Ric Flair Shares Video Update, Says It’s Once Again A Miracle He’s Alive, Addresses Comments Shawn Michaels Made On ESPN 30 For 30

“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair has updated his fans saying he’s better than ever in a new video, but states it’s once again a miracle he’s alive.

Flair posted a video on YouTube titled “Back in Action: Part One” in which he begins by thanking everyone for their support. He then explains that he had tubes down his throat for four days so his voice is sore.

Ric continued, “First of all, thank you … to my beautiful family, to all my friends, to all the doctors, nurses, everybody that brought me back again. It’s a miracle again!”

The 70-year-old then claimed his recent trip to the hospital was a 1.8 million dollar tuneup and added, “thank God for insurance!”

“But it’s ok, because I lived,” Flair exclaimed. “And I’m living here to tell you that the kiss-stealing, wheeling and dealing, limousine riding, jet-flying, son of a gun is not gonna change, slow down, I’m gonna move forward. I got autographs to sign. Commercials to make. Pictures to take. Friends to have a cold beer with. And I mean two cold beers if it’s Stone Cold. Do you understand that?!”

As you may recall, Ric Flair said he was attempting to quit alcohol in ’17 after his first medical scare.

Flair angrily explains at two different points that he knows who wasn’t there for him during his recent trip to the hospital and he plans to address this in a second video.

The WWE Hall of Famer also talks negatively about Richard Fliehr, his real name, but notes that Ric Flair became “The Man.”

“I’m never gonna get old,” Flair yelled after explaining his pop culture influence. “I don’t care how many doctors tell me ‘you’ve got to learn to grow up’ … I’m not gonna act like my age. DON’T EVER TELL ME THAT! I’m paying you to make me better so that I can be me! That’s me. And that’s all I’m ever gonna be.”

 

He also said one person wasn’t there for him recently and he planned to address this in a follow-up video.

ESPN’s 30 for 30 on Ric Flair featured many legends talking about his life, but “The Nature Boy” has a bone to pick with something Shawn Michaels specifically said.

In the second video posted early Friday morning, Flair begins by saying that while in a coma for 12 days he actually spoke with God and begged for his mercy.

Ric goes on to thank Jim Ross for comments he made in the 30 for 30 special … but his feelings towards comments made by HBK are very different.

“Shawn Michaels, I’m sorry but you’re not in a position to judge me,” he sternly stated. “I’ll never know who Richard Fliehr is? Really?” He then explains how he does know himself.

For those who don’t recall, Shawn Michaels gave his take on Flair in the ESPN special and said “Ric doesn’t love Richard Fliehr.” Adding, “I don’t know that he’s ever taken the time to get to know him [Richard Fliehr] or to find out who in the world he is.”

“C’mon man, let’s get serious,” Ric continued in the video. “You’ve opened the door so I’m giving it back to ya. Who are you to judge me?! I mean are you kidding me?! You IDOLIZED me and then all of a sudden contempt. For what?! For what you grew up loving? What inspired you to be who you are. I don’t think so, man!”

The 70-year-old then re-iterated that he doesn’t plan to get old and loves being young. “You can’t stop me now, baby … I got my wheels on the ground,” he added before signing off.

Flair’s famous WWE retirement match in 2008 was against Shawn Michaels.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Stephanie McMahon Addresses Brock Lesnar And Paul Heyman RAW Behavior, Says Action Will Be Taken

Stephanie McMahon released a video from WWE HQ this afternoon to address what happened with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman on this week’s RAW.

Lesnar and Heyman were set to announce who he would be cashing in his Money In the Bank title shot against – WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins or WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. That announcement never came and the angle ended with Lesnar just realizing that he had one year to cash in the briefcase. Stephanie says they will take action against Lesnar and Heyman.

“WWE renounces and in fact condemns the behavior of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman on Monday Night RAW this past week,” Stephanie said. “Brock Lesnar walked to the ring with the Money In the Bank briefcase fashioned as some kind of boom box, let alone making promises about announcing who they were going to face and cash in the Money In the Bank briefcase against, which they did not do. But they also disrespected what the Money In the Bank contract represents, they disrespected both the Universal Champion as well as the WWE Champion, and in fact, I think they disrespected the entire WWE, as well as the WWE Universe.

“So, on behalf of our organization, on behalf of all our fans, I’m going to take this matter up officially with both the McMahon Family as well as our executive team, and we are going to take action.”

It will be interesting to see where the storyline goes on Monday’s RAW. Lesnar is scheduled to be at next Friday’s WWE Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia, but no opponent has been named. He could participate in the 50-Man Battle Royal, but there’s been no talk of that happening. Rollins is scheduled to defend against Baron Corbin at Super ShowDown while Kingston will defend against Dolph Ziggler.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Talks AEW’s Distribution Strategy

With Double or Nothing in the rear view mirror, AEW can now turn its attention to its upcoming events and its TNT premiere later this year. But in this day and age, broadcasts go beyond just TV as there are also numerous streaming options.

