Category: TNA

Mercedes Martinez Makes Dynamite Debut, Signs AEW Contract

Former NXT Superstar Mercedes Martinez returned to AEW and made her Dynamite debut at New Year’s Smash.

Mercedes Martinez is officially ALL ELITE! The viscous veteran returned to AEW for the first time since 2019 during this week’s special New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Dynamite.

It all went down at AEW’s home venue of Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida on December 29. Martinez made her Dynamite debut when she interfered in the TBS Championship Tournament semi-final match between Jade Cargill and Thunder Rosa. The former NXT Superstar emerged from the crowd in a hoodie and mask, which concealed her identity until she was ready to reveal it. She then attacked Thunder Rosa while Cargill’s other accomplice Mark Sterling distracted the referee. After that, all Jade had to do to book her spot in the finals was hit Rosa with the Jaded for the 1-2-3. Cargill will now face Ruby Soho in the final on next week’s Dynamite.

https://twitter.com/WrestlingSheet/status/1476376384591171584

After the bell, the mysterious figure revealed herself, and gloated alongside Cargill and Sterling, hinting that some kind of arrangement had taken place off-screen.

Immediately after her appearance, AEW president Tony Khan took to Twitter to confirm that Martinez had signed with AEW.

Mercedes Martinez actually debuted for AEW at All Out in 2019 when she entered the Women’s Casino Battle Royale as the Joker. The 40-year-old’s journey as a professional wrestler began in 2000. She signed with WWE in January of 2020 and was released by the company back in August of 2021, along with several of her now-former colleagues.

 Martinez has been incredibly active since leaving WWE, competing in Shimmer, Impact, GCW, and 2CW, where, interestingly, she wrestled Thunder Rosa back in October.

Source: TheSportster

Jim Ross Announces Cancer-Free Diagnosis

The legendary Jim Ross says he is now cancer-free.

“I’m CANCER FREE! We did it! See you tonight on #AEWDYNAMITE at 8 ET! [folded hands emoji x 2] [cowboy hat face emoji],” he wrote.

JR originally planned to work while undergoing the 22 radiation treatments, but he has been away from AEW programming since they began. He will make his return tonight during the New Year’s Smash edition of Dynamite on TNT, which will air live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.

https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/1476233642695598081

The veteran AEW and WWE commentator first announced his skin cancer diagnosis back in late October, noting that he had the issue for more than one year. He began undergoing treatments at the end of November.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite ‘New Year’s Smash’ Preview 12/29/21

The New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT will air live tonight from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Jim Ross returns

* Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy

* Jade Cargill vs. Thunder Rosa in a semi-finals match for the AEW TBS Title Tournament

* Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia and 2point0

AEW Rampage Preview 12/25/21

Tonight’s AEW Rampage Holiday Bash edition will air on TNT from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.

* TNT Championship: Sammy Guevara (C) vs. Cody Rhodes

* Hook vs. Bear Bronson

* Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy

* “Legit” Layla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander

AEW Dynamite Preview 12/22/21

The Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT will air live tonight from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.

* More details will be announced on The Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournaments

* Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy

* Adam Cole gives The Young Bucks and Bobby Fish the best Christmas present ever

* Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose in a semi-finals match for the AEW TBS Title tournament

* Malakai Black vs. Griff Garrison

* AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker and Tony Schiavone host a Christmas party

* CM Punk, Sting and Darby Allin vs. MJF and AAA World Tag Team Champions FTR

AEW Will Hold Men’s And Women’s Owen Hart Cups In 2022

It was announced earlier this year that AEW had partnered with The Owen Hart Foundation to honor the late wrestler in a number of ways. Through the creation of exclusive merchandise, the potential of inclusion of Hart in AEW’s upcoming video game, and perhaps most exciting of all, the first-ever annual Owen Hart Cup Tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive a cup called The Owen.

Tony Khan was a guest on Busted Open Radio last week. On the show, the AEW chairman revealed more details about the tournament. In fact, Khan revealed there will actually be two tournaments, one for male wrestlers and another for female performers. Owen’s widow Martha has been working closely with AEW and will present the cups to both winners.

