WWE NXT Level Up will air tonight at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network. The episode was taped earlier this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
The Road to WrestleMania 38 continues tonight as WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida.
It’s believed that there may be some sort of follow-up to Pat McAfee’s interview with WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon on tonight’s show, but nothing is official. McAfee vs. McMahon in some form is still rumored for WrestleMania 38, and while McAfee agreed to wrestle on The Grandest Stage of Them All during the interview, Vince said they would find him a worthy opponent.
Impact Wrestling announced the first match for their Multiverse of Matches event at WrestleCon. The match is Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes.
The promotion tweeted, “BREAKING! @IMPACTWRESTLING presents Multiverse of Matches Friday, April 1st from @wrestlecon! Featuring @IMPACTWRESTLING World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs The Briscoe Brothers! @ringofhonor”
Deonna Purrazzo, Matt Cardona, Chelsea Green, Ace Austin, Eric Young, Jordynne Grace, Rhino, Rich Swann, Steve Maclin, and Tasha Steelz are also scheduled to be at the Multiverse Of Matches event.
Impact Wrestling will also be doing an Impact Provincial Wrestling Federation (IPWF) special at WrestleCon. At the last throwback special, Santa Claus (Willie Mack) defeated Sex Ferguson (Doc Gallows) in a North Pole Street Fight Match to win the International Commonwealth TV Championship.
On the same night of Multiverse of Matches, The Briscoes are set to defend the ROH Tag Team titles at ROH Supercard of Honor in Garland, Texas. The event starts at 8 p.m. ET.
Multiverse Of Matches will take place at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The start time for the event is 10 p.m. ET.
Below is Impact’s announcement:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW two weeks ago. There was speculation that Cody would return to WWE, but it may not happen after all.
Wrestling fans wanting to see Cody Rhodes return to WWE better not get their hopes up too high.
Two weeks ago, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW. Aside from wrestling, Cody served as an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi was the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Multiple reports later suggested that Cody would eventually return to WWE, but that may not be the case after all.
According to a report from Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net, there were indeed contract discussions between The American Nightmare and WWE. However, Haynes was told that the “conversations have since fizzled out.”
Sources also informed Haynes that the departures of Cody and Brandi was “real life” and “not a work.” One source told Haynes that there is some “hope” about Cody potentially returning to AEW.
On this week’s episode of Dynamite, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor. Naturally, this has led to speculation that Cody could end up returning to AEW in some capacity. The 36-year-old wrestler worked in Ring of Honor following his departure from WWE in 2016, winning the ROH World Championship on one occasion.
AEW has signed a plethora of former WWE superstars since their inception in 2019. Having Vince McMahon bring Cody back following the latter’s AEW departure would have made for an interesting story, but that’s now up in the air.
It should be noted that Cody’s AEW departure did not include a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion at any time.
Even if talks between Cody and WWE haven’t led to a contract agreement, it doesn’t mean he won’t eventually return to the company. Cody may feel inclined to explore all of his options before committing to another promotion. He was often underused by WWE in his final years with the company, so it’s understandable if he’s hesitant about returning. For now, he remains one of the top free agents on the wrestling market, and Cody will be a valuable addition to the company that lands him.
Source: TheSportster
Major League Wrestling FUSION tonight at 8pm ET brings fans to title town, featuring two championship bouts, streaming worldwide for free on MLW’s YouTube channel and Saturday nationwide on cable and dish on beIN SPORTS.
Four of the league’s finest clash for World Middleweight Championship gold! After successfully defending the belt in All Japan, “The Japanese Buzzsaw” Tajiri returns to put the World Middleweight Championship on the line against 2-time champ “The Young GOAT” Myron Reed, veteran technician Matt Cross and Cesar’s mystery middleweight!
Which of these four incredible athletes will leave Dallas with the gold around their waist? Tune in and find out!
Will Davey Richards make it to SuperFight? Just seven days prior, MLW’s clout couple, Richard Holliday and Alicia Atout attempt to put Davey’s World Championship bout with Alex Hammerstone in serious jeopardy!
The bad blood boils over as Calvin Tankman finally gets his shot at Alex Kane for the National Openweight Championship! Can The Heavyweight Hustle finally put some respect on his name and win his first title after months of torment at the hands of The Bomaye Fight Club?
5150 calls out some of wrestling’s most famous families?
