The state of Florida will recognize the late Hulk Hogan with his own day on Friday.
Announced by Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday, this Friday, August 1st will be “Hulk Hogan Day” with both the United States and Florida state flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset at both the state capitol in Tallahassee and government buildings in Pinellas County.
Hogan passed away last Thursday while in his Clearwater, Florida, home after the 71-year-old suffered a heart attack. He was essentially a lifelong resident of the state, moving to Port Tampa when he was nearly two years old. After graduating high school, he briefly attended the University of South Florida before dropping out.
Hogan’s first wrestling training began in Florida with Hiro Matsuda and he made his in-ring debut in Fort Myers in 1977. Hogan also owned restaurants in the state through the years including Hogan’s Hangout in Clearwater, Beach.
Tonight featured the last content from the Strong Style Evolved 2022 tapings from St. Petersburg, Fla.
The DKC defeated Kevin Knight via submission
High quality opener. These Young Lions usually tag together which made the match more interesting; Ian Riccaboni even said they were “like brothers” on commentary. In many ways it was your prototypical NJPW Young Lion style match, but both DKC and Knight added their own distinct wrestling pizazz to make it stand apart from other NJPW rookie openers.
The bout became a much higher impact affair after a few minutes in. The crowd got into it as the match went on, especially towards the finish. Late in the match, the DKC fired up, shouted “DKC FIRE!!” and threw a number of knife-edged chops into Knight’s throat. Knight responded with a basement shoulder-tackle. DKC caught Knight with a flying jump kick off the ropes; it was more like a Bruce Lee type kick as opposed to the modern wrestling fare. It looked cool. He’d later tap Knight out with a crucifix Bomb that he turned into a modified crucifix/Koji clutch submission hold for the win.
As for the match between him and Mascara Dorada, it was very good, albeit short. This was Dorada’s first time back in a NJPW ring in six years. The two complemented each other nicely and felt naturally in sync working together.
It was subtle, but on commentary, Riccaboni and Matt Rehwoldt talked about the history between these two. They didn’t mention it, but they are referring to WWE’s 2017 Cruiserweight Classic that TJP won, and Dorada (as Gran Metallik) was a part of.
Early on in the match, Mascara Dorada caught TJP with a perfectly timed Asai moonsault after TJP had slid onto the floor from the outside. His momentum was short-lived, though, as TJP would take back the reins, neutralizing Dorada in the ring with a hammerlock surfboard submission, then released the hold by falling backwards and snapping Dorada’s arm backwards. The crowd booed.
Dorada came back and in the end scored a pinfall on TJP after planting him with a spinning sit-out Death Valley Bomb.
TJP acted like a sore loser afterwards by unmasking Dorada, forcing him to throw a towel over his head to protect his identity. The crowd was heated as TJP left the ring with Dorada’s mask. I imagine we’ll see a rematch between these two down the road based on what we saw tonight.
Jay Lethal defeated Ren Narita
Retired NJPW referee Tiger Hattori joined the English broadcast team for this match.
When the bell sounded, Lethal took his time engaging Narita, instead choosing to please the crowd with his version of the Flair Strut mixed in with a couple of “Woos!” Narita didn’t look pleased. They started off with an extended exchange, going back and forth first on the mat, then running off the ropes. Lethal teased Lethal Injection, but Narita shoved Lethal away.
Ian Riccaboni put over Lethal on commentary as an unsung, underrated wrestler of the scene for years, and rightly so. I mention this because it also reminded me of how young Narita is and how he’s only been wrestling for five years. But he didn’t look out of place at all with a vet like Lethal. It’s almost as though Katsuyori Shibata fully transferred his wrestling spirit into Ren Narita’s body, and what we see now is simply that.
Speaking of Shibata-esque wrestling, Narita later caught Lethal with a few high roundhouse kicks to the chest. Lethal would recover and later attempted a springboard dropkick to Narita as Narita stood on the apron. Narita ducked, but Lethal caught him with a draping cutter which brought Narita back into the ring.
