Author: John Bass

AEW and NJPW Announce Crossover Pay-Per-View “Forbidden Door”

AEW, the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the United States, will partner with Japan’s number one promotion NJPW to produce a crossover pay-per-view called “Forbidden Door” in Chicago on June 26.

The announcement was made during last night’s AEW Dynamite. AEW President Tony Khan appeared on the ramp and was soon joined by New Japan Pro Wrestling president Takami Ohbari. TK was about to make the announcement, but the pair of promoters was interrupted by Adam Cole, a man who knows NJPW very well.

Cole appeared on the big screen and announced an event called “Forbidden Door” which will feature talent from both All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Cole then revealed that he will be going one-on-one with New Japan veteran Tomohiro Ishii on Friday’s Rampage. New Japan roster member “Switchblade” Jay White then joined Khan and Ohbari on the ramp to boast about selling out Madison Square Garden and remind everyone that it’s still the Bullet Club era.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1516942066294607872
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1516940662838464512

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/20/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the Road to Double Or Nothing continues.

* The Dynamite debut of Hook vs. TBA

* CM Punk vs. Dustin Rhodes

* Wardlow vs. The Butcher

* Britt Baker vs. Danielle Kamella in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament

* Kyle O’Reilly vs. AEW World Tag Team Champion Jungle Boy in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament

* Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo in a Coffin Match

* Tony Khan has a “huge announcement” to make

Cody Rhodes Teases The Return Of The Winged Eagle If He Becomes WWE Champion

Two nights after re-debuting in WWE, Rhodes opened the Raw After WrestleMania and declared that the leading reason he returned is to do something his father never could. Win the WWE Championship. Two weeks on from that emotional promo, Rhodes has teased something else should he manage to achieve that goal. Bringing back the winged eagle version of the championship that was retired more than two decades ago.

Rhodes posted a close-up of the iconic WWE Title on his Instagram story, renewing the belief among fans that he will bring it back should he ever become WWE Champion. The winged eagle is one of, if not the most popular design WWE’s richest prize has ever had. Active for a full decade, the title was held by icons including, but not limited to, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, and The Undertaker.

https://twitter.com/JudahSuper/status/1516600196217683981

Rhodes actually has a history of reviving old title designs in WWE. When he became Intercontinental Champion, the former AEW EVP brought back one of the old title designs, the one with a white strap. Much like the winged eagle, that particular IC Title design is regarded as one of the greatest in WWE history. Needless to say, a lot of people would be very happy if he did the same with the winged eagle at some point in the future.

There are obviously a lot of hoops for Rhodes to jump through before he can even think about rummaging through WWE’s storage facility to find the old title. He needs to become WWE Champion, for starters, which is easier said than done. Roman Reigns is currently the unified champion and who exactly will be the first person to beat him has never been less clear. Should Rhodes beat him, he will then need to convince Vince McMahon to let him change the title design, which might be equally as difficult as winning it in the first place.

Source: TheSportster

(Windham Rotunda) Bray Wyatt’s Asking Price To Return To Wrestling Is “Very High” [Report]

Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) is reportedly seeking a lot of money for his next wrestling contract. Wyatt was released from his WWE deal last summer.

Any company that wants to sign former WWE superstar Bray Wyatt will have to be willing to meet an apparently high asking price.

In a major surprise, Wyatt was released from his WWE contract on July 31 of last year. The former WWE and Universal Champion has not appeared in the wrestling industry ever since, and it’s really anybody’s guess if or when the soon-to-be 35-year-old willl land with another promotion.

On Tuesday afternon, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter sent out the following tweet:

A fan responding to the tweet asked about Bray Wyatt. In response, Meltzer stated that Wyatt’s “asking price is very high:

Wyatt’s 90-day non-compete clause expired in October, so he’s been free to sign with another wrestling promotion for almost six months now. But here were are nearly four months through 2022, and the longtime wrestling fan favorite remains unsigned. Wyatt did say in a recent Q&A on Instagram that he is keen on eventually returning to wrestling.

Former WWE superstars Braun Strowman (Wyatt’s longtime ally in The Wyatt Family) and EC3 recently launched a new wrestling promotion called “Control Your Narrative.” EC3 recently stated that Wyatt is “taking time away from wrestling”, though the former noted that he’d like to work with the former WWE Champion.

