WrestleMania is two weeks away and WWE is in full marketing mode in hopes of selling more tickets to the two-night affair, Smackdown, Raw, and NXT Stand & Deliver.
WrestleMania Saturday is just over 58,000 tickets sold while WrestleMania Sunday is a bit less at over 57,000 tickets sold. The AT&T Stadium for WrestleMania 32 had over 80,0000 fans – despite the 101,000 attendance announced – and this time around WWE put up 65,000 seats up for sale.
Reaching 65,000 is very doable at this point although reaching 80,000 each night will be a big stretch. WWE had big success in the final few days selling thousands of tickets for SummerSlam and Royal Rumble, both of which were in stadiums, so in reality anything can happen.
Whatever number is announced, this will be the most-attended WrestleMania ever when combining both numbers.
The Smackdown and Hall of Fame combo event on the eve of WrestleMania Saturday crossed the 10,000 tickets sold while the Raw after Mania is just a few hundred away from hitting 10,000. The American Airlines Center is configured to host 15,000 fans for these two shows.
NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday has over 3,500 tickets out for a configuration of just over 5,000 so this could very well sell out by the time the show comes around. The NXT show is also at the American Airlines Center.
There are some incredibly talented wrestlers out there. Wrestling is hugely entertaining and one of the most-watched sports around. Every single year we see more and more wrestlers enter the scene with the hope of making their mark and making it big. But who are 2022’s three most promising professional wrestlers? Let’s take a look.
Sammy Guevera
Guevera has been part of AEW since day one and even wrestled on the first Dynamite match against Cody Rhodes. Since then, he joined Jericho’s The Inner Circle faction and his singles wrestling career took off big time as well.
The young “Spanish God” had a very successful 2021, winning the TNT title twice, once against Miro and once against Cody Rhodes in an amazing ladder match at the start of this year. Just as winning via the Grand Rush Online Casino is a sure thing, you can bet that Guevera will be having another stellar 2022. Plus, he has Tay Conti by his side and if that is not winning, we don’t know what is!
Hook
SEND HOOK! The young wrestler has taken social media by storm and while Hook may have only appeared in a few matches, it’s likely that he will be one of 2022’s biggest stars for All Elite Wrestling. This young wrestler has something special and fans, and fellow wrestlers, are clearly behind him.
At only 22 years of age, this up-and-coming star has all the qualities to be a big name in the promotion this year. He is the son of former ECW champion Taz and uses his dad’s old move the Tazmission as his finishing move which he renamed Redrum. Keep your eyes open for Hook in 2022…or else we might have to send him!
Wardlow
For the past few years, Wardlow has been the trusted sidekick of MJF, doing the dirty work and always in the background. But the 34-year-old turned it around earlier this month when he disassociated himself from MJF and is now flying solo in hopes of big things.
A match against MJF will certainly propel his profile within All Elite Wrestling and the Ohio native is already over big time with fans. Wardlow already won the Face of the Revolution ladder match in early March but his quest to win the TNT title went nowhere as his former stable mates in The Pinnacle – MJF and Shawn Spears – made sure he did not walk out with the title. If we had to guess, 2022 is going to be a big year for Wardlow.
It looks as though 2022 is going to be a great year for the world of wrestling. With so many amazing wrestlers coming to AEW, the future is bright and we hope that Guevara, Hook, and Wardlow live up to the exceptions that we all have for them.
Teil Rhodes, the sister of Cody and Dustin Rhodes, posted a photo of her father and a young Cody next to him, writing that Dusty would be proud to see what’s coming next.
“I knew my old man best and I know he would be beaming with pride if he could see what’s next,” she wrote.
Cody shocked the wrestling world when he left AEW in mid-February, giving up on his EVP position with the company and reality show on TNT. His wife Brandi, who was the Chief Brand Officer at AEW, also left with him.
The move did not go down well with AEW fans, who turned on Cody when the announcement came that he left the company he helped co-found.
Last week it was reported that Cody finally signed a deal with WWE and will be making his return imminently. He has a match set against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.
I knew my old man best and I know he would be beaming with pride if he could see what’s next. pic.twitter.com/ZT5LpvJ13a
Whenever there’s a WrestleMania, you can bet on one thing: there will be a WrestleCon. And this year is no different.
After a scaled-down version of the event last year in Tampa due to the coronavirus restrictions, the annual WrestleCon is back with a bang in Dallas with around 200 guests scheduled to be part of the three-day convention.
This year, WrestleCon will be held at the Fairmont Dallas hotel on N. Akard Street in downtown Dallas. The hotel will also play host to the several in-ring action where promotions such as Impact Wrestling and AAA will hold shows.
For Michael Bochicchio, who owns Highspots.com and runs WrestleCon, this is his company’s first full-scale WrestleCon since WrestleMania 35 in New York/New Jersey. The planned WrestleCon at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa ended up being a nightmare.
