While WWE stars prepare for WrestleMania 39 in a few weeks, Alexa Bliss will seemingly not be part of the show while she is reportedly away from television.
Bliss was last seen on WWE programming at the Royal Rumble this past January when she lost to Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. After the match, WWE aired a video of a playground and Uncle Howdy, indicating that Bliss would once again be aligned with Bray Wyatt in the near future.
Coming out of the show, it was reported that Bliss was on hiatus from the company, something WWE knew going into the match with Belair. She later refuted that.
Fast forward to today, a new report by Dave Meltzer noted that Bliss is on another hiatus and will be gone for a while.
The Tweet
Bliss took to Twitter to make it clear that she is not on hiatus because they know where she is. She wrote the following:
“Tired of seeing these tweets. I am not on a hiatus. They know where to find me.”
If that is the case then Bliss could return to WWE at any time. Perhaps, she will be figured into the build-up in the feud between Wyatt and Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 39 next month.
Tired of seeing these tweets. I am not on a hiatus. They know where to find me.
— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) March 10, 2023
Kofi Kingston’s road to WWE WrestleMania has taken a major hit due to an injury that has put him on the sidelines.
Kingston was sidelined when he suffered an injury on last week’s episode of SmackDown while doing a segment to set up this week’s fatal 5-way match.
Now, Xavier Woods has replaced him with the match now seeing Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. LA Knight vs. Karrion Kross vs. Xavier Woods. The winner will earn the right to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39.
The Latest
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Kingston’s ankle injury is only expected to keep him out of the ring for about 5 weeks.
Meltzer wrote, “Kingston suffered an ankle injury when McIntyre did a running flip dive on several people. It was just a fluke deal. The time frame we are hearing is five weeks. There was concern earlier it could be longer because he may have needed surgery and if he does need surgery it would be lengthy.”
The impression is that Kingston won’t need surgery. Unfortunately, it looks like Kingston will be missing WrestleMania though.
AEW Revolution marked the first pay-per-view event of the new year for All Elite Wrestling.
The show was headlined by a 60-minute Iron Man match pitting AEW World Champion MJF defending against Bryan Danielson.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports the show did between 120,000 to 129,000 buys, though Meltzer notes, \”that number will probably grow to just under or a little over 130,000 with late buys.\”
To compare, last year’s show drew between 165,000 and 173,000 buys. It was headlined by Hangman Page defending the AEW World Title against Adam Cole, but the biggest match featured on the card was CM Punk vs. MJF in a dog collar match.
The previous PPV event held by AEW was Full Gear in November, which drew 140,000 buys. The show was headlined by MJF, challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title.
Other Metrics
The ratings for both Dynamite and Rampage dropped heading into the show. Streaming and international numbers are also down right now for the promotion, although those two metrics can be hit-and-miss.
Regarding the Google searches, they were “big twice last year, after Double or Nothing and All Out with the brawl aftermath.” Revolution did 50,000 searches and was No. 12 in the United States for the day.
The WWE traffic accident case was closed on March 7th in Florida Middle District Court regarding the lawsuit brought against WWE regarding a 2019 traffic accident in Tampa.
The jury trial occurred after a lawsuit was filed against them by Jackson Parsons, who was injured in the accident. His representation convinced a jury to side with them, resulting in WWE being forced to pay $331,800 to Jackson. The percentage was based on the level of negligence in the incident.
The jury ruled that the negligence by WWE led to Jackson being injured. However, Jackson\’s own negligence was a factor in the incident taking place as they stated that Jackson held 65% of the negligence while WWE was responsible for 35%.
The Lawsuit
Parsons filed the lawsuit in June 2021 after the incident took place in July 2019 where he alleged that a van rented by the company with a driver who was a WWE employee and prop expert, Gaitan Thomas, \”who was on the job at the time\” was involved in a traffic accident with Parsons, who had been riding a bicycle.
