Matt Hardy Comments On WWE Contract Ending Very Soon

Last August, Matt Hardy’s wife, Reby Hardy appeared on Busted Open and spoke about her husband, who was going through a transitional period at the time where he was stepping away from the ring to rehabilitate his back and hip. She also noted his WWE contract would be up in March of this year.

“Matt is good. Matt is right now going through a bit of a transitional period,” Hardy said. “He’s not really sure what he’s going to be doing. His contract is up in March, which I’m not sure many people are aware of. But there’s sort of a decision to be made at this point as to whether or not he should continue his in-ring career or if he should pursue something different, which he would totally be up for and would be excited to do, I feel like.”

Earlier today, Hardy tweeted out photos from 2014 when he held titles in two different indie promotions and wrote how he felt “comfortable” working outside of WWE.

“#TBT 2014 As both the MCW Wrestling & Extreme Rising Champion, whilst working dozens of territories. I’ve always felt comfortable outside of the WWE.”

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Hardy would respond to an individual who said that will probably be a tweet he’ll be forced to delete. The WWE Superstar replied it was quite the opposite and noted he has 11 days left on his WWE contract.

“Not a threat at all, just a fact. I have 11 days left on my current deal. I love WWE, but I’m 100% comfortable being outside the walls of pro wrestling’s ‘Alexandria’ Safe-Zone. I’m a born survivalist. My previous tweet will nevah face deletion.”

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Last month, Hardy noted he was “physically greenlit” to return to the ring.

Roman Reigns Returning To RAW This Monday With Leukemia Update

Roman Reigns / WWE Update

WWE announced that Roman Reigns will be appearing on this upcoming Monday night’s episode of WWE RAW.

WWE.com posted the following:

Roman Reigns returns to Raw this Monday with an update on his battle with leukemia

Last October, Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i) revealed to the WWE Universe that he would be stepping away from WWE — and relinquishing the Universal Championship — to focus on his battle with leukemia, an illness that had returned 11 years after his initial diagnosis.

On Monday, The Big Dog returns to provide an update on his treatment, live in Atlanta.

What will Reigns have to say to the WWE Universe, more than four months after his last appearance on the red brand?

Don’t miss Roman Reigns’ anticipated return to WWE television on Raw Monday night, beginning at 8/7 C on USA Network.

Tuesday morning, Reigns will be appearing on the popular morning talk show, “Good Morning America,” live in Times Square in New York City.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Is Returning

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The annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is returning and a major duo have been confirmed as participants … but for those who don’t want to be spoiled, this is your warning.

According to those in attendance, the return of the Dusty Classic was announced during tonight’s NXT TV tapings in Orlando.

The round of tapings began with a Johnny Gargano promo which was interrupted by his former DIY tag team partner Tommaso Ciampa, who suggested the pair reunite to compete in the tournament.

Gargano accepted the invitation as the two shook on it.

The other teams in the tournament are Street Profits, Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel, Moustache Mountain, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch, Ricochet & Aleister Black, Forgotten Sons and Undisputed Era.

It’s been quite a week for Ciampa and Gargano. DIY not only made surprise appearances on Raw and SmackDown Live, but they were victorious on both shows — defeating The Revival and The Bar.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Chris Hemsworth Set To Play Hulk Hogan In Netflix Film

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Chris Hemsworth, best known for his role as Thor, will play Hulk Hogan in a biopic for Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, former WCW head Eric Bischoff is one of the producers along with Michael Sugar, Todd Phillips, and Bradley Cooper. Phillips, who recently completed DC Comics’ The Joker, will be directing the flick.

Reports suggest the movie will focus on Terry Bollea’s transformation into the Hulkster and the rise of Hulkamania in the 80s. The controversy over racial comments he made and the legal fight against Gawker for releasing his sex tape will not be the focus.

THR says the deal for the movie is still in its final stages. Bolea will likely be a consultant.

Hemsworth recently made headlines for showing off his pythons on the beach, but they weren’t close to 24-inches at this point. Looks like he’ll have to start saying a few more prayers and taking a few more vitamins before donning the red and yellow, brother!

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Sasha Banks And Bayley Make Surprise Appearance At NXT Tapings (PHOTOS)

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The new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions followed up on their vow to take the belts to every brand … including NXT.

Sasha Banks and Bayley made their NXT homecomings during last night’s NXT TV taping, much to the excitement of the Full Sail Crowd, to show off the new hardware.

They reiterated their promise to defend the belts in NXT, as well as RAW and SmackDown.

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The Velveteen Dream Wins NXT North American Championship

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On last night’s WWE NXT episode. The Velveteen Dream defeated Johnny Gargano in the main event to become the new NXT North American Champion.

