Author: John Bass

“The Road to Double Or Nothing” Cody Rhodes Reveals Latest Signing For AEW

Image result for "The Road to Double Or Nothing" Cody Rhodes Reveals Latest Signing For AEW

As seen above, All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes revealed the premiere episode of “The Road to Double Or Nothing” on his YouTube channel tonight.

The video reveals that AEW has signed up & coming indie star “Jungle Boy” Nate Coy (Jack Perry). The 21 year old is the son of actor Luke Perry of 90210 fame. He made his debut on the California indie scene back in 2015. It was rumored that AEW had offered a two-year deal but Jungle Boy brought his father and their lawyers to the negotiations, deciding on a shorter deal. The length of the deal has not been confirmed.

Regarding the big AEW Double Or Nothing event on May 25 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Cody said he’s not sure who he will wrestle yet. There will be a Double Or Nothing Ticket Announcement Party on Thursday, February 7 at 6pm local time from the MGM Grand Hotel. The party will be streamed live online.

Cody also talks about Chris Jericho signing with AEW and how AEW is looking to build the roster up with fresh talents.

Source: WrestlingINC

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1088622504896122880

Backstage News Chris Jericho And Kenny Omega Almost Signing With Impact Wrestling

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Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega almost ended up signing with Impact Wrestling, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Impact Co-Executive Vice President Don Callis, who is good friends with Jericho, was reportedly very close to signing Jericho and Omega to contracts before All Elite Wrestling brought their offers to the table.

Jericho recently revealed that his AEW contract is the best deal of his pro wrestling career. Omega is expected to sign with AEW once his New Japan Pro Wrestling contract expires on January 31, however his signing has not been confirmed.

The Observer notes that before AEW was the plan, the idea was for Omega to keep working for NJPW and then do 30 dates per year for Impact. Jericho would have worked for Impact while working another year for NJPW since he would have had so much input on his creative plans. Jericho recently confirmed that he will continue to work with NJPW in the future.

Jericho recently spoke about signing with AEW on his “Talk Is Jericho”podcast and discussed his talks with Impact. Jericho praised Callis and Scott D’Amore for what they’ve done with the company, adding that he really enjoys the product these days.

“I’ve gotta tell you guys, man, I’ve been really impressed with Impact over the last year,” Jericho said. “I thought Don Callis and Scott D’Amore have really turned things around in that company, and I really, really enjoy it. And I thought long and hard about doing some shows there. I even had a meeting with Scott and Don in Toronto, and Ed Nordholm. The offer they made was a great offer. That’s something that’s funny when I hear all these companies are vying for the talent, for the free agents – WWE, AEW, Ring of Honor, New Japan, and someone mentioned MLW. Dude, what about Impact? They’ve got money. They were going to spend some money on Chris Jericho. We had some great matches planned. Jericho vs. Sami Callihan maybe, or with Johnny Impact, Brian Cage, Rich Swann. I’d love to work with Rich Swann. I did honestly talk to Impact and really, really thought about going there. And then Tony Khan came in with this offer, that’s the biggest offer I’ve ever been offered in my career.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Update On When Ronda Rousey’s WWE Contract Expires

Image result for Ronda Rousey WWE RAW

As noted, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there is a “very good chance” that WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey could be done with WWE after WrestleMania, or the Backlash pay-per-view in May. Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that the company is working with the mindset that she’s finishing up within the next couple of months.

It was first reported last June that Rousey was signed to a multi-year deal. TMZ today confirmed that report, stating that a WWE spokesperson told them that Rousey’s WWE contract expires on April 10, 2021.

Rousey may still be taking a break from WWE. Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Rousey informed WWE last November that it was likely that she would be taking a break after WrestleMania, however that is not set in stone yet.

Rousey has openly talked about starting a family soon. Even before she made her WWE debut last April at WrestleMania 34, Rousey told Yahoo Sports that she and her husband, Travis Browne, were “ready to start having kids soon,” but she first wanted to give WWE a shot. When asked by TMZ last May when she planned on having a baby, she replied, “Soon, someday soon.”

