Source: WrestlingINC
Pro Wrestling NOAH tag team “TMDK” Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste are expected to sign with WWE NXT soon. The wrestlers from Australia worked their last NOAH show today, defeating Mitsuhiro Kitamiya and Naomichi Marufuji. “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” cut a promo after the match to thank the fans in Japan and NOAH for all their support. They also tweeted their farewells. No word yet on when they will arrive in Orlando to begin work at the WWE Performance Center.
Source: WWE.com
Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler & The Usos VS The Wyatt Family
What will Chris Jericho have to say about his assault on his tag partner AJ Styles?
Miz TV with guest, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Brie Bella VS Summer Rae – Will Lana attack Brie again?
Sheamus & King Barrett VS Lucha Dragons
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that NXT head writer Ryan Ward has left for the main roster and will be writing for SmackDown. Ward has written all of the NXT television shows through NXT Takeover: Dallas.
Source: WrestlingINC
As seen in the video below, former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson announced that he is no longer with TNA.
“I don’t work for TNA anymore, so I agree with you, f–k TNA!,” Anderson exclaimed.
Anderson has been working on and off for TNA since January of 2010.
As of this writing, Anderson remains in the Roster section of TNA’s official website, however so does Austin Aries, who wrestled on last night’s episode of WWE NXT.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day reportedly want to fly around the AT&T Stadium on unicorns for their big entrance at WrestleMania 32 next month.
At last word WWE officials had not approved the idea but it noted said by The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that they have a less than 50% chance of getting it approved.
Big E recently spoke with GuideLive and confirmed they had been working on a big entrance:
“We’ve already kind of started getting people excited about our entrance – which I’ve kind of wanted to temper expectations, but we had some media hits this morning, and Woods and Kofi were already telling people to look out for our entrance. So, I suppose our WrestleMania entrance is the big plan. There’s a good chance that it all gets nixed, and people are very disappointed, but we have something cooking.”
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WrestleMania 32 has already broken the WWE all-time attendance record. As of last Tuesday, 84,000 tickets have been sold and the event is almost sold out. Meltzer noted that the final number will be slightly over the 84,000 tickets already sold, unless the company opens up standing room tickets.
The current WWE attendance record was set by SummerSlam in 1992 at Wembley Stadium, which had 79,127 tickets sold for the show. The U.S. attendance record is approximately 78,000 for WrestleMania III, although the worked figure for that show is 93,173. With WWE usually exaggerating attendance figures by 10,000 – 13,000, Meltzer noted that it’s very possible that WWE will announce the WrestleMania 32 attendance to be over 100,000.
Brian Fritz interviewed Vince McMahon for The Orlando Sentinel earlier this week and Fritz that the company was expecting 100,000 fans for this year’s show. Fritz asked McMahon how much pressure he felt to keep making the event bigger each year.
“I can say, unequivocally, that it’s a lot of pressure,” McMahon admitted. “Every year you have to outdo yourself. This year was difficult because John Cena was not a part of it. We have to reach way down and try and come up with things you haven’t done before and also hold back surprises that the audience does not know. They expect that from us.”
WWE SmackDown announcer Mauro Ranallo has signed on to be host of a MMA show on AXS TV:
AXS TV released the following:
RENOWNED COMBAT SPORTS PERSONALITY MAURO RANALLO JOINS AXS TV AS NEW HOST OF ‘INSIDE MMA’ BEGINNING MARCH 25
LOS ANGELES – March 9, 2016 – AXS TV FIGHTS today announced renowned combat sports personality and broadcaster Mauro Ranallo will be the new host of INSIDE MMA, the longest running and only independent MMA news series on television, beginning Friday, March 25. A veteran broadcaster with over 30 years’ experience, Ranallo will bring his energetic broadcasting style and opinionated views on the world of combat sports to INSIDE MMA alongside UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten and correspondent Ron Kruck Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. PT/12:30 a.m. ET following AXS TV FIGHTS’ weekly live MMA and Muay Thai broadcasts.
Ranallo is best known for his play-by-play commentary for prestigious organizations such as Pride Fighting Championships, which he called alongside his new co-host Rutten for several years; Showtime Boxing, where he recently called the international feed of the historic Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight; and Strikeforce, which was home to MMA superstars like Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier and Luke Rockhold. In 2015, Ranallo helped AXS TV launch its hit pro wrestling series NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING calling matches alongside former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, before signing with WWE as the new voice of Smackdown.
“Mauro Ranallo’s contributions to the success of New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV were undeniable and we are confident he will take INSIDE MMA to new heights,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The opportunity to pair the ‘dream team’ together of Mauro and Bas Rutten is exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens when these two super-charged personalities are reunited on March 25.”
“AXS TV would like to thank longtime host Kenny Rice for his dedication to growing INSIDE MMA since our launch in 2007,” Simon continued, “and we plan to continue a relationship with him as a special correspondent.”
Said Ranallo, “In a year in which I landed a dream job with WWE, my dream to once again cover MMA and work with my broadcasting brother Bas Rutten has also come true. Filling the shoes of consummate pro Kenny Rice won’t be easy but I can’t wait to return to AXS TV for some strong style MMA coverage!”
“I am super stoked to work with Mauro again,” said Rutten. “We had such a great time in Japan for Pride Fighting Championships, so get ready for the craziness! Kenny Rice and I have become great friends over the years, so I am happy that, despite his busy schedule, he will still be involved with INSIDE MMA.”
Said Rice, “I am excited to step into the new role as a special correspondent, continuing to bring the exclusive access to our viewers that has been synonymous with Inside MMA over the past ten seasons. It’s a true team at Inside MMA and I welcome longtime friend Mauro Ranallo to it.”
The Kurt Angle Farewell Tour comes to an end: Kurt Angle VS Lashley
TNA Tag Team Championship: (C’s) The Wolves VS Beer Money
TNA Knockouts championship: (C) Gail Kim VS Jade
King of the Mountain Championship – KOTM Match: (C) Eric Young VS Jimmy Havok VS Damo VS Will Ospreay VS Bram
Source: Fox Sports
UFC strawweight Paige VanZant has joined the cast of “Dancing with the Stars” season 22, with the show set to debut on March 21 on ABC.
VanZant joins another all-star cast of celebrities and sports stars on the show this season including Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, “Fuller House” star Jodie Sweetin, Football legend Doug Flutie and Super Bowl champion Von Miller.
The 21-year-old joins Hall of Famers Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture as UFC fighters who have appeared on the show, but she is the first ever to join the series as an active competitor.
VanZant last fought in December, when she lost by rear naked choke to Rose Namajunas at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Prior to that loss, VanZant had won her first three fights in the UFC as she climbed into the top 10 rankings at 115 pounds.
“Dancing with the Stars” will kick off in March with the show running all the way through May for the celebrities who make it all the way through the elimination-style competition.
Before she was a fighter, VanZant was actively involved in dance and cheerleading so this seems like a natural fit for the Team Alpha Male fighter.
VanZant is expected to compete on the show while still training for her return to the Octagon later this year. While nothing has been booked, VanZant has targeted UFC 200 for her next fight but she’ll look to knock out a “Dancing with the Stars” championship first.
Source: Attractions Management Magazine
Tom Anstey of Attractions Management Magazine reports that “a WWE-museum-cum-restaurant” is on its way to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, and will be open by March 2017, in time for WrestleMania 33.
According to the report, the restaurant would include some sort of physical Hall of Fame, and would replace NBA City at Universal CityWalk. The facility will feature screens showing WWE programming, and would include a retail area.
WWE opened a restaurant in Times Square in 1999 called WWF New York, which was later renamed The World. The restaurant closed in 2003 and was taken over by The Hard Rock Cage in 2005.