A couple of months before that was set to take place, everyone’s lives went upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic having just started. WrestleMania was moved to the Performance Center with no fans inside, leaving WrestleCon hanging in the balance financially.
It took a while for Bochicchio to recoup his money and get out of some “crippling” contractual agreements with venues and hotels booked that weekend, but still a lot of money was lost.
“There were a lot of purchases made that we completely wasted, a lot of flights where only the talent was able to use the tickets, etc,” he said. “We survived and that was a big ‘if’ at one point.”
Bochicchio said he was very proud that they were able to refund every customer their money within a week of cancellation and felt for fans who booked other events and never got their money back.
“I know how frustrating it was for fans when concerts, sporting events, flights were all impacted and nobody seemed to want to return the money. We went the opposite direction, we never considered a ‘credit’ on a future event nor did we ask for a “donation,” he noted.
Fast-forward a year, and WrestleCon was back at WrestleMania 37, albeit in a scaled-down version. Asked if last year’s convention was considered a success and if he’d still do it if caught up in the same situation, Bochicchio replied in the affirmative.
“It was an absolute success! We had less than two months to completely plan it and we knew the scope of it was going to be significantly smaller than other events,” he said. “I feel like if we had another 2 months, we would have been able to pull off a more traditional event, but in April 2021, things were still chaotic and there were still a lot of people fearful to be in any type of large group.”
He added that the number one goal of last year was to keep everyone safe and comfortable and for those who were willing to take the journey to Tampa, he felt like they needed to give them a small taste of the fan/talent interactions that WrestleCon has traditionally brought to Mania weekend.
While the pandemic is – officially – still going, 2022 has brought in better news and the state of Texas, for better or worse, doesn’t care much about coronavirus anyway. It all boils down to politics and if you were to hold an event free of restrictions, well, Texas is the place to do it.
“I think Vince and the WWE were very smart to change 2021 to Florida and 2022 to Dallas. However, I think we could have easily pulled off a full scale convention in any city in the U.S., but Texas has certainly moved on from COVID faster than the rest of the country,” Bochicchio said.
He noted how at the New York Comic Con last fall, organizers handled the convention in one of the strictest cities in America and realized that they could handle a full-scale WrestleCon no matter what conditions dictated.
With local state rules requiring no masks at all, WrestleCon will be abiding by those rules and there will be no mask requirements to enter the premises but Bochicchio suggests that anyone who feels more comfortable in wearing one, they should absolutely do so. Apart from that, the Fairmont Hotel staff will be assisting at WrestleCon in continuing to make this a safe event for everyone who attends.
While thousands and thousands of North American fans will attend WrestleMania weekend, Bochicchio noted that international fans are still a bit cautious of traveling, and while he’s pleasantly surprised with the early attendance sales from overseas fans, it’s clear that it does not come close to past events.
“I take for granted how things are in the United States, but I realize that other countries certainly have a different mindset on where we are at in our overall recovery from COVID,” he said. “Hopefully next year, the international fans are back on board 100%.”
This year’s WrestleCon will bring in around 200 current and former wrestling stars. WrestleCon, through its website and social media, was announcing a talent per day since early December and now they’re announcing three to four new names daily and this will continue until it’s show time. And the fact that there’s no traditional Axxess this year from WWE helped WrestleCon get more talent.
“For whatever reason, and it happens every year, the last three weeks we always see a swarm of late commitments. Once WWE announced there was no Axxess events, we had a lot of talent that traditionally waited for that event, they have now decided that WrestleCon was their best opportunity,” Bochicchio noted.
This year, WrestleCon introduced the $139 Superfan ticket, a discounted ticket that gives attendees access to all days and some other perks.
“Every year we have had feedback from our best customers that they wish we could just sell one ticket where they have full access to all the sessions. We decided this year was a good opportunity to try it, since we have had two years off from our full scale convention, and to test it out,” Bochicchio explained.
Superfan is limited to 1,000 fans only and it’s close to being sold out. One of the best perks of the ticket is that the Friday morning session is dedicated exclusively to these ticket holders, making it easier for them to get photos and autographs.
“We have also given them early access to just about everything we have released, from live event tickets to pro photos, and they get a discount at our Superstore,” he continued.
For those who never attended a WrestleCon before, fans can purchase an admission ticket through the WrestleCon website and then purchase photo ops and autographs directly from the talent or vendors on the floor on the day of the event.
Talent scheduled to be available at WrestleCon include Ric Flair, Bray Wyatt, Jeff Hardy, Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, Lita, Mark Henry, Mickie James, RVD, Toni Storm, Trish Stratus, and many, many others.
Many of the talent do not accept pre-orders online, something that Bochicchio says is a “hassle” for talent especially when it comes to customers who don’t show up and demand a refund.
“Generally at events like these, the talent is busy from open to close, and they serve everybody that wants to meet them, it’s not a limited ticket event that requires pre-orders. I always tell fans just wait to buy the talent autographs and photo ops when you get there,” he said.
