Category: Wrestling News

Lanny Poffo Dead At 68, WWE Issues A Statement On His Passing 

Lanny Poffo, known during his time in the World Wrestling Federation as “Leaping Lanny” and “The Genius,” has died at age 68. The news was broken by “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan on his Instagram page on Thursday afternoon. The cause of his death is unknown at the time of this writing. 

Poffo’s prolific wrestling career began in the 1970s during the territorial era, appearing in promotions such as the National Wrestling Alliance before jumping to International Championship Wrestling, which was owned by his father, Angelo Poffo. After stints in the Continental Wrestling Association and Mid-South Wrestling, Poffo joined the World Wrestling Federation from 1985 to 1992, where he became known for his heel work and his poetry. 

After leaving WWF, he joined the company’s rival promotion, World Championship Wrestling, from 1995 to 1999. According to Cagematch, he wrestled his final match in January 2020 for Survival Championship Wrestling in Rensselaer, New York. Poffo inducted his brother “Macho Man” Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2020, he appeared on an episode of “AEW Dynamite” as part of a tribute to the legends of Memphis Wrestling

Outside of wrestling, Poffo was an author who published two books, including the anti-smoking book “Limericks from the Heart and Lungs!” His biographical comic, “The Genius of Lanny Poffo” was released in 2018, the same year he started his “The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo” podcast, which saw him interview a host of wrestling legends. Per IMDb, he was also an actor who starred in movies such as “Curse of the Wolf,” “Ninja: Prophecy of Death” and “Alien Danger 2! With Raven Van Slender.”

WWE issued the following statement on the passing of Lanny Poffo.

Lanny Poffo passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Lanny Poffo, best known to sports-entertainment fans as The Genius, passed away at 68 years of age.

The son of Angelo Poffo and younger brother of WWE Hall of Famer “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Lanny Poffo had a style all his own. Arriving in WWE in 1985 alongside his brother, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo was one of the first high-flyers in WWE. While he achieved some success as a fan favorite reading his own poetry and throwing Frisbees to the crowd, he reached new heights as The Genius while managing Mr. Perfect.

WWE extends its condolences to Poffo’s family, friends and fans.

Bam Bam Bigelow And Others Will Reportedly Be Dark Side Of The Ring Subjects

The fourth season of VICE’s “Dark Side of the Ring” is in production. The documentary series, which focuses on controversial topics throughout the history of pro wrestling, will see the late Bam Bam Bigelow, Abdullah the Butcher, and the late Mike Awesome be profiled in the new season, according to PWInsider. It’s said that Mick Foley, Jim Cornette, Terry Funk, and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan have all been interviewed for upcoming episodes.

Bigelow, who performed for promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WWE, World Championship Wrestling, ECW and the Memphis Wrestling territory throughout his career, faced many struggles in his personal life. In his younger years, the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion was often arrested and was once incarcerated in Mexico City for six months. Years later, Bigelow struggled with his health and addiction. He passed away in January 2007. 

Meanwhile, Abdullah the Butcher – a WWE Hall of Famer – is known for performing in hardcore matches around the globe. Because of his activities in such bouts, Butcher has several scars on the top of his head from excessive blading. In 2014, the former All Japan Pro Wrestling star was forced to pay out $2.3 million in damages to Canadian wrestler Devon Nicholson, who had accused Butcher of blading without consent and infecting him with hepatitis C. Regarding Awesome, he controversially departed ECW and signed with WCW while still reigning ECW World Champion in the 1990s. The former WWE Hardcore Champion was tragically found dead at his home in February 2007.

“Dark Side of the Ring,” created by Evan Husney and Jason Eisener, first aired in 2019 and has previously covered topics such as the Montreal Screwjob and Vince McMahon’s steroid trial. Chris Jericho has narrated the show since season two. 

Source: Wrestling Inc,

Kota Ibushi Is A Free Agent After Expiration Of NJPW Contract, NJPW Confirms Departure

New Japan Pro Wrestling has officially announced that Kota Ibushi is no longer with the company.

Ibushi’s contract expired on January 31st, and the decorated wrestler is officially a free agent.

You can read the official announcement below:

“Kota Ibushi leaves New Japan Pro-Wrestling
With the conclusion of his contract period on January 31, 2023, Kota Ibushi has departed New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ibushi had been recovering from injury since October 2021.

We apologize to Ibushi’s fans for the abrupt announcement and join them in wishing Ibushi the very best in all his future endeavors.”

