WWE SmackDown airs live tonight on FOX, from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
During Thursday’s press conference to promote Saturday night’s TNA Rebellion pay-per-view event, a cryptic video aired that appears to tease a new arrival.
As the presser came to an end, a teaser video played showing a montage of images, saying that it’s “Lights Out” at the show.
You can check out the video below:
has announced that DJ Ashba and Lars Frederiksen will be appearing at the pay-per-view event.
Ashba will perform the National Anthem at the show, while Frederiksen (Rancid) will accompany Spitfire to the ring for their Knockouts Tag Team Championship match against DECAY.
Source: eWn
Erick Redbeard, previously known as Erick Rowan, sparked discussions among fans when it was revealed that he had withdrawn from various independent bookings, including one for East Coast Pro Wrestling (ECPW). The reason cited was “new contractual obligations,” leading to speculation that he might be returning to WWE.
Later reports indicated that Rowan had been in Pittsburgh recently, a common city where WWE sends talent for medical evaluations before signing them.
This has caused fans to speculate Rowan is returning to WWE to be aligned with Bo Dallas when he portrays Uncle Howdy. Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“Joseph Ruud, 42, who has been wrestling on indies as Erick Redbeard, but best known as Erick Rowan, pulled out of all his upcoming dates citing signing a new contract that would prevent appearing. The natural speculation would be WWE, with the idea of a connection with the returning Bo Dallas. WWE did not confirm that as they wouldn’t officially but within the company there was that expectation.”
No Quarter Catch Crew has been missing a member as of late, as faction founder Drew Gulak has been missing from WWE programming, and presumed dead in storyline. Even his name has disappeared from the No Quarter Catch Crew entrance graphics on “WWE NXT.” On the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer said the reason for his absence is Ronda Rousey’s recent allegations that the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion put his hands on her clothing without her consent.
“What I was told was that there was no conclusive thing,” Meltzer said. “The witnesses were not conclusive…but Gulak was bad publicity, so he got whacked.” Rousey alleged that Gulak grabbed the drawstring on her sweatpants, while Gulak is adamant he merely missed a handshake and tried to turn the awkward situation into a joke. As it stands, Gulak is still with the company, though Meltzer thinks that could change soon.
“I don’t know that he’s been fired but when I asked it was like ‘Well, if he hasn’t been, he probably will be,'” Meltzer chuckled. “It’s not looking good for him.”
No Quarter Catch Crew is currently feuding with The D’Angelo Family, with Tony D’Angelo claiming the Catch Crew hired The Family to take out Gulak and never paid for the hit. Gulak wasn’t just pulled from “WWE NXT,” as the former 24/7 Champion was also pulled from various WrestleMania Weekend events, including the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where Gulak was reportedly set to sit near a friend of Rousey’s.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
After he resigned from WWE this January, very little regarding the happenings of former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had emerged. That changed Wednesday, when an NBC news story gave a glimpse at McMahon’s life since his resignation, particularly in how he’s handling Janel Grant’s lawsuit against him, a lawsuit that accused McMahon of sex trafficking and abuse. The story also shined a light into McMahon’s private life, including the revelation that McMahon has remained in contact with two key WWE figures in the form of John Cena and TKO board of directors member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Shortly after the story on McMahon emerged, a spokesperson for Grant reached out to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston with a statement regarding Johnson and Cena maintaining a relationship with McMahon. Posted on X, the statement called Johnson and Cena “shameful” for maintaining a relationship with McMahon despite the allegations against him, and that “behind-the-scenes support is louder than any public statement could ever be.”
The statement, as well as the revelation of Cena and Johnson’s continued association with McMahon, comes shortly after both wrestlers played integral parts in WrestleMania 40, an event seen by many as an attempt by WWE to distance itself from McMahon. Appearing as a regular through WrestleMania season, Johnson competed at Night One of WrestleMania 40, teaming with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, before interfering during Rhodes and Reigns’ match on Night Two. Cena also interfered during the match and even briefly confronted Johnson moments before Rhodes emerged as the victor.
While Johnson hasn’t publicly acknowledged McMahon since the latter’s resignation, Cena has spoken about McMahon’s ongoing situation in both 2023 and 2024, receiving criticism both times for showing McMahon support. Neither Johnson nor Cena have responded to the statement from Grant’s spokesperson at this time.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It’s the final stop on the road to TNA Wrestling’s spring pay-per-view extravaganza, Rebellion! Don’t miss an all-new TNA iMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for Insiders.
