Author: John Bass

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

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/31/20

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the fallout from the WWE Royal Rumble.

  • Roman Reigns and King Corbin gather their troops for rematch on Super SmackDown
  • Braun Strowman gets Intercontinental Title opportunity against Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Shorty G takes on Sheamus in Royal Rumble rematch
  • Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party, The Miz & John Morrison & The Revival set for high-stakes battle

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/29/30

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

* Private Party and Darby Allin vs. AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz

* Young Bucks vs. The Butcher and The Blade (with The Bunny)

* Kip Sabian (with Penelope Ford) vs. Cody (with Arn Anderson)

* The new number one contender Jon Moxley will speak

WWE NXT Preview 1/29/20

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida with the finals of the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

  • NXT Champion Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger to be named
  • Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne to battle Grizzled Young Veterans in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final
  • Former best friends Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to battle
  • What’s next for new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee?

The Bella Twins Reveal They Are Both Pregnant

Announced on People.com, Nikki and Brie Bella revealed they are both pregnant, and are each due only a week and a half apart.

Nikki got engaged to be married to her former Dancing With The Stars partner, Artem Chigvintsev, last November in France. This will be her first child.

For Brie, this will be her second child. She and her husband, Daniel Bryan, have a two-year old daughter, Birdie Joe Danielson.

“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?” Brie said. “People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”

“[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki added. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”

The sisters recalled when each of them realized they were expecting.

“My husband and I were trying for seven or eight months, but then I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” Brie stated. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, s—!'”

“I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” Nikki said. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’ I didn’t tell Artem at this point. I just want to do this by myself. When I came back in, and it said pregnant, I had to sit down for a second.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Scott Steiner Announced For Special Impact Wrestling TNA Event At WrestleCon

Scott Steiner has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s upcoming TNA-themed special event during WrestleCon.

There’s no word yet on who Steiner will be wrestling that night, but we will keep you updated.

Impact will be bringing back the TNA name for one night only during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 Week as WrestleCon hosts the special Impact event on Friday, April 3 from The Ritz in Ybor City, Florida.

The current line-up of wrestlers for the special “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” event includes Steiner, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sabin, plus Aces and 8s, which will be represented by D’Lo Brown and Ken Anderson.

Tickets for the “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” event are on sale now via WrestleCon.com. Tickets range from $60 – $150. The event will also stream live on FITE.TV.

Steiner originally worked for TNA from 2006-2010. He then returned for a brief run in 2011-2012, and has made other appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Steiner is a two-time former TNA/Impact Tag Team Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.