Author: John Bass

WWE Announces Former AEW Star Jade Cargill Has Signed Multi-Year Contract

WWE has today announced the signing of Jade Cargill. According to the Stamford, Connecticut-based promotion, the former All Elite Wrestling star has inked a multi-year deal. Cargill will begin training today at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. 

ESPN, the outlet that initially broke the news of Cargill’s signing, said that it remains unclear if the 31-year-old will be heading straight to the main roster or if she will begin her WWE journey on the “WWE NXT” brand.

It was recently reported that Cargill was WWE-bound after departing AEW. Cargill’s final match with Tony Khan’s promotion was broadcast on the September 15 episode of “AEW Rampage,” where she unsuccessfully challenged Kris Statlander for the AEW TBS Championship. Cargill, who first appeared for AEW in November 2020, is the longest-reigning AEW TBS Champion in history after holding the gold for 508 days.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 9/25/2023

WWE RAW will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Toyota Center in Ontario, California.

  • Cody Rhodes to kick off RAW
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
  • NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Dragon Lee
  • Bronson Reed vs. Otis
  • Shinsuke Nakamura will respond to Seth Rollins’ challenge
  • Drew McInytre on MizTV

PCO Reportedly Gives Notice To Impact To Leave

PCO is reportedly leaving IMPACT Wrestling.

Pat Laprade of TVASports in Montreal said he spoke with sources very close to the situation and can confirm that PCO has given his notice to IMPACT Wrestling. PCO’s contact is said to be up on October 30.

PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet) has been with IMPACT Wrestling since January 2022.

https://twitter.com/PatLaprade/status/1705677720040960080

Source: WrestleView

Updated List Of WWE Talent Releases (2023)

Due to the Endeavor merger, WWE has began releasing several wrestlers from their deals as of September 21, 2023 to save on costs. WWE released a few more names on September 22 and 23.

We will be updating this page with the latest names. This does not currently include names of upper management who were let go earlier in the week:

9/21

  • Dolph Ziggler
  • Elias
  • Aliyah
  • Rick Boogs
  • Riddick Moss
  • Emma
  • Top Dolla
  • Shelton Benjamin
  • Dana Brooke
  • Mustafa Ali
  • Mansoor
  • Mace
  • Shanky
  • Dabba Kato / Commander Azeez / Babatunde (NXT)
  • Quincy Elliot (NXT)
  • Bryson Montana (NXT)
  • Yulisa Leon (NXT)
  • Daniel McArthur (NIL)
  • Kevin Ventura-Cortez (NIL)
  • Alexis Gray (NIL)
  • Brooklyn Barlow (NIL)

9/22

  • Matt Riddle
  • Ikeman Jiro (NXT)
  • Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald (NIL)

9/23

  • Melanie Brzezinski (NIL)

Sami Callihan Is Reportedly Leaving Impact Wrestling

Sami Callihan’s contract with Impact Wrestling will be expiring in one week.

PWInsider is reporting that Callihan is expected to be leaving the company. Multiple sources have confirmed that Callihan will be exiting the promotion when his contract expires on September 30th. It is said that Saturday night’s Impact Wrestling TV tapings in Memphis, TN marked the end of Callihan’s current run with the company. The departure is said to be amicable.

Callihan will become a free agent on October 1st, and there is said to be interest in him from several companies. Some of those companies are interested in his on-screen talents while others are interested in having him work as a producer/agent.

Sheamus Reportedly Suffering From A Really Bad Injury

Sheamus hasn’t competed in a WWE ring since he was defeated by Edge in what could be the “Rated-R Superstar’s” final-ever match for the company. While his absence hasn’t been addressed by the company, Dave Meltzer has revealed on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio” that Sheamus is currently out of action due to a really bad shoulder injury.

While there are no details as to when the “Celtic Warrior” sustained the issue or how long he is going to be on the shelf for, this is the reason he hasn’t been shown on television, nor has he been part of WWE live events throughout the past month. Neither Sheamus nor WWE has made an official comment on the situation, and it remains to be seen what the long-term plan is.  

