Tag: WWE

Tajiri Says He’s No Longer With WWE

Back in January it was announced Tajiri would be out of action with a knee injury when he teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura against Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe at an NXT taping. Tajiri took to Twitter to give an update an his situation. Please note, this is roughly translated from Japanese.

Tajiri said he did have a knee injury, which wasn’t too big of an issue, but at his age (46) the company considered it risky to put him back in the ring. While he was waiting for clearance from the doctor, he did some coaching in NXT. After being in the WWE for about four months, he’s returning to Japan with no regrets. He thanked Triple H, William Regal, and the WWE for giving him another chance in the company.

Tajiri was initially brought back to the WWE for their 32-man Cruiserweight Classic tournament that took place last June. He was eliminated from the tournament by Gran Metalik in the Round of 16.

Source: WrestlingINC

Mauro Ranallo Parts Ways With WWE, JBL Comments, WWE Investigated JBL?

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Mauro Ranallo and WWE have mutually agreed to part ways, Ranallo revealed to Newsweek in a new story posted today by Tufayel Ahmed. He will still remain under WWE contract through August 12th.

“WWE and I have mutually agreed to part ways. It has nothing to do with JBL,” Ranallo stated in an email to Newsweek.

As noted, Ranallo was rumored to have had issues with JBL, which reportedly escalated after Ranallo tweeted out results of him winning the “Wrestling Observer Announcer of the Year” award for 2016. JBL was visibly frustrated with Ranallo and went on a public rant on Bring It To The Table in March, stating that Ranallo “has a hundred and 80 something thousand tweets, and by the time this show airs, maybe 2 hundred something thousand.”

“That is a problem, okay? And he [Ranallo] retweets some Internet poll,” JBL said on Bring It To The Table. “We have, what, two million people who watch SmackDown in the United States alone, and you have some Internet poll with 12 people on it?”

Tension had reportedly been building between both men up until that point. Ranallo missed the following SmackDown tapings on March 14th, and has not appeared on WWE television since. Several past stories of JBL’s behavior resurfaced. JBL issued a statement to Newsweek, noting that he would take place in locker room pranks in the past, but WWE addressed his behavior.

“Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago,” JBL said. “WWE addressed my behavior and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumors. I apologize if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.”

WWE also issued a statement to Newsweek stating that they “fully investigate any allegations of inappropriate behavior,” including the JBL situation, however it was not clear if the investigation was ongoing. Below is their statement:

“As part of our commitment to creating an inclusive environment, in April 2011, WWE launched our anti-bullying campaign, Be a STAR, which encourages young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect.”As a publicly traded company, that mantra carries forward in our corporate culture. As such, we fully investigate any allegations of inappropriate behavior including the recent alleged situation with John Layfield (aka JBL), despite no formal complaint having been submitted.”

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE 205 Live Preview 4/18/17

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

* Will Alicia Fox and Noam Dar’s relationship survive?

* Can Austin Aries top TJ Perkins?

SmackDown Live Preview 4/18/17

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky with the fallout from last week’s “Superstar Shakeup” roster changes.

* Six-Pack Challenge to determine No. 1 contender to WWE Championship

* Kevin Owens seeks to prove he is the “Face of America”

* How will the Superstar Shake-up affect Team Blue’s Women’s Division?

* Will SmackDown’s newest arrivals continue to impress?

Matt ‘Rosey’ Anoa’i Passes Away

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Former WWE Superstar Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i passed away on Monday at the age of 47. Matt was the older brother to RAW Superstar Roman Reigns.

WWE issued the following:

WWE is saddened to learn that Matt Anoa’i, known to fans as Rosey, has passed away at age 47. The son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika and older brother of WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, Rosey grew up in the legendary Anoa’i wrestling dynasty.

He debuted in 2002 alongside his cousin Jamal as part of 3-Minute Warning. The imposing, powerful tandem tore through Raw’s tag team division before going their separate ways. Rosey then formed a beloved superhero duo with The Hurricane, which culminated in his first World Tag Team Championship reign.

The Anoa’i family shared the following statement:

“The Anoa’i family is mourning the loss of Sika’s son, Matt aka Rosey, due to an untimely death.

