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New WWE 365 episode with Alexa Bliss to air after Stomping Grounds

By
Colin Vassallo
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A new WWE 365 episode will air on the WWE Network immediately following the conclusion of the Stomping Grounds pay-per-view on June 23.

This year, WWE 365 focuses on former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion Alexa Bliss. WWE cameras followed Bliss for a whole year to document her life as a WWE Superstar with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access and never-before-seen footage.

WWE only produces one 365 a year and this is the first time it focuses on one of the women. The previous two episodes featured Kevin Owens in 2017 and AJ Styles in 2018.

Bliss didn’t have the best year in WWE, getting sidelined due to concussion-related injuries, missing the Evolution pay-per-view, returning at the Royal Rumble, but then put on the injured list again. She hosted WrestleMania but then was not cleared again to be part of the MITB ladder match.

Mike and Maria Kanellis sign new WWE deals

By
Colin Vassallo
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Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that Mike and Maria Kanellis are staying put in WWE after signing a new WWE contract.

The married couple joined WWE in 2017 but their main roster careers never really took off. They recently got some new-found energy though as part of the 205 Live roster where they have been shining brighter than their previous roles on TV.

Maria was out for most of her recent return due to being pregnant and Mike was also out after personal problems which required rehab.

There were rumors back in January that Maria requested her release but she later came out on social media to deny all the speculation.

WWE.COM poll with some surprising results on favorite champion on the roster!

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE logo

A poll running on WWE.COM asking who is the current favorite champion on the WWE roster has some surprising results so far!

Coming number one with 26% of the vote is none other than 24/7 champ R-Truth. The 24/7 title was introduced a few weeks ago on Raw in a throwback to the Hardcore title. The original announcement was met with skepticism by WWE fans but thanks to R-Truth’s comedic acts, the title is actually getting over.

In second place is Universal champion Seth Rollins with 21%, followed by Raw Women’s champion Becky Lynch at 15% and WWE champion Kofi Kingston just behind her with 14%.

Intercontinental champion Finn Balor is next with 8% of the vote and United States champion Samoa Joe with 5%. Smackdown Women’s champ Bayley and WWE Women’s Tag Team champions The IIconics share 4% of the votes, and so do the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team champions The Revival and Daniel Bryan and Rowan with 2%. Tony Nese, the Cruiserweight champion, unfortunately doesn’t get too much love with just 1% of the vote.

Cody says door is always open for CM Punk to come to All Elite Wrestling

By
Colin Vassallo
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In an interview with Comicbook.com, AEW EVP Cody Rhodes said that the door is always open for CM Punk to come to All Elite Wrestling, but he doesn’t anticipate he will be at All Out in August.

Cody noted that last year at All In, they noticed that there were no CM Punk chants during the show even though it was held in Hoffman Estates, close to Chicago. “This year I don’t expect anything different. I’ve been very honest about that door remains opened. The fans have never given up on CM Punk and if he wanted to be part of AEW we would do everything in our power to make him part of it,” Cody commented.

Rhodes noted how Punk was very good to him when he was in Ohio Valley Wrestling and is a great person to learn from in the ring. “I had a good relationship with him. That door will remain open, but for All Out, the main focus for me is Hangman Page and Chris Jericho to determine the very first AEW World Champion.”

Cody also talked about how the AEW roster will feature new stars and if he were to spend all his time trying to recruit just one CM Punk, he would be doing a disservice to those already in the roster.

“I felt, in the past, with my own career that a disservice that has happened to me on occasion about putting someone ahead of me. You always hear the discussion of part-time, this and that. I don’t want to go too far there, but I want to make AEW about performers we have.”

Jesse Ventura grills Chris Jericho on independent contractor status in AEW

By
Colin Vassallo
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Jesse Ventura went toe-to-toe with Chris Jericho on his television show The World According to Jesse on RT where Ventura specifically discussed the independent contractor status in professional wrestling.

Ventura, who decades ago pushed for a union in wrestling that never took off, grilled Jericho about it and asked if All Elite Wrestling will be changing the way things work.

Jericho originally went around the issue and said that right now it’s the best time for professional wrestlers as there are a lot of options around and if you’re smart and put money away you will be able to take care of yourself in the future. Ventura was having none of it though and asked Jericho how WWE and AEW keep getting away with it, adding that they’re violating the law and the governments let them get away with it.

