In a since deleted tweet, she wrote Wednesday that “History repeats itself unfortunately. I speak up about mistreatment and get let go. Thats life.”
Though she did not specify where she had been let go from, she had been working for AEW since last year. She most recently competed on the March 2nd edition of AEW Dark. Although she and Diamante had been teaming for most their run, the two had been working as singles wrestlers as of late.
I spoke up about mistreatment from a Coach, even to other women too, there were witnesses and I was the one suspended and left in limbo and just now let go, and nothing has been done at all the entire time about (Thunder Rosa) slandering my name the entire time in AEW and doing everything to sabotage my position there, I kept quiet, (Thunder Rosa) also has a history of getting involved with officials in order to get ahead which there was a lawsuit and everything in (Lucha Underground).
AEW has yet to announce the release, nor comment on her allegations.
She replied to a tweet with an image of her no-selling Rosa in a controversial September 2020 AEW singles match, saying Rosa “pulled the same thing in LU, I am the vet in both scenarios, which means she disrespecting me and the company doing that.”
It was recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Ivelisse had not been used in AEW as of late due to an issue between her and “a few” coaches.
Sixteen matches are set for this Tuesday’s edition of AEW Dark.
AEW’s social media announced today that a match between Sammy Guevara and Marko Stunt had been added to the lineup, which was posted earlier this morning.
Additionally, a three way tag team match will be taking place. Chaos Project will meet the Dark Order’s Evil Uno & Stu Grayson as well as the team of Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela.
The Waiting Room, a new talk show hosted by Britt Baker, will also make a return. This week’s guest will be Tay Conti.
Here is the entire lineup for this week’s Dark, which will stream on Tuesday at 7 pm EST:
Sammy Guevara vs. Marko Stunt
Chaos Project vs. Evil Uno & Stu Grayson vs. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela
Gunn Club vs. Cezar Bononi, KTB, & Seth Gargis
The Acclaimed vs. Alex Chamberlain & Damian Fenrir
Brandon Cutler vs. Adam Priest
Penelope Ford vs. Dreamgirl Ellie
Fuego del Sol vs. Peter Avalaon
Ivelisse & Diamante vs. Lady Frost & “Bionic Beast” Jenna
Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Lee Johnson & Aaron Solow
Kilynn King vs. Rache Chanel
Trent vs. Michael Nakazawa
Matt Sydal vs. Alan Angels
The Hybrid2 vs. Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.
While not officially announced by the company as of now, Ivelisse said during an interview Monday night that she has signed with AEW.
She didn’t give any details, but said she was overwhelmed to get the offer in the same week when she lost her home in a fire. She had tweeted about the fire in mid-September so if the timeline is accurate, she’s been under contract for a month.
Ivelisse made her AEW debut in mid-July in a loss to Diamante and then teamed with her in the first Women’s Tag Team Cup. The duo won the tourney with a finals victory over Brandi Rhodes and Allie.
Since then, she defeated KiLynn King and lost to NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa in a much-discussed match. She also teamed with Diamante twice, defeating Rache Chanel and Skyler Moore and losing to Rosa and AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida at the September 23rd Dynamite — the last time she has been on AEW TV.
The 33-year-old is the current SHINE Champion, a former Lucha Underground Trios Champion, was a member of the Impact Wrestling roster, and was on the 2011 WWE Tough Enough season, working for two years in developmental. She also had WWE tryouts over the past two years.
A positive COVID-19 test result has resulted in a major change to tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Championship was set to headline the show, while Jon Moxley, Will Hobbs & Darby Allin were going to face Lance Archer, Brian Cage & Ricky Starks in a six-man tag. Archer revealed a positive COVID-19 test, so now Moxley will defend his AEW World title against Eddie Kingston.
Kingston was technically never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out and has been mentioning that fact in his promos ever since. So tonight, he gets the World title shot he’s been clamoring for.
Lee will be making his second defense of the title since winning it from Cody on August 22. Lee brings an AEW career singles mark of 7-1 into the contest. Cassidy is 8-4 in AEW singles matches in 2020 and is coming off wins over Chris Jericho and Angelico.
Miro and Kip Sabian will team against Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss in Miro’s AEW in-ring debut.
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and NWA World Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will team against Ivelisse and Diamante. Rosa defeated Ivelisse on last week’s Dynamite. Diamante and Ivelisse attacked Rosa after her win and Shida made the save.
An appearance by Chris Jericho and an appearance by Matt Hardy and Private Party have also been advertised.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team.
This was a mixed bag. I thought they used Miro smartly and he played to his strengths, mostly tagging in for a few power spots.
