Author: John Bass

WWE Announces Matt Hardy Vs. Randy Orton No Holds Barred Match For RAW

WWE has announced a No Holds Barred match for Monday’s WWE RAW from the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.

The match will see two WWE veterans clash as Matt Hardy take on Randy Orton.

This match was made after Orton took out Matt with a steel chair shot to the head on this week’s RAW. Matt had just confronted Orton over his recent attack to WWE Hall of Famer Edge.

It had appeared that the angle on this week’s RAW was done to write Matt off WWE TV as his contract expires on March 1 and he’s reportedly on his way out of the company. There’s no word yet on if he has re-signed, or if WWE is just using him until March 1.

Below is the announcement on Monday’s No Holds Barred match:

Matt Hardy to battle Randy Orton in No Holds Barred MatchThis past Monday on Raw, Randy Orton subjected Matt Hardy to the same brutal Con-Chair-To that sent Edge out of Raw on a stretcher. Now, Hardy is coming for payback.

In the wake of Orton’s heinous attack, the former Raw Tag Team Champion is now slated to battle The Apex Predator in a No Holds Barred Match, placing Orton directly on a collision course with his most recent victim — to say nothing of a Superstar who refuses to take the abuse lying down. After all, Hardy is as much a trailblazer as Edge, and his history is almost completely entwined with that of The Rated-R Superstar. Then again, Randy Orton seems to take a particular delight in destroying legends these days. He’ll be more than happy to do it again.

Tune in to Raw this Monday, live at 8/7 C on USA Network.

NXT TakeOver: Portland 2/16/20

February 16, 2020 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 6:30 PM ET) – Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

NXT Championship: Adam Cole (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Bianca Belair

Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) (c) vs. The BroserWeights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle)

Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox

NXT North American Championship: Keith Lee (c) vs. Dominik Dijakovic

MLW Fusion Preview 2/15/20

The following description of this week’s FUSION has been provided by its executive producers: Richard Holliday, MJF, Alex Hammerstone and Gino Medina – collectively known as The Dynasty.

For 60 minutes your unspectacular, unattractive and financially underwhelming lives will sample the rarified air of excellence as the greatest athletes of any era invite you to their vision of Major League Wrestling.

It will be a dynastic night in Dallas as the Dynasty presents TWO title matches where we guarantee all the gold is coming home to the Dynasty.

In the main event Dallas will finally experience a championship team that brings dignity, honor and affluence to a city long in need of it.  After being screwed by a crooked referee at SuperFight, the World Tag Team Titles are coming home to Richard Holliday and MJF when they finally catch those cowardly Texas born Hawaiian hillbillies the Von Erichs.

Witness history and watch children cry as the goofy Von Erich boys are dethroned and women line-up to kiss and party with the most dynastic force in tag team wrestling: Richard Holliday and MJF.

Viewers will be awe as they take a ride on Muscle Mountain when Alexander Hammerstone defends the National Openweight Championship against Aerostar.  Experience the newest ride with the longest line as Muscle Mountain dominates the competition with a tan that radiates excellence.

Oh… and we also are allowing Konnan to briefly appear on our show. Konnan? You know, the guy who calls himself “the Hulk Hogan of Mexico” despite having NO tan and looking like the stroked out old guy in Breaking Bad.

Anyway, the Narcos villain of the week wannabe will offer up a luchador for Gino Medina to destroy and prove he is what he is (unlike Konnan): truly untouchable.  Then again, who would want to touch Konnan? Gross.

Plus, our lumbering giant Grogan will flex his muscle (and valet our Bugattis)!

Apparently Mance Warner was booked by MLW before we locked in running this week’s FUSION. His presence? TBD…

Join a man allergic to sunlight Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch and that eclectic Canadian dialect of Alicia Toot-Toot for a dynastic night in Dallas.

Matches:
•World Tag Team Title Match: The Von Erichs (Champion) vs. MJF & Richard Holliday
•National Openweight Title Match Alexander Hammerstone vs. Aerostar
•Septimo Dragon vs. Gino Medina

Source: MLW.com

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/14/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia as the Road to WWE Super ShowDown and WrestleMania 36 continues.

