Below is episode 98 (“Strong Style Evolved”) of Being the Elite. We see some of the backstage footage surrounding Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi vs. The Young Bucks. At the event, after The Young Bucks lost to Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, Cody came out, yelled at Matt Jackson and shoved Nick Jackson to the ground. In the back, Cody apologized to The Young Bucks, but Nick told Matt and Marty Scurll, “I don’t think we can trust this guy.”
WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Sting will be replacing the injured Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 34 Axxess in New Orleans next month.
It looks like Ambrose was pulled due to his injury and not some filming or other appearance as WrestleMania Week is all hands on deck. He was also pulled from several World of Wheels convention appearances this month, including this past weekend in Salt Lake City.
The RAW Superstar has been out of action since December after suffering a high-grade triceps tendon injury. Ambrose was expected to be out of action for 9 months, forcing him to miss WrestleMania. He reportedly met with doctors in Birmingham, Alabama a couple of weeks ago to get checked out.
Below is WWE’s announcement on Ambrose being pulled from Axxess:
Sting and Ric Flair to stand in for Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania Axxess Premium VIP Autograph SessionUnfortunately, Dean Ambrose will not be able to appear at the WrestleMania Axxess Premium VIP Autograph Session on Sunday, April 8, at 10 a.m. However, we are pleased to inform the WWE Universe that WWE Hall of Famers Sting and Ric Flair will appear at this Premium VIP Autograph Session. Your existing Dean Ambrose Premium VIP ticket will still grant you access to the Premium VIP Autograph Session on Sunday, April 8, at 10 a.m. with Sting and Flair.
We hope you enjoy WrestleMania Axxess. See you there!
Former WWE and WCW star Leon “Vader” White (Big Van Vader) underwent open heart surgery today in Dallas, Texas and according to his son Jesse, it was a success, but at the same time, worse than expected.
Jesse posted the update from Vader’s Twitter account.
Vader revealed last week that his heart rate “has slowed into the thirties.”
Vader spoke in-depth with Bill Apter about the surgery before it happened and called himself a “walking time bomb” due to having ten clogged blood vessels.
On November 14, 2016, Vader announced that he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure due to his football and wrestling careers. He visited two heart doctors and they told him he has only two years left to live.
Vader found out about the diagnosis after being involved in a roll-over car accident, which left him unconscious for 35 minutes. In December 2016, he explained to Hannibal TV:
“I was in the medical center and I was seeing my doctor, who is actually an MD, and heart specialists came into my room. They said ‘We’ve been looking at your heart’ and I said ‘Who are you?’ I didn’t recognize the guy. He said ‘You have two years to live. We’ve been looking at your heart, and that’s the deal.’
“It wasn’t much longer than that when he came back in the room — cause he left and obviously I had a bunch of questions and I’m in the process of answering those questions at this point. So for me to start talking would probably be premature at this point.
“I’ve been in the gym, I feel okay, I’ve been feeling pretty good actually. I don’t know exactly what he’s talking about or if something will show itself up in weeks to come, but right now I’m still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on.”
A few months later, Vader regretted tweeting that he only has two years left to live. He explained to Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling last March:
“I really kind of regret tweeting it out. In other words when I got diagnosed and was told, “Leon, you have a bad heart and you have congestive heart failure and we feel your time is limited and you have maybe a couple of years left… two years or less to live.
“I remember getting very angry and said this has gotta be bulls–t because I don’t feel bad and I remember getting extremely angry. Since that time and when I got the news I left the hospital and went right to the gym and rode the bike for a half hour. Hard. As hard as I could and when I got off the bike and got on the treadmill and walked for another 15 minutes pretty hard and I was exhausted but my heart felt fine so how can I do that if my heart is going to give out?
“The doctor in some of the ongoing appointments that I had with him explained to me that when you are tipping the scales at 400 and 420-25 pounds that a man that size and that heavy isn’t supposed to be able to push himself in a cardiovascular endeavor no matter what it is much past 2 or 3 minutes.”
Vader went on to say that he will continue to wrestle and that if the tests are proven to be true, he would like to die in the ring. However, in April, he passed out after a match in Japan due to a head injury. He apparently hasn’t wrestled since then.
Sources: WrestlingINC and Pro Wrestling sheet
Court Bauer‘s Major League Wrestling just stepped their game up, as the company announced today that they’ve signed a TV deal for a new weekly series.
Sports Illustrated reports the show — which is called Major League Wrestling: Fusion — will begin airing on beIN Sports on April 20 at 8pm in their “Friday Night Fury” fight block.
Bauer told SI they’ve been in talks since the fall with the cable company, who he says were very impressed with the product, and added: “We offer a different presentation because we identify ourselves as a combat sport, but we have a lot more creative freedom than every other combat sport to give the most high-octane presentation.”
According to Sports Illustrated, the deal allows MLW to reach over 50 million households and the wrestling company will be getting a rights fee — meaning they’ll be paid by the network.
In addition, Major League Wrestling also worked out a deal with Lucha Underground that allows Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix to appear as regulars on the show.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH as the Road to WrestleMania 34 continues.
* John Cena takes on The Big Red Machine
* What’s “Woken” Matt Hardy’s next move?
* Braun Strowman needs a WrestleMania partner
* Are Stephanie McMahon & Triple H ready for Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle?
