Author: John Bass

The Steiner Brothers Are Going Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

It’s officially WrestleMania week and WWE will kick things off with the go-home Raw a few hours from now. Later in the week we’ll have SmackDown, Stand & Deliver, and, of course, WrestleMania. There will also be the Hall Of Fame ceremony on Friday night during which a number of former WWE Superstars will be honored and added to WWE’s Hall, including The Undertaker and Vader.

This year’s class is smaller than usual, and it seems the final inductees into the 2022 class have now been revealed, and they might be the most surprising so far. As first revealed David Shoemaker via The Ringer, and confirmed shortly after by WWE, iconic WCW tag team The Steiner Brothers will become WWE Hall Of Famers this Friday, presumably rounding out the 2022 class.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1508447252280401927

The Steiners are widely regarded as one of the best tag teams of all time by many wrestling fans. The two competed together in WWE during the early ’90s, winning tag team gold twice. However, it was under WCW’s banner that Rick and Scott arguably did their best work. The brothers won the promotion’s Tag Team Championships seven times and the US Tag Titles once, really cementing their legacy in WCW.

That Rick and Scott will be Hall Of Famers by the end of this week is further evidence that no bridge between WWE and a former Superstar is ever burned for good. After a tainted run as a singles star in WWE 20 years ago, Scott Steiner has had nothing but bad things to say about the company ever since. Big Poppa Pump even described the HOF as a joke that only exists in Vince McMahon’s mind once. Clearly, he has had a change of heart.

Perhaps the change of heart has been inspired by the success of Bron Breakker. Rick Steiner’s son has rocketed to NXT fame over the past six months, winning and then losing the brand’s top prize in that time. Rick even celebrated with his son after the cameras were off when Breakker won the title. It will be fun to hear what they have to say when they’re inducted later this week.

Source: TheSportster

From WWE.com:

The Steiner Brothers will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. As first announced by David Shoemaker on TheRinger.com, Rick & Scott Steiner will be enshrined in the hallowed hall during the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as part of WrestleMania Week.

The WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony will take place this Friday, April 1 at American Airlines Center in Dallas as part of WrestleMania Week.  The event will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.  In addition, for the first time in history, WWE will present both Friday Night SmackDown and the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony live on the same night at American Airlines Center, giving all fans in attendance an unprecedented opportunity to witness both events for one price. Tickets for the special 2-for-1 SmackDown + Hall of Fame are now available via Ticketmaster.

The most successful of tag teams must be completely in synch and possess an ability to almost read each other’s thoughts. Arguable no one can find that level of connection better than family. Enter celebrated University of Michigan alumni Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner, sibling competitors who donned on the headgear (and/or mullet) and introduced an innovative in-ring style that helped them fight their way to the top of the mountain.

The Steiner Brothers first joined forces in 1989 and grew to become the face of tag team excellence as one of sports-entertainment’s most celebrated tag teams. Together, Rick and Scott lit up NWA Mid-Atlantic and NWA/WCW where they used their impressive mix of amateur and professional wrestling to capture the WCW Tag Team Titles seven times and the United States Tag Team Titles once. Their success was not entirely limited to the Atlanta-based organization, however. During their brief time in WWE in the early ’90s, the pair quickly made history by appearing on the first episode of Monday Night Raw in 1993, battling The Headshrinkers on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania IX and winning the WWE Tag Team Championship twice. Following a short tenure with ECW in 1995, The Steiners then returned to WCW in 1996 and their impact was undeniable as they battled elite opposition like Harlem Heat and The Outsiders for the WCW Tag Team Titles.

Don’t miss when The Steiners take their place in sports-entertainment history during the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony this Friday, streaming live exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.

AEW Rampage Preview 3/25/22

Tonight’s AEW Rampage was taped earlier this week from the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas and will air on TNT at 10/9C.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer
Alan “5” Angels & 10 vs. reDRagon
Nyla Rose In Action
QT Marshall Certificate of Accomplishment to Hook
FTW Championship Match: Ricky Starks (c) vs. Swerve Stricklan

WWE NXT Level Up Preview 3/25/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT Level Up was taped at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and will be streaming at 10/9 C on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else!

Jacket Time clash with Enofé and Blade on NXT Level Up

Quincy Elliott making his debut against Joe Gacy

Kiana James colliding with Ivy Nile

Triple H Announces Retirement From In-Ring Competition

Triple H announced his retirement from in-ring competition on ESPN during an appearance on the show First Take with Stephen A. Smith.

The full interview will then be released via Stephen A’s World on ESPN+ later tonight.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1507386044660035585

As we’ve noted, Triple H suffered what was said to be a very serious cardiac event last fall, and has been away from the job since then. WWE announced on September 8 that he underwent successful heart surgery the week before that at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT.

