Category: Wrestling News

Jay White Is All Elite – Appears On AEW Dynamite

Jay White is All Elite.

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite opened with a bout that was set to feature Juice Robinson facing off against Ricky Starks in a Grudge Match. As a brawl broke out between the two men, Jay White hit the ring and helped out his fellow Bullet Club member. The two men then beat down Starks as the crowd in Long Island, New York cheered wildly.

Following the segment, AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter to confirm that White is officially under contract with All Elite Wrestling.

Back in January, White entered free agency after deciding not to re-sign with NJPW.

Chavo Guerrero Supports Cousin Speaking About Alleged Assault By Vickie’s Husband

Chavo Guerrero has come out in support of his cousin Sherilyn who has claimed that she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather in 2020.

This week, Sherilyn Guerrero claimed that her stepfather sexually assaulted her, and that her mother Vickie Guerrero defended him.

In a tweet, Chavo said he “fully supports” his cousin and believes her claims.

Vickie Guerrero has not publicly commented on the matter at this time.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Bushwhacker Butch (Robert Miller) Dead, WWE Hall Of Famer’s Passing Announced By Tag Team Partner

WWE Hall of Famer Robert Miller, best known for his wild in-ring persona as Butch – one-half of the legendary Bushwhackers tag team – has died at the age of 78. The news was confirmed by his longtime partner Luke’s daughter Jackie on Monday afternoon across social media.

“Our dear Bob has passed away,” Luke’s daughter wrote. “Those we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch. We will always love u uncle Bob Miller until we meet again.”

After breaking into the business in the mid-1970s as the Sheepherders, the duo would grow to become beloved fan favorites after signing with the World Wrestling Federation in 1988, with Butch often serving as the mouthpiece of the partnership when they weren’t busy licking the faces of each other and those at ringside.

Before arriving in the WWF, the Sheepherders were renowned for violent bloodbaths in the territory days, most notably winning the Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship during a bitter rivalry with The Fabulous Ones, Steve Keirn and Stane Lane. It made their transition into loveable kid favorites in the WWF all the more unique. The Bushwhackers quickly became stalwart attractions on WrestleMania and pay-per-view undercards during the company’s “Golden Era.” Butch last wrestled for WWE at WrestleMania X-7, taking part in the Gimmick Battle Royal. Luke and Butch were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling News Blog extends its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Robert Miller.

Alexa Bliss Reveals Health Issue Amidst Her Time Away From WWE TV

Alexa Bliss hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since the Royal Rumble, and her status has been widely speculated due to her absence from WrestleMania storylines.

The former Women’s Champion revealed on Twitter that she had a spot on her face that became worse, and that after a biopsy, she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. You can check out her tweets below:

“Thank you! Don’t worry, short healing time. Always get your skin checked! Esp if you are in the sun or use tanning beds! Lol”

“There was a spot on my face yes- that had gotten worse. So went to get biopsy. Was basal cell carcinoma. During my procedure doc also found other squamous cells. Was a quick and easy procedure. Glad I always get my skin checked 😊”

https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1638283135480909825
https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1638520818773950464

Source: PWMania

Andy Kaufman To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

Variety reported today that WWE will be inducting Andy Kaufman into this year’s Hall of Fame class. It’s unclear who will induct him into the honorary class. 

Kaufman was a comedian in the 70s and 80s, most notably known for his part in the “Taxi” series from 1978 until 1983.

Wrestling fans know him for his feud with  Jerry “The King” Lawler in Memphis. He would sometimes wrestle women who he picked out of the crowd, causing him to get heat. He took a piledriver from Lawler, leading to them doing a segment on  David Letterman’s NBC Late Night show where Lawler slapped Kaufman. 

It was covered in the “Man on the Moon” movie with Jim Carrey portraying the role of Kaufman.

Source: eWrestlingNews

UPDATE:

WWE Officially announced Andy Kaufman for the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame.

WWE issued the following:

Andy Kaufman will join Rey Mysterio and The Great Muta in the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.

A gifted comedian who gained fame for his absurdist standup routine and appearance on hit shows like “Taxi” and “Saturday Night Live,” Kaufman’s love of sports-entertainment led him to Memphis where he became a thorn in the side of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.

The rivalry between Lawler and Kaufman became national news leading to a legendary exchange on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The interaction would later be memorialized in the 1999 movie biopic “Man on the Moon,” where Lawler appeared alongside Jim Carey as Kaufman to recreate the iconic moment.

