2 Names Revealed For 2017 WWE Hall Of Fame

Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider. No word yet on the headliner for this year’s class but it does not appear to be DDP.

DDP, one of the most-liked names in the business, has had success behind-the-scenes and in the ring but became somewhat of a household name after launching DDP Yoga and going on to help troubled stars WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Page has helped numerous other wrestlers, including Mick Foley and Vader.

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WWE officials are finally planning on inducting “Ravishing” Rick Rude into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, according to PWInsider.

Roode, who passed away in April 1999, made appearances for WWE, WCW and ECW, among others. He held the WWE Intercontinental Title and the WCW United States Heavyweight Title, among others. He was forced to retire after suffering a back injury during a match against Sting in 1994.

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There are rumors of a current WWE employee being inducted this year but we haven’t confirmed that name yet.

The 2017 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on Saturday, April 1st from Orlando during WrestleMania 33 weekend.

Source: WrestlingINC

Luke Gallows Deactivated On Facebook For Impersonating Himself

Luke Gallows is dealing with some Facebook issues. He tweeted the following, noting that Facebook deactivated his account for “impersonating” himself:

Jeff Jarrett Returning To TNA As Executive Consultant, Dutch Mantel Returns As Creative Consultant

Image result for Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel TNA Impact Wrestling

Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed that Jeff Jarrett will be returning to the company at tonight’s television taping … and we’re told his new role is Executive Consultant.

Jarret’s return was first reported by PWInsider and we’re told he’s already at the Impact Zone working on the show. Same for Dutch Mantel, aka former WWE manager Zeb Colter, who is also returning to TNA as a creative consultant.

Jeff was an original TNA founder, but left the company in 2013. He returned a year later to get inducted in their Hall of Fame and behind the scenes Dixie Carter bought his shares in the company.

Jarrett launched Global Force Wrestling during his time away, and we’re told GFW wasn’t included in his deal to return due to previous contractual obligations for the wrestling fed.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reached out to Jeff for comment and he told them, “This is a great opportunity for myself and GFW. And, I feel it’s great for the wrestling business.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Anthem Sports Acquires Control Of IMPACT Wrestling, Dixie Carter No Longer Chairman

anthem sports tna new owners dixie carter

Last year was kind of rough for TNA and the future of the company was largely left unresolved … but now Anthem Sports has announced that they’ve acquired control of Impact Wrestling.

Anthem shared the news in a press release which stated they have, “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in TNA IMPACT Wrestling.”

Anthem Executive Vice President Ed Nordholm commented on the acquisition saying, “We are thrilled to have acquired TNA IMPACT Wrestling . . . IMPACT has been a dominant wrestling brand around the world for more than a decade and we are confident that Anthem can leverage its assets and strategic partnerships to take IMPACT Wrestling to even greater heights.”

Nordholm will serve as President of Anthem’s newly formed Anthem Exhibition Wrestling, LLCwhich will presumably preside over IMPACT, though its exact role was not made clear.

As for Dixie Carter, she will resign from her role as Chairman of Impact Ventures and join the Advisory Board of Fight Media Group — which holds Anthem’s combat sports-related assets.

She’ll also remain a minority equity stakeholder.

We can only hope that this new development will provide the stability that IMPACT needs and that the talents can rest a bit easier knowing TNA is under new management.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage News On This Week’s TNA TV Tapings, Jeff Jarrett Note, TNA Couple Returning?

TNA will return to Universal Studios in Orlando for more Impact Wrestling and pay-per-view tapings later this week. Word is that we won’t see any major roster or direction changes this week, according to PWInsider. With Anthem Sports & Entertainment taking over, there’s a feeling that they just need to get through these tapings and make it to March.

It will be interesting to see if Jeff Jarrett attends this week’s tapings. We know he’s had recent talks with Anthem and he was in Florida earlier this week on a family vacation.

There’s also speculation on Angelina Love and Davey Richards returning this week. Angelina gave birth to their first child together back in March but Richards has been out of action since the spring with an ACL injury. Davey did recently announce via Twitter that 2017 would be his last year in the ring. Could Davey be the mystery opponent TNA is teasing for World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards this Thursday?

