Author: John Bass

Backstage News On Talent Reaction To Vince McMahon Allegations

After the Wall Street Journal reported that Vince McMahon has paid over $12 million in ‘hush money,’ there have been mixed reactions backstage from the talent, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio.”

The allegation claimed that McMahon had paid off three other women whom he had supposedly been sexually involved with, one of which was a former wrestler that claimed to have been coerced into having oral sex, while another was sent unsolicited nudes from him.

Meltzer heard from several different wrestlers who were at “WWE SmackDown” and they provided a varying degrees of thoughts when it comes to the latest allegations surrounding McMahon. One believed that people know what they are getting themselves into when they enter the wrestling business.

Another talent revealed that McMahon is not selling anything right now, and nobody backstage is talking about the situation as they believe that if you are heard doing that there is a chance of getting in trouble, which nobody needs right now. Then a third person gave a very different take, as they were said to be very concerned about the situation.

They believe that it is one thing for him to pay money in order to cover up an affair, which was the first allegation that was made against him, but it is something else when it becomes coercion, as they are viewing that as a concerning situation.

McMahon was backstage at “WWE SmackDown” this week, although unlike when the first allegation was made against him, he did not appear on television this time. Despite that, it was being viewed as ‘business as usual behind the scenes when it came to running the show and what was happening.

The original report against McMahon took place on June 12, which claimed he had paid off a former paralegal regarding an affair that they had. Since that point, WWE’s board of directors have been investigating him, while he also stepped down as the WWE CEO, with Stephanie McMahon taking over on an interim basis.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Rock’s Daughter, Ava Raine, Debuts Nickname In First WWE NXT Promo At NXT House Show

WWE NXT held another live event last night in Orlando, Florida, headlined by Bron Breakker successfully defending his NXT Championship against Tony D’Angelo. Elsewhere on the card, the leader of Toxic Attraction, Mandy Rose, defeated Ivy Nile to retain her NXT Women’s Title, and The Creed Brothers defeated Joe Gacy and a member of the DYAD to retain their Tag Team Titles.

But one of the biggest stories coming out of the show isn’t about the in-ring action at all. Fresh WWE NXT talent Ava Raine, the real-life daughter of The Rock that signed with WWE in February 2020, cut her first promo at last night’s event. She was presented as a heel to the audience as she talked down to Cora Jade and the rest of the NXT women’s locker room.

Raine also revealed what her nickname will be going forward and it’s possibly a nod to a recent horror film. Raine, a fan of cinema influenced by the supernatural, apparent by the many references to “The Craft” (1996) on her social media, was referring to herself as “The Final Girl” during her in-ring promo. The film, “The Final Girls” was a horror/comedy film released in 2015 that first debuted at the SXSW Film Festival before receiving a wider release in the United States later that Fall. The premise of the movie sees the protagonist, Max, along with her group of friends, getting trapped inside a B-horror film where they must use the tropes they’ve learned from watching horror movies to survive. There’s no certainty this film influenced the new description Raine is giving herself in NXT, but the connection is possible.

“The Final Girl” is also a common trope in horror cinema as a whole. She is recognized as the last girl or woman surviving in the film as the story becomes centrally focused on her.

As seen in the photos below, Raine was trending after she dropped the promo last night, signifying that we might be approaching a televised debut for the 20-year-old. She has been teasing her debut for several weeks until last night when she finally revealed her persona to a live crowd.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 7/8/22

The following lineup is announced for tonight’s AEW “Rampage” at 8/7C on TNT:

  • Eddie Kingston vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • Orange Cassidy vs. Tony Nese
  • Jonathan Gresham & Lee Moriarty vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Kaun)
  • Mercedes Martinez & Serena Deeb in action

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/8/22

WWE SmackDown, tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.

As of Friday morning, here is the lineup announced for tonight’s show:

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns returns
  • How will Ronda Rousey respond to the new “SmackDown” Women’s Champion Liv Morgan?
  • Maximum Male Models to unveil their 2022 Tennis Collection

Marko Stunt Discloses Plans To Start His Own Wrestling Promotion

Marko Stunt wants to form a new wrestling company this year.

Former AEW performer Marko Stunt has revealed plans to start up his own promotion.

The 25-year-old left AEW this year as a result of not having his contract extended and is now wrestling on the independent scene, mostly performing for GCW. His exit from AEW hasn’t slowed him down any and he remains very active as an in-ring competitor. However, he has plans to begin working on the periphery and is looking to launch his own promotion before the end of 2022.

