Author: John Bass

AEW To Air Two Dynamite Episodes Next Week?, Update On Possible Schedule Changes For Next Week

There are a few possibilities for next week’s AEW Dynamite episodes on TNT.

If the NBA Playoffs series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets ends in 6 games, then Dynamite will air on Wednesday at 8pm ET, its usual timeslot. If the series goes to 7 games, then the regular weekly Dynamite episode will air at 8pm ET on Thursday night. We will know the status of Dynamite after Monday night when the two teams play Game Six.

AEW has had plans to air a one-hour edition of Dynamite, which would air following the Wednesday NBA game at around midnight, and that episode is being taped today, according to Wrestling Observer Radio. If Dynamite ends up airing in its normal timeslot next Wednesday, then the one-hour Dynamite show will be moved to Tuesday, September 22 instead.

It was noted that none of the announced matches will air on the one-hour Dynamite show, which is also being taped today. The following matches and segments have been announced for next week. It was noted that the segment with Archer and Moxley will air on the two-hour show.

* AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and #1 contender Lance Archer will talk

* NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will defend against Ivelisse

* Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz in a Parking Lot Brawl

* AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR vs. Jurassic Express in a non-title match

* Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Private Party

* “Hangman” Page vs. Frankie Kazarian

* MJF will be in action

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former TNA Wrestler Stevie Lee “Puppet The Psycho Dwarf” Passes Away

Former TNA wrestler and actor Stevie Lee has passed away. Lee was known as “Puppet The Psycho Dwarf” in the early days of TNA.

According to his GoFundMe, Lee unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at his home.

Stevie Lee starred in American Horror Story, Jackass 3D, Oz The Great and Powerful, Rhino, and March in Windy City.

He was also the star of the reality TV series, Half Pint Brawlers, which aired on SpikeTV in 2010.

Below is Impact’s statement on his passing:

It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Stevie Lee, better known as “Puppet The Psycho Dwarf” in the early days of TNA. We send our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1304192269667442688

WWE Making Another Round Of Employee Cuts Today

There have been rumblings of more WWE cuts being made today, according to PWInsider.

As noted earlier at this link, WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco revealed on Twitter that he has been released from the company after 36 years. He received a phone call last night from WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, informing him of the release. Brisco, who had worked as a talent scout since 2010, was actually furloughed back in April as a part of the company-wide cuts brought on by COVID-19, but now he is done with the company.

It appears the WWE cutbacks rumored for today are related to office staff who were furloughed back in April, but not brought back to work yet, like Brisco. WWE started bringing back a small number of furloughed employees in the last 6-8 weeks, with a few employees returning every week or so. PWInsider notes that many of the employees being released today were some who had been waiting for word on when they would be returning to work.

The latest round of cuts are said to be from all across the board, with the live events and travel departments hit the hardest. This is due to the reduced need for those departments because of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the WWE schedule.

There has been no talk of any talent releases as of this writing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW Announces Move To Wednesday Nights

MLW announced beginning next week its show is moving to Wednesday at 7 pm ET on the fubo Sports Network. Replays will also air the same night at 10 pm ET.

Below is the full announcement, along with comments from MLW CEO and Founder Court Bauer:

 

NEW YORK – Major League Wrestling (“MLW”) is moving nights. Starting next week, fans can tune in to fubo Sports Network Wednesday nights at 7pm ET to watch the latest major league action with a replay at 10pm ET.

fubo Sports Network is a live free-to-consumer TV network featuring sports stories on and off the field.

Available on over 75 million devices; consumers can stream fubo Sports Network for free on Pluto TV, LG Channels, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Vizio Channels, Plex and XUMO as well as through fuboTV’s subscription service and on fubosportsnetwork.com.

fubo Sports Network features original programming, live sports and programming from partners including: MLW, USA Today, FanDuel, The Players Tribune, Stadium, VSiN, Campus Lore and many more.

About Major League Wrestling
Major League Wrestling (MLW®) is a sports media holding company with a focus on professional wrestling sporting events/programming, digital content and ancillary entertainment.

The fastest growing wrestling league today, Major League Wrestling airs on DAZN, fubo Sports Network as well as on beIN SPORTS in the United States and in over 20 countries abroad.

MLW streams for free every Saturday night at 6:05pm ET on YouTube.com/MajorLeagueWrestling.

MLW features a roster full of high profile fighters and on-air talent from around the world including: CONTRA Unit, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Ross and Marshall Von Erich, Alex Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, LA Park, Myron Reed and Injustice, Salina de la Renta, Alicia Atout and many more.

MLW is the parent company of the MLW Radio Network, the leading provider of professional wrestling podcasts in the world with 5-6 podcasts in the top iTunes 100 in the sports category on the average day.

Gerald Brisco Announces He’s Been Let Go By WWE

Gerald Brisco has been relieved of his WWE duties after thirty-six years with the company.