I thought that any talk of Miro having a new physique was overblown last week but I was wrong. He’s gigantic.
Janela and Kiss got some shine on Sabian early. Sabian and Miro cut Kiss off and worked him over. This was formulaic but the work was very good at this stage.
Janela got a hot tag and things got sloppy. Miro, Janela and Sabian brawled to the floor. Miro sold his ankle and was limping for a bit.
Miro tried to launch Sabian over the barricade to Janela. Janela was supposed to hit something mid-air but the camera crew didn’t get a good shot of it and it looked like they botched it anyway.
Miro used the former Accolade, now possibly called Game Over, for the submission win on Kiss.
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Eddie Kingston entered and demanded the hard camera be focused on him. He said he and Mox used to be cut from the same cloth but then Mox sold out and became a sports entertainer, selling his soul to the devil.
He demanded that Moxley face him. Moxley entered and faced off with Kingston. A security team kept them apart.
This was an excellent segment. Give me a Kingston promo every week.
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The announcers previewed the card. Kenny Omega joined the commentary desk for the next match.
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Hangman Page defeated Evil Uno (w/Dark Order)
This was exactly the same thing they did last week, there was no storyline advancement with Omega and Page. Omega was better on commentary this week than last week but still managed to talk under Page’s ring introduction.
JR tried to help Omega get over the storyline here and asked if he was going to help Page out. Omega said he was staying put because he’s a singles guy now.
Page is still getting his legs under him as a singles guy and his matches aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet.
They had a back and forth brawl before an ad break. Uno worked Page over in a picture-in-picture ad break.
Page made a comeback. Uno tossed him to the stage. Uno asked Dark Order to go to the back rather than interfere.
Page made another comeback and hit a standing shooting star for a two count. Uno hit a senton atomico for a two count.
Page hit a powerbomb with a stack cover for a near fall, then followed with a Buckshot Lariat for the pin.
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Schiavone interviewed Matt Jackson backstage. Matt said fans may have noticed that he and Nick have been acting out of character lately.
He broke Tony’s phone and continued to act like a jerk.
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TNT Championship match: Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the title
Not much to the match here but it was more a backdrop for the post-match angle.
Cassidy did his comedy kicks and pockets spot.
Cassidy tried a suicide dive but the Dark Order lackies caught him and allowed Lee to take over. Lee beat on Cassidy through an ad break.
Cassidy made a comeback and ran wild with suicide dives. JR went on his weekly crusade to undermine talent by ripping on dives. Cassidy hit a pair of tornado DDTs for near falls.
John Silver jumped in. Cassidy hit him with an Orange Punch. Lee used the distraction to hit a powerbomb and a discus lariat for the pin.
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After the match, Cody’s music hit.
Cody entered. He has dark hair now.
Cody beat up some Dark Order lackies while Lee escaped.
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After a commercial, Lee cut a promo. He asked what kind of man Cody was for sending Dustin and Brandi to do his work for him while he was in a bubble somewhere.
Lee asked what kind of man Cody was that his wife was posting thirst traps and calling Lee “Daddy.”
Lee pulled out a dog collar and challenged Cody to a dog collar match. He gave Cody a week to respond.
This was another strong promo. The high point of this show tonight is the promos by a wide margin.
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Matt Hardy and Private Party made their way to the ring. Hardy said it was his birthday.
Hardy said he was attacked from behind last week. He used a lot of words to say that someone with a mask attacked him with a pipe or bat and noted that right after he was laid out, Jericho and Hager entered with a bat.
Hardy said he has a lot of enemies but was pointing the finger at Jericho.
Jericho and The Inner Circle entered. Sammy Guevara is back. Jericho said he didn’t attack Hardy. Jericho was carrying a baseball bat.
Hardy wanted to fight the whole Inner Circle. Quen and Kassidy talked sense to him and reminded him he’s not cleared yet.
Quen said he is cleared and laid out Jericho last week. Kassidy said he’s ready to make Le Champion his bitch next week.
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FTR and Tully Blanchard came to the ring for a promo. Tully said that Tag title matches on TV will now have a 20 minute time limit and he and FTR get to pick the opponents.
FTR are branding this as a weekly “brush with greatness.” They mentioned Best Friends as potential opponents.
Best Friends entered. FTR acted like they were ready to defend the titles right away. A referee came out and was about to ring the bell when Dax stopped him.
Cash said it wouldn’t be fair to Best Friends if they wrestled tonight and advised them to take a couple weeks to heal up and then maybe call Tully and they’ll set something up.
This was an effective segment.
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Thunder Rosa & Hikaru Shida defeated Ivelisse & Diamante
Rosa is great, Shida is great, this match was laid out really well, there’s just only so much Ivelisse and Diamante are capable of.
