Category: Wrestling News

Backstage Update On The Status Of The Motor City Machine Guns

The Motor City Machine Guns have been the subject of much discussion in recent months, as fans around the world are still wondering where they will end up. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin’s contracts with TNA expired at the beginning of April, and rumors have been rampant concerning whether they will choose to sign with WWE or AEW. Initially, it looked as if Sabin and Shelley would become ‘All Elite,’ with the two men already having a brief history with AEW, appearing at All Out 2022. However, that talk seemed to die off, and the word inside the business was that they were WWE-bound.

Now it seems there is an answer, at least according to Dave Meltzer, who claimed in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Motor City Machine Guns are expected to start in WWE imminently. As far as the destination within WWE, Meltzer claims that, despite the fact that Sabin and Shelley are one of the most influential tag teams of their generation, they will be part of the “WWE NXT” brand when they eventually debut.

“NXT” has a lot of big events coming up in the near future, as the brand will be moving to The CW on October 1. The live debut on October 1 will take place from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, which will then be followed by a live episode in St. Louis, Missouri on October 8, which will go head-to-head with “AEW Dynamite.” Following on from the two live shows on October 1 and 8, “NXT” will be back on the road for the Halloween Havoc PLE, which will take place on October 27 at the GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

According to multiple reports, the current plan is to have Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin debut in a tag team match during WWE NXT’s Chicago debut on October 1st.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Matt Hardy Discusses House Hardy Reality Series He’s Working On

Matt Hardy left AEW earlier this year, with his brother Jeff following him shortly after, and the two veteran wrestlers wasted no time getting themselves back into the mix in promotions like TNA. In addition to that, it seems Matt is attempting to get a reality television project off the ground, as he revealed on a recent edition of “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.”

“Something that we’ve been working on very heavily, which we did a lot this week, is a reality show for House Hardy,” Matt said. “And that’s something that we’ve talked to some pretty important people about.”

Hardy stated that he is devoting a lot of time to the project, which has kept him busy in recent weeks. Though he didn’t provide any further details, it sounds as if the project is still relatively early in the development process, possibly with pitches made to networks or business executives to find partners or to learn if anyone is interested in airing it.

In addition to developing a new show, Hardy has been continuing to wrestle, with a steady schedule of 9 matches over the last three months. Along with TNA, Hardy has made appearances in independent promotion GCW, including a singles match against Nick Gage in August that went to a draw.

Though Matt and Jeff are currently wrestling with TNA, there is unsurprisingly a lot of speculation about the Hardy brothers returning to WWE, encouraged by the fact that the promotion already has a working agreement in place with TNA. Along with that, Matt and Jeff Hardy both recently paid a visit to the WWE Performance Center, with Matt acknowledging that he and his brother wish to end their careers in the promotion.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.”

TNA Emergence 8/30/2024 (Card)

TNA Emergence Friday – August 30, 2024 – Foresters Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky

CARD

  • TNA World Championship 60-Minute Iron Man Match: Nic Nemeth (c) vs. Josh Alexander
  • TNA X-Division Championship Ultimate X Match: Mike Bailey (c) vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Riley Osborne vs. Jason Hotch vs. Laredo Kid vs. Hammerstone
  • Jordynne Grace & Spitfire vs. Ash By Elegance, Alisha Edwards & Masha Slamovich
  • Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young
  • Joe Hendry, Mike Santana & The Hardys vs. The System

COUNTDOWN TO EMERGENCE

  • DIGITAL MEDIA CHAMPIONSHIP AND iNTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: PCO vs. Matt Cardona’s Monster
  • Kushida vs. Frankie Kazarian

Dory Funk Jr. (83-Years-Old) Hit With Exploding Baseball Bat During FMW-E Match In Japan

At a show celebrating Atsushi Onita’s fiftieth anniversary in pro wrestling and paying tribute to the late Terry Funk, the main event saw 83-year-old Dory Funk Jr. compete in a “Double Hell Current Explosion Death Match” as the wrestling Hall of Famer teamed with Osamu Nishimura to take on Onita and Raijin Yaguchi inside Fujitsu Kawasaki Stadium in Kawasaki, Japan.

During the match, Onita slammed an exploding baseball bat against Funk’s back, but the former NWA World Champion and his tag partner, who signed a waiver with his hospital to compete as Nishimura is currently battling stage four cancer, ultimately won the bout after a spinning toe hold from Funk forced Yaguchi to submit.

The match in Japan makes Funk a part of a rare group of wrestlers to compete in matches across seven different decades.

Source: Fightful via WrestleView

Ex-WWE Star Ronda Rousey Posts Lengthy Apology For Propagating Sandy Hook Conspiracies

Former WWE and UFC star Ronda Rousey has posted a lengthy statement, apologizing for spreading misinformation regarding the Sandy Hook tragedy.

In 2013, Rousey posted a video that propagated conspiracy theories of the Sandy Hook massacre, that she later deleted. Rousey has now apologized for her comments, calling it the “single most regrettable decision” of her life. She added that she deserved to be “hated” for pushing the conspiracy theories and that she deserved to be canceled.

“I apologize that this came 11 years too late, but to those affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, from the bottom of my heart and the depth of my soul I am so sort for the hurt I caused. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you’ve endured and words cannot describe how thoroughly remorseful and ashamed I am of myself for contributing to it. I’ve regretted it every day of my life since and will continue to do so until the day I die,” said Rousey.

https://twitter.com/RondaRousey/status/1826859290164166749

In her post, she also pleaded with those who peddle such conspiracy theories to refrain from doing so, stating that it only hurts others, and advised them to not go down that road. Rousey wasn’t the only pro wrestler who propagated such theories as another former WWE star Brian Kendrick also alleged that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a hoax. Rousey’s controversial theories were also used during her feud with Natalya, when the WWE star mentioned it on Twitter/X.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ex-TNA Head Scott D’Amore Says He’s Signed Mauro Rannallo For Maple Leaf Pro

Despite being fired from TNA, Scott D’Amore isn’t letting that keep him from continuing his efforts in the pro wrestling industry. Back in May, D’Amore filed a trademark for “Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling,” a promotion established in the 1930s. Since then, D’Amore has taken more steps to debut the promotion, and in an interview with “INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet,” he revealed one of the names he’s already signed.

