AEW Stars Teases Jeff Hardy Debut In Upcoming Ladder Match

Is Jeff Hardy on the verge of making his AEW debut?

As we’ve noted, Tony Khan announced last Friday that Isiah Kassidy will wrestle a mystery opponent in a Face of The Revolution Ladder Match qualifier on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.

Khan confirmed that Kassidy’s opponent “will walk through the Forbidden Door” and sign a contract with AEW on Wednesday.

The announcement has fueled a lot of speculation on social media, with fans throwing out names such as Hardy, Keith Lee, Karrion Kross and John Morrison, among others.

Over the weekend, Kassidy seemingly teased that he would be wrestling Hardy in the ladder match. While responding to a tweet from Tony Khan praising his performance against Sammy Guevera on Rampage, Kassidy mentioned how he doesn’t want to be forced to “put this dude out for good.” He also asked Matt Hardy, the older brother of Jeff, to get him ready for the ladder match.

I was good, but Sammy was better on Friday. Respect g.

But aye man, this better not be who I think it is… Y’all gonna force me to put this dude out for good 💯

By the way. I’ve called you 4 times @MATTHARDYBRAND. I gotta get ready for this ladder match.

#AEWDynamite

The Young Bucks have also continued to tease Hardy’s AEW debut. On Sunday, they changed their Twitter bio to “Bring us Jeff Harvey,” seemingly poking fun at a moment where Mike Adamle incorrectly referred to Hardy as “Jeff Harvey” at Royal Rumble 2008.

WWE released Jeff Hardy last December after a strange incident at a live WWE event where the Charismatic Enigma abruptly exited a six-man tag team match. The legendary wrestler is presently serving his 90-day non-compete clause with WWE, and won’t be a free agent until March 9.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kurt Angle Reveals Scrapped Plans For His WWE Return

On his podcast, Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed that WWE canceled plans for his return to the company.

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle revealed on his podcast that there were indeed plans for him to return to television.

Before last week’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, it was reported that Angle would be traveling to St. Louis, Missouri — the host city of the event. Royal Rumble was held inside The Dome at America’s Center. This naturally led to speculation that Angle would be a surprise entry in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. That never wound up taking place, however.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show (h/t WrestlingNews.co), the Olympic gold medalist explained that he went to the Royal Rumble as the company wanted him “to do a short program that they ended up canceling it at the last second.” Angle added they “had a great time”, as they got to visit Kim Orton, who’s close friends with his wife, Giovanna.

Angle added that he did some interviews for documentaries and took photos with fans. The former WWE Champion stated that his canceled program was scheduled to last three weeks, emphasizing that he isn’t signed to WWE right now.

The men’s Royal Rumble match greatly lacked in surprise entries. Shane McMahon was an unannounced “surprise” return, though many reports stated ahead of time that he would be back. Drew McIntyre had been out of action for almost a month with a neck injury before showing up unexpectedly as the No. 21 entry.

Source: TheSportster

Tony Khan Confirms ‘Forbidden Door’ Wrestler Will Make AEW Debut On Dynamite

AEW president Tony Khan has promised that a mystery wrestler will make his AEW debut on the February 9 edition of Dynamite.

Immediately following Friday’s edition of AEW Rampage, the company’s president Tony Khan took to Twitter to announce that another wrestler would soon be walking through AEW’s forbidden door … and would slam the door shut after signing an AEW contract.

“The Forbidden Door can be opened for anyone from any wrestling promotion in the world, whether or not it’s a company [AEW] is on good terms with, even if it’s someone from a company that’s open for business,” Khan wrote. “They’re also welcome to slam the door in the face of their prior company.”

The wording of Khan’s tweet left many fans confused, although he provided additional details in a follow-up tweet. Khan seems to be using the Forbidden Door analogy to describe a free agent acquisition, which probably means the new signing is another ex-WWE performer.

 The 90-day non-compete clause if several former WWE Superstars are due to expire imminently, or have very recently expired. Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Ember Moon and Nia Jax are now all free to sign elsewhere, although the chances of Tony Khan being interested in Nia Jax’s services are extremely slim.

Khan also revealed that the new signing would go one-on-one with Isiah Kassidy in a Face of the Revolution qualifying match, the winner of which will be awarded a spot in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at AEW Revolution on March 6. This fact strongly suggests that the new acquisition is a man, so Keith Lee, arguably the hottest free agent in the industry, is a safe bet.

