WWE Sale Process Said To Be ‘Hot And Heavy’ With Interest

David Faber on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, commented on what he has heard regarding a potential WWE sale.

What I’m hearing, at least from people familiar with the situation is, it’s shaping up to be a pretty good sale process. Some people saying, ‘pretty hot and heavy.’ Those who were even somewhat doubtful, in fact, that you’d get to a sale in the end, seem less so. Does that mean something gets done here? Unclear. Who is participating? We can all take our various guesses. As reported previously, is there interest from Endeavor, for example, in pursuing what would be a complex transaction in terms of reverse Morris trust where they would spin off UFC into [a new company] and control that company, which would be merged with WWE. Sure, they would like to explore that concept. Is there private equity interest in the part of some? Perhaps in partnership with well-known names in the sport. That’s a possibility. Does Liberty (media) have an interest in taking a look? Sure. The Saudis moved heavily into golf, took a look at Formula 1. Would the [Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund] have interest? Yes, that’s a possibility. There may be others. Something has led, at least to a number of people close to this, to indicate to me that it is not just live, but it’s going quite well. It is expected to conclude in the not too distant future. A key here though, remains McMahon’s real willingness to sell…Comcast, my understanding, not part of this sale process.”

Source: WrestleView

AEW Dynamite Preview 3/29/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS, from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO.

  • IWGP United States Title: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jeff Cobb
  • AEW International Title: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. The Butcher
  • Adam Cole vs. Daniel Garcia
  • Ruby Soho vs. Willow Nightingale
  • Blackpool Combat Club vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys
  • Matt Hardy vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry

Young Bucks’ Matt Jackson Likely To Remain On AEW TV Through Injury

Matt Jackson will reportedly be remaining on AEW television in some capacity moving forward, according to Fightful Select, despite the recent news that he suffered a partially torn bicep. The Elite member will obviously not be able to compete in matches for the foreseeable future due to his injury, but there are still plenty of ways the company could use him. Jackson is currently involved in a major storyline poised to reunite “Hangman” Adam Page with himself, his brother, and Kenny Omega, and he could end up appearing to continue that angle during his time on the shelf.

The injury took place during the AEW World Trios Championship match between the Young Bucks, the Jericho Appreciation Society, and the House of Black on March 15, which he worked through despite being hurt. Last week AEW ran an injury angle for The Young Bucks which saw them leave the arena in ambulances due to a backstage ambush, believed to be by the Blackpool Combat Club. Therefore, the company has a storyline reason to keep Jackson out of the ring that would allow him to turn up on television with his arm in a sling or brace. 

It is also believed that Jackson is hoping to avoid surgery, which would mean a faster recovery time to get back into the ring, and is another reason why AEW might be keen to keep him on television. However, it remains to be seen how things will be handled regarding the overarching storyline between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club, and when a match between the factions will be possible.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Referee Tim White Announced As Final Inductee For WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2023

The late Tim White is heading into the WWE Hall of Fame. 

Just days before WrestleMania 39, White was announced as the final member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2023 as the recipient of the Warrior Award on “The Bump.” He joins the esteemed company of Rey Mysterio, The Great Muta, the late comedy legend Andy Kaufman, and Stacy Keibler for this year’s induction ceremony and becomes the first wrestling referee to receive the honor. The festivities, hosted this year by Kayla Braxton, will take place Friday evening, streaming on Peacock immediately following the conclusion of “WWE SmackDown.”

White spent almost 25 years working with WWE. He joined the company in 1985 as Andre the Giant’s agent, but he worked as a part-time referee during that time as well. When Andre died in 1993, White took up refereeing duties full-time and became one of the most recognizable performers to don the black-and-white stripes during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras.

The Hall of Fame inductee took charge of some of the most popular matches in WWE history, including the infamous Hell in a Cell match between Mick Foley and The Undertaker at King of the Ring 1998. He retired in 2004 after re-aggravating a shoulder injury at WrestleMania XX. After his refereeing career came to an end, White worked behind the scenes as a road agent until 2009.

Tim White passed away in 2022 aged 68. Prior to his death, he owned a bar called The Friendly Tap in Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling’s Josh Alexander Issues Statement Following Torn Tricep Injury

Fans of Impact Wrestling were shocked on Friday to learn that Impact World Champion Josh Alexander would be relinquishing the title due to a torn triceps, after nearly a full year as champion. Following the announcement and Impact’s Sacrifice event, Alexander has taken to Twitter to issue a message to fans regarding his injury.

“Thank you to all who reached out. For anyone who’s ever taken the time to support & bought a ticket to see me do what I love,” the tweet read, “I appreciate all the support more than I can even put into words. It’s time for me to give back. Next time you see me I’ll be better than ever.”

