Tony Khan – ‘Mark Briscoe’s Injury Changed Everything For ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023’

Speaking during a media call for Death Before Dishonor 2023, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that certain plans had to be altered due to Mark Briscoe’s recent injury.

Khan noted that he had hoped to get Eddie Kingston back from NJPW in time for Death Before Dishonor but the current situation didn’t permit the same.

You can check out some highlights from the media call below:

On the obstacles to Khan’s preferred plans for Death Before Dishonor: “I was hoping maybe even some possibility that Eddie could fly back to participate in Death Before Dishonor and then go back to Japan, and I certainly would have accommodated the travel if that was possible. It wasn’t possible. Mark Briscoe, I had slotted for something different on the card. It turned out that also was not viable for another reason. There have been so many things that came up and it can be like a domino effect. It’s very challenging. With Mark Briscoe’s injury, it was very challenging because Mark had been dealing with injuries for a while and I think some of us almost took it for granted because Mark is such a fighter and amazing person with an amazing spirit. People sympathize with Mark for many reasons, and he’s such a compelling wrestling character and always has been. I felt Mark could be an emotional hook for this pay-per-view in a lot of ways and it was a pivot. With Eddie going to Japan, I thought it would be cool with Eddie having a big moment winning the STRONG Championship and he passed on some wisdom to Mark Briscoe. I knew he was dealing with some injuries, but honestly, he had been dealing with them for a long time, and I think the pain had become too much to manage and it had become very challenging for him. To be honest, he hadn’t told many people about that, including our doctors. The people who knew really well knew he was hurting. I think Mark was no selling it. I know he was no selling the doctors on how much pain he was in. That’s why they were surprised that this had become a lifestyle challenge for him. When he came to me and said, ‘It’s worse than I was letting on. I’m not sure I can do this.’ That meant changing everything.”

On working around Briscoe’s injury: “If Mark comes to me and says he needs something, I’m going to do it, no matter what it is. If he needs time to heal up and needs me to pivot the pay-per-view, I’m going to do that for him, without questions. I’ll do it for pretty much anybody, but I’ll do it with a smile for Mark Briscoe. It meant changing pretty much everything again.”

Dominik Mysterio Wins North American Title On WWE NXT

Dominik Mysterio is your new NXT North American Champion, which marks his first singles championship in WWE.

On this week’s episode of WWE NXT, Dominik Mysterio faced off against Wes Lee in the main event to capture the title. The finish came when Finn Balor and Damian Priest, who came out through the crowd, distracted Lee. This allowed Rhea Ripley to hit Lee with her WWE Women’s World Championship while the referees back was turned. Mysterio then pinned Lee to get the 1, 2, 3.

For what it’s worth, Wes Lee was set to defend the North American Championship against Mustafa Ali at the upcoming WWE NXT: Great American Bash pay-per-view event. Now, it appears we’ll see see Dominik Mysterio vs. Ali taking place at the show.

Tony Khan Talks Why Doing A Women’s Blood & Guts Was ‘Not A Feasible Idea’ This Year

The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Young Bucks & Hangman Page) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli), Konosuke Takeshita and PAC in a Blood & Guts match will take place tonight on AEW Dynamite. 

During the ROH Death Before Dishonor media call, AEW President Tony Khan was asked about a possible women’s Blood and Guts match. 

“It would have been an interesting idea, it could have been a great match,” Tony Khan said about the idea of a women’s Blood & Guts during the Blood & Guts and ROH Death Before Dishonor media call. “I definitely think Jamie Hayter’s injury, is probably a five-on-five there given some of the depth issues, and especially given Willow Nightingale just got back and putting her in that kind of match after she had a major head injury in Japan, probably wouldn’t be very smart. We’ve had some other major injuries there, and when there was some fan momentum for that idea, I think the Outcasts vs. Jamie, Britt, and some others, was really running red hot and Jamie Hayter was a part of that. Some of the momentum for that, when Jamie Hayter was running hot as champion, was there, and I’m not sure at this moment, given some of the injuries we had, that was feasible. Also, with so many of the women competing this week in the Owen Hart Cup tournament, it is a very hard-hitting match and there is a lot of attrition for it. Santana still hasn’t been back from last year. The women’s division is pretty beat up, they’ve been beating the hell out of each other. Probably was not a feasible idea for them this year.”

