TPWW's Official Dirty Sheets News Thread [Archive] - Page 8

Emperor Smeat

03-02-2018, 11:48 AM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Random NWA era WCW Gif:
http://rockstargary.com/reflections/pictures/cornette90.gif

The only real known change in the WrestleMania card is the original Miz vs. Strowman IC title match is out. Strowman’s role isn’t determined because right now he is the fallback position in case something happens with either Reigns or Brock Lesnar.

It was a lock Lesnar would leave if Jon Jones could have found himself a tainted supplement with Turinabol and gotten a minimum suspension. Right now, given Jones’ lack of an explanation for his positive test, things don’t look good for him in his upcoming testimony before USADA as far as being able to fight any time soon. Lesnar vs. Jones was a huge money fight, and while Lesnar could get fights and make money with Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou, he couldn’t make nearly the money as he could have with Jones. In addition, he would be the underdog in all of those fights and his market value would drop with a loss. Plus, Ngannou is the one that also offers the most serious physical danger for him and one he should probably avoid, even if of the four opponents, it’s the one there is at least a possible path of victory using his wrestling.

Reigns winning the title from Lesnar is still the direction, as it has been for a year, for the show. The big issue is the claims about Reigns by Jon Bravo, the film maker with access to the Wellness Fitness Nutrition, Inc., files who has claimed for the past few weeks that he would be revealing information regarding Reigns’ alleged purchases from the company that distributed steroids and other PEDs.

Cena vs. Undertaker is still the Mania plan, or at least was at the time Cena did the interview and we’ve heard nothing different. Based on the crowd reaction, it has more anticipation than almost anything on the show. The only way that would change would be if Undertaker gets hurt in training or for some reason pulls out of the show.

As for Mysterio Jr., he has no deal with WWE at this moment. He does have a meeting scheduled with Paul Levesque to discuss a deal very soon, and it’s basically dependent upon Levesque clearing his schedule and set up when this will take place. Mysterio is looking for a very different type of deal as he’s not willing to wrestle full-time at this point, nor should he. There are also questions about opportunities outside of wrestling. Mysterio was at the 2/26 house show in San Diego but all of the key people would have been at Raw in Anaheim that night. He is also still scheduled for the New Japan show on 3/25 in Long Beach.

There had been speculation of Travis Browne, Rousey’s husband, who has been training at the Performance Center, being in the match where it would be the husband and wives against each other. But this is a better bet since using Browne would mean the match at Mania would have HHH and three wrestlers with almost no experience, two of which would be in the first match. Angle is the safer choice since the guys who likely work most of the way and carry the match, and build for the peak spots with Rousey and Stephanie. The entire match will likely be mapped out spot-for-spot, or at least the limited action of the women would have to be.

The most recent WrestleMania plans were the women’s title matches to be Bliss vs. Nia Jax and Charlotte Flair vs,. Asuka. Jax was protected as much as could be possible in losing to Asuka on the Chamber show, and continued getting the monster push. Bliss, in her television interview, kept saying that Jax deserves the title shot as a way to avoid Asuka. The idea is she kept saying it because she knew it had no chance of happening, and makes sense that it ends up happening. But it’s unclear where all that stands right now.
Spoiler tag used since its related to Mania plans and Lesnar's future status in the WWE.

The WWE to FOX stories have grown stronger including this noting a Monday night slot on FOX for Raw is possible. This is actually something first talked about more than a year ago and we had reported it months ago. But this story said FOX would rather have WWE and would let UFC go if they can make the WWE deal and is willing to pay more for WWE. The moral of this story is that it's very important to have a good year in your contract year. One year ago, nobody would have ever made that call. This year, the perception is very different, and the signing of Ronda Rousey is a big part of this.
Link: http://www.sportingnews.com/wwe/news/fox-sports-wwe-raw-broadcast-tv-contract-ufc-smackdown-smack-down-ronda-rousey/1ovzh7gbpyt9t1fglfp1m7xr2w

On FS 1's Speak for Yourself show, Jason Whitlock and Colin Cowherd talked about Cowherd going with FOX Sports execs to the Smackdown tapings Tuesday night at the Staples Center. Cowherd talked about meeting Stephanie McMahon and said that he had a blast at the show. He'd spent years burying wrestling and its fans. Cowherd now said it was a very good sport "coming to a network near you" which was meant as a tease as FOX is looking to get WWE's TV rights in 2019.

Ring of Honor is set to return to the United Kingdom for a three-show tour in May.

The tour will be called "Honor United" and will begin in Edinburgh, Scotland with a show at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on May 24th. After that, there will be stops at the Crystal Palace Sports Centre in London, England on the 26th and The Doncaster Dome in Doncaster, England on the 27th.

This will be ROH's first trip to the UK since last summer's War of the Worlds events, which included an iPPV from Liverpool and featured wrestlers from New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL. Though few details have been announced for the three shows in May, ROH confirmed that there will be wrestlers from NJPW on the tour.

Link: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/roh-announces-return-uk-%E2%80%98honor-united%E2%80%99-tour-may

All Star Wrestling on 3/2 and 4/14 in Surrey BC at the Alice McKay Building at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. Due to Tom Lawlor's injury, tomorow night's main event will be Davey Boy Smith Jr. defending the Stu Hart Heritage title against Artemis Spencer, who replaces Lawlor.

MCW on 3/24 in Joppa, MD with Bruiser vs. Joey Mercury in a cage match.

CZW on 3/10 in Voorhees, NJ at the Colossal Sports Academy has Rich Swann vs. Joe Gacy added to the show.

Wrestle Circus announced Penta 0M vs. Shane Strickland, Tessa Blanchard vs Chelsea Green and Extra Talented vs. Andy Dalton & Gregory James for their 3/24 show in Austin TX.

Another NWA video produced by Dave Lagana covering Nick Aldis returning home as NWA champion.
NWA link: https://youtu.be/dgBLSaHUkaE

Let’s imagine something happens to Vince McMahon tonight and he is no longer able run WWE. What happens next? who takes over the business, creative etc. Vince is known to pretty much do everything in his company, so i’m interested as to you believe the plan would be should he not be there? And what would be the immediate reaction?

Remember there have been lots of shows that Vince McMahon wasn’t involved in and WWE got through them fine. The plan would be for Michelle Wilson and George Barrios to run the day to day of the business while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would handle the creative and branding of the company. I think a lot of people will be shocked to hear this, but should and when something happens to Vince McMahon, the WWE machine will continue without a beat. It’s too massive a company at this point that it wouldn’t. I think people outside the company will be shocked and wonder how WWE will carry on, but Disney still moved on and grew even after the deaths of Walt and Roy Disney.
From PWI's weekly Q&A article about WWE's current plans for Vince's departure.

WWE announced that they will returning to Tokyo, Japan on June 29th and 30th with shows at the Ry?goku Kokugikan Sumo Arena featuring the Smackdown Live brand. No talent has been confirmed yet for the events.

The official Twitter account for the 9/1 "All In" event being promoted in Chicago, IL, headed by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, announced that the location of the event, a 10,000 seat venue in that market that Ring of Honor has never run, will be announced on the next edition of their YouTube series Being the Elite:

The next #BeingTheElite will feature the location for the event!
— All In (@ALL_IN_2018) March 1, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/969029707260887040

There was a much bigger walk-up than usual both nights. Las Vegas had 8,000 tickets a few weeks out and ended up with 11,000 in the T Mobile Arena for Fast Lane. Whether that was a late two-for-one, or the announcement of Rousey is impossible to say, probably some of both. In Anaheim, there was another huge walk-up as we were told the afternoon of the show that it was looking like 8,500, and ended up at 10,000. That was very much attributed to Rousey, since WWE didn’t even announce she would be there until after the PPV.

The weekly saga of Roman Reigns and his connection with Richard Rodriguez had a few new stories from an interview with Jon Bravo.

Bravo did an interview with pro wrestler Devon Nicholson’s Hannibal TV channel. He said that he hasn’t gone over the 2017 records, but he claimed that he of yet hasn’t found anything from 2016 that Reigns ordered that came after his June suspension. He said he also found things being used prior to the June suspension which is why he said he was certain that what got Reigns suspended were drugs he purchased from Rodriguez ...

Bravo said the information would be released in a lengthy video with Rodriguez where he will go into detail on Reigns and every other wrestler involved. He also said he uncovered a connection between Rodriguez and all of the wrestlers and indicated it would be out shortly ...

The key is that if this is accurate, WWE can argue if there is no evidence of him using anything after June, that he was already suspended. With Reigns scheduled to win the Universal title from Brock Lesnar, and a second suspension would be 60 days, it would put the company in a very bad position if evidence is brought out implicating him with purchasing anything after that point. WWE would not be forced to do anything, and because they aren’t really covered in depth by many mainstream places, there’s not going to be the media pressure on the policy.

That was shown by the revelation that Lesnar wasn’t subject to the policy after he failed a UFC test and wasn’t suspended, which got virtually no mainstream coverage, like it would if there was a bust and one of UFC’s or the NFL’s biggest stars was named ...

He said the reason he and Rodriguez they talked about Reigns, Josh Duhamel (who, coincidentally, appeared on Smackdown this week to plug the debut of the USA Network TV show “Unsolved,” that he is starring in) and Mark Wahlberg is because he claimed those names had already come out in testimony related to the case. He said because of that, all three of the men would have been contacted and been aware of this all along ...

But if the records come out and there is substance to them, there is great onus on WWE on a lot of different fronts ...

The other is that if you’ve got 15 guys tied to just this one case, that likely tells you use the issue is far more prevalent than just from this one guy as a dealer. If it is, that tells you the mentality among the wrestlers, or at least a good percentage of them, is that when WWE tests and tells you they want you clean, what they really mean is they want you to not fail tests that may be easy to pass.

Part of the issue is when you have traditionally awarded physiques with better spots and more opportunities, the natural incentive in a very competitive sport is to do what you can to maximize what you are given. This is not limited to WWE ...

It doesn’t help when the CEO and the head of developmental are both bodybuilders themselves and whether they are or aren’t clean, I don’t believe there’s one person on the roster who believes they don’t have a history with the stuff. So there’s a lead by example thing going. I don’t really care if they suspend a bunch of guys. The reality is the guys who are using the stuff have the mentality that the real rules, as opposed to what the public is told, is look how you need to look and don’t get caught. And if those are the rules, WWE should do nothing here. If those aren’t the rules, and this is meant to be more than a smoke-screen, the WWE should be aggressively trying to find out what the information is, and what is being used, and what type of testing can be done to lessen that use ...

There’s also the Lesnar loophole, where WWE has allowed the older part-timers an essential drug exemption free pass, while the guys on the harder schedule who are taking the bumps and traveling hard, don’t get that benefit.

Another issue that came up this past week regards NXT. Talent there is tested, and are suspended with the same rules, but their suspensions are kept hidden. Unfortunately, with the revelation last week here of that fact, it was created an environment where anyone who disappears for more than 30 days is now getting the rumors of a drug test failure their way. In some cases, that may be true and others it wouldn’t. NXT is a touring brand with guys being pushed as stars, so I’m not sure why he rules would be different. They have their reasons. But the problem now is by not announcing the failures, anyone who misses 30 days for a minor injury, a personal leave, a legit health issue or cosmetic surgery will now be rumored that they have failed test. Sometimes you reveal names to punish the people and as a public deterrent to everyone that your name will get out. Sometimes you do it because every real sport would. But another reason to announce all failures is to protect the innocent.

Mike Tenay has said that while he is not actively pursuing any jobs in wrestling, and has had offers that he hasn’t accepted, he does not consider himself retired from wrestling. He said that he might consider a return to announcing at some point in the future and is open to listening to offers

John Pollock noted that the ban on piledrivers was due to a significant injury to a wrestler in Louisiana from a piledriver. This injury and ban was enacted in recent years, so the fact there were piledrivers at both the last WrestleMania in New Orleans and on shows that week doesn’t matter. Still, my gut tells me the commission will rule tombstones as not being piledrivers since WWE doesn’t allow their wrestlers to do regular piledrivers under normal circumstances (they may be approved for top stars in a major match, but even that is rare). All wrestlers who appear on the shows have to have blood test results sent to the promotion for review by the commission regarding testing for HIV along with Hepatitis B and C. In addition, the commission will be doing physicals at the shows before the matches and the commission is saying there are no exceptions to the rule. What’s notable here is that most commissions are small and there are so many events going on at the same time so I don’t see how they’ll be able to oversee them all

Both Keith Lee and Walter have been offered WWE spots starting in Orlando in May. The two are the two best big men on the independent scene right now. The belief within the indie world is Lee is taking it since he’s turned down dates after that point in time but this is one of those things that neither side are even allowed to confirm. Lee is 32 or 33 (he told me he was 32 months back) , and he’s got charisma to go along with being so strong and agile. He reminds me of a more agile but not quite as heavy version of Bam Bam Bigelow. Lee, while not announced yet because it requires the approval of Gabe Sapolsky, since he has a contract with WWN, was tentatively on the card for New Japan on the 3/25 show in Long Beach. If that happens, that doesn’t mean he won’t do that date and still go to WWE in May although New Japan believes he’s not. He also has shown he can work with lots of different styles and have good matches and had a tear down the house psychology match with Tomohiro Ishii in London that was beautiful in its simplicity.

Walter is less clear. I know that in the past he’s told us he’s not interested because he’s got employee status with the wXw promotion in Europe and runs their school and in the past told us he likes his life and wasn’t interested in moving. He wasn’t even interested in long periods out of Europe as he noted New Japan isn’t something he was interested in either. But there is an opportunity if you become a WWE star to make far more money and garner far more fame in this business than anywhere else. Walter would have been a main event heel in the old WWWF days against Bruno Sammartino or Pedro Morales in the 70s as a big German who can really go standing behind a heel manager. He’s got a great foreign heel face, similar to Vladimir Kozlov, just as big, not quite as good a body as Kozlov had but world’s better in the ring. Walter’s chops are incredible, but I’m not sure WWE will want their guys taking those chops as much as indie guys are willing to do to make a match, but he can do more than that. Both have different styles than WWE but if I was WWE, they are two of the top guys possible to get that aren’t under contract with a major promotion already

Rousey was training during the week at the Performance Center in secrecy. Even before, when she would come, she would train if off hours so people wouldn’t see her even though it was not a secret she was there. She also went to Stamford this past week for business meetings. Her training team was Norman Smiley, Sara Amato, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke (so she’s back training for pro wrestling again), Travis Browne (her husband who is 6-foot-6 and was doing training as well and has done some training there for months although we’ve heard mixed reports on whether he’ll be wrestling or not) along with Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler

Talks are back open regarding a Neville return. If it was to happen, the target is April right now. He has been looking at leaving but wasn’t able to get a release, and it’s a bad situation because the company can freeze his contract length if he’s not performing (the same reason they were able to keep both Bryan and Mysterio under contract long after their original deals were to expire)

Regarding Apollo dropping the Crews last name, it’s been confirmed through people who have seen internal e-mails that it was a decision made by Vince McMahon because of the gunman in the Parkland school mass murder names Nikolas Cruz. That had previously been reported by Daniel Wood and in many other places. WWE never denied the story to us, only said that they had never released that information to any media source. The reason for the dropping of the name wasn’t supposed to get out

Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that a TV appearance by Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore) on the show Undercover Boss on CBS has been edited off the show. There was an episode that has yet to air with a WWE theme that Arndt had a scene in. They reported it was a small scene that wasn’t integral to the episode itself and it wasn’t difficult to edit him out. Arndt was edited off likely because WWE didn’t want anything associated with them to have him shown as part of their company in the future since he’s being investigated on a sexual assault charge

Some other sheet news includes:

According to the Observer, WWE is currently struggling selling tickets for Smackdown exclusive Fastlane PPV. WWE currently offering a "2 for the price of 1" for ringside seats.
The entire content listing for the upcoming Becky Lynch collection set for the WWE Network was recently revealed. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115836/complete-listing-of-wwe-networks-becky-lynch-collection.html?p=1
According to PWI, Sunny (Tammy Sytch) is dealing with legal problems again and this time related to her failing to appear at two different courts for prior legal issues. Besides being arrested in New Jersey, she is now considered a "fugitive of justice" in Pennsylvania. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115829/updated-tammy-sytch-arrested-being-held-as-a-fugitive-of-justice.html?p=1
Radio show Conversations With Maria Menounos had Charlotte as the guest talking about who she wants to face at Mania, her feelings on Ronda Rousey, her father's legacy, and more. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115828/charlotte-flair-on-her-wrestlemania-dream-bout-rousey-coming-into-the-company-her-advice-to-ronda-and-more.html?p=1
Karen Jarrett recently commented on Jeff Jarrett's induction into WWE's Hall of Fame and thanked everyone who made it possible and helped Jeff's career. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115809/karen-jarrett-comments-on-jeff-jarretts-wwe-hall-of-fame-induction.html?p=1
According to the Observer, Paul Heyman will be giving the induction speech for Goldberg during this year's WWE Hall of Fame event.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Lesnar at WWE Show, Taker Campaigns w/ Kane, Edwards Re-Signs (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/various-lesnar-at-wwe-show-undertaker-campaigns-w-kane-edwards-re-signs/)
WWE: Austin at WrestleCon, Birthdays, WWE Camera Work, Paige’s Store (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-austin-at-wrestlecon-birthdays-wwe-camera-work-paiges-store/)
Impact vs. Lucha Underground Show Planned for WrestleMania Weekend (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/impact-vs-lucha-underground-show-planned-for-wrestlemania-weekend/)
PWG to Move to a Bigger Venue for Their Next Show (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/pwg-to-move-to-a-bigger-venue-for-their-next-show/)

owenbrown

03-02-2018, 11:56 AM

Why couldn't it be Bischoff or DDP giving Goldberg's speech?

Emperor Smeat

03-06-2018, 10:01 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Ronda Rousey embracing her Samoan heritage OUTTA NOWHERE:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/d5cfb9f1bd6f57248d0992ce3dd988d6/tumblr_p55aj3NGhv1u1ljrzo1_500.gif

Raw fell four percent last night to 3.03 million viewers and the viewing followed the normal patterns with most viewers watching the first two hours and dropping off after that point ...

The second-to-third hour drop was 16.5 percent, which is the fourth biggest single hour drop in the show's history.

Ronda Rousey being in the first segment probably hurt the overall number since if people were turning in for her, they would have left 15 minutes in. Still, this was among the lower rated shows since football season ended, and there is no competition that you could point to as a primary reason.

The show didn't really promote anything for the third hour past Paul Heyman addressing Roman Reigns' remarks from the previous week.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 3.30 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.27 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.73 million viewers

Jonathan Coachman was one of several ESPN employees named in a sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit filed against the company Monday.

Former ESPN employee Adrienne Lawrence filed the suit in Connecticut's United States District Court, but damages were not specified.

Coachman, now with WWE, was named on page 36 of the lawsuit in the section "Men Preyed on Ms. Lawrence Under the Guise of Being Collegial or Providing Mentorship".
Lawsuit link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OOpQfdm8OxLHAwUkUlCaw6W-Xm3t14YI/view

After being named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against his old employers Monday, Jonathan Coachman fired back Tuesday morning in denying the claims ...

On Twitter, Coachman, now a broadcaster with WWE, responded to someone asking a question about Lawrence's claims:

I will address this only once because I am seething today. In 21 years of being a PROFESSIONAL I have never been more offended in my life. I my 9 years I can count on one hand the amount of times I interacted with anyone other than a co-anchor. To allow someone to spread vicious https://t.co/4NYsZjK2C6

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachrules) March 6, 2018

Lies and flat out fabrications is not ok and it’s time someone stood up for themselves. @jemelehill addressed her lie last night. I am not a part of this lawsuit because I have never done anything wrong. My reputation speaks for itself and anyone that has ever worked with me https://t.co/4NYsZjK2C6

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachrules) March 6, 2018

Will back that up. I am also offended that someone can dangerously throw peoples names into something for the clear attempt at getting headlines. This the only time I will address this because I am not a part of this lawsuit. My heart goes out to anyone falsely accused of https://t.co/4NYsZjK2C6

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachrules) March 6, 2018

Anything. Trust me it doesn’t feel good. But most of you have been incredible and supportive. Onward and upward. https://t.co/4NYsZjK2C6

— Jonathan Coachman (@TheCoachrules) March 6, 2018

In a statement, WWE said, "We take these matters very seriously and are investigating."

The stone pitbull Tomohiro Ishii will be a part of Ring of Honor's WrestleMania weekend event.

ROH announced today that Ishii will compete at this year's Supercard of Honor XII show, though it hasn't been announced who he will face. Other stars from New Japan coming in are Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega, who will headline the event against Cody. It will take place Saturday evening, going head to head with NXT Takeover.

Something to note about this weekend is that with the exception of Omega, all of the New Japan talent coming in that weekend are also confirmed for that weekend's Rev Pro event, which will take place a day prior. Minoru Suzuki is scheduled for the Rev Pro event as well, so it's possible he may be added to Ring of Honor's card in the not too distant future, though that isn't currently confirmed.

Other talents confirmed for Supercard of Honor XII include ROH World champion Dalton Castle and The Young Bucks.

An NXT TakeOver special is officially set to take place in Chicago over Money in the Bank weekend.

The show is scheduled for the Allstate Arena on June 16th, which is one day before the venue hosts Money in the Bank. Though there have been changes to the WWE pay-per-view schedule, TakeOver returning to Chicago has been planned since at least December ...

There are now five TakeOver events on the calendar for this year, with this being the only one not happening during a "Big Four" pay-per-view weekend. The next one will be in New Orleans on April 7th, and NXT will finish building to that show at their television tapings at Full Sail University on Wednesday.
Link: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/970736672848703488

Katsuyori Shibata has been named head coach of New Japan's Los Angeles dojo.

New Japan made the announcement tonight, with New Japan's English site confirming the news shortly thereafter. It was also announced that Scorpio Sky, who currently wrestles for Ring of Honor as a part of SoCal Uncensored, will be the assistant coach.
More details: https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/katsuyori-shibata-named-head-coach-new-japans-los-angeles-dojo-252831

WWE confirmed last night that their stadium show in Melbourne, Australia is official and will be happening in October.

Renee Young wasn’t on Raw and won’t be on SmackDown tonight due to being sick. She wrote that she’ll be back for Fastlane on Sunday.

Ronda Rousey clarified that she used a standing reverse kata guruma to lay out Stephanie McMahon on Raw.

Here’s the updated card for WWE’s house show at Madison Square Garden on March 16th:
* Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman and Kane in a triple threat match
* Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Finn Balor vs. The Miz, Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas
* John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. Elias & Bayley
* AJ Styles & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
* Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defending against The New Day and Titus O’Neil & Apollo in a triple threat match
* Matt Hardy, Bray Wyatt, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka are also advertised

WWE announced a deal with Snickers to be the presenting partner for WrestleMania. Snickers will be involved in promoting WrestleMania Axxess, and a WWE.com series and YouTube series leading up to Mania.

Renee: https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/970870363633561600 , Ronda: https://twitter.com/RondaRousey/status/971123311873753088

The footage that was used on Raw last night of the Hardy Compound in North Carolina was filmed last week by Matt Hardy's wife, Rebecca.

We've had some readers ask if the footage was material licensed from Impact Wrestling. That was not the case. While WWE has licensed content featuring the Broken Universe from Impact, that is not what was utilized last night.

No word yet when WWE will be filming what has been termed "The Ultimate Deletion."
Reby link: https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/970894572204118017

Mike Piellucci wrote an incredible profile piece on Cody Rhodes for The Ringer, with the center of it being Cody’s relationship with his father before and after his death and how that has shaped him.

Cody and The Young Bucks announced that ticket information for All In is forthcoming and fans will be given plenty of notice before they go on sale.

ROH posted an update about their HonorClub streaming service, saying that they’re in the pre-beta testing period for Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV channels and iOS and Android apps. They mentioned that people have asked about matches from the first few years of the company’s history, noting that they’ll continue rolling out classic content as they move forward.

UCW on 4/14 in Owesnboro, KY at the Sports Center features Vader, Tommy Dreamer, Hurricane Helms and Shane Douglas.
Cody: https://www.theringer.com/2018/3/6/17072332/cody-rhodes-dusty-rhodes-all-in , "All In": https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/971067874306674688 , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/honorclub-status-update

WWE are selling a new Kevin Owens "KOMania III" shirt, playing off of the poster of Wrestlemania III.
Link: https://shop.wwe.com/kevin-owens-ko-mania-3-authentic-t-shirt/PE7010.html

It was also very clear, after the excellent backstage segment with Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax, that the storyline for the Raw Women's championship will head in that direction for a Wrestlemania showdown, which explains why Mickie James is suddenly Bliss' second again - to help run interference against Nia. While the Raw storyline has been building towards Asuka challenging Bliss, WWE's online articles continue to mention from time to time that Asuka has not "officially' announced what title belt she will be challenging for at Wrestlemania, certainly leaving the door open to Asuka still challenging Charlotte for the Smackdown championship.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross underwent the first of several eye surgeries yesterday. Ross wrote on his Twitter account that he was told the first surgery was successful, but noted that currently, he could not see out of his right eye. Our best wishes to Jim on a quick and painless recovery.

Ross will soon be announcing the new home for his weekly podcast after not coming to terms with Podcast One.

Ross' latest "Slobberknocker Sessions" event, an intimate affair featuring a book signing for his excellent autobiography and a question and answer session will take place on Friday 4/6 at 10 AM in New Orleans as part of Wrestlemania 34 weekend. The event will be held at The Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Airport.
Link: https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/970831966491815942

WWE announced this afternoon that R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle will open Wrestlemania 34 in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, performing America the Beautiful.

The duo are signed to Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment and will release their first album, The Kids are Alright on 3/23.

ROH returns to PPV this Friday 3/9 for their Anniversary PPV from Sam's Town in Las Vegas, featuring:
*ROH champion Dalton Castle vs. Jay Lethal.
*ROH Tag Team champions The Motor City Machineguns vs.The Briscoes.
*Matt Taven vs. Cody Rhodes.
*Flip Gordon vs. Hiromu Takahashi.
*Punishment Martinez vs. Marty Scurll.
*The Hung Bucks (The Young Bucks & Hangman Page) defend the ROH Six Man Tag Team Championship against SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) in a Vegas Street Fight.

Rey Mysterio is scheduled to undergo testing today to determine the severity of his arm injury, which is feared to be a bicep tear, later today, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

The injury is believed to have occurred during the final minutes of the main event of Northeast Wrestling's Wrestlefest 2018 in Waterbury, CT this past Friday, with Mysterio teaming with Flip Gordon to defeat Joey Mercury and Caleb Konley.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115887/rey-mysterio-update.html?p=1

Jeff Hardy has been cleared by his surgeon to return to action, according to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet. Hardy, who has been out of action since suffering a torn right rotator cuff in September, is now just waiting to be cleared by WWE.

Hardy underwent surgery during the first week of October in Birmingham, Alabama and PWInsider reported in late February that Hardy was back in Birmingham being evaluated by his doctors to get cleared. Dave Meltzer reported last week on Wrestling Observer Radio that Hardy was back in training and was hopeful to be back in time for WrestleMania 34.
Pro Wrestling Sheet link: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/jeff-hardy-medical-update/

John Cena's WrestleMania 34 plans don't seem to involve the Smackdown brand.

Following this Sunday's Fastlane pay-per-view, Cena is not scheduled for any SmackDown Live tapings. He's not scheduled for tonight's SmackDown Live at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI, and the only upcoming live events he's currently slated to appear at are for the RAW brand.

The last date on Cena's current WWE schedule is the post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night RAW in New Orleans. Cena was not featured in recent advertising materials for SummerSlam in August or The Survivor Series in November, although he could be appearing at those shows if his schedule opens up during those periods.

Cena's next major movie, Blockers, is scheduled to be released on April 6th, days before WrestleMania 34. He is rumored to be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania, which would be their first singles match on pay-per-view since Taker defeated Cena at the Vengeance pay-per-view on July 27, 2003.
Spoiler tag used since it teases at potential Mania plans.

Last night's WWE RAW broadcast on the USA Network abruptly ended at 11pm EST as USA's special on the murders of Tupac & Biggie began airing. The show aired for about 1 minute until RAW came back on right as Paul Heyman was walking to the ring doing his promo. We can confirm that the glitch happened for USA Network app viewers and viewers using other streaming services such as Sling.

Some other sheet news includes:

According to the Observer, rumors of WWE holding a War Games event this year in Los Angeles are false. https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/war-games-not-announced-takeover-los-angeles-252976
Recent episode of Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia podcast show had AJ Styles as the guest. https://www.podcastone.com/episode/WWE-Champion--The-Phenomenal-AJ-Styles
According to PWI, WWE is currently considering adding Ronda Rousey to their upcoming MSG RAW brand house show. If it happens, it will be the first time in Ronda's career (UFC & WWE) she will make an appearance for a show at MSG.
WTMJ-TV Milwaukee had a recent interview with Braun Strowman talking about being a WWE star, when he wanted to become a pro wrestler in the WWE, and how he caught the WWE's attention. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0306/637626/braun-strowman-on-catching-the-eye-of-wwe/
According to PWI, the Ultimate Deletion match between Bray and Matt Hardy is currently planned to occur during one of the RAWs leading to Mania and not at Mania itself.
Apparently ROH's plans to improve the image and prestige of their women's division involves them just being pre-show material for TV and PPVs. Management pretty much lied to their women's division about things improving for them in the future and the Women's of Honor tournament meant to be the start of it.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Bar’s Mystery Opponents, Ultimate Deletion on Raw? JR Eye Surgery (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-the-bars-mystery-opponents-ultimate-deletion-on-raw-jr-has-eye-surgery/)
Alberto El Patron Reportedly Met With Vince McMahon Last Week (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/alberto-el-patron-reportedly-met-with-vince-mcmahon-last-week/)
Venue + Date Announced for Bullet Club’s 10,000 Seat Event (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/venue-date-announced-for-bullet-clubs-10000-seat-event/)
WWE Will Debut a Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Soon (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-will-debut-a-cruiserweight-tag-team-championship-soon/)
Ronda Rousey Will Be on Every Raw Leading to WrestleMania (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/ronda-rousey-will-be-on-every-raw-leading-to-wrestlemania/)

Emperor Smeat

03-08-2018, 06:44 AM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WWE's Minister of Wrestling Holidays:
https://i.imgur.com/uHQGuyK.gif

SmackDown averaged 2.59 million viewers on Tuesday night, down four percent from last week ...

For the sixth time in the last seven weeks, SmackDown was down year-over-year in the ratings
Smackdown needs a huge change in direction either after Fastlane or Mania since their current plans haven't worked for months.

NXT introduced a new secondary singles title at tonight’s television tapings, with the inaugural champion set to be crowned during WrestleMania weekend.

William Regal announced that the first NXT North American Champion will be decided at TakeOver: New Orleans on April 7th. It was at that moment that EC3 came out, making his official NXT return. He said that it was nice that Regal was going to create a title just for him. Regal said that no one is handed anything in NXT, and he will instead square off against five other competitors in a ladder match to crown the first champion. Those five other competitors were later revealed to be Lars Sullivan, Velveteen Dream Killian Dain, Adam Cole and Ricochet.
Spoiler tag used since its related to stuff for Takeover New Orleans and major announcements.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Brandi Rhodes and Sumie Sakai vs. Hana Kimura in Women of Honor Championship tournament matches will air on Facebook Live on Friday prior to ROH’s 16th Anniversary PPV.

Ahead of it airing on TV, ROH uploaded Dashwood and Stacy Shadows’ first round match on YouTube.

Links: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/tenille-dashwood-and-brandi-rhodes-meet-woh-championship-tournament , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4-Yq5_GL3w

An official hotel for All In weekend will be announced on Monday.

Link: https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/971514121714880519

With Bobby Fish injured and facing surgery, the current plan is to strip Undisputed Era of the NXT Tag Team championships with the 2018 Dusty Tag Classic being used to determine the new champions. This will be the first time in the Tag Team championships will be on the line in the tournament, which is currently in its third incarnation.

As part of today's corporate filing announcing their 4/19 Stockholders Meeting in Stamford, CT, the following corporate salaries were released by the company.

WWE Chairman of the Board and CEO Vince McMahon - $1.4 million in 2017. That number is expected to remain the same in 2018.

WWE Co-President George Barrios - $783,510 in 2017. His salary for 2018 post-promotion will be $870,000.

WWE Co-President Michelle D. Wilson - $791,044 in 2017. Her salary for 2018 post-promotion will be $870,000.

WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul "Triple H" Levesque - $650,000 in 2017. His salary will raise to $684,000 in 2018.

WWE Executive Vice President, Production Kevin Dunn - $909,560 in 2017. His salary will rise to $925,000 in 2018.

These salaries do not include what those who perform on camera are paid, nor would they include what execs make via WWE stock dividend payouts.

In the case of those related to Vince McMahon, their performance salaries were also listed in the filing:

Stephanie McMahon was paid $2.2 million total between her role as Chief Brand Ambassador and her on camera role.

Triple H was paid an additional $1.5 million for his on camera role, which means he was paid almost double to be "Triple H" vs. what he made as Paul Levesque, WWE Executive.

Shane McMahon, who is not an executive for the company, was paid $1.3 million last year for his on camera role as Smackdown Commissioner.

WWE will be holding its annual meeting of stockholders on Thursday 4/19 at 10 AM at WWE HQ in Stamford, CT. The company will elect its eleven Directors at the meeting.

The meeting is only opened to WWE stockholders and has in the past featured Vince McMahon and other executives taking questions from stockholders.

Major League Wrestling returns to Orlando, Florida for "Spring Break" at the Gilt Nightclub, featuring the continuation of the MLW championship tournament and more.

The lineup for Spring Break features:
* World Heavyweight Championship Semi-Finals: Matt Riddle vs. ACH.
* World Heavyweight Championship Semi-Finals Jimmy Havoc vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland.
Rest of the card: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115949/mlw-title-tournament-continues-tomorrow-in-orlando-complete-lineup-for-mlw-spring-break.html?p=1

Impact will be announcing talents and additional details of their 4/6 Impact vs. Lucha Underground event in New Orleans as part of Wrestlecon this afternoon.

They will also be holding a media call with Taya.

Impact's Twitch special this Friday 3/9 will feature:

*Impact champion Austin Aries vs. Kongo Kong vs. Matt Sydal.
*Knockouts champion Allie vs. KC Spinelli.
*Moose vs. Alberto el Patron.
*Eli Drake vs. Marcus Burke.
*Trevor Lee vs. Josh Alexander.
*Idris Abraham vs. Petey Williams vs. Phil Atlas vs. Brent Banks.
*Desi Hitsquad vs. Cody Deaner Jake Something.
*Braxton Sutter vs. Tyson Dux.

The Montgomery Fairgrounds Coliseum, which housed many years of professional wrestling in Dayton, Ohio, will hold its final sporting event, a boxing card this weekend, before being torn down. The current fairgrounds will be razed and replaced with a newer design that will feature eight buildings.

Over the course of its lifetime, the venue was home to Les Thatcher's HWA when it was a WWE developmental territory and hosted a number of Ring of Honor events, including, what was at the time, the most important match in ROH history to that point.

In 2004, with a great amount of turmoil due to the Rob Feinstein situation having the company in quite the maelstrom, CM Punk challenged Samoa Joe for the ROH championship in the venue ... Historically, one of the most important moments in ROH history took place in that venue.
Link: https://www.daytondailynews.com/events/this-weekend-knockout-dayton-will-the-last-blow-for-fairgrounds-coliseum/CpRF64WYgnFLd08g406hZL/

Armando Alejandro Montalvo, the WWE fan who was shot outside of the WWE Performance Center on August 31st, 2015, appeared outside of tonight's WWE NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University and caused a scene.

According to fans waiting outside of the venue before doors were opened, Montalvo was ranting about WWE, DX and about how Vince McMahon will have to shoot him again to stop him. Security was called but Montalvo jumped into a waiting car and drove away before they could catch up to him.

Montalvo had been on WWE's radar before the shooting after a history of bizarre behavior outside of the Performance Center. He had also posted several videos to social media, ranting on how he was obsessed with several female WWE Superstars, including AJ Lee and WWE Hall of Famer Lita. Some of Montalvo's videos had him spreading urine and feces on photos of WWE talents and on the outside of WWE buildings. Montalvo was shot by police who responded to a disturbance call at the Performance Center that day. Montalvo reportedly charged at one of the officers with a handful of rocks after a confrontation. He survived the shooting and has been wrapped up in the legal process since then, even as recent as January of this year. He was charged with trespassing, resisting arrest and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer for the incident at the Performance Center. Montalvo has had numerous run-ins with law enforcement since that incident and still makes daily references to WWE on social media, accusing Vince of being out to get him. Montalvo often posts videos of what he calls "wrestling promos" that mention WWE, Vince and numerous wrestlers.
Link: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0307/637667/man-shot-at-the-wwe-performance-center-in-2015-causes-a-scene/

The Young Bucks have responded to the open invitation from RAW Tag Team Champion Sheamus for a match at WrestleMania 34 against The Bar. As noted, word going around at RAW was that The Bar will be challenged by two Superstars that are not currently a tag team.

Nick Jackson of The Bucks tweeted the following in response to Sheamus' open invite:

Who will Step Up To #TheBar at #WrestleMania34?

The Greatest Tag Team on Earth has NO worthy opponents on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

This is an Open Invitation... #StepUpToTheBar
— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) March 6, 2018

We happen to have that date open... https://t.co/YNVAM8xUUa
— The Young Bucks (@NickJacksonYB) March 6, 2018
Sheamus tweet: https://twitter.com/WWESheamus/status/971091369904177153 , Young Bucks tweet: https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/971164075660009472

Some other sheet news includes:

Edge revealed Sheamus and Cesaro will be this week's guest for the Edge & Christian podcast show. https://twitter.com/EdgeRatedR/status/971529839931985920
Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Rey Mysterio as the guest talking about his Rumble appearance, wanting to return to the WWE, his list of dream opponents in WWE's current roster, and who he considers to be among the best wrestlers in the world. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0308/637674/rey-mysterio-on-possible-wwe-return/
TMZ Sports held a recent interview with Hillbilly Jim talking about his induction into WWE's Hall of Fame and originally not wanting to be at Wrestlemania weekend due to health issues. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0307/637649/hillbilly-jim-on-why-he-planned-to-skip-wrestlemania-week-this/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Current NXT TakeOver: New Orleans Card (Spoilers) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/current-nxt-takeover-new-orleans-card-spoilers/)
Injury Updates: Rey Mysterio, Bobby Fish, Drew McIntyre (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/injury-updates-rey-mysterio-bobby-fish-drew-mcintyre/)
Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Design Revealed? (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/cruiserweight-tag-team-championship-design-revealed/)
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum Meeting With WWE (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/former-ufc-heavyweight-champion-fabricio-werdum-meeting-with-wwe/)

Sepholio

03-08-2018, 07:56 AM

With the news of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt doing The Ultimate Deletion on a RAW before WM....it wouldn't surprise me if they challenged The Bar. Maybe with some interference from Brother Nero involved, too.

slik

03-08-2018, 08:53 AM

Other notes from the Observer:

The remaining key WrestleMania matches should be finalized next week. There is the John Cena match (Undertaker at last word), the expected A.J. Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura match for the WWE title, the U.S. title match which looks to be Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal, whatever Smackdown tag title match there is with the Bludgeon Brothers teased in their first significant match as a team as the challengers, and both women’s title matches, which are expected to be Asuka vs Charlotte and Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss.

Right now the plan is for no match with Sheamus & Cesaro at Mania, but for them to be part of the show in an angle of sorts. The backup plan for Strowman right now if he’s not moved to the Universal title slot would be some type of non-wrestling gimmick thing. The only other thing given a strong push on Raw is the Bayley vs. Sasha Banks storyline. On the Smackdown side, the idea of Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn has been teased, however, the current plans have Owens and Zayn in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. At this point, and this is a surprise, none of the WWE events over WrestleMania week are sold out on the primary market.

The most intriguing things are that if Raw moves to FOX, it would have to be cut to two hours, but it’s audience would like rise. On the flip side, if Smackdown is on FS 1 instead of USA, the drop in homes should decrease the audience 8.4 percent. If FOX wants both for FS 1, that becomes a problem because you’re looking at double-digit audience drops for both shows. Plus, FS 1, being a sports channel, will have issues if there are major sports events on Monday or Tuesday, such as key playoff games, in leagues far bigger than WWE. Another plus for FS 1 is that NXT could not draw a number strong enough for USA most likely, but as a weekly show, it definitely could draw a number strong enough for FS 1. So that could add to FS 1's overall rating, something that is key to the value of having WWE.

There are plans now to strengthen 205 Live and once again try touring with it.

I keep hearing people say Ricochet and Lio Rush are being groomed for 205 Live sooner than later.

Big Vic

03-08-2018, 09:16 AM

Braun is the most over guy on Raw and he might not have a match, lol.

Big Vic

03-08-2018, 09:16 AM

John Cena vs Braun. There's your mania match.

slik

03-08-2018, 09:18 AM

I feel like Big Dave has to be wrong about that, not giving Braun a match at WM seems like the dumbest option available from a booking standpoint.

DaveWadding

03-08-2018, 11:46 AM

and when it comes down to it, WWE usually takes the dumbest booking option available...

Simple Fan

03-08-2018, 12:34 PM

I feel like Big Dave has to be wrong about that, not giving Braun a match at WM seems like the dumbest option available from a booking standpoint.

I have a feeling it's going to come to a WM20 type deal with Braun in Stone Colds role if the steroid story is bad and Brock is leaving.

Emperor Smeat

03-08-2018, 01:12 PM

I feel like Big Dave has to be wrong about that, not giving Braun a match at WM seems like the dumbest option available from a booking standpoint.
WWE's problem was not giving Braun an actual direction and having him as the backup plan for too many matches.

Universal, Ronda tag match, IC, and Battle Royale all had him as either a backup plan or solely dependent on the actual plans for a match. Even a potential Mania feud with the Drifter is just being rushed on RAW instead.

slik

03-08-2018, 02:07 PM

DirtySheets is reporting on Patreon a program will start between Shane McMahon and Dolph Ziggler very soon, possibly this Sunday, to set up Shane vs Ziggler at WrestleMania

Damian Rey 2.0

03-08-2018, 02:09 PM

Lmao why do we need a Shane match at Mania? If they cleared Brian wouldn't Shane v Zayne and Owens make way more sense? Or Shane and mystery partner? Or Shane v Owens?

Corkscrewed

03-08-2018, 11:34 PM

Braun Strowman vs Shane McMahon?

Corkscrewed

03-08-2018, 11:34 PM

(Yes, I know that makes zero sense, but the #CuzWrestlemania reason writes itself.)

Emperor Smeat

03-09-2018, 10:43 AM

Dirtsheets sponsored by A round of Applause for the Miz:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/b54600fc0a784ec7f7b7665aba763d90/tumblr_p55h8o4Prd1u1ljrzo1_500.gif

Some updates regarding the NXT tag team titles. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly will be champions going into the three-way match with Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne at the Takeover show in New Orleans. The idea is that O'Reilly is still champion and is picking a partner to replace Bobby Fish. Right now the idea is that Cole will be in both the ladder match for the North American title and the tag team title match on the Takeover show.

Meltzer previously reported NXT was considering stripping the tag titles off of Undisputed Era and instead the winner of this year's Dusty Tag Classic would become new champs. Now its winner of the 3-way match gets both the tag titles and Dusty Tag trophy.

They are doing soft promotion for Alexa Bliss vs. Rumble winner Asuka, but from television this week, it sure seems like the original plan of Bliss vs. Nia Jax as the Raw title match is the direction. Charlotte Flair faces Ruby Riott at Fast Lane. Until that match is over, if the direction is Flair vs. Asuka for the Smackdown title, they really couldn’t announce it ...

There was a report from PW Insider that more names could be added to the IC title match. If that is accurate, Samoa Joe fits as a name. Strowman, who was originally to face Miz in an IC title , could also be fit in, although the backup plan for Strowman right now if he’s not moved to the Universal title slot would be some type of non-wrestling gimmick thing. The only other thing given a strong push on Raw is the Bayley vs. Sasha Banks storyline.

Right now the plan for the Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt Ultimate Deletion type of match on the Hardy Compound is for it to be on Raw rather than WrestleMania. I think it fits better on Raw ... Plus, Jeff is almost ready to return and if he can return in time, Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Hardys makes sense as a Mania match given the storyline is no team in WWE is around that deserves a title match. However, that is not the plan as of this moment. Right now the plan is for no match with Sheamus & Cesaro at Mania, but for them to be part of the show in an angle of sorts, but they are part of a lot of things on the Raw side that are still in flux.

On the Smackdown side, the idea of Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn has been teased, and was strongly teased this week, but nothing has been more teased than Shane McMahon vs. Daniel Bryan. Bryan wasn’t even on the Smackdown show this week nor talked about in any meaningful fashion. If there is anything from that, one would think it would be Shane in the ring with a partner against Owens & Zayn, as Bryan’s representatives, given Shane vs. Bryan would need a clearance of Bryan to happen. However, the current plans have Owens and Zayn in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.

Spoiler tag used since its related to plans for NXT New Orleans and some changes made to initial plans. Also for current Mania plans in regards to the undercard.

Two of New Japan’s young lions have been sidelined with injuries serious enough that they are being kept off of the next tour.

New Japan's English website last night reported that Kitamura has been sidelined since March 4 with a concussion. He was originally set to take on Manabu Nakanishi a couple of days ago on the 46th anniversary show, but that match was postponed following the injury. Hikuleo has been out since March 3 with what the website described as ACL damage. Currently, there is no timetable for either's return.

Tanga Loa will be taking Hikuelo’s place on the New Japan Cup tour. He will be teaming with various other members of the Bullet Club in multi-man matches.
Link: https://www.njpw1972.com/22890

New Japan announced a three-match show on 3/24 at its Los Angeles dojo including an autograph session. There will be a contract signing for the Jay White vs. Hangman Page U.S. title match plus a press conference with Katsuyori Shibata, Scorpio Sky, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, David Finlay and Jushin Liger. Ryusuke Taguchi, Kushida and all the other names will also be doing autographs.

Ultimo Dragon makes his Australian debut of Wrestling Go in Sydney for shows on 5/11 and 5/12. Tenille Dashwood appears for the promotion on 7/12 and she also appears for Southern Pro Wrestling on 7/14 in Invercargill, New Zealand.

Zack Sabre Jr comes to Australia for World Series Wrestling International Assault on 6/22 and 6/23 in Melbourne, 6/24 in Adelaide and 6/24 in Sydney.

Wrestling DVD Network reported yesterday that a new WWE DVD project has been added to the 2018 release schedule. A three disc DVD set entitled "The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division” looking at the increased role of women in WWE will be released on June 11 in the UK and June 12 in the US. This project replaces the canceled Shane McMahon DVD on the release schedule. Here is the synopsis:

"From Fabulous Moolah to Alundra Blayze, to the rise of Lita & Trish during the Attitude Era, to the Diva Search days and bra & panty matches, all the way to the current revival of the division with Charlotte, Sasha, Becky, Alexa, and Bayley.Witness the greatest matches and most memorable moments in the history of WWE women’s wrestling."
Going to be interesting how they handle Moolah's impact considering her dark history with women's wrestling in the WWE and US in general. Link: http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/wwe-womens-revolution-dvd-added-to-2018-schedule/151831

WWE has just announced that its 4/28 Smackdown show in Halifax and 4/29 show in St. John, New Brunswick have been moved to 8/25 and 8/26. All tickets purchased for these shows will be honored. Fans who can't attend either show can also get full refunds at the point of purchase. The dates are moved because the top Smackdown talent will be appearing in Saudi Arabia that week.

A few quick notes about UItimate Deletion, which WWE is filming today at the Hardy Compound in Cameron, NC:

*Referee Shawn Bennett was sent to be the official referee for the bout.

*To answer many questions we've received, we are told Jeremy Borash is there working on the shoot.

*We have not heard of any other WWE talents being brought in for the filming.

The National Wrestling Alliance trademark was officially registered to Lightning One Inc., the company Billy Corgan owns that is handling everything related to the NWA since Corgan purchased it last year.

Since taking over the NWA, Corgan and NWA Vice President Dave Lagana have set out with building an audience for the brand and returning some credibility to the NWA championship with their Ten Pounds of Gold YouTube series, which has featured current champion Nick Aldis, former champion Tim Storm, Austin Idol, and Josephus, among others, meshing the history of the championship and strong characterizations while building to in-ring action.

The current storyline features Aldis going on a "crusade", defending the belt 20 times over the next 60 days. He is slated to defend against Tommy Dreamer at the 3/24 House of Hardcore event in Philadelphia.

As previously reported, Lightning One has also filed a copyright on The Dumont Network, the entity that once rivaled ABC and CBS as a national broadcast network and was the first channel to broadcast professional wrestling. It stands to reason that will be used at some point to distribute the NWA online.

UFC star Fabricio Werdum has backed off his claims that he would be meeting with WWE today in San Diego, a day after he told MMA Fighting that he would be meeting with WWE.

On his Twitter account, Werdum commented, "Hey guys to make it clear I spoke about maybe doing Lucha libre in México. Not WWE. I meant wwe style(pro wrestling) but I am a @ufc fighter and my focus 100% is fighting in the ufc and whatever decision I make after my fighting career @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 will be involved."

Yesterday, Werdum had spoken of wanting to be active in UFC and WWE at the same time, which other than Brock Lesnar, has never happened.

The MMAFighting article has removed all references to WWE, replacing it with the term "pro wrestling" and a note that Werdum had originally mentioned a meeting with WWE, mistakenly cited WWE instead of a Mexican lucha libre company.
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/FabricioWerdum/status/971497835613978624

The MLW promotion held their “Spring Break ‘18” card on Thursday night from the Gilt Nightclub in Orlando, Florida with a television truck on site and several new members working on the production end.

Thursday night’s show was being produced for a future broadcast and POST Wrestling has been told that a deal with a broadcaster is done and should be announced over the next few weeks.

As reported earlier in the day at SI.com, Bruce Prichard has been hired by MLW as a senior producer and POST Wrestling has confirmed that Prichard began on Thursday night in Orlando.

Prichard will also handle the role of being a senior agent in addition to his duties as senior producer.
SI link: https://www.si.com/wrestling/2018/03/08/bruce-prichard-major-league-wrestling

The idea is to very much portray Lesnar as someone who doesn’t care about WWE, or its fans, and isn’t dedicated to WWE, both to lessen his loss and also, just as importantly, to try and get a babyface reaction for Reigns as the guy who beats him and sends him packing. Three years ago they did everything in their power in the closing weeks to do that, and the result at Mania was that Reigns ended up being, by far, the most hated wrestler on the show, and Lesnar the most popular. The funny part of that is Lesnar going on ESPN and saying he was staying with WWE and not going to UFC shortly before Mania made him a huge babyface at Mania, not that he wouldn’t have been even if that didn’t happen. McMahon realized it and several days before called the audible of Seth Rollins ending up as champion rather than Reigns, to build for the coronation of Reigns at a more opportune date.

After waiting three years, here we are, ready to do what has been planned since 2015. And now there are other concerns. Nobody still knows the fan reaction for Lesnar after the last two weeks, although the 3/12 Raw in Detroit will be the first indicator. And there are still enough questions of whether the match will take place that the hottest wrestler in the company, Braun Strowman, is not in a program nor at this point even scheduled in a match because he’s the designated backup if Lesnar blows up or Reigns becomes a P.R. issue if Johnny Bravo releases his long-teased tape and depending on the media legs of the story, if there is a legitimate story. The concern is enough that rather than put him in a match and change the card if something bad happens, they are not scheduling a few key players until they are sure the issues with the main event is settled.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter adds that publicly WWE officials are still moving forward with the idea that Lesnar is leaving and part of the mentality right now is to downplay Lesnar on his way out so it won't look like such a big loss if he does leave. The idea is to create an environment where fans celebrate Lesnar's departure instead of having them feel that UFC just landed one of WWE's biggest Superstars.

WWE has had each creative step laid out for the WrestleMania 34 main event between Lesnar and Roman Reigns but Vince McMahon changed things last week based on his reaction to the photo of Lesnar in Las Vegas with UFC President Dana White on Elimination Chamber Sunday getting so much attention from the fans and the press. This is why Lesnar was not on RAW for the face off with Reigns. As noted, one of WWE's goals for the Reigns vs. Lesnar build is to get Reigns cheered by the crowd, which is something that isn't always guaranteed, leading to a positive reaction when he wins the title at WrestleMania. WWE also wants the build to come across like a shoot as much as possible.

WWE has done a great job with manipulations when it comes to Ronda Rousey. When she comes out, they are looking for members of the audience who react huge like she’s this giant superstar, and do close-ups of them, to make it appear everyone is reacting to her like that. Long shots tell that isn’t the case. But she is popular enough and they were chanting her name and reacting to her at the level of a major star babyface. She’ll be on Raw every week through Mania. After Mania, it will definitely be tricky to keep her as something special if she’s there all the time. She was fine on her promo work. She’s very good with her facial expressions, but it’s only been two needed, the smiling babyface who is nearly moved by the reaction and loves being there, and the intense scowl, which she popularized in UFC, and is getting over already.

At this point, and this is a surprise, none of the WWE events over WrestleMania week are sold out on the primary market, even the Raw after Mania (although that was only 100 tickets shy). WrestleMania and NXT are both close to sold out, close enough that one would think both will end up being sold out. The price of entry for both WrestleMania and NXT on the secondary market has fallen to $30, while Smackdown is $35, Raw is $48 and the Hall of Fame is $50. ROH on the secondary market is $50 for the lowest priced ticket. New Japan in Long Beach at $125 remains the most expensive price of entry for a ticket on the market right now.

NXT used the TNA old gimmick where they announced that the loudest fans at the tapings will get free merchandise. That could be coming from Jeremy Borash, who worked for TNA and used to pump up the crowd similarly and now works out of Orlando for NXT.

Tentatively, the plan is for All In tickets to go on sale in May. There are ideas regarding streaming the show, but nothing is official on that yet.

At this time, unless something changes, the Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi is the main event for 3/25 in Long Beach, which means no Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho. It would be overkill to put them on the same show in a 4,700-seat arena that sold out instantly. The Jericho situation is interesting because when asked about New Japan on Twitter, Jericho responded when asked if he was done with New Japan, wrote “Unfortunately yes.” But he hasn’t answered any questions about it past that statement. I do know that New Japan was interested in Jericho for Long Beach and at one point the Tetsuya Naito match was supposed to be there.

If Mysterio can’t make the Liger match in Long Beach, Jericho was also talked about in recent days as a potential replacement, but that would be a short notice deal and honestly I don’t think that’s the best use of him to work a match with Liger with no storyline unless he wants to get a big surprise pop that night, do it unannounced, and be there mostly to set up an angle for Dominion or a future U.S. show. Jericho is on tour with Fozzy now, through 3/16, and then goes back for another tour 3/27 through 4/8 and will be back touring later in April for a few shows, then back touring again on 7/12 through August). At one point he was at least considering working the 6/9 Dominion show in Osaka Jo Hall

Former WWE wrestler Pete Gas (Peter Gasparino), 47, who grew up as one of Shane McMahon’s best friends and a high school football teammate, is now a Senior Sales Representative for WB Mason out of Jacksonville, FL.

In what sounds like a desperation scare tactic, Lucha Underground sent out cease and desist letters to at least two reporters (Steve Bryant and Ryan Satin) who wrote stories on things that took place at their TV tapings over the past two weeks. LU makes all fans and performers sign non-disclosure agreements because they don’t want their news getting out, but the idea of threatening reporters with legal action for covering news when it happens is ridiculous and will never hold up. But obviously it’s meant as a threat to see if they can scare them away from not reporting on the news

Dorian Roldan, who runs AAA, has told several people that he’s looking at buying Impact. We don’t know if that’s just talk or something serious

The most intriguing things are that if Raw moves to FOX, it would have to be cut to two hours, but it’s audience would like rise. Right now USA Network is in 91,465,000 homes. FOX is probably in closer to 115 million, so in theory, if Raw were to average three million viewers on USA, it would increase to 3.77 million just for the added penetration, but there would also be a second increase because far more people watch FOX than USA. So it should get numbers well over 4 million, perhaps significantly more. On the flip side, if Smackdown is on FS 1 instead of USA, the drop in homes should decrease the audience 8.4 percent, plus there would be the added drop of moving to a station with a lower usual viewership, a 2.5 million would probably drop to closer to 2 million.

Still, if, and that’s a big if, Raw does end up on FOX, that increase is far bigger than whatever decrease Smackdown should end up with. But if FOX wants both for FS 1, that becomes a problem because you’re looking at double-digit audience drops for both shows. Plus, FS 1, being a sports channel, will have issues if there are major sports events on Monday or Tuesday, such as key playoff games, in leagues far bigger than WWE. Another plus for FS 1 is that NXT could not draw a number strong enough for USA most likely, but as a weekly show, it definitely could draw a number strong enough for FS 1. So that could add to FS 1's overall rating, something that is key to the value of having WWE and meaning they could pay more for that type of programming or other shoulder programming like they do with UFC
Meltzer on potential issues for the WWE if they take FOX's offer for a new television deal. WWE also loses out on an overrun for RAW due to news commitments. Besides that, FOX is also reported to be considering the idea of drastically cutting down the amount of ad time for their shows in the future.

There are plans now to strengthen 205 Live and once again try touring with it, perhaps around May or June for another set of experimental tapings. Actually the time frame was listed as sometime between May and September. I keep hearing people say Ricochet and Lio Rush are being groomed for 205 Live sooner than later. Even through Rush isn’t getting any kind of a push in NXT, there are people there who are very high on his ability to be a star, well, as much as they’ll let someone that size be. I think Ricochet in 205 Live, even though he could be the face and top star of the brand, is a bad idea because that’s a limiting stigma. Before the big star was Enzo, but now they with augmentation from outside 205 Live talent similar to how the first two shows ended up. They are also planning on doing a cruiserweight tag team championship to be introduced in the spring or summer. Right now there’s more value in a women’s tag title, but the problem is, you’d have to have two of them

Don’t expect anything with Walter right now. While interest is definitely there, the description from the WWE side is it wasn’t a direct offer made for right now and that the timing for him to come in has to be right. They feel that there will come a time when they will be needing a big man of his ability, but unless they have direct plans for him, there’s no point in him coming in and getting lost in the system, plus, he’s made it clear that he’s set on continuing what he’s doing

Some other sheet news includes:

NWA released a new video for their Ten Pounds of Gold series focusing on the upcoming Crimson vs Nick Aldis championship match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAGFyChx4-w
According to PWI, Sunny/Tammy Sytch is currently in the process of being transported to Pennsylvania to deal with current legal issues there and is expected to have her parole for prior legal issues be officially revoked. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/115969/tammy-sytch-update-.html?p=1
According to the Observer, the main reason why WWE picked a 100k stadium for their upcoming Australia tour is due to them wanting to break the all-time record for crowd size which is currently 56k (Ronda vs Holly Holm in UFC) and their own record from 2002 at 55k. Also currently reported to be officially announced as a PPV event during Mania week.
In regards to the upcoming Saudi Arabia 50-man Rumble show, Observer reports it will be a WWE Network special event.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Bobby Fish Undergoes Surgery, Will Miss Six Months (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/bobby-fish-undergoes-surgery-will-miss-six-months/)
Rey Mysterio Injury Reportedly Not That Serious (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/rey-mysterio-injury-reportedly-not-that-serious/)
WWE Releases Two More NXT Signees (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-releases-two-more-nxt-signees/)
WWE Releases Abbey Laith (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-releases-abbey-laith/)

Emperor Smeat

03-09-2018, 09:06 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Powerbomb Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/qu8jHJb.gif

Rich Swann has pulled himself from all of his appearances, including the ones he's advertised on, including his WrestleMania weekend shows, even Crash in Mexico. He is very despondent based on the reaction to his wrestling. Previously he had said he would fulfill his agreed upon dates and then retire from wrestling.

Konnan underwent hip replacement surgery this past week. This is his third hip replacement as the last one came loose about ten years ago from coming back and doing angles too quickly and he's been in great pain ever since.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mayu Iwatani in the Women of Honor tournament will take place tomorrow at the ROH tapings in Las Vegas.

MLW's show last night in Orlando was taped for television. There will be more on that but they are doing a series of 60 minute shows with Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini as the announcers. Dan Bynum, who was the director of World Class Championship Wrestling is directing, Charlie Bruuzzese of ECW was there as a Producer, as was Bruce Prichard at Senior Producer according to PW Insider. An announcement of the TV is expected soon.

The 3/8 edition of Impact did 325,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 365,000 overnight viewers.

The Wrap reported that WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will have a role in the wrestling-centric feature film R-rated dramedy Uncle Steamroller & Champion Rabbit. The film follows a dejected Iraq war veteran who struggles to regain his pro heavyweight wrestling championship while being managed by a failed motivational speaker. Flair will play the president of the World Wrestling Union, a Las Vegas syndicate that owns the wrestling tour that is Steamroller attempting to stage his comeback. Flair and his fiancée Wendy Barlow are executive producers on the film.

Flair also has a role in the upcoming film Easter which will see release this December. That film stars Glenn Close, Carl Weathers, Joe Leland and Reginald VelJohnson. Flair will play himself in the film which has the following plot, "In an effort to save both his reputation and family, retired detective, Easter (Joe Leland), finds himself in a war pitted against the most formidable foe - hatred."

Flair has done some acting work in the past, but mostly cameos playing himself many years ago in projects like the syndicated TV series Learning The Ropes and Roddy Piper-Dirk Benedict film Bodyslam the Movie.
Link: https://www.thewrap.com/ric-flair-feature-film-debut-wwe-exclusive/

Bobby Fish underwent ACL surgery yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama. The estimate is 5-6 months out of the ring, which obviously, really sucks.
Based on other sources, Fish might be out for a whole year instead since his injury is rumored to have been a lot worse than originally expected.

Former Seattle Seahawk Demitrius Bronson, who has been training in the developmental system, is said to be out of action with a very bad concussion.
He was originally rumored to have been cut yesterday but which would have brought the total to 4 people but got debunked afterwards.

Robbie E. (Rob Strauss) has announced he will be launching a podcast on the MLW network called “Why It Ended”. The show will feature weekly guests that had short runs on television or have disappeared from the industry. The podcast is set to launch on Wednesday, March 14th at www.mlw.com.

Following her release from WWE NXT yesterday, Abbey Laith issued the following statement on Twitter this afternoon.

Dear @WWENXT and @WWE ..... Thank You. Thank you for all the opportunities you gave me in the last year. Thank you for everything I was taught and I wouldn't trade that chapter of my life for anything. Now my path may be changing, but the Crown Jewel is still very much alive????
— Abbey Laith (@AbbeyLaithWWE) March 9, 2018

She already has an indie wrestling appearance lined up next month for Beyond Wrestling in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

BREAKING: Beyond Wrestling returns to the @WrestleFactory_ in Philadelphia for a doubleheader with @CHIKARApro on Saturday, 4/28 featuring #KimberLee's homecoming! @AbbeyLaithWWE #ShesAWrestler pic.twitter.com/g5jaLmyJ6o
— Beyond Wrestling (@beyondwrestling) March 9, 2018
Abbey: https://twitter.com/AbbeyLaithWWE/status/972170039565651969 , Beyond Wrestling: https://twitter.com/beyondwrestling/status/972186542314868737

Some other sheet news includes:

Website AllWrestling had a recent interview with Luke Harper talking about his new movie, wearing a knee brace in the film, origins of the Bludgeon Bros, origins of his dirty tank top shirt. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0308/637700/luke-harper-reveals-who-came-up-with-the-mallets-for-the/
Sports Illustrated had a recent interview with John Cena talking about his WWE future, potentially breaking Ric Flair's title record at Fastlane, and the rumors of him wrestling against Rey Mysterio at Mania. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0308/637697/john-cena-wouldnt-mind-his-wrestlemania-34-contribution-being-an/
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the birthdays of Melina (39), Rick Steiner (57), and Nikita Koloff (59).

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: EC3’s NXT In-Ring Debut, New Andre Trailer, Konnan Surgery (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/various-ec3s-nxt-in-ring-debut-new-andre-trailer-konnan-surgery/)
Impact Results – Mar. 8, 2018 – Crossroads – Four Title Matches (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/impact-results-mar-8-2018-crossroads-four-title-matches/)

Simple Fan

03-09-2018, 09:36 PM

Mike Bennett, shit Kanellis would be a good fill in for Fish.

Damian Rey 2.0

03-09-2018, 11:04 PM

Kanellis worked a house show I went to a few weeks ago

Lock Jaw

03-09-2018, 11:05 PM

I'm so sorry

Damian Rey 2.0

03-09-2018, 11:34 PM

He was ok.

03-10-2018, 03:32 AM

Mike Bennett, shit Kanellis would be a good fill in for Fish.

Has the same thought.

Black Widow

03-10-2018, 09:45 PM

Hope Shane beats that Ramen noodle haired joke in record time.

DaveWadding

03-12-2018, 02:19 PM

In what sounds like a desperation scare tactic, Lucha Underground sent out cease and desist letters to at least two reporters (Steve Bryant and Ryan Satin) who wrote stories on things that took place at their TV tapings over the past two weeks. LU makes all fans and performers sign non-disclosure agreements because they don’t want their news getting out, but the idea of threatening reporters with legal action for covering news when it happens is ridiculous and will never hold up. But obviously it’s meant as a threat to see if they can scare them away from not reporting on the news

Shut the fuck up and stay in your lane, Dave.

slik

03-12-2018, 04:12 PM

Dirty Sheets doesn't want their news getting out anymore either

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I dare someone to steal our news again.. <a href="https://t.co/KA71AEyat7">https://t.co/KA71AEyat7</a></p>— DirtySheets.Net (@WrestlingTrews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingTrews/status/973188930983079936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Emperor Smeat

03-12-2018, 04:26 PM

Is this the same guy(s) who splintered off from Sportskeeda which was already known for being very hit-or-miss for reliability?

Same for a lot of their scoops being stuff that came from other places or from the same sources.

Emperor Smeat

03-14-2018, 12:29 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by ROH's 16th Anniversary Gif:
http://78.media.tumblr.com/ccd4347f472c33a53f61051189d9d924/tumblr_p5cxiokv7q1u1ljrzo1_540.gif

Last night's Raw increased nine percent over last week in the ratings and did the best number since the post-Royal Rumble episode, averaging 3.35 million viewers.

What's noticeable is that despite the fact that there was no real advertised main event, the third hour held up much better than usual. It was the highest rated third hour since the Monday after WrestleMania last year.

The show opened with 3.351 million viewers for hour one and increased to 3.429 million viewers for the second hour. This was the first week of Daylight Savings Time, and the second hour has traditionally been the highest rated in recent years once DST kicks in. The third hour only dropped to 3.275 million, which was just 2.3 percent down from hour one, the best such audience retention since July of last year ...

Another notable aspect is that the overrun only ran three minutes -- as opposed to most weeks where it is anywhere from seven to 15 minutes. It's possible that more of their audience is leaving during that overrun than is realized ...

This was the fourth week in the last five that Raw has been up year-over-year.
The good news was the bait & switch worked for the WWE but they run the risk of pissing off fans the longer they do it like WCW in the past. Also depending on the state, WWE could also be breaking laws due to doing it deliberately.

Women's wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT will be taking part in a battle royal at WrestleMania next month.

A video aired on Raw tonight paying tribute to the Fabulous Moolah and portraying her as a pioneer of women's wrestling. It announced that the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal will be taking place at WrestleMania on April 8th, with the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT women's divisions all represented ...

Naming the match after Moolah will bring WWE plenty of criticism given her history. David Bixenspan detailed some of that in an article for Paste last year, writing that "It’s long been wrestling lore that her Girl Wrestling Enterprises booking agency was, if not outright a scheme to pressure trainees into prostitution, then dangerously close to one."

Besides online backlash, several women wrestlers who wrote tweets in praise of Moolah later deleted them and WWE is already getting negative mainstream press about the announcement and backlash (Forbes & UK's Mirror so far).

Mad Maxine, who got her start in wrestling through the Fabulous Moolah, issued a statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet about WWE announcing the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal for WrestleMania. In the statement, she writes about how Moolah treated women that she trained: “The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on.”
Link: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/moolah-trainee-battle-royal/#.WqhSn5PwYW-

Kevin Owens tweeted about Shane McMahon being shown backstage when Roman Reigns confronted Vince McMahon on Raw: “Glad to see our #SDLive commissioner has his priorities in order. His crew is at a live event in Dayton, yet he’s sitting by daddy at #Raw in Detroit. Lovely!” Owens also mentioned Shane being at Raw instead of at SmackDown’s event in Dayton at last night’s house show.
Link: https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/973365017159651328

Mike Kanellis thanked everyone who has supported him as he reached eight months sober: “As I sit here before #SDLive I feel the need to thank all the @WWEUniverse and all my fans before I got here, who have,over the last 8 months, tweeted me their encouragement and support. If you guys want to know what keeps me going, it’s you guys!! Thank You #WWE @WWE”
Link: https://twitter.com/RealMikeBennett/status/973630682885951490

In conjunction with All In, “Starrcast” was officially announced for Labor Day weekend in Chicago. It’s a convention with wrestling podcasts and wrestling guests that will be joining them. Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and others who will be on All In are also scheduled to appear.

Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Aerostar & Drago is the first match announced for the Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground show in New Orleans on April 6th.

Penta El Zero M vs. Nick Gage is also set for Joey Janela’s Spring Break II on April 6th.

Kimber Lee will be returning to CHIKARA and teaming with Los Ice Creams at this year’s King of Trios. Beyond Wrestling announced that she’ll be wrestling at their show in New Orleans on April 5th as well.

Starrcast: https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/973394589758492673 , Impact-LU: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/973272425004544000 , Janela: https://twitter.com/GCWrestling_/status/973356393754447872 , CHIKARA: https://twitter.com/CHIKARApro/status/973378238796959745

As it turned out, Impact only announced the one match for their 4/6 Lucha Underground vs. Impact event on 4/6 in New Orleans yesterday.

Las Vegas' Future Stars of Wrestling teased they would be working with Impact, announcing, "Coming off the heels of the hugely successful Mecca II, FSW is in talks for a huge event in Jun/July, that we believe will truly make a huge IMPACT on the business and wrestling in Vegas"

Next up for Impact are a pair of live events promoted in conjunction with Kirk White's Big Time Wrestling on 3/23 in Newark, CA and 3/24 in Salinas, CA.

Vader tweeted last night that he was going in the hospital this morning for heart surgery: “Going in the hospital in the Am for heart surgery wish me luck and my Dr a good night's rest”
Link: https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/973383617379520513

Though an official announcement has yet to be made, it looks like CM Punk will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 225 in Chicago on June 9th.

While responding to someone on Twitter who asked when we'd see him cry in the UFC again, Punk indicated that he'll be fighting at UFC 225: "June nine, after I win and lock eyes with my beautiful wife, embrace my coaches and shout out my entire team."

TMZ Sports also reported that June 9th will be the date for Punk's second mixed martial arts fight. An opponent hasn't been named, but the UFC was discussing booking Punk vs. Mike Jackson for Chicago as of last month. Jackson's only pro fight was in a loss to Mickey Gall in February 2016, which set up Gall as the opponent for Punk's debut.

Gall submitted Punk with a first-round rear naked choke at UFC 203 in September 2016. Punk has continued to train at Roufusport since then.

UFC 225 will take place at the United Center in Punk's hometown. Alistair Overeem vs. Curtis Blaydes, Joseph Benavidez vs. Sergio Pettis, and Claudia Gadelha vs. Carla Esparza have already been announced for the show.

Although she was advertised for every Monday Night Raw leading into Wrestlemania, former UFC Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey missed this past week's Raw.

PWInsider.com can confirm that Rousey missed the date because she was traveling to the Northeast to prepare for her Wrestlemania showdown against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Rousey and Kurt Angle were both in Stamford, CT yesterday working on the match, one of the headline attractions for the 4/8 Wrestlemania 34 event in New Orleans.

MATT RIDDLE VS. SHANE “SWERVE” STRICKLAND SET FOR APRIL 12TH CLASH IN ORLANDO TO CROWN NEXT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

ORLANDO – History will be made on Thursday night April 12th as the next MLW World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub. After dominating top ranked wrestlers in the opening round and semi finals, Matt Riddle vs. Shane “Swerve” Strickland is set for the MLW: The World Championship Finals.
Link: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116070/matt-riddle-vs-shane-swerve-strickland-set-for-april-12th-clash-in-orlando-to-crown-next-world-heavyweight-champion-.html?p=1

The New Japan Cup takes a break on Tuesday and will resume with a show on Wednesday in Shizuoka and Thursday at Korakuen Hall. Below are the four quarter-final matches that will take place on those two shows:
*Michael Elgin vs. Juice Robinson
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
*Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
*Sanada vs. Toru Yano

The semi-finals take place on March 16th and 18th and the finals are set for Wednesday, March 21st with the winner receiving a title shot of their choosing at Sakura Genesis on Sunday, April 1st.

Taiji Ishimori announced in a press conference on Monday that he is leaving Pro Wrestling NOAH in order to wrestle freelance with the goal of eventually making it to the WWE. Ishimori began his career in 2002 after being trained in the Toryumon system and bounced around promotions, including working for NOAH as a freelancer beginning in 2006. Ishimori became a full-time member of the NOAH roster in 2008 and went on to become a three-time GHC junior heavyweight champion and six-time GHC junior heavyweight tag champion. He was well known because of his representation of NOAH internationally where he represented the group in AAA, Ring of Honor, New Japan, and most recently for Impact Wrestling, where he became the X division champion (he dropped the title to Matt Sydal, which just aired last week on POP TV). Ishimori is 35-years old and cited Shinsuke Nakamura and Hideo Itami as examples he wants to follow of achieving success in the United States and figured now is the time to make a move or else he would have regretted not attempting to.

The woman who wrestled as Joan King on last night's WWE RAW in Detroit for the squash loss to Nia Jax was local wrestler Shayla Hyde, who goes by the name The Wicked Witch. She tweeted the following after the loss:

Todays been so eventful. Filled with amazing possiblities and amazing experience.#blessed#JoanKing pic.twitter.com/MuTJrTTH9v
— Shayla Hyde (@likablemshyde) March 13, 2018

http://78.media.tumblr.com/879861e31b6c1cb4ba12f19fa0bdc3f1/tumblr_p5cxiokv7q1u1ljrzo2_500.gif

Some other sheet news includes:

Based an old article about WWE's finances, if Triple H and/or Steph want to get rid of Kevin Dunn, it has to happen before this July or else it becomes even more expensive to release him in the future. His current contract is set to trigger a 174k bonus ($3 million) in terms of WWE stocks this July.
For those interested in learning more of Fabulous Moolah's dark past in wrestling, here are a couple of links: https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/4z1mbs/the_reason_moolah_is_not_well_liked_here/ , https://www.free-times.com/archives/baby-of-sweet-georgia-brown/article_e82fe915-fb49-5d12-8848-42750f5dc785.html
According to fan reports from this week's RAW, fans were very upset at WWE lying about Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey being advertised for the show. Same for not having a post-RAW dark match that was also advertised. WWE's way of apologizing was to literally hand out Snickers bars to those who complained. https://twitter.com/XThreeee/status/973397188813426693
This week's episode of the Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia podcast show had Sonya Deville as the guest. https://www.podcastone.com/episode/WWE-Superstar-Sonya-Deville
WWE recently uploaded the new intro video for RAW on their official Youtube page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALBZs7WV650

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: WWE vs. GLOW, Ronda Rousey on Ellen, Main Event Results (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-wwe-vs-glow-ronda-rousey-on-ellen-main-event-results/)
Ronda Rousey No Longer Advertised for Every Raw Until WrestleMania (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/ronda-rousey-no-longer-advertised-for-every-raw-until-wrestlemania/)
Rich Swann’s Wife Su Yung Defends Him on Twitter (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/rich-swanns-wife-su-yung-defends-him-on-twitter/)
WWE Releases Statement on Jeff Hardy’s DWI + More Info (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-releases-statement-on-jeff-hardys-dwi-more-info/)

Simple Fan

03-14-2018, 06:22 PM

Ishimori has been one of my favorite parts of Impact. Would be a great get for 205 Live though.

Emperor Smeat

03-14-2018, 09:23 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Lariatoooooooo Appreciation Day:
https://i.redd.it/pkaxlwmkyck01.gif

For a show that promised a WrestleMania announcement from Shane McMahon, last night's SmackDown averaged 2.771 million viewers, up six percent from last week. It was the largest audience for the show since April 11th of last year, which was the Superstar Shakeup episode.
Guess people really love seeing Shane getting beaten up badly :shifty:

The first match between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan since Callihan accidentally injured Edwards in a baseball bat spot gone wrong will be taking place next month.

Impact Wrestling announced today that Edwards will face Callihan in an I Quit match at their Impact vs. Lucha Underground show in New Orleans on April 6th. Though the theme of the event is the promotions going against each other, Callihan isn't billed as his "Jeremiah Crane" character from Lucha Underground ...

Impact vs. Lucha Underground is part of WrestleCon's weekend of events in New Orleans and will stream live on Impact's Twitch channel at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Drago & Aerostar is the only other match that's been announced as of now.

Link: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/973989638825127937

In the case of Rousey, POST Wrestling was told by someone in the company that it was an issue with the web department publishing last week’s article that she would appear on every Raw episode until WrestleMania with the web team not being given final approval to run the article. Given they are purposely false advertising Lesnar in hopes of generating a negative reaction for Lesnar, you don’t want to paint Rousey in the same light and the WWE.com article made it feel that way this past Monday.

WWE's latest book The Book of Booty: Shake It. Love It. Never Be It.: From WWE's The New Day will be officially released tomorrow.

WWE production are putting together a new special "Wrestlemania's Greatest Moments" currently.

The plan is for the 60 minute special to be be released on the WWE Network and for a version of it (obviously edited for time) to also air on the USA Network.

No word yet when the special will debut.

A cursory Wikipedia search will show that Ric Flair has won far more than 16 world titles in his career. Why does WWE push the "16-time" narrative and ignore certain wins? I've noticed that they don't recognize many other wrestlers' title wins as well, even if they were legit wins.

To be blunt, WWE feels that the facts and history are what THEY say they are. They literally couldn’t care less about what we can find by searching the net. They make the truth

...

Perhaps I am being a bit over cynical here, but in reference to the question in the Q and A for February 19th about Stephanie McMahon having an influence over the WWE's shift in portrayal of the women wrestlers, if this is the case why didn't Steph instigate this when she was head of creative for all those years? Wasn't she in charge when they ran some of the more objectionable and lurid angles involving the woman, like making Trish bark like a dog, the Torrie Wilson-Dawn Marie lesbian deal and ludicrous Molly Holly fat shaming/virgin angles, to name just a few? Not to mention the proliferation of lingerie pillow fights and gravy bowl matches et al that also occurred under Steph's watch, surely if she was that adamant about portraying women positively she would have petitioned Vince about it much harder back then and not jump on the current bandwagon?

As we have said MANY times, whoever holds the position of head of creative is really not where the buck stops. That person is Vince McMahon. Steph did not set the direction for the product, Vince did. He was the one who had the final say. To take it further, Steph has even stated that when she was “in charge” she was a manager/facilitator, not the idea person. Her and Triple H (and everyone else with an idea) has to lobby Vince to accept and implement it. That is what she has done over the years.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles on WWE's revisionist history tendencies and why Stephanie's influence on women's wrestling rise in the WWE was a lot more limited than what WWE has portrayed.

The Hardy family took to Twitter, apparently commenting on the Jeff Hardy arrest over the weekend:

Matt Hardy tweeted the following:

Help others up when they're down.
— #WOKEN Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 14, 2018

Reby Hardy tweeted:

So much misinformation being touted as truth from people who have exactly ZERO real insight or information on what they're talking about. Seriously, unless you know - REALLY KNOW - just shut it with the "scoops" & speculate like the rest of them ????
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) March 14, 2018

Garbage like this is what I'm talking about. From all sides about all topics. It's exhausting. https://t.co/lw5G6jXpM0
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) March 14, 2018

On the lighter side of things,

I made my pro wrestling debut on WWE #RAW while my brother had to work his way up the indies.

Wolfgang: 1
Maxel: 0 pic.twitter.com/blc4Hpf6Sm
— Lord Wolfgang (@WolfieHardy) March 14, 2018

Ring of Honor announced the following:
PUNISHMENT MARTINEZ AND TOMOHIRO ISHII FACE OFF AT SUPERCARD OF HONOR

The monstrous Punishment Martinez has quickly established himself as a big-match competitor, winning the prestigious Survival of the Fittest Tournament last November, picking up wins along the way against stars like Jay Lethal, Flip Gordon, Shane Taylor, and more! Martinez has firmly established himself as one of the top contenders for the Ring of Honor World Championship but the Creeper of Violence and Messiah of Pain wants to spread his brand of anarchy across the globe.

In New Orleans, he will get an opportunity to do just that against one of the most intimidating and hard-hitting stars in New Japan Pro-Wrestling history, the greatest NEVER Openweight Champion of all-time and former ROH World Television Champion, Tomohiro Ishii!

PUNISHMENT MARTINEZ vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116097/tomohiro-ishii-vs-punishment-martinez-set-for-roh-supercard-of-honor.html?p=1

Several days removed from the WWE’s announcement, the backlash against the decision to honor the Fabulous Moolah (Lillian Ellison) with a women’s battle royal at WrestleMania has gotten progressively louder. While I have minimal optimism that the WWE would correct course and walk back their decision, it has been encouraging to see the level of coverage, outrage and education provided from this announcement so that the allegations are known to a wider audience ...

Pro Wrestling Sheet spoke to Jeannine Mjoseth, who was trained by Moolah and described her as a “monstrous person”, who skimmed money from the women she trained, ignored their injuries, and pimped the women out.

David Bixenspan has a piece on Deadspin outlining many of the allegations and questioning why the WWE opted to canonize Moolah at a time when they had bypassed Moolah as the “matriarch of the women’s evolution” by naming last year’s tournament after Mae Young.

Again, I don’t expect the WWE to walk this one back, although in maintaining this decision it places the women that are a part of this battle royal in a difficult position. There will be numerous media interviews and it is bound to be brought up somewhere and I would imagine many of the women on the roster, involved in this battle royal will be offset by the company’s hypocrisy in celebrating the women’s evolution within the company while celebrating a woman like Moolah. The positive from this is a wider audience now aware of these stories and understanding the underbelly of Moolah’s legacy, understanding the actual history and not being spoon fed the WWE’s narrative. Ultimately, it would have to take significant mainstream media pressure or internal pressure from the WWE’s sponsors to force a change and history has shown that the WWE typically bypasses that level of scrutiny.

Revolution Pro has announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi and Juice Robinson will take on Aussie Open at their WrestleMania Week show on Friday, April 6th at 4 pm at The Sugar Mill.
Link: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/973999489068556288

Triple H announced today that there will be two theme songs for the WWE NXT "Takeover: New Orleans" event during WrestleMania 34 Weekend - "It Follows" and "Lord of Flies" by NXT Loud artists Cane Hill. You can hear the singles below:

With two official theme songs for #NXTTakeOver: New Orleans, NOLA's own @Cane_Hill is #NXTLOUD. #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/sd3K4LEOwJ
— Triple H (@TripleH) March 14, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/974022220241604609

WWE NXT General Manager William Regal will be hosting the "Best of NXT 2017" DVD that hits stores next Tuesday, according to WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. The DVD will also feature a foreword introduction from Triple H. The DVD will include 22 matches along with new interview segments filmed at the WWE Performance Center.

WWE has a new poll asking fans who has the mental edge in the ongoing battle between Jinder Mahal, Bobby Roode and new WWE United States Champion Randy Orton. As of this writing, 69% voted for Orton while 17% voted for Mahal and 14% for Roode. Roode announced on last night's SmackDown that he will be cashing in his rematch against Orton at WrestleMania 34.

Sami Zayn took to Twitter today and wrote the following on how he and Kevin Owens destroyed Shane McMahon on last night's SmackDown. The attack came after Shane booked Owens vs. Sami in a WrestleMania 34 singles match, which came right after Shane announced that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from his SmackDown Commissioner duties. Speculation is this ending with Shane vs. Owens and Sami in a Handicap Match or Shane vs. Sami vs. Owens in a Triple Threat at WrestleMania 34.

If you've never beaten up your boss, you should totally try it.

I did it and it was amazing.
— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) March 14, 2018

Above is new video of 2018 WWE Hall of Famer Hillbilly Jim talking to TMZ Sports. Jim talks about how he was lucky enough to work with Hulk Hogan early in his career, adding that he would love it if The Hulkster inducted him next month in New Orleans during WrestleMania 34 Weekend. Jim reveals that he won't find out who is inducting him until around the time everyone else finds out.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPxMXValmpU

Filmmaker Jon Bravo revealed tonight on Instagram that his video on the WFN investigation is 25 minutes long and will be released this Friday. The video reportedly implicates Roman Reigns and 15 other current and former wrestlers as past customers of jailed steroids dealer Richard Rodriguez. Rodriguez and his company, Wellness Fitness Nutrition LLC (WFN), were accused of being involved in a distribution chain that imported goods from China, then manufactured illegal steroids in Arizona before distributing them out of the Miami area.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSliJxhtGo/

Recently, Corbin was recently interviewed by All Things Wrestling Radio. During the interview, Corbin stated that 2017 was a whirlwind year for him from winning the Money in the Bank briefcase to unsuccessfully cashing it in. He also revealed when he was told that he was going to cash-in the briefcase.

"It was kinda like an hour before [SmackDown Live]," said Corbin. "We discussed, and then they made a decision that was gonna be the night. It didn't work out, but, yeah it was definitely about an hour before. I mean, it's the fun part of this business. You never know what your day is gonna hold. Some things could be very, very last minute. It could be at that very last second. So, it's pretty wild, and it keeps you on your toes. That's for sure."
Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/lacrossemediagroup/03-03-2018-dolph-ziggler-baron-corbin

Kurt Angle posted a photo with him and Ronda Rousey in front of a WWE ring on Instagram today as they’re working out their match for WrestleMania.

Angle also paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero on the 14th anniversary of their WrestleMania XX match: “14 years ago to this day, I shared the ring with possibly the greatest overall performer of all time, #eddieguerrero. He always had something up his sleeve, and he didn’t disappoint in this Wrestlemania Showdown. Thank you Eddie. #LieCheatSteal #itstrue”
Links: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgUEA8nh9i_/?taken-by=therealkurtangle , https://www.instagram.com/p/BgT3HtdBrNZ/

Cody Rhodes gave an update on when “All In” tickets will go on sale: “Perhaps May, perhaps a bit earlier. We have to scale the arena first...it won't be a surprise. We will give plenty of heads-up. Judging
Link: https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/973694035796877312

Some other sheet news includes:

Apparently WWE is fully aware of the backlash they've gotten in regards to naming the Women's Battle Royale match in honor of the Fabulous Moolah. Their way of addressing the problem was to just disable the comments on their official Youtube channel for the video of the announcement.
Deadspin's David Bixenspan recently wrote a new article about WWE's announcement honoring Moolah and why fans have been vocal online against it. https://deadspin.com/fans-are-revolting-against-wwe-honoring-fabulous-moolah-1823744298
While responding to a fan question, Joey Janela revealed he is currently working on plans for more special Spring Break-like events to be held during the year. He is waiting on how well Spring Break II event does before making any official decision on his plans.
Recent episode of the Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia podcast show had Sonya Deville talking about if she wants a match with Ronda Rousey in the future, being the first openly gay woman in the WWE, and the push for equality in wrestling and society. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0312/637836/sonya-deville-talks-being-first-openly-gay-woman-in-wwe/
Website TheWhig had a recent interview with Tyler Breeze talking about getting a gimmick over with today's fans, the grind of WWE's work schedule, his pairing with Fandango, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0314/637902/tyler-breeze-on-if-he-misused-on-wwe-main-roster/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Ambrose Injury Update, SD Dark Matches, Sheamus & Alexa Work Out (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-ambrose-injury-update-sd-dark-matches-sheamus-alexa-work-out/)
Jeff Hardy Injury Update (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/jeff-hardy-update/)
Ronda Rousey Advertised for Every Raw Again + Why She Missed Raw (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/ronda-rousey-advertised-every-raw-again-why-she-missed-raw/)

Emperor Smeat

03-15-2018, 10:22 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by #BeatUpJohnCena Day:
https://i.imgur.com/drfmQsX.gif

Kid Rock was announced as the celebrity wing member for this year’s class of the WWE Hall of Fame on 3/12. The news was actually broken by Brad Shepherd back in December. This leaves Bam Bam Bigelow as the only name on the original list to have not yet been announced

Spoiler tag used since its related to the rumored rest of this year's WWE Hall of Fame class.

Regarding WWE dropping the Fabulous Moolah name from the Battle Royal, a key to this happening was Snickers getting complaints from wrestling fans. Before WWE made the decision, Snickers, a sponsor of WrestleMania, wrote, "We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Federation Inc's decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with WWE to express our disappointment."

According to one person in the company, this reaction is being thought about a lot when it comes to others, including Hulk Hogan.

Talent has been very quiet on the Moolah subject and Stephanie McMahon spoke for the company on Twitter saying that they are listening to their fans and there will still be a historical women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania.

The semifinals for the New Japan Cup have been set.

Juice Robinson and Hiroshi Tanahashi fill the first two slots. Robinson defeated Michael Elgin to advance on March 14, while Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Bad Luck Fale by countout to advance. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Juice Robinson will now headline tomorrow morning’s New Japan Cup show, with the winner advancing to the finals.

SANADA and Zack Sabre Jr have advanced to the semifinals as well. SANADA outwitted Toru Yano on this morning’s show to advance. Meanwhile, Zack Sabre Jr. pummeled Kota Ibushi bad enough that the referee stopped the bout and ruled Sabre the winner. These two will square off on March 18.

Once the two semifinalists make it to the final round, they will face off on March 21. The winner will have the right to challenge for the IWGP title, the NEVER title, or the Intercontinental title.

The show on March 16 will start at 5:30 a.m. EDT. The last two shows will start at 2:30 a.m. EDT. All three shows will have English commentary.

Kota Ibushi vs. Adam Page has been added to the 4/7 Supercard of Honor show.

AAW tomorrow night in Merrionette Park, IL at 115 Bourbon Street has Jushin Liger & ACH vs. David Starr & Trevor Lee, Jessicka Havok vs. Hudson Envy, Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Kingston, Moose vs. Keith Lee, Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett & Colt Cabana vs. Curt Stallion & Jake Something & Connor Braxton, MJF vs. Paco, Zema Ion vs. Myron Reed, Dave & Jake Crist vs. Teddy Hart & Joey Janela and Trey Miguel & Stephen Wolf vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz.

Santana Garrett vs. Priscilla Kelly was added to the 4/12 MLW show in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.

Smash Wrestling on 3/25 at The Phoenix in Toronto with Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle.

Pro Wrestling Mid South on Saturday in Dyresburg, TN at the Herb Welch Wrestle Plex with Jerry Lawler vs. Matt Riviera plus Doug Gilbert and Tim Storm appear.

NJ.com is reporting that WWE will hold a press conference tomorrow at 11 AM As to announce that Wrestlemania 35 will be coming to Metlife Stadium in April 2019. Both WWE and Metlife have declined comment.

As we have mentioned over the last year here on PWInsider.com, Wrestlemania 34 was initially earmarked for Metlife, but New Orleans made WWE such an great offer to have the show held as part of their Tricentennial celebration, WWE decided to move the show to the Big Easy. We had heard all along the Northeast was the planned region for 35 and the proximity to NYC, where the first Wrestlemania was held, makes sense for the 35th edition of the event.

It should be interesting to see where WWE will hold AXXESS. Last time they ran Metlife, AXXESS was held in the now-defunct IZOD Center and was easily the worst received and reviewed version of that event.

The other wildcard and name that got speculation is Bryan. What I can say factually is that as of a couple of weeks ago, he was not cleared. He has been constantly working to get cleared for some time. He has claimed that his hyperbaric chamber therapy has improved his brain and had very positive tests results. There are a number of doctors who have cleared him. But it’s a very touchy issue because WWE made the decision in 2015 that he wasn’t going to be cleared again and had turned him down many times when he’s pushed to be able to come back. I’ve heard nothing new since a few weeks back. However, if he was cleared, at ths point in time I’m certain it would be kept top secret for a big announcement. But there is nothing past speculation on this subject at this point.
Meltzer on Bryan's current medical status. From a longer article discussing the Sami-Owens Mania match and possible plans involving Shane.

A second match announcement was a Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal. The idea of a women’s Battle Royal to get everyone on the show had been planned all along. The issue was the Moolah name. In recent years, due to a number of interviews with women who worked for her and were part of her stable, as well as those who have gone through history, Moolah’s reputation took a major hit. Women wrestlers being sent places to earn money bot by working but also by sleeping with promoters and talent most definitely did not start with Moolah, but there are too many people who publicly will talk that it didn’t end with her either. There are numerous accounts and stories out there.

WWE last year chose to go overboard in celebration the life and promoting the death of Jimmy Snuka, literally as the ink was drying on a judge throwing out his potentially going to trial for the death of ex-girlfriend Nancy Argentino due to his health deteriorating and the feeling he was no longer mentally competent. How WWE handled the death was going to be touchy and criticized no matter what, and I felt leeway in a unique situation would probably be the best reaction. But I ended up being shocked with just how hard they lionized him, and granted, he had family with the company, but it was just way overboard, including sending out a mailer to network subscribers about celebrating the life of Snuka with selected matches.

They also used the name of the Ultimate Warrior for their co-promotion with the Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity, even though Warrior both celebrated it happening and mocked Bobby Heenan as he was battling cancer. They did name an award after him which didn’t get nearly he negative reaction, but the cancer thing had a raw nerve with a lot of people, particularly since it was in the same year that Heenan had passed away.

Had the NFL or NBA or MLB, or a major entertainment network, done something like that, they’d be excoriated in the media. But WWE’s media is still mostly underground, although there is some mainstream, such as Forbes and Deadspin that was critical of the decision, and there will likely be follow-up. There was a lot of Twitter outrage on WWE’s account, but everyone running companies has pretty much gotten immune to Twitter outrage. The reality is the next night on Smackdown, WWE doubled down, repeating the glowing video of Moolah as a trailblazer for women athletes, comparing her with the likes of Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Althea Gibson ...

But WWE has always reinvented history. In its history, the Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio of women’s wrestling were Moolah and Mae Young, who were seen as lovable grandmothers in the late 90s attitude era. In her defense, wrestling itself was a very sleazy cutthroat industry and women’s wrestling was, if anything, often a sleazier subset of it. In such an industry, Moolah was able to survive and keep control for decades. Mildred Burke, the top woman’s star before Moolah, had her detractors as well. Still, when top class reporters like Frank Deford and Jeff Leen heavily investigated her life, after her death, they both came to the conclusion she was an overall sympathetic character. Burke was a pioneer, far bigger star in her day, and responsible for the early boom period of women’s wrestling, which turned into a bust during the Moolah years and it really wasn’t until the last 15 or so years, and mostly the past few, where it has turned around. But Ellison was always close with Vince McMahon’s father, and she sold her world title belt to the current Vince McMahon when he expanded in 1984 and became part of the family.

The other match involves Braun Strowman, and also ties into the planned main event dating back more than one year. ... Strowman was originally booked to face Miz for the IC title, but there were issues with Reigns due to his being named in a video as a potential steroid user. Strowman was kept out of a Mania program to be the replacement ... The company clearly became confident enough that Reigns vs. Lesnar will take place with no issues, and turned it into a tag team title match after Strowman, as an individual, almost single-handedly beat every other tag team on the Raw roster in a Battle Royal for the title shot. According to those in the company, it was to be determined by Vince McMahon whether this would be a handicap match for the tag titles, or whether there would be a partner.

When it comes to Reigns, it seemed that the Jon Bravo/Richard Rodriguez story had gone cold. After talking about the investigation being done and a video coming out, suddenly there was no word. The word we got was those in the company thought it was a dead story ...

From a WWE standpoint, if there was a connection, and no purchases of banned substances were made after June, 2016, when he was suspended, one could argue he would be free and clear. It wouldn’t make for the best timing of anointing him as the top star of the company at WrestleMania, but Vince McMahon has put this off for three years now and spent the last year building it. The last thing he’ll want to do is change it. Like everything with a public company, the media reaction will probably be more of an issue than whatever the facts of the case are, if there is any issue, because obviously the Bravo/Rodriguez thing has been quite sleazy on its own. If there are purchases after that are documented, that would be a violation of the Wellness policy and constitute a 60-day suspension for his second strike.

New Japan may be doing its most ambitious test of the U.S. market to date as they have a preliminary hold on a date for a show on 7/7 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. There is also talk of the July return being in a major arena in either Long Beach or Las Vegas. The show as planned right now would be on the same night as UFC’s show in Las Vegas for International Fight Week, which is traditionally one of its biggest events of the year, which would be significant head-to-head competition ... The Cow Palace lists a capacity of more than 14,000 for wrestling.

Chris Jericho is not touring with Fozzy that week. Jericho vs. Naito would at least be the kind of a main event worth coming back that quickly and running such a large arena, which would be New Japan’s first true major test to date.

Jeff Hardy was scheduled to return to WWE television in the Ultimate Deletion segment that was filed for Raw on 3/8 at the Hardys home in Cameron, NC, built around a fight on the grounds between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. The segment will be airing on the 3/19 Raw. It is not known, even by those close to the situation at press time, if they will edit Jeff out of the finished product, but if he is not on the air, then the company made a directive to edit him out.

Trent Baretta is recovering from surgery this past week top repair his torn pec and triceps. We don’t have any word on the recovery period but that’s usually six to eight months

Togi Makabe was also out this past week with a right knee injury. It was also thought to not be too serious and he’s be back quickly, but if you know anything about New Japan wrestlers, any injury that causes one to miss bookings is a serious one

Tanga Loa was brought in to replace the injured Hikuleo in undercard tag team matches on the current tour. Hikuleo is out due to ACL damage in his right knee

An angle for Being the Elite to build up Hangman Page vs. Joey Ryan, which they’ve been pushing on the show for months, the first penis envy angle I can think of in pro wrestling, was shot on 3/8 at Ryan’s Bar Wrestling show in Baldwin Park, CA. The show saw Ryan beat Hot Young Briley (Ryan Nemeth, the younger brother of Dolph Ziggler). After the match, Cody, The Young Bucks and Page came out. Page came out first and the crowd was on fire. On the flip side, if you want wrestling to be something you can watch with other people in the room who aren’t fans and not leave you embarrassed, this segment is very much for insiders only. Page got in Ryan’s face and then bent over and looked like he was insulting Ryan’s dick. The conversation with the dick is so completely preposterous and then he grabbed it and said it had nothing. So you’ve got this guy holding Ryan’s dick for far too long a period of time in public to be comfortable. Then when he wants to let go, evidently the dick, besides having super physical powers, also has a super magnetic force. Hard as he tried, he could not pull his hand off it. Ryan then flipped him with it. Because everyone is in on the gag and it’s been promoted for months, the place exploded for it. Ryan then poured a bottle of what was supposed to be urine into Page’s mouth and superkicked him. The other guys were in the ring filming all this

The mysterious promotion that is doing television tapings in the Nashville area will be doing the shows in Brentwood, TN for three days starting I believe on 3/27. They are sending invitations to attend as there are no tickets being sold, and they have noted there will be no chairs and told people to be prepared to stand for the entire tapings. They also told fans not to wear any pro wrestling T-shirts or T-shirts with logos of any brands, nor sleeveless shirts. They also noted they are overbooking so if people get there late they may not get in. They are trying to keep all information regarding the promotion and what they are doing secret.

The cease and desist letters sent to Ryan Satin and Steve Bryant from Lucha Underground appeared to backfire in the sense that it made the company look real bad, and didn’t stop anyone from printing any information on the tapings. It’s almost laughable what a bad idea that was. However, the audience was a cult as some fans started to think it was their job to make sure no info got out and started harassing people who they thought may have been paying too close attention. A lot of the wrestlers were really embarrassed for the company with the feeling that all the money sent on legal fees for a non-case could be spent trying to market the product or bring in talent with the budget cut way back

Even though tickets are free and they are taping in a building that only holds a few hundred, there were tickets still left unbooked this past week at Lucha Underground

Tyler Bate is out of action with a minor knee injury. Trent Seven & Bate were originally in the Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament. Still, they had taped an angle at the previous tapings to set up Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong as a tag team and they replaced Seven & Bate and went to the finals. They also changed up the bracketing after it was first announced, which would indicate another likely change of plans

As it turned out, the stories of Cena being in the “Blue’s Clues” remake were not true even though reported everywhere. It was actually a deal where Cena did a mock audition that was shown at the Nickelodeon upfronts on 3/6. But it was just meant as a comedy sketch, and that all the buyers, advertisers and execs there were all aware it was a mock audition and not a legitimate story. But it still went everywhere but it’s been confirmed there is actually nothing to it

Some other sheet news includes:

Besides Becky and Dakota Kai, Carmella also deleted her social media posts honoring Moolah prior to WWE officially dropping the name from Mania's Women's Battle Royale match.
For those interested, Pro Wrestling Tees will be holding a Steve Austin 3:16 sale tomorrow on their online store. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116112/big-steve-austin-316-sale-tomorrow-at-prowrestlingteescom-.html?p=1
Recent episode of the Main Event Radio podcast show had Jeff Jarrett as the guest talking about WWE's Hall of Fame, if he has spoken to Vince, success of former TNA wrestlers in WWE, and more. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116104/jeff-jarrett-discusses-his-wwe-hall-of-fame-induction-feelings-on-impact-and-more.html?p=1
Kane's first primary for his Knox County mayoral campaign will occur on May 1st. He is running for the Libertarian Party in terms of political association.
According to the Observer, WWE recently pushed the dates back for a couple of house shows in Canada due to scheduling issues related to the upcoming Saudi Arabia Rumble event.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE Drops “Fabulous Moolah” Name From Battle Royal (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-drops-fabulous-moolah-name-from-battle-royal/)
WWE: Cruiserweight Finals Plan, Andre Battle Royal, Samoa Joe, Asuka/SD (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-cruiserweight-finals-plan-andre-battle-royal-samoa-joe-asuka-on-sd/)

Mr. Nerfect

03-16-2018, 08:38 PM

Kind of want a Braun Strowman/Luke Harper team, because Harper deserves more from this company. Cesaro and Harper are also two of the best in the ring, and it'd be fun to see them mix it up. I imagine it will just be a handicap match or Braun will call in James Ellsworth to be his partner. Or Heath Slater or something.

Sepholio

03-16-2018, 08:44 PM

Braun is the manager. THESE HANDS are the tag team.

Mr. Nerfect

03-16-2018, 09:06 PM

Elias is apparently a likely candidate. Okay. I suppose a Braun/Elias musical comedy tag team is a more entertaining way to go than "Braun Strowman: Serious Main Eventer."

Emperor Smeat

03-16-2018, 10:37 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Rusev's reaction to today's sheets:
https://i.imgur.com/3CHb7gu.gif

WWE had a press conference today for the announcement of next year's WrestleMania with the big show at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, while the Hall of Fame, NXT, Raw and Smackdown will be at the Barclays Center. Those brought in were Nikki Bella, Nia Jax, Titus O'Neil, Apollo, Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman. Those speaking were the New Day, Stephanie McMahon, HHH, Ronda Rousey and John Cena. Rousey said she would be wrestling on the show.

Reports are that the Jon Bravo 25 minute video covering 15 WWE performers, past and present, who were clients of alleged steroid dealer Richard Rodriguez, with Rodriguez on the video, will be released somewhere around 11 p.m. tonight.

The All Japan Pro Wrestling streaming service debuts on Monday with a live show from Korakuen Hall. They will also air live the 3/25 show in Saitama with Joe Doering vs. Kento Miyahara for the Triple Crown. Both of these shows will air for free. It will start charging in April for the Champion Carnival tournament at 900 yen per month which is $8.49. It will be available on PC, smartphones and tablets.

Christy St. Cloud, the backstage interviewer on NXT, had her contract recently expire and the two sides parted ways as she didn't sign a new deal. Her departure was first reported by Squared Circle Sirens.

Shinsuke Nakamura's autobiography will be released on 8/7. This is actually a combination of two books he wrote about his life in 2015, that is being translated into English.

In what may be a first, with the tournament, of the eight biggest wrestling crowds in the U.S. in 2018, seven will be for college wrestling and only one (WrestleMania) will be for pro wrestling. This week will be numbers two through seven as all six sessions will do in excess of 18,600 fans at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. We have a preview of the competition in the current Observer.

Paul London has been announced for a 4/29 Welterweight wrestling iPPV from Turner's Hall in Cleveland. The show will air on FITE TV.

Major League Wrestling announced that Sean Mooney would be part of their WaleMania show on 4/5 at Republic NOLA in New Orleans. That will also be one of the two activities I'll be doing that week.

Trent Seven & Tyler Bate vs. Marcius Pitt & Damian Slater was added to the joint Progress and EPW show on 4/18 in Perth, Western Australia. Toni Storm vs. Jessica Troy was announced for the Progress PWA show on 4/23 in Sydney. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)

WWE announced at tonight's Madison Square Garden event that they will return to the venue on 7/7 with Ronda Rousey making her WWE debut in the venue.

Following Monday Night Raw this week will be a new "" WWE 24" documentary which has the following description: Female Superstars are redefining sports entertainment with groundbreaking matches and the addition of Ronda Rousey to a star-studded roster.

The 3/15 edition of Impact did 350,000 overnight viewers, up from last week's 325,000 overnight viewers.

Earlier today, at the WWE Wrestlemania 35 press conference at Metlife Stadium, I had the opportunity to speak with WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon about the negative response to the company initially naming the Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal after The Fabulous Moolah, leading to WWE removing Moolah’s name from the branding of the match.

McMahon commented, “I love that the WWE audience expressed their opinions, whether they are positive or negative. I think that it is our responsibility to listen to our audience and do our best to give them what they want. Clearly, they did not want to name the Women’s Battle Royal after The Fabulous Moolah. We were really proud that they spoke up and we were really happy to make that change.”

On the possibility of branding the match after another former talent, McMahon noted, “For right now, we are sticking with the Wrestlemania Battle Royal Branding.”

Natalya also revealed a gift that those competing in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble received from WWE:

Beyond touched to have received this beautiful gift from @WWE in honor of the first ever women’s #RoyalRumble match. It was such a huge dream to be a part of this moment and to make history with so many amazing women! ♥?????????█?? pic.twitter.com/0jgHKIZTGC
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) March 14, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/974009599744462849

House of Hardcore returns to St. James, Long Island at the Sports Arena on Friday 3/23 featuring Tommy Dreamer vs. Joey Mercury with Shane Douglas in a Long Island Street Fight, Killer Kross vs. Guido Maritato in a Submission match, Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan vs. Willie Mack, The Squad vs. Swoggle & Crazzy Steve, Dan Maff vs. The Luchasaurus, NWA champion Nick Aldis defending the title, Alex Reynolds vs. Bull James plus Bully Ray, Rich Swann, Matt Cross and more appearing.

On Saturday 3/24 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, HOH will feature NWA champion Nick Aldis defending against Tommy Dreamer on top. The tournament bouts feature Kenny vs. Swoggle, Alex Reynolds with MJF vs. Crazzy Steve, Dan Maff vs. Bull James, Willie Mack vs. Brian Cage plus Rich Swann, Killer Kross, Sami Callihan and more.

The promotion has announced that Austin Aries is out of the championship tournament.

The first finalist for the 2018 New Japan Cup is Hiroshi Tanahashi, who defeated Juice Robinson in the main event of Wednesday’s card at Korakuen Hall ...

Tanahashi will meet the winner of Sunday’s semi-final match between Sanada and Zack Sabre Jr with the finals taking place next Wednesday.

The winner will receive a title match of their choosing at Sakura Genesis on Sunday, April 1st at Sumo Hall.

The Louisiana Boxing & Wrestling Commission was scheduled to have a meeting last Thursday to go over several topics, including whether certain variations of a piledriver would be allowed during the series of shows in the state over WrestleMania Week. POST Wrestling had specifically inquired about the use of the tombstone, which everyone would assume will be used by The Undertaker at WrestleMania, and the Canadian Destroyer. We had been told that both moves would be brought up at the meeting, but we have inquired with multiple members of the commission over the past week and not been given a response regarding the status of those moves. We also asked about whether any promotions, including the WWE, had attempted to get an exemption to use blood and/or piledrivers on their events and are awaiting a response. Both blood and piledrivers are banned on professional wrestling events in the state of Louisiana, although we have been told privately that exceptions have occurred over the years. It is also worth adding that The Undertaker did use the tombstone at WrestleMania in 2014 in New Orleans during his match with Brock Lesnar.

As noted earlier via The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE UK Superstar Tyler Bate has suffered a minor knee injury. WWE's website picked up on the injury, noting that he previously tweaked the knee and will be out of the ring for two weeks, and Bate talked to Cathy Kelley about the injury in the video above. WWE NXT General Manager William Regal tweeted about using the weekend to determine a replacement for Bate and Trent Seven in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic but as noted, they will be replaced by Roderick Strong and WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NknXz7rdPew

WWE has a new poll asking fans if The Undertaker will accept John Cena's challenge for WrestleMania 34. As of this writing, 81% voted yes.

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Jim Ross as the guest. https://art19.com/shows/ecs-pod-of-awesomeness/episodes/44a1d280-bfd0-4394-9348-95db8cd95f7b
The Dallas News held a recent interview with Bayley talking about her current issues with Sasha, where Sasha ranks on her favorite opponents, and Ronda Rousey's fit in the WWE. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0316/637976/bayley-on-how-ronda-rousey-has-been-fitting-in-wwe/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Saudi Rumble on WWE Network? WM Conference, Rusev vs. Culkin (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-saudi-rumble-on-wwe-network-wm-press-conference-rusev-vs-culkin/)
Videos: Shortest WrestleMania Matches, Hardy Compound, Billie/Peyton (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/videos-shortest-wrestlemania-matches-hardy-compound-billie-peyton/)
Grandmaster Sexay Hospitalized After Being Punched By Ex-TNA Wrestler (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/grandmaster-sexay-hospitalized-after-being-punched-by-ex-tna-wrestler/)

Mr. Nerfect

03-17-2018, 01:10 AM

Can we call college wrestling "professional wrestling" and WWE/the indies "amateur wrestling" now?

owenbrown

03-17-2018, 01:36 AM

it was 3/16 and you don't use a Stone Cold Steve Austin gif for the latest dirt sheets? For shame, Smeat.

DaveWadding

03-17-2018, 01:48 AM

The cease and desist letters sent to Ryan Satin and Steve Bryant from Lucha Underground appeared to backfire in the sense that it made the company look real bad, and didn’t stop anyone from printing any information on the tapings. It’s almost laughable what a bad idea that was. However, the audience was a cult as some fans started to think it was their job to make sure no info got out and started harassing people who they thought may have been paying too close attention. A lot of the wrestlers were really embarrassed for the company with the feeling that all the money sent on legal fees for a non-case could be spent trying to market the product or bring in talent with the budget cut way back

Even though tickets are free and they are taping in a building that only holds a few hundred, there were tickets still left unbooked this past week at Lucha Underground.

1) I saw no harassment of anyone. People joked about not leaking spoilers, but that's it.

2) Dave lies because every seat was definitely full.

03-17-2018, 10:42 AM

Those crowd numbers seem insane. Surely they could pull 20K+ for PPVs?

Simple Fan

03-17-2018, 12:02 PM

Most arenas don't even seat 20,000 and WWEs stage also takes away from attendance.

Ol Dirty Dastard

03-17-2018, 03:08 PM

it was 3/16 and you don't use a Stone Cold Steve Austin gif for the latest dirt sheets? For shame, Smeat.

esp when every day is rusev day.

Mr. Nerfect

03-18-2018, 01:35 AM

1) I saw no harassment of anyone. People joked about not leaking spoilers, but that's it.

2) Dave lies because every seat was definitely full.

Because you didn't see it then it definitely didn't happen, right? If everyone who watched LU on television went to the tapings they wouldn't fit any seat. LU is a dumpster fire that treats its talent like shit.

Emperor Smeat

03-20-2018, 10:05 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Daniel Bryan's happiest day of 2018:
https://i.imgur.com/k2PioeW.gif

After being cleared to return to the ring by WWE, Daniel Bryan will be appearing at the start of tonight's SmackDown.

Bryan announced the news while making his first comments about returning: "Saying goodbye to the ring was one of the hardest moments of my life. But thanks to the amazing people supporting me, I was able to keep fighting for my dream. This moment feels surreal and I'm glad to be able to talk to you all at the beginning of #SDLive tonight."

Bryan was scheduled to return to television tonight to address Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn's attack on Shane McMahon from last Tuesday. As Dave Meltzer reported, Bryan & Shane vs. Owens & Zayn has been the plan for WrestleMania 34 if Bryan were able to get cleared.

Spoiler tag used since its related to potential Mania plans.

Regarding Bryan's in-ring status, he is currently free and clear to wrestle as much as WWE wants to use him and as much as he wants to work. There's no word yet on if Bryan wants to work a full-time schedule. Meltzer stated that Bryan had talked about wanting to work somewhat a limited schedule, perhaps around 60 dates instead of 200 dates, but that was referring to working outside of WWE.

It was also noted that Bryan has had more testing done than any WWE talent in history and possibly more than any fighter in history. Bryan has seen many doctors while trying to get cleared and all doctors that he's seen in the last 23 months or so have cleared him.

Bryan's WWE deal expires in September and it's believed that he will not be looking to go to the indies now that he's been cleared.

Raw had another big number last night with 3.31 million viewers, down slightly from last week's 3.35 million, but aside from last week, it was better than all but a few episodes since the fall of 2016.

The big question regarded the Ultimate Deletion segment in the third hour. The show dropped 11 percent from hour two to hour three, which is a big number, but hour three still topped three million viewers, which has only happened a handful of times in recent months. Given how last week's show did, it did not hold the viewers as well as last week did, but you can't call it a notable ratings success or failure ...

The second hour being the most-watched hour once again is due to the changing patterns during Daylight Savings time.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 3.43 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.47 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.08 million viewers

Episodes of WCW Thunder were added to the WWE Network this morning.

So far, WWE has uploaded most episodes of WCW’s secondary show from the start of the program on January 8, 1998 through September 1999. Some episodes during this time period are still not up as of this writing, but more may be added by the end of the day.

WWE Network News originally reported that episodes of WCW Thunder would be added on March 19. It was theorized that the reason why it had taken so long for the show to appear on the network was due to the lawsuit against WWE by Buff Bagwell and Raven over royalty fees associated with the WWE Network. That lawsuit was dropped back in December.

WCW Thunder ran for a little over three years, ending its run on March 21, 2001. It was the final wrestling program on TBS, which had broadcasted professional wrestling for 29 years before a regime change cancelled all professional wrestling on Turner networks.

Some details regarding incorrect episode numbers on the Network: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0319/638076/wcw-thunder-episodes-now-available-on-the-wwe-network/

Ring of Honor has announced the Tag Team title match for their WrestleMania weekend show.

It will be The Briscoes defending their titles against Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jay Lethal. This will be the first defense for The Briscoes since they defeated the Motor City Machine Guns at ROH's 16th Anniversary pay-per-view earlier this month to begin their ninth reign with the belts.
Link with more details: https://www.f4wonline.com/ring-honor/briscoes-vs-tanahashi-lethal-set-roh-supercard-honor-xii-253886

While their medical situations are different, Paige took the Bryan news as a sign of hope about her own situation: “Congrats @WWEDanielBryan overcoming what looked like a career ending injury to being fully cleared and ready to compete again! Real life super man. Gives hope to a lot of people to never give up on your passion! Inspiring. @WWE”
Link: https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/976208256929599489

The Ultimate Deletion wasn’t included in the Hulu version of Raw this week. Hulu support responded to someone who asked about the decision: “Sorry for the disappointment, Shannon! We have the rights to stream a pre-formatted 90-minute special of Raw, and no edits are done on our end. We'll share your feedback with our team.”

Jeff Hardy (as Brother Nero) made a cameo near the finish of the Ultimate Deletion match. The appearance was filmed before his DWI arrest earlier this month but wasn’t edited out.
Link: https://twitter.com/hulu_support/status/976100739004149761

The main event for the Impact vs. Lucha Underground show in New Orleans on April 6th will be announced on Facebook Live at noon Eastern tomorrow.

Impact-LU: http://impactwrestling.com/the-main-event-for-wrestlecon-impact-wrestling-vs-lucha-underground/

MLW has announced that Matt Sydal will debut with the promotion against Low Ki at their “World Championship Finals” event on Thursday, April 12th, at the Gilt Nightclub. The show will feature Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland in the finals of the MLW title tournament, and they have also announced a match between Priscilla Kelly and Santana Garrett.

The US Marshals on Raw last night were local Texas wrestlers Kristopher Haiden, Brad Sanders and Ricky Starks.

The announced Rey Mysterio co-ownership of Aro Lucha appears to be a marketing move by the company with the idea of pushing fans into personally investing into the company the way Mysterio "has."

Part of Aro Lucha's strategy, according to The Tennessean's report on the Mysterio co-ownership over the weekend is to offer fans a chance to buy into the promotion, using rules relaxed by President Barack Obama that would allow Aro Lucha to potentially raise $1 million via sales of stock to non-credited investors.

PWInsider.com was told today by multiple WWE sources that the company is still moving forward with plans to speak with Mysterio about a potential new deal going forward.

The New Japan Cup finals takes place very late Tuesday night, 2 a.m. Eastern start and 11 p.m. Pacific in Nagaoka, with Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr. is on fire in the tournament on a murderers row run submitting Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi and Seiya Sanada in a row. The complete card for what is a Wednesday Japanese time show is listed in the schedule section above. Expect a lot of angles at the show because they have to set up matches both for Long Beach on Sunday and for Sumo Hall on 4/1 with almost no lead time. Really, it's amazing they cut it this close, but evidently there are things that have to happen Wednesday in the stories they are telling before the two big cards can be announced.

A vote is going to be held on Tuesday among owners of the Trump Parc Stamford condominiums in Connecticut. This is where Vince McMahon owns a penthouse suite, which he purchased for $4.1 million in 2009, but has since depreciated and is now valued at $1.98 million, although McMahon did buy the suite for $1 million above what it was initially appraised at. The controversy stems from many of the condo owners upset that their units have been devalued because of the association to President Donald Trump. Tuesday’s vote will elect a homeowners’ board and will determine if the new board will proceed with hopes of dropping the association with Trump. The average unit price at Trump Parc has dropped from $1.05 million in 2015 down to $881,563 in 2017 based on the units sold.

Bill Apter spoke with Joyce Grable regarding last week’s story involving the Fabulous Moolah and the allegations that were brought back to light after the announcement of the battle royal. Grable worked for Moolah for 13-years, beginning in 1971 and lasted until 1984. Grable said the women knew upfront in the contract how much money Moolah took a percentage and it wasn’t hidden. Grable asked for a raise at the end, was denied it by Moolah and she gave her notice and left. Grable outright denied any of the allegations of Moolah pimping out the women and sending any men to the women’s rooms. Grable specified an incident where Moolah was approached by a German promoter to bring Grable over where they had the women wear two-piece suits during the match and the loser would have their top removed. Grable said she wouldn’t do it and Moolah didn’t proceed further with the promoter.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji2GzootPdg

WWE recently filed to register a trademark for "WWE Brawl," which appears to be for some sort of video game use.

We noted before how WWE recently filed to trademark the "Samoa Joe" name. That registration was filed on March 9th but WWE later abandoned the trademark on March 16th.

Some other sheet news includes:

The O2 Arena in London revealed they will be hosting a RAW house show on August 29th. https://twitter.com/WWE/status/976133690626584578
Braun Strowman recently praised Mark Henry's induction into WWE's Hall of Fame and for the role Henry played in getting him a job in the WWE. https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/975914689334038528
5 Star Wrestling announced they are shutting down as a company. https://twitter.com/5StarWrestling/status/976163945869344768
Reby Hardy recently uploaded on Youtube a behind-the-scenes video for last night's Ultimate Deletion match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B80Ucxt_z4Q
Recent episode of Talk Is Jericho podcast show had Kane as the guest talking about his Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel characters before becoming Kane. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0320/638095/kane-on-his-reaction-when-vince-mcmahon-pitched-isaac-yankem/
The Kingston Whig-Standard had a recent interview with Ronda Rousey talking about learning to become a wrestler, her goal to become a dominant force in the WWE, and her upcoming tag match at Mania 34. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0319/638071/ronda-rousey-on-wwe-believing-in-her/

Stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

AJ Styles Says He Will Not Miss WrestleMania Due to Injury (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/aj-styles-says-he-will-not-miss-wrestlemania-due-to-injury/)
WWE: Big Cass Update, Graves vs. Taz? Rousey Expected to Be Booed (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-big-cass-update-graves-vs-taz-rousey-expected-to-be-booed/)
XFL Documentary Maker Is Creating His Own Rival Football League (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/xfl-documentary-maker-is-creating-his-own-rival-football-league/)
Rousey Works Dark Segment on Raw + No Ultimate Deletion for Crowd (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/ronda-rousey-works-dark-segment-on-raw-no-ultimate-deletion-for-crowd/)
WWE: Styles Injury Update, Lesnar/Raw, Edge & Christian to Induct Dudleys

Emperor Smeat

03-21-2018, 10:31 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Daniel Bryan's Candidacy for Mayor of Suplex City:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/c95f78f1efb38e758f47744977ab3d99/tumblr_p5x5jmRBWV1wyspnlo3_500.gif

Coming off all of the buzz surrounding yesterday afternoon's announcement that Daniel Bryan has been cleared for an in-ring return by WWE, SmackDown posted its best rating in almost a year and the third biggest number since moving to its live format on Tuesday nights.

The show averaged 2.888 million viewers, a four percent increase over last week and 12 percent higher than two weeks ago.

The only shows to beat this number were the Superstar Shakeup episode from April 11th of last year and the initial draft special in July 2016 ...

SmackDown was also up nine percent from the same week last year, the third time in the last four weeks the show was up year-over-year.
Getting out of their long holding pattern and actually building things to Mania has started to pay off for Smackdown.

Bryan was interviewed by Al Arabiya English before he was cleared. Bryan said that the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia may end up being more historically important than this year’s WrestleMania. He was also asked about the Bullet Club’s “All In” show and said that his contract with WWE runs out on September 1st: “But no, my contract actually runs out September 1st, which is actually the day of the All In show, but it’s funny because that doesn’t compute. I was in the Bahrain Comic Con the last two days, and we did Q&As, and at each one, somebody asked me about that. They said, ‘are you going to be at All In’? I’m not. I don’t know what to tell you. But yeah, my contract is up September 1st.”
Link: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/2018/03/21/WWE-s-Daniel-Bryan-Saudi-Greatest-Royal-Rumble-could-be-more-important-than-Wrestlemania.html

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s profile pages have been moved to the alumni section on WWE.com to further the angle where Bryan “fired” them on SmackDown. Owens has also changed his Twitter name to Kevin Steen and his handle to “FightSteenFight.”

Former Indianapolis Colts punter and current Barstool Sports personality Pat McAfee will be part of the NXT TakeOver: New Orleans pre-show panel with Charly Caruso and Sam Roberts on April 7th. McAfee is a pro wrestling fan and was the guest ring announcer for Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black at a house show in Indianapolis earlier this month. McAfee took a steel chair out of Cole’s hands before Black got the win.
Link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/pat-mcafee-to-join-nxt-takeover-new-orleans-pre-show-panel

HBO released the poster for their Andre the Giant documentary ahead of it premiering on April 10th.
Link: https://twitter.com/HBO/status/976503718681202688

Zack Sabre Jr. challenging for Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship was set up for Sakura Genesis on April 1st as Sabre defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the New Japan Cup this morning. Sabre beat Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, SANADA, and Tanahashi on his way to being elevated by winning the tournament.

Chris Charlton noted that Sabre will be the first British-born wrestler to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight title since William Regal in 1995.

The post-New Japan Cup press conference will be taking place at 11 p.m. Eastern tonight, likely to announce the rest of the card for Sunday’s Strong Style Evolved show in Long Beach and the lineup for Sakura Genesis.

Dragon Gate will be launching a streaming service on April 1st. It will have a tiered pricing system, with there being a cheaper option for just the archives.

ROH uploaded Mayu Iwatani vs. HZK from the first round of the Women of Honor Championship tournament on YouTube. The match took place in Japan for Stardom.

MLW moved their show that was originally scheduled for May 10th to May 3rd in order to not conflict with NXT’s TV tapings.
Sabre: https://twitter.com/reasonjp/status/976381426386927617 , Dragon Gate link: https://twitter.com/DragonGateEN/status/976343001956929536 & https://twitter.com/reasonjp/status/976358035802136576 , ROH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N-2YOcsaQg , MLW: https://mlw.com/2018/03/21/schedule-change-for-may-event/

Several WWE sources have indicated that Rey Mysterio will be traveling to Birmingham, Alabama later this week in order to have his partially torn bicep checked out in advance of Mysterio potentially signing a new WWE deal.

Mysterio is still advertised for Sunday's New Japan Pro Wrestling event on 3/25 in Long Beach, CA, where he is slated to face Jushin Liger.

On the latest edition of his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler announced that he and Jim Ross would reunite as the announcing team for the 4/27 Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The event will air on the WWE Network. Lawler also stated the event would live on television on Saudi Arabia.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116258/greatest-royal-rumble-announcing-team-is.html?p=1

Mark Henry spoke with TMZ Sports about being a personal friend of 17-year old Draylen Mason, a victim of the recent bombings in Austin, Texas. Henry was asked about how the city was doing and called the young man a talent and that it was a hard loss.

"People were on edge, it's very unfortunate that [Draylen Mason] died, he was a friend of the family," Henry said. "I knew the kid pretty well, I know the Grandfather, really well, Dr. Mason. It was his Grandson, we spent a lot of time together. We're in a couple different civic organizations together, try to help people out, it was just tragic to lose a kid like that so young. He was so full of life, so talented, a talented bassist. He traveled, competed, it was a hard loss."
Link with the video and more comments from Henry about the Austin bombing spree: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0321/638156/mark-henry-says-he-was-a-friend-of-17-year-old-austin-bomb-victim/

As noted, 2018 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Bill Goldberg will appear on ABC's hit comedy The Goldbergs tonight at 8 p.m. The former WWE Universal Champion will reprise his role of high school coach Nick Mellor, who moves in with the Goldbergs, a role which he has played twice before. Goldberg spoke to the Associated Press about appearing on the show tonight, as well as his return to WWE in 2016. The former WWE Universal Champion said that he's not closing the door on a WWE return.

"Do I want to roll the dice again? I don't know," Goldberg said. "I'll quote one of the most famous movies that I was ever in, 'Santa's Slay': It ain't over 'til I say it's over."
Link: http://www.pahomepage.com/news/former-wwe-champ-goldberg-transitions-to-abc-comedy/1063215700

Matt Hardy teased on Twitter that we may see more matches like The Ultimate Deletion from The Hardy Compound in WWE. He also made some comments on Bray Wyatt that may give an idea of potential storyline plans for Wyatt now that The Great War between the two has ended. You can see some of Hardy's recent tweets below:

Gracias, mi amigo. This #UltimateDELETION was merely an introduction of My #BROKEN & #WOKEN Universe to the @WWEUniverse.

Merely the GENESIS. https://t.co/AvPdj9tgel
— #WOKEN Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 20, 2018

RE-TWEET if you DESIRE to see another #UltimateDELETION on #RAW, maybe..

Michael Cole, The OBSOLETE MULE

or

Roman Reigns, The LARGE CANINE

or

The DASTARDLY MeekMahan pic.twitter.com/VQMfDKQjsj
— #WOKEN Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 20, 2018
Links: https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/976113841582039041 , https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/975981285876387845

WWE has a new poll asking fans which was more emotional - Daniel Bryan's retirement speech in 2016 or his passionate return address on last night's SmackDown. As of this writing, 59% voted for last night's segment on SmackDown.

Some other sheet news includes:

NWA recently uploaded a new episode from their Ten Pound of Glory series featuring the upcoming NWA World Championship match between Tommy Dreamer and Nick Aldis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ree7FIGxSK8
Webesite Solo Wrestling had a recent interview with AJ Styles talking about if his match with Nakamura should main event Mania 34, possibility of a match against Daniel Bryan in the future, and possibility of reuniting with The Club. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0321/638140/aj-styles-talks-possibly-being-drafted-to-raw/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Styles on for Mania, SD Dark Match, MMC Second Chance, NJPW (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/various-styles-on-for-mania-sd-dark-match-mmc-second-chance-new-japan-cup/)
WWE: Daniel Bryan Reflects on Return, Paige Inspired, Cena Comments (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-daniel-bryan-reflects-on-return-paige-inspired-cena-comments/)
“Greatest Royal Rumble” Seemingly Confirmed for WWE Network (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/greatest-royal-rumble-seemingly-confirmed-for-wwe-network/)
Impact vs. Lucha Underground Card – Main Event Announced (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/impact-vs-lucha-underground-card-main-event-announced/)

Emperor Smeat

03-22-2018, 08:54 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WWF Smackdown 2 Know Your Role:
https://i.imgur.com/crfIvWs.gif

Revolution Pro Wrestling has announced Kota Ibushi's match for WrestleMania week in New Orleans.

Ibushi will be teaming with Flip Gordon & Shane Strickland against Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Chuck Taylor on Friday, April 6th ...

RevPro's event is in conjunction with WrestleCon and will take place at The Sugar Mill at 4 p.m. Central time. The other matches that have been announced are: Zack Sabre Jr. defending his Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii, Minoru Suzuki vs. Jeff Cobb, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson vs. Aussie Open, and Martin Stone vs. David Starr.

Link: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/976892639009300481

Two matches have been confirmed for Sakura Genesis on April 1.

The main event was officially announced today as Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight title against New Japan Cup winner Zack Sabre Jr.. If Okada were to defeat Sabre, he would tie Hiroshi Tanahashi's record of most IWGP Heavyweight title defenses in a single reign at 11 ...

The other match announced for the card is a triple threat match pitting new IWGP Jr. tag team champions Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru against BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi and Roppongi 3K in a triple threat match. This would be a rematch from the 46th anniversary show that took place back on March 6, where Desperado and Kanemario won the championships from Roppongi 3K ...

Sakura Genesis will air at 3 a.m. EDT on April 1. It will have English commentary.

Sky Sports announced today that the 4/27 WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event will air live at 5 PM local time in Great Britain.

That start time would mean the event, if it airs live on the WWE Network (as opposed to VOD) will air at 12 PM EST.

As previously noted on PWInsider.com, Court Bauer's Major League Wrestling is said to have signed a cable broadcast TV deal that will be announced in the next several weeks. We are told that the announcement will come from the network itself first. There have been some rumors swirling as to who the outlet is, and if the outlet we have heard is correct, the series will be available on a number of cable and satellite providers.

Major League Wrestling have applied to trademark "MLW Fusion", so that may be the name of their new series.

There was a photo shoot this week with a number of wrestlers done for use for the series.

With the announcement that Daniel Bryan has been reinstated, is it possible WWE could bring back Paige?

It's entirely possible she could ask them to reconsider, although her issues (neck) are vastly different from Daniel Bryan's issues. My feeling is that we won't see her return to the ring under the WWE umbrella, but there is always a possibility they could reconsider. After getting this email, however, I asked whether there had been any changes in her status and was told no. We are told that her role going forward will be to continue to support Absolution and obviously, she'll be involved in promoting the Fighting With My Family film that comes out in the Fall.

When was Bryan actually cleared?

The word that was making the rounds backstage at Smackdown Tuesday night was that it was several weeks ago, but we later learned that was when he took the final round of tests. According to Bryan in an interview, WWE informed him he was cleared this past Monday, so it was about 12-24 hours before they issued the press release announcing he was free and clear.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles on Paige's WWE status and when Bryan was medically cleared.

Edge announced:

It’s the 1 year anniversary of @EandCPod Friday and we have inarguably two of the biggest stars EVER @BretHart & @steveaustinBSR on the SAME show, same time, talking their Wrestlemania 13 Submission Match in our Anatomy of a Match special. Truly our best show yet. pic.twitter.com/M26D76c1u2
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) March 22, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/EdgeRatedR/status/976621893263478784

To sell the "firing" angle from Smackdown Tuesday night, WWE moved Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to the Alumni section on their website and the Owens vs. Zayn match has been removed from the WrestleMania match listing. But they are still being advertised for house shows and TVs. Owens changed his Twitter name to Kevin Steen and handle to @fightsteenfight. Zayn's twitter remains the same @SamiZayn

Trademarks for Rich Swann, Bobby Roode, TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick were all officially registered to WWE as of 3/20.

A funny thing with Perkins' trademark is that it was listed with the following note: "The name(s), portrait(s), and/or signature(s) shown in the mark identifies Cedric Alexander Johnson, whose consent(s) to register is made of record."

Regarding the All In show and the 9/1 date, the plan was to hold the show later with Danielson headlining. However, they were aware of Danielson working so hard to get cleared by WWE. They felt there was a significant enough chance for it to happen, and decided upon, and later announced the Labor Day weekend show, a date where it was impossible Danielson could appear on. Cody also stopped doing the LeBell lock and they stopped teasing Danielson's name in social media. On the flip side, Danielson was still studying non-WWE wrestling, in particular of Zack Sabre Jr., and thinking about the idea of a vegetarian submission masters tag team.

There's a lot of movement going on behind-the-scenes when it comes to the often-delayed U.K. project. WWE does have a date booked in December in Margate, Kent and may have others. It should be noted that they've had a lot of dates booked for U.K. TV tapings and have canceled them quietly. However, they have renewed all the key contracts of the U.K. guys. The "big five," which they consider as Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Wolfgang and Mark Andrews were believed to have gotten better deals, in at least one case from $20,000 a year to $50,000. They also just signed Zack Gibson, and it was for the U.K. project and not for NXT. The idea is still to do tapings and run a U.K. based promotion, and eventually open a training center with the idea of bringing U.K. trainers to Florida (like Johnny Moss already did) to teach them how WWE wants people trained and have them run it. Marty Jones did a Q&A and actually brought up this which was supposed to have been kept quiet. There is nothing at all new on the ITV front. If ITV were to make a move, it would speed up the process ...

In the U.K. dressing rooms the word has been passed around that Joe Coffey has signed a U.K. deal, but Coffey himself has personally denied it. The problem is the immediate counter is that he has to say that until WWE announces it, but as a story, this has already spread in different places

Both Garza Jr. and Ultimo Ninja are both undergoing WWE medicals with the feeling they will be offered a contract if they pass. Garza Jr. had been working for Impact.

It shows WWE getting aggressive looking for new Mexican stars, given they have been also talking with Alberto and Mysterio. Garza Jr. is coming off shoulder surgery

Tommy Dreamer, 47, spoke to the Wrestling Estate and said that his back is really thrashed. He said he broke his neck in ECW but didn't know it at the time and kept wrestling. His body then healed wrong. He's never had a surgery in his career (which is amazing with the abuse he's taken) and recently took a table bump when the table didn't break with his hip and that made things worse. He said a good day now is walking like Terry Funk and has been in excruciating pain for a while and knows his time in the ring isn't long. But he said he can't take time off now, but he is going to get an MRI done this week to find out the extent of the damage.

The next regular ROH PPV show will be the Best in the World show on 6/29 in Baltimore. They are moving from the small DuBurns Arena, their home base in Baltimore for years, to the new UMBC Event Center, which holds 5,000 fans.

In numbers compiled by Lavie Margolan, for the first quarter, ROH averaged 1,266 fans per show, up 30 percent from the first quarter of 2017. There were seven sellout in eight shows, a sellout percentage unprecedented in company history. The company's previous best first quarter averaged 1,000 in 2015.

Due to Rousey's debut, the mainstream interest in WrestleMania is at the highest level in years, even if ticket sales aren't, with a number of major outlets looking at covering the show for her angle. The secondary market, in particular, is not doing well. Right now the production crew is going to be going crazy as there are plans for three documentaries to be shot, one on WrestleMania itself, one on Undertaker's comeback and the obvious one on Rousey's debut. Rousey's debut also has gotten major interest from both ESPN and Fox Sports, and they also want to shoot a number of Table for 3 episodes that weekend, including pitching one for Rousey

There were rumblings about some sort of a change in the Wyatt character. It's overdue to begin with the Ultimate Deletion where he was thrown into the Lake of Reincarnation, only to vanish in the lake. That would at least make one suspect some type of change.

Showtime has been working on a documentary about Mauro Ranallo, basically about his battles with mental health issues from his teenage years, his ups and downs in recent years, and ultimately winding up as the announcer for the biggest boxing matches in the world with Showtime as well as working with WWE and Bellator. Showtime and WWE are both involved with this project. The documentary will have a world premiere in May in New York and then air on Showtime later in May.

Matt Hardy has officially received the trademark for Broken Matt Hardy from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Dave Bautista said that he hasn't accepted invitations to the WWE Hall of Fame because he doesn't see his career as being over and would like to go back. It was noted here last year that at one point he was being talked about for this year's Hall of Fame class.

The most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week were: 1. Fast Lane; 2. NXT from 3/14; 3. WWE 24: Empowered; 4. Mixed Match Challenge from 3/13; 5. First episode of WCW Thunder; 6. WrestleMania 31; 7. 2018 Royal Rumble; 8. Elimination Chamber 2018; 9. WrestleMania 33; 10. 205 Live from 3/13. So the negative is that MMC was way ahead of 205 Live even though it could also be seen for free on Facebook and not just on the Network, plus it's not on the network for several days, and also that 205 Live finished behind several old PPV and a 20 year old episode of Thunder.

Above is new video of TMZ Sports catching up with John Cena. Cena was asked if he's a fan of the intergender matches in WWE.

"Of course I am. I think any story is a good story as long as they're presented in a decent light," Cena responded ...

The TMZ reporter also asked Cena if WWE is ready for a transgender Superstar.

