Author: John Bass

Backstage Update On Tommaso Ciampa’s Injury And Status

We noted earlier how WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is currently dealing with an injury. PWInsider reports that Ciampa is suffering from a neck injury.

The injury forced a re-write of this week’s RAW episode from Atlanta, according to the report. Original plans had Ciampa and Johnny Gargano teaming up for a Fatal 4 Way tag team match against Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, Aleister Black and Ricochet, and another team that was not revealed. RAW Tag Team Champions The Revival were scheduled to be at ringside for the match. Plans were changed once it was confirmed that Ciampa was not cleared to wrestle. The Revival ended up losing to Black and Ricochet in a non-title match, while Gargano and Ciampa did not appear on the main part of the show. Gargano did appear in a brief backstage segment with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who was there for the 70th birthday celebration for WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.

DIY did not appear on Tuesday’s SmackDown either. Gargano was scheduled to face Cesaro in singles action but that was changed to Cesaro and Sheamus losing to The Hardys, who were returning to action.

Ciampa has reportedly been dealing with the neck injury for at least 4-5 weeks, possibly longer. Depending on when Ciampa is cleared, WWE may have to change plans for the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and the main event of the “Takeover: New York” event during WrestleMania 35 weekend. It was noted that all creative options are on the table.

There’s no word yet on when Ciampa will be cleared for action but he is not on the road for this weekend’s live events, and was not cleared as of this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former Knockouts Champion Rosemary Re-Signs With Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling held a media call earlier today and announced former Impact Knockouts Champion, Rosemary, has re-signed with the company. On the call it was noted she will “be around for awhile.” She first debuted with the company in 2016.

Wrestling Inc. asked Rosemary if she would be reuniting with former Decay member, Crazzy Steve, since he appeared for the promotion back in January at the Nashville TV tapings. Rosemary said she was very interested in that happening and noted they’ve teamed on the indies.

Rosemary was out of action for eight months after sustaining a torn ACL, but made her return to TV at last month’s Impact Homecoming PPV where she saved Kiera Hogan from an attack by Allie and Su Yung. Rosemary is currently trying to save Allie from the “darkness.”

Sami Callihan and Fallah Bahh have also re-signed with Impact Wrestling.

Backstage News On The Status Of Hiromu Takahashi

As reported last summer, Hiromu Takahashi suffered a severe neck injury after receiving a Phoenixplex from Dragon Lee during their match at the G1 Special in San Francisco. Despite successfully defending his title in the bout, Takahashi was sidelined and ultimately had to vacate his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Takahashi is expected to make a surprise appearance on an upcoming NJPW show to announce his comeback. Word is that Takahashi will be making his full-time return to the ring some time this year, and NJPW is planning on making a big deal about it.

Takahashi first made his debut with NJPW on August 28, 2010, and he performed as a “Young Lion” for the three years that followed. At the time of his injury, Takahashi was in his second reign as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. He also held the esteemed title of “Best of the Super Juniors” in 2018.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Reportedly “Not Thrilled” With Language From Ronda Rousey And Becky Lynch On Twitter

It sounds like Becky Lynch and RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey could be facing some backstage heat for their Twitter feud.

Rousey fired back at a tweet today and made a comment about Lynch wanting to have male genitalia. Lynch responded to that line and took a shot at Rousey’s husband Travis Browne, by photoshopping his face onto a picture.

The exchange began when Rousey knocked Lynch for posting the fake mugshot photos to sell her “arrest” on Monday’s RAW in Atlanta. Rousey told Lynch to keep the “f-word” out of her mouth, fake, and to focus on getting better at pro wrestling.

Rousey ended today’s exchange by sending a warning. She wrote, “Rebecca Quin, I don’t care what the script says, I’m beating the living s–t out of you the next time I see you.”

It’s believed that the Lynch vs. Rousey feud will lead to a WrestleMania 35 Triple Threat with Lynch, Rousey and Charlotte Flair. Flair is showing up to Monday’s RAW and the storyline is that she hopes to be crowned champion after Rousey laid the title down this past Monday, in an attempt to force WWE officials to “reinstate” Lynch from her storyline suspension, so they can have their singles match at WrestleMania.

You can see the full exchange between Lynch and Rousey below:

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1100561278060429314

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1101191729267523584

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1101209494980313092

While WWE is always looking to bring attention to storylines with the help of social media, @Wrestlevotes reports that WWE officials are not thrilled with some of the wording used by Rousey and Lynch. It was also noted that the “word for word” language used today was not approved by WWE officials.

Lynch changed the description on her Twitter to read, “Ronnie’s shook. Vince is shook. Charlotte is a dope. And shook.”

On a related note, Rusev took to Twitter this evening and took a swipe at the RAW Women’s Champion. He wrote, “Ronda Rousey is like Charles Barkley …. not a role model.”

You can see Rusev’s full tweet on Rousey below:

Madison Rayne Departs From ROH

Madison Rayne has received her release from Ring of Honor, according to PWInsider.

