Category: Independent Promotions

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.

 

Santino Marella And Damien Sandow Come Out Of Retirement At The Same Indie Event (Photos)

Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) took to Instagram last night to reveal photos from his recent return to the ring. Santino worked a “Pancrase-style match” with Randy Bynoe and picked up the win at the recent Battle Arts Pro Wrestling show in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. This was the official start for the promotion, which is affiliated with Santino’s Battle Arts Academy and Battle Arts MMA promotion.

Santino dedicated the match to his brother, who passed away last year. He wrote, “I dedicated this match to my brother Pasquale that passed away 10 months ago, he never missed a show.”

It looks like they may be building to a Santino vs. Bynoe rematch, but there’s no word yet on if Santino will continue wrestling for his promotion because he has been retired. He is set to return to WWE TV for Monday’s RAW Reunion special.

The first Battle Arts wrestling show also saw the ring return of former WWE Superstar Damien Sandow, who is now going by “The Dao” Aron Stevens. Stevens had also been retired until Saturday, and had been focusing on his acting career. He recently announced on social media that he was working a “Millennial Slayer” gimmick for his return to the indies.

Stevens defeated Timothy O’Connor in his return match at Battle Arts. He took to Instagram and commented on his return, writing, “Oh pro wrestling, how I missed you ! I was victorious in my first contest after 2 1/2 years. Very talented young man @irish_oconnor . However, when I was 19 or 20 , And I saw an advantage I capitalized . This is what I want to fix. No weakness, no entitlement, no mercy.”

Santino and Sandow appear to be good friends these days. As seen below, Sandow was busted open during his match and Santino was the one who fixed him up backstage after the match.

Below are several social media posts related to the recent ring returns, including Santino’s entrance video that he released before the match. You can use the arrows to scroll through the Instagram photos:

https://twitter.com/jjq84/status/1150246213696065536

https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1150971479909109760

https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1150075150928437251

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz4fgzBARkR/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://twitter.com/milanmiracle/status/1152176858538151937

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0BtMQeAp7w/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jon Moxley Makes Surprise Indie Appearance To Answer Killer Kross’ Challenge

Killer Kross got what he was looking for last night in Las Vegas after Jon Moxley answered his recent challenge at an indie event.

Future Stars of Wrestling’s “Natural Born Killers” event took place Friday night in Las Vegas and Moxley made a surprise appearance to wrestle Killer Kross, who was there with Scarlett Bordeaux.

Kross made a video last month calling Mox out.

Unfortunately, the match ended in a no contest. Both wrestlers then beat up security guards afterward who were trying to break them apart. Moxley also got on the microphone and said Kross has now earned his respect, so he’d like to finish this in the future.

Watch some of the clips from social media below.

https://twitter.com/AndreasHale/status/1147381393548173312

https://twitter.com/marc_raimondi/status/1147381327940816902

https://twitter.com/AndreasHale/status/1147384993833897984

https://twitter.com/GlennKingXXX/status/1147570965213110272

jon moxley killer kross surprise appearance match wrestle

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Fans Advised To Get Tested For HIV And Hepatitis C After Extreme Indie Event In Indiana, Promoter Comments

Fans who attended the Pro Wrestling TrainWreck promotion’s “Welcome To The Wreck Room” indie event on Sunday, June 23 in New Albany, Indiana may have been exposed to blood borne pathogens and should be tested for HIV and Hepatitis C, according to a press release from the Floyd County Health Department, reported by The News & Tribune.

Health officials have “highly encouraged” anyone who attended the event and was exposed to blood or bodily fluids, to contact the Floyd County Health Department to get tested for HIV and Hepatitis C.

The health department is reportedly investigating the event, which apparently featured a “Fans Bring the Weapons” match, a thumbtack match, and a “Panes of Glass” match, billed as “live extreme wrestling! 18+ only” on the flyers.

John Glenn, co-promoter of the event, told the Courier Journal that all wrestlers are “tested regularly” for the “safety of the people who come to our shows and for the guys in the ring as well.”

“We care about our performers and the people who come to see our performance,” Glenn said.

It looks like Sunday’s event was the re-debut show for the promotion.

Below is a photo from the event and a flyer, plus a new post from the promotion that notes wrestler blood tests must be submitted before their mid-October event:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Joey Ryan Reveals His Pro Wrestling Future

There have been a lot of questions as to where Joey Ryan would be heading following his recent legal battle with Lucha Underground. While AEW and WWE had both reportedly been interested in signing him, Ryan has decided to go a different route.

