CM Punk Crashes Indie Show Under A Mask

Ring of Honor star and Founder of MKE Wrestling Silas Young commented about the MKE Wrestling event The Last Knight in West Allis, Wisconsin on Friday night, where a masked individual did a run-in during the show.

Young wrote, “Last night we held @MKE_Wrestling at the Knights of Columbus building in West Allis the place was packed with 350 people. This place has had 25+ years of wrestling and is the place a lot of guys started. Guys like @ColtCabana as well as a Punk who showed up in a mask last night.”

It’s being speculated that the masked man was CM Punk himself, who hit a GTS on one of the wrestlers in the ring. Earlier in the day, Punk was also seen wearing the same hoodie, which you can see in the photo below.

Wrestling Inc. has confirmed that it was in fact CM Punk under a mask who appeared at MKE Wrestling’s “The Last Knight” event this past Friday night.

A masked man appeared at the end of the show to help Ace Steele defeat Daryck St Holmes. The masked man, sporting a hoodie that Punk had worn earlier in the day at a BJJ tournament, entered the ring while the referee was down and hit Daryck St Holmes with Punk’s GTS finisher. The masked man then darted out the door and was not seen again.

The last time CM Punk was in a wrestling ring was during the Royal Rumble match at the 2014 Royal Rumble.

Below is Young’s tweet and MKE Wrestling’s clip of the match.

https://twitter.com/lastrealmanROH/status/1119619372128059393

https://twitter.com/MKE_Wrestling/status/1119611860234457088

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwfjnM6FSBG/?utm_source=ig_embed

You can see the side by side comparisons of the masked man, and CM Punk, earlier in the day in the embedded tweet below:

https://twitter.com/JonAlba/status/1119802113880666112

Source: Wrestling Inc.

“The Roast Of Ric Flair” To Headline Starrcast II And Stream Online, Flair Comments

The upcoming Starrcast II convention will be headlined by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair getting roasted.

“The Roast of Ric Flair” will take place on Friday, May 24 at 9pm ET from the Pro Wrestling Tees Theater inside Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. It will stream live on StarrcastOnFite.com.

Comedian and longtime pro wrestling fan Ron Funches will host the roast. The roast is set to feature some of “the biggest names in pro wrestling and stand-up comedy, along with a few surprise guests.”

The roast was announced by Starrcast’s Conrad Thompson in a new interview with CBS Sports.

“Well, I wanted to turn the volume up, and we are here at Caesar’s Palace, and there is no bigger name in the history of wrestling than Ric Flair,” Thompson told CBS Sports. “So, the ‘The Roast of Ric Flair’ is happening.”

The Nature Boy told CBS that he is both prepared and excited for the type of no-holds barred comedy that he will be the victim of. Flair pointed out how familiar he is with Vegas.

“I’ve got a lot of history with Caesar’s Palace. Oh God, it was a regular stop in the 80s and 90s,” Flair said. “I’m lucky to be here and every day is a blessing. But one of those reasons is Las Vegas. I’ve had a couple of drinks in that town!”

There’s no word yet on pro wrestlers booked to roast Flair but the format will be very similar to popular Comedy Central roasts. Thompson said there will be “a who’s who of stand-up comedians” booked like Dan Soder, Taylor Williamson, Mike Lawrence and Dan St. Germain.

“There is going to be a handful of wrestling people there, but Ric sort of transcends pop culture, so we are going to have more mainstream roasters from outside the wrestling sector,” Thompson said. “The comedians are itching for the chance to carve up not just Ric but our dais as well. We are excited to have some fun, but some of these guys, they are not going for laughs. They are going for gasps.”

Thompson teased possible appearances by WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Ricky Steamboat. We know that names like The Undertaker and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will be in town for the convention that weekend, and there will be AEW stars in town for Double Or Nothing, but there’s no word yet on if they might appear.