Lines will vary depending on the talent so avoiding pre-orders will increase your options and you could make a decision on the spot where you want to spend more time.
“The only thing we recommend to purchase in advance is admission and we suggest you don’t do that until you’re 100% sure of what sessions you wish to attend.”
There are four sessions available in total, one of which, as explained, is only for Superfan ticket holders. The convention starts on Thursday, March 31 and the first sessions is from 5PM to 9PM. The second morning session on April 1 is reserved for Superfan tickets and the third session is on April 1 from 1PM to 5PM. The fourth session is from 9AM to 1PM on April 2. All individual sessions are priced $38 each.
Apart from live events and meet and greets, WrestleCon will also run a WrestleMania bus, transporting fans to and from the AT&T Stadium which is quite a drive away from downtown Dallas. But tickets for the buses have sold out.
With WrestleCon just a couple of weeks away, Bochicchio and his team will waste no time in working for next year’s event in Los Angeles.
“We already have the contract with the hotel and we will likely do a site visit before the end of April,” Bochicchio told us, adding that he will take two weeks off to completely disconnect from all-things WrestleCon following Dallas.
“We anticipate we’ll likely make some significant changes to our LA model as we continue to see that fans have different expectations running an ancillary event to WrestleMania, but we would like to get feedback on Dallas before making any decisions on Los Angeles.”
In a video which aired during the 25th anniversary of the Japanese pro wrestling promotion DDT, AEW’s VP of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels announced that AEW and DDT have joined forces to bring DDT wrestlers to the U.S. to be showcased during All Elite Wrestling programming.
“I would like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to DDT on their 25th anniversary. I would like to also announce that AEW and DDT have come to an agreement to bring DDT’s wrestlers to the United States of America,” Daniels said. “I for one am looking forward to introducing the top talent from DDT to the American wrestling fanbase.”
DDT was founded in 1997 by Shintaro Mutoh and in 2017 the promotion was sold to CyberAgent.
AEW already has a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The big question for WrestleMania weekend remains what will close night one of the show. While WWE has already announced that Reigns vs Lesnar will close night two, they never specifically said which match will close night one.
Many assumed that Flair vs Rousey will be headlining night one of WrestleMania, mainly due to the star power of Ronda Rousey, but a notorious Reddit leaker has now claimed that something else will close Mania Saturday.
According to Reddit user Kermit125, who has been leaking certain information lately, is claiming that the confrontation between Kevin Owens and Stone Cold Steve Austin will be headlining WrestleMania Saturday. Specifically, he listed “Austin vs Owens,” suggesting that this will be an official match somehow.
While it’s known that WWE wanted Austin to wrestle, the Hall of Famer has stayed away from saying this will be a match and said you can “call it whatever you want” in the promo video. Austin has not wrestled since WrestleMania 19 and the Rattlesnake has not headlined a WrestleMania since WrestleMania 17.
If this closes the show, it would be Kevin Owens’ first time as a headliner as well and considering this is in Dallas, it’s certainly a good way to send fans back home happy since Austin will be mega over.
The Reddit user also said that Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair will open night one and Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins will be part of WrestleMania Sunday.
All this remains speculation at this point and as you can imagine, everything changes almost daily within WWE, sometimes with changes even happening during the actual show. As things stand now, WWE has not officially said what will main event WrestleMania Saturday.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, who is signed with WWE, wrapped up his amateur wrestling career by winning a second consecutive NCAA wrestling championship yesterday and then left his boots in the middle of the mat, signaling retirement from the sport.
Steveson defeated Cohlton Schultz 6-2 in Detroit, then did his usual winning flip to celebrate and removed his shoes.
“It’s done,” Steveson told ESPN. “I knew what I came to do. I was going to win an Olympic gold, win the national tournament again. It’s just weird. I don’t know how to describe it.”
The 21-year-old will now be focusing solely on his WWE career and there are very high hopes for him within WWE. He became the first NIL athlete in WWE history and was paraded around at SummerSlam last year in Las Vegas. WWE paid him while he remained in school, compete in wrestling tournaments, and conducted virtual training with him. The company even sent a ring and rented a facility near his school so he can train there.
In October, he was the last one drafted to Raw during the Draft episode.
The WWE Evil series which is listed as a Peacock original will be airing on USA Network following Monday Night Raw and NXT.
The series, produced and narrated by former 16-time champ John Cena, takes a look behind the scenes of what it takes to be a heel in this business.
The eight-part documentary series has focuses on “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Undertaker and Kane, Randy Orton, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, and Roman Reigns.
It starts airing on March 28 at 11PM on Mondays following Raw and on Tuesdays at 10PM following NXT.
If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, then you know there’s always been a connection between this sport and gambling. For years, wrestlers have been using their matches to set up bets with fans, and sometimes even with other wrestlers.
This tradition continues today, as wrestlers often take part in casino games – online and offline. They proved to be pretty passionate gamblers who play with utmost dedication and focus. That’s why we want to point out some of the most notable gamblers among professional wrestlers.
Here are our top picks!
1. John Morrison
John Morrison, also known as Johnny Mundo and Johnny Impact, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Morrison is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion and World Tag Team Champion.
He has also won titles on the independent circuit, including the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship and NWA Midwest X Division Championship.
Numerous reporters spotted Morrison playing Texas hold ’em and blackjack while touring with WWE. Some claim that he also enjoys the best real money casino apps canada. One thing is for sure – Morrison is a big fan of gambling and he even filmed a series of poker tips videos in the earlier stages of his career.
2. John Cena
John Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television host. He is signed to WWE, where he is a 16-time world champion. As of January 2019, he has the third-highest number of combined days as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Cena also has the most reigns as United States Champion.
Outside of wrestling, Cena released the rap album You Can’t See Me in 2005 which debuted at No. 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2011, Cena starred in the family film Fred 3: Camp Fred.
Besides that, Cena is a dedicated gambler. He once told journalists that he started gambling after watching online content about the World Poker Tour. Cena frequented the Las Vegas casino circuit and even participated in the World Series of Poker Tournament.
3. Dwayne The Rock Johnson
Dwayne Johnson, better known as The Rock, is the most famous gambler among wrestlers. He’s also a successful actor, producer, and businessman. But before all that, The Rock was a professional wrestler.
Johnson made his wrestling debut in 1996 and achieved mainstream fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) from 1996 to 2004. He was then signed by rival company World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he spent the majority of his career. In 2011, Johnson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
As for gambling, The Rock is known to be a big fan of blackjack. Dwayne even has his own blackjack table at home where he plays with friends and family. He also enjoys playing online blackjack when he’s on the road.
4. Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Hardy is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a six-time world champion.
Jeff is another professional wrestler with a passion for gambling. He’s been known to enjoy playing poker, blackjack, and roulette. It’s hard to find media reports about Jeff’s major wins or losses, but we are sure that he had quite a few adventures in casinos. After all, he loves to take risks on and off the octagon.
Why do wrestlers like gambling?
Every gambler has a specific reason to like casino gambling, but we can spot a few common reasons. Some wrestlers may enjoy the thrill of risking their money, while others may enjoy the challenge of casino games.
Besides that, certain wrestlers may simply enjoy the atmosphere and excitement of a casino. It is also a way to escape their daily routine that is packed with tough training and traveling.
Whatever the reason may be, it’s clear that many wrestlers enjoy gambling. And with WWE becoming more and more popular, we can expect to see even more wrestlers trying their luck in casinos.
The Bottom Line
Professional wrestlers and gamblers have one thing in common – they are ready to take risks in order to win big. That’s exactly why there are so many gamblers among pro wrestlers. We showed you some of the most notable names, but which one looks like the best gambler to you?
Fathom Events will be screening both nights of WrestleMania 38 at its theaters across the United States.
Theaters from AMC, Cinemark, and Regal – the three largest movie theater circuits in the country – will air the the show and tickets are available now at fathomevents.com.
Ticket prices are not all the same and differ from each theater and location. For more information to see where the nearest location to you will show the event and to purchase tickets go to https://www.fathomevents.com/events/WrestleMania-38.
Episode one of season two of Young Rock on NBC drew 2,552,000 viewers. That is almost half the audience the show did in its premiere last season, which did 5.3 million viewers. In the 18-49 demo, the show also took a massive hit with a 0.43 rating, down from the 1.01 the show did last year. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Date: March 18, 2022
Arena: Freeman Coliseum
City: San Antonio, Texas
It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means… it’s time for our Rampage Review!
DARBY ALLIN VS THE BUTCHER
Story going in: Darby and Sting saved the Hardys from an attack by AFO on Dynamite
Straight to the ring, we were re-joined by the leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society on commentary, along with Excalibur, Starks and Taz. Who informed us that Butcher is out for revenge after missing five months of action stemming from his last duel with Darby.
And boy did he get it. Dominating the entire match, the big guy overpowered Darby from the get-go. Beginning with strikes which sent Allin to the outside, Butcher sealed-off the ring as the count reached eight.
The smaller man only made it back in in time via a slap to the face, enraging Butcher who came hurtling outside only for Darby to slip back in to the ring before immediately firing himself back out with the best suicide dive in AEW, nearly killing himself as he crashed into the guard rail.
Straight back in control, Butcher ignored Allin’s strikes, returning with clotheslines as Sting rallied the crowd.
Continuing in the same way as we returned from the break, Darby was subjected to an impressive cloverleaf-into-a-powerbomb-back-down-into-a-cloverleaf to ‘ooo’s’ from the crowd as Allin made it to the ropes. Now on the outside, Butcher continued to dominate, flinging his opponent by the legs into first the guard rail, then the steps.