Lethal missed a diving elbow drop, allowing Narita to recover and plant Lethal with a front suplex. He earned himself a nearfall after hitting a nice bridging single-arm suplex. Narita then went for the Narita Special #3, a modified Texas Cloverhold, then transitioned from that into a figure-four leglock. Lethal was able to force the break, and when they separated, we could see Narita’s nose and/or mouth were bloodied up. The announcers weren’t quite sure what happened to cause it, and it wasn’t clear on screen, either.
Lethal used his Lethal Combination on Narita, then followed up with a deadlift brainbuster before connecting with Hail to the King, his Randy Savage-inspired diving elbow drop.
It was around the ten-minute mark when Lethal locked on his own figure four. When Narita got out of the hold, Lethal went for Lethal Injection, but Narita blocked it again, catching Lethal with a sleeper hold before transitioning into a cobra twist submission. The visual here was inadvertently amazing, with Narita’s face now pouring with blood down onto Lethal’s ribcage.
Lethal countered the hold, rolling Narita up for two. They exchanged roll-up pins before Lethal was finally able to catch Narita in rhythm with Lethal Injection and put him away for the victory in just over ten minutes.
Lethal offered Narita his hand after the match. Narita proudly accepted and shook Lethal’s hand while bowing. Both looked terrific in this.
Final thoughts:
This was a short and sweet episode of Strong, clocking in at under an hour with three very good matches that didn’t drag. This episode is the epitome of what we often call an “easy watch.”
The DKC vs. Kevin Knight is a great primer for those unfamiliar with the LA Dojo’s latest prospects. Mascara Dorada vs. TJP had natural chemistry and previewed what could become a longer rivalry down the road between the two. Jay Lethal vs. Ren Narita was one of those Strong matches that if it were in front of a different and/or bigger audience, it’d have torn the house down. Lethal is a pro’s pro, and Narita is something special, proving it all in about ten minutes with Lethal.
Les Thatcher and I discuss the reopening of Florida and what that might mean for both WWE & AEW.
We’ll also talk about an issue for AEW Tag Team Champions FTR, who should be booking all The Fiend’s segments, if anyone in WWE regrets letting Cody leave, and the impact the pandemic is having on our viewing habits.
A reopening of Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis will allow all sports to run events without governmental regulation, which was noted in the local news would mean full stadiums for NFL games.
Right now there doesn’t appear to be plans for the state’s NFL teams to open up full stadiums, but the state will not get in the way if they can
While not announced officially, the plan is for WrestleMania to be on March 28, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and then go to Los Angeles in 2022.
WWE always wanted 2022 in Los Angeles but the city wanted 2021. Given that California is going to be more cautious about events like this than Florida (a drunk driver racing at Daytona is probably more cautious than the Governor of Florida in reality), it really all makes sense.
Plus Tampa does deserve it based on the work put in to house it last year.
Coverage of an incredibly newsworthy week is the focus of this week’s double-issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at what could be the end of the career of David Starr, his significance in wrestling, the charges made about him by an ex-girlfriend, his response, the response fro companies he was headlining for and a discussion of the bigger picture story and business history on the subject.
The new issue also has:
Most recent COVID-19 case in the WWE, how plans changed for WWE taping, the schedule going forward, the company’s policies on the subject of testing and fans how WWE’s reaction compares to other companies, the politicizing of the COVID story in Orange County and how things could change this week. We also look at how every other company is handling the situation, Kevin Owens not wrestling at next week’s taping, a UFC fighter who just tested positive and a training partner pulled from this week’s who had problems at the Orlando Airport that all the wrestlers that don’t live in the area have to fly into.
More on the departure of Paul Heyman as the head of Raw. We look at Heyman’s goals, USA Network’s reaction, the previous difference between Raw and Smackdown, how Raw has already changed, how the booking this year on Raw had changed, how NXT looked different, as well as a look at how all the wrestling shows have done over the past month and actual drops both from late last year and from early this year in the COVID era.