Rosa’s facepaint was a tribute to Road Warrior Animal.
Shida and Rosa were attacked during Shida’s intro.
Diamante and Ivelisse cut Rosa off. It’s kind of like when Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are in together when Rosa and Ivelisse are in there at the same time in that it feels like a fight could break out at any time.
Shida got a hot tag during a commercial break. The match broke down.
Shida pinned Diamante after a falcon arrow and a shining wizard.
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Dasha Gonzalez was backstage with Chris Jericho.
Jericho said Isiah Kassidy is going to be a big star one day but not next week. He said next week he’s going down when he faces Le Champion.
MJF entered. Jericho and MJF continued to do their mutual appreciation society gimmick. It was very good.
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Jericho vs. Kassidy, Britt Baker in action, Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin, FTR vs. SCU and a Jon Moxley appearance were advertised for next week’s Dynamite.
A 30 years of Jericho celebration was announced for the October 7 Dynamite.
The main event is next.
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AEW World Championship match: Jon Moxley defeated Eddie Kingston to retain the title
Kingston is 38 and has worked a hard style for a long time. He’s at the top of his game as a promo and a character and that makes up for whatever physical limitations he has.
They had a brawl. It was intense and very good.
They traded a couple of cursory holds right awy but things quickly became the brawl that you would expect. They lit each other up with chops and strikes.
Kingston was in control before a commercial break and beat Moxley around ringside.
Moxley made a comeback with a tope and a piledriver for a near fall. Kingston hit a powerbomb for a two count. Kingston sold like he might have a stinger.
Moxley avoided two backfists and used a bulldog choke for the submission win.
A key point in the finish here is that Kingston never tapped, the referee called for the bell after Kingston appeared to be out.
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After the bell, Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix ran in to attack Moxley.
Will Hobbs ran in for the save. Penta and Fenix recovered and laid out Hobbs.
Darby Allin ran in to join the brawl. Allin sent Fenix and Penta outside wth skateboard shots.
Ricky Starks ran in and attacked Allin. Starks hit a big spear and hit Allin with the skateboard.
The team of Diamante and Ivelisse have won the Deadly Draw Women’s Tag Team tournament.
The finals of the tournament were held tonight on a special Saturday edition of Dynamite, with Diamante and Ivelisse defeating The Nightmare Sisters (Brandi Rhodes & Allie) to win the tournament.
The finish of the match has Brandi teasing a pedigree on Ivelisse, but ended up being tossed outside.QT Marshall at one point tried to interfere, but ended up being sent to the floor. Diamante then hit Allie with a cutter and pinned her to win the match and the tournament.
Madusa appeared on stage after the match to present the winners medals and flowers. Both Ivelisse and Diamante rejected the flowers, however, and posed with individual Puerto Rican flags instead.
The tournament started on August 3, with the quarterfinals and semifinals airing on YouTube. The Nightmare Sisters defeated Mel & Penelope Ford and Big Swole & Lil’ Swole (Nicole Savoy) to advance to the finals, while Diamante & Ivelisse defeated Dasha & Racheal Ellering and Anna Jay & Tay Conti to advance to tonight’s match.
Tonight is week two of AEW’s Deadly Draw Women’s Tag Team Cup, as we conclude the first round of matchups. Shaul Guerrero is the ring announcer, and Tony Schiavone is joined by Veda Scott on commentary.
Previously announced for today’s show was AEW backstage interviewer Dasha Gonzalez & former WWE developmental talent Rachael Ellering (daughter of Paul Ellering) vs. Ivelisse and Diamante.
The opening video package and song for this tournament is excellent. AEW has a bit of a depth problem in their women’s division but it really makes them look like stars.
Big Swole was interviewed backstage, and the interviewer had a surprise for her. It was Lil Swole, known as Nicole Savoy in the indies. It was also revealed that Leva Bates is teaming with Rache Chanel, and they faced off next.
First Round: Big Swole & Lil Swole defeated Leva Bates & Rache Chanel (with Peter Avalon)
This was the weakest match of the tournament yet. Bates and Chanel did some comedy, so while the Swoles looked dominant, it was hard to take their opponents seriously. Bates’ work was okay but Chanel looked really weak. Lil Swole looked very competent, however –– she deserves a contract in this division, although the fact that she is in fact bigger than Big Swole is a bit comedic.
Bates did her shushing gimmick during her entrance. She also brought a fashion book as a gift for Chanel. This was also Big Swole’s first match back from kayfabe suspension.
Chanel and Lil Swole started off. Schiavone and Scott put over Lil Swole’s technical aptitude. Chanel and Bates teased dissension, as well as being in over their heads against their more-talented opponents.
The Swoles performed some cool tag maneuvers and Lil Swole locked in a modified crossface on Chanel, but Avalon distracted the ref and Chanel attacked with a ruler.
Lil Swole eventually made a comeback to get the hot tag to Big Swole. Big Swole got a visual pinfall on Bates, but Chanel broke it up in a mistimed spot. The finish came when the Swoles hit a combination flatliner/blockbuster on Bates.
We got an advertisement for All Elite Heels, the new women-focused wrestling community established by Brandi Rhodes.
Ivelisse and Diamante were shown meeting after their chip selections.
Dasha was told by Shaul Guerrero that she’d be competing in the tournament, which surprised her. When she drew her chip, Rachael Ellering showed up, and they tried to get across that they recognized and remembered each other from working in WWE.
First Round: Ivelisse & Diamante defeated Rachael Ellering & Dasha
As far as I can tell, this was only the second professional match of Dasha’s career, and her first in almost five years. You honestly wouldn’t have known it. While still very green and indecisive at times, Dasha’s a great athlete and she didn’t have a single noticeable botch.
In terms of the match, it wasn’t anything special but it was still better than everything else in the tournament’s first round. There was a classic, simple tag formula with by far the best face/heel dynamic we’ve seen in the Deadly Draw.
Dasha performed a corner arm-drag and a kip-up at the bell. She kept the offense up with a running dropkick before tagging in Ellering. Dasha also performed a nice cartwheel splash.
Ivelisse and Diamante eventually cut off Dasha and worked her over, performing frequent tags and hitting lots of double-teams. Dasha eventually escaped to Ellering for the hot tag.
Ellering hit some great knife-edged chops on Ivelisse and nearly got a pinfall with a running senton. Diamante held Ellering against the ropes, but Ellering escaped and Ivelisse hit her partner off the apron. Ellering almost got the pinfall with a springboard leg drop, but Diamante broke it up.
After tagging in, Diamante hit a nice-looking cazadora stunner on Dasha, who kicked out. The heels hit a couple more double-teams. Diamante dispatched Ellering, and Ivelisse hit the running Yoshi Tonic for the win.
Alex Marvez interviewed the Swoles backstage. They were really charismatic, and I expect them to be the favorites (along with Brandi and Allie) going forward.
Marvez then interviewed Dasha. She views this match as a starting point, and hopes that she gets a chance to compete again. She thanked AEW for the opportunity.
Finally, Marvez interviewed Ivelisse and Diamante. Ivelisse said they got off to a rocky start, but their respect for the craft is what pushed them through.
Next Monday will be the semifinals, where Big & Lil Swole will face the Nightmare Sisters and Ivelisse & Diamante will face Tay Conti & Anna Jay.
The show was about 37 minutes, almost the exact same length as last week.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I thought the second week of the Deadly Draw was better than the first. The opener was pretty miserable as a match, but Lil Swole is someone AEW should be chomping at the bit to bring in more often. The main event was a good match, with the novelty of Dasha competing making it even more compelling.
I’m still waiting to see what the outcome of this tournament will be, although the idea of it returning next year with (hopefully) access to international talent should make it a far more worthwhile endeavor.
After three weeks of Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen, AEW Dynamite will return next Wednesday with a six match lineup, headlined by a falls count anywhere match.
In that match, the Young Bucks will face The Butcher & The Blade, continuing the rivalry that has lasted for nearly a month. Following FTR’s win over the Lucha Bros on Wednesday’s show, the Bucks surprised Butcher & Blade who were watching, dishing out a pair of superkicks before returning FTR’s truck keys to them.
Also announced for the show:
Cody will defend the TNT title against a challenger to be named. He defeated Sonny Kiss on Wednesday’s show to retain.
Ivelisse will return to AEW for the first time since the 2019 women’s Casino Battle Royale to take on Diamante. This will be the first in-ring action for the SHINE women’s champion since the SHINE 65 pay-per-view on February 29th.
Hangman Page will be in televised singles competition for the first time since the November 27th Dynamite Diamond Ring finals when he faces Five of the Dark Order, accompanied by Mr. Brodie Lee.
Jurassic Express will face Chris Jericho and Jake Hager, helped along by Marko Stunt laughing at Jericho’s impromptu orange juice bath Wednesday.
MJF (with Wardlow) will be in action against an unnamed opponent.
AEW’s Casino Battle Royale is returning for All Out.
On this week’s Road to All Out episode, it was announced that a women’s Casino Battle Royale will take place on the All Out pre-show. The winner will become the first contender for the inaugural AEW Women’s Championship.