Source: eWn H/T to Fightful

WWE NXT Preview 7/18/2023

Tonight’s WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • Tony D’Angelo’s homecoming
  • NXT North American Championship: Wes Lee (c) vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Thea Hail vs. Elektra Lopez
  • Dragon Lee & Nathan Frazer vs. Los Lotharios
  • Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James
  • Scrypts & Axiom vs. Lucien Price & Bronco Nima

WWE RAW Preview 7/17/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green
  • Viking Rules Match: The Viking Raiders vs. Alpha Academy
  • Matt Riddle vs. Gunther (Imperium members Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser are banned from ringside)
  • Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio & Damian Priest)
  • Brock Lesnar returns after Cody Rhodes made a SummerSlam challenge last week

Back on July 9, Arrow and Heels star Stephen Amell revealed on his Facebook page, that he would be heading to the July 17 episode of WWE Raw in Atlanta. However, as of this writing, WWE has not officially advertised his appearance, which means they are obviously saving it as a surprise, should he show up during the show.

Saraya: WWE Medical Staff Said ‘Book Was Closed’ On Neck Injury, Refused To Examine

It was only a year ago when Saraya, then retired following a neck injury, found herself at a crossroads as a free agent after her WWE contract expired. Now, Saraya not only finds herself wrestling again, but a prominent member of AEW’s women’s division – part of The Outcasts with Ruby Soho and AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm.

But in an interview with “Inside The Ropes,” Saraya revealed that she could’ve gone down a different path if WWE would had taken a look at her neck to see if she had healed enough. But that was never something the promotion seriously considered.

“At WWE, I asked to see my neck a few times, and the medical said that the book was closed on that, and they weren’t gonna keep checking on it, which was really disappointing,” Saraya said. “So if I wanted to check on my neck, it would have to come out of my own pocket. Her name was Stacy — that was her who said that, by the way. So it wasn’t anything to do with like Hunter or anything, it was just that medical department, which I thought was a little unfair, but it’s okay.”

Ultimately, things worked out well for Saraya following a phone call from AEW owner Tony Khan, who offered her a job and the freedom to do whatever she wanted, including pursuing an in-ring comeback. Still, Saraya admitted she’s taken this comeback slow, in order to preserve herself as a competitor long-term.

“I was like ‘I’m smarter this time,'” Saraya said. “I have to be smarter. I’m starting my thirties here and I just want to work smarter, not harder, you know what I mean?”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “Inside the Ropes”

WrestleCon Welcomes Back Rick Steiner Following Transphobic Remarks At Previous Event

WrestleCon has announced that Rick Steiner will be among the guests at an upcoming convention in Detroit, Michigan, which is set to take place in August. The news arrives in the wake of Steiner’s last WrestleCon appearance back in April, which saw him lobby transphobic insults at Impact Wrestling star Gisele Shaw.

Following the incident, WrestleCon apologized to Shaw for Steiner’s transphobic behavior, suggesting that they were backing the Impact star and cutting ties with Steiner. As such, the decision to bring him back for next month’s event has been receiving blowback on social media. However, the fan convention’s owner, Michael Bochicchio, has defended his decision to let Steiner attend the event. The statement, which can be found on the event’s Twitter page, claims that Steiner reached out to make amends after the incident.

“One of the positive things Rick did, and it was not publicized, is immediately apologize. He apologized to members of the Wrestlecon staff, he apologized to many of his fellow wrestlers, and offered apologies to the members of Impact Wrestling staff that chose to hear from him at a private mediated event. Giselle chose not to attend Rick’s apology, which we 100% understood, supported, and still support to this day. She had no obligation to hear anything from Rick nor should she ever feel obligated to accept any apology from him then or now.”

