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Io Shirai to be a free agent next month after no new deal signed

By
Colin Vassallo
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Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer is reporting that former NXT Women’s champion Io Shirai has not signed a new WWE deal and as things stand she will be a free agent come August.

The belief is that the talented Japanese performer will be returning home and will not be sticking around in NXT. She has not wrestled for the brand since April’s Stand and Deliver show during WrestleMania weekend although she did suffer an undisclosed injury afterward.

The 32-year-old has been signed to WWE since 2017 after spending seven years working for World Wonder Ring Stardom in her native home of Japan. She is a one-time NXT Women’s champion and one-time NXT Women’s Tag Team champion and for the past five years she has remained part of NXT and never was called up to the main roster.

Jeff Hardy enters not guilty plea for June 13 DUI arrest

By
Colin Vassallo
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PWInsider.com is reporting that Jeff Hardy has pleaded not guilty to his latest arrest. The plea was entered on June 28.

His court date is set for July 5 and the former champion is facing one count of driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, driving with a canceled/suspended/revoked license, and violating restrictions placed on a driver’s license.

The AEW star was arrested on June 13 in Volusia County, Florida and Hardy had over three times the alcohol legal limit when he pulled over. The next day, AEW suspended him without pay and ordered him to go to rehab to retain his job.

Dynamite rating for 06/29/2022

By
Colin Vassallo
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The post-Forbidden Door Dynamite featuring Blood & Guts did over a million viewers for the first time in 14 weeks, with the show averaging 1,023,000 viewers. That was up 145,000 viewers from the prior week and the best number since March 23. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite scored a 0.36 and was #1 for the night on cable. That was also up from last week’s 0.31. Last year’s Blood & Guts did 1,090,000 viewers and 0.42 in the 18-49, so this year’s edition was slightly less. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Logan Paul signs WWE deal

By
Colin Vassallo
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Logan Paul, the popular YouTuber and celebrity, has signed a deal with WWE and will be appearing on WWE TV leading up to SummerSlam.

This is a long-term deal and will allow Paul to appear at more future events.

A photo of Paul signing the deal being flanked by interim WWE CEO and Chairwoman Stephanie McMahon and Triple H was uploaded on social media.

Paul teamed up with The Miz at WrestleMania and actually impressed fans with his wrestling skills but The Miz didn’t appreciate him stealing the spotlight and dropped him with the Skull Crushing Finale after their match.

The two are set to compete against each other at SummerSlam.

Paul is a huge WWE fan and praised the company during his run leading to WrestleMania, calling it a dream come true.

Rocky Johnson fathered five other children and The Rock is their half brother

By
Colin Vassallo
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Sports Illustrated has a major story on how five complete strangers were fathered by Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and now the details of how they each found each other have been published and all of a sudden, The Rock has two half sisters and three half brothers. The story was written by Greg Oliver.

All of the kids were born out of wedlock as Johnson toured the territories. These five individuals are Paula Parsons, 58, Trevor Edwards, 55, Lisa Purves, 53, Adrian Bowles, 52, and Aaron Fowler, 52.

DNA testing confirmed that all five are of Rocky Johnson, who passed away in 2020. Their incredible story is being shared because they want one thing: recognition.

“We sat on the back burner forever. [Rocky] was our dad just as well as Dwayne’s,” Paula said.

The five half siblings don’t blame their other half brother, Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for anything.

“Dwayne has nothing to do with the decisions that his dad made,” Adrian said. “He doesn’t even know who we are.”

Lisa added, “Dwayne doesn’t owe us anything.”

You can read the incredible story at SI.COM.

Alan Angels explains departure from AEW

By
Colin Vassallo
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Alan Angels, the former Dark Order member who also went by the number 5, wrote on Twitter that as of today, he is a free agent and no longer part of All Elite Wrestling.

Angels said that he’s nothing but grateful for the two years he spent at AEW and he loves the company, calling it the best place ever to work.

“I got to wrestle some of the best wrestlers in the world on a weekly basis, as well as travel to some of the most amazing cities and meet some of the best fans in the world,” Angels said, adding that there are no hard feelings between himself and AEW President Tony Khan.

Noting that he would have loved to stay, he is still extremely excited about his future in the industry, adding that he’s only 24 and his career is just beginning.

“Now I get to show everyone how good I really am. I’m going to grind harder than I ever have before. I’m going to make as many towns as I can, meet as many fans as I can and wrestle as much as I can until I am considered one of the best going today,” Angels said.

He thanked the fans for their support and kind words and hoped that they will continue to follow his journey.

Paige VanZant to fight at BKFC London event in August

By
Colin Vassallo
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AEW star Paige VanZant has been added to the line-up for the upcoming Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship London event taking place at the OVO Wembley Arena on Saturday, August 20.

The news was confirmed by BKFC President and CEO David Feldman during his visit to London this week. On Tuesday he chaired a kick-off press conference to officially launch the London event, BKFC’s first-ever venture to Europe.

“Paige VanZant will be the feature bout of the evening on this card. Paige VanZant will be having her third trip into the squared circle at Wembley Arena,” Feldman revealed.

