Tag: WWE

Matt Hardy Says He’s Been “Greenlit” To Return To Action

Matt Hardy was on Twitter earlier today and in a response to an individual asking if he had retired, Hardy revealed that he has been physically greenlit and doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon. Hardy was originally suffering from pain stemming from his lower back and his pelvis fusing together and he used this time away from the ring to rehab the afflicted areas.

Hardy’s last televised match was August 13, 2018, when he and Bray Wyatt lost to “The B Team’s” Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel in a match for the Raw Tag Team Championships. His final match before taking time away to rehab was at a WWE Live Event in Corpus Christi, Texas on September 25, 2018.

Hardy recently had an interview with Akhilesh Gannavarapu from Wrestling Inc. and during the discussion, Hardy explained that he sees himself returning sooner rather than later.

“As far as a timetable of when I’m going to return, I don’t have an exact timetable but I would say sooner than later,” Hardy said. “There is not a set timeline [for me returning]. Whenever I was ‘going home’ there were some issues, some nagging injuries I was dealing with. I had to go home and do some rehabilitation.”

Matt responded to the individual on Twitter with, “No, I am not retired & not going to be retiring anytime soon. I’ve worked my ass off to rehabilitate & have physically been greenlit. My body is in the best shape it’s been in in years & I’m the lightest I’ve been in 20 years.” You can read the full tweet below:

Source: WrestlingINC

Former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Akam Reportedly Out With An Injury

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Former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion, Akam from The Authors of Pain has been sidelined with a leg injury, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Radio.

Meltzer explained that the injury is the reason AOP hasn’t been used on TV in recent weeks, and Akam is expected to be out for at least a few months.

Akam’s last television match with The Authors of Pain was on the December 17, 2018 episode of WWE RAW, losing a Fatal-4-Way tag team match to The Revival’s Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder. They would compete in a handful of WWE live events shortly after that, but remain off TV.

Along with their recent reign as the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions, AOP has also held the NXT Tag Team Championships once and won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.

Source: WrestlingINC

Additional Details On The Revival Requesting WWE Releases

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In case you missed it, Bodyslam.net first reported Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson made the request following their match on Raw and Fightful reported that there was fear The Revival were on the way out of the company.

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, sources tell them that the tag team’s decision to ask for their releases was based on how little time and respect the division is given. We’re told the duo is frustrated about the lack of promos, backstage segments and direction of the division. Not just for themselves, but the entire division … such as the tag match on Monday being used as a cutaway segment.

One source also pointed to The Club being an afterthought on TV after coming to WWE as a major signing and Authors of Pain being absent from television not long after their debut as additional examples.

Pro Wrestling Sheet says they we’re told the The Revival’s feelings on the subject boiled over last Monday after the tag team champions Bobby Roode/Chad Gable weren’t even featured on the show, so they asked WWE officials for their release. At this point, the request has been denied.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, The Revival’s contracts don’t expire until April of 2020.

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Observer

Maria Kanellis Denies Asking For WWE Release

maria kanellis mike denies requesting release wwe contract

Maria Kanellis has released a statement denying that she requested her release from WWE.

It was reported this past week that she and Mike Kanellis asked WWE to release them from their contracts. According to Maria, however, that’s not entirely true.

“I DID NOT ask for my release,” she wrote on Instagram. “Speculation and rumors are running rampant. Someone is playing all the wrestling news sites.”

For what it’s worth, multiple sources confirmed the story. Plus, additional publications have since confirmed their request was denied.

Read Maria’s full statement below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Reportedly Offering To Beat Contract Offers From Other Groups, Backstage News On WWE Signings

WWE officials have made it clear to certain talents that they will beat any offer from other promotions, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

This new idea to beat offers came up after Bandido decided to sign with Ring of Honor over WWE. It’s interesting to note that they did not try to beat the offer that Chris Jericho received from All Elite Wrestling. Word is that WWE has told talents that if they can show on paper an offer from another promotion, then they will beat it, and even double it on the spot, if the talent immediately signs with WWE.

With rumors of so many talents looking to leave WWE or sign with other promotions over WWE, Vince McMahon and other company officials are going very hard right now in trying to avoid the idea that people do want to leave, and the concept that talents can get more money elsewhere if they leave or that they can benefit from leaving. This is why WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar keeps getting better offers to keep him from UFC, even though WWE would allow a UFC return for The Beast, and why they have started to push some talents who had been unhappy, because there are viable options for them to leave.

The Observer points to the financial advantage that WWE has over promotions like AEW and ROH, as they are structured for major profits in the future, plus they can and will stockpile talents, even if they don’t have a definite idea on how to use those talents.

On a related note, PWInsider reports that WWE officials have started to approach Superstars whose deals are expiring in the next year, trying to lock them up to longer-form deals. WWE has been locking talents in to five-year deals for some time, including The Miz and Kevin Owens, but the timing is interesting with the launch of AEW and other promotions also getting aggressive with talent signings.