Talent that was being featured that wasn’t this week and why.
A feature on New Japan Pro Wrestling opening up, talking about the first shows, plus New Japan Cup coverage with match-by-match and star ratings, and where the tournament goes this week.
One of the most significant issues in MMA, weight cutting,and how another sport handles the situation.
A feature on the stockholders lawsuit against WWE regarding Saudi Arabia including two secret witnesses and what they have said about the television negotiations and what really happened after the October show when talent couldn’t get out of the country.
Full coverage of Backlash, noting the Randy Orton vs. Edge match, match-by-match coverage with star ratings as well as poll results on the show.
More on the XFL’s demise, a huge story regarding TV rights and how it relates to WWE & AEW when their deals are up, Evolve not running new shows, WWE and new touring shows, new TV series based on the life of a wrestling star, Sports ratings for the past week, Canadian ratings for the past week, most-watched shows on WWE Network and WWE’s current market value.
Mustafa Ali talking the behavior of the police, replacement feud on Smackdown and why, Drew McIntyre talks current scene, the stalker returns to Performance Center, Randy Orton talks Tommaso Ciampa, Wade Barrett talks booking idea he was given, plus next week’s TV stuff.
Coverage of this past week’s UFC show.
A back of the book feature on Johnny “Mr. Wrestling II” Walker. We’ve got his unbelievably long career title history, a look back at Georgia Wrestling in the 70s and 80s, his early days as Johnny Walker, how far masked wrestlers went to keep their identities secret, Jim Cornette talks the one time he saw him without his mask and working with him in Mid South, Les Thatcher talks their friendship clothes, the kneelift, the birth of the gimmick and it taking off, his famous match with Junkyard Dog in New Orleans, and his period as the No. 2 babyface in the 60s in an opposition promotion in New York. We also look at his criminal record updated.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
There has been a lot of news to digest over the past 48 hours. We have an article on the situation in the current issue and no doubt there will be a lot more to come:
David Lagana was announced as having resigned as Vice President of the NWA effective immediately. The NWA also announced that all production of NWA content is being temporarily halted pending a restructuring of executive management positions. Wrestler Liz Savage made claims of inappropriate behavior by Lagana at a time the two were living together in a platonic situation in Southern California.
WWE has released Jack Gallagher. Gallagher was accused today of getting a woman drunk at a 2014 New Year’s Eve Party, making advances and when she pushed him off, he held on which led to her skirt ripping and then she left the party.
AEW announced Jimmy Havoc would be going into treatment and counseling regarding mental health and substance abuse issues and the company is evaluating his status and will make a decision regarding him after completion of the program.
Alex Shane is no longer with WrestleTalk after allegations came out that he took Polaroids of encounters with a 15-year-old and other girls and showed those photos around. The 15-year-old later committed suicide and her sister said it was not exclusively due to what Shane did but thinks it was part of her ordeal. Shane released a statement denying the allegations, but resigned.
Former referee Kris Levin claimed that Anthem has been investigating allegations against Impact executives. This is based on a claim of sexual harassment of a former talent.
Vicky Haskins (wife of ROH’s Mark) has alleged that legendary British wrestling promoter Brian Dixon got a photographer to take upskirt photos of her, unbeknown to her, at a show in 2011, back when she was pregnant. She claims she was told the photos were for Brian’s ‘collection’.
UFC weigh-ins for tomorrow’s show. The entire show is on ESPN starting at 5 p.m. Eastern:
Austin Hubbard (156) vs. Max Rohskopf (155)
Roxanne Modafreri (125.5) vs. Lauren Murphy (125.5)
Frank Camacho (158) vs. Justin Jaynes (156)
Cortney Casey (123.5) vs. Gillian Robertson (125.5)
Marc-Andre Barriault (185.5) vs Oskar Piechota (185.5)
Tecia Torres (116) vs. Brianna Van Buren (115)
Bobby Green (155.5) vs. Clay Guida (154.5)
Jim Miller (159.5) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (160)
Belal Muhammad (170.5) vs. Lyman Good (170.5)
Raquel Pennington (136) vs. Marion Reneau (136)
Josh Emmett (146) vs,. Shane Burgos (146)
Curtis Blaydes (261) vs. Alexander Volkov (247)
Camacho missed weight by two pounds. Miller and Roberts agreed to fight at 160 so neither missed weight. The current issue has a preview of the key stuff on the card. Curtis Blaydes is a -400 favorite in the main event according to the William Hill Agency with Volkov at +320. Marc-Andre Barriault has had the most money bet on anyone.
Smackdown tonight has an A.J. Styles celebration for winning the IC title, Miz TV with Mandy Rose, and the return of Bray Wyatt. Most interesting will be if the debut of Matt Riddle, which was taped on Monday, will be airing or be edited out.
ROH has a PPV show featuring taped matches with new commentary and comments including Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly, Kevin Steen vs. Matt Hardy, Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal, Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong, Kushida vs. Marty Scurll, Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Young Bucks and Villain Enterprises vs. LifeBlood.
WWE
Florida reported a record 3,822 new COVID cases, breaking the record of 3,204 yesterday. NBA players are due in Orlando in three weeks. Orange County has put in new restrictions requiring masks at all times except when eating or drinking, exercising or in one’s home. Whether this applies to fans and non-in-ring personnel at the WWE tapings right now is unknown.
Mara Romero Borella vs. Miranda Maverick has been added to the 6/27 show.
Andrew Sanchez vs. Wellington Turman has been added to the 8/8 show.
Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brody has been added to the 8/29 show.
AEW
SlamWrestling.net has an interview with Dustin Rhodes talking about acting, including his role in the just-released horror movie “Scare Package” where he plays the villain, Devil’s Lake Impaler.
MISCELLANEOUS
The MCW Pro Wrestling Training Center will be opening back up on 6/23 and the next beginners class will start 7/14. They will follow all Maryland and CDC guidelines.
Rick Bassman will be producing a streaming event at 8 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night at www.talking-tough.com that will feature Sting, Bas Rutten, Butterbean, Benny Urquidez, Lou Ferrigno, Mike O’Hearn, The Mountain and more.
Dory Funk Jr. will be doing a Fight Camp from 8/2 to 8/9 with personal instruction, five training sessions, $750 which includes a hotel, TV taping and more. It’s open to wrestlers, referees, managers, valets, announcers, production staff and camera crew. For ore info go to [email protected]
MLW Pulp Fusion this week has Low Ki addressing King Mo and Dan Lambert, Kevin Von Erich working with his sons on grip strength for the claw, L.A. Park and his family hit the gym (LA. Park,no way), plus Richard Holiday, Mance Warner, Konnan, Alex Hammerstone, Logan Creed, Myron Reed and Salina de la Renta.
Wrestle Pro Alaska on 9/19 in Anchorage at the Dena Ina Civic Center with DDP, Gangrel, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy, Joey Janela, Marku Stunt and more.
LFA will be back on Fight Pass with shows on 7/10, 7/17, 7/24 and 7/31 all at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. 7/10 has Justin Gonzales vs. Jake Childers for the featherweight title. 7/17 has Sam Hughes vs. Vanessa Demopoulos for the women’s strawweight title, Greg Fischer vs. Jimmy Flick for the flyweight title, and Bryce Logan vs Jacob Rosales for the lightweight title.
Game Changer Wrestling has a live streaming show at 5 p.m. Eastern tomorrow featuring Nick Gage vs. Nate Webb and Mance Warner & Matt Justice vs. Rickey Shane Page & Attcus Coger as well as Jimmy Lloyd vs. Alex Zayne.
OVW’s TV special on Jessie Godderz airs tonight at midnight on YouToo America.
IWTV is streaming tonight Yuki Ishikawa’s 15th Anniversary show, ICW The Next Generation, Rekka vs. Shinjiro Otani from Taiwan and Big Japa’s 2019 Death Match Survive Night One.
