Category: Wrestling News

Jimmy Rave Passes Away At Age 39

Former Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling star Jimmy Rave has passed away today at the age of 39-years-old. The announcement came yesterday on Twitter, in a statement prepared by agent Bill Behrens and Rave’s daughter, Kailah.

“James Michael Guffey has died at the age of 39,” the statement began. “James was best known as Professional Wrestler Jimmy Rave. His career started in 1999, continued for over 2 decades. He was a two-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. He appeared in Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling, where he teamed with Lance (Hoyt) Rock as the ‘Rock and Rave Infection.’ In Ring of Honor, he feuded with AJ Styles and was the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the faction, The Embassy, and last appeared in 2013 as a member of S.C.U.M. He toured Japan with both Dragon Gate Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling where in 2008 he competed in the Best of the Super Junior Tournament. In 2005, he appeared on World Wrestling Entertainment’s Sunday Night Heat. Rave also appeared in numerous independent promotions including Rampage Pro Wrestling, Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment, and Combat Zone Wrestling, among many others. He also served as the booker for several years in Rampage Pro Wrestling and led a faction known as Jimmy Rave Approved.

“Outside of wrestling, he held the position of Director of the Bartow County, Georgia Peer Support, Wellness, and Respite Center for several years. James had been struggling with drug addiction for many years. His struggles resulted in the amputation of his arm and, later, both of his legs. James is survived by his ex-wife Felicia, daughter Kailah, son James II, and his parents Jim & Toni Guffey. At the time of his death, he was living in Philadelphia, PA area with Gabby Gilbert. RIP, James Michael Guffy, 12/8/82 – 12/12/21. Memorial services will be held in Georgia. Details to be released at a later time.”

The news of Jimmy Rave’s passing comes only a few months after Rave was forced to have both of his legs amputated following a battle with a MRSA infection. Jimmy Rave had previously been forced to have his left arm amputated due to infection in 2020, which resulted in him being forced to retire from wrestling.

Many have tried to help Jimmy Rave as he worked to overcome his struggles in the past year. A Go Fund Me page was launched for Rave earlier this year to help him with the cost of his medical bills. In recent months, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley also began raising money to assist Rave.

“I was thinking about Jimmy and how Jimmy’s Go Fund Me really needed a boost,” Foley told The Wrestling Inc. Daily last week. “Losing both legs, it’s devastating emotionally, psychologically, and also financially. He’s got bills that go for $100 thousand. He believes they’ll be able to whittle that down to $50 or $60 thousand, but it’s still a mountain of money.

“I just thought ‘hey, if there are some orders out there to be had, and I can combine that with some of my memorabilia, and also some personal interactions like the 2 nights in Georgia.’ Actually, it was 3 nights, and we had a fantastic time with a couple that bid a nice amount of money. It really exceeded my expectations. I thought we’d get maybe $10 or $12 thousand. Michael said ‘we’re going to try and get you and Jimmy to his goal’, which was $22 thousand. And we get it. It was really incredible.”

Debuting in October of 1999, Jimmy Rave joined Ring of Honor in 2003 and gained notoriety for being one of the most hated heels in the early history of the promotion. He would wrestle the likes of AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Nigel McGuinness, and countless others, and once unsuccessfully challenged Danielson for the Ring of Honor Championship in 2006. His most notable matches in ROH were a tag match where Rave and current WWE on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce wrestled Danielson and Punk at ROH Unscripted II, Punk’s last Ring of Honor match, and a Fight Without Honor match with McGuinness in March of 2007.

Jimmy Rave would join Impact Wrestling, then TNA, in 2007, but failed to catch on despite his aforementioned Rock & Rave tag team with Lance Hoyt (current AEW star Lance Archer). The duo would be released in 2009 after an uneventful two-year run, though Rave would eventually return for several one-off appearances until 2013.

