Author: John Bass

WWE Reportedly Has Interest In Bringing Braun Strowman Back

WWE reportedly has interest in bringing Braun Strowman back.

It was noted in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is interested in bringing Strowman back to work for the company, especially with the recent AEW signings and the expected signings of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

Strowman was released from WWE on June 2, and is reportedly under a 90-day non-compete clause that will make him a free agent on Tuesday, August 31. There has been talk of Strowman signing with AEW as there is interest from both sides

There is no word yet on if Strowman is interested in going back to WWE.

Strowman merchandise was added to the WWE Shop website, but it remains to be seen if that was some sort of error, or miscommunication, or if it could be related to WWE wanting to bring him back.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Planning To Hold Queen of the Ring Tournament This Year?

While details are sketchy, reports are that WWE is planning to hold a Queen of the Ring Tournament later this year.

As per an exclusive report via Wrestling Inc., WWE is bringing a popular tournament back, only this time for the Women’s Division with a Queen of the Ring tournament. The report explains this won’t be a pay-per-view and it won’t be part of either Raw or SmackDown.

The tournament is tentatively scheduled to be a main roster show that airs exclusively on Peacock. No dates have been confirmed, only that this is supposed to happen at some point as part of the 2021 calendar.

There were also no details on how big the tournament bracket would be, if it would include only certain stars from certain brands or which names were going to be featured. WWE’s Women’s main roster division current includes about 17 women who aren’t either already champions or aren’t on the injured list. That means, most of the females on the main roster could be included if the brackets start with 16 competitors.

What’s interesting about this is that WWE hasn’t really put much emphasis on a King of the Ring Tournament in quite some time. It’s not a regularly featured pay-per-view and from year to year, it’s never quite known if WWE will hold the historic event or not. King of the Ring had previously been one of WWE’s signature spectacles with the winner often going on to do big things. Perhaps WWE is hoping the winner of a female version of the tournament could skyrocket in popularity.

NWA recently announced an all-women pay-per-view titled EmPower. It will take place on Aug. 28 at Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. During a media call in June, Triple H was asked and all-women’s event and seemed to brush off the idea, saying it was a possibility, but not “the must-have of the moment.”

Could WWE have changed their mind or felt pressure to put something on? Or, was this in the works already and Triple H just kept it quiet.

Source: The Sportster

Report On CM Punk Possibly Signing With AEW

AEW has been mentioned as the likeliest landing spot for CM Punk. Here is the latest.

It sounds like CM Punk and AEW are closing in on a contract that will change the professional wrestling landscape.

On Thursday, it was reported that CM Punk has engaged in talks regarding a return to the ring, and that AEW is the most likely promotion to land him. More details have emerged on this story.

Ringside News heard that an agreement between AEW And CM Punk is practically a “done deal”, and that they’re simply “waiting until they are in person to sign the contract.”

Also, Dave Meltzer reported on a Wrestling Observer Forum (h/t WrestlingNews.co), that the two sides have held “talks about certain dates.” Meltzer believes that even if they haven’t signed a deal yet, CM Punk and AEW “they have an understanding and unless (there is) a blow up, it’s happening.”

On his Instagram page, CM Punk posted a story of the song Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project, and some are interpreting this as a hint that he’ll be joining AEW soon. Sirius has been played at Chicago Bulls home games since the Michael Jordan dynasty days. The AEW All Out pay-per-view will be held inside the Now Arena at Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Sept. 5. Hoffman Estates is a suburb of Chicago, CM Punk’s hometown.

Signing CM Punk, who left the WWE seven and a half years ago, would be a massive game changer for AEW. And yet, he may not be the only former WWE Champion who’s about to arrive in the company. Recent reports have also stated that Daniel Bryan is about to join AEW. Apparently, the company’s partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling was a significant factor in Bryan’s decision to sign with AEW. His contract with WWE expired nearly three months ago.

If AEW signs both CM Punk and Bryan, that promises to quickly change the competition with WWE. These are two of the most popular and accomplished wrestlers of the past decade, after all. We’ll just have to wait and see how everything plays out over the coming days or weeks.

Source: The Sportster

Impact Wrestling Preview 7/22/21

Last Saturday, Impact Wrestling’s world changed following their historic and game-changing event, Slammiversary. The question weighing on everyone’s minds is: How will the dynamic change with the new debuts and former stars returning to the Impact Zone?

Tonight, witness the fallout from Saturday’s show. With new tag team champions Havok and Rosemary (Knockouts) and The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson), as well as the retaining victors (Josh Alexander, Deonna Purrazzo and Kenny Omega), who will step up to the plate and challenge them next?

It looks like Havok and Rosemary have their first challengers calling their shot for Knockouts Tag Team Championship. They will defend their titles for the first time in a rematch against Fire ‘N Flava. Will Fire ‘N Flava make history by reclaiming the belts for the third time, or will Havok and Rosemary tear them down again just like they did last Saturday?

Not only were there new champions crowned and other spectacular title matches displayed, but the surprise train kept on rolling through when past TNA/Impact stars like Chelsea Green, Mickie James, and the former Impact World Tag Team Champions FinJuice (Juice Robinson and David Finlay) reemerged. Not to mention the exciting debuts of Thunder Rosa and No Way, who tore the house down during their separate title matches. What do these returning stars have up their sleeves tonight?

Speaking of new faces, jaws dropped in shock and awe when New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s NEVER Openweight Champion “Switchblade” Jay White made a surprise visit minutes after Kenny Omega retained his Impact World Championship in a grueling matchup against Sami Callihan. What does the leader of the Bullet Club have in store for Impact?

Tonight on Impact on AXS TV:

* Fallout from Slammiversary

*  Jay White returns to the Impact Zone

* Mickie James to appear

* Knockouts Tag Team Championship Rematch: Rosemary & Havok (c) vs. Fire ‘N Flava

* Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)

* Mixed Tag Team Action: Brian Myers, Sam Beale & Tenille Dashwood vs. Jake Something, Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green

* Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

* Panelists Jon Burton, Gia Miller and Josh Mathews will kick things off with a Slammiversary recap on Before The Impact at 7 PM ET!

Kiera Hogan Announced Departure From Impact Wrestling

Kiera Hogan is done with Impact Wrestling.

Hogan announced on her OnlyFans account that she finished up with the company at the TV tapings held in Nashville this week.

“What’s up babies! I’m in Nashville for tapings and you guys will be the first to know that this is my last IMPACT tapings and I’m going to see what else is out there for me [emoji] I’m so excited and scared but I know whatever I choose to do I’m gonna be the best and that’s on periodt [blue heart emoji],” she wrote.

It was reported back in August 2019 that Hogan had signed a multi-year contract with the company that summer.

Known as Fire ‘N’ Flava, Hogan and Tasha Steelz won the tournament to revive the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles earlier this year at Hard To Kill on January 16. They then dropped the titles to Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering at Rebellion on April 25, but won them back on May 15 at Under Siege. They lost the titles to Havok and Rosemary at Slammiversary this past Sunday. A new storyline with the tag team will play out over the next few episodes of Impact on AXS, taped this past week.

Hogan first signed with Impact/GFW back in August 2017. She leaves the company as a two-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion.

Stay tuned for more on Hogan’s future and Impact departure.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SummerSlam To Air In Movie Theaters

The 2021 WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view will air live in select movie theaters across the country.

WWE and Iconic Events Releasing announced today that SummerSlam will air live in movie theaters nationwide for the first time ever.

Ticket prices vary based on the theater location, but select theaters in the following states will be showing the pay-per-view live: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

You can find a list of participating movie theaters at WWEliveintheaters.com.

WWE SummerSlam will take place on Saturday, August 21 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Stay tuned for updates on the big event.

WWE issued the following announcement to us today:

SUMMERSLAM® TO AIR LIVE IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

STAMFORD, Conn., July 22, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Iconic Events Releasing today announced a new partnership that brings SummerSlam, WWE’s biggest event of 2021, to movie theaters nationwide for the first time. The event will air live on Saturday, August 21 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT and will be one of the first sporting events held at full capacity at Allegiant Stadium, and the first time it will be held at an NFL venue.

“Iconic Events Releasing is proud to be in partnership with WWE to bring their incredible brand to movie theaters coast to coast,” said Iconic CEO Steve Bunnell. “SummerSlam is a marquee event that demands to be seen on the big screen, with big sound, in an auditorium full of excited fans.”

Iconic Events Releasing brings live and filmed entertainment of all types to movie theaters as special limited engagement events, so that fans can gather together to watch their favorites on the big screen. Programming includes live pay-per-view sports, music and comedy specials, stand-up comedy events, award-winning television specials, Broadway productions, exciting holiday specials, family events, live events for album releases, rock concerts, and music docs that celebrate diversity.

Iconic’s national theater network represents the country’s preeminent cinemas offering enhanced guest experiences, high-quality food & beverage service, and reserved seating to ensure families can enjoy a night out watching SummerSlam live in their local movie theater.

Tickets to see SummerSlam live in theaters are on sale now at local theater box offices and at wweliveintheaters.com.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Daniel Bryan Has Signed A Contract With AEW, Partial Terms Of Deal Revealed [Report]

An exclusive report by Bodyslam.net confirms that Daniel Bryan is locked in and signed with AEW. What are the terms he asked for in his deal?

This past week, speculation was everywhere that Daniel Bryan was no longer negotiating a return to WWE. He’d been removed from all of their side projects and partners who work closely with WWE of merchandise like action figures and video games have been told he’s no longer a part of the company plans. But, did that mean he was destined to go to AEW? Apparently so.

A new report that surfaced on Wednesday notes that Bryan has, in fact, signed a deal to debut with AEW and as Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reports, Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) is “locked in” and has “100% signed a contract with AEW.”

A follow up report also notes that Danielson was wanting to work less dates for comparable money, which AEW has accepted. It also important he get to work in Japan, which AEW is supportive of. Finally, he wanted to have creative input on his character, and AEW didn’t mind granting him that request either.

If this report is accurate, this obviously huge news for AEW and a big loss for WWE. Bryan is a major name in the wrestling business. Not only that, he’s exactly the type of personality and mentor that will be a great fit for that locker room.

For fans wondering if this is going to be something that happens quickly, they’ll need to have a little patience. Plans are already in the works to make his debut special but tentative debut plans might be to have him to appear for the first time in AEW at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on September 22.

The report suggested the CM Punk news and his negotiations with AEW may have altered the plans for Bryan, who AEW was originally thinking about bringing in after the All Out pay-per-view.

Nick Gage Debuts At AEW Fyter Fest, Announced As Chris Jericho’s Second Labour Opponent (No DQ Match)

MJF introduced AEW fans to Nick Gage at Fyter Fest, revealing he will face Chris Jericho in a No DQ match next week.

Nick Gage appeared at Fyter Fest on Wednesday night as MJF revealed he will face Chris Jericho in a No DQ match next week.

Both nights of AEW’s Fyter Fest were loaded, and night two kicked off with the first of five labours of Chris Jericho. Jericho needs to make it through all five if he wants to face MJF again. The first was a match against Shawn Spears in which Spears was allowed to use a steel chair, but Jericho could not.

Le Champion won the match with MJF watching on from the announce desk. Not impressed with the helping hand Jericho got from Sammy Guevara, the holder of the Dynamite Diamond Ring went ahead and announced Jericho’s second labour. A no disqualification match against someone who also doesn’t mind breaking the rules. A man who has stabbed one of his opponents and legitimately robbed a bank.

If you haven’t already figured out who MJF had waiting in the wings, it was deathmatch legend, Nick Gage. Gage then joined MJF on the stage, brandishing a pizza cutter and using it to signify what he plans on doing to Jericho next week. The match was described as No DQ, but it will be interesting to see how close to a deathmatch it can become on network television.

Gage has been wrestling for years but discovered newfound fame recently after he was the subject of an episode of Dark Side of the Ring. The show detailed his path to becoming one of the most famous deathmatch wrestlers of all time. He was legitimately killed in a match and brought back to life, robbed a bank, and sliced David Arquette’s neck, something else that really landed Gage on the radar.

It’s unclear right now what sort of deal Gage has with AEW if he does indeed have a deal at all. He might wrestle the one match with Jericho and be done. There is one other very obvious match waiting for him in AEW right now, however. A match against former deathmatch wrestler Jon Moxley who has shown up in GCW a couple of times and attacked Gage. Matt Cardona could return to AEW for a match with Gage too as he seems pretty peeved that he ducked their showdown recently but is working with AEW.

Source: The Sportster

Bullet Club Member Hikuleo Appears At AEW Fyter Fest Night Two

NJPW star and Bullet Club member Hikuleo made a suprise appearance during night two of AEW Fyter Fest and laid down a championship challenge for Fight For The Fallen!

During Orange Cassidy’s clash with The Blade, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Hikuleo appeared at ringside to take in the action. Later, the 30-year-old was shown at ringside donning a Bullet Club t-shirt with commentary noting he had particular interest in the IWGP United States Heavyweight title showdown between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer.

After a brutal and bloody Texas Deathmatch in the show’s main event, Archer regained the gold from the man he’d lost it to a year and a half earlier before being confronted by the Bullet Club member. The two stared down to close the show and it was later made official that Hikuleo will be Archer’s first challenger next week at Fight For The Fallen, the former’s AEW in-ring debut!

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1418010010014130178
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1418029036006264835

Despite making his pro wrestling debut in November 2016, the 6 foot 8 star quickly made an impression across the world. Immediately joining his fellow Fifita family members Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa in Bullet Club, Hikuleo faced off against some of the biggest stars in NJPW before leaving on excursion for UK promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling. (They are the sons of Haku)

Most recently appearing on NJPW Strong, he’s picked up wins over the likes of Brody King, TJP and Fred Rosser and most notably made it to the semi-finals of the New Japan Cup USA 2021 before falling to eventual winner Tom Lawlor.

Source: Inside The Ropes

Chavo Guerrero Jr. Makes AEW Debut at Fyter Fest Night Two

Chavo Guerrero Jr. is All Elite, making his AEW debut during night two of Fyter Fest. Last night’s special episode of Dynamite saw Guerrero announced as the advisor to Andrade El Idolo. Guerrero appeared and said that while he’s excited to be part of AEW and praised the talent, none of them were on El Idolo’s level. That brought out PAC and Death Triangle, and Guerrero tried to recruit Penta and Fenix to no avail.

Guerrero returned to the ring in April at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 6, defeating Rocky Romero. He was last seen at Impact Wrestling in September of 2019 and has been working in Hollywood for the last few years, working on shows like Young Rock and GLOW.

Source: 411Mania