Former WCW Star Psicosis Saves Friend From Drowning After Serious Car Accident In Canada

Canadian indie wrestling promoter “Hotshot” Danny Duggan announced on Facebook that he was involved in a bad car accident with Robin Lekimi and former WCW star Psicosis on Wednesday while driving through winter weather in Ontario.

Duggan revealed that Psicosis saved him from drowning as the car was upside down in a body of water. He details the accident in the post below. Duggan said he is lucky to be alive right now as he suffered a severe concussion and several other injuries. Psicosis and Robin escaped the wreck with cuts and bruises.

“I’ve got a severe concussion, my head is swollen, my legs are smashed and beat up pretty bad, likely due to sitting so close to the dash but nothing majorly damaged, some very severe and deep lacerations, cuts, and chunks of skin gone on my scalp, ear, legs, arms, and my hands being mangled and bloody pretty bad. And a whole lot of pain throughout my back and body. But I am alive. We’re alive. Psicosis and Robin luckily managed to escape with what appears to be so far only some cuts and bruises. Hopefully nothing more,” Duggan wrote.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for Duggan at this link. As of this writing, they have raised $990 of a $6,500 goal, by 26 people in 7 hours.

You can see Duggan’s full Facebook post below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

What Happened With Brock Lesnar’s UFC Return Negotiations, Possible WWE Match For Lesnar

As noted, UFC President Dana White revealed this week that Brock Lesnar recently informed him that he will be retiring from MMA.

There’s a lot of speculation on Lesnar’s UFC future and if he really is retired from the Octagon. It’s important to note that this is White saying Lesnar has retired, not the man himself or anyone close to him. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Lesnar had been negotiating with UFC for the summer 2019 fight with UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier, and a deal could not be reached.

Lesnar reportedly wanted a flat fee from UFC for the Cormier fight, instead of a percentage of pay-per-view buys, but UFC felt like he was asking for too much. Meltzer noted that UFC is no longer under pressure to draw strong pay-per-view buys because they are getting about the same money through their deal with ESPN. We don’t know how much Lesnar asked for, but it was a certain price that was worth it to him to go through a grueling training camp at age 42, for a fight against a top athlete and fighter in Cormier.

It was revealed this week by TMZ Sports that Lesnar was still submitting to USADA drug testing as recent as April. We don’t know how long Lesnar has been considering the retirement, but the timing is interesting. Meltzer noted that Lesnar had to enter into the USADA testing program to negotiate with WWE and UFC, because if he didn’t, then WWE would know that he couldn’t fight for another 6 months, and wasn’t really serious about possibly returning to UFC over WWE. UFC has always been Lesnar’s leverage in WWE contract talks. There’s no word yet on if Lesnar has pulled out of the USADA testing but if he has, he could come back and would have to wait another 6 months before being eligible for a fight. If he does pull out, that’s a good sign that he has really decided not to fight. Meltzer noted that if he doesn’t pull out, this all could be a public negotiation by White in an attempt to get Lesnar to lower his price.

White noted that Cormier will likely face Stipe Miocic next, at the August 17 pay-per-view from Anaheim, California. This could have been the date they wanted to do Lesnar vs. Cormier on.

There’s no word yet on what the MMA retirement will mean for Lesnar’s WWE future. He has been announced for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7, but his opponent has not been named. The Observer notes that he will likely face WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins in a rematch from WrestleMania 35. The Lesnar vs. Rollins rematch was expected but that was before WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg was also announced for the Saudi show, leading to speculation on a Lesnar vs. Goldberg rematch.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Pulls Kurt Angle From Another Convention Due To AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been pulled from his scheduled appearance at the WrestleCade 2019 convention in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to promoter Tracy Myers and Yes! Weekly.

WWE pulled Angle from the event, which takes place in late November, and offered no replacement. WrestleCade Weekend co-owner Brian Hawks was told that Angle could not appear because they are associated with All Elite Wrestling. WrestleCade says it is not officially connected to any other wrestling promotion, including AEW.

