Author: John Bass

WWE Announces AJ Styles Is Out Of Action Indefinitely

WWE has announced that AJ Styles is currently out of action indefinitely with a shoulder injury.

WWE added that Styles is recovering way ahead of doctor’s projections. It was reported last week, via Wrestling Observer Radio, that the internal hope was that AJ would be back in the ring in 4-6 weeks. There’s no word yet on if that timetable is still an option.

WWE also noted that AJ suffered the injury in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match earlier this month, but they did not mention how he was injured by a Spear from WWE Hall of Famer Edge. While AJ suffered the injury while taking a Spear from Edge, he addressed the injury on his Mixer channel last week and said Edge “did nothing, absolutely 100% nothing wrong.” You can click here for a recap of AJ’s comments on the injury and his return from Mixer. He noted that he didn’t expect to be out for very long, and that he was feeling a lot better. He also said he bets he will be back before they think he’s ready. Before AJ’s Mixer comments, it had been reported that AJ and WWE officials are optimistic that he will be back in time for WrestleMania 36, but that was before today’s announcement was made.

Below is WWE’s announcement confirming Styles’ injury today:

AJ Styles out indefinitely with a shoulder injuryAJ Styles is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury and is recovering way ahead of doctor’s projections.

The Phenomenal One suffered the injury during the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Goldberg To Appear On SmackDown This Friday

Looks like Goldberg will be stepping into the ring again soon, as WWE is promoting an appearance from the Hall of Famer on WWE Friday Night SmackDown this week.

During RAW last night, a commercial aired teasing that Goldberg will announce “who’s next” on Friday Night SmackDown.

The 53-year-old last wrestled at SummerSlam in a squash match against Dolph Ziggler. Prior to that, he faced-off against Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.

With the next Super Showdown taking place this month, it would seem to be a safe bet to assume Goldberg will be appearing at the event.

Rhea Ripley Challenges Charlotte Flair To NXT Title Match At WrestleMania

The rumored match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair for the NXT title at WrestleMania 36 seems to be happening, as seen last night on WWE RAW.

Charlotte was teased as choosing her WrestleMania opponent throughout the show. While announcing her decision, Flair was interrupted by Rhea Ripley.

Ripley reiterated how Flair has already beaten Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, but not her.

Rhea then challenged Flair to a match at WM36. Charlotte did not immediately accept, however, and instead walked to the back.  When she got to the top of the ramp, Flair looked back at Rhea to “Woo!”

It was later announced on the show that Charlotte will appear Wednesday on NXT to answer Ripley’s challenge.

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza Debuts On RAW (VIDEO)

Angel Garza, who recently lost the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, made his debut on WWE RAW last night alongside Zelina Vega.

The segment began with Humberto Carrillo in the ring as his feud with Andrade was recapped. Commentary noted Andrade would be out indefinitely due to the events of last week on RAW, which was done to cover for his absence due to a suspension.

Zelina Vega then made her entrance accompanied by Garza and explained how he was not only one of the hottest latino prospects in WWE, but also Carrillo’s cousin.

After a back and forth promo, Angel attacked Humberto and it led to Rey Mysterio making the save. Mysterio and Garza then had a match which ended with Garza hitting a Hammerlock DDT on the exposed concrete, causing a DQ finish.

As you’ll recall, Garza lost the NXT Cruiserweight title to Jordan Devlin at Worlds Collide.

Ruby Riott Returns From Injury, Attacks Liv Morgan

After months away from the ring, Ruby Riott is back! Unfortunately for Liv Morgan, the Riott Squad reunion was short-lived.

Last night on WWE RAW after Liv defeated Lana in a singles match. Ruby made her way to the ring afterward and an excited Morgan welcomed her friend into the ring. Before they could embrace, however, Liv’s former tag partner beat her down in the ring.

Ruby last wrestled in May of 2019 at a live event. That same month it was announced she was undergoing surgery to repair both of her shoulders.