"I'm a storyteller my friend, and that's what we do in WWE," Cena answered. "And it's not segregated to sex, race, creed, religion, any of that. So as long as the story is good, it belongs in WWE."
Link with more quotes and video: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0322/638183/john-cena-on-if-wwe-is-ready-for-a-transgender-superstar/

Former WWE and WCW star Vader will be undergoing open heart surgery this Monday in Dallas, Texas. The 62-year-old revealed the news in a tweet on Wednesday night.

Monday morning. Dallas, TX I am now having full blown Open Heart Surgery. They say it's tough surgery to get through. Wish me luck I am gonna need it.
— Big Van Vader (@itsvadertime) March 22, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/976619081343426560

Below are upcoming Flashback Friday themes for the WWE Network:

* March 23rd: WCW's Lasting Legacy
* March 30th: April Fool's Weekend Begins
* April 6th: WWE Hall of Fame Friday
* April 13th: WrestleMania Friday
* April 20th: April's "Other" Big Events
* April 27th: 55 Years of the WWE Title

Impact has announced that its Saturday night show in Salinas, CA will be a One Night Only TV taping. The advances for both Impact shows this weekend in Newark, CA on Friday and Salinas are good. Both are expected to sell out.

Some other sheet stuff includes:

PWI had a recent article detailing the demise of 5 Star Wrestling in the UK. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116269/five-star-wrestling-implodes-all-events-canceled.html?p=1
Recent episode of the X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast show had Xpac talk about Daniel Bryan being cleared by the WWE, thoughts on Mark Henry in WWE's Hall of Fame, and thoughts on Ultimate Deletion match. http://www.pwinsiderxtra.com/ViewArticle.php?id=34235&p=1
According to the Observer, the reason for the lack of women wrestlers and women matches at the Saudi Rumble show is due to the terms of the deal WWE made with the Saudi government. WWE didn't bother to negotiate for better terms since they cared way more about the huge sums of money they are set to get from this 10-year deal.
According to the Observer, WWE is strongly considering the Ronda/Angle vs Steph/HHH match to main event Mania 34.
wXw announced the card for their May 5th show in Oberhausen, Germany features a singles match of Toni Storm vs Tenille Dashwood. https://twitter.com/wXwGermany/status/976873769229803521

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE Has Had Recent Talks With Hulk Hogan (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-has-had-recent-talks-with-hulk-hogan/)
Daniel Bryan Must Undergo Testing After Matches + Rumored Schedule (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/daniel-bryan-update-must-undergo-testing-after-matches-rumored-schedule/)
Rey Mysterio Will Be Checked Out By WWE Doctors This Week (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/rey-mysterio-will-be-checked-out-by-wwe-doctors-this-week-ahead-of-possible-signing/)

Simple Fan

03-23-2018, 10:06 AM

Garza Jr is a good signing for WWE. Really been impressed with his work on Impact.

Emperor Smeat

03-23-2018, 09:49 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Orienteering with Napalm Death:
https://i.imgur.com/gycjHEI.gif

For a match at WrestleMania 34, Lilian Garcia will be returning to ring announcing for WWE.

WWE announced today that Garcia will be the guest ring announcer for the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal on April 8th. Garcia tweeted about the news: "Words can’t describe how honored & excited I am to be announcing the 1st ever Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal! To be back w/ the VERY talented @WWE female Superstars & all of you the @WWEUniverse is priceless! Can’t wait to see you all!"
Link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-34/article/lilian-garcia-announcer-wrestlemania-womens-battle-royal , Garcia tweet: https://twitter.com/LilianGarcia/status/977249206208352257

Dr. Robert Cantu, who was one of the experts that saw Daniel Bryan on his road to being cleared to return to the ring by WWE, has elaborated on his evaluation of Bryan.

“I evaluated Bryan for a neurological opinion on return to WWE on February 26, 2018. Included in his medical records were multiple evaluations by renowned concussion clinicians,” Cantu wrote in an email to Newsweek.

“I determined that Bryan is currently asymptomatic, has a normal detailed neurological and cognitive neuropsychological examination, normal EEG, and an MRI that showed no definite evidence of a prior brain injury. It is my medical opinion that there is no absolute contraindication to his return to in-ring action in WWE."

When announcing that Bryan had been medically cleared, WWE cited Cantu, Dr. Javier Cárdenas, and Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher as three leaders in their field who had cleared Bryan before he was given the okay by Dr. Joseph Maroon.

Cantu is a co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, as well as the CTE Center at the Boston University School of Medicine. He's also the medical director and director of medical research at his own concussion center at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts and consults with teams in the NFL, NBA, and NHL.
Link: http://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-doctor-who-cleared-wwes-daniel-bryan-wrestling-return-says-he-shows-858934

Though the show is still over five months away, the list of people who will be appearing at All In continues to grow.

Penta El Zero M and his brother Rey Fenix became the most recent names announced for the show last night. Whether they'll be teaming together as the Lucha Brothers or not has yet to be revealed.

They join Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, "Arrow" star Stephen Amell, and Tessa Blanchard as people who have been confirmed for All In.

The show is being self-financed by Cody and Matt & Nick Jackson and will take place at the Sears Centre Arena in the Chicago area on September 1st. Cody tweeted earlier this week that he expects May is the earliest that tickets will go on sale.
Penta: https://twitter.com/PENTAELZEROM/status/976991327924695042 , Fenix: https://twitter.com/ReyFenixMx/status/976972114023600128

Molly Holly is set to make her second WWE appearance of 2018.

WWE announced today that Holly will be inducting Ivory into the company's Hall of Fame over WrestleMania week. Holly last appeared as a surprise entrant in the women's Royal Rumble match in January, coming in at number 12 before being eliminated by Michelle McCool.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-hall-of-fame/wwe-hall-of-fame-2018/article/molly-holly-induct-ivory-wwe-hall-of-fame

After making appearances at a couple of events last week, War Machine wrestled in their first match for WWE at last night's NXT house show in Jacksonville, Florida.

Hanson & Rowe took on Cezar Bononi & Adrian Jaoude, telling them "first we're going to shake your hand, then we're going to kick your ass" and then getting the win. Though their names could still be changed when they debut on television, they were announced as "Hanson & Rowe, War Machine."

WWE announced that War Machine had signed in January, with them reporting to the company in the same class as Ricochet and Candice LeRae. Hanson & Rowe were shown on camera sitting in the front row at TakeOver: Philadelphia, but they've yet to be featured on an NXT TV taping.

The 3/22 edition of Impact did 362,000 overnight viewers, up from last week's 350,000 overnight viewers.

The updated lineup for the 4/6 Lucha Underground vs. Impact Wrestling event at Wrestlecon in New Orleans will feature:
*Impact champion Austin Aries & Rey Fenix vs. Penta 0M & Alberto el Patron
*Impact Tag Team champions LAX vs. Lucha Underground's Da Mack (Willie Mack) and Killshot (Shane Strickland)
*Impact Knockouts champion Allie vs. Lucha Underground's Taya.
*LU's Aerostar & King Cuerno & Drago vs. Impact's DJZ & Andrew Everett & Dezmond Xavier.
*LU's Jeremiah Crane (Sami Callihan) vs. Impact's Eddie Edwards - I Quit Match.

Main Event in Australia released the following promo for WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble, anouncing it would air live on 4/28, which would be the date due to the time difference down under
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgwseSKjPRs

Kirk White's Big Time Wrestling in California will be promoting two events themed for Impact Wrestling this weekend, tonight in Newark, CA and tomorrow, Saturday 3/24 in Salinas, CA with Impact champion Austin Aries, Alberto el Patron, Moose, LAX, Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards, Trevor Lee, Taya, Rosemary and Brian Cage announced. Impact will film a One Night Only event over the course of the weekend.

Interesting to note Brian Cage is advertised for both Impact and Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore this weekend, and they are on opposite coasts.

Since announcing the Lucha Underground vs. Impact Wrestling theme, the 4/6 Impact event has moved tickets at such a rate, an advance sellout of likely for Wrestlecon event.

Impact plans to stream 12 hours of live programming per day from Wrestlecon in New Orleans over Wrestlemania weekend.

The promotion had to scramble this week to get Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt out of the path of the latest Noreaster to his the Eastern seaboard of the United States so they could get to Nashville to do voiceovers for the next two Impact episodes.

Last night's Impact episode was the final appearance of EC3, obviously.

Corey Erdman has written a feature for VICE Sports, examining the legacies of Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, Kathleen Wimbley, and Marva Scott, who were first black female wrestlers, who began in the early 50’s. The article noted their drawing ability and citing a figure of $300 per week the women were making and a listed attendance of 9,000 they drew for a Kansas City card in 1954 at the Municipal Auditorium. They will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary called “Lady Wrestler”, which is scheduled to premiere on March 29th at the Wexner Center for the Arts and there is also a trailer for the documentary
Vice Sports: https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/d3588k/the-forgotten-story-of-the-first-black-female-wrestlers , Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44MviTkZs8U

For those in Canada, the Strong Style Evolved card will only be airing on New Japan World. Several people asked us if Fight Network would be carrying the show and they will not be.

A new thirty-minute episode of WWE Photo Shoot will air on the WWE Network after Monday's RAW goes off the air. The episode will focus on Kofi Kingston. Below is the synopsis:

"It's been a wild ride throughout Kofi Kingston's WWE career, as captured in these snapshots from the good, the bad, and the booty!"

Some other sheet news includes:

Impact Wrestling announced they will returning to the UK on September 9th as part of this year's Wrestling MediaCon 2018 expo. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116294/impact-wrestling-returning-to-uk-this-september.html?p=1
PWI had a recent interview with Triple H talking about the current state of 205 Live. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116290/exclusive-triple-h-on-the-state-of-205-live.html?p=1
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 17th anniversary of WWE's official purchase of WCW. Link with more details about the historic day: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/100645/war-is-over-wwf-buys-wcw-pro-wrestling-is-never-the-same-again-323-this-day-in-history.html?p=1
Recent episode of ESPN's Nación show had NJPW's Kazuchika Okada and AXS TV's Josh Barnett as the special guests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqbpV3J9uzQ
USA Today had a recent interview with Triple H talking about training Steph for their upcoming match at Mania, thoughts on Daniel Bryan being medically cleared, and NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0322/638196/triple-h-talks-new-wwe-nxt-title/

Emperor Smeat

03-27-2018, 10:00 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by The UnderCena:
https://i.imgur.com/XfwZbtq.gif

Last night's Raw did another strong number with 3.36 million viewers. It was the third best number for the show of the year, trailing the episode the day after the Royal Rumble and the 25th anniversary show.

It also held viewers better than usual as the third hour was the best third hour for Raw -- except for the 25th anniversary show -- dating back to August.

The pattern of second hour growth that goes back to the start of Daylight Savings time continued as well, with hour two averaging 3.55 million viewers ...

8 p.m. 3.40 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.55 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.15 million viewers

After Charlotte Flair underwent minor dental surgery for a mouth infection last Wednesday, WWE has pulled her from tonight's SmackDown and Mixed Match Challenge episodes.

WWE.com announced that Charlotte is "unable to compete on WWE Mixed Match Challenge tonight due to injury." A fan vote will decide who replaces her, with Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Lana listed as the three options. The winner will team with Bobby Roode against Finn Balor & Sasha Banks ...

Charlotte wasn't on any of this weekend's house shows after having the surgery. She's still scheduled to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka at WrestleMania 34 on April 8th.

Link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-mixed-match-challenge/article/charlotte-flair-wwe-mixed-match-challenge-replacement-vote

More of WCW's long running Saturday night program is coming to the WWE Network next week, a new report indicates.

Episodes from 1992 through 1994 will be uploaded to the Network starting on April 2, WWE Network News reports. It will be seperate from the World Championship Wrestling shows that have already been uploaded, which has episodes from 1985 through 1989. World Championship Wrestling was rebranded into WCW Saturday Night on April 4, 1992, so that may be the starting point. WWE Network News estimates that up to 100 hours of content will be uploaded.

Saturday Night was WCW's flagship show until 1995 when WCW Nitro was introduced and changed the wrestling world forever with a live program that rivaled WWE Raw for years. With the addition of WCW Thunder three years later, Saturday Night eventually became a meaningless "C-show" program that largely featured WCW's midcard and Power Plant trainees. The show continued to run until 2000, when it was turned into a recap show and ultimately cancelled altogether on August 19, 2000.

Link: http://www.wwenetworknews.com/2018/03/27/exclusive-more-classic-content-coming-to-wwe-network-next-week/

MLW (Major League Wrestling) is coming to national television next month.

MLW announced via Sports Illustrated today that their new one-hour weekly series will debut on beIN Sports USA at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 20th, with a replay set to air at 11 p.m. It was noted that MLW is getting a rights fee from beIN Sports as part of the deal.

“We’ve been in talks since the fall, and they were very impressed with our product,” MLW CEO Court Bauer told Sports Illustrated. “We offer a different presentation because we identify ourselves as a combat sport, but we have a lot more creative freedom than every other combat sport to give the most high-octane presentation" ...

The TV episodes will be taped monthly and then edited for the weekly show.

Bauer said that MLW has worked out an agreement with Lucha Underground and AAA for Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix to be regulars on the TV series. Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini (formerly known as Rich Brennan in NXT) will be the announcers for it.
Link: https://www.si.com/wrestling/2018/03/26/major-league-wrestling-bein-sports

Ronda Rousey did a media tour of ESPN today and wasn’t very receptive to questions about her mixed martial arts career. She corrected Mike Golic and noted that she’s never said that she won’t fight again, then responded “There’s a possibility that I could go back in time? That’s your question to me?” when Golic asked a follow-up question about going back in time. The interview continued fine from there, with Rousey saying she thinks Floyd Mayweather competing in MMA is just talk. On “First Take,” Rousey questioned if Max Kellerman was hiding his own opinion when he asked her thoughts on people who claimed she was overrated after her losses. Rousey also appeared on “Get Up!” with Mike Greenberg, Michelle Beadle, and Jalen Rose, with a segment about her armbar being better than the Figure Four and Sharpshooter.

WWE Shop has released a “Fight for Your Dreams” t-shirt, with this being Daniel Bryan’s first new merchandise since he was cleared to return.

WWE posted Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton from WrestleMania 30 for free on YouTube.

Curt Hawkins again tweeted that he wants to be Braun Strowman’s partner at WrestleMania.
Bryan: https://shop.wwe.com/daniel-bryan-fight-for-your-dreams-authentic-t-shirt/BB1005.html?dwvar_BB1005_color=Silver , Mania 30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-NEE_8Q2uE , Hawkins: https://twitter.com/TheCurtHawkins/status/978432000418861057

ROH officially announced that Six-Man Tag Team Champions SoCal Uncensored will defend their titles against The Young Bucks & Flip Gordon in a ladder match at Supercard of Honor in New Orleans on April 7th. The Kingdom were originally announced to challenge for the titles, but the angle is that they’ve been “barred from participating” in the show.

Impact Wrestling revealed their streaming schedule for WrestleMania weekend, which includes Twitch Casts with Josh Mathews and Sonjay Dutt and videos following their wrestlers around events in New Orleans.

PROGRESS Wrestling Champion Travis Banks defending against Shane Strickland, Timothy Thatcher & WALTER vs. David Starr & Jack Sexsmith, and Pete Dunne vs. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Mark Andrews have been confirmed for PROGRESS’ show in New Orleans on April 6th.

Fred Yehi is set to debut for Revolution Pro Wrestling against Martin Stone at their Epic Encounter show on March 11th.
ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/young-bucks-and-flip-gordon-team-challenge-socal-uncensored-ladder-match , Impact: http://impactwrestling.com/impact-wrestling-live-on-twitch-at-wrestlecon-thursday-sunday/ , RevPro: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/978650035326943233

While sending a tweet to Wendys, Braun Strowman confirmed that he and Alexa Bliss are filming an episode of Ride Along: “.@Wendys you’re killing me. Three times in two weeks have stopped for grilled chicken and they don’t have any ready @AlexaBliss_WWE is trying to keep me calm while we’re filming #RideAlong I wait I’m starving and someone might #GetTheseHands”
Link: https://twitter.com/BraunStrowman/status/978082101466673159

Since we have gotten a number of emails about this, the women who portrayed Asuka's opponent last night, Jamie Frost, was independent talent Brittany Rae Steding.
More details: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0327/638349/interesting-note-regarding-asuka-opponent-on-last-night-wwe-raw/

On 3/21, WWE applied to trademark "Talking Snack" as the title for what looks to be a series based on cooking and fitness ...

As PWInsider.com has previously reported, WWE has a new official cookbook coming out later this year.
More details about the trademark: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116371/wwe-trademark-filing-reveals-potential-new-series.html?p=1

Lucha Underground applied to trademark "Octagon", so that looks to be a new character for the next season. At this point, it's unknown if the trademark would be related to the original AAA star Octagon or a new character.

The George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced their 2018 induction class with the following scheduled to be inducted over the weekend of July 26-28th in Waterloo, Iowa:
*Booker T. will receive the Lou Thesz Award
*Bruiser Brody will be posthumously awarded the Frank Gotch Award
*Ben Askren will receive the George Tragos Award
*Koji Miyamoto will receive the Jim Melby Award

One of the larger stories attached to the Saudi Arabia show is the representation of female talent, which will not take place on the show. The WWE did issue a statement to reporter David Bixenspan stating that women and children will be allowed to attend the event, but no female performers will be part of the show. While an optimist can hope that in future shows, women will be welcome on the cards, to me it’s a hard part to overlook for this show that women are not welcome to participate. At a time when the WWE has been so steadfast in their promotion of the women’s movement within the company, being presented on par with the men and using the example of Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss having a match in the UAE, it seems contradictory to underplay this element of their lucrative deal with the Government of Saudi Arabia through the Vision 2030 program. It’s a massive deal for the WWE, although no terms are public yet, but for all the praise the company has received for the elevation of the women, I feel equal criticism is justified in this instance, even if not a WWE call but rather entering a business arrangement that does present restrictions, at least for the first show of the new deal. If this were a case of certain wrestlers being denied participation based on race or sexuality, there would be enormous backlash and gender should be included in that grouping.
Post Wrestling's John Pollock on lack of WWE women wrestlers at the Saudi show and why that goes against WWE's PR for the Women's Revolution/Evolution.

Some other sheet news includes:

NJPW recently revealed the full card for next month's Sakura Genesis event. https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/full-card-njpw-sakura-genesis-revealed-254401
For those interested, all of the locations for WWE's 2018 and early 2019 schedule got revealed recently. The revelation occurred due to a recent lawsuit WWE filed against Mania merch bootleggers. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/exclusives/wwe-lawsuit-reveals-april-2018-march-2019-touring-schedule
Recent episode of Chasing Glory with Lillian Garcia podcast show had Jinder Mahal as the guest. https://www.podcastone.com/episode/Jinder-Majal
According to the Observer, Paul Heyman has hinted to the WWE he will be leaving the company after Mania but is interested in staying on one condition. He is only willing to be the manager for either Ronda or Reigns.
TV Insider had a recent interview with Jason Hehir talking about the upcoming release of the Andre the Giant HBO documentary. https://www.tvinsider.com/676860/hbo-andre-the-giant-documentary-jason-hehir/
As part of the storyline firing, Sami Zayn & Pro Wrestling Tees are currently holding a sale on El Generico merchandise from now till April 9th. https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/images/el-generico-sale-2018.jpg
Several former students of the Fabulous Moolah have recently come out against the allegations of Moolah being a pimp and scamming her students out of their pay. Most defending Moolah were ok with the huge pay cut since they felt it gave them a better chance at a successful career in wrestling. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116381/nine-wrestlers-including-the-fabulous-moolahs-daughter-come-out-against-moolah-allegations-.html?p=1

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Shane Hospital Photo, NXT in Europe, WCW Saturday Night (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/various-shane-hospital-photo-nxt-in-europe-wcw-saturday-night-on-wwe-network/)
The Road Dogg Will Induct Jeff Jarrett Into the WWE Hall of Fame (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/the-road-dogg-will-induct-jeff-jarrett-into-the-wwe-hall-of-fame/)
Various: Vader Heart Surgery, Heyman Producing New Show, Dreamer/NWA (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/various-vader-heart-surgery-heyman-producing-new-show-dreamer-nwa-title/)
Shane McMahon Hospitalized; WrestleMania Match in Limbo (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/shane-mcmahon-hospitalized-wrestlemania-match-in-limbo/)

Mr. Nerfect

03-28-2018, 01:30 AM

Good for MLW. Court Bauer has seemingly worked pretty hard to get that podcast network going, and I'm glad it's segued into something. Haven't seen any of their shows though.

Emperor Smeat

03-28-2018, 10:53 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Lariat Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/Xg5nbD1.gif

Tuesday night's SmackDown on the USA Network averaged 2.576 million viewers, down 11 percent from last week's return of Daniel Bryan.

The rating was hurt by the monstrous number that the premiere of ABC's "Roseanne" reboot garnered, with over 18 million viewers tuning in for the return of the '90s sitcom. Numbers were down across the board for all of the other network shows.

Mike and Maryse Mizanin are now parents to a healthy baby girl.

The Miz announced this afternoon on Instagram that his wife Maryse gave birth to Monroe Sky Mizanin on March 27 at 11:40 p.m. WWE congratulated them on the birth not too long after The Miz’s announcement. The baby weighed in at seven pounds, five ounces. The WWE.com article mentioned that both mother and daughter are resting comfortably.

Maryse announced publicly that she was pregnant back on the September 11, 2017 edition of Monday Night Raw ...

Miz and Maryse’s chronicles in becoming parents will be documented in the upcoming reality series Miz & Mrs. The show is set to air on the USA Network at some point in 2018.

Miz: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg4gjR3H6oo , WWE: http://www.wwe.com/article/the-miz-maryse-baby-girl?sf185740661=1

In an interview with The Mirror, Nia Jax defended bullying and body shaming being used in her storyline with Alexa Bliss: “I think it's amazing. I think it's something that people know but they don't want to talk about it, they always want to keep it hidden. I feel like we're tackling it head-on and it should be [tackled]. Young women and young girls, and boys, should actually be hearing this and seeing the conflict that we go through and seeing somebody stand up for themselves and not have to allow somebody to bully them, because of the way they look, what their shape is, or the color of their skin is. You should always stand up for yourself. So I think it's amazing. I'm very honoured to be a part of it.”
Link: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/wrestling/nia-jax-wrestlemania-wwe-bullying-12264276

David Bixenspan has an article for Deadspin about the commission regulations in New Orleans for WrestleMania week. The commission secretary noted that WWE and ROH are exempt from move bans due to being major league promotions and the commission trusting the competence of their wrestlers.
Link: https://deadspin.com/how-louisianas-archaic-commission-rules-will-burden-wre-1824118577

Vader tweeted after undergoing open heart surgery on Monday: “Fear no Man Feel no Pain!!!! I am sorry to say the feel no pain is a bunch of BS. Worst pain I’ve ever been in, even worse than getting hit in the back with a shovel by @RealMickFoley.”
Link: https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/978749133157797888

PROGRESS Wrestling announced WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for their show in New Orleans on April 7th, with the winner getting a future shot at their World Championship. Jinny & Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm & Shazza McKenzie is also set for their April 6th show.

World Wrestling Entertainment scored the final victory today in the United States District Court of Connecticut when Judge Vanessa L. Bryant officially dismissed the remaining two counts from the original lawsuit filed by former WWE performers regarding the company's alleged lack of protection when it came to performers' health, specifically concussions, CTE and other brain-trauma related injuries.

Although several the allegations against the company had been previously thrown out by the court, there was one allegation that had been ruled as being able to go forward. That charge, brought by Vito LoGrasso and former WWE developmental talent Evan Singleton, was a claim for fraud by omission. The claim was allowed specifically because they had alleged that in 2005, WWE "became aware of and failed to disclose to its wrestlers’ information concerning a link between repeated head trauma and permanent degenerative neurological conditions."

Since WWE had created the Wellness Policy and Lograsso and Singleton had wrestled during that period, the court ruled it was within reason that there was a possibility that WWE had a "greater knowledge" of the dangers via information cultivated via Wellness Policy data. So, the court allowed that aspect of the case to move forward so the matter can be determined.

In a 21-page ruling, Judge Bryant threw those final counts against WWE out, writing, "After careful consideration of the evidence in the light most favorable to the Plaintiffs, the Court has determined that the evidence does not support a finding that WWE knew of a risk that repeated head injuries incurred while performing as a professional wrestler could cause permanent degenerative neurological conditions prior to September 5, 2007."
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116420/final-counts-remaining-against-wwe-in-original-concussion-lawsuit-dismissed-today.html?p=1

Impact Wrestling is planning to stage a press conference designed to promote their Redemption PPV next week in New Orleans, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

The conference will take place on Saturday 4/7 and is designed to promote the company's 4/22 return to PPV from Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios.

The PPV will be headlined by Impact Wrestling champion Austin Aries defending against former champion Alberto El Patron.

Former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor, who has been out of action after an injury in the ring required a steel plate and 12 pins to be put in his forearm, has been cleared to return to the ring. He will be working the 4/12 MLW TV taping in Orlando, Florida at the Gilt Nightclub.

PWInsider.com has confirmed that Maxwell Jacob Friedman aka MJF, has signed a deal with MLW. MJF was initially trained by Curt Hawkins and has had a nice run on the independents thus far with his pompous heel personality.

Set for the MLW TV taping on 4/12 in Orlando is Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland to determine the MLW champion, Rey Fenix vs. Penta 0M, Low Ki vs. the debuting Matt Sydal, Joey Janela & Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc & Darby Allin in a "Bogus Adventure" Match, plus Tom Lawlor, MVP, Mike Parrow, Santana Garrett and more.

MLW: Fusion will debut on BeIN Sports on Friday 4/20 at 8 PM EST.

Tammy "Sunny" Sytch was extradited this morning from the Monmouth County Correctional Facility in New Jersey by authorities from the State of Pennsylvania. She will be remanded to the Carbon County Correctional Facility.

Sytch, 45-years old had been arrested and charged with DUI twice this year in Jersey while on probation for several charges in Pennsylvania, including three separate 2015 DUI arrests. She failed to appear in court to answer either of the Jersey cases, leading to her arrest on 2/27 in Aberdeen Township, New Jersey. While she was being processed for multiple charges of Contempt - Disobedience/resistance, it was learned that Sytch was technically a fugitive from justice because a motion had been filed in August 2017 in Pennsylvania, requesting her February 2017 parole from the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania be revoked. A bench warrant for her arrest was issued in order to bring her in for a hearing over the issue, but since Sytch was not living in PA at the time, she could not be located to be served or taken into custody.

Sytch's Pennsylvania DUI charges in 2015 were a result of three separate incidents over that summer.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116417/tammy-sytch-extradited-to-pennsylvania-to-face-parole-revocation.html?p=1

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has announced the end of an era as the popular Southern California promotion will be holding their final events in Reseda, California at the American Legion Post #308 over the next two months.

The promotion sent out a note on Wednesday that their final three shows at the 400-seat American Legion Post will take place April 20th and 21st and May 25th.

Reseda has been home base to the promotion for the past decade, outgrowing the venue years ago but showing an unwillingness to compromise the live atmosphere the venue provided, making PWG one of the hardest tickets to come by in professional wrestling. Tickets have escalated to $80 general admission and $100 for front row seats.
Link: https://twitter.com/OfficialPWG/status/979149242081005568

IMPACT Wrestling announced today a partnership with Illinois-based RISE to host seminars with a focus on developing women's professional wrestlers, as well as the creation of original content for IMPACT Wrestling's Twitch channel and Global Wrestling Network (GWN) multi-platform digital service.

Some other sheet news includes:

Tyler Breeze recently celebrated wrestling in his 1000 match of his career. https://twitter.com/MmmGorgeous/status/979083802717949953
WWE recently uploaded Stone Cold Steve Austin's final match in the WWE to their official Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVPznNOa-U
Newsweek had a recent interview with Paul Heyman talking about Lesnar's match at Wrestlemania 34, thoughts on Daniel Bryan being medically cleared, and if he wants to see a Lesnar-Bryan match in the future. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0328/638398/paul-heyman-talks-brock-lesnar-wanting-to-go-to-ufc/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Hogan at Andre Documentary Premiere, SmackDown Dark Matches (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-hogan-at-andre-documentary-premiere-smackdown-dark-matches/)
WWE: Charlotte Injury Update, Shane McMahon OK? New John Cena Movies (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-charlotte-injury-update-shane-mcmahon-ok-new-john-cena-movies/)
Updated WrestleMania 34 Card – Two More Matches Official + More Changes (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/updated-wrestlemania-34-card-two-more-matches-official-more-changes-2/)

DAMN iNATOR

03-29-2018, 02:24 AM

Congratulations to Miz and Maryse:

https://www.google.com/amp/popculture.com/celebrity-moms/2018/03/28/maryse-the-miz-baby-born-monroe-sky/

Emperor Smeat

03-29-2018, 09:52 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WCW Appreciation Day:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/0afafe9b97cbf26a439262dbc7a9ce20/tumblr_os32pkKpp01u1urgoo1_400.gif

In addition to the Raw and SmackDown go-home shows, there will be three more hours of WWE programming on the USA Network as part of WrestleMania week.

A special that looks at the greatest moments in WrestleMania history will air on Thursday, April 5th at 8 p.m. Eastern time, a one-hour version of the 2018 Hall of Fame ceremony will be shown at 10 p.m. on April 7th, and the second hour of the WrestleMania pre-show will be live on the USA Network, which is in addition to its other platforms.

WWE has yet to announce which matches are scheduled for the pre-show. The first hour will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern on April 8th before the main card starts at 7 p.m.

This year's Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on the Friday of WrestleMania week, with the full version airing live on the WWE Network. Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, Mark Henry, celebrity inductee Kid Rock, and Warrior Award recipient Jarrius "JJ" Robertson will be honored during it.

Link: http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/article/usa-network-wrestlemania-week

The WWE made a statement today noting that Hulk Hogan will not be involved in any WrestleMania activities.

The statement comes because Hogan will be at a WWE-related function, the HBO premiere party for the Andre the Giant documentary tonight. Hogan, like myself, was invited by HBO to attend and not by WWE.

WWE sources have said that while the company has had conversations of late with Hogan, they were about his interest in helping others learn from mistakes he has made in life. The company said that quote has been misinterpreted with people believing a return is imminent.

"Hulk Hogan is an important part of Andre the Giant's history, however his appearance at tonight's HBO premiere of the documentary and his plans to help others learn from his mistakes does not mean WWE is rehiring him. Hogan is not scheduled to be at any upcoming WWE events."

Company sources have noted the idea of Hogan coming back to WWE in a role where he would talk about how stupid he was to have said what he did, with it being a redemption/forgiveness story and figuring enough time has passed that his return wouldn't be controversial.

Jerry Jarrett is behind a television pilot that is being filmed on 4/26 in Wheeling, WV. The show is called Olympus Wrestling. They are shooting a pilot with the idea of doing an America's Got Talent like format where matches would take place and there would be three judges evaluating both the matches and the wrestlers. Robert Fuller and Jim Cornette will be two of the judges.

PCW Ultra on 5/4 in Los Angeles is headlined by Chelsea Green vs. Tessa Blanchard to create their first women's title.

AAW on Saturday night in LaSalle, IL at the Knights of Columbus has ACH vs. Keith Lee for the AAW title, Jessicka Havok vs. Ivelisse for the women's title, Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett vs. Curt Stallion & Jake Something for the tag titles, David Starr vs. Jimmy Jacobs, AR Fox & Myron Reed vs. Trey Miguel & Steven Wolf and a Rumble with the winner getting a shot at the Heritage title, as well as Scarlett vs. Kyle Rae and Trevor Lee & Eddie Kingston vs. Shane Strickland & Moose.

Road to Sakura Genesis from Korakuen Hall is live on NJPWWorld.com tomorrow morning at 5.30AM Est/10.30AM UK. The show will have English commentary.

*Tetsuhiro Yagi vs Ren Narita
*Yuji Nagata vs Shota Umino
*Togi Makabe, Michael Elgin & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tiger Mask IV & Tomoyuki Oka
*Juice Robinson, David Finlay & Toa Henare vs Hirooki Goto, Jay White & Tomohiro Ishii
*Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Tiger Mask IV vs Toru Yano, SHO & YOH
*Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
*Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs Zack Sabre Jr & Taichi

Several readers sent word that they spotted Dean Ambrose and Renee Young in Birmingham, Alabama yesterday and today, so Ambrose is back there working on rehabilitating his triceps tear. Ambrose was spoting a sling around town last night when they were spotted.

Dean Ambrose, who has been out for some time following triceps surgery, was pulled from his scheduled signing at Wrestlemania AXXESS next week. Fans who purchased a VIP ticket to meet the former WWE champion will instead get to meet WWE Hall of Famers Sting and Ric Flair.

When Ambrose first went under the knife, WWE stated he would be out nine months. April would make it four months into that process.

Rusev Day merchandise sales have led to Rusev being pulled from the Battle Royal and put into a four-way for the U.S. title, joining previously announced champion Randy Orton, and challengers Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal.

Stephanie McMahon was recently interviewed by The Times of India to promote WrestleMania 34. During the interview, she was asked if Jinder Mahal's run as WWE Champion last year was a success.

"I think his Championship run was incredibly interesting and successful to our global audience and not just to India," said McMahon. "If he became a bit of a hero in India as a result, well that is awesome too... Jinder of course is playing the antagonist here in the States. I think he was received as a homecoming hero when he performed live in India and whenever there is a local star there is significance to the audience there. Our audience is so much bigger, it is global, so we have to entertain everyone."
Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/wwe/jinder-mahals-title-run-was-incredibly-successful-stephanie-mcmahon/articleshow/63521398.cms

Aside from the WrestleCon Super Show, none of the events in New Orleans were sold out at press time, but NXT, Raw, ROH and WrestleMania are all very close and will be sold out shortly. WrestleMania is not an automatic sellout because it's a stadium show, so being this close is a sign people like the card. Raw and NXT, on the hand, were expected to be sold out some time back. The Hall of Fame on 4/6, the WWE's first show of the weekend, and Smackdown on 4/10, the final show, are not expected to sell out and both have a lot of tickets left, priced as low as $25. After the announcement last week of the return of Daniel Bryan, tickets for Mania were very strong when it came to late sales so his return is money. At press time there were about 700 tickets left, almost all on the floor, with the cheapest price being $337.

Deadspin and David Bixenspan had an article regarding the regulation of these WrestleMania Week shows. Piledrivers will be banned at these events, but apparently, not for WWE events or the ROH show, as the commission considers them major league events. This stems back to a 1996 accident where an independent wrestler, Aldus Bergeron was paralyzed and sued Jason Dupre (Steve Anthony) and the commission, which regulated the show, and the result was a several million dollar settlement. It was appealed and upheld because the judge ruled that the commission did not do its job to prevent sham matches (keep in mind every pro wrestling match is a sham match, meaning that this judicial ruling is downright scary) and said that since the injury took place in a post-match attack, and not during the match, the commission didn't enforce their rules about the ring being emptied once the match is over. In 2007, the commission changed the rules, no longer banning sham matches.

John Green Jr., the commission secretary, said banned moves would include all variations of the piledriver, all variations of the power bomb, moonsaults, shooting star presses, 450 splashes or anything that involves one wrestler leaping or flipping off the ropes or turnbuckles to contract the head or neck of the opponent, as well as any variation of the stun gun or a move where a wrestler's head or neck gets draped or clotheslined over the ropes, as well as any striking the head with any kind of object like a chair or trash can lid, of knocking anyone over the top rope. However, the commission has the right to allow these moves to be used prior to an event if they believe the wrestlers have sufficient training, athletic ability and experience to perform them without endangering each other. Luke Hawx of Wildkat Wrestling, who is providing the local license that many of the outside promotions are using, has noted that they've never been bothered about doing 450s or moonsaults, but they avoid fighting in the crowd, blading and piledrivers. He said as long as the promotions stay away from those moves, he doesn't think there will be any problems.

Mesias/Mil Muertes/Ricky Banderas had a press conference on 3/27 talking about leaving the promotion. He said he injured his knee in June but AAA insisted he continue to work through October. He said that Dorian Roldan paid him less than he promised during his time off while being injured and was told by Gonzalo Perez Rodriguez (The Director of Programming) that anything more that they would pay him would be considered a loan he would have to repay. When he finally returned after five months off, the first thing he was asked was to lose to La Parka. He said he didn't want to do it, not because it was La Parka, but because he thought it was dumb for him to return after five months and lose in his match back. He said he made his mind up to quit, but didn't announce it until the completion of the Lucha Underground season. He said that he's asked to see his contract and for four years has gotten the runaround by Dorian Roldan and Marisela Pena so he doesn't even know how long he's under contract. He said Roldan told him he'd make his life impossible if he quit and said this was not the same Roldan that he used to know.

He said he was very upset about how Roldan has changed and the things he's said about people who have left the promotion. He said AAA claimed they owned all of his names, but her noted he used Ricky Banderas long before he came to AAA. He said he thinks he'll still be able to work Lucha Underground since Pentagon, Fenix, Jack Evans and others still worked there after quitting AAA. Banderas said a lot of people would like to leave but there is the fear of the unknown. He also said he would be wrestling Cibernetico on 4/28. In fact, the only major AAA stars still in Lucha Underground are Vampiro (who has immense heat on him as there was a situation a few weeks ago that nearly came to blows between Vampiro and El Texano Jr.), King Cuerno, Texano, Drago and Aerostar.

At the grand opening of the New Japan dojo in Carson, CA, just outside Los Angeles, there was a press conference with Hiroshi Tanahashi (most of the questions regarded how he takes care of his hair, believe it or not), Jushin Liger, Adam Page, Jay White and Katsuyori Shibata. The most notable was Shibata saying that he would wrestle again some day and that his teaching and training with the students at the school would get him back. It is believed he would never be cleared again after life-saving brain surgery after his April 1, 2017 match with Kazuchika Okada at Sumo Hall, largely from his delivering a sick head-butt that left him with bleeding on the brain. Shibata physically looks in good shape.

Impact are thrilled with all the publicity Sami Callihan has gotten as a heel in the wake of the accidental baseball shot to Eddie Edwards, particularly with the negative feedback from Jim Cornette and Kassius Ohno and him playing that up.

In a business move that relates to WWE whether they wind up with USA or FS 1/FOX in the next deal, and perhaps UFC depending on where they end up, both FOX and NBC are looking at lowering the amount of commercial time on their television shows starting with the fall season. The idea is cutting down on the length of the commercial breaks to keep viewers from tuning out to other shows. They are pitching to advertisers that with shorter breaks and fewer commercials, that the value of the commercials will now be greater and thus are looking at upping the price of commercials to make up for the lost revenue of fewer actual ads. NBC Universal is looking at reducing ad time by about ten percent in prime time, and this would include Raw.
Rumor going around the net is FOX's offer being in the $200 million range which is what they currently pay for UFC. Would be around $60 million higher than what WWE currently gets from NBC & USA Network.

The belief is that silly Smackdown top ten thing is already done. They did it one week, and tried to do a lame angle between Orton and Roode with the idea Roode was rated higher than Orton even though he hadn't been there as long to play into the U.S. title three-way deal.

The top ten most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network were: 1. Mixed Match Challenge from 3/20; 2. NXT from 3/21; 3. WrestleMania 32; 4. WWE 24: Empowered; 5. Photo Shoot: Kofi Kingston; 6. Fast Lane 2018; 7. Royal Rumble 2018; 8. WrestleMania 33; 9. WrestleMania 30; 10. WrestleMania 31. 205 Live on 3/20 finished 11th for the week.

Some other sheet news includes:

NBC Sports had a recent interview with Triple H talking about the original plans for the Ciampa-Gargano feud prior to Ciampa's injury. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0329/638416/triple-h-on-tommaso-ciampa-vs-johnny-gargano/
WWE's official website had a recent interview with Shayna Baszler talking about her match preparations, her aggressive competitive spirit, and her match at Takeover: New Orleans. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0329/638421/shayna-baszler-on-her-aggressive-competitive-spirit/
PWG announced the cards for their All-Star Weekend shows on April 1st and April 2nd. https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/03/29/pwg-announces-cards-for-all-star-weekend-14-in-april/
Rumor going around the net involves the state of Louisiana enacting a sales tax hike during Wrestlemania week and only wrestling promotions would be affected. The hike would only cover wrestling merch sold with the tax going from the usual 5% to 10% during the week. https://twitter.com/TheProductDS/status/979366000771653632
According to the Observer, Impact Wrestling recently offered a 2 year deal to Jeff Cobb although at the moment Cobb has yet to accept or decline it.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Styles Injury Update, Rey Mysterio Rumors, Ric Flair Surgery (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/wwe-styles-injury-update-rey-mysterio-rumors-ric-flair-surgery/)
Videos: Austin’s Last Match, Austin’s First Title Win, Kane Interviewed by JBL (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/video-austins-last-match-austins-first-title-win-kane-interviewed-by-jbl/)
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans Card – Gargano vs. Ciampa Added (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/nxt-takeover-new-orleans-card-gargano-vs-ciampa-added/)

Emperor Smeat

03-30-2018, 10:01 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by HBK-Ric Flair 10th Anniversary:
https://i.imgur.com/I27Z42s.gif

Bein Sports and Major League Wrestling sent out their official press release today regarding the new weekly one hour MLW Fusion show that starts on the station on 4/20 in the Friday night at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time slot.

John "Bad Bones" Klinger, who has been one of the top stars of the German-based wXw promotion, is no longer with the group, and the reasons are being kept quiet. wXw issued a release yesterday saying, "It is with great regret that we have to inform you about the immediate suspension of Bad Bones John Klinger from all future wXw events. The wXw World Tag Team Championship, currently held by Da Mack and John Klinger, has been vacated effective today. It will be contested at the next marquee event, wXw True Colors on April 14 in Dresden."

ROH announced a main event for a 4/28 show called Bound By Honor at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, FL. It will be four members of the Bullet Club against four champions, Dalton Castle & Kenny King & Mark & Jay Briscoe.

Fred Yehi vs. Maxwell Jacob Feinstein was announced for the 4/12 MLW show in Orlando, FL at Gilt Nightclub. This will be Yehi's debut with the promotion.

Sabotage Wrestling announced that Ricardo Rodriguez would debut as their figurehead General Manager, most likely on their 4/28 show in Austin,TX.
MLW: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116458/official-press-release-bein-sports-adds-major-league-wrestling-to-its-growing-sports-roster.html?p=1

Jeff Jarrett will be filming a Table for 3 Segment next week. WWE is filming tons of shows and documentaries with so many people in New Orleans next week.
Link: https://twitter.com/RealJeffJarrett/status/979743666834214912

Impact Wrestling's positive ratings trend continued this week as the company posted its highest viewership since The Hardys' Final Deletion match.

Last night's episode averaged 399,000 viewers on Pop TV, up from the 362,000 that Impact did the previous week. That's Impact's highest number of 2018 and tops all of their shows from last year. The Final Deletion, which had Matt Hardy facing Jeff Hardy in the first match of its kind from the Hardy Compound, drew 410,000 viewers on July 5th, 2016.

The company thanked its fans after this week's ratings came out: "The BIGGEST THANK YOU possible to each and every one of you who helped make last night's IMPACT the most watched episode in 20 months and our 2nd most watched episode on Pop!"

Besides the 50 man Royal Rumble, also announced for the 4/27 "Greatest Royal Rumble," at the 62,000 seat King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is Cena vs. HHH, a ladder match for the IC title with Miz vs. Rollins vs. Balor vs. Joe, and a tag title match with Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Hardys. There will be no women allowed to wrestle on the show. There are those critical of WWE pushing how much they are behind women wrestling and female empowerment and then doing business with a country where women are treated as second-class and where their women roster members wouldn't be allowed to perform. But in the end, this is a gigantic money deal over ten years and that trumps just about everything. You can't expect high morals from a major corporation, and doubly so from a wrestling promoter. Granted, the key to this argument is about how WWE promotes itself as being on the cusp of revolutionary for women in sports, even when they were a half-century behind tennis and years behind even the UFC, which at one point was being run by people closed-minded that needed their eyes opened. If WWE is even pretending to be revolutionary, or even somewhere nearly up to date, on treatment of women and that's one of their calling cards, and their biggest mainstream star is female, I don't expect them to stand up for that because they are wrestling people, but at that point they have no right to claim anything legitimately when it comes to backing women. Like I said, I don't expect anything, but if you're legit on a cause, sometimes you have to make unpleasant decisions to back that cause. In this case, they failed to do so.
Meltzer on WWE's image problem hosting the Saudi Rumble while juggling their spin on the Women's Revolution/Evolution historic impact on the company.

There is a lot of talk that UFC television negotiations are not going well. The company had hoped to have the deal done by the end of last year, and now we're almost in April with no sign of a deal being done and the target looks like the summer for an announcement. There have been some stories along with the word on the street that UFC and FOX would likely be done. FOX made UFC an offer but now it looks like FOX is more interested in WWE, as they could get WWE for similar money and WWE would deliver higher ratings. Still, FS 1 and FS 2 have relied on UFC for a live percentage of their programming for years.

I was wondering if you knew why ROH's women's matches are always you tube exclusives ,dvd extras,or just pre show matches?Pretty much every promotion that has women wrestlers feature therm on the regular card>Even WWE when they had "divas" matches that lasted all of three minutes were part of the main show.Is it because the owners or booker(s) don't like women's wrestling or do they don't think the women can draw? also if they're not featuring women wrestlers as part of the main show,why bother having a partnership with the Stardom promotion as the women from that promotion that come over heee to work for RPH willl just getbused the same way

They only have 60 minutes a week of their TV, plus they have seen the YouTube videos be extremely successful so they have continued to push the matches via that forum. I also think the company is taking a very slow walk before they run strategy. That's just the way ROH works. They take a very measure, slow approach.
From PWI's weekly Q&A artciles on why ROH has their Women of Honor tournament matches only on Youtube.

David Bixenspan has done a lot of research into the attendance figure from WrestleMania 3 at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987. The 93,173 figure is the most attendance figure in professional wrestling history, initially because of the legend of the event that signified the peak the promotion’s national expansion boom but has grown in legend because of the debate for over 15 years regarding its legitimacy. As the story goes, WWF event promoter Zane Bresloff, years after the show, spoke to Dave Meltzer and provided documentation of the actual number that was reported to be 78,500 and this was backed up years later when Meltzer was provided internal attendance figures by the company that also listed that figure. The WWE’s internal numbers when Meltzer was provided them listed the WrestleMania 3 total attendance at “about 78,000” and paid attendance listed at 75,700.

In Bixenspan’s research, Meltzer had reported an advance of 78,500 two weeks before the show and added that was 9,500 short of capacity for the venue, bringing the total capacity to 88,000. The Pontiac Silverdome website later listed the total capacity of the building at 88,000 and cited a visit by The Pope in 1987 attracting that sized audience.

Many of the documents to back up the various sides were unable to be recovered and there probably isn’t going to be a definitive conclusion, although it makes no sense for the WWE to have internal documents that would underreport the attendance. Bixenspan did seek to obtain these records from the WWE and didn`t receive a response.

The agreement most have is that the venue was truly full and there were no unoccupied seats. The other factor is whether the Pontiac Silverdome provided an accurate number of seats as their total capacity or inflated the true number and that presents the discrepancy.

If the 78,500 figure is accurate, there are two WWE events that have surpassed that total with SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London and WrestleMania 32 from AT&T Stadium in Texas in 2016.

It’s funny because if the aerial shot of the stadium was never taken, I don’t feel this debate would have raged on for so many years. While there was a lot of dispute when the WWE announced the 101,763 figure for the AT&T Stadium, there was nothing close the emotion of the WrestleMania 3 figure, possibly because it’s so much easier to verify a present attendance figure than one from 31 years ago. The WWE also stepped back from the figure and explained it wasn’t a paid number and they counted many people that you wouldn’t typically account for to reflect the attendance of a show.

Impact Wrestling ended the month of March with their highest number on POP TV since July 2016. Thursday’s episode averaged 399,000 viewers, which is their highest Thursday night average on POP and second-highest number overall since the Final Deletion episode in July 2016 (when Impact was airing on Tuesday nights on POP). For the year, Impact is averaging 322,000 viewers on POP, which has been bolstered by their performance throughout the month of March where viewership has increased.

ESPN has a piece on the L.A. Memorial Coliseum’s attempting to attract the WWE to run WrestleMania with a look back at the Coliseum nearly hosting the show in 1991. The Coliseum put together a video to persuade the WWE (then World Wrestling Federation) to book the Coliseum and it’s stated in the article by Joe Furin, the Coliseum’s General Manager, that Vince McMahon loved the video. The company scheduled WrestleMania 7 for the Coliseum in March 1991 and announced the site during the broadcast of WrestleMania 6 the year prior. The promotional campaign centered around attracting “over 100,000 fans” to the Coliseum and breaking the previous record of 1987 (see story above). In February 1991, amidst lackluster ticket sales, they moved the show indoors to the L.A. Sports Arena and transferred the tickets. In the article, Furin stated it would be great to try and get WrestleMania into the Coliseum in 2020 or 2021. Los Angeles will also have a new stadium for the L.A. Rams opening in August 2020 with Hollywood Park, which is scheduled to host the Super Bowl in 2021.
Link: http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/22956778/wwe-story-wwe-attempt-fill-la-coliseum-wrestlemania-vii

Rey Mysterio appeared on Below The Belt this week, which is hosted by former UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub. The former WWE Champion addressed rumors that he would be appearing at WrestleMania this year.

There had recently been reports that Mysterio would be working with John Cena at WrestleMania. Sports Illustrated reported this week that Mysterio is expected to work WrestleMania if he's healthy, and that Vince McMahon is considering having Mysterio as Braun Strowman's tag team partner against Cesaro and Sheamus. Mysterio noted that he's not going to be able to wrestle at the event due to the tear of his left biceps that he suffered earlier this month at a Northeast Wrestling show.

"Unfortunately I just suffered a torn bicep three weeks ago," Mysterio said. "I opted not to get surgery. It's a full tear, but I'm just going to sit back, do some therapy for it and hopefully I'll be back next month."

Mysterio said that while he won't be wrestling at the show, he's looking forward to it.

"This one's going to be off the hook," Mysterio noted. "There's going to be a lot of good matches."
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWk4b3RO4EA

Vince McMahon and other people in WWE were said to be blown away by the social media success of The Ultimate Deletion match that aired earlier this month, according to Sports Illustrated. The hashtag for the match was trending worldwide at number one for three hours.

This could mean that there is a future for Matt Hardy and his Woken Warriors in the WWE Universe. SI also noted that the match was seen as a big success within the WWE office.

There's been speculation that Michael Cole's negative comments about the match were being fed to him by Vince and Vince being surprised at the success may add to that theory.

Cody Rhodes tweeted out the classic Bullet Club logo is being retired and he would be revealing a new logo next week. Rhodes will be facing Kenny Omega next Saturday at ROH Supercard of Card XII.

THE CLASSIC BULLET CLUB LOGO IS BEING RETIRED...

I will be unveiling the new logo next week! pic.twitter.com/U4Z1F3nriT
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) March 30, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/979570387443859456

Some other sheet news includes:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 10th anniversary of Ric Flair's WWE retirement match against HBK at Mania 24. Flair recently thanked both WWE and HBK for helping make the moment very special for him. https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/979708274479116290
WWE currently has set aside 7 hours for Mania 34 with more time possible for an over-run.
WWE will be uploading a new collection set based on Andre the Giant to the WWE Network this Monday. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116459/wwe-network-to-add-andre-the-giant-collection-this-monday-complete-details.html?p=1
USA Today had a recent interview with AJ Styles talking about his current injury and feeling frustrated it is getting more focus than his upcoming match with Nakamura. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116457/aj-styles-on-his-injury-the-reaction-to-it-online-and-where-he-stands-for-wrestlemania.html?p=1
Planeta Wrestling had a recent interview with Charlotte talking about her match preparations, who she would want as her opponent if she ever gets to main event a Mania, Jim Ross' praise, and career advice from her father. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0330/638444/charlotte-flair-reveals-who-she-would-want-to-face-if-she-were/

Some stiff from TPWW Frontpage:

Hulk Hogan, Rey Mysterio and Others at Andre the Giant Premiere (Photos) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/hulk-hogan-rey-mysterio-and-others-at-andre-the-giant-premiere-photos/)
Impact Results – Mar. 29, 2018 – Aries vs. Sydal (Champion vs. Champion) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/03/impact-results-mar-29-2018-aries-vs-sydal-champion-vs-champion/)

Emperor Smeat

04-03-2018, 10:01 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Brains Strowman:
https://i.imgur.com/BeajGO6.gif

Even going against the NCAA basketball championship game, Raw held steady last night with 3.35 million viewers, down from the 3.36 million the prior week.

Staying even against that level of a sporting event has to be considered good, even though the Villanova-Michigan game did 13.28 million viewers, shockingly low since no NCAA final in the last 43 years had ever fallen below 17 million and last year's final drew 23 million viewers ...

The key was how reversed from usual the third hour drop was, as in recent weeks, it's been double digit drops among women, and in women 18-49, it was up one percent and males 18-49 were up eight percent. It did drop among teenage girls and those over 50.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 3.43 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.33 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.31 million viewers

Last night’s go-home edition of Raw ended with John Cena vs. The Undertaker still not having been announced for WrestleMania, but that hasn’t stopped WWE from hyping it ahead of Sunday. They posted an article on their website questioning if the match could still happen, and Cena again taunted Undertaker on his Instagram account.

Michelle McCool responded to someone on Twitter who asked where The Undertaker is: “We’re actually eating breakfast!”
WWE: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/article/will-the-undertaker-return-to-face-cena-at-wrestlemania , Cena: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhGm59yAyOw , McCool: https://twitter.com/McCoolMichelleL/status/981164308448137216

WWE Shop released a “Balor Club is for Everyone” shirt where 20 percent of proceeds through June 30th of this year will be donated to GLAAD.

Edge’s last match took place on this day seven years ago as he defeated Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27. WWE also uploaded his WrestleMania 24 match with The Undertaker on YouTube today.

Paul Heyman told NBC Sports that The Usos could end up being the greatest tag team of all time. He also compared Cody Rhodes finding himself outside of WWE to Steve Austin’s experience in ECW.

Mark Henry said his salmon-colored suit from his fake retirement angle might make an appearance at his Hall of Fame induction since so many people want to see it.

Shawn Michaels opened a merchandise store with Pro Wrestling Tees.
WWE Shop: https://shop.wwe.com/finn-balor-%E2%80%9Cbalor-club-for-everyone-t-shirt/X10077.html , Edge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2YrA1-wtPo , Heyman: http://sports.nbcsports.com/2018/04/02/paul-heyman-cody-rhodes-found-himself-in-the-same-way-stone-cold-steve-austin-did-when-he-left-wcw/ , Henry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zH3c5tgOg4 , HBK: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/shawnmichaels

With AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura this Sunday, NJPW uploaded Styles vs. Nakamura from Wrestle Kingdom 10 as this week’s free match. It’s their only other singles match and finished fourth in that year’s Match of the Year voting in the Observer awards.

ROH announced Cody vs. Punishment Martinez and Jay Lethal vs. Scorpio Sky for their show in West Palm Beach, Florida on April 27th.

Impact Wrestling is allowing co-streaming of their Impact vs. Lucha Underground show on Friday and want streamers to do their own commentary.

EVOLVE’s latest mini-documentary looks at Zack Sabre Jr.’s 400-plus days as champion.

NJPW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HajGBj3uQiE , Impact: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/981275146001330176 , EVOLVE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciWnU4BKG0

It was announced that iTunes sales of the classic Jeff Jarrett theme (or was that the Real Double J's song?) "Be With My Baby Tonight" are being donated towards Connor's Cure, which raises awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research, in partnership with The V Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Jarrett commented:

This is awesome...who would have thought #WithMyBabyTonight would be raising money for @ConnorsCure !!? @WrestleMania @WWE @WWERoadDogg @WWEPR @WWEMusic https://t.co/kcUNpMXY2u
— Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) April 3, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/RealJeffJarrett/status/981171706671878144

Variety is reporting that Universal is really doing everything they can to advertise John Cena's R-rated comedy "Blockers" to television audiences with an estimated $6.55 million in television ads in the last week for the film which opens this Friday. That makes It the number one film in terms of television advertising spending, well ahead of "A Quiet Place" at $5.01 million
Link: http://variety.com/2018/film/news/blockers-studio-tv-ad-spending-1202741540/

The 4/7 Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor event at the UNO Lakefront Arena will sell out. There are just a few hundred tickets left as of this writing, so if you wish to attend the show, do not wait. The show will easily destroy the ROH attendance record with attendance expected to be in the 5,000-6,000 range. You can find complete ticket information at www.ROHWrestling.com.

The announced lineup for the show:
*Cody Rhodes vs. Kenny Omega for the first-time ever.
*ROH champion Dalton Castle vs. Marty Scurll.
*ROH Tag Team champions The Briscoes vs. Jay Lethal & Hiroshi Tanahashi.
*ROH Six Man Tag Team champions So Cal Uncensored vs. Flip Gordon & The Young Bucks.
*Tomohiro Ishii vs. Punishment Martinez.
*Adam Page vs. Kota Ibushi

The WWE is heavily promoting that new subscribers to the WWE Network can sign up and receive this Sunday’s WrestleMania for free. The strategy is to inflate the overall network number in time for Monday’s announcement of the latest figure. Last year’s figure they reported the day after WrestleMania 33 was 1,661,00 paid subscribers and 288,000 free subscribers for a total of 1,949,000. This was the second year of the free experiment for WrestleMania with 370,000 free subscribers in 2016 and a drop in free subs in 2017.

This year’s show feels like it is a better-promoted show with Ronda Rousey and Daniel Bryan as the two big needle movers for the show. The major question is how many non-WWE fans are signing up for the service to watch Ronda Rousey participate in a pro wrestling match, and how many of those people are going to keep the service? That all depends on their interest level in Rousey doing pro wrestling and if they need to see her more than once. The gains year-over-year at WrestleMania are positive but not overwhelming for the WWE, which is why Rousey is a big investment. The unique nature of Rousey’s drawing power in the UFC is that she was able to attract pay-per-view buyers, who would only buy her fights and were not UFC fans by nature. If you are of the belief that the WWE has a finite fanbase that is willing to sign up for the network, Rousey could represent an ability to hit a new audience that is untapped for the service, but that is still up for debate until the numbers come later this year to see her effectiveness.
Right now it seems any real benefit WWE is getting from Ronda is negligible at best. She didn't really provide a big boost in viewers for RAW or ticket sales for Mania unlike Bryan.

WWE has a new poll asking fans which RAW champion is most likely to retain their title at WrestleMania 34 on Sunday. As of this writing, 32% voted for WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor while 25% voted for RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax, 25% voted for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns and the rest voted for RAW Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. Braun Strowman and his mystery partner.

The Blast has a story here about David Otunga helping his niece, Kylee, get a heart transplant. Otunga had devoted his time to find Kylee a heart, which she recently secured. Otunga told The Blast that Kylee's recovery has been amazing, and that she is now walking and responding "like she has fresh life breathed into her." While she has a long road ahead of her with her recovery, Otunga said that she is in great spirits and positive about getting better. Kylee was diagnosed with congestive heart failure last September and had been kept alive with the assistance of a machine and a continuous IV. She was bumped to the top of the list to receive a transplant because her condition had been rapidly deteriorating.
Link: https://theblast.com/wwe-david-otunga-sick-niece-new-heart/

Some other sheet news includes:

According to Post Wrestling, WWE's ticket sales for both the Hall of Fame event and Smackdown After Mania show are selling at a lot slower pace than in previous years.
For those interested in Cena butt discussions, recent episode of The Late Show with Seth Myers included Cena's butt as a topic. https://youtu.be/IupnlXFFZHw
NJPW recently revealed the cards for Wrestling Dontaku series of shows. https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/okada-vs-tanahashi-headlines-njpw-wrestling-dontaku-tour-254776
New York Post had a recent interview with Paul Heyman talking about if Mania 34 will be the last time Lesnar will be in the WWE and the possibility of CM Punk going to NJPW or ROH after his MMA career ends. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0403/638570/paul-heyman-says-brock-lesnar-is-most-likely-going-to-ufc/
New York Post also had an interview with Shinsuke Nakamura talking about his WWE Championship match at Mania, connecting with fans despite the language barrier, and potential of a dream match with Daniel Bryan. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0403/638553/shinsuke-nakamura-on-connecting-with-wwe-fans-despite-language/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

NXT North American Championship Belt Revealed (Video) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/nxt-north-american-championship-belt-revealed-video/)
Various: Ospreay Injury Update, Cena Interview, Reigns vs. Joe at MSG (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-ospreay-injury-update-cena-interview-reigns-vs-joe-at-msg/)
Various: James Storm Backstage at Raw, Main Event, Ellsworth/Gillberg (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-james-storm-backstage-at-raw-main-event-results-ellsworth-gillberg/)
Big Show Says He’s Signed a New Multi-Year Contract With WWE (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/big-show-says-hes-signed-a-new-multi-year-contract-with-wwe/)
Four Tournaments Announced for WrestleMania Axxess + Keith Lee (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/four-tournaments-announced-for-wrestlemania-axxess-keith-lee-and-walter/)
Three Matches Announced for WrestleMania Kickoff Show (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/three-matches-announced-for-wrestlemania-kickoff-show/)

Emperor Smeat

04-04-2018, 10:25 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Chokeslam Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/drfmQsX.gif

A lot of people have contacted the site asking what is the status of John Cena vs. The Undertaker for WrestleMania. Here is what I can tell you as of right now.

WWE has gone through this week’s TV with no official announcement of the match for Sunday. According to many people I have spoken to, the feeling and understanding is that Undertaker will be at WrestleMania on Sunday. There has been no official confirmation, but people I have spoken with believe Taker will be there.

It’s expected that there will be some kind of interaction between him and Cena at the event. If they decide to do a match, we will get that but it’s also very possible that the two men will simply “face off” in a non-official capacity.

If that is how WWE plays it out then all of the people that attended last year’s WrestleMania, and thought they saw what was Taker’s last match, will then still be able to say that they did indeed see the final bout in his legendary career.

I have been told to expect something between Cena and Undertaker on Sunday. He is scheduled to be there and no one I spoke to in WWE believes that they would have had Cena do the promos that he has if there weren’t going to be a payoff.

This is just a theory but it would not shock me to see them have Kid Rock play Taker’s old theme, leading Taker to come out and confront Cena. Again, that is just a theory.

There was reportedly an idea to have a musical segment with The Rock, Elias, Jeff Jarrett and a few others at WrestleMania this Sunday, according to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. The idea was for it to be a take on the "Rock Concert" segments that have been done in the past.

According to the report, The Rock was not able to give a firm commitment for the show, so the segment was scrapped. It was added that The Rock is not slated to be a part of WrestleMania this Sunday "unless there were renewed discussions."

Spoiler tag used since its related to potential Taker-Cena plans and a supposedly scrapped plan for Mania.

After mostly good WWE ratings for the last several weeks leading up to WrestleMania, this week's SmackDown viewership tumbled an additional four percent from last week's already low number. Tuesday night's go-home show garnered SmackDown's second-smallest audience of 2018 with just 2.476 million viewers.

It's actually the second-smallest number since October 31st of last year ...

Next week should be up again as the post-WrestleMania Raw and SmackDown are usually the highest rated episodes of the year.

Impact Wrestling has added four matches to the card for their WrestleMania week show with Lucha Underground.

It had been known that Scott Steiner and Teddy Hart would be appearing at the event, and Impact revealed today that they'll be teaming together against Dave & Jake Crist. Brian Cage vs. Eli Drake, Trevor Lee vs. Famous B, and Matt Sydal vs. Caleb Konley vs. Moose vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Jack Evans vs. Matanza Cueto (Jeff Cobb) in a six-way have also been announced for the card.

The theme of the show is Impact vs. Lucha Underground. It's taking place at The Sugar Mill in New Orleans on Friday night and will air live on Impact's Twitch channel at 10 p.m. Eastern time.
Link: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/981591838762131456

After confirming that their Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia would be airing live on the WWE Network, WWE announced today that there will be a one-hour pre-show before the event. The pre-show will begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 27th before the main card starts at noon, which is 7 p.m. local time in Jeddah.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/wwe-network-confirms-greatest-royal-rumble-kickoff-and-start-time

Sonya Deville supported Finn Balor’s “Balor Club is for Everyone” shirt campaign. Twenty percent of proceeds through the end of June go towards GLAAD.
Link: https://twitter.com/SonyaDevilleWWE/status/981586961151512577

ROH uploaded Mayu Iwatani vs. Deonna Purrazzo from the second round of the Women of Honor Championship tournament.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFaIwtlalDg

Nick Aldis and Tommy Dreamer’s title match is the subject of the NWA’s latest Ten Pounds of Gold video.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDqTgAUjkdU

It looks like WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is headed back to the UFC.

UFC President Dana White appeared on Fox Sports' UFC Tonight show earlier today to promote UFC 223 and was asked about The Beast returning to the Octagon.

"Yeah," Dana responded. "Brock Lesnar's coming back. I don't know when but yes he is."

Lesnar's current WWE contract expires after WrestleMania 34 on Sunday, where he will face Roman Reigns in the main event. There's been talk of WWE working on signing Lesnar to a new contract but that has not been confirmed.
There has been some conflicting info coming out from PWI about Lesnar's post-Mania status but they couldn't confirm it due to Lesnar being a lot more secretive backstage in recent years. Link to Dana White's comments (7 min mark): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FdvWRbdEU

Ronda Rousey appeared on ESPN's Get Up today. She was asked who she has liked working with the best in WWE so far. She said Kurt Angle. When asked show she would like to work with she said CM Punk, though she said she didn't think it would happen (due to obvious reasons).
Link: https://twitter.com/Get_Up/status/981521852379095040

ROH tweeted that Chuck Taylor versus Jonathan Gresham will open SuperCard of Honor:

JUST ANNOUNCED: @TheJonGresham vs @SexyChuckieT will kick off #ROHSupercard!

Watch LIVE & FREE for ALL #HonorClub members THIS Sat April 7 at 830e/730c!https://t.co/vS7fcMBTTh
Go in depth: https://t.co/oOxN0Cksu0 pic.twitter.com/FYWj1CvzcK
— ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 4, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/981585987561230336

Some other sheet news includes:

WWE recently released the brackets for the series of Axxess Invitational tournaments. https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-releases-brackets-axxess-invitational-tournaments-254931
WWE also recently released the updated list of participants for both the Andre and Women's Battle Royale matches. https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/updated-list-entrants-wwe-wrestlemania-34-battle-royals-254516
During a recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast show with Jonathan Coachman as the guest, Coachman revealed he does not want Hogan to come back to the WWE. His main reason is him hearing Hogan likely won't be sincere for his apology and also likely asking for a lot of money to return. He also feels it will only be a matter of time before Hogan wants the spotlight on just himself instead of giving the rub to others. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0404/638605/jonathan-coachman-doesnt-see-the-upside-in-wwe-bringing-back/
Yahoo Sports had a recent interview with the Miz talking about his IC title match at Mania, Vince and others support in him as a big star in the WWE, and the impact of social media in wrestling. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0404/638596/the-miz-on-his-match-stealing-the-show-at-wrestlemania/
WrestlingInc had a recent interview with Jimmy Hart talking about creating memorable entrance themes, the origins of his "Mouth from the South" gimmick, and fond memories of Bobby Heenan.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Photos Of WrestleMania 34 Set Construction (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/photos-of-wrestlemania-34-set-construction/)
WWE: Jarrett Backstage at SmackDown, SmackDown Dark Matches (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-jarrett-backstage-at-smackdown-smackdown-dark-matches/)
Will Carmella Win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania? (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/will-carmella-win-the-smackdown-womens-championship-at-wrestlemania/)
Maria and Mike Kanellis Announce the Birth of Their Daughter (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/maria-and-mike-kanellis-announce-the-birth-of-their-daughter/)

Emperor Smeat

04-05-2018, 09:25 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by a Bunch of WCW rasslers:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSRd4L9KLns/VjKNWhUui6I/AAAAAAAAEoI/_k5WxP8MDRY/s400/wcw%2Bguys.gif

Cena vs. Undertaker has been planned for WrestleMania for months, and Undertaker has been training for the match. Undertaker will obviously be in New Orleans to confront Cena. The last word we got, which was on 4/3, is that from Vince McMahon's standpoint, the belief is that the audience knows he's going to show up and this is the "story" that brings him back to "kick Cena's ass". They are also of the belief announcing Taker in advance won't compel anyone to purchase the network, as anyone inclined is getting the network for the show anyway. This is Vince McMahon's story and he seems very happy with it. I think part of it is that Vince McMahon can say, `people are invested in the mere chance Undertaker will show up!"' If that means a match, or just a confrontation to build to a match next year, is hard to say, past that it was always scheduled as a match dating back several months.

Spoiler tags used since its related to potential Taker-Cena Mania plans.

With Low Ki out of the main event, a big replacement has been lined up for Matt Riddle's Bloodsport.

Game Changer Wrestling announced tonight that Minoru Suzuki is replacing Low Ki and will be facing Riddle at tomorrow's (Thursday) show. No reason was given for Low Ki no longer being on the card.

