Former AWA World Champion Otto Wanz Passes Away

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Former AWA World Champion Otto Wanz has passed away at the age of 74. Slam Wrestling has an article on Wanz and his career at this link. Wanz was one of the few wrestlers to bodyslam both Yokozuna and Andre the Giant.

Wanz was also a legendary promoter in Germany and Austria, continuing to be a well-known name in retirement with commercial and movie appearances. Wanz and his son Michael promoted strongmen competitions in Austria during his later years. WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger has previously called Wanz an influence on his fitness and bodybuilding career.

Wanz passed away earlier today, September 14th, but details on his death have not been released. Austrian media reported that it was a “short, serious illness.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Below are some clips from Otto’s career:

Lucha Underground Preview 9/13/17

100th episode of Lucha Underground.

Take a walk on the wild side with the 100th episode of “Lucha Underground.” A star-studded surprise brings an appetite for destruction and a hunger for victory. Legacies are on the line as El Dragon Azteca Jr. takes on Pentagon Dark in a bloodthirst battle for honor. Plus, find out what happens when Rey Mysterio faces Matanza in the main event.

* Johnny Mundo, Taya, PJ Black and Ricky Mandell vs. Prince Puma and Three Partners To Be Named
Aztec Medallion Match: Pentagon vs. Dragon Azteca Jr.
* Rey Mysterio vs. The Monster Matanza Cueto

Backstage Updates On Rey Mysterio, What GFW Had Planned For Him, Recent Injury, Training His Son

No word yet on where Rey Mysterio is headed but it won’t be Global Force Wrestling, according to PWInsider and The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Rey had an offer from GFW after negotiations between the two sides but he opted not to take it.

Rey was also in talks with WWE over the summer but those talks stopped as Vince McMahon did not want to work with Rey’s representation, mainly Konnan, among other reasons. It was also noted that while Rey and WWE were talking, the talks were said to be overblown in the first place as Rey was actually looking at signing with GFW because of the easier schedule and because it would allow him more freedom to do other projects. When word first got out about Rey talking with WWE, Dave Meltzer was told that it was actually GFW Rey was talking with, and that there was nothing significant to the WWE reports.

While his in-ring future with a major company is up in the air, Mysterio is said to be focused on training his son Dominick and preparing him for a pro wrestling career. Rey is also heavily involved with The Crash promotion in Mexico.

GFW wanted Rey to wrestle against Alberto El Patron at the November 5th Bound For Glory pay-per-view, according to The Observer. We’ve noted how Jeff Jarrett vs. Alberto El Patron was in the works for Bound For Glory but is likely off the books now that Jarrett is taking an indefinite leave of absence from GFW. The Observer notes that the storyline would have had Alberto blaming Jarrett for his recent GFW suspension. Jarrett vs. Alberto was to be teased until they pulled a big swerve on the night of the show and had Jarrett introduce Rey as Alberto’s opponent instead. When the talks with Rey fell through, plans changed back to Jarrett vs. Patron for Bound For Glory. There’s still no word yet on what Alberto will be doing at Bound For Glory, if anything at all.

On a related note, Rey suffered an ankle injury while working for the Catch Wrestling promotion in Austria during an eight-man single elimination tournament in four cities from August 30th through September 2nd. Rey defeated Alofa on August 30th and Apolo on September 1st to make it to the finals of the tournament. He then appeared at the finals on September 2nd in Vienna and apologized for the injury, promising to return to Vienna to make up for it. His opponent for that night, Joe Doering, then attacked him but Rey made a quick comeback to hit the 619 and roll him up for the win. He went to the hospital after the match to get the ankle checked out and while there was an injury, it was not serious and he’s expected to be back in the ring soon. The Observer noted that Rey suffered the injury because he’s been worked several dates in recent weeks.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter via WrestlingINC

GFW Executive Rips Sale Report, Update On If Anthem Has Been Discussing Selling GFW

Global Force Wrestling Vice President of Production Kevin Sullivan took to Twitter to blast the Sports Illustrated report from earlier this week that stated that Anthem Sports was looking to sell GFW. According to the SI article, “GFW is hemorrhaging funds, and sources close to the situation have confirmed that Anthem is ready to withdraw itself from the wrestling industry and sell GFW.”

Sullivan called the story “BS” and tweeted the following:

PWInsider reported that the discussion at this week’s GFW meetings centered around the company’s plans going forward. It was noted that there “was no inkling of plans to shut down or sell off the video library.” The report added that that there has been no indication from the WWE front that there have been discussions to purchase the tape library.

Source: WrestlingINC

Steve Austin Comments on the Sexy Star/Rosemary Incident

Below is audio posted on the WrestlingInsiders YouTube channel of Steve Austin Commenting on the Sexy Star Incident with Rosemary.

Davey Richards Explains His Decision to Leave GFW

Davey Richards

Davey Richards recently spoke with USA Today’s For the Win, here are the highlights…

On His Decision to Leave GFW: “I’ve done a pretty good of trying to juggle the very high demands of wrestling and school, but it’s gotten to the point where my school load would be so much that I couldn’t do both. The last little while, I couldn’t give 100 percent to wrestling or to medicine because I was being pulled in both directions. I didn’t think it was fair to anyone who pays to see me not to be able to give 100 percent. I can still wrestle a part-time schedule, but it’s not really right to expect TNA to pay me a salary with my hopefully being able to commit to a schedule. School needs to come first. That’s the point where I am.”

On Becoming an EMT: “Emergency medicine has always been my main source of interest,” he said. “The adrenaline rush I get from that is in some ways the same that I get from walking through that curtain because you never know what’s going to happen in a match.”

On The Demands of His Schedule Leading to Him Making The Change: “I’ve always been the kind of wrestler, nine times out of 10, I would take a booking, no matter how much the travel is because I like to wrestle,” Richards said. “I want to get out there, and I want to stay on the top of my game and compete against the best people. The more bookings I take, the more I have to travel. It got to be too much. We’d fly to Seattle to leave David with my mom and then fly to Florida to do tapings and then fly from Florida to Seattle to get David. Then fly back home to St. Louis. Add in my school schedule, and it just became impossible. This is definitely for the best for right now. Maybe when I’m done with school, that will change.”

Source: 411Mania

Jeff Jarrett Teases Projects & Is Taking Bookings

Jeff Jarrett has not issued any public comments since his indefinite leave of absence from GFW was announced, but he did edit his bios on Instagram and Twitter. Jarrett is already teasing new projects to come soon.

His Twitter bio now reads, “Husband! Father! Family Man! Love to quote Scripture and Quotes that mean something 2 me… Several new projects on the way…Bookings, email JJ4Jarrett@gmail.com” His Instagram bio now reads like this, “Really looking forward to things to come…”

Source: WrestlingINC

Jarrett also posted these comments to Instagram:

Lucha Underground Preview 9/6/17

Rules are made to be broken on the all new “Lucha Underground” as Dario Cueto makes a huge announcement that concerns Rey Mysterio. The boys in blue battle it out when Cortez Castro takes on Joey Ryan in a Five-O Street Fight, who is really Boyle heights finest? Greedy for the gold, Johnny Mundo makes an Ultima Lucha challenge to Prince Puma…

Five-O Street Fight: Cortez Castro vs. Joey Ryan

* What happens when a tribe of rabbits gangs up on a monster?

Sexy Star Stripped Of AAA Reina De Reinas Championship

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Following Sexy Star posting a lengthy message on social media explaining what happened at AAA TripleMania last week.

Below is a transcription of the post via PWInsider:

“First of all I want to thank the people who have been with me these days that have become a nightmare and one of the most difficult moments of my career and my personal life.As some of you know, last Saturday, August 26th, I attended the TRIPLEMANIA XVV event, at the Mexico City Arena, to fulfill a championship fight, from the company AAA, which I contracted as an independent, to reuse the Sexy Star Mask, a character I’ve worked with for 11 years.

