Author: John Bass

Impact Wrestling Preview 1/19/2023

The fallout from an earth-shattering Hard To Kill begins on an all-new IMPACT! Tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

  • New IMPACT Women’s Champion Mickie James kicks off IMPACT
  • Mickie James, Jordynne Grace & Frankie Kazarian vs. Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans & Bully Ray
  • Pit Fight: Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Ashley D’Amboise
  • Killer Kelly vs. Taylor Wilde
  • Steve Maclin vs. Dirty Dango
  • Interview with Tommy Dreamer

BTI will feature The Design vs. Yuya Uemura & Delirious

Police Did Wellness Check On Kevin Nash After Troubling Podcast Comments

On a recent episode of the Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash worried fans when he mentioned how it’s been 12 weeks since the death of his son Tristen and it’s been rough for him. 

“Today is week 12 that I lost my boy. Time flies when you got a gun in your mouth. I mean, time flies when you’re having fun,” Nash stated.

Sean Oliver told Nash that he should not joke around about things like that. Nash, who is a gun owner, then responded, “I can do whatever the f**k I wanna do. Long as I leave a note.”

TMZ is reporting that police did a wellness check on Nash after his troubling comments on his podcast this week, and Nash told them that he had no intention to follow through on what he said on his podcast.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Warner Bros. Discovery Blocked Jay Briscoe Tribute Show On AEW Dynamite

This past Tuesday, Jay Briscoe, real name Jamin Pugh, passed away following a car crash in Delaware at 38 years old. 

The wrestling world has been reacting ever since. The tributes continued on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, as the broadcast opened with a graphic of Briscoe and multiple wrestlers had “Jay” armbands during their matches.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Warner Bros. Discovery did not allow AEW to do a full tribute show to Briscoe due to homophobic tweets Jay posted over a decade ago.

This is not the first time that WBD has blocked Briscoe’s involvement on AEW television, as they previously didn’t want AEW President Tony Khan to feature Jay or his brother Mark on its programming. Jay had apologized for the tweets multiple times over the years. 

Khan tapped a Ring of Honor-branded “Jay Briscoe: Celebration of Life” event after AEW Dynamite went off the air that will air on HonorClub and ROH’s YouTube channel for free.

Source: eWrestlingNews

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/18/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

  • All Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jay Lethal
  • TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Kushida
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido
  • Jake Hager vs. Ricky Starks
  • The Young Bucks vs. Top Flight
  • Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale
  • Hangman Adam Page speaks with Renee Paquette

Jay Briscoe’s Passing Reportedly Leads To WWE NXT Change

Jay Briscoe’s tragic death Tuesday reportedly prompted the creative minds behind the scenes at “NXT” to alter a segment at the last minute for last night’s television show. 

“There was a planned NXT segment tonight where New Day would hold a ‘funeral’ for Pretty Deadly’s title shot. When word of Jay Briscoe’s passing emerged, New Day and Shawn Michaels nixed the segment, and Michaels added the Vic Joseph tribute of Briscoe to the show,” Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp tweeted late Tuesday night.

On the show, The New Day announced that they would defend the “NXT Tag Team Championships” against Pretty Deadly and Gallus in a Triple Threat tag team match at the upcoming “NXT” Vengeance Day in February. When The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods delivered the news in the ring, they were inexplicably wearing dress clothes. Kingston and Woods appeared to pivot from what was originally intended, explaining their wardrobe for the segment by telling the crowd that they were wearing such nice attire to celebrate being “done with Pretty Deadly” after defeating them for the titles at last month’s “NXT” Deadline.

During the broadcast, “NXT” commentator Vic Joseph mentioned Briscoe’s passing on-air, offering condolences to his friends and family, as the wrestling community began to mourn such a monumental loss in the industry. “We were just informed of tragic news inside the wrestling community that Jay Briscoe has passed away,” Joseph said. “We want to take this moment to send our condolences to his friends and family.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling World Reacts To The Passing Of Jay Briscoe

Wrestlers and wrestling personalities are reacting in real time to the tragic news of Jay Briscoe’s death.

Leading the reactions are FTR, The Young Bucks, and The Usos — the three teams that have been mentioned in the same breath as The Briscoes as the greatest tag teams of the 21st century. 

“RIP to the homie Jay Briscoe,” The Usos wrote on Twitter. “Condolences to the your family. Rest in paradise uso. @SussexCoChicken #DemBoyz.”

“I’ve been in tears since I heard the news,” wrote Cash Wheeler of FTR. “I just don’t have the words. Rest in Peace Jay.”

“I’m doing ok,” wrote Dax Harwood of FTR, along with a photo of FTR and The Briscoes sharing a drink. “Thanks everyone for checking on me. I love you, Jay.”

Meanwhile, The Young Bucks changed their Twitter header photo to that of Jay Briscoe.

AEW star Matt Hardy, who shared the ring with Jay more than a dozen times, explained why he shared a genuine love for Jay.

“Heard this tragic news while flying,” Matt tweeted. “I’m DEVASTATED that Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh) tragically died today. I was honored to work with him many times. I loved Jay. Jay was SO real. Jay loved his wife & kids more than anything & we shared that bond. I’m heartbroken for his family.”

AEW star Chris Jericho tweeted, “Please pray for @jaybriscoe84’s family. Trust me this is worse than you think.”

Veteran ROH announcer Ian Riccaboni, who called the action for The Briscoes’ final ROH match at Final Battle, touched upon the close friendship he developed with “Dem Boyz” over the years.

“Jay was one of a kind,” Riccaboni tweeted. I traveled often with Jay and Mark. We couldn’t have been more different but that’s what made our friendship something I’ll cherish forever. He’d give you the shirt off his back, his last dime. He was so proud of his kids. Loved his family so much.”

Others such as Moose, “The Hurricane” Shane Helms, Big Swole, Frankie Kazarian and John Silver posted their reactions as well.

Jay Briscoe never wrestled on WWE television but had many fans within the current WWE roster.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque led the tributes with a message that was re-tweeted by WWE’s official account.

“An incredible performer who created a deep connection with wrestling fans across the globe,” Triple H tweeted. “My condolences to the family and friends of Jay Briscoe.”

Shawn Michaels posted a tribute on behalf of the “WWE NXT” roster.

“On behalf of the @WWENXT community, I would like to express our condolences to the Briscoe family for their loss.”

Bayley tweeted, “I’m so sorry to hear about Jay Briscoe. To all my friends who were close to him, to all his fans, and to his family, I’m sending you so much strength and love. ❤️ #DemBoys.”

Shinsuke Nakamura tweeted, “RIP Jay Briscoe.”

GUNTHER, who shared the ring with The Briscoes at a wXw event in 2017, tweeted, “Rest in Peace, Jay Briscoe.”

Others such as Ricochet and Cody Rhodes reacted to the tragic news as well.

“This is so sad. ❤️,” tweeted Ricochet.

“I didn’t interact much with him, but upon meeting Jay I instantly understood something about him…his family was his everything,” tweeted Rhodes. “All the love in the world to them this evening.”

Meanwhile, Sami Zayn went as far as to credit The Briscoes for helping him advance in his pro wrestling career. The former El Generico wrestled The Briscoes on countless occasions for promotions such as PWG and ROH. 

“I don’t have the words right now to properly convey my sorrow,” Zayn wrote on Twitter. “I love Jay & Mark Briscoe. Always have. I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m very lucky to have shared the ring & shared so many laughs with Jay Briscoe and I’m so sad to know neither will happen again. RIP my friend.”

Finally, WWE announcer Vic Joseph acknowledged Jay’s passing during a live episode of “WWE NXT” Tuesday night.

“We were just informed of tragic news inside the wrestling community that Jay Briscoe has passed away,” Joseph said. “We want to take this moment to send our condolences to his friends and family.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jay Briscoe Dead At Age 38

Veteran wrestler Jay Briscoe (real name Jamin Pugh) has passed away at the age of 38 yesterday evening in a auto accident.

Jay Briscoe was killed Tuesday evening in a car accident in Laurel, Delaware. One other person was killed in the collision, and two others were injured. Jay’s wife Ashley confirmed that two of the couple’s daughters were involved in the accident.