This will be the second time that Suzuki and Riddle have faced each other, with Suzuki having defeated him at Revolution Pro Wrestling's Global Wars UK show in Walthamstow last November. Suzuki will be in action at RevPro's event in New Orleans on Friday as he takes on Jeff Cobb.

Event aired earlier today but supposedly Low Ki claimed having a "neck injury" as the excuse for why he couldn't make it today. Speculation around the net is the real reason is due to him getting wasted and/or forgetting to board his flight on time.

Edge tweeted:

Tomorrow on @EandCPod it’s kind of a big one. For #Wrestlemania we have The Hardy’s @MATTHARDYBRAND & @JEFFHARDYBRAND Suffice it to say we have A LOT of ground to cover with this one. Enjoy Hosers pic.twitter.com/TZIIwrVoMU
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) April 5, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/EdgeRatedR/status/981995218588327936

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing inductees are:
*Former WWWF champion Stan Stasiak.
*Lord Alfred Hayes.
*Dara Singh.
*Cora Combs
*El Santo.
*Jim Londos.
*Rufus R. Jones.
*Sputnik Monroe.
*Boris "The Great" Malenko.

For the third year in a row, The Taz Show, hosted by former WWE and ECW star Taz will be broadcast a live, three hour special following Wrestlemania 34. The show will air from 11 PM - 2 AM Eastern.

The show will be syndicated across a number of CBS Sports Radio stations including WFAN 660 in New York City, 670 The Score in Chicago, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, 560 WQAM in Miami and 106.7 The Fan in Washington, DC. We should have a full list of stations shortly.

For the first time ever, the show will also broadcast live on SiriusXM Radio channel 206 and of course, will stream live at www.TazShow.com.

On SiriusXM’s MMA Tonight yesterday, host Miesha Tate commented on former UFC Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s MMA losses being brought up as part of her Wrestlemania 34 storyline, noting, "I am so shocked that Ronda allowed that to happen. I just for some reason picture her having such a problem with that being in the script and knowing that that was going to be said ahead of time, I really feel like that deep down has to burn her cookies, but for whatever reason she’s not in the same position to pull as much weight around as she was in the UFC being she’s just starting her WWE career. So she probably just had to suck it up and allow for that to be said. But I guarantee you she did not like that at all.”

Tate, also a former UFC Bantamweight champion followed up, "I still think if she had enough say-so, she wouldn’t have let it happen. I really know that she has a problem with this but I don’t think she had a choice.”

The Ring of Honor App, featuring the ROH Honorclub streaming service, is now officially available Android phones and Android TV.

The ROH app for iOS as well as the ROH Channel for Apple TV and Roku channel remain in the review process by those respective platforms. They will be released as soon as possible but most likely not before Saturday's Supercard of Honor event.

Former wrestler and manager Johnny Valiant / “Luscious” Johnny V (Thomas Sullivan) was killed on Wednesday morning after being struck by a truck.

The accident occurred early in the morning in Ross Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

News of the accident was reported by WPXI on Wednesday morning, stating that Valiant ran across the middle of McKnight Road around 5 am when it was still dark out and raining. McKnight is said to be a busy road and Valiant opted not to use the crosswalk section.

WWE tweeted the following:

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer “Luscious” Johnny Valiant reportedly passed away this morning at the age of 71. https://t.co/vNfhyVo3Pb
— WWE (@WWE) April 5, 2018

Even though Angelico has been in Europe and wasn't used for the recently-completed season, he asked for his release and was turned down. Jack Evans also asked for his release but he was expecting to get it. It's notable that Evans & Angelico loved Lucha Underground when it started. Some of the people who signed the seven season contract were told that they would be doing two seasons per year, so they figured it was like a three-and-a-half year deal and they'd be working constantly as opposed to a seven-year deal with little work.

With 5,843 tickets sold, ROH’s Supercard of Honor XII show on Saturday night is now sold out.

ROH has booked the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA for a 6/30 show. I don't know if this is it, but there are plans to shoot for another big number this year with a loaded up show. There is a goal of doing a big show with the idea of beating 6,700 paid (which would be the most paid attendance for a non-WWE branded show in the U.S. since the death of WCW, which was the March 10, 2013, TNA Lockdown PPV show at the Alamodome in San Antonio, which was headlined by Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy for the TNA title in a cage match)

As of press time, the feeling is that Lesnar is finishing up this week. Until the decision is final, I don't consider anything in a situation with Lesnar done no matter how many times you get told he's really going to UFC. Part of this is a TV angle to get him booed where they all but told everyone he was leaving and even did a deal where they portrayed it like Heyman was talking to somebody in UFC. Besides, I think everyone knows that if he goes to UFC, it's only for a few fights and I can't imagine he won't be back because will be back. The Heyman situation is up on the air, although him saying that he and Lesnar won't ever be on Raw again if Reigns wins the title was a pretty strong statement indicating either they may change the finish (which, after three years, I'd be surprised, but then again, nothing should be a surprise), or he believes he's gone.

Rousey does want Heyman to be her spokesperson and there is the political issue we've described as to why that probably won't happen because it doesn't fit their big picture narrative on why Rousey is there. The idea is for Rousey to be the babyface antagonist of Stephanie, and while Lesnar ended up a babyface, and not by design, with Heyman, the Heyman role is more of a heel. A lot of people think the fan base will turn on Rousey at some point, but she's also there because to the outside world, she's the biggest star in the company and she had incredible drawing power with women. The funny part of this is that based on the limited stats we have, on the Raw she's been on, younger men viewing is way up and women viewing is not
Supposedly Lesnar's actual WWE contract doesn't end till a few months later although Mania 34 is his last confirmed date for the deal.

As is the custom, on 4/9, WWE will be announcing updated WWE Network numbers. The key to this number is that it's heavily inflated by all of the $9.99 or less offers for three months, so actual paid should be way up, but that's not necessarily indicative of anything past lots of people signed up at the best time of the year when at the same time the price was lowered greatly. On TV, they were pushing like crazy you could see Mania free so I think the 4/9 headline will be the idea of topping the 2 million total subscriber mark and having people think that's a paid number.

The actual comparison of the revenue up until a week before the show will be out probably in early May, which will give a lot better impression of how the network is really doing than the cold number and even the paid number because of all the bargain prices. The actual revenue comparison for Mania season and the churn won't be out until early August, by which time the Mania numbers (like the real attendance) are yesterday's news story. The real WrestleMania attendance number won't be out until August either, but the usual inflation is about 10,000, although the AT&T Stadium inflation was told to me by stadium itself as 8,000 but the police records and turnstile count indicate the attendance announced was exaggerated by 20,000

Dave Bautista was saying that he had been talked with about being Rousey's partner, which does make sense given the spot was originally earmarked for Dwayne Johnson

Drew McIntyre was shown in a video bench pressing 400 pounds a few weeks ago, which is more than he could ever do before, which indicates his arm has healed up from the torn biceps suffered in his Takeover match back in November where he lost the NXT title to Andrade Cien Almas. He is pretty much ready to return, and it's just a question of when and how they want to introduce him. Actually with the time off, he's probably healthier than he's been in years because all the regular nagging injuries heal up when you're off

WWE stock closed on 4/3 at $35.50 per share, giving the company a market value of $2.739 billion
For some comparisons, UFC was valued at $4 billion when it was sold to new owners last year.

With nothing major new except the in-ring, the 205 Live show on 3/27 with a four-way main event was the second most-watched show of the WWE on the WWE Network, notable because the prior week with the Ali vs. Gulak match to determine who went to Mania, it wasn't even top ten. The top ten this week were: 1. NXT on 3/28; 2. 205 Live on 3/27; 3. Mixed Match Challenge from 3/27; 4. Photo Shoot: Kofi Kingston; 5. NXT from 3/21; 6. Fast Lane 2018; 7. Royal Rumble 2018; 8. WWE 24: Empowered; 9. WrestleMania 33; 10. WrestleMania 30

WWE has a new poll asking fans who will steal the show at WrestleMania 34. As of this writing, 27% voted for Daniel Bryan while 25% voted for WWE Champion AJ Styles, 18% for Ronda Rousey, 9% for Seth Rollins, 5% for Finn Balor, 5% for Asuka, 5% for Mustafa Ali, 3% for Cedric Alexander, 2% for SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and 2% for SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.

On WWE’s poster for the WrestleMania 34 matches, John Cena vs. The Undertaker is listed with a question mark asking if Undertaker will accept his challenge. It says they can’t guarantee that the match is happening.
Link: https://twitter.com/kimberlasskick/status/981942094796386305

With today marking eight years since the match took place, WWE uploaded The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania XXV for free on YouTube.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdM5lGZZJ54

After meeting with the Louisiana athletic commission about WrestleMania week, Gabe Sapolsky tweeted that piledrivers are the only moves that will be an issue: “Just met with commission, all the ‘banned’ moves beyond piledrivers is much ado about nothing. We are going to tear the house down at the WWNLive Experience!”
Link: https://twitter.com/BookItGabe/status/981943020328247296

In a feature done by ESPN, Matt Riddle opened up about potentially signing with a bigger company: “Right now I think we're at a time where we don't need one main company to be our backer. I do know if I was at a bigger company I would be seen by more people, but at the same time would they present me the way I want to be seen? Can I be Matt Riddle? Can I be the King of the Bros? Can I be that guy, or do you want to change me? I'm not really trying to change. I like who I am. I like being me."
Link: http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23029795/rising-pro-wrestling-star-former-ufc-fighter-matt-riddle-believe-independents-wrestlemania

Some other sheet news includes:

In honor of Wrestlemania 34, Psyonix studio and WWE are partnering together on a new WWE themed DLC for Rocket League. Content update for the game will arrive this Sunday prior to the start of Mania 34. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116610/wwe-items-in-rocket-league-available-on-sunday.html?p=1
Also in honor of Mania week, Pro Wrestling Tees is currently holding a 20% Off sale starting today and lasting till April 9th. https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/
Website NOLA.com had a recent interview with Paul Heyman talking about his relationship with Vince, ECW, and his One Man show in New Orleans tonight. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116590/paul-heyman-talks-ecw-vince-mcmahon-in-advance-of-one-man-show-tonight-in-nola.html?p=1
According to the Observer, Vader's recent heart surgery lasted around 7 hours with 10 clogged arteries discovered by doctors.
Fox Sports Australia had a recent interview with Buddy Murphy talking about being frustrated over the direction of his NXT career and being hesitant on joining 205 Live. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0405/638637/buddy-murphy-on-frustration-over-how-he-was-used-in-wwe-nxt/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

JR & Lawler Will Commentate on Andre Battle Royal + More Kickoff News (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/jim-ross-lawler-will-be-commentators-on-andre-battle-royal-more-kickoff-news/)
Dana White Confirms CM Punk’s Next UFC Opponent (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/dana-white-confirms-cm-punks-next-ufc-opponent/)
Videos: WWE Action Figures, WrestleMania Dream Matches, Jeff Jarrett (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/videos-wwe-action-figures-wrestlemania-dream-matches-jeff-jarrett/)

Emperor Smeat

04-06-2018, 09:58 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by the Greatest Event of Wrestlemania 34 Week:
http://lastwordonprowrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-27-at-6.52.41-PM-e1522191558777.png

A week after posting their second-best numbers since debuting on Pop TV, Impact Wrestling viewership was down big for Thursday night's episode.

Last night's Impact averaged 294,000 viewers, down from the previous week's 399,000. The reason for the drop was most likely due to competition from WWE programming. WWE's special on the greatest moments in WrestleMania history aired on the USA Network opposite the first hour of Impact and did 746,000 viewers.

The WWE special garnered a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 demo, with Impact doing a 0.06. WWE finished 26th for the night on cable and Impact was 128th.

The last time Impact faced competition from WWE, their viewership fell to 161,000 against Tribute to the Troops last December.

Ahead of Sunday's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, five more wrestlers have been added to the lineup for the match.

Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Chad Gable, Aiden English, and Curt Hawkins were the latest names announced for the battle royal. This will be the first time that Benjamin has wrestled at WrestleMania since 2010. Kane is also returning to WrestleMania after not competing on last year's show.
Link with updated participants in both Battle Royale matches at Mania: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-announces-kane-four-more-andre-giant-battle-royal-255136

To follow up on Adam Cardoza's report earlier today, Darby Allin has been diagnosed with a concussion and is being held overnight for observation at a hospital in New Orleans.

We hope he has a quick recovery.

Janela is in. Roaring elbow to Theory. Dive to each side on each opponent. Darby and Janela going at it. Corkscrew splash for near fall. Janela sat down in a chair. Darby with long dive, hits back of head on floor and he’s ragdolled. This looks bad.

Cobb is in. Face off with Parrow. They start competing with each other at beating on everyone else. Ring is cleared. Darby still down. Refs and medics at ringside. This is worrying.
What caused the injury to Darby Allin during the PROGRESS Chapter 66 show earlier today.

The Facebook page for Ohio Valley Wrestling noted that Al Snow has bought the company. They promise more news on that later.
Link: https://clips.twitch.tv/GentleSmoothLegPeteZarollTie

The following press release was issued this morning by GoFundMe in regard to a new charity campaign being hosted by the fundraising website in partnership with former WWE star April "AJ Lee" Mendez to support the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Link: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116630/team-with-april-aj-lee-mendez-to-assist-those-with-mental-illness.html?p=1

In a move that worked out as it ended up timed perfectly with this weekend's Wrestlemania 34 hype, Universal Pictures' new comedy Blockers, which stars John Cena, officially hits theaters today.

The comedy revolves around three parents who stumble upon their daughters' pact to lose their virginity at prom, launching into a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal.

We are told that the film has one bonus scene during the credits.

The film and Cena in particular have gotten great advance reviews and currently stands at 91% at Rotten Tomatoes.

The Wrap is reporting that William Morris Endeavor has brought in a second agency, Creative Arts Agency (CAA) to work on World Wrestling Entertainment's current TV rights negotiations for WWE with the idea that since WME-IMG now owns UFC, they felt there could be a conflict of interest that could jeopardize a potential TV deal worth as much as $400 million rights deal for WWE.

CAA is being brought in so there was a system of "checks and balances" set up to protect the interests of all involved.

When contacted by The Wrap, a WWE spokesperson stated the company would continue a “longstanding partnership with WME as well as working relationships with other agencies and strategic advisors around the world.”

The article also noted that WME are still dealing with issues in regard to selling a new UFC TV deal to cable networks. The UFC deal is estimated to be worth around $200 million, half of what WWE is currently estimated as being worth.
That last line is really interesting since WWE and UFC want something around $400 million for a new deal and while WWE would be happy to get $200 million, them getting less than their current deal would be a huge blow. Link: https://www.thewrap.com/caa-joins-wwe-rights-sale-ari-emanuels-ufc-ownership-conflict-exclusive/

All six of the XFL trademarks that Alpha Entertainment applied to register a few months ago have been given an initial refusal by the USPTO due to a likelihood of confusion arising from similar XFL trademarks being held by World Wrestling Entertainment.

Natalya revealed on Twitter that she's filming a "Table For 3" episode with Nia Jax and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix in New Orleans. As noted, WWE will be filming several specials for the WWE Network this weekend. Natalya tweeted:

?? #TableFor3 @NiaJaxWWE @TheBethPhoenix pic.twitter.com/jGubavirW3
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) April 6, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/982292607500894208

WWE veteran Goldust tweeted the following praise for the current locker room this week:

In my years being in this wonderful business, I have seen locker rooms that were not so kind. Right now, I am proud to say that our roster and locker rooms are the very best I've ever seen. All talent, stepping up and working together as a team. #JustAVeryProudVeteran love ??
— Dustin Rhodes (@Goldust) April 5, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/981704194984955914

With WWE announcing that a mystery wrestler would be playing at the venue, Elias performed at Razzoo on Bourbon Street last night.
Link: https://twitter.com/KOTR_Podcast/status/982085903312039937

Edge teased that the Edge & Christian show is coming back to the WWE Network for a second season. Matt Hardy also took part in a Table for Three taping today. A lot of content for the Network is being filmed this week.
Edge: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhMqHLXAECI/ , Matt: https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/982338895655456768

Following up on this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter report about Dave Bautista having had talks with WWE about teaming with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania, Pro Wrestling Sheet noted that WWE didn't tell Bautista that they were going with Kurt Angle instead before announcing it.
Link: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/dave-bautista-wrestlemania-34/#.Wsfsi9PwYQl

Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio from WrestleMania 22 is today’s WWE free match on YouTube.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9oeLenS_Cg

Some other sheet news includes:

NBC Sports had a recent interview with Adam Cole talking about his transition to NXT, NXT crowds, HBK, and more. http://sports.nbcsports.com/2018/04/06/adam-cole-i-want-to-have-the-biggest-personality-in-the-room-and-not-just-on-the-microphone/
According to those at WWE's Axxess event, WWE scrubbed out more of Moolah's impact and legacy for their Women's Evolution display. Instead of the 80s being associated with Moolah, they now consider it as the Wendi Richter Era. Also included a note of the real first ever Women's Battle Royale match that occurred at Mania and admitting it was a mistake to have a man (Santina Marella) win it.
USA Today had a recent interview with Micheal Cole talking about his prep work for shows, if wrestlers give feedback on his commentary, and working with Corey Graves. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0406/638687/michael-cole-on-preparing-for-wrestlemania/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WrestleMania Axxess Day 1 Results – Apr. 6, 2018 – Four Tournaments (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wrestlemania-axxess-day-1-results-apr-6-2018-four-tournaments/)
WWE: Rock Says He Won’t Be at ‘Mania, NA Title Design, McIntyre Update (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-rock-says-he-wont-be-at-wrestlemania-na-title-design-mcintyre-update/)
Videos: Heyman Watches Lesnar vs. Goldberg, Bryan Trains, Strowman (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/videos-heyman-watches-lesnar-vs-goldberg-daniel-bryan-trains-strowman/)
Updated List of Participants for Andre and Women’s Battle Royals (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/updated-list-of-participants-for-andre-and-womens-battle-royals/)

Emperor Smeat

04-10-2018, 10:16 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Smackdown After Mania show:
http://files.pro-wrestling.com/emailImages/2018/4/10/b5i00RLJ6VhIncX.jpg

Last night's Raw after WrestleMania averaged what will undoubtedly end up as its second-best number of the year with 3.90 million viewers, trailing only the 4.50 million viewers for the 25th anniversary show.

It was still the second lowest Raw after Mania show in the modern era, beating the 3.76 million number from last year. But last year's show went against the NCAA basketball championship game, so it probably would have done the same or beaten this year's number which came without that competition ...

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 4.10 million viewers
9 p.m. 4.07 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.60 million viewers

HBO’s Andre the Giant documentary premieres at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight. The documentary has an 85-minute runtime.

After officially announcing her retirement last night, Paige thanked everyone who has shown their support for her: “Completely overwhelmed with the love and support. Thank you everyone. Seriously means so much to me. This isn't the end though. Just the beginning of something special. #ThankYou #ThisIsMyHouse”
Link: https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/983726702948945920

Following his NXT Championship win, Alester Black wrote a message about suffering from anxiety and depression and said winning the title was for everyone who thinks their situation or problems with mental health are too severe to accomplish anything.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhXVhlNjQlV/

Hour two of the WrestleMania pre-show, which was also available on the WWE Network and the company’s social media platforms, averaged 762,000 viewers on the USA Network. The one-hour 2018 Hall of Fame special did 665,000 viewers on Saturday night.

Ronda Rousey spoke to ESPN after her in-ring debut at WrestleMania, discussing how the fans have reacted to her: "I owe the WWE universe an apology, because I thought they were going to boo me out of the building from day one. They really accepted me from day one. Hopefully, I satisfied a lot of skeptics tonight. I underestimated how kind the WWE universe would be. I thought any outsiders would be shunned. I was expecting to get shunned and to have to battle to be accepted. I worked my ass off to pay respect to what's so important to them, and hopefully they saw that tonight. I'm just so grateful, man. I'm trying my best to deserve it."
Link: http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23085341/wwe-ronda-rousey-happy-lost-last-two-fights-brought-wwe

The 100th episode of Being the Elite, titled “Finale,” was released today. The ending of Kenny Omega vs. Cody Rhodes, fallout from the match, and Marty Scurll “signing a lucrative recording contract” are featured as the show’s future is left in question.

ROH announced that Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi) will be on all four stops of their War of the Worlds tour in May. Those shows are in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 9th, Toronto on the 11th, Royal Oak, Michigan on the 12th, and Chicago on the 13th.

The Young Bucks, Hangman Page & Flip Gordon will face Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky & Shane Taylor at ROH’s show in Columbus, Ohio this coming Sunday.

ROH sent out an update on the technical issues for Supercard of Honor XII and are providing $40 Pro Shop coupons to all VIP members and $10 ones to all other subscribers.

Vader posted an update on his recovery from open heart surgery and said he wants to wrestle one more time: “Still in the hospital -Should be leaving soon to go into rehab its a long long ROAD BACK WHEN I GET BK I WILL WRESTLE ONE MORE TIME WRESTLING IS MY PASSION”

IPW UK announced a show with Pro Wrestling NOAH for September 23rd.
Elite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5C8bY_rHOA , LiJ: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/los-ingobernables-de-japon-signed-war-worlds-tour , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/flip-gordon-teams-bullet-club-take-socal-uncensored-and-shane-taylor , Vader: https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/983594455549861888 , IPW: https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/983390920644186112

"Blockers," with John Cena as one of the major stars, opened this past weekend at $21.44 million, which was considered a good showing for a relatively low budget film ($21 million total budget). Cena got good reviews for the movie, which was third for the weekend behind "A Quiet Place" and "Ready Player One."
Budget wise, it was a big hit but still a sign Cena's box office drawing power is still low overall.

Tons of New Japan people including Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Red Shoes Unno and Tiger Hattori were at WrestleMania. Rey Mysterio was at the post-WrestleMania party, as was Mickey Gall, the UFC fighter who beat C.M. Punk

Kid Rock wasn't at WrestleMania because he had to get ready for a Kid Rock cruise that leaves tomorrow.

For those who keep track of such things, Nicholas (the son of referee John Cone) in winning the tag title with Braun Strowman last night, broke Rene Dupree's record for the youngest title holder in WWE history.

WWE has a photo gallery here of behind-the-scenes photos from last night's WrestleMania. One of the photos shows NXT talent Dan Matha, Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in their costumes getting ready for their masked cameos in Charlotte Flair's entrance at the show.

When speaking of wrestlers receiving a "Wrestlemania Payday" by apearring on the big stage, does that include the Kickoff Show, appearing on the panels, etc., or is it just the proper show itself?

Well, it doesn’t mean what it used to. Back before the network, they got bonuses based off of the buy rate that the show did. Now, it’s a Network special. They get a bonus based off of what the DVD sales do, but the Kickoff show hasn’t been on the DVD so those that don’t make the main show are left out.

How do you feel about the Cruiserweight Championship climaxing at Wrestlemania to only be on the pre-show? I know you've said in the past that championship matches period should be held on the main stage because of its importance. I agree and for the WWE to put the effort for a long tournament only for it to be seen by half the live audience who are still filing in and people at home who are not interested is a slap in the face. But on the other hand, the audience may see it as a bathroom break or bumper match if placed on the main card and may be better off as a kick-off match. Thoughts?

I don’t see any way that it’s a plus not being on the main show. Even if it is a pee break match, they would get a DVD bonus! I think all Title matches should be on the main show. Otherwise you tell the fans they aren’t as important as the other matches. That is why I think WWE should abandon the Kickoff show and just start the PPV an hour earlier. The pre-show should be about hype, not matches.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles on Mania's pre-show and why WWE did a disservice to the Cruiser division.

Bruce Prichard cleared up some "rumors and innuendo" about his newly announced "Something Else to Wrestle With" show for the WWE Network:

Prichard said shows will be uncensored video version around 60 to 90 minutes in length and no topic will be off limits. The former WWE Executive stated WWE came to them with the idea and he is not a WWE employee again. Bruce says the show will be starting really soon, sometime "in the next few weeks" with Conrad Thompson in tow. They will not be talking about the current product and will be staying with the same format talking about Prichard's experiences in the past. The normal podcast will continue on as well.

Bruce announced that he filmed a "Table for 3" with JBL and Eric Bischoff that will air in the future.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjLSf6SM2AI

WWE held a post WrestleMania Conference call today. It should be noted that stock was down over a dollar today and rallied after the press release was released.

Michael Weitz recapped that a press released today and introduced George Barrios and Michelle Wilson.

George started by recapping the press release. He said that WrestleMania broke the record for the SuperDome’s highest grossing event. He said that Mania is a driver of subscriber growth. He said that they have reached a new high of over 2.1M. He said that based on preliminary data that the Network is up 5% in the first quarter this year vs. last. They also are advising guidance upward.

They expect to increase subscribers 8% in quarter two over last year. He said the Network is the hub for the company’s hub ...

He was asked about the status of Raw and Smackdown. He said that the engagement metric on Facebook got better and better. Are they in the rights picture and will the recent Facebook scandal with Cambridge Analytica affect that.

George said that they monitor the numbers and they were the first to do live sports on Facebook and they are happy with their numbers. He said that people are getting more used to watching via that medium. The scandal doesn’t really affect them and he said that they are watching how Facebook will handle the privacy. Michelle said that it’s also important for Facebook to get engagement for WWE’s other mediums ...

Are their any plans to tier the Network?

George thinks there is an opportunity to do that. He said they have ideas. There isn’t a launch date but it’s coming sooner rather than later.
More highlights: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116731/why-wwes-subscriber-count-grew-plans-for-the-future-and-more-full-wwe-conference-call-report.html?p=1

Above is a short interview with Andre The Giant director Jason Hehir, who discussed seeing Andre enter the ring for the first time.

"I was immediately hooked seeing him as to who the guy was - where he's from, how big is his bed, what does he eat," Hehir recalled. "Is this a real person? How is a giant walking around amidst these other larger-than-life wrestling characters."
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyFWQRApRI0

Ronda Rousey has been garnering rave reviews for her performance at WrestleMania this past Sunday. Dave Meltzer stated in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that there is already talk in WWE of having Rousey main event next year's WrestleMania. It was also noted that WWE was interviewing women trying to get them to say that Rousey should have been in the main event of last Sunday's show.

A logical opponent for Rousey for next year's WrestleMania would be SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.

It appears as if WWE had plans to build to a Rousey vs. Asuka match at some point. Meltzer said on the post-WrestleMania episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that when Rousey was signed, Asuka was told to do the armbar all the time. Not only did Asuka lose her undefeated streak to Charlotte this past Sunday, but Asuka was actually "banned" from using the armbar in the match.

WWE has a new poll asking fans which WWE NXT Superstar impressed the most in their RAW debut last night. As of this writing, 55% voted for Ember Moon while 38% voted for The Authors of Pain and 7% voted for No Way Jose.

Some other sheet news includes:

According to PWI, this week's episode of Smackdown had the smallest crowd out of the 4 big WWE shows for Mania week.
IDW Entertainment announced they are partnering with Jim Cornette on the development of a wrestling related comic book. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116761/jim-cornette-teaming-with-idw-for-new-pro-wrestling-history-comic.html?p=1

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Chris Jericho Wrestling in the 50-Man “Greatest Royal Rumble” Match (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/chris-jericho-wrestling-in-the-50-man-greatest-royal-rumble-match/)
Dolph Ziggler Says He Hasn’t Re-Signed Yet, Wants Time Off TV (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/dolph-ziggler-says-he-hasnt-re-signed-yet-wants-time-off-tv/)
Update on Brock Lesnar’s Contract – Short Term Deal + UFC Update (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/update-on-brock-lesnars-contract-short-term-deal-ufc-update/)
Various: Okada in “All In,” Main Event Results, “Blockers” Box Office (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-okada-in-all-in-main-event-results-blockers-box-office/)

Savio

04-10-2018, 10:28 PM

Miss this being in the 100,000 replies thread as I don't see this as much now.

Emperor Smeat

04-11-2018, 09:23 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Completely Random Wrestling gif:
https://i.giphy.com/media/26xBHBrQkTA063NTy/giphy.gif

Tuesday night's SmackDown recorded the highest audience total for the show since last year's Superstar Shakeup episode and the second highest since the original draft lottery.

This week's SmackDown averaged 2.952 million viewers. The audience was up nearly 20 percent from last week, but a fairer comparison would be the 2017 post-Mania episode -- which did 2.885 million. So, this year was up two percent from that mark ...

With the two draft/shakeup episodes having been the highest rated SmackDowns since the show moved to Tuesday nights, that would indicate that next Tuesday's number could be even higher than this week's was. The 2018 Superstar Shakeup will take place on both Raw and SmackDown next week.
Helped a lot the usual competition this week for Smackdown was a lot weaker than usual.

WWE recorded video of Mauro Ranallo during TakeOver and posted some of his reactions.

Percy Watson was announced as a new permanent fixture on the 205 Live announce team last night. Nigel McGuinness wasn’t on commentary for the show and will be back in two weeks, with it becoming a three-man booth after that.
Link to the Mauro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F77Hp0f_nME

BEST OF THE HARDY BOYZ BREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT!!

WWE Home Video UK can exclusively reveal that WWE has worked with Impact Wrestling on Twist of Fate: Best of the Hardy Boyz.

For the first time ever, a WWE DVD release will feature footage from Impact Wrestling events, as part of The Best of the Hardy Boyz' candid look at the "Broken Universe"!

Twist of Fate: Best of the Hardy Boyz is out on DVD 30th April – don't miss this groundbreaking title!
Link: https://twitter.com/WWEHomeVideoUK/status/984068571939549185

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are being called “The IIconics” on the main roster, though the team name is pronounced normally despite the two Is.

Bayley tweeted about Royce and Kay being called up: “When these two got signed and moved to America, they were sleeping on my apartment floor in Orlando for a few weeks until they could get their feet on the ground. So proud to see how far they’ve come, they sacrificed so much to have their moment tonight. #IIconics”
Link: https://twitter.com/itsBayleyWWE/status/983924756297715712

Billie Kay tweeted:

I’m able to now take a breathe & soak in what happened tonight... The #IIconics have arrived at #SDLive & I couldn’t be more damn proud of us right now ??
— Billie Kay (@BillieKayWWE) April 11, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/BillieKayWWE/status/983910013960904704

James Ellsworth congratulated Carmella on her SmackDown Women’s Championship win: “I’m in tears, you did it girl! Congratulations @CarmellaWWE Forever my friend who is a girl .. #SDLive”
Link: https://twitter.com/realellsworth/status/983875014436048897

Triple H tweeted out his usual post-debut pictures with Ember Moon, No Way Jose, and The Authors of Pain from Monday’s Raw, along with photos with Bobby Lashley and Nicholas.
Link for the last picture: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/984172347417616385

Cody Rhodes wished his brother a happy 49th birthday: “Happy Birthday @Goldust. A truly kind and loving soul! His career & body-of-work is spellbinding and he isn't done yet. I love you and am very proud of you. Although I complained the entire time, he is undoubtedly my favorite tag-team partner and I'll have his back always.”
Link: https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/984159614836015104

Rusev posted after his Greatest Royal Rumble casket match with The Undertaker was announced: “Bury me softly, Brother”
Link: https://twitter.com/RusevBUL/status/984122489818107904

Angelico and Jack Evans both announced their departures from Lucha Underground.

Daisuke Sekimoto will be facing Shota Umino at NJPW’s Lion’s Gate Project show on May 15th. The Lion’s Gate shows usually feature young lions, outsiders from other promotions, and some of NJPW’s older veterans.

The Young Bucks challenging for The Briscoes’ Tag Team titles, Six-Man Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky vs. Cody Rhodes, Hangman Page & Marty Scurll in a non-title match, and Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. The Kingdom have been added to the lineup for ROH’s TV tapings in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Flip Gordon will also challenge for Silas Young’s TV title.

LU: https://twitter.com/JackEvans711/status/983877003517546496 & https://twitter.com/AngelicoAAA/status/983868061697695745?, NJPW: https://twitter.com/njpw1972/status/983903958988013568

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" has now become Sony's highest grossing domestic film surpassing the original Sam Raimi "Spiderman" from 2002.
For some reference, Rock's film went head-to-head against Cena's Ferdinand film and Star Wars: The Last Jedi last year.

Our own Glenn Rubenstein of the Wrestling Inc. podcast posted a tweet noting how great if would be if WWE brought back Talking Smack with Paige filling in for Daniel Bryan. Renee Young emphatically agreed, asking WWE to "please please" make this happen, as seen below:

Can you imagine if the @WWE brought back TALKING SMACK with @RealPaigeWWE and @ReneeYoungWWE co-hosting on the @WWENetwork?#BRINGBACKTALKINGSMACK#SDLive @WrestlingInc pic.twitter.com/2Md6aPJqZh
— Glenn Rubenstein (@GlennRubenstein) April 11, 2018

Holy. Hell. Please please please @WWE can we make this happen?! ???? https://t.co/Q7RuHo9bMF
— Renee Young (@ReneeYoungWWE) April 11, 2018
Links: https://twitter.com/GlennRubenstein/status/983861077598339073 , https://twitter.com/ReneeYoungWWE/status/983861239519547392

WWE has a new poll asking fans what was the most shocking moment from the post-WrestleMania 34 SmackDown. As of this writing, 39% voted for Paige being named the SmackDown General Manager while 33% voted for Carmella cashing in to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion, 20% voted for Shinsuke Nakamura interrupting the Daniel Bryan vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles non-title match and the rest voted for the debut of The Iconic Duo.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K3YnaQ64ELY" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Some other sheet news includes:

ESPN held a recent interview with Bill Simmons talking about the creation of the Andre The Giants documentary. http://kwese.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23098974/wwe-digging-origins-journey-making-hbo-andre-giant-documentary-producer-bill-simmons
Rumors going around the net teases NBC is very likely dropping WWE due to signing a deal to carry UFC programming. NBC is denying it but also currently speculated they just want to wait to make an official announcement. https://twitter.com/jeremybotter/status/984130263503593472 , https://twitter.com/jeremybotter/status/984130989986340864
For those who play the WWE Slam mobile game, Topps has already spoiled one of the people switching brands for next week's Superstar Shakeup. Don't click the link if you want to stay surprised. https://twitter.com/ToppsSLAM/status/984086709234274304
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 7th anniversary of Edge's retirement and farewell speech in the WWE. Edge revealed he had to retire due to his neck's health reaching the point where doctors told him he was risking possible death if he continued wrestling.
WWE recently released trailers for the upcoming Finn Balor and Andre the Giant collection sets for the WWE Network. Finn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqMgXxxqd88 , Andre - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_4rLU7958
Website TribLive had a recent interview with Corey Graves talking about Daniel Bryan's return to the ring, if he would quit being a commentator if it meant the chance to wrestle again, and his first day as a commentator on RAW. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0411/638894/corey-graves-said-he-started-weighing-his-options-after-daniel/
Recent episode of The Steve Austin Show had Austin talking about the Cena-Taker match from Mania 34. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0411/638882/steve-austin-talks-the-undertaker-squashing-john-cena-at/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Jerry Lawler Says He Suffered a Stroke Three Weeks Ago (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/jerry-lawler-says-he-suffered-a-stroke-three-weeks-ago/)
Current Greatest Royal Rumble Card (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/current-greatest-royal-rumble-card/)
Undertaker vs. Rusev Casket Match Announced for Greatest Royal Rumble (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/undertaker-vs-rusev-casket-match-announced-for-greatest-royal-rumble/)

Emperor Smeat

04-13-2018, 01:45 AM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Rusev Appreciation Day:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/932a9b4a9629526e3055b1641a8af8aa/tumblr_owo8n00UlZ1uvyu9yo2_500.gif

Whether this happens or not remains to be seen but there is a pitch for Wyatt to turn on Matt Hardy and then be the leader of the Sanity group
Spoiler tags used since its related to potential plans for the Woken Bray storyline.

Fox 8 in New Orleans reported that a UK tourist with the measles attended last Friday’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony before being hospitalized on Saturday. The Louisiana Department of Health is notifying other attendees, along with people who were on his flight to the city.

Triple H noted that NXT TakeOver: New Orleans was the most viewed TakeOver special in history.

Continuing the storyline where Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are fired from WWE, Kevin Steen’s Pro Wrestling Tees store has reopened.

Naomi responded to receiving racial abuse on Twitter: “I deal with negativity and racism like this on a daily basis but I don’t allow it to bring me down I encourage others who are experiencing the same or any type of bullying to be strong stay positive & not let the actions of others change who you are #feeltheglow”
FOX: https://twitter.com/AllenHenry/status/984244070661984259 , Louisiana: http://www.fox8live.com/story/37939525/man-who-rode-on-plane-with-wwe-fan-with-measles-receives-alert-from-health-department , Triple H: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/984552823001100290 , Owens: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/steen , Naomi: https://twitter.com/NaomiWWE/status/984237640546508801

Chuck Carroll of CBS Local Sports reported that Tenille Dashwood and ROH are working on agreeing to a long-term contract. Dashwood is currently working on a short-term deal.

Scott D’Amore of Impact Wrestling wrote about footage from Impact being part of WWE’s upcoming Hardys DVD: “We keep saying it over and over, ‘when companies work together the fans win!’ Congrats to @wwe, @IMPACTWRESTLING, and @MATTHARDYBRAND for putting the fans 1st”

Jake Hager, the former Jack Swagger, will be debuting for MLW soon.

IPW UK announced James Ellsworth vs. Jimmy Havoc for their show in Milton Keynes on May 2nd.

ROH: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/04/12/tenille-dashwood-emma-wwe-roh-ring-of-honor-interview/ , Impact: https://twitter.com/ScottDAmore/status/984537382073618432 , Swaggie: https://twitter.com/runninjay/status/984579121463296000 , IPW UK: https://twitter.com/IPWUK/status/984472828350205953

WWE applied to trademark "Global Localization" on 4/7, with the following description:

"Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling; entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment; fan club services, namely, organizing and staging events with wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the field of sports entertainment; online journals, namely, blogs in the fields of sports entertainment; business development; entertainment services, namely, development and distribution of talent and content"

The script for WrestleMania and production meeting for the main event was for Reigns to pin Lesnar after bouncing off the ropes and hitting a fifth spear in the match. Instead, he came off the ropes, and Lesnar picked him up, hit a sixth F-5 in the match, and got the pin.

The referee, Chad Patton, was tipped off while inside the ring at the start of the match. He was told, but not exactly told. When they were all in the ring, Lesnar said to him something along the lines of, make sure to count three when the shoulders are down, which he never would have needed to say if Lesnar was getting pinned after a bunch of spears as everyone was told. It’s somewhat similar to the story of Lesnar’s win over Undertaker four years ago, where the ref’s instructions were to count the pin and that it was the job of the wrestlers to get their shoulders up. Michael Hayes, who laid out the match with Lesnar, Reigns and Heyman, reportedly was not told and they laid the match out with a finish set up with Reigns winning after several spears.

When it was over, everyone was shocked, but they knew it was an F-5 and Reigns didn’t kick out, and it was clear Lesnar didn’t go into business or go against the script. Still, when Lesnar hit the Gorilla position, he did throw the belt at Vince McMahon and it hit the wall, and there were a few words said. There were explanations given as to why Lesnar was mad, but it could very well have just been that they were working the people backstage, although the story being told is Vince was not aware nor expecting it, and obviously, Shane McMahon wasn’t. Lesnar and Heyman continued walking to the back and got in their SUV and were driven off. Shane McMahon, who didn’t know anything, was furious at what he perceived as an attempt to intimidate his father, and did go after them, but they were already gone and there was no confrontation. The belief is that Lesnar didn’t even know Shane went after him until they got word much later, long after he was gone, from people who were there watching Shane take off.

McMahon and Reigns both agreed to allow Lesnar to give the elbows to the head and draw the hardway juice. Given the lumps on his head the next day, he took real shots, and if they did a secret pre-existing blade job, it would be one cut, not two, and it would be a clean cut, rather than an ugly cut that comes from an elbow shot ...

As of 4/9, the WWE Network was at 1,808,000 total subscribers and and also had 316,000 free subscribers based on the strong free push on television. Both are worldwide numbers, not domestic. Because the splits weren’t announced, right now there is no way to know if the increase from last year is primarily new markets, or existing markets like the US ...

There are two things to note. There were a ton of gimmicks done over the past three months to build up the paid numbers, by offering 99 cents, $1.99, $2.99 and $9.99 total offers at different times for three months. Those subscribers are listed as paid. Really, until August, when you can compare revenues from the first two quarters, you really don’t know what this means other than to those not delving into things are looking at it closer, it is a nine percent increase in paid subscribers,

The 4/7 ROH show drew a paid attendance of 5,879 fans, sold out several days in advance, and had more than 6,000 in the building, breaking the company attendance record of 3,500 set in Lakeland, FL, over last year’s WrestleMania weekend for a Young Bucks vs. Hardys ladder match.

WWE announced they will be broadcasting two U.K. shows live, on 6/18 and 6/19, at Royal Albert Hall in London, which holds about 4,000 fans and was the big venue for wrestling in the 60s. This will be the first WWE U.K. shows since the original tournament for the title, and will crown the first WWE King of the Ring since 2015. It is believed it will be an eight-man tournament of U.K. contracted wrestlers.

This comes on the heels of ITV is making noises of starting something again, and two sources have said that they've told wrestlers they have under contract they are looking at doing a taping as soon as next month. Whenever that happens, WWE gets aggressive in the market and that happened again this time. Talent under ITV contract has been told about plans for May, with the idea of taping ten one-hour television shows over a three-day span. Nothing else has been said to the talent, and there have been a number of plans and things said about the ITV television deal that have never come to fruition.

There is the belief a lot of new U.K. talent will be looked at and some will be signed in May after tryouts take place the next European tour, and that WWE is close to its own television deal for the U.K. version of the product and that this tournament will be the start of regular tapings and not just a one-time deal, and that they would then run regular tapings and perhaps shows.

Those in the U.K. feel the scene is going to be changing very soon, with WWE more aggressive if ITV starts, and the U.K. talent under WWE being more restricted what groups they can work for. Time will tell how this all shakes up as WWE in the U.K. up to this point has been more open about their contracted talent working places other than Progress and ICW, where they have financial ties, which is a different m.o. than the old WWE would do. Still, the belief is WWE strongly wants to control the top tier of the indie side and be the only people with television.

There is also the logical situation of WWE running on ITV, as ITV has been looking for a promotional partner. WWE can supply the biggest name talent and it would be fantastic local exposure. The question becomes whether or not Sky has exclusivity on WWE in the market through its deal expiring at the end of 2019.

Kazuchika Okada, Tiger Hattori, Red Shoes Unno, Minoru Suzuki, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii all went to WrestleMania to see the show because of the A.J. Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura match

Orlando is making a play to once again host WrestleMania soon, after doing so in 2008 and 2017. Orange County, Florida’s tourist development sports incentive committee ha requested a $1 million increase in resort taxes in the city (fees added to sales of hotels, motels or other short-term sales that go to Visit Orlando, the area’s tourism and marketing agency) to use to bring back WrestleMania in either 2023 or 2025

Heyman did a talk show on 4/6 in New Orleans, and both Jim Ross and Rob Van Dam showed up with him. There is talk of him doing more like this. The most interesting story is that he said he was going to return to WWE television prior to the 2002 WrestleMania to manage Chris Benoit, and not Brock Lesnar. He said in the weeks before, he had been giving Lesnar advice claiming that the agents at the time were clueless and saw Lesnar as being someone like the Warlord, a big powerhouse and were wanting to him to that kind of a stand there and do power moves style. He said that Vince then put him with Lesnar instead. It should be noted that at the time of the 2002 WrestleMania, that was when Benoit was out of action with neck surgery and he didn't return until two months after WrestleMania.

This led to a guy in the crowd screaming something positive about Benoit and Heyman jumped on him, saying that three people died due to Benoit and two of them had no choice in the matter. Then someone shouted it was CTE and Heyman said that was irrelevant to this discussion. He said as a performer, Benoit was great. As a human being he was not, "so f*** him." It should be noted that while Heyman was at one point a teacher to Chris Benoit, he was very close with both Nancy Benoit and her sister Sandra and was probably the closest person in the wrestling community that I know of to Sandra

Regarding merchandise sales, Cena is still far and away No. 1. Styles and Reigns right now duel for the No. 2 spot so Styles is probably making a ton of money right now. The New Day are also very strong performers in that regard and guys like Balor, Rollins and Strowman also do very well

Another note at WrestleMania is that a number of women wrestlers were sitting together and a large drunk fan during the Rousey match started saying very disrespectful things about Rousey and women in general. Kay Lee Ray got in his face and started yelling at him for disrespecting women and that she wasn't going to stand for it. The drunk fan sat down and didn't say another word about Rousey or women. Later in the show, the fan started swearing in an argument with a friend and Ray got in his face again to tell him there were children right there. The guy then sat down and went quiet and shortly after left the area

The top ten most-watched shows on the network this past week were: 1. WrestleMania; 2. NXT Takeover New Orleans; 3. WWE Hall of Fame; 4. NXT Takeover preshow; 5. WrestleMania's Greatest Moments; 6. WWE Chronicle: Shinsuke Nakamura; 7. Ride Along with Bobby Roode, A.J. Styles, Jinder Mahal and Sunil Singh; 8. WrestleMania 2017; 9. WWE 24 Empowered; 10. Royal Rumble 2018. With all the Mania stuff, the Mixed Match Challenge final match was 11th, the NXT TV show for 4/4 was 14th and 205 Live this past week didn't even crack the top 20

John Cena recently appeared on Popcorn with Peter Travers to promote his new "Blockers" movie. It was noted that Cena is "giving some serious throught to what comes next in his career after wrestling."

"The fact that I've been able to do it at the pace that I have for 16 years, that's not your regular statistic," Cena told Travers. "That falls into like the Tom Brady category. I'm not supposed to be where I am anyway. So I don't know when it's all going to end."
Link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/wwe-star-john-cena-comedy-blockers/story?id=54368040

WWE has a new poll asking fans which recent WWE NXT alumni will be the first to win a title on RAW or SmackDown. As of this writing, 49% voted for The Authors of Pain while 38% voted for Ember Moon, 9% for Peyton Royce & Billie Kay and just 3% for No Way Jose.

DK Publishing and WWE sent word that the "WWE RAW: The First 25 Years" book will be released on Tuesday, May 15th, 2018. The hardcover book will feature 200 pages and will be priced at $25.00 but you can pre-order it through Amazon at a cheaper price by clicking here. Vince McMahon wrote the foreword for the book. Below is the cover art and the official press release:

Relive all the best moments of Monday Night Raw, from the very first show in January 1993 to the 25th anniversary episode in 2018, in DK's newest WWE title, WWE Raw The First 25 Years. Discover all the memorable matches, key events, and shocking plot twists, presented month by month and year by year, making it easy for fans to find their favorite eras and episodes. Incredible photography from WWE's official archives takes you back in time to showcase all the action as it happened. Superstars are profiled in detail, including Brock Lesnar, John Cena, The New Day, Charlotte, Sting, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Nikki Bella, and many, many more. "Elsewhere in WWE" boxes describe key events from other WWE events, such as Smackdown and WrestleMania, giving a comprehensive picture of the WWE universe. A must?have for RAW fans old and new. With never?before?seen shots, profiles of popular Superstars, and iconic quotes throughout, WWE Raw The First 25 Years is the ultimate guide to WWE's flagship show.

Some other sheet news includes:

WWE announced they will be holding an investors meeting on May 3rd focusing on the current fiscal year's first quarter results and data. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116808/wwe-to-report-first-quarter-results-for-2018.html?p=1
According to the Observer, WWE is currently considering the idea of inducting Bam Bam Bigelow into their Hall of Fame next year. The main reason would be due to Mania 35 occurring in New Jersey and last minute contract issues with his family prevented him from being inducted this year.
In what might be the first time ever, Dave Meltzer gave two 5-star ratings for a WWE show last week. Both the N.A. Ladder Match and Gargano-Ciampa from TakeOver: New Orleans received the special honors from him.
TMZ Sports had a recent interview with Jeff Jarrett talking about his induction into WWE's Hall of Fame. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0412/638917/jeff-jarrett-on-his-surreal-moment-with-vince-mcmahon-at-the-wwe/
The NWA recently teased they will be participating in Cody's upcoming All-In event. https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/983849761420783616

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Youngest Champs in History, SD Wrestlers Backstage at Raw, Rusev (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-youngest-champs-in-wwe-sd-wrestlers-backstage-at-raw-rusev-tweets-again/)
CM Punk Officially Fighting Mike Jackson at UFC 225 (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/cm-punk-officially-fighting-mike-jackson-at-ufc-225/)
The Undertaker Will Now Face Chris Jericho in Saudi Arabia (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/the-undertaker-will-now-face-chris-jericho-in-saudi-arabia/)
Rey Mysterio Reportedly Will Wrestle at the “Greatest Royal Rumble” (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/rey-mysterio-reportedly-will-wrestle-at-the-greatest-royal-rumble/)
Possible Reason Why Billie Kay and Peyton Royce Are Called “The IIconics” (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/possible-reason-why-billie-kay-and-peyton-royce-are-called-the-iiconics/)

Mr. Nerfect

04-13-2018, 09:38 PM

Am I the only one who gets uncomfortable with hard-way blood in modern WWE? Seriously, just use a fucking blade and don't tell people shit about it. Lol at Shane trying to confront Brock.

Emperor Smeat

04-13-2018, 10:42 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Failed Bond Villain Idea #10 ... Perfectius Dime:
https://i.imgur.com/x90DqAQ.gif

This may not happen, but the name that has been mentioned to me by a few people that they are debating bringing up imminently is Velveteen Dream. There are differing schools of thought on it.
Spoiler tag used since it could be a potential surprise for next week's Superstar Shakeup episodes.

Following a dip last Thursday, Impact Wrestling ratings were back on track for this week's episode.

The show averaged 381,000 viewers on Pop TV and did a 0.11 rating in the 18-49 demo. That's up from last week's 294,000 viewers and 0.06 rating, which had competition in the first hour from a special on the greatest moments in WrestleMania history that aired on the USA Network.

A six-man tag match is set for the first of WWE's two United Kingdom Championship tournament shows at Royal Albert Hall in June.

WWE revealed today that British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) will be teaming together to face the Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong) on night one. Strong turned against Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, joining Undisputed Era and allowing the group to retain their Tag Team titles.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/wwe-uk-nxt-championship-matches-announced-royal-albert-hall-june-2018

Weiss Wrestling Promotions is putting some of the footage they have joint rights to on sale. The new owners will have the rights to sell the footage of license its usage. In some cases, some royalties, based on the original contract, will have to be paid to the original promoter. The matches they are putting for sale are Killer Kowalski vs. Luis Martinez, Verne Gagne vs. Mad Dog Vachon from the Montreal Forum and others.

All the Rusev stuff is storyline.
This is in regards to speculation about him being pulled from Taker match at the Saudi Rumble show.

IPW UK is running a women's show on 4/27 in Caterbury, England called GRL with Xia Brookside vs. Kay Lee Ray.

Jim Cornette and IDW Limited are doing a 60 page graphic novel together with Cornette stories. There will be a Kickstarter fundraiser that starts on 4/17 to 5/10 for "Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain - Real Pro Wrestling Stories."

Al Snow, Bully Ray and Velvet Sky were announced for the House of Hardcore tour of Australia in July.

Pro Wrestling Revolver on 5/5 in West Des Moines, IA at he Val Air Ballroom with Penta 0M vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Tommy Dreamer vs. Jake Manning in a hardcore match plus Sami Callihan, Dave & Jake Crist and Shane Strickland.
Cornette: http://www.comicsbeat.com/jim-cornette-nwa-wcw-wwf-wwe-brings-some-wrestling-stories-to-comics/

Former UFC women's bantamweight champion and WWE breakout star Ronda Rousey will work four dates on the company's upcoming European tour.

Announced by WWE on Friday morning, Rousey will wrestle on May 16th in Geneva, Switzerland, May 17th in Vienna, Austria, May 18th in Turin, Italy, and May 19th in Paris, France. Opponent(s) were not named.

Even before WrestleMania, the 31-year-old was booked for the company's Madison Square Garden house show on July 7th.

The entire WWE European tour will consist of 13 dates.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/wwe-live-events-europe-may-2018

Wrestling DVD Network has reported that next month's release of WWE's Wrestlemania 34 DVD will not include the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony due to the long runtimes of both shows, but will include the day after Mania episode of Monday Night Raw.

The Hall of Fame has been included in every Wrestlemania DVD release since Mania 21 in 2005.

The website also reports tht the Mania DVD will feature all three matches from the Kickoff Show (which were missing from the United States version of the DVD last year) and the Blu-Ray version will contain material from the Smackdown after Wrestlemania as well.

Destiny Wrestling announced the following via their Twitter account:

Breaking News - Sun June 3rd Destiny presents its next LIVE show

Zero Fear and its an @IMPACTWRESTLING TV taping One Night Only

and already signed the one and only @PENTAELZEROM

more details coming soon! pic.twitter.com/eGcPjB1yy9
— Destiny Wrestling (@DestinyWrestle) April 13, 2018

Link: https://twitter.com/DestinyWrestle/status/984585712077963264

They used Josh Matthews, Impact's lead announcer, with Matt Striker, Lucha Underground's lead announcer. The show drew 1,400 fans, a near sellout, and they were hot. At first the crowd was anti-Impact, as early mentions of Impact were booed and mentions of Lucha Underground were cheered. It's one thing for Matthews to be booed, since he plays a heel character even though he's the lead announcer (largely because efforts to bring back Mike Tenay didn't work out and Jeremy Borash left to work for NXT). But they also booed McKenzie Mitchell, Impact's backstage interviewer, since she was from there.

WWE was scouting Shimmer on 4/7 for the tournament and future signings. Tessa Blanchard was said to be the standout. She was one of the best women in the Mae Young Classic, so they know about her and obviously there is a reason they didn't sign her after initially showing interest last year. Blanchard even cut a promo on an indie show a few months ago and talked about attitude issues that people were saying. She's still young and at this point she has the look and charisma and real star potential, not to mention the last name and second generation aspects that they like. The other women who stood out on the show like Mercedes Martinez were also in last year's tournament

Basically, the decision to go with Cena vs. Undertaker was made months ago. At some point they realized that Undertaker couldn’t do a match of any length. That was the catalyst for the build being what it was, because they wanted everyone to know Undertaker would be there against Cena, but downplay the idea it was one of the biggest matches on the show as people would expect it to be with a normal build.

This may mean nothing so far in advance, but does indicate it was at least the plan at some point, but there is advertising already out in the Pittsburgh market for the 7/15 Extreme Rules PPV show listing Styles vs. Nakamura vs. Corbin as the main event for the WWE title. It should be noted that of all the non-main event talent in WWE right now, Vince is still highest on Corbin as a future major player. Then again, coming off WrestleMania last year, the idea was to give Corbin his new music and go heavy with him, and they didn’t pull that trigger.

Katsuya Kitamura, 32, the 2017 Wrestling Observer Rookie of the Year and a wrestler considered the Japanese version of Brock Lesnar, may no longer be with the company.

Kitamura has been out of action for five weeks. His last match was on 3/4 in Tsukuba, teaming with Manabu Nakanishi, losing to Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano. He apparently suffered a concussion in that match and hasn’t wrestled since.

There are reports that he’s out of action with a concussion and his career is over. Those within the company have said that the concussion is a cover reason and it was another as yet undisclosed reason why he is not expected back.

While FOX and NBC Universal are both well known for having interest in WWE, there is talk WWE could also end up with separate deals, like in the past when Smackdown was on UPN and later CW while Raw was on USA. The WWE package right now has far more interest than it did five years ago when the last set of negotiations took place. The timing of signing Ronda Rousey couldn't have been better because we keep hearing her name in regard to the talks. There would have been interest because WWE's ratings over the last year haven't declined (after big declines in prior years) and in television, that's considered a great product where television ratings are staying even.

A new DVD set on WWE Champion AJ Styles is set to be released later this year, according to WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. There had been speculation on the set featuring a documentary but WDN notes that it will likely include a match compilation of AJ's best matches since debuting with WWE in 2016. As noted earlier this month, a WWE 365 special on Styles will be premiering on the WWE Network soon as well.

WWE has a new poll asking fans which brand Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens should go to. As of this writing, 59% voted for NXT while 34% voted for RAW and 7% voted for SmackDown.

WWE recently filed to trademark the "Colin Cassady" name. This is the ring name that Big Cass used before they shortened it, indicating a potential change for his return. Cass should be returning to the ring soon after undergoing knee surgery back in August of 2017. It was reported then that he would be out for 9 months.

Some other stuff includes:

According to reports, WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble event will be the first ever sporting or entertainment event in Saudi Arabian history to not have men and women be segregated in the crowd.
According to the Observer, Chavo Guerrero Jr. suffered a triceps injury during last week's Impact vs Lucha Underground event in New Orleans.
CBS Sports had a recent interview with Emma/Tenille Dashwood talking about Daniel Bryan's in-ring return, how she got signed by ROH, and being involved in another women's movement in wrestling. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0413/638941/tenille-dashwood-on-daniel-bryan-getting-cleared-by-wwe/
Recent episode of E&C's Pod of Awesomeness show had Christian talk about the lackluster crowd reaction to Styles-Nakamura and experiencing a similar occurrence during his feud with Randy Orton. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0413/638951/christian-on-why-aj-styles-vs-shinsuke-nakamura-received/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Bam Bam Bigelow Hall of Fame Rumor, Jim Ross Injury, Culkin (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-bam-bam-bigelow-hall-of-fame-rumor-jim-ross-injury-culkin/)
Alberto El Patron Comments on No-Showing Impact Show and His Release (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/alberto-el-patron-comments-on-no-showing-impact-show-and-his-release/)
Videos: IRS’s Tax Tips, Best Rookie Years, WrestleMania Behind the Scenes (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/videos-irss-tax-tips-best-rookie-years-wrestlemania-behind-the-scenes/)

Sting Fan

04-14-2018, 02:11 AM

Was there ever anymore on the Vince/Brock backstage argument post WM main event?

Mr. Nerfect

04-14-2018, 04:55 AM

I'm willing to bet he was just pissed off that Vince has done such a shit jobbing getting the crowd to care about his alleged top star at all.

Emperor Smeat

04-17-2018, 10:17 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Braun's RAW farewell present to Miz:
https://78.media.tumblr.com/376898977b9a8e11dff160049bb2d4c7/tumblr_p7bajeKHyg1wyspnlo4_500.gif

The Superstar Shakeup edition of Raw continued the show's strong numbers, doing 3.62 million viewers.
While the number was down 11 percent from last week's Raw after WrestleMania, it was up six percent from last year's Superstar Shakeup show that did 3.42 million viewers ...

Next week will be a strong gauge as to where things are really at, but based on trends, the record lows that took place last year during the NBA playoffs are not likely to be repeated this year, although ratings will decline as they get deeper into the playoffs ...

The three hours were:
8 p.m. 3.63 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.75 million viewers
10 p.m. 3.48 million viewers

With The Miz moving back to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup, WWE has already announced a few matches where he'll be facing Daniel Bryan.
Miz vs. Bryan is set for three house shows on WWE's tour of the United Kingdom next month. Those events are in Liverpool on May 16th, Newcastle on the 17th, and Sheffield on the 18th.
Link: https://twitter.com/WWEUK/status/986307692380729344

While he'll be using a different name this time, the former Chris Hero is headed back to PROGRESS Wrestling for one of their biggest weekend's of the year.
PROGRESS announced NXT's Kassius Ohno as the latest entrant for this year's Super Strong Style 16 tournament today. It will take place at Alexandra Palace in London on May 5-7, with the winner receiving a future title shot.

As Hero, Ohno also appeared in the 2016 edition of Super Strong Style 16. He lost to Tommy End (now Aleister Black) in the semifinals.

This won't be the first time that Ohno has wrestled for a WWE-friendly promotion since returning to NXT. He made an appearance for ICW last September and was defeated by Joe Coffey.

With one more entrant still to be announced, Pete Dunne, Keith Lee, Zack Sabre Jr., Doug Williams, Angelico, Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster, Chuck Mambo, Chris Brookes, Jordan Devlin, Joey Janela, TK Cooper, David Starr, Tyler Bate, and Ohno make up the field for this year's Super Strong Style 16. Travis Banks won the tournament in 2017 and went on to win the PROGRESS Championship from Dunne.
Link: https://twitter.com/ThisIs_Progress/status/986304603347144704

Tuesday night’s HBO documentary on Andre the Giant did 931,000 viewers and was the most-watched HBO documentary in 15 years. The special has received lots of praise and I would imagine will open the door for more wrestling themed documentaries between HBO / Bill Simmons and the WWE for the right subject.

After he missed last week’s 205 Live episode and NXT television tapings, Nigel McGuinness revealed that his significant other gave birth to their daughter. McGuinness won’t return to TV until April 24th, and he thanked WWE for their support: “Thanks to everyone for the congrats and well wishes. And to everyone at WWE for their understanding and support. Feel truly blessed.”
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhigV-JH7yD/?taken-by=mcguinnessnigel , https://twitter.com/McGuinnessNigel/status/985204233271066625

Dakota Kai wrote about Nixon Newell debuting for WWE at last night’s NXT house show in Venice: “Being sidelined for 10 months is something I can’t even begin to imagine, even more so when it’s stopping you from fully committing to a passion. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you and to do it by your side is the greatest feeling @NixonNewell #FlyKicks.” Newell teamed with Kai against Vanessa Borne & Reina Gonzalez and used her real name (Steffanie Newell) for the match. She was supposed to be in last summer’s Mae Young Classic but suffered a torn ACL before the tournament.
Link: https://twitter.com/DakotaKai_WWE/status/985187875108114432

WWE put out an “unreleased entrance video” for former Raw Tag Team Champion Nicholas.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqq1ShFPdCA

After ROH posted a list of his five greatest matches for them, Daniel Bryan acknowledged it on Twitter and wrote that he was proud of them all.
Link: https://twitter.com/WWEDanielBryan/status/984920452995866624

Rich Swann made a surprise return to CZW and entered their Best of the Best tournament tonight. Swann had previously canceled all of his scheduled bookings and hasn’t wrestled since his domestic battery arrest last December, though the charges were dismissed earlier this year due to it being determined that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. Swann and WWE “mutually agreed to part ways” after the charges were dismissed.

With Nick Aldis retaining against Colt Cabana, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship was defended in China for the first time.

As expected based on what happened Thursday, MLW champion Shane Strickland will make his first title defense against Pentagon Jr. on the 5/3 TV tapings in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub. Their TV show debuts on Friday night on Bein Sports.

Defy Wrestling on 5/4 in Missoula, MT at the MASC Studios has Flip Gordon vs. Matt Riddle.
Swann: https://twitter.com/Jocay19/status/985310340316581888 , NWA: https://twitter.com/nwa/status/985190743458299904

Two more wrestlers from Lucha Underground will be in action at Impact Wrestling's Redemption pay-per-view.

Impact announced today that Aerostar vs. Drago is set for this coming Sunday, advertising it as being "brought to you by our partners Lucha Underground." Aerostar & Drago teamed with King Cuerno at Impact vs. LU in New Orleans earlier this month. defeating Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJ Z in a six-man tag match.

Cuerno (as El Hijo Del Fantasma), Xavier, and DJ Z will be involved in a six-way match at Redemption, which also includes Brian Cage, Taiji Ishimori, and Trevor Lee.

Redemption takes place at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida on Sunday. Here's the updated card:

Impact World Champion Austin Aries defending against Pentagon Jr. and Fenix in a triple threat match
Knockouts Champion Allie defending against Su Yung
Eddie Edwards, Moose & Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan & OVE (Dave & Jake Crist) in a House of Hardcore match
X Division Champion Matt Sydal defending against Petey Williams
Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against Eli Drake & Scott Steiner
Aerostar vs. Drago
Brian Cage vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. DJ Z vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Trevor Lee vs. Dezmond Xavier

Link:http://impactwrestling.com/aerostar-vs-drago-look-to-thrill-sunday-at-redemption/

Chris Jericho was on the StillRealToUs.com podcast and regarding New Japan, said: "Yeah, you know it was a good idea. It was good when it happened. We had a blast, but sometimes things just don't work out. New Japan was a lot of fun. Not to say that I wouldn't go back there again but as of right now, our relationship is pretty much finished at this point."
Link: http://stillrealtous.com/exclusive-chris-jericho-talks-greatest-royal-rumble-fozzys-next-record-status-with-new-japan-and-future-plans/

Jushin Thunder Liger will be returning to Ring of Honor next month.

ROH announced on their website today that Liger will be a part of the upcoming War of the Worlds tour, the annual ROH tour where New Japan and ROH talent face off against each other. ROH said that Liger will be on all four stops of the tour. Along with Liger, all four members of Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI, EVIL and Hiromu Takahashi) have been signed for the tour.

Liger hasn’t competed for Ring of Honor in North America since 2016, taking part in their Final Battle 2016 tour. He lost to Silas Young on that show and also lost to Jay Lethal in a match taped for television.

War of the Worlds will start on May 9 in Lowell, Massachusetts. It will continue in Toronto, Canada on May 11, May 12 in Royal Oak, Michigan and will culminate on May 13 in Chicago, Illinois. No matches have been announced as of this writing.

Link: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/jushin-thunder-liger-returns-roh-war-worlds-tour

Ring of Honor announced the following:

Sho and Yoh, Roppongi 3K, make their Ring of Honor return in Lowell, MA as part of the War of the Worlds Tour! The team spent much of 2016 and 2017 on a learning excursion in the United States with ROH and return nearly a year after achieving several career milestones and becoming one of the best teams in the world![/PWI]

[QUOTE=PWI]Former WWE star Colin Delaney has opened a comic book store in Rochester, NY titled Pop Roc, located at 337 East Avenue. The location also has a coffee shop.

Several readers in Great Britain have noted that Impact Wrestling's weekly TV series, which airs on Spike UK, is not listed to air in that country in the coming weeks after a year of the series running on the network.

In checking with Impact sources, PWInsider.com is told that the company is currently in negotiations to stay on the network. Negotiations were postponed due to scheduling issues on each side due to the recent MIP conference, so they are behind in completing the deal. Impact sources noted the discussions are expected to be completed shortly.

WWE Network News is reporting that the first episode of "Something Else to Wrestle With" with Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard will actually debut on the streaming service on demand this Wednesday. The first topic of the new show Wrestlemania 14.
Link: http://www.wwenetworknews.com/2018/04/16/something-else-to-wrestle-with-bruce-prichard-premiering-on-demand-for-wwe-network-this-week-first-topic-revealed/

AL.com has an interview with Conrad Thompson talking about "Something Else to Wrestle With" coming soon to WWE Network. On the series, Thompson commented, "It's going to go one of two ways. They're going to love us and renew us beyond the initial 13 weeks, and we'll be the hottest thing on the network besides the pay-per-view. Or we're going to go four episodes and they're going to can us because we're getting way out of our lane. And I'm OK with either one of those. The idea was never 'Let's start a podcast and maybe we can do a video version on the network.' The idea was always to do whatever we can to grow the podcast. It's all a way to grow the podcast. As crazy as it sounds, that's our goal here. We're not looking at this network video show as 'Hey, we made it,' some sort of weird validation. We're hoping that this becomes a feeder system."
Link: http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/04/wrestling_podcast_king_conrad.html

Smash Wrestling also announced that Walter was coming for their July 15th show in Toronto at The Phoenix and Tessa Blanchard would be working for the group on August 26th. Matt Riddle is scheduled for their upcoming June 3rd series of shows as they will run an afternoon event at 3 pm and an evening show at 7 pm with a one-day tournament.

This was very interesting, because originally Asuka was going to win with a Carmella cash-in. Carmella was going to lose and the big match they were going to build to was Asuka vs. Ronda Rousey. Now you may have heard me promote that I believe personally the biggest match they could do is Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte. And they finally came around to that opinion at some point in the past few weeks.

I don’t know exactly when but it was around the time Asuka stopped using the armbar that they made the decision that Charlotte was going to go over and end the streak and be the person and Vince lost faith in Asuka as that top woman to face Ronda Rousey. So that’s essentially what happened.
From a recent episode of Brad Shepard's podcast show.

Ronda Rousey paid tribute to Roddy Piper on what would have been his 64th birthday: “Happy Birthday to the Legend, my Hero and Inspiration, Rowdy Roddy Piper. You are sorely missed and always remembered”
Link: http://www.wwe.com/overtheropes/article/ronda-rousey-rowdy-roddy-piper-birthday-tribute

A press conference for All In will take place at Pro Wrestling Tees’ store in Chicago on May 13th at 1 p.m. local time. Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, and Tessa Blanchard are featured on the imaging for the event, which will include “several talent/match announcements, surprises, ticket info, Starrcast info, and charity info.” The first 50 fans who arrive will be allowed to attend the press conference, with it streaming live on Twitch and Facebook for everyone else.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BhrdZEXHHcX/?taken-by=americannightmarecody

On 4/12, WWE applied to register "Woken Warrior" for merchandising purposes, obviously relating to the "Woken" Matt Hardy character.

Also on 4/12, CMLL owner Paco Alonso applied for a US trademark for Mistico. This could be due to the "Heroes of Lucha Libre" promotion trying to trademark Mistico back in February.

