Tonight on the season finale of WOW Women of Wrestling on AXS TV – 9/8C.
* WOW Championship: (C) Tessa Blanchard vs. Havok
* Azteca & Princess Aussie vs. Holidead & The Voodoo Doll
* Kobra Moon vs. Katie Forbes
* Stephy Slays vs. The Disciplinarian
Backstage News On The RAW Women’s Title Feud, Ronda Rousey’s Attack On Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey Claims She Went Off Script
It’s no secret that WWE has made several changes to the storyline that will end with Becky Lynchvs. Charlotte Flair vs. RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 35 next month. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that there are more twists to come in the storyline.
There’s no word yet on what kind of twists WWE has planned but things should really heat up after Sunday’s WWE Fastlane pay-per-view when the Triple Threat is made official. Fastlane will feature Lynch vs. Flair in singles action. Lynch will be added to Flair vs. Rousey at WrestleManiato make it a Triple Threat if she wins, but she will be “done” if she loses, according to Stephanie McMahon.
WWE could go a few different ways with the finish to the WrestleMania Triple Threat but the result largely depends on Rousey’s final date with WWE, according to the Observer. As we reported earlier this week, Rousey is currently scheduled to finish up the day after WrestleMania, indicating a big blow-off at WrestleMania or possibly RAW. It’s always possible that Vince McMahon talks Rousey into a contract extension, but we’ve heard nothing on that direction.
The Observer points to how all three Superstars have tried hard to make their physical angles look legit and more real than what we usually see in WWE. We noted before that Rousey wanted Lynch to hit her as hard as she could with the kendo stick during their angle at the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Becky did just that and Ronda needed 7 stitches to close a cut on her elbow. Flair was also left with a bunch of bruises on her arm from the Chamber attack. Rousey also asked Flair to hit her as hard as he could, over and over, when recently taking kendo stick shots from her. Rousey wanted to have real welts, bruises and blood from the attack.
Regarding the attack from Rousey to Lynch on this week’s RAW, Rousey was told to do everything she would do in a real fight at real fight intensity, but no punches or kicks to Becky’s face, and obviously not to actually hurt her. There was still a stiff knee to the face. The idea was that Becky would take Rousey’s best punishment and still show up at SmackDown the next day to fight with Flair.
The physicality of things may have actually secured Lynch’s spot in the WrestleMania storyline as The Observer points to how Lynch getting injured by Nia Jax back in mid-November could have been the greatest thing that has happened to her, at least in terms of the RAW Women’s Title. Lynch was scheduled to lose to Rousey’s armbar in their Survivor Series pay-per-view match that was nixed due to the injury, which would have greatly reduced Lynch’s chances of being in the RAW Women’s Title match at WrestleMania.
Ronda Rousey is mad as hell and she’s not going to take it anymore.
In latest episode of Rousey’s video blog road diary, Ronda on the Road, the Raw women’s champion’s cuts a promo on going off script this past Monday. Rousey claims to not only go off script but also doubles down on breaking kayfabe in her promo.
“It wasn’t a promo. [WWE] gave me other things to say I didn’t f***ing say it,” Rousey said. “It’s not a promo. It’s not an act. I’m not going out there and doing their f***ing act anymore, I’m going out there and doing whatever the hell I want. And they can explain it however they want, but f***em. Everybody. WWE Universe included. I meant that I’m going to disrespect the sport that they all love so much. ‘Ohhhh don’t break kayfabe Ronda!’ Wrestling is scripted. It’s made up. It’s not real. None of those b****** can f***ing touch me. The end.”
The origins of this video date back to last week, when Rousey and Lynch went to war on Twitter. During that particular exchange, Rousey brought up the word ‘fake’ and it did not sit well with Lynch.
Not only did Rousey go off on wrestling fans and WWE, earlier in the video she admitted she hasn’t lost sight of Becky Lynch. Rousey brought up Lynch’s real name and then explained why she attacked her on Monday night.