Rayne was reportedly unhappy with her creative direction and met with ROH to discuss the situation. The two sides decided to part ways, it was considered an amicable parting and Rayne is free to wrestle for any promotions going forward.

Rayne initially signed a one-year deal with ROH last September after having a successful run as a free agent in 2018.

Last year, the former Impact Knockouts Champion would work for WWE (Mae Young Classic), Impact Wrestling, ROH, and at “All In.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa Reportedly Injured (Spoiler Included)

Image result for Tommaso Ciampa raw

It was only ten days ago that the characters of Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, and NXT World Champion Tommaso Ciampa were introduced to the audiences of WWE RAW for the first time. Since then, the NXT call-up have used their moment in the spotlight to showcase versatile skills to the WWE Universe, and in the process, they have secured victories over the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Revival.

Unfortunately, the celebration may have been cut short for the NXT World Champion, Tommaso Ciampa. The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Ciampa is dealing with an injury.

At this time, the extent and severity of Ciampa’s injury is unknown, but regardless of any pain he’s experiencing, Ciampa has been working through it and he’s apparently under the mindset that he will take care of any setback after his match with Gargano at TakeOver: New York. His injury is also the reason Ciampa was kept from competing on WWE TV this week and has been kept off the list for the weekend NXT shows.

Along with Ciampa, both Ricochet and Gargano didn’t perform on any of this past weekend’s NXTshows. Nevertheless, Aleister Black, Ricochet, and Gargano are still advertised for the touring NXT shows this weekend in Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Royal Oak, MI, and they will reportedly continue working NXT house shows for the foreseeable future.

As previously noted, Ciampa, along with on-and-off-again partner, Gargano, didn’t compete on WWE TV this week, while Black & Ricochet joined forces to defeat the team of Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev on SmackDownLive  as well as the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions, Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWN Announces Recruitment Camp With WWE Opportunity At The WWE PC

Image result for WWN Announces Recruitment Camp With WWE Opportunity At The WWE PC

WWN Live, parent company to EVOLVE, has announced the first-ever WWN Recruitment Camp that offers a WWE tryout opportunity.

The camp will be held at the WWE Performance Center in mid-April. Several WWE NXT Coaches and Superstars will participate – Terry Taylor, Norman Smiley, Serena Deeb, Oney Lorcan, Drake Wuertz and Gabe Sapolsky.

The $699 camp is open to wrestlers, referees and managers of all experience levels. Talents can submit their applications at WWNLive.com and they will notify you if you’ve been approved.

Below is WWN’s announcement on the camp with full details:

WWN Announces The First-Ever WWN Recruitment CampFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 27th, 2019

WWN Recruitment Camp Offers WWE Tryout Opportunity & All Star NXT Roster

Port Richey, FL- WWN is very excited to announce the first-ever WWN Recruitment Camp. This will be an extensive three-day seminar with an unprecedented opportunity. The dates will be April 12th-14th in Port Richey, FL. Info can be found at http://www.WWNLive.com. Here is everything you need to know:

The Opportunity

Standout participants will receive an invitation to the WWE Performance Center (PC) for a 3-day WWE tryout! You can be included in one of the semi-annual WWE tryouts, which have seen numerous athletes awarded WWE contracts.

Standout participants will also be awarded an opportunity to sign WWN contracts, which leads to full time bookings in EVOLVE.

Several participants will be selected to be booked on upcoming WWN Family events, including EVOLVE, SHINE, FIP, Style Battle, ACW and other brands.

The Education

The WWN Recruitment Camp will feature an all-star roster of WWE PC Coaches and Talent. The guests were selected to give you a diverse and well-rounded education. Over the course of the three days you will learn from and be scouted by:

-NXT Coach Terry Taylor
-NXT Coach Norman Smiley
-NXT Coach Serena Deeb
-NXT Superstar Oney Lorcan
-NXT Referee Drake Wuertz
-WWN VP Of Talent Relations & Creative and WWE Creative Consultant Gabe Sapolsky
-Plus other guests from EVOLVE!

The Self-Promotion Tools

All participants will leave the WWN Recruitment Camp with multi-camera footage of their tryout matches in 4K, professional photos for 8x10s and a certificate of participation. These are the items you need to send out for bookings.

The Details

The WWN Recruitment Camp is for wrestlers, referees and managers of all experience levels. The three-day course is designed to be a complete education. You will learn what the WWE Superstars learn at the WWE Performance Center. The only way to normally get this knowledge is to train at the WWE PC. Here’s what the WWN Recruitment Camp will entail:

-Coach Taylor will share his 30 years of experience in an extensive one-day seminar.

-Coach Smiley will share his knowledge in a lecture, scout the tryout matches and offer advice to the participants.

-Coach Deeb will conduct a seminar, with special attention to the women athletes.

-Oney Lorcan, who conducts classes at the WWE PC, will teach from the modern wrestler’s perspective.

-Drake Wuertz will conduct a special seminar for the referees and teach wrestlers/managers how to work with referees.

-Gabe Sapolsky will scout the tryout matches, lecture on how to get booked and offer advice on numerous other aspects of presenting your character.

