Author: John Bass

Ric Flair Wants An Apology From Becky Lynch, Oh And $20 Million From WWE

A quick tweet and delete, something The Nature Boy is becoming known for nowadays.

Ric Flair had quite the year in 2021. He started it as a WWE Superstar, even making his return to TV and becoming an active part of what was a pretty odd and eventually scrapped angle. His latest stint with WWE came to an end after he was granted his release. While there doesn’t appear to be bad blood between the two parties for the most part, Flair refuses to let one thing go.

That one thing is WWE’s use of the mantra, The Man. Or, more accurately, Becky Lynch’s use of it. Lynch has been calling herself The Man for a while. However, The Nature Boy claims he owns it, at least in the wrestling world. Flair’s claim stems from when he would say “to be the man, you gotta beat the man” during his heyday.

The situation appears to have become even more complicated rather than get resolved. There has been talk since the turn of the year that WWE has abandoned the trademark. There are also conflicting reports that WWE has simply decided to not have Lynch refer to herself as The Man anymore. Either way, Flair seems to believe he is owed an apology, not to mention a hefty chunk of change for his troubles.

Naitch published a tweet demanding apologies from Lynch and WWE, but then quickly deleted it which has become customary for the 16-time World Champion. “I’ll take 2 apologies- one from Big Time Becks & one from WWE,” Flair tweeted, adding that he’ll also take 20 million. Assuming he means dollars there, and also assuming he believes WWE has made $20 million by having Lynch refer to herself as The Man for part of her career.

Whether WWE has admitted the trademark belongs to Flair or not, it’s hard to imagine a world where The Nature Boy receives $20 million for Lynch’s use of it. This appears to be more about a problem he has with Lynch as opposed to WWE referring to her as The Man. This isn’t the first time Naitch has tweeted something about her and then immediately thought better of it. Perhaps the Hall of Famer is still hung up on the title exchange between Lynch and his daughter Charlotte last year.

Source: TheSportster

Taya Valkyrie Wants A Spot In The AEW Owen Hart Tournament 

Former Impact and NXT star Taya Valkyrie (Franky Monet) says she’s interested in working at AEW and thinks she deserves a spot in the Owen Hart tournament.

AEW’s inaugural Owen Hart Cup tournaments are set to kick off in a few months, and some wrestlers are starting to lobby for places … including former Impact and NXT star Taya Valkyrie (Franky Monet).

During a recent East Coast Autograph Auctions appearance, Valkyrie implied that she would jump at the opportunity to join AEW if offered.

“Of course, I would go to AEW. I mean, they are doing something different,” she said. “A lot of my peers and my best friends, my brothers Fenix and Pentagon are over there. So why not? Let’s wait and see what happens,” Taya teased.

La Wera Loca then commented on the possibility of her participating in the Owen Cup, saying that she deserves a spot as she shares a nationality with the man to whom the tournament is dedicated.

“I mean, as a Canadian, I think that I should definitely be in the Owen tournament,” Taya said. “I was trying to think what Canadian girls are part of AEW. I want to say Allie is probably the only one? So I think there needs to be more Canadians in that scenario. So, I would absolutely love to.”

AEW’s partnership with The Owen Hart Foundation was announced last September. Both the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Cup tournaments will be taking place in May 2022 with each final happening at this year’s Double Or Nothing. No competitors have been announced, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted with new developments.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1439967601854226434

Taya Valkyrie signed with WWE in February of last year and was soon repackaged as Franky Monet. She and several of her now-former co-workers were released by WWE on Thursday, November 4 allegedly due to budget cuts necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic (although as we reported, WWE generated $256 Million in revenue in that quarter).

Source: TheSportster

WWE RAW Preview 1/10/22

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA with more build for the upcoming Royal Rumble event.

Charlie Haas Reportedly Stretchered Out During Impact Wrestling Tapings

Former WWE Superstar Charlie Haas made his Impact Wrestling debut at Sunday night’s tapings in Dallas, TX, where he confronted Josh Alexander.

Later in the tapings, Haas wrestled Alexander and that led to a storyline with several former ROH wrestlers coming out to attack both Haas and Alexander.

It’s unclear what exactly happened but Haas was reportedly hurt during the brawl, and subsequently stretchered out of the building.

