Former WWE and TNA/Impact Wrestling Women’s champion Gail Kim underwent surgery yesterday. Kim originally thought she had food poisoning, but it turned out to be her appendicitis. Gail said on Twitter that she’ll probably be released from hospital Tuesday for recovery. Gail is currently a producer for Impact Wrestling.
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As noted, RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax issued a challenge to Ronda Rousey during a joint red carpet interview at the NBCUniversal Upfronts in New York City earlier today. WWE has confirmed the match for the June 17th Money In the Bank pay-per-view from Rosemont, IL.
Below is WWE’s full announcement on the match:
Ronda Rousey to challenge Nia Jax for the Raw Women’s Championship at WWE Money in the BankNEW YORK CITY — Nia Jax shockingly named Ronda Rousey as her next challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship this morning at the NBCUniversal Upfront in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
The Irresistible Force revealed she wants to put her title on the line against Rousey at WWE Money in the Bank, much to the surprise of The Baddest Woman on the Planet. Never one to back down from either a challenge or an opportunity, a bewildered Rousey agreed to the match.
This will be Rousey’s first title opportunity since joining WWE earlier this year. When we last saw her compete on WWE TV, she teamed with Raw General Manager Kurt Angle to defeat Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania.
Can Rousey unseat the imposing Jax and win her first title in WWE? Tune in to WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday, June 17, streaming live on WWE Network.
Tonight’s WWE RAW will be a taped show from The O2 in London, England as the road to Money In the Bank continues.
* Two Raw opportunities remain for the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
* A Moon rises and a Queen rules
* Will Roman Reigns get retribution against Jinder Mahal?
* Bobby Lashley fights for his family
* Seth Rollins to defend the Intercontinental Title against Kevin Owens Monday night in London
Ronda Rousey and RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax are among the WWE Superstars in New York City today for the NBCUniversal Upfronts.
During a joint interview on the red carpet, Jax issued a challenge to Rousey for the upcoming WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view.
“We are very civil and professional ladies, so Nia did just challenge me for Money in the Bank to come after her title,” Rousey told E! News while on the red carpet. “I happily oblige respectfully, so I can sit next to her.”
Jax responded, “We can still get along for now, but once we get in the ring, it’s over. All bets are off, right?”
The two remained cordial during the interview and Rousey noted that they are professionals in the ring but can still be respectful outside of the ring.
“We’re professionals, so when we get in there, there’s a job to be done,” Rousey said. “When we’re outside of the ring, then we can still be respectful to each other. We all have the same goals. We’re all trying to lift the women’s division and to show people that we have more to offer than they’ve given us credit for in the past.”
WWE has not confirmed the Rousey vs. Jax match but Jax commented on possibly preparing to face the former UFC Champion.
“I’ve never been in a ring with somebody like Ronda,” Jax told E! News. “She’s one of a kind, so there definitely has to be an alternation to my regimen and I’m looking forward to it.”
Source: WrestlingINC
According to Tokyo Sports (translation by @EvanDeadlySinsW), New Japan Pro Wrestling has hired a new President, Harold Meij. At 54 years old, Meij (Dutch) will be the first NJPW President who is not Japanese, replacing Katsuhiko Harada.
Previously, he held the role of CEO for TOMY, a Japanese toy company, and has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Meij began with TOMY in 2014 and took the company from its biggest loss year to the most profitable ever in 2017.
Bushiroad President (parent owner of NJPW) Takaaki Kidani decided to bring him into the wrestling fold and Meij is scheduled to begin his duties next month.
Source: WrestlingINC
Neville’s wife, Natalie Satterley, posted several photos on Instagram in March suggesting that they were leaving Florida and returning to England. It was noted by Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Neville has indeed moved back to the U.K., which almost surely means that he is not returning to WWE.
Neville had left WWE in mid-October, reportedly over frustration with his status in the company. He was scheduled to lose to then-WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore on the October 9, 2017 episode of WWE Monday Night RAW, and left the company after reportedly learning of the scheduled finish. The match resulted in Enzo losing the championship to Kalisto.
Since quitting the company, Neville had been wanting his release from the company. He is still under WWE contract and his deal is frozen for the time that he is not working, which means that he can’t wrestle anywhere else in the world. The Observer noted that it’s not known if he is being paid while his contract is frozen, although Meltzer presumed that he isn’t. It’s the same situation that led to Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio remaining with the company well after their original contracts had expired. Bryan’s contract was unfrozen when he did commentary for the Cruiserweight Classic and became SmackDown General Manager.
Below is one of Satterley’s posts from March concerning her move back to the U.K.:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf-wFtKh9UA/
Source: WrestlingINC
Riddick Moss suffered a torn achilles tendon, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. He could be out of action for eight months. It’s not clear when he suffered the injury, but he was at last week’s NXT tapings on crutches.
Moss and his former tag team partner, Tino Sabatelli recently filmed an angle where they split up. Sabatelli has since had surgery for a torn pec, and may be out for eight months as well.
Moss signed with WWE in 2014 and made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event in December of that year. He began teaming with Sabatelli in October of 2016, and they recently split after suffering a loss to Heavy Machinery.
Source: WrestlingINC
Starrcast, the official wrestling convention during the weekend of All In during Labor Day weekend in Chicago, confirmed lots of new names for the event that will be running from August 30 to September 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Tickets for Starrcast go on sale Tuesday (May 15) at Starrcast.com.
Names advertised as of now to appear include:
Cody Rhodes
The Young Bucks
“Papa Buck” Matthew Lee Massie
Bruce Prichard
Eric Bischoff
Tony Schiavone
Billy Gunn
Kevin Nash
Shane “Hurricane” Helms
James Ellsworth
X-Pac
Ron Simmons
Scott Hall
Diamond Dallas Page
Lex Luger
Tully Blanchard
Jeff Jarrett
JJ Dillon
David Penzer
Teddy Long
Dutch Mantell
Macaulay Culkin
Jerry “The King” Lawler
Joey Janela and Penelope Ford
The Blue Meanie
Sean Mooney
Road Warrior Animal
Ron Funches
Colt Cabana
Wade Keller and Bruce Mitchell of PWTorch
Vince Russo took to Twitter noting that he is being blocked from appearing and attending the upcoming All In event in Chicago.
Russo tweeted out:
Cody Rhodes then responded with the following:
Source: WrestleView
After months of speculation about whether a self-financed, ten-thousand-seat event put on by The Young Bucks and Cody could sell out, we finally have our answer … it’s yes.
Tickets went on-sale Sunday afternoon and it only took around thirty-minutes for All In at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, Illinois — which has a capacity of 11,800 people — to be considered a sell out. No word on the exact number of tickets sold as of yet.
Rhodes revealed that tickets, which went on sale Sunday afternoon, were sold out in just under a half hour officially at 29 minutes and 36 seconds.
As you may you recall, this comes about a year to the date after Cody Rhodes claimed he’d “take that bet” when Dave Meltzer tweeted saying Ring Of Honor wouldn’t be able to sell out a ten thousand seat plus arena “any time soon.”
As we first reported back in November of last year, Cody and the Young Bucks had started to put together the plans for the event and shortly after a date/venue were announced. Since then they’ve put together an incredible line-up of talent for the event including Kazuchika Okada, Deonna Purrazzo, Pentagon Jr, Rey Fenix, Tessa Blanchard, Stephen Amell and just announced earlier today – Rey Mysterio.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
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