Scheduled for tonight’s Impact airing on Pursuit, Twitch and FightNet.
* Michael Elgin Kicks off tonight’s Impact
* RVD on Impact Tonight
* Ace Austin vs. Petey Williams
* Fenix vs. Eddie Edwards
* Rosemary vs. Kiera Hogan
Author: John Bass
Tyler Breeze Moved Back To WWE NXT?
Tyler Breeze has apparently moved back to the WWE NXT brand.
While still listed under the RAW roster on the official WWE website, Breeze has worked nothing but NXT shows since WrestleMania 35. Going into WrestleMania, Breeze would often work WWE Main Event tapings and some non-televised live events, but he had not appeared on RAW this year.
Breeze has worked several NXT live events since WrestleMania, picking up wins over Kona Reeves and Shane Thorne. The win over Thorne came at last night’s live event in Melbourne, FL. Breeze also teamed with NXT North American Champion The Velveteen Dream last month, for a win over The Forgotten Sons, and lost a singles match to Dream.
Breeze worked Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University and began a new TV feud with Dream. It looks like Breeze may challenge Dream for his title at the next NXT Takeover event on Saturday, June 1. That match has not been confirmed.
Breeze had been teaming with Fandango on the main roster until Fandango suffered a shoulder injury in July 2018. Fandango is expected to be back in action soon and has been back training since March.
The Breeze vs. Dream title feud is very interesting because WWE recently began a TV feud between Dream and Dominik Dijakovic. It was believed that Dijakovic would be the next one to challenge Dream for the title. Dijakovic’s status is currently up in the air as he did not work Wednesday’s TV tapings and there was no mention of the feud with Dream. We will keep you updated on any news about Dijakovic’s status. We know he worked the April 18 NXT live event, defeating Kona Reeves, and the April 19 live event, losing to Dream.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Mick Foley Says He’d Wrestle In Saudi Arabia For The Right Price
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley appeared on The Pro Wrestling Show podcast earlier this week and said he would be open to wrestling a WWE match in Saudi Arabia, if the price was right.
Foley said a friend asked him how he would handle a potential return to the ring in Saudi Arabia, considering some of the controversy surrounding the Kingdom. Foley said he’s glad he doesn’t have to make that choice.
“I’m lucky I don’t have to make that choice,” Foley said. “I have to be honest, I can be had for a certain price.”
Foley also said he would be open to doing a Hell In a Cell rematch with The Undertaker, if the Saudi officials wanted it.
“If they wanted a rematch of the Cell badly enough and willing to pay for it, they’d probably get it. Working slower than I did 21 years ago, but I’d be out there,” he said.
The Saudi shows have ended up being very lucrative paydays for the WWE talents who get booked. Some of the top names are earning as high as seven figures for the events.
It will be interesting to see what kind of criticism WWE faces over their controversial working relationship with the Kingdom as we get closer to the event. WWE will return to the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7 for the third WWE Network special under the 10 year big money deal with The Saudi General Sports Authority. WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and AJ Styles have been announced.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Backstage News On Sasha Banks’ WWE Status, Who Is Getting Banks’ Spot AT WWE Money In The Bank?
Sasha Banks was set to compete in the upcoming women’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match, but she was pulled from the show due to her ongoing issues with WWE.
Banks was replaced in the match by Dana Brooke, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The match at the May 19 WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view will feature Brooke, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Mandy Rose, Bayley, Carmella and Ember Moon.
Banks was originally earmarked for the match but she has not agreed to return to work for the company after recently requesting her release.
There’s no word yet on if WWE will grant the release, but it doesn’t look like. The Observer noted that no talents will be granted their release if WWE officials feel like they would be able to help All Elite Wrestling. WWE also continues to try and re-sign everyone with big offers if they have contracts coming up, months before those contracts actually expire, due to concern over AEW.
We noted in late April that Banks was at a stalemate with WWE. She reportedly tried to quit the company during WrestleMania 35 weekend because she and Bayley were upset about being split up, and over the decision to put the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on The IIconics as they believed they would be given a lengthy title run to make them mean something. Word from within WWE was that Banks wanted to sit out the rest of her contract, and she still hasn’t agreed to return to action as of this week. There’s still no word yet on when Banks would be eligible to leave the company, but the Observer previously reported that that the company could add time to Banks’ contract for the time she spends not working, similar to the recent situation with Neville. Banks could end up being out of action for a significant amount of time if WWE adds time to the contract.
WWE did want Banks back in action and involved in the storylines, at last word, but Banks wants a lot of things to be different with how she’s booked. Banks was still scheduled for Money In the Bank when the news of her request release came out, but now she’s no longer factored into the plans for that pay-per-view.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Backstage News On Bill Goldberg’s WWE Return, WWE Reportedly Concerned About Goldberg And AEW
WWE may have signed WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg for the June 7 Saudi Arabia show to keep him from All Elite Wrestling.
