AEW’s Eddie Kingston Injured, Darby Allin Returned, Will Replace Kingston In Anarchy In The Arena Match At Double Or Nothing

This past weekend, Eddie Kingston lost his NJPW Strong Openweight Championship at NJPW Strong Resurgence in a No Ropes Last Man Standing Match against Gabe Kidd, which saw Kingston suplexed out of the ring, his leg colliding with the barricade. It was recently speculated that Kingston was dealing with a legitimate, significant injury and the worst seems to be confirmed.

On “AEW Dynamite,” AEW EVPs Matt and Nick Jackson explained that Kingston was too injured to compete in the upcoming Anarchy In The Arena Match at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26. Kingston was supposed to team with FTR and former rival Bryan Danielson to defend AEW’s honor against The New Elite’s Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry. There is no word on how long Kingston will be out of action. While the barricade legitimately injured Kingston, The Young Bucks and Jack Perry added narrative salt in the wound by attacking the former ROH World Champion after his loss. The attack marked the Bucks’ first time back in an NJPW ring since before AEW was founded in 2019.

Kingston took to Instagram to share a photo of him, seated in a wheelchair, smoking a cigar, captioned with a quote from famed amateur wrestler Dan Gable.

Kingston will be replaced by former AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin, who returned from numerous injuries, including being hit by a bus, to help FTR and Danielson fight off the New Elite at the end of the episode. According to Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez, Allin said he is not 100% heading into the brutal match, as on top of his many injuries, a superplex during the show’s main event led to Allin getting hit in the head with a beam while he was hiding under the ring.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Charlotte Flair Starring In Upcoming Horror Film ‘You Lose You Die’

Deadline has reported that Charlotte Flair has been cast in a leading role for the upcoming indie horror/thriller You Lose You Die alongside Freddy Rodriguez.

The film is written and directed by Carlos “Spiff TV” Suarez, with Rodriguez, Josue “Sway” Mendez, and Ulysses Terrero serving as executive producers.

The synopsis of the film, which is in preproduction as of this writing, reads:

You Lose You Die follows sociopathic tech expert, Mr. Fantastik (Rodriguez), who runs a popular show on the dark web with two other sociopathic tech experts, Ms. Perfect (Flair) and Mr. Creep (Anthony Alvarez). On the show, thousands of viewers vote on games and challenges for prisoners to participate in. If the prisoners lose, viewers vote on the weapons the sociopaths use to kill them.

The former WWE Women’s Champion has been out of in-ring action since December 2023 due to injury, last competing against Asuka on the Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown.

Source: WrestleView

AEW Dynamite Preview 5/15/2024

AEW Dynamite live on TBA from the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.

  • AEW World title eliminator: Swerve Strickland vs. Brian Cage
  • Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson vs. Kyle Fletcher & Jeff Cob
  • AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Dax Harwood
  • The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels
  • Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron
  • Mercedes Mone-Willow Nightingale contract signing
  • Will Ospreay-Roderick Strong face-to-face
  • Adam Copeland calls out Malakai Black for Double or Nothing.
  • Hook returns

The Latest Update On AEW-WBD Potential Media Rights Deal Ahead Of Upfronts

AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have not yet reached a new television deal, and it is not expected to be part of WBD’s upfront presentation on Wednesday. 

A recent report from Fightful Select provides further insights into the ongoing negotiations between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery and the expected timeline for a new rights deal announcement.

Sources close to the matter suggest that the announcement of a new deal is being closely guarded, with a probable timeframe for the announcement being summer to fall.

The report highlights the uncertainty surrounding the end date of AEW’s exclusivity deal with WBD, which is expected to continue into the summer. However, a firm date for its conclusion remains unknown. A pilot for a new AEW-related program with WBD was slated to be announced for social media channels this week. It is said that the program is not a reality show.

According to sources at WBD, there has been ongoing interest in the company to include AEW pay-per-view events on HBO Max. Discussions between the two parties have been in progress for an extended period of time to determine the specifics of this potential agreement. Initial proposals for this arrangement were put forth as early as last year.