“I’m actually, I have my own promotion coming up around where I live in Memphis,” Stunt said during an interview with NBC Sports Boston recently. “I think we’re starting here in September. We’re still trying to come up with everything and do everything.

“We haven’t released any posters or anything. That is coming soon. I am going to be starting up a promotion here. I also help out a lot with a show in Missouri, with the booker there. I’ve been getting into that role and trying to learn that type of stuff.”

Stunt has been appointed EVP and co-booker of Cape Wrestling in Missouri since his departure from AEW.

Source: TheSportster

Chris Jericho Reveals He Was Hospitalized With Pulmonary Embolism

Chris Jericho has told the full story behind why he wound up in hospital last year.

Chris Jericho got wrestling fans worried at the end of 2021 when it was revealed The Wizard had been hospitalized during a UK tour with his band, Fozzy. The exact reason Jericho wound up in hospital wasn’t revealed. At least not until recently when Tony Khan let the cat out of the bag revealing Jericho had suffered from blood clots.

Since Khan had revealed half the story, Jericho decided to use Friday’s episode of Talk Is Jericho to tell the story in full. Turns out the first AEW Champion didn’t have just one blood clot, he had a lot of them. In fact, Jericho had something called a pulmonary embolism. The medical name for some of those bloodclots being in Jericho’s lungs, so an incredibly serious situation.

Jericho first realized something was up when it became difficult to breathe during a Fozzy show in Newcastle. The former WWE Superstar soldiered on, performing shows in Chester and Bournemouth, but suffering the same problem on both nights. Upon arrival in London for a media day, Jericho was finally hospitalized at which point he was diagnosed and doctors went to work on clearing the clots and increasing his blood oxygen level.

“I got to the hospital and I can barely walk. I mean walking across the lobby to get to the car to go to the hospital was a real task. It was terrifying,” Jericho revealed. “They did an ultrasound and found that there was evidence of a clot in my throat. Now if a clot gets in your throat, that’s getting into stroke territory.” Jericho was given blood thinners which cleared the clots, but if one had dislodged it could have been a very serious situation, perhaps one that had resulted in his death in a worst-case scenario.

Jericho had to stay in London for an extended period as he was unable to fly back to the US until his oxygen level was back to normal. It was also recommended that he lose some visceral fat, which is why he is in notably better shape now than he was six months ago. The leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society bulked up intentionally for his work in Japan but has lost 32 lbs since the incident in the UK. He’s all good now, as has been proved by the multiple matches he has had in AEW since.

Source: TheSportster

Vince McMahon Allegedly Paid Four Women $12 Million To Silence Sexual Misconduct Allegations

A new report has revealed Vince McMahon may have paid off multiple former employees to stay quiet.

Last month, allegations that Vince McMahon paid a former WWE paralegal $3 million in hush money after the two had an affair surfaced via the Wall Street Journal. That report led to McMahon stepping down as WWE’s CEO pending the result of an investigation by the company’s board. Today, those allegations have become far more serious as new reports that McMahon has paid off multiple women have emerged.

The report once again comes from the Wall Street Journal which has now revealed McMahon allegedly paid off as many as four women going back 16 years. Those payments apparently total $12 million, with one of the four unnamed women included in the report being paid $7.5 million by McMahon. The report claims that amount was paid to a former wrestler who McMahon allegedly coerced into oral sex before demoting her and then eventually neglecting to renew her contract in 2005.

The wrestler wasn’t paid off at the time, but reportedly met with McMahon and negotiated a deal for her silence along with her attorney. The second of the two women mentioned in the report apparently approached the company with unsolicited nude photos of their boss, presumably threatening to leak them should she not get paid. WSJ reports the former WWE contractor was paid $1 million in return for not sharing the photos online.

The third person mentioned in the new report doesn’t include as many details as the previous two. Just that a former manager with the company was paid $1 million in 2006 in return for their silence regarding an alleged sexual relationship between her and McMahon. The three new instances combined with the previous reports of a $3 million payment mean McMahon is now being accused of paying more than $12 million across almost two decades in return for the silence of former employees with who he has allegedly had sexual encounters.

WWE’s next move in all this remains unclear. The first report resulted in McMahon stepping back as CEO, but then appearing on SmackDown that week seemingly just to prove that he could. The new report also includes a $1.5 million payout to someone for allegations made against John Laurinaitis. The head of talent relations has been absent since the first report, replaced by Bruce Prichard pending the results of the investigation.

Source: TheSportster

MLW To Stream And Broadcast Over The Air In Major Markets As Part Of Expanded beIN SPORTS Agreement

MLW issued the following:

beIN to broadcast MLW on streaming and over-the-air channel in major markets, including LA, Chicago, Dallas

beIN SPORTS and Major League Wrestling have announced an agreement for MLW content to broadcast on its free streaming and over-the-air channel beIN SPORTS XTRA. MLW will air on beIN SPORTS XTRA on Fridays at 10 p.m. beginning on July 8, with its linear premiere 24 hours later on beIN SPORTS. 

A free, 24/7 English language LIVE sports, news, analysis and highlights channel, beIN SPORTS XTRA brings everyone closer to the game. 

beIN SPORTS XTRA is available on major streaming platforms such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, YouTube TV, Samsung TV Plus, Redbox, KlowdTV, TiVo, Vizio, XUMO TV, and more as well as on over-the-air television stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, Atlanta, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Columbus, Las Vegas, and Austin, among others. For a full list of providers and markets, visit beINSPORTSXTRA.com. 

“This partnership builds on our four-year relationship with beIN and will help drive awareness and give our fans the ability to access MLW content on multiple platforms,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “MLW on beIN SPORTS XTRA gives viewers access to MLW for free via streaming services as well as on over-the-air television in major markets, like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas.”

MLW events showcase the full spectrum of professional wrestling, with world-class athletes representing countries around the world with fighting styles including: technical, Japanese strong style, lucha libre, King’s Road brawling, MMA, catch wrestling, hybrid wrestling, submission grappling and other disciplines.

MLW Fusion Preview 7/7/22

Major League Wrestling FUSION tonight at 8pm ET features THE THRILLA IN PHILA presented by The Bomaye Fight Club, streaming worldwide for free on MLW’s YouTube channel and Saturday nationwide on cable and dish on beIN SPORTS. 

  • THE THRILLA IN PHILA: Alex Kane versus ??? 
  • Real 1 vs. Lince Dorado

National Openweight Champion Alex Kane and The Bomaye Fight Club invite any of MLW’s finest fighting athletes to step in the ring and have their date with destiny as they get the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the champ for 20 minutes in THE THRILLA IN PHILA! 

The rules for this once in a lifetime exhibition bout are simple, but the stakes couldn’t be higher! 20 minutes with the champ! $20,000 of Bomaye Fight Club’s cold, hard cash up for grabs. The icing on the cake? Alex Kane’s National Openweight Championship is at stake! 

Who on the MLW roster has what it takes to try to etch their name in Philadelphia’s robust prizefight history as they attempt to shock the world and dethrone The Suplex Assassin in under 20 minutes? Tune in and don’t miss THE THRILLA IN PHILA.

After blindsiding Fatu, Cesar Duran has shocked league officials and REWARDED Real 1 with a singles bout on Fusion! This week, the controversial street fighter from Jersey goes one on one with Lince Dorado!

MLW cameras catch up with 1/2 of the Clout Couple Alicia Atout as she dishes on the upcoming World title mega-bout between Hammerstone and her man Richard Holliday in just seven days at Kings Of Colosseum.

New Women’s World Featherweight Champion Taya Valkyrie willingly accepts the new target on her back and calls out the best from around the globe! Who will be the first to step up and challenge the decorated luchadora?

A battered and vengeful Mads Krugger rises from ruin. 

IMPACT Preview 7/7/22

The fallout from Against All Odds begins on an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

One week after the news that he was leaving AEW, Alan Angels is making his debut in Impact Wrestling. The former Dark Order member will appear on tonight’s episode of “Impact on AXS TV”, in a title match against X-Division Champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey.

Angels confirmed last week that his contract with AEW expired on June 30. He made it clear that he harbors no hard feelings toward the company or Tony Khan and said it was the best place he’s ever worked.

“I had a great time in AEW and would have loved to have stayed, but I am extremely excited for my future in pro wrestling,” Angels said in a post on social media. “I am 24 and I look at this as my wrestling career just beginning. Now I get to show everyone how good I really am.”

The following line-up is announced for tonight’s episode:

  • Impact X-Division Championship Match: Alan Angels vs. Mike Bailey (c)
  • Impact Knockouts World Championship #1 Contender Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mia Yim
  • Laredo Kid vs. Trey Miguel
  • Black Taurus vs. PCO