Former WWE Champion (Bray Wyatt) Windham Rotunda has arrived in Dallas, TX, for WrestleMania weekend.
On Thursday night, Windham noted on Instagram that he hates ruining surprises. He also encouraged fans to ask up to six questions that he will answer.
I just got to Dallas. This place feels so alive, it makes me feel alive. This week in particular has always been a huge part of me. God damn I missed this energy. I missed all of you too. I’m sure some of you have questions for me. I got answers. Here it is. I’ll reply to 6 questions in the next hour. Keep in mind I hate ruining surprises.
Windham will be the headline attraction at WrestleCon’s “U.S. vs. The World” event scheduled for Saturday. With tons of others shows happening in the Dallas area, it’s possible that Wyatt makes a few surprise appearances.
Fans on social media are also hyping up Wyatt as Seth Rollins’ possible mystery opponent on WrestleMania Saturday. Furthermore, some fans believe Wyatt could be unveiled as Tully Blanchard’s new client in AEW. As noted earlier, AEW President Tony Khan revealed via Twitter that Blanchard will be introducing a new client during ROH’s Supercard of Honor XV show Saturday night.
Since his WWE release last July, Windham has been busy working on a horror film project along with special effects artist Jason Baker. Recently, Baker appeared on The Wrestling Inc. Dailyto provide an update on the project. You can see Windham’s IG post below.
Brandi Rhodes is reportedly looking to take “Shot of Brandi” to TV.
Rhodes has hosted her cooking show on YouTube for the past four years, starting out on her own channel and then moving to the official AEW channel. Now that she and husband Cody Rhodes have left AEW, Deadline reports that Brandi has partnered with Scream and Teen Wolf producer DIGA Studios in hopes of taking “Shot of Brandi” to TV.
Rhodes and DIGA are looking to turn the show, where Rhodes cooks and chats with celebrities and wrestlers, into a thirty-minute TV series. DIGA is currently shopping the project to broadcasters and streamers.
“I started shooting this show in my kitchen four years ago with two iPhone cameras and a cocktail,” Brandi said in a press release. “I am excited to see the show evolve and thankful for the fans who have followed along. I assure you, now that I’m working with DIGA the best is yet to come.”
“Brandi is an incredibly dynamic talent who just pops off the screen, and this genre busting concept she created is the perfect showcase for her electric personality,” added Tony DiSanto, CEO of Allyance Media Group & DIGA Studios. “We are beyond excited to dive into this project with her and share some great food, drink, fun and a hell of a lot of laughs with viewers everywhere.”
Rhodes is represented by the Hyperion talent agency.
There’s been no word on Brandi’s pro wrestling future, but she indicated in past interviews that she wants to continue performing in the ring. While Cody is expected to return to WWE in early April, it’s believed that Brandi will not be returning to the company with him.
The Road to Stand & Deliver will continue during tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network.
Tonight’s show will be headlined by a special edition of MizTV with The Miz and his guests, new NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. WWE is also teasing appearances by Tommaso Ciampa and former champion Bron Breakker.
Even though one industry requires its competitors to legitimately hurt each other, and the other makes its money from staged fights and storylines, there’s a lot of crossover between MMA and pro wrestling. Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and Marina Shafir are just a few of the people to have found success in both worlds. There tends to be a lot of buzz around anyone notable who leaves one sport for the other, and the latest star to generate that buzz is Paige VanZant.
The former UFC star has been showing up in AEW for months at this point, aligning herself with American Top Team. However, she isn’t actually signed to the company, at least she wasn’t until last night. Dan Lambert struck a deal with Tony Khan, promising VanZant would sign with AEW if he gave Scorpio Sky a TNT Title match on this week’s Dynamite.
That deal paid off in a major way for Lambert as Sky got his shot and made it count. The former SCU member beat Sammy Guevara and the TNT Title is now under American Top Team’s banner. Sky had a pretty big helping hand from VanZant, though. The new signing, who wasn’t technically under contract at this particular moment in time, jumped the barricade and threw Tay Conti into the steel steps.
Conti is Guevara’s other half and had accompanied the now-former TNT Champion to the ring for the match. Watching VanZant attack Conti at ringside was enough to distract Guevara for so long that Sky pounced on his opponent and covered him for the win. Right after, VanZant took the opportunity to sign her deal then and there, adding insult to injury by putting pen to paper on Conti’s back.
All signs point to Conti being VanZant’s first opponent as an AEW star. Perhaps a mixed tag match involving those two, Sky, and Guevara is also in the offing. What remains unclear is what this means for VanZant’s MMA career. While she could, of course, continue to compete in both worlds, VanZant is currently 0-2 since signing with BKFC so may want to focus on wrestling moving forward.
