Category: Wrestling News

MLW Announces Partnership With Dragon Gate

Announced at Saturday night’s MLW Fightland TV tapings, MLW and Dragon Gate have formed a partnership. Major League Wrestling’s Court Bauer said the working relationship between MLW and Dragon Gate is “coming soon.”

“The gate to the Americas has been opened. @MLW x @dragongate_pro,” Bauer wrote on Twitter.

Post Wrestling reported the two companies had been in talks and signed the deal over the past week. MLW wants to bring Dragon Gate talent to the States, once they go through the process of securing their visas. This process can take time, so no word yet on when talent will begin making appearances.

MLW signed with ICM Partners, who will sell TV and streaming rights for MLW. MLW Studios will also launch, which will create original scripted and non-scripted programming for the promotion.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1223837793199194113

MLW has put out a video (seen below) about the two companies working together, along with a press release:

KOBE, JAPAN / NEW YORK — Major League Wrestling and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling of Japan today announced the formation of a strategic alliance.

MLW and Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling will fuse forces to launch a new collaboration focused on a talent exchange and opportunities to share content and participate in other projects.

“The collaboration between MLW and Dragon Gate is a very special opportunity to produce unique events, showcase spectacular talent and create a new canvas for Japanese and American cooperation,” said Court Bauer, CEO and founder of MLW. “We are ecstatic about this partnership.”

Dragon Gate is a world-renowned wrestling organization based out of Kobe, Japan that has revolutionized wrestling.

Transcending traditional Japanese wrestling with its distinct mixture of strong style wrestling and Mexican lucha libre, Dragon Gate is a spectacular packaging unlike any other Japanese organization.

With popular wrestlers such as Ben-K, YAMATO, Shun Skywalker and Narauki Doi among others, Dragon Gate delights fans around the world with their thrilling high-flying acrobatics and inventive moves.

A vibrant trendsetting organization, Dragon Gate emerged in 2004 and reimagined Japanese wrestling in its own vision. Today, Dragon Gate is one of Japan’s most prominent organizations with a global reach, including introducing their SVOD service.

More details on first chapter of the MLW x Dragon Gate collaboration will be revealed soon.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1224371694170669056

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Scott Steiner Announced For Special Impact Wrestling TNA Event At WrestleCon

Scott Steiner has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s upcoming TNA-themed special event during WrestleCon.

There’s no word yet on who Steiner will be wrestling that night, but we will keep you updated.

Impact will be bringing back the TNA name for one night only during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 Week as WrestleCon hosts the special Impact event on Friday, April 3 from The Ritz in Ybor City, Florida.

The current line-up of wrestlers for the special “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” event includes Steiner, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sabin, plus Aces and 8s, which will be represented by D’Lo Brown and Ken Anderson.

Tickets for the “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” event are on sale now via WrestleCon.com. Tickets range from $60 – $150. The event will also stream live on FITE.TV.

Steiner originally worked for TNA from 2006-2010. He then returned for a brief run in 2011-2012, and has made other appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Steiner is a two-time former TNA/Impact Tag Team Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Booker T Returning To The Ring Soon With His Former WCW Gimmick – G.I. Bro

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is returning to the ring soon, but not for WWE.

Booker will be bringing back his G.I. Bro gimmick for the upcoming Reality of Wrestling “Battle Lines Drawn” event on Saturday, February 8 from Booker’s World Gym Arena in Texas City, Texas. ROW is the indie promotion that Booker owns.

ROW has announced that Booker will be the Team Captain for the ROW team, leading Bryan Keith, Zack Mason and Warren Johnson into battle against Ryan Davidson and The Renegades in an eight-man tag team match.

The promotional material for the event includes the following quote from Booker’s G.I. Bro character: “The Battle Lines have been drawn and it’s time to go to war.”

Booker took to Twitter to comment on the ring return.

He wrote, “Excited to announce that I’ll be stepping back in the ring at @TheOfficialROW in 2 weeks! Now can you dig that SUCKA!?”

This is Booker’s first match since ROW’s “Last Stand” event in January 2019 when he faced Rex Andrews. Booker previously announced that he was training for a possible WWE ring return at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view in his hometown of Houston, TX. Booker did not work the Rumble Match, but he did serve as guest commentator. There are still rumors of The Revival facing WWE Hall of Famers Harlem Heat, Booker and brother Stevie Ray, but there’s no word on if WWE will make that match happen. The G.I. Bro character is the gimmick Booker used before joining WCW in 1993, and then again later in his WCW run.