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Aleister Black as the guest. https://art19.com/shows/ecs-pod-of-awesomeness/episodes/49c870e0-ebb8-4e84-8384-de48465d5939
CZW is currently dealing with backlash from fans regarding their recent booking of Rich Swann and from their locker room regarding suddenly preventing them from for GCW and other similar promotions even though they get paid more there. Already Joey Janela and Sami Callihan have gone public about leaving the company.
A new wrestling book called "Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever" was announced to be getting released on September 8th. The book focuses on the rise of the WWF's national push and death of the Territory system. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116865/new-book-traces-launch-of-wwfs-national-run-death-of-the-territories.html?p=1
Next episode of WWE Network's Ride Along series was revealed to involve Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman. https://twitter.com/thenextblgthing/status/986092728235638784

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Bryan & The Miz Tweet Each Other, More on Cena/Bella Breakup (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-bryan-the-miz-tweet-each-other-more-on-cena-bella-breakup/)
Apollo Crews Gets His Name Back (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/apollo-crews-gets-his-name-back/)
More on the John Cena & Nikki Bella Breakup (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/more-on-the-john-cena-nikki-bella-breakup/)
WWE: Brock Lesnar Update, Superstar Shake-up, Rock & Cena Box Office (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-brock-lesnar-update-superstar-shake-up-rock-cena-box-office-numbers/)
Various: Rusev Trolls, Ellering on AOP Breakup, Vader Out of Hospital (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-rusev-trolls-ellering-on-aop-breakup-vader-out-of-hospital/)

Mr. Nerfect

04-18-2018, 07:16 PM

So much for that "real heat," Sami.

Emperor Smeat

04-18-2018, 10:06 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Nut Punch Aficionado Shinsuke Nakamura:
https://i.imgur.com/7s1MM6x.gif

Bruno Sammartino, one of the most popular and well-known wrestlers of all time, has passed away. He was 82 years old.

Details are light as of this writing, but Pittsburgh's local CBS affiliate said that his wife and two children were by his side and that "he died peacefully after battling health issues for the past several months."

A legendary drawing card in the Northeast United States, Sammartino first won the WWWF world title in May 1963 with a 48 second win over Buddy Rogers at Madison Square Garden. He would hold the title for almost eight years before dropping the belt to Ivan Koloff in 1971. He would retain the title two years later for a reign that would last nearly four years.

He retired from full time competition in 1981 and did some broadcasting for the WWF before returning to wrestle alongside his son, David, in the mid-80s before leaving the organization in the late 80s.

His estrangement with Vince McMahon and WWF due to the direction of the business lasted until 2013 when Paul "HHH" Levesque helped broker a peace that would see him inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He did a few appearances with the company and even inducted old foe Larry Zbyszko into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Madison Square Garden paid tribute to the late Bruno Sammartino, who captured his first WWWF championship from Buddy Rogers in the venue:

Today is a sad day for wrestling and sports fans. Simply put, Bruno Sammartino was one of the biggest stars in the long and storied history of Madison Square Garden, a legend in every way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today and always. pic.twitter.com/pKG1SZypWd
— MSG (@TheGarden) April 18, 2018

Sammartino holds the record for the most sellouts of any professional wrestler in MSG history.
Link: https://twitter.com/TheGarden/status/986701463165587457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

While the audience total for Tuesday's SmackDown was above average for night two of the Superstar Shakeup, it was a decline of five percent from last week and 10 percent from the 2017 version of the show.

This year's Shakeup episode had an average audience of 2.796 million viewers.

There was tough competition on the night as SmackDown aired directly opposite an NBA playoff game on TBS that did 2.88 million viewers. There was also the usual strong Tuesday network competition from CBS and ABC, highlighted by the over 13 million people who tuned in for "Roseanne," which has proven to be a ratings juggernaut ...

Although Raw ratings have been up for the most part so far in 2018, SmackDown's have been down an average of two percent.

In advance of the debut of MLW: Fusion this Friday on BeIN Sports, Major League Wrestling announced the following:

REY FENIX VS ACH IN AERIAL ENCOUNTER SIGNED FOR MAY 3RD MLW FUSION TV TAPING IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – What happens when two elite aerial combatants clash? On May 3rd in Orlando fans will find out as Major League Wrestling has signed Rey Fenix vs. ACH. The two will square off at the MLW Fusion TV tapings, which are a part of the MLW: Intimidation Games event hosted by Gilt Nightclub.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116918/rey-fenix-vs-ach-in-aerial-encounter-signed-for-may-3rd-mlw-fusion-tv-taping-in-orlando.html?p=1

TMZ.com reported this evening that tattoo artist Catherine Alexander has filed a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment and WWE's videogame licensee 2K, claiming that they are infringing on her copyright for tattoo designs that she has imprinted on Randy Orton, having been his tattoo artist since 2003.

According to the TMZ report, Alexander contacted WWE with similar claims in 2009 and they offered her a $450 fee for the rights to the designs, which she turned down.

Alexander is claiming that by recreating the tattoos in the WWE videogames, the rights to her designs are being infringed upon.
Link: http://www.tmz.com/2018/04/17/randy-orton-tattoo-artists-sues-wwe-2k-games-tattoos/

People Magazine is reporting that Brie Bella is "relieved" that the relationship between her sister Nikki and John Cena has ended.

“On one level, Brie wants to kill him, sure. No one should be allowed to hurt her sister like this. But honestly, on another level, there’s relief,” People quotes a source as saying. “Nikki was bending over backward to accommodate this guy and everyone, especially Brie, was worried that she was sacrificing way, way too much — most of all, motherhood.”
Link: http://people.com/tv/brie-bella-worried-nikki-john-cena/

Rey Mysterio is one of the wrestlers pictured in an advertisement for the Greatest Royal Rumble on the WWE Network's website, seemingly confirming him for the show. Shane McMahon, Mark Henry, and The Great Khali are also included on the image.

WWE posted a preview clip of the premiere of Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, which covers WrestleMania 14. The episode is just under two hours long and is now available in the on-demand section of the Network.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN0-JuqYSDI

Randy Orton defeated Nakamura by disqualification in last night’s post-205 Live dark match. Nakamura hit a low blow on Orton for the DQ, with Styles coming out and chasing Nakamura off. Tye Dillinger beat Primo Colon before SmackDown went on the air.

Wrestling DVD Network has a sneak peek of The Hardys’ upcoming DVD and some screenshots of the Impact Wrestling footage that is featured in it.
Link: http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/first-look-tna-footage-in-wwe-hardy-boyz-dvd/153435/

While it hasn’t been confirmed that the show is being uploaded, a category for Sunday Night Heat (with no episodes currently there) has appeared on the WWE Network.
Link: http://www.wwenetworknews.com/2018/04/18/is-heat-coming-to-the-wwe-network-heres-what-we-know/

ROH uploaded video of the ceremony where they honored Bruno Sammartino in New York City in 2006.

After its 100th episode, The Young Bucks told the Sporting News that they’re not sure if Being the Elite will return.

David Bixenspan has an article for Deadspin on the success of Joey Janela’s Spring Break II.

ROH: https://youtu.be/ZwF5si-nnqc , Bucks: http://www.sportingnews.com/wwe/news/young-bucks-cease-and-desist-twitter-all-in-cody-rhodes-being-the-elite-chicago-bullet-club-njpw/1wvug8h4fjy0p1xbl9h2gjh1vx , Deadspin: https://deadspin.com/how-joey-janelas-spring-break-became-pro-wrestlings-big-1825340372

Paul "Jones" Frederick, forever nicknamed "Number One" passed away earlier this week in Atlanta, Georgia, the Mid-Atlantic Gateway reported this evening. Circumstances surrounding his death are not yet known. Frederick was 75 years old at the time of his passing.

Best remembered for his run in Jim Crockett Promotions' Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, Jones broke into the business in the early 1960s after being trained by Paul Boesch. Billed as "Young" Paul Jones and Al Fredericks, depending on the area, Jones worked for a number of areas, including Hollywood, the Pacific Northwest, All Japan, Japan's JPWA, Australia's World Championship Wrestling and the Manitoba territory.
More details from PWI about Paul Jones' career: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116937/number-one-paul-jones-passes-away.html?p=1

WWE has a new poll asking fans which General Manager did the best in the 2018 Superstar Shakeup. As of this writing, 67% voted for SmackDown GM Paige while the rest voted for RAW GM Kurt Angle.

Some other sheet news includes:

According to PWI, the final tally for this year's Superstar Shakeup was 20 stars moving to RAW and 17 stars moving to Smackdown. In regards to callups, 6 were sent to the main roster from NXT. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116879/raw-gains-20-stars-smackdown-gains-17-6-nxt-stars-called-up-complete-wwe-superstar-shakeup-roster-change-coverage.html?p=1
Both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Steelers recently paid tribute to the passing of Bruno Sammartino. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116928/pittsburgh-steelers-pittsburgh-penguins-issue-statements-on-passing-of-bruno-sammartino.html?p=1
WWE also paid tribute to Sammartino during today's RAW brand house show in South Africa. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116927/wwe-pays-tribute-to-bruno-sammartino-at-cape-town-house-show.html?p=1
Vince McMahon also paid tribute to Sammartino on Twitter praising him as one of the finest men he ever had the pleasure of working with in wrestling. https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/status/986638590963830784

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Enzo Amore Update, ESPN/FOX UFC Deal? Greatest Rumble Card (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-enzo-amore-social-media-update-espn-fox-ufc-deal-greatest-rumble-card/)
Impact Renews Its TV Deal in the UK and Ireland (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/impact-renews-its-tv-deal-in-the-uk-and-ireland/)
Various: Tyrus Leaves Impact, GLOW Season 2, Ric Flair on Tonight Show (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-tyrus-leaves-impact-glow-season-2-ric-flair-on-tonight-show/)

slik

04-18-2018, 10:27 PM

Orlando has begun it's WM 36 campaign

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WWE fans: We're hard at work bringing WrestleMania back to Orlando but we need your help! Share why you think <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wrestlemania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wrestlemania</a> should return to <a href="https://twitter.com/CWStadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CWStadium</a> and send us your favorite Orlando Wrestlemania Week pics!<br><br>Take our survey too ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/o3OUrfMKS1">https://t.co/o3OUrfMKS1</a> <a href="https://t.co/HPp9dDffDZ">pic.twitter.com/HPp9dDffDZ</a></p>— CampingWorldStadium (@CWStadium) <a href="https://twitter.com/CWStadium/status/986237306901291008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

04-20-2018, 01:16 PM

Lars Sullivan should not be using “lol” in a tweet. #KillingTheBusiness

Mr. Nerfect

04-20-2018, 06:24 PM

Fucking Callihan.

Sepholio

04-20-2018, 07:30 PM

Reminds me of when Seth Rollins went on a streak of injuring multiple people in a short period of time.

Mr. Nerfect

04-20-2018, 07:34 PM

When he hurt Edwards, my first thought was "I bet there are a bunch of mutants who think this is a great way to get attention." I didn't think it would actually be him. The annoying thing is that Sullivan is fucking crazy, so it wouldn't surprise me if he consented to this to get some attention, which he doesn't need to be doing at whatever age and whatever physical state he's in.

I dunno, something about it seems really gross, like Brock giving Orton the concussion. It's like -- work that shit.

Mr. Nerfect

04-20-2018, 07:35 PM

Cornette quotes Dutch Mantel a lot with "it used to be that we weren't really hurting each other and people believed; now we're really hurting each other and no one believes a thing" or something like that.

Emperor Smeat

04-20-2018, 11:24 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Random WCW gif:
https://i.imgflip.com/qnkp.gif

While on KFM Mornings in South Africa, Seth Rollins said Dean Ambrose should return from his torn tricep injury in the summer or late spring.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsHH9jCbmfc

ROH announced Hiroshi Tanahashi, SANADA, EVIL, and Toru Yano for their three Honor United shows in the UK next month.
Link: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/njpw-stars-announced-honor-united-uk-tour

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toa Henare has been added to the card for NJPW’s show at Korakuen Hall on April 24th, which also features Jay White defending his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against David FInlay.
Link: http://www.njpw.co.jp/143880

Two new members of the show's women's division will be wrestling on SmackDown for the first time on Tuesday night.

Asuka & Becky Lynch vs. The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay) has been announced for next Tuesday's episode of SmackDown. It will be the first time Asuka and Royce have wrestled on television since joining the brand.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/article/asuka-smackdown-live-in-ring-debut-tag-match-becky-lynch-iiconics

The WWE Network will be honoring Bruno Sammartino on Monday night.

WWE announced today that a documentary on Sammartino would be airing on the Network immediately after Raw on Monday. The company noted that the special will include some of Sammartino's "greatest matches, moments, and more," but no other details have been revealed.

Sammartino passed away at 82 years old on Wednesday morning after having been hospitalized for the last two months. WWE paid tribute to their longest-reigning champion in history later that day with a 10-bell salute at their house show in South Africa and with a graphic at the beginning of that night's episode of NXT. Raw will be WWE's first live programming to air since Sammartino's death.
Link: http://www.wwe.com/article/bruno-sammartino-documentary-monday-on-wwe-network

Jay White is heading back to Ring of Honor.

ROH announced today on their website that White will be part of the upcoming War of the Worlds tour next month. They said that if he were to retain the IWGP United States title against David Finlay on April 24, he will also defend the title on the tour. He is set for the May 9 date in Lowell, Massachusetts and May 11 in Toronto, Canada.

Other people set for the tour include Jushin Thunder Liger, Roppongi 3K, Rocky Romero, and the entire Los Ingobernables de Japón stable consisting of Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI, SANADA and Hiromu Takahashi. Aside from the aforementioned dates, War of the Worlds will also stop at Royal Oak, Michigan on May 12 and will conclude on May 13 in Chicago, Illinois.
Link: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/switchblade-jay-white-announced-toronto-and-lowell-stops-war-worlds-tour

The 4/13 edition of Impact did 373,000 overnight viewers, down just a bit from last week's 381,000 overnight viewers.

WWE released an updated WWE Network preview of material scheduled for the streaming service. It is notable that the June WWE UK Championship event is no longer subtitled "The King of the Ring."

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T's promotion, The Reality of Wrestling, will present their first PPV event The Last Stand tomorrow Saturday 4/21 for $14.99 with the first 100 advance orders receiving a signed Booker photo in the mail for free. The event will feature Reality of Wrestling champion Gino defending against #1 contender Ryan Davidson, Sheeva vs. Angela, a 20 Man Last Stand Rumble featuring Disco Inferno, NXT's Brennan Williams and more.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will have their final All Star Weekend events at the American Legion Hall in Reseda, CA tonight and tomorrow.
Link with the cards for the two events: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/116973/pwg-all-star-weekend-kicks-off-tonight-with-young-bucks-final-reseda-appearance.html?p=1

Alexa Bliss recently had minor cosmetic surgery following WrestleMania. We were told that she is expected back soon and is still scheduled for the Backlash event on Sunday, May 6th.

A new series titled "WWE Marquee Matches" will premiere on the WWE Network at 11pm on Tuesday night. The premiere episode is set to run 1.5 hours and will focus on the 1992 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, which was held in Albany, New York. The 30-man Rumble main event saw Ric Flair win the match to capture the vacant WWE Title that night. The WWE Hall of Famer would later reveal in his "To Be The Man" book that he did not know he was winning the match until he arrived at the Knickerbocker Arena on the day of the show.

Below is the synopsis for Tuesday's premiere:

"From 1-19-1992: With the WWE Championship at stake, a star-studded roster and controversial ending made this an instant classic!"

As noted, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T will return to RAW commentary on Monday's show in St. Louis. Jonathan Coachman confirmed that Booker will be taking his spot on Monday but revealed that he will be back for the April 30th RAW from Montreal. Below are some of Coach's recent tweets on the matter.

Coach indicated that he's missing Monday's show because of new work he's doing with The Golf Channel. Coach also noted that he was just joking about hiring an assistant to help with researching topics on commentary.
Link to the tweets: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0420/639174/jonathan-coachman-wwe-raw-updates/

While Young, Dain, and Wolfe were promoted to debut on SmackDown Live, Nikki Cross was not included in the video, signifying that she would not be called up but will instead remain in NXT.

According to The Wrestling Observer, the reason why Cross is staying in NXT is to help with the women's division. Especially, since three of the top names, Ember Moon, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay, left to go to the main roster. Currently, the champion is Shayna Baszler, as she defeated Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Baszler is in need of a strong feud, and Cross will fit well as an opponent for the title ...

On social media, Cross recently promoted the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Chicago event, scheduled for Saturday, June 16. It is expected that she will have a major role in that event.

WWE has a new poll asking fans which Greatest Royal Rumble match is scarier - Rusev facing The Undertaker in a Casket Match or Roman Reigns facing WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in a Steel Cage match. As of this writing, 64% believe Rusev has the scarier match.

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of Edge & Christian podcast show had Breezango as the guests. https://art19.com/shows/ecs-pod-of-awesomeness/episodes/3093fbac-6d84-4715-a77c-9cd312a31ef3
WWE recent filed a new trademark for the term "Skull King" which was stated to be for Triple H.
Planeta Wrestling had a recent interview with Drew McIntyre talking about his recent return from injury, thoughts on Andrade Almas, ICW, and Ronda Rousey. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0420/639160/drew-mcintyre-says-andrade-cien-almas-was-missing-something/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Ninja Warrior Competitor’s NXT Debut, Seth Rollins, Vader Update (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-ninja-warrior-competitors-nxt-debut-seth-rollins-vader-update/)
Booker T Will Be Back on Raw Commentary This Week (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/booker-t-will-be-back-on-raw-commentary-this-week/)
Final Card for the Impact Redemption PPV This Sunday (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/final-card-for-the-impact-redemption-ppv-this-sunday/)

Emperor Smeat

04-25-2018, 09:20 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by AJ Styles Getting Hit in the Nuts Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/aOnXpvG.gif

Tuesday's episode of SmackDown on the USA Network averaged 2.549 million viewers, down seven percent from last week's Superstar Shakeup.

The show faced tougher-than-usual competition as an NBA playoff game did 3.61 million viewers airing on TBS directly opposite SmackDown. SmackDown finished sixth for the night in total viewers on cable and third in the 18-49 demo with a 0.8 rating, trailing two separate NBA games. The networks were airing repeats, which may have helped the SmackDown number slightly.

Following up on Monday's announcements of Joey Janela, Penelope Ford, and Chelsea Green, two more wrestlers are set for All In.

Jay Lethal and Britt Baker were added to the show today, bringing the number of names confirmed for it up to 17. Lethal is under contract with Ring of Honor, while Baker, who made a cameo for WWE in a loss to Nia Jax in July 2016, wrestles independently.

Baker is the fifth woman who has been announced for All In, joining Ford, Green, Tessa Blanchard, and Deonna Purrazzo. Cody Rhodes also noted that they aren't done announcing women's wrestlers for the show.

Over the course of the day, it was confirmed that Paul Heyman is now working Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia.

Heyman was in New York today and did not travel with the Raw crew to the event from St. Louis. We were told by WWE sources this evening that the plan is for him to travel in with Brock Lesnar later in the week.

Lesnar will be facing Roman Reigns in a steel cage match at the event.

WWE Home Video UK tweeted:

We can now announce that this Friday's #GreatestRoyalRumble from Saudi Arabia – headlined by Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns in a steel cage for the Universal Championship and an epic 50-man Royal Rumble match – will be released on 2-disc DVD! Release date TBC pic.twitter.com/PK9EFDj8Sp
— WWE Home Video UK (@WWEHomeVideoUK) April 25, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/WWEHomeVideoUK/status/989105538159054849

Paul Levesque takes credit for coming up with "Global Localization". He explained their push to create NXT brands around the world as a global territorial system, reminiscent of the plan the company toyed with over a decade ago but never went through with. pic.twitter.com/bqgWHv1Cak
— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) April 25, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/iamjohnpollock/status/989225600706490368

There is now a "Marquee Matches" section on WWE Network. The section features Charly Caruso introducing classic matches emphasizing the importance. The first episode aired last night with the 1992 Royal Rumble MatchWWE posted the following preview:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_fED90sgL4

MLW issued the following:

“FILTHY” TOM LAWLOR VS. YEHI ADDED TO MLW MAY 3RD BEIN SPORTS TV TAPING IN ORLANDO

ORLANDO – The UFC’s “Filthy” Tom Lawlor will scrap with the innovative Waterloo, Iowa grappler Fred Yehi on May 3rd in Orlando at the MLW Fusion TV tapings for beIN SPORTS hosted by Gilt Nightclub.
More details and card for the event: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117077/tom-lawlor-vs-fred-yehi-set-for-mlw-return-to-orlando-next-week.html?p=1

When and why do you think John Cena became so hated among the fans? Was it because he was Vince's chosen one at the time? Did his gimmick burn out? Did his move-set become complacent? Was he too formulaic? Did the fans feel he was "fake" as a person (not a character)? Did the fans really want to see the Doctor of Thugonomics character back instead of the less edgy Hustle, Loyalty, Respect character?

All of those were factors, for sure. But I think the biggest issue was that he was pushed down our throats and never really sold for anyone. He would get attacked in hour one and get all his heat back, and more, by the end of the show. He would beat the tag champs by himself. Stuff like that. Add in that his promos appeal to kids and you have the perfect recipe for the older fans to not like him.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles involving Cena's struggles with crowds.

While Vision 2030 is being lauded as a modern solution to the monarchy’s heavy reliance on oil, it does not involve significant social reform. Instead, it has provided MBS with a strategic way to distract international attention away from the wide-scale human rights abuses that the country continues to commit. The Crown Prince’s heavy investment in sports comes on the heels of Saudi’s brutal campaign in Yemen—a war that has displaced over three million people and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The latest example saw the Saudi-led military coalition conduct an air strike on a wedding on Sunday, killing more than 20 people.

Though Saudi Arabia’s reputation is being mended by its attempt to project images of anti-corruption, moderate Islam, improved women’s rights, and a plethora of sports and entertainment, it would be negligent to ignore the country’s continued disregard for political and civil liberties. Dissent is met with violent repressive methods such as torture and extrajudicial killings, while homosexuality remains illegal and punishable by death.
Recent article from Deadspin about WWE's current image issues due to being involved with the Saudi show. https://deadspin.com/what-is-wwe-doing-in-saudi-arabia-1825506325

Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots won't be signing with WWE anytime soon. Gronk told Patriots coach Bill Belichick that he will be returning to the team for the 2018 season. Gronk had teased retiring from the NFL, and there was a lot of speculation that he would sign with WWE.

Some other sheet news includes:

ROH recently revealed the cards for next month's ROH-NJPW War of the Worlds tour. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117084/first-roh-war-of-the-world-tour-main-events-announced-two-honorclub-events-this-weekend-and-more.html?p=1
ROH also recently added a 6-hour compilation of CM Punk matches during his time with the company to their HonorClub streaming service. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117074/roh-honorclub-adds-six-hour-cm-punk-compilation.html?p=1
ITV recently confirmed reports of their upcoming World of Sport revival will have 10 episodes for its first season. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117072/official-details-on-itv-revival-of-world-of-sport-how-long-first-season-will-run-and-more.html?p=1
WWE recently revealed Smackdown will be celebrating its 1000th episode on October 16th.
ESPN had a recent interview with Chris Jericho talking about The Drifter, Greatest Royal Rumble event, and NJPW. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0425/639334/chris-jericho-talks-his-reaction-when-asked-to-work-the-greatest/
WWE is currently rumored to be giving an extra pay check to their female roster as part of their apology for none of them being allowed to be at the Saudi show. Basis for the rumor is a recent episode of Jerry Lawler's podcast show when he was asked a question related to this topic.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Updated WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Card – Ten Matches Announced (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/updated-wwe-greatest-royal-rumble-card-ten-matches-announced/)
WWE: Alexa Bliss Cosmetic Surgery, Mark Henry “Un-Retires,” Jerry Lawler (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-alexa-bliss-cosmetic-surgery-mark-henry-un-retires-lawler-on-saudi-arabia/)
Impact Taping Results – Apr. 23-24, 2018 – Title Changes (Spoilers) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/impact-taping-results-apr-23-24-2018-title-changes-spoilers/)

Emperor Smeat

04-26-2018, 09:54 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Death By Lariatoooooo:
https://i.imgur.com/2idI0Kg.gif

Sean Waltman reported that WWE tried to get Shawn Michaels out of retirement for tomorrow's show. He said Michaels said he had a prior commitment with his family.

For the show there will be a less than 15 minute prayer break, not one hour as is the usual custom. The break will not impact the television audience.
X-Pac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C02WMgrg0Fc

Kenny Omega is helping put together a New Japan branded show on 6/29 in Daytona Beach, FL as part of the CEO gaming convention. The show takes place at the Ocean Center. There will be members of the Golden Lovers, LIJ, New Japan, Taguchi Japan and Roppongi 3K involved but a the ROH talent has a show that night and Suzuki-Gun, Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii are booked in the U.K. that night. They are looking at five matches plus a dark match in a two plus hour show and will be trying to give the show a New Japan feel as well as a Fighting Games community feel with the idea of people at the convention being a key part of the audience. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Chase Owens are scheduled. The ring will be in the area of the weekend tournament and there will be a fighting games commentary team and not a pro wrestling commentary team. It will be an esports filming crew.
More details: https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/ceo-x-njpw-when-worlds-collide-tickets-go-sale-next-week-256571

Aerostar was injured last night at the Impact tapings but he's okay. We were told he had the wind knocked out of himself bad, but it was a very scary situation until they realized it wasn't serious.

MLW announced it had signed a multi-year announcing contract with Tony Schiavone.

MCW on 5/12 in Joppa, MD features Mick Foley and 5/19 in Hampstead, MD at North Carroll High School with Adam Rose.

Evolve on 5/20 in Livonia, MI has Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee in a no rope break match for the Evolve title, Tracy Williams vs. Odinson, Austin Theory vs. Trey Miguel, DJZ vs Zachary Wentz, AR Fox vs. Myron Reed plus Chris Dickinson, Jaka, Shane Strickland and more.
MLW: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117115/tony-schiavone-signs-multiyear-deal-with-mlw.html?p=1

Ronda Rousey is announced for the 6/24 Raw house show in Anaheim, CA at the Honda Center.

Here are the updated main event matches announced thus far for Ring of Honor's 2018 War of the Worlds tour next month, featuring a number of New Japan Pro Wrestling stars:

Wednesday 5/9 in Lowell, MA at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium:
*ROH champion Dalton Castle vs. Matt Taven.
*The Young Bucks vs. BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi

Friday 5/11 in Toronto, Ontario at the Ted Reeve Arena:
*IWGP United States champion Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez.

Sunday 5/13 in Villa Park, IL at the Odeum:
LIJ's Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI & SANADA & EVIL & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Bullet Club's Young Bucks & Cody & Marty Scurll & Adam Page.

Braxton Sutter announced this evening that he was done with Impact Wrestling, tweeting:

My time at @IMPACTWRESTLING is up and I would to extend a HUGE thank you to them. They gave me my first official contract/job as a wrestler at 35yrs old and hired my wife at the same time. I’ll never forget that. It was a great chapter in my life, now onto the next one!! pic.twitter.com/5tB2CZKdBg
— Pepper Parks (@BraxtonSutter) April 26, 2018

The word that made its way at the Impact TV tapings this week in Orlando is that Sutter had finally received an official release from the company after asking for it after the last round of tapings. It was obvious looking at the booking from this week's tapings that the company was finishing him up.

Sutter had done a great job in promoting the company whenever he was utilized in a promotional sense, so in that regard, while he wasn't pushed as a top talent, I would regard the depature as a loss.

Sutter's real-life wife Allie is remaining with Impact Wrestling, PWInsider.com has been told.

There was a breakup with Cena and Nikki Bella already taped for the coming season of “Total Bellas,” but that breakup storyline saw them get back together three days later. Art imitates life and all. So either they can use that without the making up, or have that and tape a second breakup. But they are promoting the new season around the breakup.

The WWE will hold the Greatest Royal Rumble card Friday from the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and the first event of a ten-year deal the WWE has entered with the Saudi General Sports Authority. This is a show that is impossible to eliminate the politics. The wrestling is merely the item in the display window with the real story being the partnership and political message the WWE is attached to. Personally, I feel there has been a lot of great analysis and coverage throughout professional media going behind the politics and understanding this show for what it is. The lack of female performers is the lightning rod, but the politics go so much deeper and forces one to render what their line is and how far this crosses it. Some people will be able to divorce a professional wrestling company from the politics and actions that a Government participates in, citing many examples of big companies that do business in countries such as Saudi Arabia. In that sense, the WWE is being complicit where money is exchanged, and they can privately tell themselves they don’t condone this Government’s actions and the lack of rights enjoyed by a portion of its citizens. The next level is what the WWE is acting upon and that includes entering an agreement where their female talent is excluded, they are inherently stating that despite their public stance of “female empowerment”, that notion has its limits, and sadly, a price. The broadcast and presentation will be a big story coming out of Friday with how far the WWE is going to present the host country in a favorable light and serve as a commercial for the country. Again, these are actionable examples where the WWE is not just turning a blind eye but actively engaging as window dressing for a country with a terrible record with regard to civil rights.

Paul Levesque, who was in the country early to help promote and put together the event, said to The Independent, “I understand that people are questioning it, but you have to understand that every culture is different and just because you don’t agree with a certain aspect of it, it doesn’t mean it’s not a relevant culture. You can’t dictate to a country or a religion about how they handle things, but, having said that, WWE is at the forefront of a women’s evolution in the world and what you can’t do is affect change anywhere by staying away from it.”

WWE simply didn’t have the power to allow anyone to attend and sit anywhere in the stadium, nor to allow their female performers to work, or even attend the show. If they had been able to negotiate changes into the ten-year deal, they, in fact, would have been affecting change. Instead, they are promoting the country worldwide on its television in a manner they have never done before, and for the obvious economic reasons. This isn’t even bringing up being a propaganda arm for the country in a war in Yemen that is often considered the worst humanitarian crisis currently in the world.

Alfred Konuwa's latest blog at Forbes looks at some of the criticism WWE is facing with holding "The Greatest Royal Rumble" in Saudi Arabia, despite women not being allowed to wrestle a the event.

"WWE will surely brandish countless shots of women in the crowd enjoying the Greatest Royal Rumble on Friday. That's not progressive. It's propaganda," Konuwa wrote. "For all the intense backlash that influenced sponsors to encourage a name-change of the Fabulous Moolah Battle Royal, which may or may not have unfairly villainized the polarizing former women's champion, backlash against WWE for its lucrative partnership with an oppressive kingdom has been relatively muted."
If WWE was expecting to get a lot of positive mainstream coverage for holding an event in Saudi Arabia, the opposite pretty much happened instead.

MLW has added a singles match between Chelsea Green and Santana Garrett for next Thursday’s television taping in Orlando at the Gilt Nightclub. The following matches have been announced for the show: Shane Strickland vs. Pentagon Jr. for the MLW heavyweight title, Rey Fenix vs. ACH, MVP vs. Maxwell Jacob Freidman, Jeff Cobb vs. Jake Hager (Jack Swagger), Brian Cage vs. Joey Janela, Fred Yehi vs. Tom Lawlor, Green vs. Garrett.

Regarding Katsuya Kitamura, the company has still not said anything about him publicly and the official word is that he is simply out of action due to a serious concussion

Terry Funk, 73, is still having trouble from his hernia surgery from September 2016, where he had the surgery and then right after the surgery flew to the East Coast with the idea of not missing a booking because it was a weekend Tommy Dreamer booked him. He was planning on going to the Cauliflower Alley Club in Las Vegas next week because Brickhouse Brown asked him to give his induction speech, but he’s in a lot of pain in his stomach and won’t be able to travel. He wasn’t able to attend last year either.

The ten most watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network were: 1. WrestleMania; 2. Something Else to Wrestle With episode one; 3. NXT from 4/18; 4. NXT Takeover New Orleans; 5. 2018 Royal Rumble; 6. Ride Along with New Day Gable & Benjamin; 7. WWE 24 on Raw 25; 8. Bruno special (given all the hype on Raw, this is surprisingly low in a sense, but the reality is that there is not a lot of viewing of pre-Attitude Era stuff on the network, let alone when it comes to something where it was on someone who dates back a generation before that); 9. 205 Live from 4/17; 10. NXT from 4/11.

For those unaware, Low Ki was scheduled to wrestle Matt Riddle at his Bloodsport event in New Orleans during WrestleMania weekend. However, Ki was replaced by Minoru Suzuki due to injury.

The event was run by Game Changer Wrestling and promoter Brett Lauderdale tweeted this week saying, “And so I ask you [Low-Ki] with all due respect: Because you were not able to compete, can you please refund our deposit? We have not “buried” you or questioned your motivations. $800 is gymnastics lessons and 2 weeks of summer camp for my daughter. Please?”

Lauderdale’s tweet prompted a six-minute video response from Ki in which the former WWE/Impact wrestler attempts to explain that he got injured while training for the match, but still flew out to New Orleans hoping they’d be able to come up with another way to use him on the show.

Low-Ki claims that a previously agreed upon room was no longer available for him once he arrived though, because it was assumed he was no longer coming, so the wrestler paid for it himself.

Due to all of this, as well as not receiving MORE MONEY for a show he wasn’t able to compete on, the wrestler believes his professional obligations have been met and the money is his.
Link: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/low-ki-bloodsport-deposit/

WWE has a new poll asking fans which return they are most looking forward to in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match on Friday. As of this writing, 42% voted for Rey Mysterio while 39% voted for Chris Jericho, 13% for The Great Khali and 6% for 2018 WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry.

WWE Home Video will be releasing "The Shield: Justice For All" on July 10th, according to WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. The three-disc DVD set was previously named "The Shield: Rise & Fall" but that was a working title. You can pre-order the DVD at a sale price via this Amazon link. The DVD will be a match compilation that features Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose as a team and in singles action. There will also be newly-filmed interview segments with all three members of the group and it's rumored that never-before-released matches will be included. WDN reports that each of the discs will focus on one member of the group.

Below is the synopsis for the set:

They were a united front against injustice… The Shield was the most dominant group WWE has ever seen, and launched the careers of three of WWE's most successful superstars. As dominant as they were as a trio, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins took WWE by storm, and each achieved incredible individual success. All three would go on to achieve the ultimate goal of being WWE Champion, and compete in some of the biggest matches in WWE history.

This set follows the journeys of Seth, Dean, and Roman as they compete with Legends like The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Triple H. Hear from the stars themselves, as they discuss the impact The Shield days had on their careers, and how it helped drive and mold them into what they are today. Even when apart, their brotherhood remains strong… and you never know when the Hounds of Justice might reunite again to help fight for a common goal.

This is the legacy of Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns… The Shield. See their greatest matches in this new collection from WWE Home Video.

Above is new video of Triple H appearing on the "Tafaolkum" show in Saudi Arabia to promote Friday's WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event. He talks about the amazing fanbase in Saudi Arabia and how welcoming everyone is there.

"I'm always amazed when I come here, that the fanbase is so deep and their love for WWE is so intense. It's such a welcoming place. To be honest, I think it's misunderstood in a lot of the world when you come here to Saudi Arabia," he said. "It's just a wonderful place and the people are so friendly here, and they're excited to see you. Especially when it comes to WWE. We are like superheroes come to life and they can see you walking down the street in front of them, they kind of look in awe. It's a wonderful feeling. I know the WWE Superstars that are arriving today and tomorrow to come here for this event are really looking forward to being here and putting on a show for the fans."
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrSt80uWwQQ

Some other sheet news includes:

ROH announced they will be holding a Women of Honor tour in the UK next month. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117105/roh-announces-women-of-honor-set-for-uk-tour.html?p=1
For those interested, women's promotion Pro Wrestling Eve is currently offering a free week subscription to their On Demand streaming service. https://twitter.com/ProWrestlingEVE/status/989537959371247618
According to the Observer, Alexa Bliss' cosmetic surgery was to replace and enhance the implants she had prior to joining the WWE.
The National had a recent interview with Mark Henry talking about the Greatest Royal Rumble card being as special as Mania, wanting to win the 50-man Rumble, and Randy Orton. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0425/639338/mark-henry-on-respecting-randy-orton/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Vince, Undertaker, Lesnar, Reigns & Others Dine Together in Saudi Arabia (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/vince-undertaker-lesnar-reigns-hhh-angle-and-other-wrestlers-dine-together-in-saudi-arabia/)
Two Former WWE Wrestlers in Saudi Arabia as Possible Entrants for Rumble (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/two-former-wwe-wrestlers-in-saudi-arabia-as-possible-surprise-entrants-for-rumble/)
WWE: Cena/Bella Breakup, Carmella, Undertaker Casket Match Losses (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-cena-bella-breakup-on-total-bellas-carmella-vs-haters-undertaker-casket-match-losses/)

Sepholio

04-26-2018, 11:21 PM

I'm going to need Hassan in that rumble. Thanks.

Emperor Smeat

04-27-2018, 09:34 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WWE's Greatest Moment of 2018:
https://i.imgur.com/h5FzZ0y.gif

Regarding Sami Zayn not being on today's show, WWE said: "WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world."

The only thing I'll say about the show, is when you watch WWE, they are usually not subtle and this was no exception. If you had any question about what this was, they gave you no wiggle room to pretend it was something that it wasn't. They were paid a lot of money to be ambassadors for Saudi Arabian propaganda. Whether that's good or bad is your own value structure.
Rumor going around the net is either Sami refused to work on the show or WWE didn't allow him in order to appease the Saudi government. Both based on his Syrian ethnicity and relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia being terrible for years.

"Avengers: Infinity War," which features Dave Bautista debuted last night and did $39 million in its first night, a Thursday, and has also done another $95 million internationally. It'll be No. 1 by a wide margin this coming weekend. It is expected to do well over $200 million this weekend. Last night was the fourth largest Thursday night for any movie in U.S. history.

It was 62 years ago today, on April 27, 1956, that Arena Mexico first opened. Tonight's show is an anniversary show and there is a women's hair vs. hair match with Seductora vs. Princesa Sugehit, and the show is a little deeper than usual, but other than that it's not much different from any other Friday night show except it has the anniversary name. Really the best stuff on the show may be the first two matches.

ROH will be hosting a U.S. title match with Jay White defending against Punishment Martinez on 5/11 in Toronto.

As we had noted previously, Dave Bautista at one point was to team with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania in the mixed tag, and then it didn't happen. He talked about it in more detail with Chad Dukes.

“This is all insider stuff, and I usually don't share. I'm really an old-school kayfabe guy. But they reached out to me earlier this year to possibly come back and do that thing with Ronda. And I said that I would be willing to do it only if we teased something for me and Hunter to go to Mania next year. And they said, 'Yeah, that would be great. I love that idea.' And I said, 'Well, that's great. I'll come back a few times during the year, and we'll tease it, and we'll work it and we'll milk it. And we'll go to Mania, me and Hunter, next year.' Oh, I love that idea. Let's do it! And so we literally talked for about like three weeks and then they just stopped calling me. I sent a text to Hunter. I was like, 'Hey man, I don't know if you put any more thought into what's going on. I'm really excited about the possibilities.’ And I literally never heard back from them. They just stopped talking to me about it. Man, I don't know what else I can do to try to... I want to end my career the right way. I'm faithful and loyal to the WWE. I'm proud of being from there and I want to do good business with them, but they just don't make it easy. You know, they just don't.”

Bautista goes on to say, if nothing happens by next year, “I'm just gonna officially hang it up.”
Link: https://thefandc.radio.com/dave-bautista-planning-return-wwe-stopped-returning-calls

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has revealed the lineup for what might be their final show at American Legion Post #308.

"Bask in His Glory" will take place in Reseda, California on May 25th, and the name of the show -- a reference to Keith Lee and his catchphrase -- is sure to increase speculation about Lee's future on the independent scene. Lee lost the PWG World Championship to WALTER at All Star Weekend night two earlier this month and is scheduled to face Australian wrestler Adam Brooks in May.

WALTER will defend his title against Sammy Guevara in the main event of Bask in His Glory.

At the beginning of All Star Weekend night one, PWG announced that the sale of their longtime home venue hasn't been finalized and their May date may not be the final show there. PWG will be returning to the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles on July 13th, with Dave Meltzer noting that it's possible there will be more shows in Reseda if the Legion Post isn't sold by August.

Here's the full card for Bask in His Glory:

PWG World Champion WALTER defending against Sammy Guevara
Keith Lee vs. Adam Brooks
Bandido vs. Robbie Eagles
Matt Riddle vs. David Starr
Jonah Rock vs. Timothy Thatcher
Jake Atlas vs. Rey Horus
Tyler Bateman vs. Trevor Lee

The backstage interviews on the show were not broadcast live in the stadium as they were part of a break in the live show to give the audience a chance to pray. That's why the Chris Jericho lines didn't get a big reaction from the audience - they couldn't see or hear it.

The original plan for Hornswoggle was for him to work a singles match on the Kickoff Show against Robbie Araujo, who has worked in the past for WWE as Wee-BL. At some point in the last day, the decision was made to put Swoggle into the Rumble instead, so Araujo went all the way to Saudi Arabia but didn't wrestle. Hornswoggle commented on his return via Twitter:

Life is pretty crazy sometimes! Thanks @wwe for having me a part of the #WWEGRR ! Got to dust off the ol’ suit for the first time in almost 10 years! pic.twitter.com/X4w4DwpfMv
— Dylan Postl (@wwehornswoggle) April 27, 2018

For those who asked about Drew McIntyre not being on the show, we are told that it was likely that McIntyre was brought to the main roster too close to the show for a work visa to be worked out.

The 4/26 edition of Impact did 308,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 373,000 overnight viewers.

WWE Network News is reporting that Camp WWE is returning to WWE Network on Sunday 5/6, the same day as Backlash. Am episode titled, “A Tale of Two Cenas" will be available at 12 PM EST that day.

Pink News published an article on WWE running the event in Saudi Arabia and all the obvious concerns that has raised in the LGBT community. WWE issued a statement to the outlet, noting, "WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs at our events around the world. Our partnership with the General Sports Authority enables us to be at the forefront of the changes that are taking place and those to come.”
Another BS thing WWE has claimed they will play a big role in helping to change when that's not going to be the case at all.

WWE announced the following to congratulate Daniel Bryan on setting a new record by being in the 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble match for 1 hour and 16 minutes. This breaks the previous record set by Rey Mysterio in 2006. Rey won that match and lasted for 1 hour, 2 minutes & 12 seconds.
Link with the announcement: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0427/639409/wwe-congratulates-daniel-bryan-for-new-record/

WWE officials had talked about adding a singles match to the Greatest Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show but that obviously never happened. PWInsider adds that the entire WWE crew was given a long list of cultural miscues to avoid while they were in Saudi Arabia this week.

Some other sheet news includes:

According to reports, Paige's film Fighting With My Family release date has been delayed till March 2019. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117140/release-of-film-based-on-paiges-family-pushed-back-to-2019.html?p=1
According to those at the event and in Saudi Arabia, WWE is currently planning on returning to the country for another big event this November. Also currently planning for an NXT tour to be held later this year there.
Pro Wrestling Sheet recently debunked rumors of WWE's Women's division getting a extra paycheck by the WWE as an apology for not being allowed on the Saudi show. https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/989271709571203072
According to fan reports from the event, Aiden English suffered an injury during the Taker-Rusev casket match and needed medical assistance after it was over. https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/8fe85o/grr_spoilers_superstar_injured_at_end_of_casket/
Recent episode of the Prime Time with Sean Mooney podcast show had Lex Luger as the guest talking about Miss Elizabeth's death, if he ever spoke to Macho Man after Liz's passing, and more. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117126/lex-luger-discusses-the-night-miss-elizabeth-died-whether-he-ever-spoke-with-randy-savage-after-how-that-night-was-the-lowest-point-of-his-life-and-more.html?p=1

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Results – Apr. 27, 2018 – Lesnar vs. Reigns (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-greatest-royal-rumble-results-apr-27-2018-lesnar-vs-reigns/)
Greatest Royal Rumble News: Trophy, Kickoff, Jinder Botch, More (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/greatest-royal-rumble-news-trophy-kickoff-jinder-botch-more/)

Mr. Nerfect

04-27-2018, 10:20 PM

I hope the complaints against them get more traction. I love seeing businesses held against the fire for their practices. There's business and then there's just blatant hypocrisy. What is the WWE trying to sell? If it's bullshit feel-good entertainment for the masses, then they need to make sure it's feel-good.

slik

04-30-2018, 02:13 PM

slik

04-30-2018, 02:16 PM

Also, Roman was not supposed to be 'touched' by anyone between WM and GRR.
Not sure what that means but I should be able to find out more 2morrow possibly...

slik

04-30-2018, 05:16 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@davemeltzerWON</a> what you think the Main Event Plans are for Summer Slam Lesnar vs Lashley? Vince seems to love big Fight feels for SS curious on ur thoughts</p>— CheffCurry (@CurryCheff) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurryCheff/status/991036906136788995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lashley was under the impression when he was negotiated with that this was on the table, but Lesnar isn't yet signed for that show. <a href="https://t.co/O6VeQlfP8A">https://t.co/O6VeQlfP8A</a></p>— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/991040341150089216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 07:46 AM

I've seen several wrestling sources mention the marketing/creative teams at WWE are frustrated with upper management, particularly Vince at the moment.

Sounds like twice in a row both creative and marketing got things together for Roman post WM and post GRR as Universal Champ -- as they were told to -- only to find out live during WM when Roman lost the match and a few hours before GRR Vince had changed his mind, thus negating all marketing material that had been created and forcing creative to re-write RAW main-event storylines last minute.

Vince made a monkey-paw wish when he made his company public. He's gone a long time without his idiosyncrasies being dragged into the spotlight too much. If it happens now, well, it wouldn't be shocking and it's hard to feel sorry for him.

slik

05-01-2018, 04:13 PM

Also, Roman was not supposed to be 'touched' by anyone between WM and GRR.
Not sure what that means but I should be able to find out more 2morrow possibly...

***Update***

* Roman Reigns has been working hurt since Wrestlemania. Roman did not have physical activity of any kind on WWE TV from Wrestlemania until 'The Greatest Royal Rumble Ever' as they were trying to let him heal up and rest. Roman got more banged up on the cage spot at GRR.

* WWE is toying with the idea of turning Randy Orton heel again

* Lashley was not blamed at all for the botched suplex with Cass at GRR. The botch was on Cass's end as he did not post on Bobby's hip at all, which gave Lashley no support for his weight.

* Officials are very aware of the poor job that has been done with Bobby Lashley thus far. It is one of those situations where he was simply lost in the shuffle due to the Superstar Shake-up and Vince changing his mind on things. Vince wanted Lashley to debut the night after WrestleMania but didn't account for the Shake Up causing him to get lost in the shuffle. Again, they are aware of this and will be attempting to make him look special in the coming weeks.

* Vince is concerned that Ronda Rousey is appearing on television too much and sees her as more of a special attraction, akin to Brock Lesnar.

* Brock's next title defense will be at Money In The Bank.

Damian Rey 2.0

05-01-2018, 05:29 PM

Vince should take that approach to a lot his main event guys. As nxt has shown, less is more.

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 06:08 PM

Interesting stuff.

* Roman Reigns working hurt actually strongly supports not putting the belt on him. I mean, it isn't working, but that doesn't stop them.

* Randy Orton turning heel is something that has been rumored for a long time, and just given the frequency of those turns, should be expected. Orton turning on Jeff is something I am personally hoping for.

* It doesn't surprise me. Lashley is a hoss and Cass is inexperienced and not very good in the ring.

* I actually like what they've done with Lashley. If they brought him and went and got Michael Cole to do his phony hype stuff, people would reject it, because they've gotten that wry about the product. The WWE has created this monster where people reject pushes, and sometimes they are right, but sometimes they don't even know why. Teaming him with Braun is a great way to get that "overness" I keep hearing about Braun onto Lashley without blatantly having Lashley usurping Braun, upsetting the fans, even though Lashley is 10x better.

* Vince is right about Ronda.

* Brock's next title defense being at Money in the Bank means that he will have spent 441 days as Universal Champion, lasting longer than Punk did with the WWE Title as Brock heads into Chicago. Brilliant. God, I hope Heyman plays that up.

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 06:15 PM

Something to point out about Brock's Universal Title reign. He's currently at 10 defenses, not counting the AJ Styles match, which wasn't for the belt, but had championship stakes on the line in a kayfabe sense. Kazuchika Okada is at 11 defenses of the IWGP Title over a 680 day period, which averages out to a defense ever 62 days or so. Brock's been defending the Uni Title every 39 days. If we're only counting televised matches, then Brock is at 6 without counting the AJ Styles win, which only puts Brock at 66 days. Obviously this doesn't mean that the Brock and Okada reigns need to feel the same to people, but when we're talking technicalities, it's either much of a muchness or Brock has actually defended his belt much more frequently than Okada has his.

Emperor Smeat

05-01-2018, 06:44 PM

***Update***

* Officials are very aware of the poor job that has been done with Bobby Lashley thus far. It is one of those situations where he was simply lost in the shuffle due to the Superstar Shake-up and Vince changing his mind on things. Vince wanted Lashley to debut the night after WrestleMania but didn't account for the Shake Up causing him to get lost in the shuffle. Again, they are aware of this and will be attempting to make him look special in the coming weeks.

* Vince is concerned that Ronda Rousey is appearing on television too much and sees her as more of a special attraction, akin to Brock Lesnar.

In regards to Lashley, WWE is basically comically inept at this point due to how many times they keep repeating this same mistake.

In regards to Ronda, kind of telling WWE's way of protecting Ronda's aura from their booking is to not have her on tv. Unlike Lesnar, she really needs all the tv experience possible (promos & wrestling skills). Right now her star power isn't carrying over in terms of constant mainstream interest for the WWE.

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 07:11 PM

No one can get mainstream interest for the WWE, because no one takes WWE seriously. I imagine most people think of it as "WWE are paying Ronda a lot of money to fake wrestle and she wants a break from real fighting."

Sepholio

05-01-2018, 09:21 PM

I'm sorry but you are suffering from a severe mental deficiency if you think Lashley is 10 times better than Braun.

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 09:24 PM

You're right. It's probably more like 15-20 times better.

Lock Jaw

05-01-2018, 09:38 PM

Do you still think that Braun isn't over?

Not trying to "start s***", just curious......

Emperor Smeat

05-01-2018, 09:59 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Tripping OUTTA NOWHERE:
https://i.imgur.com/rqJyPBT.gif

WWE Raw remained consistent with last week doing 3.06 million viewers, down one percent.

The numbers are likely to trickle down as a general rule the next few months due to the NBA playoffs since the basketball numbers will increase as the playoffs get deeper ...

The drop from the second to third hour was the largest among males 18-49. Traditionally it is the women's number that drops the most in the third hour. Teenagers, both boys and girls, held steady.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 3.14 million viewers
9 p.m. 3.18 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.88 million viewers

Showtime Sports has revealed the premiere date and released the trailer for their upcoming documentary on Mauro Ranallo.

The film is called "Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller," a reference to a nickname that Ranallo gave himself earlier in his career. It focuses on his time in broadcasting and the mental health challenges that he's dealt with. The documentary will debut on Showtime at 9 p.m. Eastern time on May 25th, which is part of Mental Health Awareness month.

“I have always tried to do my part to bring awareness to mental health issues,” Ranallo said. “Over the last several years, I allowed my best friend, Haris (Usanovic), to film me at my lowest points as well as at my highest. The idea is simply to show others who suffer that they are not alone and that, even when the outlook is bleak, you can overcome and achieve success. Mental illness is a life sentence -- there is no cure -- but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence.”

Ranallo currently does play-by-play for NXT, Showtime Boxing, and Bellator MMA. He joined the NXT announce team last June, which came after a severe bout with mental health issues and him leaving SmackDown amid allegations that he was being bullied.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NAkbSIXxVc

After regularly appearing at NXT house shows and on television for the past year, Danny Burch is officially back with WWE on a full-time basis.

Burch, who is known as Martin Stone outside of WWE, revealed the news during a speech at Beyond Wrestling's show in Worcester, Massachusetts yesterday. Revolution Pro Wrestling had previously announced that he wouldn't be able to make their May 11th event at York Hall.
Link: https://twitter.com/LWMaine/status/990730769088868352

Indie wrestlers Scott Parker & Shane Matthews, who have done enhancement work for WWE before, wrestled as Jean-Paul & Francois against The Authors of Pain last night.

WWE Shop released a shirt for Titus O’Neil that references his slip at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

The second season of Camp WWE is premiering in the on-demand section of the WWE Network this Sunday.

Triple H tweeted about Showtime’s upcoming documentary on Mauro Ranallo: “Amazed by the strength and bravery it takes to stand up in front of the world and show them your struggle, just so others will know they don't struggle alone...@mauroranallo tells the stories of so many people..now it’s time to hear his.” The documentary premieres on May 25th.

Zack Ryder commented on the 11th anniversary of his WWE debut: “11 years ago-5/1/07-I made my @wwe debut. Over a decade of being on the main roster-living the dream-busting my ass & doing whatever it takes to capitalize on opportunities. I’m only 32 years old-I may not just be getting started-but I’m damn sure not even close to being finished”

Mansoor, one of the Saudi tryout attendees who was involved in the segment with Ariya & Shawn Daivari at the Greatest Royal Rumble, responded to the threats that Ariya has received: “Ariya is an absolute class act and it was a pleasure to meet and work with him. I owe him and his brother so much. Please remember all performers are human beings first. Adults should be able to separate reality and fiction.”

Titus: https://shop.wwe.com/titus-oneil-rumble-stumble-or-slide-t-shirt/HI2004.html?dwvar_HI2004_color=Black#curr=USD&start=1 , WWE Camp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFBvZ83clR8 , HHH: https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/991073257758646272 , Ryder: https://twitter.com/ZackRyder/status/991367108088025088 , Mansoor: https://twitter.com/MannyFaberino/status/991403786974380032

PCW Ultra announced that Ricky Steamboat will be on its 5/4 iPPV show as the referee for a light heavyweight title match with Shane Strickland vs. Douglas James.

Juice Robinson, Hiromu Takahashi, Rocky Romero, Sho, Yoh, and Ryusuke Taguchi have been added to the lineup for the CEO x NJPW show in Daytona Beach on June 29th.

As they continue to announce matches for their War of the Worlds tour, ROH has added Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll & Hangman Page vs. Rocky Romero, Sho & Yoh and SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs. Jay White, Chuck Taylor & Jay Lethal to the lineup for their show in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 9th. Cody vs. Hiromu Takahashi and Punishment Martinez vs. Page are set for Royal Oak, Michigan on May 12th.

Battle Championship Wrestling announced Danielle Moinet (formerly Summer Rae in WWE) vs. Ivelisse for their show in Melbourne, Australia on May 25th. This is Moinet’s first announced independent match since being released by WWE last year.

PROGRESS Wrestling revealed the bracket for this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament, with Kassius Ohno facing Chris Brookes in the first round. On May 6th, Travis Banks will defend his PROGRESS Championship against WALTER in the main event of night two of the tournament.
BCW: https://www.instagram.com/p/BiL-bc8AzHN , PROGRESS: https://twitter.com/ThisIs_Progress/status/991233319986716672 & https://twitter.com/ThisIs_Progress/status/991307534223970305

Aro Lucha, the promotion from former Impact Wrestling minority owner and production company Aroluxe, will hold their next TV taping on 6/17 in Nashville, TN at the Nashville Fairgrounds (aka the former TNA Asylum.) No talents have been announced as of this writing, but the taping is being billed as "Rey Mysterio & Aro Lucha present..."

After watching RAW on Monday and being reminded of the Amazing chemistry that Booker T and Corey Graves have, I was wondering, Was it Booker T's choice to leave the Monday night RAW broadcast team? I think Booker is a more entertaining fit for the group, in my opinion, as that I find Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman to have the same stale personality.

Booker has said, a few times, that he doesn’t want to be on the road doing Raw full time. He will fill in whenever he is needed, but he doesn’t want to do it full time. I agree with you, I like him a lot on commentary. I think Coach is good too, but Booker brings a fun element to commentary that I enjoy.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles on why Booker is no longer a RAW commentator.

In a wrestling at the box office update, Box Office Mojo reports Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War which features Dave Bautista reprising his role as Drax for the third time, no surprise topped the US box office with $250 million this weekend. Internationally, the ultimate superhero team-up made $630 million worldwide. The film is the biggest box office opening of any film in history.

Rampage starring Dwayne Johnson came in at number four for the weekend behind A Quiet Place and Amy Schumer comedy I Feel Pretty, bringing in $7.1 million in the US during its second weekend. Including international receipts and last week's domestic box office the film has made $334 .6 million

Blockers starring John Cena dropped to number eight at the US box office behind horror film "Truth or Dare" making $2.9 million in its fourth week. Including previous totals, the R-rated comedy has made $75.3 million.

So three of the top ten films star pro wrestlers. What a surreal time.

A listener in Quebec contacted us regarding Sami Zayn and noted that he did do an interview on Monday for 91.9 Sports in Montreal and addressed his exclusion from the Greatest Royal Rumble. The interview was conducted in French and it was relayed to us that Zayn described it as a “complicated situation where he doesn’t have all the details.” He stated it is his goal to represent both Arabs and Quebecers and was not bothered by the political aspect and feels he is a good influence on WWE each week and being himself. He was disappointed he could not represent Arabs and Quebecers in an Arabic region, but it was out of his control.

Knox County, Tennessee is holding its Republican primary today with Glen Jacobs seeing the nomination to run for Mayor of Knox County in August. Jacobs is running against Brad Anders and Bob Thomas for the Republican nomination. The winner of the Republican nomination is expected to be favored in the general election this summer against whoever is the Democratic nominee.

It looks like WWE may have done away with the Flashback Friday programming themes on the WWE Network. The weekly round of programming began airing on Friday afternoons in August 2017 and may have ended in mid-April of this year.

Impact announced today that former WWE Superstar Santino Marella will be hosting a new weekly show on the Impact Twitch channel. Santino will be hosting the show with Iceman from Destiny Wrestling. The show is set to air on Wednesdays at 4pm EST with the premiere coming this Wednesday. Detail on "Behind The Lights" are in the tweet below:

BREAKING: A brand new weekly @Twitch show featuring @milanmiracle and @DestinyWrestle's Iceman talking all the latest news in the world of pro wrestling and MMA will debut THIS WEDNESDAY at 4pm ET at https://t.co/nFjjBnGAfb! pic.twitter.com/UjJuWDH1oW
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) April 30, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/991059620973109249

Some other sheet news includes:

Naomichi Marufuji defeated Kento Miyahara in the finals of this year's AJPW Carnival of Champions tournament. https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/ajpw-crowns-2018-champion-carnival-winner-256766
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 41st anniversary of Superstar Billy Graham defeating Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship. This ended Bruno's 2nd and smaller reign as champion at the time.
Momo Watanabe defeated Bea Priestley to win this year's Stardom Cinderella tournament.
CBS Sports' In This Corner podcast show had The Miz as the guest talking about defeating Cena at Mania 27, becoming a father, and thoughts on Daniel Bryan's return. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0501/639510/the-miz-says-daniel-bryan-didnt-fight-for-his-dreams-when-he/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Ariya Daivari Says He Got Death Threats for Segment in Saudi Arabia (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/ariya-daivari-says-he-got-death-threats-for-segment-in-saudi-arabia/)
WWE: WWE Paid Women for Saudi Show? Main Event Results, WWE Signing (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/wwe-wwe-paid-women-for-saudi-show-main-event-results-wwe-signing/)
Various: Movie w/ Batista Breaks Record, Heat on WWE Network, Titus (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/various-movie-w-batista-breaks-record-heat-on-wwe-network-titus-oneil/)
John Cena to Star in a Movie Produced by The Rock (http://www.tpww.net/2018/04/john-cena-to-star-in-a-movie-produced-by-the-rock/)

slik

05-01-2018, 10:04 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With 51 precincts reporting, it's still a close race for Knox County mayor in the GOP primary. Brad Anders has 36%, Glenn Jacobs has 35% (a less than 400 vote difference), and Bob Thomas has 28%. LATEST RESULTS: <a href="https://t.co/JTfmNbcpFR">https://t.co/JTfmNbcpFR</a></p>— WATE 6 On Your Side (@6News) <a href="https://twitter.com/6News/status/991492534085046273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 10:07 PM

Isn't that over, yes. His reactions are underwhelming compared to what has been reported (crowds are shit, but he doesn't ignite them), and I don't think he has the mass appeal that people say he does (or else crowds wouldn't be shit). I think he's a big dude that was booked to throw around people no one gave a fuck about the safety of, and they've been worked into thinking this makes him "good." Whenever he has to work a longer match, it's full of boring shit and botches because he's not really that good and people have just missed certain elements of pro-wrestling (squashes, big guys tossing people around) and are willing to latch onto anyone not Reigns.

Outside that, his name is goofy, his look is goofy, the angles he is involved in absolutely suck and are impossible to take seriously. He's very much a product of modern wrestling to me, and I think he's only more over than a bunch of other people that aren't over at all, which is a caveat that needs to be discussed. During the Attitude era, for example -- he is stuck in DOA or a mid-card tag team with Faarooq or something.

https://media1.tenor.com/images/022519cebbfd5a84d10100fc8eef8129/tenor.gif?itemid=10188753

There are two types of people in the wrestling world: People who find that gif funny and awesome, hahaha, Braun is awesome, so cool; and people who question why they are watching this lame shit. Honestly, I think he is more over within the bubble of the internet, which also tells you that Broken Matt Hardy was over, women's wrestling draws and cruiserweights matter. You begin to hear this thing again and again so you think it is more widely true than it actually is. And I do believe that people have been oversaturated with mediocre wrestling for so long that different is automatically better to a lot of connoisseurs.

Triple A

05-01-2018, 10:08 PM

Kane now leads by 108 votes with 98% of precincts reporting...

Emperor Smeat

05-01-2018, 10:11 PM

Thought Kane was running as a Libertarian for his mayor race.

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 10:31 PM

Mr. Nerfect

05-01-2018, 10:32 PM

Thought Kane was running as a Libertarian for his mayor race.

I thought libertarians were Republicans?

Emperor Smeat

05-01-2018, 10:52 PM

On the local level they are a different party even though they do share a lot of similarities in terms of ideology. Either he recently switched to regular Republican party or Tennessee just considers both parties to be the same for primary reasons.

Triple A

05-01-2018, 10:57 PM

"Libertarian" is both a political party and just the name for a political ideology. Similar to Ron Paul running as a Republican.

Knox County also always votes Republican apparently, so that was the only realistic way he could win.

Triple A

05-01-2018, 10:59 PM

Also they just announced that he won by 17 votes, but there are still 43 "provisional ballots" to count on Thursday...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With all precincts reporting, Glenn Jacobs has won the GOP nomination for Knox County mayor. Still a few provisional ballots, so results won't be official until next week. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATE</a> RESULTS: <a href="https://t.co/JTfmNbcpFR">https://t.co/JTfmNbcpFR</a></p>— WATE 6 On Your Side (@6News) <a href="https://twitter.com/6News/status/991502696405454854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-02-2018, 12:20 AM

Good for Kane. Tentatively.

Emperor Smeat

05-02-2018, 09:47 PM

Dirtsheets by Nakamura's Quest to Eradicate Future Wrestling Generations:
https://i.imgur.com/R1RMKGD.gif

Tuesday night's SmackDown on the USA Network averaged just 2.436 million viewers, the show's lowest number of the year so far and down four percent from last week.

The episode went up against stiff competition from game one of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals series featuring Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers facing the Toronto Raptors, which averaged 5.58 million viewers and aired directly opposite SmackDown on TNT ...

The good news is that the show was up five percent year-over-year. The May 1st, 2017 episode did 2.3 million viewers, also going against heavy competition from the NBA playoffs.

Daniel Bryan's first bout with Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE came in the form of a dark match at last night's SmackDown tapings in Montreal.

The match happened after 205 Live went off the air, with Bryan winning by disqualification. Bryan was hitting his "Yes" kicks when Nakamura gave him a low blow for the DQ, but Bryan stood tall after the match by hitting a running knee as Nakamura was going for the Kinshasa.

While there are still provisional votes to be counted, Glenn Jacobs (Kane) has declared victory in his bid to become the Republican candidate for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Jacobs ended tonight with a 17-vote lead over second-place finisher Brad Anders. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, he received 14,633 votes to Anders' 14,616. Bob Thomas came in third with 11,296 votes ...

The provisional votes will be counted this Thursday. Anders has yet to address the subject of a recount.

Jacobs' campaign declared victory after tonight's results, "Glenn, along with his family, volunteers and supporters declare victory in a hard-fought Knox County Mayoral race this evening. Together we won! Tomorrow, we move forward."

Jacobs himself also sent a message to everyone who has supported him, "Thanks to everyone who helped win this historic victory!! The people who cast a ballot for me, my great team, my wonderful volunteers. Looking forward to VICTORY in the general election!"

That general election will take place on August 2nd, and the Republican candidate will be the overwhelming favorite to become the next mayor.
Links: https://twitter.com/GlennJacobsTN/status/991509884557545472 , https://twitter.com/GlennJacobsTN/status/991511760447340549

ROH TV champion Silas Young vs. Austin Aries has been announced for the 5/13 War of the Worlds event in Villa Park, IL at the Odeum, which will be a TV taping.

Cody vs. Jushin Liger has been added to the Toronto War of the Worlds tour date on Friday 5/11 at the Ted Reeve Arena.
Announced Cards: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117221/updated-roh-war-of-the-worlds-tour-lineups-.html?p=1

The Lowell, Toronto and Royal Oak shows will be live events streamed on Honor Club. Chicago will be a television taping.

The ROH Website has a poll asking fans what should be the next DVD compilation added to the HonorClub streaming service. The choices are:

-Austin Aries "The Greatest Man To Ever Live"
-Bryan Danielson "World Champion"
-Christopher Daniels "The Fallen Angel"
-Samoa Joe "A Championship Legacy
-"Kevin Steen "Ascension To The Top"

While co-hosting Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry praised Seth Rollins and how good he’s gotten: “Seth Rollins, right now, is for your money, to me, he’s one of the most exciting guys wrestling. He’s getting to that ‘great’ stratusphere, like beyond elite. He’s becoming, dare I say, Hall of Fame caliber. He’s going to be one of the best before it’s all said and done with.”

The XFL has been in contact with the city of Orlando about bringing a team to Camping World Stadium.

Wrestling DVD Network revealed the match listing for WWE's “Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division” DVD, which is scheduled to be released in June.
Henry: https://twitter.com/BustedOpenRadio/status/991389201471016962 , XFL: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/open-mike/os-sp-vince-mcmahon-xfl-orlando-steve-spurrier-alliance-of-american-football-20180501-story.html , Women's DVD: http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/full-match-listing-evolution-of-wwe-womens-division-dvd/154103/

The first night of this year’s Wrestling Dontaku kicks off in Fukuoka at 4 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow morning. Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page, Kota Ibushi vs. Cody Rhodes, Hiroshi Tanahashi & KUSHIDA vs. Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay, Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, & El Desperado in a 10-man tag, and NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa defending against The Young Bucks & Marty Scurll are the top five matches, The second night of Dontaku will take place the next day, with Okada vs. Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, and Omega, Ibushi, Fale, Tonga & Loa vs. Cody, The Young Bucks, Scurll & Page.

Okada has been confirmed for NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved UK shows in Milton Keynes on June 30th and Manchester on July 1st. The CEO x NJPW show is happening in Daytona Beach, Florida on June 29th, and Naito and Dragon Lee have been added to the lineup for that.

Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai will make her first title defense at ROH War of the Worlds: Chicago on May 13th, facing Jenny Rose. The Briscoes vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Flip Gordon is set for the War of the Worlds tour stop in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 9th.

WrestlePro announced Joey Janela vs. Ultimo Dragon as the main event of their show in Rahway, New Jersey on June 8th.

Rich Swann tweeted that he’ll be facing Palmer on Impact Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Revolver’s Twitch special this Saturday.

NJPW: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/991729426806304768 , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/woh-championship-be-defended-first-time-chicago , WrestlePro: https://twitter.com/WrestlePro/status/991512947196399616 , Swann: https://twitter.com/GottaGetSwann/status/991459722388819968

This went under the radar when WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy won the title from Jinder Mahal a few weeks back to become the latest Grand Slam Champion, but Hardy also set another WWE record with the win. Hardy became the first and only Superstar in WWE history to hold the WWE Title, the World Heavyweight Title, the WWE Intercontinental Title, the WWE United States Title, the World Tag Team Titles, the RAW Tag Team Titles, the WWE European Title, the WWE Hardcore Title and the WWE Light Heavyweight Title.

Alexi sent word that the Montreal fans were chanting "on S'en Calisse!" in French at Big Cass during his WWE SmackDown segment with Little Daniel Bryan last night, which roughly translates to, "we don't give a f***!"

The "on veut Maryse!" chants during The Miz's opening MizTV segment were the crowd chanting, "we want Maryse!" The Miz responded and told the crowd that he took her home to Hollywood.