The lineup tonight’s episode of ROH TV on HonorClub.
* ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Griff Garrison
* Abadon vs. Allysin Kay
* Nick Comoroto vs. The Beast Mortos
* Bryan Keith vs. Aaron Solo
* Lee Johnson vs. JD Drake
* Marti Belle vs. Lady Frost
* Taya Valkyrie, Leila Grey & Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch, Kiera Hogan & Trish Adora
* John Silver & Evil Uno vs. TBA
* Lance Archer & The Righteous vs. TBA
Fightful Select has provided an update on the status of Adam Cole who has been out of action for several months due to an ankle injury.
According to the report, Cole is not expected to return to the ring anytime soon.
The reason for Cole’s absence from AEW TV was reportedly due to concerns that it was slowing down his recovery progress.
Cole broke his ankle in September 2023 and there is currently no specific timetable for his return to the ring.
However, Cole can still make appearances on TV, although they may be less frequent.
Before his injury, Cole was a prominent figure on AEW TV and was revealed as the leader of The Undisputed Kingdom, who caused chaos and contributed to MJF losing the AEW World Title to Samoa Joe at Worlds End 2023 on December 30.
Source: eWn
For most of 2024, AEW’s Ruby Soho has been embroiled in a feud with Outcast stablemate Saraya, while growing closer with Angelo Parker. As the storyline progressed, however, Soho’s in-ring output decreased, with her last match occurring back in February, and she had recently disappeared from television altogether as Parker continued to feud with Saraya and her brother, Zak Knight.
As it turns out, Soho had a pretty good reason for not being around. Following “AEW Dynamite” last night, in a segment taped for Saturday’s “AEW Rampage,” Soho appeared for the first time in weeks to reveal to Parker she had been absent because she discovered she was pregnant. Fightful Select would later confirm this wasn’t just a storyline, and that Soho and Parker, who are a real-life couple, are expecting their first child, with the couple deciding to incorporate Soho’s pregnancy into their TV romance.
Soho’s announcement last night was the only segment taped for “Rampage,” as the show is scheduled to air outside of its 10:00 Friday timeslot this weekend, instead airing live immediately following “Collision” on Saturday. While no firm reason has been given for why the segment was taped last night instead of airing live, Soho is a native of Lafayette, Indiana, only an hour away from last night’s “Dynamite” location in Indianapolis, thus allowing the AEW star to announce her pregnancy in her home state.
Though the segment will air this Saturday, footage of Soho’s announcement and Parker’s emotional reaction can be found on social media. No further details were given on when Soho is expecting, let alone when she’d return to the ring. Wrestling Inc. would like to offer its congratulations to both Soho and Parker.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
A spate of laws discriminating against transgender athletes has popped up in numerous states throughout the country, including Missouri and Oklahoma. AEW has found itself in trouble with the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission over the company’s recent event in Oklahoma at the end of 2023.
According to KOKH, the OSAC has issued a warning to AEW for including Nyla Rose, who wrestled Alejandra Lion during the December 20, 2023 event, the promotion’s first in the state. Sean O’Leary has the minutes of this past January’s meeting, in which the OSAC repeatedly misgendered Rose as they discussed her appearance at “AEW Dynamite,” which violated Oklahoma’s 2021 law against transgender athletes competing against cisgender athletes, even in scripted entertainment like wrestling.
The commission opted to only give AEW a warning, with the caveat that further punitive measures could be handed out. The commission had been tipped off by an unnamed wrestling promotion that had dealt with a similar warning from the OSAC. OSAC opted to reprimand AEW as they felt the commission should be consistent following reprimanding the other organization. Rose commented on the commission’s minutes, jokingly suggesting she would find the “dastardly Transgender,” referring to herself. AEW currently has no announced upcoming dates in the state of Oklahoma for the foreseeable future.
Rose has been an outspoken advocate for the entirety of her fellow AEW Women’s locker room, recently championing the idea of AEW adding more women’s titles to the promotion. Rose’s fellow wrestlers are supportive of the former AEW Women’s Champion’s presence in the company, even coming to her defense after instances of bigotry from AEW fans and critics.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
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