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Monday, May 20, 2024 Issue #7241
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

It's been fairly quiet for a week or two, hasn't it? Seems like everyone is on their best behavior and no stupid stuff is going on LOL!


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

RAW PREVIEW

- The two Raw finalists for the King and Queen of the Ring will be decided tonight as the semi final matches will be part of the three-hour broadcast. In the King of the Ring tournament, Jey Uso will take on former Intercontinental champion Gunther for a spot in the final while former NXT Women's champion takes on former fellow champion Iyo Sky in the semi final of the Queen of the Ring tournament. Whoever wins have to wait until Friday to see who their opponents for Saturday will be. The only other thing announced for Raw so far is Sami Zayn taking on Chad Gable ahead of their triple threat match this weekend which also involves Bronson Reed.

CORA JADE MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT NXT SHOW

- At an NXT non-televised live event this weekend in Fort Pierce, Florida, Cora Jade made a surprise return and cut a promo in the ring. Jade, who is currently recovery from a torn ACL, told the crowd that she is only a few months away from returning to the ring and said that when she returns, she will go after Roxanne Perez and the NXT Women's title. The 23-year-old tore her ACL in January, a month after she returned from a four-month hiatus from the ring. Torn ACLs usually take around nine months to heal and she's only four months in her recovery.

KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING FAR FROM SOLD OUT

- With just days away from the show, the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event from Jeddah is far from sold out. The show is being held at the Jeddah Superdome. The majority of the VIP floor seats remain unsold and those are selling for 800 SAR, the equivalent of $210. Platinum seating, which are behind the VIP seats, are also not in hot demand with two of the three sections remain largely unsold. Platinum tickets are 500 SAR, or around $130. Regular tickets in the first raised level have sold better, but still several hundreds of tickets remain. Those are 70 SAR, or equivalent of $20. The highest priced tickets are the VVIP, which are 1,200 SAR each or $320. Those are mainly sold although there are tickets still available for the ringside seats. Smackdown on the night before is even worse attendance-wise, with VIP floor tickets pretty much all on sale. There are also more VVIP tickets and Platinum available, with first raised level seating doing better in sales. Regardless of how many people attend the show, WWE will still be paid a cool $50 million and will get an enhanced deal to bring a big five PLE to the market in the next year or so. Tickets are available through WeBook.com.

CODY TALKS ABOUT THE DAY HE FOUND OUT ORIGINAL MANIA DIRECTION

- Appearing as a guest on Busted Open Radio today to promote King and Queen of the Ring, Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes recounted how he found out that the company was going the route of Rock vs Roman on the day of the Royal Rumble. Cody said that in the upcoming WrestleMania XL documentary that was delayed, the moment he found out about the change of plans were caught on camera. "I had to leave that room head up and make sure no one knew what could possibly happen and probably one of the more difficult days I've ever had in the wrestling business," Rhodes said, adding it was hard for him to complain knowing he was going to win the Royal Rumble again. "It was such a high, such a low," he said about the day. Cody said leading up to WrestleMania, he just couldn't catch a break when it came to ideal circumstances, with everything thrown against him, including his bus catching on fire, but was confident everything would eventually work out for the best. "I was not gonna be presented with the ideal circumstances. I had given into that and conceded that before WrestleMania because I just had this feeling, even all the way back to the Royal Rumble. I had this feeling that it was gonna work out," Cody said. The WrestleMania XL documentary is still without a release date although sources say it will be out very soon. The reason for the delay is because so much footage was shot during Mania weekend and WWE decided to expand the story of the documentary.

WWE STARS SEND FLOWERS FOR MARIGOLD DEBUT SHOW

- WWE's Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, and Akira Tozawa sent a flower arrangement to Marigold ahead of their first show in Japan which was held today at the Korakuen Hall. Marigold is the new all-women promotion headed by former Stardom booker Rossy Ogawa. "A wonderful array of flowers, including flowers from Tozawa, Io Sky and Kairi Sane," Marigold posted on X along with photos of the arrangement. The inaugural show was headlined by a former NXT star Sareee and a future NXT star in Giulia who were part of a tag team match. Sareee pinned Giulia in the match. Giulia, who along with Ogawa were at NXT Stand & Deliver and also during the whole WrestleMania weekend, is scheduled to start with the brand fairly soon, with rumors being that she will be part of the NXT Heatwave show in Toronto.

JOHN CENA SIGNS DEAL WITH MET-RX

- MET-Rx, the number one meal replacement brand in sports nutrition, today announced a new multi-year partnership with WWE and Hollywood superstar John Cena. Cena will star in a new high-energy MET-Rx digital campaign, flexing his fit physique and comedic talents to amplify the brand’s commitment to fueling greatness and inspiring big wins with its high-protein products. This partnership is a full-circle moment for Cena, who has turned to MET-Rx products for 30 years to supplement his high-protein diet and fuel intense workouts. “MET-Rx is the original sports nutrition brand, with products I can authentically and enthusiastically recommend because I’ve been using them since the 90s to meet my protein goals and power through workouts,” said Cena. “MET-Rx meal replacement bars prepare me to FLEX big in the ring, in the gym, and on set. I can’t wait to share them and inspire others to challenge themselves and achieve their own goals with this new campaign.” Cena’s new MET-Rx FLEX campaign is a campy sendup of 90s inspirational fitness videos and gym culture, complete with flashing neon colors, full-body spandex and fanny packs. Each spot portrays Cena’s trademark comedic energy as he flexes, poses, and passionately endorses the benefits of MET-Rx nutrition bars while sharing how these products fueled his own successes.
"The fact that John Cena has used MET-Rx products as part of his fitness regime for three decades, along with his unique ability to authentically connect with people of all walks of life, make him the perfect partner for our next phase of growth," said Bree Randall, Marketing Director of MET-Rx. "John's dedication to excellence, relentless pursuit of greatness and genuine passion for educating people about fitness and nutrition will motivate fans to embrace their own ‘MET-Rx FLEX’ and reach their full potential with the help of MET-Rx."

BRYAN DANIELSON SAYS HE NEEDS SURGERY SOON

- Bryan Danielson has claimed that he will need to undergo surgery soon after the injury he suffered wrestling Will Ospreay at Dynasty. Speaking to the AEW social media team for a digital exclusive, Danielson said he landed straight on his head when he hit the Frankensteiner off the top rope on Ospreay. "I go straight down on my head and then later in the match, right before he pins me, he hits me with a storm driver," Danielson said. "I got shooting pains down my arm. I'm at home and I have to go get MRIs." Those MRIs, he said, revealed that he has a compression of the nerve root at C6, C7, and C7-T1. The shooting pains in his arms won't go away and doctors recommended that he undergoes surgery. "The only way I can hold out, the only way that I can hold out is if I can keep the strength in my right hand. Right now it's still there. I have the shooting pain, but I've still got the strength," he continued. Danielson is part of Team AEW in the Anarchy in the Arena match for Double or Nothing.

RUBY SOHO AND ANGELO PARKER GET MARRIED

- AEW's Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker tied the knot yesterday in a ceremony held in Ohio. This is the first marriage for both Soho, 33, and Parker, 40. The two have been dating for several months and last month Ruby announced during an episode of Rampage that she was pregnant with their first child. Congratulations to the duo!


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Saturday, May 17, 2024 Issue #7240
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Happy weekend folks! We'll be back tomorrow.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

COLLISION PREVIEW

- Eight matches will be part of tonight's Collision, one of the biggest cards for the two-hour broadcast. And if that is not enough, Rampage will follow with four more matches with AEW presenting 12 bouts over a three-hour period. Set for Collision are Bryan Danielson and FTR vs Lance Archer and The Righteous, Will Ospreay vs Shane Taylor, Katsuyori Shibata vs Rocky Romero, Orange Cassidy vs Isiah Kassidy, Johnny TV vs Hook, Bryan Keith vs Boulder, Serena Deeb vs Anna Jay, and Jack Cartwheel vs Nick Wayne. Rampage follows with Kyle O'Reilly vs Lee Moriarty, Anthony Bowens vs Brian Cage, Deonna Purrazzo vs Robyn Renegade, and Rush vs an opponent still to be named.

WILLOW NIGHTINGALE DEFENDS TBS TITLE AT STARDOM

- Before defending her TBS title in Las Vegas against Mercedes Mone, Willow Nightingale had one more title defense, in Japan for STARDOM. Wrestling for the first time for the promotion, the popular AEW star successfully defeated Tam Nakano during the Stardom Flashing Championships event held in Yokohama at Yokohama Budokan. The two co-main evented the show in a 17-minute match. In the post-show press conference, Nightingale hinted that this might not be the end for the two of them, but today, she was the better woman. This was the first time that the TBS title was defended in Japan. It's rumored that STARDOM stars will be part of the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June.

EDDIE KINGSTON HAS FRACTURED LEG

- Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting that Eddie Kingston is suffering from a tibula fracture to his leg, an injury he sustained during his match against Gabe Kidd last week at the NJPW Resurgence show. Kingston was suplexed from the apron and onto a table at ringside but his leg violently hit the guard rail. He immediately clutched his right leg and took a while to get on his feet. He still had the beat-down angle with The Elite to follow and went through that as well. His return will be impacted depending on if he requires surgery. The injury took him out of the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing and he was replaced by Darby Allin.

AEW ANNOUNCES COLLISION RESIDENCY IN ARLINGTON

- AEW announced a residency at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas for six upcoming Collision shows and the Ring of Honor Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. Dubbed the AEW Path To All In Summer Series, the July 20, July 27, August 1, August 10, and August 17 television tapings of Collision will take place at the arena along with the July 26 ROH pay-per-view. All shows are live except the August 1 episode, which is being taped on a Thursday to air on August 3. “We are thrilled to partner with the City of Arlington for AEW’s first-ever events at Esports Stadium. This AEW summer series will add to the rich legacy of major professional wrestling events held in the great state of Texas and serve as the ultimate springboard for AEW: All In London on August 25 at Wembley Stadium,” said AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan. “This partnership would not have been possible without the tireless support of Matt Wilson, Justin Grimsley, the Arlington Sports Commission and City of Arlington teams and of course, our incredibly passionate fanbase throughout Texas.” The Esports Stadium hosts around 2,500 fans. Tickets will go on sale Thursday, June 6 at 10AM CT via ETix.com and AEWTix.com. Fans interested in exclusive pre-sale opportunities can register to become an AEW Insider by visiting allelitewrestling.com/aew-insider.

DYNAMITE RATING

- NBA and NHL programming continued to wreck wrestling shows in ratings with Dynamite this week drawing 672,000 viewers, down 39,000 viewers from the prior week and the least-watched episode since January 6, 2021. The show had a 0.23 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from last week and placed #6 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

SEMI FINALS FOR KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING

- The semi finals of the King and Queen of the Ring from the Smackdown bracket are now confirmed after last night's episode where the final four advanced in the tournaments. In the King of the Ring, Tama Tonga of the Bloodline defeated LA Knight to move on while Randy Orton beat Carmelo Hayes in the main event. In the Queen of the Ring, Bianca Belair took out Tiffany Stratton first and then Nia Jax beat Jade Cargill via a disqualification in the second match. Tonga vs Orton and Belair vs Jax will be taking place on next week's Smackdown which airs from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the first time ever.

NO U.S. TITLE ON THE LINE IN CHAMP VS CHAMP MATCH

- It's going to be champion vs champion at King and Queen of the Ring but Logan Paul's United States championship will not be on the line at the premium live event. After being hinted several times that both titles would be on the line including by Cody Rhodes, WWE changed direction of the match yesterday and during the contract signing segment, Paul said that he only agreed to wrestle for the Undisputed WWE title and did not agree to have his United States title on the line. Paul and his lawyer then presented a brand new contract after Paul tore up the original one and while Smackdown GM Nick Aldis was not impressed by the switch, Cody Rhodes accepted anyway. The segment ended with Cody throwing Paul out of the ring and then powerbombing one of Paul's people through a table.

IVAR OUT WITH SERIOUS INJURY

- Ivar of the Viking Raiders will be out of commission for a while as he announced on social media that he is suffering from an injury which he did not disclose. Writing that there has been a lot of misinformation about him on the Internet, Ivar said that it's a very serious injury but did not have surgery yet. "Still trying to figure out all options and what this means for my future. That being said, I want to thank everyone for the out pouring of love and support, not only after finding out I was injured but thru out the last several months, I have heard you all," Ivar wrote. Ivar was written off television on Tuesday's episode of NXT when Gallus returned and took him out. "No matter what happens, I owe it to everyone who ever believed in me to do everything I can to get back in that ring, under those lights, and in front of the most amazing fans on the planet,” he continued. "See you soon as I can!"

WWE LAUNCHES BRET HART LEGACY TITLE

- WWE launched the Bret "Hit Man" Hart legacy championship replica title today, an all pink, black, and white title which is different from any other legacy replica title already available in WWE's collection. "Every inch of the belt is dressed in subtle and stunning tributes to Bret Hart. It is 'The Excellence of Execution' personified in collectible form and a must-have for the die-hard sports entertainment fan," reads the description of the title, which retails at a cool $749.99 price. The item is in stock now and available to ship within one business day. Free shipping is available if you use the code WWE29 at .

TKO SHARES REACH YEAR-TO-DATE HIGH

- TKO shares hit a year-to-date high yesterday, with stocks trading at over $105. This represents a 29% increase year-to-date and gives the company a market cap of $17.83 billion. The $105 figure is still below its 52-week high which was $118.04 in August 2023.


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Thursday, May 16, 2024 Issue #7239
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

I enjoyed that contract signing on Dynamite last night. Mercedes Mone is a natural heel, portraying her in a babyface or tweener role is not going to work out. That was her best work so far in AEW and Willow was perfect as well.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

MERCEDES MONE GOES THROUGH A TABLE ON DYNAMITE

- Mercedes Mone got some AEW action last night on Dynamite, her first since she made her debut in March, and ended up going through a table. Mone, playing the heel, was involved in a contract signing in-ring segment with TBS champion Willow Nightingale and after some bickering, Willow told her that the last time they were in the ring together, she walked out as champion while Mone didn't walk out at all. The line got a big pop from the crowd, but Mone was not impressed. She slapped Willow, grabbed the TBS title from the table and tried to take a shot at Nightingale. The champ ducked, kicked Mone in the stomach, lifted her up and hit a gut wrench power bomb through the table, a spot which also lifted the crowd on its feet. Mone laid dead as Nightingale lifted the title and the crowd roared in approval. Referees and medical then attended to Mone who sold the move big time. You can see the segment at .

DARBY ALLIN REPLACES EDDIE KINGSTON ON TEAM AEW

- Eddie Kingston will not be able to participate at the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing due to an injury he sustained at the NJPW Resurgence show last weekend. But a replacement has been found already in the form of Darby Allin, who a few weeks ago was hit by a bus in New York City where he broke his nose. Allin came out at the end of Dynamite as the rest of The Elite and Team AEW brawled following the main event of Okada vs Harwood. The daredevil was already banged up after he broke his foot in Sting's final match, an injury which prevented him from climbing Mount Everest last month. Kingston was taken out after he went through a suplex by Gabe Kidd at the NJPW show and crashed his right leg on the steel security railing. The Elite beat him up afterward which was played into the angle as to why Kingston was not wrestling at the Vegas pay-per-view.

NEW AEW MOBILE VIDEO GAME LAUNCHED

- TNT Sports and AEW announced the launch of AEW: Figure Fighters – a new free-to-play casual mobile game – featuring 3D animated versions of AEW’s most popular wrestlers battling it out in the ring. AEW: Figure Fighters enables players to expand their fandom of the world-class AEW roster in an autobattler format by collecting and leveling up their wrestler, playing in various game modes and competing in numerous challenges. Players can step into the ring as their favorite AEW wrestler and compete in 1:1 matches – using a combination of signature moves from AEW champions and iconic stars including Swerve Strickland, Timeless Toni Storm, Darby Allin, Kris Statlander, and Chris Jericho – to defeat their opponents in a high intensity match on the mat. After completing missions, players can level up and grow their collection of wrestlers to strengthen their rosters. The game gives users the option to connect a wallet to purchase or earn collectible versions of wrestlers. AEW: Figure Fighters is available now to download and play in the United States for mobile users in the App Store and Google Play. The development of the game furthers TNT Sports' commitment to innovation in web3 technology, supported by an ongoing partnership with Immutable X. You can see the trailer of the game at .