Jeff Hardy officially became a free agent today as his non-compete clause with WWE has expired.
There have been rumors and speculation regarding Jeff joining his brother Matt Hardy in AEW, with his first TV appearance for AEW possibly coming as early as tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Jeff is reportedly scheduled to be at the Hertz Arena in Fort Myers, FL tonight, the site of Dynamite, but it was still being determined if he would actually appear on the show.
“Nothing’s official yet,” Jeff Hardy told the La Crosse Tribune last week. “I’m still legally under a contract with WWE until next Wednesday.”
“Strange thing about that is you know what happens on Wednesday,” He added.
Jeff and his brother Matt Hardy are set to reunite for another run as a tag team that begins Saturday at a Big Time Wrestling event in Webster, MA. The Hardy Boys will face the winners of a tag team match between The SAT and The Briscoes earlier in the night.
WWE released Jeff Hardy in December after he turned down an offer from the company to go to rehab. This came after an incident at the December 4 WWE live event in Edinburg, TX, where Hardy tagged out of a six-man tag team main event and disappeared through the crowd with security following him. He was pulled from the road after that incident and then released. Test results later confirmed that Hardy was not intoxicated or under the influence of drugs during the incident at the live event.
Matt Hardy was on the losing end of a six-man Tornado Tag Team Match at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view on Sunday, taking the pin from Darby Allin.
WWE has reportedly been pushing to sign former AEW wrestler and EVP Cody Rhodes. Here is the latest.
The wrestling world continues to await the announcement of Cody Rhodes’ next professional wrestling chapter, but nothing appears to be imminent.
Last month, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW after failing to reach agreements on new deals. Cody was an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi worked as the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Both were instrumental in building up AEW as a major promotion, so their departures were massively unexpected
Many assumed that Cody would quickly strike a deal with WWE and return to the place where his pro wrestling career started. But fast forward three weeks after his AEW departure, and The American Nightmare remains a free agent.
In an update on the F4WOnline.com message board (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer wrote that contract talks between Cody and AEW “hit a snag.” Meltzer reported that the 36-year-old wrestler “has multiple offers”, and that WWE would like him to make his decision “soon.”
Meltzer added that the “ball is in” Cody’s court. It should be noted that Cody isn’t under a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion whenever. WWE has done their part in trying to bring Rhodes aboard, and now the second-generation wrestler has to decide if he wants to sign on for a second tenure with the company.
It was previously reported that Cody was on WWE’s WrestleMania 38 internal documents, but that apparently is no longer the case. If WWE wants Cody to return before or at WrestleMania weekend on Apr. 2-3, the clock is ticking on that front.
WWE has had three weeks now to reach a deal with Cody Rhodes. Vince McMahon certainly isn’t one to go back-and-forth over a lengthy period with a specific wrestler when it comes to contract talks. WWE has made it clear how much they’d like Cody to come aboard. It’s now a simple waiting game as they await his decision.
Owens ended this week’s RAW by stating how he plans to host the biggest, most stupendous edition of The KO Show at WrestleMania 38, but because of where the event is being held this year, he knows his guest would have to be “some lowlife from Texas.”
Owens would then take shots at Texan pro wrestling legends such as WWE Hall of Famers JBL, Booker T, and Shawn Michaels, before calling out Austin. He stressed that nothing would make him happier than to beat the hell out of a specific person in his home state, give him a Stunner the world would talk about for years, and then pour a glass of milk over his lifeless body. Owens added that he doesn’t think this person has the guts to show up, before finally naming the man – Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Stone Cold Steve Austin has accepted Kevin Owens invitation to appear on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38.
Austin says:
“Nineteen years ago I wrestled my last match in a WWE ring,” Austin said. “After three Rock Bottoms, 1-2-3, I lost the match and for nineteen years I’ve had to live with that defeat, knowing my time was up. Kevin Owens, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for waking something up deep inside me that I’ve kept buried for nineteen years. Ever since you started running that damn mealy-mouth of yours, talking about the state of Texas, the great state of Texas, you got my attention, and why would you want to do that, Kevin? I can think of two reasons. One, you are one dumb son of a b—h, and two, you are fixing to get your ass kicked by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. But if you want to call this The KO Show, a match, a fight, a brawl, whatever, I will guarantee you this – in Dallas, Texas, where I started my career, at WrestleMania, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is going to open up one last can of whoop-ass on you, Kevin Owens, and that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.”