Alexander’s tweet was accompanied by an image with a longer message, detailing that this is only the second time in his career he has stepped away for an injury. His message declared that he’d be better than ever when he returns and capped off with him noting that he’d be stepping away from social media for the time being. “I’m stepping away from social media to spend some much needed time with my family and to concentrate 100% of my energy on myself.”

The news about Alexander’s injury came hot off the heels of the announcement that Mickie James, the Knockout’s World Champion, would also be shelved due to an injury. Both injuries had effects on the card for Sacrifice, with James’ match against Jordynne Grace getting scrapped and Alexander getting replaced by Steve Maclin in a six-man tag match.

The new Impact World Champion will be determined at Rebellion. Alexander was set to defend against KUSHIDA at Impact’s upcoming NJPW cross-promoted event, Multiverse United. With Alexander out, KUSHIDA will instead face Maclin at Rebellion to determine the new champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 3/27/2023

WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network and will emanate from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

This episode of Raw is the go-home for this weekend’s WrestleMania.

  • Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa
  • WrestleMania weigh-in with Brock Lesnar and Omos
  • Miz TV with Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus
  • The Street Profits, Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Chad Gable, Otis & The Viking Raiders

Mickie James Injured, Pulled From Impact’s Sacrifice Pay-Per-View Event, Sacrifice Card 3/24/2023

Mickie James has suffered an injury.

On Thursday night, Impact Wrestling took to Twitter to announce that Mickie James is dealing with an injury and will no longer be able to defend her Knockouts Championship against Jordynne Grace at tonight’s Sacrifice pay-per-view event.

You can check out the official announcement below:

“Due to an injury, @MickieJames will be unable to compete at Sacrifice. We will give an update and address the Knockouts World Title situation tomorrow night at Sacrifice.”

Friday night’s Impact Wrestling Sacrifice pay-per-view event in Canada that will air at 8:00 PM EST on Impact Plus and FITE.tv.

Sacrifice Card

*Future of the Knockouts Championship will be addressed
*Busted Open Match: Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer
*Josh Alexander, Rich Swann & Frankie Kazarian vs. Time Machine (Motor City Machine Guns & KUSHIDA)
*Digital Media Championship: Joe Hendry © vs. Brian Myers
*X Division Championship: Trey Miguel © vs. Lince Dorado
*Tag-Team Titles: Ace Austin & Chris Bey © vs. Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste
*PCO vs. Kenny King
*Speedball Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham
*Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw

Backstage Update On AEW’s Plans For New Weekly Show

In recent weeks, it’s been reported that AEW is close to finalizing a new weekly television show that will air on Saturday nights. 

It’s been strongly hinted by F4W’s Andrew Zarian that the show could air in the 6:05 pm EST timeslot, a welcomed timeslot for old-school WCW/NWA fans. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Saturday show should be up and running by July:

“The schedule in June hasn’t been announced yet other than the Canadian shows so we don’t know if this (7/14 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is the first Saturday taping or the Saturday show will begin before this date. But the Saturday show is right now planned and unless something major changes it will be debuting at least by July if not earlier,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWrestlingNews

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/24/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

-Cody Rhodes vs. Ludwig Kaiser

-LA Knight vs Rey Mysterio

-The build to WrestleMania 39 continues

WWE Reportedly Unhappy With Recent NXT Crowds

WWE is encouraging “WWE NXT” talent to ask their friends and family to come to tapings in hopes of building up more enthusiasm among the live audience, according to a new report. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s reported that WWE sent a memo to the talent on its developmental “NXT” roster ahead of last Tuesday’s taping requesting that they “strongly encourage their friends and family in the central Florida area to attend “NXT” tomorrow evening at the Performance Center to help bring energy to the crowd in the final shows leading up to Stand and Deliver.”

The memo was reportedly sent out in response to lackluster crowds at “NXT” tapings in recent weeks, something that irked WWE officials. Tickets are free to “NXT” tapings, but fans need to request spots in the audience ahead of time online. “NXT” Stand and Deliver, the developmental promotion’s annual WrestleMania weekend premium live event, will take place next Saturday in Los Angeles. The event will be headlined by an “NXT” Championship match between current title holder Bron Breakker and challenger Carmelo Hayes, while several other key figures including Dragon Lee and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s daughter Ava, will be making their highly anticipated in-ring debuts for the promotion.

The card will also include the return of former “NXT” Champion Johnny Gargano, who is set to face off against Grayson Waller, as well as several other title matches to be announced on this Tuesday night’s go-home show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.