Finally, the opportunity Darby had been waiting for arrived. Darting out the way as the Butcher crashed into the same steps, Allin hit a code red from the steps to the floor, then went upstairs for a Coffin Drop to the outside. Butcher scrambled to answer the ten-count but collapsed again, leading to the win for the former TNT champ.
After it was over the Hardys saved Darby and Sting from the AFO, before challenging the latter to an eight-man tornado tag next week.
WINNER: DARBY
Scorpio Sky told us that all he’d heard since Wednesday was excuses (as to why Wardlow didn’t win). And excuses were for losers. His ‘co-TNT champ’ Dan Lambert echoed these sentiments, before Paige Vanzant told us she looks better than any woman, is tougher than any man, so you’d better get on the train or get run over. Sky did his cool finger-click-to-black to end the promo.
LEYLA HIRSCH VS RED VELVET
Story going in: Velvet wants revenge for Hirsch turning on her
Velvet abandoned her James Harden routine, going straight after Hirsch who met her on the ramp and was treated to a suplex out there before the bell had even rung.
The crowd was into this as Velvet hit strikes in the corner, only for Hirsch to reverse and send her bouncing off the middle turnbuckle before crashing onto the back of her head. Painful would be an understatement.
Slowing things down, Leyla was in control as the break came, but on our return the pace had upped and Red was back in the driver’s seat: strikes, kicks, variety of bulldogs. Then came a scary moment as Velvet just about avoided landing neck-first as Hirsch snapped off a suplex. Fighting to the ropes against a Hirsch armbreaker, Leyla was sent to the outside.
Frustrated, she reached for her trusty turnbuckle-connector (don’t we all in times of crisis?). But a serious-looking, decked in all-black Statlander wasn’t having it, wrenching the foreign object away, distracting Leyla, leading to the match-ending corkscrew kick.
WINNER: RED VELVET
Uncle QT and his bowling shirt joined us for a promo. Proud of Hook, he wants to present him with a certificate of accomplishment next Friday. Aaron Solow didn’t know who Bruce Springsteen is because he’s young and QT’s… well, not.
HOUSE OF BLACK VS BEAR COUNTRY & FUEGO DEL SOL
Story going in: None
So, it’s early in the year but 2022 will have to work hard to conjure up a stranger mish-mash of a team than Bear Country and Fuego. H.O.B. came out together in an homage to Malakai’s entrance which isn’t quite as cool but is definitely an improvement on the Kings of the Black Throne.
Within the first minute, Malakai had wiped-out all three of the opposition. In case you were wondering who might win. All three H.O.B. had brief chances to shine, with even the big boys of Bear Country appearing intimidated.
Left alone in the ring, Bear Boulder was surrounded and victimized by all three: this looked like a nature show with scavengers tearing flesh from a dying carcass.
Eventually, Fuego mounted a quick flurry before being walloped by a Buddy Matthews knee, flowing into a synchronized dive/moonsault off the apron from Brodie and Malakai respectively, as Matthews polished-off Fuego in the ring. Fluid doesn’t do justice to this finishing sequence. It must be seen. No idea how these guys are gonna remain heels: they’re cool and they kick ass.
WINNER: HOUSE OF BLACK
In a video promo, Penta Oscuro thanked the H.O.B. for changing him, he feels most alive in the dark and Death Triangle is inevitable. There’s still no real explanation as to why Alex has suddenly shifted from a very normal dude to an evil Red-Riding Hood.
KEITH LEE VS MAX CASTOR
Story going in: Sort-of related to ongoing Lee/Team Taz feud. On Wed Starks again threatened Lee not to show up & then interrupted Acclaimed promo to fire them up
The Acclaimed were very entertaining in the pre-match get together.
Before we start, the following commentary exchange has to be noted:
Jericho: Bury the young guys
Taz: Spoken like a true sports entertainer
So this was pretty slow all the way through, though the crowd was really into it, with both acts ‘over’ but particularly Lee in his home-state.
It began with ‘Limitless’ working over Castor’s arm, controlling the tempo, culminating in Lee’s patented leapfrog, dropdown into the most casual belly to belly you ever saw. The way most people might fling a used hand-towel over their shoulder without even looking where it landed.
Which brought out Will Hobbs as the ads arrived.
Upon our return, Castor was hovering over a prone Lee, delivering clubbing blows to the face. Returning fire with a huge shoulder block that sent Max sprawling almost to the outside, Limitless then flung him out of the corner and across the ring.
Castor countered with kicks to the leg and a thrust kick to the face, but made the mistake of trying to lift Lee onto his shoulders, leading to a back elbow, headbutt, double overhand chop and the DVD-into-a-powerslam for the uno, dos, tres.
