WWE’s Dilemma With Ronda Rousey And Her Four Horsewomen Faction

The New York Post wrote an article on WWE’s dilemma with Ronda Rousey and her Four Horsewomen faction. During the Mae Young Classic her group crossed paths with Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Bayley, possibly teasing something down the road. The topic of what should WWE do if the two groups do meet up in the ring is discussed in the article.

“Baszler is now a rising star in the wrestling business, and Shafir is engaged to NXT’s Roderick Strong, so there is plenty to expand upon. Rousey’s nature will push her to ensure she can put up a good showing; if not, this could always get put on hold. The question is, how do you handle Rousey in the match? Does a group of ‘novice’ pro wrestlers — though MMA badasses — go over on arguably the four top women in your promotion? Does Baszler, who likely will be a full-time WWE performer, get lost in the shuffle? Do you promote Rousey as the invincible force she once was or the more fragile star looking for redemption we have seen after she twice got knocked out in the UFC? You can’t just expect people to forget her history and how she hid from the public eye after each loss.”

Source: WrestlingINC

 

According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen match set up at the Mae Young Classic is scheduled to build to a match between the two groups at Survivor Series. That would lead to a Rousey singles match at WrestleMania, with Stephanie McMahon and Charlotte being the names most talked about.

Source: 411Mania

GFW Executive Rips Sale Report, Update On If Anthem Has Been Discussing Selling GFW

Global Force Wrestling Vice President of Production Kevin Sullivan took to Twitter to blast the Sports Illustrated report from earlier this week that stated that Anthem Sports was looking to sell GFW. According to the SI article, “GFW is hemorrhaging funds, and sources close to the situation have confirmed that Anthem is ready to withdraw itself from the wrestling industry and sell GFW.”

Sullivan called the story “BS” and tweeted the following:

PWInsider reported that the discussion at this week’s GFW meetings centered around the company’s plans going forward. It was noted that there “was no inkling of plans to shut down or sell off the video library.” The report added that that there has been no indication from the WWE front that there have been discussions to purchase the tape library.

Source: WrestlingINC

Steve Austin Comments on the Sexy Star/Rosemary Incident

Below is audio posted on the WrestlingInsiders YouTube channel of Steve Austin Commenting on the Sexy Star Incident with Rosemary.

GFW Impact Preview 9/7/17

* Footage from AAA’s TripleMania

* GFW Champion Eli Drake defends against Matt Sydal

* Allie & Gail Kim vs. Sienna & Taryn Terrell

* DJ Z Returns

* Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley vs. Petey Williams & Sonjay Dutt

* LAX in Action

Davey Richards Explains His Decision to Leave GFW

Davey Richards

Davey Richards recently spoke with USA Today’s For the Win, here are the highlights…

On His Decision to Leave GFW: “I’ve done a pretty good of trying to juggle the very high demands of wrestling and school, but it’s gotten to the point where my school load would be so much that I couldn’t do both. The last little while, I couldn’t give 100 percent to wrestling or to medicine because I was being pulled in both directions. I didn’t think it was fair to anyone who pays to see me not to be able to give 100 percent. I can still wrestle a part-time schedule, but it’s not really right to expect TNA to pay me a salary with my hopefully being able to commit to a schedule. School needs to come first. That’s the point where I am.”

On Becoming an EMT: “Emergency medicine has always been my main source of interest,” he said. “The adrenaline rush I get from that is in some ways the same that I get from walking through that curtain because you never know what’s going to happen in a match.”

On The Demands of His Schedule Leading to Him Making The Change: “I’ve always been the kind of wrestler, nine times out of 10, I would take a booking, no matter how much the travel is because I like to wrestle,” Richards said. “I want to get out there, and I want to stay on the top of my game and compete against the best people. The more bookings I take, the more I have to travel. It got to be too much. We’d fly to Seattle to leave David with my mom and then fly to Florida to do tapings and then fly from Florida to Seattle to get David. Then fly back home to St. Louis. Add in my school schedule, and it just became impossible. This is definitely for the best for right now. Maybe when I’m done with school, that will change.”

