Impact Wrestling Preview 7/29/21, Jay White Makes In-ring Debut

With Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming just around the corner this Saturday, anything can happen before this exclusive event.

Tonight, on the go-home show leading into Homecoming, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s top star Jay White will make his in-ring debut. White and Chris Bey will take on the Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) in a non-title tag team match.

Following his unexpected appearance at Slammiversary, White is here in Impact not only to chase David Finlay before their title clashing at NJPW Resurgence for the NEVER Openweight Championship but to also take care of some unfinished business with The Elite.

Last week, White called out The Elite, which led to a brutal beatdown. Chris Bey, who earlier in the show declined White’s offer to join the Bullet Club, came to White’s rescue. Could Bey be changing his mind and possibly joining one of the most influential factions in pro wrestling history?

Also, on tonight’s card, tempers will flare once more as Moose and Chris Sabin add a sequel to their already explosive rivalry in the main event.

The last time these two brutes met in the ring was at Slammiversary, where Sabin created a major upset and picked up a victory over Moose. Can Moose redeem himself tonight, or will Sabin sustain his undefeated streak against Moose?

Below is the official card for tonight’s show:

* Homecoming go-home show

* Slammiversary Rematch/Main Event: Moose vs. Chris Sabin

* Jay White & Chris Bey vs. The Good Brothers

* Violent By Design ( Deaner & Rhino) vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack

* Eight-Man Tag Action: FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay), Fallah Bahh & No Way vs. Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju & Shera

* Kaleb (With A ‘K’) vs. Taylor Wilde

* Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin will kick things off on Before The Impact at 7 PM ET!

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Nevada’s Mask Mandate Could Disrupt WWE’s SummerSlam Plans

In the wake of the CDC’s updated mask guidelines, the state of Nevada reinstated its mask mandate, which could impact WWE SummerSlam in Las Vegas.

Within hours of the CDC’s recent recommendation that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in public to curb the spread of Covid-19 and its variants, the state of Nevada reinstalled a statewide mask mandate that could have serious repercussions for WWE’s upcoming SummerSlam event.

Starting on Friday, July 30, Nevada will require face coverings to be worn indoors in public in counties with “substantial or high transmission.” At the time of writing, 12 of Nevada’s 17 counties meet that criteria, including Clark County, the home of the state’s most populous metropolitan area, Las Vegas.

On August 21, the Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise will play host to WWE’s 34th annual SummerSlam pay-per-view event. Despite being a large stadium designed to predominantly host NFL games, the newly-built Allegiant Stadium is classified as an indoor stadium due to its domed roof. If not lifted between now and August 21, which seems unlikely, Nevada’s mask mandate is going to give WWE brass a big headache.

It’s possible that the state will issue special exemptions to the mandate for entertainers. If this happens, WWE talent could be exempt from having to wear face coverings while in the arena which would make the whole situation a lot easier to manage.

It’s unlikely that fans in attendance will be exempt from the mandate, however. So if you’re going to SummerSlam this year, make sure you bring a mask with you.

https://twitter.com/GovSisolak/status/1420171868762382341

SummerSlam will be WWE’s first major pay-per-view to take place in front of a capacity crowd since 2019’s Royal Rumble. It will be the second WWE pay-per-view on WWE’s 25-city tour, which will run from July 16 to Labor Day. The first one, Money in the Bank, took place on July 18 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Last year’s SummerSlam event was held at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It was the first WWE pay-per-view to emanate from the WWE ThunderDome.

Source: The Sportster

AEW Seemingly Teases CM Punk After United Center Announcement

On tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen, Tony Schiavone announced AEW is headed to the United Center in Chicago on August 20 for AEW Rampage: First Dance. Tickets go on sale this Monday, August 2. The announcement led to loud “CM Punk” chants from the crowd.

AEW filed to trademark “The First Dance”, which is a play on The Last Dance documentary on Michael Jordan and the famous 1990’s Chicago Bulls. Punk also took to Instagram to post the song “Sirius” by the Alan Parsons Project, which was the entrance song for the 90’s Bulls, leading to speculation that “The First Dance” trademark is related to him.