Parsons claimed he “suffered physical injuries, pain-and-suffering, disability and the inability and loss of the capacity to lead and enjoy normal life, inconvenience, disfigurement, scarring and mental anguish.” He also cited “suffered physical injuries, pain-and-suffering, disability and the inability and loss of the capacity to lead and enjoy a normal life, inconvenience, disfigurement, scarring and mental anguish,\” while saying his injuries and suffering are permanent. He also claimed he has incurred past medical expenses and will incur future medical expenses on account of the motor vehicle accident, and that he has suffered “a loss of earnings and earning capacity, both in the past and in the future.\”
Parsons had been looking for $76,500.00 for pain and suffering, mental anguish and inconvenience, and $401,500 for future pain and suffering.
Although Kane has not wrestled in a few years, he’s not retired.
The former WWE Champion last wrestled when he was part of the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble match. Regarding a normal match, he hasn\’t wrestled a singles or tag team bout since Crown Jewel in 2018, when he teamed with the Undertaker against Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Kane was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021. His career will be covered on A&E Biography: WWE Legends on Sunday, March 12.
One More Match?
While speaking to PWMania, Kane was asked about the possibility of wrestling one more match.
“I’ll always leave that door open. In WWE we never say never. I don’t know what will happen. I do some stuff here and there in the WWE. That’s a part of me and it’s something I enjoy and want to do for the rest of my life. If it’s something in the ring, I don’t know. Maybe you have to ask Kane that question,\” he said.
Kane did make an appearance at last year’s SummerSlam in Nashville, Tennessee, to announce the attendance for the show. While away from WWE, he continues to be the Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee.
WWE\’s efforts to legalize gambling on its matches continue as the company has registered with another state in addition to the previously reported Colorado and Michigan.
As previously reported by CNBC on Wednesday, the company has met with regulators in Colorado and Michigan regarding wagering on \”high profile\” WWE matches. On Thursday, the same media outlet updated its report to confirm that the company registered with the Indiana Gaming Commission.
Consideration?
The Colorado Division of Gaming told CNBC that it is currently not even considering the idea of legalized wagering on WWE matches. The Colorado Division of Gaming also noted that the state has a statute that prohibits gambling on predetermined contests such as awards shows or, in this case, pro wrestling.
Should the Michigan Gaming Control Board approve legalized wagering on WWE matches, that information will be made public on the organization\’s Sports Wagering Catalog.
To get this pushed through, WWE has partnered with the accounting firm Ernest & Young to secure match results and demonstrate to regulators that gambling on predetermined contests can be done safely.
It was a logical partnership as the firm already works to secure results for predetermined contests, including the Academy Awards.
WWE has proposed that to get this through, they will have match results locked in months ahead of the bouts taking place as a way to prevent the results from being leaked to the public, leading to wrestlers involved in the matches not knowing until right before the match takes place.
Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of FOX, is ready to engage in talks with WWE regarding their partnership together.
On Thursday, Morgan Stanley TMT held a media and telecom conference where Murdoch spoke and was asked about the evolution of the partnership with the wrestling promotion.
That partnership sees FOX air SmackDown every Friday night. It initially included the WWE Backstage show that aired on FS1, but it was canceled.
The Partnership
Murdoch would not describe it as an ‘evolution’ of the partnership but praised WWE for being great partners.
Regarding the potential sale of WWE, he noted that he hopes the new buyers keep the current management team together because they’ve done a great job from his point of view.
“So, I don’t think it’s an evolution of the partnership (between FOX & WWE). I think they’ve been great partners. They’ve been great partners throughout our partnership, our relationship. If they ultimately sell the business, I hope the acquirer, I’m sure they’ll be as good a partner as they’ve been. I hope the management team stays intact because they’ve done a tremendous job. From a rights point of view, we’re focused on their rights renewal. We’re ready. We haven’t engaged with them on the rights yet. We’re ready to engage with them when they ask, when they’re ready. But ultimately, our appetite for a renewal depends on what happens with the rest of our sports portfolio.”
FOX’s deal for SmackDown expires next year, but negotiations are expected to start later this year.
Former Impact Wrestling star Angelina Love and Fodder are tying the knot as man and wife.
Love took to her Twitter account to announce the news as she shared photos of herself sporting an engagement ring alongside the fellow wrestler.
The two have been wrestling on the independent scene and in the NWA. Fodder has only wrestled for two years while Love has been in the wrestling business for 22 years where she has competed in promotions such as TNA Wrestling, Ring Of Honor, Game Changer Wrestling, SHINE Wrestling, and AAA. They signed with the NWA last year.
The Announcement
Love, who is a former six-time TNA Knockout\’s Champion, captioned the post that had photos with the following:
“It was so easy to say YES! to this man ? My King, my best friend, my soulmate and David’s Big Cheese ? love you always and forever @LoKeys910.”
Congrats to the happy couple!
Love most recently wrestled on NWA Powerrr on February 12th when she lost to La Rosa Negra. Fodder’s last match happened on this same episode when he beat VHS.
It was so easy to say YES! to this man ? My King, my best friend, my soulmate and David’s Big Cheese ? love you always and forever @LoKeys910 ?? pic.twitter.com/HyvcCBcnOy
WWE is looking to work with gambling regulators as a way to allow fans to legally bet on matches.
Alex Sherman of CNBC reported today that WWE has had talks with regulators in the states of Colorado and Michigan about legalized betting on “high-profile matches.”
The report added that WWE is working with EY (Ernst & Young) to secure the secrecy of match results to show the regulators that betting would not be impacted by results leaking before the bouts take place.
Other Possibilities
The report noted that should WWE be able to get this legalized then it could open the door for “legalized betting on other guarded, secret scripted events, such as future character deaths in TV series.”
The story added, “Allowing gambling on certain WWE matches would alter how matches are produced – and how storylines are created. In discussions about how gambling on wrestling could work, WWE executives have proposed that scripted results of matches be locked in months ahead of time, according to people familiar with the matter. The wrestlers themselves wouldn’t know whether they were winning or losing until shortly before a match takes place, said the people.”
WWE entered into an agreement with DraftKings in 2021 by naming them as their official gaming partner, which allows for free-to-play pools with DraftKings.
After Komander made his AEW debut recently, he not only has interest from the promotion, but also from WWE.
On the March 1st episode of AEW dynamite, he was part of the Face of the Revolution ladder match. During the bout, he hit a rope walk into a springboard dive to the floor to take out everyone. It’s one of his signature moves.
After the match, it was reported that both companies were interested in signing him, something that he is honored to hear.
Reaction
“It’s very humbling to hear that people want to know where I’m going next,” says Komander. “That is a huge honor, to be spoken of in such a manner. I came from nothing. I had absolutely nothing. I did this because it is what I love to do. I understand that my career could be just like my rope walk—it could be a great success, or it could be a failure. No matter what happens, I’m always going to get back up. I never did this for the fame. I do it out of love. Whatever comes next is a blessing,\” Komander told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
Regarding the rope walk, he noted that he’s been doing it since he was 12 and wanted to make it part of the lucha libre.
Komander most recently worked the NWA vs. AAA The World Is A Vampire event on March 4th, where he teamed with Octagon Jr to defeat Cyon & Homicide.
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez defended her title against Meiko Satomura.
After Satomura and Perez defeated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, Satomura grabbed the microphone where she told Perez that since she did something for Perez, then she could do something for her. She wanted the NXT Women’s Championship before Perez said it would be an honor. This was the set up.
The match served as the main event. Meiko controlled most of it as Perez couldn\’t mount any offense for a while. Perez rolled her up for the win. Post-match, Meiko raised her hand, but Perez collapsed. She was checked on by the medical staff and was stretchered out. This closed the show.
Indus Sher & Jinder Mahal vs. The Creed Brothers & Bron Breakker in a six-man tag team match was booked.
The heels have been feuding with The Creed Brothers for several weeks now. The Creeds tried to get Damon Kemp, their former Diamond Mine teammate, to be their partner despite the bad blood between them, but he heeled it up. Breakker walked up and offered to team with them and it was made.
The match took place in the first hour. The babyfaces had matching attire and got the upperhand heading into the commercial break where they all hit outside dives. Once back from break, the heels took over. The Creeds pinned Sangh with their finisher.