  • Carmella set for SmackDown Women’s Title clash against Bayley
  • The Miz & John Morrison come calling for Roman Reigns – (Roman Reigns and a mystery partner will face The Miz and John Morrison)
  • Otis looks to capture Mandy Rose’s heart on their Valentine’s Day date.

XFL Championship Game To Be Held In Houston

Week one has ended for the XFL and week two is about to begin. In just a short while the playoffs will begin as well. It was previously announced that the League Championship game will be on Sunday, April 26 at 3 p.m. ET. The Eastern Championship Final will be on Saturday, April 18 on FOX while the Western Championship Final will be on Sunday, April 19 on ESPN. Now we know the details of where the finals will take place.

According to the XFL, Houston will host the 2020 XFL Championship game. The game will take place inside TDECU Stadium, home of the Houston Roughnecks. The initial training facility of the XFL was inside TDECU Stadium.

“We’re tremendously excited to have been selected as the site for the XFL’s championship game,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “This league has animated football fans from across our region, and we look forward to continuing to showcase Harris County as one of the greatest sports towns in America. We want to thank the league for choosing Houston and we look forward to welcoming football fans from across the nation to what is sure to be a memorable championship game.”

“Houston is a great all-around sports town with top-notch facilities, an amazing community of football fans and a solid infrastructure,” said XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck. “We are grateful to the city and the Sports Authority for opening its doors once again to the XFL and we look forward to welcoming fans from across Texas, as well as the entire country, to join us in celebrating this special moment in XFL history.”

The Roughnecks beat the Los Angeles Wildcats 37-17 last Saturday on FOX. It was the second game of the XFL’s relaunch. TDECU Stadium can fit over 40,000 people and has held a number of special games, including the Bayou Bucket and an American Championship. The stadium also hosts the University of Houston Cougars football team.

The last XFL Championship was during its initial run in 2001. Dubbed the “Million Dollar Game”, the Los Angeles Xtreme beat the San Franciso Demons 38-6 inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Attendance was 24,153 and the MVP of the game was placekicker Jose Cortez.

“It’s fitting that the XFL’s first season will start and end in football-loving Houston and we’re honored to play a pivotal role in the launch of this new league,” Burke said. “Houston is known for hosting major sporting events and the XFL Championship will only strengthen our reputation. We’re thrilled to give football fans in this city the opportunity to experience the excitement of XFL football on the league’s biggest stage.”

Tickets for the XFL Championship will be available to the general public in March. Ticket prices will be released next month, with priority status given to founding XFL season ticket members. You can get your tickets at XFL.com/tickets.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ronda Rousey Announces New Partnership With Facebook Gaming

Ronda Rousey is now an official Gaming Video Creator for Facebook. Rousey took to social media yesterday and announced the new gig with Facebook. It looks like all of her YouTube content will also be uploaded to fb.gg/RondaRousey.

Rousey’s debut stream will air live on Tuesday, February 18 at 6pm ET. It looks like she will be playing Pokemon Sword & Shield, and 100% of the streaming proceeds will go to benefit the victims of the bushfires in Australia.

Rousey tweeted on the new partnership with Facebook Gaming and said the time is right for her to jump into streaming.

She wrote, “Game streaming is one of the most authentic mediums,& the time is right for me to jump into the stream exclusively on FacebookGaming. My first stream is on Feb18th at 3pmPST–100% of proceeds from the first stream go to Australian bushfire recovery efforts https://Fb.gg/RondaRousey”

https://twitter.com/RondaRousey/status/1228018437974188032

 

ROH Pure Title Tournament To Continue In NYC At Battlestarr 2020

Ring of Honor has announced that the quarterfinals of the Pure Title tournament will take place on Friday, April 23 when they return to New York City for the Battlestarr 2020 event at Terminal 5.

Tickets for Battlestarr 2020 go on sale next Wednesday, February 19 at 10am ET for HonorClub members. Tickets for the general public will be on sale next Friday, February 21.

ROH recently announced that they were bringing back the Pure Title, which was active from 2004-2006. Pure Rules matches are bouts where closed-fist punches are illegal, and each competitor is allowed three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match, and after that, pinfalls and submissions on or under the ropes would be legal.

There will also be a ROH meet & greet before the Battlestarr 2020 event at Terminal 5. You can click here for the full announcement from ROH.

ROH noted in their official announcement, “The quarterfinals of the Pure Title tournament are among the featured attractions of what is guaranteed to be an incredible night of the fast-paced, hard-hitting, in-your-face action that only Ring of Honor can deliver.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jeff Cobb Reportedly A Free Agent While On AEW Dynamite

Jeff Cobb has arrived in AEW, but word is that he’s still a free agent.

It was announced during last night’s Dynamite episode from Austin, TX that AEW World Champion Chris Jericho had hired Cobb to take out Jon Moxley in a singles match on next Wednesday’s show. Jericho is set to defend his title against Moxley at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view at the end of this month. Cobb later made a surprise debut at the end of this week’s Dynamite, which came after Moxley defeated Santana in the main event. The Inner Circle attacked Moxley after the match and Jericho dropped him with a Judas Effect. Jericho then called Cobb out to the ring. Cobb came out to a reaction and then left Moxley laying after hitting a Tour of the Islands. Cobb celebrated with The Inner Circle to end the show.

Cobb is not currently signed to an AEW contract, according to PWInsider. The ROH & NJPW star remains a free agent. It was noted that Cobb’s appearance on Dynamite was not a sign that AEW has a new working relationship with Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling. Cobb was booked directly by AEW as he’s free to work anywhere he wants. There’s no word yet on if Cobb’s looking to sign with AEW or any other promotion soon.

The 37 year old Cobb is currently scheduled to team with Dan Maff to face KENTA and Taiji Ishimori at ROH’s Supercard of Honor event on April 4 during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Teddy Hart Arrested For Possession Of A Narcotic With Intent To Sell Or Distribute

Independent wrestler Teddy Hart has been arrested for possession of narcotics.

According to Hart’s booking information, the 40-year-old wrestler was taken into custody yesterday for possession of a schedule III narcotic with intent to sell or distribute.

Virginia law states possession of a schedule III controlled substance is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to twelve months months in jail, as well as a fine of up to $2,500.

The wrestler, whose real name is Edward Annis, is due in court on April 23.

For those who are maybe unfamiliar, Teddy is part of the legendary Hart family and most recently worked for MLW before the promotion let him go.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

teddy hart arrested narcotics intent to sell or distribute

Ring Of Honor Renaming Women Of Honor Title, Announce Upcoming Tournament

Ring of Honor announced the Women of Honor Title is changing to the Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship.

A tournament is going to decide a new champion and will begin at ROH Quest For Gold on April 24 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eight first-round matches will go down at the show. Participants have yet to be announced.

The original title also crowned a champion through a tournament, which was Sumie Sakai back in April of 2018 at Supercard of Honor. Kelly Klein was the last Women of Honor champion, but parted ways with the company at the end of the year.

Below is ROH’s full announcement about the upcoming event:

An exciting new era in women’s wrestling in Ring of Honor is imminent.To emphasize ROH’s commitment to women’s wrestling, a new Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship has been created. This title will replace the Women of Honor Title and carry the utmost prestige as only the best competitors will earn its gold.

The tournament to crown the inaugural champion begins with eight first-round matches at “Quest For Gold” on Friday, April 24 at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. The tournament will feature talent from all over the world, including some new faces who have never competed in ROH.

“Quest For Gold” tickets go on sale Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. ET for HonorClub members and Friday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. ET for the general public.

The first women’s match in ROH history took place in 2002, the company’s first year in existence. In the ensuing years, some of the best women’s wrestlers in the sport competed in an ROH ring, including Sara Del Rey, Mickie James, Amazing Kong, Mercedes Martinez, MsChif, Cheerleader Melissa and Daizee Haze, who all paved the way for the current generation of female talent in ROH.

The ROH Women’s World Championship will take women’s wrestling in ROH to the highest level. Don’t miss your opportunity to witness history in the making at Quest for Gold!

https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1227622085293375488

Source: Wrestling Inc.