Author: John Bass

Lars Sullivan Reportedly Doing Much Better After Mental Health Incident

Lars Sullivan is said to be in a “good place” after dealing with personal issues that kept him from making his WWE debut earlier this year.

Sullivan recently sought professional help following a mental health-related incident back in January, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. As we’ve noted, Sullivan was set to make his debut on the January 7 RAW episode and that was to lead to a WrestleMania 35 feud with John Cena, but Sullivan suffered an anxiety attack outside of the arena, and plans were nixed. WWE had started airing vignettes for Lars’ arrival in November 2018 but he has not been mentioned for a debut since the incident.

Following the incident in January, Sullivan immediately began seeking help from mental health professionals and WWE has been “incredibly accommodating” to him the whole time, according to wrestlers close to Lars and the new report from PWS.

Lars is reportedly feeling much better now after being out of the spotlight. There’s no word yet on if Sullivan will return to WWE but it was noted that he is happy for the other NXT call-ups that he was supposed to debut with – EC3, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery.

It’s been reported that WWE was being very supportive of Lars while he dealt with his personal issues. Triple H downplayed the reports during a late-January media call and indicated a WWE future for Lars.

“There’s a lot of speculation and stories about everybody at all times, and it’s a funny thing, if there’s any kind of a glitch in a movement for a moment, it leads to everything being speculated about,” Triple H said during the January call. “There’s a lot of talk, but Lars is in a good place. Nothing has really changed, we’re moving forward and you’ll know when you see it. But nothing has changed.”

WWE reportedly wanted Sullivan to be at the January 28 RAW, which was the post-Royal Rumble episode, but he was not there and his status was still unknown.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett Added To The WWE Creative Team

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett has officially joined the WWE creative team, according to PWInsider.

Jarrett’s new role with the writing team is said to be a full-time executive-level role.

WWE continues to make moves that will strengthen the creative team. Bruce Prichard was brought back as a Senior Vice President a few weeks back and Paul Heyman has taken on a more prominent role with the team, becoming more intimately involved in writing & producing the WrestleMania 35 storylines for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.

Jarrett returned to WWE in January for a men’s Royal Rumble Match appearance, and was then hired as a backstage Producer. He was involved in last week’s RAW and SmackDown production meetings, and then spent several days last week at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT before officially being added to the writing team.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jim Cornette Discusses His New Gig As MLW Commentator.

Jim Cornette discusses his new gig as MLW commentator as well as what his future plans are on his latest Jim Cornette Experience Podcast.

You can listen at this link.

WWE Confirms WrestleMania 36 Location – Raymond James Stadium In Tampa, Florida.

WWE has confirmed that WrestleMania 36 will take place in April 2020 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting the date to be April 5, 2020.

WrestleMania 36 is coming to Tampa Bay in 2020; Official WrestleMania 36 Announcement scheduled for 11 a.m. ETAs first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, WrestleMania 36 will emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., in April 2020.

WWE will make their official WrestleMania 36 announcement today at 11 a.m. ET in a star-studded gathering, streaming live on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.

Read the full Times article here.

Watch the entire WrestleMaina 36 press conference here.

WWE.com released the following official announcement:

WWE and local dignitaries officially announce that WrestleMania 36 will take place in Tampa Bay in 2020

In a star-studded gathering, WWE made their official announcement that Raymond James Stadium will host to WrestleMania 36 on Sunday, April 5, 2020, with additional events held throughout Florida’s Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week.

WrestleMania 36 is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration that will stretch throughout the Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week. In addition to The Showcase of the Immortals, other activities will include the interactive fan festival WrestleMania Axxess, as well as the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NXT TakeOver, Monday Night Raw and SmackDownLIVE. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including children’s’ hospital visits and Be a STAR bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.

Don’t miss a moment of the action when WrestleMania comes to Tampa Bay for the first-time-ever.

Jushin Thunder Liger Announces Plans For Retirement

Japanese pro wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger announced during a press event today that he will be retiring at the Tokyo Dome next January.

“Thank you for joining me here,” said Liger at this morning’s press conference. “I will retire next year in January at the Tokyo Dome.”

Liger, 54, has been in the business for several decades and has captured championships and notoriety in a number of promotions, including WCW, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Dragon Gate, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring Of Honor, WWE NXT, among many others.

Source: EWrestling.com

Jim Ross Announces Plans To Leave WWE At End Of March

On the latest installment of his weekly podcast, “The Ross Report,” WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross announced his plans to leave WWE at the end of the month.

“Good Ole’ J.R.” revealed during the show that he recently met with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and the two mutually agreed to part ways. Ross confirmed that he will no longer be affiliated with WWE once his current contract expires at the end of this month.

“I still want to play the game, I still want to stay busy,” said Ross on this week’s edition of his Ross Report podcast. “I will not be returning to WWE after the 29th of March.”

As noted, Ross has been rumored to be involved with the upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion.

Check out the complete episode of The Ross Report featuring Jim Ross’ comments about his WWE status at Omny.fm.

Source: EWrestling.com

Cody Rhodes Explains How AEW’s Television Show Will Feel Fresh

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) executive Cody Rhodes recently took some time out for an interview with the folks from the New York Post. During the discussion, Cody explained how AEW will feel “fresh” from both a television and roster-building perspective. Featured below are some of the highlights.

On how AEW’s TV show will be fresh: “To me it’s treating it as live sports. The core to that is characters, and I think characters beam across your television set or devices in ways perhaps people have forgotten. Wrestling used to have these great enhancements matches, these squash matches where you would see these characters and the things he could do. He’d tell you what you had at the pay-per-view event and things of that nature.

“At the core of all wrestling, when it’s done right, is the characters and their connection to the audience. If you really think about it, we’re the only thing out there — the pro wrestling genre in general — we are the only thing out there with that type of engagement with the audience, and that engagement somehow affects what happens in the ring, especially when you are someone like a Chris Jericho and you can hear it, feel it completely in your bone. It’s really important that the character engage the audience. You don’t just want to be watching a show, you want to be participating.”

On how AEW will feel fresh from a talent and roster building perspective: “In terms of talent, that’s what matters a great deal to me. It’s one of the biggest factors in hiring is fresh. To give you an example: We’ve all watched a lot of wrestling where a lot of guys have been recycled and rehashed and reused, and there is always a lot of activation of the legend. I totally get that. I’m not anti it. I just think, if you’re starting a company and not many people have been starting a company in wrestling, you start with people they haven’t seen and people who haven’t gotten the opportunity and get to grow up in front of you and balance it out.

“Chris Jericho is a six-time world champion, cool. And that only helps the people he shares that locker room with, and that’s been a big thing. It’s ironic that it’s the ex-WWE guy saying it in me, but obviously we don’t just want to do, ‘He’s ex-WWE, let’s throw him the world and hope he comes hang out with us.'”

Check out the complete Cody Rhodes interview at NYPost.com.

Source: EWrestling.com

WWE Announces Neck Surgery For Tommaso Ciampa, Update On A Possible Recovery Time

WWE has confirmed that WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery on today.

WWE noted that Ciampa was evaluated today and it was determined that he needs an anterior cervical fusion. The typical recovery time for that kind of operation looks to be 3-6 months, but they will have a better idea of his return once the surgery has been completed.

As noted earlier, via Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Ciampa was expected to be out of action for a long time, perhaps as long as 6-14 months.

It’s likely that he will have to vacate the NXT Title at next Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University. Ciampa has been pulled from all WWE events and signings or appearances. Ciampa originally planned to work through the injury to face Johnny Gargano at “Takeover: New York” during WrestleMania 35 weekend, then take time off, but the situation apparently got much worse in the last week and the surgery must be done now.

Below is WWE’s announcement on the surgery:

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to undergo neck surgeryNXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery tomorrow, WWE.com has confirmed.

Following a medical evaluation today, Ciampa has been scheduled for an anterior cervical fusion.

Stick with WWE.com for more details as they become available.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WOW Women Of Wrestling Has Been Renewed For Second Season On AXS TV

AXS TV’s Women of Wrestling has been greenlit for a second season!

The announcement was made during a press conference streamed online earlier today.

“I would like to announce that we are being renewed for season 2,” WOW’s owner Jeanie Buss said during the conference. Buss then confirmed that season 2 will premiere in the fall and will be comprised of 24 episodes.

Tapings for season will begin on May 16 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

WOW will also be opening an all-female training center in Long Beach, CA. The trainers will be current WOW World Champion Tessa Blanchard and Selina Majors.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Watch the conference below:

WWE NXT Preview 3/6/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicks off

* #DIY reunite in NXT against The Undisputed ERA (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

* Moustache Mountain battle The Street Profits

* Aleister Black & Ricochet take on Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel

* Lorcan & Burch collide with The Forgotten Sons