The first Women’s Champion will be crowned on AEW’s television debut on Wednesday, October 2. AEW has yet to reveal further details about the title match.
There will be 21 entrants in the Casino Battle Royale. It will begin with five wrestlers, with groups of five entering every three minutes after that. The 21st wrestler will then enter on their own.
The match will include members of the AEW roster and others who aren’t signed with the company. Teal Piper (Roddy Piper’s daughter Ariel Teal Toombs), Ivelisse, and Jazz have been announced for the battle royal. Nyla Rose, Britt Baker, Yuka Sakazaki, Allie, and Brandi Rhodes were also mentioned on the Road to All Out episode.
Eliminations will occur via being thrown over the top rope.
Hangman Page won the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing and will face Chris Jericho at All Out to determine the first AEW World Champion.
All Out is taking place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, August 31. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Chris Jericho vs. Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
AAA Tag Team Champions The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) defending against The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) in a ladder match
Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears
Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc
Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (winning team gets a first-round bye in AEW’s Tag Team title tournament)
Forty athletes are at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for a tryout this week.
WWE.com posted an article today revealing the list of names attending the tryout. Among those in attendance are Lucha Underground wrestler Ivelisse Velez and Lance Anoa’i, who is Samu’s son and a member of the Anoa’i dynasty.
Ivelisse was given her release from Lucha Underground last month as part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit that was filed against Baba-G Productions and the El Rey Network. She was formerly with WWE developmental from 2011-2012 after appearing on the 2011 edition of Tough Enough.
Anoa’i has made several appearances for MLW over the past 13 months.
Here’s WWE.com’s full list of tryout attendees:
Former NFL running back James Wilder currently plays in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder spent three years in the NFL.
Emily Andzulis, a martial artist and amateur MMA fighter from Tennessee. Nicknamed ‘The Pitbull,’ Andzulis was crowned the first female Titan on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s athletic competition TV series, ‘The Titan Games.’
Taiwan Markis Jones, a 25-year-old footballer from Michigan who played linebacker for Michigan State University and the New York Jets. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 235 pounds.
Pro football player Chris Martin, age 29. The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder played for the UCF Knights before turning pro in 2014. He’s had stints in the NFL, the Canadian Football League and, most recently, the Alliance of American Football.
Third-generation wrestler Lance Anoa’i. The son of former WWE Tag Team Champion Samu and grandson of WWE Hall of Famer Afa the Wild Samoan, Anoa’i won last weekend’s 23rd annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament, the same event in which Superstars like Daniel Bryan, The Hardy Boyz and Tommaso Ciampa have competed. He attended a WWEPC tryout in February 2017.
Jana Angel, a 6-foot-3 volleyball player. After graduating college, Angel played professionally in France in the middle blocker position. She also received an invitation to try out for the U.S. Olympic team.
Maritza Ayala, a pink-haired 25-year old who wrestles under the alias Danika Della Rouge. Ayala learned the ropes under the late Buddy Wayne, a veteran of the Pacific Northwest wrestling scene, and has also trained in lucha libre.
22-year-old Nick Rodriguez, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter and former NCAA wrestler from New Jersey. Rodriguez took bronze at Abu Dhabi Combat Club’s North American East Coast Trials last October, after training in BJJ for only six months.
Former WWE Tough Enough competitor and NXT Superstar Ivelisse Velez. A 15-year ring veteran, Velez was known as Sofia Cortez during her tenure in Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT in 2011-2012. She brings international experience to the camp, having wrestled in China, the U.K., Australia and Ecuador.
25-year-old fitness model and former world bodybuilding champion Stephanie Ayala, from Texas.
Andrea Benoit, aka NOVA on the independent wrestling scene. The Canadian played volleyball in college and has competed in obstacle course races. Trained by WWE Cruiserweight Classic alumnus Tyson Dux, Benoit made her in-ring debut earlier this year.
Former Division I basketball player Jade Cargill of Atlanta. Standing 5-foot-10, Cargill played guard/forward at Jacksonville University. She led the team in rebounds (227) and steals (48) in her final season.
6-foot-7, 265-pound Kristopher Craig. A former college basketball player, the 29-year-old Craig began ring training under WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn at the Team 3D Academy in Florida within the past year.
Michael Delbrey, a 26-year-old from Florida who competed in CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting events before making his wrestling debut in 2017.
Donovan and Leandro Dongo, a pair of hulking brothers from Paramaribo, Suriname. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Donovan is a former super-heavyweight powerlifting champion and national amateur wrestling champion, while Leandro is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound freestyle wrestler who currently works as a firefighter.
