NJPW Resurgence 5/21/2023 (Card)

NJPW Resurgence – May 21 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California. It will air on NJPW World and FITE TV as a pay-per-view event.

CARD

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

Nick Khan Says ‘SmackDown Could Move Nights If It Leaves FOX’

WWE will soon begin talks about a new television deal for SmackDown.

WWE President Nick Khan is well aware of the fact that WWE could be leaving FOX if the negotiations regarding a new media rights deal can’t be agreed upon.

Speaking at MoffettNathanson’s Inaugural Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference on Tuesday, Khan revealed that SmackDown could wind up switching nights if it moves to another network.

Indie Wire executive editor Tony Maglio took to Twitter to reveal the news, writing:

“WWE’s Nick Khan just said #SmackDown could switch nights (again) if it goes somewhere else for its next deal. Was speaking pretty highly of Amazon…

Either way, Khan, being interviewed at the SVB MoffettNathanson Conference, foresees a U.S. rights increase of 1.5x or so. So, we’re talking about an opening figure of $1.5 billion for 5 years of #SmackDown, should length of term remain same.

Khan also laid out a case for Netflix to want WWE (It has a lot to do with India) and complimented their entry into live. (The Chris Rock special, not the #LoveIsBlind reunion disaster)”

https://twitter.com/TonyMaglio/status/1659249805262979098
https://twitter.com/TonyMaglio/status/1659258848203481102

Source: eWn

Impact Wrestling Preview 5/18/2023

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV is all-new.

Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

* Trinity vs. KiLynn King
* Moose, Eddie Edwards & Frankie Kazarian vs. Alex Shelley, Jonathan Gresham & Yuya Uemura
* Trey Miguel vs. Laredo Kid
* Jason Hotch vs. Ace Austin
* Before the Impact: The Design (Deaner & Kon) vs. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice

ROH TV Preview 5/18/2023

ROH will air a new episode of its weekly television show tonight at 7 pm ET on HonorClub. 

You can sign up for the streaming service here. Below is the lineup for the show: 

  • Fight Without Honor: The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. Darius Martin & Action Andretti
  • NJPW World TV Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. AR Fox
  • The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) & Shane Taylor vs. Schaff, Ricky Gibson, & Eddie Pearl
  • Rey Fenix vs. Grinog Loco
  • Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal vs. Zack Clayton & Cole Karter
  • Angelico & Serpentico vs. Cheeseburger & Eli Isom
  • Mercedes Martinez vs. Ashley D’Amboise
  •  Iron Savages (Bronson & Boulder) vs. Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth
  • Willow Nightingale vs. Madi Wrenkowski
  • Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) (w/ Prince Nana) vs. Dalton Castle & The Boy

Backstage News On How AEW Will Run TV Tapings Following Collision Debut

All Elite Wrestling announced that the new weekly Collision show will debut on June 17 and air on TNT.

Pwinsider has provided an update on how AEW will run its TV tapings moving forward.

AEW will continue running Dynamite live on Wednesdays and then tape Rampage for Friday nights on TNT. The current plan is to hold Collision live on Saturday nights, followed by TV tapings for Ring of Honor, which will then stream on HonorClub on Thursdays.

With the recent elimination of Dark and Dark: Elevation, many within AEW have found the shows and TV tapings easier to work with.

The absence of additional Dark tapings has also made the live audience hotter and producing the shows less of a weekly chore, allowing more focus for Dynamite and Rampage.

Talents and officials had tremendous fun working the recent House Rules live events in Kentucky and Virginia. The fun can be attributed to the fact that House Rules have a different vibe than televised shows and a “lack of the same type of pressure” that talents normally have for TV tapings.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Superstar Billy Graham Passes Away At The Age Of 79

WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham has passed away at the age of 79 following a series of serious health issues as of late and fighting for his life in the hospital.

The tragic news was originally announced by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and confirmed by TMZ.

Graham had recently been placed on life support after a year that saw the wrestling legend contract COVID-19, a life-threatening ear infection that spread to his skull, inflammation in his lungs, and even renal failure. Graham’s doctors nearly took him off life support two days ago but his wife had refused. 

Graham, real name Wayne Coleman, was a colorful, outsized personality at a time when professional wrestling was still presented as a dry sport. With his bulging muscles, bleached-blonde hair, and tie-dye attire, Graham was seen by many as the first “sports entertainer,” as his garish persona was aped by wrestling legends like Jesse “The Body” Ventura and even Hulk Hogan. Graham was also known for being one of the first wrestlers to heavily use steroids, a practice that Graham later regretted as years of steroid abuse took a toll on his health and the health of other wrestlers. Graham has advocated for its responsible use by past WWE Champions. Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.

Big Issues Holding Up CM Punk’s AEW Return? Warner Bros. Discovery Hopeful AEW & Punk Can Work Things Out

CM Punk is at odds with AEW, leading to the two sides having another fallout. 

On Wednesday, the official announcement was made that AEW Collision will be coming to the TNT Network on Saturday nights beginning on June 17th. In the official press release, CM Punk was not mentioned. But in the original email sent out by Warner Media, Punk’s name was mentioned but it was later redacted.