Fightful reports that several big wrestling companies have “major interest” in Ibushi, from full-time deals to one-off appearances. It is believed that Ibushi will remain a free agent and sources close to the wrestler noted that he was happy with his free agency prior to signing with NJPW, which was apparently a “live and learn” experience.

The report also states an unspecified “significant private matter” that Ibushi was dealing with which strained his relationship with NJPW, who wanted him to work through the situation.

Ibushi will be competing in several GCW events at The Collective over WrestleMania 39 weekend. Ibushi has already been booked in a singles match against Mike Bailey for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9.

https://twitter.com/GCWrestling_/status/1620612152813064192

Source: eWrestlingNews

Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestles In Match For 53rd Straight Year

Jerry “The King” Lawler has competed in at least one wrestling match for 53 straight years.

Lawler can claim that distinction after working on an independent show on January 21 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The WWE Hall of Famer defeated the Beer City Bruiser at the event, titled Acts of War Games 2.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Why Becky Lynch Vs. Bayley Steel Cage Match On WWE Raw Is XXX Didn’t Happen

Fans looking forward to the Steel Cage Match between bitter rivals Bayley and Becky Lynch on “WWE Raw is XXX” were left puzzled as the match ended abruptly, with the referee never calling for the bell. 

According to Fightful Select, WWE called an audible on the Bayley vs. Lynch bout due to the earlier “Tribal Court” segment featuring The Bloodline going longer than planned, which meant that “several segments needed to be trimmed” through the rest of the show.  

Fightful added that the original plan was for “the match and entrances to get two segments,” which would have typically meant a 10-14 minute match at the least. Once the opening Bloodline segment ran too long, WWE felt it made sense to “work an angle to set up to a full on match” at a later date, rather than having a short cage match lasting barely a few minutes. WWE obviously had a ton of segments already planned for the rest of its 30-year anniversary edition of “Raw.”

The angle in question was set up after Bayley and Lynch got their entrances, following which Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY and Dakota Kai jumped “The Man” and launched her into the wall of the cage with a double-team flapjack. Thereafter, Kai once again smashed Lynch’s back against the cage before locking the cage to deny WWE Official Adam Pearce and others entry into the cage. Following a moonsault from Kai, Damage CTRL hit a triple-team move planting Lynch face-first to the mat.  

Eventually, Pearce used a boltcutter to enter the ring, but Lynch was deemed unable to compete. The segment ended with Damage CTRL posing atop the cage. 

Both Bayley and Lynch are confirmed entrants in Saturday’s Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Lynch has the opportunity to win the annual battle royal for the second time in her career, following her victory in the second-ever Women’s Royal Rumble in 2019, meanwhile, Bayley has never won the Rumble. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Police Did Wellness Check On Kevin Nash After Troubling Podcast Comments

On a recent episode of the Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash worried fans when he mentioned how it’s been 12 weeks since the death of his son Tristen and it’s been rough for him. 

“Today is week 12 that I lost my boy. Time flies when you got a gun in your mouth. I mean, time flies when you’re having fun,” Nash stated.

Sean Oliver told Nash that he should not joke around about things like that. Nash, who is a gun owner, then responded, “I can do whatever the f**k I wanna do. Long as I leave a note.”

TMZ is reporting that police did a wellness check on Nash after his troubling comments on his podcast this week, and Nash told them that he had no intention to follow through on what he said on his podcast.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Wrestling World Reacts To The Passing Of Jay Briscoe

Wrestlers and wrestling personalities are reacting in real time to the tragic news of Jay Briscoe’s death.

Leading the reactions are FTR, The Young Bucks, and The Usos — the three teams that have been mentioned in the same breath as The Briscoes as the greatest tag teams of the 21st century. 

“RIP to the homie Jay Briscoe,” The Usos wrote on Twitter. “Condolences to the your family. Rest in paradise uso. @SussexCoChicken #DemBoyz.”

“I’ve been in tears since I heard the news,” wrote Cash Wheeler of FTR. “I just don’t have the words. Rest in Peace Jay.”

“I’m doing ok,” wrote Dax Harwood of FTR, along with a photo of FTR and The Briscoes sharing a drink. “Thanks everyone for checking on me. I love you, Jay.”

Meanwhile, The Young Bucks changed their Twitter header photo to that of Jay Briscoe.

AEW star Matt Hardy, who shared the ring with Jay more than a dozen times, explained why he shared a genuine love for Jay.

“Heard this tragic news while flying,” Matt tweeted. “I’m DEVASTATED that Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh) tragically died today. I was honored to work with him many times. I loved Jay. Jay was SO real. Jay loved his wife & kids more than anything & we shared that bond. I’m heartbroken for his family.”

AEW star Chris Jericho tweeted, “Please pray for @jaybriscoe84’s family. Trust me this is worse than you think.”

Veteran ROH announcer Ian Riccaboni, who called the action for The Briscoes’ final ROH match at Final Battle, touched upon the close friendship he developed with “Dem Boyz” over the years.

“Jay was one of a kind,” Riccaboni tweeted. I traveled often with Jay and Mark. We couldn’t have been more different but that’s what made our friendship something I’ll cherish forever. He’d give you the shirt off his back, his last dime. He was so proud of his kids. Loved his family so much.”

Others such as Moose, “The Hurricane” Shane Helms, Big Swole, Frankie Kazarian and John Silver posted their reactions as well.

Jay Briscoe never wrestled on WWE television but had many fans within the current WWE roster.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque led the tributes with a message that was re-tweeted by WWE’s official account.

“An incredible performer who created a deep connection with wrestling fans across the globe,” Triple H tweeted. “My condolences to the family and friends of Jay Briscoe.”

Shawn Michaels posted a tribute on behalf of the “WWE NXT” roster.

“On behalf of the @WWENXT community, I would like to express our condolences to the Briscoe family for their loss.”

Bayley tweeted, “I’m so sorry to hear about Jay Briscoe. To all my friends who were close to him, to all his fans, and to his family, I’m sending you so much strength and love. ❤️ #DemBoys.”

Shinsuke Nakamura tweeted, “RIP Jay Briscoe.”

GUNTHER, who shared the ring with The Briscoes at a wXw event in 2017, tweeted, “Rest in Peace, Jay Briscoe.”

Others such as Ricochet and Cody Rhodes reacted to the tragic news as well.

“This is so sad. ❤️,” tweeted Ricochet.

“I didn’t interact much with him, but upon meeting Jay I instantly understood something about him…his family was his everything,” tweeted Rhodes. “All the love in the world to them this evening.”

Meanwhile, Sami Zayn went as far as to credit The Briscoes for helping him advance in his pro wrestling career. The former El Generico wrestled The Briscoes on countless occasions for promotions such as PWG and ROH. 

“I don’t have the words right now to properly convey my sorrow,” Zayn wrote on Twitter. “I love Jay & Mark Briscoe. Always have. I wouldn’t be here without them. I’m very lucky to have shared the ring & shared so many laughs with Jay Briscoe and I’m so sad to know neither will happen again. RIP my friend.”

Finally, WWE announcer Vic Joseph acknowledged Jay’s passing during a live episode of “WWE NXT” Tuesday night.

“We were just informed of tragic news inside the wrestling community that Jay Briscoe has passed away,” Joseph said. “We want to take this moment to send our condolences to his friends and family.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 1/17/2023

Tonight on WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • Tyler Bate returns 
  • Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen
  • Apollo Crews & Axiom vs. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
  • Tiffany Stratton to appear

Report: Sasha Banks To Compete For STARDOM In April 2023

Mercedes Varnado (Sasha Banks) is set to compete for STARDOM in April 2023, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Banks has finished with WWE, and will be appearing at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4.

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it is reported that Banks has a deal with New Japan, but that it will include one date for STARDOM, expected for their April 2023 event.

It is believed that the show will take place in the iconic Sumo Hall and will be announced on December 29.

The hope within NJPW is that Banks will drive streaming subscription sales for New Japan World like Chris Jericho did when he debuted for the promotion.

Source: ewrestlingnews

Barry Windham Out of ICU

After suffering a heart attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last week, Barry Windham is now out of ICU, according to his niece Mika Rotunda.

Rotunda wrote:

“Thank you to all who have reached out, prayed, contributed and sent well wishes to my Uncle Barry this week.

I wanted to give an update! I’m grateful to say he is stabilized & out of ICU. Talking & able to stand.

Thanks again everyone! There absolutely is power in prayer.”

A GoFundMe to help Windham with medical expenses has raised nearly $30,000 as of this writing. Windham doesn’t have health insurance.

https://twitter.com/MikaRotunda/status/1601201642941997056

Source: EWrestlingNews