Joshua Dudley, aka Edgrin Stone, a three-year wrestling veteran from Louisiana. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Dudley played tight end at Nicholls State University before training for the ring at Wildkat Sports and Entertainment.
22-year-old Sierra Erny, who wrestles in Florida under the name Skyler Moore. The former cheerleader and competitive dancer trains at Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley’s Team 3D Academy in Kissimmee, Fla.
Independent wrestler ‘The Storm’ Tony Eveland. In 2018, Eveland received the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Active Men’s Wrestler award. He has eight years of ring experience.
25-year-old Australian high-flyer Joshua ‘JXT’ Fikret. Although he has spent most of his career in Australia, Fikret has also wrestled in the United States. He counts Rip Rogers and Orlando Jordan among his past coaches.
Former NFL defensive tackle AJ Francis. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 330 pounds., Francis played five years in the pro ranks, including stints with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, before transitioning to sports-entertainment. Currently training at the Team 3D Academy, Francis wrestles under the name Suga Bear.
24-year-old Aaron Gillis, a 7-foot, 400-pounder from Ohio. Making his debut a little over a year ago, Gillis wrestles on the U.S. indies as Paxton Calloway. He also played Division II football at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
Alexandria Gracia, 26, of Texas. Gracia was originally trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy and currently wrestles for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling. She has competed in women’s wrestling organizations SHIMMER, Shine Wrestling and Rise Wrestling and toured with Stardom, the Japanese promotion where Kairi Sane and Io Shirai came to prominence.
Greco-Roman wrestler Mahmoud Fawzy Sebie, who represented Egypt in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Wrestling since age 7, the 26-year-old has coached U.S. marines in combat training and self-defense and has also studied taekwondo and Jiu-Jitsu.
Independent wrestler Randy Kaufman, aka Randall Floyd. Kaufman has trained under Rip Rogers and Al Snow, and he wrestled in the 197-pound weight class at the University of Indianapolis.
325-pound Makini Manu, a former football and rugby player at the University of Utah and Utah Valley University.
22-year-old wrestler Patrick McAlpine, a trainee of Steve Corino who has made appearances in NXT under the professional alias of Patrick Scott. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds.
Professional bodybuilder EJ Nduka. The 6-foot-6, 265-pounder played pro football for four years and currently trains in mixed martial arts. He attended a tryout in December 2018.
Albanian-born former NFL lineman Kristjan Sokoli. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder registered a 38-inch vertical leap and a 4.8-second 40-yard dash before the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in 2015.
Cirque du Soleil acrobat Sidney Bateman, 27. Bateman recently took his first steps in the squared circle as part of a joint workshop between the Performance Center and Cirque du Soleil.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and former NCAA wrestler Nick Rodriguez loves nothing more than to throw people around in competition.
Australian-born wrestler Cadman Edward Turner, a former semi-pro cricket player who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 265 pounds. Currently residing in Canada, where he trains at the Battle Arts Academy, Turner has attended two previous WWE tryouts.
28-year-old multisport athlete Jeanette Horning. In high school, Horning was the only girl on her varsity wrestling team, and she played kicker for her school’s football squad.
Team 3D Academy trainee Ana Kundzicz, 27, from Florida. Kundzicz has experience in dance, acting and singing.
24-year-old Florence Lortie, an independent wrestler from Quebec better known as Flo Riley. Trained by ring veteran Dru Onyx at the Torture Chamber Pro Wrestling Dojo, Lortie has competed in Spain, Ireland and France.
Bikini competitor and bodybuilder Lauren Regno, of Modesto, Calif. Regno also competed on NBC’s ‘Titan Games’ competition series.
5-foot-9 Courtney Lynn Roselle, an obstacle course racer who played college basketball for the University of Scranton.
Indie wrestler Theresa Lee Schuessler. The 5-foot-7 Floridian has wrestled throughout the U.S., including in NXT, under the professional names of Tenilla and Tesha Price.
22-year-old Bryce Wollman, a 6-foot-7, 335-pound powerlifter and former college football player. He played Division II ball at Augustana University in South Dakota.
Orlando-based wrestler Rafik Youakeem, who competes as Alexander Zane. Youakeem has a background in parkour and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
6-foot-4, 250-pound Jonathan Young from Alabama. A former swimmer at the University of Alabama, Young broke the world record last February for the most pullups in a minute with a 100-pound pack on his back. He’s also a protégé of Lex Luger.
Four Lucha Underground wrestlers have been given their releases after filing a lawsuit over their contracts.
Lucha Central reported last night that El Hijo del Fantasma (King Cuerno), Ivelisse, Joey Ryan, and Thunder Rosa (Kobra Moon), who were involved in a class action lawsuit against Baba-G Productions and the El Rey Network, will be immediately released and will become free agents as part of a settlement.