Rave would also make several returns to ROH, first in 2009 to feud with Grizzly Redwood and Necro Butcher, though he was let go shortly after as he battled his drug addiction. He would return again in 2011 to feud with The Embassy’s new Crown Jewel Tomasso Ciampa, and one last time in 2013 as a member of the S.C.U.M. stable, alongside Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs, Steve Corino, Rhino, Cliff Compton, Matt Hardy, and Rhett Tidus. He would continue to wrestle on the independent circuit afterward before his retirement.

 Condolences to Jimmy Rave’s family, and friends during this difficult time.

You can read the statement on Jimmy Rave’s passing below.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AJ Lee Speaks Out About Her Suicide Attempt And How A Stranger Saved Her Life

The former WWE Superstar planned on committing suicide in 2014 but was saved by a stranger on the other end of the phone.

Trigger warning: this article includes discussions about suicidal feelings and a suicide attempt.

The women’s division in WWE has come a long way over the course of the past six years or so. While the likes of Paige, Charlotte Flair, and Bayley quite rightly get a lot of the credit for that, there are quite a few others who were around beforehand who are yet to really reap the rewards. Perhaps most notably AJ Lee who left WWE, possibly never to return, in 2015.

Lee arguably left at the top of her game, something most wrestlers can only dream of. She won her final match, not to mention the match the night before at WrestleMania, and held the Divas Title on three occasions during the year prior to her departure. She also married CM Punk during that period, which is why it might surprise fans to hear Lee’s life was far from perfect at the time.

Lee planned to take her own life in 2014 while Divas Champion and after getting married. The former WWE Superstar recently opened up about her suicide attempt for the first time during an appearance on Maurice Benard: State Of Mind. You can check out the whole episode below in which Lee discusses her bipolar disorder and how nobody knew she had gone to a hotel with the intention of ending her life.

“It was my bipolar disorder couldn’t handle it. It was too much for me,” Lee explained, laying out the highs of her titles wins and getting married to the lows of getting hurt and having to undergo multiple surgeries. “The only solution to me, the only thing I could do was just, I booked a hotel room and that was my plan.”

Something in Lee’s brain told her to call the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Since she was in a different area, the person on the other end urged her to call the number linked to the area she was in for the purposes of needing to potentially call an ambulance. Lee saw that as a sign she should go through with her suicide attempt, but at the last moment she called 311 to get the other number. A man at the end of the 311 call listened to Lee as she poured her heart out. The retired wrestler credits him with saving her life. She doesn’t know his name or who he is, but she can still hear his voice all these years later.

Source: TheSportster – Josh Coulson

After six years away from the wrestling industry, AJ Lee (April Mendez Brooks) joined the WOW – Women of Wrestling promotion as an executive producer in October 2021, serving alongside Jeanie Buss. This announcement coincided with WOW entering into a multi-year distribution agreement with ViacomCBS, the biggest distribution opportunity in the U.S. and abroad in the history of women’s professional wrestling. Mendez will also provide color commentary for their upcoming weekly program beginning in late 2022.

Freddie Prinze Jr Hints At Launching His Own Pro Wrestling Promotion

Freddie Prinze Jr was interviewed on The Ariel Helwani Show lately and he revealed he’s interested in creating a wrestling promotion. He admitted that the recent releases actually make him hungry to possibly start things.

“No, it makes me want to start a wrestling brand is what it makes me want to do,” he claimed. “Like, everybody sees that and they get sad, I see that and I get hungry. I was in Karrion Kross’ DMs the day it happened, I was like, ‘hey man, I didn’t go back to work for fun. I went back to work to invest in things.’ Imagine having Keith Lee and Karrion Kross on the same roster and making people wait to watch them fight. Just keeping their stories connected but separate. Even if it was just indie shows, which is what it would have to be. I’m not trying to go in and put $50 million on something. But there’s so much talent out there now that I think people would love to watch.”

Freddie Prinze Jr went on to make it clear a return to wrestling is on his mind. However, going to a big main scale company is not.

“Yeah, in an independent fashion, but never on a huge main scale thing,” he stated. “I’ve flirted with Brian Kendrick’s Wrestling Pro Wrestling which is basically comedy cosplay wrestling. If the kids in the hall and Vince McMahon had a baby and it wanted to start its own wrestling brand it would be this.”

Freddie Prinze Jr admitted that he almost returned to wrestling recently. He nearly took a role with Women Of Wrestling.

“I got close on a couple of things, man,” he admitted. “I almost took over creative control of Women Of Wrestling for WOW Wrestling before AJ ended up doing it. Like I said, I spoke with Brian about him and his brand because I thought it was really fun and interesting.”

However, even though he did not get that role, Freddie Prinze Jr, is serious about starting a promotion. So much so that he spoke with his accountant about the steps he has to make.

“The most that I am comfortable saying, and we can talk more. Before I took the Netflix movie I spoke with my accountant about, ‘hey, if I wanted to screw around with like an indie wrestling league. What would I need to do?’ He said, ‘you would need to do A, B, and C.’ So then I did A, and I am getting ready to do B and C,” he revealed. “So you know, it’s definitely something I think about a lot.”

Freddie also spoke about the possibility of the promotion happening in 2022. He admitted it is down to the number of movies he shoots.

“It depends how many movies I do in 2022,” he said. “I have one that I am going to do. If I do two, then that’s A, B, and C and yeah, it’ll be something that I start pursuing aggressively.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to The Ariel Helwani Show 

Conrad Thompson Teases Starting Promotion With WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett

Following another round of WWE releases this week, there has been some talk about another wrestling promotion starting. Conrad Thompson has taken to social media to tease that he and Jeff Jarrett could be doing just that.

Conrad Thompson responded to several tweets today with different GIFs, all hinting that he has an interest in starting up his own wrestling promotion. These questions also involved Jeff Jarrett, with who he co-hosts the popular My World podcast.

Earlier this week Jeff Jarrett spoke with The Wrestling Inc. Daily about the possibility of promoting again. During the interview, the WWE Hall Of Famer made it clear he is still open to that.

“I think there’s much more of an opportunity, an exponential more of an opportunity… So the ability to create good high-quality compelling content has never been more readily available. Then pair that with all the talent around the world that is working consistently, then yes, the opportunity is there for me and a lot of others.”

While nothing is confirmed at this time, it is clear that Conrad is at least thinking about the situation. There is currently a lot of talent available right now who are free agents following Ring Of Honor’s hiatus and the multiple WWE releases this year. At the moment, there are too many wrestlers to simply fit into the existing promotions out there.

Yesterday WWE released: Hit Row, John Morrison, Tegan Nox, Jaxson Ryker, and Drake Maverick.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jeff Jarrett Says WWE And ROH Releases Create Promoting Opportunity

Jeff Jarrett was guest yesterday on The Wrestling Inc. Daily where he spoke about the abundance of talent available today due to the recent WWE and ROH releases. The WWE Hall Of Famer revealed he’s never seen as much quality wrestlers available on the market as there is now.

“The short answer is, never seen it. I really think that from the territory days and then we’ll call it the Attitude Era, which everybody remembers. It was sort of the culmination of the territory days because guys from all over, they would learn their craft and it just sort of bottlenecked,” Jarrett claimed. “Then there were two companies, then went to one company. Then TNA started in ‘02, that couldn’t really give guys 20 days a month full-time work.

“There’s a period in our industry when you look back at it from a reflective… yeah there was independent wrestling, but it was really in its infancy stages. It used to be called outlaw wrestling in the territory days, then when it went to independents,” Jeff Jarrett said. “Guys who were in High School who had watched the Attitude Era and wanted to become a wrestler. Then as you fast forward through the years and then all of a sudden you just see the progression of the fantastic talent and we got to reap those benefits at TNA and now you fast forward into AEW.”

Jeff Jarrett believes right now, there is more chance of growing a new promotion than back in 2002 when he began. He revealed that the backlash of the Attitude Era has something to do with that.

“I think there’s much more of an opportunity, an exponential more of an opportunity. The reason I say that is, 2002, there was a bad taste. That is something that me and Conrad have gone in-depth on My World about it,” Jarrett said. “Unless you really lived it and breathed it, like me and my team did at the time, you didn’t understand the backlash that the Attitude Era caused with the decision-makers.”

Jeff Jarrett also believes that the rise in social media has made it far more accessible for pro wrestlers and promotions to create high-end content.

“Then no social media. YouTube early infancy stages, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook that really was not even thought of,” he said. “YouTube is the largest network in the world, it’s all over the world so the opportunities to create content. That’s at the core business of what the industry is, create that content, and then get it exposed. You know we are on Streamyard right now, you can click a button and go to Twitter, you can go to Facebook, you can go to YouTube, literally by the click of the button.

“We were joking around, but I am complimenting you. The product you’re putting out right now, all kidding around, it’s professional. You could slice this and go put it on Fox News or CNN or whatever it may be. So the ability to create good high-quality compelling content has never been more readily available. Then pair that with all the talent around the world that is working consistently, then yes, the opportunity is there for me and a lot of others.”

Hausman pressed Jeff Jarrett on that last statement, asking if promoting is still on his mind. He admitted that the old-school mentality within him is why he still thinks that way.

“Sure it is. I am a third-generation promoter, of course, I am,” he confessed. “But look, launching a promotion like we did in 2002 vs. the challenges but also the opportunities today, it’s really not in the same stratosphere. Like I said, MLW, NWA, and Impact, the promotions out there, there are so many of them out there. When we got in the game in 2002, we were a distant two, and I stress that, but we were a two. Now, how many is there right now that me and you could go on, right now on YouTube and watch current, content produced in the last 30 days?”

Source: from Wrestling Inc. – credit Wrestling Inc. Daily 

NWA Star Taryn Terrell Joins Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against South Florida Biltmore

NWA star Taryn Terrell has joined a lawsuit against the Miami Biltmore, alleging that she was sexually abused while staying at the hotel by Biltmore massage therapist Oscar Ojeda. Terrell indicated she joined the lawsuit due to allegations against Ojeda, who has been accused by three other women, as it continues to grow.

“I think the fact that this continued to happen is just gut-wrenching,” Terrell said in an interview with NBC Miami. “I may be a wrestler, I may be a stunt woman, I may be all of those things. But at the end of the day, I am a human and I deserve the same respect and decency that every other human deserves, and when someone invades your intimate private space, it’s not OK.”

Terrell and her husband had stayed at the Biltmore in August of 2020 for a weekend getaway. Terrell went to receive a massage from Ojeda, when she says the assault took place.

“I froze in fear,” Terrell recalled. “I wish I was one of those people who said I stood up and I said ‘this is not OK’ but I was terrified. In the moment that everything happened I was so mad at myself that I couldn’t even say to him to stop doing what he was doing.”

The Biltmore has previously claimed they were unaware of the allegations against Ojeda and fired him upon learning of the allegations. Terrell and the other women in the lawsuit claim they brought their accusations to the Biltmore, and nothing was done. Instead, she was offered a free massage.

“I used my voice afterwards because I didn’t want it to happen to anybody else,” Terrell stated. “And it did and it happened and I feel so sick to my stomach. They didn’t make me feel like going to the police was a thing.”

Terrell and the other complainants are represented by Adriana Alcalde and Eric Baum. Ojeda, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is due back in court in December.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Sabu Retiring From In-Ring Competition?

ECW Original Sabu says he has likely wrestled his last match.

The former ECW Champion recently spoke with the Wrestling Shoot Interviews YouTube channel and said he’s not doing very good these days. Sabu noted how he wrestled a few weeks back, but probably should’ve passed on that booking.

