Cody Rhodes vs. Kurt Angle Set For Northeast Wrestling’s Wrestling Under The Stars

Cody Rhodes vs. Kurt Angle for the first time ever has been announced for the Northeast Wrestling “Wrestling Under the Stars” event on August 27th in Wappingers Falls, NY.

Are WWE’s #Hatch Teaser & Bray Wyatt’s Cryptic Abigail Teaser Related?

As noted over the weekend Bray Wyatt posted a cryptic tweet about his much talked about Sister Abigail. Then WWE posted some tweets teasing about something being revealed on tonight’s RAW with the #Hatch.

I have a feeling that these could be related. Tune into RAW tonight to find out if I’m correct, that we will see the return of The Wyatt Family and the long awaited  appearance of Sister Abigail. And if this is what the WWE #Hatch teaser was all about.

Former ROH Owner Says He’s Confronting Ric Flair At Upcoming Autograph Signing Over Money Owed

Source: WrestlingINC

Former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin says he’s going to show up at a local Ric Flair signing in Bethlehem, PA at the Sands Casino on July 23rd to collect the $41,000 he’s owed by The Nature Boy. Flair will be appearing with Ricky Steamboat and participating in a Q&A that day.

Back when Silkin still owned ROH, he sued Flair in January 2010 over $40,000 Flair owed the company after failing to meet requirements for his “ROH Ambassador” role he had been paid for. The lawsuit was dropped in May 2011 when ROH was sold to Sinclair Broadcasting.

Silkin tweeted the following:

Lucha Underground Preview: 5/25/16

Tonight on Lucha Underground on El Rey Network:

“The Gift of the Gods Championship is defended while Joey Ryan and Cortez Castro’s cover gets blown! The Trios Championship is not over yet when Prince Puma, El Dragon Azteca Jr. and Rey Mysterio head into the ring for another match to defend their titles. Can they succeed?”

WWE Smackdown Going Live — Brand Split Returns

WWE announced today that WWE SmackDown will be airing live on Tuesday nights on the USA Network starting July 19th. It was also revealed that the show will have its own roster and storylines.

Here is the full statement that WWE sent us this morning:

SMACKDOWN GOING LIVE ON USA NETWORK BEGINNING TUESDAY, JULY 19

SMACKDOWN to Feature Distinct Roster and Storylines

NEW YORK and STAMFORD, CONN – May 25, 2016 — USA Network, the exclusive cable home to WWE’s marquee properties, announced that its weekly SMACKDOWN show will air live – for the first time ever – and move to Tuesdays every week beginning July 19 from 8-10PM ET/PT. With the SMACKDOWN move, USA Network will now offer five hours of live WWE programming a week, including the weekly three-hour live WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW (airing Mondays from 8-11PM ET/PT), with each show featuring a distinct cast, unique storylines and a dedicated writing team.

In 2016 to date, MONDAY NIGHT RAW is averaging 4.011MM total viewers, 1.873MM P25-54 and 1.846MM P18-49 L7, and SMACKDOWN in its current time slot is averaging 2.674MM P2+, 1.136MM P25-54, and 1.058MM P18-49+ L7, making USA the #1 cable entertainment network across the key demos on Monday and Thursday nights. In 2015, the two programs combined reached over 50MM viewers. Both shows will now air live 52 weeks a year.

“The fan base for our WWE shows is one of the most passionate and engaged audiences in all of entertainment,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “There is a huge appetite among our viewers for live programming, and the ability to move SMACKDOWN to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly eventize this every week.”

“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”

 

Update:

There will be a WWE Draft held soon but we do not know exactly when that it will be. WWE’s announcement said it will come before the live premiere on July 19th.

 

Up Up Down Down? Xavier Woods Goes Full ‘Street Fighter’ During Match

Source: FOX Sports

The New Day retained their tag team titles at Extreme Rules with a win over The Vaudevillains, and Xavier Woods pulled off a tribute to one of his favorite video games during the match.

Woods is a huge gamer – he runs a YouTube gaming channel with more than 500,000 subscribers and has played the Final Fantasy VII victory theme on his trombone during matches – and shortly after starting off Sunday night’s match against Aiden English unleashed a move straight out of Ryu’s arsenal.

Stardust asks to be released from WWE 

We have learned via Twitter that WWE superstar Cody Rohdes who currently wrestles under the name Stardust has asked for his release from the company as of today.

The tweet reads 

 The past ten years have been quite the trek, but as of earlier today I have asked for my release from @WWE I’ll speak further on the matter shortly. Thank you to all the pro-wrestling/sports entertainment fans worldwide. Thank you

No word at this time from our sources on what may have caused him to ask for his release, but the wrestler had recently been teasing that he may be dropping the Stardust gimmick.
His wife WWE announcer Eden Rhodes tweeted shortly after saying, “Could not be any prouder or more supportive.”

(GLOW) Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling Coming To Netflix

Source: WrestlingINC

GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) owner Ursula Hayden, also known as Babe The Farmer’s Daughter, announced on Facebook earlier this week that she signed a deal for a full new season of GLOW TV on Netflix. No other details were given but Diva-Dirt reports that Jenji Kohan, the creator of hit shows Orange Is The New Black and Weeds, is set to begin working on the series. It was also indicated that they are working on a pilot but the full season has not been confirmed yet.