The deposit for Angle’s appearance was returned immediately but WWE did not offer a replacement for Angle, according to John Pollock on Twitter.

As we’ve noted, WWE also pulled Angle and The Undertaker from the upcoming Starrcast II convention after they had already signed deals to appear, due to the relationship with AEW. Both Angle and Taker recently signed new WWE contracts and the company has the power to withhold them from any events that are deemed not in the best interests of WWE.

As noted, Angle revealed that he has signed a new five-year deal with WWE during his recent Wrestling Inc. interview with Andy Malnoske, which aired on the WINCLY Podcast. You can can hear the interview below or on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and TuneIn. Angle said he plans on doing some part-time work for the company under the new deal, and he will work as a Producer.

“I signed a five-year deal with WWE,” Angle said. “I’m going to do some part-time – if they need me in front of the TV, maybe managerial, where I would be managing some wrestlers. But the most important thing is I’m going to be a producer. I’m going to help the wrestlers with their technique. I’m going to help them structure their matches. It’s something I’m very good at. I thought I’d be able to contributor the company [in that role].”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On WrestleMania 36 Plans For Becky Lynch

It was previously reported that WWE wanted to do Charlotte Flair vs. current RAW & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, but they now have a new plan in mind for Lynch.

WWE is doing Flair vs. Lynch at the WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view on May 19 because they have a new match planned for Lynch at WrestleMania 36, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There’s no word yet on who the match will be against, but word is that it’s not Flair or Ronda Rousey.

Lynch is currently scheduled to be the top female Superstar booked on the WrestleMania 36 card.

It was noted that if Rousey wants to return for WrestleMania 36, then a match with Lynch isn’t out of the question, but it’s not the planned match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Lio Rush Reportedly Turns Down New WWE Offer But Says He’s “Broke”, Mark Henry Responds

Lio Rush continued to respond this week to some of the reports on his backstage heat and issues with WWE.

Rush said in an interview with Fightful that his issues are not with Bobby Lashley or working with him, but with not being paid for merchandise that uses his catchphrase, and not being paid what he feels he’s worth.

“My issue has never been with Bobby Lashley. Being with Bobby has helped the both of us out tremendously,” Rush said. “It’s given me speaking confidence I didn’t know i had. I never was a promo guy on the indies. But being with Bobby made me a promo guy. My issue isn’t with my on screen role. My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet and greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support.”

Rush also said he believes someone in WWE is leaking false information to get him released.

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry appeared on Busted Open Radio earlier today and spoke on the Rush situation. Henry noted that he started with WWE in 1996 and helping WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna was one of his responsibilities.

“It’s not a race issue, it’s an ego issue,” Henry said. “Who are you? Nobody is exempt from being respectful to the business and paying homage to the guys drawing money. We all have done it. Steve Austin did it, The Rock did it. You’re better than The Rock? Get the hell out of here.”

Henry also said he recently approached Rush to ask him about some of the issues. He said, “I pulled him aside the last time I saw him and told him, ‘I’m hearing stuff in the locker room, what’s wrong?’ He said nothing’s wrong, but it was a blatant lie to my face. I let him know that if he has a question, right now is the time to do that.”

Regarding Rush’s issues on pay, Henry said he needs to change the way he spends. Henry said, “If you can’t pay for a rental car and you can’t pay for a hotel with the money that you’re making every week, you need to change the way you’re spending. You can’t blame that on the office. If you spent everything before you got it, that’s your problem.”

Henry is said to be a huge supporter of Rush behind-the-scenes, according to PWInsider. PWInsider also reported on the issues, noting that there has been a lot of talk about Rush’s future within WWE, and there were rumors of Rush being moved back to WWE NXT in the near future.

PWInsider also reported that Rush has been a polarizing figure backstage for some time among the other wrestlers, going back to the November 2018 tour where he blew off what has been considered standard backstage etiquette for junior members of the roster on overseas tours, including being at the Gorilla position backstage to provide water to talents as they returned after their matches, and carrying coolers and drinks into the hotels where talents were staying, to set up a common area where everyone could privately socialize together. These tasks are often done to show respect to the locker room and the business as a whole. Several veterans reportedly tried to explain to Rush that he was making a mistake then, but he blew off the advice and complained to WWE officials, which didn’t do him any favors. Things with Rush have calmed down in recent months, but there have been other issues. Rush allegedly has brought his friends and relatives backstage without the proper credentials, and there have been other moments where he has blown off counsel from senior members of the RAW roster.

As we’ve noted, Rush has been off WWE TV for a few weeks now due to the heat he has. Rush previously addressed the reports on Twitter after it was reported that he has heat due to how he makes it very clear that he should be the top guy on the RAW brand, and he’s not shy about sharing these thoughts, as seen below:

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1123364413145255941

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1123364496054079490

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1123365537336254465

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1123369337342103553

In an update, PWInsider reports that there were multiple complaints made about Rush bringing his wife backstage and allowing her to change clothes in the women’s locker room, dating back to the 2018 European tour. There was another incident where Rush brought a group of people backstage at a 2018 TV taping. The group allegedly were stopped for not all having proper credentials and they loudly began yelling at a female member of WWE’s security crew, which obviously didn’t sit well with others backstage. A veteran talent, not Balor, reportedly tried to talk to Rush about the issues but he was told by Rush that he “works for Vince, not you.” WWE officials later approached that veteran talent as Rush complained about getting spoke to by the talent, because he was not an executive in the company and was “Rush’s equal, not his boss.” Word of this made the rounds and that led to Rush being removed from the locker room for a period of time after the tour and that’s when his issues became less of a regular occurrence backstage. That has changed in recent weeks.

Despite the problems, Rush was reportedly recently offered a new five-year contract, said to be in the range of $300,000. Rush reportedly turned that offer down and asked for double the pay. His current contract expires in 2020 some time. Regarding the rumors of sending Rush back to NXT, the idea would be to build him a new character and present him as something more than just a mouthpiece. Rush reportedly suggested, at least once, that WWE should release him so he can “show them” what he can accomplish outside of the company. There’s no word yet on when Rush will return to WWE TV, but he has reportedly been pulled from the upcoming European tour, a decision made a week ago. Rush has been backstage for RAW, but obviously not used.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Vince McMahon – Luke Harper, Braun Strowman Gets Heat At WrestleMania 35?, EC3

Vince McMahon has reportedly informed Luke Harper in writing that the company will not be releasing him from his WWE contract, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

As we’ve noted, Harper announced back on April 16 that he had requested his release over unhappiness with how he’s been used. It was reported last week that WWE has added another 6 months to Harper’s contract for the time he spent on the shelf after wrist surgery. His contract was to expire in November of this year, but now he won’t be able to leave until around WrestleMania 36 time in 2020. WWE had plans for Harper to return and feud with Sami Zayn.

Vince reportedly saw Harper’s return match earlier this year and then made the decision not to use him. Vince reportedly said he didn’t “get him” and complained that Harper couldn’t even do a Southern accent, which stems from WWE wanting Harper to do a Southern accent four years ago.

Harper had been regularly pitching ideas to WWE officials while he was out with the injury, but they turned every pitch down. Harper was cleared to return to the ring back on February 6, but WWE wasn’t using him beyond the WrestleMania 35 Axxess tapings. Vince randomly wanted to know why Harper wasn’t in the 6th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania, which is why he was added to the match. Apparently the end of the battle royal was a mess as winner Braun Strowman forgot his spots, which is one of the reasons why Strowman hasn’t had much of a push since winning the match.

Harper was to begin the feud with Zayn the day after WrestleMania 35, but he was then told that he wasn’t needed for the post-WrestleMania TV tapings in Brooklyn. Harper then went home, but was called to come back on Tuesday for a match with EC3. Harper was basically used as the dark match opponent to test out the wrestler/manager pairing of EC3 and Drake Maverick. The agents in charge of that match had set up several manager-related spots in the match. Vince watched the match and said he hated the spots with Drake. WWE creative then held a meeting on the first day of the 2019 Superstar Shakeup and when it was asked about which brand Harper would be going to, Vince commented on how he can’t even do the Southern accent and how the match with EC3 was bad. Harper ended up going nowhere in the Shakeup and that’s when he asked for his release.

There’s no word yet on if WWE will bring Harper back to TV, or if he will sit at home while they wait for his contract to expire next year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Dean Ambrose’s Return To Pro Wrestling Following WWE Departure

Dean Ambrose is set to return to the indies as Jon Moxley sometime in June, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Ambrose released his first post-WWE promo as Moxley earlier this week, just minutes after his WWE contract officially expired, making him a free agent. Ambrose reportedly has bookings lined up with a number of different promotions, and those will be announced soon.

There’s no word yet on how much Ambrose will be making on the indies, but it should be very lucrative for him as the Observer noted that he will be able to command several thousand dollars per match, do meet and greets for more, if he wants, and have almost complete control over everything while working as much or as little as he wants.

Ambrose is now free to work for whoever he wants as there is not a non-compete clause with WWE. It’s believed that Ambrose wants a deal where he’s completely in control of his character and what he’s able to do.

There’s obvious speculation on a possible deal with All Elite Wrestling or New Japan Pro Wrestling, but there’s no word yet on if he’s talking with either promotion. The Observer speculated that WWE gave Ambrose a strong send-off because they believe he will be back at some point, which they might not do if they thought he was going to AEW or NJPW. WWE kept offering more money to Ambrose to try and get him to re-sign, but he kept turning their offers down, to the point that they realized he was determined to leave and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Ambrose wrestled his last match for WWE at a recent live event two weeks ago in Moline, IL, teaming with Roman Reigns and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins to defeat Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. The match that aired live on the WWE Network and was dubbed The Shield’s Last Chapter.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Daniel Bryan WWE Return Update

Daniel Bryan has been cleared to return to WWE and will be written back into storylines soon, perhaps as early as next week, reports Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Bryan has not appeared at any live events or television tapings since suffering an undisclosed injury at WrestleMania last month. Bryan’s injury was reportedly being closely guarded. It is still not known exactly what the issue is.

The original plan was for Bryan to wrestle WWE Champion Kofi Kingston at the Money In the Bank pay-per-view on May 19th, however Kingston will now be facing Kevin Owens, who turned on Kingston last week despite just returning as a babyface two months earlier. The decision was made to turn Owens after Bryan was injured. It was noted in The Observer that if Bryan was cleared a couple of weeks ago, Owens would not have turned.

WWE does have Bryan advertised for the next SmackDown live event, which is on Monday at The Corbin Arena in Corbin, Kentucky, as well as Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Louisville. Updated advertising for summer SmackDown events also feature Bryan vs. Kingston.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces New Date For Next NXT TakeOver

The next WWE NXT TakeOver event has been announced for Saturday, June 1. Cathy Kelley makes the announcement in the video below.

As noted, tonight’s NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University featured the build to Takeover, but no date or location was announced. Wrestling Inc. has details on potential matches for the event at this link. It was previously believed that this TakeOver would air on Saturday, June 8 from San Jose, California, but the event was pushed up a week due to WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia on Friday, June 7.

WWE Noted that Triple H will announce the full details on TakeOver, including the location, this coming Monday on his social media pages.

Below is WWE’s announcement:

Next NXT TakeOver announced for Saturday, June 1The next installment of NXT’s critically acclaimed TakeOver series will take place Saturday, June 1. The event will stream live, exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.

Since its inception in 2014, NXT TakeOver has etched an unbelievable legacy of incredible action, career-making performances and unforgettable moments, with each TakeOver seemingly topping the one before it.

Stay tuned to Triple H’s social media this Monday afternoon for more information on the huge event!

