Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, live on TBS from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
WWE NXT on the USA Network this evening at 8/7c from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The WWE NXT Women’s Championship Tournament kicks off tonight.
Ahead of tonight’s NXT on USA show from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL., the company has released the official brackets for the tournament designed to crown a new NXT Women’s Champion, as former champion Indi Hartwell vacated the title last week before moving up to the WWE main roster.
The tourney brackets are as follows:
FIRST ROUND (LEFT BRACKET)
* Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton
* Roxanne Perez vs. Jacy Jayne
FIRST ROUND (RIGHT BRACKET)
* Lyra Valkyria vs. Kiana James
* Fallon Henley vs. Cora Jade
Things get started with tonight’s episode of WWE NXT, as the first two quarterfinal matches (Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria vs. Kiana James) will take place.
Next week’s NXT on USA show will feature the other two quarterfinal bouts, with Roxanne Perez vs. Jacy Jane and Fallon Henley vs. Cora Jade.
Things continue with the WWE Battleground go-home show on May 23, with the Dolin or Stratton winner taking on the Perez or Jayne winner, and the Valkyria or James winner taking on the Henley or Jade winner.
Finally, the tourney wraps up with the NXT Women’s Champion being crowned when the finals take place at WWE NXT Battleground on May 28, 2023 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Source: Rajah.com
IMPACT Wrestling has announced they will be coming to Australia with the Down Under Tour.
The announcement notes that IMPACT will be coming to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales for four days beginning on Thursday, June 29 and then continuing on Friday, June 30 and concluding on Saturday, July 1. Two marquee shows will be held at the Equex Centre.
It was also stated in the announcement that Conrad Thompson will host a live podcast from The IMPACT Down Under Tour.
You can read the full press release announcement from IMPACT Wrestling below:
IMPACT Wrestling Announces 2 Shows This Summer In Australia (Winter, Down Under)
Conrad Thompson Will Host A Live Podcast From The IMPACT Down Under Tour
Major Fan Engagement Activities Scheduled With IMPACT Stars, Championship Matches Confirmed
IMPACT Wrestling presents the 4-day, 2-show IMPACT Down Under Tour, marking the company’s first-ever major events and shows in Australia.
The stars of IMPACT Wrestling will be in the city of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia for four days of activities, starting on Thursday, June 29. The IMPACT Tour is supported by the NSW Government Regional Events Acceleration Fund and the two marquee wrestling shows will be held on Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1 both at the Equex Centre.
IMPACT Wrestling replaced New Japan Pro-Wrestling in Australia due to NJPW scheduling and talent availability issues. The NJPW Oceania Cup has been postponed.
The IMPACT Down Under Tour will feature most of the IMPACT stars, numerous championship matches and special challenge matches against the best Australia-based wrestlers. The shows will be broadcast worldwide on FITE TV and across IMPACT Wrestling international broadcast platforms, digital and social media.
“We are so excited to bring IMPACT Wrestling to the great fans of Australia, with a big thank-you to the NSW Government and the Regional Events Acceleration Fund for helping this tour,” said IMPACT Wrestling president Scott D’Amore. “Australian fans will see the stars of IMPACT Wrestling in-action, in-person and will experience first-hand the excitement, energy and emotion of The IMPACT Zone when we hit the city of Wagga Wagga.”
Wagga Wagga is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia, Sydney and Melbourne.
The IMPACT Down Under Tour will be the company’s first shows outside of North America since a show in the UK in September 2018 that included Rich Swann, Joe Hendry, Sami Callihan and Moose, among others. IMPACT’s last major international tour was in May 2017 in India.
Renowned wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson will be coming to Australia for the IMPACT Down Under Tour and he will be hosting a live podcast on Sunday, July 2.
“This is my first time in Australia … I am really looking forward to seeing the fans and having an awesome experience in Wagga Wagga,” Thompson said.
Cam Vale, managing director of Australia-based GLO Sports, said his company is proud to facilitate the partnership between IMPACT Wrestling and the NSW Government.
“The way IMPACT Wrestling has been able to come in and support this event on short notice has been phenomenal and a testament to their international ambitions,” Vale said. “The broadcast reach of this event will be significant; it will drive economic activity and showcase the Equex Centre as a multi-sport venue capable of hosting international events.
“I am fortunate to have worked with Destination NSW on many occasions in my career and am excited about the opportunities the IMPACT Down Under Tour will bring to engage local business and community stakeholders, showcasing Wagga Wagga as a great location for signature events like this.”
The IMPACT Down Under Tour will include major fan engagement elements, including wrestler meet & greets, autograph sessions and more.
“IMPACT Wrestling is giving opportunities to Australian wrestlers, referees and ring announcers to be part of this event, an amazing development opportunity for this region,” Vale said.
FITE chief operating officer Michael Weber said, “FITE is thrilled to distribute another great event from our long-time partner, IMPACT Wrestling, which continues to grow its international market with these live shows in Australia, available worldwide exclusively on FITE.”
