Author: John Bass

Adam Cole Is Back Bay-Bay

Adam Cole is back bay-bay. On the January 11 “AEW Dynamite,” Cole made his surprising return after six months out of action due to a serious concussion sustained at the AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling event Forbidden Door. Cole came down to the ring after a brief introduction by Tony Schiavone and promised the audience good news and bad news.

Cole spoke about how much the outpouring of support from fans over the past few months has meant to him, and the passion it invigorated him with for wrestling. And then the bad news, as Cole put it, was for the AEW locker room. The news was that he is back and ready to compete.

Heading into the Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June, Cole was already working through a torn labrum. During the four-way match against “Hangman” Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada, and Jay White, Cole suffered a concussion that hastened the match’s finish. Since then Cole had been undergoing physical therapy for his arm injury as opposed to getting surgery.

The major factor that has kept Cole out as long as he’s been out has been the concussion. There was some fear that Cole may never compete again, stemming from speculation made on “Wrestling Observer Radio” in October.

After Forbidden Door, AEW CEO Tony Khan made clear that Cole would not be competing again until he was 100 percent. Before his injury, Cole had been heavily featured across AEW programming following his surprise debut at the All Out pay-per-view in September 2021.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1613346368969383938
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1613347689542082561
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1613348005066711041

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/11/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS, and emanate from the KIA Forum in Inglewood, CA, just outside of Los Angeles.

  • AEW World Trios Championship Match Best-Of-Seven Series (Esclara De La Muerte Ladder Match): Death Triangle (c) vs. The Elite – The series is tied at 3-3. If the Elite wins this final match, they will become the two-time AEW World Trios Champions.
  • Bryan Danielson vs Konosuke Takeshita
  • Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley
  • AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter & Britt Baker vs. Saraya & Toni Storm
  • “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry and Hook (JungleHook) vs. Big Bill & Lee Moriarty
  • We will hear from the Jericho Appreciation Society

Multiple WWE Stars Are Willing To Leave The Company If Sold To Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

Vince McMahon’s shocking return to WWE last week has led to a major development in the company and its future.

McMahon returned to the WWE Board of Directors alongside George Barrios and Michelle Wilson to help negotiate the new TV deals for Raw and SmackDown and explore a potential company sale.

On Tuesday, Stephanie McMahon resigned from WWE as Chairwoman and co-CEO. Vince was named Executive Chairman of the Board, while Nick Khan is the CEO.

Rumors started coming out on Tuesday night about a potential WWE sale, with WWE agreeing in principle to sell to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

“Contrary to reports stating otherwise last night, there is no deal in place at this precise moment for WWE to be sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund or any entity, sources say. The organization is still exploring all options, I’m told. Developing. Worth noting that the original tweet stating it was a done deal has since been deleted.”

The tweet by Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN.com about WWE being sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which was highlighted below, has been deleted.

Sean Ross Sapp Of Fightful has provided some updates through Fightful Select and Twitter.

People on the writing team and in production have not been informed of a sale. There has been incredible concern among staff and talent about the future, regardless of Vince being back in control.

Sean Ross Sapp noted this morning that “there have been multiple wrestlers who have told me they’d leave WWE if the company ends up being Saudi Arabia-led.”

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer also confirmed a lot of nervousness about uncertainty in the company for talent.

Sources: WrestlingNews.co and PWMania

Backstage Clarification On Mia Yim’s New Ring Name

WWE has been flip-flopping on what to call Mia Yim since her return to the company months ago. WWE announcers have continued to stumble with apparent uncertainty over if she’s Mia Yim or Michin or both. This week on “Raw,” Corey Graves repeatedly referred to The OC member as Mia Yim. Yet, during her entrance, “Michin” was plastered across the Titantron while the ringside announcer referred to her as “Michin Mia Yim.” Bayley, her opponent, only referred to her as “Michin.”

But, according to Fightful, despite any on-screen confusion, Michin is still officially only listed by her singular nickname backstage.

The wrestler, whose real name is Stephanie Lee, has gone by a handful of in-ring names throughout her career, including “Jade” when she worked with IMPACT Wrestling throughout the mid-2010s. “Mia Yim” was the first name Lee used when she began her pro wrestling career at 18 years old, and it’s also the name she used during her initial run with WWE from 2018 until late-2021. Lee continued going by “Mia Yim” when she went back to the independents, including appearances with Impact.

