Category: Independent Promotions

Former ROH And IMPACT Star Jimmy Rave Announces Retirement After Arm Amputation

Former Ring of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling star Jimmy Rave (real name James Guffey) announced his retirement from professional wrestling on Saturday.

Rave made the announcement on Twitter.  He noted this is the hardest tweet he has had ever had to put out.  Rave stated that his retirement was due to an infection in his left arm which resulted in amputation of his left arm above the elbow.

Rave was trained by Murder One.  He made his debut in October 1999 as the masked Mr. XTC. He would then later adopt the in-ring name of Jimmy Rave. 

He debuted for Ring of Honor in 2003 and would stay with the promotion until 2007. He then left in August 2007. Rave later would sign with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling and become part of the Rock ’n Rave Infection with Lance Rock (Lance Archer).  After his departure from TNA/Impact, he made his return to ROH, and then left the promotion June 2013. 

Rave has held the NWA Wildside Junior Heavyweight Championship twice.  In addition, he has competed in the Best of the Super Juniors for New Japan Pro Wrestling, wrestled for Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, Dragon Gate and the independent circuit between 2009 and 2020.

He even made one appearance on WWE Sunday Night Heat in March 2005.

Below is Rave’s full statement from Twitter:

“I have been very blessed for the last 21 years in professional wrestling and getting to live out my dream. Today, that dream has ended for me and I have a new reality. This past Tuesday my world came crashing down when Doctors found an infection in my left arm. I tried toughing it out but by the time I saw a doctor it was too late and they had to amputate my left arm above the elbow. Thus effectively ending my in ring career. I appreciate everyone who has supported me or anyone who has pegged me with a roll of toilet paper. To my brothers & sisters I have shared the ring with or a locker room; thank you for always pushing me to be better. Thank You to all of my mentors and my students who allow me to still feel needed. This was the hardest thing I have ever had to type. If you have questions or comments please feel free to DM me. Please take your health much more seriously than I did. I am sorry for anyone I have let down. Support pro wrestling! -Jimmy Rave”

https://twitter.com/TheJimmyRave/status/1332880965841137666

Source: WrestleView

Tracy Smothers Passes Away At Age 58

Pro wrestling veteran Tracy Smothers has passed away at the age of 58.

Smothers announced in November 2019 that he was battling lymphoma. The Eat Sleep Wrestling website noted on Monday that they talked to Smothers via phone call and it looked like his first bout with cancer was going to be “a squash match” compared to this second round. The update from Monday also noted that Smothers suffered heart damage from the heavy chemotherapy in his first battle with cancer, which led to Smothers being hospitalized a few times. Smothers underwent surgery for a hernia just 11 days ago.

“Tracy’s ready to fight this cancer as hard as he did last fall, but the heart problems have delayed the cancer treatments and the hernia issue has delayed doctors from treating the heart issues. He’s in a real battle. Tracy is in it to win it, and he sends his love to all his friends and his wrestling family, and he is asking for prayers,” ESW wrote on Monday.

A GoFundMe had been launched at this link to help with Smothers’ medical expenses, and an indie event was planned for this weekend in Bartonville, IL to help raise more money. Smothers also asked ESW to plug his book, which you can find here.

Smothers began his pro wrestling career back in 1982 and wrestled for numerous promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW, SMW, TNA and Memphis Wrestling, among others. He held the ECW World Tag Team Titles once with Little Guido, and held the WCW United States Tag Team Titles once with Steve Armstrong.

In an update, Timothy Denison noted on Facebook that Smothers passed away this morning at around 4:24am, due to his fight against cancer.

Funeral arrangements and a “Celebration of Life” will be announced in the near future for Smothers’ family, friends and fans. Denison noted that Smothers is survived by his mother, sister, two brothers, two sons, and his girlfriend.

Several promotions, wrestlers and WWE Hall of Famers are paying tribute to Smothers on social media today.

Tracy Smothers passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Tracy Smothers passed away today at the age of 58.

A native of Springfield, Tennessee, Smothers teamed with Steve Armstrong, as his career began in Florida Championship Wrestling. The duo competed in WCW as The Southern Boys and The Young Pistols and were engaged in a long rivalry with The Fabulous Freebirds tandem of Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin.

After another stint on the independent wrestling circuit, Smothers began wrestling in WWE as Freddie Joe Floyd. Smothers shared the ring with icons such as Triple H and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin during his time with WWE. Later, the wrestling veteran had a memorable run with ECW.

