Author: John Bass

Top IMPACT Star Deonna Purrazzo Comments On AEW Debut On Next Week’s Dynamite

ROH Women’s World Champion and IMPACT star Deonna Purrazzo will be making her AEW debut on next week’s Dynamite.

It was announced on last night’s Dynamite that Purrazzo will wrestle ROH Women’s Interim World Champion Mercedes Martinez.

Purrazzo has reacted to the announcement via Twitter, as seen below.

Purrazzo and Martinez also engaged in a Twitter interaction later.

Ever since AEW President Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor last month, Purrazzo has been teasing her arrival on AEW TV.

Last October, Purrazzo explained why she was eager to wrestle against or tag with Dr. Britt Baker, her best friend in real life.

“To have that crossover with women and possibly wrestle someone like Britt or tag with someone like Britt, who is my best friend in real life,” Purrazzo told  Busted Open Radio. “It would just be very special for us, I think as friends, but for women’s wrestling too. And that’s the whole point of all this. It’s to grow and evolve women’s wrestling. We haven’t had a lot of those firsts yet, so any time you can kind of get your hands on that and claim it as your own, I think it’s important these days.”

For what it’s worth, Purrazzo signed a contract with IMPACT Wrestling in October 2020. At the time, Josh Mathews revealed via Impact Press Pass that Purrazzo had agreed to a long-term deal with the company.

Deonna Purrazzo lost the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship to Taya Valkyrie at Saturday’s Rebellion pay-per-view.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Teases Sneak Peek At Its New Game, Kenny Omega Confirms 2022 Launch Goal

A better look at AEW’s first-ever console game next week, and further confirmation that it might be here this year.

AEW higher-ups revealed very early on into the promotion’s existence that it was already working on the company’s first-ever console game. It might have let the cat out of the bag a little early in that regard as AEW is now three years old and the game still isn’t here. In fact, it doesn’t even have a release date attached, nor have we seen any gameplay beyond a couple of very early, very short clips featuring Jungle Boy and Darby Allin, along with a few others.

The wait could soon be over, though. It was teased yesterday, and then confirmed on Dynamite, that fans will get a sneak peek of the new game via All Elite Arcade on May 4. “Follow AEW Games Twitch for Notifactions! Tune in at 11 a.m. on May 4th for Console Game sneak peak,” the tweet reads. Excalibur made the same announcement live on Dynamite a few hours later.

Hopefully the sneak peek will be something more akin to a trailer than the test footage we have seen so far. If the timeframe reportedly connected to the game is accurate, then it’s probably safe to assume a better look at what the game is actually going to be is coming. It was reported a short while ago that a September 2022 release might be possible, and now Kenny Omega has confirmed the aim is to get the game out there before the end of the year.

https://twitter.com/AEWGames/status/1519359481137741824

“We’re working real hard on trying to get something that is presentable, trying to get something that is gonna be complete, ASAP and hopefully that means this year,” Omega said during an appearance on Put Your Quarters On The Glass. He also pointed to new materials being revealed soon, which was likely a reference to the announcement made on Twitter and then Dynamite last night as his podcast appearance came before the news broke.

News surrounding AEW’s first console game appears to be emerging more and more frequently, strongly suggesting a full reveal is in the offing. There were even reports earlier this month that fans in attendance for a Rampage taping were asked to perform chants that were recorded for the game. It’s also believed Tony Khan revealed the game will be called Fight Forever while those chants were being recorded.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/27/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the build for Double Or Nothing continues.

* Lance Archer vs. Wardlow

* Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb in a Philly Street Fight

* The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish vs. The Varsity Blondes, Dante Martin, Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson

* AAA & ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR face off against each other in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament, with CM Punk on commentary

* AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara defends against Scorpio Sky in a Ladder Match

TBS And TNT No Longer Developing New Scripted Programming

Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to cut new scripted programming from both TBS and TNT for the time being, according to a report from Variety.

WarnerMedia was recently merged with Discovery, and they are already making changes. AEW was not mentioned in the report, and it is not known if the move will affect AEW, live event programming or reality shows in any way. Last year WarnerMedia was hiring a “Director, Scripted Development & Programming” for AEW and it was noted that four AEW series were in development, which included “Rhodes to the Top.”

It is unclear what is going to be happening with ongoing scripted shows on TBS and TNT, such as Snowpiercer. Warner Bros. However, scripted content on both TBS and TNT had been slowing down anyway in recent years. TBS was only airing four scripted shows prior to this report, while TNT has just two.

When it comes to AEW, the company has a deal that runs through 2023, that was originally signed back in 2020. AEW commentator Tony Schiavone recently spoke about the Discover/Warner Media merger. He told his What Happened When podcast that he does not believe AEW needs to have any immediate concerns. For him, AEW is a viable product for Discovery to consider.

“From the people I’ve talked with, no,” Schiavone responded when asked if AEW should have any concerns. “For me on the surface, yes, because I know what happened before [with WCW]. But I think we have a viable enough product that if Discovery says, ‘We don’t want wrestling,’ we could end up somewhere else.

“The Khans are pretty plugged in. That’s what’s different about this era is that if Time Warner/Discovery doesn’t want us, we still have a business. I think there’s always some concern, but we’ve built up a very good relationship with Warner Media.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Hangman Page Off AEW Dynamite Tonight Due To COVID-19

A familiar face will be missing from AEW Dynamite tonight in the form of Hangman Page.

The AEW World Champion announced on Twitter this morning that he will not be at the show after he has fallen ill with COVID-19. Hangman Page still implored fans to enjoy the show despite his absence.

“Dynomite is tonight at 8pm on TBS but i will not be on there because my face is full of covid snot, sorry,” Page tweeted, intentionally misspelling Dynamite. “Please enjoy regardless.”

Hangman Page had not been scheduled for AEW Dynamite prior to this morning, though it was expected there would be a follow-up to a stare-down Page had with CM Punk last week following Punk’s victory over Dustin Rhodes. Punk himself will appear on AEW Dynamite tonight, doing commentary for the Owen Hart Cup qualifying match between FTR members Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood.

AEW Dynamite will take place tonight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

https://twitter.com/theAdamPage/status/1519301733679312903

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The IInspiration Announce They Will Be Stepping Away From Wrestling Indefinitely

WWE released more than 80 wrestlers in 2021, and among those let go were Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. Formerly known as The Iiconics, the Aussie pair switched things up and now go by their real names, Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay and calling themselves The IInspiration. The pair were absent for a short while before signing with Impact Wrestling, and it now seems they will be stepping away from the business for even longer after a short stay with the company.

Lee and McKay, who dubbed themselves The Iinspiration upon arriving in Impact, released a joint statement today revealing that there time with Impact has come to an end. Not only that, but they will be taking a break from wrestling entirely, writing that they will stepping away from in-ring action indefinitely.

“We will cherish these IMPACT memories forever. We are excited to start a new chapter in our lives and explore other opportunities that may come our way,” the statement reads. Lee and McKay signed with Impact in October, six months after they were part of WWE’s April 2021 cuts. The two won Impact’s Knockouts Tag Championships in there very first match.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 4/26/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode will air live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando with the go-home build for next Tuesday’s NXT Spring Breakin’ special episode.

Mustafa Ali And Asuka Return On RAW

The rumor mill was really working overtime ahead of this week’s Raw. First, news that Asuka would be making an appearance on WWE TV for the first time since last summer, and then the even more surprising news that Mustafa Ali would also be making an appearance. Turns out both of those rumors were true as Ali and Asuka returned for pretty major segments on Monday night.

They weren’t the only two Superstars making their WWE returns last night either. Becky Lynch also showed her face on Raw for the first time since losing the Raw Women’s Title at WrestleMania. It was while Big Time Becks was vowing revenge against The EST of WWE that Asuka’s music hit. The Empress let Lynch know no one is ready for Asuka, and a physical altercation that began with Asuka flicking Lynch’s nose ended when the latter rolled out of the ring.

While Asuka’s return has been on the cards for a while, most fans likely assumed we would never see Ali in a WWE ring again, at least not anytime soon. Ali interrupted a Miz TV segment involving Theory at which point he was predictably berated for going missing for the past six months. Ali questioned whether Theory would be bringing back the US Title open challenge, at which point he declined to face Ali in a match.