-Each participant will get a tryout match, which will be filmed in 4K. The tryout matches will air live on the WWNLive Facebook and then go on Club WWN. This will be exposure. Each participant will be sent the footage of the tryout matches to use however they want.

-Each participant will take part in a photo shoot and have access to professional quality photos for resumes, 8x10s or any other use they need.

-Each participant will be taught the art of ring entrances, have their ring entrance filmed for their personal use and be critiqued.

-Each participant will take part in a promo class, have their promos critiqued and be given footage of their promos.

-There will be a lecture on social media and the pitfalls that could derail your career.

-There will be instruction on how to work with commentators so they can present you in the best possible way.

-WWN will assist you with hotel deals as well as room sharing at your own preference.

-WWN will provide transportation to and from the airport.

-You will have an opportunity to attend the EVOLVE event on April 13th in Ybor City, FL, with a look at how the show is booked. This is designed to give you a different feel for a live event. You will learn expectations from the creative department’s perspective.

-There will be special guests from WWN to share their unique knowledge.

-All of the results will be reported to WWE for potential opportunities with their 3-day tryout camp and other opportunities.

-There will be many more aspects to this invaluable learning experience!

Conclusion

Please send any questions you may have to help@wwnlive.com with subject “WWN Recruitment Camp”.

This is just a taste of the immersive learning experience that the WWN Recruitment Camp offers. This is a real opportunity to go to a WWE Performance Center tryout. This is a chance to get into the WWN Family. The cost for this is $699. Please fill out the application at WWNLive.com and await approval if you are interested.

This is an investment in your future. Space will be limited so all participants will get the proper attention. It is our goal to make you a valuable part of any locker room and an elite performer. Good luck!

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 2/27/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* Will The HBIC get The Queen of Spades to put some respect on her name?

* More teams to be announced for 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

* What’s next for Johnny Gargano?

* Taynara Conti & Xia Li take on Vanessa Borne & Aliyah

* “Limitless” Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic prepare for head-on collision

WWE NXT UK Preview 2/27/19

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

* NXT UK Tag Team Championship: (C) Zack Gibson & James Drake vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

* Tyler Bate locks horns with WWE 205 Live’s Gentleman Jack Gallagher

* Walter vs. Kassius Ohno

WWE Signs Several Familiar Faces For WWE NXT UK

Several new signings have been announced for the WWE NXT UK brand – Jazzy Gabert, Kay Lee Ray, Ilja Rukober, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose.

Fan favorite Ilja Dragunov made his NXT UK debut at the weekend TV tapings in Coventry, England. He defeated Ashton Smith in a dark match. Ray, a former Mae Young Classic competitor, also worked the tapings in a match against Isla Dawn. Gabert, another fan favorite known as The Alpha Female, has been trying to get signed with WWE since the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She and Ray appeared back at the NXT UK “Takeover: Blackpool” event back in January, adding to the speculation on their signings. Melrose, known as Primate, teamed with Wild Boar at the weekend TV tapings to face Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley.

Below is WWE’s full announcement on the new signings:

NXT UK signs five new SuperstarsFive new Superstars from throughout Europe — Ilja Rukober, Kay Lee Ray, Jazzy Gabert, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose — have joined the NXT UK roster. The group will join other NXT UK Superstars in training at WWE’s United Kingdom Performance Center in North London.

The 25-year-old Rukober, who has competed around the world under the ring name Ilja Dragunov, was born in Russia and raised in Germany, where his career in sports-entertainment took root. Often described as “Unbesiegbar” (the German word for “invincible”), Rukober is feared for his unbridled intensity inside the ring. He turned heads at a WWE tryout in Cologne last November.

Ray and Gabert, both of whom competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017, were introduced as incoming NXT UK competitors while they were sitting ringside at TakeOver: Blackpool in January.

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, the 5-foot-8 Ray has racked up numerous championship reigns over her 10-year career, including three stints as Insane Championship Wrestling’s women’s titleholder. Known for throwing caution to the wind, the Scottish daredevil recently appeared on NXT UK on WWE Network and promised to “go straight to the top” of the Women’s division.

Gabert made an unforgettable impression during her Mae Young Classic appearance in 2017, leaving onlookers in awe of her incredible power. Widely regarded as one of the strongest women in sports-entertainment, the burly Berliner stands 6-foot-1 and has won wrestling titles in Germany, Japan and Switzerland.

Sauter comes to NXT UK from Dietikon, Switzerland. The 24-year-old was a soccer standout before training for the ring. Fast-moving and hard-hitting, Sauter wrestled throughout Europe under the professional alias of Oliver Carter. Like Rukober, he attended last year’s tryout in Cologne.

NXT UK fans, meanwhile, have already grown familiar with “Primate” Jay Melrose, the ape-mask-wearing Superstar who debuted on the brand in December. Hailing from Newcastle, England, the 220-pound Melrose served in the British army for six years, including as a member of the British Household Cavalry, which provides direct protection for the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace.

Keep your eyes peeled for the newest signees when NXT UK streams every Wednesday at 3 ET/8 GMT on the award-winning WWE Network.