Category: TNA

Heath Undergoing Surgery Today

As noted, Heath revealed a few weeks ago that he would need surgery in March due to several injuries that include a rip on both sides of his abdomen wall and his abductor’s muscle being completely off the bone.

The former WWE star announced yesterday on Twitter that he would be having his surgery today, March 1, 2021, in Durham, North Carolina.

It was back in October when Heath was injured during the Call Your Shot Battle Royal at Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory.

He made his Impact Wrestling debut on July 18, 2020, at Slammiversary. 

https://twitter.com/HEATHXXII/status/1366126387996864514

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 2/24/2021

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix in a Face of the Revolution Ladder Match qualifier

* Hangman Page vs. Isiah Kassidy

* Jake Hager vs. Brandon Cutler

* The Varsity Blonds vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks

* Sting will appear and he’s coming for revenge from Brian Cage and Team Taz

* Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth

* Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose (Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament Semis)

Former Impact Star Taya Valkyrie Reports To The WWE Performance Center, Rick Steiner’s Son

Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Taya Valkyrie has reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to begin training under her WWE NXT contract.

Valkyrie, who is married to RAW Superstar John Morrison, officially reported for training today and is to be announced in the next WWE Performance Center Class, according to PWInsider.

Regarding the new WWE Performance Center Class that reported for training today, F4Wonline.com reports that around 30 men and women are included in the class.

WWE is expected to officially announce the new Performance Center Class any time this week, possibly tomorrow afternoon.

Below is the updated list of confirmed names that reported for training today:

* Taya Valkyrie – 37 years old, longest-reigning Impact Knockouts Champion in history, married to John Morrison

* Parker Boudreaux – 18 year old college football star, compared to a young Brock Lesnar

* Bronson Rechsteiner – 23 year old former football player, son of Rick Steiner

* Angela Arnold – known as AQA, trained by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T

* Christian Brigham – known as Christian Casanova

* Anthony Henry – 36 year old former EVOLVE star

* Christian Hubble – known as Blake Christian

* Karissa Rivera – second generation talent, daughter of Steve King. Appeared on RAW as Bobby Lashley’s “ex-wife” once

* Zoey Stark – formerly known as Lacey Ryan, recently debuted on NXT TV and worked the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

* Cora Jade – formerly known as Elayna Black, recently debuted on NXT TV in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

* Gigi Dolin – formerly known as Priscilla Kelly, recently debuted on NXT TV in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

Rumored names expected to be confirmed for this WWE Performance Center Class this week include LA Knight (now working NXT but not confirmed for this specific class, fka Eli Drake), Harlem Bravado, and Sareee.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Paul Wight (Big Show) Leaves WWE And Joins AEW

Big Show is no longer with WWE.

AEW announced today that Paul Wight has joined the company, signing a long-term contract.

Wight will serve as a commentator for AEW’s newest show on YouTube, AEW Dark: Elevation. Elevation will air on Mondays at 7pm ET, complimenting the weekly AEW Dark show that airs on Tuesdays at 7pm ET. Elevation will showcase AEW’s established and rising talent, as well as top indie talents.https://14833a136a38a5723e97b3b6ff6cff7f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Wight said it’s been amazing to watch what AEW has done in a few years since launching.

“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” Wight said in a press release. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”

AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan also commented on why Wight wanted to come to AEW.

“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”

“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”

AEW is promising more details on Wight’s signing during tonight’s Dynamite show on TNT.

Big Show’s last WWE match came on the July 20, 2020 RAW episode, a loss to Randy Orton. He had only worked a handful of matches last year, and spent all of 2019 on the shelf with an injury. He did appear for The Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” segment at the Survivor Series in 2020, and appeared at RAW Legends Night back on January 4 of this year. Show first signed with WWE back in February 1999. He leaves the company as a Grand Slam Champion – a two-time WWE Champion, a one-time ECW Champion, a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a three-time WWE Hardcore Champion, a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a eight-time Tag Team Champion.

Stay tuned for more. Below is the full announcement issued to us today by AEW:

Wrestling Legend Paul Wight Signs Long-Term Deal with AEW

— Wight Joins Commentary for New YouTube Extension, AEW Dark: Elevation —

February 24, 2021 – As 2021 shapes up to be the year for AEW’s biggest shows yet, today the promotion announced that wrestling legend Paul Wight signed a long-term deal, adding yet another universally regarded name to AEW’s roster of stars, legends, and upcoming talent. Wight will have an extensive role within AEW, and on top of his return to the ring, he will serve as a commentator on AEW’s newest show, AEW Dark: Elevation.

Complementing AEW Dark on Tuesdays, AEW Dark: Elevation will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on AEW’s YouTube channel, and will showcase AEW’s established and rising stars, as well as the top independent wrestlers within the industry, competing against each other in the ring in pursuit of wins. AEW Dark: Elevation will also maintain continuity with AEW DYNAMITE, AEW Dark, AEW pay-per-view shows and streaming events, with wins and losses factoring into each wrestler’s ranking in the company.

