Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.
- Malakai Black vs. Christopher Daniels
- AEW International Champion Roderick Strong vs. London Lightning
- Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora
- Daniel Garcia vs. Bryan Keith vs. Komander vs. Action Andretti in an Elimination match
WWE SmackDown Preview 4/5/2024
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.
- Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
- Kevin Owens to host the KO Show with Special Guest: Randy Orton
- Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez
- New Catch Republic vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
- Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa
Backstage News On Special Entrance Planned For Rhea Ripley At WWE WrestleMania 40
WrestleMania season means WWE will be bringing its A-game when it comes to the pomp and circumstance that usually surround “The Showcase of the Immortals.” One area that often gets a massive upscale is entrances, especially for popular champions like WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
PWInsider Elite is reporting that metalcore band Motionless In White is in Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40 weekend, likely set to play Ripley’s theme song “Demon In Your Dreams” — for which Chris Motionless provided the vocals — before Ripley’s match against “The Man” Becky Lynch on Night 1 of the two-night event. Ripley told Wrestling Inc. in an exclusive interview at last year’s WrestleMania that she was attempting to set up such a performance in the future; the band was unable to appear at WrestleMania 39 because they were in Germany at the time.
It was at WrestleMania 39 that Ripley won what is now the Women’s World Championship, dethroning Lynch’s Four Horsewomen comrade, Charlotte Flair. She has now held the title for a full year, but she’ll need all the motivation she can get, as she’s not only facing a tough former champion in Lynch, but also entering WrestleMania with wrist issues and other lingering problems that come with an active schedule like hers. Ripley is also keeping an eye on more than just Lynch, as she’s been paying attention to WWE’s latest signing Jade Cargill and is so far impressed with the former AEW TBS Champion’s progress. Ripley even said she’d like to step in the ring with Cargill somewhere down the line.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Star Sami Zayn To Perform Live Standup Show At Upcoming Netflix Comedy Festival
WWE star Sami Zayn is a man of many talents. He’s one of the most popular wrestlers in recent memory, has countless matches that could be considered all-time classics, and this May, he will be able to strut his stuff at one of the biggest comedy festivals in the world. The annual “Netflix Is a Joke” comedy festival has become one of the marquee events in the stand-up calendar, as comedians and entertainers from far and wide flock to Los Angeles for 12 days of non-stop laughter. Joining comedy giants like Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart and more will be the former Intercontinental Champion, who announced on his X account that he will be hosting the “Sami Zayn & Friends” show during the festival. The show will take place at the historic Avalon Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles on May 11, with tickets going on general sale April 5.
Fans who have followed Zayn’s career for a long time will know full well what comedic chops he has due to his portrayal of the El Generico character in companies like ROH, DDT, and PWG, where despite being French-Canadian, he played the role of a friendly luchador who decided to head back to Mexico to run an orphanage around the same time Zayn signed with WWE.
Zayn will be hoping that he shows up to his stand-up special on May 11 with the Intercontinental Championship, as he looks to become champion this weekend at WrestleMania 40 when he takes on GUNTHER. Zayn has never beaten “The Ring General” in a one-on-one contest in WWE before, but he will hope to channel the spirit of El Generico this weekend, as the Mexican orphanage owner did pick up a win over the man then known as Big Van WALTER at a wXw event in 2012.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Becky Lynch’s Autobiography Lands On New York Times Bestsellers List
Becky Lynch’s autobiography “The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl” is one the New York Times Best Sellers list.
Lynch is slated to challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Title on Saturday at WWE WrestleMania 40. About the book:
This compelling and candid memoir from WWE superstar Rebecca Quin—a.k.a. The Man, a.k.a. Becky Lynch—delves into her earliest wrestling days, her scrappy beginnings, and her meteoric rise to fame.
Raised in Dublin, Ireland, in a devoutly Catholic family, Rebecca Quin constantly invented new ways to make her mother worry—roughhousing with the neighborhood kids, hosting secret parties while her parents were away, enrolling in a warehouse wrestling school, nearly breaking her neck and almost kneecapping a WWE star before her own wrestling career even began—and she was always in search of a thrilling escape from the ordinary.
Rebecca’s childhood love of wrestling set her on an unlikely path. With few female wrestlers to look to for guidance, Rebecca pursued a wrestling career hoping to change the culture and move it away from the antiquated disrespect so often directed at the elite female athletes who grace the ring. Even as a teenager, she knew that she would stop at nothing to earn a space among the greatest wrestlers of our time and to pave a new path for female fighters.
Culled from decades of journal entries, Rebecca’s memoir offers a raw, exclusive, and honest depiction of the complex woman behind the character Rebecca Quin plays on TV.
She took to Twitter to celebrate the achievement.
