Author: John Bass

WWE Fastlane 3/10/19

March 10, 2019 – 7 PM ET /4 PM PT  – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Kickoff – 6 ET/3 PT

WWE Championship: (C) Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (If Lynch wins, she’ll be added to Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 35)

WWE RAW Tag Team Championship: (C) The Revival vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black

SmackDown Women’s Championship: (C) Asuka vs. Mandy Rose

SmackDown Tag Team Championship: (C) The Usos vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz

The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose) vs. Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: (C) Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

WWE United States Championship: (C) Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

(Kickoff) The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura

WWE Announces EVOLVE 123 & 124 Cards

EVOLVE has announced that WWE NXT North American Champion The Velveteen Dream will face Orange Cassidy in a non-title match at EVOLVE 123 on March 15 in Melrose, MA. NXT’s The Street Profits will also be in action that night, defending their EVOLVE Tag Team Titles against The Unwanted.

It was also announced that Dream and The Street Profits will team to face Joe Gacy, Shane Strickland and Eddie Kingston the next night at EVOLVE 124 in Queens. Ricochet will be doing meet & greets at both events.

Below is WWE’s announcement on EVOLVE 123 and EVOLVE 124:

EVOLVE 123 and 124 lineups revealedThe North American Dream will soon descend on EVOLVE Wrestling.

In the wake of his epic victory over Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Title last month, Velveteen Dream will shroud his enduring purple reign over EVOLVE 123 and 124. Joining Dream for the action-packed events will be fellow NXT Superstars The Street Profits and Ricochet.

Dream’s EVOLVE experience kicks off Friday, March 15, when he takes on Orange Cassidy at EVOLVE 123 at the Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Mass., while Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins are set to take on two members of The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy, Colby Corino & Shane Strickland). From there, the action carries into Saturday, March 16, at La Boom in Queens for EVOLVE 124, which will see Dream and Street Profits assemble to take on The Unwanted’s Strickland, Kingston & Gacy in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. In addition, Ricochet will be on tap for meet-and-greets at both shows. (You must have a ticket to the events to take part in the meet-and-greets.)

The lineups for both events are listed below. Tickets for EVOLVE 123 and EVOLVE 124 are available now at WWNLive.com.

EVOLVE 123 – Friday, March 15 at Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Mass.

Non-Title Match
NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream vs. Orange Cassidy

Grudge Match – Stipulation to be Determined
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Two members of The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy, Colby Corino & Shane Strickland)

EVOLVE Championship Match
Austin Theory (c) vs. John Silver

EVOLVE 114 Rematch
Josh Briggs vs. Darby Allin

Tag Team Attraction 
AR Fox & Leon Ruff with Ayla & The Skulk vs. WWN Champion JD Drake & Anthony Henry

Plus Mae Young Classic 2018 competitor Priscilla Kelly, Curt Stallion, Harlem Bravado, Rory Gulak and others!

EVOLVE 124 – Saturday, March 16, at La Boom in Queens, N.Y.

Six-Man Tag Team Match
NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream & EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Shane Strickland, Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy

Champion vs. Champion Non-Title Match
EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory vs. WWN Champion JD Drake

Grudge Match
Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry

Special Challenge Match
AR Fox with Ayla & The Skulk vs. Josh Briggs

Curt Stallion vs. Leon Ruff

Harlem Bravado vs. John Silver

Plus more, with Priscilla Kelly and others.

With these shows being the final EVOLVE events before The WWNLive Experience, which takes place at La Boom in Queens on April 4-6, you can expect plenty of newsworthy happenings at EVOLVE 123 and 124. Visit WWNLive.com now for more details.

MLW Fusion Preview 3/9/19

Watch Major League Wrestling nationwide and in Canada each week on beIN SPORTS Saturdays 9pm ET / 7pm PT and on YouTube Sundays 12pm ET / 9am PT.

Jim Cornette is back calling wrestling in prime time. The media has praised the return of the “Louisville Slugger” so don’t miss his sophomore outing as he sits ringside with Rich Bocchini for a night of action! Moments after escaping the solid steel cage to retain the World Heavyweight Championship, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor was savagely attacked by the group identifying themselves as CONTRA.  This week on FUSION, we’ll get an update on Lawlor’s injuries and perhaps learn more about CONTRA. The Hart Foundation aren’t in a good mood following MJF and Richard Holliday’s recent actions. Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman speak candidly on their upcoming World Tag Team Title defense against MJF and Holliday. Mance Warner will be in the house. What’s Ol Mancer up to? Most likely lariats and light beers! Salina de la Renta will break her silence after last week’s steel cage match where Low Ki failed to reclaim the belt.  What is on the empresaria’s mind? Is the house of Promotions Dorado on shaky ground? Tune in to find out. There will also be a qualifying match for the 2019 Battle Riot. Will veteran DJZ punch his ticket to the 40-wrestler extravaganza or will newcomer Ace Austin silence the electric Filipino grappler? Tune in for this high flying, high stakes encounter.

