Author: John Bass

MLW Signs Undefeated Kickboxer, Debuts In September

Major League Wrestling has announced that they signed undefeated kickboxer and Los Angeles MMA fighter Douglas James.

Douglas James was trained by Eddie Bravo, the founder of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu and is a former No-Gi jiujitsu world champion. He’s also considered one of the top prospects on the California pro-wrestling circuit.

MLW CEO Court Bauer commented about the recent signing.

“DJ is the evolution of what it is to be a hybrid professional wrestler,” Bauer said.

Douglas James will make his MLW debut on Sept. 7 at MLW’s first-ever event in Dallas at the NYTEX Sports Centre.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1157003273913737217

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker Reportedly Signs Lengthy WWE Contract

Don’t expect to ever see The Undertaker appear for AEW or any other pro wrestling promotion as The Dead Man really is a WWE lifer, according to a new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

It was reported back in mid-April that Taker had recently signed a new WWE big-money deal. Taker put ink to the new contract after Vince McMahon reportedly made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, financially. There weren’t many details revealed on the new contract, but there was an agreement that Taker could no longer work the non-WWE dates that he had started booking. This is what led to Taker being pulled from the Starrcast II convention during AEW’s Double Or Nothing weekend back in late May, after he had already been announced to appear.

In an update, the Observer reports that Taker’s new WWE deal, while not exactly billed as a lifetime contract, is for so many years that for all intents & purposes, it is a lifetime deal.

It’s interesting that Taker agreed to such a lengthy deal as he reportedly felt like his WWE career was over, or coming to an end, following his matches in late 2018 – the tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel in November, which saw Taker and Kane lose to WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and the No DQ loss to Triple H at WWE Super ShowDown in October. That’s when Taker started booking the non-WWE paydays. Vince was said to be really upset when the Starrcast appearance was announced, but the lucrative contract offer was made once things calmed down between the two sides. It had been reported in early 2018 that Taker was charging $25,000 per hour for non-WWE appearances, and that he would have no trouble getting booked.

There’s no word yet on when The Dead Man will return to the ring, but he will likely wrestle during WWE’s next event from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, planned for Friday, November 1. We could also see him in action at the Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 24, but that has not been confirmed. Taker vs. Drew McIntyre was rumored for SummerSlam at one point, but that match is not on the books for the August 11 pay-per-view. While Taker did not perform at WrestleMania 35 this year, he has worked two matches since signing the new big money contract – he defeated WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg at Super ShowDown on June 7, and then teamed with Roman Reigns to defeat McIntyre and Shane McMahon at Extreme Rules on July 14.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Responds To Vince McMahon’s ‘Blood And Guts’ Comment

During a recent conference call with WWE investors, Vince McMahon made reference to AEW featuring “blood and guts” … and now Cody Rhodes has responded to his former boss.

In case you missed it, McMahon talked about plans to loosen up the family friendly nature of WWE programming during the call and made a few subtle digs at AEW in the process.

“There will be something we do in terms of a direction of content — more controversy, better storylines, etcetera,” Vince explained. “But at the same time, we’re not gonna go back to the quote ‘Attitude Era,’ and we’re not gonna do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as being done on perhaps a new potential competitor.”

He also said WWE has graduated from “gory crap.”

In a new video for AEW promoting tickets to their October 2 debut television show taping on TNT, Cody didn’t shy away from responding and stated:

“Recently there were some very public comments made about us where we were referred to as ‘blood and guts.’ Blood and guts. And it was said with such a braggart candor that you would think the person saying it felt that they were bullet proof. But I wonder, before they said it, if they tasted their own words before they spit them out. Because the entirety of our business is built on blood and guts. Every man or woman who ever stepped foot in the ring — regardless of race, color, creed, political affiliation, sexual identity — has felt blood and guts and PASSION! Because if we don’t care, they don’t care. So if you say we’re blood and guts, I say you bet your ass we are blood and guts.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

AEW Will Crown First Women’s Champion During TV Show Premiere

The first AEW Women’s Champion will be crowned during the company’s television debut.

Brandi Rhodes made the announcement via Sports Illustrated on Thursday.

“For many female wrestlers, the opportunity to fight for the title represents the crowning achievement of their careers,” she told the publication. “The AEW women’s championship will be the cornerstone of the women’s division.” According to Rhodes, more details on who will be competing in the match will be revealed on an upcoming episode of Road to All Out.

All Elite Wrestling’s women’s division currently consists of Britt Baker, Awesome Kong, Bea Priestley, Kylie Rae, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Allie, Leva Bates and more.

AEW’s weekly television show premieres October 2 on TNT.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race Passed Away

WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race has passed away yesterday at the age of 76.

The unfortunate news was announced via Harley’s official Twitter page:

 

The 8 time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion had been battling lung cancer.

NWA tweeted about his passing:

WWE issued the following statement on Race’s passing:

WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passes awayWWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race passed away today at age 76 due to complications from lung cancer.

Harley Race captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship seven times, which stood as a record until Ric Flair broke it in 1991.

