MLW Fusion Preview 6/8/19

The Dynasty is on cloud 9 having attacked Teddy Hart and denied the Hart Foundation championship gold last week at Fury Road.

Now, the mouthy MJF looks to outwit and outwrestle 6’6” Davey Boy Smith Jr. as the Bulldog clashes with the obnoxious New Yorker in the main event on this week’s FUSION.

Will the league be able to keep the warring Hart Foundation and Dynasty apart or will all six men collide once again?  One of the craziest feuds of the year heats up going into the summer as Smith battles MJF for the first-time ever in singles action.

What is the state of the World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor following last week’s savage attack? Lawlor will break his silence in the fallout of CONTRA Unit’s campaign of psychological terror.

The queen of ratings is back running MLW’s flagship show the week of June 15th. MLW can confirm Salina de la Renta will oversee FUSIONas the executive producer of the June 15th broadcast with compete autonomy.

What does the Empresaria have in store?  What matches will be made? Will the Puerto Rican powerbroker use this power to destroy her enemies… or make new alliances? The world will get a hint on FUSIONas the Empresaria reveals the line-up for the June 15th broadcast.

CONTRA vows to continue its “demonstration of violence” as the outsiders attempt to disrupt and destroy MLW.

Fresh off of the historic National Openweight Championship finals, the newly minted National Champ himself, Alex Hammerstone, will be in the house.

Myron Reed wants justice following last week’s match against Gringo Loco. What does the Louisville native have to say this week? Tune in to find out.

The first Kings of Colosseum control center will reveal the main event for the July 6 event.

Atlantic City’s Ace Austin looks to get back into title contention as he takes on the masked Minnesotan Air Wolf in middleweight competition.

“The Haitian Sensation” has had a challenging year thus far but a win over the 6’4”  Richard Holliday of the Dynasty would send shockwaves throughout the league… but MLW’s “most marketable” athlete has another idea for the fan favorite scrappy underdog.

Join MLW’s play-by-play broadcaster Rich Bocchini alongside analyst Jim Cornette for a night of top ranked action from the greater Milwaukee area!

MATCHES:

  • MJF vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
  • Kotto Brazil vs. Richard Holliday
  • Air Wolf vs. Ace Austin

Impact Wrestling Preview 6/7/19

Scheduled for tonight’s Impact, airing on Pursuit and Twitch 10 ET/9 C.

* Taya Valkyerie vs. Rosemary w/Su Yung

* Impact Tag Team Championship: (C) LAX vs. The Rascalz

* Fallah Bahh & Scarlett Bordeaux vs. oVe (Jake Crist & Dave Crist

* Sami Callihan & Mad Man Fulton in action

* Kiera Hogan vs. Jordynne Grace

DJZ Undergoes Name Change For NXT Live Event Debut

Say goodbye to DJZ, because the recent WWE signee has a new name.

Z made his NXT live event debut on Thursday using the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He faced-off against Kona Reeves and picked up the victory.

DJZ signed with WWE in late March after leaving Impact in December ’18.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Joaquin Wilde djz dj z new name nxt wwe performance center

Ric Flair Reportedly Dealing With Tax Issues, Hit With Six-Figure Tax Bill Days After Heart Surgery

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was reportedly hit with a $280,000 tax bill just days after undergoing heart surgery last week, according to a new report by The Daily Mail.

The Georgia Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service both reportedly have notices of liens on Flair’s property. However, the five bedroom Atlanta-area house that Flair lives in with his wife Wendy Barlow, is not owned by him. The Daily Mail noted that the home is worth $370,000.

Tax documents show that The Nature Boy owes the federal government $239,871 on his earnings from 2016 – 2018, plus another $38,703 is owed to the state of Georgia.

It was noted that Flair, who is worth an estimated $3 million, will have a few years to settle the debts before any property is seized. Flair previously dealt with tax issues in 1990, 2000 and 2005.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH Issues Follow-Up Statement Regarding Bully Ray – Fan Incident Internal Investigation

Last weekend a fan took to Twitter to write about an incident he experienced at an ROH show. The fan claimed that he was escorted to the back, by what he thought was security, and was confronted by Bully Ray over comments he made, as a fan, towards The Allure.

Ring of Honor issued a statement to Wrestling Inc. on Monday stating that the incident was now the subject of a 48-hour internal investigation.

Wrestling Inc. was sent the following statement from ROH General Manager Greg Gilleland:

ROH FOLLOWUP STATEMENT:

Ring of Honor prides itself on providing a fun and entertaining environment for both our fans and wrestlers to experience professional wrestling at the highest level.

Fans are encouraged to cheer, boo, and chant during the show while wrestlers interact both positively and in rivalry, as that is the engagement that makes the ROH experience what it is. Wrestlers interacting with fans is core to the experience, however, under no circumstance should any of our athletes or staff confront or engage fans outside the bounds of this entertainment experience or outside the bounds of the area that hosts this experience. We hold all of our athletes and staff members to the highest standards and, because of the actions over the weekend, we fell short of meeting those standards.

We are still in the process of investigating this matter as well as reviewing and assessing internal security protocols to ensure a safe environment for all fans and athletes. All of our athletes and staff will also be trained and reminded of our policies and protocols for fan interaction and appropriate behavior in all situations.

To our amazing and wonderful fans, we apologize for the matter that transpired this past weekend as it does not reflect who we are as an organization or how we hope to engage with our fans. ROH fans are known worldwide for their passion, admiration, and appreciation for our athletes, and we share this same admiration and appreciation for our fans. We encourage all of our fans to continue attending our events and supporting our amazing athletes in a respectful manner as they have done in the past, and we promise to continue delivering what the fans deserve – the best wrestling and the best fan experience on the planet.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Full Episode Preview Of John Cena’s Version Of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader From Nickelodeon

John Cena is hosting Nickelodeon’s all new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader! Check out this full episode featuring John and the new class of kids! Does this third grade teacher have what it takes to win the biggest prize in Nickelodeon history?! Maybe with a little bit of cheating! Catch the all new Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader weeknights at 7 on Nick!

WWE Super ShowDown 6/7/19

WWE Super ShowDown takes place on Friday June 7 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – 2:00 PM ET (Preshow at 1:00 PM ET)

The Undertaker vs. Goldberg

WWE Universal Championship: (C) Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin

Triple H vs. Randy Orton

WWE Championship: (C) Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler

Intercontinental Championship: (C) “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Andrade

Shane McMahon vs. Roman Reigns

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

3 on 1 Handicap Match: The Lucha House Party vs. Lars Sullivan

50-Man Battle Royal

(Kickoff) The Usos vs. The Revival

There is speculation of a Alex Bliss vs. Natalya match. Both have made the trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

MLW CEO Court Bauer Reveals Who Recently Received The Biggest Pop In The History Of The Promotion

Major League Wrestling CEO Court Bauer noted on Twitter that Ross and Marshall Von Erich recently received the biggest crowd pop in the history of the promotion.

Ross and Marshall, of the legendary Von Erich Family, made their MLW debuts back on Saturday, June 1 at the Fury Road tapings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They teamed with MLW World Champion Tom Lawlor to face The Contra Unit in six-man action.

Bauer pointed to how the brothers will likely receive another massive reaction when they come out for the MLW War Chamber event on Saturday, September 7 in Dallas, Texas. The Von Erich Family have been legends in Texas for many years.

“Straight up: @RAMVonErich got the biggest pop in the history of @MLW when they came out in Milwaukee. I can only imagine what will go down Sept. 7 in Dallas,” Bauer wrote in response to a fan who wondered how over the brothers will be in Dallas.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1136440639376281601

Ross and Marshall are the sons to WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Von Erich, and the grandsons of the legendary Fritz Von Erich. They were trained by Kevin and WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race. They debuted back in 2012 for Japan’s Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion, and later spent some time in TNA from 2014 – 2015.

The Von Erichs are currently signed to multi-year deals with MLW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dustin Rhodes Talks About His Match With Cody At AEW Double Or Nothing – His Look, Bleeding So Much

From Goldust to Seven to The American Nightmare, Dustin Rhodes has had many different gimmicks and looks over the years. He debuted a new look against his brother Cody at Double or Nothing, and Dustin credits Cody with help inspiring his new costume.

Dustin talked more about his look at Double or Nothing when he joined Talk is Jericho.

“Me and Cody were talking about it and we were like, what do we do? He didn’t want just Dustin. He had his vision of what he wanted and he kind of left it in the ballpark of me and my faith to create something for my face,” said Dustin. “I had asked him what he was looking for? Did he want me in trunks? Did he want me in jeans? Did he want me in my old Dustin Rhodes gear? He said no, he didn’t want the cowboy carney ass bullsh*t he would say. He said that he really wanted me to look the very best that I can.”

Dustin said his look was a combination of previous costumes and new designs. He also said he worked his tail off to get in the best shape he could in order to go sleeveless, but he also said “Cody is the only Rhodes with abs.”

“He said that I was the artist on the paint and all that stuff to come up with something. I did it; I showed him some pictures. He loved it and Tony Khan loved it and that was it.

“I looked at the Darth Maul character [from Star Wars] as well. One of the paint jobs that I did for Goldust was kind of Darth Maul-ish but if I did the Darth Maul like Darth Maul, I just reversed the colors. I reversed the color so that it wouldn’t be a complete rip-off of Darth Maul. I added just a little bit here and there and I think it came off looking really good.”

Dustin donned a crimson mask during the match and left himself, Cody and the ring covered in blood. He was a bit nervous about there being so much blood at first, but in the end all of the blood helped tell the story between he and his brother.

“I know a lot of people were worried. I was worried. You do it and you saw it streaming out and it’s like, oh no, I went a little bit too deep and then 10 minutes go by and you’re like now I’m starting to worry a little bit,” admitted Dustin. “The ring is all red. I can’t see; it’s all in my eyes. I am trying to wipe it out but it just keeps shooting out to my heartbeat. It gets scary, but then after 15 minutes I’m like, I’m going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. You saw the fans’ faces in the front row and in the arena they are just horrified but into it. They can’t take their eyes off of it and it was an incredible man. I was so happy. I was so glad to be a part of that and I hope I did Cody proud.

“To me, I have always been told that red on the head is green in the pocket. I believe that to be true to an extent when it is used sparingly here and there. It was just right in every way that night. It might have been a little bit excessive but it added to the story. It added to the emotions and it just felt incredible and I am still on a huge high from this match. Twitter has never blown up for me like that and all of the social media is going crazy and to tell me that I stole the show from the great Chris Jericho that means a lot to me.”

Source: Talk Is Jericho via Wrestling Inc.

Mickie James Confirms Injury And Surgery

Mickie James has confirmed that she will need to undergo surgery for a torn ACL.

Mickie suffered the apparent knee injury at last Saturday’s WWE live event in Waco, Texas, during a singles loss to Carmella that ended abruptly after James went down. F4Wonline.com now confirms that Mickie was injured during the match. F4Wonline.com then confirmed that Mickie was out of action with the knee injury as the injury was listed on WWE’s internal injury report the next night in College Station, TX, where she was replaced by Zelina Vega. James was checked on by a WWE trainer at ringside on Saturday, but did leave on her own with minor assistance.

In an update, Mickie confirmed on Instagram Live today that she underwent an MRI this week and that’s where it was determined that she suffered an ACL injury.

“I don’t know how long I’m gonna be out. I don’t know when I’m gonna have to get surgery, but it’s gonna be awhile,” Mickie said in the video. (H/T Pro Wrestling Sheet)

There’s no word yet on when Mickie will be back in action, but we will keep you updated.

As seen below, James is still scheduled for appear at the CMA Fest in Nashville this weekend and has added a second appearance for her fans.

Source: Wrestling Inc.