Author: John Bass

Injury Causes Big Change To Impact Wrestling Slammiversary Match

Steve Maclin will not be able to compete at next week’s Slammiversary PPV where he was scheduled to team with Bully Ray against PCO and Scott D’Amore. Impact Wrestling issued the following:

Major Change Confirmed For Slammiversary Match On Saturday, July 15

Former IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Steve Maclin is unable to participate in the high-profile Slammiversary tag team match on Saturday, July 15, at the St. Clair College Sportsplex in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Maclin suffered a serious injury during IMPACT’s just-completed Down Under Tour in Australia and is unable to participate at Slammiversary, IMPACT Wrestling confirmed.

Maclin was scheduled to team with Bully Ray in a Special Grudge Match against PCO and Scott D’Amore. The match will continue as scheduled and Bully Ray’s new tag team partner will be announced live on Busted Open this Monday, July 10, airing on SiriusXM Fight Nation, channel 156. Busted Open airs from 9 a.m. to 12noon ET with host Dave Lagreca, plus a crew of rotating co-hosts, including Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, Mickie James and others.

“First and foremost, everyone at IMPACT Wrestling wishes Steve Maclin a full and speedy recovery,” said Santino Marella, IMPACT Director of Authority. “Whoever Bully Ray brings aboard as his new tag team partner will step into a violent fight, that’s for sure. PCO is fearless and nearly unstoppable; Scott D’Amore is bent on revenge against Bully Ray, so any new partner for Bully Ray also will feel the wrath of D’Amore and his 30 years of pro wrestling knowledge.”

Former NHL star Darren McCarty, a 4-time Stanley Cup winner for the Detroit Red Wings, will be the Special Enforcer for this Special Grudge Match.

Slammiversary is one of IMPACT Wrestling’s premiere events of the year, airing live around the world on pay-per-view, starting at 8 p.m. ET. Slammiversary kicks off with the Countdown to Slammiversary show, streaming LIVE & FREE at 7:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, IMPACT Plus (live player) and FITE. For all the latest Slammiversary news, as well as ticket information, go to: impactwrestling.com.

About IMPACT Wrestling:
A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. and a division of Anthem Sports Group, IMPACT Wrestling® is one of the world’s top wrestling brands, producing over 200 hours of original content annually and televised in 120 countries including AXS TV in the United States. Founded in 2002, IMPACT Wrestling’s deep library of premium content is streamed across the world on key OTT platforms including Pluto TV, XUMO and its own on-demand subscription service IMPACT PLUS©. IMPACT Wrestling has a powerful social media presence with over 10 million engaged followers across all major services. Ancillary businesses include live events, merchandise, licensing, and sponsorship.

Source: eWn

AEW Rampage Preview 7/7/2023

Tonight’s AEW Rampage – 100th episode – on TNT at 10/9c

  • Hangman Page & The Young Bucks vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, John Silver & Evil Uno)
  • Blind eliminator tag team tournament quarterfinal: Jeff Jarrett & Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
  • Blind eliminator tag team tournament quarterfinal: Brian Cage & Big Bill vs. Matt Sydal & Trent Beretta
  • Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir

Update On AEW All In: London Ticket Sales, Could Set All-Time Attendance Record For a Paid Wrestling Show

All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to put on one of the most highly-attended shows in wrestling history next month with AEW All In, and according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there’s a chance the show could break the all-time “verified attendance” record set by WWE WrestleMania 32 in 2016.

AEW All In: London is continuing to sell tickets.

According to The Wrestling Observer and Fightful, AEW All In at Wembley Stadium is now up to 75,030 tickets distributed with “about” 68,000 sold. The stadium is now currently setup to seat a total of 87,825 fans

It was just this past Tuesday, WrestleTix had reported that the event was up to 74,888 tickets distributed.

AEW All In: London is scheduled for Sunday, August 27. AEW still has yet to officially announce any matches for the event.

AEW would need to sell about 6,000 more tickets to break WrestleMania 32’s total attendance record, which seems well within the range of possibility for the four-year-old wrestling promotion. However, Meltzer believes it’s unlikely that the company will reach the paid attendance record of 79,800 people.

All In will be AEW’s first event outside North America, with wrestling fans from across Europe making their way to the United Kingdom to experience the company’s continental debut. Details on how fans at home can watch All In have yet to be announced, with AEW President Tony Khan stating back in May that a deal was still being worked out. Just one week after the massive London event, AEW is planning to hold its annual All Out pay-per-view in Chicago, Illinois, making the waning days of summer a very busy time for wrestling fans.

Sources: eWn and Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/7/2023

WWE SmackDown will air tonight live on FOX and emanate from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

  • Fallout From Money In The Bank
  • Tribal Court: The Trial of The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns
  • WWE United States Championship: Austin Theory (c) vs. Sheamus
  • Karrion Kross vs AJ Styles
  • The Grayson Waller Effect with Edge

Thunder Rosa Provides Injury Update, Potential Return Date

Thunder Rosa has been out of action since August 2022 due to issues with her back.

In her new YouTube vlog, Rosa shared an update on her recovery and tentative return timetable.

