Ash By Elegance, Formerly WWE’s Dana Brooke, Officially Signs With TNA Wrestling

With the non-compete clauses from this September’s WWE releases expiring, free agents are flooding the wrestling world, and former WWE Superstars are getting a character refresh. The character makeover was a bit literal with the former Dana Brooke, who appeared at TNA’s Hard To Kill as Ash By Elegance.

TNA announced on Twitter that the former 15-time WWE 24/7 Champion has signed with the promotion following her appearance at Hard To Kill. 

The new character that she debuted over the weekend is a complete departure from her former WWE persona. She recently explained that fans can expect to see a new side of her as she feels she barely scratched the surface of her intensity and her ferocity in WWE. Ash was released by WWE in September following the finalization of the merger between WWE and UFC into TKO Group Holdings, after which she said that she was excited about her future away from WWE. Ash had been with WWE for 10 years, signing with the company in 2013.

The former WWE Women’s Tag Champion wasn’t the only former WWE Superstar to debut at Hard To Kill, as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, appeared at the end of the pay-per-view to confront the new TNA World Champion, Moose. The signings and appearances take on an extra weight following the promotion’s decision to revert from “Impact Wrestling” to its original TNA Wrestling name, as the promotion looks to define its new/old image going forward in 2024.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Grayson Waller Lashes Out At Disrespectful TV Host

Grayson Waller gained attention for his appearance on an Australian talk show alongside LA Knight today.

During their interview on the Sunrise news show, things took an unexpected turn when one of the hosts asked Knight to demonstrate his signature move on someone who was leaving that week. However, Knight declined the request and instead offered the opportunity to Waller. In a playful manner, the person raised his fists. However, Waller’s mood quickly changed when John Cena’s music suddenly started playing in the studio.

Waller made it clear that he wouldn’t fake a punch. Instead, he warned that the police might need to be called to the studio because he was about to deliver a real punch.

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/17/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live on TBS from the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, North Carolina.

  • AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Hook
  • TNT Championship:  Christian Cage (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship: The Gates of Agony and Brian Cage (C) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns [Austin and Colten])
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay (Toni Storm will be on commentary)
  • The Young Bucks to speak

MLW Hypes RELOAD Special This Saturday

MLW touted its RELOAD special this Saturday. MLW issued the following:

MLW presents 2 hour RELOAD special this Saturday on beIN SPORTS nationwide on cable, streaming on YouTube

[NEW YORK] – Major League Wrestling (MLW) is set to ignite the airwaves with a spectacular two-hour free special event, “MLW RELOAD,” broadcasting nationwide on cable on beIN SPORTS (find a provider) and streaming live on MLW’s YouTube Channel.

This exclusive simulcast airs 10 pm ET this Saturday, January 20, delivering an electrifying experience to fans across the country watching on cable TV and dish as well as streaming worlwide.

The highly anticipated MLW RELOAD special boasts a double main event that promises to be an unforgettable clash of titans.

In a historic showdown, Satoshi Kojima faces off against Sami Callihan for the first time in their illustrious careers. The match signifies the in-ring return of Callihan, who stirred up controversy at MLW Kings of Colosseum, leading to a pier 6 brawl between the two. The question looms – is Kojima entering a trap just two weeks before he challenges for the MLW World Heavyweight Title at SuperFight in Philadelphia?

Adding to the excitement, the two-hour special will witness MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane teaming up with Matt Riddle for the first time ever. Their formidable alliance will be put to the test against the World Titan Federation’s top Superstars®, captained by cage fighter turned sports entertainer “Filthy” Tom Lawlor. This clash of titans is sure to set the stage for an epic confrontation.

As if the double main event weren’t enough, MLW RELOAD promises more thrilling matches that will be revealed in the days ahead leading up to the event.

What makes this special event even more remarkable is that it is absolutely free! MLW invites fans to gather their friends, fire up their group chats, and schedule watch parties to experience MLW RELOAD on cable via beIN SPORTS and streaming live on MLW’s YouTube channel.

About Major League Wrestling

Major League Wrestling (MLW®) is a sports media holding company, offering television content, action figures, apparel, live events, and ancillary entertainment. MLW operates live events in major markets throughout the United States and Mexico, including New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Tijuana.

One of the fastest growing wrestling leagues today, MLW programming is available in over 60 countries worldwide, including MLW Fusion on beIN Sports in the U.S. and Ayozat TV on SKY in the United Kingdom.

MLW premium live events stream monthly live and exclusively on TrillerTV+.

MLW events showcase diversity and the full spectrum of professional wrestling, with athletes representing countries around the world with fighting styles, including: technical, Japanese strong style, lucha libre, King’s Road brawling, MMA, catch wrestling, hybrid wrestling, submission grappling and other disciplines.

For more information visit MLW.com and follow MLW on X, Instagram and YouTube.

TNA To Resurrect Secondary Show

TNA Wrestling recently underwent a massive rebranding following a long stint as Impact Wrestling, returning to the name the company was known as when it first broke into the industry. The promotion has issued new championship belts since undergoing their name changes, but according to fans and a report from Fightful, TNA is now officially bringing back “TNA Xplosion.”

