NXT UK, streaming today at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT on WWE Network.
* WWE United Kingdom Championship: (C) Walter vs. Pete Dunne
* Travis Banks battles Joseph Connors in the final Qualifier for the imminent Fatal 4-Way Match to determine a No. 1 contender to the WWE United Kingdom Championship
The rebirth of the XFL is one step closer to becoming a reality. The only thing missing from the organization is the players who will be competing. In the video below, XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck and Doug Whaley announced a tryout system known as the Summer Showcase.
Players with professional experience from various leagues will get a chance to showcase their skills when the XFL goes live. That includes 7-on-7 work. This will be invite-only, as there are no open tryouts. Players invited will vary from NFL, CFL and college players. The combine will take place on the following dates in the following XFL cities:
* June 7th: Arlington, TX
* June 8th: Houston, TX
* June 14th: Montclair, NJ
* June 15th: Springfield, VA
* June 21st: Long Beach, CA
* June 22nd: Seattle, WA
* June 29th: Tampa Bay, FL
* July 13th: Earth City, MO
There is an open application for college players interested, with paperwork to be filled on the XFL website. Once approved, those athletes may be able to attend the showcases and participate in all activities. Some of those activities include one-on-one’s with former NFL players, a 40-yard-dash, three-cone drill and a broad jump. The players testing results will be shared through the XFL and NFL, and, as the website disclaimer says, the tryout will not affect college eligibility.
The XFL’s first season since 2001 is expected to start just a few days after the Super Bowl in 2020. The games will be aired on multiple Disney and FOX stations.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
AEW announced Shawn Spears, formerly known as WWE’s Tye Dillinger, will be involved in the Casino Battle Royale on Double or Nothing’s The Buy In pre-show.
Back in February, Spears was released from WWE after he asked for his release from the company, despite being offered a substantial raise. Spears was on his second run with the company where he spent 2013-2017 in NXT, followed up by a lackluster main roster run on SmackDown.
In the video below, Spears was dealt his card (a ten) for the upcoming match and responded, “When the odds are stacked, always bet on you.”
Double or Nothing will air on B/R Live and traditional PPV for $49.99 at 8 pm ET this Saturday. The Buy In pre-show will stream for free on All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube channel.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Starrcast has announced that the roast of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will take place at a later date to be announced.
As noted, The Nature Boy was forced to pull out of “The Roast of Ric Flair” scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas during Starrcast II weekend, which coincided with AEW’s Double Or Nothing weekend. Flair underwent heart surgery on Monday and his doctors won’t allow him to travel to Vegas for the weekend events. Starrcast issued the following today:
“The good news is that Ric Flair’s surgery was a success. The bad news is that his doctor won’t allow him to travel this weekend. As a result, his Meet & Greets at #Starrcast are being refunded. The Roast of Ric Flair will have to be postponed to a later date yet to be determined.”
The roast of Flair was scheduled to air on pay-per-view and Fite.TV this Friday night. There’s no word yet on if it will still stream when it happens. Flair was also scheduled for a “30 Years and 5 Stars Later” panel with WWE Hall of Famers Ricky Steamboat and Jim Ross this week. Starrcast will be issuing refunds for all of Flair’s planned events.
Flair’s wife Wendy Barlow noted on Monday that the operation was a success and that Flair was in the recovery room. TMZ reported that doctors were optimistic Flair will make a full recovery. Flair was said to be in good spirits over the past few days, chatting with some of his famous friends on the phone, including rapper Offset.
Flair is scheduled to make his first post-surgery public appearance on Friday, May 31 for SCWPro at their “To Be The Man” event in East Moline, Illinois. SCWPro confirmed today that they have been in contact with Flair’s representatives, and that he will still make that appearance.
https://twitter.com/SCWPro/status/1130629464554135552
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro was found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to multiple sources who have spoke with TMZ Sports.
As we’ve noted, the 2005 Divas Search winner passed away last Thursday at the age of 39. She was found unconscious at her home in Smithtown, NY shortly after 5am ET after she failed to show up for work at a local radio station. She was taken to a local hospital by first responders and later pronounced dead. She would have turned 40 on May 26 and leaves behind one daughter. Local authorities have classified Massaro’s death as non-criminal and foul play was not suspected.
TMZ also noted that Massaro is being laid to rest in Suffolk County, NY.
The New York Post reports that Massaro’s lawyer told them that her brain may be donated to Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is a professor at the University of California at Davis known as “The Concussion Doctor.” Omalu researches CTE, a condition associated with multiple head injuries and concussions, and has previously released findings related to CTE in pro football players.
CTE can only be confirmed after death. Lawyer Konstantine Kryos, who has represented Massaro and other former WWE Superstars in lawsuits against the company, told The Post that he’s asked Massaro’s mother and daughter about donating her brain.
“They were a little upset about it,” Kryos said, adding that there’s a little time to make the decision. He claimed, “It was Ashley’s wishes to donate her brain.”