Later in the broadcast, Breakker came out to say that he was saving this for next week, but figured he would do it now. He thinks the biggest match should happen at the biggest stage. There are no more roadblocks. He called out Carmelo Hayes, who came out and said it’s time for their paths to finally cross. Hayes said everyone wants it. Breakker said he’s been waiting for this match and anytime he would face anyone else, he was disappointed that it wasn’t Hayes. Carmelo said he has kept tabs on Bron this whole time. Bron recalled having a meeting with Triple H and Shawn Michaels about how they saw them two as guys who could take over NXT. Bron said there is nowhere else to go. Hayes told him that he would see him for the NXT Title at Stand & Deliver.
Gigi Dolan vs. Jacy Jayne in a grudge match took place.
Jayne turned on her a few weeks ago during a segment with Bayley after they lost a triple threat match at Vengeance Day while wrestling NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. Two weeks ago, Dolan returned to attack Jayne before doing a promo last week about how she would make Jayne pay for the pain she went through.
The match was kept short with Jayne getting most of the offense. Dolin went over with her finisher. Post-match, Jayne attacked her.
The Grayson Waller Effect with special guest Shawn Michaels was booked.
Waller has been poking Michaels for weeks after losing to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in a steel cage match at Vengeance Day a few weeks ago as he interrupted Michaels during the post-event media scrum. Waller has since been wreaking havoc in NXT for Michaels.
Michaels said that they used to be cool and wanted to know what changed. Waller said that Michaels is treating him the same way that Vince McMahon used to treat him and holding him back. Michaels pushed back and proved him wrong. Michaels is the new Vince, according to Waller. Grayson wanted to know why. Michaels said Waller is not the guy because he lost to NXT Champion Bron Breakker at Vengeance Day. He said that Waller took his shot at being the guy and missed. Michaels said that Waller needs to look in the mirror. Waller said the only reason Michaels is in his spot is due to his good friend Hunter having a heart attack. Michaels said that he happily helped out a friend.
Michaels said that he’s in charge of the show now. Waller said that Michaels is sending the brand into an iceberg and he wouldn’t be surprised if he’s cut after WrestleMania because Michaels isn’t using him. Michaels said the brand has always been built around a group of guys, not one guy. Waller said he’s tired of being in NXT because he’s tired of Michaels not seeing his talent. Michaels told him to never run the brand into the ground. Waller wanted him to do something about it. Waller challenged him to a match at Stand & Deliver. Michaels said that people have asked him for a decade to come back. Michaels said it happened before and it will happen again, but the reality is there is someone who wants to whip him more than Michaels. Michaels said that Waller won’t face him, but his Stand and Deliver opponent will be Johnny Gargano. A brawl broke out with Gargano standing tall.
It’s time for Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes to share the squared circle. It will be a match that takes place in the main event of NXT’s next Peacock special, Stand & Deliver.
During Tuesday’s NXT episode, it was confirmed that Breakker will defend the NXT Title against Hayes at this show.
The Challenge
Breakker came out for a promo where he said that he thinks the biggest match should happen at the biggest stage because there are no more roadblocks in the way of it happening. He called out Hayes, who said it’s time for their paths to finally cross because everyone wants it.
Breakker said that whenever he would face anyone else, he was disappointed that it wasn’t Hayes. They said they had been keeping tabs on each other this whole time.
Breakker told a story about having a meeting with Triple H and Shawn Michaels in 2021 about how they saw them two as guys who could take over NXT. Bron said there is nowhere else to go and Hayes agreed before telling him that he would see him for the NXT Title at Stand & Deliver.
The event will take place on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
Johnny Gargano made his return to WWE NXT on Tuesday’s Roadblock special and set up his match at NXT’s next special.
There was a Grayson Waller Effect segment with special guest Shawn Michaels where Michaels was trying to figure out why Waller had targeted him after losing to NXT Champion Bron Breakker in a steel cage match at Vengeance Day a few weeks ago.
