Category: TNA

Backstage Update On Cody Rhodes’ Contract Talks With WWE

WWE has reportedly been pushing to sign former AEW wrestler and EVP Cody Rhodes. Here is the latest.

The wrestling world continues to await the announcement of Cody Rhodes’ next professional wrestling chapter, but nothing appears to be imminent.

Last month, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW after failing to reach agreements on new deals. Cody was an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi worked as the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Both were instrumental in building up AEW as a major promotion, so their departures were massively unexpected

Many assumed that Cody would quickly strike a deal with WWE and return to the place where his pro wrestling career started. But fast forward three weeks after his AEW departure, and The American Nightmare remains a free agent.

In an update on the F4WOnline.com message board (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer wrote that contract talks between Cody and AEW “hit a snag.” Meltzer reported that the 36-year-old wrestler “has multiple offers”, and that WWE would like him to make his decision “soon.”

Meltzer added that the “ball is in” Cody’s court. It should be noted that Cody isn’t under a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion whenever. WWE has done their part in trying to bring Rhodes aboard, and now the second-generation wrestler has to decide if he wants to sign on for a second tenure with the company.

It was previously reported that Cody was on WWE’s WrestleMania 38 internal documents, but that apparently is no longer the case. If WWE wants Cody to return before or at WrestleMania weekend on Apr. 2-3, the clock is ticking on that front.

WWE has had three weeks now to reach a deal with Cody Rhodes. Vince McMahon certainly isn’t one to go back-and-forth over a lengthy period with a specific wrestler when it comes to contract talks. WWE has made it clear how much they’d like Cody to come aboard. It’s now a simple waiting game as they await his decision.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Revolution Results 3/6/2022, Swerve Strickland And William Regal Signed With AEW

BUY IN:

Leyla Hirsch def. Kris Statlander

Hook def. QT Marshall

House Of Black def. Penta Oscuro, PAC, & Erick Redbeard 

MAIN CARD:

Eddie Kingston def. Chris Jericho

 Eddie strolls over to Chris and tells him he respects him, as he puts out the hand, which Jericho agreed to shake if he lost. Jericho doesn’t shake it though, and instead, he lives the ring to a chorus of boos.

TRIPLE THREAT FOR THE AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (c) def. The Young Bucks vs. reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish)

FACE OF THE REVOLUTION LADDER MATCH
Wardlow def. Keith Lee vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Christian
Winner earns a future title shot from AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara.

– Tony Schiavone is then shown on the stage to host a contract signing. He showcases the name on the paper several times before announcing who it is…Shane Strickland is All Elite! He signs the deal and says the real is back. He could go on about the dream matches, or the titles he is going to take. But he has a question for the fans…whose house?

TBS TITLE MATCH
Jade Cargill (c) def. Tay Conti

DOG COLLAR MATCH
CM Punk def. MJF

MJF then calls for Wardlow, who appears, but he forgets the ring. Punk then pulls him and he hits a GTS as MJF falls back to the thumbtacks.

Wardlow then remembers where the ring was, he pulls it out and leaves it in the ring…for CM Punk! MJF spits at CM Punk in a final act of defiance, but he smashes him in the face with the ring, and this one is over.

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE MATCH
Dr. Britt Baker (c) def. Thunder Rosa

Jon Moxley def. Bryan Danielson

– After the match the two men continue brawling…but William Regal is here!!! He gets a huge pop as Regal gets in the ring and separates them both. Regal then slaps Moxley in the face as Bryan applauds him. However, he eats a slap as well! He then brings the two men together and tells them to shake hands, which they do.

TORNADO TRIOS MATCH
TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin def. Andrade El Idolo, Isiah Kassidy & Matt Hardy

AEW WORLD TITLE MATCH
“Hangman” Adam Page (c) def. Adam Cole

– After the match, Hangman Page heads to a knocked out Cole, and shakes his hand to show respect.

AEW Revolution 3/6/2022

DATE: March 6, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Addition Finance Arena, Orlando, FL

CARD

AEW WORLD TITLE MATCH
Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page (c)

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD TITLE MATCH
Thunder Rosa vs. Dr. Britt Baker (c)

TBS TITLE MATCH
Tay Conti vs. Jade Cargill (c)

TRIPLE THREAT FOR THE AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES
The Young Bucks vs. reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (c)

FACE OF THE REVOLUTION LADDER MATCH
Keith Lee vs. Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks vs. Orange Cassidy vs. TBD
Winner earns a future title shot from AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara.

DOG COLLAR MATCH
CM Punk vs. MJF

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston

Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley

TORNADO TRIOS MATCH
Andrade El Idolo, Isiah Kassidy & Matt Hardy vs. TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, Sting & Darby Allin

BUY IN:

Kris Statlander vs. Leyla Hirsch

Hook vs. QT Marshall

Impact Wrestling Sacrifice 3/5/2022

DATE: March 5, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
AVAILABLE ON: Streaming on IMPACT Plus and YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders

CARD

IMPACT WORLD TITLE MATCH
Heath vs. Moose (c)

IMPACT KNOCKOUTS WORLD TITLE MATCH
Tasha Steelz vs. Mickie James (c)

IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
Violent By Design (Eric Young & Joe Doering) vs. Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c)

IMPACT X DIVISION TITLE MATCH
Jake Something vs. Trey Miguel (c)

IMPACT KNOCKOUTS WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES MATCH
The Influence vs. The IInspiration (c)

CHAMP CHAMP CHALLENGE
TBD vs. ROH Women’s World Champion/AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Deonna Purrazzo

Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino

Jay White vs. Alex Shelley

JONAH vs. PCO

COUNTDOWN TO SACRIFICE
Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack

COUNTDOWN TO SACRIFICE
Gisele Shaw vs. Lady Frost

AEW Rampage Preview 3/4/22

The Revolution go-home edition of AEW Rampage will air live tonight at 10pm ET on TNT from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.

* Keith Lee will be in action

* Serena Deeb hosts another edition of The Professor’s 5 Minute Rookie Challenge

* Ethan Page vs. Christian Cage in the final Face of The Revolution Ladder Match qualifier. The winner joins Keith Lee, Wardlow, Powerhouse Hobbs, FTW Champion Ricky Starks and Orange Cassidy

* AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara defends against Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo in a Triple Threat

Good Brothers Vs. The Briscoes Announced For Impact Multiverse Of Matches

Impact Wrestling announced the first match for their Multiverse of Matches event at WrestleCon. The match is Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes.

The promotion tweeted, “BREAKING! @IMPACTWRESTLING presents Multiverse of Matches Friday, April 1st from @wrestlecon! Featuring @IMPACTWRESTLING World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs The Briscoe Brothers! @ringofhonor”

Deonna Purrazzo, Matt Cardona, Chelsea Green, Ace Austin, Eric Young, Jordynne Grace, Rhino, Rich Swann, Steve Maclin, and Tasha Steelz are also scheduled to be at the Multiverse Of Matches event.

Impact Wrestling will also be doing an Impact Provincial Wrestling Federation (IPWF) special at WrestleCon. At the last throwback special, Santa Claus (Willie Mack) defeated Sex Ferguson (Doc Gallows) in a North Pole Street Fight Match to win the International Commonwealth TV Championship.

On the same night of Multiverse of Matches, The Briscoes are set to defend the ROH Tag Team titles at ROH Supercard of Honor in Garland, Texas. The event starts at 8 p.m. ET.

Multiverse Of Matches will take place at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The start time for the event is 10 p.m. ET.

Below is Impact’s announcement:

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1499585302171639813

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Talks Between Cody Rhodes & WWE Have Reportedly “Fizzled Out”

Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW two weeks ago. There was speculation that Cody would return to WWE, but it may not happen after all.

Wrestling fans wanting to see Cody Rhodes return to WWE better not get their hopes up too high.

Two weeks ago, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW. Aside from wrestling, Cody served as an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi was the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Multiple reports later suggested that Cody would eventually return to WWE, but that may not be the case after all.

According to a report from Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net, there were indeed contract discussions between The American Nightmare and WWE. However, Haynes was told that the “conversations have since fizzled out.”

Sources also informed Haynes that the departures of Cody and Brandi was “real life” and “not a work.” One source told Haynes that there is some “hope” about Cody potentially returning to AEW.

On this week’s episode of Dynamite, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor. Naturally, this has led to speculation that Cody could end up returning to AEW in some capacity. The 36-year-old wrestler worked in Ring of Honor following his departure from WWE in 2016, winning the ROH World Championship on one occasion.

AEW has signed a plethora of former WWE superstars since their inception in 2019. Having Vince McMahon bring Cody back following the latter’s AEW departure would have made for an interesting story, but that’s now up in the air.

It should be noted that Cody’s AEW departure did not include a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion at any time.

Even if talks between Cody and WWE haven’t led to a contract agreement, it doesn’t mean he won’t eventually return to the company. Cody may feel inclined to explore all of his options before committing to another promotion. He was often underused by WWE in his final years with the company, so it’s understandable if he’s hesitant about returning. For now, he remains one of the top free agents on the wrestling market, and Cody will be a valuable addition to the company that lands him.

Source: TheSportster

IMPACT Preview 3/3/22

Don’t miss the final IMPACT! before Sacrifice, this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!

* Bullet Club vs. VBD And G.O.D.

* Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin

* Who will challenge Mickie James for the Knockouts World Title at Sacrifice? That question will be answered this Thursday when Chelsea Green battles Tasha Steelz in a highly-anticipated #1 Contenders match.

* Cassie Lee vs. Madison Rayne 

* Jonah vs. Johnny Swinger

* Kick off your night Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:30pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook. “The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers looks to add another high-profile victory to his resume when he battles the terrifying Crazzy Steve! Plus, Gia Miller, Josh Mathews and George Iceman get you ready for the final IMPACT! before Sacrifice.

AEW Planning To Use ROH As Its Developmental Territory [Report]

Tony Khan now owns ROH, and this might be what he has planned for the brand.

Khan revealed last night on AEW Dynamite that he has bought Ring Of Honor. Rumors that Khan had acquired the struggling promotion had started to circulate earlier in the evening and turns out those rumors were true. As for what exactly Khan plans on doing with ROH, which is currently on hiatus, well, that remains unclear.

According to a report from Bodyslam.net’s Cassidy Haynes, the current plan is for ROH to be AEW’s developmental territory. The NXT to AEW’s WWE, if you will. There will even be appearances from AEW’s “main roster” talent from time to time, again as is the case with NXT. Right now Dolph Ziggler is embroiled in a rivalry with Bron Breakker which has resulted in wrestlers milling back and forth between Raw and NXT.

Exactly what Khan now owns, and how much he paid for it, is also unclear at this time. The deal almost definitely includes ROH’s tape library which could lead to AEW launching a streaming service of some sort that will combine its own three years of content with 20 years worth of ROH stuff. Haynes was also told the deal is worth somewhere between $30 million and $40 million, but that information has not yet been confirmed.

ROH admitted all was not well with the promotion last year when it went on hiatus, releasing all of its talent in the process. However, it followed through on its promise that it would eventually return, announcing a Supercard Of Honor show over WrestleMania weekend. Despite AEW’s reluctance to piggyback on WrestleMania like the rest of the wrestling industry does, you would have to think the company will have a heavy presence on that show which takes place in Dallas on April 1.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage News On Tony Khan Purchasing Ring Of Honor

More details have been revealed about Tony Khan purchasing Ring Of Honor on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Dave Meltzer noted that the deal was put together two weeks ago, and the following day is when Khan started dropping hints. Both AEW and WWE were contacted regarding the sale, but Khan obviously put together the better offer.

The tape library was mentioned as being important to AEW, and the company does want a streaming service in some form. Ring Of Honor’s old footage is something that can help with that due to having more content. Plus, Ring Of Honor owned the footage for ALL IN, which was a crucial night for AEW’s own history.

It is not believed that WWE would have run Ring Of Honor as a separate brand. However, when the company was hot in 2018, WWE made a pitch, as Triple H wanted to buy the company. There were talks that went nowhere, as Vince McMahon wanted to buy somebody bigger. WWE ended up trying to buy New Japan Pro Wrestling, Stardom, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The company also tried to buy AAA, but nobody would sell to them for the price that WWE was willing to pay.

In a press release, Tony Khan spoke about acquiring the ROH video library. Khan said he is exploring way to make the library available to fans.

“Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,” Khan said. “This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on a national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner.

“I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH’s video library available to fans, who’ll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW’s biggest stars.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.