Sabu Retiring From In-Ring Competition?

ECW Original Sabu says he has likely wrestled his last match.

The former ECW Champion recently spoke with the Wrestling Shoot Interviews YouTube channel and said he’s not doing very good these days. Sabu noted how he wrestled a few weeks back, but probably should’ve passed on that booking.

“I’m not doing real good,” he said. “I hurt my back about a year ago and it’s still been hurting. I wrestled a couple of weeks ago but I shouldn’t have. I’ve only wrestled like twice in the last year [and] I only went to the gym a couple of times the last year ’cause I hurt my back. I’m probably not gonna wrestle no more… I’m probably just gonna do autograph signings and personal appearance-type stuff.”

When asked if there is any wrestler who would inspire him to get back into the ring for one more match, Sabu named Brock Lesnar.

“I’d definitely get back in the ring for Brock Lesnar, I’d love to wrestle him,” Sabu said. “Especially if it was my final match, I’d love to wrestle him… He’s the best, he’s a shooter, he;s a good worker, he’s my kind of opponent. I like big guys, I like wrestling big guys. I don’t like wrestling guys like me because it’s not that interesting. It’s more interesting wrestling a guy like me against a guy like Brock Lesnar.”

Sabu has dealt with multiple health issues in the past few years and has wrestled a brutal style since debuting back in 1984. It will be interesting to see if he really is done with in-ring action, or if he will follow in the footsteps of WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk, who has retired several times over the years.

Sabu has had runs with ECW, WWE, FMW, WCW, NJPW, AJPW, Big Japan, TNA/Impact Wrestling, XPW, and numerous indie promotions, among others. He is a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, a one-time ECW World Television Champion, a three-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, and has held titles with many other promotions.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NJPW Power Struggle 11/6/2021

DATE: November 6, 2021 4:00 am
LOCATION: Osaka Prefectural Gym, Osaka, Japan
AVAILABLE ON:NJPW World

CARD

IWGP WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

RIGHTS TO TOKYO DOME CONTRACT
Kazuchika Okada (holder) vs. Tama Tonga

IWGP US CHAMPIONSHIP
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. KENTA

IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Robbie Eagles (c) vs. El Desperado

PROVISIONAL KOPW 2021 (AMATEUR WRESTLING MATCH)
Toru Yano (c) vs. Great-O-Khan

NEVER OPENWEIGHT 6-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto (c) vs. SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, and EVIL

Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Yuji Nagata vs. BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, and SANADA

Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Gedo, and Tanga Loa

Kosei Fujita and Ryohei Oiwa vs. DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Nia Jax Among Four WWE Stars Released Reportedly Because They Were Unvaccinated

Nia Jax was reportedly released by WWE because she’d refused to be vaccinated. She might not have been the only one.

According to a report following the numerous talent releases by WWE on Thursday, some of the cuts were not made for budgetary reasons. Instead, as many as four different WWE Superstars, including Nia Jax, were released because they were unvaccinated.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast is reporting that possibly four wrestlers were released by WWE because they were not vaccinated. This comes following a report by the New York Post: “A source with knowledge of WWE’s operations told The Post that one of the reasons Nia Jax, a former WWE Raw Women’s Champion, was released is that she is unvaccinated.” The names of the other three superstars have not been released and at this point, any mention of stars beyond Jax would be pure speculation.

If Jax was refusing to get vaccinated, it may explain why she was off of WWE programming. She was written out of storylines after being attacked by Shayna Baszler in September. She’s not returned since. At the time, WWE wrote, “Nia Jax suffered an elbow posterior fracture and dislocation to her left elbow which will require surgery, and she will be out for an undisclosed amount of time.” The assumption was that this was storyline related and she’d pick up her feud with Baszler at a later date. Her release on Thursday obviously means that won’t be happening.

If the New York Post report is accurate and if Zarian’s follow-up that as many as four wrestlers were let go for this reason is true, one has to wonder if and when others will be released for the same reason. WWE is likely looking to limit potential outbreaks among the roster and this could be a policy that was not made public. If so, will this change the opinions of some who were not being vaccinated but will now have to be to save their jobs?

Source: TheSportster

WWE Announces $256 Million Revenue As It Blames Releases On Budget Cuts

The financial call took place right before news of Thursday’s releases started to filter through.

WWE announced it generated almost $256 million in revenue in one quarter on the same day it released multiple Superstars due to budget cuts.

The phrase too big to fail is often thrown around in the business world. Some fans might say WWE now falls into that bracket. It is a massive and well-oiled machine that has turned Vince McMahon from a millionaire into a billionaire. During the last quarter alone WWE generated $256 million, as was revealed during the company’s latest financial report.

The report was published on Thursday of this week and then dissected by a number of WWE higher-ups during a quarterly financial call. The $255.8 million of revenue is $34.2 million more than the promotion generated during the same three-month period in 2020.

Since that period took place during lockdown last year, WWE has attributed the uptick in revenue to ticket sales, for the most part. Fans were allowed to return to buildings, and WWE returned to touring, in late July, meaning almost the entire quarter included ticket sales for the first time since spring of 2020.

What won’t sit well with fans is the timing of this reveal. The financial call took place directly before news of WWE’s latest batch of releases started to filter through on social media. That likely means the talent being let go was called and informed they were losing their jobs while the financial call was in process. It has also been reported that those released were given little more than “budget cuts” as the reason for being shown the door.

The wrestling world is still trying to digest who WWE released on Thursday and figure out where the company went so wrong with some of the soon-to-be free agents. Karrion Kross and Keith Lee are at the top of the list when it comes to head-scratchers. Scarlett falls into that bracket too, as does Hit Row’s B-Fab who was only called up with the rest of the former NXT faction during last month’s draft.

Source: TheSportster

Karrion Kross, Keith Lee, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Franky Monet, Eva Marie And More Released By WWE

WWE has reportedly released multiple members of its roster including Keith Lee, Ember Moon, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, Oney Lorcan, Franky Monet, Mia Yim, and Hit Row’s B-Fab, who was recently called up to the main roster.

Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the current list of released Superstars is as follows:

  • Keith Lee
  • Mia Yim
  • Nia Jax
  • Karrion Kross
  • Scarlet Bordeaux
  • Oney Lorcan
  • Ember Moon
  • Franky Monet
  • B-Fab
  • Jessi Kamea
  • Gran Metalik
  • Lince Dorado
  • Trey Baxter
  • Zayder Ramier
  • Jeet Rama
  • Katrina Cortez
  • Eva Marie
  • Harry Smith
https://twitter.com/_denisesalcedo/status/1456416341590642720

This week’s releases bring WWE’s total to 71 for the year.

Impact Wrestling Preview 11/4/21

The road to Turning Point continues on an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!

* Josh Alexander, Eddie Edwards and Matt Cardona vs. Moose, W. Morrissey and NJPW legend Minoru Suzuki

* Knockouts Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Madison Rayne

* Madman Fulton w/Ace Austin vs. Chris Sabin

* Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Fin Juice

* X-Division #1 Contenders Match: Rohit Raju vs. Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid vs. Black Taurus 

* Brian Myers, VSK and Zicky Dice vs. Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Same Beale – Before the IMPACT, this Thursday at 7/6c on AXS TV.

WWE Office Departure Reportedly Shocks Many Within The Company

There were reportedly multiple WWE office departures this week.

Long-time WWE Senior Vice President of Creative Services Stan Stanski was reportedly released on Wednesday, according to PWInsider. Stanski had been with the company for almost 15 years.

Stanski joined WWE back in 2006 as the Vice President of Creative Services, and was promoted in March 2012 to the SVP role.

Stanski’s departure shocked many within the company on Wednesday. One person described the departure as “the ultimate proof no one is safe” and “yet another reminder this isn’t the same company it was a year ago.”

It’s expected that more departures will be confirmed soon, but Stanski was the most high-profile exit from the company on Wednesday.

The Rock Announces Seven Bucks Productions Change: “We Won’t Use Real Guns At All”

The recent tragedy involving Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust has rocked the entertainment world and sparked major conversations for change within the movie industry. The Rock has been part of those and has come out to make his stance about guns on film sets very clear.

The Rock recently spoke with Variety where he announced that from now on Seven Bucks Productions will no longer use real guns on set. Whether it is filming a movie or a television show, making it clear that it doesn’t matter what it costs.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you, without an absence of clarity here, that any movie that we have moving forward with Seven Bucks Productions — any movie, any television show, or anything we do or produce — we won’t use real guns at all,” Johnson said.

“We’re going to switch over to rubber guns, and we’re going to take care of it in post. We’re not going to worry about the dollars; we won’t worry about what it costs.”

Dwayne Johson revealed that just hours after the sad news of Hutchins’ passing he got onto the phone and began discussing how things can change. Reaffirming that the rule will be no real guns, no matter what studio they work with.

“I love the movie business,” Johnson said. “There are safety protocols and measures that we have always taken in the movie business and we take very seriously, and these sets are safe sets, and we’re proud of that. But accidents do happen. And when something like this happens of this magnitude, [that is] this heartbreaking, I think the most prudent thing and the smartest thing to do is just pause for a second and really re-examine how you’re going to move forward and how we’re going to work together.”

“Any movie we do that Seven Bucks does with any studio, the rule is we’re not going to use real guns. That’s it.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Superstar Kalisto Debuts For AEW Under New Name

The former WWE Superstar attempted to win the AAA Titles alongside Aero Star.

Kalisto teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star on Dynamite this week in what was the luchador’s first match since being released by WWE.

WWE has released more than 50 wrestlers and employees so far in 2021, and some of them have since shown up in AEW. Malakai Black, Ruby Soho, and Andrade all make that list, as does Tony Nese who reportedly signed with the promotion last month. On Wednesday, that list got a little longer as Kalisto wrestled in a tag match on Dynamite.

Kalisto, who is now going by Samuray Del Sol, teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star to take on FTR. The debuting pair was actually competing for FTR’s AAA Tag Team Titles. Dax Harwood and Dash Wilder beat the Lucha Bros for the Mexican promotion’s championships last month.

Despite Del Sol and Aeors Star’s best efforts, the Tag Team Titles will not be heading home to AAA. Wheeler rolled up Aero Star for the win, using the ropes as leverage. The pair will try to add more tag team gold to their resume at Full Gear where they will face Penta and Rey Fenix for the AEW Tag Team Championships, a full year after they lost the titles to The Young Bucks.

This is the first match Kalisto has wrestled outside of WWE since he was released back in April of this year. The luchador actually enjoyed a lot of success in WWE, winning the US Title on two separate occasions. It remains unclear what’s next for him in terms of his wrestling career. He doesn’t seem to have signed a permanent deal with AEW. His pairing with Aero Star could mean he has or will sign with AAA in the future.

A Twitter exchange between Del Sol and Chris Jericho might suggest the former doesn’t have a future in AEW. The former tweeted that he prayed to Brodie Lee before his match, misspelling Jon, Brodie’s real name. Jericho quote tweeted Del Sol, telling him he spelled Jon’s name wrong. While not confirmed, fans have speculated there’s more to the exchange than Del Sol misspelling a name.

Source: TheSportster

CM Punk Shouts Out Jon Moxley During Emotional Promo On Dynamite

An emotional tribute from Punk on Dynamite delivered in tandem with an important message.

CM Punk kicked off his promo on Dynamite this week by discussing how much he admires and respects Jon Moxley.

Tony Khan revealed earlier this week that Jon Moxley has entered himself into an alcohol treatment program. Moxley naturally has the full support of AEW, and well wishes for the former World Champion have been pouring in ever since. That includes a heartfelt message from CM Punk live on Dynamite last night.

Punk kicked off his promo by saying he wanted to talk about two people who weren’t in the building for Dynamite last night. The first of those people was Moxley. Punk got the fans chanting his name and admitted he’d be happy for them to keep chanting Moxley throughout the duration of his segment.

The Second City Saint then moved on and said that despite his and Moxley’s differences, he is very proud of his AEW peer right now. Punk speaks about times in his own life when he needed help but he didn’t ask for it because he thought he needed to show the world he is tougher than that. You can watch all but the very beginning of the promo in the clip below.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1456056299683209216

Punk closes the first half of his promo by telling fans that if they need help, talk to someone. Whether it be a phone call or a text, they don’t need to tough it out. Punk and Moxley are evidence of that. Renee Paquette, Moxley’s wife formerly known as Renee Young when under WWE’s employ, has also reached out since the news broke and thanked everyone for their messages over the past 24 hours.

Moxley will obviously be out of action for an indefinite amount of time, and we wish him all the best in his recovery. On the wrestling side of things, the former AEW Champion was replaced by Miro on Dynamite last night in the World Title Eliminator Tournament. Miro beat Orange Cassidy in the semi-final match and will face Bryan Danielson in the final at Full Gear.

Source: TheSportster