Tonight’s taped WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL with more build for Backlash.
Tonight’s taped WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will see the tournament to crown an Interim Cruiserweight Champion continue.
* Kushida to face Drake Maverick in pivotal tournament clash
* El Hijo del Fantasma collides with Akira Tozawa to determine Group B winner
* Rhea Ripley takes on Io Shirai with her eyes on her former championship
Owen Hart’s widow Martha has explained her reasoning for not allowing his induction in the WWE Hall of Fame, saying the event is put on for profit only and doesn’t have a physical home.
Speaking with CBS Sports, Martha Hart touched on the conversation which seems to arise every year about the possibility of Owen being inducted. As you’ll recall, Mark Henry even made a public plea to Martha during his Hall of Fame speech in 2018 asking her to allow it to happen.
“There’s always been this talk that, ‘Oh, we want to put Owen in the Hall of Fame,’” she said. “Their Hall of Fame? They don’t even have a Hallway of Fame. It doesn’t exist. There’s nothing. It’s a fake entity. There’s nothing real or tangible. It’s just an event they have to make money. They put it on TV and have a celebration, and it’s just so ridiculous. I would never even entertain it. It’s garbage.”
Martha has instead chosen to memorialize Owen through a foundation in his name.
Her insistence on the WWE Hall of Fame aside, Hart admits she’s forgiven Vince McMahon for Owen’s death in 1999 at the Over the Edge pay-per-view and everything that happened after.
“At the end of it all, I’ve forgiven all of them, really,” she told the publication. “The Hart family, Vince McMahon, I don’t hold any grudges. I hope life has been kind to all of them. My life hasn’t been easy, and I certainly wouldn’t wish harm on anyone.”
“Some damage in life is irreparable. You can’t fix it. It’s done. Again, you can forgive people, but it doesn’t mean you have to befriend them and be associated with them. At the same time, I don’t wish them any harm, and I hope their lives turned out well. That’s the casualties of war. They made their choices and have to live with them.”
“Dark Side of the Ring: The Final Days of Owen Hart” premieres Tuesday night on VICE.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard has passed away at the age of 39.
Earlier this morning, an unidentified body was found in the sand on Venice Beach, near where Gaspard went missing on Sunday while swimming with his 10 year old son. The discovery was made about halfway between the Venice Beach pier and the lifeguard headquarters by two people walking on the beach at around 1:30am local time, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
In an update, the Los Angeles Fire Department just held a news conference and confirmed that the body found was Gaspard, according to TMZ.
Gaspard went missing on Sunday after getting caught in a strong rip current with his son. He saved his son’s life by instructing the first responding lifeguard to help him. Gaspard was then hit by a large wave that took him under, and that was the last time he was seen. You can click here for details on what happened during the rescue from the first responders. The recent statements from Vince McMahon and WWE on the Shad incident, and support for the Gaspard family can be found here. The recent statement from Shad’s wife Siliana can be found at this link.
We here at Wrestling Inc. would like to send our condolences to Gaspard’s family and friends.
WWE issued the following updated statement on Gaspard’s passing this morning:
Shad Gaspard passes awayWWE is saddened to learn that former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard has passed away at the age of 39.
Gaspard had gone missing while swimming with his son at Venice Beach in California on May 17. In his final act, Gaspard instructed lifeguards to save his son’s life.
Gaspard was best known in WWE as one-half of Cryme Tyme with JTG. The fan-favorite duo memorably joined forces with John Cena during his 2008 rivalry with JBL, and competed for the WWE Tag Team Titles at SummerSlam 2009. Shad and JTG would later square off in heated fashion after a falling out in 2010.
Before entering the squared circle, Gaspard played basketball at Georgia Perimeter College. He was also a former bodyguard for P.Diddy, Britney Spears and Mike Tyson.
Admired by friends and colleagues for his warmth and humor, Gaspard was no stranger to heroic deeds. In 2016, he broke up an armed robbery in Coral Springs, Fla., pinning the suspect to the ground until police arrived.
Gaspard was also a multitalented individual, creating his own graphic novel and acting in several TV shows and films, including “Brothers” and “Think Like a Man Too.”
WWE extends its condolences to Gaspard’s family, friends and fans.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s taped WWE RAW will take place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL with more build for the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view.
* The Street Profits to face The Viking Raiders in an axe-throwing contest
* WWE Champion Drew McIntyre battles SmackDown’s King Corbin
* Bliss & Cross defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles against The IIconics
* Asuka starts a new era on Monday Night Raw
Drew Gulak’s contract expired with WWE after the May 15 edition of Friday Night SmackDown. The promotion was quick to move him to the alumni section.
Gulak was seeking out a raise from the higher-ups in WWE but was denied it. WWE then decided to pull the contract offer they originally proposed to him and negotiations were called off.
Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Drew Gulak’s negotiations with WWE is not a dead issue.
Meltzer also reports that the former Cruiserweight Champion is being represented by Barry Bloom in his negotiations.
Drew Gulak debuted with WWE in 2016. He wrestled mainly in WWE 205 Live before moving up to SmackDown.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE star Shad Gaspard is missing after getting caught in a strong rip tide at the beach.
According to TMZ, Gaspard and his son were part of a group of people at the Marina Del Rey beach who were caught in a strong rip tide yesterday around 4pm.
Lifeguards raced to get the people out of the water and Shad allegedly directed rescuers to help his 10-year-old son first before being crashed down on by a larger wave and submerging underwater. His son was rescued and did not require hospitalization.
Rescuers searched for Gaspard in the water until 7:30 pm before calling it off, according to CBS. They’re now hoping he’ll be found on land in a surrounding area.
We’ll keep you updated if more information or updates are made available.
Shad’s wife Siliana also posted the message below on Instagram. CLICK HERE to contact her.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Tonight’s taped WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature fallout from WWE Money In the Bank.
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air on a tape delay from the closed-set Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
* Can Riddle & Thatcher ward off Imperium?
* Finn Balor detours on the search for his attacker to face Cameron Grimes
* NXT General Manager William Regal to make a major announcement
WWE Hall of Famer Sting is currently without a WWE contract.
There was a lot of speculating on The Stinger’s WWE status earlier this week after he was pulled from a new Mattel series of WWE action figures, after previously being confirmed for the series. Mattel said he was pulled from the series “due to circumstances out of their control” but they did not elaborate. Now Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed that Sting is no longer signed to a WWE deal.
It was noted that while Sting is not currently under a WWE contract, this does not mean that the two sides won’t agree on a possible merchandise deal moving forward.
There’s no word on the AEW speculation that also surfaced this week after Sting had a Twitter exchange with AEW star Lance Archer, which saw AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes chime in. Cody also reacted to Mattel pulling Sting from the new WWE series.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
