Author: John Bass

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)

Chris Jericho Confirms Cody Rhodes Has Signed With WWE

On his Talk is Jericho podcast earlier this week, Chris Jericho confirmed that Cody Rhodes is bound for WWE.

Jericho had ‘Gimmick Attorney’ Mike Dockins as a guest on the show, and they spoke in length about wrestlers’ trademark battles with WWE. While describing what Dockins does, Jericho confirmed that Rhodes will be returning to WWE TV soon.

“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…”

Cody Rhodes is rumored to wrestle Seth Rollins at the upcoming WrestleMania 38 premium live event. He is expected to be a part of the RAW brand, according to PWInsder. As per several other reports, Rhodes will also appear at the RAW after Mania on Monday, April 4.

This week’s RAW ended with a seething Seth Rollins threatening to hijack next week’s show unless he gets to be on the WrestleMania 38 card. The fans in attendance at the Allstate Arena chanted “Cody” in response, as Rollins continued to wreak havoc at ringside. Rhodes could potentially show up at the Mania go-home episode of RAW this Monday at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 3/23/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode will air live on TBS from the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas.

Dynamite will be headlined by a big Tornado Tag Team Match with The Hardys teaming with Sting and Darby Allin to take on Private Party, The Butcher and The Blade. There will also be the in-ring debut of The Jericho Appreciation Society together, plus appearances by CM Punk and MJF. Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal has also been announced in what will actually be Lethal’s first Dynamite singles match since he debuted with a loss to then-TNT Champion Sammy Guevara back on November 17.

AEW has announced the following line-up for tonight’s Dynamite on TBS:

* Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal

* Red Velvet vs. Leyla Hirsch in their 1-1 Rubber Match, with Kris Statlander banned from ringside

* Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley vs. The Varsity Blondes

* CM Punk makes his first appearance since defeating MJF at Revolution

* MJF speaks for the first time since costing Wardlow the TNT Title

* Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia vs. John Silver and Alex Reynolds

* Private Party, The Butcher and The Blade vs. The Hardys, Sting and Darby Allin in a Tornado Tag Team Match

Tony Khan Might Have Trick Up His Sleeve For ROH Supercard Of Honor

Tony Khan says he may have a trick up his sleeve for Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor pay-per-view.

It’s the first ROH show since AEW’s President, CEO, General Manager & Head Of Creative announced earlier this month that he has agreed to purchase the company.

“I promise to work hard to make ROH Supercard a great ppv + a show to carry on the incredible 20 year legacy of @ringofhonor,” Khan tweeted Wednesday. “I’ll continue to make announcements on the card; I might even have a trick up my sleeve (which I wouldn’t announce).”

Four matches have been announced for Supercard of Honor. Jonathan Gresham and Bandido will meet to decide the undisputed ROH World Champion. The Briscoes will defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship against FTR. Also, Jay Lethal will face Lee Moriarty and Alex Zayne is set to square off against Swerve Strickland.

Other talents announced for the show are Joe Hendry and Ninja Mack.

“I had not scheduled this pay-per-view, the Ring of Honor Supercard, but I really think that is important for me because they’ve sold tickets and made a commitment to the fans to still do the show,” Tony Khan said last week. “I see it as a transitional show in many ways, and I’m really excited about it because it is the first show under the new management, and it’s also a transition show before I will relaunch what I hope to be a really great, new Ring of Honor television product. A weekly series, wherever it does air or stream.”

Supercard of Honor will be held on Friday, April 1 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas. The show will be available to purchase on FITE TV and PPV.com, as well as via InDemand Cable and Satellite providers. The show will also be streamed for members of Ring of Honor’s HonorClub service.

The Supercard of Honor pay-per-view broadcast is scheduled to begin at 8 PM Easter/7 PM Central. A pre-show on Ring of Honor’s YouTube channel will begin one hour earlier.

This year’s Supercard of Honor is the fifteenth installment of the annual event. It will also be the first Ring of Honor since the start of a self-imposed hiatus for the company last December.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Big E Reveals Just How Serious His Neck Break Could Have Been

If things had been even a little different E could have been paralyzed, suffered a stroke, or even died.

A week and a half ago, Big E suffered an incredibly scary injury at the hands of Ridge Holland thanks to a belly-to-belly suplex gone wrong. The former WWE Champion was planted right on his head at ringside, resulting in a broken neck. More specifically fractures of his C1 and C6. E continues to shed more light on the injury as he finds out more about it himself, including how much more serious it could have been.

E shared what could have been after being told during his most recent doctor visit. “Learning I narrowly escaped a stroke, paralysis or death is very sobering,” E revealed. The New Day man explains that the C1 fracture could have caused any of those far more serious consequences.

E didn’t get away scot-free, of course, and while he didn’t lose his life or ability to walk, the extent of his injuries still remains unclear. E was up and walking around his neighborhood just one week after suffering the injury, which is pretty remarkable. As for whether E will ever be able to wrestle again, it will likely be a long time before he, fans, or even his doctors can be certain of that.

The outpouring of love and well wishes from fans and wrestlers alike just goes to show how popular a guy E is. The man himself revealed how overwhelmed he was with the support shortly after the injury, explaining that it assured him he was not alone in his recovery, one that will hopefully end with him returning to the ring. For now, E is focused on healing, and that appears to be going pretty well so far.

It’s assumed the entire reason for the match in which E injured his neck was to set up a match between New Day and Sheamus’s group (Ridge Holland and Butch, formally known as Pete Dunne) at WrestleMania. That match is obviously now off, and as of right now with the card filling up, none of the five Superstars who remain have anything to do over WrestleMania weekend. Well, they’ll be busy, of course, but not with matches on the WrestleMania card, for now. But there are reports that they could sill be involved in a normal 2-man tag team match.

Source: TheSportster