Nash Carter, one half of the NXT Tag Team champions MSK, has been released from WWE after his wife Kimber Lee accused him of domestic violence. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful broke the news of Carter’s dismissal.
Lee posted a tweet addressing it to the NXT Twitter account with photos of her face, saying that even though she forgave him at the time, this was all his doing after Carter got drunk and she cannot hide it anymore.
“Hey @WWENXT this is my face after your tag champ @NashCarterWWE got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open,” she wrote. “He told me I’m a wrestler so I’m always marked up. I’ve hid this for a year and even forgave him. But I can’t hide it anymore.”
Lee also posted a photo of Carter dressed up as Adolf Hitler giving the Nazi salute.
“Just another look into the kind of person @NashCarterWWE is….@WWENXT @wwe I’ve hid so much for so long because I was so mentally abused. Not to mention the countless anti LGBTQIA+ statements him and his family make…..”
The 27-year-old signed with WWE in 2020 after a stint with Impact Wrestling as part of The Rascalz. He was joined by his tag partner Wes Lee and were named as MSK. The two won the Dusty Classic and are two-time NXT Tag Team champions. They won their second title this past weekend at Stand & Deliver.
MSK were part of the NXT television show last night on USA Network as well.
Move over, Stone Cold, because Bexar County, Texas proclaimed March 16 Thunder Rosa Day in commemoration of Rosa winning the AEW Women’s title on the March 16 episode of Dynamite in San Antonio.
“Today Bexar county proclaimed 3:16 as Thunder Rosa Day! Making history one city at a time! Never stop believing and working hard,” Rosa wrote in a tweet which also included pictures from the commemoration.
Rosa managed to dethrone Dr. Britt Baker last month after having failed to get the title on the Revolution pay-per-view a few weeks earlier.
Appearing on The Bump, Cody Rhodes said that his promo on Monday Night Raw was not scripted and WWE gave him a live mic to tell the story he wanted and needed to tell.
Saying that every word came from the heart, he mentioned that maybe it sets a good precedent for the future when it comes to promos. “I know what I’m doing with a mic and I don’t need to be told,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said that he has the WWWF title that was shown in the Dusty photo on Raw and last week he said that it was actually Dan Lambert from American Top Team who owned it and handed it over to him for free because he felt that it should be with the Rhodes family.
On the reaction he received at WrestleMania and Raw, Cody said he was surprised that it was all cheers and no boos and was ready for a more “polarizing” reaction from the crowd.
“I’m an outsider, I broke the throne, I helped create an alternative promotion and I caused an incredible amount of disturbance in this world and it wasn’t a negative return, it was a positive,” Cody said, adding that he loved everything about AEW but it was time for him to move forward with his career.
He mentioned that this weekend was a vindication to show up as him, the character he created after he left WWE. “It felt like a triumphant return,” he said.
Speaking on his own podcast, Logan Paul discussed his time at WrestleMania and said he hopes he ends up more involved with WWE, especially in the creative-side of the things.
“I believe part of my value is bridging the gap between the mainstream and WWE world. If I do end up getting more involved, I would love to bridge that gap with creativity,” Paul said. “I think there’s a way to make some sort of mainstream cultural phenomenon with WWE.”
He also revealed that he did not practice most of the moves he busted out at WrestleMania in his tag match with The Miz against The Mysterios, arguing that the ring surface is hard and decided not to try them to avoid injury.
Paul also hit the headlines for walking out at AT&T Stadium for his match wearing a Pokemon trading card as a necklace…a Pikachu Illustrator valued at a whopping $5,275,000. He has the only one, out of 38 in existence, which is rated a perfect 10 by the Professional Sports Authenticator grading service.
NXT ended with a twist last night as after Bron Breakker successfully defended his NXT title against Gunther, a surprise was waiting for him.
His father and newly-minted Hall of Famer Rick Steiner appeared on the big screen, congratulating him on the victory…but as the camera panned out, it was revealed that Steiner was kidnapped by Joe Gacy and Harland and was inside a cage.
Gacy said that they were about to find out if they can teach an old dog some new tricks as the Dogfaced Gremlin stood motionless in the background.
Wrestlers and other athletes train hard to keep their bodies in great shape. So when news breaks out that one of them has developed a disease, it can be quite shocking.
One disease that affects anyone, regardless of their status and occupation, is Alzheimer’s. It is a heartbreaking disease that slowly deteriorates all aspects of cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, many wrestlers have developed and even passed away from this disease over the past few decades. Read on to learn more about Alzheimer’s as well as which wrestlers have been affected by it.