WWE extends its condolences to Smothers’ family and friends.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Beyond Wrestling Announces Upcoming Live IWTV Streaming Special

Beyond Wrestling has announced they are returning to IWTV for a streaming special on Sunday, September 20.

The indie promotion tweeted, “BREAKING: Beyond Wrestling returns to @indiewrestling for a LIVE streaming special on Sunday afternoon, September 20th sponsored by https://ShopIWTV.com! The goal of this card is to feature wrestlers that haven’t had a chance to compete for us since the start of the pandemic.”

Kimber Lee, Joey Janela, and Priscilla Kelly were some of the wrestlers at the promotion’s latest event, “Wear Sunscreen.” The event had taken place last month in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

IWTV has about 225 independent wrestling promotions on its streaming platform. Beyond Wrestling alone has over 150 events on the platform that are currently available to watch.

Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro Wrestling, ICW, and DEFY are just a few other notables that are on the service. The monthly price for Independent Wrestling TV is $10.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Teddy Hart Arrested For Possession Of A Narcotic With Intent To Sell Or Distribute

Independent wrestler Teddy Hart has been arrested for possession of narcotics.

According to Hart’s booking information, the 40-year-old wrestler was taken into custody yesterday for possession of a schedule III narcotic with intent to sell or distribute.

Virginia law states possession of a schedule III controlled substance is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to twelve months months in jail, as well as a fine of up to $2,500.

The wrestler, whose real name is Edward Annis, is due in court on April 23.

For those who are maybe unfamiliar, Teddy is part of the legendary Hart family and most recently worked for MLW before the promotion let him go.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

teddy hart arrested narcotics intent to sell or distribute

Booker T Returning To The Ring Soon With His Former WCW Gimmick – G.I. Bro

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is returning to the ring soon, but not for WWE.

Booker will be bringing back his G.I. Bro gimmick for the upcoming Reality of Wrestling “Battle Lines Drawn” event on Saturday, February 8 from Booker’s World Gym Arena in Texas City, Texas. ROW is the indie promotion that Booker owns.

ROW has announced that Booker will be the Team Captain for the ROW team, leading Bryan Keith, Zack Mason and Warren Johnson into battle against Ryan Davidson and The Renegades in an eight-man tag team match.

The promotional material for the event includes the following quote from Booker’s G.I. Bro character: “The Battle Lines have been drawn and it’s time to go to war.”

Booker took to Twitter to comment on the ring return.

He wrote, “Excited to announce that I’ll be stepping back in the ring at @TheOfficialROW in 2 weeks! Now can you dig that SUCKA!?”

This is Booker’s first match since ROW’s “Last Stand” event in January 2019 when he faced Rex Andrews. Booker previously announced that he was training for a possible WWE ring return at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view in his hometown of Houston, TX. Booker did not work the Rumble Match, but he did serve as guest commentator. There are still rumors of The Revival facing WWE Hall of Famers Harlem Heat, Booker and brother Stevie Ray, but there’s no word on if WWE will make that match happen. The G.I. Bro character is the gimmick Booker used before joining WCW in 1993, and then again later in his WCW run.

Tickets for ROW’s “Battle Lines Drawn” event run at $20 and $21.50. The ringside seats are sold out. You can click here for details on tickets and the show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Wins Title In “Career Vs. Title” Match At Arkansas Indie Event

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is a champion once again at the age of 70.

The Championship Wrestling of Arkansas indie promotion sent word that the WWE RAW announcer defeated Matt Riviera in a “Title vs. Career” match this past weekend at their No Surrender event to become the new CWA Arkansas Heavyweight Champion.

You can see video from the match below. The bout was the main event of last Saturday’s show at the Maumelle Event Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The CWA No Surrender event will be available for streaming soon on CWAWrestlingNetwork.com. Legendary Memphis Wrestling announcer Dave Brown, who recently appeared on AEW TV, helped do commentary for the event.

Lawler tweeted on the match and wrote, “My career is save for another match! New Arkansas Heavyweight Champion!”

