Impact Wrestling “Emergence” 8/12/2022

IMPACT Wrestling presents Emergence LIVE August 12th on IMPACT Plus and YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders and Fite from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL 8pm ET.

Countdown to Emergence streaming LIVE & FREE at 7:30pm ET on IMPACT Plus and YouTube!

  • Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary vs. VXT (Countdown to Emergence)
  • IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers (c) vs. Bhupinder Gujjar (Countdown to Emergence)
  • Violent by Design vs. Chris Sabin and Kushida
  • AAAAttraction Match: Bandido vs. Rey Horus
  • Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan
  • Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, PCO and Vincent ) w/ Maria Kanellis vs. Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
  • IMPACT X-Division Championship Match: Trey Miguel (c) vs. Jack Evans
  • IMPACT Knockouts World Championship Match: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Mia Yim
  • IMPACT World Championship Match: Josh Alexander (c) vs. Alex Shelley

WWE Reportedly Bringing Back Hit Row’s Top Dolla And Ashonte “Thee” Adonis

Triple H, the new Head of Creative for WWE, may not be done bringing back released NXT stars.

WWE fans might be seeing the returns of two former NXT superstars. Earlier today, Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that AJ Francis, better known simply as Top Dolla, was slated to be at the August 12 tapings of Smackdown Live in Raleigh, North Carolina. In an update to that report, Johnson added that Top Dolla’s tag team partner, Ashonte “Thee” Adonis, is scheduled to attend the tapings as well.

Several other released talent have been brought back into the WWE since Triple H took charge, including Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis, Karrion Kross, and Scarlet. Before their release in November of last year, Adonis and Francis were a part of the Hit Row stable alongside B-Fab and Swerve. There’s been no word on whether B-Fab will be returning to WWE as well. Swerve, now one half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions alongside Keith Lee, will obviously not be joining his former teammates.

The Smackdown tag team division has been struggling as of late, so an additional team could be a great benefit to the show. 

Source: TheSportster

IMPACT Preview 8/11/22

It’s the last stop on the road to Emergence. Don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

* Just 24 hours before they collide for the IMPACT World Title at Emergence, reigning champion Josh Alexander and #1 Contender Alex Shelley will sign the contract for their blockbuster match.

* Killer Kelly in-ring debut

* Deaner vs. KUSHIDA

* Madison Rayne vs. Mia Yim

* X-Division Championship:  “Speedball” Mike Bailey (c) vs. Rocky Romero

* Karl Anderson vs. Kenny King

The action begins Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:30pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook. After Crazzy Steve confronted Steve Maclin about his alleged alliance with Moose, Maclin vows to make him pay for his actions in an exclusive match.

AEW Trios Championship Tournament Bracket Revealed

A few weeks ago, AEW introduced their World Trios Championships. In a week’s time, the tournament to crown the promotion’s inaugural champions. The finals for the tournament will be held at All Out on September 4 in Chicago.

Trios titles in AEW have been a hot topic for the last few years. Now that the titles have officially been introduced, AEW will have the chance to live up to their own hype. It might be a bit of an uphill battle in the face of criticism that the company has introduced too many championships too quickly, but if anyone can generate interest in tag team wrestling, it’s AEW.

Running down the right side of the bracket, there’s House of Black set to face off against Dark Order and Trustbusters against the Best Friends. It’s unclear at this point who will be representing the Dark Order between John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno and Preston Vance. Looking at this half of the bracket altogether, it’s hard not to pick the House of Black as the favorites.

The left side of the bracket is admittedly much more interesting. Death Triangle is set to face off against NJPW’s Will Ospreay and Aussie Open. Next, La Faccion Ingobernables (Dragon Lee, Rush, and Andrade) are set to take on the Young Bucks and their partner, who is yet to be determined. Most fans had assumed that the Young Bucks would be partnering with Hangman Adam Page, but after Page’s heartbreaking rejection of Matt Jackson’s offer, their future is up in the air.

Kenny Omega may be returning, though the likelihood is slim at this point. If no one else, the Bucks could team with their friend Brandon Cutler. He’s no Hangman, but he’s better than nothing.

Source: TheSportster

WWE Officials Are Reportedly Confident That Bray Wyatt Will Return

It’s been more than a year since WWE released Bray Wyatt from his contact, but is a return on the horizon?

Bray Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) is reportedly among the former WWE superstars who could soon return to the company.

On July 31 of last year, WWE stunningly announced that they had released the former WWE and Universal Champion from his contract. Here we are just over a year later, and the 35-year-old Wyatt hasn’t stepped into a wrestling ring since his WWE release. But that could all change in the not-so-distant future.

More details will be released sometime today. But Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com tweeted on Wednesday evening that “some WWE higher ups believe they are more likely to regain Bray Wyatt now than before.”

Vince McMahon was in charge of the company when WWE released Wyatt from his contract. But the longtime WWE chairman announced his retirement after four decades at the helm three weeks ago, and Triple H (Paul Levesque) was subsequently named the new Head of Talent Relations and the new leader of the creative team.

Triple H brought back Dakota Kai (released in April) on a new contract, and she made her return at SummerSlam two weeks ago. Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux, who were both released in November, also signed new deals and returned to WWE on last week’s episode of SmackDown.

Wyatt was one of WWE’s most creative, accomplished and beloved superstars during his run on the main roster. That’s what made his release especially surprising, but it may just be a matter of time until he returns to the company under Triple H’s guidance.

Wyatt’s last WWE match took place against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37. In a surprise, Orton quickly defeated his former Wyatt Family leader after Wyatt was betrayed by Alexa Bliss. On the post-WrestleMania edition of Raw, Wyatt stated that he was seeking a fresh start in a “Firefly Fun House” segment. That “fresh start” was never revealed, as WWE kept Wyatt off of company programming for nearly four months before announcing his release.