Miz and Ali continued to go back and forth until Theory used his pull with the boss to book the two of them in a match. The match ended with Ali winning via a rollup, at which point The A-Lister told Ali he’ll make him wish he got his walking papers. This is a reference to Ali being denied his request to be released by WWE back in January of this year. Ali was brought right back down to Earth when Ciampa rushed him on the ramp, standing over him to end the segment.

With less than two weeks to go until WrestleMania Backlash, both Ali and Asuka’s returns appears to be set ups for potential matches on the premium live event card. The card is arguably in need of some fresh faces since right now, three of the five matches announced are WrestleMania rematches.

Source: TheSportster

NWA Alwayz Ready PPV To Be Held In Matt Cardona’s Honor

NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona has announced that the next NWA pay-per-view will be held on Saturday, June 11 from the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, TN.

The “Alwayz Ready” pay-per-view is being named after Cardona, and held in his honor.

“I am honored to be @nwa Worlds Heavyweight Champion. I am proud to announce that the next NWA PPV will be called Alwayz Ready! Get your tickets at NWATIX.com or watch on @fitetv!,” Cardona wrote in a tweet, revealing two promotional posters seen below.

NWA owner Billy Corgan noted in a press release that Alwayz Ready will feature Cardona’s entrance music as the show’s sole theme song, and all promotional materials will include Cardona’s brand and likeness, including a modified NWA logo, which now reads MCWA for Matt Cardona Wrestling Alliance.

“As World’s Heavyweight Champion, Matt Cardona insisted that if he was to be compelled to go to a storied NWA territory like Knoxville, Tennessee and defend the championship, he would only appear if the June 11th PPV was in his honor,” Cardona said. “This event, named after his singular catchphrase ‘Alwayz Ready’, will feature his entrance music as the show’s sole theme, and all promotional materials therein will include his brand and likeness; including no less than a modified NWA logo which now reads MCWA (Matt Cardona Wrestling Alliance.) Now all that’s left is for the champion to be ready to live up to his requests.”

Cardona also provided comments in the press release when asked for his thoughts on being honored.

“Did Ric Flair ever have an event named after him? No. Did Harley Race? Never. As the only REAL World’s Champion I am honored to have this event named after me because I earned this all by myself. Everyone should know they have to be a part of this once in a lifetime event to share in me elevating the NWA to new greatness,” Cardona said.

Corgan also spoke to Ryan Wilusz of KnoxNews.com about the Alwayz Ready pay-per-view, and said the company will be bringing their A-game.

“This is not a house show,” Corgan said. “We’re bringing our A-game. These are all world-class mashups you’re going to get.”

The NWA will also hold a Powerrr taping the next day at the same venue. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 11am ET via NWAtix.com. VIP ringside seats for the pay-per-view are riced at $75, the first several rows are $35, and general admission seats are $20. The FITE TV stream will run for $24.99, but it’s also included in the $49.99 NWA All-Access annual pass.

Cardona has been the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion since defeating Trevor Murdoch at NWA PowerrrTrip on February 12 in Oak Grove, KY, which aired as the March 8 edition of NWA Powerrr. He also currently holds the Impact Wrestling Digital Media Champion, the AIW Absolute Title, the AIW Intense Title, the All-Star Wrestling Heavyweight Title, and the NYWC Heavyweight Title.

https://twitter.com/TheMattCardona/status/1518595576673280001

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 4/25/22

WWE RAW will air live tonight from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Tonight’s RAW will be headlined by a 20th Anniversary Celebration for RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton. The WWE Legend made his official TV debut with a win over Hardcore Holly on the April 25, 2002 edition of SmackDown.

WWE has announced the following line-up for tonight:

* Becky Lynch makes her first RAW appearance since WrestleMania 38

* 20th Anniversary Celebration for RAW Tag Team Champion Randy Orton

* Hometown star and RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defends against Sonya Deville

* Bobby Lashley vs. Omos in an Arm Wrestling Contest