The Texas Rattlesnake’s promo ended with glass breaking.
COUNTDOWN TO SACRIFICE Lady Frost defeated Gisele Shaw
COUNTDOWN TO SACRIFICE Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Matt Taven & Mike Bennett
IMPACT X DIVISION TITLE MATCH Trey Miguel (c) defeated Jake Something
Eddie Edwards defeated Rhino
IMPACT KNOCKOUTS WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES MATCH The Influence defeated The IInspiration (c) to become new IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Champions
JONAH defeated PCO
Jay White defeated Alex Shelley
CHAMP CHAMP CHALLENGE (ROH Women’s World Championship) TBD vs. ROH Women’s World Champion/AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Deonna Purrazzo – No contest due to referee stoppage
IMPACT KNOCKOUTS WORLD TITLE MATCH Tasha Steelz defeated Mickie James (c) to become New IMPACT Knockouts World Champion
IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH Violent By Design (Eric Young & Joe Doering) defeated Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) to become NEW IMPACT Tag Team Champions
IMPACT WORLD TITLE MATCH Moose (c) defeated Heath
After the match, Josh Alexander entered the ring and took out Moose with a huge Piledriver. He then grabs a microphone and said the last time he was in this ring he was sent home by Scott D’Amore. Josh says he won’t agree that his emotions were the problem. Josh says Scott was right to send him home. He got to spend time with his family and recharge but sending him home put him a mile from Anthem’s offices. Josh Alexander reveals he’s signed a new multi-year contract with IMPACT Wrestling. Josh also has a contract for the main event of Rebellion which states it will be Moose vs. Josh Alexander for the IMPACT World Championship.
MMA and pro wrestling star Cain Velasquez is still in jail and has been charged with attempted murder.
There was a shooting near San Jose, CA on Monday, and San Jose police said Velasquez was involved. The shooting happened around 3:14pm local time, in Morgan Hill, near Monterey Highway and Bailey Avenue. Police would not confirm Cain’s role in the incident, but one man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and another man was arrested. Court records revealed that Cain was in the Santa Clara County jail, with no bond, but no other details were available at that time.
In an update, TMZ Sports reports that Velasquez has been arrested and booked on an attempted murder charge. Police confirmed that he was the suspect in the alleged shooting incident on Monday in San Jose.
“The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time,” police added.
You can see Cain’s mugshot photo below.
Details on the incident have not been released, but the 39 year old Velasquez was involved in the shooting that happened near a high school on Monday.
Jail records show that Velasquez is still being held with no bond, at the main Santa Clara County jail facility on West Hedding Street in San Jose. He has a court date scheduled for Wednesday at 12 noon.
Velasquez fought MMA from 2006 until his retirement in October 2019. He is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, and retired with a record of 14-3. A longtime pro wrestling fan, Velasquez made his in-ring debut at AAA’s TripleMania XXVII in August 2019, teaming with Cody Rhodes and Psycho Clown for a win over Killer Kross, Black Taurus and Texano Jr. He later worked AAA/Impact’s Lucha Invades NY show at Madison Square Garden that September, teaming with Brian Cage and Psycho to defeat Taurus, Texano Jr. and Rey Escorpion. Cain first worked out at the WWE Performance Center in July 2018, but he signed a deal with WWE in October 2019 and began feuding with current WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. Cain made his WWE in-ring debut at Crown Jewel 2019 in Saudi Arabia, losing to Lesnar. He then worked a WWE live event in Mexico City on November 30, teaming with Humberto for a win over current Impact World Tag Team Champion The Good Brothers. Cain was set to work the 2020 Royal Rumble but plans were nixed due to an injury, and WWE then released him from his contract on April 28, 2020 along with other budget cuts. Cain returned to AAA this past December at TripleMania Regia II, teaming with Psycho and Pagano for a six-man win over Taurus, Escorpion and LA Park.
EC3 and Adam Scherr (fka WWE’s Braun Strowman) have announced that their Control Your Narrative brand is launching as a new pro wrestling company.
Wrestling Inc. noted a few weeks back how Scherr and EC3 announced their “Control Your Narrative: Live” shows for Orlando and Dallas in March. Killer Kross is also working with the brand, and more names were to be announced in the coming weeks.
In an update, an additional announcement was issued today for the launch of the new pro wrestling company. It was also said that an announcement on a “CYN: Live” TV deal is imminent.
EC3’s original partner, Jedediah Koszewski, noted in today’s announcement that CYN has a new partner, and network distribution.