CM Punk called into the WMGM radio show in Atlantic City, NJ on Friday and said he heard that Massaro had taken her life. This was before the manner of death has been publicly disclosed, but there was already speculation due to social media comments from several people close to Massaro, including Michelle McCool. Punk begged listeners to get help if they are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, as Massaro had.
“Tremendously sad way to go,” Punk said. He continued, “thoughts obviously go out to her family, especially her daughter. It’s May. It’s Mental Health Month … if you’re depressed and things aren’t going your way, there’s no reason to feel alone. Just reach out to somebody. Text a friend. Call somebody. There’s hotlines. There’s ways you can get help.”
As noted, WWE honored Massaro with a tribute graphic before Sunday’s WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view hit the air. They also issued a statement on her passing last week, saying, “We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro. She performed in WWE from 2005-2008 and was beloved by her fellow Superstars and fans around the world. WWE offers its condolences to Ashley’s family and friends.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Last night on SmackDown Live, Paul Heyman came out with Brock Lesnars’s Money in the Bank briefcase taunting WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. That’s when Dolph Ziggler made his surprise return to WWE viciously attacking Kofi.
Later Ziggler came out and explained why he did it. Ziggler says it should’ve been him instead of Kofi having all the success Kofi has had lately. Ziggler said he will ,make things right be defeating Kofi for the WWE Championship at WWE Super ShowDown on June 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Days after Ashley Massaro, a former WWE star and Survivor contestant, died suddenly at 39 in New York, her legal team alleges that she may have had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma.
Massaro, who died in an apparent suicide, had long suffered from depression — and had alleged that injuries she sustained during her wrestling career exacerbated her condition.
In 2016, Massaro and 60 other former pro wrestlers sued the WWE, claiming that they had suffered neurological injuries in the ring. After a federal judge dismissed the case, the plaintiffs filed an appeal, which is still ongoing.
PEOPLE has obtained an affidavit that Massaro filed as part of the case. In the document, Massaro claimed that she had sustained multiple concussions during her 4-year stint with the WWE. She alleged that the WWE did not treat her injuries correctly.
A spokesperson for the WWE did not return PEOPLE’s call for comment.
In a statement after Massaro’s death, the WWE shared condolences to her family and friends, saying they were “saddened to learn of [her] tragic death.”
An attorney for Massaro told the New York Post that Massaro’s brain may be donated to Dr. Bennet Omalu, a prominent doctor who researches brain injuries.
“It was Ashley’s wishes to donate her brain,” her lawyer, Konstantine Kyros, told the paper, adding that her family was “a little upset” about the idea of donating the organ.
CTE cannot be diagnosed in living subjects; it is only found during autopsies. Several former NFL players, including Aaron Hernandez and Junior Seau, were diagnosed with the disease after committing suicide.
Last Wednesday, a day before her death, Massaro tweeted that she had just responded to “a ton of fanmail so you guys should be receiving them soon! Love ya punx.”
Authorities were called to the wrestler’s home in Suffolk County on the following day. She was transported to a nearby hospital where she died on Thursday morning. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause and manner of death, police told PEOPLE.
No funeral or memorial arrangements have been announced.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2017, Massaro said, “I’ve been really fortunate to do a lot of different things. I’ve had a lot of adventures that most people don’t get an opportunity to do, and I’m really thankful for that.”
Sources: PEOPLE and MSN
Over the weekend, news broke of AEW pulling Adam Page vs. PAC from this Saturday’s Double or Nothing card over creative differences.
PAC is the current Open the Dream Gate Champion for Dragon Gate and didn’t want to lose a match while holding the title. For AEW, they are focusing on wins/losses and didn’t want to have tie or DQ in the match. AEW is also reportedly looking at things long terms and while they didn’t necessarily have a problem with him beating Page, PAC’s next opponent was likely Kenny Omega and a win over Omega (or multiple opponents in a row) maybe wasn’t in the plans.
The PPV is slotted for four hours, so time was also a consideration as it would take up a big chunk of the show just for a tie/DQ to happen.
Last Saturday, Page showed up at a Wrestle Gate Pro event in Nottingham, England to confront PAC and answer his open challenge. The two had a match where Page won by DQ. Afterwards, PAC took down Page with a chair and told him he wouldn’t be coming to Double or Nothing or AEW as a way to write off the match.
So fans could still see a bout between the two wrestlers, AEW released the match today on its YouTube channel, which you can watch below. PAC could still return to the promotion at some point down the road. Page will be on Double or Nothing against a yet to be named opponent.
Double or Nothing will air on B/R Live and traditional PPV for $49.99 at 8 pm ET this Saturday. The Buy In pre-show will stream for free on All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube channel. Be sure to join us for complete live coverage of the show.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island with fallout from WWE Money In the Bank.
* The New Day present Big E’s Welcome Back Celebration
* What will SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley say in exclusive interview?
* Roman Reigns and Elias clash in a WWE Money in the Bank rematch
* Who will bring the 24/7 Championship to SmackDown LIVE?
* Will Daniel Bryan’s tag team revolution continue?
Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
* The Singh Brothers vs. Lucha House Party
* Who will be WWE Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese’s next challenger?
