AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tonight on WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network:
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.
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
It’s official – Cody Rhodes will be making his in-ring return at the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
On this week’s episode of RAW, it was announced that Rhodes, who has been out of action with a torn pectoral muscle following his match with Seth Rollins at WWE Hell in a Cell 2022, will be entering the men’s Royal Rumble match.
Rhodes joins Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Baron Corbin, Austin Theory, Santos Escobar, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, and Gunther as confirmed competitors for the match so far.
Myron Reed is now a free agent.
According to a report from Fightful, Reed, a former World Middleweight Champion who has been with the company since 2018, is now free to sign wherever he’d like.
The parting of ways between the two sides was said to have been mutual and amicable.
Reed officially became a free agent on January 14th.
Source: eWrestlingNews
Two lawsuits have been filed against Vince McMahon following his return to the WWE Board Of Directors because he has returned to the company.
McMahon will not be beholden to stockholders moving forward, as a new SEC filing noted how McMahon would no longer need stockholder approval for his actions in the company as he reportedly attempts to oversee a sale of WWE.
The lengthy filing puts into writing the fact that McMahon can now make decisions for WWE on his own, without a meeting with or vote from the shareholders. With this amendment now in place, McMahon should have full approval over a potential sale in the coming months, or alternatively will be in control of the company’s decision on a media rights deal if a sale does not come to pass.
Following last year’s allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate use of funds for “hush money” payments, McMahon stepped down from his role as CEO and Executive Chairman of WWE. Earlier this month, however, McMahon made a shocking return to the company’s Board of Directors, and was quickly reinstated as Executive Chairman. McMahon’s actions were conducted under the pretense of exploring a sale of the company — something that has been rumored as a possibility for the past several years.
In the aftermath of her father’s return, former WWE co-CEO Stephanie McMahon announced that she would be stepping away from her duties, leaving Nick Khan as the company’s sole CEO. Her husband Paul “Triple H” Levesque recently held a pair of meetings to reassure talent that he remains the head of WWE’s creative direction as Chief Content Officer.
“On January 5, 2023, Vincent K. McMahon, the controlling stockholder of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “Company”), executed and delivered a written consent (the “January 5th Consent”) taking certain actions by consent without a meeting in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) resulting in, among other things, the election of Mr. McMahon to the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) and certain amendments to the Company’s bylaws (the “January 5th Amendments”) that Mr. McMahon indicated were intended to ensure that the Company’s corporate governance continued to properly enable and support stockholder rights. On January 6, 2023, the Company issued a press release providing an update regarding the composition of its Board, including Mr. McMahon’s return to the Board, and the Company’s intention to explore strategic alternatives with the goal to maximize value for all stockholders of the Company. On January 9, 2023, the Board elected Mr. McMahon as Executive Chairman of the Board.
“Subsequently, Mr. McMahon informed the Company of his view that there is substantial alignment among the Board and management concerning the decision to conduct a review of strategic alternatives amid the Company’s upcoming media rights cycle and that the Company’s corporate governance will properly enable and support stockholder rights. In light of the foregoing, on January 16, 2023, Mr. McMahon, in his capacity as controlling stockholder of the Company, executed and delivered a written consent (the “January 16th Consent”) taking certain actions by consent without a meeting in accordance with Section 228 of the DGCL to substantially repeal the January 5th Amendments, as further described below in Item 5.03.
“No further approval of the stockholders of the Company is required to approve any of the actions taken by Mr. McMahon pursuant to the January 16th Consent. Pursuant to rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Company expects to file with the SEC, and thereafter mail to its stockholders, an information statement as required by Schedule 14C promulgated under the Exchange Act to provide stockholders with information concerning the January 5th Consent and January 16th Consent. The Schedule 14C will also constitute notice to stockholders in accordance with Section 228 of the DGCL of the actions taken by the January 5th Consent and the January 16th Consent.”
A separate filing noted that McMahon has repealed all amendments that were made on January 5:
“Effective January 16, 2023, pursuant to the January 16th Consent, the Reporting Person repealed all of the January 5th Amendments (which were incorporated into the amended and restated bylaws of the Issuer filed by the Issuer with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 11, 2023 as Exhibit 3.1 to the Issuer’s Current Report on Form 8-K) other than Article XI (Exclusive Forum), which designates (i) the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of, among other claims, any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Issuer, and (ii) the federal courts of the United States of America, to the fullest extent permitted by law, as the sole and exclusive forum for any cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.”
Sources: eWrestlingNews and Wrestling Inc.
