Author: John Bass

Beth Phoenix Is Coming Out Of Retirement At WrestleMania

Beth Phoenix is coming out of retirement at WrestleMania 35 to challenge for gold.

Phoenix announced she’s coming out retirement on RAW last night and challenged to Sasha Banks & Bayley for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania with Natalya as her partner.

While the actual match and all of the opponents involved were not confirmed as of yet, the WWE Hall of Famer’s partner Natalya had a one-one-on match with Sasha which was interrupted by Nia Jax on the microphone.

Nia claimed she was prettier, stronger version of “The Glamazon,” then her partner Tamina interfered in the match causing it to end in a no contest.

There is talk that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match will be a multi-team match. Sasha & Bayley announced that will be on SmackDown live tonight and they are not ducking a challenge from The IIconics.

Kurt Angle Announces WrestleMania 35 Opponent, Elias To Perform At WrestleMania

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle announced on tonight’s RAW from Chicago that Baron Corbin will be his final opponent. Angle vs. Corbin will take places as the Farewell Match at WrestleMania 35.

At one point it was thought Angle would face John Cena in his farewell match at WrestleMania 35 and over the weekend it was thought his opponent would be Shelton Benjamin after Benjamin issued the challenge to Angle on social media and Angle replied back that he accepts.

https://twitter.com/RealKurtAngle/status/1107328258926960647

It was also announced on RAW that Elias will be the “featured musical act” at WrestleMania 35.

WrestleMania 35 takes place on April 7 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson At A Standstill In Contract Talks With WWE

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are currently at a standstill in their contract negotiations with WWE, according to PWInsider.

The issue has led to The Good Brothers being pulled from all upcoming scheduled WWE live events. Gallows and Anderson are still scheduled to be at TV tapings and pay-per-view events, but they have been pulled from live events indefinitely.

As we’ve noted, there’s talk that Gallows and Anderson will leave WWE when their current contracts expire this September. They reportedly turned down multi-million dollar deals as they are not happy with how they’ve been used in recent years. WWE officials had been meeting with Gallows and Anderson to discuss a new deal, as they have with many talents as of late. It was noted earlier this month that they already missed out on some live event dates because of how the initial contract meetings didn’t lead to a new agreement between the two sides.

Gallows and Anderson won the March 12 pre-SmackDown dark match over SAnitY but their last TV appearance came on the February 5 SmackDown episode, a loss to Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura. It looks like their last non-televised live event bookings came in late February as they were defeating SAnitY at weekend shows.

Gallows and Anderson remain in talks with WWE about a new deal. It was noted earlier this month that The Good Brothers are determined to continue their pro wrestling careers outside of WWE. A lot can happen between now and September, but there continues to be a feeling that they will be leaving.

As noted last week, Anderson took to social media and apparently denied the reports by posting a video of his 7 year old son Cylus.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 3/18/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL as the Road to WrestleMania 35 continues.

* The Beast returns before WrestleMania

* Kurt Angle to announce his WrestleMania opponent

* Seth Rollins seeks retribution against Drew McIntyre

* Dana Brooke gets her title opportunity against Ronda Rousey

* Who will partner with Finn Bálor against Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush?

* Is Beth Phoenix pondering an in-ring return?

* No. Holds. Barred. – Batista and Triple H at WrestleMania 35 – Has Batista sealed his own fate?

WWE Reportedly Signs Former Impact X Division Champion DJZ

WWE has reportedly signed former Impact Wrestling X Division Champion DJZ, according to PWInsider.

DJZ will be coming in to work the WWE NXT brand. WWE reportedly made their offer to him during the last week of February.

DJZ revealed back on December 31 that he was a free agent after parting ways with Impact. His contract had expired there. He debuted for Impact in 2011 and worked there off & on, becoming a two-time X Division Champion and a one-time Tag Team Champion with Andrew Everett.

There’s no word yet on when the 32 year old will report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, but it’s believed he will work a few more dates on the indies to finish up there.

As noted, WWE recently signed DJZ’s former “BroMans” partner Robbie E (Robert Strauss) to a deal as well. He’s currently at the Performance Center training.

DJZ was praised for Friday’s match with Sammy Guevara at the Warrior Wrestling IV indie event in Chicago. Below are a few shots from that match, and a few shots from DJZ’s weekend debut for the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) promotion in Elizabeth, PA:

https://twitter.com/sammyguevara/status/1106790393398607873

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH Confirms Big Title Match For G1 Supercard At MSG

The video below is from this past weekend’s ROH TV tapings at Las Vegas featuring ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, Marty Scurll, and Matt Taven. Scurll is currently the number one contender, thanks to winning last year’s Survival of the Fittest tournament. Taven and Lethal went to a 60-minute time limit draw for the title at 17th Anniversary PPV.

Lethal felt both men deserved a shot at G1 Supercard, but wanted to up the ante a bit more by making it a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the ROH World Championship.