Rosa met with AEW’s ringside doctor Michael J. Sampson who said,

“So looking at the most recent MRIs and all the conservative stuff we’ve done in the past, you’re progressing well right now. You still have all the pathology in your lower back, L-405. And you know, I think that with our progression go into pushing it to the limit, but taking it sequentially — so going week to week to week, we push a little bit more. If we hit a roadblock, we back it up a step. But I think you know over the next four to six weeks, we’ll see how it’s going. So far we’ve done a week or two… and you’ve been progressing very well, pain free.”

“I think if we continue to do that, we know where we stand. Gets you stronger, get you more ring-ready. As long as you don’t have that pain, we’re good. We still have to protect your back, we still have — the pathology has not gone away, it’s just a matter of. we’re treating it so that it helps you improve yet also protects you from not worsening. So that’s where we are with it… I would say [six weeks is] a good shooting point to our goal point to go to is six weeks to see how we go with that.”

Source: eWn

Impact Wrestling Preview 7/6/2023

Just 9 nights away from Slammiversary, don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

  • Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Nick Aldis & Lio Rush
  • PCO vs. The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler)
  • Jonathan Gresham vs. Angels
  • Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Sami Callihan & Rich Swann in tag team action
  • Gisele Shaw (with Savannah Evans & Jai Vidal) vs. Courtney Rush (with Jessicka)

ROH TV Preview 7/6/2023

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: 

  • The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) and Stu Grayson vs. Zak Patterson, Macrae Martin & Rip Impact
  • Diamante vs. Vanessa Kraven
  • ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Seleziya Sparx in a Proving Ground match
  • Daniel Garcia vs. Christopher Daniels
  • The Kingdom (Mike Bennett, Matt Taven & Maria Kanellis-Bennett) vs. The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) and Trish Adora
  • JD Drake vs. Tony Nese
  • Lee Moriarty & Big Bill vs. The Boys (Brent & Brandon Tate)
  • Komander vs. Gringo Loco
  • Gates of Agony vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin
  • Shane Taylor vs. Josh Woods vs. Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack vs. Dalton Castle vs. Trent Seven

Kenny Omega Teases Final Member For The Elite Team For AEW Blood & Guts

When AEW Dynamite went off the air on TBS on Wednesday night, the action continued.

Kenny Omega got on the microphone and cut a promo after the show wrapped up for the crowd inside Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“Now you guys listen to this,” Omega said. “There was a week when my whereabouts were unknown. I didn’t stay home. I didn’t go to Canada.”

From there, he would go on to tease the fifth member for The Elite team in their AEW Blood & Guts showdown against the Blackpool Combat Club.

“I went to recruit an old friend, somebody who’s very near and dear to my heart,” Omega said. “I’ve got no doubt in my mind that as much as he cares about me, he cares about the men in this ring, he cares about this promotion, he cares about changing the face of professional wrestling. At Blood and Guts in two weeks, there is no way we lose.”

Source: PWMania

AEW Dynamite Preview 7/5/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

  • Blind Eliminator Tag Tournament Quarterfinals: Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin
  • Blind Eliminator Tag Tournament Quarterfinals: MJF & Adam Cole vs. TBA
  • Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinals: Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho
  • Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta
  • We will hear from Chris Jericho
  • Pre-taped segment with Jon Moxley

MLW Fusion Preview 7/5/2023

Special time and day!

MLW FUSION tonight at 7pm ET headlined by The Samoan SWAT Team vs The Second Gear Crew in a Hardcore match for the World Tag Team Championship, streaming on MLW’s YouTube channel and FITE+, Friday on beIN XTRA and Saturday on Cable TV’s beIN SPORTS (find a provider). 

  • The Samoan SWAT Team vs The Second Gear Crew – Hardcore match for the World Tag Team Championship
  • AKIRA vs Lince Dorado – World Middleweight Championship
  • Mandy Leon vs Billie Starkz

The final stop on the road to Saturday’s Never Say Never live special on FITE+ is here!

The Samoan SWAT Team put their dominant reign over the tag team division to task as Lance Anoa’i and Juicy Finau wage war with The Second Gear Crew in a Hardcore match for the World Tag Team Championship! 

Can the combined finesse of Juicy’s unmatched power and Lance’s crisp offense overcome professional wrestling’s dangerous highwaymen, or will Ol’ Mancer and 1 Called Manders spill blood and brawl their way to their first taste of championship gold in the league?

As the clock winds down to Never Say Never this Saturday on FITE+, Hammerstone and Alex Kane are in the house. Both champion and challenger will address the media for the final time ahead of their World Heavyweight Championship showdown this Saturday night.

Plus, rumors and innuendo of a shadowy power broker backing The BOMAYE Fight Club continue to cast a cloud over Never Say Never’s main event. Who could the mysterious backer be? Part 2 of MLW’s exclusive expose airs tonight!

“The World’s Greatest Wonder” Microman is on the scene with his jovial buddy Mister Saint Laurent. With it being Microman-Day in the city, Saint Laurent promises a big surprise for his little amigo. 

The Calling’s “Death Fighter” AKIRA puts his newly won World Middleweight Championship on the line against former champ Lince Dorado in a rematch. Can Lince get lucha lit once again, or will the infamous calling card definitively claim Dorado as a victim?

After being on the receiving end of The Calling’s horrifying “gift” last week, Billie Starkz steps into the ring with Mandy Leon. Can Starkz stop The Calling’s attempted stranglehold over the Featherweight division dead in its tracks, or will Mandy turn Starkz into her own personal human horror show project? Tune in and find out!

PLUS: Davey Boy Smith Jr and more!