Tickets for the IMPACT Down Under Tour will go on-sale on Saturday, May 13, at 7 p.m. EST (Sunday May 14, 9am AEST) at www.oceaniaprowrestling.com and via www.intix.com.au.
The $40 million Regional Events Acceleration Fund is part of the $2 billion Regional Growth Fund, designed to support growing regional centres, activate local economies and improve services and community infrastructure for regional communities.
Source: WrestleView
Fans in attendance at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot for last Friday’s “WWE SmackDown” and Saturday’s Backlash event certainly made a strong case for WWE to bring more major shows to San Juan, Puerto Rico in the future. According to PWInsider Elite, WWE performers are hoping that the promotion will make San Juan “a permanent home” for Backlash because of the crowd reactions received this past weekend. Wrestlers in the locker room felt the atmosphere was on a similar level to WrestleMania, which in turn made the first premium live event after “The Show of Shows” more significant than it had been in several years.
Wrestlers and fans took to social media to praise the crowd in San Juan following “SmackDown” and Backlash, including Damage CTRL’s Bayley, who also complimented the Paris, France crowd from a recent house show. She posted, “In just a one week span, #DamageCTRL performed in both Paris and Puerto Rico. Two of the absolute greatest crowds and shows I’ve ever been a part of and I am so proud of that. Thank you @ImKingKota and @Iyo_SkyWWE.”
Backlash was co-headlined by Cody Rhodes battling Brock Lesnar and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny going up against The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight. It was revealed yesterday that the premium live event had broken several records, including becoming the highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash of all time. The first televised WWE events in San Juan since January 2005 – “SmackDown” and Backlash – drew a combined 34,800 fans.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
One of the great things about, and pitfalls of, live TV is that anything can happen. And that was the case last night for Becky Lynch, who made her triumphant return to “WWE Raw,” only to find herself being interrupted by her own theme music while trying to cut a promo. Fortunately, Lynch dealt with the situation quickly backstage. Posting a video on her Instagram, the former WWE Women’s Champion was seen confronting the culprit who played her music too early. While the problem seemed resolved, an angry Lynch proceeded to nail the sound guy with a forearm, sending him flying back into his seat.
It’s understandable why Lynch was so upset, given that this was her first appearance on “Raw” in nearly a month. “The Man” hasn’t been seen since she was betrayed by Trish Stratus on April 10, following her and Stratus dropping the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Despite being champions with Lita, Lynch defended the titles with Stratus after Lita was unable to compete due to a backstage attack, which Stratus later confessed to. While Lynch has returned to TV, Lita has not been seen since.
Since the betrayal, Stratus has made several appearances on “Raw” making harsh comments towards Lynch, including last night when she brought up Lynch’s two-year-old daughter. While no match between Stratus and Lynch has been announced, it would appear the two are well on their way to colliding in the ring in the near-distant future.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the ystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL.
While speaking to TMZ, AEW star Darby Allin said he plans to climb Mount Everest next year.
Around 4,000 people have climbed Everest.
“That’s been my whole MO since AEW started. That’s why it’s so important for me to meet up with guys like [Travis] Pastrana, and make stuff happen. Do stuff that no wrestler’s ever done before. The thing I’m going to be doing next year that no wrestler’s done before is climb Mount Everest. You heard it here first.”
Allin will take on AEW World Champion MJF, Jack Perry, and Sammy Guevara in the Four Pillars four-way bout at AEW Double or Nothing later this month.
Source: eWrestlingNews
Eddie Kingston appeared at Sunday’s ROH TV tapings in Orlando, FL to provide an update on his injury.
Just last month, it was reported that Kingston has been dealing with a hernia injury and would likely need surgery. Kingston has now confirmed that he’ll be undergoing surgery on Tuesday, and he believes he’ll be able to return to action in around six weeks.
Kingston’s last match came at the ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view event on March 31st.
Source: eWrestlingNews
We now know the 12 competitors who will be taking part in the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, which begins on tonight’s episode of RAW.
The tournament will feature six Superstars from RAW, and six from SmackDown.
Raw
SmackDown
Earl Hebner, the iconic referee who called the infamous Montreal Screwjob, has announced that his daughter Katie will soon be following in his footsteps.
During a recent appearance on the “Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw” podcast, Earl announced that his daughter will be working as a referee for AEW very soon.
Katie Hebner will travel down to Florida to referee some matches at an upcoming TV taping, her father confirmed.
The younger Hebner had initially hoped to become a wrestler before a cracked bone in her back derailed those plans. Earl added,
“I wanted her to be a referee to begin with, but everybody wants to do their own thing. It’s fine with me, whatever she wants [to do], what makes her happy. So, if it works out, we’ll have another Hebner in the business.”
While Earl said his daughter has come to a deal with AEW, it is unclear which show she will be appearing on.
Source: eWrestlingNews
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