Impact Plus Streaming Service Launch Announced: Benefits For Ordering PPVs With It, First Live Event, More

Impact Wrestling today announced the launch of Impact Plus, which will replace their existing Global Wrestling Network streaming service. The video-on-demand (VOD) service will feature live monthly premium specials, instant access to their 3,000-plus hour library including past pay-per-views, original series, reality shows and documentaries, exclusive events from international promotional partners and historical content from old territories.

The service is now available on all major OTT platforms and devices, including online at plus.impactwrestling.com, iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A premium subscription will be priced at just US $7.99 per month with a 30-day free trial for new members. Annual subscriptions will also be available for US $71.99.

Impact’s four major annual pay-per-view events will be available to purchase on the service. Fan who purchase a pay-per-view event on Impact Plus will also receive three months of free access to Impact Plus with each purchase.

The first live Impact Plus special, Code Red, will take place this Sunday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET in partnership with House of Glory. The show will be headlined by Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards.

Impact sent out the press release below regarding the service:

IMPACT Wrestling Launches IMPACT Plus Subscription Video-on-Demand Service with Live Monthly SpecialsAnthem Sports & Entertainment’s IMPACT Plus service will be powered by Leading Video Solutions Provider Brightcove

TORONTO – IMPACT Wrestling today announced the launch of IMPACT Plus, a multi-platform digital subscription video-on-demand (VOD) service featuring live monthly premium network specials, instant access to the 3,000-plus hour IMPACT Wrestling library, groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries, exclusive events from international promotional partners and historical content from old territories. The 17-year library from IMPACT Wrestling includes every classic pay-per-view event and features household names in professional wrestling such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Booker T, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.

Beginning today, May 1, IMPACT Plus is available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including web at plus.impactwrestling.com, iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. A premium subscription will be priced at just US$7.99 per month with a 30-day free trial for new members. Annual subscriptions will also be available for US$71.99.

“Anthem Sports & Entertainment is proud to partner with Brightcove on the development and launch of IMPACT Plus, the latest evolution of IMPACT Wrestling’s subscription video-on-demand service,” said Ed Nordholm, EVP of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and president of IMPACT Wrestling. “As our subscriber base has grown, we have established the need for a more robust back-end technology, while looking to enhance our user experience and content offering. Starting this Sunday, we will be delivering a live premium event every month exclusively for IMPACT Plus subscribers.”

Brightcove is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for managing, delivering and monetizing video experiences on every screen. A pioneering force in the world of online video since the company’s founding in 2004, Brightcove’s award-winning technology, unparalleled services, extensive partner ecosystem and proven global scale have powered video solutions for thousands of companies in over 70 countries.

The first live IMPACT Plus special – Code Red – takes place this Sunday, May 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET in partnership with House of Glory. Emanating from NYC Arena in Queens, NY, Code Red will feature top IMPACT Wrestling stars. The confirmed matches include:

* Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs. Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
* Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack
* LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. oVe (Dave & Jake Crist) vs. New York Wrecking Krew (Smoothe Blackmon & Chris Seaton)
* Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. Smiley vs. Evander James vs. Mantequilla – HOG Crown Jewel Championship
* The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) vs. The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)
* Tessa Blanchard & Violette vs. Scarlett Bordeaux & Sonya Strong
* Moose vs. Ken Broadway

IMPACT Wrestling’s four major annual pay-per-view events, including Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, will also be available to purchase on IMPACT Plus. Anyone who purchases a pay-per-view event on IMPACT Plus will also receive three months of free access to IMPACT Plus with every pay-per-view purchase.

Legacy subscribers to IMPACT Wrestling’s Global Wrestling Network service will be migrated to IMPACT Plus.

Users will also have free access to episodes of the weekly flagship show IMPACT!, as well as new weekly episodes of Xplosion and other original digital content featuring top professional wrestling stars, including IMPACT World Champion Brian Cage, Johnny Impact, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, Moose, Michael Elgin, the high-flying X-Division and the Knockouts, including Taya Valkyrie, Tessa Blanchard, Jordynne Grace, Rosemary, Madison Rayne and Su Yung.

For more information, visit http://www.impactwrestling.com and plus.impactwrestling.com.

Source: Wrestling Inc.