NXT TO STAY ON TUESDAY NIGHTS ON THE CW

- The CW have confirmed that NXT will remain on Tuesday nights once the show transitions to their network from USA Network in October of this year. Unveiling their fall schedule today, NXT is listed as airing from 8PM to 10PM as part of a new, five-year deal between WWE and The CW. This is the first time that NXT will be on network television and the first time that it has aired outside of USA Network in the United States since it moved to cable in September 2019. The CW is trying to push into live sports with 500 hours of WWE, NASCAR, LIV Golf, ACC football and basketball, and other sports coming to the network in 2025.

BIG FIVE WWE PLE IN SAUDI IN 2026 OR 2027

- Turki Alsheikh, Saudi Arabia's Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, told Ariel Helwani during an appearance on The MMA Hour that the Kingdom is currently in discussions with WWE to host either the 2026 or 2027 Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. This comes a week after Alsheikh told ESPN that they are "sweetening" the current deal they have with WWE to host one of the big five premium live events in the country in the near future. Currently, WWE get around $50 million per PLE and they have two per year in Saudi Arabia, making more money there then any WrestleMania since this is guaranteed money regardless of how many people show up or how many merchandise is sold. Neither the Royal Rumble nor WrestleMania has been held outside North America before and just for comparison, Las Vegas paid WWE $5 million to bring the show there next year. While hosting WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia might not be on WWE's list for a variety of reasons, a Royal Rumble there is more doable. Saudi Arabia recently also announced that they are sponsoring the UFC 306 event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, dropping a considerable amount of money in the process. WWE President Nick Khan is handling negotiations with Saudi Arabia after getting the handover from Vince McMahon.

ASUKA OUT WITH KNEE INJURY

- On her YouTube channel, former mutli-time champion Asuka said that she would be taking some time off from the ring due to a knee injury she has. Asuka has been dealing with a knee injury for several months now but soldiered on, eventually losing the WWE Women's Tag Team titles at Backlash. That was her last match for a while. Asuka thanked her Damage CTRL partners for helping her a lot during the past few months, especially the recent European tour where things got pretty rough for her. Asuka was originally scheduled to be part of the Queen of the Ring tournament but was replaced by Dakota Kai.

WWE ON A&E RATINGS

- Sunday's WWE block on A&E featured two new episodes of WWE Rivals as Most Wanted Treasures did not air. The first episode of Rivals took a look at Triple H vs Seth Rollins and drew 265,000 viewers, down 6,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.10 rating in 18-45, up 0.02 from the last episode and placed #33 on the chart. The second episode featured the feud of Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes. It did better in viewership, with 338,000 tuning in and a 0.12 rating in 18-49. It was #26 on the chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

NXT RATING

- With NBA Playoffs and NHL semi finals ramping up, NXT had a big drop from last week's show, a decrease of 92,000 viewers for a total of 567,000 viewers. The show drew a 0.18 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from the prior week and was #13 for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)


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====================================================
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Issue #7238
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

NFL Christmas games on Netflix...sounds like a good test for WWE live on Netflix a few days later! Would not be surprised if we see more live programming on Netflix after WWE starts full time there.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

LAS VEGAS COUGHS UP $5 MILLION TO HOST WRESTLEMANIA

- The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority paid a total of $5 million to bring WrestleMania to the city next year according to a report on Las Vegas-based 8NewsNow.com. WrestleMania 41 was heavily tipped to go to Minneapolis until Vegas got in the picture and earlier this month WWE announced that Sin City will host its second WrestleMania and first one since WrestleMania IX in 1993. WWE World will return and will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center during WrestleMania week while Lisa Motley, VP of Sports and Special Events for the LVCVA, also said that Raw and Smackdown would take place "at an MGM Resorts venue" although she did not specify which one. “The dates of the event will occur over Easter weekend, which is a typically slow time for Las Vegas,” Motley said. “We anticipate more than 180,000 WrestleMania fans will occupy 144,000 incremental room nights over that time period.” Motley also noted that WrestleMania 41 will host more than 300 media outlets from 12 different countries.

FIRST TWO ADVANCE IN WOMEN'S NORTH AMERICAN TITLE LADDER MATCH

- The first two NXT stars to advance in the Women's North American title ladder match at Battleground were revealed last night on NXT on USA Network. Lash Legend defeated Ivy Nile in the first qualifier and then Sol Ruca beat Izzi Dame in the second qualifier for the second spot. Four spots remain in the match which will crown the inaugural NXT Women's North American champion. The next two participants to advance will be known next week when Jaida Parker takes on Brinley Reece and Fallon Henley battles Thea Hail. In total, 12 NXT stars advanced to the qualifying matches after a combine was held on last week's show, with the top 12 moving on. Sol Ruca topped the combine.

WWE FILES 24-PAGE MEMORANDUM IN JANEL GRANT LAWSUIT

- In a 24-page memorandum filed by WWE in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut yesterday, WWE has sided with its ex Executive Chairman Vince McMahon in his motion to compel arbitration. "Simply put, Grant has no claims actionable in this Court because the separation and non-disclosure agreement she signed with McMahon and WWE (the “Agreement”)—the monetary benefits of which she concededly accepted and retained—contains an arbitration provision that unambiguously precludes this Court from adjudicating her claims," WWE's filing said. The NDA that Grant signed had a clause that any future legal issues would be resolved in a binding arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act. "The language is clear and unconditional. Not only are Grant’s allegations squarely within the scope of the arbitration provision, but the Agreement also expressly commits to arbitration the issue of arbitrability itself. Accordingly, this Court should enforce the parties’ agreed-upon method of addressing Grant’s claims and compel this action to arbitration," it continued. WWE wrote that it disputes Grant's allegations but for purpose of this motion only, they assume the truth of facts alleged in her original complaint. The company also pointed out that in the agreement she signed, written in all caps was a clause that says Grant acknowledges that she will wave any right to pursue or bring a lawsuit or make any legal claims against McMahon and or WWE and any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, and representatives.

RAW RATING

- Monday Night Raw did its lowest number since January 15, drawing an average of 1,589,000 viewers against heavy NBA and NHL competition. That was down 30,000 viewers from last week's broadcast. The show started with 1,644,000 viewers and then decreased slightly to 1,643,000 viewers in the second hour, before ending the night with 1,481,000 viewers in the third and final hour. In 18-49, Raw was #4, #5, and #6 with 0.54, 0.53, and 0.52 ratings respectively for an average of 0.53, the same as last week. Raw beat everything on network television and was #4 overall on all of TV. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

NEW AEW SHOW COMING TO TBS YOUTUBE

- AEW today announced a new show titled Meal and a Match, hosted by Renee Paquette and RJ City which will air weekly on the TBS YouTube channel. The first episode, with Eddie Kingston, will drop this Friday at 2PM ET. "RJ City and Renee Paquette look to prove we've been watching wrestling wrong as they look to break bread and break tables with some of the biggest names in AEW," the preview of the show reads. The first episode is titled Eddie Kingston on Crying, BBQ, and Punchable Faces.

DYNAMITE PREVIEW

- Several matches and a few in-ring segments have been announced for tonight's Dynamite in Everett, Washington, airing live on TBS. The AEW Continental title will be on the line as Kazuchika Okada defends his title against Dax Harwood. AEW Women's champion Toni Storm takes on Harley Cameron in a grudge match while AEW World champion Swerve Strickland battles Brian Cage in an eliminator match. A second eliminator match also takes place with The Young Bucks vs Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels and Jon Moxley teams up with Bryan Danielson against Kyle Fletcher and Jeff Cobb. Plus, Adam Copeland calls out Malakai Black, Roderick Strong and Will Ospreay go face-to-face, and Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone have their contract signing for the TBS title.

COLLISION RATING

- Collision on Saturday night, which aired on TBS instead of TNT, drew 378,000 viewers, down 243,000 viewers from two weeks ago, a broadcast which aired right after the NBA Playoffs game. There was no Collision last week. In the 18-49 demo, Collision had a 0.12 rating, down 0.09 from two weeks ago and placed #18 for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

RAMPAGE RATING

- Rampage on Saturday following Collision drew 324,000 viewers, down 107,000 viewers from the prior week when the show aired on Wednesday after Dynamite. Rampage had a 0.11 rating in 18-49, down 0.04 from the last show and placed #23 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)


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Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Issue #7237
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Nice surprise to see Lilian Garcia back on Raw last night. She was great during her time there years ago.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING RAW SEMI FINALS SET

- Raw's side of the King and Queen of the Ring tournament is done with the quarter finals and the semi final matches are now set to take place on next week's broadcast. During the show, Gunther defeated Kofi Kingston in the first quarter final and then Jey Uso defeated Ilja Dragunov in the other men's semi final. In the women's tournament, Iyo Sky defeated Shayna Baszler and then Lyra Valkyria defeated Zoey Stark to advance. Gunther vs Uso and Sky vs Valkyria will both take place next week. The Smackdown quarter final matches will air this Friday on the show.

LILIAN GARCIA MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE ON RAW

- Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia made a surprise appearance on Monday Night Raw last night in Greenville, South Carolina. Current Raw ring announcer Samantha Irvin introduced Garcia to the fans and asked her if she would like the announce the next match. Garcia accepted the invitation and thanked Samantha. "You're amazing. You're doing an incredible, incredible job, I am so proud of you," Garcia told Samantha. The 57-year-old joined WWE in 1999 and left the company full time in 2016 although she did several appearances after that. She last did ring announcing for the Raw Reunion show in 2019. You can see her return at .

LYNCH NOT SIGNED TO A NEW DEAL YET

- Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting through his Select service that Becky Lynch has not signed a new contract with WWE yet and her current deal is up in three weeks. A week before WrestleMania, Lynch told Ariel Helwani in an interview that there have been no communication over a new deal and there was nothing offered to her at that time. That did change and Lynch was recently offered a new contract and while both sides are actively negotiating, there has not been any pen to paper yet. Lynch is the current WWE Women's World champion and will be defending her title against Liv Morgan at the King and Queen of the Ring tournament on May 24 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Her husband Seth Rollins recently signed a new deal with the company and the belief is that Lynch will also follow suit with one of the, if not the, biggest deals for a female competitor.

CHARLOTTE FLAIR CAST IN NEW MOVIE

- Deadline.com has an exclusive story about Charlotte Flair being cast along with Freddy Rodriguez to lead the indie horror/thriller movie You Lose You Die, written by Carlos “Spiff TV” Suarez who will also make his movie directorial debut. According to the synopsis provided by Deadline, the movie "follows sociopathic tech expert, Mr. Fantastik (Rodriguez), who runs a popular show on the dark web with two other sociopathic tech experts, Ms. Perfect (Flair) and Mr. Creep (Anthony Alvarez). On the show, thousands of viewers vote on games and challenges for prisoners to participate in. If the prisoners lose, viewers vote on the weapons the sociopaths use to kill them." The project is currently in pre-production. "So incredibly excited to be apart of this movie," Flair wrote in a post on Instagram. "You’ll be in for a treat."

SMACKDOWN RATING

- Friday Night Smackdown drew 2,128,000 viewers this past week, down 20,000 viewers from the prior week and the least-watched episode of the show for 2024. The show had heavy competition from the NBA Playoffs which went head-to-head with Smackdown. In 18-49, Smackdown drew 0.62 rating, up 0.02 from the previous show and was #1 on network television and #3 on all of TV behind two NBA games. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

JESSE VENTURA SAYS HE WAS OFFERED A WWE LEGENDS DEAL

- WWE Hall of Famer Jesse "The Body" Ventura revealed in an interview on WABC 77 that he is currently in negotiations with WWE over a Legends deal. Ventura told host Frank Morano that his lawyer has the WWE Legends contract in hand and they're reviewing it, although he admitted he doesn't fully know what his role would be at this point. "I can only say that that’s happened because of the change of direction in the company," Ventura said. Ventura was highly critical of Vince McMahon in the past and has not appeared on any WWE television whatsoever since 2009. "You know, I’m an old guy now and you’ve got to have the legends. And hell, if you go back to WrestleMania I, there ain’t too many of us alive anymore," Ventura said, mentioning Roddy Piper, Paul Ordnorff, Andre The Giant, John Studd, and Junkyard Dog who have since departed. "The door is, you know, we’re talking right now about me having some," Ventura continued. "I’m getting older. I mean, I’m in my 70s now. And I guess I’d just like to open up the door at the end in the wrestling career and see what’s still left there." Ventura did say that he's not going to go back as an announcer for sure as he doesn't know who wrestles there anymore.

CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST CASH WHEELER DROPPED

- Florida prosecutors have dropped all criminal charges against FTR's Cash Wheeler after they filed a legal notice a week before the trial was supposed to start. Wheeler was originally arrested in August 2023 following a road rage incident on July 27 and faced one charge of aggravated assault with a firearm, which is a third degree felony in the state of Florida. He had a pre-trial hearing set this week where he was ordered to appear but that of course was also canceled. Wheeler had plead not guilty to all charges and is now free from any legal issues stemming from that incident.


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Monday, May 13, 2024 Issue #7236
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Pretty slow weekend as far as news goes. Have a good one!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
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KINGSTON AND BASZLER ADVANCE IN TOURNAMENTS

- Two King and Queen of the Ring first round matches took place at the WWE SuperShow non-televised live event in Macon, Georgia yesterday. Kofi Kingston defeated Rey Mysterio to wrap up the men's first round while Shayna Baszler defeated Maxxine Dupri in the other match. Dupri was a late addition and replaced the injured Zelina Vega. These final two matches now completed the first round of both tournaments and quarter final matches will resume tonight on Monday Night Raw. The eight men who will participate in the quarter finals are Jey Uso, Gunther, Ilja Dragunov, Kofi Kingston, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Randy Orton, and Tama Tonga. The eight women are Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, Nia Jax, Lyra Valkyria, Iyo Sky, Zoey Stark, and Shayna Baszler.

JOHNNY KNOXVILLE AND WEE MAN RETURN TO HAUNT SAMI ZAYN!

- Johnny Knoxville and Wee Man came back to haunt Intercontinental champion Sami Zayn at the Netflix Is A Joke Fest this weekend in Los Angeles. Zayn was doing his own gig at the Avalon when at one point, someone with a fake wig and mustache started mouthing off at him. It ended up being his WrestleMania nemesis and Jackass star Johnny Knoxville and the two were about to go at it again until WWE Women's World champion Becky Lynch brought the peace. But that was not the only surprise for Zayn. Towards the end of Zayn's gig on stage, Knoxville returned with a gift: flowers. The two hugged and at that point, Wee Man sneaked in and low-blowed Zayn and just like at WrestleMania, bodyslammed him in front of the crowd! WWE's Cathy Kelly was also on hand for the party. Clutchpoints.com has an in-depth of Zayn's set which you can read at .

RAW PREVIEW

- Four King and Queen of the Ring quarter final matches will be taking place on Monday Night Raw on USA Network. The four matches announced are Jey Uso vs Ilja Dragunov and Gunther vs Kofi Kingston in the King of the Ring tournament and Shayna Baszler vs Iyo Sky and Lyra Valkyria vs Zoey Stark in the Queen of the Ring tournament. Other than that, nothing else has been mentioned for Raw at time of this writing.

EDDIE KINGSTON SUFFERS LEG INJURY AT NJPW SHOW

- Eddie Kingston suffered a leg injury during his match against Gabe Kidd on Saturday at the NJPW Resurgence show in Ontario, California. Towards the end of the match, Kingston was suplexed from the ring apron and through a table waiting below but Kingston's leg hit the guard rail hard in the process. He immediately clutched his right leg upon landing. The former champion was visibly in pain and unfortunately he still had the attack of The Elite to go through before his night was over. Kingston is part of Team AEW against The Elite for the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing in two weeks in Las Vegas. You can see the video of the suplex and when the injury happened at .

ANTHONY HENRY CLEARED TO RETURN

- Anthony Henry of The Workhorsemen wrote on social media that he has been cleared to return to the ring. Henry, who was part of AEW up until last month, was released after he suffered a broken jaw during an indie match against fellow AEW star Bryan Keith in March. Another nine stars were let go on April 2, the first time that AEW made a mass release since its existence. "Your boy is cleared and might be returning this week...keep your eyes open," he wrote. During a press call for ROH's Supercard of Honor days after Henry was released, Tony Khan said that he would re-hire him once he is medically cleared to return.


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Sunday, May 12, 2024 Issue #7235
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. If you are lucky to have your mom still around, give her a big hug today!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

FAN STORMS THE RING DURING COLLISION

- A fan stormed the ring after the Daniel Garcia vs KM match last night on Collision and was tackled by security and the referee. Thankfully, the ring was empty when the not-so-smart fan decided to make a run for it. Garcia was celebrating with fans on the outside when the fan slid under the bottom rope, struggled a little bit to get up, and by the time he managed to get on his feet, security and a referee were already on his ass. With the arena lights dimmed, he was then ejected out, with one security locking him in a front face lock and another one holding him from behind as they walked him through the crowd and out. Fans aptly chanted "You f*cked up" on his way out. This was the second fan incident in a few days in Canada as someone on Wednesday was also ejected for making several and constant vulgar comments towards Skye Blue during ROH tapings. You can see the video at .

SWERVE STRICKLAND APPEARS AT DEFY SHOW IN SEATTLE

- Fans who attended Friday's DEFY show Here and Now in Seattle were treated to a huge surprise as AEW World champion Swerve Strickland showed up at his old stomping grounds unannounced. Strickland told the stunned crowd that there was only one place where he was going to go to celebrate and it was here in Seattle for DEFY Wrestling. "There’s no other place like this in the world. I’ve been saying it since 2017 and I still mean that to this day," Strickland said. "You guys are very special because you all have something very special that not a lot of places have." The AEW champ said that this place can predict the future, noting that the first main event of the very first DEFY show was himself versus Cody Rhodes. “Shout out to Cody because he believed in me too, just like I believed in him,” Strickland continued. He then announced that after the show, he would be meeting every single fan in the stands for free. You can watch his appearance at .

THE ELITE ATTACK EDDIE KINGSTON AT NJPW SHOW

- AEW World Tag Team champions The Young Bucks and Jack Perry attacked Eddie Kingston following his NJPW Strong Openweight title loss at the NJPW Resurgence show last night at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. Perry was the first one to come down to face Kingston but The Young Bucks came from behind and took down the former Triple Crown winner. The Bucks then delivered their EVP Trigger on Kingston. The angle was filmed to further the storyline of The Elite vs Team AEW which will culminate at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas with an Anarchy in the Arena match. This was the first time that The Young Bucks appeared on an NJPW show since forming AEW. During the same show, IWGP World Heavyweight champion Jon Moxley successfully defended his title against Shota Umino.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING CROSSES 6,000 TICKETS

- With two weeks to go, Double or Nothing in Las Vegas has finally surpassed 6,000 tickets but unfortunately still on track to be the least-attended Double or Nothing pay-per-view since its start in 2019. The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will play host to the show and @WrestleTix reports that 6,040 tickets have been distributed, with the arena set up for 7,067 seats, several thousand less than what the MGM Grand can hold in a wrestling setup. Tickets for Double or Nothing start from $54.14 including all taxes and fees. A few floor seats are also available starting from $194.75 and can be bought from AXS.COM.

TWO WWE EXECS RELEASED

- Two high-ranking WWE executives were let go from the company this weekend, one of whom who had 26 years of service. Steve Rubin, WWE's Senior Director of TV Event Relations, was released following 26 years with the company. He started in 2001 as Manager, then was promoted to Senior Manager in 2015, before rising to Senior Director in 2023. He was a liaison between WWE TV production, marketing, and arenas to coordinate production logistics for every televised event around the world. The news of his departure was broken by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. Michael Levin, WWE's Vice President of International Live Events, finds himself on the unemployed list after nearly eight years with the company. He started in 2016 as Vice President of International and then was promoted to his current role in 2019. In 2020 he was also given the role of GM Emerging Markets and was based in the London office. Levin was just in France last weekend for Backlash and actively posted about WWE-related stuff on his LinkedIn. His departure was originally reported by PWInsider.com.

LOGAN PAUL TO GET WWE TITLE SHOT IN JEDDAH

- Cody Rhodes' next challenger for the Undisputed WWE championship was found on Smackdown: none other than United States champion Logan Paul. While it wasn't necessarily spelled out, it looks like Paul is also putting the United States title on the line, with Rhodes mentioning that if he wins against Paul, it would make him a Grand Slam champion. He later wrote "2 belts" on X. Paul took credit for all the recent WWE success and claimed that this was the "Logan Paul Levesque era." He said at the King and Queen of the Ring, he would pin Cody right on the Prime logo to become the next champion. A contract signing between the two will take place next week on Smackdown.

SIX STARS ADVANCE IN KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING TOURNAMENTS

- The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments continued on Smackdown with six wrestlers advancing to the next round. In the women's tournament, Nia Jax took down Naomi, Jade Cargill beat Piper Niven, and Bianca Belair defeated Candice LeRae to advance. Another match remains, featuring Tiffany Stratton vs Michin, which will take place today or tomorrow at a non-televised live event. The men's tournament started with Carmelo Hayes defeating Baron Corbin to advance, Tama Tonga beating Angelo Dawkins, and Randy Orton winning against AJ Styles in the main event.

ZELINA VEGA OUT OF THE QUEEN OF THE RING TOURNAMENT

- Zelina Vega has been pulled from the Queen of the Ring first round tournament match today due to injury and will not get the chance to defend her crown. Vega was supposed to take on Shayna Baszler during today's non-televised live event in Macon, Georgia, and now she has been replaced by Alpha Academy's Maxxine Dupri. The news was announced by Raw General Manager Adam Pearce in a video posted on social media. Vega is the fourth star to be taken out of the tournament following injuries as well to Drew McIntyre, Asuka, and Bobby Lashley.

LA KNIGHT AND TIFFANY STRATTON ADVANCE IN TOURNAMENT

- LA Knight and Tiffany Stratton advanced in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments after they overcame Santos Escobar and Michin respectively in their first round matches. The two matches took place during the WWE SuperShow in Chattanooga, Tennessee, yesterday. LA Knight will now take Tama Tonga in the next rundown while Tiffany Stratton battles Bianca Belair. The final two matches of the opening round take place today at the non-televised live event in Macon, Georgia. Kofi Kingston wrestles Rey Mysterio and Shayna Baszler goes up against Maxxine Dupri.

DANA WHITE HINTS AT SATURDAY UFC AND SUNDAY WWE COMBO SHOWS

- UFC President Dana White hinted at some trio of events happening in the weekends suggesting that WWE could take the Sunday spot as TKO does combined events in the same city and same arena in the future. Speaking at the press conference following UFC Fight Night in St Louis, White said, "You're gonna see Friday Power Slap, Saturday UFC, and Sunday WWE. You'll start seeing that stuff too." If that's a WWE premium live event remains to be seen but WWE has over the past few years moved to Saturday nights for their PLEs. WWE has already combined a Raw or a Smackdown with a UFC show in some markets. White also said that he's fine with his UFC stars making guest appearances on WWE television or shows. "I mean, I didn't have a problem with that when Vince was consistently f*cking me for no reason and now that that's not the case anymore," White said. White did shoot down any chance of him doing any guest spot on WWE TV though. "Me? That I guarantee you will not. Never," he said. Speaking of UFC in St Louis, after his fight, Joaquin Buckley spotted Randy Orton sitting at cage side and he went out of the cage to hug Orton following his win.

LATEST QR CODE MYSTERY VIDEO: "THEY PUT US IN THE CAVE"

- The latest Uncle Howdy tease on Smackdown leads to a new video, which is the glitchy-version intro of the Then, Now, Forever, Together clip that introduces every WWE televised show. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that Sister Abigail is shown in the intro instead of CM Punk. The video is then interrupted by several lines of text about how a group of people were left to be forgotten but "he" set them free. "They put us in the cave. Told us to behold the glory. We watched in awe, consumed their lies. We were never the chosen ones. Left in the cave to rot to be forgotten. But he set us free. Now we understand. We will follow the prophecy. The words of the red. Soon you will understand. The tears we shed watered our apathy and blossomed a garden of revulsion. There is no safe space. Only my family," the message reads. It's rumored that the faction led by Uncle Howdy will arrive on WWE television screens this month with the reintroduction of Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Nikki Cross, and Eric Rowan.


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Friday, May 10, 2024 Issue #7234
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Weekend is finally here! Smackdown looks solid on paper tonight, at least these tournaments have been booked with top stars which makes it more interesting and less predictable.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

FAN EJECTED FROM ARENA AFTER HARASSING SKYE BLUE

- A misbehaving fan who was harassing Skye Blue as he sat ringside during the ROH tapings following the live Dynamite got ejected from the arena. The incident was firstly reported on Reddit's SquaredCircle forum by someone with the username Wintertime13, who wrote that a man in front row kept making vulgar comments towards Blue. The fan allegedly kept saying, "Get on your knees for daddy," "Daddy likes when you’re on the top rope baby girl," "Nice ass peaches," etc. Eventually, AEW and arena security got to him after the match when referee Aubrey Edwards motioned for them to eject him. The fan, who also had a child with him, put on a fight but was escorted out. Rachael Ellering, who was wrestling Blue during the tapings, wrote on social media that the speed which she and Edwards got out of the ring to get the creep kicked out was remarkable. "Olympic medalist speeds. I’ve NEVER in my career heard such vulgar things being said to talent during a match. Sexual harassment is not heckling," she wrote. "This guy wasn’t a fan. He was a pervert who should be banned from shows for life." Edwards also chimed in, saying that if you are at a show and yell disgusting, vile, and hateful things at her coworkers, she will make sure your ass gets kicked out. "There is no place for that in wrestling. Heckling is fine, but when you’ve made the performers (me included) feel uncomfortable in their place of work, you’ve gone too far," she continued. It's also important to add that during Dynamite, Saraya got the camera over to point out at a couple of fans at ringside saying, "These two right here are creeps," although it's unclear if the one ejected was one of them.

SAMMY GUEVARA NO LONGER UNDER SUSPENSION BY AEW

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that AEW has lifted the suspension of Sammy Guevara. Guevara was suspended in February following his match against Jeff Hardy where he broke Hardy's nose, knocking him out in the process and then instead of ending the match, continued to hit his finisher before the pinfall victory. The former TNT champion suffered the brunt of the punishment despite the match not being stopped by the referee or the ringside medic although he knew he shouldn't have gone for the finisher according to the company's concussion protocol. It is now just a matter of creative before he is brought back on television. Jeff Hardy has not wrestled since either due to the injury but according to his brother Matt he has been cleared to return by doctors.

DYNAMITE RATING

- Dynamite this week on TBS drew 711,000 viewers, up 8,000 viewers from the previous week. This was the third least-watched episode of Dynamite of 2024 so far. The show had a 0.24 rating in 18-49, the same as last week, and was #6 on the top 50 cable chart for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

SKYE BLUE THANKS FANS FOR SUPPORT

- Skye Blue, who was subject to some unwanted sexual comments during the ROH television tapings on Wednesday after Dynamite, spoke publicly about the incident, thanking fans for their support. "I’m beyond overwhelmed with all the love and support. Thank you everyone you have no idea how much it’s appreciated," she wrote. "Let’s make sure the future generations of women wrestlers don’t have to deal with this shit." The 24-year-old was wrestling Rachael Ellering when a man who was sitting front row kept making vulgar comments towards her throughout the match. He was eventually kicked out of the arena.

KEVIN PATRICK ON WWE RELEASE: "I WANTED TO LEAVE"

- Speaking during an interview released today on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, former WWE commentator Kevin Egan (Patrick) said it was time for him to depart the company and he actually wanted to leave because he couldn't give it his all to WWE. "Football (soccer) was always going to win. If there was ever a collision, and there was one on the horizon, very clearly on the horizon," Egan said. Egan is now one of the voices of MLS on Apple TV+ and said that there was no way if he was doing a show on Friday he could be in studio in New York the following day at 1PM to do his soccer duties. "I also wasn’t their long-term guy. They need someone who’s all in. And they deserve more. That chair deserves more, you know? So for me, it was time. I wanted to leave," Egan explained. Egan revealed that he still talks to Michael Cole on the phone and said that he's the best boss he's ever had and stands by it. "He’s a tremendous guy and everyone I worked with was great. It’s a chapter in your life. I wasn’t overly upset about it at all, I don’t think they were," Egan said, adding that when WWE goes to Atlanta, he'll pop by to say hello to his friends.

SMACKDOWN PREVIEW

- Smackdown returns live tonight on FOX from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania where just like on Raw, the King and Queen of the Ring first round matches will be the focus of the show. Six tournament matches have been announced for the broadcast including Randy Orton vs AJ Styles in the main event, Tama Tonga vs Angelo Dawkins, Carmelo Hayes vs Baron Corbin, Bianca Belair vs Candice LaRae, Jade Cargill vs Piper Niven, and Naomi vs Nia Jax. One other men's match remains in the tournament from Smackdown's side featuring LA Knight vs Santos Escobar and there's also an unannounced match in the women's tournament which the participants were not revealed.

BOBBY LASHLEY OUT OF KING OF THE RING

- The King of the Ring tournament needed another change as Bobby Lashley, who was suppose to take on Tama Tonga tonight in a first round match, is injured and unable to compete. Smackdown GM Nick Aldis made the announcement on social media, writing that he was informed that Lashley suffered an injury during training and is not cleared. "So unfortunate news for Bobby Lashley but a fortunate opportunity for the man taking his place," Aldis said. "And that man, I have decided, will be Angelo Dawkins of The Street Profits." Drew McIntyre and Asuka were pulled from their respective tournaments on Monday also due to injuries and were replaced by Jey Uso and Dakota Kai.

SMACKDOWN MOVING TO USA NETWORK ON SEPTEMBER 13

- Smackdown is moving to USA Network a few weeks prior than anticipated with the network announcing that the blue brand will move over starting September 13. September 13 is a Friday so that means the show will keep its Friday time slot despite it's a dreaded slot for television at that time. NBCUniversal won the rights for Smackdown with a new $1.4 billion deal. FOX, which has been airing the show since 2019, did not bid to keep it even though it's often #1 on the charts in the 18-49 demo. USA Network will air both Raw and Smackdown in Q4 2024 as they also agreed to a $25 million deal to air Raw for the final three months of the year before they move to Netflix. The sum amounts to $41 million less than what NBCU is currently paying for Raw every quarter in this current deal. USA Network also lost NXT which is now moving to The CW in October.


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Thursday, May 9, 2024 Issue #7233
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

We'll be back tomorrow! Have a good one.

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

ANARCHY IN THE ARENA RETURNS

- The important announcement teased by Kenny Omega before Dynamite was the return of Anarchy in the Arena match which will take place at Double or Nothing in Las Vegas. Appearing via video from the hospital, Omega said that the match will pit The Elite - The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry - against Team AEW. FTR were the first two names revealed for Team AEW and later in the broadcast, Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson joined the fray, with all eight participants being involved in a big brawl to close the show. The Anarchy in the Arena match has been done twice so far, in 2022 and 2023, both of which at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

DYNAMITE KID'S NEPHEW TO MAKE AEW DEBUT

- One of the nephews of The Dynamite Kid will be making his AEW television debut this Saturday on Collision. Tommy Billington, who is using the same nickname of The Dynamite Kid, will face Dax Harwood of FTR in Vancouver during Saturday's broadcast. Tommy and his brother Mark often work together under the Billington Bulldogs name and made their wrestling debut in August 2018. They have wrestled for different indie promotions in the UK and Canada and last year for Major League Wrestling as well.