These sources have also indicated that nearly every agreement made by WBD is strategically aligned with Max, emphasizing a heightened focus on the streaming platform compared to when AEW originally entered into its last agreement with WBD.

Additionally, there have been rumors that WBD may lose its media rights to the NBA. If this were to occur, the company reportedly plans to reinvest funds to maintain its position on cable and explore other properties to attract viewers.

It remains unknown whether this potential reinvestment will involve AEW. With that being said, AEW Dynamite almost always ranks number one on all of cable TV on Wednesday nights without any competition from the NBA/NHL or other sporting events. Sources from both parties have spoken highly of each other and the negotiation process continues.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NWA President Billy Corgan Claims To Have Signed New TV Deal

It’s been a big week for Billy Corgan, as the Smashing Pumpkins lead singer and NWA owner’s new reality series, “Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland,” has dropped on the CW app, chronicling Corgan’s life as he attempts to balance his personal life and career with the Pumpkins with running the NWA. As it turns out though, Corgan’s deals with the CW app to air “Carnyland” and “NWA Empowerrr” aren’t the only things he has up his sleeve.

In an interview with “TV Insider” to promote “Carnyland” and the NWA, Corgan spilled the beans on some news that should help in raising the NWA’s profile.

“I just signed another TV deal, which I haven’t announced yet,” Corgan said. “I saw someone in wrestling media wave off the NWA’s success, but I don’t know a lot of companies out there that have three television deals as an independent solely funded by me. We’re really fighting a lot of wars here not only to create a wrestling product that fans will like but also to beat the world’s perception that it can’t be done. That unless you have a billion dollars in your pocket you can’t manifest enough energy. 

“But what people don’t understand is I’m one of the only people in the world who understands how to take something literally from nothing and take it to the top of the mountain multiple times. I know it can be done with faith, dedication, and hard work. It will be interesting to see the behind-the-scenes stuff going on, which by the way is not work…I insisted on real and organic storylines. It will be interesting to see if people perceive that as integrity or weakness on the part of the company. I think it’s a strength because we have nothing to hide.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/14/2024

Here is the lineup for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network: 

  • Battleground Women’s North American title ladder match qualifier: Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame
  • Battleground Women’s North American title ladder match qualifier: Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend
  • NXT Heritage Cup holder Charlie Dempsey defends against Tony D’Angelo
  • Noam Dar vs. Je’Von Evans
  • Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs. Bronco Nima & Lucien Price
  • We will hear from Wes Lee

Video: Trailer For Billy Corgan’s Adventures In Carnyland Unscripted NWA Reality Show

While it hasn’t always been an easy road getting there, Billy Corgan was able to find the NWA a home, with the promotion’s flagship show, “NWA Powerrr,” currently airing on the CW app. It won’t be the only bit of content Corgan has airing on the app, however, as his long-anticipated reality show, “Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland,” is finally ready to see the light of day this Tuesday.

As such, it’s only right that there would be a trailer, which dropped earlier this afternoon via The Smashing Pumpkins’ account on X. Perhaps the biggest revelation from the trailer is that the show will not just focus on Corgan running the NWA, but on Corgan’s overall life, from him continuing to tour with the Pumpkins, to his marriage to long-time girlfriend, Chloe Mendel, which occurred last September.

There was still plenty of wrestling content to be featured, however, with highlights from NWA events sprinkled all around, as Corgan could be seen jokingly questioning his decisionmaking in entering the wrestling business given his “day job” with the Pumpkins. Corgan also noted the lack of interest in wrestling from those close to him, including Mendel and his Pumpkins bandmates James Ilha and Jimmy Chamberlain. Several wrestlers were seen being interviewed, including former NWA Women’s Champion Kamille, who departed the promotion earlier this year, and has since reportedly signed with AEW.