Tony Khan joined Busted Open to discuss some of those options and AEW’s distribution strategy.

“We are going to be doing a live, weekly television show on TNT. It will debut prime this fall. We are also going to be distributing to a number of other top-wrestling markets,” said Khan. “I can’t exactly say where the TV is going to be and then as far as pay per view distribution, I thought that our partners were awesome for this show. Like I said, we had done a great show and we now have that under our belts. The folks at Bleacher Report Live were awesome. The cable and satellite carriers were in demand, working with all the cable carriers, DirectTV and Dish Network; that has been great. I really like the people at FiteTV and ITV Box Office did an amazing job at the show and I think we are really going to be happy when the numbers come in from England from the UK in general because of the support that we received from them was great and we really would like to be partners with them for a long time.

“I can’t say enough great things domestically here in the United States to have wrestling back on the Turner Network or with Warner Media with TNT. They are a wrestling network, for better or for worse. There have been a few channels that have been really successful in our lifetime broadcasting wrestling and TNT is absolutely one of them as much as anyone. I think it is really cool that they are back in business.”

There are numerous content providers out there to provide a streaming option for AEW going forward, but Khan says that’s not his primary focus right now.

“Bleacher Report Live did it for [Double or Nothing], for the over-the-top distribution. It is a little bit of putting it in the cart before the horse a little bit, streaming services and things in that nature. I think there will be a demand for it but right now for 2019 and going forward this year, two big things I am really focusing on is pay per views, which we have done with these traditional shows, and this primetime television product,” stated Khan.

In just about five months, AEW launched, had their inaugural event and landed a TV deal with a major network. He talked about why and how AEW got this far this fast.

“It’s all according to plan. Even last summer I had kind of the idea that this summer it was going to be like this,” revealed Khan. “The stuff we had laid out – I really wanted to do a Memorial Day show. I really wanted to do All Out, which is what we are going to do, something along the lines of what the guys were doing with All In, with the same fans and marketplace, but it’ll be our show and under our banner and with the same spirit of fans and excitement. We have done Double or Nothing, we are going to do All Out. One other show I am really excited about is Fight for the Fallen and all of these things are falling into place. We are doing Fight for the Fallen July 13th in Jacksonville, Florida.”

Khan then talked about wanting to do a show for Jacksonville, which is where he resides, and where AEW’s headquarters are located. Once that July event is out of the way then his focus will be on the new TV show.

“The next step in the plan was to get a TV launch, so everything has gone into plan. I am sure there will be things that won’t work out our plan, but everybody that I wanted we have on our roster,” said Khan. “To me, I can’t believe we did it but we have done it. We got all of the performers essentially that you wanted to get to headline the shows that are going to be the guys that will be there week in and week out for the TV show and we have a deep roster too. I have always talked about not doing a lot of five, six nights a week touring and keeping the wrestlers away from their homes, their families and other things they have going on in their life.”

Khan then brought up AEW wrestler Britt Baker who is also a practicing dentist. He cited her as an example of work/life balance as she may have to reschedule some AEW appearances in order to accommodate her practice.

“She is a really important person to our roster and is a great person and a great headliner. I think we have really helped make that possible for her and I want to keep doing that for people,” revealed Khan. “It’s not just people who are working outside of AEW, there are even people who work full-time for AEW with full-time health benefits. When we are up doing TV, it’s not like we are going to be on the road. Despite doing TV, it’s not like we are going to do 5-6 shows a week, even then a full-time schedule.”

Source: Busted Open via Wrestling Inc.

A Lot Of WWE Talent Have Reportedly Been Looking Into Options Outside Of The Company

The moment Jon Moxley’s interview on Talk is Jericho went live on Wednesday, it became a hot topic of discussion around the wrestling world. Similar to CM Punk’s interview on Colt Cabana’s podcast, it offered fans a glimpse into the inner workings of WWE.

It appears that the former Dean Ambrose isn’t the only one who has had thoughts about leaving WWE. According to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, there are a number of people who are interested in leaving the company and some of the names would reportedly shock fans. Meltzer noted that the majority of the people in the company have at least inquired about outside opportunities, and that you can count the number of people who haven’t “on one to two hands.”

In recent months, several talents have asked for their release, including The Revival, Sasha Banks and Luke Harper. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have also reportedly turned down new contracts.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Dorian Roldán On How Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Running MSG Is Just The Beginning In U.S. Expansion

Managing director Dorian Roldán will see a family dream realized when Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide debuts at Madison Square Garden on September 15. One of the aspirations his uncle and promotion founder Antonio Peña had when he produced a show in the Paramount Theater. This is taking it a step further by running the most famous arena in the world.