RIC FLAIR SAYS HE WAS WRONG IN LOSING HIS TEMPER IN RESTAURANT

- After footage emerged of his confrontation at a pizzeria in Gainesville, Georgia, Ric Flair now says that he was wrong to lose his temper like that. Appearing as a guest on The MJ Morning Show on Q105, the Nature Boy explained his side of the situation. "When I feel like I'm put in that area, where I'm uncomfortable...all of a sudden everything just fell apart, I got upset," Flair said. Flair explained that the kitchen manager approached him while he was in the bathroom and he said that he doesn't shake hands or take photos in bathrooms. "Any man that goes into a bathroom knows you can see into the stall," Flair continued. “I said, 'Get your ass off there, I need to use the restroom." But now, Flair admitted he was wrong and probably just should have just walked out the door. "But it caught me so off-guard because we were having a wonderful time. Then all of a sudden...someone in their kitchen said I did something wrong in the bathroom and there's no one there except me and him," Flair said. The footage leaked shows Flair confronting the kitchen manager at the bar and asking him to meet him outside to settle it. Another customer, who was sitting by the bar, jumped to the defense of the employee and the video ends there. Flair denied that he was intoxicated when all of this happened, saying he only had two beers and two mixed drinks. You can see the video at .

TKO ANNOUNCES Q1 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS

- TKO announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2024. “TKO is off to a strong start in 2024 with multiple record-setting live events, new brand partnerships, and media rights deals for WWE Raw,” said Ariel Emanuel, Executive Chair and CEO of TKO. “With our momentum in the first quarter and solid financial results, we have raised our full year 2024 guidance. We also reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in both UFC antitrust lawsuits. These positive developments, along with the strength in our underlying businesses, give us more conviction than ever in the combination of UFC and WWE, and in TKO’s ability to deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.” Revenue increased 105%, or $323.0 million, to $629.7 million. The increase reflected an increase of $6.3 million at UFC, to $313.0 million, and the contribution of $316.7 million of revenue at WWE. Net Loss was $249.5 million, a decrease of $337.4 million from net income of $87.9 million in the prior year period. The decrease reflected an increase in operating expenses partially offset by the increase in revenue. The increase in operating expenses primarily reflected an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses of $475.6 million, an increase in direct operating costs of $111.8 million, and an increase in depreciation and amortization of $91.9 million. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses included a legal settlement of $335.0 million related to a UFC antitrust matter. Adjusted EBITDA increased 63%, or $109.6 million, to $282.2 million, due to an increase of $8.8 million at UFC and the contribution of $140.2 million of Adjusted EBITDA at WWE, partially offset by an increase of $39.4 million in corporate expenses. Cash flows generated by operating activities were $59.3 million, a decrease of $10.4 million from $69.7 million, primarily due to lower net income and the timing of working capital. Free Cash Flow was $27.8 million, a decrease of $37.3 million from $65.1 million, due to the decrease in cash flows generated by operating activities and an increase in capital expenditures, which was primarily related to WWE’s new headquarter facility. Cash and cash equivalents were $245.8 million as of March 31, 2024. Gross debt was $2.752 billion as of March 31, 2024. Full press release can be read at TKOGRP.com.

RAW TO STAY ON USA NETWORK UNTIL END OF 2024

- Monday Night Raw will remain on USA Network until the end of 2024 after TKO announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement worth $25 million to keep the show on the network until its move to Netflix. The transition to Netflix will happen on January 6, 2025, but WWE's current media rights deal for Raw was ending on September 30, 2024, leaving Raw without a home for three whole months. This will give USA Network 13 more Raw broadcasts and for just three months, it will be the exclusive home of both Raw and Smackdown as Smackdown moves to USA from FOX in the beginning of October. While $25 million sounds like a good deal, WWE had zero leverage in this case and they are getting paid way less for the last three months than what USA is currently paying. NBCUniversal paid WWE $1.325 billion over a five-year period for Monday Night Raw, which translates to $265 million per year and $66.25 million per quarter. The $25 million deal represents a decrease of $41.25 million in media rights for that quarter for WWE.

NXT RATING

- NXT drew 659,000 viewers this week, up 95,000 viewers from last week 2024 low. This was the fifth most-watched episode of NXT this year so far. In the 18-49 demo, NXT had a 0.19 rating, up 0.05 from last week and was #10 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

SUMMERSLAM TICKETS NOW ON GENERAL SALE

- SummerSlam 2024 tickets are now on general sale on Ticketmaster.com. The north, west, and east sides are open as well as some sections in the south side but there are still sections closed off in those available ones. The cheapest tickets you can get right now are $200 each plus taxes and fees in the 100 Level. The most expensive ticket is $8,250 at ringside across the hard cam. SummerSlam will take place from the Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday, August 3.

GABLE STEVESON ISSUES STATEMENT THROUGH MANAGER

- In a statement given to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, Gable Steveson's manager Dave Martin said that his client was grateful to WWE for the opportunity he received. "Gable Steveson is very grateful for the opportunities he had with WWE and would like to thank everybody in the organization who helped him get there. He would also like to thank all the fans who have supported him on his professional wrestling journey," Martin said. The Olympic gold medalist was released last week from his WWE deal and despite unlimited potential, his pro wrestling career never really took off as anticipated. The statement continued, "Now, Gable is ready to resume competing against elite-level competition and looks forward to sharing big news with you all very soon." Helwani said that Steveson has been doing MMA training at Kill Cliff FC and a few NFL teams have also reached out for mini camps.


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Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Issue #7232
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Already backlash about the Saudi statement of enhancing their current WWE deal. WWE is part of a public company and all they care is making money. That's the bottom line. I'm pretty sure if Saudi came and offered AEW a similar deal they would take it in a blink of an eye.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
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NXT RING ANNOUNCER ALICIA TAYLOR MOVING TO SMACKDOWN

- NXT ring announcer Alicia Taylor has finished up with the brand and was promoted to the main roster where she will be the ring announcer for Friday Night Smackdown. In a video published on Shawn Michaels' X account, Michaels is seen announcing the news with Taylor by his side and the NXT locker room around her. He then presented with the NXT title signed by everyone on the back. "An irreplaceable part of the soundtrack for countless unforgettable #WWENXT moments, and now she's bringing her unending passion to #SmackDown," Michaels wrote. "@AliciaTaylorNXT, thank you for everything you've brought to the #NXTUniverse... and congratulations on your next step!" The 43-year-old drummer started working for WWE in 2018 and started ring announcing a few months later. She replaces Mike Rome on Smackdown, who will be taking her place on NXT. Now, for the first time ever, both Raw and Smackdown will have female ring announcers with crowd-favorite Samantha Irvin doing the announcing on Raw.

12 NXT STARS SELECTED FOR WOMEN'S NORTH AMERICAN TITLE QUALIFIERS

- The qualifying matches for the NXT Women's North American title will start next week on NXT after 12 participants were selected. The selection came through rankings on an NXT combine held yesterday throughout the show. Sol Ruca topped the combine with 95 points overall followed by Thea Hail with 93, and then Jaida Parker, Brinley Reece, and Michin all with 91 points. Fallon Henley, Lash Legend, Ivy Nile, and Izzi Dame all had 90 points each while Kelani Jordan had 89. Tatum Paxley scored an 88 and the last one was Wren Sinclair with 85. The 12 will now face off each other in six qualifiers with the first two being Sol Ruca vs Izzy Dame and Ivy Nile vs Lash Legend. The ladder match with the six finalists will take place at the NXT Battleground premium live event at the UFC APEX next month.

SAUDI ARABIA TO "ENHANCE" CURRENT WWE DEAL

- Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, has told ESPN's Mike Coppinger that an enhancement to the current 10-year deal with WWE will be announced soon at the King and Queen of the Ring tournament. The enhancement will include to bring one of the big five premium live events to the country, most specifically the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. In addition, Alalshikh also said that Riyadh Season will sponsor the UFC 306 pay-per-view from the state-of-the-art location of The Sphere in Las Vegas, the first sponsorship of its kind from Saudi. Saudi Arabia will also host Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight title in Riyadh a week before King and Queen of the Ring. "We will do big things with the UFC and TKO," Alalshikh said. The Saudi deal with the UFC was facilitated by former TKO Executive Chairman Vince McMahon. The current WWE deal sees Saudi pay around $50 million per show.

NEARLY 10,000 TICKETS SOLD FOR SMACKDOWN & CLASH AT THE CASTLE

- With single tickets now available for both Smackdown and Clash at the Castle: Scotland, pricing seems a bit "better" although the cheapest for the premium live event remains at a whopping ?300. According to @WrestleTix, WWE has sold nearly 10,000 tickets for both shows, with Smackdown at 9,073 and Clash at the Castle at 9,809. The arena is set up for 11,119 for both shows. With just over a month for the shows, WWE is likely heading to a complete sellout for both events, especially if they decrease the prices in the final few days. The ringside area remains largely unsold due to its extremely high ticket prices.

WWE ON A&E RATING

- Week 10 of WWE's block on A&E continued with Rivals and Most Wanted Treasures at 8PM and 9PM ET respectively. Rivals, which took a look at John Cena vs Batista, drew 271,000 viewers, down 12,000 viewers from last week's show of Steve Austin vs Booker T. It had a 0.08 rating in 18-49, up 0.01 from last week and placed #39 on the chart. Most Wanted Treasures followed with Triple H's memorabilia as the subject. It had 299,000 viewers, up 63,000 viewers over last week's show and a 0.10 rating in 18-49, up 0.04. It placed #27 on the chart. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

RAW RATING

- The post-Backlash Monday Night Raw drew 1,619,000 viewers, down 64,000 viewers from the draft episode of last week. This was the fourth least-watched episode of Raw of 2024 so far. Raw started with 1,706,000 viewers but dropped to 1,692,000 in the second hour and then to 1,460,000 viewers in the third hour. The third hour is the third least-watched of 2024 so far. The show was #4, #5, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demo with 0.56, 0.55, and 0.48 ratings respectively for an average of 0.53, down 0.02 from last week. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

SMACKDOWN RATING

- The taped Smackdown from Lyon, France last week drew 2,148,000 viewers, up 5,000 viewers from the prior week. It was the second least-watched episode of Smackdown of 2024 so far. The show had a 0.60 rating in 18-49, up 0.02 from last week and was #1 on all of network television for tonight but #3 overall behind NBA Playoffs on ESPN. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

DYNAMITE PREVIEW

- AEW remains in Canada for another Dynamite, this time in Edmonton, Alberta. Tonight's show is focused around Kenny Omega and his "important announcement" following last week's beat down by The Elite. Matches announced are Adam Copeland vs Brody King for the TNT title, Orange Cassidy vs Trent Beretta, Mariah May vs Harley Cameron, and Chris Jericho and Big Bill will be in action too. Plus, Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage come face-to-face and Serena Deeb will have an in-ring promo.


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Tuesday, May 7, 2024 Issue #7231
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Nothing to say today, back tomorrow.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

VINCE MCMAHON'S NAME COMES UP IN STORMY DANIELS' TESTIMONY

- The name of Vince McMahon came up in today's Stormy Daniels testimony against President Donald Trump in the hush-money trial. According to transcript by CNN, Daniels said she "really wanted" to ask Trump about pro wrestling when they initially met. "He was friends with the owner of the company," Daniels said, referring to Vince McMahon. CNN said that Daniels laughed on the stand as she recalled comparing the adult film industry to wrestling like WWE. "It's real but it's not," she said. This was during the time that Trump was feuding with McMahon which led to the match at WrestleMania involving Bobby Lashley and Umaga with Trump in Lashley's corner and McMahon in Umaga's corner and the loser must shave their head. "Donald Trump has always been very famous for his do," Daniels said on the stand but he assured her it was all predetermined. "Trump is slumped in his chair and sitting back facing forward as Daniels testifies," CNN wrote.

MCINTYRE AND ASUKA PULLED OUT FROM KOTR AND KOTQ

- Both Drew McIntyre and Asuka were pulled from the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments due to respective injuries. McIntyre, who was on Raw, was informed by Raw GM Adam Pearce that he was pulled out of the show due to his hyperextended elbow injury. He was set to face Finn Balor, but Jey Uso replaced him. Asuka was also taken out of the tournament and was replaced by fellow Damage CTRL member Dakota Kai. Kai went on to wrestle former NXT Women's champion Lyra Valkyria in the tournament. The Empress of Tomorrow last wrestled at Backlash this past weekend, losing the WWE Women's Tag Team titles with Kairi Sane to Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

SIX SUPERSTARS ADVANCE

- Six WWE Superstars advanced in the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments after six matches were held on the broadcast. Those in the men's tournament who advanced are late replacement Jey Uso who defeated Finn Balor, former NXT champion Ilja Dragunov defeated Ricochet, and former IC champion Gunther took down Sheamus in the main event of the show. The last match in the first round, Kofi Kingston vs Rey Mysterio, will be held during a non-televised live event this weekend. In the women's tournament, former WWE Women's champion IYO SKY defeated Natalya, who dedicated the match to Owen Hart. Zoey Stark beat Ivy Nile in her match and then former NXT Women's champion Lyra Valkyria defeated late replacement Dakota Kai. The last match between Shayna Baszler and Zelina Vega will take place this weekend at a non-televised live event. In the men's bracket, Gunther takes on the winner of Kofi/Rey, and Dragunov battles Jey Uso. In the women's bracket, the winner of Baszler/Vega will take on IYO SKY, and Valkyria takes on Zoey Stark.

TWO TITLE MATCHES ADDED TO SAUDI SHOW

- Two title matches were announced for the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event later this month. Liv Morgan will finally get her shot at gold as she takes on Women's World champion Becky Lynch and then Sami Zayn defends his Intercontinental title against Bronson Reed and Chad Gable in a triple threat match. The only two other matches announced for the show are the finals of the two King and Queen of the Ring tournaments. The show takes place on Saturday, May 25 live from the Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

SMACKDOWN BRACKET OF KOTR

- The Smackdown bracket of the men's King of the Ring tournament was revealed last night on Raw. Four matches will feature AJ Styles vs Randy Orton, Baron Corbin vs Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight vs Santos Escobar, and Bobby Lashley vs Tama Tonga. The winner of Styles/Orton faces the winner of Corbin/Hayes and the winner of Knight/Escobar then meets the winner of Lashley/Tonga. The women's Queen of the Ring tournament bracket has not been announced yet but will feature Tiffany Stratton vs Blair Davenport, Nia Jax vs Piper Niven, Chelsea Green vs Indi Hartwell, and Naomi vs Candice LeRae.

SUMMERSLAM 2024 PRE-SALE KICKS OFF

- The pre-sale for WWE SummerSlam kicked off this morning on Ticketmaster.com using the code UNIVERSE. Only a smaller portion of the stadium is open in the pre-sale. Ringside seats facing the camera are going for a whopping $8,000 while other ringside seats on the floor are $4,000 each. All prices are without taxes and fees. The cheapest tickets available are $300 at the moment in the 100 Level. The east and south sections of the stadium is completely closed off while the North and West sides are open. It's unclear if WWE will open the east side later but the south side will remained closed off. The massive Cleveland Browns Stadium holds up to 67,000 seats and no way this event will come close to a sellout. WWE is using the same setup from previous SummerSlams, a curved aisle with no set.

SINGLE TIX FOR SMACKDOWN AND CLASH AT THE CASTLE

- Single tickets for Smackdown and Clash at the Castle in Scotland will go on sale tomorrow at Ticketmaster.co.uk at 10AM BST. So far, only combo tickets were made available with the cheapest prices available at a whopping ?500.40 each, the equivalent of $630. The show is far from a sellout despite thousands of people in line to purchase tickets when they originally went on sale, but as usual, WWE priced out a lot of people and they chose not to purchase any tickets. Both Smackdown and Clash at the Castle take place from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, an arena that holds around 13,000 fans.

WWE DOES NOT RENEW JERRY LAWLER'S BROADCAST DEAL

- PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE has chosen not to renew Jerry "The King" Lawler's deal as a broadcaster and is now solely under a WWE Legends deal. Lawler used to do Kickoff shows for premium live events but that stopped when he suffered a stroke in February 2023. He last appeared for WWE in November of last year when he chose the participants of the NXT Iron Survivor Challenge. Lawler joined WWE in 1992 and has been affiliated with them pretty much ever since, calling thousands of wrestling matches along the way. His last stint as a commentator came between September 2019 and April 2020 when he was part of a three-person broadcast team on Ra with Vic Joseph and Dio Maddin. Lawler was later replaced by Samoa Joe.