Kaufman’s interactions with Lawler transformed the business and opened up pathways for future cross-over Superstars such as Johnny Knoxville who honored the comedian with his WrestleMania 38 ring gear.

Sadly, Kaufman passed away in 1985 at the age of 35, but his legacy remains an important party of wrestling history.

WWE congratulates Kaufman on his inclusion into the WWE Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Friday, March 31, streaming on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else immediately after SmackDown.

Jay White In Talks With AEW & WWE

Jay White is still a free agent after finishing up with NJPW. 

White has interest from both promotions but has yet to make a decision about his wrestling future. He lost a ‘loser leaves Japan’ match to Hikuleo, followed by a ‘loser leaves NJPW’ match against Eddie Kingston.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that White is in talks with AEW and WWE. 

“Regarding Jay White, we are told that White has been talking to WWE but has not signed. He is also talking to AEW. From someone familiar with the situation they described it as 50/50 which side he would go with,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Conflicting Reports Emerge Regarding Roxanne Perez Situation In WWE NXT

Last week on the “WWE NXT” Roadblock special, “NXT” Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez successfully defended her title against Meiko Satomura. Following the momentous victory, Perez suddenly collapsed, and WWE have been providing updates ever since, including when she was discharged last Friday night. While the injury gives every indication of being storyline, separate outlets are reporting conflicting things as to its legitimacy.

Today on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the situation was vague and that hopefully nothing is wrong, but there might be. He also suggested that until they know what the situation is, WWE has to be vague about it. However, Fightful Select were a lot more direct, reporting that Perez is fine and that her “injury” is and always has been for storyline purposes. It should be noted that WWE has not shied away from discussions or replays of the incident on “NXT” programming, which would suggest it is kayfabe.

In perhaps continuing with said storyline, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels announced this week that with Perez’s health in question, “NXT” needed to take steps to potentially crown a new women’s champion at Stand and Deliver, beginning with a series of qualifying matches this past Tuesday. “With Stand and Deliver in less than three weeks I have the obligation to announce we possibly have to crown a New NXT Women’s Champion,” he tweeted

Tuesday night’s “NXT” saw both Zoey Stark and Gigi Dolin qualify for the Ladder Match at Stand & Deliver, which is slated for April 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Perez, meanwhile, has held her title since defeating Mandy Rose on the December 13 episode of “NXT.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Provides Update On NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez

This past Tuesday night at “WWE NXT” Roadblock, “NXT” Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez successfully defended her title against the legendary Meiko Satomura. Following the bout, though, and shortly after Satomura handed her the championship, Perez suddenly “collapsed” to the mat. Medical officials, referees, Shawn Michaels, and even Booker T rushed to the ring to check on her. The last thing viewers saw was Perez being taken away on a stretcher to an ambulance backstage. Now, WWE has provided a further positive update on the champion.

“Update: Roxanne Perez has been discharged from the hospital and is now at home resting,” WWE tweeted.

WWE’s first update Tuesday night simply stated that she’d be kept in the hospital overnight for further testing. So while the latest announcement is certainly progress, it’s also worth monitoring whether or not she’ll be competing at the “NXT” Stand and Deliver event on Saturday, April 1. Thus far, only two matches have been announced for the big show. Johnny Gargano will make his in-ring return to “NXT” to take on the man who brutally attacked him before he left WWE in 2021, Grayson Waller. Also, Carmelo Hayes is set to challenge “NXT” Champion Bron Breakker.

Perez has been “NXT” Women’s Champion since December 13, when she dethroned Mandy Rose, ending her 500-plus day reign and becoming the developmental brand’s youngest-ever women’s champion in the process. Perez has successfully defended it five times since, including Tuesday’s contest against Satomura. While the bout itself lasted nearly 14 minutes, vignettes leading up to their showdown showed the champ putting herself through very rigorous workouts.

Roxanne Perez’s injury at NXT Roadblock concerned fans about her well-being. Fortunately, the whole collapsing scenario was a take from an angle with Shawn Michaels on RAW in the mid-90s. Similar to HBK, Perez took several blows to the head, which led to the kayfabe injury.