Some of you may recall that Ace Steel, who is very good friends with CM Punk, was involved in the All Out 2022 brawl. He was later fired from the company.

According to a report from Fightful Select, Chris Jericho brought up Ace Steel’s name during his recent meeting with CM Punk, with the belief being that everyone working together could relieve some of the tensions between the two sides involved in the fight. While it was talked about, nothing was set in stone.

There was another meeting held between AEW and CM Punk this week, where Punk was directly told that Steel would be able to return and work directly with him. With that being said, it was made very clear that Steel would not be allowed to attend any of the TV tapings.

This reportedly didn’t go over well with Punk, and he disagreed with the decision. It should be noted that there’s no word on how specifically Punk reacted other than the notion that he wasn’t flattered with the idea that his friend wouldn’t be able to attend the TV tapings with him.

As of this writing, there is no word on whether this is the reason CM Punk wasn’t included in the AEW Collision announcement. Additionally, it’s unknown why Warner Bros. Discovery issued a statement noting that Punk is not “affiliated with TNT’s AEW Collision.” CM Punk reportedly didn’t want his return to AEW to be announced ahead of time.

Additionally, it was said that there were plans for an AEW crew to film content at Punk’s home on Wednesday. As of this writing, there is no word on whether that took place or not.

And finally, sources in Impact Wrestling stated that they had some interest in bringing Steel in for a tryout, but they passed on that several weeks ago as they were under the impression that he was headed to AEW or WWE.

The bottom line here is that there are still some issues that need to be resolved and it’s far from confirmed that CM Punk will be featured on the debut episode of AEW Collision.

Punk was slated to make his return to AEW on the June 17 premiere episode of AEW Collision after not being seen since All Out. Punk was originally listed in the press release and promotional materials for the announcement of AEW Collision before he was removed. 

Dave Meltzer confirmed on the most recent Wrestling Observer Radio that Warner Bros Discover was hopeful that the two sides would be able to reconcile and there would be an attempt to work it out. It’s said that it’s not a dead deal yet.

Source: eWrestlingNews

AEW All Access Moving From TBS To Max Streaming Service On June 9th

It was confirmed today at Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront that All Elite Wrestling will be launching “AEW Collision” on June 17. The new two-hour show is set to air every Saturday night at 8 pm EST. Furthermore, it has now been revealed that “AEW All Access” will be switching to streaming platform Max from June 9 — HBO Max is set to be rebranded as Max later this month. The reality series premiered on March 29 and airs on TBS. The show takes a look at what goes on behind at the curtain at AEW. 

The revamped Max streaming service will see a wide range of programs be featured, including HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, and the DC Universe. Max will launch on May 23 and will be continuously updated with fresh content. Along with “All Access,” HGTV’s “Battle on the Beach” and TLC’s “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days” will also be switching to the streaming platform. It’s said that many current HBO subscribers will have their apps automatically updated, while others will be instructed to install the new app.  

Six episodes of “All Access” have aired since the show was launched in March. When the program was first announced, it was revealed that it would “showcase AEW’s stars as they navigate the week-to-week challenges to remain at the top and will track the rivalries between talent as they vie for fans’ attention.” The inaugural series has highlighted various aspects behind the scenes, including the personal lives of real-life couple Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and Adam Cole.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Reportedly “Still Struggling With His Health”

Jerry “The King” Lawler is hanging in there.

On the latest episode of Jim Ross’ “Grilling J.R.” podcast, the fellow WWE Hall of Fame legend and former longtime on-air broadcast partner of the aforementioned Memphis Wrestling legend gave an update on the health issues that “The King” has been dealing with as of late.

As noted, Lawler suffered what was reported to be a stroke, and was hospitalized in February of 2023 as a result. He would go on to make a pre-recorded appearance at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony during WrestleMania 39 Weekend a couple of months later, but has been relatively quiet since then.

“Good Ole’ J.R.” noted on his “Grilling J.R. The Dark Side of Mid-South” podcast this week that he spoke with his longtime friend and shared the update on Jerry Lawler’s health.

“I talked to Lawler just the other day,” Ross said during the show. “He’s still struggling with his health. He’s got good doctors, and they think they have identified many of the issues, but he’s not out of the woods yet in terms of achieving a good level of health.”

Ross continued, “As always when we talk, his voice starts off a little bit weak and then it gets stronger as he talks and we laugh and we tell stories with each other.”

Check out the complete episode of the “Grilling J.R. The Dark Side of Mid-South” podcast by visiting Spotify.com.

Source: Rajah.com

AEW Dynamite Preview 5/17/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the Moody Center ATX in Austin, Texas.

  • Falls Count Anywhere: Chris Jericho vs. Roderick Strong
  • Jay White vs. Ricky Starks
  • The Outcasts (Saraya, Toni Storm, & Ruby Soho) vs. Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Jamie Hayter, & Hikaru Shida
  • RUSH vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
  • Don Callis speaks
  • Sammy Guevara in action
  • There will be the highly-anticipated follow-up to the promised “important announcement” by AEW and ROH President Tony Khan. AEW Saturday Collision was announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery Up-fronts in New York City, New York on Wednesday morning.