WWE’s First Official Weekly Podcast Will Be Hosted By Corey Graves

Corey Graves will host WWE’s first official podcast called “After The Bell.”

The description for the show explains:

“After the Bell” is an official WWE podcast that gives you a provocative look at the latest in Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Featuring exclusive Superstar interviews, “ATB” examines the world of WWE both between and beyond the ropes in a way that’s as edgy and unpredictable as Graves himself.”

After The Bell will drop its first episode on October 30 with guest Triple H.

Corey jokingly tweeted after the announcement saying, “Hey [Conrad Thompson], we are at WAR now. Everyone MUST choose sides. There can ONLY be ONE! (Insert battle cliche here.) Nobody DARE enjoy everything. Text me later.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe to the show on iTunes.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

NJPW Parent Company Bushiroad Purchases Stardom

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s parent company, Bushiroad, has purchased the all-woman’s Japanese promotion, Stardom.

Bushiroad’s Takaaki Kitani and Stardom’s Rossy Ogawa reportedly met back in April, but a deal between the two sides wasn’t completed until August.

Stardom’s Twitter account commented, “Stardom has been acquired by Bushiroad. More details to come shortly! A press conference will be held today at 2 pm JST (1 am EST in the US) on the official Bushiroad YouTube channel, addressing the Stardom acquisition. The Stardom roster will be on stage.”

Stardom was founded in 2010 and has featured names like Io Shirai, Toni Storm, Bea Priestley, Hana Kimura, Kagetsu, and Mayu Iwatani.

Bushiroad’s Takaaki Kitani and Stardom’s Rossy Ogawa reportedly met back in April, but a deal between the two sides wasn’t completed until August. There was a joint press conference with Stardom talent involved following the news.

Starting December 1, 2019, the company name will be changed from Kix Road Co., Ltd. to Bushiroad Fight Co., Ltd. Hiroshi Ogawa will remain the CEO of Stardom, and while the name “Stardom” will be the same, World Wonder Ring Stardom will not exist. As a result of the different branding and TV promotions (NJPW is part-owned by TV-Asahi and the Stardom TV deal is with NTV), Dave Meltzer reported at F4WOnline that both New Japan and Stardom will be run and kept completely separate from one another. Meltzer added that if there was a need by New Japan for women’s matches during foreign shows, something may be able to work out.

Meltzer also noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE had made an offer to purchase Stardom as well. WWE had recently tried to purchase NOAH as well, so they are serious about getting into the Japanese market.

Following the rebrand, advertising and global marketing strategies will be implemented starting in January 2020. This will be developed by BS Nippon Television, with programming on BS NTV every Thursday and a 30-minute program on TOKYO MX.

In regards to talent, Stardom women will be receiving full-time contracts. There are also plans to bring in wrestlers from all over the world.

“We will create contracts with each wrestler,” Bushiroad stated. “We want to create an environment where the wrestlers can concentrate on pro wrestling, and we are expecting to bring in excellent wrestlers from all over the world. We would like to listen to the thoughts of each wrestler and take those thoughts into account when creating this new work environment.”

The opportunities for big shows were announced during the press conference as well. Stardom will run Korakuen Hall 14 times in 2020, with consecutive shows on August 8th and 9th. The first major show for the brand will be on April 29, 2020 inside Tokyo’s Ota Ward Gym. In 2021, there will be a 10th Anniversary show. While a future in the United States is unclear, Stardom will take part in “CharaExpo USA 2019” on December 7th and 8th inside the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The featured bout for the promotion will be Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano v. Sumie Sakai and Nicole Savoy.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Signs Katie Forbes

Impact Wrestling has signed Katie Forbes to a deal.

Women’s Pro Wrestling Weekly sent word that the indie wrestler, actress and model revealed on their show that she has inked a deal with Impact.

“Yeah, so they let me be me, and I can embrace it. So, you all will see a lot more of that because starting today, I’ve just signed with Impact,” Forbes revealed on the show, which you can see below or download via iTunes at this link.

Forbes’ boyfriend Rob Van Dam is currently working with Impact as well.

Forbes has worked for several promotions, including ROH and WOW Women of Wrestling. She worked a WWE tryout in 2015 and has also worked as an enhancement talent.

After appearing earlier in the year, Forbes made her official Impact singles debut on last Friday’s show. She faced Jordynne Grace, as seen in the video below. Also below are a few more shots of Forbes, including her and RVD backstage at WWE RAW earlier in the summer:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Star Luchasaurus Injured

Luchasaurus did not compete on last night’s AEW Dynamite episode due to a hamstring injury.

Luchasaurus was scheduled to team with Jungleboy to face Rey Fenix and Pentagon in a first round match in the AEW Tag Team Titles tournament. Due to the injury, Jungleboy will now be teaming with Marko Stunt.

AEW officials reportedly decided to pull Luchasaurus from the match this afternoon, so he did not risk further injury.

There’s no word yet on when Luchasaurus will be back in action.

News On Scarlett Bordeaux And Shotzi Blackheart Signing With WWE

Scarlett Bordeaux and Shotzi Blackheart will be starting with WWE soon.

Bordeaux has cancelled her upcoming bookings, including the Fight Forever: Tribute to Bret “The Hitman” Hart event on November 23rd. NWA star Kamille Brickhouse will be replacing Bordeaux. Bordeaux will still be appearing at the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend, along with her boyfriend, Killer Kross. The Baltimore Comic Con will be Bordeaux’s final independent meet and greet before she starts with WWE.

Bordeaux spoke to Wrestling Inc. on their WINCLY podcast earlier this year. WWE has been moving in a more risqué direction this year, which Bordeaux was happy with.

“I think, for a while, there was a lot of limits on everything with women…” Bordeaux told Wrestling Inc. in January. “For a while they were pulling back the sexiness and placing a limit on what you could do. They are kinda loosening that and saying its okay to have a little bit [of sexiness] which is great.

“I’ve seen a few things the last few weeks which actually makes me really happy. They’re loosening up a little bit on the way they are stopping women being sexy.”

Blackheart, who was publicly offered an NXT developmental contract by William Regal at EVOLVE 137 this past weekend, will honor her independent dates through November 3rd. She was scheduled for others after that, however Wrestling Inc. has learned that Blackheart has cancelled those, telling promoters that she has “been informed that (she) must cancel all independent bookings past November 4th.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NWA Announces PPV “Into The Fire”

On Tuesday night’s NWA Powerrr it was announced Into The Fire will be the company’s next PPV on December 14. The show will begin at 6:05 pm ET from the GSB Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, currently the studio being used for its weekly show. Tickets will go on sale this Friday. TV tapings will then take place on December 15 and 16.

Below is Tuesday night’s episode of NWA Powerrr:

Brandi Rhodes To Host Official AEW Podcast Launching By End Of 2019

WarnerMedia has confirmed an official All Elite Wrestling podcast hosted by Brandi Rhodes is currently in the works.

The media company made a slew of podcast related announcements today at an upfront for advertisers and one of the things mentioned was an official AEW podcast.

According to WarnerMedia, the podcast is currently in development with the wrestling promotion’s Chief Brand Officer as host and targeted to launch by the end of the year.

No additional information on the podcast has been made available at this time.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

XFL Draft Day 2 Results – Defensive Backfield” And “Open Draft

Yesterday was the second and final day of the 2019 XFL draft.

Defensive Backfield (CB, NB, SS, FS) and Open Draft (In addition to P/K/LS, all remaining players after positional drafts will be available)

Defensive Backfield

Round 21

241) Dallas Renegades – Derron Smith – SAF – Fresno State
242) New York Guardians – Jamar Summers – CB – UConn
243) Houston Roughnecks – Deji Olatoye – CB – North Carolina A&T
244) D.C. Defenders – Elijah Campbell – CB – Northern Iowa
245) Los Angeles Wildcats – Jack Tocho – CB – NC State
246) Seattle Dragons – Jhavonte Dean – CB – Miami
247) St. Louis BattleHawks – Herb Miller – SAF – Florida Atlantic
248) Tampa Bay Vipers – Arrion Springs – CB – Oregon

Round 22

249) Tampa Bay Vipers – Picasso Nelson – CB – Southern Miss
250) St. Louis BattleHawks – Will Hill – SAF – Florida
251) Seattle Dragons – Chris Davis – CB – Auburn
252) Los Angeles Wildcats – Jaylen Dunlap – CB – Illinois
253) D.C. Defenders – Desmond Lawrence – CB – North Carolina
254) Houston Roughnecks – Robert Nelson – CB – Arizona State
255) New York Guardians – Lorenzo Doss – CB – Tulane
256) Dallas Renegades – Treston Decoud – CB – Oregon State

Round 23

257) Dallas Renegades – Dashaun Phillips – CB – Tarleton State
258) New York Guardians – David Rivers – CB – Youngstown State
259) Houston Roughnecks – Trae Elston – SAF – Ole Miss
260) D.C. Defenders – Jalen Myrick – CB – Minnesota
261) Los Angeles Wildcats – C.J. Moore – CB North – Carolina Central
262) Seattle Dragons – Kentrell Brice – SAF – Louisiana Tech
263) St. Louis BattleHawks – D’Montre Wade – CB – Murray State
264) Tampa Bay Vipers – Demontre Hurst – CB – Oklahoma

Round 24

265) Tampa Bay Vipers Jude Adjei-Barimah – CB – Bowling Green
266) St. Louis BattleHawks – Dexter McCoil – SAF – Tulsa
267) Seattle Dragons – Steve Williams – CB – California
268) Los Angeles Wildcats – Roman Tatum – CB – Southern Illinois
269) D.C. Defenders – Doran Grant – CB – Ohio State
270) Houston Roughnecks – Marqueston Huff – SAF – Wyoming
271) New York Guardians – Dravon Askew-Henry – SAF – West Virginia
272) Dallas Renegades – Kurtis Drummond – SAF – Michigan State

Round 25

273) Dallas Renegades – Josh Hawkins – CB – East Carolina
274) New York Guardians – Demetrious Cox – SAF – Michigan State
275) Houston Roughnecks – SaQwan Edwards – SAF – New Mexico
276) D.C. Defenders – Bradley Sylve – CB – Alabama
277) Los Angeles Wildcats – Jordan Powell – SAF – Widener
278) Seattle Dragons – Channing Stribling – CB – Michigan
279) St. Louis BattleHawks – Kenny Robinson – SAF – West Virginia
280) Tampa Bay Vipers – Marcelis Branch – SAF – Robert Morris

Round 26

281) Tampa Bay Vipers – Micah Hannemann – SAF – BYU
282) St. Louis BattleHawks – Marquez White – CB – Florida State
283) Seattle Dragons – Cody Brown – SAF – Arkansas State
284) Los Angeles Wildcats – Ahmad Dixon – SAF – Baylor
285) D.C. Defenders – Reggie Cole – CB – Mary Hardin-Baylor
286) Houston Roughnecks – Ed Reynolds – SAF – Stanford
287) New York Guardians – Andrew Soroh – SAF – Florida Atlantic
288) Dallas Renegades – Montrel Meander – SAF – Grambling State

Round 27

289) Dallas Renegades – John Franklin – III – CB Auburn
290) New York Guardians – Jeremiah McKinnon – CB – Florida International
291) Houston Roughnecks – Brendan Langley – CB – Lamar
292) D.C. Defenders – Rahim Moore – SAF – UCLA
293) Los Angeles Wildcats – Harlan Miller – CB – Southeastern Louisiana
294) Seattle Dragons – Jordan Martin – SAF – Syracuse
295) St. Louis BattleHawks – Trovon Reed – CB – Auburn
296) Tampa Bay Vipers – Lashard Durr – CB – Mississippi State

Round 28

297) Tampa Bay Vipers – Herb Waters – CB – Miami
298) St. Louis BattleHawks – Joe Powell – SAF – Globe Tech
299) Seattle Dragons – Tyson Graham – SAF – South Dakota
300) Los Angeles Wildcats – Jerome Couplin – SAF – William & Mary
301) D.C. Defenders – Tyree Kinnel – SAF – Michigan
302) Houston Roughnecks – Kendall Adams – SAF – Kansas State
303) New York Guardians – Terrence Alexander – CB – LSU
304) Dallas Renegades – Doyin Jibowu – SAF – Fort Hays State

Round 29

305) Dallas Renegades – Donatello Brown – CB – Valdosta State
306) New York Guardians – Nydair Rouse – CB – West Chester
307) Houston Roughnecks – Deatrick Nichols – CB – South Florida
308) D.C. Defenders – Carlos Merritt – SAF – Campbell
309) Los Angeles Wildcats – Mike Stevens – CB – NC State
310) Seattle Dragons – Mohammed Seisay – CB – Nebraska
311) St. Louis BattleHawks – Trey Caldwell – CB – Louisiana Monroe
312) Tampa Bay Vipers – Robenson Therezie – SAF – Auburn

Round 30

313) Tampa Bay Vipers – Bryce Canady – CB – Florida International
314) St. Louis BattleHawks – Ryan White – CB – Auburn
315) Seattle Dragons – Sterling Moore – CB – SMU
316) Los Angeles Wildcats – Bryce Cheek – CB – Akron
317) D.C. Defenders – Ladarius Gunter – CB – Miami
318) Houston Roughnecks – Justin Martin – CB – Tennessee
319) New York Guardians – Ranthony Texada – CB – TCU
320) Dallas Renegades – Ronald Martin – SAF – LSU

Open Draft

https://twitter.com/XFLBattleHawks/status/1184585466127048705

https://twitter.com/XFLVipers/status/1184585104146026496

AEW Dynamite Preview 10/16/19

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Below is the current card:

* Chris Jericho (c) vs. Darby Allin (Philadelphia Street Fight for the AEW World Championship)

* Riho (c) vs. Britt Baker (AEW Women’s World Championship)

* AEW World Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round Match: SoCal Uncensored vs. Best Friends

* AEW World Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round Match: Lucha Bros vs. Jurassic Express

* “Hangman” Adam Page and Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley and PAC

WWE NXT Preview 10/16/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL.