Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky with the fallout from last week’s “Superstar Shakeup” roster changes.
* Six-Pack Challenge to determine No. 1 contender to WWE Championship
* Kevin Owens seeks to prove he is the “Face of America”
* How will the Superstar Shake-up affect Team Blue’s Women’s Division?
* Will SmackDown’s newest arrivals continue to impress?
Former WWE Superstar Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i passed away on Monday at the age of 47. Matt was the older brother to RAW Superstar Roman Reigns.
WWE issued the following:
WWE is saddened to learn that Matt Anoa’i, known to fans as Rosey, has passed away at age 47. The son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika and older brother of WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, Rosey grew up in the legendary Anoa’i wrestling dynasty.
He debuted in 2002 alongside his cousin Jamal as part of 3-Minute Warning. The imposing, powerful tandem tore through Raw’s tag team division before going their separate ways. Rosey then formed a beloved superhero duo with The Hurricane, which culminated in his first World Tag Team Championship reign.
The Anoa’i family shared the following statement:
“The Anoa’i family is mourning the loss of Sika’s son, Matt aka Rosey, due to an untimely death.
We want to let his fans know that he loved them and the wrestling world so much. In his passing, he left three beautiful young children and a heartbroken family. Please respect the privacy of his children and family as they mourn the loss of this kind, loving, gentle man, who was a father, son, brother and a superhero to us all.
Our family appreciates your prayers and continued support during this very difficult time.”
WWE extends its condolences to Rosey’s family, friends and fans.
WWE is reportedly planning on using the “Broken” character for Matt Hardy. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is working on a deal with Impact Wrestling to use the character on television, which has yet to be finalized.
As noted, there have been legal issues with Matt Hardy using the “Broken” character with Impact Wrestling claiming ownership of the gimmick. Impact Wrestling recently added a trademark symbol (™) to videos on their YouTube channel containing references to the ‘Broken’ gimmick, including ‘Broken Matt’, ‘Brother Nero’ and ‘Broken Brilliance’. They also sent a cease and desist letter last month to pay-per-view providers airing the ROH 15th Anniversary pay-per-view regarding the intellectual property of the gimmick, which resulted in the Hardys not using most of the mannerisms associated with those characters on the show.
Hardy has been using some of the mannerisms of the “Broken” character on television since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 33 earlier this month. He has also been switching his Twitter description, using “#BROKEN”, “#Version1” and “#Mattitude.”
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE issued the following:
The Revival’s Dash Wilder suffered a jaw injury over the weekend during an NXT Live Event, WWE.com has learned. The injury comes in the wake of the two-time NXT Tag Team Champions’ huge back-to-back victories over former Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day since their Team Red debut the night after WrestleMania.
“On Friday night, following an in-ring injury to the right side of his jaw, we sent [Wilder] to the ER for a cat scan,” NXT medical personnel Dr. Jeff Westerfield told WWE.com. “The test came back showing a jaw fracture. As a result, he will be getting his jaw wired [Friday at 9 a.m.] and we are looking forward to him being back on the main roster in about eight weeks.”
Despite the prognosis, Dash and his tag team partner Scott Dawson both classified the situation as nothing more than a “minor speed-bump in the legacy of The Revival.”
“Is it frustrating? Of course it is,” Wilder stated to WWE.com “But it’s not going to stop The Revival. This is nothing. I’ve had worse than this and didn’t even bat an eye. I’d be out there tonight with my jaw wired shut if they’d let me. We’re as tough as we are talented. The last two weeks on Raw were just the beginning for us. We’ll be back to take what’s ours: those pretty little Raw Tag Team Titles.”
“We’re two hard-headed, southern-minded individuals,” added a fired-up Dawson. “If it were up to us, we would be on Monday Night Raw tonight. We will be back and continue to do what we have always done and that’s barrel through every tag team. No matter whether it’s a jaw, a knee, an ankle or an ice cream cart, we are going to go through ya and make sure we get as much money in our bank account as possible.”
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio – fallout from last week’s Superstar Shake-Up:
* Is Braun Strowman unstoppable?
* Has Elias Samson “drifted” to Raw?
* Is Nia Jax in line for a Raw Women’s Title opportunity?
* Which Raw newcomers will “shake up” Team Red the most?
* Will Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe settle their unfinished business?
Finn Balor was taken off this weekend’s live events due to a concussion he sustained in his match last week against Jinder Mahal. PWInsider is reporting that Balor is in Columbus, Ohio today for Raw and will need to undergo medical testing to see if he can be cleared for action.
Source: WrestlingINC
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that it is believed that WWE is working to come create a settlement with Mauro Ranallo which would include an agreement for Mauro to not speak publicly about his issues with the company. Meltzer confirmed that WWE has initiated settlement talks with Mauro’s representatives. As noted, Mauro’s WWE contract expires on August 12th.
Source: WrestlingINC
Today I tried to access Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling promotion’s website globalforcewrestling.com and all I got was a blank white page with pageok in the upper left corner.
In a recent interview at WrestleCon by former WCW ring announcer David Penzer for Hannibal TV, Jarrett was asked if GFW was alive and well. Jarrett said, “Oh, absolutely. In the weeks and days, months, however that saying goes, more will come out, but yeah, Global Force and Impact are becoming one day-by-day.”
I have also noticed that the most recent tweets by Jarrett @RealJeffJarrett have all been about Impact Wrestling, for which he now has a role as Executive Consultant. The most recent tweets on the GFW Twitter page @GFWWrestling have also all been about Impact Wrestling. GFW’s last tweet was on March 23 and it was a retweet of Impact Wrestling about ‘WOS’ British Wrestling to return to TV on ITV.
Recently on Impact Wrestling we have seen Cody Rhodes with his GFW Nex*Gen Title and on tonight’s Impact we will see Magnus (Nick Aldis) the GFW Global Champion.
So, I’m left wondering if merger between Impact Wrestling and GFW is already underway.
UPDATE:
GFW’s website globalforcewrestling.com is back up and running:
The following is scheduled for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:
* Team JB vs. Team Goat: Alberto El Patron, Matt Morgan, Chris Adonis & GFW Global Champion Magnus (Nick Aldis) vs. Lashley, Bram, Eli Drake & Tyrus
* Who will get a Title shot against World Champion Lashley?
* Braxton Sutter & Allie vs. KM & Sienna
* Reno Scum vs. Decay vs. Laredo Kid & Garza Jr.
* Knockouts Champion Rosemary in action
According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the WrestleMania 33 (not including AXXESS or NXT) grossed $3.7 million in merchandise sales. This is the second largest gross, only behind last year’s WrestleMania 32 event. If the show drew a legit 60,000 to 65,000 people, that means WWE made approximately $57 to $62 per head. Dave Meltzer also notes that the figure per person, “would be easily the largest figure I’ve ever heard of for a pro wrestling event.”
Source: 411Mania
