Category: Wrestling News

FITE Officially Rebrands As TrillerTV

American digital video streaming service FITE TV, which hosts several wrestling shows, has announced its rebranding to TrillerTV.

Triller is the social media platform that bought FITE a couple of years ago.

Triller has issued a press release with more details on the change and statements from its executives.

Official announcement below:

“Sports Streaming Leader FITE Renamed TrillerTV

The best value in live streaming and the most reliable PPV and subscription platform, FITE is growing beyond its combat sports roots to offer fans even more action

New York, NY (December 11, 2023): FITE is proud to announce its rebranding as TrillerTV, signaling the continuing addition of new sports categories and closer alignment with parent company Triller. The PPV platform, subscription channel, and FAST channel will all continue to deliver the same incredible action, with the same reputation for quality, reliability, and innovation. Now, the massive reach and resources of Triller will power FITE’s continued growth through acquisitions and major sports rights licensing deals.

“TrillerTV is everything you know and trust from FITE, but with doors open for even more sports,” said Michael Weber, Co-Founder and COO of TrillerTV. “Our original name served us well, as have our loyal customers, promoters, and athletes to whom we are super grateful. The time has come to give even more to expand the experience we’ve built from the ground up to celebrate the passion and precision that makes us all love sports.”

FITE was founded in 2015 using pioneering and proprietary AI tools to enhance the viewer experience. The platform has since grown, thanks to its hard-driving, sports-fanatic team, to serve 8 million registered users around the world, and to present blockbuster events with the biggest names in their fields.

Subscription services AEW Plus, FITE+, and the FAST channel, FITE 24/7 have all grown at an astounding rate, and now FITE+ becomes TrillerTV+, FITE 24/7 becomes TrillerTV 24/7, and AEW Plus keeps its name. Both TrillerTV+ and AEW Plus have newly enabled geo-tagged pricing, increasing their value proposition for international audiences.

”Now that we’ve proven FITE in 10s of thousands of live events from all over the world, it’s time to expand to more content verticals under our new brand TrillerTV,” Kosta Jordanov, Co-Founder and CEO of TrillerTV, said, “We will be adding new sports categories, more premium brand promotions, and continuing to improve our technology to give the best user experience in streaming sports and entertainment.”

“We are thrilled to realize one of the core objectives of the acquisition of FITE,” added Mahi de Silva, CEO of Triller. “The launch of TrillerTV is the culmination of the strategy of expansion from their combat sports roots to broader sports content and even broader entertainment verticals across the globe. TrillerTV is a great example of Triller’s open-garden approach of delivering high quality entertainment on every platform; mobile phones, PCs, streaming devices, set-top-boxes and gaming consoles.”

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