The class action suit and Fantasma’s separate lawsuit have also been dropped as part of the agreement. Lucha Central noted that El Texano Jr. withdrew his lawsuit prior to the settlement and is expected to remain with AAA.
“I’m honored to say that we received 100 percent of the relief that we were suing to obtain and four young talented wrestlers are no longer bound by an unfair contract that prohibits them from taking full advantage of their talents at the prime of their career,” attorney Andre Verdun told Lucha Central. “I wish them all the best of luck.”
Two lawsuits have been filed regarding Lucha Underground’s contracts.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that El Hijo del Fantasma, who goes by the name King Cuerno on Lucha Underground, filed a lawsuit in California against the El Rey Network and Baba-G Productions, the production company behind LU. In the lawsuit, Fantasma is claiming that both El Rey and Baba-G have illegally restricted him and other wrestlers from “engaging in their lawful profession”.
Documents obtained by Pro Wrestling Sheet said that those under Lucha Underground contracts are making less than $4,000 a year compared to other wrestling promotions who offer a living wage. Fantasma claims to have lost thousands of dollars as a result of the contract, and is seeking both putative and actual damages.
Lucha Central talked to Fantasma’s attorney, Andre Verdun, who said that a class-action lawsuit was being worked on in addition to Fantasma’s suit. The site later reported that Kobra Moon, Joey Ryan, Fantasma and Ivelisse are the names attached to this specific suit.
The situation regarding Lucha Underground contracts has flared up in recent weeks, most notably when Ivelisse wrote a since-deleted statement on social media saying that she was “being legally held hostage” by the company after they wouldn’t release her from her contract following the end of the fourth season.
Lucha Underground hasn’t aired a new episode since November. The fate of the promotion and if it will continue for a fifth season is currently unknown.
As the clock struck midnight and we entered 2019, All Elite Wrestling finally became official. Weeks of speculation culminated with AEW being formally announced at the end of a Being the Elite episode that was released at midnight Pacific time on January 1, 2019. With that came the announcement of Double or Nothing, which is the sequel to All In. While there are plenty of questions about what the roster for AEW will look like, the initial group of wrestlers has started to come into focus.
The most detailed coverage of All Elite Wrestling heads up the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. Take an extensive look at the promotion, from its beginnings, background on its owners, its front office structure, senior management, contracts with the top guys, different concessions, other stars being talked with, details behind the Chris Jericho signing, an update on Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, and more on proposed television deals.
Look at the New Japan WrestleKingdom show. Read about the top matches, changing of talent, MSG show, Bullet Club changes, business surrounding WrestleKingdom big shows of 2019 and early 2020 as well as full coverage of the Dome show with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.
Read about the life of “mean” Gene Okerlund, his background before wrestling, his death and his wrestling career.
Look at the NXT UK Takeover show, update on several injured WWE stars, most watched WWE videos of 2018, new executive hire, and an injured wrestler may become an announcer.
Go in-depth on the Jon Jones situation covering the test results, how the story changed, what the experts said, what is misleading as well as the world of drug testing and PED usage.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected].
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
(by Bryan Rose and Joseph Currier)
WWE
Happy birthday to Shane McMahon, who turns 49 today. His birthday will play a part in a segment for tonight’s SmackDown, with The Miz saying he’s going to throw Shane “The Best Birthday Bash in the World.” Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas and Carmella vs. Sonya Deville are also set for the episode, and the build to WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles and SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Becky Lynch at the Royal Rumble will continue.
205 Live moves back to airing live after SmackDown at 10 p.m. Eastern time tonight. Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy issuing a non-title open challenge to anyone who meets the 205-pound weight limit has been advertised for the show.
WWE Network News is reporting that episodes of WWE Superstars from April of 1992 will be added to the network on January 21. The show has been entangled in legal issues, hence why they adding shows starting on that date.
The season four premiere of Total Bellas averaged 505,000 viewers on Sunday night. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.23. That’s down from the season three premiere, which averaged 517,000 viewers. The season three finale did 617,000 viewers.
Former WWE wrestler Eva Marie is officially part of the cast for CBS’ Celebrity Big Brother season two. The season premieres on January 21.
Pro Wrestling
Ivelisse is saying that she is “being legally held hostage” by Lucha Underground. She said that they convinced her to do season four of the show under the promise that she would be released after the season concluded but are still refusing to let her go. Eric Van Wagnen told Pro Wrestling Sheet that no producers, executives or lawyers at MGM make those kinds of decisions and that the LLC, which is ran by Dorian Roldan and John Fogelman, are in charge of that.