Wyatt wrestled his final match for WWE at day two of WrestleMania 37 weekend in Tampa Bay, Florida. He continued his program with Randy Orton but lost to The Viper via pinfall after Alexa Bliss betrayed Wyatt. On the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw, Wyatt stated in a “Firefly Fun House” segment that he was looking for a fresh start.

Less than four months later, WWE would unexpectedly release Wyatt from his contract. In late 2021, Wyatt started working on a film project with close friend Jason Baker; who also worked with him in WWE. Baker revealed in February that their movie project was “coming along.”

Alexa Bliss Reportedly Frustrated With WWE Creative

Alexa Bliss wanted to be involved in WrestleMania 38 but pitches were reportedly shot down.

WWE superstar Alexa Bliss is said to have gotten vocal with heads at the promotion following her match at Elimination Chamber in February.

Fightful Select (H/T Wrestling Inc.) is reporting that Bliss was displeased at WWE having nothing planned for her on the back of said PPV and let “talent, creative, and higher-ups” know. Bliss is also reported as having expressed her disappointment to WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

Bliss was expected to feature at WrestleMania 38 earlier this month. However, she was kept off television after Elimination Chamber and did not make the card. Fightful reports that she was willing to work at the event and there were pitches that involved her interfering in the Raw Women’s Championship match between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, but the suggestions were shot down.

As it turned out, Bliss missed WrestleMania weekend in its entirety and wasn’t in Dallas at all, though all WWE performers are usually around for the Show of Shows whether they have a match or not.

Her disgruntlement over a lack of activity may have had something to do with her absence, yet she was also recently wed, and her marriage to musician Ryan Cabrera likely had something to do with it. She remains away from the company for the time being.

It has since been reported that WWE will bring Bliss back as a babyface, and she is expected to be back soon, although there’s no word on when.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE surmised that the reaction she got at Elimination Chamber suggests she would do well as a face moving forward.

Bliss is still on her honeymoon, but it appears there are plans in the works for her.

Bliss is still on her honeymoon, but it appears there are plans in the works for her.

Source: TheSportster

Jake Roberts Reveals Ricky Steamboat Is Not In Great Health Right Now

Jake “The Snake” Roberts has revealed that Ricky Steamboat isn’t doing so well, claiming the 69-year-old is having health issues at the moment.

Roberts was speaking on the latest episode of the DDP Snake Pit podcast when he discussed the infamous incident that saw him hit Steamboat with a DDT on concrete in 1986. He went on to disclose that Steamboat is having trouble with his health but did not provide further details.

“To be quite honest with you, I know Steamboat’s having issues right now,” he was quoted as saying by Wrestling Inc. “I hope to hell it wasn’t what I did. I really do man, because that haunts me. That’s beginning to haunt me a lot. Ricky, if you’re listening, you know I never meant to do that. I didn’t want to do that. I begged you not to do that. I just pray for you man. He’s a good dude man.”

Steamboat had to be hospitalized 12 years ago following an injury angle in which he was assaulted by The Nexus during an episode of Monday Night Raw. He was reported to have suffered from brain bleeding after a capillary burst.

He made an appearance for MLW recently, showing up at their SuperFight event in Charlotte in February.

A decorated wrestler with promotions such as WCW and Jim Crockett Productions, Steamboat was a one-time Intercontinental Champion with WWE. He was inducted into the latter’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

Steamboat has worked as a trainer with NXT and was also part of the talent relations department alongside Triple H until 2013, when his son Richie Steamboat was released. He transitioned to an ambassador later.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage News On The Future Of WWE’s Brand Split

WWE is not planning on ending the brand split anytime soon, despite the recent title merger, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Daily Update.

There have been some rumors about WWE doing that, but at the moment the company is not expected to be merging rosters. It was noted that Vince McMahon could change his mind, but right now that is not the direction he is heading.

At WrestleMania 38 Roman Reigns brought both the WWE and Universal Championships together by defeating Brock Lesnar. The company is now moving forward with unifying the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania Backlash when The Usos face RK-Bro.

