Category: Wrestling News

Cody Rhodes Announces Kurt Angle For Starrcast II

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been announced for the loaded Starrcast II convention.

Angle joins The Undertaker as current top WWE Superstars scheduled for the big event, which takes place during All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing weekend from Las Vegas in late May. This would be almost two months after Angle’s Farewell Match against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes took to Twitter on Monday night to announce Angle for Starrcast II. He wrote, “It’s true, It’s damn true, Kurt Angle is coming to Starrcast II!”

Starrcast II takes place May 23-26 from the Tuscany Suites & Casinos at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Full details on the convention can be found at Starrcast.com.

You can see Cody’s tweet below along with a list of guests currently advertised for Starrcast II:

The Undertaker aka Mark Calaway
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair
WWE Hall of Famer Sting
Eric Bischoff
Bruce Prichard
Tony Schiavone
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash
WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall
WWE Hall of Famer Lita aka Amy Dumas
WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat
WWE Hall of Famer Sean “X-Pac” Waltman
WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson
WWE Hall of Famer JJ Dillon
WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham
WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard
Tommy Dreamer
Colt Cabana
Magnum TA
Joey Ryan
David Arquette
WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather aka Charles Wright
Jerry Lynn
Konnan
WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk
Dylan Postle aka Swoggle aka Hornswoggle
Rob Van Dam
Leva Bates
WWE producer “Hurricane” Shane Helms
Brian Pillman Jr
The Blue Meanie
Bill Apter
Madison Rayne
Ashley Massaro
Dan Soder
Mike Lawrence
Ron Funches
LA Park
El Hijo de LA Park
Sean Mooney
Nyla Rose
Kylie Rae
Sonny Kiss
Chuck Taylor
Trent Beretta
Dan St. Germain
WWE Hall of Famers The Rock n’ Roll Express
WWE Hall of Famer Mil Mascaras
WWE Hall of Famer Greg Valentine
Mark Madden
Scott Norton
Angelina Love
Velvet Sky
Vampiro
Brandon Cutler
Sammy Guevara
Ace Romero
Kip Sabian
Jimmy Havoc
Scarlett Bordeaux
Killer Kross
Dave Meltzer
Bryan Alvarez
Matt Mitchell aka Casio
Alex Marvez
Dr. Britt Baker
Cody Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes
The Young Bucks
Kenny Omega
Chris Jericho
Christopher Daniels
Frankie Kazarian
Scorpio Sky
Adam Page
Joey Janela
Penelope Ford
WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn
WWE Hall of Famer Stan Hansen
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Photos And Videos From World Wrestling Alliance (W.W.A.) Event In Evansville, In. 3/30/19 – James Storm, Ace Austin, Corey Storm And More

Saturday night former TNA/Impact Wrestling World Champion “Cowboy” James Storm and Impact Wrestling & MLW star Ace Austin appeared at World Wrestling Alliance event in Evansville, In.

Storm had also competed briefly for WWE NXT.

Also W.W.A. had their version of a War Games match and young independent star Corey Storm (who turns 18 years old on Friday) was in action and more.

Below are photos and videos from the event.

ROH Women Of Honor Star Tenille Dashwood Is Now A Free Agent

On her social media accounts, Tenille Dashwood announced she is now a free agent, writing “Free agent. Happy, healthy, & healed.” Dashwood’s ROH contract ended this month and it’s unclear at the moment if she’ll be re-signing with the promotion. Dashwood was initially placed in the Lifeblood stable, so it remains to be seen if that connection will continue or not.

Dashwood has been out of action for the past six months after undergoing shoulder surgery for dislocated and torn labrum. The former WWE Star also dealt with a full body flare up from the autoimmune disease, psoriasis.

Back in January, Dashwood commented about her health.