Joey Ryan tweeted about the situation with Ivelisse: “I back Ivelisse 100% on this. Prior to S4, we were told anybody who requested a release would be granted one. Some did and left after the tapings. Others showed faith in the product and now seems are being punished for it. With no S5 in sight, it’s petty to keep anyone locked up.”
Showbuzz Daily noted that they don’t have any ratings for the Pursuit Channel: “CABLE NOTE: Because so many people have asked, note that we have no ratings at all for the Pursuit service, including for IMPACT WRESTLING.” Impact debuted on the channel last Friday and also simulcasts on Twitch.
Ariel Helwani is reporting that Anthony Pettis will move up to welterweight to fight Stephen Thompson. The fight hasn’t been signed, but it is expected to be finalized in the next new days for the Fight Night event on March 23 in Nashville.
Tyron Woodley told Ariel Helwani recently that he wants to move to middleweight by the end of 2019.
UFC is hinting that new title belts will be shown on January 19, their first ESPN+ card.
Jennifer Maia has accepted a six-month suspension for violating the UFC’s anti-doping policy after testing positive for substances found in a contaminated dietary supplement.
Ed in San Antonio presents the WON/F4W Empire Events for WRESTLEMANIA Weekend (more to be added):
Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Empire lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!
Strong pushes for Jake Strong and Matanza Cueto continued.
Even in squash losses, Sammy Guevara and Vinnie Massaro were able to shine and entertain.
Antonio Cueto’s changes to the gimmick matches have kept things fresh this season.
Ivelisse might be the most over wrestler on the roster, but it wasn’t enough to give her the Gift of the Gods Championship.
Mil Muertes is not a happy camper after being excluded from the Gift of the Gods.
El Dragon Azteca Jr. has now earned a shot at the Lucha Underground Championship, provided he gives a week’s notice.
Show Recap —
Jake Strong defeated Sammy Guevara via ankle lock submission
Strong got a nice reaction from the crowd. Immediately, Guevara was selling a foot or ankle injury. Strong used a lot of power moves, but Guevara countered with high-flying offense. Guevara tried to climb a ladder, but Strong caught him in an ankle lock as he hung from the lower rungs in a cool spot.
Guevara broke free and climbed the ladder to the upper catwalk, then hit an insane moonsault to the floor, which the crowd loved. Guevara threw Strong back into the ring, but he then missed a springboard tackle and got caught in the ankle lock and tapped out.
Matanza Cueto defeated Vinnie Massaro via pinfall
Antonio Cueto appeared and called Massaro a poor excuse for a man. He said he should fire him. Instead, he sent him a pizza. As Massaro opened the pizza, which he didn’t like (because it had pineapple on it), Antonio announced that Massaro was going to be sacrificed.
Matanza beat up the pizza man. Massaro ran the ropes until he was out of breath, then was dispatched in two moves. The pizza man tried to steal Massaro’s money, but he was met with a chokeslam for his troubles.
Gift of the Gods
After introductions from Melissa Santos, Antonio Cueto came back out. He said that there would be a trios match, and the winning team would compete for the Gift of the Gods.
Cueto let Ivelisse and Son of Havoc pick their partner. They chose The Mack.
Dezmond X, El Dragon Azteca Jr. & King Cuerno defeated Ivelisse, Son of Havoc & The Mack via pinfall
Killshot was out to watch the match. With a nice mix of styles, it was typical trios action. The crowd was strongly behind Ivelisse. The Mack hit a corkscrew dive to the outside, followed by Havoc hitting an even more impressive handspring corkscrew attack on Cuerno and company.
Havoc then missed the Shooting Star Press on Cuerno but rolled through. Unfortunately, this set him up for a quick and cheap pinfall loss. Afterwards, Mil Muertes came out and destroyed the losing team (and Killshot).
El Dragon Azteca Jr. defeated Dezmond X and King Cuerno to win the Gift of the Gods Championship
The match quickly spilled to the outside, where some more aerial acrobatics took place. Cuerno threw Dezmond throat first across the steel guardrail, then stalked Azteca, tossing him into a pile of wooden chairs. Azteca and Cuerno exchanged blows, and out of nowhere, Dezmond hit an insane dive from above.
Dezmond took Azteca to the top rope, but Azteca escaped a fireman’s carry and hopped off. He quickly climbed up and hit what Matt Striker called a victory roll from the top rope (it was more like a package piledriver into a pin) for the victory as the crowd celebrated.
Marty The Moth’s Destiny
After the match, Mariposa stood over the sleeping Marty Martinez. As the show went off the air, she woke Martinez up and told him that it was his destiny to bring the Lucha Underground Championship to the Moth Tribe.