It wasn’t over yet though, Hobbs promptly marching down to the ring as Starks and Taz implied that even they couldn’t control the big man. A four-on-one beatdown ensued as the Acclaimed and Starks joined the fight. But they’d forgotten their manners: coming into Swerve’s house without being invited. Leading to the latter making the save to a nice reaction.
Swerve and Starks stared through each other – which could be agreeable both in and out of the ring – before Lee and Strickland slapped hands as the show ended.
WINNER: KEITH LEE
This was a fun, very easy hour of TV.
GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO WATCH…
The House of Black: a thrilling few minutes with a finishing sequence a video game couldn’t beat.
There have been two changes to two WrestleMania matches, one being a stipulation and the other one being an addition to an already-announced match.
The Sami Zayn vs Johnny Knoxville match will now be an anything goes match. Zayn was the one who suggested the stipulation on Smackdown and later Knoxville, who listed some credentials of the dumb things he did in his life, accepted. This stipulation will probably enable some whacky stunts to the match which Knoxville will be able to add to his resume.
Meanwhile, the tag team of Natalya and Shayna Baszler found a way to get in the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles match, which with their addition is now a four-way way match. Baszler and Natalya interfered during the Banks/Naomi vs Ripley/Morgan match on Smackdown last night and took out everyone.
Both the Knoxville vs Zayn match and the WWE Women’s Tag Team title match are set for WrestleMania Sunday.
Date: March 18, 2022
Arena: Spectrum Center
City: Charlotte, North Carolina
Smackdown opens with the memorial for Scott Hall who passed away this past Monday.
A recap of Reigns/Lesnar feud is shown. Opening the show, the Bloodline make their way to the ring as Reigns talks about what he did to Brock Lesnar at Madison Square Garden. Paul Heyman was messing with his phone and announced there was a weather delay and Brock Lesnar will not be here this evening.
As Reigns talks, Heyman nervously interrupted Reigns again. Then said the plane landed and Lesnar is now on his way and the Bloodline said they need to wrap this up and get out of here as they dropped down and rolled out of the ring with Heyman looking confused.
The Bloodline and Heyman are shown getting in an SUV in the back as they are entering the vehicle you hear a horn in the distance and Brock Lesnar drove a forklift right into the driver’s side of the vehicle. Lesnar is laughing as we cut to break.
As we come back from break, The Bloodline is stirring in the car and climb out the passenger side as Lesnar continues blowing the horn, then begins to lift the vehicle till it’s on its side. The Usos jump in a truck to take off, but Lesnar caught them and as they drove away the door of the truck came off. And Lesnar picks the door up and carries it with him out to the ring.
Lesnar says, “Excuse me I am a little riled up. Roman you can run but you can’t hide. I am coming for blood; you best be prepared I will see you in two buddy.”
A recap of Boogs & Nakamura VS. The Usos from last week.
Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura VS. “Lethal Lovers” Los Lotharios
Humberto tags in and after a vicious clothesline from Garza goes for the pin on Nakamura, Nakamura kicks out and is able to flip Humberto to get the tag to Boogs. Boogs comes in hot and grabs Humberto and military presses him over his head and lifts him up and down for a ten count before throwing him onto Garza. Garza goes to hit Boogs but Boogs grabs his arm and turns him and lifts him a few times for hitting the Boogs Cruise for the pin.
Winners: Rick Boogs & Shinsuke Nakamura
A recap of Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, and Happy Corbin issue from last week is shown.
The Viking Raiders & Drew McIntyre VS. Happy Corbin, Shanky & Jinder Mahal
Back and forth action, the end came when McIntyre hit Shanky with the Claymore for the pin.
Winners: Drew McIntyre & The Viking Raiders
Naomi & Sasha Banks VS. Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan
Carmella and Queen Zelina come out and sit at the announce desk.
Lots of back and forth action in this match as Ripley goes to pin Banks but is broken up by Naomi. They have Ripley on the rope getting ready for a double superplex but Morgan comes in and hits the powerbomb as Banks and Naomi hit the double suplex. Shayna Baszler and Natalya come out and attack everyone. After the attack Carmella and Queen Zelina get in the ring and add some stomps until they get confronted by Natalya and Baszler.
Winners: No Contest
Johnny Knoxville talks about Sami Zayn and accepts the anything goes stipulation in their match at WrestleMania.
As we come back to the announce desk; Michael Cole says Pat McAfee is being summoned to Mr. McMahon’s office.
In the back Sonya Deville said she is adding Natalya and Shayna Baszler to the Women’s Tag Team title match at WrestleMania.
They show what happened last week with Austin Theory and Pay McAfee last week, Cole states McAfee is being requested to apologize for jumping Theory last week and that might be why he was requested in Mr. McMahon’s office.
Pat McAfee is shown coming back out and gets in the ring and grabs a microphone. He said when he was 11 years old, he found what he wanted to do and after he retired, he got the call of a lifetime from Michael Cole. He then got interrupted by Austin Theory and McAfee said he just left an office that demanded he apologize or lose his dream match at WrestleMania after a couple of attempts, McAfee turned his back and started “I am sorry for beating your ass last week, I am sorry your parents raised such a douchebag, Austin Theory I apologize that you’re a punk bitch.”
Theory began to smile took a selfie of himself and McAfee and told McAfee “You apologized” then shoved McAfee and dove out of the ring.
Kofi Kingston VS. Ridge Holland with Butch and Sheamus
During the break they show Big E talking about his neck injury. The end came when Butch ran into the ring and distracted Kingston and Holland grabbed him up for his slam and got the pin.
Winner: Ridge Holland
They show a recap of the Ronda Rousey/Charlotte Flair match for WrestleMania
Charlotte Flair makes her way to the ring. After saying how much better she is, she called out Ronda Rousey who comes to the ring and as Rousey was getting in the ring, Charlotte grabbed a Kendo Stick but Rousey ducked and got the better of her. After they brawled outside, Rousey again got the best of Flair even getting Flair in an ankle lock. However Flair had another Kendo Stick by the time keeper’s area and smacked Rousey with it getting the best of Rousey before power bombing Rousey through the announce desk to end the show.
AEW Rampage will once again be moving to a different time slot tonight due to NCAA basketball programming on TNT.
Tonight’s show will air at 11:30PM ET, a 90-minute delay compared to the usual time slot, a less-than-ideal start time on a Friday night.
The card features The Butcher vs Darby Allin, Leyla Hirsch vs Red Velvet, Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews and Brody King vs Bear Country and Fuego del Sol, and Keith Lee vs Max Caster. This episode was taped on Wednesday in San Antonio following Dynamite.
Last month TNT moved Rampage to an earlier time slot of 7PM ET due to the NBA All-Star weekend programming but this time around there are other NCAA games before which prevented an earlier move.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting that Cody Rhodes has signed with WWE and that was confirmed by multiple sources within the company.
Rhodes, according to the site, signed his deal around two weeks ago but it was kept under wraps. The former AEW TNT champion is listed as working against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38.
If Cody debuts before that remains to be seen as Rollins’ angle right now is that he’s trying to find a path to make it on the WrestleMania card. The last time WWE had a major surprise at WrestleMania was a few years ago at WrestleMania 33 when The Hardy Boyz were added to the Raw Tag Team title ladder match.
PWInsider.com adds that Rhodes will be part of the Raw brand moving forward.
Cody, who announced his separation from AEW on Tuesday, February 15, has not appeared on WWE television since the May 20, 2016 episode of Superstars where he lost to Zack Ryder. The next day, Cody requested his release from WWE, citing his position with the company and frustrations over the continuing use of the Stardust gimmick. His release was granted a day later on May 22.
Since leaving WWE in mid-2016, Cody took the independents by storm and then in 2019 co-founded AEW with Tony Khan spearheading the project, or revolution, as they called it.
WWE today revealed the WrestleMania panels which will take place at the Superstore Axxess at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center between March 31 and April 4.
The WrestleMania Panel schedule includes Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston at 7PM and Trish Stratus and Lita on at 9PM on March 31, Rey and Dominik Mysterio at 1PM, The Street Profits and Bianca Belair at 3PM, RK-Bro at 5PM, and Paul Heyman at 11:30PM on April 1, The Bella Twins at 11AM, Bobby Lashley and MVP at 1PM, and Shawn Michaels, Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Cora Jade and MSK at 11:30PM on April 2, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jimmy Hart at 11AM, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at 1PM and a surprise guest at 11:30PM on April 3, and Booker T and Queen Sharmell at 11AM, The Usos with Rikishi at 1PM, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Naomi at 3PM, JBL and Ron Simmons at 5PM, and The Undertaker at 11:30PM on April 4.
Tickets range from $50 to $150 and can be purchased from SeatGeek.com using the code PANEL.
One thing that the majority of land-based casinos have in common is huge space allocation for slot machines. Slots are the main profit centers for casinos online and offline, and their goal is to incentivize people to play them. Many people dream of hitting a jackpot and turning their life around, and that’s something only slots can offer. This is why Irish online casinos offer different bonuses with free spins as that’s the best way to motivate people to try these games. If you love slots, or if you would like to give them a try, then stick around. Here we will be going over some tips or secrets that slot players can use, and explain why slots are such a hit in Ireland.
Why Are Slots So Popular In Ireland
Ireland has a high population of gamblers, and it is among the countries that gamble the most. As a result, people are more open to the idea of casino games and are more likely to give them a shot. Additionally, they have a decent living standard and more disposable income which makes this hobby relatively harmless for them. Many online casinos also offer free spins no deposit deals, which allow users to play free of charge to some extent. These freebies are mostly for slots, and that’s why certain games have such a big player base.
People also love to daydream about winning incredible sums of cash, and that’s mainly possible through progressive jackpots. A progressive jackpot is another feature or reward program that is exclusively available on slot games. Basically, they think of these games as a lottery that is always available, and they don’t have to wait for a weekly show.