Tickets for ROW’s “Battle Lines Drawn” event run at $20 and $21.50. The ringside seats are sold out. You can click here for details on tickets and the show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

New Feature Movie On The Von Erich Family Being Developed

Filmmaker Sean Durkin is currently working on a feature film about WWE Hall of Famers The Von Erich Family, according to Deadline.

Durkin is working with producers Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell, under their House Productions banner, on the movie about the legendary family of pro wrestlers. BBC Films boss Rose Garnett is co-financing development of the project, along with House.

“I’m very excited about this one,” Durkin told Deadline about the Von Erichs movie. “It’s another family portrait, about a wrestling family who revolutionized the sport and then suffered tragedy.”

“Sean is an extraordinary filmmaker and we’re excited to be working with him,” added Tessa Ross.

It looks like the movie will look at the legendary Von Erichs that have passed, their last surviving brother, Kevin Von Erich, and his sons who currently wrestle for Major League Wrestling – MLW Tag Team Champions Ross & Marshall Von Erich.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Wins Title In “Career Vs. Title” Match At Arkansas Indie Event

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is a champion once again at the age of 70.

The Championship Wrestling of Arkansas indie promotion sent word that the WWE RAW announcer defeated Matt Riviera in a “Title vs. Career” match this past weekend at their No Surrender event to become the new CWA Arkansas Heavyweight Champion.

You can see video from the match below. The bout was the main event of last Saturday’s show at the Maumelle Event Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The CWA No Surrender event will be available for streaming soon on CWAWrestlingNetwork.com. Legendary Memphis Wrestling announcer Dave Brown, who recently appeared on AEW TV, helped do commentary for the event.

Lawler tweeted on the match and wrote, “My career is save for another match! New Arkansas Heavyweight Champion!”

You can see Lawler’s full tweet below, along with a few photos from the event:

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1219766701992050693

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/status/1219772790276009985

https://twitter.com/ralowes/status/1219012098413539333

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Blue Demon Jr.’s TV Show Gets Pilot Order At Disney Channel

Disney Channel has given a cast-contingent pilot order to Blue Demon Jr.’s TV show, “Ultra Violet & Blue Demon,” according to Deadline. Casting is currently underway in Los Angeles and Mexico.

“Ultra Violet & Blue Demon” is about a 13-year-old girl who finds out that her famed luchador uncle (Blue Demon Jr.) is actually a superhero and is picked to be his successor.

Blue Demon Jr. is also the executive producer of the show along with “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.

Blue Demon Jr. was the first Mexican wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He’s also a former AAA Latin American Champion and Mexican National Cruiserweight Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Beyond Wrestling Filming A Network Pilot

Beyond Wrestling announced on IWTV.com that they have been given the approval to shoot a network pilot for March 2020. Launched in 2009 and owned by Drew Cordeiro, Beyond Wrestling currently bills itself as “independent wrestling’s most-watched YouTube Channel” and is based out of Worcester, Massachusetts. In addition to airing weekly content on YouTube, they also have stream content with the IndependentWrestling.TV service. Last year, the company created the live weekly series Uncharted Territory, which has included thirty-one episodes across two seasons.

“Our popularity exploded in 2019,” stated Beyond Wrestling owner Drew Cordeiro. “When we first started taping matches in a garage in Elyria, Ohio in 2009 I would have never imagined how big Beyond Wrestling would become. Each day we grow our YouTube channel with millions of fans from around the world watching. IWTV.LIVE continues to be an incredible partner for premium live streaming content, but we must explore all options in the name of further distribution.”

The pilot will be filmed Sunday, March 1, 2020 inside the Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 24 at noon ET.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brian Cage Has Reportedly Not Signed With AEW, News On His Injury

It was reported that former Impact World Champion Brian Cage had signed with All Elite Wrestling. Cage reportedly became a free agent following his match against Rob Van Dam at this Sunday’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view.

Following that report, Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos denied the news, tweeting, “Really?? How can you confirm something that isn’t true???? I’m his wife and I can CONFIRM, he hasn’t signed on any dotted line.”

She later added, “And when he finally signs somewhere be it AEW, IMPACT ect….. we will let you know. People trying to get ahead of actual facts is not cool.”

According to PWInsider, Cage has not yet signed with any specific promotion, but his current Impact deal is up. Cage is also mulling offers from several promotions at this time.

Additionally, the angle with RVD squashing and injuring him in short order at the PPV was done to prevent Cage from further injuring himself. The report goes on to note that Cage may have a torn bicep.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tessa Blanchard Responds To Bullying Accusations, More Female Talent Speak Out

NWA World Women’s Champion Allysin Kay, Chelsea Green, and Priscilla Kelly took to Twitter, blasting Tessa Blanchard after the Impact start tweeted out, “Hey women, try supporting one another. Cool things happen.”