Jericho admitted that the system is flawed in that respect and Ventura suggested that if AEW starts offering employee status and pay for healthcare, they will be able to steal half the employees from WWE.

“I’m a registered employee of AEW, there are inroads for that,” Jericho said. He discussed that he worked for WWE for 18 years and it was hard to leave because of loyalty and other factors but the AEW deal offered to him was better across the board, including healthcare and a better contract.

So far, AEW has not mentioned that it will give employee status to all their talent so it will be using the WWE model unfortunately. Jericho suggested that if they do, WWE would have to follow suit or start losing more talent.

Secondary market tickets for All Out carrying a massive price

By
Colin Vassallo
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Ticket scalpers are set to make a ton of money after getting their hands on AEW’s All Out tickets yesterday and putting them on sale on secondary market websites with a huge markup in price.

When Wrestling-Online.com attempted to get in line for a ticket, we were in line in the 60,000 range, meaning there were that much people queuing in front for a ticket. For an arena that can hold around 11,000, that’s a pretty insane level.

Checking secondary market websites for tickets, the $30 tickets are going from $125 to $250, the $90 tickets are going for over $200, and $160 tickets are going for over $500. There are tickets over $4,000 which went on sale originally for $90.

It’s safe to say that All Elite Wrestling is the hottest thing in town at the moment and at this level, they can afford to go and sell out larger arenas. The trick starts when starting the weekly TV show and trying to fill up medium-to-large arenas around the United States.

The Steve Austin Show podcast returns with AEW President Tony Khan as guest

By
Colin Vassallo
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The popular Steve Austin Show podcast will be returning next week with a new episode on PodcastOne.com featuring AEW President Tony Khan.

The Rattlesnake has been on hiatus for several months and hasn’t done a new show in quite a while, with “classic” interviews airing weekly rather than new episodes.

But on June 18, the former WWE champion will return behind the microphone for a one-on-one interview with Tony Khan, the huge wrestling fan who now runs his own promotion All Elite Wrestling. “We talk #AEWDoN and all things pro wrestling,” Austin wrote on Twitter promoting the show.

You can listen to the Steve Austin Show at https://www.podcastone.com/Steve-Austin-Show.

$100,000 goal on GoFundMe reached for Ashley Massaro’s daughter

By
Colin Vassallo
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“YO ASHLEY…WE DID IT!” That was the tweet Mick Foley sent out after the GoFundMe campaign to help launch a college fund for Ashley Massaro’s daughter Lexi hit the goal of $100,000.

“May this fund for your daughter Lexi assure that your magnificent light will continue to shine. Thanks to everyone – the 2,800 who donated, and countless others who created awareness – for making this happen. My heart is full,” Foley added.

Foley was a major part of the fundraising effort, donating thousands of dollars from his own pocket, donating all profits from his Cactus Jack t-shirts, and then matching dollar for dollar the last $11,000 needed to reach the goal.

“Mick Foley is truly a living, walking, ANGEL on earth,” Torrie Wilson wrote. “Mick raised a TON of money to help us reach our goal, he gave up his time, AND he donated a huge amount himself. It’s such an honor to know you Mick. And an honor to know all of my squared circle sisters.” Wilson was one of the people behind the creation of the fundraiser.

AEW’s All Out pay-per-view is all sold out

By
Colin Vassallo
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Tickets for AEW’s second pay-per-view All Out are all sold out.

It did not take long for the whole allocation of tickets to be taken up and All Elite Wrestling announced that all they needed were 15 minutes. The Sears Centre Arena ticket website displays a message saying “The ALL OUT on sale has ended” when trying to purchase tickets.

Prices were $30, $60, $90, $140, $160, and $190 for ringside seats plus an additional facility fee. Loads of tickets will probably end up on secondary market ticket websites for much more money.

Just like what happened with Double or Nothing, additional tickets will be released once production is figured out.

FOX promoting Smackdown in adverts with brand new logo

By
Colin Vassallo
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An advert for Smackdown currently airing on FOX shows a new logo that will probably be used once the show jumps to the network on October 4.

Captured by Twitter user EliteArtistYT, the advert highlights the current Smackdown Superstars and ends with a graphic of Bayley, Roman Reigns, WWE champion Kofi Kingston, and Charlotte over the new logo. The new logo, with new fonts, has the word SMACK in gray to black gradient color and DOWN in blue. There’s also an exclamation mark in between the two words which makes part of the letter D.