Rousey is scheduled to defend her title against Sasha Banks at the Royal Rumble PPV this Sunday. New subscribers can sign up for the WWE Network today by clicking here and get their first month for free, which includes NXT Takeover this Saturday as well as the WWE Royal Rumble.

Source: WrestlingINC

NJPW The New Beginning USA Event Cards Released

Image result for NJPW The New Beginning USA Los Angeles, Charlotte, Nashville

NJPW has released the full cards for their upcoming “The New Beginning in USA’ events.

Here are the full cards for all three shows:

1/30/19 – Los Angeles – Globe Theatre

* Roppongi Vice v. Tracy Williams and Juice Robinson
* David Finlay v. Chuckie T
* Jeff Cobb v. Karl Fredericks
* Brody King and Marty Scurll v. Davey Both Smith Jr. and Lance Archer
* Colt Cabana v. Shane Taylor
* Jonathan Gresham v. Tyler Bateman
* Alex Coughlin v. Clark Connors

2/1/19 – North Carolina – Grady Cole Center

* Juice Robinson (c) v. Beretta – IWGP United States Title
* Tracy Williams and David Finlay v. Rocky Romero and Chuckie T
* Alex Coughlin v. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
* Jonathan Gresham and Jeff Cobb v. Brody King and Marty Scurll
* Tracer X v. Great-O-Kharn
* John Skyler and Colt Cabana v. Shane Taylor and Lance Archer
* Karl Fredericks v. Clark Connors

2/2/19 – Tennessee – War Memorial Auditorium

* Tracy Williams, David Finlay and Juice Robinson v. Rocky Romero, Chuckie T and Beretta
* Jeff Cobb v. Brody King
* Clark Connors v. Marty Scurll
* Harlem Bravado v. Great-O-Kharn
* Jonathan Gresham and Colt Cabana v. Shane Taylor and Lance Archer
* Karl Fredericks v. Alex Coughlin

Chris Sabin Out 8-12 Months With ACL Tear In Knee

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Earlier this month, Chris Sabin went down at the most recent TV tapings at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia during a 6-way match. He had to be helped to the back, as seen in the photo below.

https://twitter.com/Ismael_BBM_NYK/status/1084264294416551936

Afterwards, Ring of Honor did confirm he sustained a knee injury, but couldn’t provide further details at the time.

Yesterday, Sabin announced he has a complete ACL tear and will be out 8-12 months.

https://twitter.com/SuperChrisSabin/status/1088113179970977798

Ring of Honor will be on the road again later this month for their Road to G1 Supercard events in Dallas (January 24), Houston (January 25), and San Antonio (January 26).

The sold-out ROH / NJPW G1 Supercard takes place on April 6 at Madison Square Garden.

Source: WrestlingINC

Abyss And Sonjay Dutt Have Left Impact Wrestling – Joining WWE?

abyss sonjay dutt impact wrestling wwe departure leave exit

Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed Abyss and Sonjay Dutt recently split with Impact Wrestling and it’s believed they’ll be joining WWE.

PWInsider first reported news of their exit and reports are that both wrestlers were allowed out of their deals to pursue other options recently presented to them.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that the Impact talent was notified of the change this yesterday via email.

According to sources, Konnan and Tommy Dreamer will replace them on the creative team.

Abyss, who was the longest tenured person on the roster and a recent Impact Hall of Famer, had been working as a backstage producer. Dutt was working closely with Don Callis, Scott D’Amore and Jimmy Jacobs on the creative side of things.

It’s unclear at this point if Sonjay and Abyss will be working in backstage positions at the WWE Performance Center or elsewhere in the company.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Could Ronda Rousey Be Leaving WWE Soon?

Image result for Ronda Rousey WWE RAW

It appears that the Ronda Rousey era in WWE is ending sooner than expected. In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that there is a “very good chance” that Rousey could be done with the company after WrestleMania.

According to Meltzer, the working idea is that Rousey will be finishing up at WrestleMania 35 in April. He added on Wrestling Observer Radio that her departure is imminent and everyone in the company is working with the mindset that she’s finishing up within the next couple of months.

