“Ric Flair’s Last Match” 7/31/2022

The “Jim Crockett Promotions Presents: Ric Flair’s Last Match” event will take place this Sunday, July 31 at 6:05pm EDT from the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN, during Starrcast V weekend. The three-hour event will air live on FITE TV and various bundles are offered for the events of the weekend. Below is the updated card, along with the aforementioned clip, photos and posters:

Announce Team: Tony Schiavone and David Crockett, Ian Riccaboni representing ROH and NJPW, Tom Hannifan and Scott D’Amore representing Impact Wrestling, Joe Dombrowski and Dave Prazak representing MLW, Carlos Cabrera and Hugo Savinovich as the Spanish announce team.

CARD

Ric Flair’s Last Match
Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal (with Karen Jarrett)
Commentary: Tony Schiavone and David Crockett.

Impact World Title Match
Jacob Fatu vs. Josh Alexander (c)
Commentary: Tom Hannifan.

Impact Knockouts World Title Triple Threat
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rachael Ellering vs. Jordynne Grace (c)
Commentary: Tom Hannifan.

Impact Wrestling Match
The Wolves (Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley)
Commentary: Scott D’Amore.

MLW Match
Killer Kross vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski.

AAA Fatal 4 Way
Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Fenix
Commentary: Joe Dombrowski.

NJPW Match
Clark Connors vs. Ren Narita
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Impact – MLW Interpromotional Match
The Briscoes vs. The Von Erichs
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Legacy Match
Representing The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express – Ricky Morton and Kerry Morton (with Robert Gibson) vs. Representing The Four Horsemen – Brian Pillman, Jr. and Brock Anderson (with Arn Anderson)

Four Corners Independent Wrestling Dream Match
Jonathan Gresham vs. Alan “5” Angels vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Nick Wayne
Commentary: Ian Riccaboni.

Bunkhouse Battle Royal
Bully Ray (ECW), James Storm (Impact), Crimson (NWA), Rickey Shane Page (PROGRESS), Kommander (AAA), Sinn Bodhi (FSW), Big Damo (PROGRESS), Crowbar (Black Label Pro), Brian Myers (Impact), Adam Priest (Terminus), Gringo Loco (The Wrestling Revolver), Wolfie D (USWA), Kal Herro (OVW), other participants TBA
Winner receives bronze boot and belt buckle.
Commentary: Dave Prazak.

WWE SummerSlam 7/30/2022

DATE: July 30, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
AVAILABLE ON: Peacock (U.S.), WWE Network (International)

CARD

UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP “LAST MAN STANDING” MATCH
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (c)

“RAW” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair (c)

“SMACKDOWN” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan (c)

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Theory vs. Bobby Lashley (c)

UNDISPUTED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE: JEFF JARRETT
Street Profits vs. The Usos (c)

Logan Paul vs. The Miz

Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH
The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio) vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor)

AEW Rampage “Fight For The Fallen” Preview 7/29/22

A big weekend for Jay Lethal kicks off with a marquee match on tonight’s episode of “AEW Rampage” “Fight for the Fallen.

Lethal will team with the 7′ 2″ giant Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt for a six-man tag team match against Orange Cassidy and Best Friends.

An even higher profile match for Lethal is just days away. He will be part of the main event of Ric Flair’s Last Match event coming up on Sunday. Lethal will team with Jeff Jarrett to take on Flair and Andrade El Idolo.

The following lineup is announced for tonight’s “Rampage”:

  • Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt vs. Orange Cassidy & Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta)
  • Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Sydal
  • Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin
  • The Acclaimed music video
  • We hear from Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1552852915236347904

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/29/22

WWE SmackDown, tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.

Also tonight, Maximum Male Models, along with their newly revealed Director of Talent Maxxine Dupri are set to unveil their 2022 beachwear collection. Maxxine (formerly known as Sofia Cromwell on “NXT”) made her main roster debut during a brief backstage segment on last Friday’s “SmackDown”. Her debut reportedly also served as a write-off for Maximum Male Models’ former frontman, and Maxxine’s storyline “brother”, Max Dupri.

NJPW And Stardom Announce IWGP Women’s Championship

It’s been a big week for new championships in wrestling promotions. In the United States, AEW has introduced the AEW Trios Championships, with the inaugural champions to be crowned at AEW All Out on Labor Day weekend. Now, in Japan, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and World Wonder Stardom Ring are getting in on the fun, announcing a historic new championship.

“Just announced in today’s Stardom 2022 Strategy Meeting: The IWGP Women’s Championship!” Stardom’s official account tweeted. “NJPW and Stardom are creating this title for defenses not only in Japan but also in the US on New Japan Pro Wrestling events, appealing to the world with the rich IWGP history!”

While the IWGP Women’s Championship is being announced now, the Stardom account went on to reveal that there will be a little bit of a wait before the first champion is crowned.

“The inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion will be crowned at the NJPWxStardom joint show on November 20th at the Ariake Arena,” the tweet read. “Please note, this belt does not usurp the Red and White Belts in any way. They are the main titles for Stardom events.”

The promotion also offered some more clarification regarding where fans will see this new IWGP Women’s Championship defended.

“The IWGP Women’s Championship is for the NJPW events,” Stardom tweeted. “It’s possible that it could be defended on big Stardom events though. Stardom’s main title remains the World of Stardom title (the Red Belt) along with the Wonder of Stardom title (the White Belt).”

For New Japan, the IWGP Women’s Championship marks the first time a belt exclusively for female talent will be featured in the promotion’s 50 years of operation. Women in NJPW have traditionally held the role of valet, though former WWE star Chyna did briefly wrestle for the promotion in 2002.

New Japan began featuring Stardom talent at Wrestle Kingdom 14, the first Wrestle Kingdom to feature a women’s match, shortly after Bushiroad, NJPW’s parent company, purchased Stardom in late 2019. The promotion has continued to feature talent from their sister promotion at various shows ever since. Earlier this month, Bushiroad announced Stardom talent would also be featured on NJPW shows in the US going forward.

As noted, NJPWxStardom will take place on November 20. As of this writing, it is unknown which talent will be competing for the IWGP Women’s Championship or what format will be used to crown the inaugural champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Johnny Gargano Appears On Impact To Praise Alex Shelley (Via Video)

During last night’s episode of “Impact on AXS TV,” former NXT Champion  Johnny Gargano appeared on the show.

Gargano appeared via video, along with others, to praise Alex Shelley. Below is the clip:

In a recent report from Fightful Select, Gargano is not in talks with Impact Wrestling and his appearance in the video was more of a favor for a friend.

Gargano left WWE last December after deciding not to re-sign with the company. His last match with the promotion was at “NXT” Takeover WarGames 2021.

In June, while on Good Karma Wrestling, the former “NXT” Champion explained why he didn’t re-sign with the company.

“I had this guaranteed contract with WWE I could take for a lot of money, and I could come back and I could keep doing what I’m doing,” Gargano said. “I just knew that with the baby on the way, I didn’t want to have anyone else being in control of my time, because I’m really only getting one shot at this. Me and Candice only plan on having one kid, so I want to be there and try to experience everything I can with Quill for his first year before I do anything else.”

Gargano is set to be at this weekend’s Starrcast V event at the Nashville Fairgrounds. He has his own panel, “What’s NeXT,” where he will be revealing his future in pro wrestling.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Is Reportedly Trying To “Reconcile” With Sasha Banks & Naomi

It’s been more than two months since Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of WWE. The company is reportedly trying to make amends with both stars.

With Vince McMahon now retired and out of the WWE picture, company officials are reportedly trying to convince Sasha Banks and Naomi to come back for another run.

Last Friday, McMahon announced his retirement via social media. WWE also announced that Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan would serve as the co-CEOs, and that Triple H (Paul Levesque), would take over as the new Head of Talent Relations (replacing John Laurinaitis) as well as the leader of creative team.

Banks and Naomi, who were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship holders at the time, walked out of the 5/16 Raw show due to apparent unhappiness with the creative plans that night. Many naturally assumed that the two would never return to the company, but McMahon’s retirement could change everything.

Speaking on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast (via Ian Carey of F4WOnline.com), the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that the WWE statuses of Banks and Naomi are “up in the air”, and that WWE is trying “to reconcile” with the former SmackDown Women’s Champions.

“It’s kind of up in the air. I mean, they’re gone. The last I heard was that there would be attempts to be made to reconcile, especially with Vince gone,” Meltzer said. “So, it’s up in the air. I don’t think there’s anything definite just yet.”

Needless to say, McMahon’s sudden retirement may go a long way in recruiting plenty more stars. For what it’s worth, former WWE star Maria Kanellis, who worked two tenures in the company, told a fan on Twitter that she would be open to a WWE return now that Vince is no longer leading the way. Kanellis added that her working relationship with Triple H was “great.”

Not only that, but more AEW stars are reportedly viewing WWE as an option now that the leadership at the top has changed. Will the new leadership lead to Naomi and Banks coming back? Only time will tell.

No Update On The Women’s Tag Team Championships

Fast forward two months later, and WWE still hasn’t given a timeline on when they will crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions. The titles haven’t been held by any talent since Banks and Naomi walked out.