Also teased for the event, but not yet officially announced by ROH: World TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. NEVER Openweight Champion Will Ospreay (Title vs. Title), and Dalton Castle vs. Rush.

Update: ROH officials confirmed that RUSH vs. Dalton Castle will go down at G1 Supercard. The challenge was laid out at ROH 17th Anniversary Show this past Friday after RUSH picked up a victory over Bandido.

Below is the updated announced card:

* Jay White (c) vs. New Japan Cup 2019 Winner (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)

* Jay Lethal (c) vs. Marty Scurll vs. Matt Taven (Ladder Match for the ROH World Championship)

* ROH World Tag Team Champions PCO & Brody King vs. IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny (Titles vs. Titles Match)

* Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship)

* Bully Ray vs. TBA

* RUSH vs. Dalton Castle

* Honor Rumble (Pre-Show)

Update: ROH officials confirmed that RUSH vs. Dalton Castle will go down at G1 Supercard. The challenge was laid out at ROH 17th Anniversary Show this past Friday after RUSH picked up a victory over Bandido.

Longtime WWE Employee Sue Aitchison To Receive Warrior Award At 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremony

WWE has announced that longtime company employee Sue Aitchison will receive The Warrior Award at the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Below is WWE’s full announcement on Aitchison, with comments from Dana and Stephanie McMahon:

Longtime WWE employee Sue Aitchison to receive Warrior Award at 2019 WWE Hall of Fame CeremonySue Aitchison, a 30-year veteran of WWE’s corporate office, has been named the recipient of the fifth-annual Warrior Award. Named after WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, the Warrior Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.

The award will be presented to Aitchison by Dana Warrior, WWE Ambassador and widow of The Ultimate Warrior, at the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will stream live on WWE Network at 7 ET/4 PT on Saturday, April 6 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The news was first reported by The Stamford Advocate.

A WWE employee for more than 30 years, Sue Aitchison is widely credited with spearheading WWE’s community outreach programs. Over the course of her storied career, she built a long-term partnership with Make-A-Wish and helped grant WWE wishes to more than 6,000 children. Aitchison also pioneered WWE’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge, inspiring a love of reading for millions of children around the world. Because of her commitment to giving back, Aitchison has also been the recipient of Make-A-Wish’s Chris Greicius Award.

“Sue has dedicated her entire career to helping Wish kids fulfill their dreams and putting smiles on countless families’ faces. Her heart and character epitomize the essence of the Warrior Award,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “She is an unsung hero who deserves to be recognized and immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

“It is an incredible privilege to present Sue with this year’s Warrior Award,” Dana Warrior said. “My husband saw Sue’s efforts firsthand throughout his WWE career. She displays the Warrior spirit every single day and is an inspiration to us all.”

“I am humbled to receive this prestigious award,” Sue Aitchison said. “I look forward to continuing WWE’s efforts with Make-A-Wish and other organizations to make a positive impact on children and their families around the world.”

Backstage Update On AJ Styles’ WWE Future

It looks like AJ Styles will be re-signing with WWE when his current contract expires next month, if he hasn’t agreed to terms of a new deal already.

Some people within WWE believe the deal has already been signed, according to PWInsider, but word is that the two sides had agreed on all the major points of the new deal.

Styles is also being advertised for the annual post-WrestleMania tour of Europe now. He is scheduled to face WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe.

There had been obvious interest from AEW, if Styles would have let his WWE deal expire, but all signs point to The Phenomenal One staying with WWE.

Styles will face Randy Orton at WrestleMania 35 next month.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Three – Orton & Styles SmackDown Promo, Career of Jerry Jarrett And More

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Three

Segment One – Shooting tragedy in New Zealand

Segment Two – Randy Orton and AJ Styles SmackDown Live Promo

Segment Three – All Elite Wrestling

Segment Four – This past week in wrestling news

Segment Five – Look at the career of wrestling legend Jerry Jarrett

Wrestling News Blog Podcast is available on all major podcast apps such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

 

Kurt Angle Accepts Shelton Benjamin’s WrestleMania Challenge

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin had reached out via Instagram to express his personal interest in becoming Kurt Angle’s opponent for his retirement match at WrestleMania 35.

Although their relationship has seen many up and downs since it’s inception, Benjamin and Angle first appeared on WWE TV together in the latter part of 2002, when Shelton joined “The World’s Greatest Tag Team” alongside Charlie Haas and their mentor at the time, Kurt. Under Angle’s tutelage, Benjamin & Haas won their first tag team championships just a month after their debut and they would go on to be two-time champions before the team went their separate ways.

Angle has now responded to Benjamin’s challenge with a simple but enthusiastic, “I’m game!”

We will keep you updated in to tomorrow night’s WWE RAW to see if this is the actual direction that WWE creative will take Angle’s retirement storyline.

https://twitter.com/RealKurtAngle/status/1107328258926960647

Source: Wrestling Inc.