Matches: 

  • Ace Romero vs. Simon Gotch
  • Battle Riot Qualifying Match: DJZ vs. Ace Austin
  • Alex Hammerstone vs. Isaias Velasquez

Join Jim Cornette and Rich Bocchini ringside in Chicago as Major League Wrestling presents the fastest and most dangerous hour of combat sports you’ll experience anywhere in the world. Watch MLW FUSION Saturday nights on beIN SPORTS at 9pm ET/6pm PT.  Don’t get beIN? Subscribe to MLW’s YouTube channel for free and stream binge on MLW FUSION anytime anywhere!

Impact Wrestling Preview 3/8/19

Tonight on Impact at 10/9c on Pursuit and Twitch:

* Ace Austin debuts

* Rascalz vs. Lucha Bros

* Alisha Edwards announcement

* Rich Swann vs. Ethan Page

* The Dark War: Team Rosemary vs. Team Su Yung

WOW Women Of Wrestling Season Finale Preview 3/8/19

Tonight on the season finale of WOW Women of Wrestling on AXS TV – 9/8C.

* WOW Championship: (C) Tessa Blanchard vs. Havok

* Azteca & Princess Aussie vs. Holidead & The Voodoo Doll

* Kobra Moon vs. Katie Forbes

* Stephy Slays vs. The Disciplinarian

 

Backstage News On The RAW Women’s Title Feud, Ronda Rousey’s Attack On Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey Claims She Went Off Script

It’s no secret that WWE has made several changes to the storyline that will end with Becky Lynchvs. Charlotte Flair vs. RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35 next month. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there are more twists to come in the storyline.

There’s no word yet on what kind of twists WWE has planned but things should really heat up after Sunday’s WWE Fastlane pay-per-view when the Triple Threat is made official. Fastlane will feature Lynch vs. Flair in singles action. Lynch will be added to Flair vs. Rousey at WrestleManiato make it a Triple Threat if she wins, but she will be “done” if she loses, according to Stephanie McMahon.

WWE could go a few different ways with the finish to the WrestleMania Triple Threat but the result largely depends on Rousey’s final date with WWE, according to the Observer. As we reported earlier this week, Rousey is currently scheduled to finish up the day after WrestleMania, indicating a big blow-off at WrestleMania or possibly RAW. It’s always possible that Vince McMahon talks Rousey into a contract extension, but we’ve heard nothing on that direction.

The Observer points to how all three Superstars have tried hard to make their physical angles look legit and more real than what we usually see in WWE. We noted before that Rousey wanted Lynch to hit her as hard as she could with the kendo stick during their angle at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Becky did just that and Ronda needed 7 stitches to close a cut on her elbow. Flair was also left with a bunch of bruises on her arm from the Chamber attack. Rousey also asked Flair to hit her as hard as he could, over and over, when recently taking kendo stick shots from her. Rousey wanted to have real welts, bruises and blood from the attack.

Regarding the attack from Rousey to Lynch on this week’s RAW, Rousey was told to do everything she would do in a real fight at real fight intensity, but no punches or kicks to Becky’s face, and obviously not to actually hurt her. There was still a stiff knee to the face. The idea was that Becky would take Rousey’s best punishment and still show up at SmackDown the next day to fight with Flair.

The physicality of things may have actually secured Lynch’s spot in the WrestleMania storyline as The Observer points to how Lynch getting injured by Nia Jax back in mid-November could have been the greatest thing that has happened to her, at least in terms of the RAW Women’s Title. Lynch was scheduled to lose to Rousey’s armbar in their Survivor Series pay-per-view match that was nixed due to the injury, which would have greatly reduced Lynch’s chances of being in the RAW Women’s Title match at WrestleMania.

Ronda Rousey is mad as hell and she’s not going to take it anymore.