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Monday, May 6, 2024 Issue #7230
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Back home from France and back to the usual routine. Have a good one!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

RAW PREVIEW

- Tonight's Monday Night Raw will kick off with the new roster following the 2024 WWE Draft and will begin with the King and Queen of the Ring tournament first round matches. In what will be a first, there are a whopping eight matches on the card, which could very well be a record for Raw. All matches announced form part of the two tournaments. In the King of the Ring, the first matches are Gunther vs Sheamus, Kofi Kingston vs Rey Mysterio, Ricochet vs Ilja Dragunov, and Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor. The Queen of the Ring matches are Iyo Sky vs Natalya, Lyra Valkyria vs Asuka, Shayna Baszler vs Zelina Vega, and Zoey Stark vs Ivy Nile. With eight matches, it's likely that we won't see a lot of promos or backstage segments tonight which will surely be a change of pace for a WWE show.

KEVIN OWENS SAYS HIS WWE DEAL RUNS OUT IN NINE MONTHS

- During an interview with UK-based Metro, Kevin Owens revealed that he has nine months left on his current WWE contract. While he said he doesn't what what's going to happen during the next nine months, Owens hinted to Metro while in Lyon for Backlash that he will be sticking around. "This has been my home for 10 years and it's beyond the locker room," Owens said. "There's some very, very, very special people that work behind the scenes that I've become very close with, and I really can't imagine not seeing them as part of my life." The 39-year-old came to WWE in 2014 and was signed to NXT, making his in-ring debut with the brand in December of that year. He moved to the main roster in 2015 and has been an integral part of the roster ever since, winning multiple titles along the way.

QR CODES AND MYSTERY VIDEO TO LEAD TO WWE SUPERSTARS TO RETURN

- PWInsider.com is reporting that the QR codes and mystery videos that have been appearing on WWE television ever since the night after WrestleMania Sunday are leading to the return of several WWE stars in a group led by Bo Dallas' portrayal of Uncle Howdy. The group will also consist of Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan and Nikki Cross and will play in the fantasy world of Bray Wyatt's gimmick. Dallas has not been seen on TV since a few weeks before WrestleMania 39 as Uncle Howdy while Nikki Cross and Dexter Lumis have been absent from television since 2023 as well. Gacy has been part of NXT while Rowan recently re-signed with the company.

MONEY IN THE BANK HAS OVER 17,000 TICKETS OUT

- In latest figures released by @WrestleTix, WWE has over 17,000 tickets out for Money In The Bank, with just over 800 remaining for a complete sell out of the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. WWE will not be using any set for the show and the full place is pretty much open for business. The company is also using the same setup for Friday Night Smackdown the night before and NXT Heatwave the following night. These two shows are not close to selling out yet although it's looking like NXT will surpass its attendance from Stand & Deliver in Philadelphia. Ticketmaster has just 33 combo tickets left for Smackdown, MITB, and NXT, with the cheapest going for $1,034 CA including all taxes and fees. WWE were last at the Scotiabank Arena in August 2023 for Edge's last WWE match and drew a house of 14,291.

RIC FLAIR EJECTED FROM PIZZERIA IN GAINESVILLE AFTER INCIDENT

- Ric Flair took to social media to complain that he was ejected from the Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza restaurant in Gainesville, Georgia after spending $1,500 on the bill. "I spent $1500 At Piesano's Stone Fired Pizza to be disrespected more than I ever have in my entire life," Flair wrote on X. "After taking 20 pictures with customers and staff, I was asked to leave because of an issue I had with the kitchen manager taking too long in the bathroom." Flair said that highly recommends that anyone who wants to enjoy a relaxing time in the town at a nice restaurant to avoid the place. Responding to his claims, restaurant co-owner Jerry Roberts told The Gainesville Sun that there was clear evidence as to why Flair was ejected although he did not disclose what the evidence was. "We have reviewed video of the incident that took place recently at our restaurant. It is clear, our team worked in a professional manner to ensure the safety of guests and staff. We have thanked our team for their
professionalism. We are proud of how they responded to this situation using and displaying our team values," he said.

REY FENIX NOT MEDICALLY CLEARED A WEEK AFTER MATCH

- Rey Fenix, who was supposed to wrestle Penta El Zero Miedo yesterday at the House of Glory Cinco de Mayo event, was pulled out of the match as it was announced that he was not cleared to wrestle. It was Penta, Fenix's real-life older brother, who delivered the news during the show and instead he took on Laredo Kid. Fenix returned to AEW last week after six months out and defeated The Beast Mortos on Collision. Fenix never specified what the injury was but in an interview he described it as the worst injury he's ever had as a professional wrestler.


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Sunday, May 5, 2024 Issue #7229
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

My time in Lyon has come to an end. Waiting at the airport to hop on a plane back home. This was a last-minute trip that I wasn't planning on taking but I'm glad I got to witness both those shows. Yeah, it wasn't a WrestleMania-type level of show, but trust me, the atmosphere was out of this world and it ranks up there as the best I've ever witnessed.

We have a new YouTube video up from yesterday, our traditional "arrivals" video of the WWE Universe. Check it out at and please don't forget to subscribe. It really helps us! Merci.


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

BACKLASH 2024 RESULTS

- Here are the results from Backlash 2024 which took place from the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton in a street fight; Bayley defeated Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match to retain the WWE Women's title; Damian Priest defeated Jey Uso to retain the World Heavyweight title; Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeated Asuka and Kairi Sane to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team champions; Cody Rhodes defeated AJ Styles to retain the Undisputed WWE title.

TANGA LOA JOINS THE BLOODLINE

- The Bloodline has a new member in the form of Tanga Loa, who made his presence felt at Backlash by helping Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa defeat Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a street fight. Loa, who is the brother of Tama Tonga, was a member of New Japan Pro-Wrestling until last month and comes after an eight-year stint there where he also teamed with his brother to form the Guerrillas of Destiny. He is a former seven-time IWGP Tag Team champion and three-time NEVER Openweight six-man tag team champion as well as ROH World Tag Team champion. This is not Loa's first run with WWE and he spent a few years there between 2009 and 2014 as Camacho where he wrestled both on the main roster as well as on NXT. The Hawaiian-born 40-year-old is the son of Haku and has another adoptive brother, Hikuleo, who also wrestles for NJPW.

WWE REFEREE JESSIKA CARR MAKES HISTORY

- WWE referee Jessika Carr made history last night at Backlash by becoming the first female WWE referee to officiate a WWE championship match in the main event of a premium live event. The 32-year-old took control of the Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles match in Lyon. Carr has been signed to WWE since 2017 and was the first female referee since Rita Chatterton in the 1980s. Her contributions also include being the first female referee at a WWE show in Saudi Arabia and the first female to referee a Hell In A Cell match. WWE has a second female referee on the main roster, Daphne Lashaunn.

BACKLASH FRANCE BECOMES WWE'S LARGEST ARENA GATE EVER

- Backlash France became WWE's largest arena gate in history, surpassing London's Money In The Bank 2023 premium live event which had a gate of $3.3 million. This adds to the record of Friday where Smackdown in Lyon became the record holder for the biggest gate in Smackdown history, a record which was just broken a few weeks ago with Smackdown in Philadelphia. Over 11,600 fans attended Backlash and surpassing London's record would make the average ticket price of around $300. In the post-show press conference, Triple H put over the city of Lyon and the country of France for showing up and promised that this won't be the last time they come for a show. He also mentioned that during the broadcast, he received a text from WWE President Nick Khan which simply said, "Stadium?" WWE has several international premium live events lined up, starting with King and Queen of the Ring in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia later this month, Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland, in June, Money In The Bank in Toronto, Canada in July, and Bash In Berlin in Berlin, Germany in August.

TRIPLE H COMMITS TO MORE INTERNATIONAL SHOWS

- In the post-Backlash press conference, Paul "Triple H" Levesque said that WWE will continue its international expansion and will be visiting more countries in the future. Levesque said that he heard Italy was especially loud during this tour and when he goes back he's going to do some research on them and see what they can do. He also mentioned that London mayor Sadiq Khan got re-elected and called him out on the tweet which said if he gets re-elected, he will work to bring WrestleMania to London. Levesque told Khan that "we should talk." The WWE CCO also said that people ask how would they get WWE events such as Backlash in their country and he responded that those fans should do like France when they come over and be as loud as they can and show them why they should do a PLE in their city. Triple H thanked the fans in Lyon and the LDLC Arena staff for both Smackdown and Backlash and said they will be back for sure because that was some experience for everyone with the rowdy crowd. He noted that in Gorilla he couldn't even hear the next person next to him with the noise and loved every minute of it.

FRANCE SHOWS UP AND SHOWS OUT!

- There are hot crowds, and there are HOT crowds. On Friday and Saturday, the fans in Lyon brought their A game to both Smackdown and Backlash and showed the rest of the world how it's done at a wrestling show. It was a memorable weekend for everyone involved as the crowd made every singe Superstar who appeared in front of them look like a million bucks by reacting the way they were supposed to react. From sing-along with RevTheory for Randy Orton's theme and Downstait's popular Cody Rhodes' theme Kingdom, to every two-count and subsequent chant immortalized by the French commentary team, to serenading AJ Styles with every mention of the word "Phenomenal," to accompanying Samantha Irvin for every introduction...the shows had everything you would want from a wrestling crowd. Each WWE star on Backlash got to experience a long entrance and to absorb the electric atmosphere with several themes on loop until it was time for action. Orton and Rhodes' themes were even sang a cappella after they were turned off, with the enthusiastic fans continuing the verses much to the amazement of both stars. The fans were so rowdy that at one point during the Undisputed WWE championship introduction, the cameras were literally bouncing as seen on the broadcast and multiple times during the show, Apple Watches fired off alarms on people's wrists that the decibel level was way high. Randy Orton's intro kicked things off big time with 100db registered on meters but the biggest came for Cody's entrance, with the massive "Woah" part of his theme registering a whopping 115db. France showed up and showed out and while it's hard to keep that intensity for one show, the crowd held it for two-plus hours on Friday and then three-plus hours on Saturday. Simplement magnifique.

WRESTLEMANIA 41 TO BE HELD IN LAS VEGAS

- WWE announced that WrestleMania 41 will be coming to Las Vegas, Nevada and will be held at the state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium. WrestleMania Saturday will take place on April 19 and WrestleMania Sunday will follow on April 20. The announcement was made during the Kentucky Derby pre-show on NBC via a video by Triple H. “Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. Allegiant Stadium has proven to be even greater than the A+ venue Las Vegas guaranteed it would be,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We look forward to bringing WWE’s biggest event, WrestleMania, to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium so we can collectively make WrestleMania 41 on April 19 & 20, 2025, the most successful WWE event of all time.” “Bringing the iconic global brands of WWE and Las Vegas together will create what is sure to be an unforgettable event and weekend,” said Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President & CEO. “As the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World, hosting WrestleMania 41 is the perfect addition to our events calendar, and we can’t wait to welcome the WWE Universe to Las Vegas in 2025.” This is the first time in 31 years that Las Vegas will host WrestleMania, with WrestleMania IX back in 1993 the last time the Showcase of Immortals was in Sin City in the parking lot of Caesars Palace. The nearby T-Mobile Arena is expected to be hosting Smackdown and Hall of Fame, NXT, and Raw After Mania. It will be WWE's debut at the T-Mobile Arena and the first wrestling shows to be held there since the AEW Double or Nothing 2023 pay-per-view. WWE did not officially announce where these shows will be held. Additional ticket details and event information will be announced in the coming months. To learn more about registering for pre-sale opportunities, please visit: . The Allegiant Stadium already hosted SummerSlam 2021 where over 50,000 fans attended. WrestleMania attendance will obviously be more than that as not the full stadium was open for SummerSlam whereas for WrestleMania, every imaginable seat will be open. The announcement today ends Minneapolis' bid to host next year's show after being in pole position for most of the time until Vegas decided to spoil the party. This was the third time that the city of Minneapolis tried to get WrestleMania to the North Star State.

MINNESOTA MANIA PASSED ON DUE TO "CHANGE IN DIRECTION" IN WWE

- Minnesota's third attempt to bring WrestleMania to the city fell apart after Las Vegas entered the race. The result was obviously a disappointment for those who worked on the bid at the Minnesota Sports and Events. "We were informed by WWE that Minnesota would not host WrestleMania in 2025 due to a change in direction by new ownership," Wendy Blackshaw, MNSE's president and chief executive, told The Star Tribute. "Although disappointed, we are in discussions with WWE about future events in Minnesota. We are optimistic that Minnesota will host WWE events here in the future." The pitch was to host WrestleMania at the U.S. Bank Stadium and all the other televised events at The Target Center. The U.S. Bank Stadium holds 73,000 fans while The Target Center seats up to 20,000. As late as mid-March, Blackshaw said she was hopeful that they got the event and was looking forward to see the result within weeks. The city was already a candidate to host WrestleMania 33 and prepared a bid to host WrestleMania 36 as well but 33 went to Orlando and 36 originally went to Tampa, although it ended up being at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

KING AND QUEEN OF THE RING QUALIFYING MATCHES FOR RAW

- First round matches for the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments that will take place on Raw were announced during the Backlash event. Unlike previous years, WWE is treating these tournaments with more importance and added some heavy hitters in the qualifying matches. In the men's tournament, opening matches will include Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor, Kofi Kingston vs Rey Mysterio, Ricochet vs Ilja Dragunov, and Gunther vs Sheamus. The women's tournament opening matches will have Zoey Stark vs Ivy Nile, Shayna Baszler vs Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria vs Asuka, and Iyo Sky vs Natalya. The Smackdown matches are expected to be announced on Raw. The finals of both tournaments will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 25.

TRIPLE H ADDRESSES DREW GULAK'S DEPARTURE

- Paul "Triple H" Levesque said last night in the post-Backlash press conference that Drew Gulak was not fired, but rather his contract was not renewed. Levesque took a question from a member of the media where he was asked if Gulak was fired because of Ronda Rousey's accusation that he was behaving inappropriately backstage with her. In his response, the WWE Chief Content Officer didn't look too pleased at the question and told the one who asked to check with "better sources" next time before asking such a question. Triple H said that the NFL releases tons of players every year and it's the unfortunate part of his job, but to make way for people to come in, there has to be releases. He said that Gulak's contract was not picked up for a renewal and wasn't necessarily fired.


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Saturday, May 4, 2024 Issue #7228
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Hoping the crowd tonight is as electric as it was last night. Let's show the rest of the world how Europe does it, peeps!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

BACKLASH 2024 LIVE ON PEACOCK AND WWE NETWORK TODAY

- Live today from the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, Lyon, France, WWE presents Backlash on Peacock and WWE Network. The full card is as follows: Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles for the Undisputed WWE title; Damian Priest vs Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight title; Bayley vs Naomi vs Tiffany Stratton in a triple threat match for the WWE Women's title; Asuka and Kairi Sane vs Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Tag Team titles; and Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga. Backlash will start at 1PM ET / 10AM PT in the United States and 7PM local time with the pre-show starting an hour before airing on WWE's social media networks as well as on Peacock and the WWE Network.

SMACKDOWN STARS ENTER KING OF THE RING TOURNAMENT

- Smackdown's LA Knight, Santos Escobar, and former NXT champion Carmelo Hayes all threw their name in for the King of the Ring tournament which starts next week on WWE television. The three join the previously-announced Drew McIntyre, Gunther, and current King of the Ring Xavier Woods as entrants. Tournament matches for the KOTR will kick off on Monday on Raw and continue Friday on Smackdown. A women's tournament, titled Queen of the Ring, was also announced but no entrants have come forward yet. The finals will take place later this month in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the premium live event aptly titled King and Queen of the Ring.

GABLE STEVESON RELEASED FROM WWE

- Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has been released from his WWE contract. The news was originally broken by Dave Meltzer of the Observer. The 23-year-old Minnesota native signed with WWE in September 2021, a month after appearing at SummerSlam and was given a NIL deal. WWE paraded him at major shows and even appeared at WrestleMania 38. But his potential in a wrestling ring was never fully uncovered and after several start/stop attempts at launching his pro wrestling career, he was finally removed from the NXT roster late last year. He returned in January in a dark match on Smackdown but that was his last time appearing in front of a WWE audience. Despite his gold medal heroics at the Olympics, Steveson also came with some baggage in the form of sexual assault allegations when in 2019, he and another teammate were arrested and later suspended from all team activities on suspicion of criminal sexual misconduct. They did not face criminal charges due to lack of evidence.

WWE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER BRAD BLUM DEPARTS

- Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported that WWE Chief Executive Officer Brad Blum has resigned from the company. Blum, one of McMahon's trusted lieutenants, was one of the most powerful individuals in the company and started in 2006 as EVP of Chief of Staff. Three years later he was promoted to EVP of Operations before in 2023 he was assigned the Chief Operating Officer role after the TKO merge. In total, Blum spent 18 years with the company and reportedly leaves on his own accord. While not mentioned by name, Blum was revealed as Corporate Officer No. 2 in the Janel Grant lawsuit and was responsible for hiring her and giving her a $75,000-a-year job without asking any questions. Blum was also the one who transferred Grant to a different position after he warned McMahon of the rumors about their relationship.

WRESTLEMANIA 41 ANNOUNCEMENT COMING TODAY

- WWE will make a major announcement concerning WrestleMania today on their social media properties. No time has been specified for the announcement. The announcement is related to the date and location of next year's WrestleMania with rumors growing that Las Vegas will be the host of WrestleMania 41, overtaking Minneapolis for the event. Minneapolis has been the frontrunner for next year's show pretty much for the entire time until Vegas poked its head in in the 11th hour to flip the script.

SMACKDOWN IN LYON SHATTERS RECORD

- Last night's Smackdown at the LDLC Arena became the highest-grossing Smackdown event ever in the history of WWE, even beating the one in London last year on the eve of Money in the Bank. Smackdown in Philadelphia on the eve of WrestleMania XL held the record for the highest-grossing show but this one eclipsed that one as well. The London Smackdown had a gate of over $1,850,000 million. The show was jam packed with well over 12,000 fans in the arena who paid a dear price to get in. The fans showed up and were loud all night, making it one of the best atmospheres at a live television show in years. WWE has yet to reveal the exact numbers of gate money but that is likely coming next week.

FRENCH COMMENTARY TEAM RECEIVE A HERO'S WELCOME

- WWE French commentators Philippe Chereau and Christophe Agius were given a hero's welcome at the LDLC Arena last night before Smackdown as the whole place came unglued for their entrance. Chereau and Agius have been doing WWE commentary for over 20 years and are hugely popular and beloved among the French wrestling fans, with pretty much every French fan growing up hearing their voices on television. Some of the chants heard yesterday were actually phrases that the two announcers use on the broadcast, especially the "simplement deux" after every two-count which was then turned in a chant every single time someone kicked out of a pinfall. Chereau and Agius will go for round two tonight at Backlash and you can definitely expect a similar response from the patriotic crowd! You can see the video of their entrance at .

LATEST BETTING ODDS FOR BACKLASH 2024

- We are just hours away from another rowdy French crowd for Backlash today and below you will find the latest betting odds for the show. Remember, these odds might change by the time the show kicks off so please be careful when betting with real money. In the Undisputed WWE title match, Cody Rhodes is the overwhelming favorite to win the match and walk out of Lyon carrying the gold with his odds at 1/25 while those of his opponent AJ Styles are 15/2. The same could be said for current World Heavyweight champion Damian Priest who is 1/9 favorite to win his match against Jey Uso. Uso is 17/4 in his odds. Bayley will defend the WWE Women's title in a triple threat match against Tiffany Stratton and Naomi with Bayley carrying odds of 1/6 and favorite while Stratton is 11/2 and Naomi is 7/1 and a long shot. New WWE Women's Tag Team champions could be happening tonight as Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are 1/10 favorites to win the gold while the Kabuki Warriors are 24/5 to win and retain. And in the only non-title match of the day, The Bloodline are 1/15 favorites to beat Randy Orton and Kevin Owens who are 6/1.

UNDER SIEGE 2024 RESULTS

- Here are the results from last night's Under Siege 2024 event which aired exclusively on the TNA+ streaming service from the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, New York. Rhino defeated VSK in the pre-show; Ray Jaz and Zack Clayton defeated Obariyon and Kodama in the pre-show; Laredo Kid defeated KC Navarro to retain the TNA Digital Media title in the pre-show; Josh Alexander and Eric Young defeated Steve Maclin and Frankie Kazarian; Ash by Elegance defeated Havok; Joe Hendry defeated Zachary Wentz; Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich defeated Dani Luna and Jody Threat to become the new TNA Knockouts Tag Team champions; Rich Swann defeated Jake Something; Jonathan Gresham defeated Kushida; Jordynne Grace and PCO defeated Steph De Lander and Kon in a mixed tag team match; Mustafa Ali defeated Ace Austin to retain the TNA X Division title; Moose, Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards defeated Matt Hardy, Trent Seven, and Mike Bailey in a six-man tag team match.

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Friday, May 3, 2024 Issue #7227
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Well, that Smackdown was something else. The crowd was fantastic. Definitely one of the best crowds I've ever been a part of. Let's do it again tomorrow!

Visited the Backlash Store here in Lyon this morning and we have a new YouTube video up about it. Check it out at .

========================================================


//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

SMACKDOWN PREVIEW

- The Backlash go-home episode of Smackdown airs tonight on FOX on tape delay as it has already taken place in Lyon. The show aired live in the United Kingdom and Italy as the broadcasters took advantage of the unusual air time in Europe. Scheduled for tonight in front of a red-hot crowd are an eight-woman tag match between Bayley, Naomi, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill vs Tiffany Stratton, Asuka, Kairi Sane, and Dakota Kai, New Catch Republic take on AOP, LA Knight vs Angel, and Austin Theory and Grayson Waller defend their WWE Tag Team titles against The Street Profits. There will also be the RKO Show with guest Paul Heyman and a face-to-face between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. Oh, did we mention the insane crowd?!

SETH ROLLINS SIGNS NEW WWE DEAL

- Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting through his Select service that former World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins has signed a new deal with WWE. Rollins is one of the few individuals who had their deal running out in a matter of weeks. His wife, Becky Lynch, also has her deal coming up and before WrestleMania she said in an interview that talks didn't start yet over a new one, although she is expected to stay. Rollins has been part of WWE since 2010 and has worked himself into one of the leading men in the locker room and one of the faces of the company. He is currently out injured and recently underwent knee surgery so he will be out for a while. WWE also managed to lock Drew McIntyre into a multi-year deal a few weeks ago and re-signed Cody Rhodes to a new contract over the past few months as well.

TRIPLE H SAYS WRESTLEMANIA 41 ANNOUNCEMENT SOON

- During an X Spaces session this week, Paul "Triple H" Levesque said that the location for WrestleMania 41 will be announced very soon. It has been years since WWE took this long to announce the location of a next WrestleMania as usually it's either announced before or during the broadcast. But this year is the first time that the new regime will be choosing the host city and while Minneapolis was in pole position to land the show, it looks like Las Vegas is going to pull a fast one. There are big rumors that Las Vegas and the Allegiant Stadium will be hosting next year's Showcase of the Immortals, a decision which will surely not sit well with the powers that be who were in charge of leading the Minneapolis bid. Minneapolis was thought to be a lock and they were just waiting to make a formal announcement before Vegas came into the picture. At this point, everything is up in the air but the longer the decision is going to take, the chances of Minneapolis getting it decreases. Minneapolis has never held a WrestleMania while Las Vegas was the host of WrestleMania 9 back in 1993.

SEVERAL NXT AND DEVELOPMENTAL TALENT RELEASED

- Several developmental talent and a couple of NXT stars were released from their contracts today according to several sources. The biggest name cut was former NXT Cruiserweight champion Drew Gulak, who several weeks ago was accused by Ronda Rousey for inappropriate behavior backstage. WWE conducted an investigation after Rousey's claims and he was immediately removed from the No Quarter Catch Crew and "killed off" a few weeks ago. The other NXT stars released were Boa, Valentina Feroz, and Trey Bearhill. Developmental talent who were let go include Vlad Pavlenko, Kiyah Saint, Julian Baldi, Emma Diaz, Darrell Mason, Keyshawn LeFlore, and Ezekiel Balogun. Most of the names listed never wrestled officially once for WWE.

WWE SVP OF ATHLETE ID & DEVELOPMENT LEAVES

- Trent Wilfinger, WWE's Senior Vice President of Athlete ID & Development, has left the company after nearly three years on the job. Wilfinger announced the news himself in a post on his LinkedIn profile, writing that after "a heck or a ride," he's excited to be turning the page to a new chapter. "I will forever be grateful for my time at the WWE and all of the friends I made along the way. If you would have told younger me that one day my boss would be Triple H and that I would work closely with Shawn Michaels I would have had two words for you," he wrote. Wilfinger described the WWE Perfomance Center as a "special place" and a good reason why 98% of the WWE main roster goes through NXT. "Lastly, thank you to all of the NXT Superstars. It truly was a privilege to work with you and I will forever be grateful that you let me be a small part of your journey," he concluded. In his role, Wilfinger lead the strategy and execution of identifying, recruiting, and developing the next generation of WWE Superstars.

SMACKDOWN TO AIR LIVE IN UK AND ITALY TONIGHT

- WWE fans in some parts of Europe will be able to watch Smackdown live tonight at 7PM French time with two broadcasters making the most of the unusual start time. While in the United States it will air on tape delay at the usual 8PM ET time slot, those in the United Kingdom and Ireland will be able to watch it on TNT Sports live at 6PM and Italian broadcaster DMAX will also air it live at 7PM. Checking TV schedules for the German and even French broadcasters, it doesn't seem that Smackdown will air live there.

ETHAN PAGE LEAVES AEW

- Ethan Page has departed AEW and has also been removed from the AEW roster page. The 34-year-old Ontario native has been working for AEW since 2021 and made his debut at the Revolution pay-per-view in the Face of the Revolution ladder match. Page was part of Men of the Year with Scorpio Sky and Dan Lambert of American Top Team and later was also part of The Firm. Late last year he moved to Ring of Honor. Page has not publicly addressed his departure from the company yet.

DYNAMITE RATING

- Dynamite on Wednesday with the return of Kenny Omega did 703,000 viewers, up 20,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.24 rating in 18-49, up 0.01 from last week and was #6 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. This was the second least-watched episode of Dynamite in 2024 but also had heavy competition from NBA and NHL playoffs. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

RAMPAGE RATING

- Rampage, which this week aired following Dynamite, did 431,000 viewers, up 138,000 viewers from last week's show which aired after Collision on Saturday. The show had a 0.15 rating in 18-49, an increase of 0.06 over last week and ranked #11 for the night on the chart. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

TAZ TOLD HE NEEDS BOTH KNEES AND SHOULDERS REPLACEMENT

- AEW commentator Taz revealed that doctors advised him that he needs replacement surgeries on both his shoulders and knees. Writing on X, Taz said that he visited a highly acclaimed orthopedic surgeon to discuss his knee, which has been hurting pretty bad for a couple of years. After undergoing some x-rays, the surgeon suggested that he needs to have multiple surgeries on both his shoulders and knees. "I am not doing this right now. I’m gonna keep trying regenerative procedures & try to suck it up dealing with the pain," the former ECW champion wrote. He said that these injuries are not from bumps, but rather from "training too heavy like a caveman" trying to be "big," urging today's wrestlers to be smarter in how they train.

TNA UNDER SIEGE LIVE ON TNA+ TONIGHT

- Live tonight from the Washington Avenue Armory, TNA Wrestling presents Under Siege exclusively on the TNA+ streaming service. The full card is as follows: Matt Hardy, Trent Seven, and Mike Bailey vs Moose, Brian Myers, and Eddie Edwards in a six-man tag team match; Mustafa Ali vs Ace Austin for the TNA X Division title; Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles; Hammerstone vs. Jake Something; Josh Alexander and Eric Young vs Steve Maclin and Frankie Kazarian; Jordynne Grace and PCO vs Steph De Lander and Kon in a mixed tag team match; and The F.B.I. featuring Guido, Zack Clayton, and Ray Jaz vs opponents to be determined in the pre-show. Under Siege starts at 8PM ET.


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Thursday, May 2, 2024 Issue #7226
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Visit our website at
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Hello from Lyon! My welcome to France gift was a 107 Euro taxi ride from the airport to city center. I already hate this place and have been here only for an hour LOL.

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
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THE ELITE TAKE OUT KENNY OMEGA ON DYNAMITE

- Kenny Omega made his first AEW appearance since December of last year in the main event segment of Dynamite last night in his hometown of Winnipeg. Omega, who's sidelined with diverticulitis problems, talked about his health issues and how any kind of trauma to his stomach could kill him. He admitted that he stopped watching wrestling because of "shaking," as in withdrawal symptoms, and was scared. But then he said he watched Dynasty and that changed his outlook and made him want to come back to the ring, saying that even if there's a 5% chance and "with a bag," he's promises he's not done yet. Omega said that since they're on the subject of colostomy bags, he wanted to talk about the other shitbags, The Young Bucks. His speech on The Bucks was cut short by his NJPW nemesis Okada who proclaimed himself the best. As this was going on, Jack Perry came from behind and took down Omega. Omega fought back but a chair shot to the stomach laid him out. The Young Bucks came in and hit the EVP Trigger on him but just as Okada was going to hit the Rainmaker, FTR ran in for the save. The save did not last long though as The Elite attacked Omega and FTR as medics were loading Omega in an ambulance.

AEW WORLD TITLE MATCH SET FOR DOUBLE OR NOTHING

- The AEW World title match at Double or Nothing was made official last night on Dynamite with Swerve Strickland defending his gold against former TNT champion Christian Cage. Cage was introduced by The Young Bucks, flanked by the rest of the Patriarchy, and before uttering a word, he hit Swerve with the mic and beat him down. After a brief comeback, Cage hit the Killswitch on Swerve and then Wayne hit Prince Nana with Wayne's World. This time, Cage was ready to speak and told Swerve he never forgets. He said that he didn't forget what Strickland did to Nick Wayne last year and he didn't forget that Strickland teamed up with Sting and Darby Allin against him at All In. Cage lost the TNT title to Adam Copeland on March 20 in an I Quit match and has not wrestled since.

MATT HARDY SAYS JEFF IS CLEARED TO RETURN

- Matt Hardy revealed that his brother Jeff has got the all clear to return to the ring from doctors two-and-a-half months after suffering an injury on Rampage. Hardy was knocked out during his match against Sammy Guevara and instead of stopping the match or going straight to a pin, Guevara made things worse by giving Hardy his finisher. He was suspended a few days later for not following protocol although questions still remain why the referee did not stop the match or why doctors didn't intervene from ringside. "Jeff had been to his doctor and he'd seen the AEW doctor and as of right now, as of a couple of days ago, he is officially cleared," Hardy said responding to a fan who asked how his brother is doing. "He is cleared to wrestle and he could be competing, I guess, soon," Matt added, noting that Jeff got a broken nose and sinuses smashed during the match. Matt is no longer with AEW and is currently a free agent appearing on TNA Wrestling. He keeps posting on X the QR codes and WWE videos which are suggesting the return of Uncle Howdy.

DREW MCINTYRE SAYS HE WAS NEVER GOING AWAY FROM WWE

- Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday, Drew McIntyre said that he was never going anywhere and his contract negotiations took long because he is in a place where he had to get things right for his family. "I got with Nick Khan, I got with Triple H, they were so understanding and we got things right for the future," he said. "Drew McIntyre was never going to go away from WWE and it was awesome that The Rock made that announcement, it's the first time he's done that for anyone on our roster." McIntyre's deal with WWE was just about to expire before he signed and the news of his renewal came via a post from The Final Boss, who surprised McIntyre with a Scottish Claymore as a gift while he was out on dinner with his family. In a post on X a few days ago, McIntyre posted a photo shaking hands with Triple H, writing that he trusted him in 2017 when he returned and he's trusting him now to lead the evolution.

LONDON NON-TELEVISED WWE EVENT GROSSES OVER $1 MILLION

- London continued to make its case for a WrestleMania showing WWE how it's done with a non-televised live event last month drawing over $1 million in gate money. Quoting numbers from Pollstar, Brandon Thurston on Wrestlenomics wrote that the live event at The O2 Arena in London on April 19 had 16,342 tickets sold for a gate of $1,197,822. This was the largest non-televised live event of the year so far for WWE and certainly the biggest gate for such an event. $1 million gates are not uncommon for pay-per-views in wrestling and the occasional televised event in big markets, but a figure like that for a simple house show is very, very, very rare. The London Mayor told the press that if he gets re-elected in this week's elections, he will do his utmost to bring WrestleMania to the city, with Triple H replying to him inviting him to talks.

REPORT: ERICK ROWAN SIGNS WITH WWE

- PWInsider.com is reporting that Erick Rowan has signed a new deal with WWE. Rowan, who last appeared on WWE TV during the Bray Wyatt Smackdown tribute show, is rumored to be returning as part of the Uncle Howdy angle which WWE has been plugging via several QR codes and screen glitches over the last few weeks. The former tag team title holder was released from WWE in April 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He made a handful of appearances for AEW and wrestled on the indie scene under the name of Erick Redbeard. Rowan pulled out of several indie appearances last month citing new contractual obligations which sparked rumors that he was on the way back to WWE. Prior to his release, he had quite the ride in WWE, first debuting in FCW in 2011 and teaming up with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper to form the Wyatt Family. He eventually left the family and along with Harper they formed the Bludgeon Brothers. Both went their separate ways after a year, with Rowan later aligning himself with Daniel Bryan and then ventured on a short single run.

WWE BACKLASH FRANCE STORE OPENS TODAY

- The WWE Backlash France Store opened today in Lyon as thousands of fans from across Europe visit the city for Smackdown and Backlash this weekend. The store is located at 19, Bis Quai Victor Augagneur, 69003 and will feature a large collection of WWE merchandise including replica championship titles, Superstar apparel, signed memorabilia, collectibles, mini-titles and more. The WWE Backlash France Store is a Fanatics experience and will be free and open to the public. The store is advertised to open today from Noon to 7PM, tomorrow and Saturday from 10AM to 7PM, and on Sunday from 10AM to 3PM.

NXT RATING

- NXT had its worst number since July 2023 with night two of Spring Breakin' drawing just 564,000 viewers, down 97,000 viewers from last week's show. It had a 0.14 rating in 18-49, down 0.06 from the prior week and was #10 on the chart for the night. The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue to leave a mark in wrestling shows with big numbers. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

WWE ON A&E RATINGS

- The two-hour block of WWE programming on A&E continued on Sunday with a new episode of Rivals followed by an episode of Most Wanted Treasures. Rivals, featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Booker T, drew 283,000 viewers, down 78,000 viewers from last week's show. This was the least-watched episode of Rivals since the Stephanie McMahon vs Brie Bella episode back in season one. The show had a 0.07 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from last week and placed #51 on the chart. Most Wanted Treasures with The Miz followed with 236,000 viewers, down 60,000 viewers from the last episode and the least-watched episode of the entire series. The show had a 0.06 rating in 18-49, down 0.02 from last week and placed #61 on the chart. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

JOHN LAURINAITIS JOINS FORCES WITH VINCE MCMAHON IN GRANT LAWSUIT

- In a major u-turn, John Laurinaitis has now joined Vince McMahon in their fight against Janel Grant, months after his attorneys said that Laurinaitis was also a victim of McMahon. Attorney Edward M. Brennan issued a statement on Laurinaitis' behalf today saying, "John Laurinaitis has filed a Motion today fully joining in and adopting Vince McMahon’s motion to compel arbitration. Mr. Laurinaitis corroborates Mr. McMahon in publicly declaring that Ms. Grant’s allegations of sexual abuse and coercion in her Complaint are completely unfounded. My client will fight these false allegations together with Mr. McMahon in the proper forum, arbitration." McMahon's legal team, headed by Jessica Taub Rosenberg, also issued a statement which read, "In January 2024, Ms. Grant, a 43-year-old with a law degree, who was in love with Mr. McMahon and devastated by their break-up, filed an outrageous and false lawsuit to ruin Mr. McMahon’s career and reputation. Now, her false allegations are slowly unraveling. Today, Mr. Laurinaitis’ attorney confirmed his client will corroborate Mr. McMahon’s account and expose the lies within the Complaint. Despite their intense efforts, Ms. Grant’s attorneys won’t be able to suppress the truth from coming out." Laurinaitis claimed in a statement filed on February 1 by the same attorney that he was not a predator, but rather a victim of McMahon just like Janel Grant. Rather than the two turning on each other as it was looking likely, McMahon and Laurinaitis are now tag teaming to take down Grant and her accusations.


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Wednesdasy, May 1, 2024 Issue #7225
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

We'll be a bit later than usual tomorrow as I land in France late in the evening and we'll bring all the Backlash news from the ground in Lyon this weekend! Hopefully a few videos too which will be posted on our YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe - www.youtube.com/wrestlingonlinecom! Thanks, it helps!


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KENNY OMEGA RETURNS TONIGHT

- Former AEW World champion Kenny Omega will make his return on AEW television tonight, his first appearance since December as the show rolls into his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada. Five matches have already been announced for tonight's packed show including Chris Jericho defending the FTW title against Katsuyori Shibata, Adam Copeland defending the TNT title against one member of the House of Black, Mariah May vs Serena Deeb, Brian Cage takes on Claudio Castagnoli, and Samoa Joe vs Isiah Kassidy. Plus, Swerve Strickland's opponent at Double or Nothing will be revealed and Tony Khan has been hinting at a new AEW authority figure in his absence. After Dynamite, a live Rampage will also take place so it's another three-hour block of AEW action on TBS tonight.

POWERHOUSE HOBBS AND JULIA HART OUT INJURED

- Powerhouse Hobbs and Julia Hart are both sidelined with injuries and are expected to undergo surgery soon, keeping them away from AEW television for months to come. Hobbs injured his knee during his match against Jon Moxley last Wednesday on Dynamite and was in visible pain during the match. The 33-year-old is set to undergo surgery imminently according to several sources. Meanwhile, Hart's match against Willow Nightingale at Dynasty was short because of injuries she was suffering, including a shoulder problem. Hart injured her shoulder on the April 12 episode of Rampage in a match against Leyla Hirsch. She lost the TBS title at Dynasty. Speaking of injuries, MJF was spotted at the C2E2 with his left arm in a sling while taking photos with fans. There were rumors that the former AEW World champion had to undergo surgery on his shoulder but that news is not confirmed yet. If he underwent surgery, that would extend his time away from the ring.

COLLISION RATING

- Boosted by the NBA lead-in, Collision drew 621,000 viewers this past Saturday night, their best number since July 29, 2023. That was up 160,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.21 rating in 18-49, up 0.08 from last week and placed #7 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

RAMPAGE RATING

- Rampage, which aired following Collision on Saturday night, drew 293,000 viewers, down 104,000 viewers from the previous week when it had Dynamite as its lead-in show. It had a 0.09 rating in 18-49, down 0.04 from last week and was #39 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

OVER 1 MILLION VIEWERS TUNE OUT OF AEW FOLLOWING NBA LEAD-IN

- AEW's strategy on Saturday was try to hook those post-NBA game viewers to stick around for Collision and not switch channels, something that was successful for the first quarter. In numbers released by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, the first seven minutes of the show had 1.35 million viewers - and 0.49 in 18-49 - remaining on for the Swerve Strickland promo but that went down to 850,000 viewers within the ending of the first full quarter hour. Things quickly went on a slippery slope after that unfortunately and Swerve's match against Claudio Castagnoli in the main event of the show finished with 440,000 viewers and just a 0.15 in 18-49. It was even worse when Rampage kicked in as over 120,000 AEW fans tuned out of Collision, with Rampage starting at 314,000 and then ending the night with just 276,000. From the first minute of Collision to the last minute of Rampage, AEW ended up losing 1,074,000 viewers slowly along the way. If you take Rampage out of the way that number decre
ases to 910,000 viewers lost.

NXT WOMEN'S NORTH AMERICAN TITLE TO DEBUT AT BATTLEGROUND

- The inaugural NXT Women's North American champion will be crowned at the upcoming Battleground premium live event next month in a ladder match. The announcement was made by NXT General Manager Ava, who revealed that to get to 12 participants, there will be a combine held on the May 7 episode of NXT. Once those 12 participants have been narrowed down, they will face off in six qualifiers to determine the final six entries in this ladder match. A ladder match was also the way the men's inaugural NXT North American champion was crowned years ago. Michin, the star also known as Mia Yim, was the first one to put her name in for next week's show. Battleground will take place on June 9 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

WES LEE RETURNS

- Wes Lee made his return to NXT last night and confronted NXT North American champion Oba Femi after he successfully defended his title against Ivar. Lee entered through the crowd to a big pop and then stood face-to-face with Femi in the middle of the ring as he eyed the title he was supposed to wrestle for before he got injured. Lee had to pull out of his title match against then champion Dominik Mysterio at Deadline just days before the show. He cut a promo in the ring saying he needs back surgery but would come back better than ever. Lee indicated at the time that he could be out for up to a year. The former NXT Tag Team champion was replaced by Dragon Lee in the match and Lee ended up winning the title.

SEVERAL MAIN ROSTER STARS APPEAR ON NXT

- The Street Profits, New Catch Republic, Michin, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, The OC, Ivar, Chelsea Green, and The Final Testament all appeared on night two of NXT Spring Breakin' last night on USA, with main roster stars lending a helping hand to the developmental brand. AOP battled Axiom and Nathan Frazer for the NXT Tag Team titles during the show and had the interference from Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Fortunately for the champs, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate were on hand to help them secure the victory and retain the titles. Prior to the match, Axiom and Frazer received a pep talk from former tag team champions The Street Profits. Ivar wrestled Oba Femi for the NXT North American title but was unsuccessful in his quest for his first singles title in WWE. The OC - the team of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows - also wrestled on the show and took on Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe. Michin got herself inserted in the NXT Women's North American combine for next week and was part of a brawl also
involving Jaida Parker, Sol Luca, Ariana Grace, and other women. Natalya took on Lola Vice in an underground match during the broadcast and Shayna Baszler interfered and caused Nattie the match. And Chelsea Green was the last one to appear in the show-closing angle where NXT GM Ava revealed to NXT Women's champion Roxanne Perez that she will be defending her title next week against Green.

RAW RATING

- Night two of the WWE Draft, going up against NBA and NHL Playoffs, drew 1,683,000 viewers, up 86,000 viewers from the prior week. The show would have done considerably less if it wasn't a draft episode due to the heavy competition. Hour one started with 1,676,000 viewers, then increased to 1,752,000 viewers in the second hour before closing the night with 1,621,000 viewers. Raw was #4, #5, and #6 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with 0.57, 0.55, and 0.52 ratings respectively for an average of 0.55, up 0.03 from last week. Raw was #4 overall in all of cable and network television beaten only by NBA programming on TNT. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)


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Tuesday, April 30, 2024 Issue #7224
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Gonna cross another country off the list this week as I did finally get my tickets to Backlash. Never been to France, well, apart from Paris airport. Watching Smackdown too and I depart Thursday night. Looking forward!


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2024 WWE DRAFT NIGHT TWO PICKS

- The WWE Draft continued last night on Monday Night Raw with 24 WWE Superstars selected during six different segments on television. Raw walked out with Imperium (Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser), Damage CTRL (Kairi Sane, Asuka, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), CM Punk, Braun Strowman, LWO (Rey Mysterio, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, Zelina Vega, Dragon Lee, and Carlito), Drew McIntyre, Ilja Dragunov, The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh), The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), Lyra Valkyria, The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, AOP, Scarlett, and Paul Ellering), and Bronson Reed. Smackdown drafted Jade Cargill, Kevin Owens, The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, and B-Fab), Tiffany Stratton, Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Humberto Carrillo, Angel Garza, and Elektra Lopez), Shinsuke Nakamura, Naomi, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson), Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), and Blair Davenport. In the post-show picks on social media, Raw also drafted Dijak, The Creed Brothers, Ivy Nile, New Catch Republic (Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne), Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, Natalya, and Odyssey Jones while Giovanni Vinci, Tegan Nox, and Apollo Crews went to Smackdown.

BRAUN STROWMAN RETURNS ON RAW

- Braun Strowman, who has been out of action since June of last year, made his return to Monday Night Raw, coming out to save Jey Uso. The Monster Among Men marched down to the ring as Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Logan Paul beat up on Jey Uso after Paul got three Super Bowl rings from Patrick Mahomes, who was sitting at ringside, and decked out Uso. Strowman lifted Balor up for a huge chokeslam and then went after Mahomes, but Jey talked him into backing off. The former Universal champion underwent cervical fusion surgery and while he has been out of action ever since June, he made a cameo appearance during the Bray Wyatt tribute on Smackdown in August.

STEPHANIE MCMAHON APPEARS ON RAW

- Stephanie McMahon made an appearance on Monday Night Raw and read out the first set of draft picks for both Raw and Smackdown. McMahon, who quit WWE in January 2023 when her father Vince forced himself back in the company, also appeared at WrestleMania, opening night two. She also sat by her husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque during the Hall of Fame ceremony wearing an ECW hat in honor of Paul Heyman. Others who read out draft picks yesterday were Logan Paul, IShowSpeed, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Ron Simmons, Teddy Long, Alundra Blayze, Bubba Ray, D-Von Dudley, Adam Pearce, and Nick Aldis.

KING OF THE RING TOURNAMENT STARTS NEXT WEEK

- The King of the Ring tournament will kick off next Monday on Raw with the finals for both the King and Queen tournaments taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in late May. Three men from Raw have already put their names in for the tournament including former Intercontinental champion Gunther, former World Heavyweight champion Drew McIntyre, and current King of the Ring Xavier Woods. No mention of the Queen of the Ring tournament start as of yet, but with the finals both taking place on the same show, it's likely that it will also start next week. There haven't been any announcements regarding women entrants although Zelina Vega won the last tournament. The Jeddah Super Dome will host the King and Queen of the Ring PLE on May 25. The last tournament finals were also held in Saudi in 2021 at Crown Jewel.

7 NXT STARS CALLED UP TO MAIN ROSTER

- There were 7 NXT stars in total who were called up to the main roster in the 2024 WWE Draft, including two former NXT champions. Calling Raw their brand new home will be Kiana James, Lyra Valkyria, Dijak, and Ilja Dragunov while Blair Davenport, Carmelo Hayes, and Baron Corbin will be part of the Smackdown roster moving forward. Speaking to yesterday's draftees at the Performance Center after Raw went off the air, Shawn Michaels congratulated them and thanked them for being part of NXT. He said he wished all of them great success and they will always have a home in NXT "I'm so unbelievable thrilled for everyone. Every one of you deserves this, congratulations," Michaels said as the rest of the NXT class applauded.

SMACKDOWN RATING

- Despite the Draft usually pulling in good numbers for WWE, Smackdown on Friday drew the lowest rating for 2024 so far, doing 2,143,000 viewers, down 190,000 viewers from the prior week. A combination of the NFL Draft on three networks, NBA and NHL playoffs left a big dent in the numbers, with the 18-49 rating dropping to 0.58, down 0.05 from last week and the lowest since December 22, 2023. Smackdown was #2 on network TV and #5 overall on all of TV. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)

CODY ON ROMAN REIGNS: "HE TRANSCENDS WHAT WE DO"

- Appearing on the Cheap Heat podcast, Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes said Roman Reigns transcends what they do and there are only a few people like him. "Truly very few people get to transcend what we do. I think he transcends what we do and I'll think you'll see him pop up in areas that aren't sports entertainment or wrestling and with much success because of how hard he works," Rhodes said. The champion noted how Reigns showed up at WrestleMania and knowing he was at the end of his championship run, he was at his absolute peak and absolute best both physically and mentally. Rhodes went as far to say that he puts Reigns in the same category as The Rock and John Cena for their work in this business. It will be a while before we see Reigns back on our screens again as he will be taking several months off following a historic title run. In the same interview, Cody was also asked about AEW and he said that despite what's been said, he would never root against them. "And that’s not always easy because there’s random things said about you in press conferences and that’s a big no no," Cody said. "You should never say me or my wife’s name, Tony should’ve told you that..."