What Is Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that progressively worsens memory and cognitive functioning as time goes on. It begins with mild memory loss but can become severe enough that the person cannot care for themselves. It affects all aspects of brain functioning, including thought, memory, and language. Therefore, people with Alzheimer’s slowly lose the ability to converse, remember anything, or keep their thoughts straight. Severe cases forget who their loved ones are as well as themselves.
Alzheimer’s affects millions of people around the globe and yet cannot be cured. Researchers aren’t sure of the exact cause but have identified many risk factors. Some of them include:
Age
Genetics
Cardiovascular disease
Unhealthy lifestyle
Head injuries
Considering head injuries are a risk factor, it should not be surprising that a few wrestlers have developed Alzheimer’s over the years. The best way to prevent Alzheimer’s is to keep your brain healthy without any traumas or injuries. This can be difficult for anyone competing in pro wrestling, as injuries are part of the job.
If you want to learn more about Alzheimer’s, you can find more information and resources at the link below:
Now, let’s move on to learn more about those athletes who developed this unfortunate disease.
Famous Wrestlers With Alzheimer’s
It’s always saddening to hear that someone we know has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. But it can be even more shocking when someone at the peak of physical health develops it. That’s why whenever a wrestler gets this diagnosis, it sends shockwaves throughout the whole industry. Below are a few wrestlers who tragically developed Alzheimer’s disease.
Jim Niedhart
In 2018, Jim Niedhart, also known as “The Anvil,” passed away at the age of 63. He was living with a few different conditions at the time of his death, including early-onset Alzheimer’s. It was later revealed that he passed away due to a tragic fall that was caused by a seizure.
Neidhart had a long career that started in the late 1970s. He trained with Stu Hart and performed for the WCW, WWF, and WWE. His untimely death was quite a shock to the industry.
Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne was a well-known wrestler and promoter who kickstarted the careers of many famous wrestlers, including Ric Flair. He had the advantage of training in the Marines and later formed the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in 1960. He left such a significant mark on wrestling that he was inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2004) and the WWE Hall of Fame (2006).
Gagne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in his late age and passed away from it at the age of 89 in 2015.
Vampiro
In 2019, Vampiro revealed to his fans through social media that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He also revealed later that he was battling Parkinson’s as well, a similar neurologic disorder that affects motion. Though both these diseases typically develop later in life, Vampiro was only 51 when he received his diagnosis.
Vampiro debuted in 1984 and made a name for himself by competing in the WCW, where he won the World Tag Team Championship with The Great Muta. He is currently semi-retired, as he is working on his mental health and hoping to combat these diseases.
Final Thoughts
Alzheimer’s is a heartbreaking disease that no one is immune to. Even healthy athletes with fame and money cannot prevent or cure this disease. Unfortunately, due to the injuries and head trauma sustained, wrestlers may be more prone to Alzheimer’s and dementia in general than the general public. Hopefully, this disease will be curable in the near future, so we don’t have to lose any more wrestlers or loved ones to it.
The Raw after WrestleMania on USA Network last night drew a total of 2,101,000 viewers, up 125,000 viewers from the previous week. This was the most-watched episode of Monday Night Raw since the Legends Raw show 15 months ago on January 4, 2021.
The first hour of Raw drew big with 2,318,000 viewers tuning in, followed by 2,114,000 viewers in the second hour, and down to 1,871,000 viewers in the third hour. Raw suffered a whopping 447,000 drop from the first to the third hour.
Raw faced stiff competition in the form of the NCAA final on TBS, TNT, and TruTV, which together drew 17 million viewers and a huge 4.72 rating in 18-49 combined.
In the 18-49 demo, Raw was #6, #7, and #8 with 0.68, 0.63, and 0.58 respectively for an average of 0.63. It was the best number in the demo since August 23, 2021. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Impact Wrestling star Kimber Lee accused her husband and current NXT Tag Team champion Nash Carter of domestic violence, uploading photos on social media a few days after MSK made headlines again by winning the titles again at Stand & Deliver.
“Hey @WWENXT this is my face after your tag champ @NashCarterWWE got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open,” she wrote. “He told me I’m a wrestler so I’m always marked up. I’ve hid this for a year and even forgave him. But I can’t hide it anymore.”
In another post, Lee said sorry she backed out before but her husband was telling her “lies all weekend” to get her not to say anything.
Carter has not publicly addressed the accusations yet and not even WWE at this point.
Hey @WWENXT this is my face after your tag champ @NashCarterWWE got wasted and hit me so hard he split my lip open. He told me I’m a wrestler so I’m always marked up. I’ve hid this for a year and even forgave him. But I can’t hide it anymore. pic.twitter.com/qdYjcneAwC
Impact Wrestling last week drew 149,000 viewers, up 49,000 viewers from the previous week. The show did a 0.04 in the 18-49 demo, up 0.02 from the last show as well. The show placed #112 in the top 150 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Jerry “The King” Lawler is returning to commentary for Monday Night Raw as he temporarily replaces Corey Graves due to his wedding.
The Hall of Famer revealed the news on Raw Talk and said he’s excited to be back even if it is just for a few weeks.
“I am looking forward to it. I’m going to be back behind the announcer’s table there on Monday Night RAW because that idiot Corey Graves is getting married,” Lawler joked.
Graves and Carmella are getting married this week and they will be on their honeymoon after the wedding, which explains their absence from television.
Lawler will be doing play-by-play from next week’s show.
A clean-shaven Elias made his return to Monday Night Raw last night in a funny segment with Kevin Owens where he claimed to be Ezekiel, Elias’ younger brother.
He came out halfway through Kevin Owens’ promo and after some confusion, Owens recognized his former partner in crime. “Elias? Is that you?” said Owens to laughter from fans.
But Elias said he wasn’t, instead, he was Ezekiel, Elias’ younger brother. Fans chanted “Yes you are” and Owens told him that he hates liars. Owens then said that he has 10 seconds to exit the ring and started the countdown, with fans chanting “What?” after every number. When he hit 1, Owens simply walked away instead.
Elias hasn’t been seen on WWE television since July 2021. A vignette of him destroying his guitar – and his gimmick – aired in August but that was the last time we heard from him.
Arena: American Airlines Arena
City: Dallas, Texas
Raw opens with a recap of WrestleMania weekend.
Cody Rhodes is out first; Cody talked a lot about his father Dusty Rhodes. He talked about winning the world title to put it in his dad’s hands. He says he cannot physically put it in his dad’s hands, but he can certainly put it around the American Nightmare’s waist. He said he is going to do it for his family and for his father the American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
Seth Rollins music hits and Seth comes out. After he gets done dancing around, he stares at Cody, Cody drops the microphone and holds out his hand for a handshake. They then shake hands and Seth says “Welcome home,” and leaves the ring as Cody’s music plays.
Naomi & Sasha Banks VS. Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan
Ripley tags in and they double team Banks for the 2 count, Liv tags back in they go for another double team maneuver but Liv falls helplessly to the canvass. Naomi in and throws Ripley out of the ring, then goes back out, Sasha up with the tag, Naomi lifts Liv up and they hit their double front face breaker move and get the win.
Winners: The Women’s Tag Team Champions Naomi & Sasha Banks
After the match, Ripley looked disgusted and looks at Liv and just walks to the back with Liv in the ring on her knees. KO’s music then hits as the two are walking up the ramp.
Kevin Owens out and says he wanted to trick Austin into his first match in 19 years, but he ended up tricking himself because he went into the match with a bad back injury. He claims he put his health and safety at risk. He is interrupted by music and out comes Ezekiel (a freshly shaved Elias). Owens says, “Elias is that you?” Ezekiel says he is not Elias. Crowd chants “Yes you are.” He says he is Elias’ younger brother. Ezekiel is wearing Pink and White tights, and knee pads. Owens says he hates liars. And Ezekiel reminded him that he must hate himself then. Owens says he has 10 seconds to get out of his ring or else Owens counts down from 10 to 1 then jumps out of the ring and walks to the back.
Dominik Mysterio VS. The Miz
Quick match with The Miz hitting the skull crushing finale’ for the win.
Winner: The Miz
After the match Veer Mahaan comes to the ring. The Miz rolls out of the ring and runs for his life. Veer knocks down Dominik then Rey tried to fight back against Mahaan only to be knocked down as well. Mahaan puts him in his camel clutch type move and Dominik was tapping until the refs finally came in to break it up.
The New Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair is out next and talks about how Becky tried everything she could to keep the title, but she (Belair) took everything she had and knows she is ready to take on any ladies in the back. She not only knows now how hard it is to win the title, but also knows that it can be taken just as quickly. She thanked the fans for all the support and says she is going to be better now.
