Ronda Rousey Returns To The Ring At Lucha VaVOOM Event

Ronda Rousey lost to Shayna Baszler in an MMA Rules Match at the WWE SummerSlam premium live event, ending her second run with the company.

She surprised everyone by returning to the ring for Lucha VaVOOM at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Rousey, sitting in the front row, teamed up with her longtime friend Marina Shafir to face Taya Valkyrie and Brian Kendrick in a tag team match.

The match lasted only five minutes, with Rousey securing the victory for her team by submitting Kendrick with an ankle lock. She shared the full match on Instagram, along with a message.

Source: eWn

Brian Kendrick Was Pulled From AEW Dynamite After Abhorrent Comments Resurface

Brian Kendrick’s planned AEW debut was canceled after comments he made regarding dangerous conspiracy theories resurfaced.

Brian Kendrick did not appear on last week’s AEW Dynamite.

On Wednesday, February 2, wrestling journalist David Bixenspan shone a light on offensive remarks Kendrick had publicly made in the past. In some footage recorded in 2011, Kendrick can be seen discussing dangerous antisemitic conspiracy theories. In another interview, Kendrick claimed that the number of Jewish people murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust is much lower than the consensus would suggest. This claim is, of course, total and utter bullshit and only a bigot with a severe case of brain worms would buy into it.

AEW boss Tony Khan took to Twitter shortly before Dynamite to announce that Kendrick had been pulled from the show.

We’ve been made aware of abhorrent & offensive comments made in the past by Brian Kendrick,” TK wrote. “There’s no room in AEW for the views expressed by Brian. We think it’s best for all that Brian be pulled from tonight’s card as we gather more info. We’ll announce a replacement bout ASAP.”

The canceled match with Jon Moxley would have been Kendrick’s first since October 2020 when he teamed up with Mansoor to defeat Ever-Rise (no known as 2point0 in AEW) on WWE 205 Live. As you might recall, Kendrick seemingly announced his retirement back in April 2021 in a video filmed at the Performance Center and posted to WWE’s YouTube channel.

Brian Kendrick has issued an apology, of sorts, after antisemitic comments he made in the past resurfaced.

I apologize for all the hurt and embarrassment I have caused with my words. These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line,” Kendrick tweeted on Wednesday, February 2.

I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause,” he added in a follow-up tweet. “I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”

Source: TheSportster

Brian Kendrick Set For AEW Debut, Will Face Jon Moxley On Dynamite

Weeks after parting ways with WWE, pro-wrestling veteran Brian Kendrick will make his AEW debut on this week’s edition of Dynamite.

The Brian Kendrick is about to perform inside an AEW ring for the very first time! On Tuesday, February 1 — one week after it was reported that Kendrick had requested his WWE release — AEW announced that the veteran wrestler would go one-on-one with former AEW Champion Jon Moxley on the February 2 edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS.

Wednesday’s match will be Kendrick’s first since October 2020 when he teamed up with Mansoor to defeat Ever-Rise (no known as 2point0 in AEW) on 205 Live. As you might recall, Kendrick seemingly announced his retirement back in April 2021 in a video filmed at the Performance Center and posted to WWE’s YouTube channel.

Initially the idea of producing seemed like a good – not a retirement plan – but the next best thing to wrestling,” Kendrick explained during the clip. “It turns out it’s just as rewarding, in different ways. I love every bit of it. It’s a whole new way of looking at wrestling for me.”

Following the announcement, Kendrick began working at the WWE Performance Center as a coach/producer and occasionally appeared on-screen during NXT. Kendrick was briefly involved in a storyline with Harland (Parker Bordeaux) which was cut short as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak that affected several WWE staff.

Interestingly, Kendrick is a longtime friend and associate of AEW star Bryan Danielson, who has recently been teasing a match with Jon Moxley. Danielson and Kendrick were both students at The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in 1999 and came up in the independent scene together.

On the January 21 edition of AEW Rampage, Danielson sarcastically congratulated Moxley on his victory over Ethan Page. On the January 28 edition of Rampage, Danielson was shown backstage watching Mox’s match with Anthony Bowens. A Danielson vs. Moxley feud seems inevitable at this point … whether Brian Kendrick gets involved or not remains to be seen.