The Segment
They traded words where Waller accused Michaels of holding him back and not seeing how he is NXT’s biggest star. Michaels pushed back and proved him wrong. Waller said Michaels was the new “Vince” [McMahon] and how Michaels only had his spot in WWE because his best friend had a health issue, referring to Triple H’s heart issues.
Michaels said Waller is not the guy because he lost to Breakker and he took his shot at being the guy and missed. After Waller said Michaels is sending the brand into an iceberg, it fired up Michaels. He demanded to know what Waller wanted. That was a match at Stand & Deliver.
Michaels said that people have asked him for a decade to come back, but he knows that people will just keep asking every year. Michaels introduced Gargano, leading a brawl with Gargano standing tall.
The event will take place on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California
WWE had to nix a planned angle after the controversial moment in a rival promotion, AEW.
MJF retained the World Heavyweight Championship over Bryan Danielson in a 60-minute iron man match on Sunday night at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. During it, MJF grabbed a cup from a mother and threw her water on her young son as they sat at ringside. MJF then jumped over the barricade to get back into the ring.
MJF thought it was water, which turned out to be tequila. Amanda Huber and others came out to check on the fan, leading to them bringing back the mother and son to the backstage area, where they were given merchandise and will be attending Wednesday’s Dynamite in Sacramento.
AEW President Tony Khan confirmed during the post-event press conference that he had a serious conversation with MJF about the incident.
The Angle
Fightful Select reports there was originally a segment in which a wrestler would throw a drink in another\’s face during a match on Raw. It was said throughout the day that some people at the show had “heard of the plans and thought that it was a shot at AEW or a reference to MJF throwing a drink on a child at AEW Revolution.”
The report stated that WWE had already come up with the plans that were sent to many people in WWE before Sunday’s AEW event, as much of the creative structure was done by that show.
Obviously, the segment didn’t take place, but it was included in some of the outlined plans as of Monday afternoon and evening. “One WWE talent theorized that the segment likely was nixed as a result of the AEW/MJF spot.”
2K Games is bringing back the MyGM Mode for WWE 2K23 after the mode returned in WWE 2K22.
It will be further expanded this year. On Tuesday, a video with Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze posted on the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel shared details on the movements made to the game.
Fightful provided a rundown of all the new features added to the mode, which allows fans to take control of a brand and be the authority.
The Details
This year’s mode will have 4-player gameplay and more while brands can now have a mid-card title on their brands including SmackDown with the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Raw with the WWE United States Championship, the Hardcore Championship for WCW and North American Titles for NXT.
2K is also introducing new match types are included in the MyGM mode as well as Triple Threat, Fatal 4-Way, Steel Cage, Backstage Brawl, Falls Count Anywhere, Submission, Iron Man, Last Man Standing, and Tornado Tag matches are all selectable in the mode.
Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Adam Pearce, and the option for an edited MyGM will be available. Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, Kurt Angle, Eric Bischoff, and Mick Foley are selectable GMs.
The mode also features seasons, allowing players to continue playing beyond WrestleMania while trying to reach the WWE Hall of Fame.
The standard edition of WWE 2K23 will be out on Friday, March 17, 2023, on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series XS, Xbox One, and PC. Those who get the Deluxe or Icon editions will have access to the game on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
WWE WrestleMania 39 will be extra special for Logan Paul as the event will be taking place on his birthday. WWE is continuing the tradition of holding the show over the course of two nights – April 1st and April 2nd.
The YouTuber/boxer set up his match at this event on Monday’s episode of Raw against Seth Rollins. During it, Paul caught Rollins with a punch that knocked him out.
The Date
While speaking on his IMPAULSIVE podcast, Logan stated that the match is happening on April 1st, night one of WrestleMania.
“Yeah, me versus Seth Rollins at WrestleMania, it’s going down. It’s official. It’s going down, I got confirmation. Me versus Seth Rollins… He’s been beefing with me… WrestleMania, April 1st, in Los Angeles on my birthday. He’s very good at what he does, he’s very good at what he does. He’s probably top three in the business right now, and for that reason, it’d be an honor to take him on at WrestleMania. I’m really happy with this matchup.”