In latest episode of Rousey’s video blog road diary, Ronda on the Road, the Raw women’s champion’s cuts a promo on going off script this past Monday. Rousey claims to not only go off script but also doubles down on breaking kayfabe in her promo.

“It wasn’t a promo. [WWE] gave me other things to say I didn’t f***ing say it,” Rousey said. “It’s not a promo. It’s not an act. I’m not going out there and doing their f***ing act anymore, I’m going out there and doing whatever the hell I want. And they can explain it however they want, but f***em. Everybody. WWE Universe included. I meant that I’m going to disrespect the sport that they all love so much. ‘Ohhhh don’t break kayfabe Ronda!’ Wrestling is scripted. It’s made up. It’s not real. None of those b****** can f***ing touch me. The end.”

The origins of this video date back to last week, when Rousey and Lynch went to war on Twitter. During that particular exchange, Rousey brought up the word ‘fake’ and it did not sit well with Lynch.

Not only did Rousey go off on wrestling fans and WWE, earlier in the video she admitted she hasn’t lost sight of Becky Lynch. Rousey brought up Lynch’s real name and then explained why she attacked her on Monday night.

“Becky pissed me off the most recently,” Rousey said. “You know what? I’m not going to even call her Becky. Rebecca Quinn talked s*** about my husband, and I told her I’d beat the f*** out of her next time I saw her. And guess what I beat the f*** out of her, didn’t I? It’s been building up in me since Survivor Series, 100%”

Becky Lynch takes on Charlotte Flair this Sunday at Fastlane. Rousey is advertised to appear at the event.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling To Stream First-Ever “Salute To The Troops” Special On Twitch

Impact Wrestling issued a press release today to announce their first-ever Impact Wrestling: Salute to the Troops special.

ImpactWrestling.com released the following announcement on Friday:

IMPACT Wrestling Partners with TNT Pro for ‘Salute to the Troops’ Free to All Military, Airs May 11 on Twitch

TORONTO | FORT CAMPBELL – IMPACT Wrestling announced today that it has partnered with Tried-N-True Pro (TNT Pro) for Salute to the Troops, a live event on April 12 at Fort Campbell Army Post in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, free for all military personnel and their families.

Salute to the Troops will premiere exclusively on IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel at Twitch.tv/impactwrestling on May 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The event, which will be held in collaboration with MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) of Fort Campbell Army Installation, will be free to over 1,000 active military and their families. The show will begin on April 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

“We are proud to partner with TNT Pro and Fort Campbell Army Installation for this special event, as we honor our servicemen and women and their families,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “We are always striving to give back to our communities and taking care of military personnel and their families is an important initiative for us. We intend to provide a memorable evening of entertainment, serving as a well-deserved morale booster for these brave men and women.”

“As a United States Army Veteran, it has been my goal since Tried-N-True Pro’s inception in 2015 to bring live professional wrestling to the soldiers and families of Fort Campbell Army Installation,” said TNT Pro promoter and producer Anthony “Crimson” Mayweather. “Speaking from experience, I know that live entertainment is very important and can be a key factor in elevating morale within the soldier and their family members. It’s an honor to be able to provide that entertainment for these brave men and women. We are very proud and excited to forge a partnership with Fort Campbell MWR and IMPACT Wrestling to produce this special event.”

Salute to the Troops will be free to DoD ID card holders. ID is required to claim tickets to the event. Soldiers and their family members, military retirees and their family members and DOD civilians who work on post and their families will all be admitted. More ticket information is available at TriedNTruePro.com, including tickets for the general public.

A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., IMPACT Wrestling will premiere Salute to the Troops May 11 on Twitch, featuring top stars such as IMPACT World Champion Johnny IMPACT, X-Division Champion Rich Swann, plus Brian Cage, Moose, Sami Callihan, Eli Drake, Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan.

Mark Henry Plans To Donate Brain To CTE Research

Former WWE star Christopher Nowinski was on Busted Open Radio earlier this morning talking about his work with concussions. The co-founder and President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF), Nowinski has made it a career to inform people about and study the effects of concussions on individuals. Those who have passed on help answer the questions of how CTE affects the brain. During the segment, Nowinski spoke about how he sometimes has to call widows of recently deceased athletes in order to study on their brain.

The organization gets over 5,000 alive athletes to pledge to donate their brain, and they recently had their 700th brain donation. WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, who is a co-host on the show and someone who has had multiple concussions in the past, stated on air that he plans to donate his brain to the CLF for research.