Arez (@AeArez) & his strange group of friends/enemies have started a series called #LuchaStrange where every week they battle in different locations Mortal Kombat style with a Lucha Libre twist in order to take possession of the priceless Arez de Oro! New episodes drop on Thursdays over on this channel.
Florida has become the new haven for the risk takers in sports who are considered essential services in that state.
WWE this past week taped all its television through 5/11 at the Performance Center in Orlando.
UFC and AEW will be taping nearly on top of each other, with UFC airing live shows on 5/9, 5/13 and 5/16 from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, while AEW has shows scheduled less than a mile away at Daily’s Place on 5/6, 5/7 (taped for 5/13), 5/20, 5/23 and 5/27. UFC will be doing a show on 5/23, but Dana White said that would not be in Florida. That show will go head-to-head with AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV, but not from the same location.
Going head-to-head really doesn’t matter from a live standpoint since there will be no fans at either event, however UFC will go head-to-head in some form on 5/13 with both AEW and NXT, and on 5/23, they will be head-to-head as well on either streaming vs. PPV.
On Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Radio, our Dave Meltzer reported that a source has told him that UFC 249 will be held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
Earlier this week, it was reported by MMA Fighting that the UFC was heading to Florida for the May 9th pay-per-view and booking flights for fighters into Jacksonville with travel to an undisclosed location.
The building has been around since 2003 and hosts a variety of sports events and concerts with a seating capacity of 15,000. The latter would be irrelevant for this event as no fans will be allowed in attendance.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently updated an executive order that added professional sports to the list of essential businesses allowed to remain open as long as fans are not in attendance. Any MMA event would be overseen by the Florida State Boxing Commission.
The UFC has been unable to host shows at their APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, due to the pandemic, and their “Fight Island” international location has not been completed. To date, they have had to postpone or cancel six events.
When Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently declared that pro sports were essential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, it felt inevitable that the UFC would head to the Sunshine State at some point as they searched to find a home, any home, to stage an event.
On Tuesday, MMA Fighting reported that May 9th’s UFC 249 will take place in Florida with the exact location still unknown. UFC has yet to publicly give the location or the official card for the show. Citing sources close to the situation who chose to remain anonymous, fighters will be flying into Jacksonville and then heading to wherever the event will be.
Florida has hosted one MMA empty arena show during the pandemic and their athletic commission told MMA Fighting they are prepared to do so again.
This will be the company’s third attempt at staging the event, first scheduled for Brooklyn, NY, on April 18th, and then moved to Lemoore, CA’s Tachi Palace. In the case of the latter, California governor Gavin Newsom reportedly intervened, contacting upper Disney/ESPN management as the show would have fallen outside federal guidelines as it sits on tribal land.
The pay-per-view is set to be headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje and a bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominic Cruz. Women’s dual champion Amanda Nunes said on Monday that she will not participate in the show despite her name being initially added to the show.
At a meeting of the Orange County (FL) Board of County Commissioners Tuesday morning, a comment submitted by what was said to be a WWE employee raised concerns about the company continuing to run despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Planning administrator Eric Raasch read the comment from “John” who said that his employer World Wrestling Entertainment “is forcing me to to work the TV tapings for its weekly shows despite stay at home orders for coronavirus. I am unable to speak out as I need this job and I know I will be fired if I approach my higher ups. Despite sanitary precautions, we cannot maintain social distancing and are have to touch other people. I request the government to shut down these tapings and enforce the stay at home order so my colleagues and I can follow social distancing rules without fear of repercussions of losing our jobs.”
At Tuesday’s Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting, a #WWE employee named “John” submitted public comment they’re being “forced to work” TV tapings despite stay at home orders. Says he’s unable to speak out and feels he will be fired if he approaches his higher-ups. pic.twitter.com/UJTvX1RGc7
It’s unclear what measures the county takes to ensure the comment is legitimate and not coming from an unverified source.
