Category: Wrestling News

Impact Wrestling Victory Road 9/8/2023 (Card)

Impact Victory Road 2023 takes place on September 8 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, and will air on Impact Plus and YouTube.

CARD

Impact Knockouts Championship:
Trinity (c) vs. Alisha Edwards

Impact X Division Championship:
Lio Rush (c) vs. KUSHIDA

Impact World Tag Team Championship:
The Rascalz (c) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns

Impact Digital Media Championship – Career vs. Title Match:
Kenny King (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer

Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship:
MK Ultra (c) vs. Gisele Shaw & Savanah Evans

Anything Goes Match:
PCO vs. Bully Ray

Open Challenge:
Alan Angels vs. TBA

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace

Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin

Crazzy Steve vs. Black Taurus.

Countdown to Victory Road:
Moose & Brian Myers vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)

WWE Alumnus General Adnan Passes Away

General Adnan (Abdul Kareem Ahmed Alkaissie El Farthie), best known for his time in WWE, has passed away at the age of 84.

Former announcer Ken Resnick shared the sad news on social media, writing,

“So deeply saddened to learn that my friend of 40 years, the legendary Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey/Gen. Adnan passed away this morning. May you rest in peace ‘my brother’.”

The details of Adnan’s passing remain unknown at this time.

WWE issued the following statement on Adnan’s passing:

Adnan Al-Kaissie “General Adnan” passes away
WWE is saddened to learn that Adnan Al-Kaissie, known to sports-entertainment fans as Billy White Wolf, Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy and General Adnan, passed away on Sept. 6 at 84.

Debuting in 1959, Al-Kaissie wrote in his biography that he was born in Baghdad. He had an amateur wrestling career in Iraq and attended Oklahoma State University.

Beginning his career as Adnan Kaissy, he competed for a number of promotions under many names. He was Billy White Wolf in WWE, where he won the WWE World Tag Team Championship in 1976. He later joined WWE again as General Adnan. He was Sheik of Sheiks of Baghdad in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was also an in-ring competitor and manager Sheik Adnan El Kaissy in the American Wrestling Association and World Class Championship Wrestling.

He headlined SummerSlam 1991 with Col. Mustafa (The Iron Sheik) and Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter against Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior.

Most recently, his General Adnan character appeared in WWE 2K15 and WWE 2K16.

WWE extends its condolences to Adnan Al-Kaissie’s family, friends and fans.

Sgt. Slaughter commented on Adnan’s passing:

Reported Reactions, Interest From WWE & Other Promotions With CM Punk On Open Market

With CM Punk’s time in AEW having reached an acrimonious end, many are wondering what is next for the two-time AEW World Champion, with some wondering if he could wind up back at WWE, another promotion, or if he would once again disappear as he did following his WWE departure in 2014. At least a few days removed from his AEW exit, it appears there is some interest in Punk popping up elsewhere.

PWInsider Elite reports that Punk became a topic of discussion within WWE as soon as he was fired, and the response has been pretty divided. While some in WWE look at it as a chance for the promotion to make a lot of money, with one top talent even going as far to endorse the idea, many more were said to be against it and didn’t believe it would happen. However it turns out, Punk joining WWE would be a discussion saved for later, as the promotion is currently focused on finalizing its merger with Endeavor, set to be completed this month. It is also believed that Endeavor themselves would make the call to sign him. Punk had previously worked for Endeavor when he competed in UFC, and is said to have had a good relationship with top Endeavor brass.

As for other promotions, Impact Wrestling was also said to be interested in Punk, though it’s unclear if they would be able to afford him, something considered a potential issue for other promotions that may have interest. As for NJPW, it is believed the promotion wouldn’t pursue Punk, due to their relationship with AEW. It is further believed that Punk was released without a noncompete clause, which would allow him to sign anywhere at any time.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Taping Date For WWE Tribute To The Troops 2023

WWE is bringing back the Tribute to the Troops special, something they started in December 2003.

The original idea behind this special was to send wrestlers to American troops stationed in the Middle East and tour different bases where they would meet with soldiers. In 2010, it took place in Iraq and Afghanistan before being moved to various US military bases.

Wrestle Votes is reporting that WWE will tape a Tribute to the Troops after a SmackDown event on December 8th. There’s no indication when this special will air or whether it might be shown on Fox, as they have done in recent years.

CM Punk & Tony Khan Involved In Heated Exchange At AEW All In 2023

We have even more details on what went down before Sunday’s AEW All In 2023 pay-per-view event went on the air, including potential issues between Tony Khan and CM Punk.

According to a report from Wade Keller of PWTorch, CM Punk was already said to have been pissed off about not being picked up at the airport by anyone associated with AEW. Instead, he took a train to his hotel and got lost along the way. It’s worth noting that Punk wasn’t aware at the time that no one from AEW was picked up at the airport due to travel issues and shuttles not being available. So he wasn’t being singled out.

The report notes that Punk reportedly approached Tony Khan in front of other people in his locker room. Punk came at the AEW President in a “heated, intense manner” and “chewed out Khan with harsh phrasing.”