Source: WrestlingINC

News On Rumors Of Dolph Ziggler Leaving WWE

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After turning down an offer to become a WWE producer, there is speculation that Dolph Ziggler may be moving on from the WWE, according to PWInsider.

Ziggler has completely removed the “Dolph Ziggler” name from his social media accounts and he is scheduled for an upcoming comedy tour. Some sources claim to PWInsider that he remains under WWE contract. While some have denied that he is leaving the company, others are suggesting that he will be done on January 31st.

Ziggler has expressed frustration over the years with his position in the company. During an appearance on Edge & Christian’s podcast in late December, Ziggler discussed his role with being “the gatekeeper” and helping get NXT talent over.

“My job of making somebody that should be ready for a world title picture becomes harder and it’s not as much of a shove and if you see the last six months, a year of TV, basically, I’m a gatekeeper to the guys from NXT coming up that they have high expectations for, but if I lose for eight consecutive months before they show up, they are no longer getting that pat on the back to go up a notch, so I almost feel like it’s taking back from my role,” Ziggler said. “So I don’t know what the change would be, either be to switch things up, disappear here and there, or, I’ve said this to the boss on several occasions, I go, ‘I’ve made a career out of almost never winning, which is awesome,’ but I go, ‘at some point, I have to be seen as someone who can win, not just by pulling a needle out of a haystack or a lottery ball saying tonight is finally going to be the night because then it loses all of that luster.’

“Wins and losses don’t matter unless you’re the guy who loses every single night. And, if you’re that guy, then maybe you should be in the dark match, not fighting to see who becomes world champion each night. And even if you do pull that rabbit out of the hat, people know it’s not long term.”

Ziggler hasn’t appeared on WWE television since late last month when he lost to Drew McIntyre in a steel cage match on RAW and he has reportedly not been on the road with WWE in recent weeks. We’ll keep you updated on any further details that emerge regarding Ziggler’s WWE status.

As we previously reported, The Revival, Maria & Mike Kanellis have recently requested their releases from the company. As of this writing, none of the releases have been granted.

Source: WrestlingINC

The Revival Reportedly Asks For Their Release From WWE

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After their match with Lucha House Party on Monday night’s episode of RAW, “The Revival”, Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder asked for their release from WWE management, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

As you can see in the video below, in storyline, The Revival have recently been outspoken regarding a “conspiracy theory” against them. They claim that, regardless of the effort they’ve shown and no matter what they do, there are numerous controversies that somehow keep them from finally winning tag team gold in the WWE.

The Revival have been on the main roster since April 2017 and have yet to hold any WWE Championship gold. In comparison, fellow NXT alumni and current WWE superstars, Authors of Pain, arrived on the main roster in April of 2018 and became the RAW Tag Team Champions later that same year.

Dawson & Wilder saw much more success in NXT, where they are two-time NXT Tag Team Champions, and won Year-End Awards for Tag Team of the Year and Match of the Year for their match against Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

While The Revival requested their release, Meltzer added in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the release has not been granted yet. He noted that no releases are being granted to anyone asking for them “for obvious reasons.”

As previously noted, WWE superstars Maria and Mike Kanellis have also requested a release from WWE.

Source: WrestlingINC

Mike And Maria Kanellis Recently Requested Releases From WWE

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Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Mike and Maria Kannellis recently asked for WWE officials to release them from their contracts.

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, the Kanellis’ have been unhappy with the way they’ve been used in WWE for awhile and finally made the decision a few weeks ago to request their releases.

Mike Kanellis has also once again started selling new shirts on Pro Wrestling Tees.

Mike and Maria Kannellis signed with WWE in April of 2017 and debuted in June at Money in the Bank. Months later, Mike revealed he had been battling addiction and Maria announced she was pregnant. The duo weren’t used much on TV after that, until recently resurfacing on 205 Live.

According to CageMatch.net, Mike Kanellis wrestled on SmackDown Live a total of four times since signing with WWE. The rest of his appearances were largely relegated to Main Event and live events.

WWE doesn’t always grant release requests, so it’s possible nothing comes of this and the couple are simply paid to sit at home until the deal expires.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

AJ Styles Impersonates “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

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The dark main event after last night’s WWE 205 Live tapings at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama saw WWE Champion Daniel Bryan retain over AJ Styles by disqualification. Bryan reportedly cut a strong heel promo, which poked fun at Alabama for losing to Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship earlier this month. AJ came back and laid Bryan out, also stopping to celebrate with a young fan in the crowd. AJ then impersonated WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, switching out the beer cans for water bottles, after hitting a Phenomenal Forearm on Bryan. You can see video from the segment below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsr0BdOlxD6/

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 1/15/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as the road to Royal Rumble continues.

* Rey Mysterio and Andrade “Cien” Almas to continue their epic series

* The Miz to throw Shane McMahon “The Best Birthday Bash in the World”

* Carmella and Sonya Deville to square up

* What’s next for Becky Lynch and Asuka?

* Will AJ Styles find out how vicious Daniel Bryan can be?