“Adventure in Carnyland” will be the first docuseries on Corgan’s foray into wrestling to be completed, though it is not the first attempt to chronicle it. The Pumpkins front man had previously attempted to put a reality series together regarding his ownership of Chicago indie promotion, Resistance Pro Wrestling, back in the early 2010s. The project was ultimately never completed.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Latest WWE Raw QR Code Leads To More Clues, Teases For Presumed Uncle Howdy Stable

The latest in a series of mysterious QR codes on WWE programming led followers down their most complex path to date, with a landing page and 20 images to sift through. The code itself led to wwe.com/121212, which mimicked the look of a basic index page with the slug “/DOOR/” up top and a list of .jpg files, numbered 01-20, each tagged with a unique, six-digit number as well as precise time stamps for each, all purportedly captured yesterday, 5/12/2024, between 12:37:54 and 2:22:42 PM (with no specific time zone indicated).

The series of images contained various visuals and messages, including:

“DO YOU WANT TO MEET THEM?”

“I SET THEM FREE.”

“I REMINDED HIM OF WHO HE WAS. I SHOWED HIM HIS LIES. NOW HE SHOWS ME HIS VISION. IT IS BEAUTIFUL.”

“I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN.”

“THEY WERE TRAPPED. I SHOWED THEM HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR.”

“THEY WERE LEFT ALL ALONE. I OPENED THE DOOR. NOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE ANYMORE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?”

“IF YOU ASK WHAT YOU AREN’T SEEING THEN YOU AREN’T LOOKING”

“YOU DON’T SEE IT, DO YOU?”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?”

“I AM ALL OF US.”

“DO YOU SEE? I AM ALREADY FREE.”

“How are you doing? I CRAWLED OUT OF THE CAVE. SO I COULD SET THEM FREE. What challenges are you facing? I’M AFRAID THEY WON’T UNDERSTAND. How do you feel? I FINALLY KNOW MY PURPOSE & SOON EVERYONE WILL SEE.”

A newspaper clipping featuring the story of a woman gone missing, written by WENDY LUCHO (an anagram for Uncle Howdy)

An undecipherable, shadowy image in the dark

Several thumb drives and floppy discs, one of which labeled as “5.16.24 4 PM WITCH”

Notably, the “WWE Raw” announce team acknowledged this week’s glitch, perhaps indicating that a reveal is coming sooner than later. With Howdy’s name hidden this time in plain sight, one would think that could certainly be the case.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 5/13/2024

Tonight’s WWE RAW live on USA Network from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC.

  • King of the Ring quarterfinal: Ilja Draguno vs. Jey Uso
  • King of the Ring quarterfinal: Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston
  • Queen of the Ring quarterfinal: Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark
  • Queen of the Ring quarterfinal: IYO SKY vs. Shayna Baszler
  • Becky Lynch in action

Bryan Danielson Confirms When His AEW Contract Expires (And It’s Soon)

Bryan Danielson is in his final full-time year as a pro wrestler, closing the chapter on one of the most storied careers in history. With his run set to wind down, Danielson told “Casual Conversations” that he still has a few things to check off his bucket list, including an appearance at All In 2024 at Wembley Stadium. However, he confirmed that his current contract is due to expire before the London event in August. 

“The big one is Wembley. I want to make it to Wembley,” he said. “My contract actually expires before. But I want to make it to Wembley.” 

Danielson opined that Wembley differs from other iconic wrestling venues, such as Arena Mexico or the Tokyo Dome, in that it’s not one typically synonymous with the sport. He reasoned that it held a different energy to the others he has wrestled at, and given that he was unavailable for last year’s All In event, he wants to cross off that goal this year. Furthermore, he might stick around longer, as he feels that October’s WrestleDream event would be a great curtain call. 

“I’m not sure if I’ll make it. But one thing that’d be a nice way to close everything out for me is to do my last match as a full-time wrestler at WrestleDream at the Tacoma Dome. Because that’s the first wrestling show I ever saw [at the Tacoma Dome]. It was WWF and it was Ultimate Warrior versus Rick Rude.” 

Bryan Danielson joined AEW in 2021 months after departing WWE, signing a three-year deal with the promotion. He confirmed that this would be his final year of full-time competition ahead of the Continental Classic late last year. However, Danielson has not been seen on TV since losing to Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.