Thompson continued, “We will also have a whole host of wrestling names, whether it’s people from Ric’s past like Ricky Steamboat, probably his favorite opponent, or Jim Ross, who called some of his more iconic matches. And a whole bunch of surprises. Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, there will be names you will recognize because everyone wants to come out and pay tribute to one of the greatest of all time.”

https://twitter.com/HeyHeyItsConrad/status/1118910916072964097

https://twitter.com/StarrcastEvents/status/1118925107043422208

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling Veteran Vampiro Announces Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Wrestling veteran and current AAA Director of Talent Vampiro took to Facebook earlier today to announce that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Got some results from the doctor yesterday,” he wrote. “Not the best of news. But in my heart I know it’s a fight I am gonna win. I am not worried about anything. I am worried about how I can give more back to everyone who needs support. I Don’t give a f–k about being sick , as me and my doctors have a plan! And I will be fine!”

The former WCW Tag Team Champion returned to Facebook this evening and posted a video for his fans. He noted that the disease in the beginning stages and said it’s “not that big of a deal” to him because he knows he will beat it.

You can read Vampiro’s original, full post below and see the video below:

Got some results from the doctor yesterday
Not the best of newsBut in my heart I know it’s a fight I am gonna win

I am not worried about anything

I am worried about how I can give more back to everyone who needs support

I
Don’t give a f–k about being sick , as me and my doctors have a plan! And I will be fine!

Alzheimer’s is bulls–t. I am scared about potential Parkinson’s disease because it might f–k up my PlayStation time

I have been beaten up for so long , this is an easy one

Also

Look at the news of the world

So much
Bulls–t going down

Just do what’s right and be cool to everyone

Don’t get involved in the stupid s–t

Not worth it

Be safe y’all and talk soon

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NWA Reveals 2019 Crockett Cup Bracket

NWA Crockett Cup will take place on April 27 at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina. In NWA’s latest video the full bracket has been announced for the tournament with the following first-round matches.

* The Briscoes vs. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express
* Villain Enterprises (PCO & Brody King) vs. Satoshi Kojima and Yugi Nagata
* Flip Gordon and Bandido vs. Guerrero Maya Jr. and Stuka Jr.
* The War Kings (Crimson and Jax Dane) vs. Winner of the Wild Card Tag Team Battle Royal

Image result for NWA Reveals Crockett Cup Bracket

Below is what the rest of the card looks like.

* Nick Aldis (c) vs. Marty Scurll (NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship)
* Willie Mack (c) vs. Colt Cabana (NWA National Championship)
* Jazz (c) vs. Sienna (NWA Women’s Championship)
* Wild Card Tag Team Battle Royal (Winner is the 8th entrant into the Crockett Cup)

The event will stream live on FITE for $19.99, ROH HonorClub, and traditional PPV.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling ‘United We Stand’ Results

Ultimate X Match: Johnny Impact vs. Jake Crist vs. Ace Austin vs. Jake Evans vs. Dante Fox vs. Pat Buck – Winner: Johnny Impact 

Team Impact vs. Team Lucha Underground: Impact (Brian Cage, Eddie Edward, Moose & Tommy Dreamer) vs. Lucha Underground (Aerostar, Drago, Daga & Marty the Moth) – Winners: Team Lucha Underground (Aerostar, Drago, Daga & Marty the Moth)

Impact Knockouts Championship: (C) Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Katie Forbes – Winner: Taya Valkyrie 

Impact vs. MLW: LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. Promociones Dorado (Low-Ki & Ricky Martinez) – Winners: LAX 

Intergender Match: Tessa Blanchard vs. Joey Ryan – Winner: Tessa Blanchard 

Impact X-Division Championship: (C) Rich Swann vs. Flamita – Winner: Rich Swann

Monsters Ball: Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc – Winner: Sami Callihan

Extreme Death Match: Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) – Winners: Pentagon Jr. and Fenix 

Impact Wrestling United We Stand 4/4/19

Impact United We Stand will take place from the Rahway Reaction Center in Rahway, New Jersey at 11 pm ET!

The event will air live on FITE for $19.99.

The Pre Pre-Show for United We Stand starts at 9PM ET with the Pre-Show starting at 10:30PM ET and will be broadcast on Twitch.