According to WrestlingNews.Co, Tommy Dreamer confirmed to the fans in attendance that Haas was legitimately hurt.

Earlier during the tapings, Alexander turned down Haas’ challenge, stating that he was focused on the IMPACT World Championship. This led to Haas attacking Alexander, setting up the match for the main event of the show.

Haas, the current the SWE Heavyweight Champion, has held the WWE Tag Team titles on three separate occasions.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Knockouts Tag Team Champions The IInspiration Was Pulled From Impact Hard To Kill Due To COVID-19

Knockouts Tag Team Champions The IInspiration have been pulled from Saturday’s Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill pay-per-view.

Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee were scheduled to defend their titles against The Influence’s Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood at Saturday’s pay-per-view, but Impact announced today that they are self-isolating after exposure to COVID-19.

The IInspiration informed Impact officials that they were in close contact with an individual who shortly thereafter tested positive for COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution and with the health of others in mind, they have decided to self-isolate over the weekend instead of working Hard To Kill.

Impact Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore noted in a press release, “Impact’s COVID protocols are in place to keep our talent roster, staff and fans safe.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill Results 1/8/2022

PRE-SHOW
Jake Something def. Madman Fulton

PRE-SHOW
Mike Bailey def. Chris Bey, Ace Austin & Laredo Kid in a Fatal 4-Way Match

KNOCKOUTS ULTIMATE X
Tasha Steelz defeated Chelsea Green, Lady Frost, Rosemary, Alisha Edwards, & Impact Digital Media Champion Jordynne Grace
Winner receives a future title shot.

IMPACT X DIVISION TITLE MATCH
Trey Miguel (c) defeated Steve Maclin
Maclin can no longer challenge for the title as long as Miguel is champion.

ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH
Jonathan Gresham (c) defeated Chris Sabin

Josh Alexander defeated Jonah

HARDCORE WAR
Heath, Rhino, Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann and Willie Mack defeated Violence By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, Joe Doering) and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson)

Matt Taven, Vincent, Mike Bennett, & PCO accompanied by Maria Kanellis made their presence known following the hardcore war match between Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) and Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering). They first focused their attack on Heath and Rhino but as Willie Mack and Rich Swann attempted to help, they were also beat down.

All five of the ROH stars then posed in the ring in celebration as the commentary team suggested that it was an ROH invasion.

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1480019855155904516

– Backstage, Scott D’Amore says he has just found about what just happened like everyone else. Scott says it’s about time he calls Baltimore to find out.

TRIPLE THREAT FOR THE IMPACT WORLD TITLE
Moose (c) defeated Matt Cardona & W. Morrissey

TEXAS DEATH MATCH FOR THE KNOCKOUTS TITLE
Mickie James (c) defeated Deonna Purrazzo

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night Three Results 1/8/2022

  • Kosei Fujita & Yasutaka Yano wrestle to a time-limit draw
  • TenCozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Yuji Nagata def. Akitoshi Saito, King Tany, & Muhammad Yone
  • CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, & YOSHI-HASHI), Master Wato, & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Daiki Inaba, Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, Kinya Okada, & Yoshiki Inamura
  • SHO def. Atsushi Kotoge
  • HAYATA & Seiki Yoshioka def. Bullet Club (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori)
  • Suzuki-gun (DOUKI & El Desperado) def. NOSAWA RONGAI & YO-HEY
  • Kazushi Sakuraba, Takashi Sugiura, & Toru Yano def. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, & TAKA Michinoku)
  • Go Shiozaki & Masa Kitamura def. Bullet Club (Dick Togo & EVIL)
  • Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa def. Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre, Jr.)
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito) def. ALEJA, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Manabu Soya, & Tadasuke vs.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada def. Keiji Muto & Kiyomiya Kaito

Former WWE Announcer Joins Impact’s Announce Team

Renee Paquette took to Twitter earlier today and revealed that her friend and former WWE announcer, Tom Hannifan (Tom Phillips), will be joining Impact for commentary during tonight’s Hard To Kill event.

Paquette writes, “Huge news!! @TomHannifan joins @IMPACTWRESTLING as their newest play-by-play announcer at Hard To Kill! What a pick-up for them! I have Tom’s first interview this coming Tuesday on The Sessions!! @TheVolumeSports.”

Hannifan was also spotted in Dallas this morning, leading to some speculation prior to the announcement, according to PWInsider. He replaces Matt Striker on the announce team who, as we noted, revealed earlier this week that he is done with Impact Wrestling.

“I am disappointed that my time with #ImpactonAXSTV is done,” Striker wrote on Twitter. “I REALLY enjoyed that locker room. Thanks for allowing me to tell your story. Thanks, everyone. Stay safe.”

D’Lo Brown, however, will remain on the commentary team and will be beside Hannifan to call the play-by-play for Hard To Kill. The duo will be the new team going forward on Impact on AXS TV as of this Thursday’s episode.

Hannifan, age 32, was a part of WWE’s staff from 2012 through May 2021 when he was released by the company along with multiple other employees. At that time, his roles included producing and managing announcers as Senior Manager of On-Air Talent under Michael Cole.

After his departure from WWE, Tom Hannifan transitioned into the world of college football when he became a host for Paydirt: A Penn State Football Podcast.

https://twitter.com/ReneePaquette/status/1479877753382096899

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE’s Medical Update On Sasha Banks Says She Will Miss The Royal Rumble

WWE provided an update on former Women’s Champion Sasha Banks earlier today, confirming reports that she is dealing with a foot injury. The full announcement can be seen below:

“Sasha Banks injury update

Sasha Banks suffered a foot injury Sunday evening at a WWE Live! event in Fayetteville, NC. After seeking emergency medical attention, it was determined nothing was broken. Sasha underwent an MRI and it was discovered she has a bruised calcaneus bone. She is at home recovering and undergoing physical therapy. She is expected to be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Stay locked in to WWE Digital for the latest updates.”

With the timeline provided, Banks is expected to miss the upcoming premium live event, WWE Royal Rumble 2022, taking place on Saturday, January 29. Stay tuned for updates on Banks’s status.

Banks wrestled SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at last Sunday’s WWE live event in Fayetteville, NC, and appeared to hurt her leg or knee while taking an over-the-knee backbreaker. She kicked out of a pinfall but stayed on the mat while the referee checked her out, before they went to the finish with Flair getting the win after a Natural Selection. Banks was then helped to the back.

Banks posted an update for fans later that night, writing, “I’m good [fist emoji] Thank you for the love always. [heart emoji]”

It looked as though WWE may have been building towards Banks vs. Flair at Royal Rumble, as the two have been wrestling both on television in tag matches and at live events. However, if WWE’s report holds true, Banks will miss the Rumble and as noted, Flair will be appearing as the SmackDown Women’s Champion in the rumble. If she wins, Charlotte claims she will choose her own challenger for WrestlerMania this year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Battle Of The Belts Preview 1/8/22 (Updated) – Cody Rhodes Confirms COVID-19 Diagnosis

AEW Battle of The Belts will air this Saturday on TNT at 8pm ET, live from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC. The local start time is 7pm ET, indicating that they may tape other matches before the show.

In a video package, it was revealed that Cody Rhodes will not compete at Battle Of The Belts due to “medical protocol” and that his brother Dustin Rhodes will take his place. Dustin and Sammy Guevara will compete to determine an interim TNT Champion

*  AEW Women’s World Championship: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. (c) vs. Riho

*  AEW TNT Interim Championship: Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

* FTW Championship: Ricky Starks (c) vs. Matt Sydal 

Cody Rhodes confirmed that he tested positive for Covid-19.

Cody provided an update for both he and Brandi Rhodes, his wife. In it, he mentions how multiple family members have tested positive and are quarantining with them.

“I appreciate everybody reaching out. Brandi and I are in isolation with family that have unfortunately tested positive for Covid. It’s been a scary time dealing with such a strong virus and the complications that can come with it. We are doing all we can to nurse and protect the family during this time. I will remain in quarantine as long as needed.

“Everyday is more encouraging,” Cody Rhodes continued. “Thank you immensely for your support and respect for our privacy. Thank you to AEW for understanding and allowing me to be where I am needed today, and for still allowing the TNT Title to be represented. I look forward to being back soon. All the love in the world!”

Rhodes also posted a pro-vaccine message to his Instagram Stories on Thursday morning, possibly when he first discovered the positive test results. At the time, he wrote “Please get vaccinated – if not for yourself, for the young kids/babies who can’t defend themselves as easily from Covid.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.