AEW Dynamite Preview 5/4/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland as the road to Double Or Nothing continues.

AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page is expected to be back this week after missing last Wednesday’s show due to COVID-19. He is currently feuding with CM Punk for their main event title match at Double Or Nothing.

AEW has announced the following line-up for tonight’s show:

* The Varsity Blondes call out The House of Black

* The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta) vs. The Butcher, The Blade and Angelico

* Wardlow vs. MJF’s mystery opponent (expected to be W. Morrissey, known as Big Cass in WWE)

* Chris Jericho vs. Santana in a Grudge Match

* ROH Women’s World Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. ROH Interim Women’s World Champion Mercedes Martinez to determine the undisputed champion

* Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Fish in a qualifying match for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament

* Rey Fenix vs. Dante Martin in a qualifying match for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament

What Happened After NXT Spring Breakin’ Abruptly Went Off The Air

The show ended with two hooded figures staring down an unsuspecting Bron Breakker.

NXT TV special Spring Breakin’ took place on Tuesday night. Cameron Grimes kicked things off by successfully defending the North American Title, and Nikkita Lyons and Cora Jade successfully saw off Natalya and Lash Legend. The show ended with Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Joe Gacy, a match that ended with the title still around the second-generation star’s waist.

After the match, Gacy was on his knees in the corner as two hooded figures in red masks stepped up onto the apron. However, it was at that point this week’s NXT 2.0 came to an abrupt end. If you went to bed wondering if that was intentional, no, it wasn’t. There was a whole segment planned after that, but the show clearly overran and it wasn’t shown on USA.

Instead, WWE had to settle for posting the footage on Twitter, which you can check out below. The clip begins with the hooded figures who were watching from around the arena descending on the ring and attacking Breakker with a steel chair. The two anonymous people in red masks then proceed to put the boots to the NXT Champion.

Gacy then directs the two of them as they remove a barbed wire-clad stretcher from under the ring and proceed to place Breakker onto it. The pair then slowly carries the champ out of the arena as the clip fades to black. That’s presumably where WWE actually planned on ending this week’s broadcast, more than 90 seconds after the USA feed was cut which resulted in a rather jarring end to the show.

That ending implies the issues between Breakker and Gacy aren’t over.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ Preview 5/3/22

The special Spring Breakin’ edition of WWE NXT 2.0 will air tonight on the USA Network, live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Roderick Strong Reportedly Requests WWE Release

Roderick Strong has reportedly requested his WWE NXT release, but the company has him factored into upcoming creative plans.

Strong has requested his release “multiple times” in the past several months, according to Fightful Select. However, word is that WWE has denied the request.

The veteran pro wrestler is said to be frustrated with many things within WWE over the past year, which led to him asking for his release.

WWE reportedly pitched a name change to Strong, but he was opposed to the idea. There were many people within WWE who were surprised that Strong was not included in the NXT releases made last Friday as he’s made it clear he wants out of the company.

Strong went to England in March for a quick run in NXT UK, defeating Wolfgang on the March 17 taped episode, then coming up short against NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov on the taped episode that aired on April 7. Strong lost to LA Knight and Tommaso Ciampa in SmackDown dark matches this past January, and took a WWE Main Event loss to T-BAR that same month, but there’s no word on if he’s being considered for a main roster run. His last NXT 2.0 TV singles match was the loss to Solo Sikoa on March 22, and then he competed in the Second Chance Triple Threat the following week for a spot in the NXT North American Title Ladder Match at Stand & Deliver, which also included A-Kid and the winner, current NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes.

Strong reportedly re-signed with WWE shortly before The Diamond Mine stable debuted last year. Original plans called for Strong to be in the group with wife Marina Shafir, manager Malcolm Bivens, trainer Hideki Suzuki, Tyler Rust, and Arturo Ruas, but less than one year later Strong is the only member of the originally pitched stable to remain with the company.

WWE recently began a storyline where Strong said he wanted to make changes to The Diamond Mine so they don’t fail like The Undisputed Era did. WWE released Bivens last week, along with 9 other budget cuts, and now the group consists of Strong, The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile.

Strong has reportedly remained professional in his handling of creative week-to-week. It was also noted that WWE officials currently have no plans to release Strong as he is factored into upcoming creative plans.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Reportedly Releases Dark Order Member Stu Grayson 

Stu Grayson is no longer on the official AEW roster page, and word now is that he has left the company.

Grayson was removed from the official AEW roster page on the AEW website today, at a time when several deals are coming up. While AEW has not confirmed the departure as of this writing, Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com noted how word going around is that Grayson’s contract expired and the two sides failed to come to terms on a new deal.

For what it’s worth, other members of The Dark Order are still listed on the AEW roster, including Evil Uno, Alan “5” Angels, Alex Reynolds, Colt Cabana, John Silver, Pres10 Vance, and Anna Jay.

Grayson debuted with AEW at the inaugural Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2019, arriving with Uno as the mystery men that led to the creation of The Dark Order.

Grayson last wrestled during last week’s AEW “Dark: Elevation” episode as The Dark Order defeated Eli Isom, Anthony Bennett, Mike Law, Kori Meshaw, Jaden Valo and Brett Waters in 12-man tag team action. The week before that The Dark Order won a 10-man match on Elevation, defeating Tito Ortic, RC Dupree, Jake Omen, Bulk Nasty, and Luther, while the week before that Grayson and Uno took a loss to Powerhouse Hobbs and FTW Champion Ricky Starks on AEW Dark. Grayson’s last Rampage appearance came on April 1 as he, Uno and Fuego del Sol took a loss to House of Black, while his last Dynamite appearance was the Casino Tag Team Royale on March 2.

Grayson has not commented on his AEW departure as of this writing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW To Premiere New Show On TBS

AEW apparently has a new TV show coming soon to TBS.

The RingLeaders.TV site, which is owned by WarnerMedia, issued an e-mail to members today to gauge feedback on the potential name of the new AEW series.

“A new AEW show will be premiering soon on TBS! We want to know what you think Season 1 should be named. Let us know your thoughts. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!,” the e-mail stated.

The e-mail then listed the following potential names for fans to vote on:

* AEW: To The Top
* AEW: Fight To The Finish
* AEW: All Access
* AEW: Breakout
* AEW: Uprise
* AEW: The Climb
* AEW: To The Mat
* AEW: Road to The Belt
* AEW: Friends and Enemies
* AEW: On The Ropes
* AEW: Grit and Glory

It was noted by Fightful Select that there have been numerous pitches for AEW-related reality shows with some of the wrestlers, and that Darby Allin has already filmed content for one of them. There are other AEW talents who have filmed content for sizzle reels, and at one point there was interest in Adam Cole, Britt Baker and Swerve Strickland.

No other details were provided on this new series, and AEW has not announced plans for a new show as of this writing, but we will keep you updated.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett escorted out of building after controversial segment at Triplemania XXX: Monterrey

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett is still drawing a considerable amount of heat from wrestling fans in 2022.

Saturday night at Triplemania XXX: Monterrey, Jarrett interrupted a lifetime achievement ceremony for AAA legend Latin Lover in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico. Jarrett received a tremendous amount of heat from the live crowd throughout the segment for his controversial comments on the microphone.

In the end, he was run off by Latin Lover and a returning Vampiro, who is well known in Mexico but most famous in the US for his run with WCW.

In an update from Lucha Libre Online, it seems the wrestling commission in Monterrey was prepared for Jarrett’s antics this time around. They confiscated the tortillas that the WWE Hall of Famer planned to throw into the crowd as he has done at AAA events in the past.

Even without the tortillas, security reportedly had to stop “multiple fans” who attempted to hop the guardrail and attack Jarrett and his wife Karen, who also took part in the angle last night.

Jeff Jarrett’s heat with the Monterrey crowd was so intense that he had to be escorted out of the venue by eight members of security for his own safety. The company also had to provide additional security at Jarrett’s hotel after the show due to overzealous fans wanting to get their hands on the former NWA Champion.

Jeff Jarrett has a long history of causing trouble down in Mexico. The WWE Hall of Famer nearly caused a riot in 2005 when he appeared at a AAA event in Mexico City. During that incident, fans rushed the ring and threw rocks at Jarrett, who responded by throwing tortillas at them, enraging the crowd further.

This was hardly the first time he had to be escorted from the arena by city police, however, as he’d done something similar the year before after defeating Latin Lover at a AAA event.

While there were no visible objects thrown last night, it seems the fans in Mexico have not forgiven the Hall of Famer.

Source: sportskeeda

WWE RAW Preview 5/2/2022

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina with the WrestleMania Backlash go-home build.

The Bloodline looks to take over Monday Night Raw tonight

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns are set to appear to hype their WrestleMania Backlash six-man with Drew McIntyre and RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro.

You can also expect the following programs to continue tonight, among others: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins, Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens, Asuka vs. Becky Lynch, AJ Styles vs. the Judgment Day stable.

Tetsuya Naito To Undergo Eye Surgery, NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Results 5/1/2022

NJPW star Tetsuya Naito will be undergoing eye surgery, according to a report from Tokyo Sports. 

The report noted that Naito will have surgery to repair superior oblique muscle paralysis in his right eye. The paralysis was causing him to have double vision.

He told Tokyo Sports that his eye is in worse shape now than when he first underwent surgery in 2019.

Tetsuya Naito was also quoted saying that the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament provided a break in his schedule to allow for the eye surgery.

When Naito had the surgery in 2019, he was out of action for 20 days.

Yesterday at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku, Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Results of NJPW Wrestling Dontaku are below:

* Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and Taka Michinoku) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi and Bushi) and Shiro Koshinaka

* Hiromu Takahashi defeated Yoh

* Tanga Loa defeated Yujiro Takahashi

* Six or Nine (Ryusuke Taguchi and Master Wato) defeated Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Douki) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships

* Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens) defeated United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb) and Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships

* Tama Tonga defeated EVIL to win the NEVER Openweight Championship

* Taiji Ishimori defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

* Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship

* Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis And Malcolm Bivens Among 10 Released from NXT Contracts

WWE released 10 performers from their NXT contracts Friday, including Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis and Malcolm Bivens, according to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.

Persia Pirotta, Harland, Draco Anthony, Paige Prinzivalli, Sanjana George, Mila Malani and Raelyn Divine were the other performers who also reportedly received their releases.

Kai, who had been under contract with WWE since 2016, spent her entire tenure in NXT and was a two-time NXT women’s tag team champion.

The 33-year-old Kai is a native of New Zealand who went by the name Evie on the independent scene before signing with WWE, winning championships in popular women’s promotions Shimmer and Stardom.

Kai was popular as both a face and a heel during her NXT run, but she is perhaps best known for teaming with and later feuding with Raquel Rodriguez.

Raquel and Kai held the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships together twice, including as recently as earlier this month when they dropped them to Toxic Attraction.

Rodriguez seemingly reacted to the release of her friend on Twitter:

Bivens signed with WWE in 2019 and managed multiple acts. Most recently, he was the mouthpiece for Diamond Mine, which features Roderick Strong, The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile.

Sapp added that WWE had asked Bivens to re-sign with the company in February, but he “made it clear” he didn’t want to.

Bivens went by the name Stokely Hathaway before joining WWE and spent time in Ring of Honor, Evolve, MLW and other independent wrestling companies.

AEW star MJF and Impact Wrestling star Moose were among the wrestlers Bivens managed before he went to WWE.

Bivens managed the tag team Indus Sher and singles wrestler Tyler Rust in NXT before finding his greatest success as part of Diamond Mine.

After news of his release broke, Bivens tweeted the following video, utilizing his signature sense of humor:

Lumis, 38, signed with WWE in 2019 after previously competing in Impact Wrestling under the name Samuel Shaw.

He became a cult favorite in NXT thanks to his on-screen romance with Indi Hartwell, leading to a storyline wedding. Collectively, Lumis and Hartwell were known as InDex.

Given NXT’s renewed focus on younger and less experienced Superstars, Lumis may have been a victim of circumstance due to his age.

Pirotta, a 25-year-old native of Australia, signed with WWE last year and spent much of her time in WWE teaming with Hartwell, who is a fellow Aussie.

Persia and Indi had recently started a storyline where they were in relationships with Duke Hudson and Lumis, respectively, and forced them to compete together as a tag team.

Harland, whose real name is Parker Boudreaux, played college football as an offensive lineman at the University of Central Florida.

He signed with WWE last year amid comparisons to a young Brock Lesnar and served as Joe Gacy’s on-air disciple. Harland recently disappeared from WWE programming during Gacy’s feud with NXT champion Bron Breakker.

Anthony’s most high-profile angle in NXT saw Gacy and Harland trying to recruit him, only for Xyon Quinn to step in.

That led to a match between Anthony and Quinn on the April 12 episode of NXT, which Quinn won. That marked Anthony’s final NXT appearance.

Source: Bleacher Report

The full list of released NXT Superstars is as follows:

  • Malcoml Bivens
  • Dakota Kai
  • Dexter Lumis
  • Harland
  • Persia Pirotta
  • Draco Anthony
  • Sanjana George
  • Mila Malani
  • Raelyn Divine
  • Blair Baldwin (referee)

Dakota Kai signed with WW in December of 2016 following a successful stint on the indies as well as a well-received run in Japanese promotion Stardom. Kai competed in the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble match. With Raquel Gonzalez, Kai won the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and was an inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion.

Dakota Kai posted the following on Twitter:

Above everything, thank you all. I am so overwhelmed at all the love and support. The DMs, txts, tweets.. you all have my heart. I love you. I am thankful for being able to meet, work, and intertwine with so many beautiful people, people I looked up to, people I learned from.. I met some of my best friends over these last few years that will remain in my life forever. I don’t know what’s next for me. I chose ‘Evie’ at 17 years old. That chapter is shut.. just know this; I’m far from being done.