Source: TheSportster

IMPACT Preview 7/28/22, KUSHIDA’s IMPACT In-Ring Debut

KUSHIDA is set to make his Impact Wrestling in-ring debut on tonight’s episode of “Impact on AXS TV”.

The following line-up is announced for tonight’s episode:

  • Kushida vs. Rich Swann
  • Impact World Champion Josh Alexander vs. Shera
  • Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards
  • Laredo Kid & Trey Miguel vs. Johnny Swinger & Zicky Dice

Big E Addresses Whether Or Not He Will Ever Wrestle Again

Big E has addressed his future in the square circle after breaking his neck earlier this year during the March 11 edition of “SmackDown.”

In an interview with “The MMA Hour,” Big E stated that he is currently unsure if he will ever be able to wrestle again, with doctors telling him that if he breaks his neck again it could be “even worse and more catastrophic.”

He provided an update on his injury, saying that when he initially sustained the injury back in March, he was told that he would be able to return in three months. When doctors did another scan at the 8-week mark, his neck looked worse than it previously had. After the 12-week mark, his C-1 had been healed fibrously but had not yet ossified, meaning that if someone bumped him, it would not break his neck again. However, he is not yet ready to make his in-ring return. He also mentioned that the current plan is to look at his neck again in March next year and get a prognosis from there.

Big E continued to say that he has put his body through a lot after the various injuries he picked up in his sports career over the years. He said that his perspective has shifted over the years and has thoroughly enjoyed his time working for WWE.

“When I got hired, I was 23 … I think it was a time in my life where if I had died in the ring, cool. I got to do what I love, and I went out there in the ring. Now at 36, having worked through a lot of those things and being mentally healthier, this job has allowed me to meet so many different people from so many different walks of life and have so many different experiences.”

Big E went on to say that he thinks about what his life will be like after 36. He says that while he still feels great, he must think about the miles he is putting on his body and the damage he is doing to it. He stated that there are various other things that he would like to do with his life, but he is not making any decisions anytime soon.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to The MMA Hour

Update On Seth Rollins And Riddle’s WWE SummerSlam Match

The biggest party of the summer will have to party on without one of the marque matches.

During today’s episode of “WWE’s The Bump,” Kayla Braxton broke the news that Riddle is currently dealing with a brachial plexus injury. The injury occurred when Seth Rollins brutally attacked him on Monday Night Raw, leading to their WWE SummerSlam match having to be postponed. The injury was described by Braxton as “a really bad stinger that’s resulted in some weakness,” and Riddle is “medically disqualified” until he’s strong enough to return.

The brutal attack by Rollins sent “WWE Raw” off the air Monday night, as Rollins hit Riddle with his patented Stomp on the arena floor and the ring steps. The show closed with Rollins laughing at an injured Riddle, with commentary stating “How will Riddle be ready for Saturday?”

The feud between Rollins and Riddle took place both on television and, supposedly, in real life, dating back to 2019 when Riddle’s former wife body shammed several female WWE superstars on social media, including Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch. Riddle confirmed the disdain between the two in 2021, stating that he doesn’t think they like each other and that they’re just “two different people.”

It’s unclear at this time whether or not the Riddle injury is legitimate or part of a storyline, but it’s hard to imagine a star as big as Rollins not having any involvement in SummerSlam this Saturday. This weekend’s event is still set to feature eight matches, headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match for both the WWE and Universal Championships, which Reigns unified by defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. The card will also see both “Raw” and “SmackDown” Women’s Champions defend their belts, and will include Logan Paul’s first match since signing his WWE contract.

UPDATE

New information has started to trickle out regarding the postponement of the match, not all is as it seems.

According to Fightful Select, Riddle’s injury is in fact not a real injury, but a kayfabe one, written to explain why the match will not be taking place this weekend. Sources told Fightful that there are still plans to do the match down the line, and that the change was made due to “creative adjustments.”

Fightful would go on to reveal that Rollins and Riddle were informed of the change Monday before “Raw,”which saw Rollins attack Riddle at the close of the show. As of now, the tentative plan is for the two to wrestle at WWE’s next Premium Live Event, Clash At The Castle, in September, but those plans aren’t final due to the changes that have occurred in WWE over the past week, with Paul Levesque, fka, Triple H, taking over as new head of creative and EVP of Talent Relations.

Despite this, fans can still expect to see Rollins this weekend, as Fightful noted the former WWE Champion is expected to travel to Nashville for SummerSlam weekend and is still booked for certain media obligations before the event. Fightful had no information regarding whether Riddle would also be traveling to Nashville or would remain home to sell the injury.

Even with Rollins vs. Riddle now off the card, SummerSlam will still feature eight matches, headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match. As always, the Premium Live Event will air on the Peacock streaming service.

Source: Wrestling Inc.