Category: Wrestling News

WWE Releases Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell, & Tegan Nox

Fightful Select is reporting that WWE has released Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell and Tegan Nox.

According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp, Corbin was given notice by WWE that his contract would not be renewed once it expired, as opposed to him being the one to request the release.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1852474039564222689

Tegan Nox and Indi Hartwell were indicated to be on the 90 day delay before they become free agents, which would imply their releases come before their contracts are expired. However, no confirmation as to when or why this decision was made has been revealed for either of them at this time.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1852473772256677910
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1852474297966555239

The current information is that these will be the only releases this round.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1852474915594871251

Source: eWn

WWE Announces WWE ID, New Indie Wrestling Development Program

It’s no secret that one of the visions of WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Triple H, has been to expand the company into different areas, including establishing performance centers in the UK, which WWE did briefly with NXT UK, Japan, Mexico, and other territories, and creating the WWE NIL program for college athletes. Now, WWE is looking to get involved with independent wrestling, with a new program that will have them very attached to certain areas of the scene going forward.

In a press release, WWE announced “WWE ID,” short for “WWE Independent Development.” The new program has been launched to “identify, support, and develop independent wrestling schools and wrestling talent.” Five independent wrestling schools have already earned the “official designation” of being WWE ID schools, including Reality of Wrestling in Houston, the Nightmare Factory in Atlanta, the Black and Brave Academy in Davenport, Iowa, Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center in Concord, New Hampshire, and Knokx Pro Academy in Los Angeles.

“WWE ID is the latest in our efforts to identify and support the journey of up-and-coming wrestlers, in turn raising the profile of and strengthening the independent wrestling ecosystem,” Triple H said in a statement.

Wrestling Schools With WWE Ties First To Achieve WWE ID Status, Canadian Promotion Expresses Skepticism

Four of the five WWE ID schools already had strong ties to WWE, with ROW, Nightmare Factory, Black and Brave, and Knokx Pro being run/co-owned by Booker T, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, and Rikishi respectively. Meanwhile, one of Elite Pro’s head trainers, Mike Hollow, previously worked as a WWE jobber during the 90s.

Independent talent associated with the program will also receive a “WWE ID” designation, with WWE providing “financial opportunity” for the talent, as well as “assisting with training, mentorship and development, including access to world-class facilities, best-in-class ring training, athletic trainers and more.” The program will also allow fans to monitor these talent’s progress via matches, highlights, and behind the scenes content to be aired on “WWE social platforms.”

So far, at least one independent promotion has expressed hesitancy towards this new program. Taking to X this morning shortly after WWE’s official announcement, Ottawa based promotion Capital City Championship Combat, better known as C4, posted several tweets, the first of which stated the point of independent wrestling was “to grow. To learn,” and that those claiming to be independent while backed by a billion dollar promotion weren’t independent. In later tweets, the C4 poster admitted this was their immediate reaction, and hoped more info would arise that would prove them wrong.

https://twitter.com/C4Wrestling/status/1851259904088056039
https://twitter.com/C4Wrestling/status/1851264366240239714

Source: Wrestling Inc.

John Layfield (JBL) Undergoes Stem Cell Treatment, Says His Comeback Will Be The Biggest Since The Resurrection

JBL says he’s feeling pain free after undergoing stem cell treatment.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the WWE Hall of Famer posted a photo from a recent a workout. He captioned his photo with,

“First time in a couple of decades, pain free and able to work out. Got stem cells from Integrated Pain Management in New Jersey-and my first workout, hard to believe I’m able to do things I couldn’t do for years. Comeback? Yeah, biggest since the resurrection.”

In recent months, JBL has appeared for TNA Wrestling, GCW, and MLW.

https://twitter.com/JCLayfield/status/1849572299613016314

Source: eWn

New Backstage Reports Claim AEW Stars The Lucha Brothers Have Not Yet Signed With WWE

Ever since early August, when it was reported that Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo wouldn’t be renewing their AEW contracts, every sign has indicated that the tag team known as The Lucha Brothers are heading to WWE. On Thursday, it seemed as though the move had been made official when Cory Hays of PWNexus claimed (or seemed to claim) that Penta and Fenix had signed a multi-year main roster deal. That conclusion now appears to be premature, as both Fightful Select and Pro Wrestling Insider are reporting that, while The Lucha Brothers are still probably WWE-bound, they have not yet signed contracts.

Fightful’s report says WWE sources denied the brothers had been signed, with one indicating that Fenix is still under contract to AEW (though AEW sources wouldn’t confirm his contract status). PWI, meanwhile, reports that both Fenix and Penta are still signed to AEW, and that while there’s strong mutual interest between them and WWE, they cannot legally have signed anything yet. Both reports agree that The Lucha Brothers are still expected to sign with WWE, with Fightful noting that neither WWE nor AEW has responded to official inquiries about the two wrestlers.

Hays, for his part, responded to Fightful’s report on Saturday by clarifying his original post, which never technically said the brothers had put pen to paper.

“Yet, as Rey’s contract hasn’t expired yet,” Hays said on X (formerly known as Twitter), quoting Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp. “But they have had the conversations and merchandise has been given the green light.” When asked by a commenter when Fenix’s deal was up, Hays replied “This month, and [Tony Khan] isn’t adding injury time to it.”

Penta hasn’t wrestled for AEW since the July 19 episode of “AEW Rampage”; Fenix’s last AEW match was the July 20 episode of “AEW Collision.” Neither man has wrestled anywhere in more than a month.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Report – The Lucha Brothers (Penta & Rey Fenix) Sign With WWE

The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) are headed to WWE.

Following numerous rumors and speculation, the Lucha Brothers have inked long-term contracts with WWE, bypassing NXT and moving directly to the main roster.

As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, Penta has been discussing a potential move to WWE since the summer. Penta emphasized that he and his brother Fenix would only make the transition together, and WWE was eager to accommodate this request.

Cory Hayes of PWN has verified the signing, stating, “Multi-year deal. Directly to main roster.”

WrestleVotes Radio is also reporting that the Lucha Brothers’ signing with WWE is likely a done deal as production of masks, t-shirts, and other promotional materials is already in progress.

The Lucha Brothers have been integral to AEW since their debut on the company’s inaugural show in 2019.

Penta’s AEW contract expired between August and September, and Fenix’s contract was also set to expire this year.

Source: eWn

Update On Matt Riddle’s Likelihood In AEW

A year out from his WWE exit, Matt Riddle recently teased the possibility of joining All Elite Wrestling, specifically with the intention of making more money and working a decent television schedule. According to a new report, though, that idea may be a little far-fetched right now.

Fightful Select reports that AEW President Tony Khan has had zero interest in bringing Riddle aboard to the company, “especially over the last number of years.” In recent months, Riddle has worked with some talents signed to AEW — including Brian Cage, Dralistico, Komander, Penta El Zero Miedo, and The Beast Mortos — on the wrestling circuit. As Fightful points out, though, all those matches emanated from promotions based in Mexico, and not the United States.

In addition to the idea of signing with AEW, Riddle also recently discussed a backstage encounter he had with Khan following his loss to Zack Sabre Jr. at the April 2024 NJPW Windy City Riot show in Chicago. According to Riddle, the conversation between him and Khan was relatively awkward. While Khan initially seemed happy, Riddle stated that he later seemed “confused” when Riddle asked him if he liked the match with Sabre Jr. in a “different” kind of tone.

Since leaving WWE last year, Riddle has worked for several independent promotions across Mexico, Canada, and the United States. “The Original Bro” has additionally appeared for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling. Riddle’s latest MLW appearance came at the Summer Of The Beasts event on August 29, which saw him defeat former MLW World Tag Team Champion Matthew Justice.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

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