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of Talk Is Jericho podcast show had The Young Bucks as the guests. https://omny.fm/shows/talk-is-jericho/tij-ep452-theyoungbucks-fullshow
Recent episode of The Steve Austin show podcast had Jim Ross as the guest. https://www.podcastone.com/episode/Catching-Up-with-Jim-Ross
Recent episode of the Sam Roberts Podcast show had AJ Styles as the guest talking about his gaming habits, if he would have been happy with his career if it didn't include a WWE stint, Daniel Bryan's in-ring return, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0502/639543/aj-styles-on-why-daniel-bryan-wwe-ring-return-reminds-him-of/
Sportskeeda had a recent interview with Ricky Steamboat talking about seeing Steve Austin's mega star potential early on, who he considers to be the next Steamboat type star, and Roman Reigns struggles with fan support. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0502/639531/ricky-steamboat-on-what-roman-reigns-needs-to-work-on-why-he/
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, The Rock celebrated his 46th birthday today. Vince McMahon celebrated the occasion on Twitter. https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/status/991805490492456960

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Chris Jericho Is Expected to Return to NJPW (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/chris-jericho-is-expected-to-return-to-njpw/)
Various: “All In” Tickets, Alexa Bliss Ready to Return to Action (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/various-all-in-tickets-alexa-bliss-ready-to-return-to-action/)
Jason Jordan Expected to Return This Month (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/jason-jordan-expected-to-return-this-month/)
Indie Superstar Keith Lee Is WWE-Bound (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/indie-superstar-keith-lee-is-wwe-bound/)

slik

05-03-2018, 12:39 AM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Something I heard recently... if your wondering why NXT ref Drake Wuertz worked the Rousey / Angle tag at Mania, arguably the biggest match on the card, you aren’t alone. Heard he made a play for the match w/ Hunter and somehow got it, surprising all the main roster refs. <a href="https://t.co/hHJN5crDFa">pic.twitter.com/hHJN5crDFa</a></p>— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/991760444871401472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-04-2018, 05:53 AM

I love New Japan, and I am really rooting for them, but the <4,000 tickets thing doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The internet tends to inflate how over they are.

slik

05-04-2018, 09:10 AM

I think it also hurts they scheduled the same state so soon after their last US show.

If anything, it would have made more sense to have a show on the East Coast instead of the West Coast once more.

Jordan

05-04-2018, 09:33 AM

Mr. Nerfect

05-04-2018, 10:34 AM

When they announce Jericho/Naito and whatever hot match Okada and Kenny are in, and hopefully Rey Misterio, I think they can easily double what they have now, maybe more. Hoping they can at least get 7,000. I don't think this bodes well for All In.

10,000 for Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega was always a little delusional. There aren't as many "wrestling hipsters" as people think there are.

I can get the idea that running the same place in three months might be damaging to ticket sales, but what does that say about the demand for them? Jerry Lawler and Memphis this is not.

slik

05-04-2018, 11:04 AM

Tampa Bay wants WM or RR brotherjackdudes

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins confirms his group submitting bid to host <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestleMania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WrestleMania</a> in 2023, '24 or '25, AND Royal Rumble in '22 or '23</p>— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Bulls/status/992219329801355264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

slik

05-04-2018, 11:05 AM

So far both Orlando and Tampa have publicly announced plans to bid on WM in the next handful of years

Shisen Kopf

05-04-2018, 11:19 AM

Tampa needs to host a Rasslemania. So much to do. Much better city than Orlando

Emperor Smeat

05-04-2018, 04:21 PM

I love New Japan, and I am really rooting for them, but the <4,000 tickets thing doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The internet tends to inflate how over they are.
NJPW made the big mistake of thinking their brand alone can sell shows in the US and not the actual talent or strong cards. They got lucky with the last US show but only WWE can really get away with doing that and usually for their Big 4 events.

When they announce Jericho/Naito and whatever hot match Okada and Kenny are in, and hopefully Rey Misterio, I think they can easily double what they have now, maybe more. Hoping they can at least get 7,000. I don't think this bodes well for All In.
Cody trying to hit 10k for All-In was always going to be super tough regardless of NJPW push into the US. Even the WWE struggles at times to hit that mark for their shows.

slik

05-04-2018, 05:01 PM

This guy broke MetLife hosting WM35 in November 2017 and works in the ticket biz/has inside news sometimes...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For those wondering <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WrestleMania?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WrestleMania</a> future host cities include LA, Minneapolis, and Vegas in no particular order. Rumbles will start receiving bids from cities as well. Tampa was one of them.</p>— 17ABay �� (@TicketDrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicketDrew/status/992449052800364544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not sure on all Rumbles stay tuned. Slam might be moving to Football and Baseball stadiums to make the major 4 look and feel like bigger shows. I would think Survivor Series stays away from large stadiums.</p>— 17ABay �� (@TicketDrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/TicketDrew/status/992452617824587778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-04-2018, 05:15 PM

NJPW made the big mistake of thinking their brand alone can sell shows in the US and not the actual talent or strong cards. They got lucky with the last US show but only WWE can really get away with doing that and usually for their Big 4 events.

Are the talent in New Japan really a much bigger draw than the New Japan vibe itself? Bryan Alvarez tells the story of just walking around New Orleans at WrestleMania time and just seeing Okada and no one recognizing him. That was when the city was swarmed with wrestling fans. I just don't think it's what people think it is. They were at 100,000 subscribers for New Japan World last time I checked. I'm not mocking them, but that is what they've got from a worldwide fan-base that are willing to pay 999 yen for that service. There are 100,000 fans willing to pay less than a gym membership for all the content New Japan produces.

Their show apparently does pretty well on AXS, and I am glad to hear about their steady growth, but the idea that they are exploding or whatever is an internet thing -- like that "Broken" Matt Hardy was a thing. All you need to do is look at the numbers and it's quickly dispelled as myth. I think where they went wrong is thinking that the fan-base is more than what it is, and that when they do shows where they have 2,000 people attend one, 3,000 another and 4,000 another, that they've got 9,000 fans, as opposed to 4,000.

Cody trying to hit 10k for All-In was always going to be super tough regardless of NJPW push into the US. Even the WWE struggles at times to hit that mark for their shows.

It's absolutely insane to be honest, and it's even more insane that they've made it an active goal that they can fail at. They didn't just book a big arena show with the attitude of "we're going to try and get as many fans as possible." They have specifically set their value at 10,000 people and whatever they miss is how much they've over-inflated their own value by.

The "indy wrestling in so great; we are true artists" attitude bugs me, but it's enhanced by this "we get it" demeanor, with them constantly bragging about how much money they make outside WWE. Good for them and whatever, but it's annoying when it's clear they're kind of full of shit and do something that seems like such a daft promotional move. I don't feel as sorry for them as I do New Japan.

Maybe they will draw 10,000 and make me eat crow, but if they don't, I don't know how any of them could be surprised. I don't know what indicator there has been that there are 10,000 individual fans willing to pay money to see Cody Rhodes do his mid-card WWE shtick in the main event of a show.

Emperor Smeat

05-04-2018, 09:45 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by .... NOTHING:
https://i.imgur.com/zX9iB4z.jpg

The business report did reveal that the complete separation of WWE and Alpha Entertainment (the parent company of the new XFL) that Vince McMahon claimed at the first press conference isn't exactly that. WWE owned the XFL trademarks so Vince made a deal where Alpha Entertainment will get the rights to all the trademarks in exchange for an undisclosed equity stake in Alpha. The WWE did not pay for the stake, just turned over the trademarks.
More details via PWInsider: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117249/the-wwexfl-relationship-revealed.html?p=1

Tino Sabbatelli underwent surgery for a torn pec which happened in his match last Saturday night in Largo, FL, with Velveteen Dream. He was dropkicked and somehow the pec tore as he immediately grabbed his chest at that moment and they went right to the finish. That's usually a six to nine month recuperation period and he's already 34 years old.

ROH announced for the 5/12 show in Royal Oak, MI, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky vs. Jushin Liger & Cheeseburger & Flip Gordon and Young Bucks vs. Sho & Yoh and Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley. Jay Lethal vs. Chuckie T and Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kelly Klein have been announced for 5/13 in Chicago.

All of the War of the Worlds shows will be on FITE TV for $10 live or VOD as well as Honor Club.

Evolve on 5/19 in Chicago has Austin Theory vs. DJZ for the WWN title, Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland, Chris Dickinson & Jaka defend the tag titles in an anything goes match against The End, Keith Lee vs. James Drake, Tracy Williams vs. Dominic Garrini, AR Fox vs. Zachary Wentz, Anthony Henry vs. Stevie Fierce, Darby Allin vs. Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed vs. Snoop Strikes and more. 5/20 in Livonia, MI has Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee for the Evolve title in a no rope break match, Chris Dickinson & Jaka defend the tag titles (if they still have them) vs. James Drake & Anthony Henry, Tracy Williams vs. Odinson, Darby Allin vs. Shane Strickland, Austin Theory vs. Trey Miguel, DJZ vs. Zachary Wentz and AR Fox vs. Myron Reed.

Bone Soldier did in fact return this morning, but it was none other than former NOAH star Taiji Ishimori.

Ishimori made his debut this morning at Wrestling Dontaku, jumping Will Ospreay from behind after successfully retaining the IWGP Jr. heavyweight championship. Tama Tonga, who distracted Ospreay before the attack, then took off the Bone Soldier mask revealing Ishimori as the new Bone Soldier and the latest member of the Bullet Club. It seems likely he’ll be a part of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament that takes place later this month.

Originally trained in the Toryumon dojo, Ishimori had been a staple of Pro Wrestling NOAH since 2006, starting as a freelance wrestler and eventually becoming a staple of their junior heavyweight division. He won the Junior title on three occasions and the Junior tag team titles on six occasions. He left NOAH back on March 12, citing people like Shinsuke Nakamura and Hideo Itami inspired him to travel around the world.

Since his departure, Ishimori has competed for PWG as well as Impact Wrestling.

The 5/3 edition of Impact did 299,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 308,000 overnight viewers.

Japanese wrestling legend Aja Kong vs. Viper will headline tomorrow's 5/5 Pro Wrestling EVE "WrestleQueendom" event in London, which is being billed as the biggest women's event in the history of Europe. Kay Lee Ray vs. Japanese star Meiko Satomura is also set for that event, which will also air live on The Fite App, (which you can download at this link for free). The remainder of the card features Jetta vs Nicole Matthews with Guest Referee Erin Angel, "The Box Breaker" Kris Wolf vs Jinny, a six woman Wildcard Ladder Match featuring Millie McKenzie vs Kasey Owens vs Nina Samuels vs Livvii Grace vs Leah Owens vs the winner of Wolf vs Jinny, and a War Games Rules Steel Cage Match featuring Rhia O'Reilly & Emi Sakura & Addy Starr & Laura Di Matteo vs. Jayla Dark & Jamie Hayter & Charli Evans & A mystery partner.

Kazuchika Okada retained the IWGP heavyweight title in the main event of Friday’s Dontaku card over Hiroshi Tanahashi in Fukuoka.

The win puts Okada in sole possession of the IWGP title defense record with his 12th defense, which breaks the mark of 11 that he shared with Tanahashi previously ...

After the match, Kenny Omega entered the ring to settle their feud. The rivalry stands at one win and a draw for each.

Okada proposed a no time limit match, Omega countered with a 2/3 falls no time limit match and both agreed.

Okada vs. Omega IV will take place on Saturday, June 9th, in the main event of Dominion at Osaka-jo Hall.

Bodyslam.net is now reporting that former WWE cruiserweight champion Neville is closer than ever to leaving the company. The last time there was an update on the situation, it was revealed that Neville was still sitting out his contract at home. He has reportedly asked for his release but so far WWE has not granted it.

The latest report reveals that the former 205 Live superstar is no longer living in Florida, which he called home during his WWE career. He said quietly said goodbye to his American friends and went back to the UK, but has tried to keep the move secret.

Another source said that Neville’s name hasn’t been mention within WWE “in ages.” “The Man That Gravity Forgot” walked out of the company in October of last year due to being unhappy with his job. As of now, he’s still under contract.

Link: http://www.bodyslam.net/2018/05/03/exclusive-update-on-wwe-superstar-neville/

WWE has confirmed that new WWE Network Collections on Mickie James and The Stooges will be added next week. They have also confirmed that 10 episodes of Sunday Night Heat are being uploaded to start with. You can find the full content listings for Heat, the "Patterson 'n Brisco: The Stooges" Collection and the "Mickie James: Crazy Sweetheart" Collection at this link. Collections on WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather and Money In the Bank will be added in June.

When it actually happened and the accident happened in the ring, I lost all feeling in my legs and my arms. It was literally the most terrifying experience in my life and I would never wish that upon anyone. It was so scary. I literally was like "Oh my gosh, I'm done, I'm going to be in a wheelchair now, this is it, I've pushed myself too much." Because I really did, because everytime I was in the match I was like "its okay, I'll do the comeback, I'll take the bump, I'll do this, I'll do that" because I was just so eager to get back in the ring you know. I feel like I pushed myself too hard to the point of where my body was like "stop." You know I've been doing this since I was thirteen as well and my body was like "you need time to grow woman."

I refused to believe I was hurt, I remember doing this. Coming back to Orlando to go get my MRIs and stuff and I felt good, I could get back in the ring again even though I just experienced temporary paralysis. I was like "No I'm good, I can do this, please don't make me be out." And I was like begging them, "Please I don't want to be out anymore, please don't let me be out." I was just crying to the doctors and stuff. So then Dr. Maroon was like "I'm sorry you cannot get back in the ring again." It was horrible, it really breaks your heart....it really does.

I remember being in the match too and experiencing that and like "maybe it's just my arms right?" So I'm like "no I'm going to keep going." And I remember trying to grab Sasha's legs and my arms felt like there was just no bones in them you know. So I'm trying to grab her legs and then like "wait let me try to stand up and then I'll be good to do the comeback" and Sasha is like "noooo, absolutely not." Then I tried to stand up and I just look drunk. Like I just start stumbling and falling back. But actually I feel like the girls were more terrified than what I was at the time. Like I was petrified, but the girls were crying at ringside and stuff and then they see the stretcher coming out and I was like "please, please," and it's just like horrible. I don't know how you did it for so many years beforehand because it's terrifying.

From a recent episode of the Edge & Christian show with Paige as the guest talking about Paige's career ending injury. https://art19.com/shows/ecs-pod-of-awesomeness/episodes/890b9eba-fb4b-4c8b-bf8b-4916b886e294

Last October it was reported that WWE Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax had taken a leave of absence due to Jax being unhappy with her pay and with how she was being booked. The report even said she spoke with her cousin, The Rock, and he encouraged her to walk away if she was unhappy.

In a recent interview with Pop Culture, Jax was asked about what went down and if The Rock had actually given her advice to leave. The answer was no ...

She was also asked to clarify if she was unhappy with the WWE at the time about her status. Her leave of absence ended up occurring due to a bag falling on her head during a flight.

"It has nothing to do with that at all," Jax said. "It wasn't something that was that big of a deal. I had actually had an injury that happened to me personally on a flight—an overhead bag fell directly on top of my head while I was on a plane. I was out of it, I was completely out of it. I'm not kidding you."
More quotes and link to the interview: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0504/639583/nia-jax-responds-to-reports-that-the-rock-was-responsible-for/

Some other sheet news includes:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 24th anniversary of Rick Rude's final match of his career. Rude defeated Sting for the WCW International World Heavyweight Title and suffered a career-ending neck injury during the match.
In another "WWE Did You Know" type fact, yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the Bullet Club's formation in NJPW.
Recent episode of the Sam Roberts podcast show had Aleister Black as the guest talking about his career before the WWE, didn't believe WWE would sign him because of his short size, and his career goals. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/aleister-black-didn-t-believe-wwe-was-option-him-due-his-size-talks-chasing-titles-not-moty

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE Backlash Kickoff Match Added + Updated Backlash Card (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-backlash-kickoff-match-added-updated-backlash-card/)
WWE Was Reportedly Close to Bringing Hulk Hogan Back in Saudi Arabia (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-was-reportedly-close-to-bringing-hulk-hogan-back-in-saudi-arabia/)
Chris Jericho Returns to NJPW (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/chris-jericho-returns-to-njpw/)

Mr. Nerfect

05-05-2018, 08:43 AM

Aja Kong still wrestles? Those women in Japan have long-ass careers.

Jordan

05-05-2018, 08:52 AM

I think just as a joke. I saw her wrestle Ibushi in a literal street fight recently.

Mr. Nerfect

05-05-2018, 08:59 AM

Oh, well that's a shame. But thanks for the clarification.

Jordan

05-05-2018, 09:03 AM

slik

05-07-2018, 04:59 PM

In an interview with Pat Laprade for TVA Sports, Kevin Owens revealed that he recently signed a new five-year deal with the WWE, which would keep Owens under contract until 2023.

- Postwrestling

slik

05-08-2018, 01:30 PM

Brock is not expected to defend the Universal Title again until Extreme Rules in July. Lesnar will not appear on RAW until after Money In The Bank. He is currently not scheduled for SummerSlam, but if plans change his next defense could move from Extreme Rules to SummerSlam in August.

Roman was interviewed backstage yesterday as to way to let him cut a promo without the live crowd booing him. Vince was very concerned the Long Island crowd would create the wrong atmosphere than what he would like Roman Reigns to receive. Roman will likely be cutting more backstage promos, as Vince felt the backstage promo was a big success.

Vince would like to continue with more 'getting to know' Bobby Lashley segments to help the audience feel more comfortable in viewing Lashley as a major superstar.

- slicewrestling/various

slik

05-08-2018, 01:55 PM

The current plans call for Roman to get the 'Daniel Bryan' storyline of being screwed by management all the time to prevent him from being champion, so when he wins the belt finally it will generate a large response. No word on if Kurt is turning heel, but the plan is for the audience to feel like Roman has been screwed by WWE management and is fighting back against all odds.

- Dave Meltzer/Wrestling Observer Radio

Evil Vito

05-08-2018, 02:03 PM

lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Vince is so delusional

ClockShot

05-08-2018, 02:05 PM

:rofl:

Oh, that made me laugh so hard.

Emperor Smeat

05-08-2018, 04:00 PM

Roman was interviewed backstage yesterday as to way to let him cut a promo without the live crowd booing him. Vince was very concerned the Long Island crowd would create the wrong atmosphere than what he would like Roman Reigns to receive. Roman will likely be cutting more backstage promos, as Vince felt the backstage promo was a big success.

Vince's paranoia over crowd reactions for Reigns is beyond comical now. This should be the clear sign to him that Reigns is not top star material and/or desperately needs a serious change in direction done for him.

Closest Vince ever got to this level with Cena was whenever Cena looked weak in feuds and he panicked over potential lost merch sales. With crowds, Vince didn't care or just had Cena repeatedly leach crowd heat from others who were more over.

KIRA

05-08-2018, 04:15 PM

]The current plans call for Roman to get the 'Daniel Bryan' storyline of being screwed by management all the time to prevent him from being champion, so when he wins the belt finally it will generate a large response. No word on if Kurt is turning heel, but the plan is for the audience to feel like Roman has been screwed by WWE management and is fighting back against all odds.

I don't even have the words.

slik

05-08-2018, 04:43 PM

I like Roman and think he's a good wrestler...but I don't like Roman as "the top guy".

He would be a great upper mid card badass face...or a good heel...but the two moves of doom, 'sympathetic' babyface character and push doesn't fit him at all.

Mr. Nerfect

05-08-2018, 05:24 PM

How was he screwed at WrestleMania? He got his ass kicked. I think Vince has forgotten what wrestling is.

slik

05-08-2018, 05:37 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jinder vs Reigns Is Being Advertised Up To <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerSlam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SummerSlam</a> For House Shows <a href="https://t.co/KBQi2dqprG">pic.twitter.com/KBQi2dqprG</a></p>— SW (@SliceWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/SliceWrestling/status/993935974102118402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr. Nerfect

05-08-2018, 05:42 PM

Laugh so you don't cry, friends.

Emperor Smeat

05-08-2018, 10:00 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WWE Backlash highlights:
https://i.imgur.com/Y9LiRMI.gif

Raw ratings last night fell 12 percent even though the episode was coming off a PPV, doing 2.68 million viewers, a shockingly low number that would be among the lowest in modern history.

The number is far below what the shows have been doing and there was no television competition that would explain that level of a drop, although the NBA playoffs did a strong number. Ratings normally increase after PPVs, but Backlash was considered among the worst PPVs in company history. Still, there is no history of terrible shows leading to weaker ratings one day later ...

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.79 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.73 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.55 million viewers

Booker T will be filling in on commentary for next week’s Raw in London. Jonathan Coachman is missing the show due to his broadcast duties for the World Long Drive Association on the Golf Channel.

An advertisement for Impact Wrestling’s Global Wrestling Network streaming service was shown at the end of Table for Three with Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle, and AJ Styles on the WWE Network. Footage from Angle vs. Styles in Impact was shown on Table for Three and the ad directed viewers to GWN to see their matches.
Link: https://twitter.com/Maffewgregg/status/993952816904458242

When asked about the potential for the United Kingdom to host WrestleMania, Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke about the logistical issues that are involved and said other pay-per-views would be the first step in that direction: “Can we get there? Sure, maybe over time. We would take steps in that direction and those steps are probably other pay-per-views. From my point of view I'd like to bring other meaningful events through WWE, whether that's NXT or the United Kingdom championships, taking international brands and putting them on in those markets. As the world becomes smaller and more technologically advanced, it becomes easier to do these things live from different places. From my end, that's what I'm working towards."
Link: http://www.skysports.com/wwe/news/14203/11356683/triple-h-united-kingdom-will-get-a-wwe-pay-per-view-event

Bret Hart reflected on his relationship with his brother Owen on what would have been his 53rd birthday yesterday: “Thinking of my brother Owen instantly brings a big smile. He was like sunshine every day.
Link: https://twitter.com/BretHart/status/993657085341589504

Indies Roundup:
PROGRESS Wrestling announced that they’ll be touring five cities in the United States this August. They’ll be in New York on August 4th, Boston on the 5th, Seattle on the 9th. Chicago on the 11th, and Detroit on the 12th. Every show except the one in Seattle will be a doubleheader with EVOLVE Wrestling, with EVOLVE in the afternoon and PROGRESS at night. They’re working with Defy Wrestling for the Seattle show. Venues and ticket information have yet to be announced, but tickets for Chicago and Detroit will be available at EVOLVE’s events in those cities on May 19th and 20th.

Before likely heading to WWE, Keith Lee’s final matches for Beyond Wrestling will be on May 26th in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and May 27th in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Bully Ray vs. Cheeseburger has been added to the card for ROH’s War of the Worlds show in Lowell, Massachusetts tomorrow night. SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dalton Castle, Jay Lethal, Kenny King & Flip Gordon is set for Toronto on May 11th, and Tenille Dashwood will face Karen Q in Chicago on May 13th. New ROH War of the Worlds matches announced are Tetsuya Naito vs. Beer City Bruiser in Toronto on Friday night and the Dawgs vs. Jushin Liger & Cheeseburger at the TV tapings in Chicago this coming Sunday.

The latest episode of the NWA’s Ten Pounds of Gold series focuses on Nick Aldis and Colt Cabana’s title match in China.
PROGRESS: https://progresswrestling.com/blogs/news/usa-coast-to-coast-tour , Lee: https://twitter.com/beyondwrestling/status/993676436853665792, NWA: https://youtu.be/z4wWQofaYZ0

It appears that Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship reign will extend into the summer.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio last night that Lesnar won't be on WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which will take place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on June 17th. After Money in the Bank, WWE's next two PPVs are Extreme Rules in Pittsburgh on July 15th and SummerSlam in Brooklyn on August 19th.

Lesnar signed a new deal with WWE after retaining the Universal title against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34, but the length of that contract -- aside from it being short-term -- isn't yet known.

When Lesnar will be making his next appearance isn't known either. He most recently defeated Reigns in a steel cage match at the Greatest Royal Rumble, with it ending in controversy as Reigns speared him through the side of the cage.

The UFC isn't yet at their reported $400 million a year goal for their TV rights, but they got a bit closer on Tuesday morning as the promotion announced they have entered into an agreement with ESPN to air 15 Fight Night events on ESPN's new OTT service, ESPN+, beginning in January 2019.

The five-year deal is for $150 million annually. according to the Sports Business Journal who had the story first. Additionally, they added this kills any chance another streaming provider could get in the mix as it's an exclusive deal.
While strictly not wrestling related, UFC's new tv deals are still very important since WWE needs UFC to get a big deal in order to get their own big deal with the next tv contract. More details: https://www.f4wonline.com/ufc-news/ufc-espn-air-15-events-starting-january-2019-257301

????Y’all can’t deny it, I’m a f****** rider you don’t wanna f*** with me ???? ?????????????? https://t.co/3GmZOBmxDv
— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) May 8, 2018

Former WWE and current Ring of Honor star Brandi Rhodes suffered a broken clavicle in two different places while touring Japan for the STARDOM promotion this past week. Even after the injury, Rhodes worked two additional matches on the tour.

On her Twitter account, Rhodes noted, "I’ll admit my first thought was “time to go home”. However, my second thought was, “how can I fight with one (left) arm?” I figured it out and competed in 2 more tag matches w/ Oedo Tai. I love wrestling."

Her husband Cody noted on Twitter that she would be undergoing surgery as the broken bone is poking into muscle.
Link: https://twitter.com/TheBrandiRhodes/status/993980576112705536

Lucha Underground applied to register a number of trademarks on 5/2. Some of these characters and concepts have already appeared on the series' first three seasons, while others relate to material in the forthcoming fourth season, which begins next month on the El Rey Network
List of everything trademarked: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117344/lucha-underground-files-for-ton-of-new-trademarks.html?p=1

Click Orlando is reporting that the city is going to make a big push to bring WrestleMania back to the city in 2023 or 2025. The site reports that the city is planning to spend $1 million to secure a future WrestleMania for the city, which would come from tourist tax money. Orlando hosted the event in 2008 and returned in 2017 with both events taking place at the Citrus Bowl (now Camping World Stadium). Last week, it was announced by Rob Higgins of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission that Tampa was submitting a bid to host WrestleMania in 2023, 2024, or 2025 at Raymond James Stadium, in addition to bidding for a future Royal Rumble in either 2022 or 2023.
Links: https://www.clickorlando.com/entertainment/county-leaders-seeking-1-million-to-bring-wrestlemania-back-to-central-florida & http://www.tampabay.com/sports/2018/05/03/could-wrestlemania-be-coming-to-tampa/

PROGRESS Wrestling’s next big card is “Chapter 69: Be Here Now” on Sunday, May 20th, with Travis Banks defending the PROGRESS title against Jack Sexsmith and Toni Storm vs. Jinny for the women’s title in Manchester at the Victoria Warehouse.

Tyler Bate suffered a shoulder injury against Kassius Ohno on Sunday in their Super Strong Style 16 tournament match for Progress Wrestling. Bate was removed from today’s card and replaced by Ohno with the promotion announcing the injury and replacement before today’s final card of the tournament.

WWE is still working on new ways to get fans to cheer for Roman Reigns, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said that WWE is trying to recreate the Daniel Bryan storyline with Reigns where management is favoring Brock Lesnar and trying to screw him over, which is why he isn't champion. He noted that while fans aren't buying it, the company is still going with it.

The new "Table For 3" episode with WWE Champion AJ Styles, Shane McMahon and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is now available on the WWE Network. This was the season premiere and the promo above confirms the following episodes to air in the near future plus one additional episode with Big Show and others guests.

* Edge, Christian, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy
* Jeff Jarrett, Elias, "Road Dogg" BG James
* Trish Stratus, Lita, Alexa Bliss
* Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair
* Natalya, Nia Jax, Beth Phoenix
Link: https://twitter.com/WWE/status/993659915582390272

Some other sheet news includes:

According to reports, John Morrison is currently planned to be on the next season of CBS's "Survivor" show. http://insidesurvivor.com/former-wwe-wrestler-survivor-season-37-33748
NJPW recently revealed the entire list of competitors for this year's Best of the Super Juniors tournament. https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/njpw-reveals-full-best-super-juniors-2018-lineup-257201
Planeta Wrestling had a recent interview with Triple H talking about WWE holding big events around the world and NXT becoming a global brand. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0507/639679/triple-h-talks-nxt-going-into-markets-all-over-the-world/
Based on recent leaks, Michael Hayes was the person responsible for laying out the Reigns-Joe match at Backlash. Meanwhile Tyson Kidd was the one responsible for the Miz-Rollins match. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0506/639655/who-produced-the-roman-reigns-vs-samoa-joe-wwe-backlash-main/
Recent episode of the Pancakes and Powerslams podcast show had Bobby Fulton talking about Roman Reigns failures as a top face and why he needs to turn heel to be salvageable as a big star. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0508/639717/pro-wrestling-legend-says-that-roman-reigns-would-be-fired-if-he/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Main Event + Dark Match Results, Top 10 Bloopers, Sunday Night Heat (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-main-event-dark-match-results-top-10-bloopers-sunday-night-heat/)
Kevin Owens Says He’s Signed a New Five-Year Contract With WWE (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/kevin-owens-says-hes-signed-a-new-five-year-contract-with-wwe/)
Remaining Two MMA “Horsewomen” Report to WWE Performance Center (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/remaining-two-mma-horsewomen-officially-report-to-the-wwe-performance-center/)
Alexa Bliss Suffers Injury in Nia Jax Match, WWE Says (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/alexa-bliss-suffers-injury-in-nia-jax-match-wwe-says/)

Mr. Nerfect

05-08-2018, 11:33 PM

Michael Hayes was also behind Brock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania. I don't know how much blame you can put on Hayes, given that Reigns is toxic right now and there are lots of reasons for that. And Seth Rollins is glorious and doesn't have the same pressures on him. That being said, if you were doing a refresh of WWE programming, Hayes would probably not make the cut. He's also caused them a few backstage problems (thinking mainly of the Bobby Lashley incident). He might be a dude like Kevin Dunn that just needs to be lost in the reshuffled deck when something happens to Vince.

It's pretty weird that John Morrison is going to probably have more exposure than anyone in the WWE.

Sepholio

05-09-2018, 07:59 AM

I could see WWE making a play to get Morrison back with that news honestly.

Mr. Nerfect

05-09-2018, 09:23 AM

I think the door has always been open to him. He’s kept himself relatively busy.

Emperor Smeat

05-09-2018, 09:52 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Rusev Victory over Bryan Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/QQ3Q31k.gif

Following last Tuesday's SmackDown, which had the lowest audience of 2018, this week's total fell even further.

The show averaged 2.293 million viewers on the USA Network, down six percent from last week. It was the lowest non-holiday number for SmackDown since June 13th of last year.

As will be the case for the next several weeks, SmackDown was up against heavy competition from the NBA playoffs as the Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz game airing directly opposite the show did 4.082 million viewers on TNT. They were also up against a heavily-publicized NCIS episode, which did over 15 million viewers in the 8-9 p.m. hour.

Xavier Woods wrote that he has one hole and two partial holes in his tongue due to an uppercut Cesaro gave him on last night’s SmackDown.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BikCQC7B-09/

Tommaso Ciampa blocked the WWE Network’s Twitter account for wishing him a happy birthday yesterday.
:lol: Link: https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/993955811750764545

After undergoing open heart surgery in March, Vader tweeted that he underwent another successful operation to correct an irregular heartbeat: “Yesterday I had a surgery on my heart .My heart had shifted to an A-Fib irregular heart beat A person in a fib has substanily increased chance of Heart Attack &Stroke.The surgery was to put the HEART in normal sinus rhytmn. it was a success”
Link: https://twitter.com/itsvadertime/status/994084718131007494

Indies Roundup:
Matt Cross (Son of Havoc in Lucha Underground) has been addeed to the lineup for All In.

Along with an accompanying article on ESPN, Lucha Underground released an extended trailer for their fourth season. The season will premiere on the El Rey Network on June 13th.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazuchika Okada has been announced for Suzuki’s 30th anniversary event in Yokohama on June 23rd.

Ultimo Guerrero and Titan will be wrestling at ROH’s TV tapings at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 2nd.

Travis Banks defending his PROGRESS Championship against Jack Sexsmith and Jinny challenging for Toni Storm’s Women’s title are set for PROGRESS’ show in Manchester, England on May 20th.
All-In: https://twitter.com/MDoggMattCross/status/994245672143470592 , LU: http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23444428/lucha-underground-returns-fourth-season-embraces-challenge-moving-two-departing-stars , Suzuki: https://twitter.com/suzuki_D_minoru/status/993721830027378688 , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/cmlls-titan-and-guerrero-return-nyc

Charlotte Flair will be undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured implant, PWInsider.com has confirmed. One source believes Flair will undergo the surgery following the WWE European tour that kicks off this week.

And on today's episode of Talk is Jericho with Daniel Bryan, Jericho revealed that he was also the backup plan to team with Bryan against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn if Shane McMahon wasn't cleared in time for WrestleMania 34.

"A few weeks before WrestleMania, maybe three or four weeks, I get a call from Vince," Jericho said. "And he’s talking about Shane and his appendix, not his appendix, his diverticulitis, and he had an infection in his hand and he had, there was one other thing as well...staph infection...hernia, that was it. And he goes, ‘Listen, we don’t know if he can do ‘Mania.'"
More details and link to the podcast episode: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/jericho-was-backup-plan-shane-mcmahon-wrestlemania-257381

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus noted on her website that topics of discussion for her upcoming "Table For 3" episode on the WWE Network with Alexa Bliss and Lita are Alexa's pet pig Larry Steve, Lita's early days in Mexico, Trish finding yoga and the busyness of the business. She added that the topics are subject to editing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s not called UPSET it’s just <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RusevDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RusevDay</a></p>— Rusev (@RusevBUL) <a href="https://twitter.com/RusevBUL/status/994044286718087168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Some other sheet news includes:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 24th anniversary of WWE holding their first (and only) ever Rumble match in the country of Japan. The match itself featured 18 entrants and Taker won after eliminating Bam Bam Bigelow.
Recent episode of Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast show had Corey Graves as the guest talking about if he actually dislikes Coachman and Saxton, thoughts on working with Coachman, and his FCW days. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0509/639743/corey-graves-on-if-he-dislikes-byron-saxton/
Wrestling Epicenter held a recent interview with Matt Sydal talking about the recent Impact TV tapings, thoughts on changes being made in Impact, and comparing his runs in different companies. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0509/639747/matt-sydal-on-the-backstage-environment-at-most-recent-impact/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Alexa Bliss Injury Update: Nia Jax Says Bliss Is “Perfectly Fine” (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/alexa-bliss-injury-update-nia-jax-says-bliss-is-perfectly-fine/)
Updated Money in the Bank Card and Qualifiers (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/updated-money-in-the-bank-card-and-qualifiers/)
WWE 205 Live Results – May 8, 2018 – Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-205-live-results-may-8-2018-murphy-vs-mustafa-ali/)

05-09-2018, 10:00 PM

I hope Lita talks about her days of being a human toilet.

LibSuperstar

05-10-2018, 02:14 PM

The number of entrants and the final two in that Japan Rumble match were interesting. Wonder how they decided on 18. That's a random ass number.

slik

05-10-2018, 03:33 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big Cass upset backstage officials in WWE last week when he went against a directive given to him during a segment involving a little person. <br><br>FULL STORY: <a href="https://t.co/JmWkT4PW9K">https://t.co/JmWkT4PW9K</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gkeuh8c2SY">pic.twitter.com/Gkeuh8c2SY</a></p>— Pro Wrestling Sheet (@WrestlingSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingSheet/status/994654702414413824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Emperor Smeat

05-10-2018, 10:12 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by NJPW's Ace of the Universe:
https://i.imgur.com/Tk1rISH.jpg

A change in the card led to new champions last night at the first ROH War of the Worlds event in Lowell, Massachusetts.

During the show Castle came out and said that due to accumulating injuries, he would be unable to defend the ROH championship tonight. He reiterated that he was not relinquishing the title, but would instead take time off to heal injuries. It was reported in the newest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Castle has back and hand injuries, including a possible break in the hand.

An angle was set up during the Coast 2 Coast/Marseglia and O’Ryan bout where SoCal Uncensored came out from the back and took the ROH six man tag team titles from The Kingdom, who in storyline had recently stolen them. This set up a new match for later that night, where The Kingdom regained the six man titles from SoCal Uncensored, ending their two month reign with the titles.

ROH Champion Dalton Castle was held off of this week's events due to a broken hand as well as ongoing issues with his back. The hope is that he will return to the ring by next month's PPV. He's been dealing with the back issues for months and the timing of the injury has to be extremely frustrating for him. I wasn't a fan of the company not announcing the main event change until we were well into the show, but they did it very well as a way to build up to the Kingdom getting a nice pop winning the Six Man Tag Team Championship in their backyard.

The belief in the U.K. is that Toni Storm has signed with WWE. Apparently there was a video montage for the King of the Ring two-day event at Royal Albert Hall in London on 6/18 and 6/19 and her photo was shown. Storm was scheduled for June with Stardom and told the promotion that she needed to leave after the 6/17 show because she had a date she need to make on 6/18 in England. She could be working it without a contract, similar to when she was in the Mae Young Classic. WWE is also attempting to sign a lot of talent in the U.K. right now for both their own television show, and more, to keep them away from ITV, which started taping television today. But it is not confirmed she signed and if she did, she and WWE would be keeping it secret anyway.

We're waiting for more on this, but it appeared Charlotte Flair had a dental issue during her match today in Oberhausen.

Indies Roundup:
Atlantis, Guerrero Maya Jr., and Stuka Jr. will be on the ROH shows on 6/15 in San Antonio and 6/16 in Dallas. This will be the debut of the Hall of Famer Atlantis in ROH.

The All In press conference will take place on Sunday at Pro Wrestling Tees in Chicago at 2 p.m. Eastern live on Twitch and Facebook. Tickets for the show go on sale that today and some names and announcements of matches are expected.

MLW announced a three-way match to determine its first tag team champions on the 6/7 show at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando with Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Jason Cade & Jimmy Yuta vs. Dirty Blondes.

World Series Wrestling announced Marty Scurll vs. Robbie Eagles on 6/22 in Melbourne, as well as Jimmy Havoc vs Abyss plus Joey Ryan appears. On 6/23 in Melbourne they have Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jonah Rock and Brian Cage vs. John Morrison. 6/25 in Sydney has Rock vs. Cage.

We've had a few questions of late asking about the status of the planned Vince McMahion biopic Pandemonium. There has been no real change in the project. A new, updated draft of the screenplay was written (this would be a third draft) and we are told, was submitted to Bradley Cooper for his interest in playing McMahon. Sources tell us there's been no final word on a yay or nay from Cooper, as of this week.

It looks like being advertised on the WWE Network really paid off for IMPACT Wrestling. The Global Wrestling Network app went from the 669th position for the top free sports app of iOS to 101st tonight and growing. This is more than the night after Redemption when they peaked at position 130 and higher than any other day of 2018 and the same repeats in every country where the app is available. In Canadian charts they went from 1239th to 97th in a single day and in Great Britain they went from 1029th to 143rd.

New Japan Pro Wrestling's three US Trademark applications (Strong Style, King of Sports, Strong Style Evolved) were given initial refusals due to the applications being submitted unsigned, resulting in them being not properly verified.

Major League Wrestling's two trademark applications for 'War Games' have been initially refused due to likely hood of confusion with MGM's trademarks of 'Wargames'. In addition to sounding similar in name, they were also refused due to the likely confusion with the use of services provided by both companies for their trademarks. MLW's use of service focused on providing wrestling and sports entertainment through various means while MGM's focused on production and distribution of DVDs featuring entertainment which was enough for the USPTO to claim confusion with consumers. They provided screenshots of WWE's, ROH's and Highspots' websites as examples of places that produces and distributes DVDs featuring wrestling and entertainment.

On WWE not having women compete at the Greatest Royal Rumble: “I understand that they are a business, a global business and they are always looking to expand their global presence. However, I do feel this was a direct conflict of interest with them maintaining any integrity or truth to the fact that they say they would like to push forward women, their roles and their reputations in this business as anything resembling equal to a male. Make the money, that’s fine, but don’t try to cover it up. Don’t say, “No, we are doing this because in the future we would like to help progress their culture forward!” No, you want the money, you’re a business and businesses make money. That’s okay. From my perspective over here, I don’t own your business so that’s your call. From a PR perspective don’t say you are doing it because, “We want to help progress that culture forward.” Uh no, it’s a direct conflict of interest, in my opinion.”
From a recent interview WrestleZone Radio had with Lita: https://411mania.com/wrestling/lita-says-wwe-conflict-interest-leaving-women-off-greatest-royal-rumble/

Auleaga “Neff” Maiava, who is generally credited as the first Polynesian and Samoan pro wrestling star, passed away on 4/21 at the age of 93. Maiava was believed to have been the second oldest wrestler still living before his death (the oldest is believed to be U.K. wrestler/referee Joe D’Orazio, who is 95).

We still haven’t been able to confirm anything regarding the proposed show at 100,000 seat MCG Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 10/6. It was mentioned on television and reported about in the Australian media. WWE was supposed to make the official announcement in early April and that came and. Obviously there are snags but nobody has confirmed what they are. WWE has not responded to any questions regarding the show. What we do know is that something that was part of the deal hit a snag, but don’t know if it was something repairable or not.

Ray Rowe, 33, of War Machine, and Sarah Logan (real name Sarah Brides), 24, have set a 12/21 wedding date. The two have been engaged for some time and were together as a couple before either was in WWE.

A funny story on the Undertaker vs. Rusev casket match at the Greatest Royal Rumble show. If you recall, it was originally Undertaker vs. Rusev and then changed to Undertaker vs. Jericho and then changed back to Rusev. Jericho, as a courtesy, told McMahon that he was going to Fukuoka to shoot another angle with New Japan for his match with Naito at Dominion. Just a couple of hours later he was told that the Prince of Saudi Arabia asked for Rusev in he mach instead of him so they were taking him out. Given that the Prince clearly was wanting talent from years back (Hogan, Undertaker, Yokozuna, Ultimate Warrior) on the card and requested them, it is hard to believe he would have specifically on that day asked for Rusev for that match and not Jericho, particularly since the match had been changed to not be Rusev just a few days earlier. That probably also explains how the story got out that Jericho was going to Japan since in telling Vince the secret, it was no longer a secret.

Bryan also talked about how much he hated being General Manager because he had to be around wrestling every week but wasn’t allowed to wrestle. He said had he not been cleared, he was 100 percent going to ROH, CMLL and New Japan starting in September. He said he was looking at working a program where he would feud with Bullet Club.

Lawler had a CAT scan after his recent stroke, and noted on his podcast that he has brain damage in a number of cells in his brain. He said he’s felling no ill effects whatsoever and the doctor told him he was phone even with the damaged cells, but was very lucky as it could have been far worse.

The top ten most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week were: 1. Backlash; 2. Table for 3 with Styles, Angle and Shane McMahon; 3. Greatest Royal Rumble; 4. Camp WWE episode one; 5. Greatest Royal Rumble pregame show; 6. NXT from 5/2; 7. Ride Along with O’Neil, Crews, Bliss and Strowman; 8. Backlash post-game show; 9. Something Else to Wrestle With with Bruce Prichard & Conrad Thompson on Shawn Michaels on 5/2; 10. 205 Live on 5/1.

According to PW Insider, Big E is being considered for a singles push and the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match may be the start of that.

Some other sheet news includes:

Jim Cornette announced he is moving his podcast show from his longtime home of MLW Radio to become an independently produced show instead. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117394/cornette-podcast-exits-mlw-radio-and-no-one-wants-to-kill-each-other.html?p=1
Website Pop Culture recently had an interview with Samoa Joe talking about WWE "raiding" indies, if indie wrestlers are paid their worth, and WWE hoarding talent. https://411mania.com/wrestling/samoa-joe-talks-wwe-raiding-indies-wrestlers-getting-paid-worth/
According to former WWE and current LU star Ivelisse, the official reason why she got fired from the WWE was due to her daring to stand up to Bill DeMott's bullying habits during his time as the head trainer of NXT and PC. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0510/639767/ivelisse-reveals-who-was-responsible-for-her-wwe-firing/
CBS had a recent interview with Tony Schivone talking about Ric Flair's antics during promos, working for MLW, and if he would have staid in WCW if the company didn't fold. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0510/639764/tony-schiavone-on-keeping-his-composure-during-ric-flair-promos/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: MITB Tag Match? Neville Update, Raw/SmackDown Taped This Week (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-mitb-tag-match-neville-update-raw-smackdown-taped-this-week/)
Charlotte Injury Update: Happened Before WrestleMania (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/charlotte-injury-update-happened-before-wrestlemania/)
Rosemary Has a Torn ACL, Will Be Out for a While (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/rosemary-has-a-torn-acl-will-be-out-for-a-while/)
Current and Rumored NXT TakeOver: Chicago II Card (Spoilers) (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/current-and-rumored-nxt-takeover-chicago-ii-card-spoilers/)

Sepholio

05-11-2018, 12:08 AM

Jeez Charlotte. At least she can heal her mouth while she's getting her droopy boob repaired.

Emperor Smeat

05-11-2018, 10:01 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Neville's Reaction to WWE Coming to Town:
https://i.imgur.com/Tc6LbYL.gif

With him scheduled for a meet and greet at Pro Wrestling Tees' store in Chicago, CM Punk will at least be playing a small part in All In weekend.

Pro Wrestling Tees announced today that Punk will be appearing at their store on Friday, August 31st. There are only 200 tickets available, with them set to go on sale on May 23rd at noon Central time. Autographs will cost $50, professional photo opportunities are the same price, and autograph/photo combos with an exclusive T-shirt will cost $90.

The meet and greet being the day before All In is bound to increase speculation that Punk will play a further role that weekend, though he lives in Chicago and already partners with Pro Wrestling Tees for his online merchandise store.

Charlotte Flair flew home to get dental work done after having her bridge knocked out in yesterday's show in Oberhausen, Germany. She was going to be flying home Sunday from the tour already because she was scheduled to be part of the Needham Investment conference on Tuesday in New York with WWE President Michelle Wilson. So she was never scheduled for TV this week. She was scheduled to fly back for the rest of the tour after.

Indies Roundup:
Appearing at today's World of Sport tapings in Norwich, England were Davey Boy Smith Jr., Grado, Primate, Joe Hendry, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Kay Lee Ray, Bea Priestley and Sha Samuels, Stu Bennett (formerly Wade Barrett) was both authority figure and TV announcer, along with SoCal Val and Alex Shane.

Brandi Rhodes had shoulder surgery yesterday. She also wrote about her matches before the surgery in Japan that "If you feel inclined to criticize matches I worked with a double fracture, seek help."

Tickets for the 7/19 MLW TV taping in Long Island City, NY at the Melrose Ballroom go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at MLWtickets.com. Advertised for the show are Shane Strickland, Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, Barrington Hughes, MJF, Sami Callihan, Salina de la Renta and ACH.

Although he is advertised for an eight man tag team bout tonight, PWInsider.com has learned that ROH Champion Dalton Castle will not be competing due to his back issues. His replacement has not been 100% confirmed from a creative standpoint as of this writing, but ROH is toying with a few ideas.

Ring of Honor has announced that Ultimo Guerrero and Titan will be working the June 2nd television tapings at the Manhattan Center.

The 5/3 edition of Impact did 295,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 299,000 overnight viewers.

WrestleCon 2019 will be held at the New York City Hilton Midtown (the site of the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony) on Friday 4/5/19 and Saturday 4/6/19, which is the largest hotel in New York City and the largest Hilton hotel in the United States.

The Miz was interviewed by Sports Illustrated at this link, discussing, among other topics, how he gets upset when the WWE Championship isn't presented as the main event on PPV events. "My goal is to make the WWE championship as relevant and prestigious as it should be," Miz told SI's Justin Barrasso. "Now do I think AJ Styles is doing a terrific job as WWE champion? Absolutely. But that WWE Championship should be in the main event of every pay per view, and it upsets me when I see that it’s not. My goal is to not only win the Money in the Bank contract, cash it in, and become WWE champion. I want to put that title back where it belongs: the main event. Like I always say, the man makes the title, the title doesn’t make the man. I will make the WWE Championship the most prestigious and honorable title in all the WWE just like I did the Intercontinental championship."
Link: https://www.si.com/wrestling/2018/05/11/mike-miz-wwe-interview-seth-rollins-daniel-bryan

For those who have asked, there are no current plans for another round of 205 Live house shows at this time. They are giving the brand time to continue to grow and find itself before they attempt to bring it back out on the road independently.

WWE NXT stars Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli are both out injured, just as their program against each other was set to begin. Sabbatelli suffered a torn pec during a house show match while Moss suffered what we are told is a knee injury. He was on crutches at this week's NXT TV tapings. Sabbatelli was not at the tapings that we have heard. No word yet on how long they will each be out. The timing of the injuries really sucks for them.

A new thirty-minute "Table For 3" episode will premiere on the WWE Network after Monday's RAW goes off the air. This episode will feature Elias, "Road Dogg" BG James and 2018 WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, and will include a performance of the "Be With My Baby Tonight" single. Below is the synopsis:

"Bonded by their love of music - Jeff Jarrett, Elias and Brian James come together to discuss their greatest hits and favorite stories."

Dean Ambrose continues to spend time in Birmingham, Alabama to be near WWE doctors as he prepares for his return to the ring for WWE. PWInsider notes that Ambrose has been living just about full-time in Birmingham for the past month or so. Ambrose has been out of action since December with a triceps tear. We reported before WrestleMania 34 that Ambrose was seen wearing a sling around Birmingham while wife Renee Young was in town visiting. It was reported in December that Ambrose would be out of action for 9 months.

The "Road To The Undisputed Championship" WWE Network Collection on current WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was recently re-added to the service after being removed in February. WWE noted on Reddit that some of the more popular Collections that were removed will be re-added over the next two months.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ok, you’re not gonna believe this but... <br><br>I lost tonight. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWEDublin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWEDublin</a> <br>The road to 200 is near. <br>0-196.</p>— Brian Myers (@TheCurtHawkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheCurtHawkins/status/995033738076663808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Renee Young and Tommy Dreamer as the guests. https://art19.com/shows/ecs-pod-of-awesomeness/episodes/fe2206c1-ab4e-4c25-8874-231bd50607f9
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, William Regal celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday. WWE sent Regal a birth gift via Twitter to celebrate the special occasion. https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/994698717440757761
Recent episode of The Wrestling Compadres Podcast show had Braun Strowman as the guest talking about the origin of his "Get These Hands" catchphrase, impact of the roar for his entrance, and being a WWE wrestler. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0511/639795/braun-strowman-reveals-how-he-came-up-with-get-these-hands/
Recent episode of Sky Sports Podcast show had Triple H as the guest talking about balancing his office job and wrestling job, being impressed with Stephanie's effort at Mania 34, and Taker's future. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0511/639781/triple-h-on-the-undertaker-calling-his-own-shots/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Charlotte Flair Says She Lost Her Teeth in Match in Germany (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/charlotte-flair-says-she-lost-her-teeth-in-match-in-germany/)
Spoilers: NXT TV Taping Results – May 10, 2018 – 2 Weeks of Shows (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/spoilers-nxt-tv-taping-results-may-10-2018-2-weeks-of-shows/)

Mr. Nerfect

05-11-2018, 11:20 PM

The Miz can cut some good promos when he's not under WWE directive, but I just don't buy him as a main event guy.

slik

05-16-2018, 09:52 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Interesting tidbit among all the TV news today: NBCU is letting WWE SMACKDOWN go to open bidding. They're keeping RAW but the deal is so big (3x current value, I'm told) that they're not re-signing both. Big sports opportunity for another network.</p>— Matthew Belloni (@THRMattBelloni) <a href="https://twitter.com/THRMattBelloni/status/996868265241600000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Emperor Smeat

05-16-2018, 10:07 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Wrestling Gif Without Context:
https://i.imgur.com/jDpw6uW.gif

The 5/15 edition of Smackdown Live brought in 2,298,000 overnight viewers, up from last week's 2,293,000 overnight viewers.

The Phoenix Police Department has concluded its investigation into a rape allegation that was made against Enzo Amore (real name Eric Arndt) and found that there isn't enough evidence to press charges.

Tom Cargill, an attorney for Amore, issued a statement today announcing that police have informed Amore that the case is closed.

The allegation against Amore, which stems from last October, was made public on January 22nd, with him being suspended by WWE that day and then released from the company on January 23rd. Cargill claimed that Amore only learned of the accusations after they were posted online.

Phoenix Police confirmed that the case has been closed but could be reopened if new evidence were to come to light.
Statement from Enzo's Lawyer: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/police-conclude-enzo-amore-investigation-no-charges-filed-257856

New Japan hit another milestone this morning by selling out Osaka-jo Hall.

They made the announcement this morning on Twitter. The building holds around 16,000 people, though that does change to around 13,500 for stages set up for boxing/wrestling. It would be the first time New Japan has sold out the arena since moving Dominion from the Bodymaker Colosseum to Osaka-jo Hall for the 2015 Dominion show, which is where the show has been held every year since then. Last year’s Dominion attendance was announced at 11,756.

Dominion usually winds up being one of the strongest cards New Japan puts together all year, feautring a number of high profile title matches. The fourth bout between Kenny Omega and IWGP heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada will headline this year's show. Unlike last year, the match will not only have no time limit, but will also be a 2 out of 3 falls match.

Dominion at Osaka-jo Hall will take place on June 9.
Link: https://twitter.com/njpw1972/status/996636341507997696

Indies Roundup:
In the latest episode of their "Ten Pounds of Gold" series, The National Wrestling Alliance documented their championship being defended against Cody Rhodes at the "All In" event on 9/1

Ring of Honor will be holding their Best in the World pay-per-view card at the UMBC Event Center in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, June 29th. Tickets are available now for the show and range from $25-75. It is a larger venue than they previously run in the city and the arena having a capacity of 5,000.

MLW has announced a $20,000 Bounty Match between Shane Strickland and Brody King for their next television taping on Thursday, June 7th at the Gilt Nightclub in Orlando.

Minoru Suzuki and Taiji Ishimori have been added to NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved UK shows in Milton Keynes on June 30th and Manchester on July 1st, joining Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii.

ROH has confirmed three more matches for this month’s Honor United tour. Kenny King is facing Punishment Martinez in Edinburgh on May 24th, Cody Rhodes is wrestling King in London on the 26th, and Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven is set for Doncaster on the 27th,
NWA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vvctxWafAM , NJPW: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/996842511921532929 & https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/996659307465854976

House of Hardcore will import the Impact Wrestling feud of Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan for the promotion's Hanover, MA debut at the Starland Sportplex this Friday 5/18 as the two will face off in a Boston Street Fight. Also announced for the event are HOH TV champion Willie Mack, Joey Mercury, Tommy Dreamer, Bull James, Alex Reynolds, MJF, The Squad, Brian Cage and more.

This Saturday, the promotion returns to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA featuring Tommy Dreamer, Eli Drake, Moose, LAX, OVE, Joey Mercury, Sami Callihan, Eddie Edwards, Willie Mack, Bull James, Brian Cage, Alex Reynolds, MJF, The Squad, JT Dunn and more. There will be matches taped for Impact Wrestling TV at the event.

WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley/Bully Ray tweeted the following

I pitched an idea for a game show to @WWENetwork called “SuperStar Squares” (think “Hollywood Squares”)

Would be fun and entertaining w/ fans being the contestants. https://t.co/Xhs44hSZIb
— Bubba Ray Dudley (@bullyray5150) May 16, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/bullyray5150/status/996547324208873472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Above is a preview for the latest episode of "Something Else to Wrestle" with Bruce Prichard on the WWE Network, featuring a discussion on WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwXRUPOESkw

NJPW spoke with the newest member of the Bullet Club, Ishimori (aka Bone Soldier), and asked why he decided to go with the Bullet Club.

"That's a stupid question," Ishimori said. "The Bullet Club is the most famous group going. I can be in Japan and still have my name go worldwide. If I'm in Bullet Club, Taiji Ishimori's name goes global. And this way, I can pick fights with anyone in the junior division, except Marty Scurll."
Link: https://www.njpw1972.com/27440

WKBW in Buffalo, New York notes that Ronda Rousey will make her Buffalo in-ring debut at the Monday, July 16th RAW show from the KeyBank Center. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10am and will cost between $19 and $119.

It was announced on Tuesday that the WWE will be returning to the O2 Arena on Wednesday, August 29th for a special card featuring Ronda Rousey wrestling in the city for the first time. They are also advertising Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, and Finn Balor for the event.

Showtime released another trailer for their documentary on Mauro Ranallo and his mental health battles. Ranallo discusses his bipolar disorder, with the trailer including clips from him at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The documentary will premiere on May 25th. Ranallo was also a guest on the RIch Eisen Show today.
Link: https://youtu.be/CEgJO-zrtyk

Some other sheet news includes:

The Mirror had a recent interview with Chris Jericho talking about his recent surprise appearances, his feud with Naito, and remaining dream matches in the WWE. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0516/639943/chris-jericho-on-which-wwe-stars-he-wants-to-work-with/
During a recent J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference, WWE's Co-President George Barrios teased the WWE is considering the idea of RAW and Smackdown being on separate networks for their next tv deal. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0516/639930/wwe-cfo-george-barrios-on-raw-and-smackdown-possibly-moving-to/
In an announcement that surprises nobody, 2K Gams announced the next WWE game will be arriving this Fall. https://twitter.com/WWEgames/status/996847860598505472

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Jeff Hardy Injured? Mandy Rose’s Gimmick, Rousey’s Singles Debut (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-jeff-hardy-injured-mandy-roses-gimmick-rouseys-singles-debut/)
Nikki Bella Says She Hopes She and John Cena Will Get Back Together (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/nikki-bella-says-she-hopes-she-and-john-cena-will-get-back-together/)
WWE 205 Live Results – May 15, 2018 – UK Wrestlers (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-205-live-results-may-15-2018-uk-wrestlers/)

Cool King

05-17-2018, 04:25 PM

WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley/Bully Ray tweeted the following

I pitched an idea for a game show to @WWENetwork called “SuperStar Squares” (think “Hollywood Squares”)

Would be fun and entertaining w/ fans being the contestants. https://t.co/Xhs44hSZIb
— Bubba Ray Dudley (@bullyray5150) May 16, 2018

Link: https://twitter.com/bullyray5150/sta...rc=twsrc%5Etfw

I'd probably watch that.

Especially if most of, or all the questions were WWE related.

Emperor Smeat

05-17-2018, 11:08 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Vacant Appreciation Day:
http://lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2017/12/maxresdefault-9-696x392.jpg

The WWE Network began uploading 1983 TV episodes of Mid-South Wrestling over the last few hours.

PWInsider.com previously reported that WWE planned to add 76 new episodes of the series to the Vault section of the streaming service.

Created in 1979 by Bill Watts, Mid-South ran the Gulf Coast territory through the mid-1980s when it was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions. The 1983 episodes will feature Hacksaw Duggan, Steve Williams, Kamala, Ted DiBiase, Matt Borne, Mr. Wrestling II, Gino Hernandez, The Great Kabuki, Andre the Giant, Junkyard Dog, a rookie Marty Lunde (who would go on to become Arn Anderson) and more.

Indies Roundup:
Ring of Honor has added the "Kevin Steen: Ascension to the Top" compilation to the HonorClub streaming service. The nearly 7 hour presentation showcasing the early days of Kevin Steen (now Kevin Owens in WWE) in ROH, includes the following matches.

The Global Wrestling Network now features every PPV from the Asylum era of the company.

Evolve is running iPPVs on Saturday night from Summit, IL and Sunday from Livonia, MI. They also announced Darby Allin vs. Walter on 6/23 in Queens, NY and Allin vs. Jarek 1:20 on 6/24 in Melrose, MA.

Jake Hager vs. Tom Lawlor for the MLW title and Brody King vs. Shane Strickland has been announced for the 6/7 MLW Fusion TV tapings in Orlando at Gilt Nightclub.

AAW on 5/25 in Chicago at the Logan Square Arena with Jessicka Havok vs. Kimber Lee for the women's title, Darby Allin vs. Brody King, Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. AR Fox & Myron Reed, Eddie Kingston vs. Fred Yehi, Sami Callihan & Jake & Dave Crist vs. Shane Strickland & Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz plus Besties in the World, Zema Ion, Juice Robinson, Jake Something and Colt Cabana.

Jay Lethal pulled out of the AWF tour in Australia this week due to his concussion. He was supposed to face Ryback earlier today. There were said to be less than 100 fans at the show which included Christopher Daniels, Ryback and Cima, as well as Lethal being advertised.

Regarding the 6/29 show in Daytona Beach that Kenny Omega is promoting, they are in the same boat as the Cow Palace in the sense they can’t announce any matches until after Dominion, because things scheduled for Dominion affect this show

Due to his duties with Impact, Don Callis won’t be back until Dominion. Kevin Kelly will be doing the 6/3 and 6/4 Korakuen Hall shows live, which are the final day of the Best of the Juniors round-robin and the finals the next day
ROH: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117539/roh-honorclub-adds-seven-hour-kevin-steen-ascension-to-the-top-compilation.htmL

How is it that WWF was able to sign Lex Luger while he was the WCW Champion in 1992. There's no way WCW had him holding the title while not under contract?

WWF didn't sign Luger to come over as a wrestling talent. He was signed to WCW, but the WWF signed Luger as a bodybuilder to come to the World Bodybuilding Federation as a performer for that brand, which technically didn't violate Luger's WCW contract. He finished up at WCW Superbrawl II, losing the WCW World title to Sting and moved on to the WBF. Luger even appeared on a Wrestlemania show, being interviewed "via satellite" while representing the WBF. As it turned out, Luger was injured in a motorcycle accident and wasn't able to do any posedowns for the lone WBF PPV broadcast. Luger was eventually shifted over to the WWF, debuting at that year's Royal Rumble as The Narcissist persona, likely after his original WCW deal would have expired. It was a case of WWF figuring a way to work around WCW's deals, to WCW's detriment.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles about how Luger was able to work for the WWF while under contract with WCW.

Ahead of a possible title defense against Cody Rhodes at All In, Nick Aldis will be facing The Young Bucks on ROH's Honor United tour.

ROH has announced that Aldis, the current NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, will be in action at Honor United: Edinburgh on May 24th. The storyline for the match is related to Aldis appearing at All In, with him making it one of the stipulations of him agreeing to defend the title against Cody. Aldis will be teaming with a "partner of ROH's choosing" ...

This will be Aldis' in-ring debut for ROH, though he was shown in the crowd during Dalton Castle vs. Marty Scurll at Supercard of Honor XII last month.
More details & cards for ROH's UK tour: https://www.f4wonline.com/ring-honor/nick-aldis-set-roh-honor-united-edinburgh-257956

Variety said that the leading candidates for landing Smackdown are Fox, Facebook and Amazon. WWE stock had a giant day off yesterday's news of how high bidding for Raw had gotten, closing at $50.31 per share, its all-time record.
Link: http://variety.com/2018/digital/news/wwes-new-raw-deal-propels-stock-sets-stage-for-smackdown-move-1202814297/

Below is an ongoing resource list featuring confirmed contract expirations, reported by respected news outlets or the talent themselves. You can also find Fightful's constantly updated injury report at this link.

WWE:
Brock Lesnar: August 2018
Mauro Ranallo: June 2019
Daniel Bryan: September 1, 2018
Kevin Owens: April 2023 (minimum; signed 5-year deal in 2018)
Paige: 2019
Big Show: Spring 2021
Mandy Rose: Late 2020
The Miz: 2022
Stephanie McMahon - October 7, 2019 (as on-screen talent)
Mojo Rawley- 2020

NJPW/ROH:
Young Bucks: Through 2018
Kenny Omega: January 2019
Jim Ross: January 2019 (with AXS)
Josh Barnett: January 2019 (with AXS)
Jay Lethal: Through 2018
Michael Elgin- January 2020
Kota Ibushi- Working as freelancer

Impact Wrestling:
Moose- July 2020
Eli Drake- July 2018
Kiera Hogan- June 2018

The Hot Topic web site listing of top ten T-shirts on sale had Chris Jericho’s Ingobernables T-shirt (Lista Ingobernables de Jericho) that he wore in the attack of Tetsuya Naito on 5/4 in Fukuoka as not only the best selling shirt, but more than double No. 2 which was Steven U Pink Diamond. Jericho’s Alpha Club shirt was No. 5. No other pro wrestling shirt cracked the top ten on that list

Revolution Pro is no longer allowed to use any wrestler signed to a WWE U.K. deal. I presume that would also mean a lot of other promotions have found the same thing out. Defiant Pro is out as are all promotions that have a decent distribution or a streaming service, other than Progress and ICW, which have financial ties to WWE. It was a clear eventuality that anyone who understood the game would have known was coming, no matter how many times it was denied at first

The ROH War of the Worlds tour did well, but with less of the top stars from New Japan (only Tetsuya Naito as far as top stars went), it wasn’t the usual four sellouts. The 5/9 show in Lowell, MA, drew 1,900, which was close to full and their best showing in that market to date, particularly good for a Wednesday. 5/11 in Toronto did a sellout, but that was 1,400 paid. 5/12 in Royal Oak, MI sold out with 900 paid. The 5/13 TV tapings in Chicago did 1,800, which is the company’s second best number ever in the market. Kenny Omega drew 2,500 pretty much by himself (all that was announced for that show was Omega’s name and it sold out in three days with no matches announced), the last time they ran a major event in the Odeum in Chicago

The next ROH PPV show is Best in the World on 6/29 in Baltimore at the 5,000-seat UMBC Center. That’s going to be interesting to see how it does. They are also doing TV tapings at the Eaglebank Arena in Fairfax, VA the next day, which is a 10,000-seat building. Obviously that will be scaled way down because ROH usually doesn’t draw much over 1,000 for TV tapings. The Best in the World main event is Dalton Castle vs. Cody vs. Marty Scurll for the4 ROH title, so they are teasing issues with Cody and Scurll

Right now, unless either side asks for a delay, the slander trial for the lawsuit filed by Dr. Christopher Amann against Phil Brooks (C.M. Punk) is scheduled to go to a jury trial on 5/21 in Chicago. I’m amazed it’s going this far because this is a case where either Punk was telling the truth or he wasn’t. If he wasn’t, he would want to settle because he could and probably would get hammered by the jury. If he’s telling the truth, there’s no case against him to begin with and with all the depositions and such, both sides should be able to figure out which way the wind is blowing. I’m sure there is more to it than that but I would think that one side, if not both, wouldn’t want it going to trial because of what would come out

Craig Hutchinson, one of the major sports media figures in Melbourne, said that the WWE show on 10/6 at MCG Stadium was confirmed. WWE has continued not answering any questions on this subject

Since people have asked about talent pay from the show, as of a few days ago, it hadn’t come in yet so nobody knew (well, those who made outside one-shot deals knew what they were getting paid). As of the last word I had, none of the women were paid bonuses based on the weekend nor were they expecting to be. It’s possible it could happen, because when I checked, the regular guys hadn’t gotten paid yet, but if it does happen, it will be a surprise to them. From a P.R. standpoint, I’d be surprised if they don’t, even though that would go against usual WWE protocol

Orton had the European tour off since he now works a more limited touring schedule

The top ten most-watched shows on the WWE Network this past week were: 1. Backlash; 2. Story Time episode 2; 3. NXT from 5/9; 4. WWE The Music WrestleMania 2018; 5. Something Else to Wrestle With episode on Ted DiBiase; 6. Story Time episode 1; 7. Greatest Royal Rumble; 8. Table for three with A.J. Styles, Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon; 9. NXT from 5/2; 10. Greatest Royal Rumble pre-show. Notable is that 205 Live was only ranked No. 13 this past week and actually trailed the NXT show from the week earlier as well as the Prichard show, let alone trailing the pre-show from Greatest Royal Rumble and barely beat out the Prichard show from the prior week

If that is accurate, that would mean a number in the range of a $240 million price tag for Raw alone. That would be far beyond what most analysts were expecting, which was $240 million to $300 million combined for the U.S. rights to both Raw and Smackdown. If Raw is really getting a number at that level, it would mean the combined number for both shows would end up closer to $400 million, a figure USA Network wasn't interested in spending.

This continues the trend where the numbers are so high, that things like reaching the largest number of viewers, creating new stars, creating interesting matchups and storylines all really become a tiny factor in business, and business is all about producing as much overall product as possible and selling it to outlets looking for content, whether they be television or digital.
Meltzer on rumors of WWE's next tv deal value. Other rumors have the range between between $300 million to $500 million for RAW although the latter likely also includes Smackdown.

Some other sheet news includes:

Recent episode of the Steve Austin show had Big Show as the guest. https://www.podcastone.com/episode/THE-BIG-SHOW
NJPW recently released the cards for the first two nights of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117534/25th-annual-new-japan-best-of-super-juniors-kicks-off-tomorrow-lineups-for-first-two-events.html
Update to recent Enzo legal news as Enzo's accuser recently released her own statement claiming Enzo is not innocent and some details from the police on why the case was dropped. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/enzo-amore-s-accuser-responds-investigation-ending

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

WWE: Jeff Hardy Injury Update, Orton’s Schedule, Bayley’s Former Gimmick (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-jeff-hardy-injury-update-ortons-schedule-bayleys-former-gimmick/)
Shane McMahon Undergoes Successful Surgery for Hernia (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/shane-mcmahon-undergoes-successful-surgery-for-hernia/)
WWE Stock Reaches All-Time High After New TV Deal Reports (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-stock-reaches-all-time-high-after-new-tv-deal-reports/)

Emperor Smeat

05-18-2018, 11:39 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Random Samoa Joe gif:
https://i.imgur.com/F8uqKuP.gif

Ric Flair had to cancel all three of his weekend bookings due to catching a bug, which, with his current condition, made traveling risky. He said he's missing weekend bookings in New York, Dallas and Hot Springs, AR. The Sunday show in Hot Springs, AR for the CWA promotion has announced they are bringing in Lex Luger as a replacement. Flair's situation is thought to not be serious, but he was advised against traveling and making it worse.