According to Fightful, matches for “Xplosion” were recently taped ahead of the recent “TNA Snake Eyes” pay-per-view. Fans notably shared a few images of the graphics for the new show, but little has been revealed about the format it’ll have going forward. Additionally, at this stage, nothing is known about TNA’s plans with “Xplosion,” but since the show was taped on January 14, it’s safe to assume that fans will find out soon enough.

https://twitter.com/migueljoto/status/1746683885013139743

“Xplosion” was originally launched in 2002 as the promotion’s first regular cable show. At first, the show featured matches from the TNA Asylum as well as interviews with talent, before being revamped in 2004 to showcase previously aired episodes of “TNA Impact.” The show was revamped in 2010 to feature exclusive matches, alongside airing matches from the 2000s. Ultimately, “Xplosion” was put on an extended hiatus in 2021.

TNA’s return to its old branding has been met with mixed reactions online, but many of the wrestlers associated with the promotion only have positive things to say. TNA Hall of Famer Gail Kim notably claimed that she was excited upon first hearing about the name change and believes the promotion will have a lot of momentum going into 2024.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Officially Confirms Cora Jade Injury, Likely Recovery Timeline On NXT

During Tuesday’s episode of “WWE NXT,” commentator Vic Joseph confirmed that former “NXT” Tag Team Champion Cora Jade has suffered a torn ACL and is expected to be out of action for close to a year.  Jade was injured last Friday at a house show during her match against “NXT” Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria. She reportedly had to be taken backstage by four officials.

Jade, who has been with WWE since 2021, had just made her return last month to the developmental brand. Jade had previously lost to former main roster star Dana Brooke (now Impact Wrestling’s Ash By Elegance) in a Kendo Stick match, before clearing out her locker on the August 1 episode. She ended up being gone a total of four months, finally making her return on December 9 at the “NXT” Deadline premium live event, where she attacked Valkyria.

Jade was scheduled to compete in Tuesday’s 20-woman No. 1 contender’s match (a battle royal that turned into a four-way) for Valkyria’s title; Joseph made the official announcement of Jade’s injury, which had been previously reported, immediately prior to the bell. Jade was replaced by newcomer Wren Sinclair (a debuting Madi Wrenkowski) in the contest, which was ultimately won by Jade’s arch-rival and former tag team partner Roxanne Perez.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 1/16/2024

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

  • NXT Women’s Championship number one contender Battle Royal (When it gets to the final 4 the match becomes a Fatal 4-Way)
  • Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez
  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinals: Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe
  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinals: Duke Hudson & Riley Osborne vs. Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde
  • Ridge Holland vs. Joe Coffey
  • We’ll hear from Oba Femi

Brock Lesnar Is Returning To WWE TV Soon

Brock Lesnar is expected to make his return to WWE television soon after being absent since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WWE SummerSlam. It has been anticipated for months that he would return this month to participate in the build-up to the Royal Rumble.

Lesnar will likely compete in the Men’s Royal Rumble match. Several stars, including Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, have already declared their participation in the match.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Lesnar’s return is imminent and is presumed to be for the Royal Rumble.

Source: eWn

Kota Ibushi Set To Undergo Ankle Surgery

Pro Wrestling NOAH held its ‘The New Year’ 2024 show earlier this month with the main event singles match between Naomichi Marufuji and Kota Ibushi, where they wrestled for 30 minutes before Ibushi went over in the end.

Ibushi went for an outside moonsault, and when he landed, he grabbed his ankle. Kota was taken to the hospital after the bout, which was heavily criticized.

Kota confirmed today that he will have ankle surgery on Wednesday:

“Long time no see. It feels unusually long.

Things won’t go on as before.

I hope tomorrow’s surgery is successful.

As long as you can walk, that’s enough.

I don’t need anything else”

https://twitter.com/ibushi_kota/status/1747145518365741099

Source: eWn

Hulk Hogan Helps Rescue Woman From Flipped Vehicle

Hulk Hogan might be considered a hero amongst his wrestling fans, but that sentiment also extends beyond the ring, thanks to his recent admirable actions. According to a recent report from TMZ Sports, the “Hulkster,” along with two other people, might just have saved the life of a 17-year-old woman who got into a motor vehicle accident.

According to TMZ’s sources, who claim to have direct knowledge of the event, Hogan, his wife, Sky Daily, and their friend, Jake, were driving along a highway on Sunday evening in Clearwater, Florida, when they witnessed a car accident on the road. The car allegedly swerved across lanes, struck another car, and flipped over.

The sources then further alleged that Hogan pulled over, rushed to the scene alongside Jake, and helped the woman out of the car. Jake, a Marine, took apart the car’s airbag with tools Hogan had in his vehicle, and together, they unbuckled the woman, assisted her safely out of the vehicle, and waited with her for the paramedics. Lastly, the sources also claim that the woman is now alright despite suffering a car accident.

Interestingly, Hogan got baptized at the end of 2023 and publically declared that he would now surrender his life to Jesus Christ. While the two moments are unrelated, Hogan’s actions might have been spurred on by his newfound faith and dedication. 2023 was quite an eventful year for Hulkster, as he got married again in September 2023. This year, it seems he’s making headlines again for more eventful reasons. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.