Here is the preview for tonight’s episode of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network:
Left For Dead – Dante Fox flashbacks to being a POW; the first round of The Cueto Cup winds down; Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo continue their training.
* Sexy Star vs. PJ Black
* Prince Puma vs. Ricky Mandel
* Dante Fox vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr
* Son of Havoc vs. Son of Madness
Make way for another MMA crossover in professional wrestling, because “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar is stepping into the squared circle for the first time … at a bowling alley.
Bonnar says he and fellow MMA fighter Phil Baroni are forming a tag team called “The Real Shooters” and will be making their in-ring debut on July 16.
It’s certainly a humble start to the UFC legend’s wrestling career, because the event is taking place at Inman’s Bowling Alley and Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana. Bonnar, however, promises a good show.
“I’m going to be doing flashy spin kicks, slapping submissions on these fools, and Phil Baroni’s going to be doing his thing. ‘The New York Badass.’ So, you’re going to be entertained. I guarantee it.”
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Smith Hart has passed away at the age of 68 following a long battle with prostate cancer.
The following was posted to Smith’s Facebook page today:
On November 28, 1948, Stu and Helen Hart, welcomed what would be the first of an eventual brood of 12 children when Smith Stewart Hart was welcomed into the world in Long Island, New York. Smith was not only loved by Stu and Helen but was the treasured nephew of Helen’s 3 adoring sisters who dotted upon Smith as their own. Called away to purchase the Stampede Wrestling territory, Stu and Helen, left the infant Smith in the care of Helen’s parents. Smith’s grandfather, who was an Olympic Miler, and whom had set the world record for the mile in 1908, was particularly fond of his first grandchild as he had only fathered daughters and was finally getting the chance to raise the son he had also wished for. When Smith was 3, he returned to live in Calgary with his parents, who by this time had been joined by younger siblings Bruce and Keith. Smith found the transition challenging as he was adored in New York by his aunts and grandparents, but found discipline and rules under his parents roof. Soon after the family was joined by Dean and Wayne and would eventually be followed by Ellie, Bret, Georgia, Ross. Allison, Diana and finally Owen. Growing up was not an easy task as often times, gates were low and the family went without. But the family stuck together and overcame every adversity as a unit. Smith would go on to graduate from the University of Calgary with a degree in English Literature. In 1972, Smith and his then girlfriend Marla, would welcome the first grandchild to Stu and Helen, Tobi. That year, Smith was sent to work and study in Japan for International Wrestling Enterprise. A promotion he would hold multiple championships in. After a year in Japan, Smith would begin working regular tours of England, Scotland, Germany, Netherlands and other European countries, wrestling for top companies such as the original World of Sport. It was here that he originally discovered Davey Boy Smith. Although Bruce is credited with bringing Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid to Canada originally, it was Smith who made the first discovery. In 1978, Smith and brother Bret would discover the island paradise of Puerto Rico. Stampede proteges Carlos Colon and Victor Jovica had opened up a territory and were bringing in a multitude of Stampede wrestling stars to launch the product. Smith and Bret promptly won the tag team championships. Smith would eventually meet his beautiful bride Maria in Puerto Rico and together welcomed daughter Satania to the world. Smith found solace in the island nation and made it his home for many years between tours. Smith would retire from the ring officially in 1986 and would take to training the next generation of wrestlers. Smith alongside brothers Bruce, Keith and Ross helped train such notable stars as Chris Benoit and Jushin Liger. The late 80’s to the early 90’s saw a boom in the popularity of the Hart family as Bret and Owen became international and global superstars that put a spotlight on the family as never before. After the passing of Smith’s wife Maria, Smith fell in love with the beautiful Lianne, with whom sons Michael and Matthew were born to. In the late 90’s Smith would move his family to Cambridge, Ontario to launch a wrestling school. Partnered with former WWWF star Waldo Von Erich, the school would produce some of the best talent of this generation including Eric Young, Highlanders Robbie & Rory McAllister, Tye Dillinger and many more. Smiths involvement with the school became limited as he was called back to Calgary embroiled in a custody battle over his youngest child Chad with whom he had with a lady named Zo. One of Smith’s biggest regrets in life would always be the fact he was not able to raise his son Chad directly and missed incredible amounts of time. Smith was an avid environmentalist, a humanitarian, a comical jokester, a creative force and ultimately the proverbial heart of the Hart family. Pre-deceased by his parents Stu and Helen, his siblings Owen and Dean, his wives Maria, Marla, Lianne and Zo, he is now survived by his beautiful children Tobi, Satania, Michael, Matthew and Chad as well as his grandchildren Allison, Jessica and Isabella. Today Smith lost his long arduous battle with cancer. This will be the last post from this account. God bless you Smith. We all love you.
