Category: WWE

Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer Dead At 88

This week, the pro wrestling world lost another legend.

Kurt Beyer, son of pro wrestling legend Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, took to Facebook on Thursday to announce the passing of his father.

Kurt wrote the following:

“It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka The Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past Noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace. (The Destroyer – Honoring A Wrestling Legend! The Destroyer (wrestler))”

Check out the complete statement via his Facebook page below.

Beyer had been in hospice care in recent weeks and was surrounded by loved ones as his health was diminishing.

Beyer, 88, had a career spanning over four decades that included over 8,000 matches in the United States and Japan. During it’s span, Beyer held the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship in both Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, as well as the American Wrestling Assosication’s Heavyweight title. He’s also been a NWA United States Heavyweight Champion for the central states, a NWA World Tag Team Champion in Texas, a NWA International Television Tag Team Champion in L.A., and a NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion.

As part of the classic All Japan Pro Wrestling, Beyer held the Asia Tag Team Championship with partner, Billy Red Lyons and he also held the PWF United States Heavyweight Championship on four separate occasions.

Beyer was also inducted in to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and he was officially inducted in to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.

In the aforementioned Facebook post, Beyer’s son, Kurt wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka the Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace.”

WWE has since issued out a statement on Beyer’s passing. The statement reads:

WWE is saddened to learn that Dick Beyer, a masked wrestling pioneer who was better known to ring fans as The Destroyer, has passed away at age 88.Beginning his career in the 1950s, Beyer thrilled fans and terrified opponents for three decades. He came to prominence in the Los Angeles territory, where he rivaled the likes of Freddie Blassie and Gorgeous George. Beyer famously defeated the latter in a Hair vs. Mask Match at the hallowed Olympic Auditorium in 1962, resulting in Gorgeous George losing his trademark golden locks.

Beyer achieved perhaps his greatest notoriety, however, in Japan, becoming one of the first foreign attractions in the country. His 1963 match against Rikid?zan, a former sumo wrestler and cultural icon in Japan, drew the eyes of more than 70 million TV viewers, making it one of the most-watched bouts in history. Beyer eventually became a beloved figure in Japanese pop culture himself and was even a regular performer on a top-ranked variety show.

Beyer also made waves in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association under the alias “Doctor X,” capturing the territory’s heavyweight title from Verne Gagne in 1968. As Doctor X, he wore a different but no less menacing mask, and his veiled countenance became immortalized when Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry was once photographed onstage wearing a shirt with his likeness on it.

A regional sports hero in upstate New York, Beyer wrestled and played football at Syracuse University before turning to the ring. His impact in sports-entertainment was felt long after his retirement, too, as Beyer is credited with training former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotundo.

WWE extends its condolences to Beyer’s family, friends and fans.

Sources: EWrestling.com and Wrestling Inc.

Lars Sullivan Reportedly Doing Much Better After Mental Health Incident

Lars Sullivan is said to be in a “good place” after dealing with personal issues that kept him from making his WWE debut earlier this year.

Sullivan recently sought professional help following a mental health-related incident back in January, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. As we’ve noted, Sullivan was set to make his debut on the January 7 RAW episode and that was to lead to a WrestleMania 35 feud with John Cena, but Sullivan suffered an anxiety attack outside of the arena, and plans were nixed. WWE had started airing vignettes for Lars’ arrival in November 2018 but he has not been mentioned for a debut since the incident.

Following the incident in January, Sullivan immediately began seeking help from mental health professionals and WWE has been “incredibly accommodating” to him the whole time, according to wrestlers close to Lars and the new report from PWS.

Lars is reportedly feeling much better now after being out of the spotlight. There’s no word yet on if Sullivan will return to WWE but it was noted that he is happy for the other NXT call-ups that he was supposed to debut with – EC3, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery.

It’s been reported that WWE was being very supportive of Lars while he dealt with his personal issues. Triple H downplayed the reports during a late-January media call and indicated a WWE future for Lars.

“There’s a lot of speculation and stories about everybody at all times, and it’s a funny thing, if there’s any kind of a glitch in a movement for a moment, it leads to everything being speculated about,” Triple H said during the January call. “There’s a lot of talk, but Lars is in a good place. Nothing has really changed, we’re moving forward and you’ll know when you see it. But nothing has changed.”

WWE reportedly wanted Sullivan to be at the January 28 RAW, which was the post-Royal Rumble episode, but he was not there and his status was still unknown.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett Added To The WWE Creative Team

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett has officially joined the WWE creative team, according to PWInsider.

Jarrett’s new role with the writing team is said to be a full-time executive-level role.

WWE continues to make moves that will strengthen the creative team. Bruce Prichard was brought back as a Senior Vice President a few weeks back and Paul Heyman has taken on a more prominent role with the team, becoming more intimately involved in writing & producing the WrestleMania 35 storylines for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.

Jarrett returned to WWE in January for a men’s Royal Rumble Match appearance, and was then hired as a backstage Producer. He was involved in last week’s RAW and SmackDown production meetings, and then spent several days last week at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT before officially being added to the writing team.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms WrestleMania 36 Location – Raymond James Stadium In Tampa, Florida.

WWE has confirmed that WrestleMania 36 will take place in April 2020 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting the date to be April 5, 2020.

WrestleMania 36 is coming to Tampa Bay in 2020; Official WrestleMania 36 Announcement scheduled for 11 a.m. ETAs first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, WrestleMania 36 will emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., in April 2020.

WWE will make their official WrestleMania 36 announcement today at 11 a.m. ET in a star-studded gathering, streaming live on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.

Read the full Times article here.

Watch the entire WrestleMaina 36 press conference here.

WWE.com released the following official announcement:

WWE and local dignitaries officially announce that WrestleMania 36 will take place in Tampa Bay in 2020

In a star-studded gathering, WWE made their official announcement that Raymond James Stadium will host to WrestleMania 36 on Sunday, April 5, 2020, with additional events held throughout Florida’s Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week.

WrestleMania 36 is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration that will stretch throughout the Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week. In addition to The Showcase of the Immortals, other activities will include the interactive fan festival WrestleMania Axxess, as well as the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NXT TakeOver, Monday Night Raw and SmackDownLIVE. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including children’s’ hospital visits and Be a STAR bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.

Don’t miss a moment of the action when WrestleMania comes to Tampa Bay for the first-time-ever.

Jim Ross Announces Plans To Leave WWE At End Of March

On the latest installment of his weekly podcast, “The Ross Report,” WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross announced his plans to leave WWE at the end of the month.

“Good Ole’ J.R.” revealed during the show that he recently met with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and the two mutually agreed to part ways. Ross confirmed that he will no longer be affiliated with WWE once his current contract expires at the end of this month.

“I still want to play the game, I still want to stay busy,” said Ross on this week’s edition of his Ross Report podcast. “I will not be returning to WWE after the 29th of March.”

As noted, Ross has been rumored to be involved with the upstart All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion.

Check out the complete episode of The Ross Report featuring Jim Ross’ comments about his WWE status at Omny.fm.

Source: EWrestling.com

WWE Announces Neck Surgery For Tommaso Ciampa, Update On A Possible Recovery Time

WWE has confirmed that WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery on today.

WWE noted that Ciampa was evaluated today and it was determined that he needs an anterior cervical fusion. The typical recovery time for that kind of operation looks to be 3-6 months, but they will have a better idea of his return once the surgery has been completed.

As noted earlier, via Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Ciampa was expected to be out of action for a long time, perhaps as long as 6-14 months.

It’s likely that he will have to vacate the NXT Title at next Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University. Ciampa has been pulled from all WWE events and signings or appearances. Ciampa originally planned to work through the injury to face Johnny Gargano at “Takeover: New York” during WrestleMania 35 weekend, then take time off, but the situation apparently got much worse in the last week and the surgery must be done now.

Below is WWE’s announcement on the surgery:

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to undergo neck surgeryNXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery tomorrow, WWE.com has confirmed.

Following a medical evaluation today, Ciampa has been scheduled for an anterior cervical fusion.

Stick with WWE.com for more details as they become available.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 3/6/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicks off

* #DIY reunite in NXT against The Undisputed ERA (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

* Moustache Mountain battle The Street Profits

* Aleister Black & Ricochet take on Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel

* Lorcan & Burch collide with The Forgotten Sons

WWE NXT UK Preview 3/6/19

NXT UK, today at 3 ET / 8 GMT on WWE Network.

* Falls Count Anywhere Match: Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin

* Ligero vs. Joseph Conners

* Nina Samuels vs. Charlie Morgan

* Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel vs. Sam Stoker & Lewis Howley

Tommaso Ciampa To Undergo Neck Surgery, Set To Be Out Of Action “For A Long, Long Time”

Last month, reports surfaced of NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is currently dealing with a neck injury that has forced him out of some appearances outside of WWE and even caused a re-write for RAW two weeks ago. Along with Johnny Gargano, the duo was initially scheduled to be involved in a Fatal 4-Way tag match, but were instead taken off the show completely.

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, it’s being reported that Ciampa is going to have neck surgery in the next couple of days. He’s not going to be in the ring for a “long, long time,” but the exact amount of time wasn’t known at this point. Dave Meltzer speculated – based on the history of neck surgeries – that Ciampa could be out anywhere from 6 to 14 months.

Ciampa will have to vacate the title and the expected TakeOver: New York match between him and Gargano obviously won’t happen either. WWE had originally hoped Ciampa could work through the injury to get by WrestleMania weekend, but things have worsened in the past week to change that plan.

Stories leading to TakeOver: New York most likely will be adjusted on next Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings.

Source: Wrestling Inc.