ROH/NJPW Global Wars PPV Card 5/8/16

DATE: May 8, 2016
LOCATION: Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago, Illinois

CARD

ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Jay Lethal (c) w/Taeler Hendrix vs. Colt Cabana

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
War Machine (c) vs. The Briscoes

ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Bobby Fish

Moose & Okada (w/ Stokely Hathaway & Gedo) vs. Michael Elgin & Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Bullet Club (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) vs. Kushida, Matt Sydal and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)

The Addiction vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Cheeseburger

PRE-SHOW MATCH – WOMEN OF HONOR

Kelly Klein vs. Crazy Mary Dobson

WWE Fans May Be Able To Watch RAW And SmackDown Live Online Soon

Source: WrestlingINC

It was revealed this week that Hulu will introduce a live TV service in 2017, which would allow users to watch live and on-demand programming. While no price has been revealed for the service, a Hulu executive told The Wall Street Journal that $40 / month is “in the ballpark.”

Variety revealed this week that NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast and has a silent ownership partner in Hulu, is in talks to join the service. NBCUniversal’s cable channels include the USA Network, the home of WWE RAW and SmackDown. Their other channels include Syfy, Bravo, E!, MSNBC, CNBC, and Oxygen in addition to the NBC broadcast network.

Variety noted that Hulu and NBCUniversal “are in the early stages of active negotiations,” and that Hulu had approached NBCU about possibly partnering on the service. Hulu is already in talks with Fox and Disney to join the service.

WWE Announced The Release Of 7 Other Stars

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE has just announced the releases of Alex Riley, Damien Sandow, Santino Marella, Cameron, Zeb Colter, El Torito and Hornswoggle.

The company posted a statement Friday on WWE.com wishing them all the best in their future endeavors — with the list of names being updated throughout the morning, presumably once each had received word.

Wade Barrett also announced he was let out of his contract early.

Hornswoggle has been relatively unused on television since he was suspended back in September 2015 — but he’d been with the company since 2006.

Riley had recently been making a comeback on NXT television and most recently wrestled Shinsuke Nakamura at a taping. He famously accompanied Miz to the ring at WrestleMania.

Colter last appeared on TV when he was accompanying Alberto Del Rio to the ring after he first returned to the company, but he’s been unseen since they split.

The last time El Torito was on RAW he was beat up by Diego … and with the repackaging of Primo andEpico that’s underway, we’re guessing he saw the writing on the wall.

Wade Barrett Let Out Of Contract Early, After Not Agreeing To New Deal

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

We’re afraid we’ve got some bad news … Wade Barrett is no longer a WWE Superstar — the wrestler says management agreed to let him out of his contract early.

It was reported back in February that Barrett informed WWE officials he wouldn’t be signing a new deal and planned to exit the company in June.

Barrett released a statement on Twitter:

 

SmackDown Preview: 5/5/16

Source: WWE.com

The Usos VS Gallows & Anderson

Chris Jericho and his Highlight returns to SmackDown with guest Sami Zayn

Natalya & Becky Lynch VS Charlotte & Emma

Rusev VS Zack Ryder

The Vaudevillains VS The Social Outcasts

Updates On Seth Rollins And Randy Orton Returning To WWE TV

Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Seth Rollins is expected back on WWE TV shortly. Rollins has been filming WWE Studios’ movie “Temple” in New Orleans.

Randy Orton’s rehab is said to be going much slower than expected but he’s recovering. Word is that Orton could start training for a ring return at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in mid-June.

Mick foley Hosting WWE Network Podcast With Shane McMahon, Why Steve Austin Isn’t

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley will host a “tell all” WWE Network podcast with Shane McMahon on Monday, May 23rd after RAW goes off the air. The interview will air live from Baltimore, Maryland backstage.

There’s been a lot of talk over Foley hosting the podcast and not Steve Austin, who has had several “Stone Cold Podcast” specials on the WWE Network. A recent poll on future Austin guests even had Shane listed.

In regards to Austin not hosting, Foley responded to a fan on Twitter and noted that Austin had a prior obligation. He wrote:

Adam Rose Deletes All Posts On His Suspension From WWE

Adam Rose has deleted all Twitter posts referring to his WWE suspension, including his statement denying any wrongdoing and the doctor’s note he posted this week.

Rose was suspended for 60 days due to his second violation of the WWE Wellness Policy last month. Rose issued a statement that said he did nothing wrong and promised a follow-up statement, and a note from a doctor.

Rose posted the letter from his doctor this week, stating that Rose had been prescribed Adderall for ADHD symptoms. Rose later told a fan on Twitter that WWE knew about the prescription over a year ago.

Adam Rose Releases Note From Doctor, Claims Suspension Was Over Prescribed Adderall

Source: WrestlingINC

Adam Rose has posted a note from his doctor that shows he did nothing knowingly wrong in violating WWE’s Wellness Policy. As noted, Rose was suspended on April 16th for 60 days due to his second violation. The first came when he was in developmental.

Rose says he was prescribed nervous system stimulant Adderall for ADHD symptoms but WWE knew about it for over a year. He posted the following:

Ryback In Trademark Battle With WWE

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Ryback is currently in the midst of trademark battle with WWE over “The Big Guy” … and the issue has only continued to escalate less than 24 hours after he was sent home from Monday Night RAW.

According to the USPTO … Ryan Reeves, a.k.a. Ryback, filed a trademark on “The Big Guy” back in October for “conducting entertainment exhibitions in the nature of performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.” However, WWE filed the exact same trademark just 3 months later.

Reeves’ filing was published for opposition this morning — which means any contending sides have 30 days to fight the filing or it’s his — but this doesn’t necessarily means Reeves pulled the trigger.

It’s possible WWE had their legal team push the USPTO to publish so they could oppose. It could also just be a random coincidence. At this point it’s impossible to tell. But with Ryback saying he was told to go home after not being able to agree on a new deal, we’re gonna guess it’s not the latter.