At first I was informed that this championship would be REINA de REINAS in a one on one with one of the Mexican women who belongs to the company, but a few days to go before the event, I was informed that they would include two more fighters , among them a North American woman belonging to the company Global Force Wrestling, that AAA company contract as an external, that to my knowledge, never fought in Mexico or at least never for the Mexican company and which I met minutes before going up to fulfill the fight, for which I am contracted.

As I have done for more than ten years, when I came to the place, I would approach those who would participate in the fight, to coordinate the show that we presented to the public, being responsible for the event (Lucha AAA) who indicated with precision, what would happen in combat.

As it is my custom and especially when I am going to fight with someone with whom I have not worked and more being foreigners – the styles of fight change a lot between country and country – especially I went with the American, I asked her if she felt good with what or if she wanted to change something, to feel more confident in the ring, those who have worked with me, know that I always do so, with the idea of ??protecting from any incident those who work with me and myself, not only for ethics and for values ??that in my house have taught me, in which they include the companionship, but because I have always had the awareness of the danger that we run all those who work in the fight, be it our first fight or the number one hundred. I want to clarify that she never asked me to verify or mark what we would present, something that is always important for me, so I assumed that she knew and would have control of everything that we would do. Being the talent coordinator of AAA who gave the “OK” to go up without performing the fight without a previous approach.

I come to the moment of the fight, I went up to the pancracio(?) to realize the spectacle that I have usually presented to the combative public, for many years, in the same way, with the same energy and delivery, with the same style and fury that has characterized ” Sexy Star “in absolutely all her bouts.

The fight comes to its end, when I submitted the American woman, with the punishment that was indicated to me, that was selected for being, in the range of dangerousness one of the lowest level, and that I have repeatedly applied and have applied me – a punishment that as I repeat, in the range of danger is one of the least has been so ever.

At the end of the show and after the foreign woman went down by her own foot, and without the need for any medical assistance, she followed the usual protocol, I handed the belt to Martha Villabolos, whom I deeply admire and who even taught me a lot in my first approaches to this sport, which I love with all my heart and that has cost me injuries, sacrifices and that has forced me to be constant in my preparation to strengthen my body and withstand falls, postures – few know the secrets of the fight and if in this letter I reveal some, it is for security to my integrity, out of respect for the career that has given me so much in the professional and personal, I do not think to punctuate more, just say that those who have preserved their career with ups and downs, with falls and rises, with injuries and bleeding, understand what I mean.

After twenty minutes and finished the protocol of the delivery of the belt, go down to locker rooms where I was approached by people in charge of Global Force Wrestling and who has a working relationship with the AAA company, who claimed in the language of their country, an alleged injury to the fighter I submitted, something that surprised me, since as I reiterate, she went down without anyone from the ring.

Immediately and not just for ethics, but because I was worried, I went to see that she was well, and I found her talking to another companion, standing in the production monitoring room, only with an ice pack in her elbow, no There was no paramedic or person attending. She was not even on a stretcher – a safety protocol that is taken when there is a suspicion of injury – but she was not even seated, that gave me peace of mind because, from my own eyes, I saw that it was not bad, she had not hurt herself. Then the AAA talent coordinator told me that everything was fine, so I would leave the place with my husband, with the peace and security that everything was fine and without any indication of Mr. Dorian Roldan, owner of the company AAA, who I want to assume, had there been any problem, would not have allowed me to go without clarifying some kind of situation.

You also have to know that I never received a medical report and there is no x-ray that shows, some type of injury in which was my companion of fight.

I do not worry about the situation, because I repeat with my own eyes, I saw that she had not been injured, I did not suppose, I noticed that she was not taken care of by paramedics, nor was she moved, much less used medical equipment or stretcher, as when someone is injured. In my fight career I have seen injuries and I myself have been victims of accidents and believe me, there was nothing that is, that night in TRIPLEMANIA XXV, after the fight for the championship REINA de REINAS.

