Category: Wrestling News

Impact Wrestling Final Resolution 12/9/2023

IMPACT Wrestling presents the final IMPACT Plus event of 2023 and the final to be branded under IMPACT Wrestling before the rebrand back to Total Nonstop Action (TNA) in January. Final Resolution 2023 will see some high-stakes matchups to send the IMPACT brand off with a bang. The action goes down Saturday 12/9 on IMPACT Plus and on YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders. The card begins at 8 pm Eastern time with a pre-show airing for free on the IMPACT YouTube at 7:30 pm Eastern

Card

  • Frankie Kazarian vs. Sheldon Jean – pre-show
  • Jake Something vs. Jason Hotch
  • Rhino vs. Moose
  • Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel
  • Digital Media Championship: Tommy Dreamer (c) vs. Deaner
  • Trinity and Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo and Gisele Shaw
  • IMPACT World Tag Team Championship: ABC (Chris Bey and Ace Austin) (c) vs. Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers
  • The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) vs. Josh Alexander and Zack Sabre Jr.

Backstage Update On Contract Status Of Impact Wrestling’s Deonna Purrazzo

Another major free agent is on the horizon, with former Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo the latest star to enter free agency soon. 

According to a report from “Fightful Select,” Purrazzo will become a free agent on January 1. As per the report, no deal with Impact has been reached and one of the reasons is because Purrazzo is looking to explore her options with other promotions. Her last date with the promotion is this weekend’s Impact Wrestling Final Resolution tapings in Canada.

Sources that spoke with “Fightful” revealed there are no issues between Purrazzo and Impact Wrestling and the door is open for her return. While there were graphics of her for the Impact to TNA Wrestling name change, she won’t be signing a contract anytime soon because of her interest in exploring her free agency.

Purrazzo joined Impact Wrestling in 2020 after WWE released her in the summer of 2020, which ended her two-year stint with the company. In her time with Impact, she held the Knockouts title three times and was also the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion. Purrazzo also became the champion of other promotions while under contract with Impact. She was the ROH Women’s Champion for 115 days, losing the title on the May 4, 2022 episode of “AEW Dynamite” to Mercedes Martinez, and was the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion for 252 days.

Earlier this year, Purrazzo stated that she would be open to a return to WWE despite her first run leaving her with a bitter taste.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dutch Mantell Announces Hospitalization

Former wrestler, manager, and booker Dutch Mantell, best known to WWE fans as Zeb Colter, is apparently dealing with significant health issues. On Monday, Mantell announced via Facebook that he’s going to be hospitalized “for a while” and that his daughter, Amanda, is taking care of him in his time of need. Mantell did not elaborate on his specific health issues, only noting that he’s “been very sick” lately. 

“OK guys, here’s for those who’ve been looking for me,” Mantell wrote. “Let me catch everybody up. In a nutshell, I’ve been very sick. There are packages missing and parcels that I’ve misplaced…but guys, I’ll make it good. Just give me time. I’m praying every day for everybody’s safety. For me personally, I’ve been admitted to a hospital here in Lutz where I’ll be for a while. I request everybody honor my family’s respect to have our own private thoughts. I will respond to all of you privately…and thank you for for patience. My daughter Amanda has been with me helping me.”

During his wrestling career, Mantell enjoyed success in NWA territories such as Continental Wrestling Association and Mid-South Wrestling, capturing the CWA Heavyweight Championship on three occasions and the Mid-South Television Championship once. 

Mantell also captured various tag titles with partners such as Koko B. Ware, David Schultz, and Austin Idol. Mantell first moved to a non-wrestling role as a color commentator for “WCW Worldwide” and later for Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling. In subsequent years, Mantell managed various stables and wrestlers across promotions, with his most famous stint coming as the manager for former WWE Champion Jack Swagger.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Spike Dudley Makes In-Ring Return

Spike Dudley returned to the ring for the first time in eight years, competing at LIVE Pro Wrestling’s show this weekend.

Dudley hasn’t competed since 2015, and he stepped into the ring with Leon St. Giovanni at the indie event.

St. Giovanni later tweeted,

“I wrestled Spike Dudley tonight. Life is crazy.

Don’t worry about the footage. Trust me, I beat him senseless afterwards.

@LIVEpwevents”

https://twitter.com/LeonStGiovanni/status/1731514037773464045

Source: eWn

Impact Wrestling (IPWF) Preview 11/30/2023

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV is all-new.

This Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders, go back to the future as the IMPACT Provincial Wrestling Federation once again presents Throwback Throwdown! See outlandish characters and old school low-flying action

Here are the matches that have been announced for the show that is touted as an IPWF special: 

  • The Good Workers vs. The Sunday Morning Express
  • DJ 2 Large to appear
  • Cowboy Colt McCoy & Georgia Cobb vs. Rip Rayzer & Rusty Iron
  • Tim Burr vs. Boris Alexiev

Mercedes Mone Has Started Training For Her In-Ring Return

Mercedes Mone is currently sidelined with a broken ankle that she had surgery to fix earlier this year.

She is expected to return shortly, likely making her promotional debut with AEW while also working for NJPW.

As seen below, Mone has released footage of her training for her return. It’s still unclear exactly when she will be back from injury.

