WWE has reportedly released Nash Carter, one-half of the current NXT Tag Team Champions, following allegations of domestic violence from Kimber Lee.
MSK’s Nash Carter has reportedly been released by WWE following accusations of domestic abuse from his wife, Impact wrestler Kimber Lee.
On Wednesday, April 6, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that Carter (real name Zachary Green) was released by WWE. Sapp’s report comes just a few days after Kimber Lee publicly revealed that she was a victim of domestic violence and that Carter had physically assaulted her. Lee initially went public with her story on social media last week but deleted her posts soon after. On Tuesday, Kimber Lee again publicly alleged that Carter had hit her.
“Hey NXT this is my face after your tag champ Nash Carter got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open,” Lee tweeted, tagging both NXT and Carter in the post. She added that Carter told her after the incident that she’s a wrestler and wrestlers get “marked up” all the time. Lee followed up that tweet with another apologizing to her fans for backing away from the allegations last week. She also claims Carter had been messaging her over the weekend asking her not to say anything else publicly.
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.
* New AEW/ROH star Samoa Joe vs. Max Caster in the first qualifying match for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. This will be Joe’s AEW debut
* Hikaru Shida vs. Julia Hart in the third qualifying match for The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament. Winner joins Toni Storm and Jamie Hayter as confirmed entrants
* Shawn Dean vs. Shawn Spears
* Christian Cage vs. Adam Cole
* The Hardys vs. The Butcher and The Blade in a Tables Match
* FTR defends the AAA World Tag Team Titles and the ROH World Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks
The former WWE Superstar debuted at the end of the event, and Khan made it clear that he’s excited to have him on the roster for both of his promotions.
“I am very excited to have Samoa Joe in both Ring Of Honor and All Elite Wrestling,” he exclaimed. “I think his timing was impeccable, and I’m sure the champ (Jonathan Gresham) agrees. But I am very excited, and we are going to hear from him shortly, and you’ll get to hear from him as well. But I know I am very excited about having Samoa Joe in AEW. Samoa Joe is going to be on Dynamite on Wednesday, and it was great to have him here on Supercard.
“I thought it made a great night of great wrestling a bit more special. And it was a really cool moment to see Samoa Joe in the ring. I think with Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarity. A few different generations of great wrestlers, and great Ring Of Honor stars. All people that potentially could be competing also in AEW. I am very excited about a great championship match to end a great PPV tonight.”
Jonathan Gresham joined Tony Khan in being pleased about the situation. He admitted that there are people on the roster that he sees as originals, with Joe being one of those. He is also pleased to have these veterans passing on their knowledge to the next generation of talent.
“For me, I am just very excited,” Gresham said. “From the locker room to people that are making special appearances. Like tonight, Samoa Joe. Christopher Daniels is in this locker room, Jay Lethal is here, B.J. Whitmer is here. To me when I became conscious to how wrestling can be, in my mind, how wrestling should be, I call these men, these great men, the originals. They still possess the fire and the spirit of what I believe wrestling is built upon.
“Having them here in this company, to teach the next generation, to help us understand how to be pro wrestlers, it means the world to me. I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am very happy these guys are coming back to an umbrella that has someone who cares so passionately about the sports and the essence of this business. Tony Khan, and Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and all these guys are keeping the business of pro wrestling alive, and I am happy to be part of it.”
WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner was kidnapped by Joe Gacy and Harland on this week’s NXT 2.0.
Rick Steiner returned to NXT for the first time since his son Bron Breakker won the NXT Championship for the first time … but things went a little differently this time.
It all went down at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida during the cliffhanger climax of this week’s edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network. Breakker had just successfully retained the NXT Championship with a victory over “Der Ring General” Gunther in the main event when his father, the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner, appeared on the big screen. Rick congratulated his son on the win, but as the camera panned out it was revealed that Rick was tied up and had been locked in a cage … by the villainous Joe Gacy and the brutish drone known as Harland.
As the show drew to a close, a concerned Breakker looked on and Gacy said he was going to teach the old dog some new tricks. Steiner’s involvement in this week’s show marks his first involvement in a WWE angle since he parted ways with the company back in 1994.
Steiner set foot in a WWE ring for the first time since 1994 following the conclusion of the New Year’s Evil edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network back in January. Bron Breakker had just defeated the veteran Tommaso Ciampa in a thrilling main event to capture the NXT Championship. The show went off the air, but the WWE cameras didn’t stop rolling … and that’s when the Dog-Faced Gremlin himself appeared to celebrate with his boy.
Rick and his brother Scott joined WWF in 1992 and would go on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. Despite tasting glory in the WWF, the brothers did not get along with Vince McMahon and ultimately left the company in 1994. Time heals all wounds, though, and both Steiner brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony last Friday.
Kimber Lee has shared photos of an injury she claims was intentionally caused by a drunken Nash Carter.
Impact Wrestling’s Kimber Lee, formerly known as Abby Laith during her stint in WWE, made some serious allegations against her husband and fellow wrestler Nash Carter last week. Carter is one-half of the tag team MSK who won the NXT Tag Team Titles for a second time over the weekend. Prior to that, Lee claimed she had suffered domestic abuse at the hands of Carter.
After opening up about the allegations on social media, Lee claims she was hounded by wrestling fans to the point she decided to delete the original tweets, only fueling those who didn’t believe her. Not wanting to be silenced about what she is claiming to have happened between her and Carter, Lee has posted fresh allegations this week, including photos of an injury she alleges was caused intentionally by the NXT star.
“Hey NXT this is my face after your tag champ Nash Carter got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open,” Lee tweeted, tagging both NXT and Carter in the post. She adds that Carter told her after the incident that she’s a wrestler so gets “marked up” all the time. Lee followed up that tweet with another apologizing to her fans for backing away from the allegations last week. She also claims Carter has been messaging her over the weekend asking she not say anything else publicly.
Lee and Carter got married in May 2020 and are still husband and wife now, though it’s assumed the two are separated at this moment in time. As for what will happen next, that depends on WWE and possibly the authorities should they get involved. A number of wrestlers were named in 2020’s Speaking Out movement, and each situation that involved a WWE Superstar was handled individually and in many cases, pretty differently.
Triple H has previously clarified all allegations like these are taken very seriously, and internal investigations are conducted. Velveteen Dream was let go from NXT following the allegations made against him, but Riddle managed to keep hold of his position in the company despite some thinking the issues involving him and a female wrestler he cheated on his wife with still being a pretty tangled web. Whatever happens, we could see Carter disappear from NXT TV pretty soon.
NEW YORK – April 6, 2022 – The XFL today unveiled an innovative brand identity that aligns with its new vision, values and purpose ahead of its 2023 season. This enhanced visual identity represents a new era for the forward-thinking league, signaling one of inclusivity, innovation and co-creation as it works to build tomorrow’s league together with partners, fans and players. Fans can watch the brand reveal here: A New Identity for the XFL’s New Direction
“We are proud to unveil the new identity of the XFL – a strong, dynamic and modern look that embodies our vision of pushing football forward and unleashing the dreams that football makes possible,” said Dany Garcia, Co-Owner and Chairwoman of the XFL. “This is a significant milestone for us, and one that encapsulates the teamwork that has gone into building this league from the ground up with our experienced leadership team, led by Russ Brandon. As we continue to march towards our 2023 kickoff, we will invite our fans, partners and athletes to co-create with us. We are putting in the work today to define football’s future; Together, we are building tomorrow’s league.”
“For us, this is more than just a new pro football logo; this is a new era of the XFL. You can already begin to feel the energy and mana building behind our brand, and it has been amazing to feel the incredible support from fans, players, coaches and media, that we continue to be blessed with. We have a passion and vision to push the boundaries of sport and entertainment, to grow the game of football – and most importantly – unlock the dreams of all the talented and hungry football players out there,” said Dwayne Johnson. “I’m pumped to reveal our new XFL logo to the world as we continue to strategically build our XFL organization and shape our one-of-a-kind XFL culture. Here’s the bottom line of what our new XFL logo stands for: The X represents the INTERSECTION OF DREAMS & OPPORTUNITY. So, to our hungry XFL players, coaches and fans – you bring the dreams, and we’ll bring the opportunity.”
Gerry Cardinale added, “Since acquiring the League in 2020 with Dany and Dwayne, we have envisioned the XFL as a platform of opportunity that converges the worlds of sports and entertainment. We are building the XFL so that we can bring new possibilities to the future of football – this will give our players new opportunities for turning pro, our partners new platforms to expand and enhance their brands, and our fans opportunities to engage with the sport of football and our players in new and innovative ways.”
R/GA, a global brand design and marketing company, has been awarded Agency of Record. R/GA started working with the XFL in 2021 to support the league’s marketing efforts including brand identity, design innovation and campaign activation.
Brand Pillars
The XFL has established four core brand pillars to guide the league in its mission to building tomorrow’s league:
Co-Creation: Build a league of culture: a place where players, fans, partners, employees and communities interact with each other to build a dynamic future of football.
Inclusivity: Embrace being at intersection of opportunities, connecting players to fans and changing the way everyone experiences and engages with the game
Accessibility: Create a new standard for accessibility by experimenting with different forms of interactivity to connect the fans and players in a way unlike ever done before, creating a deeply immersed and personal fanbase.
Innovation: Leverage innovation to unlock new opportunities to win together
New Logo and Visual Identity
The new visual identity centers around the idea that the XFL is the intersection of opportunity and captures the essence of the league’s vision: the XFL is pushing football forward. To do that, the brand needs to be modern, dynamic and inviting.
The “X” represents those intersections, the point at which everything comes together: sports and storytelling, players and fans, partners and a passion for innovation. We elevate it to unlock the opportunities that will push football forward, so that together, we can build tomorrow’s league.
As a platform for co-creation, the XFL’s new identity seeks to elevate the stories and communities that enhance the game. Built as a platform, the league’s black-and-white color palette ensures the individual personalities of the teams are able to seamlessly coexist and stand alongside the league as partners versus separate organizations.
The XFL continues to build its league across all functions as it prepares to kickoff in February 2023.
In February, the XFL announced it will collaborate with the NFL on select innovation programs to further expand the game of football and create increased opportunities for player development both on and off the field. Key areas of focus include health and safety, international football development and officiating and rules innovation.
Meanwhile, the football operations department, led by NFL veterans Marc Ross and Doug Whaley, added six key hires in December. Since January, the team has been attending college pro days, NFL Combine and actively recruiting players for the 2023 season.
The XFL’s ownership group, led by Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners, is building a fan-first, fast-paced global professional football league with innovative rules and enhanced 360 game experience. The XFL will bring entertainment to world class football, with the goal of advancing the game of football and expanding player opportunities when it launches in February 2023.
Indie Wrestler Logan Roettger (Logan Legit) who performed for World Wrestling Alliance (a indie promotion in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee), who passed away due to a car accident on March 23, 2022, has given 4 others a chance at life, when his ended too soon because he was an organ donor.
Evansville, In. area Eyewitness News covered the story on their news broadcast and posted the following on the website:
POSEY COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) — A Wadesville man who died in a car crash last month was able to save lives after his passing. According to his obituary, 28-year-old Logan Roettger was able to save the lives of four people because he was an organ donor.
His obituary says he loved making others feel good about themselves. He was an independent professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Alliance known as “Logan Legit.” He became the most loved wrestler in World Wrestling Alliance and won belts such as tag team title and WWA National Champion.
“As a friend he was irreplaceable and he was truly LOVED,” says a spokesperson for WWA. “Logan departing this world has shown light on how many people’s lives he touched.”
Logan loved to perform, living for wrestling and his fans, his obituary states. He had also styled hair for WWE and NXT women wrestlers.
A celebration of life and memorial will be held at a later date in Evansville. His family asks that instead of flowers, donations be made to the Vanderburgh Humane Society or your favorite animal shelter in his memory.
W.W.A. posted the following response on their Facebook page:
Logan Roettger was featured on the news tonight. Logan Legit was an organ donor and has given 4 others a chance at life, when his ended too soon. The W.W.A. will forever be incomplete without Logan, but we’ll never let the world forget what kind of beautiful human being he was. #wwaisnowChris Waddell
New NXT Champion Bron Breakker is expected to return to the brand as champion on tonight’s show. Breakker lost to Dolph Ziggler at Stand & Deliver, but won the title on last night’s RAW After WrestleMania episode.
WWE is also teasing that Tony D’Angelo and AJ Galante, the former Danbury Trashers hockey team GM who appeared on Netflix’s “Crime & Penalties” documentary, will continue their Stand & Deliver celebration on tonight’s show. Galante accompanied D’Angelo at Stand & Deliver for the win over Tommaso Ciampa.
It’s also likely that new NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes will appear on tonight’s show, along with new NXT Tag Team Champions MSK.
Below is the current line-up for tonight’s NXT:
* Fallout from Stand & Deliver
* New NXT Champion Bron Breakker returns as a two-time champion
* Tony D’Angelo and AJ Galante continue their Stand & Deliver celebration
* New NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez defend against former champion Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is set to return to RAW commentary next week.
Lawler appeared on RAW Talk last night and revealed to Matt Camp and Jackie Redmond that he will work RAW commentary for a few weeks to replace Corey Graves while Graves is on his honeymoon with Carmella.
Lawler did not specify how many weeks he will be working RAW, but Redmond noted that he will be at the announce table with Jimmy Smith and Byron Saxton for “a couple of weeks.”
“I am looking forward to it,” Lawler said. “I’m going to be back behind the announcer’s table there on Monday Night RAW because that idiot Corey Graves is getting married!,” he joked.
Graves and Carmella are set to tie the knot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week. Graves spoke to The Athletic last week in the lead-up to WrestleMania 38 and commented on getting married this week, revealing that the ceremony is scheduled for Thursday.
“Tuesday morning, I get on a plane and fly to Fort Lauderdale. Because Thursday, we’re getting married. Why try to relax after a busy professional week? Let’s go right into the biggest life event we could possibly have,” Graves said.
Last night’s RAW saw Carmella and Queen Zelina Vega officially split up, which came after they dropped the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles to Sasha Banks and Naomi at WrestleMania 38. The RAW segment featured a ringside make-out sessions with Graves and Carmella, which you can see below.
Elias has returned to WWE RAW with a new clean-shaven look and a new gimmick.
Tonight’s post-WrestleMania 38 edition of WWE RAW saw Kevin Owens come to the ring and admit how good WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin was at WrestleMania Saturday. Owens then said Austin’s win should be wiped from the record books because Owens wasn’t 100% going into the match as he had a bad back injury. Owens went on ranting about how great he is until the music hit and out came the former Elias.
Owens recognized this as Elias, but the man introduced himself as Ezekiel, the younger brother of Elias. This confused Owens but he insisted he was talking to Elias, while the former Elias reiterated that he is actually the younger brother to the former WWE Superstar known as The Drifter.
Owens ended up marching out of the ring without any physical action. Ezekiel watched Owens head to the back with a smirk on his face, and that was the end of the segment.
WWE began airing multiple vignettes for the re-branding of Elias last summer, but the last vignette aired on August 23, and that was the last we’ve seen of Elias until now. It was later reported that WWE had no end plan for the vignettes, and that WWE just filmed them to kill off Elias’ musician gimmick. At one point Elias had a new look in the works, reportedly similar to the look we saw on RAW tonight, but word was that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon nixed it because he felt like it looked too much like WWE Hall of Famer Randy Savage.
Elias, or Ezekiel, has not wrestled since his Symphony of Destruction loss to Jaxson Ryker on the July 19 edition of RAW. He has also been quiet on social media since last summer.