This is Dream’s first title reign since debuting with the brand in 2016. Gargano won the title back at NXT “Takeover: Phoenix” during WWE Royal Rumble weekend on January 26, defeating Ricochet.

WWE NXT Preview 2/20/19

NXT, Tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* A special announcement will be made

* Velveteen Dream challenges Gargano for NXT North American Title

* Aleister Black goes one-on-one with Roderick Strong

* Mia Yim squares off with Xia Li

* The Original Bro speaks out

WWE NXT UK Preview 2/20/19

NXT UK, today at 3 ET/8 GMT on WWE Network.

* Toni Storm battles Rhea Ripley in an NXT UK Women’s Championship Match

*  Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster take on Gallus’ Joe Coffey & Mark Coffey

* NXT UK Tag Team Champions Zack Gibson & James Drake will address the WWE Universe in Phoenix

* Trent Seven steps into singles competition against the debuting Shane Thorne

Vince McMahon Is Reportedly Upset With The Undertaker’s Starrcast Appearance

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As previously reported, The Undertaker signed a deal and is scheduled to appear at the Starrcast 2 wrestling convention in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25. The convention falls on the same date as All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing event, and the two are affiliated with one another, but Starrcast is not considered to be an official AEW event.

The news about Taker appearing at Starrcast 2 was apparently a big deal to WWE CEO Vince McMahon and it did not go down well with him, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He notes that McMahon is under the impression that Starrcast and All Elite Wrestling are directly related to one another, and he’s not happy with the developing situation.

Just days before it was officially announced, AEW announcer and the founder of Starrcast, Conrad Thompson, gave Wrestling Inc. a hint about Undertaker’s upcoming appearance at Starrcast.

“With [a few] exceptions, I got everybody I wanted,” Thompson said. “There will be a lot of star power at Starrcast 2. And I started with – hey, let me make a list of everybody that wasn’t available for the first one for whatever reason, and let me try to book those guys. I was successful in doing so. Hypothetically, if Undertaker were at Starrcast, that would be a pretty big deal, huh?”

In our conversation, Thompson also reiterated that AEW and Starrcast are separate.

“It was a thrill as a wrestling fan to be a part of something so historic [at the rally],” Thompson stated. “No, I don’t work there (AEW) and there’s lots of people saying, ‘Oh, Starrcast is an AEW event.’ No, we’re featuring a ton of AEW talent, but Starrcast is owned by me and it’s an independent thing. There will be a ton of wrestlers from other companies there. It’s the exact same as the first [Starrcast]. It’s sort of the official unofficial – if that makes any sense.”

Meltzer also mentioned that there are still no definite plans for The Undertaker at this year’s WrestleMania, including any set special appearances. A large portion of the WrestleMania card is still in flux and has yet to be established. Even John Cena is reported as not having a determined opponent for this year’s “Show Of Shows”.

Starrcast II will be taking place in Las Vegas from May 23-26 and tickets are now available.

Source: Wrestling Inc

Backstage News On The NXT Call Ups And Last Minute Changes Made To RAW This Week

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This week in WWE, RAW and SmackDown audiences were exposed to some of the most talented stars NXT has to offer when Ricochet, Aleister Black, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, and NXT World Champion Tommaso Ciampa made their main roster debuts on WWE TV.

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that WWE had a different episode of RAW put together sometime last week, one that didn’t include any new call ups. A week of ratings continuing to decline, All Elite Wrestling continuing to gain momentum, and the announcement that Undertaker is joining Starrcast 2 on AEW Double Or Nothing weekend, left McMahon feeling “off”.

McMahon decided to add some top tier wrestlers to the main roster, so he accessed the pool of available NXT stars and asked them to fly out their best four guys. Meltzer notes that Triple H didn’t initially know about the call ups and there was a lack of communication throughout the process.

The RAW match that ultimately saw Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor & new NXT call up, Ricochet, was reportedly set to be Finn Balor vs. Ricochet in a singles match just before the show aired. It’s believed that Triple H made the call to switch up the singles match between the two babyface characters because he was concerned about how the crowd would react, and he didn’t want either star going over the other after Balor had just won the title and Ricochet had just debuted.

It was also noted that, for the foreseeable future, Ricochet, Black, Gargano, and Ciampa will be performing on WWE NXT, RAW, and SmackDown. The idea is to give each superstar their respective push and be “put over like crazy” in the process.

It will be interesting to see how this translates to NXT’s TakeOver special on WrestleMania weekend. It was mentioned that NXT already had storylines and a card laid out for the upcoming TakeOver event but the sudden change of plans may alter that.

Source: Wrestling Inc