Two title matches have been confirmed for WrestleMania 35 last night on Smackdown Live.
The United States champion Samoa Joe will be defending his title against Rey Mysterio while Cruiserweight champion Buddy Murphy will take on Tony Neese. Neese won a 205 Live tournament to become the new number one contender for the title.
Another title match for the Smackdown Women’s title will be decided next week.
With these two matches, the WrestleMania 35 card currently has nine confirmed matches, four of which are title matches.
In a sit-down interview with UFC’s Megan Olivi, UFC President Dana White said that he hopes to hear from Brock Lesnar this Summer.
When asked if we’ll see the former UFC Heavyweight champion in the Octagon this year, White said, “Brock Lesnar, you know, he’s doing his thing right now with WWE. One of the things about Brock Lesnar is, when that guy’s ready to fight, he’s not shy. ‘Don’t call me,’ he’ll let me know. And to be honest with you, I’m hoping I’m gonna hear from that guy this Summer.”
Lesnar has mainly been the favorite when it comes to odds in the UFC and was only the underdog against Randy Couture and Cain Velasquez. According to MMA betting odds, he would be the underdog in both potential fights against Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones. You can learn more about betting in MMA here.
Lesnar was said to be taking a fight against UFC Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the beginning of 2019 but that has not materialized and Lesnar has continued to work for WWE. Lesnar’s schedule has drastically decreased over what was already a light schedule and only shows up a couple of times every quarter.
The current Universal champion re-entered into the UFC drug testing pool in early July and had six months left on his one-year suspension that he received for his two drug test failures following his now-overturned win against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 a couple of years ago. Lesnar was eligible to step back inside the Octagon in early January but that didn’t happen yet. Lesnar has so far been only tested once by USADA in 2019.
Lesnar was supposed to leave WWE in August after SummerSlam following his loss to Roman Reigns. But he returned for another big payday at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia and even won the Universal title after Roman Reigns had to vacate it due to leukemia. Since then, Lesnar only wrestled twice – at the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble – and will be wrestling at WrestleMania against Seth Rollins.
Another interesting name who wants to fight Lesnar in the UFC is the current Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones has kept himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately but has said numerous times that he wants the big money fight against Lesnar.
Impact Wrestling announced today that it has re-entered into an agreement with Louisville-based Ohio Valley Wrestling to serve as an official development and training territory for Impact Wrestling.
The announcement of the renewed partnership follows the success of the co-promoted One Night Only: Clash in the Bluegrass event, a sold-out show from Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky, which featured stars from both organizations.
“We are excited to grow our outreach and partnership with promotions worldwide,” said IMPACT Wrestling Executive VP Scott D’Amore. “It is great to work with Al Snow and the team at OVW, which has a long history of developing great talent.”
“OVW is proud to be entrusted with the development of the true lifeblood of any professional wrestling promotion – the in-ring talent,” said OVW CEO and owner Al Snow.
As part of the agreement, IMPACT Wrestling management will look to OVW when scouting new talent and those on the development roster will see future opportunities to appear on the flagship weekly show Impact!, which is televised in more than 120 countries around the world.
Al Snow acquired OVW in June 2018 and formed Gladiator Sports Network, which also produces professional boxing events and a high school sports prep series while keeping wrestling as its signature brand. OVW served as the official development training ground for World Wrestling Entertainment from 2000 to 2008 and as Impact Wrestling’s training territory from 2012 to 2014. With more than 1,000 television episodes, OVW is the longest running professional wrestling series broadcast on local television in the U.S. The series is the signature of the company’s elite training program, which boasts more than 150 alumni who went on to international fame, including John Cena, Brock Lesnar and reigning Impact World Champion Johnny Impact.
The movie Bumblebee, which John Cena has a major role in, is now available to purchase on Digital HD.
The latest movie in the Transformers franchise had a worldwide total of $459,512,841 in box office revenue, with $127,195,589 coming from the United States and the rest from foreign theaters. Bumblebee had a budget of $135 million.
The movie revolves around the popular yellow Autobot which seeks refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. Charlie, played by Hailee Steinfeld, discovers the battle-scarred and broken Bumblebee and when she revives it, she quickly learns that this is no ordinary yellow Volkswagen. Cena plays the role of Jack Burns, an agent of Sector 7, a secret American government agency which deals with extraterrestrial technology and threats.
Bumblebee is directed by Travis Knight and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, and Mark Vahradian. It’s the first movie in the Transformers franchise not to be directed by Michael Bay.
The movie is available to purchase from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vudu, and other digital stores.
Raymond Leppan, the artist formerly known as Adam Rose, announced on his Instagram that he is retiring for good from professional wrestling once all the dates he is currently booked on are fulfilled.
“It’s been one hell of a ride. I will be fulfilling all dates currently booked but not taking any more bookings going forward. Thank you to the fans who supported me, the promoters who booked me, all the good brothers and sisters who worked with me,” Leppan wrote.
He also had a special thanks to WWE for “letting a 9 year old South African boy live his dream.”
Leppan worked for WWE between 2010 and 2016, first in Florida Championship Wrestling as Leo Kruger and then in NXT. He changed his character to Adam Rose in 2014 and moved to the main roster later that year. Unfortunately, main roster was not very kind to him and was lost in mid-card hell. He was suspended twice for violations of the company’s Wellness Program and challenged WWE’s second suspension. In mid-2016, he was arrested for domestic violence and tampering with a witness and WWE suspended him indefinitely. He was released a few weeks later.
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The headlining musical act at this year’s WrestleMania will be the one and only…Elias!
The WWE Superstar is stuck in that position for the second year in a row after last year he did a similar segment at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in New Orleans interrupting John Cena. Elias came out that night after the lights went out, with fans thinking it would be The Undertaker. He sang a song for Cena but the former 16-time world champion didn’t appreciate it and attacked him.
Elias announced his role for this year’s WrestleMania during Alexa Bliss’ talk show segment A Moment of Bliss.
Michael Paris, better known to fans as DJZ, has signed a deal with WWE according to PWInsider.com. DJZ wrestled under different names throughout his career including DJ Zema, Shiima Xion, and Zema Ion.
The 32-year-old from Chicago has spent the majority of his career wrestling for TNA, making his debut in 2011 and stayed there for seven more years, eventually departing the company in late 2018. During his time with Impact Wrestling, he won the Tag Team title once with Andrew Everett and the X Division title twice.
He has also wrestled in Mexico with AAA and spent a few years on the independents as well, mainly with IWC and AIW.
He is expected to report to the WWE Performance Center soon and will be part of the NXT brand moving forward.
In what was seen as a major let down, Kurt Angle’s WrestleMania opponent was announced to be Baron Corbin.
Angle picked Corbin to be his final opponent during Monday Night Raw last night. The two have a history together on Raw dating back to Corbin doing everything he can to eject Angle from his General Manager position. Angle has not managed to beat Corbin since his return.
The Olympic gold medalist defeated Chad Gable on the show as he wrestles his final few matches before his last one at WrestleMania. Last week he defeated Apollo Crews.
Meanwhile, Jim Ross slammed the announcement calling it “underwhelming” in a tweet, which got a response from Angle’s wife Giovanna. “Very,” she replied. That tweet however has since been deleted with Giovanna clarifying her position.
“Guys, it’s pro wrestling. Its like watching a movie. I’m no way upset with my husband wrestling Corbin. Lol I love having fun with yall. But It is really nice to see how many fans support Kurt on how he should be sent off.”
AJ Styles is going nowhere as the former WWE champion has just signed a new WWE deal.
Styles took an unusual method to announce he’s staying with WWE, posting a photo of a puppy on his Twitter and writing, “This is the newest member of my family. Also, I’ve signed a new contract with the WWE. What a cute little guy.”
The Phenomenal One is being advertised for non-televised live events in May on WWE.COM. His deal was set to expire in April.
AJ had a fantastic year in the WWE, holding the WWE title for a full year before dropping it to Daniel Bryan this past November.
His former Club tag team partners Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have still not signed a new deal and have been taken off all events pending further negotiations.
Sue Aitchison, one of the longest-serving WWE employees, will be the recipient of this year’s Warrior Award at the upcoming WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Having worked so far for over 30 years with WWE, Aitchison is often credited with being the one who created the WWE community outreach programs and is the main person behind WWE’s relationship with Make-A-Wish. She is also one of the most-liked people at WWE corporate, making her a very well-deserved recipient of the honor.
“Sue has dedicated her entire career to helping Wish kids fulfill their dreams and putting smiles on countless families’ faces. Her heart and character epitomize the essence of the Warrior Award,” said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer. “She is an unsung hero who deserves to be recognized and immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame.”
When he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014, the Ultimate Warrior remarked that those unsung heroes at WWE should be recognized at such events and while the WWE created the Warrior Award loosely based on Warrior’s wish, Aitchison is the first WWE employee to be receiving this in five years.
“I am humbled to receive this prestigious award,” Sue Aitchison said. “I look forward to continuing WWE’s efforts with Make-A-Wish and other organizations to make a positive impact on children and their families around the world.”
Dana Warrior will be presenting Aitchison with the Warrior Award on the eve of WrestleMania 35.
What can go wrong with doing a photo shoot in the middle of the bustling Los Angeles traffic? A lot, right?
Well, Lana had one photo shoot last week in the busy streets of Los Angeles, with the photographer and herself jumping in the middle of the traffic as cars came to a halt. The diva has never one to shy away from the limelight. The stunner has taken the number #1 sport on a top WWE babes list over at Gamble USA list of top WWE babes, confirming what a firm fan favorite she is.
One particular driver wasn’t too happy about it. Stephanie Beatriz, the actress on the popular show Brooklyn Nine-Nine, was stuck in traffic waiting as Lana posed for photographs. Beatriz put up a short video on her Instagram story showing Lana posing and wrote, “Like. I just want to drive and not be in your photoshoot.”
Beatriz obviously had no idea who was the person getting photographed but the WWE Superstar, without mentioning the actress, took it to Twitter to respond. “Don’t be #Salty because I’m #Ravishing & can stop traffic you can’t babe.”