Bochicchio went on to say that Steiner has learned from the experience and that he believes in giving people second chances. However, the statement also claims that Steiner will be given a permanent ban if he demonstrates the same type of behavior at future events. As of this writing, Shaw has yet to comment on the matter.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bayley Reportedly Injured In A WWE House Show Match In Salisbury, Maryland

WWE Superstar Bayley appeared to have suffered a knee injury during Sunday night’s WWE non-televised live event in Salisbury, Maryland, according to a report from PWInsider. The match was between her, Charlotte Flair, and WWE Women’s Champion Asuka and when Bayley went for a clothesline, her knee gave out.

The match was said to have been “halted” after the incident and Bayley was assisted to the backstage area by WWE officials. PWInsider also noted that they were told by WWE sources that it wasn’t a “worked spot” and it was a “legitimate situation.” Bayley has had issues with her knee in the past. The former “SmackDown” Women’s Champion suffered a torn ACL in July 2021 and didn’t make her return until July 30, 2022, at SummerSlam.

Bayley did give an update on her injury via Twitter. The “WWE SmackDown” star shared a photo of her knee bandaged and the caption, “I’ll be alright, thanks, everyone.”

At the moment, Bayley’s stable, Damage CTRL, is already down one person. Dakota Kai suffered a torn ACL during a match on the May 12 edition of “SmackDown,” when Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were defending the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles against her and Bayley. Kai underwent surgery a few weeks after. Her injury happened in the same match that Morgan injured her shoulder and the team had to subsequently relinquish the titles. Morgan and Rodriguez have since regained the titles and are the current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They have held the titles since defeating Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler on July 1 at Money in the Bank.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bayley commented on her injury scare:

“I’ll be alright, thanks everyone.”

https://twitter.com/itsBayleyWWE/status/1680768652700704770

Nick Aldis & Another Wrestler Reportedly Done With Impact Wrestling

This weekend, Impact Wrestling held its annual Slammiversary pay-per-view, as well as an additional set of tapings last night. According to a new report from PWInsider Elite, as of Sunday, two wrestlers have finished up their current schedules with Impact: Nick Aldis and Zicky Dice.

ldis reportedly faced returning Impact star Eric Young at last night’s taping. On Saturday night, the former NWA star unsuccessfully challenged Alex Shelley for the Impact World Championship, and it seems Aldis is done working with the promotion for the time being.

After a stint with the company earlier in his career and a handful of guest appearances over the years, Aldis made a major return to Impact Wrestling in April. Aldis became the top contender for the Impact World Championship last month at the company’s Against All Odds pay-per-view. His title match, and the TV taping that followed, seem to mark the end of his return to Impact.

Last year, Aldis had a very public falling out with NWA owner and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. Unless the two are able to work something out, it makes NWA an unlikely destination for Aldis. The former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion could opt to return to the independent scene, or may be looking for a spot in another significant promotion such as WWE, AEW, or NJPW.

Zicky Dice has been with the company since 2021, and has faced off in singles matches against Bully Ray, Jordynne Grace, and Ace Austin. Before joining Impact, Dice wrestled for MLW, NWA, and various independent promotions.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Eric Young On Impact Wrestling Return

At his past Saturday at Impact Wrestling Slammiversary, Eric Young made his Impact Wrestling return as Scott D’Amore’s partner for a tag team match against Bully Ray and Deaner. The babyfaces went over. 

This comes after he left the company in November 2022 when he was “killed off” when Deaner stabbed him on-screen on the December 1, 2022 episode of the weekly Impact TV show. 

Young reportedly signed with WWE, but never made his return. He asked for the release in April. 

As seen below, Young took to Twitter to comment on his return by writing the following: 

https://twitter.com/TheEricYoung/status/1680948713513005065

Source: eWn