“Becky pissed me off the most recently,” Rousey said. “You know what? I’m not going to even call her Becky. Rebecca Quinn talked s*** about my husband, and I told her I’d beat the f*** out of her next time I saw her. And guess what I beat the f*** out of her, didn’t I? It’s been building up in me since Survivor Series, 100%”
Becky Lynch takes on Charlotte Flair this Sunday at Fastlane. Rousey is advertised to appear at the event.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Impact Wrestling To Stream First-Ever “Salute To The Troops” Special On Twitch
Impact Wrestling issued a press release today to announce their first-ever Impact Wrestling: Salute to the Troops special.
ImpactWrestling.com released the following announcement on Friday:
IMPACT Wrestling Partners with TNT Pro for ‘Salute to the Troops’ Free to All Military, Airs May 11 on Twitch
TORONTO | FORT CAMPBELL – IMPACT Wrestling announced today that it has partnered with Tried-N-True Pro (TNT Pro) for Salute to the Troops, a live event on April 12 at Fort Campbell Army Post in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, free for all military personnel and their families.
Salute to the Troops will premiere exclusively on IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel at Twitch.tv/impactwrestling on May 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The event, which will be held in collaboration with MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) of Fort Campbell Army Installation, will be free to over 1,000 active military and their families. The show will begin on April 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
“We are proud to partner with TNT Pro and Fort Campbell Army Installation for this special event, as we honor our servicemen and women and their families,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “We are always striving to give back to our communities and taking care of military personnel and their families is an important initiative for us. We intend to provide a memorable evening of entertainment, serving as a well-deserved morale booster for these brave men and women.”
“As a United States Army Veteran, it has been my goal since Tried-N-True Pro’s inception in 2015 to bring live professional wrestling to the soldiers and families of Fort Campbell Army Installation,” said TNT Pro promoter and producer Anthony “Crimson” Mayweather. “Speaking from experience, I know that live entertainment is very important and can be a key factor in elevating morale within the soldier and their family members. It’s an honor to be able to provide that entertainment for these brave men and women. We are very proud and excited to forge a partnership with Fort Campbell MWR and IMPACT Wrestling to produce this special event.”
Salute to the Troops will be free to DoD ID card holders. ID is required to claim tickets to the event. Soldiers and their family members, military retirees and their family members and DOD civilians who work on post and their families will all be admitted. More ticket information is available at TriedNTruePro.com, including tickets for the general public.
A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., IMPACT Wrestling will premiere Salute to the Troops May 11 on Twitch, featuring top stars such as IMPACT World Champion Johnny IMPACT, X-Division Champion Rich Swann, plus Brian Cage, Moose, Sami Callihan, Eli Drake, Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan.
Mark Henry Plans To Donate Brain To CTE Research
Former WWE star Christopher Nowinski was on Busted Open Radio earlier this morning talking about his work with concussions. The co-founder and President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF), Nowinski has made it a career to inform people about and study the effects of concussions on individuals. Those who have passed on help answer the questions of how CTE affects the brain. During the segment, Nowinski spoke about how he sometimes has to call widows of recently deceased athletes in order to study on their brain.
The organization gets over 5,000 alive athletes to pledge to donate their brain, and they recently had their 700th brain donation. WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry, who is a co-host on the show and someone who has had multiple concussions in the past, stated on air that he plans to donate his brain to the CLF for research.
“I definitely want to go on record saying I am donating my brain to the brain bank,” Henry went on to say. “I hope that something good can come out of ya’ll having my brain, maybe it’ll help with figuring out how things work in the future that will be benefitting my kids and everybody else’s kids. I know you (Chris) have a beautiful young baby girl and we always want the future to be better for our families.”
Nowinski, a Tough Enough finalist, debuted on WWE TV in 2002. His career was cut short due to post-concussion syndrome, which forced him to retire around 2003/04. Since then, he has helped with the discovery of CTE, while also providing a service for athletes and those in the military. He was the lead advocate for doctors to research Chris Benoit’s brain after the 2007 tragedy that took him and his families life. He and the rest of the Benoit family have since made the Benoit Family Fund for Brain Injury Research.