WWE issued the statement below on Smith Hart’s passing:
WWE is saddened to learn that Smith Hart, member of the storied Hart wrestling family and uncle of WWE Superstar Natalya, has passed away at age 68.
The oldest of the 12 Hart family children, Smith made a notable name for himself in the sports-entertainment industry around the globe. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s Smith competed across Japan, the National Wrestling Alliance and his father’s homegrown Canadian promotion, Stampede Wrestling.
Smith also made several memorable WWE appearances throughout his career, most notably at WrestleMania XXVI when he assisted his brother, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart, in Bret’s No Holds Barred Match against Mr. McMahon.
WWE extends its condolences to Smith’s family, friends and fans.
Source: WrestlingINC
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Penta El Zero M was robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning by three men on motorcycles who pulled up on him while he was taking an Uber to the airport.
Sources close to Penta, fka Pentagon Jr., say he was on his way to the airport to travel to Seattle for a DEFY Wrestling event when three masked men on motorcycles suddenly surrounded the vehicle.
The men each pulled out guns and approached the vehicle … then took his wallet, keys, cellphone and backpack — containing his mask, gear and necessary paperwork needed to travel.
Penta pleaded with the thieves to let him keep the bag, but they ignored his request.
Pentagon was not harmed or injured, so he attempted to travel without his passport afterward, but he was refused by officials in Mexico City.
Due to this fact, Penta El Zero M did not wrestle for DEFY Thursday night. Once his paperwork issue has been resolved, he’ll be able to resume traveling to the United States for work.
A rep for Pentagon confirmed the facts of this story.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Macho Madness: The Cueto Cup’s first round continues; a new luchador arrives at the temple; Crane’s jealousy erupts.
Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Vibora vs. Paul London
Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Veneno vs. Mil Muertes
Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Jeremiah Crane vs. Killshot
Cueto Cup Tournament Match: Taya vs. Joey Ryan
Impact Wrestling issued the following:
IMPACT Wrestling Acquires Global Force WrestlingNASHVILLE | TORONTO – Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions LLC, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. and parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Global Force Entertainment, LLC d/b/a Global Force Wrestling.
Jeff Jarrett, the founder of both IMPACT Wrestling and Global Force Entertainment, will join Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions as a member of its board of managers, equity owner and Chief Creative Officer.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Anthem as a partner to build the business,” said Karen Jarrett. “This partnership will be complementary of our strengths and bolster our capabilities to grow the IMPACT Wrestling brand. Ed Nordholm as President and Jeff Jarrett as Chief Creative Officer make a great tag team”
“We are excited by the progress we have made with IMPACT Wrestling since acquiring the business in January,” said Ed Nordholm, president of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions. “Jeff and his team have been instrumental in this success and we are pleased that we have reached an agreement on the basis of which we can combine our businesses to continue to grow. Slammiversary XV will be a fitting occasion to bring the promotions together and merge the titles under the new IMPACT combined belts. By combining our resources and talent, we can produce the best product for our global audience.”
For more information, visit http://www.impactwrestling.com.