Source: 411Mania

GFW On Another TV Deal

GFW issued the following:

For Immediate Release – September 7, 2017Global Force Wrestling Announces Deal with 7Sports to Bring IMPACT Back to Screens in Germany

NASHVILLE | TORONTO – Global Force Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., announced today that it has reached an agreement with 7Sports, the sport business unit of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, to bring its flagship weekly show IMPACT back to screens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via ran FIGHTING.

Showcasing top professional wrestling stars such as GFW Champion Eli Drake, Bobby Lashley, the high-flying X-Division, the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Sienna, Rosemary and Gail Kim, plus talent from international partner promotions such as Johnny Impact, Naomichi Marufuji and El Hijo del Fantasma, IMPACT will be available as part of the ran FIGHTING BLACK PASS for €3.99 per month starting on September 8th, available at ranFIGHTING.de on-demand via web, smartphones, tablets and Smart TVs, including Samsung, as well as over-the-top (OTT) devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast. IMPACT will be available on ran FIGHTING’s VOD service on Friday mornings in Germany and it will air on Fridays at 8 p.m. on ran FIGHTING’s 24/7 web channel. ran FIGHTING’s BLACK PASS will also include access to GFW’s One Night Only specials.

“Our fan base in Germany has been vocal about the demand for Global Force Wrestling and IMPACT content, so we are thrilled to announce a new distribution deal in the territory,” said Ed Nordholm, president of Global Force Wrestling. “As the leading provider of high-quality combat sports content in Germany, ran FIGHTING will be an excellent partner for us as we continue to expand the brand globally, making our product available in more international households than ever before.”

“We are pleased to further extend the offer of ran FIGHTING with Wrestling. In GFW and IMPACT, we have found a strong partner on whose return the German fans have been waiting for a long time,” said Zeljko Karajica, CEO of 7Sports.

In addition to weekly episodes of IMPACT and monthly One Night Only specials, customers can purchase GFW’s premium annual pay-per-view events, including Bound for Glory and Slammiversary, individually and exclusively. This is part of ran FIGHTING’s Live Pass, which is available without being subscriber to the BLACK PASS – live and on demand as pay-per-view.

ran FIGHTING boasts Germany’s largest combat sports archive, including UFC, Sauerland and Matchroom Boxing, all available through the ran FIGHTING BLACK PASS subscription.

For more information, visit http://www.impactwrestling.com and http://www.ranFIGHTING.de.

Jeff Jarrett Teases Projects & Is Taking Bookings

Jeff Jarrett has not issued any public comments since his indefinite leave of absence from GFW was announced, but he did edit his bios on Instagram and Twitter. Jarrett is already teasing new projects to come soon.

His Twitter bio now reads, “Husband! Father! Family Man! Love to quote Scripture and Quotes that mean something 2 me… Several new projects on the way…Bookings, email JJ4Jarrett@gmail.com” His Instagram bio now reads like this, “Really looking forward to things to come…”

Source: WrestlingINC

Jarrett also posted these comments to Instagram:

WWE On Vince McMahon’s SmackDown Return

Vince McMahon will make his first WWE SmackDown appearance since 2013 on next Tuesday’s show in Las Vegas to address the situation between Kevin Owens and suspended SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon. WWE posted the following on Vince’s return to the blue brand:

Mr. McMahon comes to Sin City SmackDown to address the Shane McMahon-Kevin Owens situationThe animosity between Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon has reached its boiling point, and only one person can perhaps put an end to it: Mr. McMahon!

The WWE Chairman and CEO will be at Sin City SmackDown next week to address the bad blood between his son and KO, which boiled over Tuesday night on SmackDown LIVE. After Shane attempted to stop Owens from again making himself referee for a match, KO crossed the line by insulting Shane’s family.

The insults sent Shane over the edge, as he immediately pummeled Owens, tackled him over the announce desk and continued to throw haymakers before finally being pulled off by officials and arena security. After Owens threatened to sue WWE and the entire McMahon family and press criminal charges against Shane, Mr. McMahon phoned SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan with a difficult decision that had to be made: The Chairman suspended Shane indefinitely as SmackDown LIVE Commissioner.

Though Daniel Bryan thought that would have ended the situation, it was not enough for Owens, who vowed to make Sin City SmackDown his personal playground and Bryan’s personal nightmare. KO said there was nothing Bryan could do about it, to which Bryan agreed, but quickly notified Owens of Mr. McMahon’s intentions for next week.

What does Mr. McMahon have in store for Owens? Tune in to Sin City SmackDown LIVE next Tuesday at 8/7 C on USA Network to find out!

GFW Announces The Global Wrestling Network, A New POP TV Deal And More New Initiatives

GFW issued the following:

For Immediate Release – September 6, 2017Global Force Wrestling Announces Global Broadcast and Digital Expansion Initiatives

NASHVILLE | TORONTO – Global Force Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., announced today numerous global and digital expansion initiatives, including:

* Plans to launch the Global Wrestling Network, a multi-platform digital service designed to give fans around the world instant 24-hour access to the extensive GFW and IMPACT libraries.

* Plans to launch the IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Pluto TV, a 24-hour live feed of content on the leading free over-the-top (OTT) television service in the U.S.

* Extension with Pop TV in the U.S. to continue airing its flagship weekly show IMPACT on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET.

* Distribution deal with 7Sports, the sport business unit of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, to bring IMPACT back to screens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via ran FIGHTING.

IMPACT showcases top professional wrestling stars such as GFW Champion Eli Drake, Bobby Lashley, the high-flying X-Division, the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Sienna, Rosemary and Gail Kim, plus talent from international partner promotions such as Johnny Impact, Naomichi Marufuji and El Hijo del Fantasma. The 3,000+ hour library features household industry names such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.

“These digital initiatives and broadcast agreements are a significant step forward for the Global Force Wrestling organization as we continue to expand the brand globally, making it available on more platforms and in more countries,” said Ed Nordholm, president of Global Force Wrestling. “Anthem is committed to broadening Global Force Wrestling’s footprint, as we work alongside international broadcast partners, digital platforms and professional wrestling promotions to bring our passionate fans a high-quality product that not only stands out in today’s media landscape, but continues to thrive into the future.”

Additional details about the launch of the Global Wrestling Network and IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Pluto TV will be revealed in the near future. For more information on Pluto TV, visit http://www.Pluto.tv.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Anthem and remain the exclusive linear television home of IMPACT in the U.S.,” said David Mandell, COO of Pop. “IMPACT delivers over 100 hours of original programming per year on Pop with some of the best and most passionate fans in television. With our broad distribution across all major cable and satellite providers, as well as almost every new over-the-top bundle, including DirecTV Now, Sony Vue, Fubo TV, Hulu TV and YouTube TV, IMPACT fans have more options than ever to catch their favorite show every week.”

IMPACT will be available as part of the ran FIGHTING BLACK PASS for €3.99 per month at ranFIGHTING.de across Germany, Austria and Switzerland starting on Sept. 8, which includes a simulcast of IMPACT on ran FIGHTING’s 24/7 web channel, plus VOD access to IMPACT episodes and One Night Only specials. The service also gives customers the opportunity to purchase GFW’s premium annual pay-per-view events, including Bound for Glory and Slammiversary.

“The deal with ProSieben marks the second major European broadcaster to license IMPACT, including Spike UK earlier this year,” Nordholm added. “Coupled with the Pop renewal, our digital launches and significant increase in YouTube views, this reflects the increasing excitement and demand for GFW’s content.”

For more information, visit http://www.impactwrestling.com.

Lucha Underground Preview 9/6/17

Rules are made to be broken on the all new “Lucha Underground” as Dario Cueto makes a huge announcement that concerns Rey Mysterio. The boys in blue battle it out when Cortez Castro takes on Joey Ryan in a Five-O Street Fight, who is really Boyle heights finest? Greedy for the gold, Johnny Mundo makes an Ultima Lucha challenge to Prince Puma…

* Five-O Street Fight: Cortez Castro vs. Joey Ryan

* What happens when a tribe of rabbits gangs up on a monster?