toni Storm at Double Or Nothing. Since then, she’s been sidelined with an injury suffered around that time and while talk of her recovery timeline has stayed relatively quiet, it’s very possible she may not be back in time for AEW’s biggest show to date.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there have been conversations that she won’t be ready as AEW travels to London for All In at the end of August. The highly anticipated Wembley Stadium show currently has no matches announced, but with over 74,000 tickets sold, AEW will have all eyes of the wrestling world on it to see what kind of show it’s able to put on at such a great scale.
Hayter is one of the few British wrestlers on the AEW roster, so it makes sense that Tony Khan would like to book one of the hometown heroes from the U.K. on the show. This is one of the reasons why the likely inclusion of Will Ospreay at All In is such an attractive option.
Hayter had been feuding against The Outcasts at the time of her injury, with the women’s faction credited for causing it on television. That still opens up the possibility for all sorts of vengeance upon her return, especially with Toni Storm still walking around with that belt around her waist. A confrontation between Hayter and Saraya — both from the U.K. — would have been massive at Wembley, and is something the latter admitted she wanted to happen. But all of those may be off the table as All In swiftly approaches and Hayter’s return looks no closer.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Jack Perry’s recent heel turn may have awakened the sleeping giant that is Extreme Championship Wrestling, with the newly-crowned FTW Champion berating the now-defunct company on the July 26 edition of “AEW Dynamite.” After defeating his former tag partner HOOK a week prior, Perry took aim at the iconic hardcore promotion and one of its biggest stars Taz (who’s also HOOK’s father), before being interrupted by AEW producer and former ECW wrestler Jerry Lynn.
With AEW President Tony Khan publicly expressing his love of ECW throughout the years, one of the company’s greatest performers — tag team legend and WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray – believes he could be the perfect person to help take Perry to the next level.
“If the story went down the ECW road and I showed up in the right town … there’s monster business to be done there,” Bully said on “Busted Open.”
“This is not me blowing smoke up my own ass … if you announced that Bully Ray, or even Tommy Dreamer to the matter, were showing up on ‘AEW Dynamite’ on whatever week it was, to come face-to-face and confront Jack Perry, you’re doing over a million viewers. Guaranteed.
“Tommy fits the part the best. Him and Taz were the bestest of best friends, Tommy was Taz’ best man at his wedding. The story is so deep, it’s there if you want to go down the ECW road. If you do go down that ECW road, you will make Jack Perry a bigger star at the end of this story than you can with any other talent that’s in ECW right now.”
Dreamer and Bully Ray have both remained active in recent months, while the likes of Rob Van Dam and Rhyno have also been suggested as potential opponents for Perry on social media. The likelihood of Taz being the ECW legend to topple Perry is minuscule, with the former world champion continuing to reiterate his retirement from in-ring competition.
Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “Busted Open”
MLW FUSION tonight at 8pm ET headlined by Tracy Williams vs Tony Deppen in Stage One of the 2023 Opera Cup, streaming on MLW’s YouTube channel and FITE+, Friday on beIN XTRA and Saturday on Cable TV’s beIN SPORTS (find a provider).
Fatu fires off on The Calling as the “Highchief of the Hood” is ready to throw down.
The oldest tournament in wrestling showcases the next generation of grappling as “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams and Tony Deppen go to war in stage 1 of the 2023 Opera Cup.
Will the mouthy Deppen get silenced with a crossface or will Hershey’s sweetest wrestler vanquish “Hot Sauce” and punch his ticket to the finals against Davey Boy Smith Jr? Tune in and find out!
What does Willie Mack think of the disrespect being thrown his way by Alex Kane? The Mack speaks his mind as the road to Fury Road heats up.
The “Human Slaughterhouse” Rickey Shane Page emerges from the darkness to fight the Second Gear Crew’s Matthew Justice. It’s Justice’s first match since the savage War Chamber encounter earlier this year. Will “Thrash” raise hell or experience a downward spiral, courtesy of RSP?
Mister Saint Laurent promises reprisals against The Second Gear Crew.
Mr Thomas goes one on one with prospect J Boujii in a BOMAYE Fight Club Tryout as Alex Kane’s team goes into full recruitment mode.
PLUS: Round 5 of the 2023 MLW Open Draft!
Tonight’s Impact on AXS TV.
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:
Variety is reporting that A24’s “The Iron Claw,” a movie about the Von Erich family, has a release date.
The movie was written and directed by Sean Durkin. It’s slated to be financed and produced by A24.
The cast includes Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry), Harris Dickinson (David), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), Aaron Dean Eisenberg (Ric Flair), MJF (Lance Von Erich), and Kevin Anton (Harley Race).
The movie will release in theaters on December 22nd. You can check out the official synopsis for the film below:
“Based on the true story of the Von Erichs, the film follows the rise and fall of the family dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”
Source: eWn
Back in December, Dustin Rhodes did an interview where he revealed that his contract with All Elite Wrestling would be expiring in July of this year. At the time, Rhodes said,
“I made the decision, the end of July, my contract is up and I’m going to be done in-ring, or at least tone way down. I don’t know if that’s going to be it because when we say we’re retiring, we always comeback and you never say never, but that’s what I’m looking for, an end date for my in-ring wrestling career.”
According to a report from Fightful Select, Rhodes’ contract actually expires in September of 2024.
As of this writing, there is no word on whether an extension was signed or if another issue extended the terms of the original contract.
Source: eWn
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Former WCW and WWE star Marcus ‘Buff’ Bagwell was arrested earlier this month, it has been confirmed.
Bagwell was arrested on July 13, according to Cobb County records in Marietta, GA, and was pulled over for speeding, which is a misdemeanor.
Bagwell was also charged with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, also a misdemeanor, and was released from jail on July 15.
This is the latest setback for Bagwell, who has a history of prior legal issues, many stemming from substance abuse-related reasons.
Earlier this year, Bagwell revealed that he was seven months clean after a lengthy battle with addiction.
Source: eWn
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