Source: WrestlingINC

Teddy Hart Arrested For DWI & Evading Police On New Years Day, Pulled From CWE Tour

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Canadian Wrestling Elite announced yesterday that Teddy Hart, nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart, is unable to appear on their upcoming “New Heights” tour in Canada due to “legal circumstances in Texas.”

“It is with great disappointment we have learned today that due to legal circumstances in Texas beyond our control Teddy Hart will be UNABLE to appear as scheduled in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Thunder Bay,” they announced on Facebook. “Although we anticipate this situation will reveal itself in the public eye soon enough it isn’t our place to discuss Mr. Hart’s legal situation right now and the consequences of it. However it is our place to be honest with our fans who are very loyal and supportive of the brand.”

According to a report on Pro Wrestling Sheet following CWE’s announcement, Hart was arrested on New Year’s Day after attempting to run away from police and evade arrest after being stoppped for “a hazardous traffic violation” in Arlington, Texas. It was noted that he was allegedly intoxicated and operating a vehicle without the consent of the owner, and is in jail with bail set at $6,500.

Below is the full statement from CWE:

1/3- Teddy Hart NO LONGER Appearing On CWE’s New Heights Tour.It is with great disappointment we have learned today that due to legal circumstances in Texas beyond our control Teddy Hart will be UNABLE to appear as scheduled in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Thunder Bay.

Although we anticipate this situation will reveal itself in the public eye soon enough it isn’t our place to discuss Mr. Hart’s legal situation right now and the consequences of it. However it is our place to be honest with our fans who are very loyal and supportive of the brand.

Upon the announcement of Teddy Hart on the tour there was some hesitation and doubt from our loyal fans based on his track record. That track record was the very same reason CWE hadn’t attempted to do business in almost six years and the first and only time he was advertised for CWE and didn’t make the event.

However, those close to Teddy and affiliated with CWE had reached out on multiple occasions stating he has made many positive changes in his life and simply wanted an opportunity to prove that as he had hoped to be a brand ambassador for Canadian wrestling and hopefully tour regularly with the company.

With him proving to be focused and reliable as of late with huge main event performances in Mexico and California and even his recent appearance on Talk is Jericho where he very sincerely said he was looking to make changes and for opportunity it was thought the stars had aligned for Teddy Hart to be an impact player for the organization.

We sincerely wish Teddy Hart the best of luck in his current situation and hope he finds the help he needs to truly get his life on track and be the success story we all know he is capable of being.

As a result there are some obvious changes to the cards he was involved on. Here are the changes made,

Calgary
ACH vs. Jason “The Gift” Kincaid
– This was a huge first time encounter that was supposed to take place in Winnipeg that wasn’t meant to be. As a result it will go down in Calgary, Alberta in what promises to be a once in a lifetime contest that will be talked about for a long time to come as two of the most innovative wrestlers on the planet compete for the first time.
Shigehiro Irie vs. Dylan Knight
– These two monster heavyweights will collide in what will also be a first time encounter featuring two of the strongest and heaviest of hitting men you will see in a CWE ring. Both big men have a point to prove in what will be their first matches for the company!

Winnipeg

Jason “The Gift” Kincaid vs. “Tornado” Tony Kozina
– These independent wrestling sensations wrestled in Calgary for the first time ever on the Destined For Greatness Tour and arguably stole the show with a near 20 minute clinic. Kincaid is the hottest star on the independents right now a place Tony Kozina has been many times over his 20 year career. Winnipeg is a town that appreciates a true wrestling classic and that is exactly what they will get on January 20th.

Thunder Bay

“Hotshot” Danny Duggan vs. “The Crown Jewel” Chase Owens
– There is one match that is leading the Match Of The Year polls by a land side and that is Danny Duggan vs. Chase Owens from the last event in Thunder Bay. These two men took pro wrestling to another level in T-Bay in a 30 minute classic. Now the fans of Thunder Bay will get to see the rematch in place of Teddy Hart in what promises to be even better than the first given how the last match ended in such controversial fashion.

