WWE Queen Of The Ring Tournament And WWE Draft Update

WWE’s first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament is reportedly scheduled to air over RAW and SmackDown in October.

It was reported last week that WWE had plans for the all-women’s tournament to be held this year. The tentative plan was for the event to air on Peacock and the WWE Network, but a new report indicates that the event will air over WWE’s flagship TV shows.

It was reported today by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast that the Queen of the Ring tournament is currently scheduled to begin on the October 8 SmackDown, and then continue on the October 11 RAW episode.

These dates mean the tournament would begin right after the WWE Draft, which is reportedly scheduled for either the October 1 SmackDown and the October 4 RAW, or the October 4 RAW and the October 8 SmackDown. The October 4 RAW is also scheduled to be the RAW season 30 premiere. It’s likely that the Draft will take place on October 1 and October 4, if the tournament is beginning on October 8.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Natalya Apparently Injured On RAW

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya apparently suffered a leg injury during last night’s RAW.

RAW featured a non-title match with Natalya and Tamina facing Eva Marie and Doudrop, who were competing to earn a future title shot. Natalya was wrestling Doudrop at one point, going at it and tangling with each other, when Natalya appeared to suffer a right leg injury on a roll-over, or possibly one of the stomps from Doudrop.

Natalya tagged out and had trouble putting weight on her right leg. The referee then apparently called an audible as Tamina took over, and after a distraction by Lilly on the big screen, superkicked Eva for the pin to win.

After the match, a ringside medic immediately helped Natalya to the back. Tamina joined the medic in helping Natalya, who was still unable to put weight on her right leg.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces “The United States Of America Vs. Vince McMahon” Series

WWE and Blumhouse Television are partnering for “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”

WWE and Blumhouse announced today that “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon” will be a limited scripted series that focuses on the WWE steroid trial of the 1990s.

The series is being developed for TV, and will feature the first-ever scripted portrayal of the WWE Chairman & CEO. The first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE history will also feature portrayals of legendary WWE Superstars from that era.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE’s longtime Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution, in a press release issued to us today.

McMahon, Dunn, Blumhouse owner Jason Blum, Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said McCumber. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

There’s no word yet on the network or premiere date, or the cast, but we will keep you updated when more information becomes available.

Below is the full press release issued today:

WWE ® AND BLUMHOUSE PARTNER TO DEVELOP ‘THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS. VINCE MCMAHON’

LOS ANGELES and STAMFORD, Conn., July 26, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Blumhouse Television are partnering to develop a limited scripted series called, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon. Jason Blum’s company, Blumhouse, will develop the series for television, led by Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber. The series, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon, will be the first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE’s history. Additionally, it is also the first scripted portrayal of McMahon as well as many of the legendary Superstars of that era.

The show will delve into WWE during the 1990s, at the time Rupert Murdoch had purchased the New York Post to further his massive infiltration into the U.S. media landscape. For years, infamous Post writer Phil Mushnick regularly hammered WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon in his column. Headlines like “Legislators Give WWE A Free Pass On ‘Roids” and “McMahon Skips Through the Cemetery” eventually captured the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York – the nation’s most prestigious federal prosecutor’s office with a conviction rate of over 96 percent.

In 1994, the U.S. government indicted McMahon for allegedly supplying anabolic steroids to WWE talent. McMahon, with his liberty at stake, two school-aged children at home and with WWE on the brink of bankruptcy, refused to take a plea deal. Ultimately, McMahon stood trial and was acquitted unanimously by a jury of his peers and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar global sports entertainment empire.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said Chris McCumber, Blumhouse Television President. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

McMahon, Dunn, Blum, McCumber and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

The Blumhouse Television team, led by McCumber, have made several significant development announcements in the last few weeks, including: the straight-to-series pick-up of The Thing About Pam, starring Renee Zellweger in her broadcast TV debut for NBC; Blumhouse Ghost Story, the scripted series based on The Battersea Poltergeist BBC podcast, and the companion unscripted series; the continuing series based on Patricia Cornwell’s world’s best-selling “Kay Scarpetta” novels for a major; and the exclusive multi-year partnership with ITV America for provocative, disruptive and terrifying content to every corner of the non-fiction space, including Escape the Maze (wt) the first project derived from the partnership; among several other announcements.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 7/26/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

* WWE Champion Bobby Lashley responds to Goldberg’s SummerSlam challenge

* New RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. celebrates

* Mansoor and Mustafa Ali will team up

* RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos defend against The Viking Raiders

* WWE has Randy Orton advertised to appear tonight. Orton has been out of action since late June, and was recently on the disabled/inactive list internally.

Karrion Kross Potential Feud With Jeff Hardy Being Delayed (Hardy – Covid-19)

The feud between Karrion Kross and Jeff Hardy will have to be delayed as Hardy has tested positive for Covid-19 and is being pulled.

If WWE is planning to have Karrion Kross feud with Jeff Hardy, it looks like that feud is going to have to wait. Reports are that Hardy has had to pull out of events after testing positive for COVID-19, which may or may not derail immediate plans for Monday Night Raw.

Kross debuted last week on Raw. He came out with no fancy entrance and no manager, going up against the veteran in Hardy, who picked up a surprising win over the NXT Champion. Fans were split on the decision to have Kross lose clean to a mid-card talent like Hardy, but the belief was that a storyline would be starting right away where Kross came out and destroyed Hardy, starting him on a warpath through the Raw roster.