You can see Lawler’s full tweet below, along with a few photos from the event:

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1219766701992050693

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1219772790276009985

https://twitter.com/ralowes/status/1219012098413539333

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Beyond Wrestling Filming A Network Pilot

Beyond Wrestling announced on IWTV.com that they have been given the approval to shoot a network pilot for March 2020. Launched in 2009 and owned by Drew Cordeiro, Beyond Wrestling currently bills itself as “independent wrestling’s most-watched YouTube Channel” and is based out of Worcester, Massachusetts. In addition to airing weekly content on YouTube, they also have stream content with the IndependentWrestling.TV service. Last year, the company created the live weekly series Uncharted Territory, which has included thirty-one episodes across two seasons.

“Our popularity exploded in 2019,” stated Beyond Wrestling owner Drew Cordeiro. “When we first started taping matches in a garage in Elyria, Ohio in 2009 I would have never imagined how big Beyond Wrestling would become. Each day we grow our YouTube channel with millions of fans from around the world watching. IWTV.LIVE continues to be an incredible partner for premium live streaming content, but we must explore all options in the name of further distribution.”

The pilot will be filmed Sunday, March 1, 2020 inside the Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 24 at noon ET.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling Legend Tracy Smothers Reveals He’s Battling Cancer

Former Florida Championship Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Federation, WCW, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, USWA (Memphis Wrestling Territory) WWE and ECW star “The Wild-Eyed Southern Boy” Tracy Smothers posted yesterday on Facebook that on November 14 he was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer.

Smothers explained in his post that he’s on his third treatment of chemotherapy. He also wrote about how the doctor told him he had a heart attack a while ago without even realizing it.

He wrote, “To all concerned I was diagnosed Nov.14 w Lymphoma cancer which now am on my 3rd treatment 3 to go Of Chemo which is shrinking the rapid growing tumors. Doc told me yrs ago I have blockage in my artery so here we are an have lost 45 percent of my heart use. Also he said I have lots of head, body trauma. Doc said I had a heart attack some time back an didn’t know it. I have felt bad for a while now but thought I was getting old, lol. This is not fatal as it’s between my Pancreas, Colon, neck. A big TY to all of u but I look at it as getting a tune-up, overhaul, tires rotated, oil change,etc.all in one lol. Remember LIFE is a BATTLE an I’m in it to win it so don’t hesitate in trying to be tough by putting off getting checked out in this day an age u never know?? GOD BLESS EVERYBODY..”

Smothers also wrestled in NWA, Juggalo Championship Wrestling and recently has been wrestling for a independent promotion in Indiana – New Focus Wrestling.

Below is Smothers’ post:

Master P Getting Into The Pro Wrestling Business With House Of Glory Ownership

Rapper and multi-millionaire entrepreneur Master P has announced that he is the new owner of the House of Glory indie wrestling promotion.

P, who appeared for WCW during the 1999 feud between the No Limit Soldiers and the West Texas Rednecks, announced today that he is taking over HOG, which is the New York City indie fed that was launched in 2012, ran by The Amazing Red and Brian XL.

The No Limit boss and head of the Miller family issued a warning to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, as seen in the new Instagram video below.

“And we’re getting into wrestling! I’m just telling y’all,” Master P told a TMZ reporter while promoting his new ‘Miller’s Family Treasures’ lifestyle reality TV show. “Vince McMahon, you in trouble, cause I’m about to take over wrestling.”

He continued, “Taking hip-hop to a whole different league. HOG – House of Glory Wrestling. I’m hiring all the top wrestlers, come over here. WWE, come over here to us.”

The caption on the video reads like this: “TMZ @romeomiller @cymphonique Our new lifestyle of the elite and wealthy tv show is called ‘Miller’s Family Treasures’ and we are making history by bringing Hip Hop to wrestling. We don’t own the NFL, NBA, or MLB but we do own House of Glory aka “HOG”. Join the movement #weallwegot @hogwrestling”

It looks like the Miller family will feature HOG on their “Miller’s Family Treasures” TV show.

There’s no word yet on when Master P and his crew will begin running HOG, or what they have planned.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Corey Storm Becomes Youngest Ever OVW TV Champion

Last night at a Ohio Valley Wrestling event in Louisville, KY, Corey Storm defeated Rhyno to become the youngest ever OVW TV Champion.

https://twitter.com/TGPWrestling/status/1174697661531860996

For those not familiar with Corey Storm – He is an upcoming 18 year old sensational wrestler on the rise. Storm recently made it onto the PWI annual top 500 list at number 500.

I have been following his career since I first seen him compete at a World Wrestling Alliance (independent promotion based in Kentucky) in Evansville, In and was very impressed with his in ring talent.