“I’m not doing real good,” he said. “I hurt my back about a year ago and it’s still been hurting. I wrestled a couple of weeks ago but I shouldn’t have. I’ve only wrestled like twice in the last year [and] I only went to the gym a couple of times the last year ’cause I hurt my back. I’m probably not gonna wrestle no more… I’m probably just gonna do autograph signings and personal appearance-type stuff.”

When asked if there is any wrestler who would inspire him to get back into the ring for one more match, Sabu named Brock Lesnar.

“I’d definitely get back in the ring for Brock Lesnar, I’d love to wrestle him,” Sabu said. “Especially if it was my final match, I’d love to wrestle him… He’s the best, he’s a shooter, he;s a good worker, he’s my kind of opponent. I like big guys, I like wrestling big guys. I don’t like wrestling guys like me because it’s not that interesting. It’s more interesting wrestling a guy like me against a guy like Brock Lesnar.”

Sabu has dealt with multiple health issues in the past few years and has wrestled a brutal style since debuting back in 1984. It will be interesting to see if he really is done with in-ring action, or if he will follow in the footsteps of WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk, who has retired several times over the years.

Sabu has had runs with ECW, WWE, FMW, WCW, NJPW, AJPW, Big Japan, TNA/Impact Wrestling, XPW, and numerous indie promotions, among others. He is a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time ECW World Television Champion, a three-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, and has held titles with many other promotions.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Matt Tremont Remains Hospitalized After Atsushi Onita Deathmatch, Video And Photos From The Match

Indie veteran Matt Tremont remains hospitalized after suffering burns in the Current Blast Double Hell Deathmatch against the legendary Atsushi Onita this past weekend.

Sunday’s Destiny event from H20 Wrestling at Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, NJ was headlined by Onita defeating Tremont in a match that included fire, light bulb tubes, barbed wire, and more. The finish to the match saw Onita set fire to a barbed wire board, and then hip toss Tremont into the flames. Tremont’s gear was then covered in fire, but they put them out and Onita covered for the pin. Crew members immediately hit the ring with fire extinguishers after the pin.

Tremont is expected to remain hospitalized for up to one week due to burns suffered in the bout, according to PWInsider. It was noted that Tremont was admitted to a burn ward at a New Jersey hospital right after the event, and has been hospitalized since then.

Tremont was said to have been in increasing amounts of pain once the adrenaline from the match wore off, which led to him being taken to the hospital.

Sunday’s Destiny main event was co-promoted by H20 and Onita’s FMW-E match. After the bout was over, Onita embraced a bloody, cut and burned Tremont in the middle of the ring to an ovation from the crowd. Onita then took the mic and declared his love for deathmatches, and promised there will be even more explosions and violence next time.

Onita tweeted after the show and wrote, “Thank you to everyone who came to the venue and to see it at home. I’m proud of Tremont. Despite the spectacular explosion, he stood in the ring. Thank you to all fans for their warm welcome.”

Tremont is scheduled to challenge Rickey Shane Page for the H20 Heavyweight Title later this month at the Last November event on November 27 in Williamstown, NJ.

You can see Onita’s full tweet below, along with clips and photos from the Current Blast Double Hell Deathmatch:

https://twitter.com/onitafire123/status/1455520245741916167
https://twitter.com/eriksutch/status/1455062045452345347
https://twitter.com/IsThisWrestling/status/1455009024538198024
https://twitter.com/bigwillieisms/status/1455012758819426310
https://twitter.com/zacharynever/status/1455039679544315915
https://twitter.com/ExistedMP/status/1455017891926093826
https://twitter.com/bigwillieisms/status/1455009062760992771
https://twitter.com/Elitemania28/status/1455159024131792906
https://twitter.com/AlexGimenezBCN/status/1455073065931526148
https://twitter.com/Cardio_King/status/1455011795068989442
https://twitter.com/WeNeedWrestling/status/1455009927802597378

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bray Wyatt (Windham) Posts Tease About Character Change Upon Possible Wrestling Return

Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) is hinting he might be working on something big with the makeup and effects artist he worked with while in WWE.

