AEW producer BJ Whitmer was arrested on June 4 in Boone County, Kentucky for first-degree strangulation and second-degree burglary and bond was set for him at $25,000. Due to the arrest and the charges, he has been terminated from his job at All Elite Wrestling.
AEW’s full statement is below:
“B.J. Whitmer has been terminated following his arrest on domestic violence charges. While talent and staff are ultimately responsible for their own personal actions, this behavior is intolerable within AEW. AEW has reached out to offer support to those impacted by his behavior.”
B.J. Whitmer has been terminated following his arrest on domestic violence charges. While talent and staff are ultimately responsible for their own personal actions, this behavior is intolerable within AEW. AEW has reached out to offer support to those impacted by his behavior.
In addition to the major news behind the scenes involving Endeavor, the promotion has been undergoing some cosmetic changes as well. Specifically, the company’s world championships have gotten a bit of a facelift lately — after ceremonies were held for Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Asuka, who all received new title belts, it was finally Rhea Ripley’s turn on Monday night.
This week’s edition of “WWE Raw” started with WWE official Adam Pearce in the ring to introduce the reigning “SmackDown” Women’s Champion. When “The Eradicator” hit the ring, she was presented with the all-new Women’s World Championship. Bearing a similar design to Rollins’ newly introduced World Heavyweight Championship, except with a white strap, the title was secured around Ripley’s waist by fellow Judgment Day member Dominik Mysterio (who was welcomed by the live audience with a sea of boos).
Unfortunately, “Mami” didn’t get to bask in the glory of her new championship for very long, as Cody Rhodes emerged to issue a challenge to her “Dom Dom.”
WWE Monday Night Raw live this evening at 8/7c on USA Network from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser
Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz
Men’s Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest
SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley could possibly be getting a new Title belt just as Asuka received a new WWE Women’s Championship this past Friday on SmackDown
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is focusing on the long-term amid reports that the XFL lost $60 million in its first season.
The former WWE Champion purchased the league in 2020 from Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and hosted its first season from February to May this year.
It was reported by Forbes this month that the league lost $60 million in its first season which resulted in some layoffs being made.
Taking to Twitter, Johnson made it clear that he is optimistic about the league’s future.
Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and others are interested in bidding on WWE’s next TV rights deals now that the exclusive WWE TV rights negotiating windows with FOX and NBCUniversal have closed for Raw and SmackDown.
FOX and NBCU remain in talks with WWE. The report noted that Disney has shown interest in WWE programming for FX, not ESPN.
After the report came out, WrestleVotes noted that WWE has big interest in a partnership with Disney:
“Regarding the TV rights negotiations, there is big time interest from WWE in a Disney partnership. Not to say the other parties involved aren’t enticing, but Disney is viewed as a win win if that’s ultimately the decision.”
Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey are hungry for gold, and now they’ve got their sights set on Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. Friday night on “WWE SmackDown,” WWE announced a match to unify the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship and the “NXT” Women’s Tag Team Championship after Baszler and Rousey confronted reigning “NXT” champs Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
As Fyre and Dawn were being introduced to the crowd, they were immediately interrupted by the newest WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Baszler questioned their knowledge of “WWE NXT” Women’s Tag Team Championship history and claimed the titles only exist because of her, after which Rousey claimed the division wasn’t big enough for them and demanded a shot at the “NXT” tag team gold, as well. Fyre and Dawn were quick to accept the challenge before throwing the first shots and coming out on top in the ensuing brawl
The match, which was later announced for the June 23 episode of “SmackDown,” seems likely to answer questions many fans have had since the WWE Draft about the status of the “NXT” women’s tag belts with Fyre and Dawn called up to the main roster. After two years of existence and 12 total reigns, it’s possible that Fyre and Dawn will go down as the final “NXT” Women’s Tag Team Champions.
On Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown,” general manager Adam Pearce presented Asuka with a brand new WWE Women’s Championship belt, replacing the “Raw” Women’s Championship she won from Bianca Belair at Night of Champions
Before Pearce could even buckle the belt around Asuka’s waist, she was confronted by a returning Charlotte Flair, who informed Pearce that she had no intention of waiting in line for a title shot and challenged Asuka to a championship match, which was immediately accepted. The appearance marked Flair’s return to WWE programming after a two-month hiatus; she was last seen losing the “SmackDown” Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39.
Asuka’s acceptance of Flair’s challenge potentially sets up the fourth televised championship singles match between the two women, with Flair currently holding a 2-1 advantage (there have been 11 total singles match between them, six won by Flair, five by Asuka). It also puts Pearce in a bind, as earlier in the broadcast, he had promised Belair a rematch for the title. While Pearce mentioned in a backstage segment that Asuka vs. Charlotte could occur the night on the June 30 “SmackDown,” the night before Money in the Bank, it’s also possible WWE is ultimately setting up a triple threat involving Belair.
According to a report from Deadline, the network has dropped the series after the ratings took a dive for its third season. Since the first season of the show, the ratings have been steadily dropping.
The Young Rock series looked at the life of former WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Steve Austin, The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage were all portrayed in the show. Becky Lynch also played the role of Cyndi Lauper during the third and final season.
Dwayne Johnson starred in and was the executive producer for the show.
IMPACT World Championship: Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin (c)
Ohio Street Fight: oVe (Sami Callihan, Jake Crist, and Madman Fulton) defeated The Design (Deaner, Kon, and Angels)
Trinity and Deonna Purrazzo defeated Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans
8:4:1 Match: Winner Gets Shot at IMPACT World Championship: Bully Ray, Jonathan Gresham, Heath, and Nick Aldis vs. Mike Bailey, Moose, PCO, and Rich Swann – Bully Ray, Jonathan Gresham, Heath, and Nick Aldis advance to the four-way match with Nick Aldis winning the match and earn an IMPACT World Championship shot at Slammiversary.
X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin defeated Trey Miguel
Dog Collar Match: Masha Slamovich defeated Killer Kelly
IMPACT World Tag Team Championship Match: ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) (c) defeated The Good Hands (Jason Hotch and John Skyler)
Frankie Kazarian defeated Eddie Edwards
IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Joe Hendry (c) defeated Dirty Dango (pre-show)
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