Dolph Ziggler VS. Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship
Right after Ziggler is introduced prior to the bell, he walks over and slaps Breakker right in the face, but Breakker stayed calm and went right after Ziggler when the bell rang. The end saw Ziggler hit the superkick but only got a 2 count, As Ziggler was waiting to hit Breakker with a second superkick, Breakker speared Ziggler, then picked Ziggler up into his powerslam for the win.
Winner: And New NXT Champion Bron Breakker
MVP is in the ring and says they say action speak louder than words and says he is there to announce a man whose actions spoke volumes over words and introduces Bobby Lashley.
Lashley comes out, he says he couldn’t resist Omos’ challenge for WrestleMania. He says Omos was the strongest man he has ever been in the ring with. Omos comes out, Omos says he wants a rematch that it was a fluke. As Omos and Lashley have a stare down, MVP hits Lashley in the back and knocks him into Omos. MVP kept yelling you didn’t need me. As Omos beats Lashley down and held Lashley for MVP to slap and Omos continued to beat down Lashley. After which MVP raises Omos’ arm and shakes his hand.
Rhea Ripley is shown in the back, as Liv Morgan walks up to her and ask her where she has been, and Ripley said she was talking to Adam Pearce and convinced him to give her and Liv a tag team title match for next week.
Carmella & Queen Zelina VS. Natalya & Shayna Baszler
Prior to the match Zelina argues with Carmella and says Cory Graves is handsome but a fool for marrying her. Zelina attacks Carmella after Carmella says she thought Zelina would be in her wedding as a bridesmaid but now if she wants to come, she will have to be the flower girl. Carmella runs out and jumps on Graves as Zelina rakes at Carmella’s face. After Carmella says she is ok her and Cory share a passionate kiss.
They then show what happened at WrestleMania with Pat McAfee and Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin came out and handed stunners to everyone.
They show Austin Theory in the back and is approached by the Usos. The Usos say he should be embarrassed for getting beat by Stone Cold Steve Austin and a former NFL punter. Theory says Balor is going to feel his wrath tonight because Mr. McMahon doesn’t make mistakes.
RK-Bro & Finn Balor VS. The Usos & Austin Theory
Orton tags out to Balor who misses the coup de grace, RKOs, superkicks, take out RK Bro and The Usos, Theory grabs Balor and hits his finisher for the win.
Winners: Austin Theory & The Usos
Next out is Edge, who brings out Damian Priest. He says he felt he was talking straight to him, and he is pledging his loyalty to Edge. A.J. Styles comes out, but Edge and Priest get the best of Styles and lays him out in the ring.
The Street Profits VS. Alpha Academy
Lots of action here with the end seeing Gable set up a table in the ring and as he was going to suplex Ford, Ford pushed him off and then was quickly hit by Angelo Dawkins with Gable falling on the table and Ford hits the Frog Splash on Gable on the table for the win.
Winners: The Street Profits
Recap of Reigns/Lesnar Match from Wrestlemania is shown
Roman Reigns comes out with Paul Heyman and The Usos, with both championships, Heyman listed the accomplishments of the Bloodline, then Roman talks and asks for Acknowledgement as the show ends.
This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.
Though anger makes for a great show, it can have negative consequences. For example, having too much rage can make it difficult to focus on the match and cause you to lose. Furthermore, you don’t want to take out your anger on innocent bystanders, such as your fans, coach, or family. Finally, persistent anger problems that are not managed or treated can negatively alter your overall mental health and personality.
So although anger may seem like a necessity in wrestling, the truth is that unbridled anger can be quite harmful. Here are a few tips for managing your anger so it does take control of you.
Practice Skills That Can Keep You Calm And Focused
There is a lot of energy surrounding a wrestling match. Many people will use the rage they feel to irritate you and get you riled up. But as mentioned before, unbridled rage can actually hurt your wrestling performance rather than help it.
This is why anger management should become a lifestyle, not just a habit. Develop skills and behaviors that will prevent you from getting riled up and keep your mind calm. This will prevent you from becoming unnecessarily angry right before a match starts. After all, most wrestlers win their matches because they were able to stay calm and focused, not because they had uncontrollable rage.
To encourage calm, try some exercises such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, and meditation. If you find that anger is taking over your life, you can find more strategies by going to anger management programs or trying therapy.
Use Anger To Your Advantage
However, it is important to understand that you shouldn’t just stifle or repress your anger. As a wrestler, you are thrown many obstacles and challenges that will understandably irritate you. Therefore, you should find ways to use your anger to your advantage.
