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?

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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?

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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.

Flip Gordon Injury Update

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Earlier this month, Flip Gordon went down at ROH Honor Reigns Supreme in Concord, North Carolina during a match against “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams. After hitting a dropkick in the corner on Williams, Gordon began to favor his knee and ended up rolling out of the ring due to the pain. The match ended up being called shortly after that.

Ring of Honor has now confirmed Gordon has a full MCL tear in his right knee.

Although he’ll be out for a bit, the positive news is Gordon should still be able to wrestle at the sold-out ROH / NJPW G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden on April 6.

Ring of Honor’s next tour is the Road to G1 Supercard in Dallas (January 24), Houston (January 25), and San Antonio (January 26) featuring a 12-team Tag Wars tournament with the winning team receiving a future ROH World Tag Team Championship match.

Source: WrestlingINC

XFL Reportedly Negotiating A Pair Of Significant TV Deals, AAF Note

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Vince McMahon’s XFL football league is reportedly having TV deal talks with Fox and ESPN, according to Sports Business Daily, via Awful Announcing.

The pair of TV deals for the XFL would see games air on ABC, Fox, ESPN and FS1. The talks do not involve the XFL airing on ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+, at least as of now.

SBD sources noted that XFL officials expect to have at least two-thirds of their games air on broadcast TV.

The XFL will re-launch in 2020 on Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9, the weekend following the NFL’s Super Bowl. 8 teams have been announced for the re-launch season, representing New York City, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington, DC.

 

SBD also reported that the Alliance of American Football, which will compete with the XFL in hopes of one day competing with the NFL, currently has a TV deal in place with CBS. At least one AAF championship game will air on CBS in April and their cable channel, CBS Sports Network, is committed to airing at least one AAF game per week. The AAF will also be promoted during the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday coverage on CBS, and they’re said to be in talks with the NFL Network to carry several games. The AAF will debut on Saturday, February 9 of this year.

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 1/22/19

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Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas with the final hype for Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

* Mr. McMahon to moderate “The New” Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles’ face-to-face

* Rey Mysterio and Andrade to collide in 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

* The Miz and Cesaro to battle with their partners in their corners five nights before Royal Rumble

* Naomi and Mandy Rose to square off

WWE 205 Live Preview 1/22/19

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

* Aiden English joins the 205 Live commentary team.

* Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami