On the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, the former Olympic Gold Medalist revealed that he will be coming back to the WWE in time for the build up to WrestleMania 38. Angle was seen at this past weekend’s Royal Rumble with Shelton Benjamin and teased that he will be with the WWE for the “next month or so.”
“I did [receive a call] from WWE and they want me to be involved in the show for the next month or so,” Angle mentioned. “I’m really excited about it, so we’ll see what’s in store for me.”
After retiring at WrestleMania 35 in a loss to Baron Corbin, Angle was released by WWE back in April of 2020 and hasn’t been seen with the company since. After stating numerous times that he was offered several roles with AEW, Kurt Angle never appeared with the company and will seemingly make his return on-screen for WWE shortly.
During a previous episode of the podcast, Kurt Angle teased possibly coming out of retirement and wrestling again. It’s unclear what Angle will be doing during the lead up to WrestleMania 38,.
During the podcast, Kurt Angle also spoke about William Regal being released by WWE recently and why he was surprised by the move. Regal has been steady with the company for the last 20+ years, most recently recognized for his role as the NXT General Manager for the past eight.
“I was surprised, he was a huge asset to the company,” Angle said. “He was a great trainer and coach, one of the best technicians I have ever known. He was a big plus for the company. I was really shocked they let him go.”
Former WWE and Impact Wrestling star Ken Anderson (Mr. Kennedy) has been accused of unprofessional business practices by students at his wrestling school in Minneapolis, MN.
On Sunday, a Reddit user, claiming to be a student enrolled in Anderson’s “The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling,” stated that the school has been closed for “quite some time now,” and hasn’t resumed activities unlike other gyms in the area. The post claimed that students enrolled in the school for nearly two years have yet to receive any semblance of training, “not even remote homework like tape study, character development or promos.” Furthermore, the user pointed out that the school’s website was deactivated a while ago.
The user noted that Anderson has “gone silent and his only update every 2-3 months is that they’re in talks with a realtor for a new facility but no real progress comes out of it.”
The post led to another Reddit user commenting on his experiences with Anderson’s school. They claimed to have signed up for a 30-minute free consultation, only to show up to an empty warehouse at the time of the scheduled appointment. The Reddit thread can be found here.
According to Bodyslam.net, while some students are still hopeful that the school will eventually reopen, one particular student has given up hope. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, pointed out how the reopening of the school has been postponed several times in the last 18 months since they paid for the program. He also corroborated claims by users in the Reddit thread that Anderson’s school has yet to issue refunds.
The student revealed the reasons he’s been given – for not receiving training – range from the outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant to the lack of a building to train in. This specific student came to a conclusion about six months ago that the situation seemed “super sketchy based on the lack of communication.” They also noted their communication with Anderson himself to be very minimal, citing brief conversations via text messages.
The student issued the following statement via BodySlam:
In no way am I making any claims on Ken’s personal character as I’ve had minimal contact with the man, but I believe his business practices and professionalism speaks for themselves. I’m personally not out to ruin anyone’s career but simply trying to hold others accountable for their actions as well as preventing others from making the same mistakes I did.
The money I’m out may not seem like a lot to some but it was my entire savings as well as my dreams, and at the end of the day, that’s all I really want back. My dream is crushed but hopefully I can get my money back.
Mr. Kennedy’s wrestling school has trained talents such as Dante & Darius Martin of AEW, and once had trainers such as Molly Holly, Shawn Daivari and Arik Cannon.
Anderson has yet to respond to the allegations. As seen in the screengrabs below, the school has reached out to the students at regular intervals, but hasn’t provided any training in two years.
Anderson was last seen in a match at the NWA Powerrr tapings in December 2019. He was scheduled to compete at the NWA Hard Times pay-per-view in January 2020, but was pulled from match versus Tim Storm due to an injury.
UPDATE: Through their Facebook page, Anderson’s wrestling school reached out to their students on December 18, 2021. As seen in the screengrabs below, the school also previously expected to reopen on November 1.
RAW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH Becky Lynch (c) defeated Doudrop
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar (c) to become the new WWE Champion
Roman Reigns interfered. Paul Heyman handed the title belt to Reigns and he hit Lesnar with it and Lashley made the pin cover for the win. Heyman walked out with Reigns.
MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix defeated The Miz and Maryse
30-MAN ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH Johnny Knoxville, Austin Theory, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Montez Ford, Angelo Dawkins, Sheamus, WWE United States Champion Damian Priest, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Sami Zayn, Madcap Moss, Happy Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Omos, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, Randy Orton, Riddle, RAW Tag Team Champion Otis, RAW Tag Team Champion Chad Gable, 8 Superstars TBA
30-WOMAN ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James, Rhea Ripley, Nikki A.S.H., WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella, Shotzi, Natalya, Michelle McCool, WWE 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Carmella, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Queen Zelina Vega, Tamina Snuka, Kelly Kelly, Aliyah, Summer Rae, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, WWE Hall of Famer Lita, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, 9 participants TBA
WWE TITLE MATCH Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar (c)
WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE MATCH Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns (c) SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos are banned from ringside.
RAW WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH Doudrop vs. Becky Lynch (c)
MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz and Maryse
WWE reportedly offered a 2022 Hall of Fame induction to Jeff Hardy but he turned it down.
WWE released Hardy in early December after he reportedly turned down an offer of rehab from the company. This came after an incident at the December 4 WWE live event in Edinburg, Texas, where Hardy became sluggish as the six-man main event went on, then tagged out, and disappeared through the crowd with security following him. He was pulled from the road after that incident, and then released. Matt Hardy later stated that he didn’t feel like Jeff needed rehab at that point, and that he was in a good place in his life.
In an update, the Wrestling Observer reports that WWE Talent Relations head John Laurinaitis called Hardy a few weeks back to talk about possibly bringing him back, and offered to put him into the 2022 Hall of Fame Class.
Hardy reportedly turned the offer down and asked for his drug test results from when he was released in December, because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for any recreational drugs. It took Hardy and his wife Beth six weeks to get the results back.
There is a feeling that Hardy is one guy WWE does not want in AEW because they’ve realized The Hardy Boyz tag team will be revitalized with so many teams in AEW to work with. Jeff and Matt have already started accepting indie and signing dates together.
Hardy is under contract to WWE through Wednesday, March 9 when his non-compete clause expires, so AEW can’t make a legal offer to him until then, but the belief is that unless he does go back to WWE, and it doesn’t look like he will, then he will end up in AEW.
The parties announced as much on Tuesday, revealing the WWE Network will be heading to the Disney+Hotstar streaming service in said country. The multi-year deal will see folks in the region enjoy PPV events, as well as library content.
“Similar to the Peacock arrangement, all WWE live events will be available on Disney+Hotstar as part of a standard subscription, at no additional cost,” Deadline reports.” Programming will stream in Indonesia’s local language, Bahasa Indonesia, as well as in English.”
The partnership is set to kick off with the Royal Rumble this Saturday.
.@Disney has cut its first @WWE deal, agreeing to an exclusive pact to carry @WWENetwork in Indonesia.
The deal will make WWE Network available on @DisneyPlusHS starting with the Royal Rumble on Jan. 30.
WWE president Nick Khan is reported to be keen on seeing the company’s streaming strategy mirrored overseas. The WWE Network is available via Peacock in the United States and this latest deal points to the promotion making forays into other markets.
“The Walt Disney Company has long been the gold standard in creating iconic intellectual property that serves as the backbone for international business growth,” Khan said in a statement. “Partnering with Disney+Hotstar will allow us to deliver WWE Network content including WrestleMania on a best-in-class platform to our existing fans in Indonesia while also introducing WWE to new audiences in the region as Disney+ continues to expand its reach internationally.”
This marks the first time WWE has dealt directly with Disney, however, they did have a content deal in Latin America with Fox that Disney has inherited. It also hands WWE a huge partnership with a fourth major entertainment company.
Aside from their deal with Peacock, WWE content airs on NBCU’s USA Network and FOX Corp’s FOX Network, while there’s also a deal in place with Netflix that has seen the production of an interactive horror project, as well as an incoming series about Vince McMahon.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Inside The Ropes), Dave Meltzer reported that Rousey is “scheduled for WrestleMania” weekend on Apr. 2-3. Meltzer is assuming that Rousey will face current Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
Rousey’s last WWE match took place in the main event of WrestleMania 35 three years ago. Rousey (then the Raw Women’s Champion), Lynch and Charlotte Flair (then the SmackDown Women’s Champion) squared off in a triple threat match for both titles, which Lynch won (in controversial fashion) by pinning Rousey.
The women’s and men’s Royal Rumble matches usually feature several surprise entries, but we’ll just have to wait and see if Rousey makes an appearance. Some of the top names who are returning for the women’s Royal Rumble match include Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Summer Rae, Kelly Kelly and Hall of Famers Lita, Nikki and Brie Bella.
According to a recent Fightful report, WWE is hoping to lure former WrestleMania main-eventer Ronda Rousey back to the ring.
WWE bosses reportedly want Ronda Rousey to get back in the ring and are doing all they can to make it happen.
Per Fightful Select, WWE is attempting to persuade Rousey to return to the company for the first time since 2019. Fightful reports that a potential Rousey return has been discussed so much that it is considered a “poorly kept secret” as even some people outside the company are aware of the efforts to lure Rousey back. Fightful also reports that Rousey’s name was mentioned as a potential surprise entrant in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble.
Rousey hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since April 2019, when she competed in the main event of WrestleMania 35 with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Becky Lynch won that match, bringing an end to Rousey’s 231-day reign as Raw Women’s Champion. Lynch believes Rousey wants to return to get her win back.
“We have a lot of people,” Lynch said in an interview with Graham Matthews of Bleacher Report last November. “Then, of course, is Ronda Rousey going to be champing at the bit to get back now that she sees what I’ve accomplished? Maybe she’d want to accomplish the same, maybe she’ll want to get retribution for the loss I gave her at WrestleMania 35. The same loss that’s caused me to be champion ever since,” Lynch added.
According to Wrestling Inc, Rousey’s contract came to an end in April of last year, and since there’s been no word of her signing a new deal, she is almost certainly a free agent.
Last September, Rousey and her husband Travis Browne welcomed their first child as a couple, La’akea Makalapuaokalanipō Browne, to the world. La’akea is the first child Rousey and Browne have had together, and Browne’s third child overall as Rousey is a step-mom to two from Browne’s previous relationship.