Don’t use your anger to focus on how much you dislike your opponent. Instead, use your anger to power up your moves and take them down. This extra energy may give you a needed boost to win your match, but only when used mindfully and wisely.
This is called sublimation. It is the act of using harmful or intense emotions in socially acceptable behaviors. Using your anger wisely in matches is a way to channel your anger toward your opponent without losing focus. Just make sure not to let your anger take over you. Without control, you may seriously hurt yourself, your opponent, or do something that will get you disqualified.
Don’t Hold A Grudge
Though having rivalries makes for great television, it hinders your ability to reduce and manage your anger. Therefore, no matter your history with an opponent, refrain from holding a grudge. This can encourage you to hold onto toxic anger, which can harm your health and well-being. Your opponent is just doing the same job as you, so try not to take it too personally.
Take Time To Cool Off
After a match, you should take some time to process the experience and cool off. Whether you won or lost, holding onto that anger is unhealthy and can affect the loved ones around you. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and reset your mind to avoid bringing your anger to the rest of your day.
Avoid Displacing Your Anger
Anger displacement is one of the most toxic ways to manage this emotion. Displacing is the act of redirecting your anger onto a recipient that is innocent or perceived as weaker. Unfortunately, many people displace their anger and potentially harm their loved ones as a result.
This is common for those who can’t control their rage after losing a match. Instead of dealing with their anger appropriately, they may take it out on their coaches or loved ones. This can cause rifts within their team and may ruin essential relationships.
**If you or someone you know has experienced anger that has turned to domestic violence or abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799.SAFE (7233) for help and resources.**
Bottom Line
Anger is a common emotion in the wrestling world. And though anger can be useful during a match, it is important that you manage it. Unmanaged anger can lead to health problems, mental health conditions, and ruined relationships. Hopefully, this article gave you a few tips to help manage your anger so you can stay focused during the next match.
Bron Breakker regained the NXT title on Monday Night Raw after beating Dolph Ziggler, just two days after he lost the main event match against Ziggler at NXT Stand & Deliver.
This was the first time that the NXT title was defended on Raw and Breakker won with his military press slam finishing move, ending Ziggler’s 27-day reign.
This is Breakker’s second run with the title after the first one was cut short at 63 days when Ziggler beat him and Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match at the Roadblock event in March. He originally won it from Tommaso Ciampa at the New Year’s Evil show on USA Network on January 4.
There were some rumors that Breakker will be called up to the main roster soon but getting the title again seems like he will be stick around in NXT for the foreseeable future.
Cody Rhodes delivered a passionate speech after Raw went off the air following a dark match against Kevin Owens. The majority of the crowd stayed put for the match and Rhodes made sure that everyone went home happy.
Cody asked fans to make some noise if they did the whole Mania weekend and a large chant of “travel package” erupted, which prompted Rhodes to ask those who did the travel package to make some noise too.
“This is absolutely surreal, for me I did not know I’ll be back in this spot nor that I knew that the night after WrestleMania it would be my honor and my privilege to send you guys home happy,” Cody said.
Fans erupted in “Thank you Cody” chants and Cody said that while he appreciated the gratitude, fans should never have to thank him, but rather he has to thank them for letting him back into their house. Cody said that regardless of what people think of him, he loves pro wrestling and pro wrestling fans with all his heart.
“The guy who thought me about interviews, he always said ‘have a big finish.’ And sometimes I ramble because I can’t think of a finish, but, this is very surreal for me and I’m gonna tell you why,” Cody said.
He then introduced his cousin who actually works for WWE and is part of the ringside crew. “This is my cousin. This is the godson of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. He’s my family and every single one of you are my family and I will follow you till the end,” Cody continued.
He then said that he’s going to stick around and do the rounds at ringside until security kicks him out of there. “I love you very much, drive safe, good night, and go home baby!”
WWE caps off a highly-successful week in Dallas with the Raw After Mania live tonight from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The new undisputed champion Roman Reigns will be in the house for Dallas to acknowledge him after he finally beat Lesnar at a WrestleMania. Who will step up to be Reigns’ first opponent?
Also, Cody Rhodes will be appearing on Monday Night Raw for the first time in six years and the former AEW TNT champion will be getting a live mic. Rhodes has claimed that he will make his intentions clear tonight on Raw.
And after months and months of vignettes, Veer will finally arrive on Raw.
