Author: John Bass

WWE RAW Preview 4/11/22

Tonight’s WWE RAW will air live from the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan with the latest build for WrestleMania Backlash.

RAW will be headlined by Cody Rhodes’ first RAW TV match in six years as he faces The Miz.

Tommaso Ciampa is reportedly an official member of the WWE RAW roster.

The Undertaker Reportedly Hosting New WWE Podcast Series

2022 WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker is reportedly getting into podcasting.

A new report from WrestleVotes says Peacock and WWE officials have convinced Taker to launch his own podcast show, which would be similar to the “Broken Skull Sessions” series hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin.

Taker’s new show is expected to begin airing within the next few months.

“A fascinating concept that was unfathomable just a few years back,” the report noted.

There’s no word yet on the title of Taker’s new show, or who his first guest will be.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brandi Rhodes Reportedly Had “Productive Conversations” During WrestleMania Weekend

Brandi Rhodes was backstage with Cody Rhodes for her husband’s triumphant WWE comeback at WrestleMania 38.

According to Fightful Select, although Brandi hasn’t initially been brought in with Cody on WWE TV, she had “many productive conversations” with several influential names on WrestleMania weekend. It was also noted that Brandi has been working on her unscripted content and has continued training in the ring.

Brandi’s last televised AEW match was a loss to Anna Jay on the September 16, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Since then, she wrestled nearly a dozen matches on Dark and Dark: Elevation, defeating indie wrestlers such as Kenzie Paige, KiLynn King and Robyn Renegade in singles matches. She also briefly teamed with Red Velvet.

In the aftermath of her AEW exit, Brandi Rhodes is reportedly looking to take her Shot of Brandi cooking show to a TV network. According to Deadline, DIGA Studios is currently shopping the project to broadcasters and streamers.

“I started shooting this show in my kitchen four years ago with two iPhone cameras and a cocktail,” Brandi said in a press release. “I am excited to see the show evolve and thankful for the fans who have followed along. I assure you, now that I’m working with DIGA the best is yet to come.”

Brandi Rhodes worked for WWE as a ring announcer until 2016. Going by the name Eden, she made her PPV announcing debut at WrestleMania 31, as well as becoming the backup ring announcer for RAW, while Lilian Garcia was recovering from surgery. On May 24, 2016, she was granted her release from WWE, just days after her husband Cody Rhodes also requested his release. Stay tuned for updates on Brandi Rhodes’ possible comeback to WWE TV.

The Rock Might Have To Change New XFL Logo After Being Served Legal Notice

The Rock’s XFL has been hit with a legal notice following the unveiling of its new logo.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has apparently encountered a bit of difficulty following the unveiling of the XFL’s new logo.

The football league is set to return under new management, with next year being looked at for a re-launch. And it is expected to be successful this time around given that the former WWE superstar is now the owner, having purchased it along with his ex-wife Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital in 2020.

There might be a hitch, though, with media and commerce company TOGETHXR having served the league with a legal notice over branding concerns, the main one being the X in a recently unveiled graphic being split with the word “Together” in between. TOGETHXR claims to already be using similar branding and appears to have a legitimate gripe.

TOGETHXR’s website says it’s an “unapologetic platform where representation and equality is the norm,” that intends to “shatter the often narrow depictions of women in the media with content featuring a diverse and inclusive community of game-changers, culture-shapers, thought leaders, and barrier breakers.”

The company, formed by some of the top American female athletes, including Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel, revealed having taken issue with the XFL’s graphic, as well as sending a legal notice to the football league.

“Too often the work and creativity of women is overlooked and undervalued,” they said in an Instagram post. “Diversity and equality are the norm around here. We’re thrilled to see the XFL embrace inclusivity but this rebrand ain’t it.

“We’ve issued a legal notice and will continue to protect the important work we’re doing.”

Source: TheSportster

AEW Rampage Preview 4/8/22

Tonight’s AEW Rampage episode on TNT was taped earlier this week at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.

* Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta

* The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament – Qualifier: Willow Nightingale vs. Red Velvet

* Swerve Strickland vs. QT Marshall

* Bryan Danielson (w/William Regal) vs. Trent Beretta (w/Chuck Taylor)

WWE NXT Level Up Preview 4/8/22

Tonight’s NXT Level Up at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Chase and Hayward clash with Donovan and Lauren on NXT Level Up

* Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward tangling with Troy Donovan and Channing Lauren in a thrilling main event

* Bernal seeks his first career victory against Raaj

* 18-year-old Hail is setting her sights on one of NXT Level Up’s pillars, Nile.

WWE SmackDown Preview 4/8/22

The post-WrestleMania 38 edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live tonight from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Roman Reigns to reveal the next step on The Island of Relevancy tonight

Ronda Rousey vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is being advertised by the venue and is still being listed in an updated ad for tonight’s show. The WWE Events website also has Rousey advertised for tonight.

The WWE Events website had Seth Rollins advertised for SmackDown at one point, but he was removed earlier in the week. PWInsider has reported that Cody Rhodes is scheduled to be at the show tonight, but there’s no word yet on if he will be appearing on TV or working a dark match.

New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and Naomi are also scheduled to appear tonight, along with Drew McIntyre.

MLW Reportedly Fires The LA Park Family After In-Ring Incident

The LA Park family is reportedly done in MLW.

A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that there was heat on LA Park in MLW over something that happened in the past, which wasn’t made clear, while at the same time Park has a reputation that comes from being difficult to deal with. However, Park is a legend and MLW kept using him because he was a star who always got over.

That all changed and they are now done with the company after an incident during WrestleMania Weekend in Texas. The Park family was scheduled to do a post-match run-in at the MLW Intimidation Games taping on Thursday, March 31, to set up Jacob Fatu vs. Park, but The Parks got very rough with Fatu, according to the report. MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone was part of the run-in and was bleeding from the side of the head, and he and Park exchanged punches. The Intimidation Games main event saw Hammerstone retain over Fatu and Mads Krugger, before the run-in.

It was noted by one source that The Parks went off-script, ruined the post-match angle and went into business for themselves, delivering real strikes to Fatu and Hammerstone, including reckless chair shots, which busted open both Fatu and Hammerstone.

Hammerstone and Fatu both needed medical attention after the incident, but both will be OK.

MLW owner Court Bauer reportedly fired all three family members – LA Park, LA Park Jr. and El Hijo de LA Park. They were all sent home on Friday, April 1. This led to changes on MLW’s Azteca Underground taping on April 1, where Fatu defeated Bestia 666 in the Azteca Apocalypto main event instead of Park.

It was noted that Hammerstone was yelling at Park when they returned to the backstage area, telling him “to go right now.” Park reportedly acted as if he didn’t understand English.

The veteran LA Park began working with MLW in 2018, but also worked for the original MLW in 2002 and 2003. He and his son, El Hijo de LA Park, who also began with MLW in 2018, held the MLW World Tag Team Titles for 297 days in 2021. The youngest, Park Jr., began with MLW in 2020 but has just a few matches on the books, including the title loss under Freebird Rules.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Police Suspect Tammy “Sunny” Sytch Was Intoxicated When She Caused A Fatal Three-Car Crash

Police suspect WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was intoxicated when she caused a fatal three-car crash in Ormond Beach, Florida on Friday, March 25.

Ormond Beach Police say Sytch failed to stop around 8:28 PM while driving southbound on U.S. 1, just north of Granada Boulevard that Friday night, when she crashed into a stopped vehicle. That vehicle then crashed into the vehicle in front of it. The driver of the vehicle hit by Sytch, identified as Julian Lafrancis Lasseter Jr. of Daytona Beach Shores, was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A search warrant was approved and executed to obtain a blood sample, which police are using to investigate if Sytch was impaired at the time of the crash. Toxicology results are pending, and police have requested an expedited timeframe for the processing of Sytch’s samples. The results will be made available once the department receives them, and criminal charges may be filed.

TMZ Sports has obtained police documents that show Sytch was driving a 2012 Mercedes-Benz when she crashed into the rear of a 2013 Kia Sorento, which was stopped at a stoplight. The Kia then crashed into the rear of a 2011 GMC Yukon, which was also stopped at the light.

The driver of the Kia was 75 year old Lasseter Jr. of Daytona Beach Shores, who was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead from injuries suffered in the wreck. Lasseter is survived by a daughter and two grandchildren, among others.

The driver and passengers of the Yukon complained of neck, back, side, and head injuries, but were not taken to the hospital. Sytch was taken to the same hospital as the victim, but with unknown injuries.

Police say two witnesses saw Sytch “driving at a high rate of speed” before crashing into the Kia.

Police also say they believe Sytch was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the wreck. A spokesperson for the Ormond Beach Police Department said they are actively investigating the crash, and that toxicology results could ultimately lead to criminal charges against Sytch.

Sytch’s boyfriend lives in Florida.

Sytch has not publicly commented on the crash as of this writing, but she did make a tweet on the same day of the wreck. While the crash happened around 8:30 PM ET, Twitter shows Sytch posted a tweet at 2:33 PM that day.

She wrote, “Well assholes since my name has been towards the top of the kill list for the past 20 years, and I’m still fucking alive, s–t, my autograph is worth more now so once I do croak you can sell it for a lot more money?! Come see me out at a signing”

Sytch has dealt with numerous legal issues in recent years, and at different times she was incarcerated for various charges. She was released from prison last summer after serving a nearly one-year sentence but was then arrested again back in January of this year following a domestic incident where she allegedly threatened to kill a man with a pair of scissors.

Sytch was then arrested again in late February on multiple charges, including Operating Under the Influence of Liquor & Drugs, Driving on a Suspended/Revoked License, and more.

https://twitter.com/WWEHOFerSunny/status/1507425466092826633

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Nash Carter Released By WWE For Nazi Salute, Not Abuse Allegations [Report]

NXT had what was arguably its biggest show since becoming NXT 2.0 last weekend. Stand & Deliver, on which a number of titles changed hands including MSK becoming Tag Team Champions for a second time. A curious decision in the eyes of some fans as the new champs’ Nash Carter had some pretty serious allegations made against him by his wife Kimber Lee that same week.

Lee deleted the initial tweets following backlash from fans but posted new, potentially more incriminating ones after WrestleMania weekend. The Impact star shared two photos in which she has a mark above her lip. Lee claims the mark was a result of a busted lip, an injury she allegedly sustained after being hit by Carter when he was intoxicated.

Carter was released by WWE shortly after those photos were made public, but apparently, Lee’s allegations are not the reason why Carter’s NXT career has come to an end. At around the same time Lee doubled down on her own allegations, a photo of Carter performing a Nazi salute in which he appears to have modeled his mustache after Adolf Hitler’s also surfaced.

According to The Wrestling Observer, the Nazi photo is the reason WWE released Carter as opposed to the abuse allegations made against him. That actually makes sense and may explain why Carter’s release came so quickly after Lee published the photos. Lee’s comments will need to be investigated to determine exactly what happened and if Carter really did intentionally inflict the injury in the photo. The Nazi photo, on the other hand, there’s no disputing or defending that.

There have been a number of allegations made against wrestlers as a part of the Speaking Out movement over the course of the past two years. WWE claims to undertake internal investigations if it believes the allegations are serious ones, which ultimately led to the release of Velveteen Dream last year. Dream wants to return to NXT, but the likelihood of that seems low for the time being.

Source: TheSportster