Henry has been with WWE since 1996, taking on a backstage role recently. Before pro wrestling, Henry was a record-holding weight and powerlifter. A multiple-time World Champion, Henry’s goal is to avoid any young kid to go through what former athletes have in the past, by spreading awareness.
“I hope that people realize that this is something that is not weird. What would be hard I think would be what you just said: after someone nearly passes away, it is hard to ask their spouse for their brain for science,” Henry continued. “I am a donor, I hope that I can help somebody live if something tragically happened to me. This is another way that I’ll be able to give back when I’m gone.”
Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Busted Open Radio
FOX Asking For Multiple Changes To Be Made To SmackDown Live
EWrestling.com reports that a source within WWE says when SmackDown Live moves to FOX later this year, the broadcast station wants some changes to the program. Specifically, FOX is looking to move away from WWE’s current three person commentating booth to a two-man booth instead.
The source adds that FOX is also looking for WWE to produce a more edgier product and that they aren’t looking to give into the PC culture that dominates current WWE programming.
Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer Dead At 88
This week, the pro wrestling world lost another legend.
Kurt Beyer, son of pro wrestling legend Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, took to Facebook on Thursday to announce the passing of his father.
Kurt wrote the following:
“It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka The Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past Noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace. (The Destroyer – Honoring A Wrestling Legend! The Destroyer (wrestler))”
Check out the complete statement via his Facebook page below.
Beyer had been in hospice care in recent weeks and was surrounded by loved ones as his health was diminishing.
Beyer, 88, had a career spanning over four decades that included over 8,000 matches in the United States and Japan. During it’s span, Beyer held the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship in both Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, as well as the American Wrestling Assosication’s Heavyweight title. He’s also been a NWA United States Heavyweight Champion for the central states, a NWA World Tag Team Champion in Texas, a NWA International Television Tag Team Champion in L.A., and a NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion.
As part of the classic All Japan Pro Wrestling, Beyer held the Asia Tag Team Championship with partner, Billy Red Lyons and he also held the PWF United States Heavyweight Championship on four separate occasions.
Beyer was also inducted in to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002, and he was officially inducted in to the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.
In the aforementioned Facebook post, Beyer’s son, Kurt wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart to let you know that Dad — aka the Destroyer, aka Doctor X, aka Dick Beyer, aka Coach — passed away shortly past noon today. He was in bed at home, and was surrounded by all of his children and wife as he slipped peacefully away. I will have more to share later, but wanted you to hear this sad news from me first. Thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time. Peace.”
WWE has since issued out a statement on Beyer’s passing. The statement reads:
WWE is saddened to learn that Dick Beyer, a masked wrestling pioneer who was better known to ring fans as The Destroyer, has passed away at age 88.Beginning his career in the 1950s, Beyer thrilled fans and terrified opponents for three decades. He came to prominence in the Los Angeles territory, where he rivaled the likes of Freddie Blassie and Gorgeous George. Beyer famously defeated the latter in a Hair vs. Mask Match at the hallowed Olympic Auditorium in 1962, resulting in Gorgeous George losing his trademark golden locks.
Beyer achieved perhaps his greatest notoriety, however, in Japan, becoming one of the first foreign attractions in the country. His 1963 match against Rikid?zan, a former sumo wrestler and cultural icon in Japan, drew the eyes of more than 70 million TV viewers, making it one of the most-watched bouts in history. Beyer eventually became a beloved figure in Japanese pop culture himself and was even a regular performer on a top-ranked variety show.
Beyer also made waves in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association under the alias “Doctor X,” capturing the territory’s heavyweight title from Verne Gagne in 1968. As Doctor X, he wore a different but no less menacing mask, and his veiled countenance became immortalized when Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry was once photographed onstage wearing a shirt with his likeness on it.
A regional sports hero in upstate New York, Beyer wrestled and played football at Syracuse University before turning to the ring. His impact in sports-entertainment was felt long after his retirement, too, as Beyer is credited with training former WWE Tag Team Champion Mike Rotundo.
WWE extends its condolences to Beyer’s family, friends and fans.
Sources: EWrestling.com and Wrestling Inc.
Lars Sullivan Reportedly Doing Much Better After Mental Health Incident
Lars Sullivan is said to be in a “good place” after dealing with personal issues that kept him from making his WWE debut earlier this year.
Sullivan recently sought professional help following a mental health-related incident back in January, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. As we’ve noted, Sullivan was set to make his debut on the January 7 RAW episode and that was to lead to a WrestleMania 35 feud with John Cena, but Sullivan suffered an anxiety attack outside of the arena, and plans were nixed. WWE had started airing vignettes for Lars’ arrival in November 2018 but he has not been mentioned for a debut since the incident.
Following the incident in January, Sullivan immediately began seeking help from mental health professionals and WWE has been “incredibly accommodating” to him the whole time, according to wrestlers close to Lars and the new report from PWS.
Lars is reportedly feeling much better now after being out of the spotlight. There’s no word yet on if Sullivan will return to WWE but it was noted that he is happy for the other NXT call-ups that he was supposed to debut with – EC3, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery.
It’s been reported that WWE was being very supportive of Lars while he dealt with his personal issues. Triple H downplayed the reports during a late-January media call and indicated a WWE future for Lars.
“There’s a lot of speculation and stories about everybody at all times, and it’s a funny thing, if there’s any kind of a glitch in a movement for a moment, it leads to everything being speculated about,” Triple H said during the January call. “There’s a lot of talk, but Lars is in a good place. Nothing has really changed, we’re moving forward and you’ll know when you see it. But nothing has changed.”
WWE reportedly wanted Sullivan to be at the January 28 RAW, which was the post-Royal Rumble episode, but he was not there and his status was still unknown.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett Added To The WWE Creative Team
WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett has officially joined the WWE creative team, according to PWInsider.
Jarrett’s new role with the writing team is said to be a full-time executive-level role.
WWE continues to make moves that will strengthen the creative team. Bruce Prichard was brought back as a Senior Vice President a few weeks back and Paul Heyman has taken on a more prominent role with the team, becoming more intimately involved in writing & producing the WrestleMania 35 storylines for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.
Jarrett returned to WWE in January for a men’s Royal Rumble Match appearance, and was then hired as a backstage Producer. He was involved in last week’s RAW and SmackDown production meetings, and then spent several days last week at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT before officially being added to the writing team.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Jim Cornette Discusses His New Gig As MLW Commentator.
Jim Cornette discusses his new gig as MLW commentator as well as what his future plans are on his latest Jim Cornette Experience Podcast.
You can listen at this link.
WWE Confirms WrestleMania 36 Location – Raymond James Stadium In Tampa, Florida.
WWE has confirmed that WrestleMania 36 will take place in April 2020 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting the date to be April 5, 2020.
WrestleMania 36 is coming to Tampa Bay in 2020; Official WrestleMania 36 Announcement scheduled for 11 a.m. ETAs first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, WrestleMania 36 will emanate from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., in April 2020.
WWE will make their official WrestleMania 36 announcement today at 11 a.m. ET in a star-studded gathering, streaming live on WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.
Read the full Times article here.
Watch the entire WrestleMaina 36 press conference here.
WWE.com released the following official announcement:
WWE and local dignitaries officially announce that WrestleMania 36 will take place in Tampa Bay in 2020
In a star-studded gathering, WWE made their official announcement that Raymond James Stadium will host to WrestleMania 36 on Sunday, April 5, 2020, with additional events held throughout Florida’s Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week.
WrestleMania 36 is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration that will stretch throughout the Tampa Bay area during WrestleMania Week. In addition to The Showcase of the Immortals, other activities will include the interactive fan festival WrestleMania Axxess, as well as the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, NXT TakeOver, Monday Night Raw and SmackDownLIVE. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including children’s’ hospital visits and Be a STAR bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.
Don’t miss a moment of the action when WrestleMania comes to Tampa Bay for the first-time-ever.