More details about the tournaments were revealed on Rampage on Friday night. Both will be taking place in May 2022 with each final happening at next year’s Double Or Nothing. More details will be announced during next week’s Holiday Bash Dynamite special.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1472585009471107073

The partnership between AEW and the Owen Hart Foundation will finally provide a chance for Owen’s life and career to be celebrated in the pro wrestling sphere. Owen tragically lost his life falling from a zip wire during a WWE PPV in 1999. Martha blames WWE for her husband’s death so has not allowed them to use his name for promotional gain. That includes allowing him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

https://twitter.com/owen_foundation/status/1472313203774222338

Source: TheSportster

AEW Rampage Preview 12/17/21

Tonight’s AEW Rampage will air on TNT from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

* Submission Match: Tay Conti vs. Penelope Ford

* The Young Bucks, Adam Cole & Bobby Fish vs. Best Friends (Trent, Chuck Taylor, Orange Cassidy) & Rocky Romero

* AEW World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero M & Rey Fenix), Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia, The Acclaimed & 2point0

* Dan Lambert returns to AEW

FTR Sets Its Sights On The IWGP Tag Titles As AEW Contracts Wind Down

AEW stars Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are teasing a potential New Japan run and declaring their desire to challenge for the IWGP tag titles.

FTR members Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have a few very clear-cut goals … but not all of them involve AEW. And if their own words are anything to go by, they’re more than ready to part ways with Tony Khan’s promotion in order to take care of business.

Harwood and Wheeler addressed their future and their current AEW contract status during a recent chat with Brandon F. Walker on Barstool Rasslin‘. The FTR said they want to regain the AEW tag titles next year and they intend to defeat The Briscoes, the stalwart Ring Of Honor tag team they confronted during last week’s Final Battle pay-per-view.

“I think we are going to be the first-ever two-time AEW Tag Team Champions,” said Wheeler. “In 2022, we are going to get the titles back. We are going to have the title run that we should’ve had the first time,” he added. “Rematch with the Young Bucks. Beat the s**t out of The Briscoes. Hold titles everywhere.”

Harwood later revealed that the lads don’t have much time left on their AEW contracts.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen from there. But we have a short amount of time to accomplish what we want to accomplish,” Harwood said, before declaring FTR’s intention to challenge for the coveted IWGP Tag Team Championship at some point.

So far, FTR has been unsuccessful in its attempt to recapture the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but they didn’t manage to win the AAA tag titles from the Lucha Bros on Dynamite a few weeks ago.

Harwood and Cash Wheeler formed a tag team while they were both members of WWE’s developmental roster. For the majority, they were known as The Revival, due to their penchant for an old-school style of tag team wrestling. The duo parted ways with WWE in 2020 and subsequently jumped ship to AEW. They made their AEW debuts on the May 27, 2020 edition of AEW Dynamite.

Source: TheSportster

Impact Wrestling Preview 12/16/21

Tensions are at an all-time high as Hard To Kill approaches! Don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

* Before they collide in a Triple Threat World Title showdown on January 8th at Hard To Kill, IMPACT World Champion Moose, Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey will sign the contract for the blockbuster matchup.

* Rohit Raju vs. Josh Alexander 

*  Tenille Dashwood vs. Jessie McKay

* Doc Gallows and Joe Doering vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack

* John Skyler vs. Trey Miguel

* Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid

* Ace Austin w/Madman Fulton vs. Hernandez w/Johnny Swinger – Before the IMPACT, tonight at 7/6c on AXS TV and 7:30pm ET on YouTube. 

AEW Reportedly Signed Brody King

Top indie wrestler Brody King has reportedly signed with AEW.

King reportedly signed with AEW almost immediately after ROH announced that they were going on hiatus until April 2022 at the end of October, according to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam. King was then told over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that the signing was a done deal.

As seen in the tweet below, this week’s Winter Is Coming edition of AEW Dynamite featured a new Malakai Black vignette to tease the debut of a new House of Black member. It’s believed that King will be the new member.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1471304754890432519

King and Black are the current PWG World Tag Team Champions. Billed as The Kings of The Black Throne, they won the vacant titles at PWG Threemendous VI on September 26, defeating Black Taurus and Demonic Flamita.

Report: Brody King Signs With AEW, Likely Role Revealed

King began wrestling back in 2015, and has worked for MLW, ROH, NJPW, PROGRESS, EVOLVE, and GCW, among others. He worked for ROH from December 2018 until the company went on hiatus with the Final Battle pay-per-view last weekend. Final Battle saw King lead his Violence Unlimited stable of Homicide, and Tony Deppen with Rocky Romero to an eight-man tag team match victory over EC3, Eli Isom, Taylor Rust and Tracy Williams. King left ROH a one-time ROH World Tag Team Champion and a one-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.

King has been working with NJPW since 2018 due to his ROH contract. There is no word on if the AEW contract will prevent him from working with NJPW moving forward. He last worked for NJPW at the NJPW Strong Nemesis tapings on December 9, going up against Dave Dutra.

Source: Wrestling Inc.