Significant Impact Staff Departures

Impact had two significant staff departures this week – Live Events Manager Rafael Morfi and Director & Producer Dave Sahadi. PWInsider reports that Morfi’s departure came after he and Anthem were unable to come to terms on a new financial agreement. Morfi has worked for WWE in the past and continues to work with others such as WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross and House of Hardcore.

Sahadi, who also worked for WWE in the past, came to the company in March 2006 and it was seen as a major hire for TNA. He’s worked as a Director & Producer but was let go this week. His departure was described as the latest cost-cutting move by Anthem. Sahadi was considered to be a really talented Director.

Morfi tweeted the following on his departure this week:

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE Tribute To The Troops Preview 12/14/17

The following matches were taped for the 15th annual WWE Tribute to The Troops special, which airs for two hours on the USA Network tonight. Rapper MGK will perform a few songs as well. Commentary will be done by JBL, Michael Cole and Byron Saxton.

* The Shield vs. Samoa Joe and RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro)

* SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott vs. Carmella

* The New Day and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Rusev, Aiden English, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin

* Paige, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Bayley

* Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton and WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

Source: WrestlingINC.com

‘GLOW’ Series Nominated For Screen Actors Guild Awards

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In 2016, it was announced that the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) promotion will be returning to television. The comedy-series, created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, and produced by Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan and co-executive producer Tara Herrmann, was picked up by Netflix to air 10 episodes. Due to the rave reviews and success of the show, GLOW was picked up for another 10 episodes as of August of 2017.

CNN reported that GLOW has been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild awards. The categories include Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (Marc Maron), Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (Alison Brie), Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.

 GLOW cast member and former WWE / current Lucha Underground referee Marty Elias about the achievement.“GLOW has been nominated for 4 Critics’ Choice Awards, 2 Writers Guild of America Awards, and additional SAG awards!” Elias said. “I’m so blessed!”

The series also has cameos from pro wrestling talent John Morrison, Tyrus, Carlito, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Joey Ryan, Alex Riley, and Laura James, and features former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Kia Stevens (Awesome Kong). Former ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero, Jr. serves the role of a consultant for the wrestling scenes.

The SAG awards has been one of the industry’s most honored prizes since 1995, and is scheduled to air on Sunday, January 21, 2018, on TNT and TBS.

Source: WrestlingINC

Scott Dawson Injury Update

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Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned Scott Dawson is close to returning to the ring following an injury that sidelined him over the summer.

Dawson went under the knife back in August. Pro Wrestling Sheet Senior News Producer James McKenna then revealed that Dawson was expected to get cleared in December.

Sources tell The Sheet that Scott is currently on-track to get the green light by the end of the month and will likely hit that target, pending any complications that could be found during the next few weeks.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Dave Meltzer On Daniel Bryan Burying Byron Saxton On Commentary During SmackDown Live

Image result for Daniel Bryan does commentary on SmackDown Live during Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura match

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer talks about Daniel Bryan burying Byron Saxton on commentary during SmackDown Live. Have a listen to the audio on wrestling observer radio at wrestlingobserver.com:

Noam Dar To Undergo Surgery

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Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari mentioned on last night’s WWE 205 Live that Noam Dar is currently out of action with a knee injury and will be undergoing surgery. PWInsider confirms that the injury is not just part of the storylines. Word is that Dar needs the surgery to “clean up” the injury. There’s still no word yet on how long he will be out.

Source: WrestlingINC

NXT Preview 12/13/17

WWE NXT will air tonight on commercial television for the first time ever at 7/6 C on the USA Network as part of WWE Week. The show should also air as usual on the WWE Network as well.

* Qualifier For Number One Contender Fatal Four-Way: Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole

* Non-Title Match: NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Fabian Aichner

* The Authors of Pain vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

* Non-Title Match: NXT Women’s champion Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce

WWE And Facebook Announce New Mixed Match Challenge Show

mixed match challenge wwe facebook live watch

WWE announced today that they’ll be producing a new 12-week series on Facebook called Mixed Match Challenge.

According to WWE.com, the show will debut on January 16 and stream live on Facebook Watch when SmackDown Live goes off the air.

WWE issued the following:

Facebook and WWE today announced a new in-ring series, Mixed Match Challenge, that will stream live in the U.S. exclusively on Facebook on Tuesday nights beginning Jan.16 at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. The 12-episode series will air on Facebook Watch and feature WWE Superstars from both the Raw and SmackDown LIVE rosters competing in a single-elimination mixed tag-team tournament to win $100,000 to support the charity of their choice.

Check out the Mixed Match Challenge Facebook page

Each 20-minute episode will reflect a progressive approach to production, with elements optimized for mobile consumption, experimentation and social interaction, including the ability for the WWE Universe to engage with Superstars during the show. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to select matchups, match stipulations and more, on Facebook.

“As we continue to expand our strategic partnership with Facebook, this new series, Mixed Match Challenge, jointly reflects our innovative approach to content distribution and fan engagement,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “This show will deliver the action and excitement our passionate fan base is accustomed to while offering new production elements and social experiences that only Facebook can provide.”

“As a leader in entertainment innovation, WWE is an ideal partner to demonstrate how the live sports viewing experience can be reimagined on Facebook Watch,” said Dan Reed, Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships. “Mixed Match Challenge is a new competition produced specifically to take advantage of the reach, interaction and ongoing engagement enabled by our platform. Fans will be able to directly influence and interact with the in-ring action, follow the rivalries and storylines in between events, and connect with one another as the drama unfolds. We’re excited for the WWE community to come together on our platform to watch some of the biggest Raw and SmackDown Live Superstars and engage with WWE like never before.”

“Mixed Match Challenge demonstrates WWE’s flexibility in creating and producing compelling content across platforms in a media landscape that is evolving each day,” said Jayar Donlan, WWE Executive Vice President, Digital & Social Content. “The social interaction leading up to and during each show will connect WWE Superstars with our massive fan base on Facebook in more ways than ever before.”

Mixed Match Challenge Participants

Mixed Match Challenge is a Raw vs. SmackDown LIVE tournament where male and female Superstars team up to determine which combination of strength, skill, athleticism and experience reigns supreme.

Fans will have the opportunity to vote on Facebook for the final competitor from the Raw roster, as well as which tag team member of The New Day will be added to the SmackDown LIVE roster. Teams will be announced beginning Thursday, Jan. 4.

Monday Night Raw                                     SmackDown LIVE

Alexa Bliss      Becky Lynch
Alicia Fox      Bobby Roode
Asuka      Carmella
Bayley      Charlotte Flair
Braun Strowman      Jimmy Uso
            Enzo Amore      Lana
Finn Bálor      Naomi
Goldust      Natalya
Nia Jax      Rusev
Sasha Banks      Sami Zayn
The Miz      Shinsuke Nakamura
Final Fan Vote      Final Fan Vote

(A member of The New Day)

The unique storylines for Mixed Match Challenge will continue between episodes across WWE’s Facebook Pages with short-form videos and social content. WWE will also promote the series across its extensive digital and social footprint, including a new Facebook Watch show Page dedicated to Mixed Match Challenge. A promotional sizzle reel for the show can be found here.

WWE is a powerhouse on social media with more than 825 million followers globally. WWE has nearly 500 million likes across all Facebook Pages, and WWE’s main Facebook Page has more than 38 million likes. WWE Superstar John Cena is the No. 1 most-followed active U.S. athlete on Facebook with more than 45 million likes.

Facebook Watch is a new platform for shows on Facebook where brands can build and engage with a community of fans. Facebook Watch is available on desktop, mobile and connected TV apps. Fans can follow Mixed Match Challenge to add episodes to their personal Watchlists.

 

DJ Z Suffers Neck Injury

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Impact Wrestling’s DJZ posted the following on Twitter, announcing that he suffered a neck injury that will require him to take some time off. The good news is that he will not need surgery at this time. He worked the weekend EVOLVE events…

Source: 411Mania

WWE 205 Live Preview 12/12/17

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

* Enzo Amore is thinking about Nia Jax

* Cedric Alexander is poised to change the course of WWE 205 Live