“The Whisper Campaign has begun. Yes, CYN has a new partner. Yes, CYN has network distribution. Yes, we are very excited to take CYN to the next level,” Koszewski said.
It was noted in today’s press release that the March 31 live event in Dallas is now a TV taping. The Dallas show is also where Kross will make his CYN debut.
Scherr noted that everything will be revealed at the Dallas event.
“No, we will not tell you anything further. You will learn everything you want to know at CYN: Dallas on 3/31,” Scherr said.
EC3 added, “In Control Your Narrative I speak about finding your purpose. This idea and this company will be bigger than any one person. I can’t promise anything other than my undying effort to create a platform for the right wrestlers to do what they love and provide the freedom they crave. For fans to have an intimate, unforgettable LIVE experience along with an artistic, action packed, emotional TV presentation. Control Your Narrative is my purpose.”
The names working with CYN mentioned in today’s press release include Impact World Champion Moose, Impact Digital Media Champion Matt Cardona, Jon Skyler, Matt Sydal, Marina Shafir, Westin Blake, and Matt Taven.
There’s no word yet on which network is set to carry the CYN product.
You can see CYN’s full announcement below, along with EC3’s related Instagram post:
“Now that I have your attention, here’s the truth.” – ec3
The “Control Your Narrative” concept has manifested itself from an idea, to a movement, to a live touring/televised wrestling company.
“We, collectively as wrestlers, can no longer wait. We can not wait on companies that answer only to share holders. Companies where billionaires collect talent as “toys.” Companies that fire their entire roster for the mistakes their office made. Companies that are complacent in presentation.
Companies where talent sit in the back, and say “nothing matters.”
To create true change, you have to be bold. You have to bet on yourself. With CYN, talent bet on themselves.” -ec3
What has started as a self produced, independently crafted concept focused on character development/wrestling through a “cinematic lens,” Control Your Narrative and their “Free The Narrative” series was created by ec3 and his partner Jedediah Koszewski in April of 2020.
“The world was changing and everyone felt fear and anxiety. When you only have questions, and there are no answers, the best therapy is to create.” – Koszewski
“The talent that has reached out, wanting to create with us, wanting to control their narrative has been humbling. It’s an honor to be able to help tell their story.”
One of these talent is the former Universal Champion “Braun Strowman,” now known by his birth name Adam Scherr.
“I was so impressed with what Control Your Narrative was creating, that I told ec3 and JC how much it inspired me. How much I would like to create with them one day.
The next day I was released from my contract. Things happen for a reason. Preproduction of “Free The Narrative II: The Monster in us All” began immediately.
This is what’s next.” – Scherr
All talent featured in CYN have asked to be a part of the project. These competitors range from known to unknown and include names like Matt Cardona, Moose, Jon Skyler, Matt Sydal, Marina Shafir, Westin Blake, Matt Taven and more.
Opportunity awaits for up and comers through CYN’s “Project Initiation” (seminars hosted prior to CYN Live Events.)
On 3/31 CYN: Dallas, the much anticipated debut of Killer Kross takes place.
“If you want to Control Your Narrative, all you have to do is knock.” – ec3
At CYN there is no corporate hierarchy. There are no deep-pocketed investors wanting to use the sport simply to profit. There are no contracts, or political agendas. There is only passion to create with the platform for a talent to “become who they are supposed to be.”
The one thing missing for CYN to “become who they are supposed to be” was a proper platform and network distribution. That has been achieved.
“The Whisper Campaign has begun. Yes, CYN has a new partner. Yes, CYN has network distribution. Yes, we are very excited to take CYN to the next level.” – Koszewski
“No, we will not tell you anything further. You will learn everything you want to know at CYN: Dallas on 3/31” – Scherr
“In Control Your Narrative I speak about finding your purpose. This idea and this company will be bigger than any one person. I can’t promise anything other than my undying effort to create a platform for the right wrestlers to do what they love and provide the freedom they crave. For fans to have an intimate, unforgettable LIVE experience along with an artistic, action packed, emotional TV presentation.
Control Your Narrative is my purpose.” – ec3
For more information http://www.controlyournarrative.co Instagram- @controlyournarrative For tickets 3/05/22 CYN: Orlando Control Your Narrative | Tin Roof – Orlando | Outhouse Tickets For tickets 3/31/22 CYN: Dallas Control Your Narrative | Southside Music Hall at Gilley’s | Outhouse Tickets For more from Jedediah Koszewski @freethenarrator For more from ec3 @therealec3 For more from Adam Scherr @adamscherr99 For business inquiries office@controlyournarrative.co
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