When it comes to WrestleMania Backlash, the update notes the Tribal Chief is expected to headline the event, although he does not have any match announced at this point. Roman Reigns did attack Shinsuke Nakamura on the post-WrestleMania episode of SmackDown, which could potentially lead to a match.

Roman will be defending his titles against Drew McIntyre on WWE’s UK Tour, which takes place at the end of this month before the next premium event.

On Monday Night RAW this week WWE did add another match to the card as AJ Styles will be facing Edge in a rematch from WrestleMania 38.

The WrestleMania Backlash Premium Live Event is scheduled for Sunday, May 8 from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Below is the updated announced card:

Winners Take All Title Unification Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro

I Quit Match for the SmackDown Women’s Title

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (c)

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

AJ Styles vs. Edge

WWE NXT Preview 4/19/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode will air live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Tonight’s NXT 2.0 episode should also feature an appearance by new NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly, who won a five-team Gauntlet last week to capture the vacant titles.

Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch Being Sued Following Car Accident That Led To A Man’s Death

A civil case has begun as police await the results of a toxicology test before pressing criminal charges.

Tammy Sytch, better known to a lot of wrestling fans as Sunny, has been caught up on the wrong side of the law a number of times in the past few years. The latest incident Sytch was involved in could be the most serious so far pending the results of a toxicology report. The WWE Hall of Famer was allegedly driving a car at speed when it collided with another, resulting in the driver of the hit car passing away due to their injuries.

A blood sample taken from Sytch while she was hospitalized is currently being tested and will determine what charges are brought against her, if any. However, the estate of the 75-year-old man who died following the collision has already brought a civil case against the former wrestler and her boyfriend James Pente reports PWInsider.

The civil suit alleges negligence on Sytch’s part, and that Pente was vicariously liable for allowing his partner to get behind the wheel of a car in the state she was allegedly in. The estate of Julian Lasseter, the man whose car Sytch hit, is seeking a payout in excess of $30,000. That money will cover medical and funeral expenses amassed since the incident, as well as money for Lasseter’s daughter who is suffering from the sudden and unexpected loss of her father.

Witnesses at the scene of the collision claim Sytch’s vehicle was traveling at a high speed right before it hit Lasseter’s car, which was at a standstill. Lasseter’s car was knocked forward with such force that it collided with the car in front of it. None of the people in that third car were seriously hurt but have complained of back, neck, and side pain.

As touched upon above, Sytch has been in trouble with the law a number of times over the years, even finding herself in jail on more than one occasion. Many of her arrests have come for driving while under the influence of alcohol, while earlier this year she was arrested for weapon possession and making terroristic threats.

Source: TheSportster

Kushida Reportedly Parts Ways With WWE

According to a recent report, Japanese wrestler Kushida is no longer with WWE.

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida is reportedly no longer a member of the WWE roster.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Kushida parted ways with WWE after his contract expired.

Kushida signed for WWE in 2019. His signing was announced by Triple H at a press conference in New York City just a few days prior to that year’s WrestleMania. In a video on the WWE Performance Center channel at the time of his in-ring WWE debut, Kushida was shown talking about how excited he was to debut in NXT. After defeating Kassius Ohno on his debut, Kushida told an interviewer he felt “reborn” and happy.

The 38-year-old cut his teeth in his native Japan and made a name for himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling — the country’s most prestigious professional wrestling promotion. During his NJPW tenure, Kushida became a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Time Splitters teammate Alex Shelley). He also won the 2015 and 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournaments, and the 2016 Super J-Cup.

While his WWE tenure was largely uneventful, Kushida did have a few standout moments. In 2020, he reunited with Time Splitters partner Alex Shelley in order to compete in that year’s Dusty Classic. The team was eliminated by The Grizzled Young Veterans in the first round, but the moment was special as it was the first time Shelley and Kushida had teamed up since 2015. It was also Shelley’s first appearance in a WWE ring since 2005.

Last April, Kushida won his first and only title in WWE when he defeated Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Kushida lost the title to Roderick Strong on the September 21 episode of NXT 2.0. More recently, Kushida performed as one half of a comedy duo tag team called Jacket Time with his countryman Ikemen Jiro.

Source: TheSportster

UPDATE:

The belief within WWE is that Kushida is going to be returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling at some stage in June, following his WWE departure, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.