Sheamus’ future has been a big talking point as of late anyway due to the fact his contract with the company is set to expire in 2024, but that is something that could end up being extended now if he’s out for a while as WWE could tag that time on. 

This is not the first injury that the Irishman has sustained throughout his tenure with WWE, which began back in 2006. While he’s had several smaller issues over the years he did deal with a major neck injury back in 2019 which took him out of action for nine months and sparked retirement rumors, but it remains to be seen if his current problem will be as severe.

WWE has been continuing to use his fellow Brawling Brutes as a tag team as Butch and Ridge Holland have been getting opportunities to shine together as a duo, which could open the door for Sheamus to rejoin the group when he is able to return. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Collision Preview 9/23/2023

Tonight’s AEW Collision Live on TNT from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • Texas Death Match: Ricky Starks vs. Bryan Danielson
  • AEW Tag Team Championship: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (c) vs. The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
  • Jay White vs. Andrade El Idolo
  • TNT Championship: Luchasaurus (c) vs. Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage
  • Rob Van Dam & HOOK vs. Angelo Parker & Matt Menard
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

USWA & Portland Wrestling Star Bart Sawyer Passes Away

The family of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper has announced that Bart Sawyer (Steve Stewart), a staple of the Portland Wrestling scene, passed away on Thursday at the age of 57 years old.

Sawyer was a mainstay for Portland Wrestling during the early 1990s before joining the USWA. He got his start in the wrestling business training under Bob Giegel in the Kansas City area and wrestled his first match as a student against Curtis Hughes. He worked for the World Wrestling Alliance in Kansas City and then made some appearances for the USWA and WCCW before beginning to work for Pacific Northwest Wrestling.

Sawyer was forced to retire in November 2004 following a stroke that left him in a coma for several days and partially paralyzed his left side.

Although Sawyer eventually recovered, he never stepped in between the ropes again.

Source: eWn

Matt Riddle Released By WWE

Matt Riddle is gone from WWE.

In a statement released on Twitter, Riddle announced his departure and thanked his fans for all the years of memories. The move follows mass talent cuts by WWE on Thursday, when the promotion released at least 22 stars or prospective stars in the way of its acquisition by Endeavor and merger with Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Riddle, himself a former UFC fighter, began training as a professional wrestler almost a decade ago and signed with WWE in 2018. Over the course of his career, he won the “NXT” Tag Team Championship with Pete Dunne (now known as Butch), the “Raw” Tag Team Championship with Randy Orton, and the WWE United States Championship. His WWE run was also characterized by prominent accusations against him during the #SpeakingOut movement, his real-life feud with Seth Rollins, and his multiple drug suspensions, the most recent of which came in 2022 and resulting in him being removed from television. Riddle returned on the “WWE Raw” after WrestleMania 39, but with a somewhat diminished role in the absence of his injured partner, Orton.

Riddle made headlines earlier this month for an incident at JFK airport and hadn’t been seen on television since. Despite reports that his absence was not related to the airport altercation and that he was making his return to “WWE Raw” this week, Fightful Select is now reporting that Riddle hasn’t been backstage or on the road with WWE since he was pulled from weekend events and the September 11 episode of “Raw.” Fightful claims Riddle was not planned for a return and not part of WWE’s creative plans following the incident, despite the fact that he was in the middle of a storyline that had seen him teaming up with Drew McIntyre, and says one source cited Riddle as having “burned through too many chances while in WWE.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Grand Slam Preview 9/22/2023

Tonight’s special two-hour “Grand Slam” edition of AEW Rampage on TNT.

  • ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) (c) vs. The Elite (The Young Bucks & Hangman Page)
  • AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) & Billy Gunn (c) vs. Dark Order’s Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds & John Silver
  • ROH World Tag Team Championship number one contenders match: The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. The Hardys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) vs. The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) vs. Best Friends (Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor)
  • Sting & Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage & Luchasaurus
  • Orange Cassidy, Hook & Kris Statlander vs. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker & Anna Jay
  • Skye Blue vs. Julia Hart
  • Mike Santana in action
  • We’ll here from Sammy Guevara and Don Callis