Category: Wrestling News

Impact Plus Streaming Service Launch Announced: Benefits For Ordering PPVs With It, First Live Event, More

Impact Wrestling today announced the launch of Impact Plus, which will replace their existing Global Wrestling Network streaming service. The video-on-demand (VOD) service will feature live monthly premium specials, instant access to their 3,000-plus hour library including past pay-per-views, original series, reality shows and documentaries, exclusive events from international promotional partners and historical content from old territories.

The service is now available on all major OTT platforms and devices, including online at plus.impactwrestling.com, iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A premium subscription will be priced at just US $7.99 per month with a 30-day free trial for new members. Annual subscriptions will also be available for US $71.99.

Impact’s four major annual pay-per-view events will be available to purchase on the service. Fan who purchase a pay-per-view event on Impact Plus will also receive three months of free access to Impact Plus with each purchase.

The first live Impact Plus special, Code Red, will take place this Sunday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET in partnership with House of Glory. The show will be headlined by Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards.

Impact sent out the press release below regarding the service:

IMPACT Wrestling Launches IMPACT Plus Subscription Video-on-Demand Service with Live Monthly SpecialsAnthem Sports & Entertainment’s IMPACT Plus service will be powered by Leading Video Solutions Provider Brightcove

TORONTO – IMPACT Wrestling today announced the launch of IMPACT Plus, a multi-platform digital subscription video-on-demand (VOD) service featuring live monthly premium network specials, instant access to the 3,000-plus hour IMPACT Wrestling library, groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries, exclusive events from international promotional partners and historical content from old territories. The 17-year library from IMPACT Wrestling includes every classic pay-per-view event and features household names in professional wrestling such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Booker T, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.

Beginning today, May 1, IMPACT Plus is available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including web at plus.impactwrestling.com, iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A premium subscription will be priced at just US$7.99 per month with a 30-day free trial for new members. Annual subscriptions will also be available for US$71.99.

“Anthem Sports & Entertainment is proud to partner with Brightcove on the development and launch of IMPACT Plus, the latest evolution of IMPACT Wrestling’s subscription video-on-demand service,” said Ed Nordholm, EVP of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and president of IMPACT Wrestling. “As our subscriber base has grown, we have established the need for a more robust back-end technology, while looking to enhance our user experience and content offering. Starting this Sunday, we will be delivering a live premium event every month exclusively for IMPACT Plus subscribers.”

Brightcove is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for managing, delivering and monetizing video experiences on every screen. A pioneering force in the world of online video since the company’s founding in 2004, Brightcove’s award-winning technology, unparalleled services, extensive partner ecosystem and proven global scale have powered video solutions for thousands of companies in over 70 countries.

The first live IMPACT Plus special – Code Red – takes place this Sunday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET in partnership with House of Glory. Emanating from NYC Arena in Queens, NY, Code Red will feature top IMPACT Wrestling stars. The confirmed matches include:

* Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
* Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack
* LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. oVe (Dave & Jake Crist) vs. New York Wrecking Krew (Smoothe Blackmon & Chris Seaton)
* Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. Smiley vs. Evander James vs. Mantequilla – HOG Crown Jewel Championship
* The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) vs. The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)
* Tessa Blanchard & Violette vs. Scarlett Bordeaux & Sonya Strong
* Moose vs. Ken Broadway

IMPACT Wrestling’s four major annual pay-per-view events, including Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, will also be available to purchase on IMPACT Plus. Anyone who purchases a pay-per-view event on IMPACT Plus will also receive three months of free access to IMPACT Plus with every pay-per-view purchase.

Legacy subscribers to IMPACT Wrestling’s Global Wrestling Network service will be migrated to IMPACT Plus.

Users will also have free access to episodes of the weekly flagship show IMPACT!, as well as new weekly episodes of Xplosion and other original digital content featuring top professional wrestling stars, including IMPACT World Champion Brian Cage, Johnny Impact, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, Moose, Michael Elgin, the high-flying X-Division and the Knockouts, including Taya Valkyrie, Tessa Blanchard, Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, Madison Rayne and Su Yung.

For more information, visit http://www.impactwrestling.com and plus.impactwrestling.com.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

David Arquette To Face Luke Perry’s Son Jungle Boy

Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling promotion has announced Jungle Boy (Jack Perry) vs. former WCW World Champion David Arquette for their “It’s Gonna Be May” event on Wednesday, May 8 in Los Angeles.

There is a unique story behind this match as Jungle Boy is the son of the late actor Luke Perry, who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 52 on March 4. Perry had encouraged his son to further his pro wrestling career and could be seen at some of his indie events. Arquette and his sister, actress Patricia Arquette, were friends with Perry for more than 30 years. Luke was the one by Arquette’s side after his bloody deathmatch with Nick Gage that went wrong back in November.

“I’m thinking, ‘I just got cut in my neck, and if that’s my jugular, I’m going to die.’ Pretty quickly after that I exited the ring and had someone look at it. Luke is a dear friend of mine, and his son, who is a fantastic wrestler named Jungle Boy, was wrestling on the same show. We’ve been friends for over 30 years, so Luke is the one I went to see to look inside the wound. He looked and said no, so I knew I didn’t cut a main artery or vein. I could feel something was wrong with my neck, but I wanted to finish the match and tell a complete story,” Arquette told Sports Illustrated last year after the bloody incident.

Arquette continues to take regular bookings on the indie scene following his comeback in 2018. Jungle Boy is making a name for himself on the indies and recently signed with AEW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Joey Ryan Teases Signing With WWE And Announces Farewell To Indies

Joey Ryan wrote on Twitter that his time on the independent circuit is coming to an end. Ryan even has a new “Farewell” tour shirt available at Pro Wrestling Tees.

As previously reported, WWE had talks with Joey Ryan last week to work in their developmental system after they found out he was free from his Lucha Underground contract. In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE’s offer was “nothing special” and wouldn’t be for the main roster. It is more of a case of signing him so that he wouldn’t be available for other promotions.

In The Wrestling Observer Newsletter last week, it was reported that WWE had asked Ryan to move to Orlando to wrestle in NXT for a few years before transitioning into a coaching position.

Ryan had been expected to sign with AEW, as he was a big part of All In last September and he has been regularly featured in the Being The Elite series. In his tweet, Ryan used #RAW, which could always be to swerve fans. Ryan also posted his schedule on the indies this month, which consists of 16 dates.

Ryan had a WWE tryout back in 2013. After the tryout, Ryan, who is 39 years old now, told Wrestling Inc. that the only feedback he received was that he was too old.

“I mean, it was what it was,” Ryan told us in 2013. “I don’t even know how to really describe it because it didn’t have a whole lot to even do with professional wrestling. It was more just conditioning and they focused very little on professional wrestling and very little of the drills they ran that had to do with professional wrestling. We did hours and hours of rolls and cardio and then like a minute on promos. So it was like, really different than I thought it was because I thought they’d want to focus more on seeing everyone’s acting abilities or everyone’s personalities, but they really didn’t. It was more like, let’s just have a look at everybody and see what we like. I don’t even know if there was any kind of measuring stick to be like, well if he does this well or they do this well then we’re going to have our interest in them.

“It was more kind of just them having a look at everybody and just getting everybody in one room and making their decisions based on what they personally liked or not. My only feedback from them really was that they feel like I’m too, which was kind of confusing to me, they feel like I’m too old and experienced to be in developmental. I’m in my 30s now, but my age and experience didn’t change from when they invited me to the camp, so I didn’t really understand that. To them, they’re in control of how they do their system. So that was my feedback. They just didn’t feel like it was the right time in my life to be in developmental. They’re not bringing anybody straight onto TV at the moment because they’ve got a full roster themselves. So it was what it was.”

You can check out Ryan’s tweets below:

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/1123010635216736258

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/1122929803638624257

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Photos & Videos From W.W.A. Show In Evansville, In 4/27/19

Below are some photos and videos from Saturday nights World Wrestling Alliance (W.W.A.) show in Evansville, In.

2019 NWA Crockett Cup Results

Joe Galli, Jim Cornette, and Ian Riccaboni were the announce team.

Wild Card Tag Team Battle Royal (Winner is the 8th entrant into the Crockett Cup) – Winners: Royce Isaacs & Thom Latimer advance to the Crockett Cup tournament

Crockett Cup Tournament:

Flip Gordon & Bandido (ROH) vs. Stuka Jr. & Guerrera Maya Jr (CMLL) – Winners: Flip Gordon & Bandido

Royace Isaacs and Thom Latimer vs. (Crimson and Jax Dane) The War Kings (NWA) – Winners: Royce Isaacs & Thom Latimer

 

The Briscoes talk about the old Crockett Cup tournament and how the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express couldn’t make it past the first round. The Briscoes fully expect history to repeat itself. The Briscoes says they are going to win the tournament and put Rock ‘n’ Roll Express out to pasture.

Jim Cornette introduces The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, before the match gets started he asks them if they know what they’ve gotten themselves into tonight against The Briscoes. They will feed off the fans support and winning the Crockett Cup is something they want to check off their bucket list. Cornette says it’s good to see The Briscoes, “Good to see you too, Jim, now hand me that microphone!” Cornette hands it over and bounces. They let their opponents decide if they want to head to the back and keep their body in check, or fight and get retired. Morton kicks Jay below the belt before the bell rings.

The Briscoes (ROH) vs. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (NWA) – Winners: The Briscoes 

Villain Enterprises PCO & Brody King (ROH)  vs. Kojima & Nagata (New Japan Pro Wrestling) – Winners: PCO & Brody King

 

Madusa headed out to the ring with the NWA Women’s Championship. She will present it to the winner.

NWA Women’s Championship (Vacant): Allysin Kay vs. Santana Garrett – Winner and new NWA Women’s Champion: Allysin Kay

Crockett Cup Semi-Final Match: Flip Gordon and Bandido (RHO) vs. Royce Isaacs & Thom Latimer – Winner: Royce Isaacs & Thom Latimer

Crockett Cup Semi-Final Match: The Briscoes (ROH) vs. PCO & Brody King (ROH) – Winners: PCO & Brody King via DQ

NWA National Championship: (C) Willie Mack vs. Colt Cabana – Winner and new NWA National Champion: Colt Cabana

Post-match, James Storm headed to the ring and gets on the mic. He initially congratulates Cabana for winning the title, but then yells at management for not wanting a guy like him in the main event scene. He says to Cabana that’s why he came out here to challenge Cabana because they can’t stop him from doing that. He tells Cabana to be ready next time they meet.

Members of the Crockett Family, ROH COO Joe Koff, and NWA President Billy Corgan out with the Crockett Cup and NWA World Tag Team Titles. Caprice Coleman talks with Nikita Koloff who says it’s great to be back and he thanks the Crockett Family for giving him his opportunity. Coleman asks about Koloff losing his accent, and he says after 35 years his English is bound to get better. Magnum TA heads out, Koloff welcomes him. Magnum talks about when he was able to be involved in the very first Crockett Cup and how great the experience was. The two sit ringside for the upcoming finals match.

Crockett Cup Finals: PCO & Brody King (ROH) vs. Royce Isaacs & Thom Latimer – Winners of the 2019 Crockett Cup and new NWA World Tag Team Champions: PCO and Brody King

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship: (C) Nick Aldis w/Kamilla vs. Marty Scurll – Winner: Nick Aldis via Submission

Post-match, Scurll and Aldis hug and raise each other’s hands up. Scurll gets on the mic and asks Aldis not to leave just yet. Scurll says 15 years ago he started his dream to be a wrestler and said Aldis was the won who took him under his wing and helped him become the man he is today. He says after the match they just had shows how far they both have come. He was hoping at this point he would be double champion, but the better man won. He says Aldis is the champ and nobody deserves it more than him. Aldis says Scurll is the biggest self-made star in wrestling. He then puts over the NWA’s resurgence and thanks the fans.

Transcript via Wrestling Inc.

NWA Crockett Cup Final Card 4/27/19

NWA Crockett Cup will take place tomorrow from the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina. Join us for full live beginning at 7 pm ET!

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

 

NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship: (C) Nick Aldis vs. Marty Scurll

NWA National Championship: (C) Willie Mack vs. Colt Cabana

NWA Women’s Championship (Vacant): Allysin Kay vs. Santana Garrett

Crockett Cup Tournament: Winners of Block A face Winners of Block B in Finals

Block A

The Briscoes (ROH) vs. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (NWA)

Villain Enterprises PCO & Brody King (ROH)  vs. Kojima & Nagata (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

Block B

Flip Gordon & Bandido (ROH) vs. Stuka Jr. & Guerrera Maya Jr (CMLL)

Crimson & Jax Dane (NWA) vs. Winner of Wild Card Battle Royal

Wild Card Tag Team Battle Royal (Winner is the 8th entrant into the Crockett Cup)

Also appearing the Legends of Jim Crockett Promotions including all three members of Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express, legendary NWA Ref Tommy Young, Nikita Koloff and Magnum TA.

Possible Reason Why CM Punk Did Run In At Indie Wrestling Event

MKE founder Silas Young appeared on Busted Open Radio today. During the interview, Young discussed MKE’s event last Friday at the Knights of Columbus in West Allis, Wisconsin, which featured a masked man doing a run in to help Ace Steele defeat Daryck St Holmes.

Wrestling Inc. confirmed that it was in fact CM Punk who did the run in at the show. Punk and Dave Prazak, who was involved with the show, were both trained by Steele and Prazak managed Punk early in his career.

Young discussed Punk’s appearance during the interview. While he wouldn’t 100% state that it was Punk, he discussed why Punk might have made the appearance. He noted that Punk wrestled in the building, which is being torn down early next month, during the start of his career.

“That’s the building where [Punk] kinda got his start at,” Young said. “Shortly before that match happened, my wife came up to me because she was one of the managers in the match. She was like, ‘I heard Punk’s going to do a run in.

“It made sense with the match being with Ace Steele and having Dave Prazak involved, those guys are longtime friends and they broke in the business [together]. Punk had maybe his first match in that building. That building has had wrestling for years, a lot of guys got their start there. Unfortunately it’s going to be torn down early next month so we were the last event there. I think it’s just one of those things where he wanted to pay a little respect or a little homage to it.”

As we exclusively reported on Sunday, Punk was never backstage at the show. He had waited in his car outside of the venue before doing the run in and then left immediately afterwards.

“[Punk] was never at the building beforehand, he wasn’t at the building after,” Young said. “He came, did the run-in in a mask and then left in a mask. I can’t even 100% say it was CM Punk, but from what I was told [it was], and I don’t know why anyone would lie to me.

“That’s what I was told and I’d like to believe it, if for nothing more than the publicity it got MKE Wrestling.”

You can listen to the interview with Young below.

https://twitter.com/BustedOpenRadio/status/1120383395543101442

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and Busted Open Radio

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.