KC Navarro makes his return to competition as he goes toe to toe with Dragon Gate’s Ho Ho Lun!
Don’t miss the final IMPACT! before Sacrifice, this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!
* Bullet Club vs. VBD And G.O.D.
* Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin
* Who will challenge Mickie James for the Knockouts World Title at Sacrifice? That question will be answered this Thursday when Chelsea Green battles Tasha Steelz in a highly-anticipated #1 Contenders match.
* Cassie Lee vs. Madison Rayne
* Jonah vs. Johnny Swinger
* Kick off your night Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:30pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook. “The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers looks to add another high-profile victory to his resume when he battles the terrifying Crazzy Steve! Plus, Gia Miller, Josh Mathews and George Iceman get you ready for the final IMPACT! before Sacrifice.
WWE programming is no longer available in Russia in any form.
Last week, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine that has been raging on since as Vladimir Putin attempts to take control of the neighboring country’s major cities, causing unfathomable damage and killing and injuring countless civilians in the process. As the attacks continue, the rest of the world attempts to show support and solidarity with Ukraine in whatever way they can, and that now extends to WWE.
WWE issued a statement today revealing WWE programming is no longer available in Russia. WWE had a TV deal with Russian network Match which aired its weekly shows, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. That partnership has been dissolved effective immediately. People living in Russia can also no longer access the WWE Network, again, a change that has taken effect as of right now.
The statement issued by WWE is a short one that doesn’t actually make any mention of the conflict in Ukraine, nor does it outline the reason for canceling all of its televisual connections with Russia. “The move eliminates access in Russia to any WWE programming,” the statement reads, highlighting some of the content no longer available in the country as well as pointing out that Russian Network subscribers will no longer be able to watch WrestleMania 38.
Although the statement doesn’t clarify why WWE has made the move, doing so is an incredibly big deal. As Vince McMahon has proved countless times in the past, nothing motivates him more than money. Canceling a TV deal will undoubtedly take money directly out of McMahon’s pocket, as will revoking access to the WWE Network for an entire country’s worth of subscribers.
The move is actually a little surprising, even if other companies have been making similar moves to show their support for Ukraine. WWE has an ongoing relationship with Saudi Arabia and while the Middle Eastern nation isn’t currently engaged in an invasion that may well trigger World War 3, the partnership is a controversial one. That WWE is willing to show its support for Ukraine and take a financial blow in order to do that is a refreshing change.
Source: TheSportster
Tony Khan now owns ROH, and this might be what he has planned for the brand.
Khan revealed last night on AEW Dynamite that he has bought Ring Of Honor. Rumors that Khan had acquired the struggling promotion had started to circulate earlier in the evening and turns out those rumors were true. As for what exactly Khan plans on doing with ROH, which is currently on hiatus, well, that remains unclear.
According to a report from Bodyslam.net’s Cassidy Haynes, the current plan is for ROH to be AEW’s developmental territory. The NXT to AEW’s WWE, if you will. There will even be appearances from AEW’s “main roster” talent from time to time, again as is the case with NXT. Right now Dolph Ziggler is embroiled in a rivalry with Bron Breakker which has resulted in wrestlers milling back and forth between Raw and NXT.
Exactly what Khan now owns, and how much he paid for it, is also unclear at this time. The deal almost definitely includes ROH’s tape library which could lead to AEW launching a streaming service of some sort that will combine its own three years of content with 20 years worth of ROH stuff. Haynes was also told the deal is worth somewhere between $30 million and $40 million, but that information has not yet been confirmed.
ROH admitted all was not well with the promotion last year when it went on hiatus, releasing all of its talent in the process. However, it followed through on its promise that it would eventually return, announcing a Supercard Of Honor show over WrestleMania weekend. Despite AEW’s reluctance to piggyback on WrestleMania like the rest of the wrestling industry does, you would have to think the company will have a heavy presence on that show which takes place in Dallas on April 1.
Source: TheSportster
More details have been revealed about Tony Khan purchasing Ring Of Honor on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Dave Meltzer noted that the deal was put together two weeks ago, and the following day is when Khan started dropping hints. Both AEW and WWE were contacted regarding the sale, but Khan obviously put together the better offer.
The tape library was mentioned as being important to AEW, and the company does want a streaming service in some form. Ring Of Honor’s old footage is something that can help with that due to having more content. Plus, Ring Of Honor owned the footage for ALL IN, which was a crucial night for AEW’s own history.