During the interview, D’Amore confirmed that former “WWE NXT” and “SmackDown” commentator, Mauro Rannallo, has agreed to be the voice of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. “I mean, he’s the man. And Mauro has got a passion for wrestling,” D’Amore proclaimed. He then recalled the first time he met Rannallo, 25 years ago in Stampede Wrestling. “I was coming in as a heel to feud with Sabu. And he was the 20-21-year-old kid who was doing the play-by-play with Bad News Brown, and we connected then over the years,” D’Amore recalled.

D’Amore also reflected on Ranallo’s presence in the field of combat sports announcing: “He loves wrestling. He’s the best. You turned on Showtime for any big boxing fight, or you turned on to watch a lot of the big MMA fights with Pride and everything, Mauro is that voice.”

D’Amore’s exit from TNA was sudden and shocked many fans and even TNA talent. Not too long ago, he D’Amore recalled finding out about his TNA firing days before their Hard to Kill pay-per-view, which was the first event held under the promotion’s former name since it changed to IMPACT Wrestling back in 2017. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Matt Riddle Winning AAA Cruiserweight Title At TripleMania

For those who tuned in this past Saturday night on TrillerTV, either by paying full price or accidentally catching the show for free on the pre-show stream that never ended, AAA’s TripleMania XXXII: Mexico City was an event that won’t soon be forgotten. Among the other reasons for that was the three-way match for the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship, where non-cruiserweight and former WWE star Matt Riddle defeated former champion, AEW’s Komander, and TNA’s Laredo Kid to win the gold.

As for why Riddle walked way Cruiserweight Champion, one person has a theory on that. On Sunday’s “Daily Update,” Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer discussed Riddle’s victory at TripleMania, and indicated that Riddle was crowned Cruiserweight Champion due to AAA looking to get the belt off Komander, because to his AEW commitments. Meltzer also noted the oddness of Riddle, a heavyweight, winning a title out of his division.

The reasoning given for Riddle winning the title does seem to contradict some of what happened on screen, however, including the fact that Laredo Kid was in the match with Komander and Riddle, and could’ve won the title instead of Riddle. Perhaps most glaring though is that TripleMania XXXII: Mexico City ended with an AEW talent walking away with AAA gold, as Satnam Singh won the AAA World Tag Team Championships with partner Raj Dhesi.

Singh’s win would suggest that, despite past issues, AAA has no problem putting titles on AEW talent for the time being, and instead calls into question Komander’s future with AAA going forward. As for Riddle, he is expected to enter a program with El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., who defeated Riddle in AAA this past June. Riddle challenged Hijo del Wagner after his win Saturday, requesting the match have “no rules.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Scott D’Amore Comments On Launching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling

Former TNA Wrestling executive Scott D’Amore announced the launch of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling earlier this month, with the first shows set to take place on October 19th and 20th. D’Amore spoke with CBC on a number of topics, including growing up watching Maple Leaf Wrestling.

D’Amore said, “It was what came through on Saturdays on CHCH out of Hamilton. Every week they took a match from one of the Maple Leaf Gardens house shows, live events, and they showed it on TV, and the only place you got to see that was on Maple Leaf Wrestling.”

On launching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling:

“Canadian talent has to work twice as hard, three times as hard as U.S. talent … I think we can give that platform for Canadian talent to go out there and compete with the best in the world and show how good they are.”

Source: PWMania

WWE’s Bobby Lashley Reveals He Recently Had Surgery After ‘Freak Accident’ In France

Bobby Lashley’s time with WWE has come to an end, as he and former associate MVP have officially been moved to WWE’s “Alumni Section” on its website. This means that his last WWE match didn’t even happen on TV. Lashley was last seen in the ring at a WWE Live event in France on May 5, where he managed to pick up a win over Santos Escobar, despite suffering an injury during the bout.

On the “Laboratory” podcast, Lashley opened up about what he’s been doing since his last match, revealing that he had to go under the knife following the injury. “I had surgery. So a little boo boo happened in France during the match, just a freak accident. After that, I had my surgery, they told me I wasn’t suppose to be back for like six months. Six weeks, I had the brace off, I’m working out, my physical therapist is like ‘you’re not supposed to be able to do that,’ and I said ‘I’m different. I’m different bro.’ Like I’m working out, I’m lifting, and I don’t even think I’m two months out of surgery now, and I’m hitting it pretty hard. So I think I’ll be ready clear in less than a month.”

Regardless of where Lashley wrestles his next match, his comments about working out extra hard correlate to the reports that he will continue wrestling even after leaving WWE. Rumors have already surfaced about a potential Hurt Business reunion in AEW, but at the time of writing, Lashley’s future has still not yet been confirmed.

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to “Laboratory” podcast

WWE Raw Preview Preview 8/12/2024

Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw from the Moody Center ATX in Austin, Texas, returns to USA Network after two weeks on SyFy due to coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

  • Rhea Ripley to open the show
  • Randy Orton to appear
  • Odyssey Jones to appear
  • Damian Priest vs. Carlito
  • American Made (Julius and Brutus Creed) vs. Alpha Academy (Akira Tozawa and Otis)
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Kairi Sane and IYO SKY vs. Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler
  • Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match for WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Sami Zayn