It was stated that the operation was needed after Triple H suffered the cardiac event, caused by a genetic heart issue. WWE’s statement noted how Triple H was expected to make a full recovery, and since then it’s been reported that he is doing well.

He has done some WWE work in recent months, but he still has not returned to the daily workload that he had before.

During an appearance on First Take earlier today (via Fightful), Triple H spoke about his health issues, noting that he almost died and now has a defibrillator in his chest. He added that he is now retired from in-ring action and can never wrestle again. Here are highlights:

On the heart issues that almost killed him: “From the viral pneumonia, I had fluid in my lungs, fluid around my heart. They followed up on it, did an EKG. Basically, the way your heart pumps out, it’s 55 to 65 percent of your injection fracture is a good number. I was at 30 (percent). I had a quick text message saying, ‘don’t take time, pack a bag, we’ll head to the emergency room. I’ll fill you in on the way.’ By the time I got to the emergency room, my ejection fracture had gone down to 22 (percent). I was in heart failure. Bad. By the next morning, as they figured that out in the evening, the next morning as I was setting in to get an MRI done and about to go in for a heart cap, my ejection fracture was down to 12 (percent). I was nose diving and at the one-yard line of where you don’t want to be. For your family and your future, when they tell you it’s 99%, it gets real. We have three young girls; 15, 13, and 11 (years old). Suddenly, I come home and I’m a little bit sick, and their dad, who is strong, always, suddenly is in the hospital. I don’t know if they understood the consequences of it, but there are moments in there when they are putting you out for stuff and you think, ‘is this it? Do you wake up again?’ That’s tough to swallow. It makes you think differently about life. It doesn’t make you any less driven with the things you do, but it certainly makes you appreciate the things you have; your friends and your family.”

On his status as a wrestler: “For me, as far as in-ring, I’m done. I will never wrestle again. I have a defibrillator in my chest, which it’s not a good idea for me zapped on live TV.”

Triple H’s final match as a wrestler was teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Samoa Joe and Robert Roode at a live event in Tokyo, Japan in June 2019.

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/25/22

The Road to WrestleMania 38 will continue tonight with the final SmackDown on FOX episode before next week’s special go-home show. SmackDown will air live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City tonight.

WWE has not officially announced Ronda Rousey for a segment on tonight’s show but she is being advertised locally and by the WWE Events website.

Backstage News On How WWE May Present Cody Rhodes

Two high-profile people within WWE want Cody Rhodes to be presented in the exact same manner to his AEW character when he debuts with the company.

According to WrestleVotes, these two individuals have been adamant to Vince McMahon that this should happen, including his entire presentation.

This ranges from his ring gear, theme music, and pyro. They believe that the visual impact of having the ‘American Nightmare’ crossing the line from AEW to WWE is significant to this deal. Of course, while it has been reported that Cody Rhodes is returning to WWE, nothing has been made official yet.

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1507339115674497028

Since Cody Rhodes’ AEW contract came to an end, he has not been seen inside a wrestling ring. The former three-time TNT Champion is believed to be facing Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38 this year.

Rollins is currently without an opponent at WrestleMania and this turned into a major storyline on Raw over the past few weeks. Rollins has claimed in storyline that Raw will not start next week until he gets an opponent. It is unknown if this is when Cody will be turning up, or if his debut will be saved for WrestleMania.

During a recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, Chris Jericho seemed to confirm that Cody is heading back to WWE. During the introduction of his podcast episode, he claimed that he is now back with the company.

“I’m pulling back the curtain a little bit on the wrestling business,” Jericho said. “You’re gonna discover how I’ve been able to be Chris Jericho no matter what company I work for or where I wrestle. You’ll hear how Danhausen gets to keep his name and gimmick from promotion to promotion. How Cody got to reclaim Rhodes from WWE even though he’s back in WWE…”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Shad Gaspard To Receive Warrior Award At This Year’s WWE Hall Of Fame

With only a week to go until the ceremony takes place, only three inductees have been announced. The Undertaker, Vader, and Sharmell

WWE has now officially confirmed Shad Gaspard will receive the Warrior Award at next week’s Hall of Fame ceremony.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1507363868070273033

Gaspard passed away in May 2020 when he was caught in a riptide while swimming with his son of Venice Beach. One of Gaspard’s last acts before passing away was to direct rescuers towards his son before they rescued him. Sadly, after safely making sure Gaspard’s son made it to shore, his rescuers were too late to save the former WWE Superstar and his body was found days later.

Gaspard’s passing came years after he competed in WWE as one half of the tag team Cryme Tyme alongside JTG. While it would have been cool to see him eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame, it’s hard to argue that his time in WWE merits that. The Warrior Award, on the other hand, which is “presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance” is undoubtedly something Gaspard’s legacy deserves.