CM Punk almost didn’t come out for his match with Samoa Joe to start the show after his backstage fight with Jack Perry. Joe was reportedly furious about the situation and had to convince Punk to go out to the ring. While Joe was able to calm Punk down enough that he would agree to continue on with the match, both men were not happy about what had just unfolded. It is said that as of Tuesday morning, CM Punk and Tony Khan had not spoken.

Both CM Punk and Jack Perry are suspended from AEW, with Punk being informed of his suspension through his lawyer. One source said CM Punk appeared to be saying “goodbye” while in the ring and walking to the back just after his match with Joe. There are some rumors that the relationship between CM Punk, Tony Khan, and AEW is beyond repair at this point.

CM Punk and Jack Perry will not be wrestling at All Out 2023 in Chicago, IL on Sunday unless the suspensions are lifted. Of course, Punk is a big draw in his hometown of Chicago.

Finally, it was added that CM Punk has been fined for previous incidents. One source said that Punk was fined in the “five figure range” for his off-air comments about “Hangman” Adam Page following a recent episode of AEW Collision.

On Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez confirmed what was already known from several weeks ago, which is that Jack Perry wanted to use real glass for a segment on AEW Collision. This is something CM Punk refused to allow on “his brand” and told Perry that if he had a problem with it, he could go work on Wednesdays.

While CM Punk’s side put out a story about Jack Perry wanting to do the spot so he could get “cut” and avoid working the following week, Perry had a pre-planned vacation.

While the glass spot involving a limo on the “Zero Hour” pre-show at AEW All In 2023 was approved, Jack Perry’s comments during the match were not. Alvarez said,

“The issue from the Jungle Boy side was the belief that ‘I got this okayed, it was cleared with the company and then this guy didn’t let me do it.’ He felt ‘he’s not letting me do it because I’m friends with The Young Bucks.’ That was what was in his mind, apparently.”

As far as CM Punk’s All In 2023 travel issues are concerned, Alvarez said,

“I have heard two versions of this story. One version is that CM Punk arrived, nobody was there, he couldn’t get a hold of anybody and so he decided that he was going to take the train. The other version I heard is that when he arrived there was nobody there but he did get a hold of people and he offered or they asked if he wanted to take the train. But that he was fine with taking the train. That’s the other story that I heard…”

He continued, “The question that everybody’s asking, why did this guy not take an Uber or a cab? When we were there, there were two occasions when we were in the UK where it was impossible to get an Uber. We opened up the app and it was ‘no drivers available.’ Maybe that happened to CM Punk, I don’t know…it is possible that he could not get an Uber.”

Alvarez also provided details on what happened after Jack Perry’s match with HOOK on the AEW All In 2023 “Zero Hour” pre-show. He stated,

“Jack goes through the curtain…He goes through the glass and they’re working on his cuts. This was shortly before the show was supposed to go on the air. CM Punk walks by and he says ‘do you have a problem with me?’ Jack Perry says something to the effect of ‘well, you heard what I said out there.’”

This led to Perry telling Punk that if he had a problem with what he said, he should do something about it. This led to pushes being exchanged, ending with Punk putting Perry in a choke. Samoa Joe broke things up.

AEW President Tony Khan reportedly witnessed the fight, and there are reports that it happened so close to him that several monitors were knocked onto him. Alvarez stated,

“CM Punk, according to several people said something to the effect of, ‘you know I can beat your ass, right?’ Then there was an incident. It was very quick…Pretty much 100 percent (of the witnesses said) Punk made the comment and either shoved of pie-faced Jungle Boy, grabbed him in the guillotine front headlock and it was immediately broken up. Samoa Joe was right there, everybody was right there. Nobody got their ass kicked, there was nothing like that.”

He continued, “They got close enough to Tony Khan that I believe monitors were knocked down onto Tony Khan. He was right there and he saw everything and a lot of people were right there and they saw everything.”

“Several people said he [CM Punk] threatened to quit and he didn’t want to go out for the match…I believe they went to FTR and The Young Bucks and they were like, ‘can you guys open the show?’ and the response was, ‘we’re not ready to open the show.’ Then they went to the six-man with Kenny and Hangman and all those guys and they were like, ‘can you open the show?’ and they were like, ‘I guess we can’ and so they were getting ready to go out. I was told that Joe was furious. He’s at Wembley, there’s 80,000 people there and he’s about to go out and apparently, he talked Punk into doing the match.”

Source: eWn

Jerry Lawler Returns To WWE During A Commercial Break On RAW

Jerry Lawler made his return to WWE during a commercial break on this week’s episode of WWE RAW.

The WWE Hall of Famer, who suffered a stroke back in February, came out to wave to the crowd in his hometown of Memphis, TN.

WWE RAW Preview 8/28/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the FedExForum in Memphis, TN.

  • Falls Count Anywhere Match: Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark
  • Chad Gable vs Ludwig Kaiser
  • Tommaso Ciampa vs Bronson Reed
  • The New Day vs. Viking Raiders

EC3 Wins NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title, Forces Tyrus Into Retirement

EC3 enjoys working in NWA and he has more reason to love the promotion after he defeated Tyrus to win the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. 