To this day, only a handful of Superstars can claim to have won more World Heavyweight Championships than Race.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Race was the National Wrestling Alliance’s most dominant champion, winning the sport’s oldest World Heavyweight Championship from the likes of Dory Funk Jr., Giant Baba, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes and Flair.

The tough-as-nails Race was so universally respected that WWE, despite having seceded from the NWA and having its own World Heavyweight Champion, chose to recognize Race’s title status as well. As a result, Race was the first NWA Champion to engage in title unification matchups against WWE Champions like “Superstar” Billy Graham and Bob Backlund.

In what seemed unthinkable at the time, Race, one of the NWA’s most influential figures of all time, joined WWE in 1986 during the company’s national expansion. After winning the King of the Ring tournament, Race was the first to don regal robes and a crown. “King” Harley Race was managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and was introduced to a new generation of fans. Race battled all of WWE’s top heroes and pinned Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania III in front of a record-setting attendance of 93,000 fans.

WWE extends its condolences to Race’s family, friends and fans.

Chris Jericho And Mystery Partners Vs. The Young Bucks And Kenny Omega Set For AEW On TNT Premiere, Jon Moxley

AEW has announced The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho and two mystery partners for the upcoming AEW on TNT premiere episode.

Below is the updated line-up for AEW’s first-ever TV episode on TNT:

* Jon Moxley appears live

* Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

* The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho and two mystery partners

The AEW on TNT TV show will premiere live from 8pm – 10pm ET on Wednesday, October 2 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Tickets go on sale this coming Friday via AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster, and will cost $250 (includes the first three rows of floor ringside sections, with an AEW-designed commemorative take-home chair), $90, $75, $50, $35, and $20.

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1156595385378496512

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1156350106242822144

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1156233150525321216

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 7/31/19

NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

  • Roderick Strong vows to take out Pete Dunne before TakeOver: Toronto
  • How will Baszler respond to Yim’s takedown of Duke & Shafir?
  • Beauty and the beast: Prince Pretty battles Jaxson Ryker
  • Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes fight to “break out” to tournament final
  • What’s next for LeRae and Shirai’s scorching rivalry?

 

NXT UK, today at 3 ET/8 GMT on WWE Network. At the time of this writing I couldn’t find any info about today’s NXT UK show.

Marko Stunt Signs With All Elite Wrestling

Indie star Marko Stunt took to Twitter yesterday to reveal a big 23rd birthday present he received – a contract from All Elite Wrestling.

“It’s my 23rd birthday, and I can’t think of another way to celebrate, than by announcing something huge! I would like to announce that I have OFFICIALLY signed with @AEWrestling! Thank you to everyone who has supported me, and everyone at AEW! This is just the beginning,” Stunt wrote.

Marko made his AEW debut back at the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in late May, participating in the Casino Battle Royale on the “Buy In” pre-show. He entered at #7 and was eliminated by Ace Romero, without picking up any eliminations. Stunt then accompanied Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy to the ring at Fight for the Fallen earlier this month for the Triple Threat tag team match against Angelico and Jack Evans, and winners The Dark Order. Stunt also worked the All In event in 2018, participating in the Over Budget Battle Royale on the pre-show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Live To Have A More Cinematic-Like Feel When It Comes To Fox

You can expect WWE SmackDown to have a more cinematic-like feel to it when the show premieres on Fox on Friday, October 4, according to a new report by @Wrestlevotes.

The report notes that the blue brand show will seem cinematic-like, similar to some of the WWE 24 footage we’ve seen, due to new cameras WWE recently experimented with. WWE will reportedly film SmackDown with these new cameras when they move to Fox after recently testing out newer, much more expensive technology. WWE officials were said to be pleased with what the new cameras produced.

It was recently reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE had plans to test out new cameras for the Fox premiere. Fox officials are also looking to invite a lot of celebrities to SmackDown and give the show the feel of a major event, which is one of the reasons why the SmackDown – Fox premiere was booked for the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

As we’ve noted, there’s talk that the Fox premiere on October 4 will feature the 20th Anniversary celebration and there are rumors on WWE trying to get The Rock to appear. The Observer report also noted that the idea is to make WWE look as major league as possible, which would then make AEW look minor league from the start. AEW will premiere their TNT show two days before on Wednesday, October 2.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Trish Stratus Accepts Charlotte Flair’s SummerSlam Challenge

It’s official! Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair at WWE SummerSlam.

Stratus was a guest on “The King’s Court” this week during SmackDown Live in Memphis and the interview with Jerry Lawler was interrupted by Flair.

Charlotte then bragged about being “The Queen of All Eras” and challenged Trish to a match.

When Stratus didn’t immediately respond, Flair angrily stated: “I expected more out of the 7-time Women’s Champion! But I know what it is … the WWE has evolved and we’re no longer models shaking their assets, we are women changing the industry. Trailblazers like me. I expected more fire out of you.”

Trish retorted by shouting out some former WWE women stars like Lita, Ivory and Beth Phoenix, then said “to be the woman, you have to beat the woman,” and accepted the challenge.