*For anyone looking for a refund due to Teddy Hart not appearing they can do so at their original point of purchase. For those that don’t need one prepare yourself for the most stacked series of tour shows CWE has every produced with more stars from around the World then ever before. CWE flourishes under these circumstances and will make sure you leave forgetting such a thing was ever supposed to happen in the first place!

For full tour information visit cwecanada.ca

Source: WrestlingINC

Lucha Underground Preview 1/4/17

The Mack gets his crack at LuchaUnderground Champion Johnny Mundo

Things can get weird when Rabbits meet Reptiles in a Trios Match

Sexy Star is out for revenge against Mariposa

NXT Special From Melbourne, Australia Preview 1/4/17

Tonight’s two-hour WWE NXT special will feature the following matches from the December live event in Melbourne, Australia:

Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan and Billie Kay

NXT Tag Team Champions Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. TM61

Tye Dillinger and Buddy Murphy vs. Bobby Roode and Elias Samson

NXT Champion Shinsuke vs. Samoa Joe in a steel cage match

NJPW Announce G-1 Special In Los Angeles

njpw g-1 special los angeles new japan wrestling wrestlekingdom 11

Get hyped NJPW fans … the company announced during Wrestle Kingdom 11 that they’re coming to Los Angeles later this year.

The announcement was made after Kyle O’Reilly defended the ROH World Championship against Adam Cole, with the above graphic touting that a G-1 special will be held in the United States.

Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly followed up by saying the shows would take place in Los Angeles.

Rumors had been swirling for weeks that New Japan was planning to hold G-1 shows in America and reports have stated that they intend to hold the event in Long Beach.

The shows are scheduled for July 1st and July 2nd.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 Results

New Japan Rumble

Can be eliminated by over the top rope, pinfall or submission.

Entrant #1: Michael Elgin, making his NJPW return from injury.

Entrant #2: Billy Gunn

Entrant #3: BONE SOLDIER

Entrant #4: CHEESEBURGER (BONE SOLDIER eliminated)

Entrant #5: Jushin Liger (Billy Gunn eliminated)

Entrant #6: Kobayashi

Entrant #7: Tiger Mask IV (Kobayashi eliminated)

Entrant #8: Manabu Nakanishi

Entrant #9: Ryusuke Taguchi (Nakanishi, Liger and Tiger Mask IV eliminated)

Entrant #10: Yoshitatsu

Entrant #11: Yuji Nagata

Entrant #12: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (Yoshitatsu eliminated)

Entrant #13: Hiro Saito (Nagata eliminated)

Entrant #14: Former WCW star and former IWGP Champion Scott Norton (Taguchi, Saito eliminated)

Norton and Tenzan eliminated. Down to Elgin and CHEESEBURGER – Winner: Michael Elgin

 

Tiger Mask W (Kota Ibushi) vs. Tiger the Dark (ACH) – Winner: Tiger Mask W

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Titles: (C) The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. RPG Vice (Rocky Romero and Baretta) –  Winners and new IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions: RPG Vice

NEVER 6-Man Tag Titles, Gauntlet Match: (C) Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet & David Finlay Jr. vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, BUSHI and SANADA) vs. CHAOS (Jado, YOSHI-HASHI and Will Ospreay) vs. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page) – Winners and new NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Champions: Los Ingobernables de Japon

“The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes vs. Juice Robinson – Winner: Cody Rhodes

ROH Title, Final Battle Rematch: (C) Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole – Winner and NEW ROH Champion: Adam Cole

IWGP Tag Team Titles: (C) The Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) vs. Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma) vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) – Winners and NEW IWGP Tag Team Champions: CHAOS

IWGP Jr. Title: (C) KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi (Kamaitachi) – Winner and new IWGP Jr. Champion: Hiromu Takahashi

NEVER Title: (C) Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto – Winner and new NEVER Champion: Hirooki Goto

IWGP Intercontinental Title: (C) Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Winner: Tetsuya Naito

IWGP Title:  (C) Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega – Winner: Kazuchika Okada