Source: TheSportster

CM Punk Makes Shocking Return From Injury To End Wednesday’s Dynamite

CM Punk made a surprise return to AEW TV on Wednesday night, showing up to shut Dynamite down following a bloody AEW World Championship match between interim champ Jon Moxley and challenger Chris Jericho.

Moxley retained the championship, surviving quite the beating from Jericho and even kicking out after receiving a Judas Effect. The champion had been bloodied early in the match, with Jericho ripping an earring from his ear.

He was also put through the Lion Tamer – more than once at that – but Jericho would be the one to tap out even after sending Moxley face first into an exposed turnbuckle and slugging him with a baseball bat thrown into the ring by Sammy Guevara (he overthrew it actually).

Moxley was then attacked by the Jericho Appreciation Society before the Blackpool Combat Club came to his aid. Jericho’s entourage got the upper hand and the inaugural AEW World Champion was about to smash Mox in the face with his own belt, but CM Punk’s music hit, prompting a pause.

Punk cleared the JAS out of the ring and then faced down Moxley, who showed little appreciation for the save, flipping the champ the bird and cursing him out before making his exit.

It appears Punk is ready and raring to go following surgery on his foot – he made sure to hop around on it, showing he could put weight on the surgically repaired appendage before the show went off the air.

Source: TheSportster

https://twitter.com/AEWonTV/status/1557546031532847104
https://twitter.com/AEWonTV/status/1557547022344810496
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1557551031374041089

AEW Dynamite “Quake By The Lake” Preview 8/10/22

AEW Dynamite’s Quake By The Lake special will air live tonight on TBS, and emanate from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Here is the current lineup for the show:

* Jon Moxley (c) vs. Chris Jericho for the AEW Interim World Championship

* Darby Allin vs. Brody King in a Coffin Match

* Lucha Brothers (Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix) vs. Andrade El Idolo and Rush in a Tornado Tag Team Match

* Jade Cargill (c) vs. Madison Rayne for the TBS Championship

* Ricky Starks vs. Aaron Solo 

* FTR to appear for the first time since the July 21 episode of Dynamite

WWE Uncovers Another $5 Million In Payments From Vince McMahon

The story around Vince McMahon’s hush money scandal continues to get stranger. Allegations that McMahon had made such payments began when the Wall Street Journal posted their exposee on July 8th.

The allegations and consequent investigation by the SEC and federal prosecutors effectively forced Vince McMahon to retire from his role as WWE’s CEO. Now McMahon is back in the news as more hush money payments are coming to light.

Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics posted a shocking update to his Twitter page yesterday.

New filing from WWE saying they’ve found 2 additional payments together worth $5 million Vince McMahon made that should have been recorded as company expenses, bringing the total unrecorded expenses to $19.6 million.

– Brandon Thurston via Twitter

The story was later corroberated by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Network. Meltzer also added that the $5 million came in two payments to two different people made in 2007 and 2009. In another tweet, Thurston revealed that WWE’s discovery delayed the posting of their quarterly earnings.

WWE expects to be able to report Q2 earnings “within the five day extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934”. WWE wrote in a previous filing that they were targeting today for an earnings release.

-Brandon Thurston via Twitter

This ongoing scandal has all but tanked Vince McMahon’s reputation. Professional wrestling already wasn’t the most respected form of entertainment, and McMahon’s hush money payments and allegations of sexual misconduct making their way into mainstream news outlets assuredly made the public opinion of the sport even less favorable.

Source: TheSportster

Details Released For The Rock And DSOTR’s New Vice TV Series – “Tales From The Territories”

The history of professional wrestling is about to have some light shined upon it.

According to Variety, Seven Bucks Productions, a company founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and producer Dany Garcia, will team up with the producers of “Dark Side Of The Ring” for a new documentary series on VICE called “Tales From The Territories,” putting a spotlight on the regional promotions that originally popularized pro wrestling in the United States. The series is scheduled to premiere on October 4, 2022, at 10 pm EST. The trailer can be seen below and features interview clips from Abdullah The Butcher and Bret Hart.

“In many ways, the wrestling world is a family, they have great moments, tough times, and everything in-between,” said Brian Gewirtz, vice president of creative development for Seven Bucks Productions and a former head writer for WWE. “There’s a rich history of untold stories which we can’t wait to bring to life.”

“Wrestling is embedded into Dwayne’s DNA and part of the brand ethos of our Seven Bucks Productions, so we are honored to showcase these sensational stories and to create a time-capsule of this legendary industry,” said Garcia. “Being able to honor and highlight the larger-than-life personas that jump-started the wrestling industry, through their first-hand accounts, is immensely special, and the type of storytelling we love to do here at Seven Bucks.”

Joining Seven Bucks as executive producers will be Jason Eisener and Evan Husney, the original creators of “Dark Side of The Ring,” which aired for three seasons on VICE.

“We’re incredibly excited to expand the ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ series with this first-ever exploration of the hidden past of wrestling’s Wild West era, with a dream collaborator in Dwayne Johnson, who has such deep family roots in the history of the business,” said Husney and Eisener. “We can’t wait to showcase the fascinating stories of the pioneers who set the stage for wrestling’s worldwide pop culture dominance.”

There’s been a lot of speculation recently regarding the future of “Dark Side Of The Ring,” as it had been reported that the series would be halted in place of something with a “softer tone,” and with access to WWE footage. The trailer, it should be noted, shows only photos and the signature reenactments that “Dark Side” has become well known for.  The show’s third season created significant controversy and shake-up behind the scenes of the wrestling industry when the “Plane Ride From Hell” episode caused problems for Ric Flair and Tommy Dreamer.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 8/9/22

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network: