Former NXT Women’s champion Kairi Sane returned to the ring today at the Stardom World Climax pay-per-view in Tokyo, Japan.
Now going just by the name of Kairi, the Pirate Princess participated in a tag team match where she tagged with Mayu Iwatani and defeated Tam Nagano and Unagi Sayaka. Kairi will also take on Starlight Kid tomorrow.
The Japanese star has not wrestled since July 2020 when she left the WWE and the United States to return to her homeland. She worked as an ambassador for WWE until February of this year and then her contract ran out.
She is also a former WWE Women’s Tag Team champion with Asuka.
Triple H’s retirement came exactly 30 years after he made his professional wrestling debut on March 24, 1992. Fast forward three decades and on March 25, 2022, the man known as The Game announced that it’s game over for him.
With a combined 24 title reigns – 9x WWE champion, 5x World Heavyweight champion, 5x Intercontinental champion, 2x European champion, and 3x Tag Team champion – it’s safe to say that Triple H had one of the most successful WWE careers ever. And let’s not forget that he’s also a King of the Ring winner, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and a Hall of Famer as part of D-Generation X.
But while his in-ring career speaks for itself, Triple H remains equally important backstage at WWE. Holding the position of Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development, the King of Kings has overseen the NXT brand and the WWE Performance Center since their inception, and it’s only due to his heart failure that he took a step back from his day-to-day duties at WWE headquarters.
As expected, many fans and colleagues took to social media to thank Triple H for his work, friendship, and leadership. Below are some of the messages that were tweeted to Triple H following his announcement.
The Miz: Triple H it was an honor to have shared the ring with you. Thank you for the wealth of knowledge you have given to me over the years. Enjoy the extra time you will now have with your girls. #ThankYouTripleH
Mustafa Ali: He did a lot of things. One of the most incredible things he did is give a room full of dreamers a chance. Thank you @TripleH
Athena “Ember Moon”: Thank you for everything @TripleH!!!
Chris Jericho: Congrats to @tripleh for one of the greatest careers of all time- both IN and OUT of the ring! One of my biggest rivals….we never had a bad match. EVER! #Respect”
Carmella: Thank you @TripleH for seeing something in me. Thank you for holding me back and seeing me as a singles competitor instead of a hype girl. Without you, the trajectory of my career would have been drastically different. THANK YOU!
Matt Hardy: Thanks for doing so much for the professional wrestling industry, @TripleH. Your passionate love for the biz shines through & I’m happy I was able to experience some special moments with you. All the best, Paul.
Andrade El Idolo: Thank you for everything Sir @TripleH you will always have my respect and admiration #MyDreamMatch
Ric Flair: Just landed & wanted to finish my thoughts. After being put under in 4 different surgeries in 7 weeks, I totally understand the fear & anxiety of being put to sleep & not waking up. You’ve had one Of the greatest careers! Your legacy will live on forever! Much respect! @TripleH
Bianca Belair: I will forever cherish this moment from you! This simple gesture gave me confirmation that I was finally walking in my purpose. You changed my life.
Thank you for giving me a chance, for believing in me, & for all of your contributions inside & outside of the ring! @TripleH
William Regal: It’s been my honour.
Alexa Bliss: The man who came up with the concept of “Alexa’s playground” so talented in and out of the ring. hank you for everything @TripleH what an incredible in-ring career #ThankYouTripleH.
Rhea Ripley: From being the reason I started watching @WWE, to the reason I made it further in this business. Thank you for everything @TripleH
Mia Yim: Thank you Triple H.
Beth Phoenix: Thank you @TripleH for your guidance, friendship and the opportunities you gave me in #NXT ! Looking forward to seeing your next chapter unfold!
Miro: Thank you @TripleH for the great memories.
Mandy Rose: Thank you @TripleH
Carmelo Hayes: Thank you for everything you contributed to the game @TripleH. Living legend.
Jessika Carr: When I was 10 years old I attended my first live event and you were in the main event. You always supported me on my journey since day one in this company. Thank you @TripleH
Adam “Braun Strowman” Scherr: Thank you!!!!!
Frankie Kazarian: Congrats @TripleH on one of the greatest careers this business has ever seen. Walter would be proud. Kowalski guys rule.
Adam Cole: Thank you for everything @TripleH
NWA: The National Wrestling Alliance would like to send congratulations to Triple H for his incredible in-ring run in professional wrestling. His contributions to our sport are undeniable.
Triple H appeared on Stephen A.’s World on ESPN yesterday where he announced his retirement from in ring action due to heart failure.
Triple H said it has been an incredible tough six months to go through and after SummerSlam was done, he thought he had COVID as he was feeling really run down. He revealed that he did have COVID in the past even after getting vaccinated twice but had no symptoms back then.
He was eventually diagnosed with viral pneumonia and his lungs were inflamed. It got worse every day and went to get checked where docs realized he had fluid in his lungs.
By the time he was in the ER, he was in heart failure and was nose-diving where you don’t want to be for your family and future. He said once he did the MRI, they found that he had 99% blockage in his left anterior artery. He said it was a genetic issue with his great grandfather, grandfather, and father all having heart issues.
Triple H said Stephanie was a rock, never wavered and stayed by him all the time. He got emotional talking about his three kids and when they were putting him under, thinking is this it? Is this the one that you won’t wake up from? “It’s tough to swallow,” Triple H said. “It makes you think different about life.”
The host remarked how Triple H handled the public-side of this, staying quiet and not talking to the media about it. “It’s very surreal and certainly you don’t want to misspeak about it,” Triple H said. “You don’t want to speak about something and be wrong.”
Regarding the future, “As far as in ring, I’m done. I will never wrestle again,” Triple H said, adding that he had a defibrillator in his chest now and it won’t be fun getting zapped on live TV.
He did reveal that he had talks with Vince about doing something for WrestleMania this year and there were plans for it but obviously when this happened, those plans were gone.
Triple H said that he will not give up on his executive role in WWE and he will concentrate on identifying new talent for WWE to ensure the future of the industry is set for years to come.
“My foot’s not off the gas, I got to step back a little bit, I’m still in recovery,” he added, noting that he’s back in the office a little bit now.
It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means… it’s time for our Rampage Review!
LANCE ARCHER VS DUSTIN RHODES
Story going in: Archer crushed Rhodes when they met previously 2 years ago
According to Excalibur this was a ‘grudge match’ with ‘so much animosity’ dating back two years. So much animosity that the two have managed to avoid a confrontation for the entirety of that two years. Don’t treat your audience like idiots.
Archer came to the ring beating on one of Rhodes’ students. Speaking of things that are overdone, Rhodes was already bleeding as the match-proper started. By which point Lambert had already tried to interfere and Archer was completely in control.
Removing the turnbuckle pad to chants of ‘Let’s go Dustin’, Archer hit a splash out of the corner for an early two, shrugging off a couple of his opponent’s strikes with a big boot that pressed Dustin all the way into the mat.
Firing up as we returned from an early break, Dustin staggered the big man with a couple of clotheslines along with his classic drop-down uppercut. Easily reversing a snap powerslam into a belly-to-belly, the Murderhawk Monster regained the upper hand but missed on a splash in the corner.
Capitalising, Dustin struck and chopped before scaling Archer for ten of the best in the corner, culminating in a bulldog off the top and a Cross Rhodes for two. Reversing a suplex into one of his own, Lance hit a full-nelson slam, a chokeslam and set Rhodes up for the Blackout. Literally collapsing out of it, Dustin slumped to the floor as Archer eyed the turnbuckle he’d earlier unraveled.
Lulling Lance, Rhodes quickly introduced the big man to the ‘buckle, following up with a quick jackknife pin for the win in his hometown. Post decision, Lance destroyed the former Goldust and any who dared help the veteran, chokeslamming the vet. through a table.
Several months in there’s still no explanation of the Archer/Lambert pairing.
Even more of a mystery is the decision to have Archer lose to a 50+ year old. Remember how cool this guy was two years ago?
WINNER: DUSTIN
Jay Lethal interview. In his only two losses, Starks and Cole cheated to win. Yet they’re getting opportunities he’s not. ‘Got to be a better way.’
A popular Fuego del Sol called out the House. Doesn’t he know Black eclipses the Sun? After obliterating the skinny Texan, Malakai and co. had a staredown with the Dark Order. Later, H.O.B. vs Fuego, Uno & Grayson was announced for next Friday.
Hard to see how this helps anyone. Entertaining as he is, associating with Fuego reinforces the Order’s role as the ‘Job Squad’, while anything other than a dominating squash by the House lowers them to their opponents’ level. Wyatts/Shield this is not.
AEW Lam-page continued as we were joined by Lambert and the Men of the Year. The TNT title open challenge is now closed. ‘Sky-vinci code’ – eugh.
ALAN ‘5’ ANGELS & PRESTON ‘10’ VANCE VS reDragon
Story going in: The Dark Order became entangled in Cole & co.’s feud with Hangman
This was very rushed.
reDragon isolated Five in their corner with kicks and strikes before he broke out for the earliest hot-tag you may have ever seen. Dominating with power-moves, Ten came off the middle rope with a double shoulder block through both men as the adverts descended.
Dragging both Fish and O’Reilly, Vance tagged in Angels as we came back. The best part of the match, Angels flew around with clotheslines and a leg-lariat until the bad guys cheated, twisting 10’s mask around, the pair hit a high-low before Angels succumbed to Chasing the Dragon and was pinned by Fish.
Jurassic Express rescued the Dark Order from a continued beatdown. As they did, Adam Cole took the opportunity to snatch the tag belts, to go along with Hangman’s world title.
WINNER: reDragon
Very good Nyla Rose promo – it was her intention to disrespect Rosa on Wednesday.
NYLA ROSE VS MADI WRENKOWSKI
Story going in: Nyla attacked Thunder Rosa during her first appearance as champion, wants belt
In the same way Rick Bogner was no Scott Hall (R.I.P.), Nyla Rose is no Awesome Kong. Meaning she comes across as ‘less than.’ Then AEW managed to reduce interest even further by adding a manager with a washed-up gimmick to complete the homage to the mid-2000s.
There aren’t many uses for a monster heel once they’ve been beaten: putting over the new champ is as good as any. But man, wouldn’t it have been a good idea to begin building a contender before Rosa claimed the strap? Or at least have them appear on TV in the current year?
After receiving Jericho’s ‘sports entertainer of the week’ for Wednesday’s run-in on Rosa, Nyla dispatched Wrenkowski with a pounce, senton, Beast Bomb.
We were informed that Madi is a student of Rosa. Not only is this gimmick overdone, but if we’re simply ‘told’ this during the match, rather than being ‘shown’ it over at least a couple of weeks of buildup, it’s completely ineffective because there’s no connection between audience and character.
All in all, there’s no depth to this feud.
WINNER: NYLA
Next, it was time for the presentation: QT Marshall’s rarely gifted and much cherished Certificate of Accomplishment. Hook provided Aaron Solow with an extreme closeup of the framed certificate (perhaps he’s short-sighted?), before leaving abruptly.
No doubting Hook’s popularity here, but on this night he was second to Danhausen, who cursed him on the ramp. Hook simply continued on his way, the commentators explaining that Hook is impervious to curses. These two should be kept about as far away from each other as is possible.
Among the announcements for Wednesday: a new female will be debuting against the Bunny.
SWERVE STRICKLAND VS RICKY STARKS, FTW TITLE
Story going in: Starks & Hobbs feel threatened by the new guys
Good god these two are good. The pre-match promo was wildly entertaining. These are exactly the sort of guys AEW should be featuring: young, cool, underexposed, great on the mic and ‘oozing machismo’.
Ricky also had a new ‘entourage’ at the announce desk with a pro-Starks banner, as Taz explained: his cobbler, his barber and his nutritionist. Taz is great.
So, this wasn’t one for the weak of cardio. Starting on the mat it immediately quickened, Starks with a leapfrog-armdrag combo before pausing to pose. For the benefit of those with flash-photography. Or phones.
Not to be outdone, Strickland whipped Starks in before hitting his own leapfrog-dropkick, mocking Starks’ pose as Taz protested. Taz is great.
Punches to the face followed, along with a leaping stomp before Swerve made the mistake of crashing into the middle ‘buckle – Starks moving at the last second – as the ads arrived.
Resuming with Swerve in the grip of an abdominal stretch, Strickland fought to his feet, flipped out of a backdrop before unleashing a blur of offence capped-off with a diving elbow to the back of the head. A rolling, leaping flatliner saw a close two for the challenger.
Both grappling for control, Ricky went for the Roshambo but was sent packing to the outside, from where Swerve launched a running shooting-star off the apron to the floor. Back inside, the pair exchanged roll-up two-counts, Starks returning Swerve to the ringside mats as he kicked out.
Mid- tope, Ricky was greeted by a punch to the face from the outside when, from out of nowhere, Swerve was crushed by Will Hobbs before quickly being thrown back in where Starks capitalised with the Roshambo for the ‘W’.
Post-match, Keith Lee cut the celebrations short, eviscerating the entourage before engaging in a wild brawl with Hobbs, Starks and Swerve to the soundtrack of ‘let them fight.’
AEW’s done a good job of immediately involving Strickland and Lee in something of import. Plus, by mixing the smaller, charismatic talkers with the big boys, there’re a ton of possibilities going forward.
Should be fun.
WINNER: STARKS
Nothing special as a show but ended on a very high note with young, charismatic talent. Fantastic crowd.
GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO WATCH…
The Main Event
Random question to finish: Blood & Guts…
Jericho Appreciation Society vs Kingston, Santana, Ortiz &…
or Cole, reDragon (& Jay White?) vs the Elite (& Hangman?)
A new member of the AEW women’s division will be making her surprise debut this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
During Rampage last night, AEW President Tony Khan said that the women’s roster will be expanding by one and she will be thrown into the thick of things immediately as the mystery star will take on The Bunny in an Owen Hart Cup tournament qualifying match to be held that same day.
The Owen Hart Cup Tournament will kick off in May and two tournaments will be held, one for the men and one for the women.
Smackdown opens with a recap of what took place with Brock Lesnar and the Bloodline last week. Brock Lesnar arrives and enters Roman Reigns’ room and broke a table while waiting on Reigns to arrive.
Shinsuke Nakamura VS. Jimmy Uso
As Nakamura was getting ready to go for the Kinshasa, Jey Uso attacks Rick Boogs at ringside, distracting Nakamura who gets hit with a superkick from Jimmy Uso for only a 2 count. Jey then picks up Boogs’ guitar and went to hand it to Jimmy, but Boogs grabbed in and won the tug a war battle while throwing Jey into the ring post. Nakamura with a roundhouse kick to Jimmy Uso then the Kinshasa for the win.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Raw Rebound from Monday where Kevin Owens comes out dressed like Stone Cold Steve Austin.
They show Lesnar still waiting in Reigns’ dressing room and was sitting on the couch and tried the champagne that was for Reigns and spit it out and then threw the bottle across the room.
They advertised The Undertaker being inducted into the Hall of Fame immediately following Smackdown next week on Peacock. Then they announced the late Shad Gaspard will receive the Warrior Award.
Drew McIntyre is interviewed in the back who talks about his match with Happy Corbin at WrestleMania.
They show a video package of Happy Corbin from last year when he was down and out till now after his money winnings and now Happy.
Corbin and Madcap Moss are then showed laughing at the video package and talk about his “undefeated streak.”
Ridge Holland VS. Xavier Woods
Match was announced to be Holland VS. Kofi Kingston but it was Woods who took the match. Woods with a rollup and pin.
Winner: Xavier Woods
We are shown a video from Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns who said they are running all over the city. Reigns said Lesnar better get out of his dressing room before he gets there, or he is going to make him bleed like he did at Madison Square Gardens where they just left.
Ronda Rousey calls out Charlotte Flair and says she is going to tap her out next Saturday. Flair is shown on the video and said she is not stepping foot in that town. Flair said if she was here, she would have to throw Rousey off the Brooklyn Bridge to get any satisfaction. Rousey said she lost count how many arms she has broken since she was 10.
Brock is interviewed and Kayla asked him if he was going to leave before Roman Reigns gets here and Brock said why leave when I am having so much fun. Brock tells Kayla to go find Roman and tell him to hurry up and get here because he is running out of things to smash.
Ricochet VS. Angel
It was advertised as Ricochet VS. Humberto. The end of the match came as Ricochet went to the top rope, Humberto got on the apron and ran at Ricochet, causing Ricochet to jump down and swing at Humberto only to get rolled up by Angel for the pin.
Winner: Angel
After the match Ricochet got the microphone and said it is not going down like this and called Humberto to the ring.
Ricochet VS. Humberto
Ricochet up to the top rope and takes out Angel at ringside who rolls under the ring. As Ricochet and Humberto fight outside, the ref counted, and it was at 8 when Ricochet rolled Humberto back in the ring only to get his foot held by Angel from under the ring and got counted out.
Winner by count out: Humberto
Sami Zayn is interviewed in the back and talking about his match with Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania. And he promised Megan that he is going to punish Knoxville at WrestleMania.
As Michael Cole was talking about WrestleMania and the in-ring debut of his broadcast partner Pat McAfee, Austin Theory sneaks up to the desk and smacks McAfee’s headset off his head and runs away with McAfee giving chase. Theory runs into Mr. McMahon’s office as McAfee screams.
Sasha Banks VS. Rhea Ripley VS. Queen Zelina VS. Shayna Baszler in a fatal 4-way match
Things get out of control with all the partners of these ladies get involved and are fighting as we go to break. As we come back from break, order is restored and Banks has Zelina in the Banks Statement and Baszler rolls in and grabs Zelina’s left arm. Baszler bends Zelina’s arm, Banks traps Zelina’s right arm with her legs before letting go and grabbing Baszler and pulling her in for the double Banks Statement. Ripley dropkicks Banks who at that point has to release the hold.
Ripley takes out Baszler outside, Zelina takes out Ripley and gets back in the ring with Banks who grabs her into the Bank Statement for the win.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman arrive. Reigns tells Heyman they will be fine but Brock won’t be.
Roman Reigns makes his way to the ring. Reigns asked Heyman if Lesnar was still in his locker room and Heyman says he doesn’t know, and Reigns tells Brock that if he’s still in his locker room, he is going to come back there and put his head through the wall.
They show an empty room with broken glass and furniture but no Lesnar. Reigns says it doesn’t look like he is in his locker room so where is he? They show Lesnar with a pick breaking the glass out of Reigns Suburban then beating on it. Then Lesnar dropped the pick, and his music hits and Reigns is watching for him, but Lesnar came through the crowd and stood on the announce table.
Lesnar jumps down and grabs a chair as security comes to try and keep him from getting in the ring. As Reigns taunts Lesnar, Lesnar loses his cool and takes out all the security with the chair and as he gets in the ring. The Usos pull out Reigns as Lesnar continues to punish security with the chair.
Reigns is shown in the back and says, “Hey Brock, At Wrestlemania, you will acknowledge me as the undisputed WWE Universal Champion.” Lesnar is shown just smiling while standing on the announce table holding the chair and the WWE Championship.
The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal will be taking place on Friday Night Smackdown next week. This is the second time in a row that this match will be held on Smackdown rather than at WrestleMania.
Those advertised on the graphic scheduled to be part of the match include U.S. champion Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Robert Roode, Shelton Benjamin, Jinder Mahal, Commander Azeez, Shanky, Reggie, Akira Tozawa, Madcap Moss, Apollo Crews, R-Truth, Mansoor, Cedric Alexander, Drew Gulak, and The Viking Raiders.
WWE introduced the match in 2014 at WrestleMania XXX and was held ever since – except in 2020 during the pandemic. Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, and Jey Uso are the previous winners. The winner of this battle royal get the Andre trophy and nothing else.
The Intercontinental title will also be defended on Smackdown as it looks like it’s going to be absent from the WrestleMania card. Ricochet will defend his title against Humberto in Dallas.
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV drew 100,000 viewers, up 32,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast which was the least-watched Impact of 2022. Impact did 0.02 in the 18-49 demo, the same number as last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
During an interview on the Strong Style YouTube show, AEW President Tony Khan discussed the issue of having ROH Women’s champion Deonna Purrazzo appear on the Supercard of Honor on April 1.
Purrazzo, who is also the AAA Reina de Reinas champion, is under contract with Impact Wrestling and is booked to defend either of the two titles during the Impact Multiverse show in Dallas. The two shows are on the same day, but while the ROH show starts at 7PM local time, the other one starts at 9PM.
Khan said that he was still not ROH owner when Purrazzo won the ROH Women’s title and he could do nothing to prevent this scenario. He said that he’s currently discussing with Impact EVP Scott D’Amore to see the way forward, adding that he respects the fact that Impact has a show that night as well.
Khan added that while he doesn’t want to put Purrazzo in a tough spot and he would love to have her on the show, it might come down to her pulling double duty.
“I don’t want to put her in a tough position where she has to wrestle twice in a span of a few hours but that could happen. Scott and I are still talking,” Khan said.
Impact Wrestling will hold the Under Siege event for their Impact Plus streaming service again this year.
The event has been announced for Saturday, May 7 from the Promowest Pavilion at Ovation in Newport, Kentucky, and tickets are available now on AXS.COM starting from $25 and going up to $75 for ringside.
The company will also host television tapings the next day at the same location as they tape a few weeks worth of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV shows.
Impact held their first Under Siege show last May in an empty arena at the Skyway Studios in Nashville.
The second episode of season two of Young rock drew 2,316,000 viewers on NBC this week, down 236,000 viewers from the first episode. The show did a 0.42 in the 18-49 demo, down 0.01 from last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Conor McGregor is one of the most famous and highest-earning sports stars in the world today. The mixed martial arts fighter from Dublin in Ireland is a two-weight Ultimate Fighting Championship world champion and famously declared himself as “bigger than the UFC”. But despite having the world at his feet just a few years ago, his future remains unclear following a poor run of form and extended periods of inactivity. Fans are left wondering what’s next for Notorious, and there seems to be no definitive answer at this stage.
The top UFC betting online apps offer odds on the Irishman’s next move, and there’s an outcome for everyone, including the weird and wonderful. Fight fans can place their stakes on McGregor returning to the octagon and winning another UFC title before the end of the year. Others may prefer to gamble on him returning to boxing for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather or retiring from all sports. But there’s another option available to Conor, and that’s the one we will look closer at in this article.
Could McGregor be about to swap professional MMA for professional wrestling? Could the multi-millionaire boost his bank balance further by moving from the UFC to the WWE? It’s a possibility and one that is beginning to seem more likely as time goes on. The longer McGregor has out of the octagon and the more injuries he sustains in training, the less chance there will be of him returning.
Conor competing in WWE would have been laughed out of town at the height of his MMA career, but it’s now not as absurd as it once was. On this page, we give three reasons why it makes sense for McGregor to try out WWE.
Money-making machine
McGregor is known the world over for his fighting skills, but he’s every bit as talented when it comes to making money. Notorious has already proven he has a flair for business, and a recent report showed his earnings outside of MMA exceed the large sums of cash he has made inside the octagon.
Those money-spinning outside interests include creating and then selling his own brand of whisky and owning pubs. He’s a money-making machine, so it’s no surprise that the riches of WWE will appeal to him. Conor’s name, reputation and his skills would make him an instant hit in the sport of professional wrestling, and it wouldn’t be long before he was back in action and back chasing championship belts.
The cult following he enjoys in the UFC would follow him to WWE, and that makes it a win-win scenario for wrestling with the potential to add a huge name from sport to the bill while attracting millions of new followers. McGregor competing in professional wrestling has the potential to make Conor even richer and the WWE even more famous.
Grappling background
His grappling background gained from a lifetime spent learning BJJ and wrestling means Conor would hit the ground running if he turned his hand to the WWE. He has the proven skills, strength and determination to cut it at the top level, and that makes him an obvious choice for wrestling.
He’s athletic enough to compete with and defeat the top names from his weight division. The fact that McGregor has suffered from injuries in the octagon in recent bouts makes it difficult for him to come back, but that isn’t an issue in WWE. He’ll be better protected, with fights putting less strain on his kicking and injured legs and more emphasis on the strength of his wrestling. It’s not difficult to imagine Conor holding his own in WWE.
Big personality
To survive and thrive in WWE, you need a big personality, and any UFC fan knows that’s an area where Conor excels. He is a salesman who knows what he’s worth and showed in that famous boxing match with Floyd Mayweather that he can do his bit to help promote a contest.
A big part of WWE is being able to sell a fight, and we know that Notorious has no problems in that department. There are millions of fans hoping to see McGregor move over into the UFC and compete there full-time, alongside another star of UFC in Ronda Rousey.
Triple H has announced that he is officially retired from any in-ring competition after suffering heart failure in September 2021.
An interview with Stephen A. Smith on First Take on ESPN+ will be released later this afternoon where Triple H will explain for the first time what happened to him a few months ago and how closed to death he was at the time.
“As far as in-ring, I’m done. I would never wrestle again. I have a defibrillator in my chest so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get zapped on live TV,” the former WWE champion told Smith.
In the interview, Triple H detailed his health issues which started when he got hit by a viral pneumonia and inflamed lungs, which later resulted in coughing up blood and a rush to the emergency room.
“I was nosediving and at the one yard line of where you don’t want to be for your family and your future,” he explained. “There are moments when they are putting you out for stuff and you think ‘Is this it?’ Do you wake up…’ That’s tough to swallow.”
WWE remained tight lipped about Triple H’s medical condition apart from saying that he had a cardiac event. He has been taking it slowly since then and has not returned full time to work.
WWE today announced that Shad Gaspard has been posthumously named the recipient of the 2022 Warrior Award.
Named after WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior, The Warrior Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.
Gaspard passed away on May 17, 2020 after he and his son were among a group of swimmers who got caught in a strong current at Marina Del Rey Beach in California. Lifeguards managed to save his 10-year-old son after Gaspard made the ultimate sacrifice, telling lifeguards to save his son instead. A wave later submerged him, preventing rescuers from locating him.
Helicopters, divers, and lifeguards from the U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles Lifeguards searched the shore for a couple of days until the search was called off. His lifeless body washed ashore in Venice Beach in the early hours of May 20.
AEW Dynamite crossed the 1 million viewership mark for the first time in a month yesterday, getting a total of 1,046,000 viewers, up 53,000 viewers from the prior week. The show did a healthy .41 in the 18-49 demo and was #3 in the top 50 cable chart behind NBA games on ESPN. That was 0.03 up from the previous week and the highest since February 9. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The Peacock-exclusive WWE Evil series, produced by John Cena, is now available to stream with all eight episodes available.
“Some of @WWE’s most vile, most despicable … and most entertaining characters of all time have one thing in common: they are EVIL,” Cena tweeted today hyping the series.
USA Network will also be airing the series, with two episodes every week, one following Raw and one following NXT.
WWE Evil has eight episodes: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Brothers of Destruction, Randy Orton, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, and Roman Reigns.
Each episode will look behind the scenes at each individual and what it took for them to become the biggest heels in WWE. The series has original sit-down interviews with each subject and others associated with them.
The series is not available on the WWE Network outside the United States as this is a Peacock Original.
Episode 1: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan – Hulk Hogan, the ultimate hero, betrays his fans and beliefs to go “Hollywood”; as “The Third Man” and leader of the nWo, Hogan turns the sports-entertainment world upside down, igniting a battle for brand supremacy during the famed Monday Night War.
Episode 2: The Miz – Mike Mizanin finds success by tapping into his naturally grating personality and turning the volume up; from “Real World” reality star to WrestleMania headliner, The Miz’s evil descent turns him into one of the most hated villains in WWE.
Episode 3: Sasha Banks – Sasha Banks goes back to her roots to become “The Legit Boss,” redefining what it means to be a true villain in WWE; with “Boss Time” now in session, the brash Banks shatters ceilings and kicks down doors to blaze a trail for women in WWE.
Episode 4: Brothers of Destruction – Brothers and sworn enemies, The Undertaker and Kane align to become the ultimate evil in WWE: The Brothers of Destruction; unified in darkness, “The Phenom” and “The Big Red Monster” blaze a terrifying legacy of carnage and chaos in their wake.
Episode 5: Randy Orton – Third-generation WWE Superstar Randy Orton evolves into one of sports entertainment’s most menacing, calculating and evil villains — “The Legend Killer” — nearly losing himself in the process when his real-life inner demons emerge.
Episode 6: Stephanie McMahon – “The Billionaire Princess” Stephanie McMahon steps out of her father’s looming shadow to forge a legacy of absolute power and corruption in WWE.
Episode 7: Ric Flair – With a career spanning 50 years, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair lives a life of luxury and lies in and out of the ring; as the line between man and myth blurs, Flair pays the ultimate price to become one of the greatest villains in WWE history.
Episode 8: Roman Reigns – Son of legendary Wild Samoan Sika, Roman Reigns’ lineage of WWE royalty and high status means high expectations; while Roman’s journey has been an uphill battle, The Tribal Chief’s determination is only outdone by his aptitude for evil.
WWE is now advertising Edge vs AJ Styles for WrestleMania Saturday, moving it from the planned Sunday spot.
The move of this match now sees WrestleMania Saturday with a total of six matches and the planned KO Show segment with Stone Cold Steve Austin. WrestleMania Sunday is down to five matches, with two more expected to be announced, and leaves just Reigns vs Lesnar as the marquee match on the Sunday card.
WWE will also have a two-hour Kickoff show on Saturday and some matches will be announced for that as well. The company still have not announced what will headline the Saturday Mania, with rumors of the KO Show now being the top billing, bumping the planned main event of Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey.
Jeff Hardy made his debut on All Elite Wrestling earlier this month when he showed up to save his brother Matt from an attack. The Flamboyant wrestler made his surprise entrance, defeating Private Party with the help of his brother.
Matt had a meeting with the Andrade-Hardy Family Office members, Private Party, and Andrade El Idolo on Dynamite. The group decided to vote Matt out, then attacked him three against one until Darby and Sting Allin turned up to save the day.
The thrilling Hardy Boyz entrance song/theme ‘Loaded’ then began to play, and Jeff Hardy made his way to the ring. Jeff’s signing was confirmed by Tony Khan, AEW’s CEO, on Twitter, “It’s official! @JEFFHARDYBRAND is ALL ELITE!” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, AEW dark is continuing to fulfill the desire of many wrestling fans to watch matches of their dreams. AEW dark is a weekly event of All Elite Wrestling that features segments highlighting the previous week’s Dynamite and interviews with AEW personalities. There will be 12 matchups in all events in next week’s episode and all are listed in the Asian sports bookie Vwin.