Paul also stated that he didn’t know who Rollins was before he got into pro wrestling. Aside from Paul vs. Rollins, the card has yet to be sorted out, but here is the current lineup:
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Asuka
Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
John Cena vs. Austin Theory
Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch & Lita vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY)
Independent wrestlers Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus are accusing WWE of infringing on their copyright for the term “The Now.” WWE uses this for United States Champion Austin Theory.
According to a report by The Hudson Valley Post, the two wrestlers wrestled on the indie circuit as The Now. Vik Dalishus has claimed they have sent cease and desist orders to the company on the use of the term as they trademarked the name in 2006.
The Claim
Dalishustalked to the media outlet about WWE’s alleged infringement of their trademark.
“My initial reaction was shock, because of the fact that we have had it copyrighted since 2006, and there’s many people in WWE who know Hale and I, know our names, and know we own it.”
Dalishus noted that WWE acknowledged one of the letters they sent and claimed they would look into it, but the company has continued to use the nickname on television.
Dalishus continued, “Our next step is a lawsuit for trademark infringement and creating confusion in the marketplace.”
We have sent two Cease and Desist letters to the @wwe and @_Theory1 continues to be referred to as “The Now” by @WWEGraves on commentary, as well as our logo displayed on The Theory Characters ring worn gear & creating confusion in the marketplace. Its pretty simple. #theNOWpic.twitter.com/TlxThxlx19
As expected, John Cena will wrestle Austin Theory at WWE WrestleMania 39.
The match was made official during Monday Night Raw this week when Cena made his return where he was about to do a promo, but Austin Theory came out before Cena could say a word.
Theory said that he has all the respect in the world for Cena and he became a WWE star because of Cena and watching him as a kid. He said he has a gift for Cena and that’s for them to have a match for the US Title at WrestleMania 39.
Cena told him no because he was not interested in his gift because Theory hasn’t earned it to give it. He said that he doesn’t care what Theory says and just like the fans, he doesn’t either because they don’t believe Theory because Theory doesn’t believe him. He called him generic and has no heart. He said that Theory was the version of him that almost got fired as ruthless aggression. He said that Theory has been given chances and has shown nothing for it. Cena said that the fans believe in him and don’t believe in Theory. He said that Theory is a pair of trunks from being jabroni, but Theory has the best name in WWE history because that’s exactly what Theory is, a theory. In theory, Austin should be great, but he’s not. Cena told him to shut up and leave.
Theory refused and said he’s not going anywhere just like Cena’s bald spot. Cena said he’s proud of it. He questioned Cena’s giving up, and not respecting the chance to go to WrestleMania. Theory said that you shouldn’t meet your hero because if you do, they’ll disappoint. Cena said he would rather be bald than have WWE pipe-in crowd noise during his matches.
He said no because Theory isn’t ready for a match and he wins then Theory loses everything because he was done. He said if Theory wins then he would lose everything and go out the next night to explain by himself to the most critical fans alive. He said Theory is full of crap. He asked the fans what they should do and the fans cheered. Cena accepted the match and said Theory made the biggest mistake of his life.
Ever since Vince McMahon made his return to WWE as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors in January, fans have feared that he would eventually return to the head of creative.
McMahon said that he returned to WWE to explore the possibility of a sale and help with the negotiations of the next TV rights deal. McMahon has yet to take over creative from Triple H and for now that will stay intact, but McMahon did make his presence known at WWE Monday Night Raw this week.
He\’s Back
At Monday’s show in Boston, MA, McMahon is at the show. Sean Ross Sapp, Dave Meltzer, and Bryan Alvarez reported the news. It’s unclear whether he will appear on the broadcast or why he\’s there, but it may have something to do with John Cena.
When Cena made his return to WWE TV last June, it was McMahon who introduced him. Despite the hush money scandal going on that eventually led to him stepping down as CEO and Chairman, McMahon did make a few appearances on WWE television.
Cena will return on tonight’s Raw where it’s expected that he’ll set up his WrestleMania 39 match with Austin Theory.