It will be VanZant’s first time competing in the UK. News of her opponent for the August 20 London bout will be announced in the near future. VanZant is also expected to visit London in the coming weeks to host a press lunch with UK media.

NXT rating for 06/28/2022

By
Colin Vassallo
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NXT, returning live this week, drew just 570,000 viewers, down 67,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The big drop was also registered in the 18-49 demo where NXT pulled a 0.11, down 0.07 from the prior week and the lowest since May 10. NXT placed #42 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

“Royal” Rampage to determine new #1 contender for AEW title

By
Colin Vassallo
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Friday’s Rampage will feature a battle royal spread over two rings where the winner will receive a title shot against Jon Moxley.

The 20-men competing will be Brody King, Dante Martin, Darby Allin, Dustin Rhodes, Frankie Kazarian, Hangman Page, John Silver, Keith Lee, Konosuke Takeshita, Matt Hardy, Max Caster, Orange Cassidy, Penta Oscuro, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Rush, The Blade, The Butcher, Tony Nese, and Swerve Strickland.

The show is being called Royal Rampage and since it was taped following Dynamite, AEW will be making use of the two rings which were already set up for Blood & Guts.

Santana injured in Blood & Guts match

By
Colin Vassallo
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Santana was injured during the Blood & Guts match on Dynamite and barely featured during the bout.

When it was his time to enter the cage, he quickly hit a uranage on Daniel Garcia but landed badly, twisting his knee. He immediately moved to the side as ringside personnel checked on him.

While he spent the majority of the match just down to the side, he was eventually helped out of the cage and taken to the back for further assessment.

The Blackpool Combat Club team won the Blood & Guts match after Claudio Castagnoli made Matt Menard submit to the Sharpshooter while Eddie Kingston had Jericho stretched at the same time, also looking for the submission.

The BCC, minus Santana, then all posed at the top of the cage following their bloody win.

MMA fighter Valerie Loureda signs with WWE

By
Colin Vassallo
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Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour reported today that WWE has signed Valerie Loureda to a WWE deal, becoming the first Cuban-American woman signed with the promotion.

The 23-year-old Loureda will begin her WWE journey on July 19 despite remaining under contract with Bellator. The MMA fighter, who has a record of 4-1, will be working full-time with WWE but Bellator’s Scott Coker said that they eventually look forward to welcome her back in the cage when she decides to return.

Posing for photos with a Money In The Bank briefcase in the middle of a road, Loureda wrote, “I am honored to become the first Cuban American woman in history to sign with the WWE. I come from a family of immigrants, now it’s my time to represent our Latin culture, I was destined for this. Thank you for this opportunity @WWE @WWENXT
I will make you proud. AZUCAR! #305”

Triple H added, “An incredibly driven young woman working hard in sport and business to make a name for herself and her family. Cannot wait to have Valerie start training at the @WWEPC and make her impact in @WWENXT! Welcome to @WWE!”

Loureda is somewhat of a social media sensation and has nearly a million followers on Instagram despite still being fairly new to the sport of MMA.

Blood & Guts headlines Dynamite tonight

By
Colin Vassallo
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Tonight’s Dynamite is all about one match: Blood & Guts. AEW’s version of WWE’s WarGames, Blood & Guts will feature two rings enclosed in a covered cage with 12 AEW stars competing in a six-on-six match.

The rules of Blood & Guts will have one member from each team starting the match for five minutes. After the first five minutes are over, a new entrant will join the match, giving one team the advantage for two minutes. Every two minutes, another entrant joins the match. The match officially begins after all men have entered the cage and the winner will be determined by making any opponent submit or surrender.

The participants in this year’s Blood & Guts will have Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker versus interim AEW World champion Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Santana, and Ortiz.

The other matches announced so far are The Butcher and The Blade vs Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy vs Ethan Page, and Jade Cargill vs Leila Gray. An appearance from Christian Cage is also set.

Pat McAfee says The Rock gave his blessings for the “millions” line

By
Colin Vassallo
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During The Pat McAfee show yesterday, the Smackdown commentator said that he got The Rock’s permission to use his “millions…and millions” line last week during the show to challenge Baron Corbin for a match at SummerSlam.

“In the wrestling world, when you say somebody else’s catchphrase, it’s kind of…you know…a thing,” McAfee said. “Also, don’t want to go too in the weeds here but did get permission beforehand from Dwayne Johnson to be able to say it.”

McAfee said he’s very, very, very grateful and thankful for The Rock to give him the okay to do it.

Johnson himself enjoyed McAfee’s interaction with the crowd last week and even tweeted about it.

“In front of the MILLIONS…. AAAAAND MILLIONS…. That’s good shit brother! Great promo, enjoyed watching this,” The Rock said, adding the hashtag #ISmellIt.

AEW and Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation co-title sponsors of KultureBall 2022

By
Colin Vassallo
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All Elite Wrestling and the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation have announced that they will become the co-title sponsors of this year’s KultureBall, one of the world’s most prestigious invisible disability inclusion charity galas.

Taking place on Saturday, August 27 in Birmingham, Alabama, the gala will be titled “AEW/Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation KultureBall 2022.”

