Author: John Bass

WWE Issues Statement On Ashley Massaro Allegations

WWE has issued a statement in response to allegations made by lawyer Konstantine Kyros, who has represented several former WWE Superstars in concussion lawsuits against the company, including the late Ashley Massaro. Kyros has published an affidavit by Massaro that includes her allegations on how she was treated while with the company. Massaro alleged that she was sexually assaulted while visiting troops with WWE in Kuwait back in 2006.

Massaro alleged that she was drugged and raped by a man posing as a US Army doctor while in Kuwait on a tour of a US military base. She said she was examined by a WWE doctor after returning from the trip, and that the doctor reported the incident to WWE officials. Massaro alleged that WWE officials called her into a meeting, to apologize, and to persuade “her that it would be best not to report it to appropriate authorities.” You can read all of her claims in the full affidavit via PDF by clicking here.

WWE’s statement to the media in response to the allegations reads:

WWE is saddened by the death of Ashley Massaro, and we reiterate our condolences to her family. However, we regret that her attorney Konstantine Kyros, who filed multiple cases against WWE, lost all of them, and was sanctioned multiple times by the Court for repeated misconduct and false allegations, is using Ashley’s death to further his malicious campaign against WWE by releasing an affidavit that she submitted to the Court and later apologized to WWE for being involved with, so we wish to make certain things crystal clear.At no time was Vince McMahon or the management of WWE ever informed by Ashley Massaro or anybody else that she had been sexually assaulted, drugged, raped or sodomized by a military doctor with a nurse standing guard while on a goodwill tour in 2007 to U.S. military bases in Kuwait. In fact, if she ever articulated such a claim to WWE, we would have reported it immediately to the Base Commander.

At no time was there ever a meeting with Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, John Laurinaitis or other company executives in which she told them of such a claim and was instructed to keep it quiet.

WWE recently revealed that Massaro e-mailed them back in October, a month after the lawsuit was dismissed, to apologize for joining the lawsuit. Below is WWE’s full statement with excerpts from Massaro’s e-mail:

Long after Ashley Massaro filed an affidavit, which WWE only learned of the contents after she passed away, Ashley sent an email to WWE on Oct. 20, 2018 – approximately one month after the Court dismissed all claims against WWE and sanctioned the lawyer who brought the suit against WWE, Konstantine Kyros, for repeated misconduct including pursuing false allegations. Below are a number of excerpts from her letter to WWE:”I love WWE, you all were my family the whole time I was there…”

“The lawsuit got out of control very fast-I had been roped in by the lawyer representing the others…”

“I apologize that I was part of this class action suit and knew it was a bad idea but was convinced by the lawyer and I want to acknowledge that I should’ve contacted you guys before agreeing to be involved-i was basically poached. But I accept my part of the responsibility and just want to formerly apologize and express my regret.”

“You all changed my life and I couldn’t be more grateful…”

“Can you express my sincerest regret to Vince, Stephanie, Hunter and Kevin Dunn.”

Massaro passed away last Thursday at the age of 39 after an apparent suicide by hanging. She would have turned 40 this coming weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Trademark Refused Due To Similar WWE Trademark, Update On Other Trademark Applications

It was reported earlier this year that Cody Rhodes has filed to trademark the “Bash at the Beach” name. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has given an initial refusal to the application because of the likely confusion with WWE’s registered trademark for “The Bash” for an old pay-per-view.

Cody’s trademark application for “Dusty Rhodes” was also given an initial refusal by the USPTO because of the likely confusion to the “Dustin Rhodes” trademark that’s registered to his brother, Dustin Runnels.

The USPTO did approve Cody’s other trademark applications for Bunkhouse Stampede, BattleBowl, The American Nightmare, The American Dream, and The Prince of Wrestling. They will be published for opposition at a later date.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ruby Riott Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Additional Operation Required

Ruby Riott is out of action with injuries that required surgery on both of her shoulders.

According to WWE.com:

Raw Superstar Ruby Riott underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a bilateral injury to her right shoulder, WWE.com can confirm.

Riott will receive surgery for the same injury on her left shoulder at a later date.

No word at this time on how long Ruby will be on the sidelines.

Details On How First AEW Champion Will Be Crowned

AEW has announced some details on how their first champion will be crowned.

On the latest episode of Road to Double or Nothing, comedian Jack Whitehall announced that the winner of the Casino Battle Royale will face the winner of Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega at a later date … with the winner becoming All Elite Wrestling’s first World champ.

Participants confirmed for the Battle Royale include: Shawn Spears aka Tye Dillinger, Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Michael Nakazawa, Jimmy Havoc, Billy Gunn, Sonny Kiss, MJF, Joey Janela, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr. and more.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Daniel Bryan And Kevin Owens Not Going To Saudi Arabia For WWE Super ShowDown

Daniel Bryan is once again not going to Saudi Arabia for the WWE Super ShowDown event on Friday, June 7th in Jeddah. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Bryan has once again declined going to the show.

Bryan had wrestled at WWE’s first big show in Saudi Arabia, The Greatest Royal Rumble, last April. He had turned down working last November’s Crown Jewel event in Riyadh. It was reported in The Wrestling Observer at the time that Bryan turned it down because he had learnt about Saudi Arabia’s treatment of homosexuals, as well as about Sami Zayn not being allowed in the country. Zayn was not allowed to work The Greatest Royal Rumble event because of his Syrian ancestry, which Bryan felt was racist. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Syria in 2012, and Zayn had started a #SamiForSyria mobile clinic in Syria in 2017.

At the time, WWE issued the following statement regarding Zayn’s absence from the event:

“WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world.”

Kevin Owens is also skipping Super ShowDown in two weeks, which was first reported by Fightful. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston will now be facing Dolph Ziggler at the show. Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Ziggler being booked for the match was a last minute decision, as Ziggler was booked to be in Australia that weekend for the Oz Comic-Con. It was announced right before SmackDown went on the air that Ziggler would not be appearing at the Comic-Con, as seen below. His replacement has yet to be announced.

https://twitter.com/WWEAustralia/status/1131070153838321664

It is not known why Owens is skipping the Saudi Arabia event, although he is best friends with Zayn. Owens was at the Greatest Royal Rumble event last April, however was injured when Crown Jewel took place last November.

The only other star that refused to work Crown Jewel was John Cena, who is not scheduled for WWE Super ShowDown.

WWE Super ShowDown takes place on Friday, June 7th, at the King Abdullah Sports City’s King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/22/19

NXT, streaming tonight at 8 p.m. ET on WWE Network.

* The Undisputed ERA appear to be back and stronger than ever.

* What’s next for The Velveteen Dream and his crown?

* Candice LeRae takes on Reina González

* Mansoor in action

* Big news for the NXT Tag Team Titles

WWE NXT UK Preview 5/22/19

NXT UK, streaming today at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT on WWE Network.

* WWE United Kingdom Championship: (C) Walter vs. Pete Dunne

* Travis Banks battles Joseph Connors in the final Qualifier for the imminent Fatal 4-Way Match to determine a No. 1 contender to the WWE United Kingdom Championship

XFL Summer Showcase Tryouts Details

The rebirth of the XFL is one step closer to becoming a reality. The only thing missing from the organization is the players who will be competing. In the video below, XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck and Doug Whaley announced a tryout system known as the Summer Showcase.

Players with professional experience from various leagues will get a chance to showcase their skills when the XFL goes live. That includes 7-on-7 work. This will be invite-only, as there are no open tryouts. Players invited will vary from NFL, CFL and college players. The combine will take place on the following dates in the following XFL cities:

* June 7th: Arlington, TX
* June 8th: Houston, TX
* June 14th: Montclair, NJ
* June 15th: Springfield, VA
* June 21st: Long Beach, CA
* June 22nd: Seattle, WA
* June 29th: Tampa Bay, FL
* July 13th: Earth City, MO

There is an open application for college players interested, with paperwork to be filled on the XFL website. Once approved, those athletes may be able to attend the showcases and participate in all activities. Some of those activities include one-on-one’s with former NFL players, a 40-yard-dash, three-cone drill and a broad jump. The players testing results will be shared through the XFL and NFL, and, as the website disclaimer says, the tryout will not affect college eligibility.

The XFL’s first season since 2001 is expected to start just a few days after the Super Bowl in 2020. The games will be aired on multiple Disney and FOX stations.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Star Tye Dillinger Announced For AEW Casino Battle Royale

AEW announced Shawn Spears, formerly known as WWE’s Tye Dillinger, will be involved in the Casino Battle Royale on Double or Nothing’s The Buy In pre-show.

Back in February, Spears was released from WWE after he asked for his release from the company, despite being offered a substantial raise. Spears was on his second run with the company where he spent 2013-2017 in NXT, followed up by a lackluster main roster run on SmackDown.

In the video below, Spears was dealt his card (a ten) for the upcoming match and responded, “When the odds are stacked, always bet on you.”

Double or Nothing will air on B/R Live and traditional PPV for $49.99 at 8 pm ET this Saturday. The Buy In pre-show will stream for free on All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube channel.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Roast Of Ric Flair To Take Place At A Later Date

Starrcast has announced that the roast of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will take place at a later date to be announced.

As noted, The Nature Boy was forced to pull out of “The Roast of Ric Flair” scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas during Starrcast II weekend, which coincided with AEW’s Double Or Nothing weekend. Flair underwent heart surgery on Monday and his doctors won’t allow him to travel to Vegas for the weekend events. Starrcast issued the following today:

“The good news is that Ric Flair’s surgery was a success. The bad news is that his doctor won’t allow him to travel this weekend. As a result, his Meet & Greets at #Starrcast are being refunded. The Roast of Ric Flair will have to be postponed to a later date yet to be determined.”

The roast of Flair was scheduled to air on pay-per-view and Fite.TV this Friday night. There’s no word yet on if it will still stream when it happens. Flair was also scheduled for a “30 Years and 5 Stars Later” panel with WWE Hall of Famers Ricky Steamboat and Jim Ross this week. Starrcast will be issuing refunds for all of Flair’s planned events.

Flair’s wife Wendy Barlow noted on Monday that the operation was a success and that Flair was in the recovery room. TMZ reported that doctors were optimistic Flair will make a full recovery. Flair was said to be in good spirits over the past few days, chatting with some of his famous friends on the phone, including rapper Offset.

Flair is scheduled to make his first post-surgery public appearance on Friday, May 31 for SCWPro at their “To Be The Man” event in East Moline, Illinois. SCWPro confirmed today that they have been in contact with Flair’s representatives, and that he will still make that appearance.

https://twitter.com/SCWPro/status/1130629464554135552

Source: Wrestling Inc.