With new wrestling programming now available three nights per week, AEW continues to solidify its position as the fastest growing and hottest promotion in professional wrestling.

“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” said Paul Wight. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”

“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”

“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”

Already a monumental day for AEW, be sure to tune in to AEW DYNAMITE tonight on TNT at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for additional announcements surrounding Wight’s signing, the new AEW Dark: Elevation show, and the identity of Wight’s commentary partner.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Preview 2/23/2021

IMPACT! tonight at 8/7c

* Fallah Bahh vs. Johnny Swinger on BFI at 7/6c on AXS TV

* Tables Match: Jake Something vs. Deaner

* Knockouts Tag Team #1 Contenders Match: Kimber Lee and Susan vs. Jordynne Grace and Jazz

* Trey Miguel, Willie Mack and Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Black Taurus (Winning team competes next week in a X-Division #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match)

Heath Reveals He Will Undergo Surgery In March

Heath revealed on Twitter that he will be undergoing surgery on March 1, 2021.

In the below video, Heath revealed that he has a sports hernia on the left side of his pubic bone, another hernia on the right side, a rip on both sides of his abdomen wall, and his abductor’s muscle is completely off the bone.

It was back in October when Heath was injured during the Call Your Shot” Battle Royal at Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory.

The former WWE star also explained that the reason it took him so long to get the surgery done, was because of how hard it was for him to find a doctor who was willing to do everything at once.

Heath made his Impact Wrestling debut on July 18, 2020, at Slammiversary after being released by WWE in April due to the company-wide cuts brought on by COVID-19.

Source: Wrestling Inc

AEW Dynamite Preview 2/17/2021

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* FTR vs. Matt Sydal and Mike Sydal

* Matt Hardy and Hangman Page vs. TH2

* NWA World Women’s Champion Serena Deeb vs. Riho (AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament Match)

* The Young Bucks (c) vs. Santana and Ortiz (AEW World Tag Team Championship)

* Sting will call out Team Taz as he and TNT Champion Darby Allin prepare to face them at Revolution in a Street Fight

* Jon Moxley, Lance Archer and Rey Fenix vs. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher and The Blade w/The Bunny

* Orange Cassidy with Chuck Taylor vs. Luther with Serpentico

Impact Wrestling Preview 2/16/2021

IMPACT! tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and Twitch!

* Fallout from No Surrender

* NJPW’s FinnJuice (David Finley and Juice Robinson) is set to arrive at the Impact Zone

* X-Division Championship: TJP (c) vs. Josh Alexander

Impact Wrestling ‘No Surrender’ Results 2/13/2021

Decay (Rosemary and Crazzy Steve) & Black Taurus def. XXXL & Tenille Dashwood

Brian Myers and Hernandez def. Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards

Jake Something def. Deaner

Post-match: Eric Young and Joe Doering set up a table in the ring and Doering powerbombed Jake through it.

Triple Threat Revolver Match to Determine X-Division Championship #1 Contender
Josh Alexander def. Willie Mack, Trey Miguel, Suicide, Daivari, Blake Christian, Chris Bey and Ace Austin

IMPACT KNOCKOUTS TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (TEXAS TORNADO/NO DQ)
Fire N Flava (c) def. Havok and Nevaeh

IMPACT X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
TJP (c) def. Rohit Raju w/Shera

Jordynne Grace, Jazz and ODB def. Impact Women’s Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee & Susan

IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Good Brothers (c) def. Private Party w/Matt Hardy and James Storm & Chris Sabin

IMPACT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Rich Swann (c) def. Tommy Dreamer

Post-match: Moose attacked Swann and Dreamer

Teaser promo was aired for NJPW’ FinJuice (David Finley and Juice Robinson) – set to arrive at the impact Zone this Tuesday.

Impact Wrestling Announces New Weekly TV Show – Before The Impact

Impact Wrestling has announced a new weekly one-hour TV show – Before The Impact.

Before The Impact will air each Tuesday night on AXS TV at 7pm ET, as the one-hour lead-in to the weekly Impact Wrestling flagship show.

Nashville-based sportscaster Jon Burton will host BTI. He will be joined by reporters Josh Mathews and Gia Miller.

BTI will feature exclusive match and insider views each week. It will also feature news on the pro wrestling industry with a weekly “Iceman’s Intel” segment with George Iceman. Impact’s press release noted that this segment is expected to be a highlight of BTI.

Mathews also serves as the Senior Producer of BTI.

“BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week,” Mathews said.

BTI will apparently also feature in-ring action. Next Tuesday’s premiere will feature a match with Team XXXL’s Ace Romero and Larry D vs. The Decay’s Crazzy Steve and Black Taurus.

Impact Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore said BTI will serve as Impact’s version of a pre-game show.

“BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” D’Amore said in the press release. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.