Author: John Bass

Dark Side Of The Ring Set For Season 4 On VICE – UPDATED: Trailer Released

As first reported by Variety, Dark Side of the Ring is set to begin its fourth season on VICE on May 30.

The season will feature ten episodes with stories about such topics as Chris Candido and Sunny, Magnum T.A., Abdullah the Butcher, and Marty Jannetty, and will once again be narrated by Chris Jericho. Executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener have shared their gratitude and excitement for the series with Variety, stating:

“We’re incredibly grateful to our viewers for giving this show the life that it has had for the past 4 years….As lifelong fans of professional wrestling, our subjects continue to inspire us. There are so many fascinating and compelling stories left to tell and it’s a privilege to share more of them in our fourth season.”

The series remains the most watched of all time on VICE, spawning multiple spinoffs in the process.

Source: WrestleView

UPDATE:

The fourth season of VICE TV’s “Dark Side of the Ring” will debut on May 30 at 10 p.m. ET.

Evan Husney and Jason Eisener return as the executive directors. The trailer for the season was released today and confirmed the subjects that will be covered. Here’s the list: 

  • Chris Candido & Tammy Sytch
  • Magnum T.A.
  • Adrian Adonis
  • Doink the Clown
  • Junkyard Dog
  • Marty Jannetty
  • Bam Bam Bigelow
  • Abdullah the Butcher
  • Bash at the Beach 2000
  • The Graham Family

AEW/ROH Star Brian Cage Reportedly Signs New Contract

Brian Cage has signed a new deal with AEW, according to a report by Fightful.

Based on confirmation from PWInsider, sources have indicated the new deal has the current ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion staying on with the company for about five years.

Cage and fellow champions The Embassy retained the championship against AR Fox, Blake Christian, and Metalik at ROH Supercard of Honor on March 31 in Los Angeles.

Source: WrestleView

Gable Steveson Returning To Amateur Wrestling Competition

WWE signee Gable Steveson has announced his plans to return to international wrestling competition.

On Tuesday, USA Wrestling sent out a press release to announce that Steveson will be competing at the US Open later this month.

You can check out the official announcement below:

OLYMPIC CHAMPION AND FORMER GOPHER GABLE STEVESON SET TO RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING COMPETITION
Former Gopher heavyweight Gable Steveson, as he announced his return to amateur wrestling competition on Tuesday evening with his registration in the U.S. Open, which will take place later this month.

The announcement closes out a 13-month hiatus from the sport dating back to last season’s NCAA Championships where Steveson left his wrestling shoes on center mat, a rich tradition in wrestling signaling the end of a competitor’s career.

Steveson has hinted towards his desire to make his return to the mat in recent media appearances as the 2024 Olympic cycle draws near. FloWrestling confirmed Steveson’s return through their social channels on Tuesday evening.

As the rumors swirled of a potential return for the heavyweight, the U.S. Open seemed to be the first event in which Steveson could come back to the mat as the tournament acts as the first step in qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer.

In his four seasons at Minnesota, Steveson amassed an 85-2 career record with 60 bonus-point victories, collecting two NCAA titles, three Big Ten titles, and two Dan Hodge trophies. He also claimed the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defeating Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili in one of the most dramatic finishes the sport has ever seen.

The former Gopher great will return to action as a representative of the Gopher Wrestling Club, Minnesota’s regional training center for international styles. He will be competing alongside fellow GWC athlete Hayden Zillmer, the 2022 World Team member at 125 kilograms.

Fans can tune in to the awaited return of Gable Steveson at the 2023 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 26-30, 2023 live on FloWrestling.

Source: eWrestlingNews

WWE NXT Preview 4/11/2023

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

New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Crowned On RAW, Trish Stratus Turns Heel

We have new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions in the form of Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez.

During Monday night’s episode of RAW, we saw a segment where Lita was found laid out in the backstage area. Following a commercial break, Trish Stratus offered to step in to help Becky Lynch defend her and Lita’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships in a previously scheduled match with Morgan and Rodriguez. The finish of the match came when Morgan ducked a Chick Kick and quickly rolled Stratus up for the win.

While Lynch wasn’t thrilled with losing the titles, she raised Stratus’ hand and hugged her. At that point, Trish turned heel and nailed Becky with the Chick Kick.

When backstage correspondent Byron Saxton attempted to get an explanation immediately following the betrayal, Stratus simply walked on by. So for the time being, the WWE Universe will only have certain questions to sit on. Until we get an explanation from Stratus herself, there’s going to be a lot of speculation. For the time being, fans may take some solace in the fact that this is already her second match of 2023. Given her actions Monday night, it seems certain that there’s more to come.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus has been rumored to be taking place for several months now. It was reported last month that there were plans for Stratus to turn her heel and work a program with Lynch through SummerSlam. 

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that this is still the plan as WWE is going to extend the feud through the summer, leading to a SummerSlam match on August 5. 

Sources: eWrestlingNews and Wrestling Inc.

Rikishi Introduces Newest Wrestler From The Anoa’i Family

This week, yet another member of the Anoa’i family has entered the wrestling world. WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi announced via Instagram that his son would be entering the wrestling world, using the name Thamiko T. Fatu moving forward. The 36-year-old performer is Rikishi’s fourth and final son to become a professional wrestler, joining his three brothers, Solo Sikoa and The Usos.

Thamiko, real name Jeramiah Fatu, has remained away from the wrestling world up until this point, but his arrival on the scene could be a major development for any company that he ends up competing for. While some fans are already speculating that Thamiko will eventually become a new addition to WWE’s Bloodline faction, Rikishi’s Instagram post suggests that Thamiko is independent and accepting bookings at this time.

Thamiko, who Rikishi nicknamed “Toko Uso” online, has a lot of pressure on his shoulders as a part of the legendary Anoa’i Family Dynasty. The Anoa’i family is one of the most prolific families in professional wrestling history, with members making their marks all over the world. While the most notable of these family members in the modern day may be The Bloodline, who has dominated WWE’s main roster as a group for three years now, the Anoa’i family’s dominance reigns elsewhere, with the likes of Jacob Fatu dominating MLW and the North American independents over the past number of years.

While Toko’s journey as a professional wrestler is just beginning, his two older brothers just celebrated a major career milestone earlier this month when they became the first WWE Tag Team Champions to main event WrestleMania, losing the titles to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens on Night One of WWE’s biggest event of the year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 4/10/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA.

Matt Hardy Provides Update On Jeff Hardy’s Return To AEW

Jeff Hardy has been absent from All Elite Wrestling since June of last year due to his DUI arrest. In February, Jeff pleaded no contest in his DUI case. He has since been out of action recuperating after undergoing eye surgery.

Matt Hardy, his brother, expressed his desire to see Jeff return to the ring once he has recovered from his surgery.

Sharing details regarding his brother’s eye surgery, Matt Hardy said,

“Jeff just had some eye surgery. His eyes were just a little off set, it’s just probably from wear and tear and beating his body up. They had to work on some ligaments and tendons in one of his eyes. So, they corrected that [with] surgery and they said probably in five, six weeks, he should be okay.”

Matt then expressed hope that Jeff will soon return to AEW after putting his legal troubles behind him and proceeded to provide a timeline as to when Jeff might return to AEW. He said,

“So, I’m hoping after that, now that he’s kind of putting this whole situation behind him, that we’ll see him back around soon. I’m hoping so, man. You guys keep your fingers crossed. Maybe six, eight weeks from now, hopefully we can see some Jeff Hardy on AEW.”

Jeff Hardy was suspended indefinitely without pay following his DUI arrest last summer, and Tony Khan emphasized that Jeff can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Details On Vince McMahon’s Lack Of Influence On WWE SmackDown And WrestleMania 39

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque was reportedly the go-to person with regard to creative operations on this week’s “WWE SmackDown.”

As reported earlier, Vince McMahon was not present at the tapings in Portland, Oregon, and “reviewed creative plans remotely.” While there were minor changes made to the script, there was nothing major, which represents a drastic shift from the backstage environment during Monday’s post-WrestleMania 39 “WWE Raw” in Los Angeles.

In an update from PWInsiderElite, a source at the tapings described whatever changes made to the script as “nothing out of the ordinary” in comparison to changes made since Levesque took over creative last year. Typically, rewrites ordered by McMahon are known to wipe out multiple segments and/or matches, but there was “no sign of that today,” the source added. 

Furthermore, Mike Johnson of PWInsider confirmed that the main event plan for WrestleMania 39 was “always locked in” for Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes. Contrary to fan speculation, there were “no last-minute changes due to Vince McMahon” or anyone else. Johnson added that “Cody will be pushed going forward as a top-tier talent,” and the finish to his match with Reigns was kept a secret to the “absolute bare minimum of those who needed to know.” 

For fans who missed “SmackDown,” Triple H cut a very uplifting promo on the show, addressing “the future” in his address to the WWE Universe in Portland. While the primary focus of his speech was to announce the upcoming WWE Draft, Triple H seemed to firmly suggest that he was back calling the shots as it pertains to WWE creative operations, asking fans if they were “ready to play the game.”

It now remains to be seen if the script for Monday’s “Raw” is again altered by McMahon, as was reportedly the case earlier this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Update On Randy Orton’s Injury Status & In-Ring Return

It was reported last week that Randy Orton was in Los Angeles, CA for WrestleMania Weekend festivities. This sparked rumors of Orton possibly making his return at WrestleMania 39, or on RAW after WrestleMania. However, The Viper never appeared at either event.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Orton’s back injury is not healed to the point that he can be medically cleared for an in-ring return. WWE sent out the information to dismiss any speculation about Orton making a surprise appearance.

Orton last competed on the May 20, 2022 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Source: eWrestlingNews