It was noted in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE reportedly approached Goldberg for the show, figuring he was the one star left who could potentially bring back lapsed fans if he were to work with AEW. The situation was compared to how Vince McMahon, without the benefit of hindsight, left the door open in the 1990s for WCW to sign names like WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Roddy Piper.
WWE officials did have a concern that Goldberg would eventually sign with AEW, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
There’s no word yet on who Goldberg will face in Saudi Arabia, but a Lesnar vs. Goldberg match has been rumored.
Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker had been expected for the Saudi show, but Goldberg came out of the blue. Goldberg is believed to be making major money from the new contract with WWE. The Saudi shows usually bring a big payday to the wrestlers, as high as seven figures for some, but the fact that Goldberg rarely wrestles says a lot. There’s no word yet on if Goldberg’s deal is just for the Saudi show, or for more dates, but WWE could have made a strong offer to Goldberg if they are serious about keeping him away from AEW.
Randy Orton joked about Goldberg’s pay for the Saudi Arabia show this week, as seen below:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
New Impact Wrestling World Champion Brian Cage Pulled From Impact TV Tapings
Wrestling Inc. has confirmed that new Impact Wrestling World Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage has been pulled from this weekend’s Impact TV tapings due to injury. Cage is currently at his home resting and recovering from an injury sustained at Impact’s Rebellion pay-per-view last Sunday. This weekend’s tapings will be took place last night and tonihgt from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
We can also confirm that Cage may miss tapings beyond this weekend. Cage was also not at last Monday’s tapings in Toronto.
There is currently no word about the status of the Impact Wrestling championship. Cage may hold the title for the time being until he returns, or Impact could produce an angle at the tapings this weekend to strip him of it.
Cage won the Impact Wrestling World Championship by defeating Johnny Impact this past Sunday night at Impact’s Rebellion PPV. During the bout, Cage appeared to suffer a back injury while taking a Spanish Fly from the entrance ramp to the floor. Following the match, and subsequent powerbomb from Michael Elgin, Cage was rushed to a local emergency facility in Toronto.
“Right when we hit, I’m rolling and the pain shoots down through my leg,” Cage told Busted Open Radio the following afternoon. “It’s a feeling I’ve never had before in my life. I’m instantly thinking, ‘ruptured disc or whatever. My back is f—ed, I’m going to have to have surgery or something.’ Then I’m thinking, ‘Maybe it’ll go away,’ and just trying to enter the ring after that moment, I’m bleeding and what not.
“Rolling into the ring, turning my hip over hip and trying to get up, I felt like there was no strength there and the pain shot down my leg again, and I’m like ‘crap.’ But it felt almost a little bit better, so maybe it will subside here in a second, like a flash thing. Then I think was in the corner and I evaded Johnny, and there was no movement, like, I couldn’t. I felt so slow and robotic in my mannerisms and movement because of the pain.”
At the time, Cage thought that he would not have to miss any action, however that is not the case.
“[The Doctor] goes, ‘I think you’re going to be fine, you have severe inflammation and a bone bruise, there could be a small fracture there,” Cage said. “I would like to rule that out, however, if there is a fracture, I don’t seeing it being any major fracture. Even then, you can’t do much more for that, just err on the side of caution.”
Wrestling Inc. will be revealing another exclusive Impact Wrestling story today on our Friday video installment of the WINCLY. It will air at 2 pm CST via the Ringside Wrestling app. The app is free to download and is available to download on iPhones and Android devices.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WCW Star Psicosis Saves Friend From Drowning After Serious Car Accident In Canada
Canadian indie wrestling promoter “Hotshot” Danny Duggan announced on Facebook that he was involved in a bad car accident with Robin Lekimi and former WCW star Psicosis on Wednesday while driving through winter weather in Ontario.
Duggan revealed that Psicosis saved him from drowning as the car was upside down in a body of water. He details the accident in the post below. Duggan said he is lucky to be alive right now as he suffered a severe concussion and several other injuries. Psicosis and Robin escaped the wreck with cuts and bruises.
“I’ve got a severe concussion, my head is swollen, my legs are smashed and beat up pretty bad, likely due to sitting so close to the dash but nothing majorly damaged, some very severe and deep lacerations, cuts, and chunks of skin gone on my scalp, ear, legs, arms, and my hands being mangled and bloody pretty bad. And a whole lot of pain throughout my back and body. But I am alive. We’re alive. Psicosis and Robin luckily managed to escape with what appears to be so far only some cuts and bruises. Hopefully nothing more,” Duggan wrote.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for Duggan at this link. As of this writing, they have raised $990 of a $6,500 goal, by 26 people in 7 hours.