Source: eWn
ROH TV Preview 4/4/2024
The following matches are advertised for tonight’s ROH on HonorClub TV show.
- The contract signing for Athena vs. Hikaru Shida for the ROH Women’s Championship match at ROH Supercard of Honor
- ROH Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett vs. “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo in a Proving Ground match
- Evil Uno vs. London Lightning
- Nick Comoroto vs. Lee Johnson
- Anna Jay vs. Nikita
- Nyla Rose in action
TNA Impact Preview 4/4/2024
With Rebellion quickly approaching later this month, the action continues from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia! Don’t miss an all-new TNA iMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for Insiders!
- Nic Nemeth vs. Alex Shelley
- Old School Rules: Mustafa Ali vs. Rhino
- Chris Bey vs. Frankie Kazarian
- The FBI return
- Ash by Elegance vs. Xia Brookside
The Rock Is Giving One Fan An All-Expenses Paid Trip To WWE WrestleMania 40
Despite playing a convincing villain on WWE TV in recent months, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is still as charitable as ever. Responding to a picture of a fan’s tattoo on social media platform X, Johnson invited the man and his daughter to this weekend’s WWE WrestleMania 40.
After seeing The Rock live last month, the fan had Johnson sign his arm. Before the marker washed away, the fan had the signature made permanent, with Johnson now rewarding his dedication. In addition to covering tickets to the show, transportation, and a hotel, Johnson even offered to cover the cost of food for the pair during their trip.
WrestleMania 40 will be a two-night affair once again, and the lineup for both shows has been announced. The Rock will team with his cousin, Roman Reigns, against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on night one. Should Johnson and Reigns win, Sunday’s main event between Reigns and Rhodes will have the Bloodline Rules stipulation. If Rhodes and Rollins win, then The Bloodline will be banned from ringside.
Including the drama involving The Bloodline, WrestleMania 40 is set to feature 13 matches. Rhea Ripley will defend the Women’s World Championship against Becky Lynch, a Six-Pack Ladder Match is scheduled with the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship on the line, and Logan Paul will attempt to hang onto the WWE United States Championship in a Triple Threat with Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso will face each other in singles action for the first time, and Sami Zayn will attempt to topple GUNTHER to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship, along with several other matches.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE NXT Star Drew Gulak Makes Statement On Backstage Incident With Ronda Rousey
As the lawsuit against Vince McMahon alleging sex trafficking and abuse continues to move forward, stories of WWE’s backstage culture over the years have continued to emerge. Among the most outspoken about WWE’s culture is former WWE star Ronda Rousey, who has called out McMahon, Bruce Prichard, and several others for their previous behavior.
Rousey saved her most explosive revelation for a Tuesday appearance on “Banfield,” where she claimed WWE star Drew Gulak grabbed the strings of her sweatpants and attempted to pull them as he walked by. The incident, which occurred in front of Bruce Prichard and a WWE writer, who showed no reaction, left Rousey taken aback by Gulak’s actions, and she would later confront him over the incident, leading to Gulak apologizing.
One day after Rousey’s “Banfield” appearance, Gulak responded, taking to X to give his version of events.
“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway,” Gulak tweeted. “I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”
Rousey has yet to comment regarding Gulak’s version of events, while WWE has yet to acknowledge either Rousey or Gulak’s statement. Signed by WWE following the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016, Gulak currently works on WWE’s “NXT” brand as the leader of the No Quarter Catch Crew stable. He most recently competed on “NXT” TV two weeks ago, defeating Riley Osborne in a Heritage Cup match.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert Joins Indie Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024 – Jay Briscoe, Sabu, Steve Corino, Mercedes Martinez, Trent Acid, Kevin Hogan
“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert will be inducted into Game Changer Wrestling & Orange Crush magazine’s Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame this Sunday (April 7). The induction ceremony is streaming live for free on YouTube starting at noon Eastern time.
Trent Acid, The Briscoes, indie superfan Kevin “Whack Packer” Hogan, Steve Corino, Sabu, and Mercedes Martinez are also part of the Hall of Fame class. Acid, Jay Briscoe, Hogan, and Gilbert are being inducted posthumously.
The son of Tommy Gilbert, Eddie began his in-ring career as a teenager. He worked as both a wrestler and a booker before passing away at 33 years old in February of 1995.
Gilbert is best known for his time wrestling in Memphis. He also has a connection to Philadelphia through the work he did for ECW.
Gilbert spent time in the NWA, USWA, AWA, ECW, and more. Along with being an in-ring performer, Gilbert was a booker for Global Wrestling Federation and Eastern Championship Wrestling.
The Sheraton hotel in downtown Philly is hosting Sunday’s Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony. The ceremony is held annually during WrestleMania weekend.
The Indie Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on April 7.
Gilbert will be inducted by Missy Hyatt.
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