Tonight on WOW Women of Wrestling on AXS TV 9/8c.
* Jessie Jones vs. Stephy Slays
* Holidead vs. Azteca
* Eye Candy vs. The Beverly Hills Babe
* WOW Championship: (C) Santana Garrett vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Jungle Grrrl
MLW Fusion Preview 2/8/19
A new era is underway in Major League Wrestling! Join the renegades of professional wrestling from South Philadelphia at the historic 2300 Arena for an episode of Fusion that will have a shocking goodbye, a few hellos and top ranked wrestlers from around the world.
For months Brian Pillman Jr. has been as he says, “shattering the illusion of the false legends” only for Tommy Dreamer to take exception to Pillman’s disrespect for the sport and its legends. Tonight the final chapter is written in the Pillman-Dreamer war as both men select a mystery partner in a showdown in South Philadelphia’s hallowed grounds known as the 2300 Arena.
There are reports that the new World Heavyweight Champion “Filthy” Tom Lawlor has been partying all week coast to coast with the belt. Will we possibly see a glimpse of the new champ on the show?
Konnan will make his return after recovering from the brutal ending to the December World Championship title fight in Miami! What’s on the mind of the Lucha Bros. consigliere? Speaking of the Lucha Bros….
Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix say goodbye?
Matches:
- Mystery Tag Team Match: Brian Pillman Jr. & ? vs. Tommy Dreamer & ?
- Puma King vs. Gringo Loco
- Myron Reed vs. DJZ
Join Rich Bocchini and Matt Striker ringside in Philadelphia as Major League Wrestling presents the fastest and most dangerous hour of combat sports you’ll experience anywhere in the world.
Watch MLW FUSION Friday nights on beIN SPORTS at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Don’t get beIN? Subscribe to MLW’s YouTube channel for free and stream binge on MLW FUSION anytime anywhere!
WWE Confirms “Superstar Shake-Up” In April
Earlier this week, a commercial aired in Canada during RAW for the upcoming RAW and SmackDown tapings in Montreal on April 15 and 16. The promo said that “the first international Superstar Shake-up” will occur at each show.
In the video below, WWE has confirmed those dates are indeed when this year’s Superstar Shake-up will take place.
Last year’s took place on April 16 and 17. The Shake-up saw Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, R-Truth, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Asuka, Sheamus & Cesaro as the top stars moved from RAW to SmackDown. Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn, The Riott Squad, Natalya, Baron Corbin, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder were among the names moved to RAW.
Source: WrestlingINC
ROH Announces Festival of Honor
Ring of Honor announced yesterday there will be a Festival of Honor for the sold-out ROH / NJPW G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden on April 6.
Festival of Honor will take place on April 5 at the Hulu Theater at MSG, and tickets will go on sale next week. The event will feature meet and greets, live Q&As, a G1 Supercard Press Conference, and much more. Below is Ring of Honor’s full announcement:
On April 6th, 2019, Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling present a monumental event at a sold-out Madison Square Garden and are now proud to announce that the G1 Supercard Festival of Honor will take place on Friday, April 5th, 2019 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Pro-wrestling fans from around the globe will now be able to engage with their favorite stars from both companies and participate in the celebration of this historic weekend. That’s right — the biggest weekend in ROH and NJPW history just got even bigger!
This once-in-a-lifetime event provides fans with the ultimate ROH/NJPW experience:
Exclusive meet-and-greet sessions and autographed G1 Supercard 8x10s with the top stars of ROH and NJPW.
LIVE Q&A sessions where fans can ask anything to their favorite ROH and NJPW stars!
“An Afternoon with Dalton Castle…and The Boys!”
“Arm Wrestle Kingdom” – an arm wrestling contest hosted by Matt Taven!
The Official G1 Supercard Press Conference
And MORE exciting, live stage entertainment, and interactive activities!
Lastly, this is the ultimate opportunity to buy exclusive G1 Supercard merchandise before the show! Beat the crowds and wear your official gear when you are #GoingToTheGarden on April 6th!
Don’t have a ticket to the sold-out G1 Supercard on Saturday, April 6? No worries, because a ticket to the show is not required to attend G1 Supercard Festival of Honor!
