WWE Reportedly Releases Tom Phillips

Longtime WWE announcer Tom Phillips is reportedly no longer with the company.

While not officially announced by WWE as of this writing, Fightful reports that Phillips has been let go. Nick Hausman noted on The Wrestling Inc. Daily on Thursday that there was another major departure expected on the WWE commentary team.

There is no word yet on details surrounding the departure.

Phillips signed with WWE in 2012. He has done work on just about every WWE TV show, including WWE NXT, 205 Live, Main Event, RAW and SmackDown. He has also hosted WWE YouTube and WWE Network shows, and done behind-the-scenes work. Tom was replaced by Adnan Virk as the lead RAW announcer the night after WrestleMania 37. Virk left the company this week after less than two months on the job, and is being replaced by Jimmy Smith.

Tom recently changed his social media handles to show his real name, Tom Hannifan. His bio lists him as a “WWE Broadcaster & Producer.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Star Brian Cage Joins Movie Cast With Horror Icons

AEW star Brian Cage has joined the cast of the “Jasper” horror movie.

Producer Shaun Cairo (Pitchfork) sent word that the FTW Champion will play the role of a character named “Hammer” in the movie.

Written by award-winning writer-director Keith Vaile, “Jasper” tells the story of a young woman (Erin O’Brien) and her friends as they are stalked by a vicious serial killer who disposes of bodies using the hogs on his small southwestern farm.

“Jasper” will also star horror icons Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th franchise, Hatchet), Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes) and Emmy-winner Bill Oberst Jr. (The Chair). You can see the full cast listing on IMDB at this link.

The tagline for the film is, “The Hunt for the World’s Most Vicious Serial Killer has just begun.”

The film was shot in Egg Harbor, NJ and Mays Landing, NJ, according to IMDB.

“Jasper” is scheduled to be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 25, 2022 by Unmanned Media and KHV Films Inc. Cairo, Vaile and Judy Fox will are producers for the movie.

Cage will be in action at Sunday’s AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view as he faces “Hangman” Adam Page in singles action.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Jimmy Smith As Adnan Virk’s Replacement On RAW

WWE has officially announced Jimmy Smith as the new member of the RAW announce team.

Smith will debut as the play-by-play voice of RAW beginning this Monday, May 31. He will call the action every Monday night with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

WWE acknowledged in their announcement issued last night that Smith worked as an analyst for WWE NXT, serving on the “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” pre-show panels, and working on special projects for the black & gold brand, which included the video package for Finn Balor vs. NXT Champion Karrion Kross. WWE also pointed to how Smith is the host of SiriusXM’s Unlocking The Cage, and previously hosted American Ninja Warrior.

As reported earlier, Smith has been working with Michael Cole and other WWE staffers as of late to train for a potential announcing role. Cole has reportedly praised Smith heavily, and found him to be very versatile.

The 43 year old Smith is best known for his run with Bellator MMA from 2010 – 2017. He worked as an analyst with Bellator and UFC. In addition to Unlocking The Cage, Smith also hosts ESPN International’s UFC Fight Camp show. He retired from MMA fighting in 2007, with a 5-1 record, and has also done commentary for pro boxing, and other combat sports leagues.

Smith will be replacing Adnan Virk, who parted ways with WWE on Tuesday after less than two months on the job.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Drops Spoiler On Future Of TNT Title, Talks AEW Moving To TBS

AEW star and EVP Cody Rhodes has confirmed that the TNT Championship will not be renamed when AEW programming moves to TBS in 2022.

In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Rhodes said he’s “99 percent sure” that “the second most important title in wrestling” will not be altered with next year.

“I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but I mean, I’ll drop a spoiler,” Rhodes said. “I don’t think we’re going to change the title’s name one bit. TNT is the place that the first alternative challenger brand in two decades appeared on. Their excitement, our partners at WarnerMedia, and the TNT title, as I’ve stated, I think it is, if not the most important title in wrestling, the second most important title in wrestling.

“I don’t see us changing that name, and I think that’s kind of across the board. I don’t think you’ll find anybody in management or Tony himself who wants to change that name. We’ll always roll with the punches and we’ll always pivot, but I’m 99 percent sure the TNT title stays the TNT title.”

Rhodes went onto explain why upcoming show AEW Rampage will provide a platform to wrestlers who don’t regularly appear on AEW Dynamite.

“I think having Rampage will help considerably,” said Rhodes. “That way we can share the wealth. However, Dynamite’s a very hard show to get on. The best wrestlers in the world are on Dynamite. We have a very full locker room, and on the way to the ring, you walk by a lot of people who are on the bench that week.

“I think you’ll see a lot of that bench get unloaded for Rampage, and that’s very, very exciting. And the two shows will have their own identities surrounding the AEW championships that kind of tether us all together. But other than the logo for Rampage, the details are all still forthcoming, other than I think it will be really great for our locker room.”

Rampage will premiere Friday, August 13, on TNT. The one-hour show will also move to TBS in Jan. 2022 along with Dynamite. When asked how he reacted to the big announcement, Rhodes heaped praise on AEW President Tony Khan.

“Tony [Khan] was able to facilitate the best possible deal for All Elite Wrestling, and that means more money for the content, and then more importantly, the term that Brett [Weitz] at WarnerMedia used is the best term, it truly is an expansion. We’re just expanding our brand on to TBS, that being Rampage, coming over to TBS, Dynamite itself, four specials [on TNT], a la Clash of the Champions, our Saturday Night’s Main Event.

“So for me, I was excited. I’m always kind of the eternal … I’m very reserved in what I think, and so we put it out there on the medium, but it would be remiss if I didn’t think of the fact that TBS has been a part of my life since I was a little kid.”

Rhodes, a big fan of the show American Dad!, also floated the idea of AEW doing a little cross-promotion with the TBS show.

Rhodes will use his father’s “American Dream” moniker in his match against Anthony Ogogo this Sunday at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Adnan Virk And WWE Part Ways

WWE announced that they have mutually parted ways with Adnan Virk. Below is WWE’s statement:

“WWE and Adnan Virk have mutually agreed to part ways. WWE thanks Adnan for his work.”

Virk replaced Tom Phillips as the lead RAW announcer last month, making his debut on the post-WrestleMania 37 edition of RAW. That change also saw Graves replace Samoa Joe, who has since been released. There is no word on what WWE has planned for the red brand announce team moving forward, but we should have an idea soon.

Adnan Virk took to Twitter and thanked WWE for the chance to work with the company.

There’s no official word yet on who will replace Adnan Virk as the new WWE RAW lead announcer on Monday, but there is speculation on at least one name who has been on WWE TV as of late.

It’s been reported by PWInsider that if WWE officials have made a decision on Virk’s replacement for Monday’s RAW, it’s being kept very close to the vest so far. There’s a lot of speculation on former UFC and American Ninja Warrior announcer Jimmy Smith joining the red brand announce team as he has been putting in a lot of work to prepare for future WWE broadcast assignments as of late. Smith has done some WWE NXT work over the last several weeks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/25/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be headlined by Finn Balor challenging NXT Champion Karrion Kross with the title on the line.

WWE RAW Preview 5/24/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW on the USA Network will feature more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

* Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler get their second rematch from WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka

* Riddle vs. Xavier Woods

* WWE Champion Bobby Lashley will address last week’s actions by Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre

John Cena Possibly Returning To WWE Soon

John Cena may be returning to WWE soon.

There were unconfirmed rumors going around on Friday that said Cena’s WWE return was set to coincide with WWE’s return to the road in July, beginning with Money In the Bank Weekend.

In an update, it was reported by F4Wonline.com that Cena’s return is still being discussed for the first show back with fans in the crowd, which would be the July 16 edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX, airing live from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.

As noted, WWE announced on Friday that they will return to the road with a 25-city tour that begins with that SmackDown in Houston. It will continue with the Money In the Bank pay-per-view on Sunday, July 18 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, and a live RAW on July 19 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tickets for those three shows go on sale this Wednesday, and WWE will be announcing the rest of the dates in the coming weeks. The 25-city schedule will run through Labor Day, which is Monday, September 6.

Cena has not been on WWE TV since losing to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in the Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 37 in 2020. It was recently announced that Cena will executive produce and narrate a new WWE Evil series for Peacock and the WWE Network.

Cena, who continues to focus on his acting career, recently spoke with Den of Geek and admitted that he really wants to get back to WWE, and he wants fans to return to the crowd.

“I really, really want to get back to WWE,” he said. “I really want audiences to get back to WWE. Heck I’m with everybody I think around the world saying I just want the world to get back to normal, but these are interesting times and I have a lot of interesting opportunities at my feet, and I really do appreciate the WWE universe understanding that after so many years of…”

You can click here for that full interview with Cena.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dana Warrior Labels Dark Side Of The Ring’s Upcoming Ultimate Warrior Episode ‘Smut And Filth’

Ultimate Warrior’s widow Dana Warrior has labeled Dark Side of the Ring’s take on her late husband’s life “smut and filth”.

Dana Warrior has revealed she had no part in Dark Side of the Ring’s upcoming episode covering the life of The Ultimate Warrior.

Today is basically Ultimate Warrior week in wrestling. A&E’s documentary on the WWE Hall of Famer aired on Sunday night, and Dark Side of the Ring’s take on that exact same subject will air later this week. Odds are despite the subject matter being the same, the two tellings of Warrior’s life will be very different.

In fact, Dana Warrior, Ultimate Warrior’s widow, has all but confirmed that via a reply to a fan on Instagram. Dana posted a photo of Warrior with one of his daughters to mark the airing of A&E’s doc on Sunday night. A fan asked Dana if she knows about Dark Side’s doc coming this Thursday and asked if she had any part of it.

That’s going to be a no from Dana. “I had no part in this project,” Dana replied. “Smut and filth does not rise to my note.” Interestingly, while that obviously means Dana will not be featured in Dark Side’s Warrior episode later this week, it implies that she has already seen it. While A&E’s documentary touched upon controversial comments made by Warrior, it seems Dark Side’s episode will be diving a lot deeper.

Warrior’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and shocking death days later has resulted in some of the things he said very publicly years before being seemingly forgotten by some. Rather fittingly, the best place to find a recap of a few of the terrible things Warrior said can be found on Vice’s website. It seems as if those remarks and speeches will be covered in detail on Vice’s TV channel when Warrior’s Dark Side episode airs this Thursday.

This season of Dark Side of the Ring is three episodes old and has been largely celebrated so far. Season three kicked off with a two-hour special on Brian Pillman, followed up with an in-depth look at Nick Gage, and covered WCW and New Japan’s Collision in Korea last week. Ultimate Warrior is arguably the biggest topic covered so far this season and is already proving to be the most controversial.

Source: The Sportster

Davey Richards Signs With MLW

Pro wrestling veteran Davey Richards has signed with MLW

It was revealed in last night’s MLW Open Draft launch that Richards has signed with the company for the upcoming season. He will make his MLW debut on Saturday, July 10 in Philadelphia, PA.

“Davey isn’t just a world class workhorse, he’s a beast, one that’s going to instantly change the dimension of the in-ring product in MLW,” said MLW CEO & Founder Court Bauer in a press release issued to us today. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Davey, he’s been one of my favorites to watch for over a decade and I’m happy to welcome him to our newly expanded roster.”

Richards, who announced back in April that he would be taking bookings for July, tweeted after the Draft announcement and noted that he has multiple offers when he announced his return.

He wrote, “Humbled that so many offers came in when I announced my return. @MLW houses the best in professional wrestling and I am Exctied to test myself against them. Let the hunt begin…….”

Others drafted in Round 1 of the MLW Open Draft last night were Gino Medina, King Muertes, Ross Von Erich, and Marshall Von Erich.

Richards is a former ROH World Champion, three-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, five-time TNA Tag Team Champion, former PWG World Champion, a three-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, and a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He has been wrestling since 2004, but retired in 2020 due to knee injuries he suffered throughout his career. He previously took time off from pro wrestling to become a doctor.

The 2021 MLW Open Draft will continue next Thursday at 7pm ET via YouTube as Alicia Atout hosts Round 2. Below is video of Round 1 from last night:

Source: Wrestling Inc.