In a statement sent to the Observer, WWE said the following:
“These accusations aren’t true. Employees know they can confidentially go to Human Resources, not the public. Notwithstanding the appropriate protocol, no one would be fired if they were uncomfortable with their surroundings. We’ve made accommodations for individuals upon request.”
WWE recently changed its approach on TV tapings for a second time, moving away from a weekly live format for Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, to a taping schedule that will cover them for weeks at a time before needing to restart the process all over again. All shows in recent weeks and for the foreseeable future are being taped at the Performance Center in Orlando, FL.
Despite all pro sports sitting on the sidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic, pro wrestling and UFC have continued to push forward and now have Florida fully on board as a willing partner.
But how did sports become an essential business and so quickly? Spectrum News 13 of central Florida did an investigative report and on this new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, one of the team members involved — sports reporter and broadcaster Jon Alba — joins the show to discuss the story.
We talk about what triggered their look into Governor DeSantis’ updated executive order, why it affects more than just WWE, and the timeline in which a financial investment by a super PAC headed up by Linda McMahon may have played a significant role.
I also ask the question: why Florida?
We also chat about Jon’s side wrestling podcast project, Living The Gimmick.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to deem “professional sports and media production with a national audience” as essential businesses, clearing the path for WWE, AEW, and UFC to run events, drew criticism Tuesday with Linda McMahon coming into focus.
WWE resumed their regular weekly TV schedule at the Orlando, FL, Performance Center Monday, just three days after Vince McMahon changed his mind on the doorstep of a multi-day taping that would have covered the company for weeks.
Questions were raised at how they were able to make that decision given the state’s previous order that only essential businesses remain open. On Monday, that was answered as it was revealed during a Monday press conference with Orange Country Mayor Jerry Demings that WWE was now considered essential per the governor’s office.
“With some conversation with the governor’s office regarding the governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open,” he said.
The state government issued an executive order on April 9th that all professional sports could return to business if the location was closed to the public. Coverage of the decision was featured in a variety of news outlets that don’t normally cover wrestling like CNBC, The Guardian, USA Today, and more.
Stephanie Coueignoux and Jon Alba of Central Florida’s Spectrum News 13 performed a further investigation into the situation Tuesday, noting that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the PC in both March and April, advising WWE they were not in compliance with the previously existing order and would have to close down.
However, Spectrum News 13, providing a timeline, found that the change of heart came on the same day as a pro-President Donald Trump super PAC (political action committee) announced that they were going to spend $18.5 million in both the Tampa and Orlando markets. That super PAC is headed up by Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon’s wife, and the former head of Trump’s Small Business Administration. DeSantis has been known as an ally of Trump, a WWE Hall-of-Famer and friends with Vince.
Vince’s decision to resume live WWE programming at the PC happened the next day.
A spokesperson for the super PAC told ABC News that the connection was an example of “looking to connect some sort of dots that simply don’t exist” and that the $18.5 million ad buy was planned more than a week before the updated executive order was issues.
In a statement to Spectrum 13, DeSantis’ office said WWE was critical to Florida’s economy and the employees at those locations benefit. WWE was set to hold WrestleMania in Tampa this year, generating millions for the local economy, before having to move it to the PC. No return date was announced as next year’s event is scheduled for Los Angeles, CA.
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump said at a press conference that Vince and UFC president Dana White would join a group of sports commissioners and dozens of other business leaders in a variety of industries in helping figure out how to get things “re-opened” in the country.
A memo sent on Thursday included “Employees at a professional sports and media production with a national audience — including any athletes, entertainers, production team, executive team, media team and any others necessary to facilitate including services supporting such production — only if the location is closed to the general public” to Florida’s list of essential services.
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At a press conference today, Orange County (Florida) mayor Jerry Demings was asked how WWE is still able to run shows despite the state’s stay-at-home order.
“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business. With some conversation with the governor’s office regarding the governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so therefore, they were allowed to remain open,” Demings said.