Source: TheSportster

Brian Kendrick Was Pulled From AEW Dynamite After Abhorrent Comments Resurface

Brian Kendrick’s planned AEW debut was canceled after comments he made regarding dangerous conspiracy theories resurfaced.

Brian Kendrick did not appear on last week’s AEW Dynamite.

On Wednesday, February 2, wrestling journalist David Bixenspan shone a light on offensive remarks Kendrick had publicly made in the past. In some footage recorded in 2011, Kendrick can be seen discussing dangerous antisemitic conspiracy theories. In another interview, Kendrick claimed that the number of Jewish people murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust is much lower than the consensus would suggest. This claim is, of course, total and utter bullshit and only a bigot with a severe case of brain worms would buy into it.

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1488956369822785536

AEW boss Tony Khan took to Twitter shortly before Dynamite to announce that Kendrick had been pulled from the show.

“We’ve been made aware of abhorrent & offensive comments made in the past by Brian Kendrick,” TK wrote. “There’s no room in AEW for the views expressed by Brian. We think it’s best for all that Brian be pulled from tonight’s card as we gather more info. We’ll announce a replacement bout ASAP.”

The canceled match with Jon Moxley would have been Kendrick’s first since October 2020 when he teamed up with Mansoor to defeat Ever-Rise (no known as 2point0 in AEW) on WWE 205 Live. As you might recall, Kendrick seemingly announced his retirement back in April 2021 in a video filmed at the Performance Center and posted to WWE’s YouTube channel.

Brian Kendrick has issued an apology, of sorts, after antisemitic comments he made in the past resurfaced.

“I apologize for all the hurt and embarrassment I have caused with my words. These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line,” Kendrick tweeted on Wednesday, February 2.

“I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause,” he added in a follow-up tweet. “I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Preview 2/2/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. This week’s AEW Rampage on TNT will also be taped tonight in Chicago.

AEW has announced the following line-up for tonight:

* Brian Kendrick debuts vs. Jon Moxley

* Malakai Black and Brody King vs. PAC and Penta El Zero Miedo

* Ruby Soho vs. Nyla Rose

* CM Punk vs. MJF

WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat To Debut As MLW Matchmaker

WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is headed to MLW.

MLW announced today that Steamboat has signed on to be the matchmaker for the SuperFight tapings on Saturday, February 26 at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC, which will also serve as a MLW Fusion TV taping. This will be MLW’s Charlotte debut, and Steamboat lives in the city.

MLW noted, “Promising to give Charlotte fans a night of great wrestling action, Steamboat is actively putting together what promises to be a stacked card for a city Steamboat considers his hometown. How will the ruthless Cesar Duran react to Steamboat’s presence?”

Steamboat will also appear for autographs and photos before the show begins.

The MLW SuperFight show will be headlined by Davey Richards vs. MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone with the title on the line. Other names announced to appear include MLW World Tag Team Champions 5150 with Konnan, MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane with Mr. Thomas, MLW World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed, Jacob Fatu, Cesaro Duran, nZo, Alicia Atout, Mads Krugger, Calvin Tankman, Pagano, Richard Holliday, Aramis, Arez, EJ Nduka, KC Navarro, Mat Cross, TJP and Ikuro Kwon, among others.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Shane McMahon Reportedly “Quietly Let Go” From WWE Due To Royal Rumble Heat

As we’ve noted, WWE brought Shane back for the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match on Saturday. He worked the match as a competitor, but was also the lead producer and writer for the match. This led to major locker room heat for McMahon over the way he took charge of the booking and allegedly tried to make the match about himself.

In an update, Ringside News reports that Shane has been “quietly let go” by WWE. It was noted that WWE creative writers were told in a “semi-quiet way” that “there will be no more creative discussions about Shane McMahon” and that they have now “moved on to other creative discussions.”

There was reports about how Shane was scheduled to wrestle at WWE Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38, but now those plans have been 100% scrapped, according to the report. It was also reported earlier this week that plans called for Shane to work the RAW brand as a heel, but those plans have also been nixed.

The report also stated that WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon had no choice but to take action against his own son due to the heat from The Rumble. Shane has not been a WWE employee for some time, and was “supposed to be involved in the XFL but then COVID-19 hit” and the league went into bankruptcy. WWE then brought Shane back for another run that began at The Rumble, but the run has already ended.