Source: TheSportster

MLW Fusion Preview 3/24/22

Watch Major League Wrestling FUSION tonight at 8pm ET featuring a Stairway To Hell match and streaming worldwide for free on MLW’s YouTube channel and Saturday nationwide on cable and dish on beIN SPORTS. 

  • Stairway To Hell: Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
  • Killer Kross vs. Budd Heavy
  • Gangrel in action!

Jacob Fatu and Mads Krugger prepare to journey to hell as CONTRA’s former generals go to war in a Stairway To Hell match on Fusion!

The Baklei War Club and Maliliu Cane hang high above the ring as the CONTRA civil war escalates. Who will emerge from the sheer human wreckage with their hand raised? Tune in and find out!

What’s Hammerstone’s status? Did Richard Holliday knock Your Boy Hammer out of competition indefinitely? Will Cesar Duran follow through on his vow to strip Hammerstone of the World Heavyweight Championship? The decision is coming your way tonight.

Rumors are circulating that Cesar and Richard Holliday will be making a joint statement on the ongoing Hammerstone champion concern. Could El Jefe shock the wrestling world and crown Richard Holliday the NEW World Heavyweight Champion? Tune in and find out!

“The harbinger of chaos” Killer Kross returns!

The Vampire Warrior rises as Gangrel arrives in MLW!

Los Parks return with their latest culinary masterpiece and put the MLW tag team division on notice in the process!

With 5150 lurking, the Von Erichs get advice from one of wresting’s all-time greats.

Join Rich Bocchini and Joe Dombrowski as MLW presents Fusion!

IMPACT Preview 3/24/22

The road to Rebellion goes through the legendary 2300 Arena in Philadelphia tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!

* Knockouts World Championship (Street Fight): Tasha Steelz (c) vs. Mickie James 

* IMPACT World Tag Team Championship (Lumberjack Match): Violent By Design (C) vs. The Good Brothers

* IMPACT World Champion Moose was given an ultimatum: Sign the contract for his IMPACT World Title defense against Josh Alexander by the end of the night or forfeit the title altogether. In the final minutes of IMPACT!, Moose delivered the signed contract – but not to IMPACT Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. Instead, he delivered it to Josh Alexander’s wife, Jen, at their home in Canada. This Thursday, Josh Alexander addresses the actions of Moose and with tensions about to explode, there’s no telling what might happen!

* Eddie Edwards vs. Rocky Romero

* Steve Maclin vs. Heath w/Rhino

* The valiant X-Division Champion, Trey Miguel, is set to defend his title in a high-risk Triple Threat match at Rebellion. We already know that longtime rival Ace Austin will be one of his opponents after he defeated John Skyler and Crazzy Steve in a qualifying match on IMPACT. This Thursday, the final piece of the puzzle will be revealed as Willie Mack, Laredo Kid and “Speedball” Mike Bailey collide in the final qualifier. Who is headed to Rebellion?

* The action begins Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:30pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook. Shera makes his long-awaited return to IMPACT Wrestling as he goes one-on-one with the maniacal Crazzy Steve! Plus, Gia Miller, Josh Mathews and George Iceman get you ready for all things IMPACT on the road to Rebellion.

WWE Makes Changes To The WrestleMania 38 Line-Up

WWE has made a few more changes to the card for WrestleMania 38.

We noted before how AJ Styles vs. WWE Hall of Famer Edge was originally announced for WrestleMania Sunday, but then pulled from that listing and was not assigned to any night for a week or so. WWE then added the match back to WrestleMania Sunday, but now it is listed for WrestleMania Saturday.

On a related note, the Fatal 4 Way for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles is now listed for WrestleMania Sunday. The match was originally announced for WrestleMania Sunday, but then it was listed for Friday or Saturday. Now that Natalya and Shayna Baszler have been added to make it a Fatal 4 Way, WWE has confirmed the bout for Night Two of WrestleMania 38.

WrestleMania 38 will take place on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Below is the current announced card:

WRESTLEMANIA SATURDAY – APRIL 2:

SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (c)

RAW Women’s Title Match
Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (c)

SmackDown Tag Team Titles Match
Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs vs. The Usos (c)

WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs. AJ Styles

Logan Paul and The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio

Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Baron Corbin

Kevin Owens hosts The KO Show with special guest WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin

WRESTLEMANIA SUNDAY- APRIL 3:

Winner Takes All Title Unification Match
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

Triple Threat for the RAW Tag Team Titles
The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Randy Orton and Riddle (c)

Fatal 4 Way for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles
Shayna Baszler and Natalya vs. Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley vs. Naomi and Sasha Banks vs. Carmella and Queen Zelina Vega (c)

Anything Goes Match
Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn

Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory

UNCONFIRMED, RUMORED OR EXPECTED MATCHES:

Seth Rollins vs. Cody Rhodes

WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. Sheamus and Ridge Holland

WWE Intercontinental Title Match
TBA vs. Ricochet (c)

WWE United States Title Match
Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor (c)