You can see Duggan’s full Facebook post below:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
What Happened With Brock Lesnar’s UFC Return Negotiations, Possible WWE Match For Lesnar
As noted, UFC President Dana White revealed this week that Brock Lesnar recently informed him that he will be retiring from MMA.
There’s a lot of speculation on Lesnar’s UFC future and if he really is retired from the Octagon. It’s important to note that this is White saying Lesnar has retired, not the man himself or anyone close to him. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Lesnar had been negotiating with UFC for the summer 2019 fight with UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier, and a deal could not be reached.
Lesnar reportedly wanted a flat fee from UFC for the Cormier fight, instead of a percentage of pay-per-view buys, but UFC felt like he was asking for too much. Meltzer noted that UFC is no longer under pressure to draw strong pay-per-view buys because they are getting about the same money through their deal with ESPN. We don’t know how much Lesnar asked for, but it was a certain price that was worth it to him to go through a grueling training camp at age 42, for a fight against a top athlete and fighter in Cormier.
It was revealed this week by TMZ Sports that Lesnar was still submitting to USADA drug testing as recent as April. We don’t know how long Lesnar has been considering the retirement, but the timing is interesting. Meltzer noted that Lesnar had to enter into the USADA testing program to negotiate with WWE and UFC, because if he didn’t, then WWE would know that he couldn’t fight for another 6 months, and wasn’t really serious about possibly returning to UFC over WWE. UFC has always been Lesnar’s leverage in WWE contract talks. There’s no word yet on if Lesnar has pulled out of the USADA testing but if he has, he could come back and would have to wait another 6 months before being eligible for a fight. If he does pull out, that’s a good sign that he has really decided not to fight. Meltzer noted that if he doesn’t pull out, this all could be a public negotiation by White in an attempt to get Lesnar to lower his price.
White noted that Cormier will likely face Stipe Miocic next, at the August 17 pay-per-view from Anaheim, California. This could have been the date they wanted to do Lesnar vs. Cormier on.
There’s no word yet on what the MMA retirement will mean for Lesnar’s WWE future. He has been announced for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7, but his opponent has not been named. The Observer notes that he will likely face WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins in a rematch from WrestleMania 35. The Lesnar vs. Rollins rematch was expected but that was before WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg was also announced for the Saudi show, leading to speculation on a Lesnar vs. Goldberg rematch.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Pulls Kurt Angle From Another Convention Due To AEW
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been pulled from his scheduled appearance at the WrestleCade 2019 convention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to promoter Tracy Myers and Yes! Weekly.
WWE pulled Angle from the event, which takes place in late November, and offered no replacement. WrestleCade Weekend co-owner Brian Hawks was told that Angle could not appear because they are associated with All Elite Wrestling. WrestleCade says it is not officially connected to any other wrestling promotion, including AEW.
The deposit for Angle’s appearance was returned immediately but WWE did not offer a replacement for Angle, according to John Pollock on Twitter.
As we’ve noted, WWE also pulled Angle and The Undertaker from the upcoming Starrcast II convention after they had already signed deals to appear, due to the relationship with AEW. Both Angle and Taker recently signed new WWE contracts and the company has the power to withhold them from any events that are deemed not in the best interests of WWE.
As noted, Angle revealed that he has signed a new five-year deal with WWE during his recent Wrestling Inc. interview with Andy Malnoske, which aired on the WINCLY Podcast. You can can hear the interview below or on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and TuneIn. Angle said he plans on doing some part-time work for the company under the new deal, and he will work as a Producer.
“I signed a five-year deal with WWE,” Angle said. “I’m going to do some part-time – if they need me in front of the TV, maybe managerial, where I would be managing some wrestlers. But the most important thing is I’m going to be a producer. I’m going to help the wrestlers with their technique. I’m going to help them structure their matches. It’s something I’m very good at. I thought I’d be able to contributor the company [in that role].”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Backstage News On WrestleMania 36 Plans For Becky Lynch
It was previously reported that WWE wanted to do Charlotte Flair vs. current RAW & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, but they now have a new plan in mind for Lynch.
WWE is doing Flair vs. Lynch at the WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view on May 19 because they have a new match planned for Lynch at WrestleMania 36, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There’s no word yet on who the match will be against, but word is that it’s not Flair or Ronda Rousey.
Lynch is currently scheduled to be the top female Superstar booked on the WrestleMania 36 card.
It was noted that if Rousey wants to return for WrestleMania 36, then a match with Lynch isn’t out of the question, but it’s not the planned match.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