“I think for any entertainment company in the world, all of us share that dream that is to be in that iconic venue,” Roldán said. “Speaking about this show in particularly, it was a long process. We have been in discussions with Madison Square Garden for several years. At least in the last couple of years, we have been really much more aggressive trying to close a deal. We were trying to enter since the last year. We were in a position to book the venue a year ago, to make the show in 2018. But we weren’t prepared or in a trustful position to be successful.

“So, we decided to push the show to this year and have the ticket sales on Cinco De Mayo, to be on September 15. For that to be the night we celebrate our Independence Day. I think it was a really good position to push a show. I think we are in a different stage. We have really professional talents working with us. We are in that time to make decisions to make the company more global. This is our statement that we are entering America in a different way, a more professional way and in the most iconic place that is the Madison Square Garden.”

The executive felt the goosebumps when the company made the formal announcement during a press conference. All of sudden, it became real.

“If you told me we would produce a show five years ago at the Madison Square Garden, I would have told you that you were crazy. It’s a challenge. We need to be ready,” he said. “I think we are being really aggressive in the manner entering in one of the most competitive markets in the world and the U.S. We are not testing. Entering in not just the most iconic but most expensive venue in the world. Trying to bring our brand, trying to bring AAA, our luchadores, a totally different concept that what Americans are used to in the wrestling industry. I think we are really confident about what we are going to present. But also, with that challenge we want to give the best product. We want to stay in the U.S. market and make the next step for the company.”

AAA is open to collaborating with promotions from around the world. The mindset Roldán shares is that when people work together, it can only make the industry bigger and stronger. He teases talent representatives from other companies would be working the show but couldn’t reveal too many details that are still being finalized.

“We made the announcement with Tony Khan and his team at AEW. We also have a really good relationship with the people from Impact. I was personally there at the Ring of Honor for the last event they had at Madison Square Garden. I said hello to Joe Koff,” he said. “Of course, we are competitors, but I think at the end of the day we want, and need have alliances.

“We need to give the fans what they want to watch and see. We also know our fans that day are going to be the Mexican community. We are also having conversations with talent that was in AAA before and was important for the Mexican families, and maybe to be part of that lineup for that day.”

Attending the G1 Supercard gave him a chance to take in a pro wrestling show from a fan and office perspective. He felt Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling set the bar high.

“The people’s reaction was really good. As I sat as a fan, I really enjoyed the show. Of course, part of my team was there. We also did some scouting on how to produce a show in Madison Square Garden. We learned a lot about it,” Roldán said. “We got an idea of what we can do. My only words to Ring of Honor for the event they produce, I can only say congratulations to them. It was really amazing. They do a good job, and they really do a good job in the industry. As Joe talked to me, we are next in entering Madison Square Garden. Let’s see what happens. We are going to try to have the people enjoy the show and even bring them back to Mexico and to see a little bit of the Mexican nostalgia with some of the wrestlers and talent we are going to take to America.”

Beyond their programming on Spanish language channels, AAA has also been able to grow its audience and visibility thanks to their deal with Twitch. Organizers want to maximize the number of eyes that can see the MSG event.

“We are having conversations with the most important Spanish TV networks, but we are right now not able to reveal the terms of how it’s going to work. We are also having conversations with local television to make the show available and with digital platforms to make this available on a worldwide basis,” Roldán said.

“It’s not part of our Twitch deal. It’s not going to be available on Twitch. It was not on there when we signed the Twitch deal, so it’s not there. It’s also going, of course, be captured in Mexico. We are also finalizing the final terms with our current partners in media.”

Roldán speaks highly of Konnan’s creative vision, even referring to him as “one of the best bookers in the world.” He will have the arduous task of deciding what matches are on this momentous card. Expect a mix of the top stars of lucha with legends sprinkled in.

“It’s not an easy job because at the end of the day, there are many different kinds of wrestling fans,” he said. “The wrestling fan who likes the comedy, the fan who likes a very good quality match. We also need to satisfy the Mexican community. It’s going to be interesting. We think we are in a position right now to have the talent that can satisfy the different kinds of fans.”

For Roldán, The Garden is the catalyst toward the long-term goal of AAA expanding in the market. Producing more than 40 events through the year, his hope is to bring the product to America in a different way than the brand has done ever before.

“The most important thing is we are not by ourselves. We have a really good relationships and partnerships with those who know the live events market,” he said. “The first step and short-term is to have a really good show in the Madison Square Garden that can open possibilities to produce other events in other markets.

“The second one for example is giving an announcement really soon of a second venue we are going to produce this year. Another show from AAA. At the end of the day, what we are trying to do and discussion this week is to at least produce 10 shows in America, during the summer. It’s part of the plan we have in mind right now.”

Roldan’s full interview with Wrestling Inc was included on Wednesday’s episode of their WINCLY podcast.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

News On EC3 Getting Punished For Crowd Reactions During WWE Matches Against Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose)

Since making his debut on the main roster in February, EC3 has had a lackluster run where he’s often times been positioned in matches on WWE Main Event. Despite fans wanting to see more from EC3 (especially in the promo department), questionable booking decisions haven’t given him much to work with as of yet.

The likely reason for his quick decline after the call-up could be found in Jon Moxley’s interview on Talk Is Jericho. Moxley noted WWE was looking to have him lose to a number of people on his way out and found it surprising he was brought back to TV week after week in the months and weeks leading up to his exit.

In February, EC3 quickly defeated Moxley on RAW in his first main roster match. Positioned as the babyface, EC3 was scheduled against Moxley in house shows and fans ended up cheering on Moxley, which Moxley said would come back negatively on EC3.

“They put me against EC3, debuting from NXT,” Moxley said. “Great talent, great friend of mine. Excited to work with him. They have EC3 come in as a babyface, defeat me in two minutes. … The crowd does not like this, because it’s transparent what’s happening and this is not a—this is not good for EC3, because now he’s gonna get the backlash.

“So it was an unfair position for him to be put in. We get to that weekend, I’m working with EC3 on house shows, now I’m the biggest babyface on the show. I’m a heel, I’m thumbing him in the eye, I’m making fun of the town, it doesn’t matter, they’re violently rejecting him as the babyface and they’re cheering the hell out of me. It’s got nothing to do with him, it’s like anti-WWE.”

In this morning’s edition of Wrestler Observer Radio, this same topic came up and Dave Meltzer also confirmed “100%” that’s the reason EC3 is where he’s at in the company.

After EC3 initially won, the very next week on RAW, EC3 and Moxley had a rematch and Moxley ended up beating him. EC3 has not had a singles match on RAW since. In regards to the house shows, Meltzer noted that the basic thought was crowds are going to cheer the stars that have been around for years (heel or face) over the new NXT star that most of them don’t know, putting EC3 in a tough spot.

Moxley debuted for AEW on last weekend’s Double or Nothing PPV where he attacked both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega after the main event.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NXT Star Rachael Evers Involved In Hit-And-Run Car Accident With Alleged Drunk Driver

Recent NXT signee Rachael Evers was in a hit-and-run car accident today involving an alleged drunk driver while leaving the WWE Performance Center.

Evers said the accident was a hit and run, but she is alright.

“Let me start by saying this: I am ok. I was hit by a drunk driver today on my way home from the PC. Hit and run. I’m extremely thankful it was my passengers side that was hit. Some people aren’t so lucky-please DONT DRINK AND DRIVE,” she wrote.

Despite the driver taking off, Evers managed run after him and snapped a picture of the guy and his license plate.

“Side note: as he drove off, I ran after him and got the best pictures of both his plates and face. I love a good cardio challenge,” she wrote with the photos, seen below.

Pac Removed From AEW “Fyter Fest” Poster

AEW has removed Pac from the promotional material for the June 29 Fyter Fest event in Daytona Beach, FL. Pac has been advertised to team with Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. to face The Elite’s Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. Tickets went on sale for the event this afternoon and we will keep you updated on sales.

As seen below, a mystery man is now being advertised to team with The Lucha Brothers. Pac’s AEW future has been up in the air following the creative differences that led to his match with “Hangman” Adam Page being pulled from Double Or Nothing. The match ended up being taped in England and released on YouTube.

Updated card for AEW Fyter Fest:

Hardcore Match
Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa

The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) vs. Lucha Bros & ?

Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin

Jon Moxley’s AEW in-ring debut vs. Joey Janela

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Update On AJ Styles Injury

It looks like it will be a couple weeks before we see “The Phenomenal One” back inside the squared circle for WWE.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that A.J. Styles’ back injury is legitimate, and the early prognosis is that he will miss anywhere from two weeks to a month of action.

AJ Styles was pulled due to injury from last night’s WWE RAW Fatal 4 Way Elimination match with Braun Strowman, The Miz and Bobby Lashley, with the winner going on to face WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins at Super ShowDown. Styles was replaced by Baron Corbin, who ended up winning the match.

Styles later appeared in a backstage RAW segment with Charly Caruso and noted that he felt his back pop during the recent Money In the Bank loss to Rollins. That was the last time he wrestled. Styles was dropped by Corbin in that backstage segment, but that’s the only physical action he saw this week. When asked how long he will be out of action, Styles noted that he still has more tests that need to be done.

Styles has already been removed from upcoming WWE house shows.

 

WWE NXT Preview 5/29/19

NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan battle The Forgotten Sons’ (Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake)

* KUSHIDA vs. Drew Gulak

* Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair

* Will Shayna Baszler have a rebuttal for Io Shirai?