No matches have been announced for tonight’s show yet.
As time goes by, more and more wrestlers are moving away from the likes of the WWE into the more aggressive and potentially dangerous UFC in a bid to show the world how much of an amazing fighter they really are.
This isn’t a recent phenomenon. Those moving away from the world of wrestling into other sectors of fighting technically started the shift in 1974, when pro wrestler Antonio Inoki took on the great Muhammad Ali in a bout billed as The War of the Worlds.
So, who has joined Antonio in the move since then? Quite a few wrestlers, in fact! Today we’ll be looking at some of the most significant of those to make the switch. You’ll definitely recognize a name or two from this list.
If you watched wrestling back in the day but have moved on to the UFC since then, there’s a good chance that you’ll be a fan of some of the people in this list. If that’s the case, why not back with them a bet or two? Just make sure you check out this guide to UFC betting before you do that.
Dan Severn
Let’s start at the beginning. The first wrestler to ever move to the UFC was Dan Severn. This happened all the way back in 1994 and at the time, people didn’t really know what to make of it.
Dan did, in fact, become somewhat of a pioneer as he paved the way for many other wrestlers to move over. He’s a legend of the game! And he still actually wrestles to this day.
Severn is an exemplary fighter. Having started his wrestling career at the beginning of the 1990s, he has never given up and his career has now spanned an impressive 31 years.
He has dipped in and out of the UFC. Having joined the sport in 1994, he cut ties with it in 2013 but then rejoined in 2016 and continues to fight there to this day. Amazingly, Dan Severn is the only Triple Crown UFC champion. What a man!
Brock Lesnar
Here’s a household wrestling name that everyone knows. The legendary Brock Lesnar has been big in the game for many years and shows no signs of giving up any time soon, despite being 44 years of age.
We remember his first few years in the WWE, after he first signed there in 2000. He fought there for seven years before deciding in 2007 that he needed a change of scenery.
At that point, Brock made the switch to the UFC and tore it up there as well. He became the UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2008 but unfortunately had to retire from there and moved back to wrestling in 2011, due to health complications.
Moving to the UFC wasn’t the only expedition away from the WWE that Brock ever took. Funnily enough, he fancied himself as a football player in 2004 and decided to try out with the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, as he was cut before the season started.
Brock, however, hasn’t given up on the WWE. He’s currently the champion and was recently advertised for Raw. Keep it up, Brock Lesnar!
Kazushi Sakuraba
Here’s a man with a very extensive record in both wrestling and the UFC. In fact, a lot of people consider Kazushi to be one of the best Japanese fighters of all time, and we’d be inclined to agree with them.
Let’s take a look at his illustrious career. Kazushi entered professional wrestling and the UFC in the same year, 1993. While he has continued in the UFC since then, to this day he has had an on-off relationship with wrestling to some extent.
Kazushi quit for a year in 1996, and then in 1998 gave up wrestling all the way through till 2012, when he was welcomed back into the sport with open arms.
A lot of people have called Kazushi the “Gracie Hunter”, after he defeated four members of the Gracie family throughout his career – a record that nobody else has even come close to. On top of that, he was the first Japanese champion in UFC history. That is quite the accolade.
Last thoughts on wrestlers in the UFC
These three incredible fighters are just the tip of the iceberg! There are a bunch of others who have made the move and should be recognized for their adaptability. We wonder which current wrestler will be next to make the transition.
PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE producer Pat Buck has resigned from his position in the company and is no longer working for WWE effective immediately.
Buck, who started working as a producer in 2019, is said to be concentrating on spending more time with his family. PWInsider adds that Buck produced Flair vs Rousey and Reigns vs Lesnar at WrestleMania, achieving his goals of producing two main events at the show of shows.
The 38-year-old, who owns the WrestlePro promotion, was furloughed by WWE in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 cost-cutting measures but was rehired a few months later.
The Friday Night Smackdown on the eve of WrestleMania on FOX drew 2,359,000 viewers last week, up 179,000 viewers from the previous episode. That was the most-watched episode since September 10, 2021. In the 18-49 demo, the show did a 0.61, up 0.12 from the previous week and was #1 in network TV. In the overnight numbers, Smackdown had 2,300,000 viewers in the first hour and 2,158,000 viewers in the second hour. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Rampage on TNT last Friday did 456,000 viewers, up 31,000 viewers from the previous week’s broadcast. In the 18-49 demo, Rampage did 0.15, up 0.01 from the last show and placed #18 in the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
