NXT‘s live event in Indianapolis this weekend will be getting a special treat in the form of guest ring announcing from former Colts punter Pat McAfee.
McAfee will get behind the microphone before Undisputed Era take on Street Profits and Kassius Ohno to introduce the competitors as they walk to the ring.
The current host of Barstool Sports‘ Pat McAfee Show tweeted:
Tickets are still available at WWE.com.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
WWE issued the following:
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back, and WWE.com has the tournament bracket!
NXT General Manager William Regal announced the return of the Dusty Classic this week and revealed that matches will begin on the March 7 episode of NXT, with the tournament winners going on to challenge Undisputed ERA’s Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: New Orleans.
Eight of NXT’s top duos will compete in the tournament honoring WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. The first round will feature four must-see matches, including a showdown between rising young tag teams Heavy Machinery and Street Profits; a rematch of the 2016 tournament final, the red-hot returning duo of TM61 vs. former Dusty Classic winners The Authors of Pain; the athletic tandem of Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli against the chaos-seeking SAnitY; and what is sure to be a slugfest pitting hard-hitters Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch against the bastions of British Strong Style, Tyler Bate& Trent Seven, aka Moustache Mountain.
Which duos will advance to the second round of the prestigious tag team tournament and come one step closer to challenging for the NXT Tag Team Titles at TakeOver: New Orleans? Tune in to NXT every Wednesday night at 8/7 C on the award-winning WWE Network as the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returns!
On August 30, 2007, WWE announced the suspensions of 10 of its performers for violations of the company’s Wellness Policy (now officially known as the Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy) based on independent information received from investigators from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office in Albany, New York. At the time, it was WWE’s practice not to release the names of those suspended, but the company pledged that beginning on November 1, 2007, it would publicly disclose ‘the names of anyone who is suspended under the Wellness Policy.’ Now in 2018, this rule apparently no longer applies to all people under contract to WWE for ‘in-ring services.’
This contradicts what is written in WWE’s Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy, which states that it ‘is applicable to and binding upon all WWE Talent under contract to WWE who regularly perform in-ring services as a professional sports entertainer.’
17. APPLICABILITY OF THIS POLICY
This Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is applicable to and binding upon all WWE Talent under contract to WWE who regularly perform in-ring services as a professional sports entertainer (“WWE Talent”).
Two months after the policy change went into effect, WWE suspended two developmental performers on January 15, 2008 — Neil Bzibziak (aka Chet Jablonski and Chet the Jet) and Derrick Neikirk — for violations of the company’s Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy. Since then, WWE has only publicized one suspension of a developmental talent and it was 10 years ago (Afa Anoa’i Jr. on March 20, 2008, who joined the main roster later that year under the name of Manu).
In April 2016, WWE announced the suspension of both Adam Rose and Konnor for 60 days each for a second violation of the company’s policy. However, WWE never announced when either talent had served their first respective suspensions.
Meltzer said then that both Rose and Konnor were in developmental at the time of their first respective suspensions. WWE suspended Rose in 2013 and Konnor in 2006 (both for 30 days). Rose is the last known suspension of a developmental talent.
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE NXT General Manager William Regal has announced that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will return this year. The matches begin on the March 7th NXT episode and the winners will face NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish at “Takeover: New Orleans” during WrestleMania 34 weekend.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returnsNXT General Manager William Regal announced that the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will be returning.
The tournament honoring the memory of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes will begin in two weeks on the March 7 episode of NXT, and the winning tandem will challenge Undisputed ERA’s Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: New Orleans.
With NXT’s Tag Team division as crowded as it’s ever been, the competition to be a part of this epic tournament is sure to heat up. Who will join teams such as The Authors of Pain, Heavy Machinery, Street Profits and TM61 in this epic tag team tournament?
Source: WrestlingINC
On last night’s WWE NXT main event we saw Johnny Gargano lose a Career vs. Title match to NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas. Per the stipulation, Gargano must now leave NXT. The match saw interference by Tommaso Ciampa, Zelina Vega and Candice LeRae.
What’s next for Johnny Wrestling?
Below is post-match video of a somber Gargano leaving the arena with his wife as the roster and others look on, including NXT General Manager William Regal.
Gargano tweeted the following after the loss:
Jim Cornette was the former lead booker for Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s former developmental promotion, so he has a keen interest in the company’s current developmental territory NXT. On recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette made some revelations about how much money NXT is losing.
Cornette said he was sent the yearly and quarterly reports that are available because the WWE is a publicly-traded company. He revealed that NXT lost way more many than it made in the last two years, a luxury he wishes he had when he was at the helm of OVW.
“NXT in 2016 sold $7 million in tickets and had $20 million in expenses. In 2017, NXT had let’s say $6 million in ticket sales and $25 million in expenses… In all honesty, 2016 they lost $13 million, 2017 they lost $19 million and that’s not a ton of money for that whole company and organization up there. But can you imagine what me and Danny Davis could’ve done with Ohio Valley Wrestling if they said, ‘OK guys, you can bring in anybody that you want that’s not on the main roster or signed to New Japan and you can lose $32 million over the next two years.’ Holy f**k!”
Cornette said OVW never was in that position even though it didn’t generate a lot of money on its own. Still, he believes OVW was successful in its own right and says it was never in a bad monetary situation.
“We already had the highest rated show on the station’s Saturday schedule we were on… We had numerous events that drew large houses at the Gardens and we drew at Six Flags and we produced a ton of talent. I don’t know what the percentages would be but I guarantee we didn’t lose $32 million,” he said. “That’s the thing, Ohio Valley Wrestling never lost money since it’s been in operation. There have been a few years it may not have made much, but at that point in time it was the only full-time company with television running regular events in the United States besides the WWE that was profitable.”
Cornette said he understands the WWE’s need to develop their future superstars, so it’s necessary for them to put a lot of money towards NXT. Still, he thinks the losses are very monumental, so he was surprised by the numbers.
“I understand they’re making the investment in training the future superstars and they have to, they’ve figured out that they have to because they’re not getting them from anywhere else,” he said. “So they have to train their own, but my God!”
Source: The Jim Cornette Experience via WrestlingINC
* Johnny Gargano risks his NXT career in NXT Title Match against Andrade “Cien” Almas
* The fiesta meets the experience: No Way Jose vs. The Velveteen Dream
* Vanessa Borne readies for a punishing playdate with Nikki Cross
* Ember Moon grants Shayna Baszler an NXT Women’s Championship rematch
* Roderick Strong takes aim at Pete Dunne’s WWE U.K. Championship
* Aleister Black returns on WWE Network
* Will Roderick Strong or Tyler Bate earn a showdown with WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne?
* TM61 return to action for the first time in more than a year
* Does payback await The Lady of NXT? Lacey Evans vs. Nikki Cross
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NXT Tag Team Championship: (C) Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. The Authors of Pain – Winners: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish
Kassius Ohno vs. The Velveteen Dream – Winner: The Velveteen Dream
NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler – Winner: Ember Moon
Extreme Rules Match: Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole – Winner: Aleister Black
NXT Championship: ( C) Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas
After the match, Tommaso Ciampa hit Gargano from behind with a crutch.
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