“Sometimes you really do have to take a step backwards (or many) to move forwards! I’ve spent the past few months focusing on being happy and healthy! I spent time with my family and friends and traveled. These things make me happy! I’ve rehabbed my shoulder diligently & implemented new eating habits (with a few exceptions over the holidays) to get my skin condition (psoriasis) & health better. Now look at me! Almost fully healed through diet!”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Koji Kitao Passes Away At 55

It was announced today in Japan that Sumo star turned pro wrestler, Koji Kitao, passed away back in February at the age of 55.

Kitao gained the rank of Yokozuna while still involved with Sumo wrestling but he ultimately turned to the world of professional wrestling in 1989 under the tutelage of Masa Saito. He wore a mask while competing in AWA and called himself “Monster Machine” so that Japanese media wouldn’t catch wind that he was competing in the States. When he returned to the New Japan Dojo, he competed in the promotion’s first Tokyo Dome event in February 1990. Kitao unfortunately had a falling out with Riki Choshu and it would result in his firing from the company.

Kitao worked with the SWS wrestling promotion after that, and their working partnership with WWE at the time allowed Kitao to be a part of WrestleMania 7. Even still, after lasting about a year with SWS, Kitao was fired when he began no-selling and shooting on his opponent at the time, John “Earthquake” Tenta. When the referee intervened in the match, Kitao kicked him and proceeded to tell the audience that wrestling was fake.

Kitao would be involved with various promotions after that, including one stint with UWFi. Ironically, Kitao was welcomed back in to the world of wrestling after he suffered a knockout kick to the head from one of his UWFi opponents, Takada. He would later transition to the world of MMA but officially retired in 1998 .

You can see a few matches from Kitao’s career below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Buff Bagwell Says He Doesn’t ‘Get’ AEW, Plus Bagwell talks About His Time In WCW & WWE

In an interview with Wrestling Inc,’s WINCLY podcast Buff Bagwell gave his thoughts on the upstart promotion All Elite Wrestling, saying he doesn’t know Cody or the Young Bucks. Here are highlights:

On AEW: “At my age, [WWE is the only option], because these other boys are for the young kids and unfortunately, they don’t get it. Nobody knows them. I’m in the industry and don’t know them,” Bagwell said of Cody and The Young Bucks. “So, if I don’t know them, y’all don’t know them. So I don’t get it.”

On his brief tenure in WWE: “It wasn’t my fault that I was 30 and when I joined the WWF and I was going to take somebody’s job. Every single star, when I signed, was 12 years older than me…. It wasn’t my fault, but I sure as heck paid for it.”

On his backstage reputation: “Backstage gossip… hard to get along with, complains. My mom, when she started coming on the road with me…they thought he was acting up, obviously. She realized one day that her son was doing everything right and still, it was just rules in WCW.”

On WCW White Box Rule: One of those WCW rules was a white box that all talent had to enter a code into to document their arrival at each show.”If you didn’t check the box before 12:00, you got fined $500. The second time was a grand and the third time was I think fired. Do y’all really think us being late is our problem,” asked Bagwell. Bagwell said the white box became a headache for all of the WCW talent and affected the morale of everyone. “White box half a shoe box,” Bagwell said about the box. “At any time there was a line of $10 million worth of talent waiting to put the code in so you didn’t get fined off your check. “That’s a true story and Lex Luger and Goldberg and everybody would go to that little box and everybody checked in.”

On his health: “I’m about 80 percent almost back. Not body-wise, muscle-wise, but I’m gonna be 100 percent back in 3-4 months.”

On getting respect he deserves: Bagwell feels he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves for his contributions to pro wrestling. However, he contends that he’s done something that no one else has ever done in the tag team division.

“Most importantly, I think everyone, except you, has always announced me as a five-time world tag team champion and I’m truthfully a six-time world tag team champion with five different partners,” Bagwell told Nick Hausman. “How many guys have had six tag team titles with five different partners? Please let me know. It’s never been done brother.”

On his stand up comedy routine: Bagwell is now telling his wrestling stories via Tall Tales at Doc Holliday’s Saloon in Georgia. He teased one of those stories about a late night encounter with Brian Pillman in which Pillman knocked on his hotel door at 3 am “asking for a razor.”

“It’s three in the morning, so y’all do the math,” said Bagwell before adding “God rest his soul, but he was done before he was 40. I’ve wrestled 70 dead guys now.”

Bagwell uses that backdrop to set up his on stage routine and to detail everything he’s been through in the wrestling world. He says his comedy routine is unique and not something that even the best comics in the world could replicate.

“If Kevin Hart had my material, he couldn’t make it up. It’s too deep. It’s too crazy. That’s what makes this such a great idea and hopefully guys and girls will turn out to raise awareness of this thing. It’s a big deal as people are hungry out there. So I’m really, really excited about it.”

Lucha Underground Reportedly Settles With Talent, Given Immediate Releases

Back in February it was reported King Cuerno (aka El Hijo del Fantasma) had filed documents in Los Angeles against the El Rey Network and Lucha Underground’s production Baba-G Productions, claiming his contract “illegally restricts” wrestlers from finding work in wrestling.

Along with that individual lawsuit, a class action lawsuit was possibly in the works including other stars, Ivelisse, Joey Ryan, and Thunder Rosa (aka Kobra Moon), who were looking to get out of their contracts with the stalled out promotion. Despite being between production of season four and five, wrestlers were still locked down to the promotion.

In a new report from Lucha Central, the El Rey Network and Baba-G Productions were sent three lawsuits. Two were from El Hijo del Fantasma and Texano Jr., both seeking financial damages. The third was indeed a class action lawsuit from Fantasma, Ivelisse, Ryan, and Rosa.

The report stated Texano Jr. withdrew his lawsuit and a settlement was agreed on for the class action lawsuit, as part of that Fantasma agreed to withdraw his personal lawsuit against the companies. Exact terms are not known, but those involved in the class action lawsuit are now released from their Lucha Underground contracts and are allowed to sign with other promotions.

Still no word yet on a season five taking place, Lucha Underground Co-Executive Producer, Chris DeJoseph, commented last month that he thought the show was “dead.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Four – Wrestling Landscape Outside of the WWE, Austin Idol And More

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Four

It’s a great time to be a fan of pro wrestling. While WWE remains the industry leader there are wrestling promotions out there who keep on going and much like in the past we are witnessing partnerships between companies that are good for the industry. Join Ed as he discusses all of this and much more on this week’s Wrestling News Blog Podcast!

Segment One – Wrestling Landscape Outside of the WWE

Segment Two – This Week in Wrestling News

Segment Three – Wrestling Throwback: Austin Idol

Wrestling News Blog Podcast is available on all major podcast apps such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

Ivelisse Comments On Not Getting To Wrestle On Impact Events, Possible Reason Why

Lucha Underground and indie wrestling star, Ivelisse, has been using Twitter as of late to express her frustration with her contracted employer. The former two-time Trios Champion previously said that she has asked for her release from the company but continues to be denied, even claiming that she’s being “held hostage” by LU.

In Ivelisse’s most recent tweet of the situation, she questions why she is unable to work for Impact Wrestling if the two companies have been producing joint projects together. Casey Michael, owner of Squared Circle Sirens responded to Ivelisse’s tweet, calling her out for a previous statement she made about Tessa Blanchard.

Blanchard would actually add herself to the mix of messages, explaining to readers that Ivelisse once implied that a part of Blanchard’s success is her father’s doing.

Ivelisse began by writing, “Since the collaboration between brands, not once included in any of these joint projects, and when they did contact me out of the blue for a program, they canceled the night before I flew out for no reason whatsoever. Soooo uummmm, again, let me GO.”

Casey would then respond with: “Maybe it’s cause you s–t talked Tessa big time on an IG comment. I fail to see how everyone else on LU can work anywhere but they are “holding” Ivelisse.”