The following day I began to receive in social networks a series of cybernet attacks, that included a letter with aggressions, written by the American woman, where she affirmed only in text, without showing some photograph or medical report and already in her country of residence, inclusion without giving the face or voice, that I had intentionally injured her.

This letter was widely disseminated by American men and women wrestlers, with whom I have never worked and much less were in the place and who added texts affirming my supposed anti-professionalism, supporting their words with the letter of the American, which had already reached more than 4 thousand retweets.

The harassment in social networks was growing and came also from bloggers and media, who were not in the place, who did not cover the event, media that do not even work in Mexico, media that had no hesitation in heading their note with words like “She dislocated the shoulder purposely” others “intentionally breaks her arm” affirmed the alleged injury, having only as a reference the letter raised to Twitter by the American and the video of the end of the fight from several angles, where in no time is observed the injured woman, and on the contrary she is seen to lower of the ring by her own foot and using her hands. Some even ensured that the punishment is done badly and intentionally, raising the hip something that is not in the video. Many media and columnists of the network, even did not agree and mentioned that the injury that the fighter suffered was in shoulder, others in elbow and others in complete arm.

I clarify that in the video that circulates on the internet, I only see myself impersonating Sexy Star doing the punishment, with the same energy and fury that characterizes the character, in the same way and with the same force in the surrender, without loosing until second after checking the referee, as always has done Sexy Star. I can prove that this punishment I have done on other occasions exactly equal in time and strength to other companions, even recently in one of the matches of Sexy Star in the American series in which I am currently participating, I assure you that the companion who received this punishment on that occasion, which in the range of danger is one of the least risky, at least in the Mexican wrestling, and that I have never been wrong used to absolutely injure anyone.

The past August 30th I have been 11 years in wrestling, a sport to which I have given my life and my body, without being figurative, body that has damages, because in this sport, if you make a career like I have had the blessing to do, you do not save, … to the fight I have always had respect, respect that I begin to exercise since I take the body of my partner or companion to whom I have always cared without exception and will do, regardless of nationality or who know or not, a lot of this sport, that respect I inherited not only from my parents, I inherited it from my teachers and professors, people with dynasties in Mexican wrestling, where this sport was born, and I am sure that my teachers can speak and support, that I have never neglected any companion.

Out of respect and love to my teachers and my followers, who have given me their love and to whom I owe my career and who, know me perfectly, I dedicate these letter, which are the only ones that deserve to have the testimony of what really happened , but above all I dedicate it to Sexy Star, a character that was loaned to me and many people, with honor, honesty, respect, integrity and passion, I have defended and carried for 11 years, the same values that belong to Dulce Maria Garcia Rivas and I will not let anyone, with versions not supported by evidence, discredit.”

AAA announced that Star is vacating the Reina de Reinas Championship.

Star has been facing strong criticism for allegedly purposely injuring Rosemary’s arm during their match. Star claims that she didn’t purposely try to injure Rosemary, and that Rosemary appeared fine backstage after the match. She said that Rosemary was walking backstage under her own power and without any assistance. Star added that when she heard that Rosemary was injured, she found her with just a bag of ice on her elbow without anyone assisting her. Star said she left the arena after the AAA talent coordinator assured her that everything is fine.

Star noted that following the incident, she has been getting bullied on social media. She said that Rosemary did not suffer any injury since the submission move that was applied is very safe. She added that she has been wrestling for 11 years and her wrestling teachers can verify that she has never purposely tried to hurt another wrestler.

Source: WrestlingINC

Former WWE Tag Team (John Morrison & Joey Mercury) Reuniting On The Indies

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Former WWE Tag Team Champions John Hennigan (John Morrison, Johnny Nitro, Johnny Impact) and Joey Mercury will be reuniting on September 22nd for the All Pro Wrestling group in Stockton, California.

Morrison & Mercury along with Melina was known as MNM.

As seen below, Mercury indicated on Twitter that they are taking bookings together now.

Source: WrestlingINC