It is not believed that WWE would have run Ring Of Honor as a separate brand. However, when the company was hot in 2018, WWE made a pitch, as Triple H wanted to buy the company. There were talks that went nowhere, as Vince McMahon wanted to buy somebody bigger. WWE ended up trying to buy New Japan Pro Wrestling, Stardom, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The company also tried to buy AAA, but nobody would sell to them for the price that WWE was willing to pay.
In a press release, Tony Khan spoke about acquiring the ROH video library. Khan said he is exploring way to make the library available to fans.
“Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,” Khan said. “This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on a national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner.
“I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH’s video library available to fans, who’ll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW’s biggest stars.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Throughout the past few weeks, Tony Khan and various AEW stars have hyped a “massive announcement” to be revealed on tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Tony even promised to personally appear in the ring for the big moment, which was a promise he fulfilled at the opening of the show this evening.
After thanking the crowd and promising the get the action going soon, Tony Khan said it would be the biggest night in the history of the company.
It was revealed that the major announcement is Tony Khan signed a deal to become the official owner of Ring Of Honor.
Earlier this week it was reported that sources from multiple wrestling companies say there was a possible sale of ROH and another promotion. It’s clear now that the deal was between AEW and Ring Of Honor.
ROH has been on a hiatus since December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, and Supercard of Honor is scheduled to be their first show back on Friday, April 1. The company announced in the lead-up to Final Battle that they were taking some time off during the first quarter of this year to “work internally to reimagine” the company and return with a “new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience.” You can click here for the updated Supercard of Honor line-up and more news from the company.
Tony Khan previously indicated that the announcement was not related to any individual talent acquisition, and instead, it had to do with a new business deal for AEW. He recently stated that keeping the details quiet was because the AEW legal team had him under NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) until everything was finalized, but assured fans that it would be “huge” for the promotion.
You can see a press release from Tony Khan below:
TONY KHAN ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE RING OF HONOR
— Video Library, Brand Assets, Intellectual Property from Independent Professional Wrestling’s Most Prestigious Promotion Purchased Under New Partnership with Tony Khan —
March 2, 2022 – Moments ago on AEW: Dynamite live on TBS, it was announced that TonyKhan has agreed to acquire the assets of Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, LLC from Sinclair Broadcast Group, including the promotion’s extensive video library dating back to 2002,brand assets, intellectual property, production equipment and more.
Known widely as the independent promotion that birthed some of wrestling’s biggest stars of today, including AEW’s CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, and highlighted dozens of members of the AEW roster, Ring of Honor’s purchase signifies a new chapter in the future of professional wrestling as AEW’s meteoric rise continues to draw the youngest-skewing wrestling audience on television.
“Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,” said Tony Khan, CEO of AEW, Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars and GM/Sporting Director of Fulham F.C.
“This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on anational and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner. I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH’s video library available to fans, who’ll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW’s biggest stars.”
More than 40 members of the AEW roster have appeared in Ring of Honor during their careers.The promotion launched the careers of numerous AEW superstars, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Hangman Page, Dr. Britt Baker and Adam Cole. Additional members of the AEW roster have made their mark in ROH, including the late Brodie Lee, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, ReDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly), Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta), Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Mercedes Martinez, Serena Deeb, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Keith Lee, Eddie Kingston, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, QT Marshall, Danhausen, Lance Archer, Griff Garrison, Thunder Rosa, Wheeler Yuta, Luchasaurus, Orange Cassidy, Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, PAC, Kip Sabian, Jon Moxley, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Jerry Lynn, BJ Whitmer, and Sonjay Dutt.
“Ring of Honor has produced some of the best professional wrestlers over the past 20 years,but more importantly, it created a family. I will be forever grateful to everyone in the ROH family who has worked tirelessly for the past two decades to take ROH to levels previously unimagined,” said Joe Koff, Chief Operating Officer, Ring of Honor Wrestling. “Tony has the utmost appreciation and respect for Ring of Honor, and I’m truly excited to see how he continues the legacy.”This acquisition will be completed through an entity that is wholly-owned by Tony Khan.
Further details about the extent of this acquisition will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
![AEW Planning To Use ROH As Its Developmental Territory [Report]](https://wrestlingnewsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/aew-roh.jpg?w=863&h=0&crop=1)