GLOW will apparently tell the tale of a struggling actress in the 1980’s, who lands a role on a cult women’s wrestling show – GLOW. The Netflix series will focus on the actress struggling through the “many highs and lows of the (not so) glamorous world of wrestling.”

Kohan is executive producing while Carly Mensch (Nurse Jackie, Weeds) and Liz Flahive (Nurse Jackie, Homeland) will be writing the pilot.

Kohan got the idea for the new series after watching a GLOW documentary available on Netflix.

Lucha Underground: The Gender bender of professional wrestling 

Lucha Underground is what we like to call the unconventional side of professional wrestling. It takes two elements (Horror movies & wrestling) throws them together and produces in our minds is the best promotion out there.

They don’t shy away from violence, and they always deliver bell to bell action. In a day and age where women’s wrestling is ever changing Lucha underground takes that to a whole other level.

In the past we’ve seen Evalise battle for the Lucha Underground heavyweight title, we’ve seen Catrina being barried alive, we’ve seen sexy star vs Prntingon (a man triple her size) and let’s not forget the suicide dive from Taya off a steel cage

Lucha Underground has created a trend for breaking gender norms and that carried over to the May 4th episode. It was a match between Sexy Star and Mariposa. It wasn’t just any match though, it was a no más match (I quit match) and an Aztec medallion was up for grabs.

This match was an all out war (that you can view here http://youtu.be/V9MLmHnmIr0)

These two put their bodies on the line in ways we have never seen. At one point in the match Mariposa took a chair shot to the groin (yep you read that right). During the match sexy star was bleeding like a stuck pig. They even battled from the top of the rafters leaving everyone on the edge of their seats.

There was of course run ins from Marty the moth and Mac. While watching the match it seemed that Mariposa was closing in on a victory. Sexy star wouldn’t quit though. She even shouted explcits at Mariposa, creating an epic television moment. Ultimately sexy star got Mariposa to utter the words “No más” earning her not only a victory but an Aztec medallion for her troubles.

If you haven’t watched the match you need to do so. The match has already made headlines not just in the world of professional wrestling but in the world of business as well. Forbes.Com did a piece on this match praising sexy star of her accomplishments inside the ring.

Forbes went on to say

As arguably the strongest female character in the wrestling business today, Sexy Star is a marketing goldmine for Lucha Underground. With a recognizable mask which could become a stable of her character just as it has for Mysterio, a catchy name that stays true to her lucha background and a genuine appeal to men, women and children, Sexy Star has the potential to be a top merchandise seller and one of the few wrestlers outside WWE who can transcend wrestling into mainstream media.

Sexy Star had this to say about the groundbreaking match.

“My match against Mariposa has been one of the best things that have ever happened to me because it allowed me to make it clear to everyone what true women wrestling is. It’s not scratching each other followed by glamorous poses,We are not two beautiful women pulling each other’s hair. A real female match is a match between to gladiators, two warriors who are ready for anything and who are willing to leave their blood splattered in the ring if it’s necessary. In a true female match, participants defend their dignity with their moves, high flying action, hits, chairs and whatever else might be need, because when two women truly want to win, they are willing to risk it all, including their lives.”

“For decades, due to poor representation, female wrestlers have been expected to step into the ring to show off their bodies and model. It feels great to know that the public is clear that my fight with Mariposa was not that, That fight demonstrated that the public has been living in a fog. Thanks to Lucha Underground and their belief in women and their power, we have been allowed the platform we deserve and we the women have made sure to defend our space and value within the company at all costs, even blood. That match was only a little sample of the type of fight women who truly love lucha and defend their dignity with much more than a nice body and pretty face are capable of.

Forbes continued to praise Sexy Star by saying

While it would be easy for Sexy Star to rest on her laurels now that she has become one of the elite talents in Lucha Underground, her match against Mariposa proved she is one of the most gifted performers in the company. Sexy Star is a proficient wrestler, but it is her ability to tell a convincing story in the ring and get the fans emotionally invested that separates her from other performers.

With every great star, there will be doubters, though. Wrestling pundits have been critical at times of intergender matches in Lucha Underground, but Sexy Star has truly embodied what it means to be a powerful and strong woman by throwing gender norms out the window. There is a fundamental change in the world with women finally getting the respect and recognition they deserve, and Sexy Star is the perfect representation of that movement in wrestling.
Sexy Star’s character and storylines are also prime examples of Lucha Underground not trying to be WWE or anything else we’ve ever seen in wrestling. Interngender matches and violent battles between two female athletes—and the stories that justify them—are just some of the reasons the brand has built such a hardcore and devoted following.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Don’t sleep on Lucha underground. They have proven time and time again that they are one of if not the best promotion out there. If you call yourself a professional wrestling fan then you need to be watching Lucha, and they way they respect women’s wrestling is only the beginning.

Lucha Underground Preview: 5/18/16

Tonight on Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network:

Seven luchadors push each other to the edge for the “Gift of the Gods: Championship.

Pentagon Jr. continues his dark journey with the Master.

Cage wants to take back what was once stolen from him.