I've spoken to talent that claim they've seen Vince McMahon at the site of tonight's WWE Raw.
I've reached out to WWE in an official capacity.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 6, 2023
Triple H took over creative last summer and has publicly said that he will get suggestions from McMahon. However, he is still in charge, not his father-in-law.
Last week after WWE made the Brock Lesnar vs. Omos match at WrestleMania 39 official, it was reported that the match was an idea by McMahon, who was high on Omos when he was in charge of creative.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had many doubters when he decided to buy the XFL alongside his longtime business partner Danny Garcia and RedBird Capital a few years ago after Vince McMahon shut it down after a second attempt at a spring pro football league.
The new owners have revamped what McMahon had come up with. The Rock is looking to get the most out of the third chance at the league because he wants to give players a second chance.
The Rock played as a defensive end/tackle at the University of Miami but didn’t make it to the NFL. Instead, he went to the CFL before he decided he had enough and got into wrestling.
The Reason
While speaking to ESPN, The Rock was asked why he decided to buy the XFL with his investment partners.
“It was an ability to create a league that I wish I had when I was around. I was a good player. I had great, what Coach Ed Orgeron used to say, I had ‘great upper body violence.’ Which is a compliment,” The Rock stated.” The allure of this was my longtime business partner Dani Garcia, she says, ‘I have this crazy idea, let’s go buy the XFL, and immediately it was the easiest ‘yes’ I ever said because we both knew we had an opportunity to not only be owners of a league, but to be a part of the sport that we love, but also create a culture of second chances for guys like me.”
The Rock noted that he told that story to NFL commissioner Roger Goodwell.
Fans will have more superstars to play, as in WWE 2K23, through five post-launch DLC packs.
On Monday, WWE and 2K games announced five upcoming DLC packs, including various superstars, legends, and celebrities. The first pack will be released on April 19, while the last pack is set to be released on August 16.
Some names include Bray Wyatt, The Steiners, Zeus, Harley Race, Eve Torres, Blair Davenport, and Wade Barrett.
The Breakdown
DLC 1: Steiner Row Pack (April 19)
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
B-Fab (Manager only)
Top Dolla
Ashante Adonis
DLC 2: Pretty Sweet Pack (May 17)
Karl Anderson
Luke Gallows
Tiffany Stratton
Elton Prince
Kit Wilson
DLC 3: Race to NXT Pack (June 14)
Harley Race
Ivy Nile
Wendy Choo
Tony D’Angelo
Trick Williams
DLC 4: Revel with Wyatt Pack (July 19)
Bray Wyatt
Zeus
Valhalla
Joe Gacy
Blair Davenport
DLC 5: Bad News U Pack (August 16)
Eve Torres
Wade Barrett
Damon Kemp
Andre Chase
Nathan Frazer
The standard edition of WWE 2K23 will be out on Friday, March 17, 2023 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series XS, Xbox One, and PC. Those who get the Deluxe or Icon editions will have access to the game on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Chris Hero has a new role in the world of pro wrestling.
Hero started wrestling in 1998 through 2020, where he worked for several promotions and found great success. Throughout his in-ring career, he won the PWG World Title, IWA Mid-South Heavyweight title, EVOLVE Championship, wXw World Championship, and the CZW Championship. He also had a memorable run as a tag team with Claudio Castagnoli as Kings of Wrestling, where they won gold in ROH, Chikara, and CZW.
The promotion has held shows since 2018 in California, where the top champion is Titus Alexander. Past champions of the promotion include some notable names such as AJ Gray and Jacob Fatu.
At Saturday’s show, Masha Slamovich defeated Sandra Moore to become their inaugural Women\’s Champion after winning the finals of the tournament. Fans can watch West Coast Pro shows on IndependentWrestling.TV.
Hero last wrestled a match at a set of tapings for the WWE NXT UK brand in Midlands, England, on March 6 & 7, 2020, before he was one of the names to be released from WWE that April due to budget cuts.
For a span of a few years in the early 2010s, The Rock and John Cena had a memorable rivalry that stemmed from real life.
Cena felt that The Rock abandoned the company he worked for and found success as a top star for many years when he went to Hollywood to become an actor. His full-time days started to dwindle down in 2002 before missing the second half of 2003 and then only working one match in 2004 before being on hiatus from WWE for several years.
In 2011, The Rock returned to be the host of WrestleMania 27 where he cost Cena the WWE Title by helping The Miz retain the championship. They later teamed together to beat The Miz and R-Truth that November at Survivor Series.
The Rock beat Cena at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Florida then the next year at WrestleMania 29, Cena beat The Rock to win the WWE Title in New Jersey.
The Tweet
Their feud was featured on Sunday’s WWE Rivals program that aired on A&E. Cena took to Twitter to look back on the feud.
Cena tweeted: “Relive this epic @WWE rivaly thru those who lived it. I wouldnt be who I am 2day w/o @TheRock. Professionally & personally. He challenged me, demanded my best, forced me to address my flaws w/ the world watching! Respect is a core value for me…this took it to new level!”
Cena will be returning to WWE on tonight’s episode of Raw where it’s expected that he will be there to set up his WrestleMania 39 match with United States Champion Austin Theory.
John Cena joins a star-studded cast for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” animated movie.
The teaser trailer for the highly anticipated film was released today and gives a first look at Cena’s character, Rocksteady, which appears at the 1:12 mark of the trailer.
The movie is slated to be released on August 4th. The film’s synopsis reads as the following:
\”In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O\’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.\”
Rest of the Cast
Micah Abbey as Donatello
Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo
Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog
Rose Byrne as Leatherhead
Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo
Jackie Chan as Splinter
Ice Cube as Superfly
Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut
Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil
Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman
Post Malone as Ray Fillet
Brady Noon as Raphael
Seth Rogen as Bebop
Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko
Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom
The film is directed by Jeff Rowe and written by Brendan O\’Brien. It’s produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver. Paramount Pictures distributed the film.
AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF made his latest title defense against Bryan Danielson at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
The sixty minute iron man match opened with MJF trying to avoid Danielson as he went into the crowd and threw water on a kid. Once back in the ring, MJF took over and beat down Danielson. MJF did a spot where he hit a powerbomb onto his knee. MJF hit a tiger driver, resulting in Danielson landing right on his neck. Danielson scored the running knee strike for the first fall. After hitting a low blow, MJF rolled him up for 2 falls. The announcer explained that MJF was DQ’d for the low blow and Danielson was given a fall. MJF told Danielson that he hated him while having him in the figure-four leg lock. MJF landed an elbow drop off the top rope to send Danielson through a table. MJF hit a tombstone piledriver on the broken table.
Danielson was busted open. The third fall for MJF came when MJF hit a piledriver while having Danielson dangling on the middle rope. MJF was busted open after taking a headbutt. Danielson with a running knee strike then the lebell lock for the next fall. Danielson took a piledriver on the middle rope, but kicked out at two. MJF with a tombstone off the middle rope. They went the distance and initially ruled a draw finish. It was announced we were going to sudden death rules as MJF was getting oxygen. After Danielson avoided being hit with the diamond ring, he hit a running knee strike for 2. MJF hit him in the face with the oxygen tank then put him in a submission hold, but Danielson got out of it. MJF with the crossface for the win.
The Dynamite Diamond Ring isn't going to help the Champ @The_MJF tonight!
Danielson completed MJF\’s requirement of winning every match between January 11 and February 8 with his victory over Rush a few weeks ago on Dynamite, confirming the iron man match for Revolution. During a bloody match in which Danielson defeated Rush, MJF attacked Danielson, taking out security, and placing him in an armbar.
It all started when MJF took out Danielson\’s mentor, William Regal, after Regal turned on Jon Moxley by costing the World Heavyweight Title. MJF eventually stated that if Danielson kept winning bouts up to February 8, he would agree to the match. Danison concurred.
Danielson has won victories over opponents such as Takeshita, Bandido, Brian Cage, and Timothy Thatcher over the previous few weeks.
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