About IMPACT Wrestling
IMPACT Wrestling is one of the world’s largest wrestling entertainment properties, creating more than 200 hours of original content annually across television and other digital platforms. IMPACT Wrestling specializes in events, products, merchandise and music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. The roster features such greats as Bobby Lashley, Alberto El Patron, EC3, Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, James Storm, Low-Ki and the high-flying X-Division, plus the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Gail Kim. Its highly successful flagship, IMPACT WRESTLING, broadcasts in more than 120 countries around the world, including Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Pop (a joint venture of CBS Corporation and Lionsgate) in the United States, Fight Network and GameTV in Canada, Sony Six in India, Spike UK in the United Kingdom and SuperSport in Africa.
About Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. is a global sports media company with offices and studios in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Anthem’s portfolio includes Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel now broadcasting in the U.S., Canada and over 30 other countries, GameTV, featuring game shows, reality series, movies and sports available in over 9 million homes, IMPACT Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion seen in 120 countries specializing in television programs, events, products, merchandise, music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers, and Edge Sport, an extreme and action sports network recently launched in Canada in partnership with IMG. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S. available in 45 million homes.
Anthem also owns the Fantasy Sports Entertainment Group (FSEG), which includes Fantasy Sports Network(FNTSY), the world’s first and only channel dedicated to fantasy sports, FNTSY Sports Radio Network, a 24/7 audio channel, RotoExperts.com, a leader in season-long fantasy sports news and analysis,DailyRoto.com, the most comprehensive and far-reaching daily fantasy sports website, and SportsGrid.com, a leader in general sports entertainment commentary.
The new Netflix series GLOW was finally released yesterday … and the series included a few surprise cameos from across the world of wrestling!
While the involvement of Awesome Kong and Chavo Guerrero, Jr. was known about before airing, the series based around Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling also surprised viewers with unexpected cameos.
Lucha Underground star Johnny Mundo appeared in the first episode as Salty “The Sack” Johnson, a pro-wrestler hired (and fired) to train the female wrestlers.
Ex-WWE star Carlito and Impact Wrestling‘s Tyrus have small reoccurring parts as Carmen’s older brothers Tom and Kurt Wade — aka The Lumberjacksons.
While Alex Riley was known to have a part in the show before airing, now we know what it was. He plays a wrestler named Steel Horse, who main events a show some of the girls attend in episode 5.
Joey Ryan plays Mr. Monopoly in the same episode and his wife Laura James is there as well.
Episode 5 also features the Legion Hall where PWG events occur and Christopher Daniels/Frankie Kazarian in a match as nameless wrestlers with Lucha Underground referee Marty Elias — and Daniels hits the Best Moonsault Ever.
Finally, while Guerrero himself does not appear in the series, the gym where the cast trains is named after him … but blink and you’ll miss the easter egg. Plus, a later episode is dedicated to Chavo Guerrero Sr. — who passed away earlier this year — and Brooke Hogan makes an appearance.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Jim Cornette released a new YouTube video where he responded to Vince Russo filing an order of protection against him. In the video, Cornette detailed police officers serving him with the document, an EPO out of Posey County, Indiana, at his home.
Cornette joked that he didn’t know what an EPO was, nor did he know the location of Posey County, Indiana. He thought EPO had something to do with environmental protection or hazardous waste until one of the officers asked him if he knew a Vincent Russo. Cornette recalled laughing and joking, calling for his wife, who also thought it was hilarious. The officers informed him the order was filed due to threatening comments made on national podcasts.
“I guess I’m going to have to modify my behavior,” Cornette said in response to being served with the 9-page protective order. “I thought that we were just bros doing podcasts, he always said it was my shtick — I think that was a quote — to knock him, then I did it for downloads and attention and everything. You know, ’cause that’s what my people expected of me and etc. and you wouldn’t take out a protection order over that, you’d be foolish to do that. So I didn’t realize he was taking it so seriously.”
“And obviously the last thing that I would ever do is disobey a court order, I would not do that. And I certify that here right now in public,” Cornette said. “So I’m going to do the things this court order says because a lot of the boxes are checked off… Vince Russo says he’s been a victim of stalking by me. That I threatened to cause physical harm to him that I placed him in fear of physical harm and this would happen not only on national podcasts but that I’ve been doing this — in his own handwriting here — since October of 1999 in five different states.”
Russo and Cornette’s feud goes back decades, with things escalated recently when Cornette claimed on WWE Network‘s Table For 3 episode entitled ‘Creative Committee’ that Russo writes Vince McMahon every week about wanting to go back. A claim Russo emphatically denied on the Wrestling Inc. podcast. This resulted in Cornette challenging Russo to a shoot fight and Russo issuing an ‘apology’. It was learned on Thursday that Russo had filed an order of protection against Jim Cornette.
“So I’m going to stay away from Vince Russo’s house that I’ve never been to,” Cornette said in response. “And his place of employment if we can find it. And I’m going to stay away from his wife Amy, who I haven’t seen since 1997. And I won’t call him on his current phone number that I’ve never called and didn’t have before last week.”
“And most of all, I promise that I would never commit,” Cornette paused and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, hold on, I’m going to read from, I’m actually quoting here. I would never do any of these things I’m prohibited from doing. I would never commit acts of domestic or family violence, stalking or sex offenses against Vince Russo or his household members or any other kind of member that he might have hanging around. Never would I do such a thing. I swear to that.”
Cornette stated that he wants to apologize to Vince Russo for putting him in fear of physical harm. He stated the last thing he wants on his conscious is the thought of Vince Russo lying awake at night sacred of him. Cornette said he didn’t realize what he had done and feels horrible. Cornette thought after Russo’s “apology” that they were making progress. You can watch Cornette’s latest video embedded in the player above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please provide with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: WrestlingINC
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are here, and they sure know how to put on a show.
Netflix’s newest nostalgia-tinged offering, GLOW (streaming June 23), is a half-hour comedy that follows the formation of a women’s wrestling league in the 1980s and is inspired by the real-life brawlers. Starring Alison Brie and created by Liz Flahive (Nurse Jackie) , Carly Mensch (Orange is the New Black) and former WWE/TNA star Awesome Kong (Kharma), the series is an especially watchable, bedazzled comedy that is, above all, a rollicking good time.
GLOW is anchored by Brie as Ruth, a struggling actress frustrated by the limited parts Hollywood offers women. She and a host of other “unconventional” women end up at an audition for the endearingly low-budget wrestling league, headed by a failed grindhouse movie director (Marc Maron) and an overenthusiastic, trust-fund-kid producer (Chris Lowell). The process is not entirely smooth, as the group of amateur women attempts, on a low budget, to make it look like they’re hurting each other without actually killing each other. But hey, their hair always looks amazing. And big.
Source: USAToday
Looks like the fight between Vince Russo and Jim Cornette won’t be happening … because Russo has responded in their bitter battle by slapping his arch-nemesis with a restraining order.
Cornette tweeted a photo of the court document, which was filed on Friday, and it shows that Vince claims Jim has been stalking him. His caption said, “Golly, VOLDERMORT just filed a Emergency Protective Order on me. I can’t hang out with him anymore!”
As we previously reported, Cornette recently challenged his former coworker to a brawl on his podcast … with such stipulations as no guns, no knives, no cameras and no publicity.
According to PWInsider, Russo is claiming JC has been stalking him across state lines since 1999. He listed the 6/15 episode of Cornette’s show as an incident of stalking and harassment, due to Jim promising that he had a “gift” for Russo.
PWI also reports Cornette was served at his home in Kentucky and is ordered to stay away from Russo and his wife, as well as their home and VR’s place of employment … wherever that may be.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
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