AEW Struggling To Sell Tickets For Collision

AEW Collision will premiere on June 17 on TNT as a two-hour program. AEW President Tony Khan will announce the location of the first episode this Wednesday on Dynamite. 

It was believed to be in Chicago at the United Center, but if they don’t work things out with CM Punk for him to return on the show, they will go to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. 

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW is off to a rough start with selling tickets to the Collision shows as none of them have sold out and is in a challenging situation with these being the first events of a show that is about to launch. 

Here is AEW’s updated touring schedule: 

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: May 24 – MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

AEW Double or Nothing: May 28 – T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: May 31 – Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

AEW House Rules: Friday, June 2 – Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi 

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: May 24 – MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

AEW Double or Nothing: May 28 – T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: May 31 – Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

AEW House Rules: Friday, June 2 – Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi 

AEW House Rules: Saturday, June 3 – Von Braun Center Propst Arena in Huntsville, Alabama 

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, June 7 – Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, CO

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, June 14 -Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

AEW Collision: Saturday, June 17 – TBD

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, June 21 – Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL

AEW Collision: Saturday, June 24 – Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

AEW Forbidden Door: Sunday, June 25 – Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, June 28 – FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario

AEW Collision: Thursday, June 29 – FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, July 5 – Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta

AEW Collision: Saturday, July 8 – Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

AEW Dynamite: Wednesday, July 12 – SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

AEW Collision: Saturday, July 15 – Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

AEW Dynamite/Rampage: Wednesday, July 19 – TD Garden in Boston, MA

AEW Collision: Saturday, July 22 – Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

AEW All In PPV: Sunday, August 27 – London, England at the Wembley Stadium

Source: eWn

Mercedes Mone Injured At NJPW Resurgence

Mercedes Mone appears to have suffered an injury.

At Sunday night’s NJPW Resurgence pay-per-view event, the former Sasha Banks faced off against AEW wrestler Willow Nightingale in the finals of the one-night NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship tournament.

The end of the match came when Nightingale hit her Doctor Comb finisher on Mercedes for a two-count. She then hit another one immediately after for the pinfall. Following the match, Mone was carried out of the arena.

As of this writing, there is no word on Mone’s current condition.

Pwinsider and Bryan Alvarez report that the word going around is that Mone suffered a broken ankle in a spot where she fell off the top rope, which you can see below:

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Mone was supposed to win the title, but the decision to put the title on Willow was made on the fly due to the injury.

https://twitter.com/Queenofallerass/status/1660490281370931202
https://twitter.com/THENEXTBlGTHlNG/status/1660488950727983104

Source: eWn

https://twitter.com/MercedesVarnado/status/1660509287335211009

NJPW Resurgence 5/21/2023 (Results)

  • The DKC def. Bateman
  • Alex Coughlin def. Christopher Daniels
  • Virus & Barbaro Cavernario def. Zack Sabre Jr. & Bad Dude Tito
  • Mercedes Moné def. Stephanie Vaquer – NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Tournament Semi-Final
  • Willow Nightingale def. Momo Kohgo – NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Tournament Semi-Final
  • Juice Robinson def. Fred Rosser – Street Fight
  • KENTA def. Hikuleo (c) – NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship
  • Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, & Shota Umino def. Rocky Romero, Kazuchika Okada, & Tomohiro Ishii
  • Will Ospreay def. Hiroshi Tanahashi – IWGP United States Heavyweight Title Number One Contender’s Tournament Semi-Final
  • Willow Nightingale def. Mercedes Moné – NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship

Important Update: Changes to Wrestling News Blog’s Twitter Presence

Dear wrestling enthusiasts, I wanted to take a moment to address an important change regarding Wrestling News Blog’s presence on Twitter. Unfortunately, due to recent modifications in Twitter’s sharing policies, we find ourselves with limited options moving forward. In light of these circumstances, we have made the difficult decision to no longer share content directly to the official Wrestling News Blog Twitter account.

However, I have some good news for you. To ensure that you continue to receive the latest updates, breaking news, and insightful analysis, I encourage you to follow me, John Bass, on my personal Twitter account, @bassjohn13. While this change is out of our control, it is the easiest solution for me to maintain direct communication with all of you, the dedicated fans of Wrestling News Blog.

By following me on Twitter, you will still have access to the same high-quality content you’ve come to expect from Wrestling News Blog. I will continue to provide you with timely news, engaging discussions, and my personal perspectives on the wrestling industry. Although it is disappointing to discontinue sharing content from the official account, I am committed to delivering the same level of dedication and passion to you through my personal platform.

Additionally, I want to emphasize that our website, Wrestling News Blog, remains your go-to source for comprehensive articles, in-depth coverage, and all things wrestling. We are steadfast in our commitment to delivering the latest news, exclusive interviews, and thought-provoking editorials on the website. Our dedication to providing you with top-notch wrestling content remains unwavering.

I understand that change can be challenging, and I want to express my gratitude for your continued support throughout this transition. The wrestling community is a tight-knit one, and it is my hope that by following me on my personal Twitter account, we can maintain the sense of connection and engagement that has made Wrestling News Blog special.

Please note that this decision was not made lightly. We genuinely value our followers and want to ensure that you have access to the content you enjoy. Moving forward, I will do my best to keep you informed, entertained, and engaged in the world of professional wrestling through my personal Twitter account.

Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support. Together, let’s navigate this change and continue to celebrate our shared love for the sport we all hold dear.

Sincerely, John Bass Wrestling News Blog Contributor

AEW Fight Forever Set For June 27 Release, Official Announcement Expected Next Week

After more than a few delays, the long wait for AEW’s first console video game — AEW Fight Forever — is nearing its end. According to Fightful Select, the game is set for a June 27 release date — two days after the cross-promotional Forbidden Door pay-per-view with NJPW; the official announcement is expected in the next week. 