Demings said that — because of HIPAA laws — he doesn’t know the specifics associated with the person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19. “But that’s like a little family,” Demings said. “A small family of professional athletes that wrestle. And if one of my family members tested positive in my house, that would be concerning to me. We would have to make some provisions in my house to make sure that the rest of us not get infected. So I would assume that — from a business perspective — the WWE is doing that type of analysis of its own family.”
The person in WWE who tested positive for COVID-19 is an on-air talent but not a member of the in-ring roster. Over the weekend, WWE issued a statement about the positive test: “A WWE employee has tested positive for COVID-19. We believe this matter is low risk to WWE talent and staff, as the individual and a roommate became symptomatic in the days following exposure to two people working in acute health care on the evening of March 26, after WWE’s TV production on a closed set was already complete. The employee had no contact with anyone from WWE since being exposed to those two individuals, is doing well, and made a complete recovery.”
WWE is resuming live television broadcasts from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida starting with tonight’s Raw.
In a decision that could affect both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, Florida has now issued a statewide stay-at-home order.
The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 3 and will expire on April 30 unless extended by a subsequent order. Senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions shall stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. The order also states that “all persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.”
WWE has already taped this Friday’s SmackDown, both nights of WrestleMania 36, and next Monday’s Raw. NXT also taped multiple episodes on March 22. A stay-at-home order for Orange County, Florida had already been put into effect from March 26 to April 9.
Dave Meltzer reported yesterday that AEW has moved their TV out of Daily’s Place in Jacksonville to an undisclosed location that’s believed to be in the Southeast. In that report, Meltzer wrote that it was believed AEW would be taping matches throughout yesterday and today for this week’s Dynamite and Dark as well as future shows.
Florida had also been mentioned as a potential location for UFC 249. The pay-per-view is scheduled for April 18 but doesn’t have a new location announced yet. It was originally supposed to take place in Brooklyn, New York.
Shannon Rose, a Florida ring announcer and publicist who had battled health problems since childhood, passed away yesterday.
Rose battled muscular dystrophy for much of his life. He’s been a part of the Florida scene since the mid-80s after Gordon Solie and Dusty Rhodes met him through the Make-a-
Wish foundation when he was 12 years old. He did ring announcing at a small Championship Wrestling from Florida show and later ring announced for a number of independent groups. He also handled publicity for a number of companies in dealing with the Observer since the 80s.
He did a public access talk show on pro wrestling which aired for many years on a Tampa television since he was a teenager. He did ring announcing for the 2010 version of the EA Sports MMA video game, worked in local radio in Tampa and was named Rising Star of the Year by the St. Petersburg Times newspaper in 2009. He was also at one time the National Spokesperson for Elhers Danlos Network CARES and ran his own public relations company, Electric Media Productions.
“Shannon was anointed a selfless survivor during his time with us, constantly defying scientific boundaries associated with MS,” wrote his family on his Facebook account.
Former two-division UFC champion and sometimes retired Conor McGregor has one fewer legal issue to deal with as charges stemming from an incident with a cell phone outside a MIami nightclub were dropped Monday.
In late-March, 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak allegedly had his cell phone destroyed and stolen by McGregor as he exited the Fountainbleau in the early morning hours. Abdirzak brought a civil suit against McGregor for than $15,000 in damages stemming from the incident, but dropped the suit in April.
Florida assistant state attorney Khalil Madani said Abdirzak’s attorney told his office he had “been made whole” by McGregor, and concluded that Abdirzak had “credibility issues” due to him changing his sworn testimony:
“Based on the witness’s credibility issues, his unwillingness to respond to a subpoena and the inability of the witnesses to testify as to his subjective mindset, the State of Florida cannot prove the charges against Mr. McGregor beyond a reasonable doubt.”
McGregor had been facing one charge of felony robbery and one charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief.
Despite retiring on Twitter earlier this year, UFC president Dana White expects McGregor to fight again but with many of his options booked up or soon to be booked up with fights, there’s no realistic timetable for his return.
