Powerhouse Hobbs Reportedly Suffered Legit Injury During AEW Dynamite

Wednesday’s episode of “AEW Dynamite” at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida featured Powerhouse Hobbs challenging Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. According to Bryan Alvarez on “Wrestling Observer Live,” Hobbs suffered a legitimate injury during his match against Moxley.

“That was not a worked knee injury,” Alvarez said. “[Hobbs] went for a high cross or something and smashed into the turnbuckles and injured his knee. He could barely walk, and he hopped his way back into the ring, hopped into like two spots, and got choked out.”

After about 10 minutes, the title bout came to an end via referee decision, leading to a post-match angle between Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita. It seems the feud between The Don Callis Family and Blackpool Combat Club will continue, but likely without any further involvement from Hobbs.

The match was initially set to go longer, with “Dynamite” reportedly scheduled for an overrun to take it past the normal 10 p.m. ending. However, due to the injury to Hobbs’ knee, the match ended early, allowing plenty of time for the angle involving Khan, the Young Bucks, and Jack Perry.

As of now, the severity of Hobbs’ injury is unclear. While he has been relatively active in recent months, Hobbs hasn’t picked up a significant victory since defeating Sammy Guevara on an episode of “AEW Collision” in late February.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Impact Preview 4/25/2024

TNA iMPACT! tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV, and at 8:30pm ET on YouTube for Insiders. 

  • Fallout from Rebellion
  • Eddie Edwards vs. Nic Nemeth
  • Ash by Elegance vs. Xia Brookside
  • 2-on-1 Match: Sami Callihan vs. The Good Hands
  • Josh Alexander to appear
  • Mustafa Ali is on the hunt for his next challenger. Join Ali This Thursday in the Ballot Box Battle to determine the #1 contender for the X Division title! 
  • Mike Santana vs. Myron Reed

ROH TV Preview 4/25/2024

ROH will air a new episode of its weekly television show tonight at 7 pm ET on HonorClub. 

You can sign up for the streaming service here. Below is the lineup for the show: 

  • ROH Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. The Outrunners
  • Top Flight & Action Andretti vs. Dark Order
  • Anna Jay vs. Allysin Kay
  • Brian Cage & The Gates of Agony vs. Manders & Beefcake
  • Yuka Sakazaki vs. Leila Grey
  • Kommander vs. Isiah Kassidy

Chris Jericho To Star In Wrestling Action-Horror Film “Dark Match”

As reported by Variety, a wrestling action-horror film titled “Dark Match” is set in the 1980s and will be released later this year that stars Chris Jericho.

The film’s festival premiere will be announced soon. Blue Finch Films, a U.K.-based sales and distribution company, has acquired the worldwide rights (excluding Canada) and will start sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.

“Dark Match” stars is written and directed by Lowell Dean. The film is produced by Dept. 9 Studios, with John K. MacDonald, Don Depoe, Michael Feehan, Michael Peterson, and Rhonda Baker involved.

According to the article, the movie revolves around a small-time wrestling company that accepts a lucrative offer in a remote town, only to discover that the community is under the control of a mysterious cult leader with sinister intentions for their match. As the lights dim, Miss Behave and her friends find themselves in a real fight for survival. The cast also includes Steven Ogg from “The Walking Dead” and Ayisha Issa from “Transplant.”

Source: eWn

Kenny Omega’s AEW Return Announced For 5/1 Dynamite In Winnipeg

Kenny Omega has been away from AEW programming for many months, dealing with a harrowing battle with Diverticulitis since December. Fans of the former AEW and IWGP Champion can breathe a sigh of relief, as “The Cleaner” is returning to AEW programming, at least for one night.

On Wednesday’s “Dynamite,” AEW announced that Omega would be in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada for next week’s episode of “Dynamite.” It will mark Omega’s first appearance on AEW television since before AEW Worlds End. Omega had initially been slated to team with Chris Jericho to challenge Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Championship but a bout of diverticulitis forced him to be pulled from the event. According to Omega, the illness nearly cost him his life.

Omega has been away from AEW programming but has still be communicating with fans via his Twitch channel, where the former AEW World Tag Team Champion streams games and tells stories. Omega has said the illness has left him with “good days” and “bad days” and that it’s still too soon to see if he will be able to recover without requiring surgery. Omega has said his pain is decreasing but training and taking impacts on his abdomen are still a struggle and recovery a long way off.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jack Perry And The Elite Destroy Tony Khan In Closing Segment Of AEW Dynamite

After an eight-month absence from AEW television, Jack Perry returned on “AEW Dynamite,” hitting the ring in the main event segment to ask AEW President Tony Khan to shake his hand, reinstate him, and “continue to change the world together.” Perry got all that he asked for and more, punching Khan in the stomach and setting him up for further damage at the hands of The Elite.

Perry, who was last seen in AEW at All In in August of 2023 before Sunday’s surprise appearance at Dynasty, showed up with The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada at the start of tonight’s show, walking into the arena through the back and eventually ending up in Khan’s office. Later in the show, it was revealed that Perry and Khan would meet in the ring, setting the stage for the latter’s first physical involvement in the company’s five-year history.

Beginning the segment by addressing the Jacksonville crowd by saying he’s had some of the best times in his life there, Perry pivoted in saying that they had business to handle and that he wanted to do it face to face with Khan. After Perry admitted that the two have had ups and downs, not always seeing eye to eye, the former Jungle Boy said, “I swear to God, the only thing I have ever wanted is what’s best for AEW.” The two would then embrace, raising each other’s hands before Perry’s attack, and ultimately, The Young Bucks finishing Khan off with none other than the TK Driver.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1783488633615573029

As the show went off air, a slew of AEW stars rushed toward the ring and to Khan’s side, along with Shahid Khan, Tony’s father, and AEW co-owner, who looked stunned and concerned for his fallen son.

Backstage News On How Hard Tony Khan Is Selling Attack From The Elite On AEW Dynamite

Fightful Select reports that its sources in AEW say Khan didn’t simply sell the attacks on-camera, but has since been selling his resulting storyline injury as well. The upcoming Parking Lot Brawl between Trent Barretta and Chuck Taylor was filmed early on Thursday, and their sources say Khan was on set during the match, seen wearing a neck brace. Some have also questioned if Khan will be seen with the brace in the coming days during the NFL Draft, but for now it’s unknown if he will do so.

Khan’s involvement in the angle seems to have positioned Perry as an even bigger heel than he was before his suspension. Interestingly, while his heel turn was originally welcomed, he still received a significant amount of criticism. Since his return to wrestling and embracing his role in CM Punk’s AEW departure, it seems like fans are now warming up to him as a believable villain, especially after last night. Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer also recently gave their takes on the heel version of The Elite, noting how Perry has sold lots of merch lately. However, both the veterans criticized Perry for directly referencing Punk, considering that he’s no longer signed to AEW. Bully also questioned Perry’s heel turn, and suggested that he should’ve actually been a babyface since Punk was the one who got physical first.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/24/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight coast-to-coast on TBS from Daily’s Place in Jacksonsville, Florida.

  • Fallout from Dynasty
  • IWGP World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
  • AEW World Title Eliminator Match: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
  • Anna Jay vs. STARDOM’S Mina Shirakawa
  • We will hear from new FTW Champion Chris Jericho
  • Chuck Taylor will choose between Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta
  • Willow Nightingale TBS Championship celebration

Cameron Grimes Announces His Release From WWE

Following the recent string of releases from WWE, Cameron Grimes has taken to social media to confirm that he has been let go from the company.

Grimes shared his thoughts in response to the news, talking about how much he loved working for the company and thanking everyone who helped him along the way.

The former NXT North American Champion started with the company in 2019, with a featured run on NXT in a storyline that involved the Million Dollar Championship.

Grimes moved to the main roster in the 2023 WWE Draft, but largely competed at live events in his final months with the company before his last match against Bron Breakker on the 4/12 edition of SmackDown.

Source: eWn

Freddie Prinze Jr. Provides An Update On His Planned Wrestling Promotion

Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. is more than just a wrestling fan, having previously worked in WWE as a writer. The “I Know What You Did Last Summer” star is also in the process of starting his own wrestling promotion, and Prinze offered an update on the project’s status on a recent episode of “Wrestling With Freddie.”

“I’m at the point now where we’re out pitching,” Prinze said. “I pitched to one place [and] it’s still actively out there. They haven’t said yes, they haven’t said no. The fact that they’re still talking about it is a good thing.”

Prinze said he was unable to reveal the companies he’s talked to about airing the promotion but promised to keep his listeners updated with both good and bad news as it comes. The actor has discussed the proposed wrestling promotion with at least two media companies, and he has four more meetings on the books.

There is footage shot to serve as a proof of concept, with Prinze stating that one company he’s met with had reached out to him for a meeting based on what they had seen. It was said to be a long and productive meeting, with the media company asking many relevant questions, and Prinze feels confident regarding their interest in the promotion.

As far as what would set his promotion apart from AEW and WWE, Prinze said that the lineup of wrestlers will be the main factor, stating he wants to offer a platform for performers to “get over.” However, there will be other noticeable differences, only some of which he can tease before the show becomes a reality.

“The look of it will be much different than AEW and WWE,” Prinze continued. “I would say I’m somewhere in-between what WWE and AEW are doing.”

Prinze also cited the defunct wrestling series “Lucha Underground” as an inspiration. Specifically, Prinze stated that he enjoyed how the performers interacted with the space around them, which is something he hopes to bring to his promotion.

In the past, the aspiring promoter revealed that his promotion would differ from WWE by offering death matches. Additionally, before the late Bray Wyatt’s return to WWE in 2022, Prinze had made an offer to Wyatt to join the promotion. At the time, Prinze acknowledged that he would be unable to match WWE financially and it was an unlikely prospect for him to land Wyatt for the fledgling idea.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ex-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon Files Motion To Force Janel Grant Lawsuit Into Arbitration

As Janel Grant’s lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon and others continues, McMahon’s counsel has filed a motion to take the matter out of the public court.

According to a new filing, McMahon’s attorneys have cited a section of Grant’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that states any grievances the two parties have should be settled in private arbitration, as opposed to public court. McMahon’s team also categorically denies Grant’s accusations, alleging that she couldn’t have been grieving the death of her parents in 2019, as they died much earlier, and also stating that Grant and her then-fiance’s ability to live in the same building as McMahon without incident, despite the sordid nature of the alleged affair, called Grant’s accusations and description of her relationship with McMahon into question.

According to Wrestlenomics’s Brandon Thurston, Grant’s attorney Ann Callis had the following to say: “Vince McMahon has never known a storyline that he doesn’t twist to fit his own shameful narrative. Her father was in in-home hospice during his final days where Janel continued to care for him around the clock. Prior to his death, she had been caring for her blind, wheelchair-bound mother. Using the grief of someone who lost both of her parents is an all new level of disgusting.”

Grant has accused McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE of sexual harassment, abuse, and sex trafficking during her time as an assistant for McMahon between 2019 and 2022. The suit also mentioned various unnamed “Corporate Officers” as well as a “Former UFC World Champion” who was later revealed to be Brock Lesnar.

Source: Wrestling Inc.