You can check it out below.

https://twitter.com/EliteArtistYT/status/1139194747237666816

Killer Kross explains why he asked to be let go from Impact Wrestling

By
Colin Vassallo
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In an interview on the Wrestling Perspective podcast as reported by ProWrestlingSheet.com, Impact Wrestling’s Killer Kross explained why he asked for his release from the company after they did not want to give him a raise.

Kross, the real-life partner of Scarlett Bordeaux, said that when he asked to be paid as much as others similar in his position in a new deal, Impact’s management told him “to get another job” instead and then refused his release.

“It’s just different when you have people to take care of, circumstances change in life,” Kross said. He added that he struggles to make ends meet and to be told to get a second job is “fu**ed up.”

Kross said he is okay if Impact doesn’t think he is worth that much and he is ready to prove he’s worth that and more somewhere else. “I wasn’t asking for anything that was honestly unreasonable. I really wasn’t,” Kross continued.

His girlfriend also asked to be let go from the company but both remain part of tapings as of now.

[Spoilers] Title matches announced for NXT Takeover: Toronto

By
Colin Vassallo
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The NXT Takeover: Toronto card is starting to take shape with two title mathes announced last night during the NXT television tapings.

Shayna Baszler will be defending her NXT Women’s title against Mia Yim while The Street Profits will go against The Undisputed Era with the Tag Team titles on the line.

Baszler, who had been in a program with Io Shirai, seems to have moved on from the Japanese Superstar after Shirai turned heel and attacked Candice LaRae during the previous tapings. Yim had some momentum built after she beat former number one contender Bianca Belair on TV and the Mae Young Classic tournament participant will finally get her shot at Takeover.

Meanwhile, the new Tag Team champions will be meeting one team from the excellent fatal four-way ladder match from Takeover: XXV. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly will get another shot at the gold with The Street Profits ready to show that their win at Takeover: XXV was not a fluke.

NXT Takeover: Toronto takes place on the eve of SummerSlam on August 10.

Mick Foley’s generosity continues as Massaro’s daughter college fund nears its goal

By
Colin Vassallo
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Mick Foley continues to be one of wrestling’s biggest and most generous individuals as he took Ashley Massaro’s daughter college fund to over $89,000 with an additional $31,307 donation.

The donation came from all profits of his popular Cactus Jack “Wanted Dead or Alive” t-shirt which he sold through ProWrestlingTees.com for $24.99 or $39.99 with an autograph.

“I will be meeting with Ashley’s mom and daughter tomorrow, and would LOVE to hit our $100,000 goal by then. WE ARE JUST 11K AWAY! So I will be matching every donation, dollar for dollar, until we reach that goal,” Foley added.

He already offered to meet anyone in the United States who donates $5,000 or $10,000 for those living outside the United States at his own expense.

The GoFundMe campaign which was started by Ashley’s former co-workers The Squared Circle Sisters is now at $89,062 a grand or so away from it’s $100,000 goal.

You can contribute by going to https://www.gofundme.com/AshleyMassarosDaughterEducationalFund

Dwayne Johnson to receive MTV’s Generation Award at the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be honored with the Generation Award during the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards, MTV announced.

The Generation Award celebrates “beloved actors whose diverse contributions to both film and television have turned them into household names in the industry,” according to MTV.

“Johnson is an icon on both film and TV who has become one of the most beloved actors of our generation,” said Amy Doyle, General Manager, MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo. “Throughout his career, Johnson has proven to be the ultimate badass – an action star with a flair for comedy, one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and a true family man. He continues to captivate his audience worldwide and we are thrilled to celebrate him with the Generation Award.”

Speaking about the nomination, Johnson wrote, “This one means a lot. Box office revenues are cool, but the thing that really matters is the blessing to positively influence and impact generations along the way. We’re gonna rock the house and the mana (and tequila;) will flow this Saturday night!”

The 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards will air Monday, June 17 at 9:00 PM ET.

AEW officially announces Moxley vs Omega at All Out

By
Colin Vassallo
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All Elite Wrestling announced the second match for the All Out pay-per-view with Jon Moxley taking on Kenny Omega.

The battle between the former WWE champion and the former IWGP Heavyweight champion is a first for the two and it comes after Moxley attacked Omega at the end of the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Moxley actually took out Jericho and the referee before unleashing an attack on Omega which ended with Moxley hitting the Dirty Deeds on the poker chips set and then throwing him off the set.

