Four women advanced to the final fatal four-way match to determine who will take on NXT Women’s champion Jacy Jayne at the upcoming Evolution premium live event next month.
Jaida Parker was the first one to move on to the match after she beat Thea Hail and that was followed with a win from Lash Legend over former NXT Women’s North American champion Kelani Jordan. Izzi Dame pinned Zaria in a surprise finish in the third eliminator match of the night and then Jordynne Grace rounded up the final four with a win over Lola Vice.
The four will battle it out on next week’s episode of NXT on CW to become the number one contender.
Tonight’s episode of NXT on CW will feature the company’s newest arrival – Blake Monroe – signing her NXT contract in the middle of the ring. Monroe, formerly known as Mariah May, made a surprise appearance a couple of weeks ago just days after her AEW contract expired.
Tonight’s show is loaded with women’s matches as the Evolution eliminator matches kick off. Zaria vs Izzi Dame, Thea Hail vs Jaida Parker, Lola Vice vs Jordynne Grace, and Lash Legend vs Kelani Jordan will all go one-on-one for a spot at Evolution and the NXT Women’s title match.
Plus, a six-man tag match between NXT and TNA stars is also on the card with TNA champion Trick Williams teaming up with AJ Francis and Rich Swann to take on Elijah, Josh Briggs, and Yoshiki Inamura.
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. today announced it has appointed Dean Garfield as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, effective June 16.
In this newly created role, Garfield will lead the company’s government affairs activities globally, reporting to Seth Krauss, Chief Administrative Officer & Senior Counsel to the Board of Directors and Senior Management.
“Dean’s extensive public policy experience will be integral to supercharging TKO’s government relations strategy, including strengthening our engagement with governments to bring our marquee events to fans in all regions of the world,” said Krauss. “Our existing international partnerships with Western Australia, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia, as well as domestically with Minnesota, New Jersey, and California, demonstrate the significant demand for our properties’ live events, and we expect, with Dean’s leadership, to expand our growth in this area.”
Garfield will lead a team responsible for public policy initiatives and political engagement, as well as support TKO’s subsidies and incentives efforts.
“I am excited to be joining TKO and for the opportunity to share with governments what we know to be true: People all around the world view sports and live entertainment as central to their lives, to building community, and to delivering economic impact,” Garfield said.
Garfield brings more than 20 years of public policy experience to the role, including 15 years in media and entertainment. Most recently, Garfield was Netflix’s Vice President of Public Policy, where he served as a key member of the executive team, building and leading the company’s global government affairs function and pursuing incentive packages globally.
Prior to joining Netflix in 2019, Garfield served as President and CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council; as EVP and Chief Strategic Officer for the Motion Picture Association (MPA); and as VP of legal affairs at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Garfield was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and was re-appointed by President Donald Trump. He was also appointed to the Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation.
Garfield received a law degree from New York University School of Law and a master’s degree in International Affairs and Public Administration from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he was a Ford-Rockefeller as well as a Root-Tilden-Snow scholar, respectively. He received a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Middlebury College.
TNA Wrestling announced today it is launching a new free tier of its TNA+ streaming service.
The free tier will include a selection of classic and current video-on-demand content plus the stream of the June 26 live episode of Impact which will tape on June 20.
This episode will be held from the UPMC Events Center in Pittsburgh and will feature the color commentary of former WCW commentator Mark Madden.
“This is a huge moment for TNA,” said Carlos Silva, President of TNA Wrestling. “The response to our growing momentum has been incredible, and it continues to build every week. With the launch of the free tier on TNA+, we’re opening the door for everyone to watch TNA — whether you’re a longtime fan or brand new to the product. It’s never been easier to jump in and experience what makes TNA so special.”
Fans can download the TNA+ app from their favorite app stores, including Apple, Amazon and Android, and register at no cost to unlock free streaming access.
In addition, TNA will soon launch a 24/7 linear streaming channel, TNA 24/7, delivering around-the-clock wrestling content. More details on the channel will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information or to register for TNA+ for free, go to watch.tnawrestling.com.
Mark Madden will be donning a headset for a wrestling event again after TNA Wrestling announced that he will be doing special color commentary at the TNA live event this Friday at the UPMC Events Center on the campus of Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
Madden is no stranger to wrestling commentary, having done the job for WCW in 2000. He worked for the company for seven years prior to that.