The 29-year-old wrestler had reportedly been seen at the WWE Performance Center in recent months in possible preparation for a return to the ring.

WWE RAW Preview 2/3/20

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah as the Road to WrestleMania 36 continues.

WWE has not announced an official preview for tonight.

Will they announce any matches for Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia?

Ho will they follow-up on Randy Orton taking out WWE Hall of Famer Edge last week.

WWE has not announced Edge or any other stars for tonight’s RAW, but advertised on the website is RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, AOP, Samoa Joe, The Viking Raiders, and RAW Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy. The arena also has Orton, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, and RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins advertised for tonight.

MLW Announces Partnership With Dragon Gate

Announced at Saturday night’s MLW Fightland TV tapings, MLW and Dragon Gate have formed a partnership. Major League Wrestling’s Court Bauer said the working relationship between MLW and Dragon Gate is “coming soon.”

“The gate to the Americas has been opened. @MLW x @dragongate_pro,” Bauer wrote on Twitter.

Post Wrestling reported the two companies had been in talks and signed the deal over the past week. MLW wants to bring Dragon Gate talent to the States, once they go through the process of securing their visas. This process can take time, so no word yet on when talent will begin making appearances.

MLW signed with ICM Partners, who will sell TV and streaming rights for MLW. MLW Studios will also launch, which will create original scripted and non-scripted programming for the promotion.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1223837793199194113

MLW has put out a video (seen below) about the two companies working together, along with a press release:

KOBE, JAPAN / NEW YORK — Major League Wrestling and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling of Japan today announced the formation of a strategic alliance.

MLW and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling will fuse forces to launch a new collaboration focused on a talent exchange and opportunities to share content and participate in other projects.

“The collaboration between MLW and Dragon Gate is a very special opportunity to produce unique events, showcase spectacular talent and create a new canvas for Japanese and American cooperation,” said Court Bauer, CEO and founder of MLW. “We are ecstatic about this partnership.”

Dragon Gate is a world-renowned wrestling organization based out of Kobe, Japan that has revolutionized wrestling.

Transcending traditional Japanese wrestling with its distinct mixture of strong style wrestling and Mexican lucha libre, Dragon Gate is a spectacular packaging unlike any other Japanese organization.

With popular wrestlers such as Ben-K, YAMATO, Shun Skywalker and Narauki Doi among others, Dragon Gate delights fans around the world with their thrilling high-flying acrobatics and inventive moves.

A vibrant trendsetting organization, Dragon Gate emerged in 2004 and reimagined Japanese wrestling in its own vision. Today, Dragon Gate is one of Japan’s most prominent organizations with a global reach, including introducing their SVOD service.

More details on first chapter of the MLW x Dragon Gate collaboration will be revealed soon.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1224371694170669056

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Co-Presidents George Barrios And Michelle Wilson Departing Company

Nearly two years after they were promoted to Co-Presidents of WWE, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson are leaving the company.

The full announcement from WWE states:

WWE® Announces Management Transition
01/30/2020

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson will depart the company, effective immediately, and will no longer serve on its Board of Directors.

Frank A. Riddick III, who has served as a member of WWE’s Board of Directors for more than 11 years, has been named interim Chief Financial Officer, reporting to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. WWE has commenced a search for both a permanent Chief Financial Officer and Chief Revenue Officer.

WWE remains well positioned to continue its growth and operate effectively against its strategic priorities, including content creation and distribution, digitization, and localization in key markets around the world. The Company expects its full year 2019 Adjusted OIBDA to be approximately $180 million.

“I would like to thank George and Michelle for their 10+ years of service and contributions to the organization,” said McMahon. “I am grateful for all that was accomplished during their tenure, but the Board and I decided a change was necessary as we have different views on how best to achieve our strategic priorities moving forward.

“We have a deep team of talented, experienced and committed executives across the organization, and the Board and I have great confidence in our collective abilities to create compelling content, engage our global fanbase across platforms, increase revenues, and drive shareholder value.”