WHO KILLED WCW? TO PREMIERE ON JUNE 4 ON VICE TV

- Deadline.com is reporting in an exclusive story that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is serving as an executive producer on the new docuseries for Vice TV titled Who Killed WCW? The series will make it's Vice TV premiere on June 4 and "will explore the complex factors that led to the promotion’s downfall, including management challenges, creative decisions, and the intense competition during the infamous Monday Night Wars." It will include exclusive, in-depth interviews with wrestlers, executives, and insiders who for the first time will tell their personal stories and problems faced while working for WCW. "The iconic rise and fall of WCW is one of professional wrestling’s most captivating stories – full of big dreams, massive successes, painful failures, and the harsh realities of the pro wrestling business," Johnson said. "With wrestling viewership and fan engagement at an ultimate high, there has never been a more perfect time to tell top-quality wrestling stories, and there’s no better one to start with than a one-of-a-kind, behind-the-scenes look at this epic saga, known as The Rise and Fall of WCW and personally, the rise of WCW, not the fall, inspired me greatly early in my career where I would eventually become, the Final Boss." This is the second collaboration between Seven Bucks Productions and Vice TV following their work with Tales from the Territories. Johnson and Dany Garcia will exec produce along with Hiram Garcia, and Brian Gewirtz for Seven Bucks with Lee Hoffman, Evan Husney, and Jason Eisener. Danny Gabai, Guillermo Garcia, and Paul Taylor serve as executive producers for Vice Studios. The series is produced by Vice Studios Canada in association with Bell Media’s Crave.

TONY KHAN SAYS ANTI-WWE COMMENTS GOT AEW LOTS OF COVERAGE

- After comparing WWE to the "Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling" during an appearance on the NFL Network, AEW President Tony Khan boasted that his comments got "tons of coverage" for his promotion. Khan also claimed that WWE is the "evil juggernaut" that AEW is competing against and called AEW the "Pepsi of pro wrestling." Speaking to TMZ, Khan said his viral comments led to tons of coverage for AEW and it was important for him to say that AEW is "the best wrestling company in the world in many ways." Khan said that they have the best wrestlers, matches, shows, and pay-per-views. "There are so many great things that have happened in AEW this year. And I’ll hold our track record up on anything, whether it’s the quality of the shows, the safety, the travel, the hotels. Everything we do - in and out of the ring - I think AEW is the very best," Khan continued.

KAMILLE SIGNS WITH AEW

- Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting through his Select service that former NWA Women's champion Kamille has signed with AEW. Kamille, responding to a message on X, said that she's been signed since February although did not state with which company. She was offered a WWE deal to start with NXT but in February she said she knows what star power is and knows how to do 75% of the work for the fans before the match even begins. In late August, Kamille lost the NWA Women’s title following an 813-day reign. It was in early February when news broke out that Kamille was no longer in discussions with WWE and opted to choose AEW as her new home.


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Monday, April 29, 2024 Issue #7223
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Hopefully night two of this draft is more interesting because night one was just...bleh! Why even bother with it if things will stay the same? Pointless.

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NIGHT TWO OF 2024 WWE DRAFT CONTINUES TONIGHT ON RAW

- Night two of the 2024 WWE Draft continues tonight live on Monday Night Raw on USA Network. There will be six rounds of picks for a total of 24 WWE Superstars to be drafted on television. Raw will be picking first tonight. Eligible to be drafted are (in alphabetical order) Apollo Crews, Braun Strowman, Bronson Reed, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, CM Punk, Damage CTRL (Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane), DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), Drew McIntyre, Giovanni Vinci, Imperium (Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser), Jade Cargill, Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh), Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, Kevin Owens, Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Angel, Humberto, and Elektra Lopez), Naomi, Natalya, New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate), New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods), Odyssey Jones, Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson), Shinsuke Nakamura, Tegan Nox, The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed, Brutus Creed, and Ivy Nile), The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Scarlett, AOP, and Paul Ellering), The LWO (Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, and Zelina Vega), The Pride (Bobby Lashley, The Street Profits, and B-Fab), and Tiffany Stratton. Other stars from NXT are also eligible to be drafted but no champions will be moving as they are protected in this year's draft. The only match announced so far for the show is Jey Uso, Ricochet, and Andrade vs Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and World Heavyweight champion Damian Priest in a six-man tag match. United States champion Logan Paul will be on the broadcast and CM Punk will appear for the live crowd as well.

DREW MCINTYRE SIGNS NEW WWE DEAL

- With his contract expiring in a couple of weeks, Drew McIntyre has put pen to paper and is staying put in WWE. The news was revealed by...The Final Boss in a post on Instagram, who gifted McIntyre a beautiful Scottish Claymore, surprising him while he was having dinner. "Man of my word...as you’re a man of yours," The Rock posted on Instagram. "Congratulations @dmcintyrewwe on signing your new @wwe deal." There was also a video of staff members coming to deliver a note to McIntyre while another one held the Claymore. "As we talked about after your #WrestleMania match, I know this Scottish Claymore represents everything that you, your family and your country embody," The Rock continued. "As you know, I wanted to personally hand deliver this gift to you at your meeting with Nick Khan, but I had warm cheat meals and chilled tequila waiting for me!" The Rock congratulated McIntyre for his hunger, passion, climbing that mountain, and always entertaining the fans. The video shows McIntyre reading the note, and then handing it over to his wife, telling her that he's a man of his word. He then stands up to accept the gift, looks at the camera, and says, "Thank you brother, man of your word."

PEACOCK RAISING SUBSCRIPTIONS

- Peacock, the home of WWE Network in the United States, will be raising the prices for the second time in two years, following other streaming services who continue to hike up their subscriptions. Starting in July, Peacock Premium with adds will increase $2 to $7.99 per month, Premium Plus will also increase $2 to $13.99. An annual subscription with ads will rise from $59.99 to $79.99 while an annual Premium Plus will go from $119.99 to $139.99. For new subscribers, the prices will go into effect on July 18 while those who already have a subscription, they will see the increase on or after August 17. With 34 million subscribers, Peacock lost $639 million in the first quarter of 2024 and had revenue of $1.1 billion. Peacock has the rights for the WWE Network till 2026.

TICKETS FOR SUMMERSLAM OUT NEXT WEEK

- WWE today announced that tickets for SummerSlam 2024 go on sale on Thursday, May 9 at 10AM ET on Ticketmaster.com. Pre-sale for SummerSlam tickets will begin Tuesday, May 7 at 10AM ET. Fans can register now to receive an exclusive presale offer by visiting . SummerSlam takes place Saturday, August 3 from Cleveland Browns Stadium, marking the first time since August of 1996 that the premium live event will be held in Cleveland. The press release also said that SummerSlam will start airing at 7PM ET, an hour earlier than regular WWE PLEs. WrestleMania also started at 7PM ET this year.

BACKLASH 2024 SOLD OUT

- The LDLC Arena is sold out for this weekend's Backlash premium live event, with the last remaining tickets scooped up today. The floor had hundreds of tickets left last week due to high ticket prices but gold ringside tickets were then reduced to 500 Euro and silver ringside tickets were reduced to 300 Euro and were taken up pretty quickly in a few days. Just like the past few international PLEs, there will be no stage set up at the LDLC Arena to maximize capacity. Smackdown on the eve of Backlash is also taking place there and is very close to a legit sellout as well. It's unclear if any production seats will be released this week. The attendance from seats is now nearing 13,000.

AEW HIRES NEW SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR OF LIVE EVENTS

- AEW has hired Jeremy Flynn as their new Senior Marketing Director of Live Events. The news was announced by Flynn himself in a post on X. "I am excited to start a new chapter as the Senior Marketing Director of Live Events for @AEW!" Flynn wrote. "There are so many amazing things happening here and I’m excited to be a part of the journey." Prior to joining AEW, Flynn held the same role for Professional Bull Riders LLC where he served for two years. Kosha Irby, who is now AEW's Chief Operating Officer, wrote that the team got better today and welcomed him "to the madness!" The two worked together at PBR where Irby was the Chief Marketing Officer.

AEW RETURNING TO CHICAGO

- AEW is returning to Chicago at the Wintrust Arena for an episode of Dynamite on Wednesday, July 3. Pre-sale for this show on the eve of Independence Day kicks off tomorrow, April 30, at 10AM using the code FIREWORKS on Ticketmaster.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, May 2 at 10AM. AEW was at the same venue in November of last year on the eve of Thanksgiving in the same week that WWE held Survivor Series at the nearby Rosemont at the Allstate Arena.

DAZN AND VIX STOP AEW PROGRAMMING ONE YEAR INTO MULTI-YEAR DEAL

- Steven Muehlhausen, who ran the DAZN social media in years past, wrote on X that DAZN dropped out of their three-year TV deal with AEW after just one year. Citing low PPV, Dynamite, and Collision viewership, DAZN exercised the option to end their partnership two years early. DAZN aired AEW in countries which did not have a TV deal mainly in Europe. The countries of Albania, Alderney, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Jan Mayen Islands, Jersey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Svalbard, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan now have no AEW TV coverage unless they pay for Triller's AEW+ service. In related news, TelevisaUnivision, which aired AEW on their VIX service, also dropped AEW after one year. VIX covered AEW in Mexico as well as countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Argentina, and many others.

RAMPAGE TO AIR AFTER DYNAMITE THIS WEEK

- This week's Rampage will be pre-empted on Friday again and will instead air immediately following the conclusion of Dynamite on TBS on Wednesday night. The show did benefit from having an AEW show as its lead-in when it tagged along with both Dynamite and Collision so despite losing its Friday night slot, this is not necessarily a bad thing. For Wednesday, Rampage will be live. In other AEW-related programming, Collision will take a break next week and will not be airing on TNT on Saturday due to other sports programming on the schedule. The show returns the following week on May 11.

DARBY ALLIN GETS HIT BY A BUS IN NYC

- Darby Allin got hit by a bus in New York City while crossing the street, busting up his nose and face in the process. "That awkward moment when your crossing the street in New York with a broken foot and get hit by a bus..." Allin wrote in a post on Instagram, sharing two photos, one especially up close of his busted up face. That did not stop him from watching a Broadway play though, despite his unpleasant encounter with the bus. The daredevil was supposed to climb Mount Everest but after months of intense training, he broke his foot in Sting's final match at Revolution and had to postpone the climb to a later date.

NIC NEMETH WINS AAA MEGA TITLE

- Nic Nemeth's post-WWE career continues to climb to new heights as he won the vacant AAA Mega Title Saturday night against old rival Alberto El Patron during the Triplemania XXXII show. Nemeth won the match after a low blow and a Zig Zag finisher. The man formerly known as Dolph Ziggler is also the current IWGP Global champion and missed out on the chance to win the TNA World title at Rebellion last week. After the match ended, Nemeth was presented with the title by Marisela Pena, the promoter of AAA. The show was held at the Mobil Super Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico and their match opened the broadcast. Nemeth, as Ziggler, cashed in his WWE Money In The Bank briefcase on El Patron back in 2012 on the Raw After Mania, with the two creating one of the biggest moments in Monday Night Raw history with an electric crowd on hand.


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Saturday, April 27, 2024 Issue #7222
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Not much going on today, we'll be back tomorrow!


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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
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ANOTHER THREE-HOUR AEW BLOCK ON TNT TONIGHT

- It's another three-hour AEW block on TNT tonight and Collision should have one of the best viewership this year as the show will have the NBA Playoff match as its lead-in which will surely add thousands of extra eyeballs. Scheduled for Collision are The Acclaimed vs The Grizzled Young Veterans, AEW Women's champion Toni Storm vs Anna Jay, and a match for the Unified AEW Trios titles featuring Bullet Club Gold vs Top Flight and Action Andretti. Rampage will follow right after Collision and will have a parking lot brawl between Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor and Thunder Rosa vs Deonna Purrazzo.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING ON TRACK TO BE LEAST-ATTENDED OF THE SERIES

- With one month to go, AEW's next pay-per-view Double or Nothing is tracking to be the least-attended of the series so far. According to the latest figures released by @WrestleTix, AEW has distributed just over 5,500 tickets so far for the show, with the MGM Grand Garden Arena currently set up for just under 7,000 seats. A typical wrestling setup at the MGM Grand can sit up to 12,000. Last year's Double or Nothing had 10,500 at the nearby T-Mobile Arena. Despite the low attendance so far, AEW has surpassed the last time they were there on May 24 of last year where around 4,500 saw Dynamite before Double or Nothing 2023. Tickets start from $31.25 including all fees and are available now at AXS.COM.

ROMAN REIGNS WITHDRAWS FROM THE DRAFT

- Prior to the start of Friday Night Smackdown, Paul Heyman announced that Roman Reigns was withdrawing himself from being eligible to be drafted as he is not returning in the immediate future. Heyman said that this is not a negative, but it was a way not to hog the number one draft pick spotlight. Reigns has not appeared on WWE TV since his loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania and is not expected to return for several months. The Bloodline storyline will continue, with his input in creative on the faction, and will eventually lead to his big return later this year.

2024 WWE DRAFT NIGHT ONE PICKS

- The 2024 WWE Draft started last night on Smackdown with 16 picks on live television and a couple of more held afterward on social media. Triple H, Cody Rhodes, Michelle McCool, Tori Wilson, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Teddy Long, and JBL did the picks on the show. In round one, Smackdown picked Bianca Belair and Carmelo Hayes, in round two it went to Randy Orton and Nia Jax, in round three LA Knight and The Bloodline - minus Roman Reigns - stayed on Smackdown, and round four AJ Styles and Andrade were picked. For Raw, round one went to Jey Uso and Seth Rollins, round two got them Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan, round three featured Ricochet and Sheamus, and round four had Alpha Academy and Kiana James. In the post-show picks, Smackdown also secured Baron Corbin, The O.C., and Cedric Alexander and Ashante "Thee" Adonis. Raw got Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, Ivar, Shayna Baszler, and Zoey Stark.

CM PUNK SHOWS UP AFTER SMACKDOWN GOES OFF THE AIR

- CM Punk was indeed at Smackdown last night but did not appear on camera, however he did show up after the broadcast ended its live broadcast on FOX. Punk said he felt compelled to come out and say hello to his friends in Cincinnati and on behalf of everyone backstage, he thanked the fans for the packed house. The former champion also provided a little update on his injury, saying his tricep is not at 100%...yet. "But I am on track and I promise soon, I will be back and competing with all the tough badasses backstage," Punk said to a big cheer from the crowd. Punk then talked about how Cincinnati's own Pete Rose should be in the baseball Hall of Fame but was rudely interrupted by Chad Gable and the rest of Alpha Academy. Gable called Rose a cheater and deserved everything he got for being a fraud. Gable called Cincinnati a pathetic city and then got in the ring along with Otis to rough up Punk. Punk said he's injured and one-armed but he happened to know a guy who was recently clear
ed to compete. Sheamus then came out for the post-show dark match as Punk headed to the back. You can see the video at .

THREE MORE MATCHES ADDED TO BACKLASH

- Three more matches were added to the Backlash premium live event for next weekend in Lyon, France. The tag team of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair will get a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team titles as they face The Kabuki Warriors, Bayley will defend her WWE Women's title against Tiffany Stratton and Naomi in a triple threat match, and Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga of The Bloodline battle Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. These three matches join Cody Rhodes vs AJ Styles for the Undisputed WWE title and Damian Priest vs Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight title. Backlash will have a special start time of 1PM ET next Saturday.


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