Lastly, Tessa would add: “Her exact words to me were “I never had a family name, I had to work for everything I have from the streets.”

I have dealt with people like that since I started and I am much stronger than those people.”

You can read the full tweets below:

https://twitter.com/Tess_Blanchard/status/1109871514948636672

Another Lucha Underground star, King Cuerno (aka El Hijo del Fantasma), previously took the time to file documents in Los Angeles against the El Rey Network and Lucha Underground’s production Baba-G Productions. In it, Cuerno’s lawyers claimed that LU’s contracts “illegally restricting” wrestlers from finding work in wrestling is in violation of California law.

Documents sent to Pro Wrestling Sheet detailed how wrestlers under contract make money based on the shows they appear on, and it doesn’t add up to much. You can see that statement below:

By contrast, Lucha Underground broadcasts between 22 and 40 television episodes per year, with no live events like the other described wrestling promotions. If a wrestler appears on a show, it is usually just a couple. The payment per episode is usually less than $1,000.
The current contract that wrestlers signed with Lucha Underground require that wrestlers not perform services for other wrestling companies anywhere in the world without Defendants permission, but does not require Defendants to use Plaintiffs in their wrestling-theme television show.While Plaintiffs are obligated to restrict their trade under the contract (which is illegal), Defendants are not required to use or pay Plaintiffs. Defendants have the option to use Plaintiffs, and IF Defendants use Plaintiffs, Defendants will pay Plaintiffs. IF Defendants chose not to use Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs are prohibited for working for years, are not paid, but still under the restrictive contract until it expires.

Most wrestlers under a Lucha Underground contract make less than $4,000 a year. Wrestlers working for other wrestling promotions make a living wage, usually starting around $50,000 a year and entering either 6 or 7 figures.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

PAC No Longer Appearing At Upcoming WrestleCon Due To Visa Issues

WrestleCon has announced PAC will no longer be appearing at their WrestleMania weekend event due to visa issues.

The company released a statement saying:

We regret to inform you that PAC will not be at WrestleCon. We worked diligently over the past several months with our attorneys to ensure that he successfully received a Visa to travel into the United States. Our Visa application was filed in a timely manner, all fees were paid to attorneys, and all required information was disclosed to government officials. Our attorneys were confident there would be no issue and based on their experience and expectation, we advertised PAC on the assumption there would be no problem obtaining a Visa. However, after exhausting all efforts, we were unable to provide PAC the appropriate Visa to travel and work in the United States. We understand and share your disappointment of this unanticipated outcome, as does PAC.

Further, we would like to clarify that in no way will this unfortunate incident have any impact on his future with AEW. This issue is isolated to WrestleCon only.

According to WrestleCon, refunds will be issued to everyone who purchased photo ops and autographs with PAC. They’ll also be changing all the advertisements so he’s no longer shown.

Jeff Jarrett Asks For Extension In Lawsuit Against Anthem

PWInsider reports that Jeff Jarrett and his legal team have filed a motion asking for an extension that will give them until April 12 to submit an update on where things stand with the lawsuit Jarrett and Global Wrestling Entertainment have filed against Impact Wrestling’s parent company Anthem. Anthem’s attorneys have agreed to the request, which is due to Jarrett’s travel schedule, responsibilities his legal team has unrelated to the suit and international travel required from Anthem’s attorneys. All of the issues prevent all of the parties from meeting for a conference. They are currently figuring out a time to meet.

Jarrett and GWE are suing Anthem and Impact for Anthem allegedly violating state and federal trademark infringements in relation to GWE and violating Jarrett’s exclusive property rights to his own name, photograph, and other likeness. Jarrett says that Anthem prevented him from filing copyrights for the Amped footage, so he had to provide footage in order to do so and Impact/Anthem deleted all of the master recordings. Anthem admitted that they had had the footage in their possession and deleted all of it in the “normal course of business” so that they could “free up storage space.”

Source: 411Mania