This match joins the Jericho vs Page match which will crown the first-ever AEW champion.

Tickets for All Out go on sale tomorrow at Noon ET at AEWTix.com.

Sasha Banks back in Orlando to film for WWE

By
Colin Vassallo
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It is no secret that Sasha Banks has not been a happy camper since losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles at WrestleMania.

In fact, the former multi-time champion has not been seen on WWE television ever since and there have been rarely any mention of her on WWE TV either.

Banks has been critical of WWE’s current product for a while and even dropped cryptic tweets and liking posts by fans which slam the company. But Banks remains part of the roster despite her two-month-and-counting hiatus, where she spent most of her time on holiday.

This week, Sasha returned to Orlando to film content for WWE’s upcoming video game WWE 2K20, where she uploaded a photo sitting in a ring wearing an Eddie Guerrero t-shirt, writing, “There was nowhere to go but everywhere…” This was her first official work for WWE since WrestleMania.

Dave Meltzer of the Observer also adds that Banks met WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon towards the end of May to discuss her status. Meltzer wrote that things are “better” now and WWE hopes to have the popular Superstar back in the Summer.

Smackdown rating for 06/11/2019

By
Colin Vassallo
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This week’s Smackdown did 1,930,000 viewers, down 86,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and #5 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Renee Young rumored to be hosting new WWE studio show on FS1

By
Colin Vassallo
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There are rumors floating around that Renee Young will be hosting the new studio show for WWE on FS1 once their deal with Fox kicks off in October.

Young has climbed the ranks pretty quick, starting as a backstage interviewer and then moved up the chain to eventually be the first female on the Raw broadcast team.

No day has been locked as to when the show will be airing with many speculating it will be on Tuesdays in the current time slot of Smackdown Live. Smackdown moves to Fridays starting on October 4.

Back in April, Triple H confirmed the show will be happening and said that it will be a mix of analyst and sports entertainment where WWE fans across the board will like as it will talk about everything in a way that you can’t get any place on WWE right now.

WWE programming will be a big part of the FOX family starting in October. NXT was also rumored to be airing on FS1 at some point. FOX Sports will be producing Smackdown when the move happens.

Stephanie McMahon says WWE will be at the forefront of change in Saudi Arabia

By
Colin Vassallo
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Speaking at the Celebrating Women in Sports luncheon, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said that they have been promised to be at the forefront of change that is coming in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

McMahon noted that it took them six years to get approved for a women’s match in Abu Dhabi and that match finally took place two years ago and now their next target is to have a match in Saudi Arabia, which as a country has far more stricter rules when it comes to women.

“I believe we will have a women’s match in the near future,” McMahon told SpecSports360 reporter Despina Barton.

Both Alexa Bliss and Natalya traveled to Jeddah last week with the rest of the male roster as WWE officials were confident that a match between the two would be approved by the government. However, after initially agreeing to the match, the Saudis made a u-turn and ruled against the match.

The two never appeared on the broadcast but did accompany other WWE Superstars at community relations events in the city.

Renee Young, who did color commentary for the second time in the country, refuted an online report that said she was yelled at by “religious police” and said that everyone was treated with the utmost respect while in Saudi Arabia.

Co-host files sexual harassment complaint against Tyrus at Fox News channel

By
Colin Vassallo
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TheDailyBeast.com is reporting that former WWE and Impact Wrestling star Tyrus was removed from his UN-PC show on Fox News Channel after his co-host Britt McHenry filed a sexual harassment complaint against him with Fox News management.

McHenry claims that the man formerly known as Brodus Clay in WWE sent her unwanted and unsolicited text messages with lewd, sexual comments. Two sources have come forward to The Daily Beast saying that Tyrus, real name George Murdoch, had a reputation for regularly making off-color or “politically incorrect” remarks or jokes.

Tyrus was given his own show, called Nuff Said, on the Fox News website instead after he was removed from co-hosting UN-PC. He still regularly appears on Fox News as a contributor.

Earlier today, Fox News released a statement saying, “While we are not at liberty to discuss the details of any employee matter, we follow strict protocols when matters such as these are brought to our attention, and we make no exceptions. The process works because of the extensive systems and measures we have instituted. This situation was independently investigated and we consider the matter resolved. We respect the confidentiality of all involved.”

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