Now, we will go over a few secrets that you might be able to use to your advantage when playing slots. Of course, lots of these secrets are actually rumors, and they cannot be confirmed due to the nature of the game, and the way casinos operate. Still, they might make a lot of sense, and you lose nothing by testing these theories.
Play on New Machines
According to some rumors from experienced players, new machines have a higher win rate. Some of the people who work as management in casinos even confirmed this theory. The odds are slightly tilted in the player’s favor because they want as many people as possible to play these new games, and increasing the odds is a good motivator. So, if your casino gets a new machine make sure to play that game for the first 2 or 3 months. After that period they will likely return the win rate to its original value.
There is no confirmation that the same is true for new online slots, but it’s not too far-fetched for it to be the case. Software developers can get more deals and better contracts if their games are popular among the player base, so they are likely to slightly tweak the game upon its release. Casinos that collaborate with multiple developers are likely to have new games more frequently. So, when choosing an online casino, you should see if they are hosting slots from multiplier developers. This way you can test this theory consistently and see if it checks out.
Change Wager Amount
You should always play with a minimum bet, but if you feel too unlucky then try to slightly increase the wager amount. Instead of betting $0.01 per payline increase it to $0.02 or even $0.03. These are still relatively small amounts and they might improve the odds of winning. After all, casinos want you to spend more money, so slots might have a slightly higher chance for bigger amounts that are not too big at the same time. Again, all of these games are audited for fair play, which is why it’s not really possible to verify this, but once again it’s not too far-fetched.
A lot of slot players have stated that by fluctuating bet amounts they managed to increase their win rate. So, you should explore different user forums and see if there is a specific game where this tactic has worked in the past.
Getting Lucky At The Last Second
A lot of players claim that they managed to win decent amounts at the very last second. Meaning, they spend around 50 or 100 dollars, and then on the last $5 they miraculously get a bigger win. Again, this is entirely possible and makes sense from a business perspective. Casinos want you to play more and ultimately spend more, so they will nudge you right before you are about to call it quits.
You can try and use this to your advantage though. Instead of depositing large sums of money on a single machine, you can make sure to spread out your cash. Try different slot machines as someone might have played before and the machine could be ready to give that person a small boost. Slots can’t tell who is pressing the buttons after all, so if this theory is true you might score big by simply depositing $1. This also means that you should never make bigger deposits of like $100 and $200.
Always Start Small
In order to save money and not get too frustrated, you should always bet minimum amounts. Thanks to some of the recent trends like cashback bonuses and free spins, you are able to reduce your losses on slot games.
It’s always good to get a feel for the machine and see how frequently you can expect to win. You can also do this by playing a demo version. Once you find a game that has a better win rate you can start increasing the bet amount. This isn’t really that big of a secret, since casinos usually display the RTP of each individual slot game. So, it’s a known fact that different games have either a higher or lower chance of winning.
Getting Big Hits
This is really a rare occurrence and if you are not comfortable with this you should probably ignore it. However, if you find yourself in a position where you won $100 or $200, and if the machine is hot and paying frequently, you might want to try 2 or 3 spins at maximum bet. Only do this under these conditions and if you are feeling really good or really lucky. If losing will make you frustrated and if you are having doubts then just ignore this tip. Many players have tried this and really scored a lot or simply doubled their winnings.
If you are chasing a progressive jackpot however then you should never use this technique. You need as many spins as possible in order to get to that big win, so increasing the wager amount is counter-productive. However, on a hot machine that has given you a decent win rate, this can be a good way to double your winnings.
Conclusion
These were some of the main tips or secrets that can help you improve your odds. If you have some sort of a lucky juju or a lucky day, then definitely don’t question those things, simply bring them along or play on those specific days. That being said, you should never bet money you cannot afford to lose, and you should never gamble while drunk or irritated.
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV drew just 68,000 viewers, down 26,000 viewers from last week’s show. This was the second least-watched episode of Impact on AXS. It drew just 0.02 in the 18-49 demo and did not chart for the day. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The first Ring of Honor show under Tony Khan will be the upcoming Supercard of Honor during WrestleMania weekend on Friday, April 1.
Khan confirmed that the first-ever encounter between ROH Tag Team champions The Briscoes and AEW’s FTR will take place on the pay-per-view, which is headlined by Jonathan Gresham vs Bandido in a match to determine the undisputed ROH World champ.
The show, airing on FITE TV, will air from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Tickets are available at ROHTIX.com.
In related news, Khan also revealed while speaking on Busted Open Radio that he plans to relaunch ROH after this pay-per-view. Supercard of Honor will go head-to-head with AEW Rampage that night and Khan said that is something that will not happen again in the future, but he did not originally scheduled this show and since fans had already bought tickets, it made sense to still go ahead as planned.