Lana was roaming the roads of LA with some pretty “salty” attire for her photo shoot and certainly turned some heads as drivers waited for the green light at the stop!
Fighting With My Family, the movie featuring the story of WWE Superstar Paige and her family, surpassed $20 million in the box office chart this weekend.
Currently in #13 on the chart, Fighting with My Family did $1,109,003 for the weekend out of 1,580 theaters and has a domestic total of $20,900,777 after 32 days.
It retains a 92% score on RottenTomatoes.com and an audience score of 86% based on over 2,000 reviews. The movie had an $11 million budget and is expected to do well when it’s out on Blu-Ray and Digital HD.
WWE Superstar Becky Lynch jumped to the rescue of a fan who had an apparent seizure during an autograph signing on Friday night.
Lynch was meeting fans at the World of Wheels car show in Omaha, Nebraska and one fan who was standing in line waiting to meet the former Smackdown Women’s champion suffered a seizure.
Jon O’Malley, a fan who was also at the show, wrote on Twitter that the girl started “shaking uncontrollably” and couldn’t make it up the stairs. “Becky ran and held her tight as she could for like five minutes until it completely stopped,” he wrote. The incident was corroborated by other eye witnesses who were at the show.
Lynch continued to meet fans after the whole incident concluded.
Kyle O’Reilly will be a busy man come WrestleMania weekend as apart from probably being part of the NXT Takeover: New York card, he will also be wrestling for the EVOLVE title the day before.
The Undisputed Era member will be taking on Austin Theory at the EVOLVE 125 live event on Thursday, April 4 at the La Boom in Queens, New York. While he did not appear in person at EVOLVE 124 yesterday, a video with O’Reilly was aired to explain the match.
O’Reilly was part of EVOLVE’s inaugural show in January 2010, defeating his Undisputed Era tag team partner Bobby Fish.
WWE has a working relationship with EVOLVE where several NXT stars have appeared at EVOLVE events over the past couple of years. At yesterday’s EVOLVE 124, the Street Profits and Velveteen Dream were part of the main event match.
Total Bellas returns with episode nine of season four tonight on E! with an episode titled Women Take Center Stage.
The synopsis for the show reads, “The first-ever Women’s Pay-Per-View, Evolution, is finally here. The Bellas take New York by storm with their media appearances and a Bella Army-filled pep rally. Nicole is determined to show the world what she is made of in her historic Main Event match against Ronda Rousey, while Brie finds the courage to speak out against the bullying she faced this past year.”
The rivalry between The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros continued last night at the AAA Rey de Reyes event in Mexico City, Mexico, as the AEW executive vice presidents won the AAA Tag Team titles.
Fenix and Pentagon Jr had just won the titles from Rey Escorpion and El Texano Jr but then the lights went out and when they came back on, The Bucks were in the ring ready for a fight.
A few minutes later, Matt and Nick Jackson won the titles after delivering their Meltzer Driver, pinning Pentagon Jr to steal the titles away.
The two popular tag teams will be facing each other at the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view in Las Vegas in May.
Former WWE producer Arn Anderson will be appearing at the Starrcast II event in Las Vegas during the AEW Double or Nothing Memorial Day weekend.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated for the first time since he got released from WWE in February, Anderson said that he was fortunate enough to work for WWE for 18 years. “Certainly that provided my family and myself with a nice living, and I have no regrets. A lot of my best friends still work there. Everything has a shelf life, and I guess mine ran out,” he said, without going into specifics of what led to his dismissal.
Earlier this month it was reported that Anderson was fired after Vince McMahon found out that he let Alicia Fox wrestle while she was under the influence of alcohol. Anderson was the main guy running the non-televised live event that day and was responsible for the show.
Meanwhile, Starrcast’s Conrad Thompson said that they’re proud to have Anderson on the stage as one of their marquee events. “We can’t wait for Arn to have a live mic in his hand, and stay tuned for more details.”
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will be revealing his WrestleMania opponent this coming Monday on Raw.
Angle announced last week that WrestleMania 35 will be the last time that he will step inside a ring as an active wrestler and will be retiring following the match.
There are some rumors floating around that it will be John Cena who will be picked. Cena has in the past confirmed that he will be at WrestleMania 35 and with the history between the two when it was Angle who Cena had his first match against when he made his WWE debut, it would be the perfect ending.
Apart from the Angle announcement, Raw has three matches already confirmed. Ronda Rousey will take on Dana Brooke, Seth Rollins goes one-on-one against Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush team up against Finn Balor and a partner of his choosing.
WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar will also be on the show.
Sean “X-Pac” Waltman made a surprise appearance last night at an NXT live event in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The former WWE Tag Team and European champion has been serving as a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center this week and made the two-and-a-half hour drive down to watch the up-and-coming WWE Superstars in front of a crowd of just 300.
X-Pac addressed the crowd half-way through the show, telling them that he’s honored to be here at NXT. “The truth is, there’s not a better roster in professional wrestling…uh sorry…sports entertainment…than all these fine men and women back there. They’re some of the best of the world,” X-Pac told the crowd.
X-Pac will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of D-Generation X on the eve of WrestleMania 35.