Source: eWn

Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s Production Company Working On Docuseries About Fall Of WCW

In addition to his status as a major movie star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has his own production company, known as Seven Bucks Productions. In addition to producing movies he stars in, Johnson has endeavored to finance other projects, such as the recent “Tales from the Territories,” the documentary “Stuntman,” and the film “Fighting With My Family.” A new report from Deadline indicates that another wrestling project is on the horizon for Johnson. This time, it’s a docu-series focused on the history of World Championship Wrestling, the once-dominant Turner promotion that folded in the early 2000s and was bought out by WWE. Deadline stated that Seven Bucks is partnering with Vice Media for the series, though it’s not known when it’s planned for release.

The report referred to the end of WCW as “mysterious,” hinting that the upcoming series will focus on the reasons behind the company’s downfall. WCW got its start in 1988 when Ted Turner purchased the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions, turning them into a new brand that would air on his TV networks. Though the company eventually rose to challenge and even briefly surpassed WWE, it wouldn’t last. The last real WCW match took place in March 2001, and the company was bought out several months later.

Appearing on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” co-hosts Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez poked fun at the idea of labeling WCW’s downfall as “mysterious.” Additionally, the two men pointed out that Johnson was likely too busy at the time to be watching WCW’s programming, and if he had watched the company’s shows, the reasons behind WCW’s demise wouldn’t be a mystery. Meltzer also believes he has an idea of how the finished product will come across.

“I presume that they’ll have Bischoff all over it, and once you have Bischoff all over it, you’re just going to have the total ‘full of st’ story,” Meltzer said. “‘All those people [were] out to get us’ as opposed to — you know, you just f*ed up. You drove all your fanbase away. … I don’t want to say it’s just him, but he was part of that deal.”

Meltzer stated that the reasons behind the end of WCW were the falling ratings and loss of profits, making it relatively straightforward to determine why the company went out of business when it did.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kenny King Granted Release From Impact Wrestling

Veteran wrestler Kenny King has reportedly been granted his release from Impact Wrestling. 

According to “Fightful Select,” King officially became a free agent earlier this week after Impact honored his request to be released from the company. King, a former Impact Digital Media Champion, finished up with the company at Impact’s October tapings, where he and Sheldon Jean challenged ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. 

During his tenure in Impact, King feuded with the likes of Joe Hendry and Mike Bailey, after coming into the company as part of the Honor No More stable along with several other former ROH talents. The heel faction of former ROH wrestlers also included Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis-Bennett, and Vincent, all of whom are now part of AEW/ROH. As such, fans have been speculating over the possibility of King joining his old friends in AEW/ROH.

Prior to Impact, King spent seven years in ROH between 2015 and 2022 and also had multiple stints with TNA. During his time in TNA, he held the TNA X Division Championship on two occasions and was also a part of The Beatdown Clan stable along with current WWE stars Bobby Lashley and MVP. 

King, 42, also boasts of a lot of acting and reality show experience, appearing on the second season of WWE’s “Tough Enough” in 2002 and also as a contestant on the 13th season of “The Bachelorette” in 2017. Furthermore, King has made cameos on shows such as “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” the dating game show “The Baggage,” and the Nickelodeon series, “My Brother and Me.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mercedes Mone: “Definitely Expect Me To Be With Some Wrestling Company In 2024”

Mercedes Mone is itching to get back inside the squared circle.

The former WWE Superstar known as Sasha Banks released a Cameo video where she spoke about being ready to get back into the ring, and how she will be with a wrestling company in 2024.

“I cannot wait to return back into the ring,” she said. “So definitely expect me to be with some wrestling company in 2024, for sure.”

Mone continued, “I cannot wait to be in that squared circle. That’s where the most home, it’s where I feel the most alive, and I just can’t wait to be back. I’ve been healing everything, mentally, physically, spiritually, everything. So I’m really excited to get back to what I love and what I do best.”

Check out the complete video from Mercedes Mone below.

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1723832044839456969

Source: Rajah.com

Former WWE Star Harvey Wippleman (Downtown Bruno) Says Young Rock Isn’t Over Despite NBC Cancellation

Earlier this year, many fans were left disappointed when NBC canceled “Young Rock,” the sitcom that saw Dwayne Johnson serving as on-screen narrator looking back on his early years in the wrestling business. In a positive update, Harvey Wippleman, who worked as an executive consultant on the show, has floated the possibility of the show returning for a fourth season on another network.

In an interview with “Developmentally Speaking,” Wippleman noted that the show’s production staff is expected to work on an upcoming season after the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. “It was a great experience [to work on the show], and it’s not over yet,” Wippleman said. “It’s not on NBC anymore, but once the actors’ strike resolves, stay tuned. ‘Young Rock’ will be back. The story ain’t over yet.” 

Speaking on his role as a consultant, Wippleman revealed he advised the writers on storylines surrounding the Memphis Wrestling aspect of the show and also had several Zoom meetings with Ryan Pinkston — the actor portraying Wippleman on ‘Young Rock’ — to teach him his accent, behaviors, and tendencies. He also praised Chavo Guerrero, the other executive consultant on the show, for expertly training the actors on taking bumps. “The young wrestlers that were portraying other people, he [Chavo] would explain to them what to do,” Wippleman revealed.

As for his well-documented friendship with The Rock, Wippleman praised “The Great One” for inviting him to be a part of ‘Young Rock’ and always looking out for his best interests. “Wonderful person,” Wippleman said of The Rock. “I’ve known him since he was a child. We’re very close — I would literally die for him. I mean, he’s made my life.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.