Source: TheSportster

Brian Kendrick Has Requested His Release From WWE

The WWE release train refused to stop rolling in 2021, and it doesn’t appear to be running short on steam this year either. WWE kicked off the year by letting go of a number of its backstage staff in NXT. That was followed up by Mustafa Ali requesting his release, although the former Retribution leader doesn’t appear to have been granted his request at the time of this posting.

According to PWInsider, Ali isn’t the only Superstar waiting for WWE to grant a release request. The site has confirmed with multiple sources that Brian Kendrick asked to be released as far back as six weeks ago but is yet to be told he is free to leave. Kendrick hasn’t wrestled on WWE TV since October 2020 and even said he had retired from in-ring competition.

Kendrick has remained busy behind the scenes though, working with talent in NXT and on 205 Live. He even briefly returned to TV recently as a part of an angle involving NXT 2.0 stars Joe Gacy and Harland. Kendrick was thrown down the stairs during one of Harland’s fits of rage. That was supposed to lead to a match between the two, but it never came to fruition.

The timing of the angle and Kendrick’s reported release request is certainly very interesting. What’s unclear is when exactly Kendrick requested his release, and therefore what triggered it. Whether WWE knew he was unhappy with his lot in the company and started up an angle in an attempt to appease him, or if the angle was WWE’s idea and his involvement is what led Kendrick to ask if he could leave the company.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 12/28/21, Brian Kendrick Returns

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network will feature the go-home build for next week’s New Year’s Evil special.

WWE has announced that Grayson Waller will appear on tonight’s show as a follow-up to last night’s RAW segment with AJ Styles. He is also scheduled to face Dexter Lumis. Tonight’s NXT will also see Brian Kendrick return to the ring to face Harland. RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle is also scheduled to appear tonight as MSK calls out NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium.

WWE has announced the following for tonight’s NXT:

* The go-home build for New Year’s Evil

* Grayson Waller vs. Dexter Lumis, Waller goes viral following his RAW appearance

* Harland vs. Brian Kendrick

* NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne vs. Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez in a non-title match

* RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle joins MSK as they call out NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium

* Wade Barrett moderates New Year’s Evil contract signing for the Title vs. Title Unification Match between NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong and NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes

WWE Stars Pay Tribute To Former TNA Star Amazing Red After His Retirement

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks took to Twitter to praise former TNA X Division Champion The Amazing Red, who runs the House of Glory wrestling promotion and school in New York City. Banks posted the tribute because Red has announced his retirement from the ring.

As seen below, Ali also took to Twitter to post a tribute to Red. Ali’s video features tributes to Red from Seth Rollins, Banks, Bayley, AJ Styles, Lince Dorado, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Brian Kendrick, Rey Mysterio and WWE producer Sonjay Dutt.

Ali wrote, “@AmazingRed1 was such a huge influence on me. But I’m definitely not the only one who was influenced by him. He should know that.”

You can see the tribute video below, along with Red’s announcement video.

Red noted that he originally planned to “leave wrestling” after the WWE Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. In what could have led to his big break, Red was originally scheduled to work the tournament but an ankle injury kept him out of it. He said he felt like he has done everything he was supposed to do through HOG, and he’s cancelling all the shows he had planned for WrestleMania 35 Week in New York City. Red said he will continue to teach at HOG, and he will continue to support the business. “Throughout all my life, I have done things for everybody else, I’ve never done things for myself,” Red said.

He later added, “Be happy for me, don’t be upset. The reason why I made this video was for myself, because once I know I put this out there, there’s no turning back. This is me looking out for me. So, be happy about that.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms Injury To Brian Kendrick On Monday Night’s RAW

Image result for The Brian Kendrick injured on Raw, Dec. 25, 2017

Brian Kendrick was sent to local hospital to be checked for a potential injury after taking a stiff GTS from Hideo Itami during the finish to their WWE RAW match Monday night in Chicago. Kendrick suffered a orbital wall fracture and a minimally displaced nasal bridge fracture.

Below is video of Dasha Fuentes confirming that Kendrick suffered the broken nose and a broken orbital bone. She notes that there’s no word yet on when Kendrick will return to action.

 

UPDATE:

It was noted on last night’s episode of 205 Live that Brian Kendrick will be out of action for two months and will likely not require surgery.