Karl Anderson began referring to Lee as “Michin” when she returned to WWE in mid-November and joined The O.C. She told backstage interviewer Cathy Kelley it meant “crazy” in Korean. “It’s kind of a nickname,” she said. WWE then changed her name to “Michin” on its website, before then changing it back. The head-spinning continues, though, as Lee’s name remains listed as “Mia Yim” online, which runs contrary to her internal listing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Stephanie McMahon Resigns As WWE CEO & Chairwoman of WWE

Stephanie McMahon has resigned as CEO and Chairwoman of WWE.

Less than a week after Vince McMahon came out of retirement and reinstated himself to WWE’s Board of Directors, his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, has stepped down as the co-CEO of the company.

Stephanie announced her decision via Twitter on Tuesday evening. In the statement, she recalled returning to WWE last year to serve as the co-CEO alongside Nick Khan, which she described as a “privilege.” However, now that her father has returned to guide the company in collaboration with Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, she believes that WWE is in a perfect position to deliver “unparalleled creative content and drive maximum value for shareholders.”

In the statement, McMahon acknowledges her previous leave of absence, which she was undertaking before Vince stepped down as CEO amid his sexual misconduct and hush money scandals. However, it seems that Stephanie’s latest absence will be more permanent, as she announced her “official resignation” and revealed that she’ll be “cheering on WWE from the other side of the business.”

Following Stephanie’s announcement, WWE put out a press release that included thoughts from her father. “First, I’d like to express my full support for Stephanie’s personal decision. I’ll forever be grateful that she offered to step in during my absence and I’m truly proud of the job she did co-leading WWE,” Vince said. “Stephanie has always been the ultimate ambassador for our company, and her decades of contributions have left an immeasurable impact on our brand.”

Per WWE’s press release, Khan will serve as the company’s CEO moving forward. According to Vince, Khan’s “business acumen and mastery of the media industry have helped catapult our business to record revenue and profitability,” and he looks forward to working with him as WWE explores “strategic alternatives” during this critical juncture in the company’s history.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

https://twitter.com/StephMcMahon/status/1612956533695938560

Tony Khan Says AEW Will Run Live Events

AEW has mostly only run television tapings, with the exception being a special live event, “The House Always Wins,” in April 2021. However, that looks to be changing. 

Tony Khan discussed the possibility of AEW diving into the live event business while speaking on In The Zone:

“That’s something we are talking about. We have a great live events team. It’s something we’ve talked a lot about and building out the live event business. There is definitely a lot of demand for AEW live events, and now we have this great big strong roster that wants to do these live events, so it’s something we’re going to do,” he said (H/T to Fightful).

Source: ewrestlingnews

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Schedule On AXS TV Announced

AXS TV announced its broadcast schedule for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, starting on January 12 through January 26. AXS TV issued the following: 

WRESTLE KINGDOM 17 FEATURES THE RETURN OF KENNY OMEGA WHEN AXS TV’S NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING PREMIERES THURSDAY, JANUARY 12

Other Highlights Include the debut of Mercedes Moné, Jay White vs Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, FTR vs Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI for the IWGP Tag Team Titles, and ‘The Great Muta’ Keiji Mutoh’s Final Match of his legendary NJPW career, & More

LOS ANGELES (January 11, 2023) – AXS TV, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc., presents New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s premiere of Wrestle Kingdom 17, beginning Thursday, January 12 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

The weekly series delivers one hour of blockbuster content compiling the absolute best moments from the groundbreaking promotion’s most recent broadcasts. Each episode is broadcast in English and features expert play-by-play commentary from NJPW’s own Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton and Gino Gambino.

AXS TV’s upcoming schedule of Wrestle Kingdom 17 coverage is as follows:

January 12—Wrestle Kingdom 17

-The legendary Kenny Omega makes his highly-anticipated return to NJPW for the first time in four years, as he challenges the “Commonwealth Kingpin” Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

January 19—Wrestle Kingdom 17

-Bullet Club mastermind Jay White puts the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line against the “Rainmaker,” Kazuchika Okada, in a rematch of their championship bout from Dominion 2022, where White shocked the world by taking Okada’s title.