“I definitely want to go on record saying I am donating my brain to the brain bank,” Henry went on to say. “I hope that something good can come out of ya’ll having my brain, maybe it’ll help with figuring out how things work in the future that will be benefitting my kids and everybody else’s kids. I know you (Chris) have a beautiful young baby girl and we always want the future to be better for our families.”

Nowinski, a Tough Enough finalist, debuted on WWE TV in 2002. His career was cut short due to post-concussion syndrome, which forced him to retire around 2003/04. Since then, he has helped with the discovery of CTE, while also providing a service for athletes and those in the military. He was the lead advocate for doctors to research Chris Benoit’s brain after the 2007 tragedy that took him and his families life. He and the rest of the Benoit family have since made the Benoit Family Fund for Brain Injury Research.

Henry has been with WWE since 1996, taking on a backstage role recently. Before pro wrestling, Henry was a record-holding weight and powerlifter. A multiple-time World Champion, Henry’s goal is to avoid any young kid to go through what former athletes have in the past, by spreading awareness.

“I hope that people realize that this is something that is not weird. What would be hard I think would be what you just said: after someone nearly passes away, it is hard to ask their spouse for their brain for science,” Henry continued. “I am a donor, I hope that I can help somebody live if something tragically happened to me. This is another way that I’ll be able to give back when I’m gone.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Busted Open Radio

FOX Asking For Multiple Changes To Be Made To SmackDown Live

EWrestling.com reports that a source within WWE says when SmackDown Live moves to FOX later this year, the broadcast station wants some changes to the program. Specifically, FOX is looking to move away from WWE’s current three person commentating booth to a two-man booth instead.

The source adds that FOX is also looking for WWE to produce a more edgier product and that they aren’t looking to give into the PC culture that dominates current WWE programming.

 

Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer Dead At 88

This week, the pro wrestling world lost another legend.

Kurt Beyer, son of pro wrestling legend Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, took to Facebook on Thursday to announce the passing of his father.

Kurt wrote the following:

“It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka The Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past Noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace. (The Destroyer – Honoring A Wrestling Legend! The Destroyer (wrestler))”

Check out the complete statement via his Facebook page below.

Beyer had been in hospice care in recent weeks and was surrounded by loved ones as his health was diminishing.

Beyer, 88, had a career spanning over four decades that included over 8,000 matches in the United States and Japan. During it’s span, Beyer held the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship in both Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, as well as the American Wrestling Assosication’s Heavyweight title. He’s also been a NWA United States Heavyweight Champion for the central states, a NWA World Tag Team Champion in Texas, a NWA International Television Tag Team Champion in L.A., and a NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion.

As part of the classic All Japan Pro Wrestling, Beyer held the Asia Tag Team Championship with partner, Billy Red Lyons and he also held the PWF United States Heavyweight Championship on four separate occasions.

Beyer was also inducted in to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and he was officially inducted in to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.

In the aforementioned Facebook post, Beyer’s son, Kurt wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka the Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace.”

WWE has since issued out a statement on Beyer’s passing. The statement reads:

WWE is saddened to learn that Dick Beyer, a masked wrestling pioneer who was better known to ring fans as The Destroyer, has passed away at age 88.Beginning his career in the 1950s, Beyer thrilled fans and terrified opponents for three decades. He came to prominence in the Los Angeles territory, where he rivaled the likes of Freddie Blassie and Gorgeous George. Beyer famously defeated the latter in a Hair vs. Mask Match at the hallowed Olympic Auditorium in 1962, resulting in Gorgeous George losing his trademark golden locks.

Beyer achieved perhaps his greatest notoriety, however, in Japan, becoming one of the first foreign attractions in the country. His 1963 match against Rikid?zan, a former sumo wrestler and cultural icon in Japan, drew the eyes of more than 70 million TV viewers, making it one of the most-watched bouts in history. Beyer eventually became a beloved figure in Japanese pop culture himself and was even a regular performer on a top-ranked variety show.

Beyer also made waves in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association under the alias “Doctor X,” capturing the territory’s heavyweight title from Verne Gagne in 1968. As Doctor X, he wore a different but no less menacing mask, and his veiled countenance became immortalized when Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry was once photographed onstage wearing a shirt with his likeness on it.

A regional sports hero in upstate New York, Beyer wrestled and played football at Syracuse University before turning to the ring. His impact in sports-entertainment was felt long after his retirement, too, as Beyer is credited with training former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotundo.

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

Sources: EWrestling.com and Wrestling Inc.