Rousey joined WWE last year, appearing at the end of the Royal Rumble PPV. Her first major match was a tag match with Kurt Angle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34 last April. Even before her debut, Rousey said that she wanted to start having children soon.

“We’re ready to start having kids soon and I was thinking about what I’ve left unfinished in my life because I want to entirely focus on having kids when that time comes,” Rousey told Yahoo Sports in March of 2018. “I took a long look at my life and thought that if I don’t try and take a shot with the WWE, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I want to be an example to my kids about pursuing your dreams and being able to do anything. I guess this is my way of nesting and getting ready for children. I’m trying to prove to my unborn babies that they can accomplish any dream that they want to go after.”

In June of last year, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair indicated that Rousey’s WWE deal was for one-year and that she “then wants to get out of there.” Flair said that Rousey wanted to have children and that she should be prepared to lose a potential match with his daughter, Charlotte Flair, at WrestleMania 35.

“In my humble opinion, if Rousey wants to elevate her status in the company she needs to go through The Queen and The Queen ain’t afraid of her, I got news for ya,” Flair said during a Q&A in Florida. “I just saw her deadlift 315 lbs and she can bench 205 lbs for 6 reps. She is gifted beyond belief. I’m not involved obviously in any of the thinking but if they’re ever going to put the women where they belong, this is the year because I think Ronda has only signed a one-year deal and then she wants to get out of there. She wants to have kids and all that. She just needs to be be prepared to lose. Not if sure if Ronda likes that.”

Reports at the time was that Rousey was signed to a multi-year deal.

Meltzer noted that there is also the case that Rousey ends her WWE run at the PPV after WrestleMania, which would be Backlash in May. As we’ve seen in the past when Brock Lesnar appeared to be leaving the company only to suddenly sign a new deal, there is always a chance that WWE can offer her a great contract to stay at the last minute. It was also noted that WWE could always possibly have her in a role similar to The Undertaker or John Cena where she appears sporadically.

Rousey is currently the RAW Women’s Champion and is scheduled to defend her title against Sasha Banks at the Royal Rumble PPV this Sunday, January 27 inside Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Make sure to check back here this Sunday for our live coverage of the event, as well as the latest breaking news leading to the show. New subscribers can sign up for the WWE Network today by clicking here and get their first month for free, which includes NXT Takeover this Saturday as well as the WWE Royal Rumble.

Source: WrestlingINC

 

WWE NXT Preview 1/23/19

NXT tonight at 8pm ET on WWE Network.

* Gargano vows to give Ricochet all the respect he can handle

* Will Ciampa continue to balk at Black’s invitation?

* What does the Velveteen Dream Experience have in mind for 2019?

* Burch & Lorcan to throw down with Barthel & Aichner

* Kairi Sane and Io Shirai join forces

WWE NXT UK Preview 1/23/19

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

* In the wake of his successful title defense against Joe Coffey at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, the victorious WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will kick off NXT UK. Find out what The BruiserWeight has in store for the WWE Universe.

* After a pre-match brawl left Travis Banks unable to compete against his bitter rival Jordan Devlin at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, the two competitors will finally collide in a return match in this week’s NXT UK main event. What will happen when The Kiwi Buzzsaw finally locks horns with The Irish Ace?

“Fighting with My Family” To Premiere At Sundance Film Festival

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WWE.com posted the following:

Based on a true story, WWE Studios’ “Fighting with My Family” follows the story of Paige and her family as she becomes a WWE Superstar.

The Rock revealed on Twitter that the WWE Studios and Seven Bucks’ upcoming film, “Fighting with My Family” will premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The festival takes place from Thursday, Jan. 24 to Sunday, Feb. 3.

The film is inspired by the Channel 4 British documentary “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family” and chronicles former Divas Champion Paige’s journey from competing with her family at local venues in the United Kingdom to becoming a WWE Superstar.

Written and directed by Stephen Merchant and featuring The Rock as executive producer, “Fighting with My Family” includes a with a star-studded cast including Vince Vaughn, Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Lena Headey and Nick Frost.