NXT Superstar Chelsea Green responded, “You’ve consistently put down, bullied, and belittled countless female coworkers, including me. Is that support?”

Blanchard has since responded to Green’s bully comment, writing, “I’ve never been anything but kind to u. I’ve dealt with mean girls since I started…not saying I’m a saint, hell I’ve had my ups & downs & I’ve made silly decisions…Such is life. u have ZERO merit in your comments…Instead putting me down here for a little clout…you’ve got my #!”

Kay brought up claims about Blanchard during a trip to Japan, “Remember when you spat in a black woman’s face and called her the N-word in Japan? Was that you ‘supporting women’? The AUDACITY of this tweet.” Green responded to Kay with a .gif that said, “I remember that.”

In regards to Kay’s story, Blanchard wrote, “Not true. That’s my statement and the most attention I’ll give it because of how actually ridiculous it is.”

Puerto Rican wrestler, Black Rose, has since responded, thanking Kay and Green, while also saying the story happened in 2017. Rose worked for Stardom in 2015 and 2017. Blanchard also worked for Stardom in 2016 and 2017.

“@Sienna & @ImChelseaGreen Thank you so much!…That story!…Yes, that’s happens on Japan 2017! If Tessa Blanchard do not Remember it…Can I! I am not a mean girl with any coworkers around the world. Be kind of #racist is not ridiculous is a #sickness.”

Additional wrestlers have chimed in over the last couple hours, including NXT UK’s Isa Dawn writing to Blanchard, “As someone who experienced your bullying firsthand, received regular verbal abuse, was spat on, had rumours spread about me, dealt with multiple attempts by you to blacklist me from other companies, (plus more), I just pray you now follow your own advice.”

Fellow Impact star, Moose, was in support of Blanchard, writing to both Kay and Green, “I guess you and @ImChelseaGreen are absolute angels with a clean past. The timing of these tweets from you guys shows a lot about your characters.”

Former Impact star Rebel (Tanea Brooks), AEW’s Shanna, and Renee Michelle had more to say about Blanchard’s trip to Japan.

“I like to think people change over time. But I can confirm the bad behavior & non supportive attitude in Japan, I was there,” Rebel wrote.

“She did more nasty stuff in Japan…Never forget. Practice what you preach sweetheart. I standby @LaAbusadoradePR, she’s a fun loving person who would never disrespect anyone. Much love to you Rosa,” Shanna commented.

“The day I got the call from my gf La Rosa Negra of the incident-she made me promise to keep my mouth shut because she was afraid of being blacked ball by her. As promised, I did. So I helped her get into Marvelous which is another Japanese promotion,” Michelle revealed.

Allysin Kay followed up on why she’s telling the story about Blanchard now, saying she was given permission to make it public.

“The reason I’ve never said anything until now is because it wasn’t my story to tell. I made it clear to La Rosa that I had her back, and today was the day she gave me permission. You can’t force someone to come forward, but you can be there for them. THAT is ‘supporting women.'”

 

Tessa Blanchard is the new Impact World Champion after defeating Sami Callihan via pinfall at last night’s Impact Hard to Kill PPV in Dallas, Texas.

The PPV ended relatively quickly as Blanchard celebrated with the title, but she spoke to the live crowd about her win.

“Over the past eight months this has been my life, Sami and oVe has been the thorn in my side, and tonight, we did it,” Blanchard said. “Nobody, nobody in this life is perfect. We’re all human. And it doesn’t matter what you say about me it doesn’t matter what you call me. I have one of the strongest minds that I’ve ever known. So, whenever you come for me, you come for all of these people. I am now the standard bearer of Impact Wrestling. And man or woman, pound for pound, I am one of the best in the world and I am now your World Champion!”

Blanchard looked to somewhat address the recent controversy about her that came to light on social media yesterday.

Impact didn’t have Blanchard talk at Saturday’s Media Day.

Tonight, a handful of other PPV winners weren’t available to speak to the media after their respective matches. Blanchard also didn’t have a presser after her big victory.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Marty Scurll Re-Signs With Ring Of Honor

Marty Scurll has signed a new deal with Ring of Honor, confirms PWInsider. Scurll’s contract expired at the end of November.

It’s unclear the length of the contract, but as noted, ROH offered Scurll “WWE main roster money” and only have to work 40 dates per year for the company.

It was confirmed that he will be taking on lead booking and creative duties too.

On Saturday, Marty Scurll, Brody King, and Flip Gordon lost the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship to Bandido, Flamita, and Rey Horus at ROH Saturday Night at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia.