Britt Baker Opens Up On Her Transient Ischemic Attack

Britt Baker has opened up on her transient ischemic attack while she was away from the ring.

During a recent interview with Renee Paquette, the DMD commented on dealing with two herniated disks and an injured hip labrum which led to the attack.

You can check out some highlights from the interview below:

On suffering the TIA: “It was the weirdest thing. I was in Orlando with my hairstylist Amanda, the best in Orlando. I was sitting down and I just remember I felt sick. Something was off and the room was spinning. I was sick, nauseous, sweating. Something was not right. She could tell right away, ‘Are you okay?’ (She) asked me if I needed water. Definitely needed water. First thing that came to mind was something with my neck. When I had the spinning, and vertigo, it must be something with the neck. She hands me the water, I go to open it, and my right side just doesn’t work. It was numb and couldn’t work. She noticed it and (opened the water for me). We both panicked at the same time and was like, ‘I think you need to go to the hospital.’ ‘I’m okay, let’s just finish my hair,’ which we did. Insane.

“It got worse and worse. As soon as we were done, ‘I’m gonna go (to the hospital).’ I actually drove myself, it was two blocks away, to the hospital. It was stupid. I should not have done that. When you go to the emergency room, you expect to wait. I’m thinking it’s going to be hours before I get seen. They took me in right away. Over the intercom, I hear them say, ‘Stroke patient coming back.’ They tested some stuff, looked in my eyes, and reflexes, put me in a wheelchair and the next thing I know, I’m wheeled back, they’re sticking needles in me and all the stickers to go and get tests. It was very quick. Next thing I knew, I’m in my own room with a pamphlet on being a stroke victim. It felt like a minute had gone by since I was getting my hair done and then admitted to the hospital for a week for a mini-stroke.”

On believing that it wouldn’t happen to her: “It was a big reality check of, you have to listen to yourself. When you’re stressed and overwhelmed mentally, emotionally, and physically, you have to listen to your body and chill the fuck out sometimes. So many of us fall into, ‘We have to go. We have to be there for AEW, Tony (Khan), the fans, this and that.’ Every now and again, we have to be there for us, too. We need to chill and relax.”

On if there are any lingering effects: “Nothing. Total recovery. If anything, it put me in a good mindset to focus on me and my body, my mind, everything. Training like a beast. I’ve been living in the gym.”

Source: eWn

Backstage Report On The State Of AEW Sister Promotion Ring Of Honor

Changes are reportedly coming to AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor. The promotion popularized by the likes of Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe was acquired by Tony Khan in 2022 after going on hiatus at the end of 2021, and has since been run adjacent to AEW with its titles defended on weekly TV, even with a weekly show on its HonorClub streaming platform and dedicated pay-per-view events throughout the year. 

A new report from Fightful Select indicates, however, that there will be more care given to ROH. The upcoming tapings from Arlington, Texas were noted as something to be a “turning point,” with the brand getting its own dedicated taped shows. A source reportedly indicated that this should lead to more consistent creative as a result of the show getting consistent treatment as opposed to tapings held at AEW shows. 

Mansoor and Mason Madden’s recent signing with ROH was pointed to, said to have been brought in specifically for the brand. It was also indicated that champions were going to be more present on ROH shows going forward. The report made note that inquiries were made pertaining to ROH as it relates to AEW’s ongoing media right saga, but there wasn’t any update on that front. Khan has previously made it known that he wanted to align his brands in coordination with his present relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, wanting to be cautious with discussions with other parties, but the brand has not been mentioned as on the table during current negotiations recently.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 7/16/2024

WWE will air a new episode of NXT tonight from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL.

  • NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Duke Hudson
  • Brooks Jensen vs. Je’Von Evans
  • The Rascalz (Wes Lee, Trey Miguel, & Zachary Wentz) vs. Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, & Wolfgang)
  • The OC (Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, & Michin) vs. OTM (Bronco Nima, Lucien Price, & Jaida Parker)
  • NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez to speak.
  • Izzi Dame vs. Tatum Paxley

Video: Wyatt Sicks Return To WWE Raw After Chad Gable & Creed Brothers Attack Bo Dallas

Despite the goth pomp and spooky circumstance of their arrival a month ago, The Wyatt Sicks have largely stayed away from “WWE Raw” in the weeks since, with the exception being Nikki Cross, who has been delivering packages containing the VCR tapes that featured segments from Bo Dallas and now Erick Rowan. This week, however, Cross delivered the tape prior to “Raw’s” air time, and after Rowan’s vignette aired, the entire group appeared once again, entering a WWE ring for the first time.

Earlier in the show, Chad Gable told General Manager Adam Pearce that he had solved the mystery of Uncle Howdy’s identity, confidently proclaiming it was Dallas. He then declared he would call out Dallas in the middle of the ring. Later, Gable made one last effort to persuade Otis and the rest of Alpha Academy to re-join him, but they refused. As a result, when Dallas (minus his Uncle Howdy costume) came down the ramp to answer Gable’s challenge, he wasn’t attacked from behind by Alpha Academy — he was attacked from behind by the Creed Brothers, who haven’t wrestled on “Raw” since May.

The three continued to assault Dallas, but the late Bray Wyatt’s brother only laughed. That earned him a further beating, but as Gable and the Creeds celebrated together in the ring, Dallas (who was slumped in the corner) began laughing loudly and saying “yeah, yeah, yeah”, a reference to late former Wyatt Family member Brodie Lee, known then as Luke Harper. Gable grabbed Dallas by the ears and demanded to know what he was laughing at. Dallas responded, “There you are!”

At that point, smoke began to fill the arena and the fireflies came out as the familiar music played. The Wyatt Sicks approached the ring, and Gable and The Creeds initially took fighting stances before ultimately deciding to flee. Once the rest of his new family got in the ring, Dallas dropped to his knees and threw his arms out wide, reminiscent of his late brother.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Erick Rowan Appears In Wyatt Sicks Video On WWE Raw, Says He Has a Purpose Now

Erick Rowan spoke in the latest Wyatt Sicks video on this week’s Raw, referencing the passing of Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. The video aired on Monday’s show, in which Rowan was asked how he’s been and said that the last few years have been hard. He said that he used to have a family and they always had each other’s backs. But then one day he lost a brother, the person who believed in him more than anyone. He said that he kept moving and life went on, but then when he thought he had everything going,m his other brother was gone too.

Rowan said that he had no more family and didn’t want to get back up after that, but he was given hope and took a hand at his lowest point. He then said that he has a purpose now and that they would “take our broken hearts and make some beautiful art.”

Source: 411Mania

AJ Styles & IYO SKY Victorious At Japan Events

On Saturday morning, WWE Superstars AJ Styles and IYO SKY participated in separate matches as part of their return to Japan.

During the Pro Wrestling NOAH Destination 2024 co-main event at Budokan Hall, AJ Styles faced off against NOAH Vice President Naomichi Marufuji. Styles emerged victorious after executing a Styles Clash.

Before joining WWE in 2016, Styles had been a regular competitor in Japan for NJPW, where he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Title twice.

Meanwhile, IYO SKY also participated in a co-main event at the Marigold Summer Destiny show at Sumo Hall. SKY emerged victorious against Utami Hayashishita after executing a tombstone piledriver and a moonsault.

Post-match, SKY expressed her gratitude to Hayashishita, WWE, and Marigold. She used her WWE entrance music for the match and wore a mask reminiscent of the one she wore at STARDOM before joining WWE.

You can check out some highlights from the matches below:

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1812045692367437994
https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1812038995330683294

Source: eWn

AEW Collision Preview 7/13/2024

AEW taped tonight’s episode of Collision following the June 10th episode of Dynamite in Calgary, Alberta, CA.

  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tommy Billington
  • The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn) vs. London Lightning, Michael Allen Richard Clark, and Shaun Moore
  • Dalton Castle vs. Roderick Strong
  • Nyla Rose vs. Ava Lawless
  • Lee Moriarty and Anthony Ogogo vs. Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin)
  • Skye Blue vs. Harley Cameron
  • The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) vs. Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly

WWE Hall Of Famer Dory Funk Jr. Set To Wrestle In Japan At 83 Years Old

Dory Funk Jr. is penciled in to return to the ring at 83 years of age for Atsushi Onita’s Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling in Japan. The infamous hardcore promotion is due to hold a memorial show for Dory’s brother, Terry Funk, on August 24 at the Kawasaki Stadium. Per the announcement, Onita will be teaming with a yet-to-be announced partner against Funk and Osamu Nishimura — confirmed to be participating on July 9 — with “Padre Del Deathmatch” living up to the moniker by expressing his desire for it to be an explosive death match, though the stipulation has yet to be finalized. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter” that the match was slated to be a six-person affair, with Onita teaming with two unannounced partners against Nishimura, Funk, and their own TBA partner. That appears to contradict what was announced by the promotion. He also noted that the event was being sponsored by the city of Kawasaki as part of their 100-year celebration. However, there is also no mention of FMW, Onita, Terry, or Dory Funk Jr. available on their official website as of writing. 

Nishimura is a significant partnership for Dory Funk Jr., considering both the facts that he is currently battling stage four cancer and that he was the last opponent Funk wrestled. They faced one another in a brief 10-minute exhibition in 2018 at a Tokyo indie event, renewing their affinity with one another in the ring after working together occasionally during Funk’s 2017 run with AJPW both as teammates and opponents.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Big Update On Natalya’s WWE Contract Status

The contract status of many WWE stars has been a big talking point over summer 2024. Multiple members of the WWE roster have had details of their contracts made public, with many of them only having weeks, and in some cases days, left on them. One person who has been a hot topic in the contract world is Natalya, who has been in negotiations with WWE since May, after it was reported that her contract with the company would be expiring. While many people assumed that Natalya would stick around due to how long she has been with WWE, others speculated she might spread her wings and try something new for that same reason.

Now there has been an update, and it’s a big one, as PWInsider Elite have been able to confirm that Natalya is locked into a new deal with WWE. Details of her new deal such as length and how much money she is making are unclear at time of writing, but it seems likely Natalya will continue her run as WWE’s longest-tenured female performer for years to come.

With Natalya sticking around in WWE, she joins the likes of Chad Gable, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre who have all put pen to paper on new deals over the past few months, rather than joining the likes of Ricochet and Becky Lynch who have allowed their deals to expire and explore free agency. Natalya hasn’t wrestled in WWE since appearing on the June 4 “WWE NXT” against Izzi Dame, but now that she is set to stay with the company, perhaps the 22-year veteran of the business could have one more big push in store before her career begins to wind down.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ricochet Leaving WWE

WWE might still rule the wrestling world, but soon they will no longer be able to say they own “the one and only.” According to a report last week from Pro Wrestling Insider, former Intercontinental and United States Champion Ricochet has informed WWE he intends to leave the company upon the expiration of the five-year contract he signed in 2019.

Considering earlier reports that indicate Ricochet’s deal is up this summer, the news means his time in WWE is rapidly nearing its end, and PWI claims the company is expected to quickly begin writing him out of storylines. Those who attended “WWE SmackDown” live in Louisville Friday (7/5/2024), likely got the first taste of that process, as the first-ever “WWE Speed” Champion lost his title to Andrade in a match taped prior to the June 7 episode of the blue brand. Ricochet has also been part of a recent angle with Ilja Dragunov and Bron Breakker; he lost to Breakker on “WWE Raw” and lost to Dragunov in the first round of the 2024 King of the Ring Tournament last month.

PWI quoted one source who gave Ricochet “all the credit in the world for betting on himself.” Still just 35 years old, he will almost certainly make a splash on the free agent market and could be considered likely show up in AEW, especially considering a recent interview with old foe (and current AEW International Champion) Will Ospreay, who lamented WWE wasting Ricochet’s talent.

Source: Wrestling Inc.