* Will Roman Reigns be 100 percent for WrestleMania?
* Nia Jax’s pursuit of Alexa Bliss continues
* Does Finn Bálor owe Seth Rollins a rematch?
Three big matches have been announced for WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event – Triple H vs. John Cena, The Hardys vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar and a Ladder Match with Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz.
Below is WWE’s full announcement on the matches:
John Cena takes on Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble; tickets available this Saturday, March 31RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn. — For the first time since 2010, John Cena will go head-to-head with Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. AST. Tickets for this historic event are available this Saturday, March 31, at 12 midnight AST via ticketingboxoffice.com. Tickets will also be available at 10 a.m. AST at Virgin stores throughout Saudi Arabia. Ticket prices start at 20 SAR.
Additionally, the Greatest Royal Rumble event will feature an Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe, and a Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro. A Ladder Match is when a championship title is suspended above the ring, and the first Superstar to climb to the top of a ladder and retrieve the title is the winner and champion.
General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia Chairman, His Excellency Turki Al Sheikh, WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invite the world to celebrate this signature event, which includes the first-ever 50-Man Greatest Royal Rumble Match and seven championship matches.
Fans will also get to see WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, The New Day, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Shinsuke Nakamura, among others.
The inaugural Greatest Royal Rumble will deliver live family-friendly entertainment to passionate fans across the Middle East. It is the first event as part of a long-term partnership between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Additional event details, including broadcast information, will be available in the coming weeks.
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WWE announced Paul Heyman will induct Goldberg into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame. Here’s their full announcement:
Paul Heyman has been at ringside for some of Goldberg’s most intense battles in the squared circle. Now, Brock Lesnar’s advocate will be the person who inducts the former WCW, World Heavyweight and Universal Champion into the WWE Hall of Fame during the 2018 Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 6, during WrestleMania 34 Week.
Heyman had a bird’s eye view of the type of carnage Goldberg could create inside the ring when he returned in 2016 to challenge Lesnar to a Mega Match at Survivor Series in Toronto. He was stunned when Goldberg bulldozed through The Beast in under two minutes to win his first match in 12 years. Heyman also witnessed the demolition derby for the Universal Championship between Goldberg and his client on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania 33 last year. Though Goldberg was not victorious on that night, he certainly made a major impression on Lesnar and his advocate.
Heyman is never one to pull any punches or mince words. What will he have to say when he presents Goldberg to the WWE Universe to receive sports-entertainment’s highest honor? Find out during the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, streaming live on WWE Network Friday, April 6, at 8 ET/5 PT!
Tickets for the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans are available now.
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Last night at Strong Style Evolved NJPW announced they will be returning to the United States on July 7th in San Francisco at the Cow Palace for a G1 Special.
Depending on the seating arrangement, the Cow Palace can hold around 13,000 fans. Last year’s G1 Specials had around 2,300 fans at each show.
Roppongi 3K & Rocky Romero vs. SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) – Winners: Roppongi 3K & Rocky Romero
Gedo & Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay – Winners: Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Chuck Taylor & Toru Yano vs. Killer Elite Squad – Winners: Killer Elite Squad
Cody Rhodes & Marty Scurll vs. Guerrillas of Destiny – Winners: Cody Rhodes & Marty Scurll
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Dragon Lee & Rysuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) – Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon
Rey Mysterio apologized for not being able to wrestle (Rey has a torn bicep) Jushin Thunder Liger. Mysterio promised that he will come back and wrestle in a NJPW ring.
Mysterio sat at ring side for the next match.
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Will Ospreay – Winner: Will Ospreay
After the match, Ospreay issued a challenge to Mysterio. Marty Scurll ran in and hit Ospreay in the back with his umbrella. Mysterio tried to come in for the save but Scurll removed Mysterio’s mask. Scurll stomped on Mysterio a few times before being chased off by Jushin Thunder Liger. Mysteruio got his mask back on and shook hands and embraced Liger and Ospreay.
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki – Winners: Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki – referee stoppage
It was announced that NJPW is returning to the United States on July 7 in San Francisco at the Cow Palace for a G1 Special.
IWGP United States Championship: (C) “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Hangman Page – Winner: Jay White
After the match, David Finlay ran in and took out White with a spear. Finlay challenged White to a Title match for April 24.
Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. The Young Bucks – Winners: Golden Lovers
After the match, Cody came in and got in Matt Jackson’s face yelling at him. Nick grabbed Cody and Cody shoved Nick to the mat. Omega came back in the ring and Cody fled the ring. Omega shook hand with Nick and offered his hand to Matt but Matt refused and walked away.
Omega got on the mic and said sometimes friends have to go to war and sometimes they are causalities. He wished he was more happy with the situation, but the silver lining is that the Golden Lovers are back and they are here to stay. He said he’s going to beat Cody up in the very near future. They will up the ante at their next US show which will be bigger and better.
NJPW Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach, California airing Live on AXS TV this Sunday, March 25 at 8/7C.
Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) vs. The Young Bucks
IWGP United States Championship: (C) “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Hangman Page
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Will Ospreay
Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
Cody Rhodes & Marty Scurll vs. Guerrillas of Destiny
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Dragon Lee & Rysuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)
Chuck Taylor & Toru Yano vs. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer)
Gedo & Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay
Roppongi 3K & Rocky Romero vs. SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky)