Bray Wyatt seems to want fans to know he’s returning to the wrestling soon. Between a tweet he posted reminding everyone he’s got two days before his non-compete expires and a few other posts that tease something big is coming, even his friends are getting in on the action and tweeting about what might be next for the former WWE Superstar.

Among those offering hints for fans is Jason Baker. Baker is a special makeup effects artist for film, tv, and commercials and he’s well known by wrestling fans for helping Wyatt come up with the concept for the Fiend mask. Baker tweeted a photo of himself and Wyatt together recently and the hint seems to be that the two are teaming up again. What they’re working on and what they’re talking about is up for debate and it seems to be Baker wants fans to speculate.

https://twitter.com/bakingjason/status/1453620006403469313

Writing, “Just another day at the office with @WWEBrayWyatt” Baker and Wyatt could be working on another design. Perhaps it’s a brand new concept. Perhaps it’s a reimaging of a character fans know quite well. Perhaps it’s for WWE, AEW, IMPACT Wrestling or another industry entirely. None of that is known at this time. All that is known is that Baker helped to design and paint Wyatt’s most recent Fiend mask, one also supervised by legendary artist Tom Savini. Baker also worked with The Fiend at WrestleMania 37.

Wyatt has changed his Twitter profile and handle — one day before the expiration of his 90-day non-compete clause.

Wyatt’s new Twitter handle is now @Windham6. Previously, it was @WWEBrayWyatt.

It has been reported that the 34-year-old will use the ring name “Windham” going forward. The new Twitter handle is a strong hint that this will indeed be his post-WWE ring name. Wyatt will be eligible to sign with a new promotion when his 90-day non compete clause runs up today.

Logically, the assumption here would be that Wyatt is not teasing something with WWE since his posts picked up in quantity as his non-compete was coming to an end. It doesn’t make much sense to promote a return to WWE if you’re free and clear from the company. He also changed his Twitter handle and removed the WWE tag from his account.

As for whether or not that means AEW is in mix, AEW President Tony Khan did say he has not talked with Wyatt about coming on board.

Source: TheSportster

Ring Of Honor Reportedly Releases Entire Roster, Makes Major Announcement Regarding Future

Ring Of Honor has made a huge announcement regarding its operations … and if recent reports are accurate, it’s also laid off its entire roster.

Mere moments after Ring Of Honor made a huge announcement regarding its future, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the company had released its entire roster.

On October 27, ROH took to social media to release a statement in which it revealed that it would be undergoing a revamp and was aiming to relaunch in 2022.

Read Ring Of Honor’s announcement here:

“Throughout the pandemic, our top priority was to keep everyone healthy and safe, and despite not producing any live events over 18 months, we were able to keep everyone fully contracted. We now find ourselves at a time where we need to make changes to our business operations and are planning a pivot for Ring of Honor, with a new mission and strategy.

The year will culminate with a Final Battle in December, and we will be taking the first quarter of 2022 to work internally to reimagine ROH. ROH has the most dedicated fans in the industry, and we appreciate their loyalty and patience as we reconceptualize ROH.

We anticipate returning to live events in April for the Super Card of Honor with a new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience for wrestling fans.”

https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1453442439696601090

Shortly after the statement was released, Meltzer tweeted that the company had released “everyone.”

https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1453448050467213321

According to Meltzer’s colleague Bryan Alvarez, Ring Of Honor will not renew any contracts, but the releases will not take effect until the end of the year. Talent is also able to begin accepting bookings elsewhere immediately.

https://twitter.com/bryanalvarez/status/1453451710056177671

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ring Of Honor ceased operations and canceled all of its upcoming shows, though it continued to pay its talent. The company resumed operations in August of 2020 but has struggled to regain momentum.

Ring of Honor was founded by Rob Feinstein in 2002 but was owned by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011. In 2011, the company was purchased by Sinclair Broadcast Group. From its inception, ROH was home to some of the most exciting independent talents in the United States. Huge stars like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins cut their teeth in the promotion.

Source: TheSportster