Joey Ryan stated at a Bar Wrestling event last night that he turned down lucrative deals from multiple promotions. He will remain on the independent scene where he built and innovated his brand.

Over the years, Ryan has become the “King of Dong Style” and has been known for his intergender matches. It was before this promo that he actually faced Priscilla Kelly. He stated that he wouldn’t be able to be his true self if he took a deal with another promotion.

Ryan, 39, compared himself to Aladdin, stating that he wanted to be a prince but knew he had to be his true, authentic self. He went on to say that independent wrestling and its fans have become the blonde girl he’s been looking for on Being The Elite. He finished by saying he may be a big fish in a small pond, but it is his pond.

You can see the video at this link.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jungle Boy Faces David Arquette At Indie Show(Video), Talks Acting With Father Luke Perry In His Final Film

AEW Star Jungle Boy, Jack Perry, took on David Arquette last night at a Bar Wrestling event. Near the end of the match, Arquette hit a Canadian Destroy for a two-count. Jungle Boy would then sneak in a roll-up for the victory. You can check out clips of the match in the video below.

TMZ Sports caught up with Arquette after the match to talk about Jungle Boy’s abilities.

“He’s just got so much talent, so much heart,” Arquette said. “He’s incredible. He’s super smart. It’s hard to believe he’s so young and so talented, but he started when he was just a little guy.”

Back in March, Jack Perry’s father, Luke Perry, passed away at the age of 52 after a suffering a stroke. He was a huge supporter of his son’s wrestling career, often in the crowd for his shows.

Luke Perry’s final film, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, will also feature his son. Jungle Boy commented about the upcoming movie during an appearance on Talk is Jericho.

“I did some extra work,” Jack said. “He’s like, ‘I want you to be in the same film, or like collection of footage that I’m in’ … and he was really adamant about it. I was like alright dad I’ll do it. My dad was so excited about that. That really kind of reinvigorated him and re-energized him. Because he liked Riverdale, but it was work, it was like his job. He told me, ‘This is like you getting to wrestle Chris Jericho.'”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

David Arquette To Face Luke Perry’s Son Jungle Boy

Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling promotion has announced Jungle Boy (Jack Perry) vs. former WCW World Champion David Arquette for their “It’s Gonna Be May” event on Wednesday, May 8 in Los Angeles.

There is a unique story behind this match as Jungle Boy is the son of the late actor Luke Perry, who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 52 on March 4. Perry had encouraged his son to further his pro wrestling career and could be seen at some of his indie events. Arquette and his sister, actress Patricia Arquette, were friends with Perry for more than 30 years. Luke was the one by Arquette’s side after his bloody deathmatch with Nick Gage that went wrong back in November.

“I’m thinking, ‘I just got cut in my neck, and if that’s my jugular, I’m going to die.’ Pretty quickly after that I exited the ring and had someone look at it. Luke is a dear friend of mine, and his son, who is a fantastic wrestler named Jungle Boy, was wrestling on the same show. We’ve been friends for over 30 years, so Luke is the one I went to see to look inside the wound. He looked and said no, so I knew I didn’t cut a main artery or vein. I could feel something was wrong with my neck, but I wanted to finish the match and tell a complete story,” Arquette told Sports Illustrated last year after the bloody incident.

Arquette continues to take regular bookings on the indie scene following his comeback in 2018. Jungle Boy is making a name for himself on the indies and recently signed with AEW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Rhyno’s WWE Contract Expires In July.

Wrestling Inc. reports that they have learned that Rhyno’s WWE contract expires this July.

Rhyno last wrestled in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 last month. The former ECW World Heavyweight Champion has only made a few appearances on WWE television since losing a storyline loser gets first match to Heath Slater on RAW last December.

Rhyno is starting to accept independent bookings, so it appears as if he will be leaving the company once his contract is up. As seen below, IWC announced that Rhyno will be returning to their roster this summer.

Rhyno had returned full-time to WWE in 2016 for SmackDown following the WWE brand extension. He went on to become one-half of the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions alongside partner Heath Slater after the defeated The Usos at Backlash in September of 2016. After being drafted to RAW in April of 2017, he was used sparingly on television.

Below is the announcement from IWC:

Source: Wrestling Inc.