Admission for the G1 Supercard Festival of Honor is just $39 when you purchase before March 20th which includes access to all festival entertainment, the official G1 Supercard press conference, and a special gift bag with a FREE G1 Supercard hat and lanyard ($30 value). After March 20th, tickets will be $44 and on April 5th, they will be $49. Tickets will be sold separately for the special meet and greet/autograph sessions throughout the day.
The festival begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 6 p.m., Re-entry WILL be allowed. Tickets for G1 Supercard Festival of Honor go on sale for HonorClub members on Wednesday, February 13th, 2019 and for the General Public on Friday, February 15th, 2019. Don’t miss your opportunity to join pro wrestling fans from around the world in being a part of this historic weekend, while creating memories that will last a lifetime!
ROH’s next event is Bound by Honor in Lakeland, Florida on February 9, which will be a TV taping featuring ROH World TV Champion Jeff Cobb defending against Silas Young. The next night ROH will be in Miami, Florida for a live event that will include ROH Women of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein taking on Stardom’s Mayu Iwatani.
Source: WrestlingINC
AEW Announce Signings And More At Ticket Party In Las Vegas (Video)
Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and more hyped up their Double or Nothing pay-per-view during a ticket release party at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas — watch footage of the livestream below.
What happened at the party:
- On the pre-show livestream, MJF confronted Conrad Thompson.
- Sonny Kiss arrives and confirms he will present at Double or Nothing
- AEW EVP Cody Rhodes comes to the stage, confirms partnership with AAA.
- Cody announces Double or Nothing pre-sale ticket opportunity (now through Feb 11th) and general public ticket sale date (Feb 13th)
- AAA cruiserweight champ Sammy Guevara enters the stage, plugs his YouTube channel and confirms Double or Nothing appearance
- Hangman Page arrives, only to be interrupted by PAC “via satellite”
- PAC vs. Page confirmed for Double or Nothing “I’ll bring my cowboy boots because in your home country of England they may have to give a knighthood to the doctor who can pull ’em out of your ass,” Page says
- The Bucks hype up AEW’s tag division and bring the double-denim clad Best Friends to the stage, Trent says that he and Chuck want to change the world “through the power of friendship”
- The Lucha Bros. arrive and attack the Young Bucks
- AEW’s Chief Brand Officer Brandi comes to the stage and confirms that Japanese wrestlers Aja Kong and Yuka Sakazaki will be at Double or Nothing
- Brandi brings new AEW signings Kylie Rae and Nyla Rose to the stage, the pair confront each other as Brandi attempts to keep them apart
- Excalibur brings SoCal Uncensored to the stage to announce the Double or Nothing after party — SCU: All Night
- CIMA and representatives of Oriental Wrestling Entertainment take to the stage, SCU request a match with CIMA and two of OWE’s best men at Double or Nothing
- KENNY OMEGA ARRIVES!!
- Chris Jericho interrupts Omega, the pair scuffle briefly before being pulled apart
- Kenny has stolen Jericho’s hat and is wearing it
- Omega/Jericho 2 confirmed for Double or Nothing
- Goodbye and goodnight, bang!
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
AEW Announces Partnership With Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
All Elite Wrestling has confirmed it will be joining forces with one of Mexico’s biggest promotions — Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide!
AEW took to Twitter to announce the partnership: “We are an hour away from the #DoubleOrNothingTicket Announcement Party but the news is breaking now!,” the tweet read. “[AEW]and [AAA] are teaming up to #ChangeTheWorld”
The tweet included a video featuring AAA’s General Manager Dorian Roldán Peña talking about what the relationship between the two promotions will entail.
“Unfortunately we could not attend the present day. But we are very happy to be able to make this announcement with you,” Roldán says. “The announcement is that AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide and All Elite Wrestling come together in a new alliance that will present new surprises to the fans,” he continued, adding that the relationship would involve “exchange of talent,” and “surprise people.”
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Kenny Omega Signs With All Elite Wrestling
After months of speculation, Kenny Omega has put pen-to-paper and signed a deal with the company founded by his former Bullet Club brothers Cody Rhodes, and Nick & Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks.
Omega’s signing was announced at the Double or Nothing Ticket Announcement Party from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which will host AEW’s second pay-per-view event on May 25.
“I am now a full-time member of the AEW roster,” Omega — who will also serve AEW as an Executive Vice President — told the crowd at the poolside event. “The cast and crew of All Elite Wrestling will finally be able to show just how we will change the world,” he concluded, before being confronted by his bitter rival Chris Jericho.
Omega and Jericho will go head-to-head in Vegas at Double or Nothing on May 25th.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1093760809346334721
WWE Co-President Comments On All Elite Wrestling
WWE Co-President George Barrios commented on the launch of a “new wrestling organization” during today’s fourth quarter 2018 WWE earnings call. The caller was presumably asking about All Elite Wrestling, wondering if AEW has caused an impact on the market for talent, and if WWE is seeing more cost inflation due to their launch.
“Yeah, too early to tell. We wouldn’t talk about specifics of that,” Barrios said. “From our perspective, we think we are the premiere global organization with the greatest wrestlers in the world, one of the greatest platforms. We have a lot of confidence in our ability to manage that.”
Source: WrestlingINC
Analysis: WWE Earned Millions From Saudi Arabia Deals In 2018 (Crown Jewel And Super Show-Down)
WWE fourth quarter earnings showed the company brought in tens of millions in additional revenue for its Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia and Super Show-Down in Australia.
While the earnings report didn’t specifically break down numbers for each event, it noted the revenue jump from $20 million in the final quarter of 2017 to $64 million in Q4 of 2018 was “primarily due to the distribution of certain live, in-ring programming content in international markets as reflected in ‘other.’”
If you’re trying to do the math in your head, that means an additional $43 million — the bulk of which likely came from Crown Jewel and Super Show-Down.
Back in the second quarter of 2018, we reported The Greatest Royal Rumble generated an additional $40 million in revenue for WWE. Q2 earnings showed $60 million in “other” revenue versus $12 million in Q2 of 2017.
While we’d presume Crown Jewel generated more revenue that Super Show-Down, it doesn’t appear to have brought in the same amount as WWE’s original event in Saudi Arabia.
Crown Jewel took place November 2 in Riyadh amid a cloud of controversy over whether or not the show should be produced. The event followed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Stars John Cena and Daniel Bryan requested to not appear at the show. The broadcast instead featured the in-ring return of Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and WWE comeback of Hulk Hogan.
For 2018, the “other” category in WWE’s media segment saw nearly $100 million in additional revenue. The bulk of that would’ve come from Greatest Royal Rumble, Crown Jewel, and Super Show-Down.
It’s worth noting WWE saw year-to-year growth in all major media segments including network, core content rights fees, and advertising and sponsorship.
WWE continued to see revenue drop for live events, however. In Q4, WWE brought in $34 million compared to $35 million in the same time period the preview year. Full 2018 live events were off roughly $8 million from 2017.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
2018 was the first year of the announced 10 year partnership with WWE and the Saudi Arabia. WWE is expected hold events in Saudi Arabia in May and November of this year.
Source: WrestlingINC
Former Colts Punter Pat McAfee Reveals New Multi-Year Contract With WWE
Former NFL player (Indianapolis Colts Punter) Pat McAfee has officially signed with WWE.
McAfee tweeted the following video and revealed that he has signed a multi-year deal to work as a WWE Digital correspondent. He thanked Triple H and Michael Cole, and wrote, “Good morning beautiful people.. today’s a pretty massive day for me. I can officially say I’m a @WWE employee. A real lifelong dream coming true thanks to @MichaelCole and @TripleH.. This opportunity means the world to me. Let’s. Go.”
The video includes footage of McAfee mixing it up at an indie event in 2008 or 2009. He teases an interest in returning to the ring, noting that signing with WWE is his childhood dream as he grew up during the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars. McAfee said he and WWE go side-by-side with each other.
The video also includes audio from Cole, who confirms that as of February 1, McAfee is officially a WWE contributor.
Source: WrestlingINC