Indies Roundup:
Evolve is saying that it looks to be setting an attendance record for the promotion for Sunday's Matt Riddle vs. Keith Lee headlined event in Livonia, MI.

The next Bar Wrestling show will be 6/28, and it will be the company's first anniversary show. Brian Cage & Melissa Santos headline against Delilah Doom & Eli Everfly.

All Star Wrestling on 5/25 in Vancouver, BC at the Wise Hall & Lounge with Tommy Dreamer vs Adam Ryder and Sinn Bodhi vs. Randy Myers.

The animated comedy web series "Dallas and Robo," where John Cena will be one of the voices, debuts on 5/30 on the WWE YouTube channel. All eight episodes of the series will go up that day.

Tom Magee, a former bodybuilder best known for his run in the WWE, was severely beaten outside of his home on Tuesday.

According to a CBS Los Angeles report, Magee, 59, was assaulted by as many as six men in what appears to be a conflict over a parking spot. Magee, who serves as a neighborhood watchdog, spotted the men outside and confronted them. He suffered a broken jaw, broken eye socket and a concussion in the process. He has since then been released from the hospital and is currently recovering at home.

The Los Angles police department are investigating the situation. Justin Lee, 20, and Degrate Bryant, also 20, were taken into custody on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Magee, who has a background in olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and a black belt in karate wrestled for the WWE from 1986 through 1990. Infamously, the story goes that Bret Hart did such a great job carrying him in his debut match that he was quickly pushed as a top prospect.

Despite a tremendous athletic background, Magee never progressed as a wrestler and eventually left pro wrestling after his departure from the WWE.

He later went into acting, with a notable role in the 1991 film Stone Cold with former NFL star Brian Bosworth.

Link: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/05/17/former-pro-wrestler-beaten-badly-in-front-of-his-home-over-parking-spot/

The Best of the Super Juniors tournament continues Saturday with a live show at 5:30 am from Korakuen Hall on New Japan World with the following card:
*Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita
*Will Ospreay, YOH & Yoshi-Hashi vs. ACH, Tomoyuki Oka & Tiger Mask
*Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Flip Gordon & Toa Henare
*Taiji Ishimori & Chase Owens vs. Sanada & Bushi
*Dragon Lee vs. SHO – B Block
*El Desperado vs. Ryusuke Taguchi – B Block
*KUSHIDA vs. Chris Sabin – B Block
*Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll – B Block

The 5/17 edition of Impact did 326,000 overnight viewers, up from last week's 295,000 overnight viewers.

Earlier this week, The Hollywood Report reported that Raw was expected to remain with NBC Universal with a rights increase “up to three times” its current value. The specifics were not reported, but Sports Business Journal has reported that the entire WWE package on NBC Universal was worth $180 million in 2017, which includes SmackDown Live and Total Divas / Bellas. On Thursday, Variety had a story that Fox, Facebook, and Amazon as frontrunners to land SmackDown, which NBC would not be attempting to retain because of the high renewal rate for Raw. Variety also threw out the option of placing SmackDown Live onto the WWE Network, which sounds like a ridiculous idea given the rights fees at play and the new subscribers it would require to make that transfer viable for the WWE.

The Variety piece also speculated on the idea of SmackDown becoming a three-hour program. While the wrestling consumer would scoff at that notion, many of the players bidding on the rights to the show would be unlikely to feel the same. It is a lot easier for a Fox to bid such a high amount spread out over 156 hours of yearly content versus 104 hours. If you’re a streaming property, the more content the better and as we have seen from the WWE Network, the statistic of “hours streamed” is a metric that a streaming service can boost with an additional hour of SmackDown each week.

He was Senior Vice President of Coca Cola Japan from 2006 to 2014, and was President and CEO of Takara Tomy, a major toy company, becoming one of the first foreigners to be a President or CEO of a top-tier Japanese company.

Under Meij, Takara Tomy went from a money losing company to a profitable one, and its stock price tripled from when he took over in 2014. He was credited for putting toy machines in airports, licensed projects with many new companies and introduced a number of new lines based on animation, comic and film characters. The stock price dropped 11 percent the day he left the company in November.

His leaving was a surprise because of how successful it was under him. It’s also noted that in taking a job with New Japan, he went from a huge company, which did $1.72 billion in sales, for comparison, a relatively small company that is hoping to do about $40 million in revenue this year.

In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Meij said that New Japan was the No. 2 wrestling company in the world to WWE, but New Japan’s quality of wrestling is extremely high and is more exciting but in comparison with WWE, licensing income and digital media income is tiny. Kidani said Meij’s strength is in branding and marketing and Meij said his goal was to make New Japan the No. 1 wrestling organization in the world. He said the next steps were to sell out the Tokyo Dome and improve the company’s television situation.
Link: https://twitter.com/EvanDeadlySinsW/status/996236538542542848

The contracts all have terms where WWE have the right to break the contracts at both the four month and the eight month mark, so that seems to indicate they are still uncertain of their plans
Some details about the signing spree WWE recently did for their UK plans.

According to Omega, if he were to sign with WWE in the future, he has basically no interest in going to NXT, as it is not where he sees his career going. 'The Cleaner' went on to say that he could go the rest of his career and be fine with not wrestling Samoa Joe, NXT Champion Bobby Roode, and Shinsuke Nakamura. Omega described taking his talents to NXT as a "waste".

"I know NXT is kind of like the indie darling promotion of the WWE; however, I have, maybe, next to 0% interest in going to NXT, to be honest. I'm just saying it does not jive with the goals I have in mind for myself or my [professional wrestling] career to go to NXT. As great as a guy like Bobby Roode is or Samoa Joe or Shinsuke Nakamura, I could go my entire career from this point on not wrestle those guys, and not feel like I missed something. And I don't mean disrespect to them. I just feel that I'm on borrowed time. My style is very physical and I push myself very hard and to the limit all the time to try and change wrestling and give people a reason to subscribe to a New Japan World or WWE Network and I know what we do isn't always cool, so I want to give you all a reason to find it cool again. And it's tough on me, so I want to make sure when I do these high risk matches and when I push myself beyond my boundaries that there is a point. And doing that in NXT, for me, would seem like a little bit of a waste."

Wednesday's new episode of the "Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard" podcast on the WWE Network will feature a discussion on Vince Russo. The show will be released at 4pm EST in the WWE Network on-demand section.

A new Table For 3 episode will premiere on the WWE Network after Monday's RAW goes off the air. The guests will be WWE Hall of Famer Edge, Christian, RAW Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy and WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy. Below is the synopsis:

"Legendary TLC icons Edge, Christian, and the Hardys reunite to relive the amazing matches, moments, and stories that defined their careers."

WWE has a new poll asking fans which former WWE NXT Superstar has impressed the most since coming to the main roster. As of this writing, 52% have voted for Drew McIntyre while 16% voted for Andrade "Cien" Almas, 14% for No Way Jose, 10% for The Authors of Pain and 8% for The IIconics.

Some other sheet news includes:

For those interested, wrestling merch retailer Ringside Collectables is currently holding a sale on a variety of WWE action figures. https://www.ringsidecollectibles.com/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Randy Orton Undergoes Knee Surgery (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/randy-orton-undergoes-knee-surgery/)
WWE: Revival at NXT House Show, Nikki Bella on Ninja Warrior, More (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/wwe-revival-at-nxt-house-show-nikki-bella-on-ninja-warrior-more/)
Final Eight Competitors Named for WWE UK Tournament (http://www.tpww.net/2018/05/final-eight-competitors-named-for-wwe-uk-tournament/)

Mr. Nerfect

05-19-2018, 12:10 AM

Sad news about Tommy boy.

Mr. Nerfect

05-19-2018, 12:10 AM

Harold Meij's ambition impresses me, and I am curious to see if/where it all leads. A 3-hour SmackDown does not impress me. As lucky as Vince has been in the past to secure the deals he has, come along at the right time, find the right stars, etc., the way they are inflating themselves means that if that interest drops, you have a huge balloon to keep inflated with no air. If New Japan can get viable and get themselves into a position where a significant fraction of the people watching Raw each week would rather watch it, then I can see them cutting into WWE's viewing audience quite a bit.

I know which one I would rather watch if I had the option of two at the same time, or even in the same week.

slik

05-22-2018, 04:26 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Report: <br><br>WWE Is Considering Selling Broadcast Rights To Their "Big 4" PPV's To Fox Or Other Major National Channels To Air These PPV's On Live TV Instead Of The WWE Network. This Change In Business Strategy Is Due To The Current High Demand Of Their Programming <a href="https://t.co/HrZ2OPDFjG">pic.twitter.com/HrZ2OPDFjG</a></p>— SW (@SliceWrestling) <a href="https://twitter.com/SliceWrestling/status/999010077825818625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Emperor Smeat

05-22-2018, 09:59 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Cena's Invisibility Juice Wearing Off:
https://i.imgur.com/qe3CQmv.gif

Raw last night dropped three percent to 2.66 million viewers, making it the fourth lowest number in the modern history of the show outside of holidays and football season.

The decline was even going live, with a weaker NBA game than last week, but a stronger NHL game ...

It was also the lowest rating outside of football season since June 12th of last year, but none of this is unexpected as it was clear the NBA playoffs would hurt Raw until they ended.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.79 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.77 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.45 million viewers

The media push leading up to Sunday and all of the hype over John Cena and Nikki Bella's relationship status didn't mean much for Total Bellas ratings.

The show's third season premiere averaged 517,000 total viewers and a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo on E!. That's down from 674,000 viewers for the season two finale and 681,000 for last season's premiere.

It's also the lowest viewership for an episode in series history, though Total Bellas was moving to a new night for this season after previously airing on Wednesdays.

WWE is looking at lengthening its pay-per-views by one hour starting with Money in the Bank.

Sky Italia on Facebook posted that the Money in the Bank show would be moved to a four-hour window starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time, from the previous 8 p.m. start.

Other cable providers were also contacted today with that information. They were told that most of the shows would run from 7-11 p.m., with the big four shows running from 6-11 p.m. It is unclear whether pre-game shows would be dropped or whether that would mean matches would begin 30 minutes to 90 minutes before the PPV start, depending on the show, as has been the case so far.

While he didn't make an in-person appearance, Chris Jericho continued his feud with Tetsuya Naito at NJPW's Best of the Super Juniors show at Korakuen Hall this morning.

A video promo from Jericho played as Naito & BUSHI were in the ring after defeating Toa Henare & Tiger Mask IV. Jericho continued to act unhinged, swearing at Naito and saying, unlike Naito, he isn't tranquilo, he's "f*cking crazy."

Jericho promised to win the IWGP Intercontinental title from Naito and become a 10-time Intercontinental Champion with his WWE reigns. He also insulted the Japanese fans and said Naito will be known as the person that Jericho made famous when Jericho beats him at Dominion on June 9th and brings the title back to the United States.
More details and link to the video: https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/video-jericho-cuts-promo-naito-ahead-njpw-dominion-258251

The libel trial pitting CM Punk and Colt Cabana against a WWE doctor has been delayed … Pro Wrestling Sheet can confirm.

Sources familiar with the case say it was delayed on Monday because both sides are discussing a possible settlement. The case had been on the docket for trial on Tuesday, May 22. However, no start time was ever listed. It’s believed additional delays are possible.

Dr. Chris Amann is asking for $1 million in damages for disparaging comments Punk made about him on Cabana’s podcast back in 2014.

Punk, real name Phil Brooks, alleged Amann knowingly allowed him to work through serious injuries and misdiagnosed a staph infection — among other issues. After the comments were made, WWE released a statement saying they investigated the issue and found no evidence of wrongdoing.

They also a released a weird video of Punk’s butt to “prove” he didn’t have a staph infection.

Ken Shamrock tweeted about last night’s segment where Sami Zayn brought “Bobby Lashley’s sisters,” which were men dressed as women, to Raw: “When it's good, #RAW is great entertainment and unparalleled athleticism. When it's not, it can feel awkward to watch. The overall reaction to the Lashley bit makes me wonder, they had something more controversial written and the sister skit won out?”
Link: https://twitter.com/ShamrockKen/status/998759243967758336

In an interview with Sportbible, Daniel Bryan detailed why he didn’t like playing the on-screen general manager of SmackDown: “It was very difficult. I disliked it, strongly. I would try and leave as soon as I could and if I found out they might not have a segment for me on TV, I would be texting the writers being like, 'Hey can I just stay home' -- a portion of that is not liking it and portion of that is because now I'm being away from Brie and my baby to do something I'm not passionate about. That was a weird mental thing for me.”
Link: http://www.sportbible.com/wwe/news-exclusives-daniel-bryan-talks-incredible-wwe-return-and-dream-opponents-20180521

The USA Network reality series Miz & Mrs, starring The Miz and his wife Maryse, will debut on Tuesday 7/24 at 10 PM, following that evening's episode of Smackdown Live. The series' first season will be six episodes, 30 minutes each.

As PWInsider.com first reported last year, WWE had been seeking to grow their footprint with new reality series with one pitch in Hollywood, titled The It Couple, based around Miz and Maryse's life in Los Angeles. The original plan for the series was for it to focus on their in-ring exploits as well as their personal lives and adventures as a married couple in Hollywood, especially with the birth of their first child impending. Although initially titled The It Couple, it was later renamed Miz & Mrs.

The series, as it had been pitched, would also feature Dolph Ziggler and musician Ryan Cabrera as well as Maryse's best friend and her mother as regular cast members on the series.

North Carolina independent wrestler Victor Andrews played “Jessica”, one of Bobby Lashley’s sisters on the Raw segment Monday night.

The Best of the Super Juniors tournament has Wednesday off and return Thursday with a card from the Ukaru Chan Arena and features the following B Block tournament matches:
*Tiger Mask vs. Bushi
*ACH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
*Taiji Ishimori vs. Flip Gordon
*Will Ospreay vs. YOH

Lindsay Cappotelli, the wife of former wrestler Matt Cappotelli, posted an update on her husband’s battle with brain cancer. She stated they have agreed to discontinue his radiation treatments and there doesn’t appear to be anymore they can do. Matt is having trouble communicating in full sentences with trouble chewing and eating. Cappotelli was one of the winners of the third season of “Tough Enough” in 2003 alongside John Hennigan and was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling and thought to be a future breakout star. In 2006, Cappotelli stepped away from pro wrestling after the discovery of a brain tumor, which was operated on in April 2007 and was OVW champion at the time of the diagnosis. Last summer, the tumor returned and Cappotelli underwent another surgery to have a large portion of it removed.

Indies Roundup:
Keith Lee had his send-off at EVOLVE 105 on Sunday night in Livonia, Michigan. It was billed as “The Final War” with EVOLVE champion Matt Riddle retaining the title over Lee with a running knee strike. Riddle wished Lee the best as the audience was chanting during the post-match. It was reported in March by Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Lee had been offered a deal with PW Torch confirming that Lee has signed with the company.

DEFY Wrestling is holding a card this Saturday at the Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon. They have announced Matt Riddle vs. Matt Sydal, Shane Strickland vs. Darby Allin, Joey Ryan vs. Randy Myers, and Nicole Matthews vs. Xia Brookside (the daughter of NXT trainer Robbie Brookside).

Sammy Guevara vs. Fred Yehi has been announced for MLW’s TV tapings in Orlando on June 7th.

Doug Williams will be challenging for Silas Young’s ROH TV Championship at Honor United: Doncaster on Sunday. Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. Bully Ray, Shane Taylor & Punishment Martinez and Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Toru Yano & Kenny King have also been added to that show. Mark Haskins will face Jay Briscoe in London on Saturday.

Ring of Honor will return to Philadelphia on 8/25 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Tickets will go on sale 5/30 for Honorclub members, followed by an official on sale on 6/1.

The All In Twitter account announced Flip Gordon and Brandi Rhodes will take on MJF and Madison Rayne at a WrestlePro event on June 8 in Rahway, New Jersey. The winner of the match will get booked for the sold out All In show on September 1. Brandi just had collarbone surgery, so we'll see how involved she is with this match.
MLW: https://mlw.com/2018/05/22/sammy-guevara-returns-june-7-in-clash-with-counter-grappler-fred-yehi/ , All In: https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/998344881234960384

As noted, Ronda Rousey was scheduled to face Mickie James in singles matches on the WWE European tour that just wrapped up but plans changed at the last minute and Rousey teamed with Ember Moon and Natalya to defeat Mickie, Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan in six-woman matches. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the matches were changed because officials did not feel like Rousey was ready for a singles match with Mickie.

On a related note, Rousey is said to have a "100% tremendous" attitude backstage, according to multiple sources. Meltzer's report noted that some of Rousey's co-workers see her as having no negativity and none of the "stuck-up star issues" or ego-related issues that some of the other big names that come into the company have had in the past. It's said that Rousey is quite the opposite and people say how refreshing it is that she's so humble, especially for being a star as she is. Rousey was described as a hard worker, happy and one that loves doing what she's doing now. Rousey reportedly has great respect for the wrestlers and the craft of wrestling.

Above is a sneak peek at WWE's "Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of The Macho Man" DVD set t hat comes out on May 29th, courtesy of WrestlingDVDNetwork.com. The three-disc set featured 41 rare matches, 8 non-match moments, the "Speaking from the Heart" music video with unseen outtakes. The set features around 8 hours and 50 minutes of content on the WWE Hall of Famer. As you can see in the video, host Corey Graves is joined by Sean Mooney, Bayley and WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9UNmBv9XTM

Some other sheet news includes:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, Daniel Bryan celebrated his 37th birthday today while Brian Pillman would have celebrated his 56th birthday.
In another "WWE Did You Know" type fact, yesterday was the 17th anniversary of Triple H's infamous quad tearing moment. The injury occurred during a tag match of Triple H & Stone Cold vs. Jericho & Benoit when Triple H hurt his quad trying to break up a Wall of Jericho submission on Austin.
According to PWI, Big Cass might have actually suffered a legit injury last Sunday after faking being injured since last week's Smackdown.
Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Edge talk about if WWE needs an offseason and why that is almost impossible to do. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0522/641120/edge-and-christian-on-if-wwe-should-have-an-offseason/
WWE announced another Hidden Gems collection set will be arriving on the WWE Network this Thursday. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0521/641086/paige-announces-big-change-to-smackdown-match/

Mr. Nerfect

05-22-2018, 10:07 PM

I doubt that they don't feel that Rousey is up to a singles match with Mickie, but is for Nia. There's something going on that Women's Title scene, and it wouldn't surprise me if they are working themselves with the idea to be to put the belt on Rousey in order to boost their standings with USA or whatever.

05-23-2018, 01:08 PM

Could be she’s “not ready for a singles match” and they’re planning a swerve at MITB. Could see Natalya winning the briefcase and cashing in before the Nia-Rousey match even starts, to set up something between Natalya (who would be more reliable to work with) and Rousey

Emperor Smeat

05-23-2018, 10:43 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by First Ever WWE Championship Pillow Fight Match:
https://i.imgur.com/FpUYCcI.gif

Against heavy competition from the NBA playoffs and network TV season finales, Tuesday night's SmackDown averaged just 2.195 million viewers, the lowest number of 2018.

Aside from Halloween night, it was the smallest audience for the show since June 13th of last year ...

For the second time in the last three weeks, SmackDown was down year-over-year. So far in 2018, the show is down an average of one percent as compared to the same time period last year.

One of CMLL’s biggest stars will be next to challenge the Ring of Honor champion.

It was announced on Ring of Honor’s website that Ultimo Guerrero will challenge Dalton Castle for the Ring of Honor world title at New York City Excellence on June 2. It would be the first time a CMLL star has challenged for the title since the company forged a relationship with Ring of Honor back in 2016.

They did an angle back at the 16th anniversary show where Ultimo Guerrero stole the ROH title during a match with him and Volador Jr. against Jay Lethal and Dalton Castle. He later handed it back, with announcers speculating that he might want a title match down the line.

Titan, also from CMLL, has been signed for the event. He is set to face Cody.
Link: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/cmll-star-challenge-roh-world-title-nyc

With the lineup for it set, WWE has revealed the first round matches for next month's United Kingdom Championship tournament.

Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak, Ashton Smith vs. Joseph Conners, Flash Morgan Webster vs. James Drake, Kenny Williams vs. Dave Mastiff, El Ligero vs. Travis Banks, Zack Gibson vs. Amir Jordan, Tucker vs. Joe Coffey, and Tyson T-Bone vs. Jordan Devlin are the opening round matchups. Aside from Gulak vs. Gallagher, all of those will be taking place at Download Festival from June 8-10 ...

The winners of the first round matches will advance to Royal Albert Hall on June 18th, and the winner of the tournament will challenge for Pete Dunne's WWE United Kingdom Championship at the venue the next night.

The bracket for the tournament will be announced next Wednesday.

Link: https://www.wwe.com/videos/wwe-u-k-championship-tournament-first-round-matches-revealed

Aleister Black teaming with Ricochet against EC3 & Velvetee Dream has been added to the lineup for WWE’s UK brand show at Royal Albert Hall on June 19th. That’s the second of two nights at the venue and will also feature Pete Dunne defending the WWE United Kingdom title against the person who wins the tournament on night one, along with NXT North American, Women’s, and Tag Team title defenses.
https://twitter.com/WWEUK/status/999349256736649222

Indie wrestler Kevin Bennett was the person who lost to Andrade “Cien” Almas on SmackDown last night. Christopher Guy, which is former ROH Wrestler Ace Steel’s real name, was played by CHIKARA’s Juan Francisco de Coronado.

Indies roundup:

Nick Jackson responded to someone who said they were waiting to see The Young Bucks in WWE: “Not possible right now we have 6 months left on our current contracts. Never say never but we’re very happy with what we’re doing.”

Austin Aries vs. Rich Swann has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s One Night Only PPV taping in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on June 3rd.

Momo Watanabe won the Wonder of Stardom Championship from Io Shirai this morning.

The NWA’s latest Ten Pounds of Gold focuses on the storyline fallout of Cody challenging for the NWA title being announced for All In.

Joey Janela vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been added to MLW’s June 7th TV tapings.
Young Bucks: https://twitter.com/NickJacksonYB/status/999277981020409856 , Impact: https://twitter.com/DestinyWrestle/status/999073665407901698 , NWA: https://youtu.be/E90BdzUmaag , MLW: https://twitter.com/MLW/status/999329207275675648

WWE sources have confirmed with PWInsider.com that beginning with the 6/17 Money in the Bank PPV, all PPVs will commence at 7 PM Eastern with a Kickoff show prior to the event.

We are told that this doesn't necessarily mean all PPVs will be timed to run four hours exactly. It is most likely that the shows will run in the area of three hours to three and a half hours, although the company will have the ability to go longer or shorter as needed.

As we wrote a few days ago, major franchise events like Wrestlemania and Summerslam will obviously go much longer than the three hour-plus window.

Do you think that by booking Braun so dominant that they have created a problem? He is so dominant that they can't really put him up against anybody without it hurting them, because he's pretty much going to destroy them. Could that be why he's being booked in these meaningless tag team matches? That being said, who do you think they could put him in a credible feud with where the booking could be even? Also what would you like to see them do with him? I would love to see him go after and win the Universal Championship, which should have happened ages ago. But even then who could possibly take it from him down the line?

At this point in time, it’s a problem because they don’t have him in the Title picture but they need to keep him strong. They could put him in a credible feud with Brock Lesnar or Seth Rollins very easily. If it’s me, I have one of those two beat Lesnar and free the Title belt, and then have the new champ feud with the other guy. Plus you can always have other guys feud with him. That is the beauty of booking, you can tell a story if you do it properly.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles about the dilemma WWE has with The Bruan right now.

After having been backstage at Raw several weeks ago in Long Island, WWE star Jason Jordan is slated to be at this Monday's Raw taping in Richmond, Virginia, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

Jordan underwent neck surgery on 2/5, described at the time as "a minimally invasive operation to decompress the nerve," by WWE Medical Director Dr. Joseph Maroon. WWE removed Jordan from all live events in January, but continued featuring him on WWE TV in non-physical roles despite him being one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions at the time.

WWE is wrapping up production on the new season of The Edge & Christian Show later this week.

From what we have heard, there are a lot of fun cameos from a number of stars including Johnny Gargano, Funaki, Tommy Dreamer, Beth Phoenix and Kairi Sane.

We have also heard there will be some sort of scene related to the old Police Academy films.

The Best of the Super Juniors tournament resumes Thursday morning with a card from the Ukaru Chan Arena at 5:30 am Eastern on New Japan World with the following card:
*KUSHIDA & Shota Umino vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Yota Tsuji
*Marty Scurll & Chase Owens vs. Chris Sabin & Tomoyuki Oka
*Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado vs. SHO & Yoshi-Hashi
*Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee & Toa Henare
*Bushi vs. Tiger Mask – A BLOCK
*ACH vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – A BLOCK
*Taiji Ishimori vs. Flip Gordon – A BLOCK
*Will Ospreay vs. YOH – A BLOCK

Above is a clip from the new "Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard" podcast on the WWE Network, featuring a discussion on Vince Russo claiming credit for Triple H's "The Game" nickname and his early success.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIvlhVDlfpI

A fan on Twitter asked Cody Rhodes about streaming the September 1 All In event and Rhodes responded at this moment there's no plans to broadcast the event, which sold out in about 30 minutes. He did note they have some upcoming meetings that may change that though.

Cody u gotta make @ALL_IN_2018 a ppv event please mate I gotta watch it here in Canada I'm @ALL_IN_2018
— Michael James Kelly (@ihateyanks27) May 21, 2018

We have no plans to broadcast at the moment. But we do have fun meetings in LA, Baltimore, and Dallas almost the moment we get back from the UK. Probably cover some of it on #BeingTheElite

This is our first time in this role, we are exploring all options! https://t.co/cQVzUUOYA4
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 22, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/ihateyanks27/status/998714284850008069 , https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/998717439549558784

Some other sheet news includes:

XFL recently opened a new online merch store for the league's revival. https://www.xflshop.com/
Update to recent Hidden Gems collection news as WWE recently added more content for the upcoming new set on the WWE Network. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117661/early-wwe-appearances-for-aj-styles-dean-ambrose-bobby-roode-more-added-to-tomorrows-hidden-gems-addition-to-wwe-network.html?p=1
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 19th anniversary of Owen Hart's tragic death at WWF's Over the Edge 1999 event.
Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had Cody as the guest talking about Rey Mysterio, thoughts on Ted DiBiase Jr, leaving the WWE, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0523/641144/cody-reveals-that-he-used-to-be-really-jealous-of-former-wwe/

slik

05-24-2018, 04:14 PM

From this week's Observer -- Meltzer on WWE (and UFC's) aging demographics and the changing landscape of things to come.

https://i.imgur.com/SvubBFV.png

https://i.imgur.com/Oo6iv5H.png

https://i.imgur.com/YIftcHZ.png

https://i.imgur.com/y8icuIC.png

slik

05-24-2018, 04:17 PM

Summary:

* Average age of WWE viewer is 54.

* SD going to Friday nights is great for them b/c research shows people over 50 don't go out on Friday nights so WWE's largest viewing demographic will be 'primed for the kill'

* Fox will promote WWE during the NFL and other sports

* Meltzer speculates the biggest matches, minus WrestleMania, will probably be on Smackdown after the move happens because SD will make more money than the WWE Network does and he speculates WrestleMania might end up a FOX special instead of on the WWE Network.

ClockShot

05-24-2018, 04:26 PM

The 54 age number is throwing me off.

I thought the game plan for like the last 10+ years was to draw in kids.

slik

05-24-2018, 04:31 PM

The 54 age number is throwing me off.

I thought the game plan for like the last 10+ years was to draw in kids.

It was -- but it didn't work as well as they hoped.
They drew in some kids obviously -- but IIRC he's stated in the past they mostly were kids of adults who already watched the show -- and their kids started watching too.

Emperor Smeat

05-24-2018, 05:12 PM

The 54 age number is throwing me off.

I thought the game plan for like the last 10+ years was to draw in kids.

That was mainly successful in terms of merch sales and live events but a bust when it came to trying to mold Cena's base as the future tv viewing base. Only reason its not even older as an average is due to more girls and younger women watching WWE shows than in the past.

WWE spent well over a decade trying to groom Cena's base as their future for tv and failed miserably. Worse is that base didn't carry over as the foundation for Reigns which is another reason why he's struggled as a top star. Even worse is supposedly Cena's base doesn't stick around as wrestling fans once they become older which wasn't the case with Hogan or Austin.

Emperor Smeat

05-24-2018, 10:37 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Big Cass Depreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/0847txJ.gif

The WWE’s deals with both USA and FOX, for a combined $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion over the five years, covers October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2024.

The FOX offer for Raw was believed to be in the range of $240 million to $270 million ...

For FOX, this past Friday in that time slot they aired two hours of MasterChef Junior, which did 3,288,000 viewers. One would expect Smackdown on FOX to do a figure in that same range, but at a far higher cost. Smackdown would be much stronger among males 18-49 and 18-49 in general, as well as kids, but far weaker among women. However, two weeks earlier that same show did 2,800,000 viewers (on 5/11 it was preempted for a much higher special that did more than Smackdown would have done), lower than Smackdown would be expected to do.

Regarding WrestleMania week, in theory this would move the Smackdown show in the city from the Tuesday night to the Friday night. That would put it against the major indie shows in the past that ran on Fridays. Saturday would likely be NXT and ROH’s big show, so most of the top indies would stay away from that night. So the question becomes if they would stay away from Friday as well and move to Thursday. The Hall of Fame would have to move to either Thursday or Tuesday, with Thursday making far more sense.

While Friday night is a worse night for drawing viewers than Tuesday, the increase in exposure from being on the FOX Network, both because it’s a far higher rated station, and because it is available in far more homes, will more than offset it. In fact, it would be expected that Smackdown would have more viewers than Raw, because of the power of FOX and far greater visibility.

Another key aspect is the nature of the deal, which hasn’t been disclosed. If part of the deal is WWE gets exclusivity on FOX for pro wrestling, it could greatly hurt the ROH syndication package, since ROH is on a number of FOX affiliates, although usually not in prime time. But Joe Koff stated that this isn’t the case, and that it would not affect ROH clearances on Sinclair-owned FOX affiliates.

Confirming what had been reported, John Hennigan (formerly John Morrison in WWE and currently Johnny Mundo in Lucha Underground) will officially be on the next season of CBS' "Survivor."

Hennigan was one of the contestants highlighted in the preview video for "Survivor: David vs. Goliath" that aired during last night's finale for the most recent season of the show. The reality series debuted in 2000 -- and "David vs. Goliath" will be its 37th edition. The person who wins the show receives a $1 million grand prize.
More details: https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/johnny-mundo-confirmed-next-season-survivor-258396

Competing on Survivor will not be the only major event coming for Johnny Impact, as according to his fiancée Taya Valkyrie, the couple getting married in a little over a week:

My husband (well in 9 days he will be ????)..... tonight it became official, check him out on this next Season of @survivorcbs #Slamtown pic.twitter.com/ghPbXLAjWN
— Lucha Royalty (@TheTayaValkyrie) May 24, 2018

WWE announced a show in Osaka, Japan at the Edison Arena on 8/31, featuring talent from the RAW brand including Ronda Rousey.
Link: https://twitter.com/TheTayaValkyrie/status/999506714343784448

In your opinion do you think its wise to give Ronda Rousey a title shot after only being with WWE for less than a year?

Yes, for the same reason they’d give The Rock a title match if he came back. You must maximize Rousey’s star power and the investment the company has made into her. If they bang out a nice number or get an increase in subs because of the match or even put together a great match, mission accomplished.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles on why Ronda got a title shot this early even though she claimed before she isn't in the WWE just to have special treatment.

Regarding the biggest shows in the U.S. over the next few months, the 7/7 New Japan show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, at press time, they were at less than 5,000 tickets sold. One of the reasons it was as low as it was is the secondary market brokers steered clear of the show. They had steered clear of the Long Beach shows as well, which sold out instantly. There are only 229 tickets available on the secondary market on 5/22, and the nature of how they are scattered indicates not much if any secondary market buys in the sense these were just people putting up two or four tickets individually, as opposed to buying large amounts in different places like at a WWE show. That’s notable because of how quick Long Beach sold out. But to this point there is nobody and nothing announced for the show, and won’t be until after Dominion.

Indies Roundup:
In something of a major mainstream note, a movie called “My Dad is a Heel Wrestler,” starring Hiroshi Tanahashi, will be major cinema release in Japan this summer. It’s the movie filmed last year where Tanahashi cut his hair and darkened it for the role.

Right now the official word on Katsuya Kitamura is still that he’s out of action due to damage from a recent concussion. At one point there was talk he wouldn’t be back, but of late the idea is he will be back at some point.

Those at MLW have said the reason they are no longer using Matt Riddle is because WWN wouldn’t allow him to work their shows due to MLW getting television.

Cody & Brandi Rhodes working on a training camp as well as an American Dream Scholarship for wrestlers.

Impact announced a public Q&A on 6/4 in Toronto at 10 a.m. at the Real Sports Bar & Grille. Appearing at the sports bar will be Austin Aries, Moose, Madison Rayne, Su Yung, Gail Kim, Ed Nordholm, Scott D'Amore and Don Callis. They will be there selling tickets and promoting Slammiversary which takes place on 7/22 in Toronto.

Rise will debut a weekly Internet show called Rise - Ascent with new shows every Wednesday on the Rise streaming service at www.riseascent.com. The shows will be building shows on 6/29 in South Gate, CA and 7/7 in Chicago. The service is $4.99 per month. Jimmy Jacobs will be working as the writer and producer of the show starting with the 6/29 show.

Progress and Evolve will be doing a joint show together on 8/4 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. They will also be doing a show on 8/7 in Queens,NY at La Boom. Tickets for the shows for each promotion on those days (different tickets) go on sale Monday at NoonEastern.

Also announced for Evolve on 6/23 in Queens, NY is Matt Riddle vs. Shane Strickland for the Evolve title. For 6/24 in Melrose, MA they've announced Riddle vs. DJZ, AR Fox vs. Walter and Chris Dickinson vs. Tracy Williams.
Cody: https://www.facebook.com/events/360348727709056/

While this has been said before, including at a WWE Investors call, and Vince McMahon changed his mind on it, right now the idea of ICW and Progress from the U.K. going to the WWE Network is back on, at least this week. But this is close enough that we’ve been told the announcement, if it happens, would be coming right around the time or at the Royal Albert Hall shows

Right now the working dates for the 2018 Mae Young Classic are 8/7 and 8/8 at Full Sail University. That is not official until an announcement is made but crew has been told to keep those dates free for those tapings

Orton had arthroscopic knee surgery for an MCL tear that he suffered late last year. He had been working with the tear for months and was waiting for a time to have a break and for all of his programs to be taken care of to get it done. That explains why he did such a clean job for Jeff Hardy at Backlash. He’s expected back in about two months

Toni Storm signed a U.K. contract. When she was asked about doing the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix tournament in August and September (their version of G-1), there was no confirmation but probably not since she has to take any dates WWE offers. But at this point it’s a U.K. deal and not an NXT deal, as would be the case for almost all of the U.K. wrestlers recently signed

WWE has also gotten aggressive regarding trying to sign up indie talent with MLW as the target since they just got television. That will be interesting because the key guys MLW is relying on have signed contracts.

There were reports that WWE approached several wrestlers under contract to MLW. According to legal papers sent, the talent advised MLW of the offers and told WWE they were signed, but WWE told the wrestlers they should still come to a tryout and be around the system. In the past, WWE would back off when approaching talent under contract to a degree due to what happened in the past with ROH. They’ll still get word indirectly to tell people not to renew their deals like they did with ROH (and there were guys in ROH based on promises made and such while under contract that one would think was tampering, and that’s what led to the legal situation last year where WWE had to pull all offers from ROH talent and waited months after their contracts expired before approaching them again, although in the end the guys like Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole and Bobby Fish all came. The MLW deals signed with its key talent were for multiple years. A key may have been MJF signing with MLW

Smackdown has been dying in the U.K. ratings as of the latest numbers. The live numbers for Raw were 69,000 on 4/16, 30,000 on 4/23, 19,000 on 4/30 and 49,000 on 5/7. The jump on 5/7 is likely because it was the week before the U.K. tour. We didn’t get the 5/14 and 5/15 numbers for the shows in London, but they would be expected to be way up. Smackdown on 4/17 did 22,000, 4/24 was 15,000, 5/1 was 16,000 and 5/8 is unavailable but was less than 12,000

The ten most-watched shows on WWE Network this past week were: 1. Camp WWE episode 3; 2. Table for 3 with Edge, Christian and Hardys; 3. NXT from 5/16; 4. Backlash; 5. Something Else to Wrestle With from 5/16; 6. Camp WWE episode 2; 7. 205 Live from 5/15; 8. Table for 3 with Elias, Brian James and Jarrett; 9. Greatest Royal Rumble; 10. NXT from 5/9

What this means for the wrestlers becomes interesting. If WWE was to pay even 13 percent of its revenue to talent (major sports are closer to 50 percent), on a $1.2 billion per year business (which WWE should be by 2020), that would mean an annual payroll of $156 million. If we figure 100 developmental wrestles at a $50,000 per year average, that leaves $151 million for a 126 person main roster. A $1.2 million average salary is weird, because wrestling is a business where the top guys skew the average anyway. But literally they could double everyone’s current pay tomorrow, and they would still be paying at the same rate as UFC, and at about one-fourth the rate of major sports. The point being, the idea of offering someone a $3 million per year guarantee to leave New Japan, whether they’d want to do it or not, is something they could easily afford to do now, but in 2020, they could offer someone $5 million without blinking an eye.

Offering a superstar on the indies $500,000 would mean nothing, and even the guys happy at $100,000 to $200,000 on the indies who have no interest in WWE today could have their money multiplied easily if WWE decided to do so.
Meltzer on what WWE's new tv deals mean for when it comes to future indie raids.

Some other sheet news includes:

FITE TV and Global Force Entertainment (owned by Jeff Jarrett) recently agreed to a deal where Global Force will provide wrestling-based content for FITE. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117690/fite-announces-partnership-with-jeff-jarretts-global-force-entertainment.html?p=1
According to the Observer, FOX moving Smackdown to Fridays will hurt NJPW and MLW the most since both air their weekly tv shows during the same time as Smackdown.
According to the Observer, CM Punk's lawyers rejected an offer by Dr. Chris Amann's (and WWE) lawyers for a settlement decision for the on-going libel lawsuit against Punk. At the moment, Punk's lawyers are pushing for the case to go ahead since they feel confident they have enough evidence to prove their claims and for Punk to have a moral victory over the WWE. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0524/641187/cm-punk-lawyers-said-to-be-ready-for-jury-trial-in-case-against/
Sports Illustrated had a recent interview with Pentagon Jr talking about his thoughts on Rey Mysterio, his favorite wrestlers as a child, and winning the Impact World Championship. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0524/641170/pentagon-jr-on-winning-the-impact-title/

slik

05-24-2018, 10:49 PM

Those UK ratings are bad

yikes

:(

05-25-2018, 12:36 PM

Aren’t they the live numbers? It airs at like 1am.

ClockShot

05-25-2018, 03:28 PM

Might have to tune into Survivor and see how John Morrison does.

Raw talent going to that Osaka show. Asuka is from there. She's on Smackdown. Wonder if they'll let her tag along?

Emperor Smeat

05-25-2018, 10:10 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2018:
https://i.imgur.com/02dsKuY.gif

WWE better pray for a Houston Rockets win tomorrow night, because if there's a seventh game between the Golden State Warriors and Rockets, it will take a bite out of hours two and three of Raw. Like a big bite. If the Rockets win tomorrow, there is no game seven, and Raw will rebound to pre-NBA playoff numbers.

A four-way with A.J. Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe will headline a 7/1 show at Sumo Hall in Tokyo.

Indies Roundup:
Mark Dallas announced today that ICW and Firecracker Films are creating a new reality show for the BBC, somewhat similar to Tough Enough. They are looking for wrestlers to train for the show.

WWN announced that Josh Briggs, James Drake and Anthony Henry have signed contracts. They are expected to make more signing announcements. The key to signing talent would be to keep them away from ROH or MLW among others.

OTT have released the incredible Matt Riddle vs Will Ospreay match from Scrappermania for free. The full show, which took place at The National Stadium in Dublin is available at OTTonDemand.com.

Pro Wrestling NOAH and Simon Inoki’s Toho Eiyuden are entering a working agreement to expand into China. According to Puroresu Spirit, Inoki split from his father-in-law Antonio’s IGF outfit to form Tho Eiyuden, which also goes by Oriental Heroes and runs out of Shanghai, China. NOAH helping to train performers for Inoki’s outfit and they will exchange talent. Toho Eiyuden performers are expected to perform on next week’s Korakuen Hall event and NOAH talent will be sent to China for shows in August.

New Japan performer Ren Narita recently suffered a concussion and has been taken off the shows through June 2nd. At that time, they will re-evaluate Narita and determine if he can be cleared to return.
OTT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB-1AcF60mM

AXS TV is expected to announce imminently that they will be airing the July 7th New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Special show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco live.

It was expected this would be the case when the show was announced with a 5 p.m. local start time, meaning it was designed for primetime viewing on the East Coast.

The name of the show will be "G1 Special in San Francisco," and the official headliners on the show will be New Japan's big four, Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Tetsuya Naito. The Young Bucks are also officially booked for the show.

Jim Ross and Josh Barnett will return as announcers.

"As New Japan Pro Wrestling continues their U.S. expansion, we are proud to provide a platform for NJPW and TV-Asahi to bring their electrifying events to as many fans as possible through our live primetime broadcasts," said AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon. "The Cow Palace has a rich history of major pro wrestling events and we are exited to continue that tradition with our presentation of the G1 Special in San Francisco."

Adding to the lineup for next month's events at Royal Albert Hall, WWE has announced that Shawn Michaels will be making an appearance on night one.

What Michaels' role will be hasn't been revealed, aside from that he'll be appearing "alongside Triple H" and obviously won't be wrestling. Michaels currently works as a coach at WWE's Performance Center.

The two nights at Royal Albert Hall will be taking place on June 18th and 19th. A tournament to determine the challenger for Pete Dunne's WWE United Kingdom Championship on the 19th is also set for the opening night, along with Dunne teaming with Tyler Bate & Trent Seven against The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong).

The second night will have Dunne defending against the tournament winner, Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. EC3 & Velveteen Dream, and NXT North American, Women's, and Tag Team title defenses.
Link: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-united-kingdom-championship-tournament/article/shawn-michaels-returns-royal-albert-hall

The 5/17 edition of Impact did 236,000 overnight viewers, down from last week's 325,000 overnight viewers.

Jury selection in the civil lawsuit brought by WWE Doctor Chris Amann against former WWE Champion CM Punk and Colt Cabana began yesterday in Cook County Court in Illinois yesterday, PWInsider.com has learned.

The trial process was originally scheduled to begin this past Tuesday morning but was pushed back several days due to a new judge taking on the case as well as some last minute filings by Amann's side.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117704/dr-chris-amann-vs-punk-cabana-trial-update.html?p=1

WWE began contacting talents for the second annual Mae Young Classic tournament, which will, be taped starting this August at Full Sail Live in Florida over the past two weeks.

WWE is reaching out to a number of talents, some of whom worked last year's tournament and some whom have gotten tryouts with the company in the past.

There is a discussion that the WWE could have another card to play regarding their distribution rights. BTIG analyst Brandon Ross recently wrote that he believes the company might be able to split their rights and strike a separate deal for the streaming rights to Raw and SmackDown. This follows the reports that NBC Universal is expected to renew Raw with a significant upgrade in price with The Hollywood Reporter citing up to three times the current value. In addition, Fox has agreed to spend $205 million per year for the rights to SmackDown when the NBC Universal agreement expires at the end of September 2019.

In the current deal with NBC Universal, the streaming rights for Raw and SmackDown went to Hulu, which NBC Universal has a stake in and after 30-days the shows are added to the WWE Network ...

The BTIG report estimates that Raw itself could fetch $25 million per year in streaming rights and bring the WWE’s overall domestic rights total to $500 million per year. To put that figure into perspective, the entire WWE generated $800 million in revenue in 2017.
Link: https://www.fiercecable.com/video/wwe-still-working-digital-rights-and-facebook-would-be-best-option-analyst-says

The Best of the Super Juniors tournament continues Saturday in Aichi. The tournament matches are being uploaded later in the day to New Japan World and there won’t be another live show on New Japan World until the A and B Block finals on Sunday, June 3rd followed by the finals on Monday, June 4th. Below are Saturday’s A Block tournament matches and the point totals:
*Flip Gordon (4) vs. Tiger Mask (6)
*YOH (2) vs. ACH (2)
*Taiji Ishimori (4) vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (2)
*Will Ospreay (4) vs. Bushi (0)

Hennigan is looking to continue to add to his resume' according to Dave Meltzer in his latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer is reporting that there is interest on Hennigan's behalf to compete for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Over the past few years the popularity of NJPW has increased greatly with a number of big-name talents competing for the company. The report notes that Hennigan's relationship with AAA may be what will prevent him from making the jump to NJPW. New Japan normally does not use talent from AAA seeing as how they have a working relationship with CMLL.

On the recent episode of The Jim Ross Report, J.R. discussed who he feels which WWE Raw star will have a run as Universal Champion due to his stock rising. Ross commented on Braun Strowman, and reiterated on how he will be the top star of WWE. However, he feels that WWE should not book him to be the top name this year, but should wait until 2019. On a previous episode, Ross stated that he will be very happy to see a Roman Reigns (heel champion) vs. Braun Strowman (babyface challenger) main event match at WrestleMania 35.

While he mentioned Strowman, J.R. highlighted a particular name who he feels will become Universal Champion down the road.

"[Drew McIntyre] looks great, he sounds great, he's in great condition, he's just getting better and better," said Ross. "He's a big time player. I could see, very easily, Drew McIntyre being a Universal or WWE Champion down the road. Without a doubt. It's a lay-up; trust me on this one."

Some other sheet news:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 24th anniversary of Jeff Hardy's debut in the WWE. Hardy wrestled and lost to the 1-2-3 Kid during a set tapings for WWE RAW in Erie, Pennsylvania.
During a recent interview with Telemundo Las Vegas, Rey Mysterio reveals if given the chance, he would like to return to the WWE to help the company's Latino wrestlers. He also teased at the idea of wanting to lead a stable of them for a potential return run. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/rey-mysterio-says-wwe-latino-talent-missing-him
Musical website Rock Sins had a recent interview with Aleister Black talking about WWE's recent European tour, crowd reception for him during the tour, being the NXT champion, the creation of his entrance theme, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0525/641205/aleister-black-on-being-the-face-of-wwe-nxt/
The Mirror had a recent interview with Trent Seven talking about his goal to become NXT Tag Team champions, thoughts on WWE's UK expansion plans, and Toni Storm. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0525/641216/trent-seven-on-wwe-looking-to-expand-in-the-uk/

Mr. Nerfect

05-25-2018, 10:43 PM

I would love to see Hennigan in New Japan.

slik

05-26-2018, 01:18 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At least 1 TV network is interested in bidding for WrestleMania rights. Mania for free on TV essentially kills the idea of paying for wrestling on PPV. NFL makes more than $1B from SuperBowl TV rights. A fraction of that would be more than what WWE gets now thru PPV/subscribers.</p>— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingNewsCo/status/1000174737853739009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Damian Rey 2.0

05-27-2018, 02:16 PM

What does that mean for the network tho?

slik

05-27-2018, 03:13 PM

My guess is WWE will likely start w WM (if they can get a great deal) and from there try for Royal Rumble and SummerSlam/Survivor Series/MITB

They've mentioned at investor calls more than once they've considered a 'tiered plan' for the WWE Network at some point. I would guess the smaller ppvs would stay as 'Network Exclusives' and same for NXT and NXT Takeover events. WWE long-term wants to open Performance Centers and international versions of NXT all over the World (and one on the West Coast as well) so I could see them amping up multiple versions of NXT and maybe used tiered plans for access to older ppvs.

That's just my guesswork.

slik

05-27-2018, 03:21 PM

Ultimately, come October 2019 I would expect/guess to see more big matches on weekly TV and the b-shows as more 'extra'. I think they'll still throw in a match or two to garner the hardcore fan/Network subscriber's interest -- but with the most $$$ coming from SDLive and RAW starting fall 2019 -- it will make more sense to keep the product aimed at viewing the weekly tv series than to build to ppvs...with the exception of major shows like WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam in particular.

WrestleMania makes a massive amount of money for WWE as is and if a Network is willing to pay them a large sum for tv rights then it only benefits WWE's financials even more so. I do believe both the RR and SSlam will still be treated as special events because WWE plans to start holding both in stadiums going forward as well. Alamodome lit the fire supposedly for WWE with the Rumble in 2017, and that is why Chase Field in Phoenix is hosting The Royal Rumble in 2019. Chase Field out-bid Safeco Field, home of WrestleMania XIX, to nab the show. Boston has already shown interest in hosting SummerSlam at Fenway Park previously and Tampa Bay has plans to bid on both a Royal Rumble and WrestleMania in the future. WWE's deal to keep SummerSlam at Barclay's Center ends after the upcoming event in August 2018.

Mr. Nerfect

05-29-2018, 10:23 PM

What does that mean for the network tho?

I imagine that there will still be exclusive content on there. You'll still have the old PPVs. I can imagine a lot of the documentary department focuses its effort onto creating content there. It might even be used as some sort of pilot territory zone in order to try and get things produced to shop around to other networks.

slik

05-31-2018, 07:01 PM

Per Meltz currently advertised as the main event of the Extreme Rules PPV:

Reigns & Strowman & Lashley vs. Owens & Zayn & Mahal

:|:|:|

Lock Jaw

05-31-2018, 07:12 PM

EXTREME!!!!!

Emperor Smeat

05-31-2018, 09:45 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Nothing:

Despite heavily advertising a much-anticipated Samoa Joe vs. Daniel Bryan match all week (which was changed during the show), SmackDown averaged 2.195 million viewers on Tuesday night, the exact same total as last week.

This was despite no major sports competition and with the networks airing reruns for the most part, which lends credence to the thought that the number one factor affecting SmackDown ratings is the Raw audience from the night before. Monday's Raw had the second lowest audience of the modern era, and while the retention rate was slightly higher than normal, SmackDown's ratings are still tied in with Raw.

The show finished seventh for the night on cable in terms of total viewers but finished at the top of the 18-49 demo with a 0.66 rating.

SmackDown was down year-over-year in the ratings by almost seven percent, which was a bigger decline than Raw had the night before.

WWE's working relationship with PROGRESS Wrestling will continue with an NXT wrestler challenging for the PROGRESS Women's Championship next month.

PROGRESS announced today that Jinny will be defending her Women's title against Steffanie Newell (formerly known as Nixon Newell) on June 10th at the O2 Academy in Sheffield, England. Before Newell joined WWE, Jinny was also the opponent in her last match for PROGRESS.

Newell, who is from Wales, made her NXT in-ring debut at a house show this April after recovering from a torn ACL. She was supposed to be part of the Mae Young Classic in 2017, but the injury kept her from wrestling in the tournament. She has yet to debut on NXT television.

Jinny won the championship from Toni Storm earlier this month and will be making her first title defense against Newell.

Though this has yet to be officially announced, Storm vs. Jinny vs. Isla Dawn vs. Killer Kelly is being advertised for WWE's United Kingdom-brand show at Royal Albert Hall on June 18th. The winner will challenge for the NXT Women's Championship at the venue the next night.

Links: https://twitter.com/ThisIs_Progress/status/1002279835782275072 , https://www.livenation.co.uk/show/1130155/wwe-united-kingdom-championship-tournament/london/2018-06-18/en

A number of stars, as well as a match have been announced for ROH’s upcoming Best in the World tour.

Stardom’s Kagetsu and Hazuki were announced for the show on Ring of Honor’s Twitter account today. KUSHIDA has also been signed to compete.

In addition to the talent announcements, ROH also announced a tag team championship match with champions The Briscoes defending the titles against The Young Bucks ...

A triple threat match for the Ring of Honor title was previously announced back at the last set of television tapings. Dalton Castle will defend the title against Marty Scurll and Cody in a three way bout. Nick Aldis, who is currently the NWA champion, has said that he will only defend the NWA title if Cody not only wins the ROH title, but puts it on the line at All In.

Best in the World will take place on June 29 at the UMBC Event Center in Baltimore, Maryland. There will be a TV taping the following day in Fairfax, Virigina.

WWE has confirmed the dates of the Mae Young Classic to be 8/8 and 8/9 at Full Sail University in Orlando.

In the time slot that Smackdown will be in, FOX debuts a reality show called Phenoms and it was a ratings disaster, doing 662,000 viewers.
For some reference, this new show is either replacing or covering for the off-season of the children's cooking contest show which did around 3+ million for its average.

Indies Roundup:
Heroes of Lucha Libre on 6/2 at the Galen Center on the campus of USC in Los Angeles has Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Trumposo (Aaron Aguilera) as the main event and El Hijo del Dr Wagner Jr. & Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A. Park. The promoters were expecting a huge crowd at the USC campus. We shall see.

Cody and Nick Aldis are focused on in the NWA's latest Ten Pounds of Gold video.

MLW is pushing the Tom Lawlor vs. Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) match on its 6/7 show in Orlando as a UFC vs. Bellator match. They also pushed a 40 wrestler Battle Riot match for 7/19 in Queens, NY at the Melrose Ballroom. It'll be Rumble style with eliminations by pin, submission or to rope elimination. The winner gets a title shot whenever they want.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Madison Eagles has been announced for the 7/8 Rise TV tapings in Naperville, IL.

Nick Bury vs. Tajiri takes place for BCW in Melbourne, Australia on 8/31.

Evolve on 6/23 in Queens NY at La Boom has Matt Riddle vs.; Shane Strickland in a no rope break match for the Evolve title, Austin Theory vs. DJZ in an anything goes match for the FIP title, Walter vs. Darby Allin, Chris Dickinson & Jaka & Dom Garrini vs. Tracy Williams & Timothy Thatcher & Anthony Henry and John Klinger and AR Fox appear.
NWA: https://youtu.be/VfNhMTMS7Cg

WWE just announced that Seth Rollins will defend the Intercontinental Title against Elias at the Money In The Bank PPV.

Us Weeky tweeted the following. They are back together. Wow, I am shocked. Tune in soon to see it all unfold on Total Bellas. You know the cameras had to be there!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Exclusive: Nikki Bella and John Cena are back together, a month and a half after their split <a href="https://t.co/ajRC6fVfin">https://t.co/ajRC6fVfin</a></p>— Us Weekly (@usweekly) <a href="https://twitter.com/usweekly/status/1002261375933210624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

MLW announced the following:

FIRST-EVER BATTLE RIOT TO MAIN EVENT MLW’S JULY 19TH NYC TV TAPING

NEW YORK – MLW’s July 19th card will literally be the biggest Major League Wrestling show ever. MLW today announced that it will present the first-ever Battle Riot® featuring 40 participants as the main event of its July 19th card and FUSION TV taping in New York City at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY.

A mash-up of a battle royal, royal rumble and anything goes street fight, this super-sized main event will feature 40 wrestlers with new participants entering the ring every 60 seconds ...

What does the winner Get?
The winner gets a World Heavyweight Title Shot anywhere, anytime! It could be that night; it could be in 6 months. The challenger has the key to unlock an instant title shot against whoever the champion is!

Participants will be announced starting next week.

The WWE Network added the following "Hidden Gem" to their VOD section today, featuring the first-ever Georgia Championship Wrestling footage on the Network:

BRISCO'S LAST GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

APRIL 07, 1984

In what would be his last attempt at glory, Jack Brisco takes to the ring to challenge Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Based on statements that he has made in interviews earlier this year, Eli Drake's Impact Wrestling contract is slated to expire this weekend.

In checking with sources, we are told that the two sides have been discussing a new deal and that an offer is on the table for Drake. We have not confirmed that he has agreed to terms.

Drake, 35, first broke into the business on the West Coast independent scene. After appearing in Dwayne Johnson's TNT reality series Hero, he was signed to a WWE developmental deal. After being released, he came to Impact in 2015.

Squared Circle Sirens is reporting that Deonna Purrazzo has signed with WWE for the NXT brand.

PWInsider.com has independently confirmed that signing is taking place. We are told that she was signed to a deal to Ring of Honor, but the deal allowed Purrazzo to opt out after six months. She decided to take that option in order to sign with WWE and will be starting there this summer.

Purrazzo, 23, has worked in Japan for STARDOM as well as making appearances in the past for WWE and Impact Wrestling, among other companies. She's long been on the WWE radar and really, it was just a matter of time before she landed there.

At first, they focused on the Royal Rumble match from January 26th in Phoenix, where Punk worked over 49 minutes of the match after entering the match first.

During the match, Punk took a hard clothesline from Kofi Kingston, which he described on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast in 2014, which led to the suit being filed.

Dr. Amann consulted with Punk after learning he had been rocked and claimed to have instructed Punk to eliminate himself from the match, which Punk refused. Amann added that producer Michael Hayes later instructed Punk to eliminate himself before Kane was sent out to eliminate him. Punk was said to be agitated towards Amann backstage after the match ..

They described an elbow injury from Dec. 2013, and a shoulder injury in Jan. 2014.

Amann acknowledged prescribing antibiotics, including Z Paks to performers, including Punk, which he later said was for sinusitis.

In the afternoon portion, Amann was asked about the emotional damage the podcast caused him, stating that there have been negative tweets directed at him and derogatory chants aimed at him. Amann stated that he hasn’t suffered any damages from the WWE over the interview and that the opinion of the wrestlers has not been altered.

When Amann stated he couldn’t denounce the claims Punk made was due to HIPAA, the defense cited a text message exchange between Amann and Chris Jericho where Amann stated that Punk’s health was nothing like had described in the interview.
Some details from Day 3 of CM Punk's libel lawsuit. Other highlights during the trial included WWE's doctor claiming he never gave Punk Z-Packs and later admitting he doesn't write down all his presciptions he hands out, instances of him acting unprofessionally towards others who seeked his medical help or advice, and some disrecenies regarding the size of the cyst Punk claimed he had. http://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezone/news/959853-punkcabana-v-amman-trial-day-three-morning-notes , https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/05/30/notes-from-the-second-day-of-cm-punk-colt-cabanas-defamation-trial/

Sources with full knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the expected, that Smackdown will be live, airing from 8-10 p.m. on Friday nights, meaning a likely change of that crew’s road schedule. It rarely figured into things, but in the past there have been those who had teenage sons who played high school football who had asked to be on the Smackdown crew because they didn’t work on Friday nights. Another aspect of the first night of the tour, rather than the last, being a TV taping with an early on-call time, it means that most Smackdown talent would have to use Thursday as a travel day to make sure to get to the building by early Friday, as opposed to Friday night if it was a house show. So that would mean a schedule of leaving Thursday and getting home on Tuesday. It would be more convenient to do a Thursday through Sunday schedule because talent wouldn’t have to be there until Thursday night, and they’d already be on the road for early Friday, and then could fly home Monday. It would also avoid the Smackdown Monday night house show that is hard to draw since it goes against Raw. These type of decisions don’t have to be made for a long time.

NBC Universal was stunned at losing Smackdown, never believing the bidding for the “B” show would reach $200 million, a level the show got because of the multiple suitors. As noted last week, because of their own ratings situation, USA simply could not afford to lose Raw and used their contractual right to match any existing offer to keep the show, which FOX had hoped to put on its main network on Monday nights. They declined to do the same for Smackdown when the bidding came into the $200 million range.

WWE stock closed at press time at $58.96 per share giving the company a $4.549 billion market value. The latest increase was fueled by an analysis from Brandon Ross where he targeted the value of the stock’s future at $75 per share based on the new NBC Universal and FOX deals. That $75 per share figure would be 13.5 times what he believes EBITDA for the company will be in 2020. He feels other analysts aren’t seeing that the new television contract in India (the current deal expires at the end of 2019) will also have a huge increase. He noted that the value for content in India has skyrocketed since the last contract WWE signed. He also believes WWE can sell a digital rights package for $25 million by that time. With those numbers he expects revenue to increase by $283 million in 2020 over current levels, which would be in the $1.1 billion per year range. Most of that new $283 million would be profit, since they are already spending the money to tape those shows.

As of right now, the plan for Lesnar’s next Universal title match is SummerSlam, on 8/19 in Brooklyn. We’re told that Lesnar is tentatively headlining that show but that is not locked in stone. For Lesnar-watch, the key is whether he applies to be put back in the USADA testing pool for UFC by 6/30. If he does not, then he’s staying with WWE. If he does, there is a better chance he would be leaving and starting back in UFC on the New Year’s weekend show. Of course, with both companies cash rich, his timing of being about to be a free agent once again, while still holding the title, and the ability to play one side off the other is the best it has ever been.

President Masayuki Uchida said he would be forming a business alliance with Simon Inoki, who is now running the Toho Eiyuden promotion, also known as the Oriental Heroes promotion, based out of Shanghai. The aim is for both promotions to help develop pro wrestling in China, including finding and training new talent. The Chinese talent would be brought to train with NOAH talent and the two promotions would work together on several shows this year. The first joint show will be 6/26 at Korakuen Hall, and the NOAH wrestlers will be working 8/8 and 8/9 in Shanghai. Everyone is trying to be the first to crack the Chinese market, but at the end of the day, it’ll be WWE, just like in MMA, in the long run, it’ll be UFC

The top ten most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network were: 1. NXT on 5/23; 2. Table for 3 with Edge, Christian and the Hardys; 3. This Week in WWE (which usually doesn’t make the top 15); 4. Something Else to Wrestle With; 5. Backlash; 6. 205 Live from 5/22; 7. Greatest Royal Rumble; 8. Camp WWE Episode 3; 9. WrestleMania 2018; 10. NXT on 5/16

Some other sheet news includes:

According to a report from 411Mania, Enzo recently publicly thanked his fans who have been "stalking" his alleged accuser. https://411mania.com/wrestling/enzo-amore-grateful-fans-stalking-accuser/
Enzo is also rumored to be considering filing a lawsuit against TMZ and his alleged accuser with TMZ as a target due to him likely feeling they were the cause for his firing from the WWE.
Apparently one of the key WWE executives who helped put together WWE's deal with the Saudi government has a wife who is a noted online bigot according to a recent report from the Huffington Post. Making things interested is WWE supposedly was fully aware of this executive's wife's online past and did not want any of it becoming public during their talks with the Saudi government. WWE has been denying claims of them being aware but did admit this executive no longer works for the company. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/anti-muslim-twitter-troll-amy-mek-mekelburg_us_5b0d9e40e4b0802d69cf0264?7z
In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 3rd anniversary of WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 PPV which is notable for being the 1st PPV aired live exclusively on the WWE Network.
According to The Hollywood Reporter via Post Wrestling, a major reason why FOX went after WWE instead of keeping UFC was due to their feeling of WWE being easier to market due to its PG-friendly nature and UFC being too expensive to retain and market in a new deal.

slik

06-01-2018, 03:58 PM

Keeping my fingers crossed they go w/ Lesnar vs Rollins at SummerSlam -- and that Rollins wins instead of getting stomped by Brock in 4 minutes.

Dreading them going w/ Lesnar vs Roman again
Could also see a Lesnar vs Lashley match happen as well

Sepholio

06-01-2018, 04:51 PM

I want Lesnar vs Roman, Roman wins, Braun cashes in MITB and kicks his ass for the title on the spot, grabs a mic and says "Anyone but you Roman. Anyone. But. You."

Sepholio

06-01-2018, 04:53 PM

I know that's Brays thing, but it would be a nice call back to when Braun was with the Wyatts. Its the one thing Braun carried over from back then lol.

ClockShot

06-01-2018, 05:03 PM

Cena and Nikki Bella are back together? I'll believe it when I see it.

He should be about ready to come out of hiding now.

Emperor Smeat

06-01-2018, 08:48 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Nothing:

Chuck Williams, better known as the Rockin' Rebel, and his wife were both found dead by a family member earlier today at their home in West Chester, PA, in an apparent murder/suicide.

West Goshen Township Police have not released the names of Williams and his wife, but a close friend of Williams confirmed it was him and that the home in question, shown on local news, was his home. Other friends of his have confirmed the story.

The story going around is that the couple's adult son came to the house this morning and discovered both dead ...

Local news reported that police had been called to the home several times.

Williams was 52. He took the name Rockin' Rebel because of being trained by Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson, the Rock & Roll Express, and he started his career in 1988. He first made his name in Joel Goodhart's Tri-State Wrestling promotion, which was the forerunner to ECW. He was the group's champion and wrestled against men like Sandman and D.C. Drake He later wrestled from 1993 to 1995 for ECW, and worked for a ton of different independent promotions and also did matches for both WCW and WWF in the 90s.

Ring gear worn by Roderick Strong on November 18, 2017 at NXT War Games, and autographed later that evening at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX is up for bidding. The money from this will be donated to the www.specialops.org in honor of one of Roderick Strong's best friends Dustin Yates Page
Links: https://auction.wwe.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?auctionId=2333131 , https://www.facebook.com/dustin.yates.18?fref=mentions

Indies Roundup:
Shotzi Blackheart is expected to debut at the Impact tapings in Windsor, ONT on Friday night.

Over the Top has two shows this weekend. On Saturday in Dublin at the Tivoli Theater they have David Starr & Jordan Devlin vs. Low Ki & Walter, Pete Dunne & Mark Haskins & ? vs. Zack Gibson & Sha Samuels & Charlie Sterling, LJ Cleary vs. Tyler Bate vs. Kris Wolf and more. Sunday in Belfast at the Europa Hotel has Devlin vs. Bate, Dunne vs. Adam Maxted, Gibson& Samuel & Sterling vs Kings of the North, Tucker vs Curtis Murray and more. Trent Seven, who is injured, will be General Manager at both shows.

Ring Of Honor is returning the 2300 Arena (formerly the ECW Arena) in Philadelphia, PA on August 25. It will be their first show there in 2018.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has announced the following matches for their “Threemendous V” card at The Globe Theatre on July 13th: Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs. The Young Bucks for the PWG tag titles, WALTER vs. Brody King, Marty Scurll vs. Matt Riddle, Dalton Castle vs. David Starr, Trevor Lee vs. Rey Fenix, Penta 0M vs. Rey Horus, and Jeff Cobb vs. Joey Janela.

Revolution Pro has announced that KUSHIDA will be working their annual Summer Sizzler card on Friday, August 17th at York Hall.

Curtis Axel tweeted:

10 years today with @WWE! #BTeam
— Curtis Axel (@RealCurtisAxel) June 1, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/RealCurtisAxel/status/1002541929505198081

WWE posted the following:

The United Kingdom welcomes back WWE and your favorite Superstars with several Live Events and broadcast editions of Raw and SmackDown LIVE this November. Tickets for the London Live Event will be available soon, while all other U.K. Live Events (except Minehead) are available now at www.bookingsdirect.com.

WWE Live’s latest tour through the U.K. runs from 3 November through 11 November, and includes installments of Raw and SmackDown LIVE broadcast from the Manchester Arena on Monday, 5 November and Tuesday, 6 November, respectively. When Raw and SmackDown LIVE emanated from the Manchester Arena in November 2017, Sheamus & Cesaro were crowned as new Raw Tag Team Champions, and the WWE Championship changed hands outside North America for the first time ever when AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to capture his second WWE Title.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117850/wwe-returns-to-the-uk-in-november.html?p=1

A question concerning Smackdown remaining a live program once it moves to FOX. WWEs touring schedule for as far back as I can remember has been to have RAW live Monday nights then have the crew transport everything to the next town overnight and tape or broadcast Smackdown Tuesday night. How does the logistical change of having a 3 day gap between the shows effect them in terms of this? It seems like a major burden everytime time I think about it. All the crew (creative, agents, backstage guys, etc) would have to be flown home after Monday then flown back out for Friday’s broadcast. How is WWE going to address this major logistical change?

There are going to be a lot of changes, especially because some members of the crew would work other broadcast gigs during the weekend, including NFL and MLB games before flying into town for WWE. It's been a concern for some who work production, especially senior members of the team who had a lot of leeway to work outside events because obviously, this will change their lives in a major way on a weekly basis. I haven't heard that there is a concrete plan on how to handle things, but there are several things they could do - including having different production crew teams for Raw and Smackdown or adding other events the production team could work (for example, a NXT taping or a Network special) over the weekend, etc. WWE is going to have to re-invent the wheel and their scheduling and we aren't close enough to the change (it is happening in October 2019, after all) for WWE to have made the decisions. It could mean some members of the crew will no longer work for WWE full-time, but again, we are too far away for definitive answers.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles discussing the changes within WWE in regards ti Smackdown moving back to Fridays.