As fans pointed out, Roxanne Perez’s injury at NXT Roadblock is kayfabe because the referee didn’t show the dreaded X sign. The signal is used whenever a superstar is grievously injured and isn’t a part of the storyline. WWE takes head injuries seriously and if Perez did suffer one, multiple reports would have hit the wrestling capsule already.

The injury angle did put over Roxanne Perez in a major way. She may now sport the neck brace as a reminder of her heroics. Her participation in Stand and Deliver is unknown, although the injury could mean she will be out of the ring for a while.

Nonetheless, The Prodigy does have a challenger in line. Tiffany Stratton staked her claim to the Women’s Championship before Roadblock rolled out. It remains to be seen if the showdown will be booked for April 1 or a later date.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and sportskeeda

IMPACT Wrestling No Surrender 2/24/2023 (Card)

IMPACT Wrestling No Surrender 2023 special event from Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, Nevada streaming on IMPACT Plus, YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders and FITE.

CARD

Impact World Title Match
Rich Swann vs. Josh Alexander (c)

Impact Knockouts World Title Match
Masha Slamovich vs. Mickie James (c)

Dot Combat Match for the Impact Digital Media Title
Moose vs. Joe Hendry (c)

Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Titles Match
The Hex (Allysin Kay, Marti Belle) vs. The Death Dollz (Taya Valkyrie, Jessicka) (c)

#1 Contenders Fatal 4 Way
Brian Myers vs. PCO vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eddie Edwards

Busted Open Radio Segment
Hosted by Dave LaGreca, Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer

Six-Man Tag-Team Match
The Bullet Club (KENTA, Ace Austin, Chris Bey) vs. Time Machine (Kushida, Impact World Tag Team & NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns)

Singles Match
Frankie Kazarian vs. Big Kon

Busted Open Live segment to hash out Bully Ray & Tommy Dreamer’s issues with Dave LaGreca

Countdown To No Surrender Pre-show Match
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw

Countdown To No Surrender Pre-show Match
Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bailey

Busted Open Live segment to hash out Bully Ray & Tommy Dreamer’s issues with Dave LaGreca

Wrestling Legend Jerry Jarrett Passed Away

Pro wrestling lost a true legend of the industry yesterday with the death of Jerry Jarrett.  

Conrad Thompson mentioned Jarrett had been battling esophageal cancer during a recording with Jarrett’s son, AEW star Jeff Jarrett, that was released earlier today.

Along with his mother Christine, Jerry Jarrett put Memphis wrestling on the map as one of the true catalysts for making the territory so hot in the 1970s and 1980s. Along the way, he was responsible for making a number of stars in the business such as Jackie Fargo, Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Dutch Mantell, and his own son Jeff. In addition, talent such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin credited Jarrett for helping them build the proper foundation to get their careers off the ground. 

Jarrett’s career spanned decades as both a wrestler and promoter. In 1969, he made his in-ring debut for NWA Mid-America, where he went on to become a 10-time NWA Southern Tag Team Champion. Jarrett initially retired from in-ring competition in 1988 ahead of promoting United States Wrestling Association, but competed in a handful of matches for USWA until his final bout in 1995. 

In 2002, after years of consulting work with both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, Jerry and son Jeff co-founded the promotion that became Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling, now known as Impact Wrestling. Jarrett parted ways with TNA in 2005 after a dispute over the company’s direction — this led to a falling out between Jerry and Jeff until their reconciliation a decade later, after agreeing to never talk about wrestling.

In 2018, Jarrett was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

Jarrett was 80 years old, and his contributions are being remembered by friends and colleagues whose lives he impacted over the years.

“I’m hearing reports of my friend and long-time booker/promoter Jerry Jarrett died this morning in TN,” tweeted Mantell. “I last saw him last year when we did the VICE show THE TERRITORIES in Atlanta. Very creative booker. Condolences to Jeff/Deborah and the Jarrett family.”

“Sad news of a great guy who has passed away. Condolences go out to the Jerry Jarrett Family,” wrote The Honky Tonk Man, adding that Jarrett gave him a break in wrestling that he’ll never forget.

“Godspeed, Jerry Jarrett. My heart goes out to his family and friends. What a legacy,” said former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce.

“Such sad news on Jerry Jarrett – will always be in my heart – one of the greatest promoters that gave way to some of my most fondest professional moments – he will be missed”

Below are some other reaction from the wrestling world.

https://twitter.com/RealMikeTenay/status/1625632618837602304