You can bet on your favorite wrestler on Vwin. This is an Asian sports betting platform with hundreds of betting options customized for different needs.
“When he made his entrance, it was an amazing moment. To see people legitimately jump out of their seats in excitement, knowing that this is a big deal. Jeff Hardy is coming to AEW and not only is Jeff Hardy coming to AEW but the Hardy Boys are here reforming and they also have their iconic music,” said Matt.
He continued to talk about their classic entrance theme:
Regardless of where that music is played, even though it’s music that can be licensed or uncopyrightable or whatever. When you hear that music, people’s first thought is “Hardy Boys.” (57:00-57:50)
Release from WWE
While competing in a tag-team match at a WWE Live Event on December 4th, last year, Jeff, at one point, walked out of the arena and into the audience, taking pictures with fans before exiting.
According to sources, WWE wanted to send him to rehab but terminated his contract when he declined. The tests were reportedly negative, and the firm attempted to discourage him from signing with AEW by offering him a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
According to additional reports, he was offered the opportunity to be incorporated as a solo act rather than as part of The Hardy Boys with his brother, Matt.
That said, there is no doubt that the Hardy Boys are one of the most celebrated tag teams in the wrestling world, having previously won multiple titles in WWE and TNA (IMPACT!).
The duo returned to WWE in 2017 as the surprise entrants in a ladder match for the Raw Tag Team Competition at WrestleMania 33, where they ended up winning the titles.
Matt left WWE when his contract ended in 2020. He then signed with AEW and debuted on March 18th, 2020.
16-time world champ Ric Flair has sold a majority stake of his cannabis company Ric Flair Drip Inc to Mike Tyson’s Tyson 2.0 company.
This agreement enables Tyson 2.0 to assume control of Ric Flair’s trademarks and intellectual properties to launch cannabis flower and edible products under the Ric Flair brand name in the near future across the United States where cannabis is legal. Tyson 2.0 is a premier cannabis company formed with legendary boxer, entrepreneur and icon Mike Tyson with the mission to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility.
“Thanks to Mike Tyson and Tyson 2.0, I’ve become a true cannabis advocate and enthusiast. I am thrilled to partner with a long time friend and fellow warrior whom I greatly admire and respect. There are a lot of synergies between me and Mike – we’ve both had many ups and downs, but we keep going at life,” Flair said.
“With Mike’s passion for cannabis, Chad and Adam’s industry knowledge, I look forward to creating cannabis products that will appeal to my national fanbase. Tyson 2.0 products make me go ‘WOOOOO!’, and soon my fans everywhere can get in the Ric Flair state of mind – limousine riding, jet-flying, feeling good, and ‘WOOOOO!'”
“For the last fifty years, Ric has been synonymous with high impact, high energy experiences,” said Chad Bronstein, Co-Founder and Chairman, Tyson 2.0. “Similar to how we rolled out Tyson 2.0, Ric Flair cannabis products will reach nationwide distribution through our robust network of industry partners. With flower strains named after Ric’s iconic sayings like ‘limousine riding’ and ‘jet-flying’, we aim to honor Ric’s energy and share it with his fans.”
Bronstein continued, “Tyson 2.0 is establishing itself as a cannabis marketing and celebrity licensing powerhouse. Our aim is to bring more celebrity brands to market in the coming months.”
Speaking to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, one of AEW’s biggest stars, MJF, said that his current deal with AEW runs through January 2024 and did not hide the fact that he will be shopping for the highest bidder when time comes.
MJF noted that he would not re-sign with AEW before his contract expires unless they offer a ton of money and knows that WWE is super interested in his services.
He mentioned that he likes Bruce Pritchard and the two go back to his MLW days and thinks Pritchard has an amazing mind for the business and while he thinks what AEW is doing is fresh, he thinks WWE is doing great as well.
MJF revealed that WWE were interested in him before he signed with AEW but at the time he thought WWE would not let him be himself and that’s the biggest thing.
MJF also commented on Cody Rhodes leaving AEW and wished Rhodes a lot of luck, happiness, and a lot of money in WWE. MJF said that Rhodes was a big weapon in AEW’s arsenal and is interested to see what he does next.
“I respect what he is doing as a businessman. Quite frankly, by 2024, if people have an issue with me leaving to go make real money, then me and him are going to be fighting on the same exact island,” MJF told Helwani.