KultureCity, the nation’s leading nonprofit for sensory inclusion and acceptance of those with sensory needs and invisible disabilities, has held the annual KultureBall as its premier charity event since 2014. KultureBall is a night of celebration to promote accessibility, acceptance and inclusion for those with sensory disabilities. In addition, at this year’s event, KultureCity will also honor outstanding individuals and organizations for their work and advocacy in the disability community with the “KultureCity Human Highlight Awards.”

“We’re proud to have AEW and the Jacksonville Jaguars as our co-title sponsors of KultureBall, and to deepen our relationship with both of these amazing companies even further,” said Uma Srivastava, executive director of KultureCity. “With KultureCity continuing to push the boundaries of sensory inclusion, and the numbers of those with sensory needs and invisible disabilities growing every day, this event takes on even greater importance and wider exposure to companies and guests worldwide.”

“On behalf of the Jaguars and AEW, it’s an honor to support KultureBall and the example it sets for live events across the nation and the around the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO of AEW and Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with KultureCity and ensuring that our events are sensory inclusive, accepting and inclusive for all.”

Alan “5” Angels of The Dark Order departs AEW

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Alan Angels, Dark Order member #5, has departed All Elite Wrestling after his contract expired.

The 24-year-old Georgia native confirmed the news himself, writing on Twitter, “Excited for what’s next.”

Angels made his AEW debut in April 2020 and joined The Dark Order in June of the same year. His last match will air soon on AEW Dark against Daniel Garcia.

He is the second member of The Dark Order to depart AEW – and the faction – following Stu Grayson.

Liv Morgan donating Cameo proceeds to The National Network of Abortion Funds

By
Colin Vassallo
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WWE Superstar Liv Morgan announced that for the month of July, she will be doing 100 Cameos with proceeds going towards The National Network of Abortion Funds.

“Please consider booking a cameo from me so we can ensure every woman around the world has a choice,” Morgan said in a tweet. Morgan, and the majority of the women in the industry who spoke publicly about the issue, were all against the overturning of Roe vs Wade.

The Cameos from Liv don’t come cheap though and each of them are going for $555. Morgan will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the cause. If she manages to sell all of them, Morgan will be donating a sum of $55,500.

WWE Hall of Famer Glenn “Kane” Jacobs came out in favor of the decision by the United States Supreme Court and was the target of many angry tweets. Former WWE CEO and President Linda McMahon also applauded the reversal, saying it was a historic day.

“After decades of fighting for innocent lives, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, the decision of abortion will be returned to the states, where our pro-life fight will continue,” Linda tweeted.

Domestic violence case against Jake Atlas dropped

By
Colin Vassallo
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TMZ.COM is reporting that Jake Atlas is a free man after officials declined to prosecute him after police charged him with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. As a result of this, his case has been dropped.

“From the investigation which has been made, it is the opinion of the writer that this case is not suitable for prosecution,” court records show. A hearing was set for Tuesday, which is now obviously canceled.

Atlas was arrested on May 23 when police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at nearly 1AM. The incident happened the night before when Atlas was out drinking with friends and needed a lift back so he called his partner. According to the police report, after his partner arrived, Atlas wanted him to remain there drinking and then go home with another friend for more fun. An argument then erupted after Atlas was upset that his partner was showing more attention to their friend, rather than him, and became physically aggressive and attacked him. Atlas was arrested inside the apartment he shared with his partner after multiple attempts at trying to make him leave.

It was reported earlier this week that Atlas, who’s currently out recovering from a torn ACL, is not expected to return to AEW. He had two matches before sustaining the injury in a match against Adam Cole.

Raw rating for 06/27/2022

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Monday Night Raw, with the return of John Cena wasn’t a much bigger ratings success than last week, drawing an average of 1,951,000, down 35,000 viewers from the prior show.

Raw started with 2,016,000 viewers and then decreased to 2,005,000 viewers in the second hour before dropping to 1,832,000 viewers in the third and final hour. Raw had no other sports competition going against it.

Despite the disappointing number, Raw still topped both network and cable television in the 18-49 demo, doing a 0.56, 0.55, and 0.50 respectively for an average of 0.54, the same number as last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

Dana Brooke recovering from car accident

By
Colin Vassallo
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Current WWE 24/7 champion Dana Brooke revealed on Twitter that she missed yesterday’s Raw due to being involved in a bad car accident.

Brooke said the accident happened last week but offered no details on what happened apart from saying she is now doing good and will be back in no time.

“Much love to the #wweuniverse for the support & love, standing up for me,” she wrote. “I really appreciate the love & couldn’t ask for better fan support.”

Brooke has been getting a bit of a push lately on WWE television and she also has a win against Becky Lynch under her belt, even though it did involve some assist from Asuka.

Rampage rating for 06/24/2022

By
Colin Vassallo
-

Rampage on Friday did 422,000 viewers for the Forbidden Door go-home episode, up 53,000 viewers from last week’s show. Rampage did a 0.12 in the 18-49 demo, the same as last week and placed #26 in the top 50 cable chart. The Forbidden Door countdown show did 212,000 viewers following Rampage and a 0.05 in 18-49, placing #101. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)

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