(Pre-Show)  KM & Fallah Bahh in a WrestlePro Showcase

Extreme Death Match: Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)

Impact Knockouts Championship: (C) Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Katie Forbes

Ultimate X Match: Johnny Impact vs. Jake Crist vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Jake Evans vs. Dante Fox vs. Pat Buck

Monsters Ball: Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc

Team Impact (Brian Cage, Eddie Edward, Moose & TBD) vs. Team Lucha Underground (Aerostar, Drago, Daga & Marty the Moth)

Intergender Match: Tessa Blanchard vs. Joey Ryan

Impact X-Division Championship: (C) Rich Swann vs. Flamita

Impact vs. MLW: LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. Promociones Dorado (Low-Ki & Ricky Martinez)

 

 

DDP Praises Ronda Rousey, Calls Becky Lynch A Female Version Of Jake Roberts, Lacey Evans, WrestleMania, Thoughts On AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page Vulture Hound to promote his new “Positively Unstoppable” book. The interview was done before WWE announced the “Winner Takes All” Triple Threat with Becky Lynch, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair for the WrestleMania 35 main event, but Page said the female Superstars could absolutely be a WrestleMania main event.

Regarding the WrestleMania 35 main event, Page praised Rousey as a top draw, and called Lynch the female version of WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

“Well, I think there’s no bigger draw than Ronda (laughs). I heard her say in an interview one time that everything in her life prepared her for this (wrestling), and Becky can go out there and have a hell of a match with her,” DDP said. “She (Becky) is like a female Jake Roberts. She has all the tools. She’s got an amazing look. Has all the tools in the ring, and she is believable as a son of a b—h, but she can also make her opponent look unbelievable. Ronda’s still finding her way, she’s doing very well, and she’s going to be amazing.

“So I think they can carry it, but they never do one main event at WrestleMania anyway, there is always a couple of them. It’s not all on one match. But when it was Rock vs. Hogan – that was the main event (laughs). When it was Austin and Rock – that was the match. But since then, they’ve spent a lot of time having a couple of featured matches because they have such a big talent pool. But they could absolutely be one of the main events at Mania.”

DDP continued his praise for Rousey. He was one of the few people that went out of their way to tell everyone how Rousey was going to deliver with her in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 last year. Page was asked how satisfying it is to see where she is now, and he also revealed that he has been mentoring Lacey Evans.

“She’s a world class athlete. And she didn’t just come in and think, ‘Oh, I think I’ll wrestle now.’ She’s a fan,” DDP said. “So when you grow up a fan and you use the moniker of ‘Rowdy’ that was made famous by Roddy Piper, and Roddy gives you his blessing to use the name, that’s something. So I knew she had all that in her. And again, work ethic at a different level. And I’m really surprised her husband, Travis Browne is not down at the WWE Performance Center, because he loves wrestling too. He’s money. He actually sent me a picture a few months ago of him and Ronda doing DDPY in the ring.

“Her whole Four Horsewomen do the program. They’ll put up videos of them doing DDPY. Those girls at the PC work so hard and I was really excited to see Lacey Evans get the call up to the main roster. We became good friends, and I mentor her, she does the program all the time. I have so much respect for what these girls are doing. The bottom line is after all this time, everything we’ve been doing, it’s finally taking off. There is a quote that I use which says: ‘It’s okay to want to be rich and famous. You just can’t want it first.’ There is a lot of work that goes into being rich and famous. It’s the message that I try to put out there, just put the work in, keep moving forward, and anything is possible.”

DDP is close to All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes and recently appeared in an AEW “Road to Double Or Nothing” episode to talk about the future of the company with other WWE Hall of Famers. Page was also a part of Cody’s entourage for his NWA World Heavyweight Title match against Nick Aldis at All In last year, along with Tommy Dreamer and Glacier. DDP later confirmed in a media interview that he refused to take any money from Cody or The Young Bucks for the All In booking. Speaking in this new interview, Page talked some about AEW and Cody, calling him one of his most favorite people on the planet, when asked what he thinks we can expect from AEW in a year or a few years.

“You know it’s interesting because I did an interview with Cody a little over a year ago, and I just wanted to bring people up to speed with where he was at and what he was doing. Also, I wanted to give him Dusty’s coat, which Dusty gave to me. And it’s really amazing how much his life changed over that one year,” DDP said. “This year, we did it again. I did a motivational Monday on my DDPY app with Cody, and it was pieces of our interview, and it was looking at how much your life can change in one year when you’re owning it. Cody has been around me since he was eight years old, and I don’t mean around like we just say ‘hey, how are you doing?’ I’ve been mentoring him for f–king twenty years. He’s one of my favourite people on the planet. So seeing what they have done, and how it’s all come together over this last year has been amazing. It was so cool to be backstage at ALL IN and watching him talk to the boys before the show and telling them to have fun. He’d hear people out if they had an idea, but he told them how to do it because he had a vision.

“He and I spoke before ALL IN; we talked about how it might be his one chance to do a show like that. Obviously, that’s not the case now. It’s turned into this thing with Tony Khan, and they are doing something that is ridiculously extraordinary. They’ve got their Double or Nothing show, and I think they have another show planned, and they are working on their TV show. I don’t know exactly where that is right now; we help him shoot videos that he needs because our quality is so high. We help him do that, just because he’s my boy. I don’t get involved any more than just being a sounding board for him. I think there is a lot of potential there, but it will all come down to what the TV looks like. The biggest thing for him is the fans, and keeping that one on one relationship, and having that interaction with them. That’s going to be interesting to watch as they move forward because as they get bigger and bigger, then it’s tough to be so relatable. So far, he’s a hundred percent relatable.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Stars Pay Tribute To Former TNA Star Amazing Red After His Retirement

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks took to Twitter to praise former TNA X Division Champion The Amazing Red, who runs the House of Glory wrestling promotion and school in New York City. Banks posted the tribute because Red has announced his retirement from the ring.

As seen below, Ali also took to Twitter to post a tribute to Red. Ali’s video features tributes to Red from Seth Rollins, Banks, Bayley, AJ Styles, Lince Dorado, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Brian Kendrick, Rey Mysterio and WWE producer Sonjay Dutt.

Ali wrote, “@AmazingRed1 was such a huge influence on me. But I’m definitely not the only one who was influenced by him. He should know that.”

You can see the tribute video below, along with Red’s announcement video.

Red noted that he originally planned to “leave wrestling” after the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. In what could have led to his big break, Red was originally scheduled to work the tournament but an ankle injury kept him out of it. He said he felt like he has done everything he was supposed to do through HOG, and he’s cancelling all the shows he had planned for WrestleMania 35 Week in New York City. Red said he will continue to teach at HOG, and he will continue to support the business. “Throughout all my life, I have done things for everybody else, I’ve never done things for myself,” Red said.

He later added, “Be happy for me, don’t be upset. The reason why I made this video was for myself, because once I know I put this out there, there’s no turning back. This is me looking out for me. So, be happy about that.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jim Ross Officially Signs “Most Lucrative Commentary Deal” With AEW, Announce Team Revealed

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has officially joined All Elite Wrestling.

JR’s AEW signing was revealed in the latest episode of “Road to Double Or Nothing,” seen below. The episode features AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes praising Ross, and Ross talking about signing with the company.

It was also revealed that Excalibur and Alex Marvez will be on the AEW announce team. Alicia A will serve as the backstage correspondent and former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts will be the AEW ring announcer. Brandi Rhodes said she made the decision to sign Roberts.

JR’s WWE contract just expired at the end of March.

AEW issued the following press release on JR’s signing. It was noted that JR has signed the most lucrative deal in commentary history, which is for three years.

Legendary Commentator Jim Ross Joins All Elite Wrestling in Most Lucrative Deal in Commentary History— AEW Signs Jim Ross to 3-Year Deal as Senior Advisor —

Las Vegas, NV (April 3, 2019) – All Elite Wrestling announced a groundbreaking three-year deal with legendary commentator Jim Ross, generally considered to be the greatest pro wrestling announcer of all time. Effective immediately, Ross will take on the role as Senior Advisor in what is the most lucrative deal in pro wrestling commentary history.

Ross’ first in ring appearance for AEW will be at DOUBLE OR NOTHING, the highly-anticipated event on Saturday, May 25, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He will also work closely with the senior leaders at AEW on their roadmap to shift and reinvent the wrestling landscape.