All the TNA stars will be in Pittsburgh for the last TNA live events before Slammiversary on Sunday, July 20, in New York. WWE Superstar Trick Williams – the reigning and defending TNA World champion – will be in Pittsburgh and so will Matt and Jeff Hardy. Also confirmed to appear at the TNA shows inside the UPMC Events Center: the legendary Hardys, brothers Jeff and Matt Hardy.
Ric Flair had to pull out of an appearance today for Sky Wellness in Pearl, Mississippi for health reasons.
The clinic posted a message last night on social media saying that Flair will delay his appearance due to ongoing health concerns.
“His doctors have recommended that he does not travel at this time. Please keep him in your prayers. When we have more information about a new scheduled date we will let you know,” the post said.
Flair himself then addressed the situation saying that he has health issues he needs to attend to.
“Melanoma, I have found out, is nothing to play with,” Flair wrote.
The Nature Boy posted a message on Sunday saying he was “on the mend” following treatment for his skin cancer.
Friday Night Smackdown last week drew 1,401,000 viewers, down 23,000 viewers from the previous week as it went head-to-head with the NBA Finals. Smackdown had a 0.38 rating in 18-49, down 0.04 from last week and was #1 on cable television for the night and #3 in all of television. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
The fourth match on the Night of Champions card was announced last night on Raw as Intercontinental champion Dominik Mysterio will defend his gold against former WWE champion AJ Styles.
The two had a confrontation yesterday on Raw after Styles defeated JD McDonagh in a match. Mysterio attacked AJ afterward but Styles sent him packing while posing with Mysterio’s championship.
The match was made official later in a backstage segment involving Smackdown GM Nick Aldis, who told Styles that he can keep the title if he beats Mysterio in Riyadh.
The King and Queen of the Ring semi finals were set last night on Raw, with the final two entrants advancing.
The returning Asuka won her match yesterday against Raquel Rodriguez, Stephanie Vaquer, and Ivy Nile to move on to the next round while in the main event of Raw, Jey Uso defeated Rusev, Bronson Reed, and Sheamus to also advance.
The King of the Ring semi final matches now have Randy Orton vs Sami Zayn airing this Friday on Smackdown and Cody Rhodes vs Jey Uso airing on Raw next week.
The Queen of the Ring semi finals feature Asuka vs Alexa Bliss airing this Friday and then Jade Cargill vs Roxanne Perez the following Monday.
It’s bad news for Liv Morgan as one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team champions dislocated her shoulder during a match on Raw last night.
Morgan was wrestling Kairi Sane when the Japanese star went for a leg takedown and Morgan fell awkwardly, immediately rolling out of the ring holding her right shoulder.
The match was stopped and the show transitioned into a commercial and when they were back, it was announced that Kairi Sane won due to a referee stoppage as Morgan was unable to continue.
Two medical personnel then helped Morgan to the back as Cole said that she suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Morgan could be out for a few months depending on the severity of the dislocation and will likely miss the Evolution premium live event, throwing some plans into chaos.
Liv Morgan just injured her shoulder area and rolled out of the ring
Individual tickets for the two-day SummerSlam will go on sale tomorrow, June 18 starting at 10AM ET on Ticketmaster.com. General pre-sale for tickets will begin today at 10AM ET.
This year’s SummerSlam is the first-ever two-night show in the series, becoming only the second WWE premium live event to expand to two nights following WrestleMania.
SummerSlam takes place from the massive MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3.
Thousands and thousands of combo tickets remain on sale with only the upper bowls doing well in sales. The lower bowl and floor seats are not doing that good and only half the stadium is open.
With less than two months to go, it’s going to be a big challenge to make this giant stadium looking decent in terms of attendance.
The cheapest combo prices are $240.80 for the upper bowl and go up to $4,856.95 for ringside.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg returned on Raw last night and issued a challenge to WWE World Heavyweight champion Gunther for a match at the upcoming Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast next month.
Goldberg interrupted Gunther’s in-ring segment as the champ discussed potential future opponents.
The two had an encounter at Bad Blood in October of last year when Goldberg and his son Gage were ringside and Goldberg even jumped the security barrier to try and get to Gunther.
Goldberg has been training for his retirement match which was promised under the old WWE regime and one promise which the new management at WWE is honoring.
The match was never mentioned that it was going to be the actual retirement match, yet.
SNME takes place on July 12 from Atlanta, Georgia.
The final two King and Queen of the Ring qualifiers will take place on tonight’s Raw which will be overseen by Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis as Raw GM Adam Pearce is out on holiday.
In the King of the Ring tournament, the last qualifier pits Sheamus vs Bronson Reed vs Rusev vs Jey Uso and then in the Queen of the Ring, it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Ivy Nile vs Asuka.
Also announced for tonight is Liv Morgan vs Kairi Sane.
Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alba is reporting in an exclusive story that AEW and Jon Moxley have been sued by a production crew member claiming negligence, civil assault, and battery.
The lawsuit was filed on May 30 in Wayne County Circuit Court by Christopher Dispensa, who has worked for the company via a contractor since 2019.
Dispensa is claiming that during the May 10, 2023 episode of Dynamite, he suffered severe neck and shoulder injuries after he was shoved to the ground by Moxley during a cage match against Kenny Omega which spilled to the outside. He is also saying that the injury forced him to require cervical fusion surgery, shoulder surgery, and treatment for other unspecified injuries.
The lawsuit also states that Moxley has a history of disciplinary issues in AEW including documented history of “unpredictability as well as a lack of control.”
The plaintiff is asking for damages including medical expenses, disability, wage loss and loss of earnings, pain and suffering, damages for mental and emotional anxiety, and others, with the amount to be determined by a jury.
WWE will be holding two non-televised live events in Mexico next month, branded as WWE Supershows.
The first show will be in Mexico City on Saturday, July 26 at Arena CDMX and the second will follow the next day, Sunday, July 27 in Monterrey at Arena Monterrey.
Adverts for the two shows aired last night during the AAA Triplemania Regia show and Rey Mysterio, Stephanie Vaquer, Iyo Sky, Seth Rollins, The New Day, Penta, Fenix, Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso, Dom Mysterio, and Cody Rhodes were shown on the graphic.
Tickets for both shows go on sale Thursday, June 19 at Ticketmaster.mx.
Former multi-time women’s champion Asuka will return to the ring tonight for the first time in 13 and a half months.
Asuka will be in the Queen of the Ring qualifying match against Stephanie Vaquer, Ivy Nile, and Raquel Rodriguez for a spot in the tournament semi final.
The Japanese star last wrestled on May 4, 2024 in a tag team match, losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles with Kairi Sane against Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair at Backlash in Lyon.
She underwent knee surgery in June of last year after it was revealed she had been dealing with an injury for months but still soldiered through it.
The Godfather was involved in a car wreck this weekend, destroying his Ram truck and rolling it three times.
The WWE Hall of Famer and his passenger thankfully came out unscathed, with him writing that he definitely believes in the safety of the truck.
“Yeah I came out of this without a scratch. It’s just really bad weather here in West Virginia we started hydroplaning…I wasn’t driving but we started hydroplaning then went into a three truck roll,” he said in a video later posted on social media.
“But it’s going to take more than that to take me out but thank you everybody for the concern, I just want to let everybody know I’m OK and I’m still smoking,” he concluded.
Los Garza, the WWE tag team of Angel and Berto of Legado del Fantasma, won the AAA Tag Team titles last night in a four-way match at Triplemania Regia.
The finish got a huge pop from the crowd as they ended Sanson and Forestero’s 86-day reign as champions. The match also had Psycho Clown and Pagano, and the TNA Tag Team champions The Nemeth Brothers.
Marisela Pena, the promoter of AAA, presented the WWE Superstars with the AAA Tag Team titles after their match.
Triplemania Regia was headlined by El Hijo del Vikingo defeating Alberto El Patron in a steel cage match to retain the AAA Mega championship.
Carlito is officially a free agent as his WWE contract has expired.
The Puerto Rican announced two weeks ago that WWE chose not to renew his deal and subsequently was leaving the company.
Carlito returned at Backlash 2023 which was held in Puerto Rico and got involved in the Bad Bunny vs Damian Priest match. He received a superstar reaction from his hometown crowd and was then signed to a new WWE deal, returning after 11 years.
Will Ospreay is now engaged to fellow wrestler Alex Windsor. The news was revealed by Ospreay himself in a post on social media, posting a photo of his now fiancee sporting new bling on her finger with the text, “She said Yes.”
Last week Windsor announced that she has signed with AEW and made her final appearance at Pro Wrestling Eve losing the IWGP Women’s title to Syuri. Ospreay was waiting for her backstage as soon as he walked through the curtain.
It’s unclear when Windsor will officially start with the promotion.