Riddick previously served as CEO for FloWorks International, LLC, JMC Steel Group, Formica Corporation, and Triangle Pacific Corp., and President/COO of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. He has also served in executive management positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Treasurer, and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions during a career that spans 40 years. Riddick also served as Compensation Committee Chairman and member of the Audit Committee as a part of WWE’s Board of Directors.

Barrios and Wilson were promoted to their positions in February of 2018. At the time, it was said this was done “in recognition of their contributions to four years of record revenues and the successful transformation to a multi-platform business model.”

 

There has been a lot of speculation and some conspiracy theories about why Barrios and Wilson are gone, but word is that the main reason they’re out is that they and Vince had completely different visions as to how WWE could generate revenue, new and existing revenue, moving forward.

The timing of the announcement was very interesting as WWE is scheduled to report their fourth quarter and full 2019 earnings report next Thursday. PWInsider notes that this makes it clear that Vince isn’t happy with how things were going for the company, and he felt like it was time for a change. There’s a very small circle of people who know exactly what went down and it’s likely that the full situation and how it did go down won’t be known for a long time, due to corporate non-disclosures and severance packages. It’s believed that both Wilson and Barrios will receive a seven-figure severance package.

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Inc.

wwe george barrios michelle wilson departing company

Luke Harper (Brodie Lee) Reportedly Making His AEW Debut Soon

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Brodie Lee, f.k.a. Luke Harper, is reportedly expected to make his AEW debut soon.

The 40 year old Lee is expected to sign a new AEW contract and then make his debut during their March 18 Dynamite episode from his hometown of Rochester, NY, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He will likely go back to using the Brodie Lee name in AEW.

The Observer noted that Lee, who is scheduled to appear at WrestleCon during WrestleMania 36 Weekend in early April, will be able to legally start with any other promotion before March 18, but the idea is that it’s best to debut him in Rochester as he’s guaranteed to receive a major reaction there. It was previously reported that Harper, Sin Cara and The Ascension would see their WWE non-compete clauses expire on Sunday, March 8.

Lee filed to trademark the “Brodie Lee” ring name back on November 26, shortly before he was granted his WWE release on December 8, along with Sin Cara and The Ascension.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW Fusion Preview 2/1/20

This week on FUSION, fans are in for a triple treat featuring a no holds barred clash, a World Middleweight Championship bout and the first-ever singles meeting between MJF and Marshall Von Erich.

Since being dethroned at SuperFight, MJF has run his mouth about what he’d do if he ever got in the ring with one of the Von Erichs.  Now the big mouthed New Yorker will get his chance as he battles Marshall Von Erich in their first ever singles clash.
With Ross doing media in Israel, what will happen as MJF with a reloaded Dynasty in-toe squares off with one of Dallas’ favorite sons?
After gaining victory on Injustice last week, Drago aims for a clean sweep as he looks to wrestle the World Middleweight Championship away from the slippery hands of the defending champion Myron Reed.
Will the first Mexican Middleweight Champion be crowned? Will AAA receive MLW championship gold? Will Myron Reed continue his hot streak as champion? The implications of this title match are significant.
After a cowardly attack in his home country of Canada, Davey Boy Smith seeks to strike down CONTRA’s ‘technical assassin’ Simon Gotch in a No Holds Barred battle!
Will Gotch be able to best the 2019 Opera Cup winner, or will the Hybrid fighter be in his element as MLW takes down the ropes and suspends the rules in a fight that can only be decided by knockout or submission?
PLUS: Exclusive comments from Mance Warner after last week’s “Last Tangle In Texas”!

Join Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch and Alicia Atout from the sold-out NYTEX Sports Centre in Dallas/Ft. Worth for a night of top ranked action.

Matches:
  • Marshall Von Erich vs. MJF
  • No Holds Barred Match: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Simon Gotch
  • World Middleweight Title Match: Myron Reed (champion) vs. Drago