AEW is also holding three shows in Chicago in September: September 1 for Dynamite, September 3 for Rampage, and September 5 for All Out. All three events are at the NOW Arena.

Right after that announcement, Darby Allin was interviewed and said he’s been around lot of people who say they are the greatest ever in wrestling. The only place to prove that is AEW, “even if you think you’re the best in the world.” Obviously, a reference to CM Punk’s catchphrase. As noted, Punk has been rumored to be heading to AEW.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1420550389414436864
https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1420550798371549185

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Hiroshi Tanahashi Issues Challenge For IWGP US Title On Dynamite

NJPW star Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared via video on tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen.

Tanahashi said he’s won many championships in his career, but the IWGP US Championship has thus eluded him.

Tanahashi said the winner of the match between the current champion, Lance Archer, and NJPW star Hikuleo will face him next. A date has yet to be announced, however the match will take place in Japan. Archer won the title last week in a Texas Deathmatch against Jon Moxley.

Archer won last night’s match and commentary noted he’ll travel to NJPW so Tanahashi can challenge for the title. No word on when that will happen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WCW Star Juventud Guerrera Revealed As Chris Jericho’s Next Labour Opponent

On next week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, Chris Jericho will face his former WCW colleague Juventud Guerrera for the first time in 22 years.

Lucha Libre legend Juventud Guerrera will appear on TNT for the first time in 20 years and make his All Elite Wrestling debut when he goes one-on-one with his former WCW colleague Chris Jericho on next week’s episode of Dynamite.

Guerrera’s imminent arrival was announced by MJF following the main event of this week’s Fight For The Fallen edition of AEW’s flagship show.

Chris Jericho had just defeated Nick Gage in the second of five matches that he must win in order to be granted a grudge match against his bitter enemy/former protege, MJF. In what is being referred to as “The Labours Of Jericho,” MJF chooses all of Jericho’s opponents and decides the stipulation of each match. Last week, Jericho defeated “The Chairman” Shawn Spears in a match in which Spears could legally use a steel chair, but Jericho could not.

At the end of this week’s Dynamite, Jericho was sat in the ring drenched his own blood having just won a deathmatch against a man who specializes in them. After the bell, an irate MJF, who had been on commentary throughout the match, leaped from his seat, grabbed a microphone, and revealed next week’s stipulation: to win the match, Jericho must hit his final move off of the top rope.

MJF then reminded Jericho of a moment the two men shared while exchanging insults during a 2019 edition of Dynamite. During that encounter, Jericho implied that MJF was conceived after his parents watched Jericho beat up Juventud Guerrera on WCW Nitro. Guerrera was then announced as Jericho’s opponent next week.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1420565611378323459

Juventud Guerrera (real name, Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández) began his wrestling career in 1992 in his native Mexico. Guererra made his WCW debut on August 26, 1996 edition of Monday Nitro, and became the promotion’s Cruiserweight Champion soon after.

Chris Jericho last wrestled Juventud Guerrera shared a ring together 28 times during their time in WCW. They last faced each other on the February 18, 1999, edition of WCW Thunder.

Juventud Guerrera Talks Losing His Mask, Wrestling With Chris Jericho

Source: The Sportster

AEW Dynamite ‘Fight For The Fallen’ Preview 7/28/21

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite Fight For The Fallen episode airs on TNT from the Bojangles Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

* The Elite vs. Hangman Page and Dark Order (10 Man Elimination Tag)

* The Painmaker Chris Jericho vs. Nick Gage (The 5 Labours of Jericho: Chapter 2, No Rules Match)

* Lance Archer (c) with Jake The Snake Roberts vs. Hikuleo (IWGP US Title)

* Santana and Ortiz with Konnan vs. FTR with Tully Blanchard

* Christian Cage, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. H.F.O with Matt Hardy

WWE NXT Preview 7/27/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air on the Syfy network at 8pm ET due to coverage of The Olympics on the USA Network.

WWE Queen Of The Ring Tournament And WWE Draft Update

WWE’s first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament is reportedly scheduled to air over RAW and SmackDown in October.