Brisco made the announcement via Twitter, writing:

Ok, want to get this out the right way. Last night I received a call from [WWE] Chairman Of The board [Vince McMahon] to let me know after 36 years of dedication to [WWE] I am no longer needed. I’m ok with this. I will still be around to help talent. More info will follow. Thanks.

After retiring from in-ring competition in the 80s, Brisco began working as a behind the scenes employee of the company where he’s remained. The 73-year-old had been working for the company in recent years as a talent scout in the amateur wrestling world.

Gerald was responsible for finding talent like Brock Lesnar, Jason Jordan, Chad Gable and many more.

Brisco had previously been furloughed by the company in April.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Miro (Rusev) Debuts On AEW Dynamite

Rusev aka Miro was revealed as Kip Sabian’s best man last night on AEW Dynamite.

It all went down during a segment which began with Kip and Penelope Ford coming to the ring to make the announcement. Sabian then introduced his best man, but someone else came out. Kip informed them they weren’t the best man, then tried to make the reveal happen again. This time Brian Pillman Jr came out thinking he was the one who got the ask. Kip let him know he misread the text though and told him to leave.

Sabian then once again introduced his best man and former WWE star Rusev aka Miro walked out.

Miro talked about being under a glass ceiling for the past ten years with an imaginary brass ring at the top, then said you can shove that brass ring up your ass. “Elite recognizes Elite,” he added. “My name is Miro … and I’m All Elite.”

According to sources, Miro has indeed signed with AEW. We’re told his deal lasts for over a year. AEW confirmed this after he made his debut by announcing Miro is “All Elite” on Twitter.

As you’ll recall, Rusev was released from WWE in April alongside many other wrestlers. This was said to have been done in an effort to cut costs in the wake of the pandemic.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1303858107139985415

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/9/20

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Fallout from All Out

* Kip Sabian to announce his best man for his upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford

* Brodie Lee (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW TNT Championship)

* AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and the #1 contender Lance Archer will speak

* Matt Hardy to talk

* Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela (No DQ Tag Match)

* The Lucha Bros. with Eddie Kingston vs. Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy)

* FTR celebrate AEW World Tag Title win

Beyond Wrestling Announces Upcoming Live IWTV Streaming Special

Beyond Wrestling has announced they are returning to IWTV for a streaming special on Sunday, September 20.

The indie promotion tweeted, “BREAKING: Beyond Wrestling returns to @indiewrestling for a LIVE streaming special on Sunday afternoon, September 20th sponsored by https://ShopIWTV.com! The goal of this card is to feature wrestlers that haven’t had a chance to compete for us since the start of the pandemic.”

Kimber Lee, Joey Janela, and Priscilla Kelly were some of the wrestlers at the promotion’s latest event, “Wear Sunscreen.” The event had taken place last month in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

IWTV has about 225 independent wrestling promotions on its streaming platform. Beyond Wrestling alone has over 150 events on the platform that are currently available to watch.

Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro Wrestling, ICW, and DEFY are just a few other notables that are on the service. The monthly price for Independent Wrestling TV is $10.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mustafa Ali Removes PW Tees Store, WWE Reportedly Negotiating Third Party Group Deals For Superstars

It’s interesting to note that Mustafa Ali’s Pro Wrestling Tees store is no longer active.

Ali previously had a link to his PW Tees store in his Twitter bio, but now his official WWE Shop page is linked. It looks like the change was made within the last 24 hours, according to an archive of the page.

On a related note, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE officials have made it clear that talents are encouraged to be on social media and expand their brand, but they cannot monetize their WWE names.

It was also noted that WWE has been trying to negotiate group brand deals with some of these third party platforms, and individual talents using the services have gotten in the way of the negotiations, complicating things. Meltzer noted that Cameo may be one of the platforms WWE is trying to negotiate a group deal with, which would presumably see WWE get a chunk of the revenue in exchange for coordinating and promoting the opportunities between fans and Superstars.

Wrestling Inc. first reported the third party edict issued last week by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, which said all talent must stop third party activities within 30 days, has led to a significant amount of criticism from fans, wrestlers and others. The ruling was a reference to WWE stars using their names on platforms such as Cameo and Twitch. It was noted in the edict that repeat violations could lead to fines, suspension or termination.

The edict was reportedly addressed at Monday’s RAW, and talent were told that they can still maintain Twitch and YouTube account, but they have to do so using their real names, not their WWE ring names.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Preview 9/8/20

The next chapter on the road to Bound for Glory unfolds tonight on Impact at 8/7c on AXS TV and Twitch.

* Impact World Champion Eric Young will kick off Impact

* Impact World Tag Team Championship: Motor City Machine guns (c) vs. The Rascalz

* Moose in Search of EC3 & the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

* Chris Bey vs. TJP

* What drama will Madison Rayne and returning co-host Johnny Swinger stir up when they’re joined by Kylie Rae and the mysterious Susie on Locker Room Talk?