We want to let his fans know that he loved them and the wrestling world so much. In his passing, he left three beautiful young children and a heartbroken family. Please respect the privacy of his children and family as they mourn the loss of this kind, loving, gentle man, who was a father, son, brother and a superhero to us all.

Our family appreciates your prayers and continued support during this very difficult time.”

WWE extends its condolences to Rosey’s family, friends and fans.

WWE Reportedly Planning On Using Matt Hardy’s ‘Broken’ Gimmick

WWE is reportedly planning on using the “Broken” character for Matt Hardy. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is working on a deal with Impact Wrestling to use the character on television, which has yet to be finalized.

As noted, there have been legal issues with Matt Hardy using the “Broken” character with Impact Wrestling claiming ownership of the gimmick. Impact Wrestling recently added a trademark symbol (™) to videos on their YouTube channel containing references to the ‘Broken’ gimmick, including ‘Broken Matt’, ‘Brother Nero’ and ‘Broken Brilliance’. They also sent a cease and desist letter last month to pay-per-view providers airing the ROH 15th Anniversary pay-per-view regarding the intellectual property of the gimmick, which resulted in the Hardys not using most of the mannerisms associated with those characters on the show.

Hardy has been using some of the mannerisms of the “Broken” character on television since returning to WWE at WrestleMania 33 earlier this month. He has also been switching his Twitter description, using “#BROKEN”, “#Version1” and “#Mattitude.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Dash Wilder Injured, Out For About 8 Weeks

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WWE issued the following:

The Revival’s Dash Wilder suffered a jaw injury over the weekend during an NXT Live Event, WWE.com has learned. The injury comes in the wake of the two-time NXT Tag Team Champions’ huge back-to-back victories over former Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day since their Team Red debut the night after WrestleMania.

“On Friday night, following an in-ring injury to the right side of his jaw, we sent [Wilder] to the ER for a cat scan,” NXT medical personnel Dr. Jeff Westerfield told WWE.com. “The test came back showing a jaw fracture. As a result, he will be getting his jaw wired [Friday at 9 a.m.] and we are looking forward to him being back on the main roster in about eight weeks.”

Despite the prognosis, Dash and his tag team partner Scott Dawson both classified the situation as nothing more than a “minor speed-bump in the legacy of The Revival.”

“Is it frustrating? Of course it is,” Wilder stated to WWE.com “But it’s not going to stop The Revival. This is nothing. I’ve had worse than this and didn’t even bat an eye. I’d be out there tonight with my jaw wired shut if they’d let me. We’re as tough as we are talented. The last two weeks on Raw were just the beginning for us. We’ll be back to take what’s ours: those pretty little Raw Tag Team Titles.”

“We’re two hard-headed, southern-minded individuals,” added a fired-up Dawson. “If it were up to us, we would be on Monday Night Raw tonight. We will be back and continue to do what we have always done and that’s barrel through every tag team. No matter whether it’s a jaw, a knee, an ankle or an ice cream cart, we are going to go through ya and make sure we get as much money in our bank account as possible.”

RAW Preview 4/17/17

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio – fallout from last week’s Superstar Shake-Up:

* Is Braun Strowman unstoppable?

* Has Elias Samson “drifted” to Raw?

* Is Nia Jax in line for a Raw Women’s Title opportunity?

* Which Raw newcomers will “shake up” Team Red the most?

* Will Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe settle their unfinished business?

Finn Balor Injury Update,

Finn Balor was taken off this weekend’s live events due to a concussion he sustained in his match last week against Jinder Mahal. PWInsider is reporting that Balor is in Columbus, Ohio today for Raw and will need to undergo medical testing to see if he can be cleared for action.

Source: WrestlingINC

Mauro Ranallo – WWE Settlement Talks

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that it is believed that WWE is working to come create a settlement with Mauro Ranallo which would include an agreement for Mauro to not speak publicly about his issues with the company. Meltzer confirmed that WWE has initiated settlement talks with Mauro’s representatives. As noted, Mauro’s WWE contract expires on August 12th.

Source: WrestlingINC