AEW and ROH owner Tony Khan shared the heartbreaking news via Twitter on Tuesday evening.

“Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away,” Khan wrote. “Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH for over 20 years, from the first show until today. Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day. We’ll do whatever we can to support his family. Rest In Peace Jamin.”

Jay’s widow, took to Facebook to post an update on her family’s conditions following yesterday’s tragic crash.

Ashley wrote: “We need prayers! Gracie is on her way into surgery on her back. Jamin would want the whole world praying for his little girl. WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER!! Pray for the doctors and everyone working on her! Pray for her precious legs to move again! Pray for Jayleigh who has some pretty serious injuries, but is stable and resting! Pray for Gannon waiting at home! Pray for strength for all of us! We have a long long road ahead of us!”

Jay and his brother, Mark, were the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions, following their victory over FTR at ROH Final Battle on December 10. The Briscoes have been widely regarded as one of the best tag teams of the 21st century, having held tag team gold for promotions such as NJPW, Impact Wrestling, GCW and CZW, besides their 13 stints as ROH World Tag Team Champions.

During the course of his illustrious career, Jay also found success as a singles wrestler, holding the ROH World Championship on two separate occasions.  

The Briscoes were enshrined in the ROH Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2022. 

Laurel School District in Sussex County — where Jay went to school — released the following statement in acknowledgment of the hometown hero’s passing.

“Due to an unthinkable tragedy in our community this evening, The Laurel School District will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday January 18, 2023. Schools will reopen on Thursday. Please keep the Pugh Family in your thoughts and prayers.”

In the outpouring of support from those across the professional wrestling community last night and this morning, one of the most touted aspects of Pugh’s personality was his devotion to his family. One video, posted to Twitter, showed Pugh practicing a cheerleading routine with one of his daughters — something that many wrestlers might shy away from posting publicly, but Pugh was proud and happy to share.’

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon Sued By Detroit’s Police And Fire Retirement System

Given the aggressive, and controversial, nature in which Vince McMahon reassumed control of WWE over the past week and a half, the idea that lawsuits would be filed against him was all but a certainty. Before this morning, McMahon had one lawsuit to deal with, from a shareholder in Delaware, and the likelihood of an older lawsuit, filed in June before McMahon’s initial retirement, re-emerging. Now it appears he’ll have to deal with a third one.

Sportico is reporting that Detroit’s Police and Fire Retirement System has sued McMahon in an attempt to block McMahon from regaining control of WWE, and to prevent “expediting a sale.” A request was also made to issue the complaint as a class action lawsuit, which Sportico noted could potentially slow the process of a sale, should this complaint gain steam in the courts.

The lawsuit, which was noted to be similar to the one followed by the Deleware shareholder just last week, argues that McMahon “breached fiduciary duties as controlling stockholder,” citing his power play to return to the WWE Board of Directors and his rewriting of WWE bylaws. The complaint further argued that McMahon’s rewriting of WWE bylaws could hamstring the Board from making critical decisions.

It’s unclear how much, if any, effect, this will have on McMahon, who appears to be undeterred in his return to regain full control of WWE. Reports have suggested that McMahon has already returned to WWE offices at Titan Towers and has been in contact with several WWE departments. As of this writing, he has yet to resume his role running WWE creative, with current WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H assuring WWE talent in two separate meetings that he maintains creative control, for the time being.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 1/17/2023

Tonight on WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • Tyler Bate returns 
  • Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen
  • Apollo Crews & Axiom vs. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
  • Tiffany Stratton to appear

NXT’s Amari Miller Says She Tried To End Her Life Last Week

WWE NXT Superstar Amari Miller has opened up about her struggles with mental health, saying she tried to take her own life last week.

On TikTok, Miller responded to a question about attempts to take one’s own life and said that she tried to do just that one week ago.

https://twitter.com/tmykwoah/status/1615212123508072448

If you’re struggling with thoughts of self-harm or taking your own life, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention line at  1 800 273 8255, or text 988 for help.

Source: eWrestlingNews