“I’ve been part of the wrestling community since I was 7 years old, and there’s no greater thrill than welcoming the voice that I grew up with, Jim Ross, to our AEW family,” said Tony Khan, President of AEW. “We all share a common goal to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a professional wrestling fan. And, as a business, we also seek to make this a new golden age for the performers and our staff members. Our entire team is thrilled to have Jim onboard and we can’t wait to shake things up together.”

“We’re all excited about having the legendary voice of our childhood come here and help the new generation of talent with his expertise,” said Nick Jackson, EVP at AEW.

“I’m moving on in a very positive way to this timely opportunity to be on the ground floor of one of the most exciting moments in the history of pro wrestling,” said Jim Ross. “I’ve known Tony, Cody, The Young Bucks and Kenny for a long time, and I know they’re going to change the world of pro wrestling. Their roster is already packed with top-level talent and up-and-comers. They’ve got a huge show coming up in May. They’ve brought in game-changing partners like KultureCity. And they’ve got an all-inclusive, welcoming culture like I’ve never seen before. I’m ready to change the world with them.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

2019 WrestleMania Weekend Events – WWE, ROH, NJPW, Impact Wrestling, MLW & WrestleCon

WrestleMania Weekend Events:

WrestleMania Axxess

NXT vs. NXT Alumni
Thursday, April 4 (6-10 p.m.)
The past meets the present as former NXT Superstars battle current Superstars from the black-and-gold brand. The matches will include Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Breeze, Dominik Dijkaovic vs. Harper, SAnitY vs. Undisputed ERA, and Kassius Ohno vs. Aiden English.

Cruiserweights Collide
Friday, April 5 – Sessions 1 and 2 
Cruiserweights from 205 Live, NXT UK and NXT will soar to new heights in inter-brand bouts on Friday’s Axxess sessions. Featured matches will include Tyler Bate vs. The Brian Kendrick, Akira Tozawa vs. Jordan Devlin, Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs. Ariya Daivari & Mike Kanellis, and Albert Hardie Jr. vs. Gran Metalik. Session 1 runs 1-5 p.m., and Session 2 runs 6-10 p.m.

NXT UK Tapings
Saturday, April 6 – Sessions 1, 2 and 3
Each of Saturday’s three Axxess sessions will feature an NXT UK TV taping for future airing on the award-winning WWE Network. Don’t miss the rare opportunity to watch the United Kingdom’s best and brightest Superstars competing stateside. Session 1 runs 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Session 2 runs 1-5 p.m. and Session 3 runs 6-10 p.m.

Brands Battle
Sunday, April 7 (8 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
Two 20-Superstar Battle Royals — one for male Superstars and one for female Superstars — will take place the morning of WrestleMania. Both Battle Royals will feature Superstars from NXT and NXT UK, and the Men’s Battle Royal will additionally feature Superstars from 205 Live.

Women Collide
Monday, April 8 (12-4 p.m.)
One day after female Superstars main-event WrestleMania for the first time in history, the WWE Women’s Evolution continues to take center stage at Axxess. Watch top female Superstars from NXT, NXT UK, Raw and SmackDown LIVE collide, with matches including Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville, Toni Storm vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair, Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega, Candice LeRae vs. Kay Lee Ray and more!

*Talent listed and depicted above are subject to change.

 

MLW -Rise of the Renegades (Fusion TV Tapings) April 4 – New York City, Melrose Ballroom

Impact Wrestling – United We Stand – April 4 – Rahway Rec Center in Rahway, New Jersey – Steaming on Fite TV

MLW – Battle Riot II (Fusion TV Tapings) April 5 – New York City, Melrose Ballroom -2 Hour Special airing on beIN SPORTS

ROH – NJPW G1 Supercard “Festival of Honor” April 5 – Hulu Theatre at MSG (Pro wrestling fans from all around the globe have an opportunity to get up close and personal with the biggest stars in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling with Meet & Greet experiences)

NXT TakeOver: New York – April 5 – Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

WrestleCon – April 5 & 6 – New York City Hilton Midtown

ROH – NJPW G1 Supercard – April 6 – MSG – PPV, Fite.tv, ROH HonorClub or NJPW World

WWE Hall of Fame – April 6

WrestleMania 35 – April 7