January 26—Wrestle Kingdom 17

-Witness the moment that took the wrestling world by storm, as Mercedes Moné (formerly known as Sasha Banks) makes her NJPW debut with a stunning statement—putting inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI on notice just minutes after her first title defense against Stardom standout Tam Nakano.

-Fan-favorite IWGP Tag Team Champions FTR defend their belts against Bishamon brutes YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto.

-Then, heralded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, “The Great Muta” Keiji Mutoh enters the squared circle one last time for NJPW, as he joins forces with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino to take on Los Ingobernables de Japon’s own Tetsuya Naito, SANADA and BUSHI.

February 2—Wrestle Kingdom 17

-2022 Super Jr. Tag League winners Lio Rush and YOH cash-in on their opportunity to challenge United Empire duo TJP and Francesco Akira for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.

-Tama Tonga sets his sights on former Bullet Club brother WWE Superstar Karl Anderson, as Anderson walks through the Forbidden Door to defend his NEVER Openweight title.

-IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori steps into the ring for a fearsome 4Way showdown with Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado, and Master Wato.

In addition to these programs, NJPW on AXS TV is presenting all-new episodes through February.  

AXS TV produces the English-language version of New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a joint venture with New Japan World and in association with TV ASAHI CORPORATION.

AEW Dark Preview 1/11/2023

AEW Dark on AEW’s official YouTube channel later tonight at 7:00 pm EST.

* ROH Women’s World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Marina Shafir
* Juice Robinson vs. Travis Williams
* Ruby Soho & Willow Nightingale vs. Emi Sakura and Diamante
* The Voros Twins vs. Big Bill & Lee Moriarty
* Ethan Page, Matt Hardy, & Isiah Kassidy vs. Judas Icarus, Sebastian Wolfe, & Caleb Teninty
* Teal Piper & Kel vs. Anna Jay A.S. & Tay Melo
* Steve Migs vs. Jake Hager

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil Preview 1/10/2023

The WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL will host the 2023 NXT New Year’s Evil episode, which will air live tonight on the USA Network.

New Year’s Evil will also include the reveal of a vignette that has been airing for weeks, as seen below. This vignette is thought to be for Tiffany Stratton’s return.

For tonight’s NXT special, WWE has announced the following lineup:

NXT Title Match
Grayson Waller vs. Bron Breakker (c)

20-Woman #1 Contender Battle Royal
Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne, Ivy Nile, Tatum Paxley, Sol Ruca, Cora Jade, Zoey Stark, Nikkita Lyons, Fallon Henley, Kiana James, Elektra Lopez, Wendy Choo, Ivy Nile, Thea Hail, Lyra Valkyria, Valentina Feroz, Lash Legend, Amari Miller, Jakara Jackson, Dani Palmer
Winner faces NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at Vengeance Day.

Gauntlet Match
Pretty Deadly vs. 3 teams TBA
If they win, Pretty Deadly will earn a title shot at NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day.

Donovan Dijak vs. Tony D’Angelo
Winner will earn a shot at NXT North American Champion Wes Lee, who will be on commentary.

The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed, Brutus Creed) vs. Indus Sher (Veer Mahaan, Sanga)

Charlie Dempsey vs. Hank Walker

Chelsea Green Returning To WWE, Deal Signed ‘Quite Some Time’ Ago, Update On Matt Cardona And Kylie Rae

Many fans have speculated that Chelsea Green was returning to WWE after finishing up with Impact Wrestling late last year following reports that WWE was interested in bringing her back. 

Fightful Select has updates on the contract status of three wrestlers, including Green.

Per the report, Green has been under contract with WWE “for quite some time and is still awaiting creative.”

Another indication that Green was headed to WWE was her recently shutting down her Onlyfans page. Major Pod also had to limit the new Chelsea Green merchandise production due to her signing.

With multiple reports that Green was being brought back, there was speculation that her husband, Matt Cardona, could be on his way back to the company. WWE sources have indicated that “Cardona is not signed, but that we shouldn’t rule anything out for the future.”

Finally, Kylie Rae is reportedly still a free agent despite being brought in for a tryout and appearing on WWE Main Event, which led to speculation that she’d been signed.

Source: WrestlingNews.co