It was reported last week that WWE had plans for the all-women’s tournament to be held this year. The tentative plan was for the event to air on Peacock and the WWE Network, but a new report indicates that the event will air over WWE’s flagship TV shows.

It was reported today by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast that the Queen of the Ring tournament is currently scheduled to begin on the October 8 SmackDown, and then continue on the October 11 RAW episode.

These dates mean the tournament would begin right after the WWE Draft, which is reportedly scheduled for either the October 1 SmackDown and the October 4 RAW, or the October 4 RAW and the October 8 SmackDown. The October 4 RAW is also scheduled to be the RAW season 30 premiere. It’s likely that the Draft will take place on October 1 and October 4, if the tournament is beginning on October 8.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Natalya Apparently Injured On RAW

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya apparently suffered a leg injury during last night’s RAW.

RAW featured a non-title match with Natalya and Tamina facing Eva Marie and Doudrop, who were competing to earn a future title shot. Natalya was wrestling Doudrop at one point, going at it and tangling with each other, when Natalya appeared to suffer a right leg injury on a roll-over, or possibly one of the stomps from Doudrop.

Natalya tagged out and had trouble putting weight on her right leg. The referee then apparently called an audible as Tamina took over, and after a distraction by Lilly on the big screen, superkicked Eva for the pin to win.

After the match, a ringside medic immediately helped Natalya to the back. Tamina joined the medic in helping Natalya, who was still unable to put weight on her right leg.

https://twitter.com/EthanCramer/status/1419832102292533249

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces “The United States Of America Vs. Vince McMahon” Series

WWE and Blumhouse Television are partnering for “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”

WWE and Blumhouse announced today that “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon” will be a limited scripted series that focuses on the WWE steroid trial of the 1990s.

The series is being developed for TV, and will feature the first-ever scripted portrayal of the WWE Chairman & CEO. The first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE history will also feature portrayals of legendary WWE Superstars from that era.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE’s longtime Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution, in a press release issued to us today.

McMahon, Dunn, Blumhouse owner Jason Blum, Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said McCumber. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

There’s no word yet on the network or premiere date, or the cast, but we will keep you updated when more information becomes available.

Below is the full press release issued today:

WWE ® AND BLUMHOUSE PARTNER TO DEVELOP ‘THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS. VINCE MCMAHON’

LOS ANGELES and STAMFORD, Conn., July 26, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Blumhouse Television are partnering to develop a limited scripted series called, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon. Jason Blum’s company, Blumhouse, will develop the series for television, led by Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber. The series, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon, will be the first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE’s history. Additionally, it is also the first scripted portrayal of McMahon as well as many of the legendary Superstars of that era.

The show will delve into WWE during the 1990s, at the time Rupert Murdoch had purchased the New York Post to further his massive infiltration into the U.S. media landscape. For years, infamous Post writer Phil Mushnick regularly hammered WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon in his column. Headlines like “Legislators Give WWE A Free Pass On ‘Roids” and “McMahon Skips Through the Cemetery” eventually captured the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York – the nation’s most prestigious federal prosecutor’s office with a conviction rate of over 96 percent.

In 1994, the U.S. government indicted McMahon for allegedly supplying anabolic steroids to WWE talent. McMahon, with his liberty at stake, two school-aged children at home and with WWE on the brink of bankruptcy, refused to take a plea deal. Ultimately, McMahon stood trial and was acquitted unanimously by a jury of his peers and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar global sports entertainment empire.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said Chris McCumber, Blumhouse Television President. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

McMahon, Dunn, Blum, McCumber and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

The Blumhouse Television team, led by McCumber, have made several significant development announcements in the last few weeks, including: the straight-to-series pick-up of The Thing About Pam, starring Renee Zellweger in her broadcast TV debut for NBC; Blumhouse Ghost Story, the scripted series based on The Battersea Poltergeist BBC podcast, and the companion unscripted series; the continuing series based on Patricia Cornwell’s world’s best-selling “Kay Scarpetta” novels for a major; and the exclusive multi-year partnership with ITV America for provocative, disruptive and terrifying content to every corner of the non-fiction space, including Escape the Maze (wt) the first project derived from the partnership; among several other announcements.

Source: Wrestling Inc.