The bullrope match for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship was the main event of night 2 of the NWA 75th Anniversary Show on Sunday, where EC3 began his first reign with the title after Tyrus tapped out. EC3’s win also meant that his opponent, Tyrus, had to retire from NWA, which was the stipulation heading into the match. 

Tyrus had held the title since last November’s Hard Times 3 show, where he had defeated Matt Cardona and then champion Trevor Murdoch to become the heavyweight champion.

The former WWE star, who has made a few controversial statements in the past, was recently in the news for the wrong reasons when he advocated assaulting children if they used their preferred pronouns.

There was another major title change at NWA 75 as Kenzie Paige became the NWA World Women’s Championship after defeating Kamille, which was also on night 2 of the show. Kamille had successfully defended her title on Saturday against Natalia Markova, but her 800+ day reign as champion ended at the hands of Paige. 

Paige, though, lost the NWA World Women’s Television Championship on Saturday night to Max the Impaler, while Blunt Force Trauma won the NWA World Tag Team Championship on night 1 after defeating La Rebelión on night 1 and retaining it on night 2, winning their match against Trevor Murdoch and Mike Knox.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Terry Funk, WWE Hall Of Famer & Hardcore Wrestling Legend Dies At Age 79

WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk has died at the age of 79. Ric Flair shared the news of Funk’s death on X/Twitter; Funk’s friend Mick Foley also shared a tribute on the platform. Terry Funk was predeceased by his wife Vicki and leaves behind two daughters Stacy and Brandee.

Terry and his brother Dory Jr. followed in their father’s footsteps by entering his promotion Western States Sports in the 1960s. Terry went on to spend 12 years in Championship Wrestling from Florida and defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship during that time. He reigned for over a year until Harley Race defeated him.

The Funk brothers also spent several years working with All Japan Pro Wrestling. In the midst of that, Terry debuted in WWF in 1985. He challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship and eventually teamed with Hoss Funk to beat The Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana at WrestleMania II. Funk also worked in WCW before making his way to ECW where he had iconic matches against the likes of Sabu, Shane Douglas, Raven, Stevie Richards, and The Sandman while becoming a two-time ECW Champion.

During his second WWF run, Funk portrayed Chainsaw Charlie in a tag team with Cactus Jack. At WrestleMania 14, the duo were able to beat The New Age Outlaws to win the WWE World Tag Team Championship for a day. Following that, Funk and Foley split to set up a No Holds Barred Falls Count Anywhere Match that Foley won.

The remainder of Funk’s career was highlighted by more time in AJPW, MLW, TNA, and other indie promotions until his retirement match in 2017. He received his WWE Hall of Fame induction alongside Dory Jr. in 2009 and then went on to induct Foley in 2013. In 2021, Funk was diagnosed with dementia.

https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/1694440753785696599
https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/1694694538567123086
https://twitter.com/foleyispod/status/1694446031952331209
https://twitter.com/foleyispod/status/1694468646037237971
WWE has released a tribute video for the late Terry Funk.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1694492391481147497

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Behind-the-scenes of Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander’s Ghostbusters entrance, full ‘Deathmatch Busters’ theme song released

This past weekend’s GCW Homecoming event wich saw Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander appearing in Ghostbusters uniforms, even making their entrance inside a replica Ecto-1, Ghostbusters News has been provided a behind-the-scenes look at the blood-soaked carnage, in addition to the spoof theme song, “Deathmatch Busters” now being available online.

When it came to the WrestleMania-quality entrance, Cardona, the former Long Island Iced-Z, went local, enlisting the services of the Ecto-1 NJ, a fan car that’s become a staple of the annual Ghostbusters Day celebration at New York City’s Hook & Ladder 8, even being set to host film location tours this fall.

Instagram user and master builder behind the replica, Ectotech, reached out to Ghostbusters News, sharing a handful of photos and videos, mentioning that while the car was transported on a trailer, getting it to the arena was anything but easy. As the bell time loomed, traffic was said to have slowed thanks to those in surrounding vehicles attempting to grab photos. Luckily, the Ectombile arrived, was unloaded, and driven to the arena in time for Cardona and De Lander’s match, with the duo, known as Deathmatch Royalty, having a gruesome brawl with Nick Gage and Maki Itoh.

Another talking point coming out of the event was Cardona and De Lander’s entrance theme song. An obvious spoof on Ray Parker Jr.’s 1984 chart-topper, soon after the match, it was revealed that Downstait was the band behind “Deathmatch Busters,” with the song now being made available through SoundCloud.

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1596994173&color=563e94

Justin Call · Downstait – Deathmatch Busters

A fixture of professional wrestling, Downstait’s music can be heard in every large-scale promotion, with some of the most well-known, including Cody Rhodes’ “Kingdom,” The Miz’s “I Came To Play,” Dolph Ziggler’s “Here To Show The World” and Britt Baker’s “The Epic.”

Source: Ghostbusters News