If that’s the plan, it will have to wait as Hardy has pulled out of an event in Kansas City after he tested positive for COVID-19. The news of his positive test was announced by the recordBar venue in Kansas City. They posted the following on Facebook:

“We regret to inform you that the event with Jeff Hardy to take place on Monday July 26, 2021 at recordBar in Kansas City, MO will have to be postponed to a later date.” They added, “Jeff Hardy just tested positive for covid this morning, and will have to quarantine for the next two weeks, and will not be participating in any live events for the next two weeks.” They provided a link for refund requests.

Source: The Sportster

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam Results 7/25/2021

KOPW 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP (RANBO MATCH – PRE-SHOW)
Chase Owens wins and becomes the provisional KOPW 2021 Champion

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) defeated Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Robbie Eagles defeated El Desperado (c) to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship

Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff Cobb

IWGP TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito and SANADA (c) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Shingo Takagi (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 7/25/2021

DATE: July 25, 2021 3:00 am
LOCATION: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan
AVAILABLE ON:NJPW World

CARD

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

IWGP TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Tetsuya Naito and SANADA (c) vs. Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
El Desperado (c) vs. Robbie Eagles

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi

KOPW 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP (RANBO MATCH – PRE-SHOW)
Toru Yano (c) vs. TBA

MLW ‘Battle Riot III’ Preview 7/24/21

Major League Wrestling presents Battle Riot III tonight at 10pm eastern exclusively on MLW’s YouTube channel and simulcast nationwide on cable and beIN Sports.

40 men! 1 Ring! It’s time to riot. It’s time for the BATTLE RIOT presented by newlawoffice.com!

Witness the biggest MLW match of the year! Featuring a who’s who in the sport, including: surprises, legends and more! 

Having been denied a title shot, Alex Hammerstone’s only hope for a dream title vs title match is winning the Riot. Will it be Hammertime or will CONTRA Unit’s threats to terrorize the Riot mean the end of the road for Your Boy Hammer?

The rules are simple: this is a no disqualification bout, meaning weapons ARE permitted. A new man enters every 60 seconds. Elimination is by pinfall, submission or throwing a wrestler over the top rope… and the winner gets a title shot anytime, anywhere! The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is. 

The best fighters are traveling from around the world fans for the Battle Riot and a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, including: 

Azteca Underground’s King Muertes! 

Ross & Marshall Von Erich! 

The hunt is on as Davey Richards looks to get into instant title contention by winning the Riot! 

Tom Lawlor vows to be the first ever 2-time Battle Riot winner. Can Filthy Tom pull it off? 

Journeying from Mexico, Aramis, Arez and the legendary LA Park all look to claim a guaranteed title shot! 

355 pound Calvin Tankman has been nearly unstoppable. Now the Heavyweight Hustle looks to steamroll over 39 other men.

World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed looks to ignite some hot fire as Injustice riots in South Philly. 

6’8” “The Judge” EJ Nduka promises justice will be served as he makes his MLW debut.

Who will outfight, outlast and outwit 39 other men? Tune in to find out!

PLUS: Rumors are swirling that Cesar Duran will be in attendance at the marquee event. Is “El Jefe” simply quenching his thirst for violence, or could the devious proprietor of Azteca Underground be looking to use the Battle Riot to scout potential fighters to add to his rank?

Join Rich Bocchini, fight analyst Saint Laurent, and broadcast journalist Alicia Atout as MLW presents Battle Riot III!

AEW’s Britt Baker Vows To Continue Working Despite Suffering Legitimate Injury

AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker has revealed that she sustained a legitimate broken wrist during her match with Nyla Rose on the July 21 Dynamite.

All Elite Wrestling Women’s Champion Britt Baker has revealed that she suffered a broken wrist during her match with Nyla Rose on the most recent Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite, which went down in Dallas on Wednesday, July 21.

On Friday night, Baker took to social media to share a photograph of herself alongside mixed martial artist Paige VanZant. In the image, Baker is wearing a hefty-looking cast on her right forearm.

“With [Paige VanZant],” Baker captioned the image. “And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at [AEW Dynamite] with a broken wrist,” she added.

Baker claimed that despite the injury, she wouldn’t be taking any time off. Whether or not this means she intends to wrestle with a broken wrist remains to be seen, as it’s possible she will just continue to appear on AEW programming without participating in any matches.

Baker’s no stranger working while injured. As you might recall, she continued to appear in weekly Dynamite segments despite suffering an anterior lateral tibial fracture, a partial lateral collateral ligament tear, and a small degree tendon tear during a tag match on an episode of Dynamite in May of last year. Ironically, that match also featured the aforementioned Nyla Rose, although Rose was Baker’s tag partner that night, not her opponent.

Following her 2020 injury, Baker appeared regularly on Dynamite in a wheelchair and cut promos on her colleagues in the AEW women’s division.

Source: The Sportster

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/23/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature fallout from Money In the Bank as the Road to SummerSlam kicks off.

This will be a special edition of SmackDown, airing as a dual-site broadcast. Some of the matches will air live from the Rolling Loud rap festival in Miami, while the rest of the show will air live from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

* Toni Storm debuts on the main roster

* John Cena returns to SmackDown

* Big E vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, from Rolling Loud in Miami

* Carmella vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, from Rolling Loud in Miami

* Fallout from Money In the Bank and build for SummerSlam