This morning, GameRanx had flagged that French retailer Just For Games had switched the release day to June 27, and now it looks like that was not in error. It had become clear earlier in the week that the release was imminent when the Xbox store started listing the game’s achievement trophies and allowed players to start the pre-installation process. Now we know why.

AEW announced the formation of AEW Games and the console game project in November 2020. Additionally, the key details offered then were that longtime wrestling game developer Yuke’s would be involved, something along the lines of 2000’s WWF No Mercy game was the target, and No Mercy director Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita was on-board in some capacity.

A preview version of the game was available to play at industry trade shows like GamesCom last summer and retailers started taking pre-orders for the game, but no release date was ever claimed on the calendar. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Women’s Tag Titles Vacated Due To Liv Morgan Injury

After Liv Morgan suffered an injury last week, she and Raquel Rodriguez were unable to defend their WWE Tag Team Titles against Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville the following Monday on “Raw.” Unfortunately, the injury to Morgan is now said to be serious enough that the titles have been vacated. The announcement was made during Friday night’s “SmackDown.”

New champions will be crowned on “Raw” on May 29. Damage CTRL’s Bayley and IYO SKY; Green and Deville; Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler; and Rodriguez with whomever her partner ends up being will face off in a Fatal Four-Way Match to determine the new titleholders. But why will Bayley be teaming up with SKY instead of her partner last week, Dakota Kai? As it turns out, Kai was injured during the same match as Morgan, according to “The Role Model.” For what it’s worth, SKY didn’t look too thrilled to be thrown into the mix.

Nevertheless, Green and Deville will get their shot at the gold at the end of the month after having their initial opportunity postponed this past week. As for Rousey and Baszler, they made their return to WWE programming on Monday, brutally attacking Rodriguez after her victory over Green. Despite the return, though, it’s been reported that Rousey will be taking time off from WWE. That time off will likely come sooner than later, potentially putting their quest for the tag titles in doubt.

Regardless, in some way, shape, or form, new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned on May 29.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

UPDATE

Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Morgan has what is believed to be a shoulder injury that may need surgery.

The First AEW Collision Taping Location Will Depend On CM Punk’s Status

AEW Collision will be premiering on June 17 on the TNT Network.

While AEW President Tony Khan announced five upcoming TV taping locations for the new show on last week’s episode of Dynamite, he failed to mention the venue and location for the debut episode on June 17th. That announcement will be coming next week instead.

While the original plan was to hold the taping at the United Center in Chicago, IL, it’s all going to depend on whether the company can agree to terms with CM Punk on a return. If a deal can’t be reached, there is talk of having the first episode of the show airing elsewhere. The company would likely run a smaller venue and it may not be in the Chicago market. This is due to some concern that the fans would “hijack” the show as they’d expect CM Punk to show up whether he’s advertised or not.

For those wondering, Punk and AEW have both been in contact since he was pulled from the Collision announcement. Those talks are ongoing and the hope is that something will be worked out soon.

Source: eWn

Impact Wrestling Announces Partnership With Swerve Sports

Impact Wrestling has a new partnership with Swerve Sports. The following was issued:

Swerve Sports Partners with Anthem Sports and Entertainment to Add Impact Wrestling and Invicta FC to its Line-up

Impact Wrestling will air at 9:00pm ET on “Wrestling Wednesdays” and Invicta FC will air at 9:00pm ET
on “Friday Night Fights” on the Swerve Sports channel.

Swerve Sports, a category-leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, announced today that it has licensed Impact Wrestling and Invicta FC (MMA) from Anthem Sports and Entertainment. In addition to being available on the Swerve Sports channel, Swerve’s growing video-on-demand library will also feature popular Impact programming like Impact in 60 and TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches.

Swerve Sports continues to add fresh and exciting competitions from innovative leagues around the globe including the most recently completed season of Strongman’s Champions League, the world’s premier strength competition. In addition, Swerve continues to grow its foundation of premium sports documentaries with quality features like Autobiography: Mike Tyson.

“We welcome the Swerve audience to both Impact and Invicta,” said Ariel Shnerer, VP of Business Development for Anthem. “We look forward to working with Swerve to extend our reach and build audience together.”

“Impact delivers premium pro wrestling matches and one-of-a-kind drama, so we could not be any more excited to be partnering with a leader in the space” said Dan Keston, Swerve TV’s Head of Content, parent company of Swerve Sports. “And with featured matches and PPVs from the largest, all-women’s MMA organization in Invicta FC, Swerve is able to continue to expand its combat sport space footprint in the best possible way.”

About Swerve TV, LLC

Founded in 2021 by digital media veterans Steve Shannon and Dan Keston, Swerve Sports is the first FAST channel focused on telling the stories behind the world’s most inspirational athletes. Swerve is available on Fubo, LG Channels, The Roku Channel, SLING TV, VIZIO, Xumo Play and more and is accessible in over 80% of US households.

Anthem, Impact Wrestling, and Invicta are registered trademarks of Anthem Sports and Entertainment, Inc. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this press release are the property of their respective holders.

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/19/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa Face-to-Face with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
  • Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar of the LWO vs. The Usos
  • Pretty Deadly vs The Brawling Brutes
  • LA Knight and Rick Boogs vs The Street Profits
  • Grayson Waller Effect with guest AJ Styles

AEW Rampage 5/19/2023

AEW Rampage tonight with a special start time of 6:30 PM ET. on TNT.

  • Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Best Amigos (Bandido, Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta)
  • TBS Champion Jade Cargill title defense open challenge
  • The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) and Billy Gunn vs. Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese, Josh Woods & Ari Daivari)
  • Dustin Rhodes vs. Bishop Kaun
  • Jeff & Matt Hardy promo