The Best of the Super Juniors tournament is winding down this weekend with the final round robin matches scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The finals will take place Monday from Korakuen Hall. Here are the updated standings for the blocks:

*A BLOCK: Will Ospreay (8 points), Taiji Ishimori (8), Flip Gordon (6), YOH (6), Bushi (6), Tiger Mask (6), ACH (4), and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (4).

*B BLOCK: Dragon Lee (6), Marty Scurll (6), Hiromu Takahashi (6), KUSHIDA (6), Chris Sabin (4), El Desperado (4), SHO (4), and Ryusuke Taguchi (4)

In the A Block, Ospreay and Ishimori would be the favorites. Ospreay faces Flip Gordon in his final tournament match and Ishimori is facing YOH. If Ospreay and Ishimori both win, Ishimori advances due to his win over Ospreay on the opening night. If Gordon beats Ospreay AND Ishimori loses, Gordon would win the block as he would have wins over both. YOH and Bushi could cause a playoff by winning their final matches and tying, but that is highly unlikely. Tiger Mask, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and ACH are eliminated.

The B Block is wide open with the parity booking and all B Block members have two remaining tournament matches so everyone is still alive. Takahashi would appear to be the favorite to win the block and has matches with SHO and KUSHIDA remaining.

**Here are the B Block matches scheduled for Saturday’s card in Gunma:
*Chris Sabin vs. El Desperado
*Marty Scurll vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
*SHO vs. Hiromu Takahashi
*KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Lee

Impact Wrestling is taping four episodes of Impact in Windsor, Ontario tonight and tomorrow at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. These will be the four episodes leading into Slammiversary on July 22nd in Toronto.

The Intercontinental title match between Seth Rollins and Elias has officially been added to the Money in the Bank card on Sunday, June 17th at the Allstate Arena. Here is the updated card:
*AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE title
*Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev vs. Bobby Roode vs. New Day member in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
*Ember Moon vs. Natalya vs. Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Lana vs. Naomi in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
*Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey for the Raw women’s title
*Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal
*Carmella vs. Asuka for the SmackDown women’s title
*Seth Rollins vs. Elias for the Intercontinental title
*The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows for the SD tag titles
*Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
*Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. TBA for the Raw tag titles (the challengers will be determined in the Battle Royal on Raw next week)

"I don't recruit a prospect unless I think the person has the potential to main event WrestleMania," Brisco said.

One of the prospects who Gerald Brisco has his eye on is a student at Duke University and the school's third All-American in the sport of wrestling, Jacob Kasper. Standing at 6'3 and weighing at 230 pounds, Kasper has caught the eye of a certain WWE talent scout and Brisco went on to praise the red-shirt senior; even comparing him to former 16-time WWE World Champion John Cena.

"In my nearly 50 years in the wrestling business, I have seen only a few wrestlers who have such powerful personalities that when they come into a room, everyone there knows that person has arrived," Brisco said. "Jacob Kasper has that type of personality, and he reminds me in many ways of a young John Cena."
From a recent interview ESPN had with Gerald Brisco: http://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23606591/wwe-collegiate-wrestling-standout-jacob-kasper-next-big-star-world-pro-wrestling

Last July, the Mae Young Classic commenced, and the winner of the women's tournament was crowned in September ...

Although the full list has not been announced yet for 2018, one particular name could be a part of the tournament. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, indie talent Xia Brookside could be a part of the tournament, and may possibly be signed to a WWE contract.

Xia reportedly canceled her summer tour after previously asking for more dates. She did not tell the promotion why she had to cancel the dates, and WWE does not want talent to tell others that they are about to be signed to a contract.

Xia, 19, is the stepdaughter of WWE trainer Robbie Brookside. Although Xia has only been involved in the pro wrestling business for three years, she is a former Women's Champion for International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom and Pro Wrestling Ulster. Xia credits Joey Ryan as being her "travel buddy," and has wrestled 186 matches in five countries and 10 states.
More details: http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0601/641396/daughter-of-wwe-trainer-possibly-signing-with-wwe/

A new episode of WWE Photo Shoot will premiere on the WWE Network after Monday's RAW goes off the air. The thirty-minute episode will focus on WWE Hall of Famer The Godfather. Below is the synopsis:

"All aboard! The Godfather's got nothing but love, laughter, and loads of unique insight when looking at photos from his Hall of Fame career!"

WWE has a new poll asking fans who is their favorite to win the women's Money In the Bank Ladder Match on June 17th. As of this writing, 24% voted for Ember Moon while 17% voted for Charlotte Flair, 16% for Becky Lynch, 14% for Alexa Bliss, 14% for Sasha Banks, 7% for Lana, 5% for Natalya and 3% for Naomi.

The Independent reports that the Yemen-based branch of Al-Qaeda has threatened Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for "opening the door wide for corruption and moral degradation" by allowing cinemas and WWE into the country. The terrorist group has sent a warning to the crown prince, calling his efforts to liberalize the Kingdom as "sinful projects."

It appears Al-Qaeda is especially upset with WWE's Greatest Royal Rumble event that took place in April.

"[Foreign] disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," the warning from Al-Qaeda said.
Wonder what show they were watching since I don't remember any wieners flopping around or wiener-related stuff happening besides Nakamura's low blow spot.

We noted in April that Kevin Owens practically went silent on Twitter. His tweets became protected to only 4 followers.

His Twitter account is back to being public again, and he is once again verified. Owens cited Shania Twain as the reason why he decided to become verified again.

"I got verified again so that I can beg Shania Twain to play my favorite song 'When' at her concert this summer in Montreal because I'll be there," Owens wrote in his Twitter bio. "I'm serious."
For some reference, Owens dropped Twitter at the time due to his wife's social media accounts getting hacked and being fed up with dealing with trolls and/or toxic people online.

Some other sheet news includes:

WWE had a recent interview with Dakota Kai talking about her feud with Shayna Baszler, her NXT career, sharing the same ethnicity as The Rock, who influenced her style of wrestling, and more. https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/dakota-kai-interview?sf190752617=1
For those interested, Post Wrestling released two reports about today's proceedings from the CM Punk libel trial. Today was the first day Punk was on the stand and detailed his health history leading up to his departure. https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/06/01/cm-punk-testifies-in-defamation-trial/ , https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/06/01/more-notes-from-cm-punks-testimony-on-friday-in-defamation-case/
Natalya's recent article for the Calgary Sun was an interview of Titus O'Neil talking about his early life and his biggest career goal in the WWE. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/titus-o-neil-feels-he-has-all-tools-be-champion-wwe-talks-his-upbringing-more

Lock Jaw

06-01-2018, 08:55 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">10 years today with <a href="https://twitter.com/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWE</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BTeam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BTeam</a></p>— Curtis Axel (@RealCurtisAxel) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealCurtisAxel/status/1002541929505198081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I remember "back in the day" when they made a "big deal" out of Edge's "Decade of Decadence" and I thought "Wow! What an accomplishment that he has been around for that long!"

Now there are dozens of people who are in WWE and its is like "Wow, have they really been there THAT long?"

#1-norm-fan

06-01-2018, 09:07 PM

From this week's Observer -- Meltzer on WWE (and UFC's) aging demographics and the changing landscape of things to come.

https://i.imgur.com/SvubBFV.png

I'm actually surprised WCW's audience was that much older. I know even in 2000 they were still the promotion of choice for older "rasslin'" fans because it was much less removed from that. With the NWO and whatnot though, I figured the average fan would be closer in age.

Mr. Nerfect

06-03-2018, 07:04 PM

It’s quite rare to find someone on a message board that was primarily a fan of WCW. I think a lot of them got run off.

erickman

06-03-2018, 07:21 PM

It’s quite rare to find someone on a message board that was primarily a fan of WCW. I think a lot of them got run off.

I say a lot of the wcw fans went to ether roh or impact wrestling, like me I liked wcw better then raw, an was stuck with wwe in 2001.

Jordan

06-03-2018, 07:38 PM

No most WCW fans just went back to Nascar and College Football.

erickman

06-03-2018, 07:41 PM

No most WCW fans just went back to Nascar and College Football.

an ufc

Emperor Smeat

06-03-2018, 10:13 PM

According to the police, current belief is that Rockin Rebel Chuck Williams shot and killed his wife first and then killed himself shortly afterwards.

Further information regarding the June 1st shooting in the 300 block of North Five Points Road: The decedents were a married couple in their fifties named Charles and Stephanie Williams. The Williams family resided at [deleted by PWInsider.com].

Both appear to have died as a result of gunshot wounds that occurred sometime in the overnight hours. Initial indications support that Stephanie Williams was shot by her husband. Charles Williams then fatally shot himself.

The investigation is ongoing in conjunction with the Chester County Coroner’s Office.

slik

06-03-2018, 10:48 PM

Sanity made their SDLive debut on a houseshow, losing to Anderson/Gallows

Jordan

06-04-2018, 08:50 AM

Wow I forgot they got shaken up to Smackdown.

slik

06-04-2018, 08:51 AM

Remember Authors of Pain?
They didn't even get invited to the RAW Tag Team BBQ last week!

Jordan

06-04-2018, 09:09 AM

Remember Authors of Pain?
They didn't even get invited to the RAW Tag Team BBQ last week!

Meltzer said it's because they didn't have steaks.

Mr. Nerfect

06-05-2018, 08:32 AM

It's weird to think of WWF fans as "cultured" when Mae Young was giving birth to a hand.

slik

06-05-2018, 10:54 AM

From Wrestling Observer Radio today, re: SummerSlam main-event:

https://i.imgur.com/zIgRGmE.png

Jordan

06-05-2018, 11:14 AM

Fuck that. That's such bullshit. I don't want it.

slik

06-05-2018, 11:19 AM

I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's Seth

Seth vs Brock and though his push has been a disaster, Lashley vs Brock, would at least be something I'd prefer over another Roman vs Brock debacle where the live crowd shits all over the match, which is 100% what would happen if Brock vs Roman main-evented in Brooklyn at SummerSlam.

Jordan

06-05-2018, 11:25 AM

I feel that it should be Strowman. It's almost as obvious as when Flair and Hogan were going into Mania.... that was the match that felt right.

LibSuperstar

06-05-2018, 11:40 AM

I feel that it should be Strowman. It's almost as obvious as when Flair and Hogan were going into Mania.... that was the match that felt right.

Maybe they're saving Lesnar-Strowman for later.

#1-norm-fan

06-05-2018, 02:47 PM

So it seems like WWE's solution to the Reigns dilemma is to have Reigns lose 350 times until the crowd actually EXPECTS him to lose and THEN give him the title at WrestleMania 40. Brilliant.

Sepholio

06-05-2018, 02:51 PM

Reigns wins the title, BRRRAAAUUUUNNNNN cashes in MITB and immediately takes the title from him. I will keep saying this until it happens.

Emperor Smeat

06-05-2018, 10:03 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by CM Punks Victory over the WWE (by association):
https://i.gifer.com/VkdS.gif

The jury in the case of Dr. Christopher Amann vs. Phil Brooks (CM Punk) and Scott Colton (Colt Cabana) ruled that neither man were liable for any damages against the WWE physician in the defamation lawsuit.

The jury took only two hours to deliberate. Punk and wife AJ Lee (April Mendez) began crying in court when the verdict was read. Amann was stoic.

Amann's attorneys were asking for $3,989,000 in damages, claiming $1 for every listener of the Art of Wrestling podcast that the Punk show supposedly had.

Punk's attorneys noted that WWE's medical records were not reliable because they never listed any of Punk's antibiotic prescriptions, and that the plaintiff's argument from WWE doctors that there was no lump was ridiculous given four witnesses coming forward who described it in detail besides Punk.

The key to the case appeared to be the testimony of Punk's massage therapist, who described the lump in detail, and of his wife, who said she noticed it starting at a zit-like size in August 2013 and it grew and changed color over the months.

While there was no proof the lump was a staph infection, let alone MRSA staph, as Punk had stated on the show, the jury evidently felt that Punk either misheard the doctor or of not, his exaggerations did not damage Amann's professional standing.

Brandon Howard at Wrestlenomics Radio recently listened to the “Art of the Wrestling” interviews from November 2014 with Colt Cabana and CM Punk. In an interesting note, Dr. Christopher Amann is never identified by name during the interviews. There was one person with the last name Amann who was mentioned, that being WWE lawyer Scott Amann, who has no relation to Dr. Amann.

WrestleZone interviewed CM Punk after the jury ruled in favor of him and Colt Cabana in Dr. Chris Amann’s defamation suit against them. Punk said it’s a gigantic weight that’s been lifted off his shoulders and that he’s happy for Cabana because he was dragged into it for silly reasons. Punk also said that he isn’t “All In.”

Cabana tweeted after the verdict, “The jury decides unanimously in my favor.” He then called it a “small victory for the little guy.”
Punk: https://twitter.com/WZRebel/status/1004129114205442050 , Cabana: https://twitter.com/ColtCabana/status/1004108138067431424

In a real shocker, Raw last night did 2.52 million viewers, only up one percent from last week's near modern record low on a week when the audience should have bounced back strongly.

Essentially, the audience that shifted away for the NBA playoffs, as has happened every year, didn't come back this week even without an NBA game. There was a Stanley Cup playoff game on NBC with the Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals that did 5.06 million viewers in competition.

In reality, while there were two shows, one last week and one in 2016 on non-holiday dates that did lower numbers, this would be the worst showing in modern history because those episodes were expected to do poorly based on overwhelming competition ...

The actual ratings aren't out yet, but if the viewers per home increased over last week, then it is entirely possible this will be the lowest rated Monday night wrestling show in the history of the USA Network. The record low is a 1.68 rating on Christmas night of 2017.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.59 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.59 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.39 million viewers

Curt Hawkins’ opponent “James Harden” from Raw was Will Lockhart, who is a student at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling.
Link: https://twitter.com/BookerT5x/status/1003816413289680899

Indies Roundup:
Impact will have TV tapings in Toronto on 7/23 and 7/24 as well as 8/12 and 8/13.

With Pentagon Jr. and LA Park returning, Psycho Clown vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. LA Park in a match where whoever takes the fall loses their mask will headline AAA’s Triplemania 26 on August 25th. Pentagon said that he’ll still be going by Penta El Zero M on the indies. Park looks likely to headline AAA and CMLL’s biggest show of the year within a few weeks of each other.

Shane Helms will be making his ROH debut on June 15th in San Antonio. He’s also set to wrestle for ROH in Dallas the next night and at their TV tapings in Virginia on June 30th.

ROH has uploaded their debut show, The Era of Honor Begins, from 2002 to their HonorClub streaming service. The promotion noted that all of their events from 2002 will be coming to HonorClub.

Impact Wrestling will be part of Chris Jericho’s Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise this October.

Austin Aries reflected on yesterday being the one-year anniversary of his last WWE PPV match and wrote that he’d love to face Neville again when he’s available: “And life was never the same...Dejected, almost amused at my repeated failure, who’d have known this moment here would be the catalyst for so much future success. And to my victorious opponent...I’d love to do it again, shackles off, whenever you’re done serving your time…”
AAA: https://twitter.com/therealfredo/status/1004048741161000960 , Helms: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/shane-%E2%80%98hurricane%E2%80%99-helms-make-roh-debut-tx-va , ROH: https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1004041445362360322 , Impact: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjqRD0BFl_j/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1g88rsvxj6d35 , Aries: https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/1003769057383014400

The September date AAA has a hold for on New York City's Madison Square Garden is indeed for the historic 20,789-seat arena.

PWInsider.com is told that while WWE would technically have the right of first refusal on the date based on their agreement with the venue, the larger story at play here is that MSG management isn't happy that WWE has been running the majority of their events in the New York City market at the nearby Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The tipping point appears to have been WWE making the decision to run all of their Wrestlemania 35 week events in 2019 at Barclays, leaving MSG out in the cold. Wrestlemania 1, 10 and 20 were held at MSG as was the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2013, the last time Wrestlemania was held in the NYC market.

With WWE electing not to run Wrestlemania week at the legendary venue, MSG management has been more open than ever before to allowing other pro wrestling groups into the venue. We are told they have sent feelers out to different groups and are more open to booking non-WWE events than ever before. That may or may not have been why Ring of Honor teased "All In 2" potentially coming to the Garden over the weekend.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117917/more-details-on-aaamsg-and-the-larger-story-at-play.html?p=1

Jeff Jarrett captured the AAA Mega Championship in the main event of the promotions Verano Escalando event over the weekend, which was the first show featuring the return of Konnan as the booker of the promotion. Jarrett won a three-way bout over Dr. Wagner Jr. and Rey Mysterio after Konnan, under a fake La Parka mask, pretended to be the referee and counted three.
Possible reason for why Jarrett won the AAA title could have been due to the upcoming MSG show.

Ring of Honor released an updated lineup for the 6/29 Best in the World PPV in Baltimore, Maryland:
*ROH Champion Dalton Castle vs. Cody vs. Marty Scurll.
*ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions The Kingdom vs. Kenny King & Chuckie T & Eli Isom.
*ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks.
*Punishment Martinez vs. Adam Page.
*Flip Gordon vs. Bully Ray.

Boom Studios officially announced the following:

Discover The Secrets Behind The Brand In A New Weekly Series

BOOM! Studios and WWE today announced WWE: NXT TAKEOVER, a weekly event series on-sale in September 2018.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117908/boom-studios-launches-nxt-comic-book-series.html?p=1

For the first time since retiring eight years ago, Shawn Michaels has expressed interest in returning to the ring.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Michaels now says that he doesn’t dismiss the idea of returning to the ring for a one-off.

“It would have to be done the right way and just for one match rather than something that ran for longer” he told them. "It could be possible but people would have to accept they wouldn't be getting the Showstopper, Mr WrestleMania, and that I'm 52 years old now."

Michaels last wrestled at WrestleMania 26 back in 2010, losing to the Undertaker in a streak vs. career match. After giving a farewell speech the next night on Raw, he has sporadically appeared on WWE programing in a non-wrestling capacity. He currently helps train wrestlers at the WWE Performance Center.
Link: http://www.skysports.com/wwe/news/14203/11395872/wwe-legend-shawn-michaels-hints-at-one-more-match-after-eight-years-in-retirement

While WWE's two United Kingdom Championship tournament shows will be airing on the Network later this month, they won't be shown live.

WWE announced the broadcast plans for the events today, noting that they'll be taped at Royal Albert Hall on June 18-19 and will stream on the WWE Network on Monday, June 25th and Tuesday, June 26th. They'll air at 3 p.m. Eastern time.
More details and show cards: https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-uk-tournament-air-week-after-taking-place-259106

When announcing the revival of the XFL, Vince McMahon promised that "experienced executives" would be hired to be at the forefront of the league.

The league followed up on that today, with Oliver Luck being named as the commissioner and chief executive officer of the XFL. Luck, who is the father of Indianapolis Colts star Andrew Luck, played quarterback at West Virginia University and had a stint as a backup in the NFL in the 1980s.

Luck is leaving a position as the executive vice president of regulatory affairs for the NCAA. Prior to that, Luck served as the athletic director at West Virginia University, was the president of NFL Europe and the Houston Dynamo soccer team. and was the CEO of the Houston Sports Authority.

The WWE has announced that The Undertaker will be appearing on the Madison Square Garden house show on Saturday, July 7th. The card will also feature Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey and Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Elias for the Intercontinental title. The card goes up against both UFC 226 and the New Japan G-1 Special from the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

Some other sheet news includes:

Gaming website Gamespot announced New Day will be making an appearance at next week's E3 event.
During a recent interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet, Kane revealed he is considering plans to continue wrestling even as the potential new mayor of Knoxville. He also revealed one of his plans as mayor would be to bring a WWE PPV event to the city. http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/kane-wrestling-elected-interview/#.WxcQcFMvy7x
Bulgarian tv station TV+ had a recent interview with Rusev talking about the origins of his Rusev name, origins of his catchphrase, his main roster debut, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0605/641507/rusev-reveals-how-he-got-his-name-and-catchphrase-talks/

Mr. Nerfect

06-06-2018, 01:16 AM

For a while I've been thinking that the WWE will have Shawn Michaels wrestle at the first "PPV" they put on network television, provided they can ink that deal. In my head, for whatever reason, that is Survivor Series.

Lock Jaw

06-06-2018, 01:20 AM

Not as simple as "WWE having him wrestle". He actually has to want to.

Mr. Nerfect

06-06-2018, 01:25 AM

Not as simple as "WWE having him wrestle". He actually has to want to.

Yeah, I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. Who has willingly retired and stayed retired?

Emperor Smeat

06-06-2018, 02:07 AM

Yeah, I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. Who has willingly retired and stayed retired?

Was going to mention Bruno Sammartino but apparently he wrestled once in 2005 after retiring in the late 80s.

Pretty much a problem with wrestling, unlike in pro sports, is that you can still have a good to great career in your older years even as your skills diminish a lot. Same for there always being promoters around desperate to want any notable name to help sell their shows. Those two factors alone make it hard to stay retired unless you leave the industry like Bull Buchanan did or have to due to health reasons like Edge did.

#1-norm-fan

06-06-2018, 10:32 AM

I'm convinced that if HBK were to come back full time right now he'd be the best performer in the company again by a mile.

Emperor Smeat

06-07-2018, 01:36 AM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Nothing:

Despite both the NBA and NHL playoffs having the night off and network television being fully in rerun season, SmackDown averaged just 2.138 million viewers on Tuesday night.

That's the lowest number since June 13th, 2017. Aside from that date and the show that went up against election coverage in November 2016, this was the lowest audience for the show since the brand split and the move to Tuesday night.

SmackDown finished seventh for the night on cable in terms of total viewers but, in a down night for TV viewership overall, did top the 18-49 demo with a 0.67 rating.

The show was down nearly nine percent year-over-year, which is the third-worst drop-off in the last year. It's also the third straight week SmackDown was down year-over-year

Conrad Thompson claimed that this week’s episode of Something Else to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard on the WWE Network is being pushed to Friday due to “creative differences” with WWE. He said he’s fighting to get the best possible product to viewers on Friday. WWE’s revival of ECW is the subject of the show.
Link: https://twitter.com/HeyHeyItsConrad/status/1004418487706677248

Triple H spoke to Sports Illustrated about the Performance Center’s new website and discussed how Shawn Michaels rediscovered his passion for wrestling by being involved with NXT: “Shawn Michaels and I talk about it all the time now. Shawn wasn’t a part of this business for a long time, and then he came to the Performance Center and it lit a fire under him to see all the young talent. The more he started being around, the more invigorated he became. That re-lit his passion for the business. It’s almost that same level of energy and excitement to help someone put it together and then see their success.”

WWE Network News reported that Batista (as The Leviathan) vs. Kane from OVW Christmas Chaos 2001 will be this week’s hidden gem uploaded to the WWE Network.

Indies Roundup:
Colt Cabana released a “Scott Free” (referencing his real first name) shirt on Pro Wrestling Tees after the jury ruled in favor of him and CM Punk yesterday.

Brian Christopher (Brian Lawler) was arrested and charged with theft of services $1000 or less after he and another person didn't have enough money to pay for an $802 hotel stay when the company credit card they used didn't have enough for it.

Marc Copani, better known as Muhammad Hassan, told Pro Wrestling Sheet that he misses being in the ring and would like to make a one-time appearance for WWE like being in a Royal Rumble.

Above is Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega's Dominion match from 2017 where they went to a 60 minute draw. The two will meet again at this year's Dominion event in a two out of three falls/no time limit IWGP Heavyweight Championship match.

ROH announced The Kingdom will defend the ROH World Six-Man Tag Titles against EVIL, SANADA, and BUSHI at Best in the World on June 29.

Cabana: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/wrestler-t-shirts/coltcabana/scott-free.html , Two Sexy: https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/jerry-lawler-s-son-arrested-downtown/763941902 , Hassan: http://www.prowrestlingsheet.com/muhammad-hassan-interview/#.WxhRHVMvwW8 , NJPW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZIGbS1GRTE , ROH: https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1004498185262333952

WWE have applied to register two trademarks for "WWE VIP". The name could be in reference to the company's VIP Experience at selected Live Events or it could be new name for a television show/event or even the WWE Network's long planned tiered system, based on the descriptions provided with each trademark applications.
More details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117950/wwe-files-trademarks-for-potential-new-series.html?p=1

WWE uploaded two episodes from 1985 World-Class Championship Wrestling today to the WWE Network.

In what is somewhat of a tradition, MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani sat down with CM Punk and talked to him in Chicago. With his fight against Mike Jackson looming on Saturday at UFC 225, Helwani asked Punk if he'd be wrestling just outside of Chicago in September at the "All-In" show.

Punk had a most interesting response, while still denying that he's set for the event.

"I'm not 'not' addressing it. It's not happening. Nobody has has ever asked me, straight up asked me to come wrestle for them. Nobody. Not since I left WWE. There's been 'hey, if you ever want to do anything...' I know what this is going to sound like to a lot of people. Everyone's always going to find a way to spin it to make what they want to happen. Nobody has ever just been like 'Here's the deal, we're having a show, we're going to pay you X amount, you're working this guy, what do you say, yes or no?' Nobody's ever done that. They've always been like 'hey if you ever want to maybe do something.' To me that's not enough," said Punk.

Punk was asked if it was something he was interested in, and admitted his stance has softened since the lawsuit against him from WWE doctor Chris Amann has concluded.

"I don't think so, but that's a hard question to answer," said Punk. "I can tell you if you asked me that question a week ago, I felt like I still had a foot in the grave, the answer's no. I don't want anything to do with it. I feel like I'm out. The future's unwritten, it's a wide open book, it's my story to tell. I'm just being real. I'm not going to sit here and say no. Something might come up, some fun might be had.
Part of a recent interview Punk had with Fightful.com: https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/cm-punk-says-nobody-has-made-him-firm-pro-wrestling-offer-won-t-rule-out-return

WWE has a new poll asking fans which SmackDown champion is in the most danger of losing their title at WWE Money In the Bank. As of this writing, 66% voted for SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella vs. Asuka while 27% voted for WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in the Last Man Standing match and 7% for SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

Some other sheet news includes:

Website MMA Fighting had a recent interview with CM Punk's MMA coach talking about how the recent Amann trial for Punk affected his training for his UFC fight this weekend. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117951/cm-punk-news-notes-heading-into-saturdays-ufc-ppv.html?p=1
ESPN held a recent interview with Ted Dibiase talking about his Million Dollar Man gimmick, his favorite career moment, Andre the Giant, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0607/641565/million-dollar-man-ted-dibiase-reveals-the-biggest-moment-of-his/

slik

06-07-2018, 09:08 AM

Notes from this week's Wrestling Observer:

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is currently penciled in as the main-event of SummerSlam.

For those wondering, Daniel Bryan’s contract will expire on 9/1 and at this point he hasn’t signed a new deal.

Tickets are selling poorly for WWE's return to Royal Albert Hall in the UK. WWE won't be airing the show live as a result but might tape it for a future special on the WWE Network.

Notes from the 6/4 Raw tapings in Houston: A weak show overall. No good matches and three DQ finishes on the same show. The big thing was Corbin becoming the constable on Raw, basically the heel counterpart to Angle, and God knows we need more heel authority figures. Lashley and Zayn had another terrible segment in their quest to win worst feud of the year. They drew 7,000 fans, which for Raw in a great wrestling market like Houston, is surprisingly low as Houston usually does well even for house shows.

Impact Wrestling vs. ROH might be a storyline that begins during Chris Jericho's wrestling cruise and concludes at Slammiversary in Toronto in July.

The nightclub Slammiversary is being held in this year, Rebel, in Toronto, looks to be set up for about 1,000 seats The PPV isn’t sold out but floor seats are.

TripleMania will air live on the AAA’s Twitch Channel for free.

AXS TV is doing a contest over the Internet to give away tickets for the Cow Palace show on 7/7.

ROH - They taped television on 6/2 in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom before 1,600 fans, which was nearly full but not sold out like they’ve been doing in the building

Kenny Omega is producing a show w/ NJPW talent in Daytona Beach, Florida on June 29th.

Evil Vito

06-07-2018, 09:25 AM

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is currently penciled in as the main-event of SummerSlam.

ahahahahahahahaha

slik

06-07-2018, 09:38 AM

That crazy Brooklyn crowd where they boo who they normally cheer and walk-out when they normally sit!

Ol Dirty Dastard

06-07-2018, 09:41 AM

ahahahahahahahaha

I bet Shinsuke vs AJ is also penciled in. But also for July PPV as well.

Ol Dirty Dastard

06-07-2018, 09:42 AM

And all Smackdowns leading up to said PPVs.

Emperor Smeat

06-07-2018, 04:06 PM

Notes from this week's Wrestling Observer:

Tickets are selling poorly for WWE's return to Royal Albert Hall in the UK. WWE won't be airing the show live as a result but might tape it for a future special on the WWE Network.
Supposedly a key reason for this is due to the first show taking place on the same day as England's first World Cup game.

Either WWE legit forgot to check the dates of upcoming events in the UK or really overestimated the level of interest for this event.

ClockShot

06-07-2018, 04:18 PM

I'd figure WWE's relationship with MSG was getting bad with all of WWE's shows going to the Barclays Center lately.

Now with MSG prepping to bring in other promotions to have shows there, just imagine New Japan going there with a really great show and stacked card, in Vince's backyard. Yikes.

erickman

06-07-2018, 04:38 PM

Maluco

06-07-2018, 05:21 PM

ClockShot

06-07-2018, 05:57 PM

Emperor Smeat

06-07-2018, 06:14 PM

It's an absolutely shite product right now. Actually can't believe they would do Reigns/Lesnar again. This will eventually tell and I think we are seeing the start of it with ratings and lack of interest in events.

Casual viewers aren't going to watch that 3 hour mess every week and I would much prefer my Netflix or amazon prime to WWE network.

It's just a pity that there is no-one in a position to really challenge right now, because for all the money and branding they have, they would be competing against a terrible product.
TNA/Impact could have been at least an ECW-like competitor to the WWE in terms of status but they bungled the chance to be one way too many times.

ROH probably could have been a real minor challenger had Sinclair been a lot less penny pinching with their handling of the company over the years.

Now nobody has any chance of being a real threat to WWE's dominance since WWE will just swoop right in with talent raids or use their NXT brand for proxy fights. Even if another Ted Turner arrived, WWE would do everything possible to kill any chance of another real rival appearing on their doorsteps.

Maluco

06-08-2018, 11:56 AM

Yeah, it would have to be someone with serious money/power now. But I really believe the market is there. I used to watch RAW almost every week and ordered every PPV, even when there was 1 a month. I was a big wrestling fan.

Would definitely go back tomorrow even if it were crazy WCW. Just want something mainstream other than the turgid rubbish that they serve up, that has honestly driven me away completely. A slow grind from super fan to not even checking results.

erickman

06-08-2018, 01:20 PM

I don't think one company will compete with wwe, but it looks like they are uniting working togather roh impact AAA new japan even nwa. all in jericos cruise lets see how long it lasts.

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 08:00 PM

I bet Shinsuke vs AJ is also penciled in. But also for July PPV as well.

I can't believe how separate they kept AJ and Shinsuke just to have them partake in just another feud.

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 08:03 PM

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 08:56 PM

TNA/Impact could have been at least an ECW-like competitor to the WWE in terms of status but they bungled the chance to be one way too many times.

ROH probably could have been a real minor challenger had Sinclair been a lot less penny pinching with their handling of the company over the years.

Now nobody has any chance of being a real threat to WWE's dominance since WWE will just swoop right in with talent raids or use their NXT brand for proxy fights. Even if another Ted Turner arrived, WWE would do everything possible to kill any chance of another real rival appearing on their doorsteps.

TNA has jumped the shark. I'm not sure when exactly that was, but I don't think anyone will ever take them seriously again unless The Rock buys them, fires Eli Drake for being a shitty impersonator and announces a partnership with New Japan on a national network people have heard of.

I wanted to like ROH for a long time. Early on it had that "technical wrestling" glossy soul-sister to ECW kind of vibe to it. Back then, the independent style was different. Now it's the norm, so like...why watch ROH? And they've committed to that aesthetic of being that glossy indy promotion. It's odd to think of them sinking money into things, filling up arenas and trying to generate a legitimate star. ROH feels like a feeder and doesn't have the "range" of other promotions.

I actually think it's a great time for another promotion to come along though. With the money being sunk into WWE to get them onto network television and all that, it should, at least in theory, be easier to con some other networks into sinking money into wrestling, because look at what Vince has achieved. Imagine what a good product run by someone that actually knows how to produce could do.

Daniel Bryan reportedly still hasn't signed with WWE. I believe Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles were signed for 3 years in 2016. The wrestling fan in The Rock has got to be pissed at how Roman is turning out. The boys could use another place to work in order to bounce off Vince. I'm not even sure Vince would care if wrestling got hot and more people spoke about them.

I don't think anyone woudl put Vince out of business or anything, don't get me wrong -- and someone trying to compete for that slice of the pie might put Vince into "Okay, now I'm actually going to try -- Heyman, get in here and give me your best ideas" mode, but if there was another place for talent to go and be artists at a level where they get paid and maybe get treated a bit more humanely, run off the principles of pro-wresting -- fuck, I'd support it. In the end, I think it would be good for the industry.

I'd try and get a timeslot that isn't in the WWE's scope. The nostalgic side of me is charmed by the idea of a 6:05-8:05 Saturday style slot, but that might be archaic. Try and get a deal for 16 weeks or something like that. Try and get Jim Ross away from the WWE (not sure what his deal allows or if there is still one) and sign up all the stars that are free to work elsewhere (try for Danielson, Punk, Rey, Jericho, The Rock for appearances). Work with New Japan. "Hey Harold, look, you've got this Naito guy that is #2 there, but people are getting angsty about him not being the champ or whatever. While you're doing this Okada thing, maybe let him work some dates over here, we'll make him champion, you can talk about it and promote it, and eventually he can come back a bigger star for you guys..." You'll very quickly know whether this thing has a chance of working, and then you can turn it into a full-time thing, or consider doing a weekday show now that you have an audience that might follow you. But you might just want to stay in that timeslot if it is established. If not, you've got something you can sell on DVD or to streaming services -- maybe even the WWE.

I think there's room for wrestling that is more organic, with real promos, that goes for heat, with good commentating and that isn't afraid to admit it exists in a real world with other promotions, and isn't afraid to give them exposure in order to feel like it's emerging and cutting edge.

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 08:56 PM

By the way, Punk clearly laying down the foundations for a WWE return there. "Never say never."

Maluco

06-08-2018, 09:15 PM

If you don't like the idea of them doing Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, stop watching. Follow recaps and watch old wrestling on YouTube. Cancel your Network subscriptions. Don't subscribe to their tiered pricing system when they bring it in. Don't buy their merchandise. Don't go to their shows when they are in town. I know it is hard when you are a fan struggling for a fix, but why the fuck would WWE change a single goddamn thing when they are handed more money each time their TV deals come up because idiots like us keep watching? Stop it.

This is exactly what I do, bar a free run over wrestlermania,just out of curiosity and a cancel straight after. I listen to podcasts and the like and come here, but I don't give them a penny. Hope others, many others, do the same, because I agree completely with what you are saying

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 09:24 PM

This is exactly what I do, bar a free run over wrestlermania,just out of curiosity and a cancel straight after. I listen to podcasts and the like and come here, but I don't give them a penny. Hope others, many others, do the same, because I agree completely with what you are saying

I'm actively rooting against the company now. I love wrestling, but I just hate what they've become. It's like if you're a fan of film in general, but then Michael Bay buys up everything and everything is Transformers, and even the stuff that tries to not be Transformers is still about robot cars. There's no way I'm going to buy a ticket to Transformers 42 out of the blue to do my part to keep them churning out.

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 09:26 PM

By the way, my official prediction for SummerSlam is Brock vs. Roman vs. Braun vs. Lashley.

Emperor Smeat

06-08-2018, 09:36 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Ryusuke Taguchi Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/co0zfGX.gif

One of the original homes of Raw, the Rec Center at the Fernwood Resort in Pennsylvania, burned down this past week. They taped Raw several times in the building in 1994 and 1995. Afa used to promote his WXW shows there as well.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart spoke with TalkSport while in the UK for his speaking tour. Below are some highlights:

The currentWWEproduct:

"I think I was a better storyteller than any of the wrestlers they've got today. I watched Wrestlemania this year and there's no drama anymore. They do some amazing stuff, there are some incredible athletes, but people don't know how to tell a story.

"Wrestling has it's flows, it will change again as people get tired of the 'phoney' wrestling, I watched my match with Davey Boy at Wembley with some journalists in a bar and they almost bought into it like it was real. The fact that fans reacted so strongly to those two British Wrestlers (Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate) shows you it might be going back in the other direction."

Owen Hart not being in the WWE Hall of Fame:

"Like a lot of people, if he's not in the WWE Hall of Fame, then what kind of Hall of Fame is it? I'm embarrassed on their part they can take so many great wrestlers and not include them in the Hall of Fame.

"I don't have any problem with anyone who is in there, but I think Demolition should be in there, that Dynamite Kid should be in there, that Davey Boy should be in there. I'm embarrassed Owen isn't in there. Owen was one of the most respected and admired in the business for his integrity alone. Why they won't acknowledge him is beyond me?"
Link: https://talksport.com/wwe/bret-hart-im-embarrassed-wwe-hall-fame-does-not-include-owen-hart-or-british-bulldog

Indies Roundup:
Mark Cometti challenges Nick Aldis for the NWA title on 7/11 in Perth, Western Australia on the House of Hardcore show. Cometti is the son of Australian Rules football announcer Dennis Cometti and Mark does stats for the radio commentators and also is in a television commercial.

Jack Bonza will challenge Aldis for the title on 7/15 in Queensland, Australia for House of Hardcore.

Mid States Wrestling on 6/23 in Harrison, AR and the Youth Center with Jerry Lawler vs. Matt Riviera with Bill Dundee and Tim Storm also on the show.

New Japan When World's Collide takes place on 6/29 in Daytona Beach, CA at the Ocean Center. This will be a show promoted as part of the CEO 2018 Fighting Game convention. We'll have more on it in a few days, but announced as appearing are Kenny Omega, who is the co-promoter of the event, Kota Ibushi, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Jushin Liger, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi, David Finlay, Dragon Lee, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Sho, Yoh, Rocky Romero, Chase Owens and Jeff Cobb.

The new season of Lucha Underground debuts Wednesday at 8 p.m. on El Rey. They are pushing the season hard around the debut of Jessie Godderz, who will be featured on the first show.

Sumie Sakai & Jenny Rose & Mayu Iwatani & Tenille Dashwood vs. Kelly Klein & Kagetsu & Hana Kimura & Hazuki has been announced for the next ROH PPV show on 6/29 from Baltimore.

Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT North American Championship outside of WWE later this month.

WWE announced today that Cole will be putting his title on the line at EVOLVE 107 in Melrose, Massachusetts on June 24th. Cole's opponent will be revealed this coming Monday.

Whether Cole's match will be airing on the iPPV broadcast or not is to be determined. He previously wrestled for EVOLVE four times during the promotion's first year.
Link: https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1005147544215801856

Four wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals of WWE's United Kingdom Championship tournament as Download Festival began today.

Zack Gibson defeated Amir Jordan, Flash Morgan Webster defeated James Drake, Travis Banks defeated El Ligero, and Ashton Smith defeated Joseph Conners. They join Jack Gallagher in the next round, who advanced by defeating Drew Gulak during a set of NXT television tapings last month.

With that, Gibson vs. Gallagher and Banks vs. Smith (on opposite sides of the bracket) are set for the quarterfinals. The remaining first round matches will take place as Download Festival continues over the next two days.

Tomorrow's New Japan show, which you could call the second biggest of the year, is actually, because of the main event and to a degree the Jr. title match, it right now feels like it's the biggest show for in-ring itself, will also be shooting angles for a number of upcoming shows including the 7/7 show at the Cow Palace. The Cow Palace card should be announced in a couple of days, as should the Daytona Beach show.

There will be ads for Cow Palace tickets and promoting the show starting tonight on New Japan programming on AXS. They will start advertising the show in the Bay Area next week.

Steffanie Newell in NXT, who used to be Nixon Newell in the U.K., will from this point forward be Tegan Nox.

The 6/7 edition of Impact did 296,000,overnight viewers, up from last week's 283,000 overnight viewers.

What happened to the Authors of Pain?

Nothing that we have heard. It appears that WWE is just holding them off TV for the time being.
From PWI's weekly Q&A articles talking about the lack of AoP on RAW.

Xavier Woods and Kenny Omega will face off in Street Fighter V this Thursday at the Capcom booth during the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo

IT'S SET! I END @KennyOmegamanX (aka Kenneth) IN @StreetFighter ON JUNE 14 @e3 - IM ABOUT TO GO ALL IN ON THE CLEANER Kenneth, make sure you shower before the event and don’t wear that hand me down suit. You look ridiculous. https://t.co/IS1dS2NuBc
— Austin Creed (@XavierWoodsPhD) June 7, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/XavierWoodsPhD/status/1004830909252677637

Game Changer Wrestling will be in New York for the new event.

After two years of successful Joey Janela's Spring Break events during WrestleMania week, Game Changer Wrestling has created an August event called Joey Janela's Lost in New York. The event will take place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York on August 17th. Joey Janela tweeted the following video with information about ticket sales.

Tickets are on sale at 5pm... #JoeysLost pic.twitter.com/NrSVMtc1Fh

— Bad Boy Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) June 8, 2018

The song in the video is John William's Somewhere in My Memory which was featured in the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York which starred Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, and Macaulay Culkin.
Link: https://twitter.com/JANELABABY/status/1005167185193586688

WWE also has signed Charlie Morgan and Nina Samuels to what are being called “extended tryout” contracts. Basically it’s a deal that they are going to give the talent tryouts but aren’t actually signing them to contracts, but it keeps them away from ITV. Mark Coffey and Wildboar are said to have deals of this sort

Regarding ITV World of Sport, the plan is if the TV ratings are a success for the shows, which will start airing in mid-to-late July on Saturday late afternoons, that they will follow up with touring in the U.K. That’s a big if. Martin Goldsmith, who was the promoter of the 1992 SummerSlam show at Wembley Stadium and owned Event Merchandise, which handled WWE merchandise for years, and later TNA merchandise, was mentioned as possibly being involved in the ITV promotion if it tours. He wasn’t at the ITV tapings but his son was there.

ITV had the mentality of wrestlers as being athletes and actors working on a television show as opposed to wrestlers. The performers were paid $1,000 or more per day and the deals were structured like they would be for a TV show. They are looking at different venues. The talent will be receiving royalties for replay showings, although traditionally pro wrestling shows aren’t replayed so that’s in the contract but may be a moot point. They will also receive merchandise rights similar to an actor on a television show. All performers are allowed to work anywhere in the world except WWE, or for a promotion that has national television distribution in the U.K

Chris Brookes was offered a WWE U.K. deal but turned it down. However, there were 12 wrestlers that were on ITV’s original list that opted for WWE. The edge WWE has is that you know they will be in business while the ITV thing is iffy. The downside is that there’s so much less exposure, in the sense while it certainly helped Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate for their indie work, and they are more over, they aren’t television stars. If the ITV thing works, the guys will be seen by maybe 25 times as many people as the biggest WWE stars are seen by, so the chance to make a name if it does make it is multiplied, and if there is touring, it would be a faster movement to stardom and making money. But it is a gamble.

Money in the Bank right now is an 11-match show. There’s always the chance to also add a cruiserweight title match next week. Besides the two briefcase matches, it’s Styles vs. Nakamura last man standing, Jax vs. Rousey Raw women’s title, Rollins vs. Elias for the IC title, Carmella vs. Asuka for the Smackdown women’s title, Reigns vs. Mahal, Zayn vs. Lashley, Bryan vs. Cass, Matt Hardy & Wyatt vs. Dallas &Axel for the Raw tag titles (putting brother vs. brother which is never acknowledged) and Harper & Rowan vs. Anderson & Gallows for the Smackdown tag titles. Chicago is maybe the best U.S. market for crowd reactions but it feels like a lot of matches that may not get over big all on the same show. The men’s briefcase match is always good. The women’s one has question marks. Jax vs. Rousey certainly has question marks, a does Carmella vs. Asuka. Reigns, Zayn, Bryan and Rollins should be in great PPV matches but in each case, the opponent is questionable, not so much for a good match, but for a great match

Regarding the disappointing ticket sales for the 6/18 and 6/19 U.K. shows at Royal Albert Hall, I’m told there are two reasons for it. The main one is the ticket prices, as the cheapest tickets are 60 pounds ($80). The belief is that the WWE audience for the most part isn’t interested in these shows, as evidenced by the lack of reaction the U.K. exclusive wrestlers get when on a WWE house show (as opposed to the reaction they get on indie shows). The main audience is the audience that attends groups like Progress, Revolution Pro and ICW, and they are used to paying far less for tickets. But even worse, is the 6/18 show goes against England in the World Cup. That’s a monumental booking mistake, because that’s like booking a house show against the Super Bowl. Still, if that was the entire reason, and it is absolutely a huge reason for 6/18, that doesn’t explain 6/19. Michaels was added in the advertising for 6/18, although just as an appearance. People who had sixth row tickets this week got notified via e-mail they were being upgraded to the front row for 6/18 without having to pay front row prices

The decision was made not to air it live, so they can post-produce it and also put it out in a not so crowded period. Both shows will air on a one-week tape delay. The first night will air on 6/25 at 3 p.m. and the second night will air on 6/26 at 3 p.m. That is a Monday and a Tuesday afternoon, so it should end each day a few hours before Raw on those respective days. But it’s away from a weekend with a Takeover and a PPV plus Raw and Smackdown

With a lot less in the way of non-wrestling programming being released, the most-watched network shows this past week were: 1. NXT from 5/30; 2. Camp WWE Episode 5; 3. 205 Live from 5/29 (I think this show, which was the Alexander vs. Murphy show, was the highest finish the show has done); 4. Something Else to Wrestle With with Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard from 5/30; 5. This Week in WWE (a show that rarely even hits top 20); 6. Camp WWE Episode 4; 7. NXT from 5/23; 8. Table for 3 with Edge, Christian and Hardys; 9. Backlash 2018; 10. Something Else to Wrestle With from 5/23.

Some other sheet news includes:

Website WrestlingDVDNetwork recently revealed some details and content listing for WWE's upcoming 30 Years of SummerSlam DVD set arriving this August. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/117957/30-years-of-summerslam-dvd-details-revealed.html?p=1
Website WrestlingDVDNetwork also recently uploaded several clips from WWE's upcoming Women's Evolution DVD set. http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/documentary-material-in-wwe-womens-evolution-dvd/155709
Recent episode of the Edge & Christian podcast show had EC3 as the guest.
Recent rumor going around the net teases AAA's upcoming show at MSG might be a co-branded show. Konnan reportedly has been trying to get a deal made with CMLL for a AAA vs. CMLL event to occur at the venue.
According to Colt Cabana, he strongly believes the main reason why Punk's defamation trial kept getting delayed was due to WWE's pettiness. He believes WWE pushed Amann's side to keep getting the trial delayed solely to mess with Punk's UFC fight preparations. Also believes this is why Amann's side suddenly stopped asking for delays since the next one likely would have pushed the trial after Punk's fight.

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: WWE Interested in Eli Drake? Daniel Bryan’s WWE Contract (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/various-wwe-interested-in-eli-drake-daniel-bryans-wwe-contract/)
WWE: WWE UK Brand GM, Almas vs. Sin Cara? Lio Rush on 205 Live (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/various-wwe-uk-brand-gm-almas-vs-sin-cara-lio-rush-on-205-live/)
Billy Gunn on Apologizing to HHH; Adam Rose on No Way Jose, Retirement (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/interviews-billy-gunn-on-apologizing-to-hhh-adam-rose-on-no-way-jose-retirement/)

Mr. Nerfect

06-08-2018, 09:49 PM

I hate the idea of a PPV having two of the same type of matches. It dilutes the story of the match it's duplicating. Two MITB? Two Tag Team Titles? Two Women's Titles? They cannibalize each other.

slik

06-11-2018, 01:12 PM

Ric Flair claimed in an interview Ronda has only signed for 1 year and then she wants to leave and have kids...I think that's probably not accurate tbh

http://wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0611/641715/ric-flair-reveals-that-ronda-rousey-wwe-run-will-be-short/

slik

06-11-2018, 01:15 PM

PWInsider is reporting James Ellsworth has been rehired by WWE and could appear as early as MITB. Hmmm...

Simple Fan

06-11-2018, 01:16 PM

Asuka is not ready for Ellsworth.

slik

06-11-2018, 01:19 PM

Asuka about to embrace ppv loss #2 this Sunday

ClockShot

06-11-2018, 04:22 PM

PWInsider is reporting James Ellsworth has been rehired by WWE and could appear as early as MITB. Hmmm...

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/MwOuiiTfWfWgM" width="474" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/MwOuiiTfWfWgM">via GIPHY</a></p>

Sepholio

06-11-2018, 05:31 PM

Watch Ellsworth help Asuka now.

Droford

06-11-2018, 05:41 PM

I hate the idea of a PPV having two of the same type of matches. It dilutes the story of the match it's duplicating. Two MITB? Two Tag Team Titles? Two Women's Titles? They cannibalize each other.

What they should do is have brand title matches alternate on the non major ppvs and have non title midcard matches for the other brand

KIRA

06-12-2018, 06:19 PM

I'm convinced that if HBK were to come back full time right now he'd be the best performer in the company again by a mile.

.....Aj Styles

Daniel BRYAN

Seth Rollins

Titus O Neil

Jordan

06-12-2018, 06:20 PM

I bet James Ellsworth is going to help Carmella retain.

Lock Jaw

06-12-2018, 06:55 PM

I am so down for an Ellsworth return

Emperor Smeat

06-12-2018, 10:04 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by WCW Nitro Appreciation Day:
https://i.imgur.com/QMh8wgO.gif

Raw last night bounced back eight percent from the low marks the past few weeks, doing 2.72 million viewers.

The key to the rating was the third hour had less of a decline than usual with the four-way men's main event of Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor vs. Bobby Roode.

The number was well below the 3.10 million viewers that the first show last year did after the conclusion of the NBA playoffs ...

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.75 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.81 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.63 million viewers

John Cena has booked a role alongside Jackie Chan in one of his next film projects.

Chan and Cena are slated to star in the action-thriller "Project X," which is a working title. Sylvester Stallone was originally scheduled for Cena's role before having to be replaced.

Cena is playing a former Marine who Chan, a private security contractor from China, teams up with to stop attackers who are trying to steal oil from a Chinese refinery in the Middle East.

The film is being directed by Scott Waugh, written by Arash Amel, and Chan is one of the producers. Waugh previously directed "Need for Speed" in 2014 and "Act of Valor" in 2012.

Cena hasn't appeared on WWE television since his matches against Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 in April. He has a role in the Transformers spinoff "Bumblebee," which is set to be released this December.

It was 35 years ago today that the Road Warriors, Mike Hegstrand & Joe Laurinaitis, debuted on World Championship Wrestling as a team. There is a good article talking about the start of the career of a tag team that literally every promotion tried to copy.
Link: https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/the-road-warriors-the-back-story-behind-their-formation-and-tv-debut/

Indies Roundup:
The new season of Lucha Underground debuts Wednesday night on El Rey at 8 p.m.

With Kevin Kelly doing commentary, NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved UK shows on June 30th and July 1st will be uploaded to Revolution Pro Wrestling’s streaming service within 48 hours of taking place. RevPro noted that they'll then be posted on New Japan World shortly after.

ROH confirmed that KUSHIDA will be facing Jay Lethal at their Best in the World pay-per-view in Baltimore on June 29th.

Matt Riddle vs. Tomohiro Ishii, KUSHIDA vs. Shane Strickland, and Timothy Thatcher vs. David Starr are set for OTT’s WrestleRama 2 at The Arena in Dublin on August 18th.

MLW announced Johnny Mundo, ACH, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Kevin Sullivan as the first four wrestlers for their Battle Riot match, which will be taking place at their TV tapings in Queens, New York on July 19th. It’s a no DQ, 40-person match with someone entering every 60 seconds, with eliminations occurring via pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope.

Stardom has sold over 1,200 tickets for Io Shirai’s farewell show at Korakuen Hall on June 17th.

EVOLVE announced that WALTER will challenge WWE NXT North American Champion Adam Cole at the 6/24 EVOLVE event in Melrose, MA. EVOLVE sent out a press release with the following glowing comments from Gabe Sapolsky, who of course also works for NXT. "This is a landmark announcement for EVOLVE. WWE has been growing this relationship with EVOLVE for a few years. We are ecstatic that the next step is this historic match on June 24th. This is all about giving the fans in the Boston area something special. Our deepest thanks to Mr. Levesque for making this happen."

Madison Rayne & MJF defeated Brandi Rhodes & Flip Gordon at Friday’s WrestlePro card to gain spots on the “All In” event on September 1st and continuing the story of Gordon not being booked. There was also a segment at Dominion where The Young Bucks invited Don Callis to call the event in September. This confirms that there will be some form of an outlet for the show to be viewed.

NJPW: https://twitter.com/RevProUK/status/1006577800759906304 , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/lethal-vs-kushida-official-best-world , OTT: https://twitter.com/OTT_wrestling/status/1006566688995926017 , MLW: https://mlw.com/2018/06/12/first-battle-riot-participants-announced/ , Stardom: https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1006574440623235072

So here's a weird one. If you go to the WWE Network Hidden Gems page, there is a Sgt. Slaughter vs. Kokina Maximus (who later became Yokozuna) match from the AWA library. After the match, there is significant time left in the video. It rolls right into Kokina's WWE tryout match video with no commentary. Howard Finkel announces him as Kokina and not as Yokozuna.

In a tweet yesterday, Rusev accused a hotel employee of stealing from him and Lana: “Thank you @sheratonhotels Memphis for ‘cleaning’ the room and stealing my wife camera and my money from my wallet”
Link: https://twitter.com/RusevBUL/status/1006248146396221442

After Money in the Bank, WWE will premiere the new WWE 24 special about the Hardy Boyz on the WWE Network.

THIS SUNDAY immediately following @WWE #MITB, don't miss an ALL-NEW episode of #WWE24: The Hardys: WOKEN! @MATTHARDYBRAND @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/QUhqdoi9Dq

— WWE (@WWE) June 12, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1006384866508800000

WWE is seeking to build a new, larger WWE Performance Center facility, according to former WWE United States and NXT Champion Bobby Roode. Roode mentioned WWE’s plans today during a promotional appearance on KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas to promote tonight’s Raw taping at the Verizon Arena.

While discussing the NXT brand and the Performance Center Roode commented, ““From what I hear, it’s going to continue to grow. I heard that they’re looking to build a new facility — a larger facility.”

The existing WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida launched in July 2013. The 26,000 square foot Performance Center houses seven wrestling rings, a complete production studio, medical and physical rehab facilities, a complete gym and more. You can read my coverage from attending and touring the opening of the PC in 2013 by clicking here.

PWInsider.com has reached out to WWE seeking further clarification on Roode’s comments.

Link: http://www.kark.com/news/the-glorious-bobby-roode-talks-wwe-raw_20180611134806/1231436608

Wrestling DVD Network revealed the trailer and the hosts for the upcoming "30 Years of Summerslam" set:

WWE Hall of Famer "Mean" Gene Okerlund will host disc one. Jonathan Coachman will host the second disc. And Charly Caruso will host disc three.
Link: http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/full-content-listing-wwe-30-years-of-summerslam-dvd/155599/

After CM Punk’s loss to Mike Jackson, WWE commentator Corey Graves took to Twitter and released details of their friendship falling apart and indicating that Punk ended their friendship over his association with the WWE ...

Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful.com reached out to Graves for clarification on the tweets. Graves told Sapp that he had texted with Punk prior to his fight with Mickey Gall. Punk would not have dinner with Graves and didn’t want to associate with anyone from the WWE. Graves added that others at WWE lost their friendship with Punk over where they work.

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the top matches for the G-1 special event on Saturday, July 7th at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with the following matches announced at the press conference:
*Kenny Omega vs. Cody for the IWGP heavyweight title
*The Young Bucks vs. EVIL & Sanada for the IWGP tag titles
*Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito & Bushi
*Jay White vs. Juice Robinson for the United States title

There will also be three Kizuna Road cards on June 17th, 18th, and 19th and they will be announcing the G1 participants, blocks, and main events over the course of those three events.

The June 17th card will be headlined by Michael Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto for the NEVER Openweight title and the June 18th card will feature Hiromu Takahashi taking on El Desperado for the IWGP junior heavyweight title.

During a recent interview with Ring Rust Radio, Lucha Underground Producer Chris DeJoseph discussed the challenges of replacing Prince Puma on their show.

Obviously, there’s challenges to replace your main character of a show. The first three seasons were based around Prince Puma in his mythology, in his place in the world of Lucha Underground. It was tough, it was tough to lose Trevor, Ricochet, Prince Puma for those who don’t know. He was kind of the heart and soul of Lucha Underground but I’m glad he had the opportunity to go somewhere else and had the chance to show the rest of the world what he can do. As far as replacing him, I think we set ourselves up pretty well with a bunch of characters that are over and people care about. I wasn’t too concerned about that. We have guys like Johnny Mundo, Phoenix, Mil Muertes, those are characters that we’ve invested a lot of time in and not to mention we have Pentagon Dark. Ultimate Lucha was kind of a passing of the torch from Puma to Pentagon as kind of the kingpin of Lucha Underground.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fFEw_yZOM4

Some other sheet stuff includes:

In a "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is the 13th anniversary of ECW One Night Stand ppv event.
In another "WWE Did You Know" type fact, today is also the 3rd anniversary of Dusty Rhodes' passing.
Konami announced Xavier Woods will be a playable character in the Super Bomberman R video game. https://twitter.com/XavierWoodsPhD/status/1006561087599210499
Revolution Pro Wrestling recently revealed the cards for their upcoming Strong Style Evolved: United Kingdom with NJPW co-promoting the event. https://www.pwinsider.com/article/118054/revolution-pro-reveals-strong-style-evolved-uk-lineup-featuring-new-japan-stars.html?p=1
Recent rumor going around the net hints that ROH's parent company, Sinclair, is helping finance Cody and the Young Bucks' All In event. They are already loaning out ROH crews to help with the preparations and production of the event.
Interactive Wrestling Radio had a recent interview with Lucha Underground's led producer and writer, Chris DeJoseph, talking about Season 4, the appeal of LU, his previous work in the WWE, and more. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0612/641766/lucha-underground-producer-talks-unexpected-season-3-hiatus/
According to Eric Bischoff, he feels WWE managing to land tv deals with both FOX and NBC is actually bad for the rest of the wrestling industry. His basis is WWE snagged the two biggest networks interested in wrestling and the huge number of markets now shut for promotions wanting their own tv deals or expansion. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0612/641764/eric-bischoff-feels-that-the-wwe-fox-deal-could-be-devastating/
Recent episode of the Inside the Ropes podcast show had Chris Jericho as the guest talking about his NJPW schedule, not wanting to work for non-WWE promotions in the US, and juggling his indies work with wanting to stay in WWE's good graces. http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0612/641745/chris-jericho-on-why-he-wont-work-for-njpw-in-the-states/

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Jeff Hardy Pleads Guilty to DWI (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/jeff-hardy-pleads-guilty-to-dwi/)
Ring Honor Planning Show at Madison Square Garden Next Year (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/ring-honor-planning-show-at-madison-square-garden-next-year/)
Ric Flair Says He Thinks Ronda Rousey’s WWE Contract Is Only for One Year (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/ric-flair-says-he-thinks-that-ronda-rouseys-wwe-contract-is-only-for-one-year/)
Injury Updates: Alicia Fox and Noam Dar Could Return Soon (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/injury-updates-alicia-fox-and-noam-dar-could-return-soon/)
Rumor: Could James Ellsworth Return to WWE Soon? (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/rumor-could-james-ellsworth-return-to-wwe-soon/)

Emperor Smeat

06-13-2018, 09:50 PM

Dirtsheets sponsored by Reason #456 Why the Blue Brand is the Best Brand:
https://i.imgur.com/78S80PN.gif

Tuesday night’s SmackDown averaged 2.183 million viewers, up two percent from last week’s 2018 low mark.

The episode was also up five percent from the same week in 2017, the first time in four weeks SmackDown was up year-over-year ...

The show retained 80 percent of the Raw audience from the night before, slightly less than what SmackDown has been doing of late but still in the normal range. Of note, this is the sixth straight week that SmackDown has been below 2.3 million viewers. Prior to that, they had only been below that mark once, on Halloween night, since June 13th of last year.

Rumors for the Day:
Jason Jordan is expected back on television after Money in the Bank and there’s been talk of a feud with Baron Corbin.

Despite missing a house show on Tuesday, Ricochet will still be facing Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.

"He just tweaked himself a little bit in the show in Paris," Paul "Triple H" Levesque said on today's pre-TakeOver conference call. "He's not injured. We just didn't want to take a chance with it with TakeOver being just down the road a bit here."

Levesque added that the issue was with Ricochet's shoulders.

According to the report we received, Ricochet appeared to hurt himself on a tope while teaming with Johnny Gargano against Velveteen Dream & Tommaso Ciampa at Monday's show in Paris. He was helped to the back before returning to celebrate with Gargano after the match but didn't appear in Antwerp, Belgium on Tuesday.

After Rusev tweeted that a hotel employee stole from him and Lana, Paige also criticized the Sheraton in Memphis and said things were stolen: “If you’re in the Memphis area don’t EVER stay at the @SheratonMemphis it’s literally the worst. Things stolen, bad customer service and room service takes two hours just for a salad and WE are the inconvenience. Ugh. The worst.”
Link: https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1006750819394387968

WWE uploaded Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak’s first round match in the United Kingdom Championship tournament, which was taped at Full Sail University last month.
Link: https://youtu.be/21KVoHjeN8c

Woods and game streamer CDNThe3rd finished 24th out of 50th in a Fortnite celebrity pro-am at E3 and earned $10,000 for Connor’s Cure.
Link: https://www.wwe.com/article/xavier-woods-connors-cure-fortnite-e3-2018

On today’s pre-TakeOver: Chicago conference call, Triple H denied that WWE is looking to build a new Performance Center. He was responding to comments made by Bobby Roode and said there aren’t any current plans for it, but they’re always looking to grow and evolve.

Wrestling DVD Network reported that “Shawn Michaels -- The Showstopper Unreleased,” a three-disc DVD on Michaels, is scheduled to be available for purchase in late September or early October.
Link: http://www.wrestlingdvdnetwork.com/anticipated-unreleased-wwe-dvd-next-for-2018/155879/

Indies Roundup:
Jushin Thunder Liger threw out the first pitch at a Japanese baseball game and then wrestled one of the mascots.

Adam Cole’s NXT North American Championship defense against WALTER at EVOLVE 107 on June 24th won’t be airing on the broadcast for the show but is being taped to potentially be used in the future.

Joey Janela will be challenging for Austin Theory’s WWN Championship at EVOLVE 106.

ROH announced a United States vs. United Kingdom International Cup tournament for their Honor Re-United tour shows this August. The first round will take place in Edinburgh on August 16th, the semifinals and finals are set for Doncaster on the 18th, and the winner will challenge for the ROH World Championship in London on the 19th.

PCW Ultra changed the name of their July 27th show in Los Angeles from “All Violence is Legal” to “Sound the Alarm” after backlash due to Rich Swann being booked on it. Swann will still be appearing, and the name of the show wasn’t a reference to him. Su Yung, Swann’s wife, tweeted in defense of her husband: “@GottaGetSwann is amazing & talented. Any & all crowds should be lucky to see him live. We happy. He doesn't beat me. Stop harrasing him. RT”

Jimmy Havoc vs. Tom Lawlor is set for MLW’s TV tapings in Orlando on July 12th.

EVOLVE was set to return to La Boom in Woodside, Queens, NY on Saturday 6/23 but announced this afternoon that the company has been "forced" to move the event to the Gravesend area of Brooklyn, NY at the Most Precious Blood Youth Center (2739 Harway Avenue) ... The La Boom website lists an event for MMA company Extreme Cage Fighting on their website for the 6/23 date, so it appears the venue double booked and EVOLVE was bounced out ... EVOLVE is offering refunds to anyone who cannot attend at the new location. All existing tickets and seating arrangements will be honored at the Brooklyn location.

AXS TV officially announced today that they will be airing a marathon of material themed to The Bullet Club hosted by The Young Bucks and Cody on Saturday 7/7 leading into AXS' live broadcast of the New Japan Pro Wrestling G-1 Special from San Francisco, CA.
Liger: https://twitter.com/SI_wrestling/status/1006930210678362113 , EVOLVE: https://twitter.com/JANELABABY/status/1006976486539235333 , ROH: https://www.rohwrestling.com/news/inaugural-roh-international-cup-take-place-honor-re-united-uk-tour , PCW: https://twitter.com/realsuyung/status/1006945655372337152 , MLW: https://mlw.com/2018/06/13/jimmy-havoc-returns-against-tom-lawlor-july-12-in-orlando/ , AXS TV: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/118094/axs-tv-to-air-bullet-club-is-fine-marathon-hosted-by-cody-young-bucks-saturday-july-7th-leading-into-live-new-japan-special-from-san-francisco.html?p=1

The following announcement was issued by the official Twitter account of the late Roddy Piper by Piper's wife Kitty Toombs:

It's true! You can't keep a good man down! #RowdyRoddyPiper #ForeverRowdy Looking "Ever Forward" to this exciting project! ~Kitty https://t.co/QdtgXqi3C1
— Rowdy Roddy Piper (@R_Roddy_Piper) June 13, 2018

This would be the third publishing project celebrating Piper since his passing in July 2015 and the second comic book.
Link: https://twitter.com/R_Roddy_Piper/status/1006783135168819200

As noted, Triple H took part in a media conference call today to discuss this Saturday's NXT Takeover: Chicago event. Wrestling Inc. was on the call, and with the sharp increase in television rights fees for live sports-oriented programming, I asked Triple H if he sees the show going live and moving to a cable network in the future.

"To your point, the landscape of the world changes on a regular basis, whether that be cable live television, broadcast television, networks, OTT services and everything else, it's changing on a daily basis," Triple H said. "My point of view on that would be, 'never say never.'

"RAW and SmackDown are obviously the juggernauts, that will never change, but NXT has kind of grown into its own. It still is, at its core in some way, where people are developing. But at the same time, they're still developing when they're on RAW and SmackDown, I think you never stop doing that in this business. It really has become a third brand, an alternative brand. I think it's different from both RAW certainly, and SmackDown. It has its own wide fanbase and I think that there's interest there, so you can never say never. It's all in what comes up down the line."

Earlier this week during a media interview, Bobby Roode had suggested the WWE was building a "new" and "larger" Performance Center. Triple H squashed that rumor, stating that while Roode's information is "glorious", it's "just not accurate always."

"We have no current plans for a larger facility that are in the works," Triple H said. "It is constantly something we are looking at, growing and evolving, I never want to be stagnant to where we are. The Performance Center is kind of the heart of what we do, because it's creating the future and it's churning out all this talent, plus the content we're creating there. There will be some announcements on some new things we are doing from there soon.

"I'm always open to that idea of expanding out in the future. Is it in my mind? Absolutely. Have we started actually doing that yet or physically going down that road? We have not. But I do appreciate Bobby's enthusiasm for it, certainly."
Link with more details: https://www.pwinsider.com/article/118092/paul-levesque-talks-takeover-uk-plans-homegrown-talents-shawn-michaels-working-another-match-tv-from-nxt-and-much-more.html?p=1

Below is a clip from this week's WWE Photo Shoot with Goldust talking about how he went from "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes to Goldust. The WWE veteran recalls the phone call he received from Vince McMahon and how Vince kept using the word "androgynous" while discussing the character.

"At this point in my career I wanted to kind of do something on my own, step out of my father's shadow and try to accomplish something as Dustin, away from the Rhodes name just a little bit, I guess," Goldust said. "I just said, 'OK, let's do this.' And I hung up the phone, and immediately I ran to the dictionary and looked up androgynous. And my jaw dropped, 'What did I just get myself into?'"

Little did @Goldust know how much the word "androgynous" would change his ENTIRE career... #WWEPhotoshoot @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/yLbjwXxwSK
— WWE (@WWE) June 12, 2018
Link: https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1006379703844761601

Some other sheet news includes:

Hideo Itami recently paid tribute to Mitsuharu Misawa in honor of today being the 9th anniversary of his passing. https://twitter.com/HideoItami/status/1006929489933238275
Ring Rust Radio held a recent interview with Lucha Underground's lead producer and writer talking about LU's partnership with AAA and their growth plans with Netflix. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/lucha-underground-producer-credits-aaa-impact-wrestling-partnership

Some stuff from TPWW Frontpage:

Various: Stephanie / Undercover Boss Disguise, Bellas Ratings, Lucha S4 (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/various-stephanie-undercover-boss-disguise-total-bellas-ratings-lucha-s4-debut/)
John Cena to Co-Star in Jackie Chan Movie, “Project X” (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/john-cena-signs-on-for-jackie-chan-movie-project-x/)
WWE 205 Live Results – June 12, 2018 – Ali vs. Nese (http://www.tpww.net/2018/06/wwe-205-live-results-june-12-2018-ali-vs-nese/)