“Vince had no choice. Shane created chaos, had everyone in an uproar, pissed off everyone in the Rumble, openly buried other producers, and was changing things that Vince wanted. Vince had no other choice but to send him home,” a WWE source said.

The report also noted that Vince is “quietly” using the term “let go” to describe the situation with Shane. While the term “blackballed” has not been used, word from within WWE is that Shane was “pretty much ‘let go.’”

McMahon entered the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match at #28 and was the 28th elimination, tossed out by Lesnar after 5 minutes and 38 seconds in. He picked up just one elimination and that was Kevin Owens. There is no confirmation on what WWE had planned for Shane at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38.

Source: Wrestling Inc,

Brian Kendrick Set For AEW Debut, Will Face Jon Moxley On Dynamite

Weeks after parting ways with WWE, pro-wrestling veteran Brian Kendrick will make his AEW debut on this week’s edition of Dynamite.

The Brian Kendrick is about to perform inside an AEW ring for the very first time! On Tuesday, February 1 — one week after it was reported that Kendrick had requested his WWE release — AEW announced that the veteran wrestler would go one-on-one with former AEW Champion Jon Moxley on the February 2 edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS.

Wednesday’s match will be Kendrick’s first since October 2020 when he teamed up with Mansoor to defeat Ever-Rise (no known as 2point0 in AEW) on 205 Live. As you might recall, Kendrick seemingly announced his retirement back in April 2021 in a video filmed at the Performance Center and posted to WWE’s YouTube channel.

“Initially the idea of producing seemed like a good – not a retirement plan – but the next best thing to wrestling,” Kendrick explained during the clip. “It turns out it’s just as rewarding, in different ways. I love every bit of it. It’s a whole new way of looking at wrestling for me.”

Following the announcement, Kendrick began working at the WWE Performance Center as a coach/producer and occasionally appeared on-screen during NXT. Kendrick was briefly involved in a storyline with Harland (Parker Bordeaux) which was cut short as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak that affected several WWE staff.

Interestingly, Kendrick is a longtime friend and associate of AEW star Bryan Danielson, who has recently been teasing a match with Jon Moxley. Danielson and Kendrick were both students at The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in 1999 and came up in the independent scene together.

On the January 21 edition of AEW Rampage, Danielson sarcastically congratulated Moxley on his victory over Ethan Page. On the January 28 edition of Rampage, Danielson was shown backstage watching Mox’s match with Anthony Bowens. A Danielson vs. Moxley feud seems inevitable at this point … whether Brian Kendrick gets involved or not remains to be seen.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 2/1/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode will air live from the WWE Performance Center with more build for the upcoming Vengeance Day event.

WWE Morale Was Low Backstage After Royal Rumble 

According to a report, WWE morale was low backstage after the Royal Rumble largely because a plethora of changes were made before the event.

The backstage “morale” following Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view was reportedly low.

Before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view commenced, it was reported that Vince McMahon had made several changes to the Royal Rumble matches. As previously noted, Riddle was reportedly initially scheduled to win the men’s Royal Rumble match, but WWE ultimately went with Brock Lesnar.

According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, “the morale with the WWE locker room among talents was down” after the show. This was largely “due to the whirlwind of changes made to the Rumble matches in the days and hours” before the Royal Rumble event started.

It was noted by Johnson that Triple H (Paul Levesque) and producer Tyson Kidd (T.J. Wilson) usually play major roles at the Royal Rumble event. Specifically, Triple H would be used “in an advisory role of sorts”, which includes making adjustments “to accentuate certain talents”. Triple H remains sidelined as he continues to recover from a serious cardiac event back in September that required surgery.

Johnson added that Kidd often plays “a massive leading role in producing the women’s division”, but he wasn’t present for Saturday’s event in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kofi Kingston botched a spot and was eliminated from the men’s Royal Rumble match sooner than planned. It was also reported that Shane McMahon, who returned to WWE programming following a lengthy hiatus, has plenty of backstage heat for largely booking the Royal Rumble around himself.

There was plenty of hype around Saturday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, but in many ways, it did not live up to expectations. For one, why couldn’t Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley just win their respective matches cleanly? Why did Lesnar himself have to win the Royal Rumble when he’s already an established main event star? WWE missed several opportunities to piece together a top quality Royal Rumble event here, and it’s no wonder that so many fans were left greatly disappointed.

Source: TheSportster