WrestleCon Supershow live results: Mickie James vs. Maki Itoh, Minoru Suzuki vs. Butterbean

The annual WrestleCon Supershow as part of WrestleMania week in Las Vegas returns from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, airing live on Triller+.

Mickie James returns to action for the first time since September 2024 when she battles Maki Itoh for the first time ever. The 45-year-old James has gone into semi-retirement since departing TNA in October 2023.

In a bout that seems too strange to be true, Minoru Suzuki will go one-on-one with former pro boxer and occasional wrestler Butterbean with former UFC star and former WWE wrestler Dan Severn as special guest enforcer.

Two singles matches will see Mascara Dorada against Ninja Mack, and reigning MLW Champion Matt Riddle against Matt Makowski.

A fun trios bout is also on tap as TMDK’s Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste takes on Hechicero, Michael Oku & Flip Gordon.

There will also be a ten-man mystery tag team match.

Our live coverage begins at 6 PM Eastern.

**********

The WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow 2025 with Kurtis Adonis welcoming us to the show, thanking fans on behalf of the family of the late Mark Hitchcock before throwing to a very nice video tribute. Nick Knowledge & Veda Scott are on the call, as the Ten Man Lucha Libre Tag will open the show.

Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito & Canis Lupus vs. Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther & El Vengador

(The Lucha multi-man tradition continues for the SuperShow, as this was an action-packed opener to get the crowd going, as they showed respect in the post-match, throwing money into the ring. I wasn’t familiar with everyone involved in this match, but this certainly made me plan on seeking out the work of all the luchadores involved going forward.)

Vengador & Latigo open things up with a series of switches and quick pin attempts until a stand off led to Arez & Fight Panther really pick up the pace, blocking strikes a plenty before both flipped out into a double pose. Toxin in now with Gravity, who got a chant from the crowd before he moonwalked forward into an arm drag. Cazadora arm drag sent Toxin outside and bailed before Gravity could dive. Spider Fly & Latigo jump in, as Spider stood on Latigo’s shoulders, backflipped off into a wild dive. Lupus & Bendito try to attack, but Spider again did a springboard, but was caught and flung in mid-air. It was a 5 on 1 beat down on Gravity, who tried to make the save for his partner, as Latigo hit a launching senton for two. Vengador was lit up with chops before he finally turned the tide with a double handspring cutter and enzugiri to break free and tag Aero, who hit a TKO/DDT combo.

Aero & Fight Panther showed off their athleticism with wild double dives on Bendito & Lupus, as back inside, Arez, Latigo & Toxin hit a triple dropkick on Vengador. Spider & Gravity flew in with double arm drags that led to double dives, as Spider Fly just made it, narrowly avoiding clipping the apron on the way down. Vengador hit a crazy pop-up flipping Awful Waffle for a near fall on Arez, as locomotion corner attacks ultimately led to Lupus hitting a pop-up Code Breaker. 5-way superkick attempt was dodged, as the Panther brothers hit a Torture Rack into a flipping Code Breaker for two. Everyone fought for a suplex, which led to Arez & Spider climbing on the pile and hitting a corkscrew suplex onto everyone in a great looking spot.

Team Gravity went up to all four corners and hit stereo dives until Bendito put on the brakes, lost his footing for his initial dive attempt, but got it eventually. Lupus planted Fight Panther with a spinning sitout avalanche slam from the corner, as Aero made the save and hit a dive onto a pile outside. Toxin connected on a pumphandle neckbreaker, Arez followed a top rope double stomp on Spider to get the win.

Match Result: Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito & Canis Lupus defeated Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther & El Vengador

-Kurtis Adonis welcomed special ambassador Sean Mooney (who simply does not age) to the ring. Mooney said this show is always full of surprises, thanks the fans for being here and plugs his signings at WrestleCon and the WrestleMania 9 documentary on Peacock.

Ninja Mack vs. Mascara Dorada

(A lot shorter of a match than you’d expect, but they delivered on exactly what you’d hope, flips in droves. This almost felt like an appetizer of what these two were capable of against each other, but I assume both have more matches this Mania weekend.)

Much different start to this match than you’d expect, with lock-ups and armbars aplenty. The pace quickens, as both did handstands into backflip head scissors into a stalemate. Test of strength led to Dorada pulling Mack up to the top, neither letting go, until Dorada tried a super rana, only Mack landed on his feet. Both trade pin attempts and kip up into another stalemate. Pump kick sent Dorada outside, as Mack tried a double handspring flip outside, which Dorada side stepped and hit a corkscrew dive of his own. Up the stage they went, as Dorada hit a wild hurricanrana, sending Mack tumbling down the stairs. Big time air off the stage by Dorada, clearing three rows of chairs and fans.

Back inside, Mack connected on a desperation kick to regain control followed with a series of sunset flip attempts for near falls. Dorada floated over, tried a piledriver, Mack escaped into a sit-out powerbomb for two. No water in the pool, as Mack crashed and burned on a 630, as Dorada capitalized with a spinning facebuster, going up and hitting a Shooting Star Press for the win.

Match Result: Mascara Dorada defeated Ninja Mack

TJP vs. Cheeseburger vs. 1 Called Manders vs. Vaughn Vertigo vs. Mike D Vecchio vs. Super Crazy vs. ? in a Lucky #7 Sin City Scramble

Scramble rules, as every 2 minutes, a new competitor will enter the match, but no pins or submissions until everyone has entered. Vertigo & TJP start things off, as we get an exchange of head scissors, as Vertigo ultimately tried a pin attempt and the ref made the count, so I guess those rules are out the window already? Super Crazy was in 3rd and got a nice ovation before hitting a twisting elbow drop on Vertigo before folding him up like a pretzel. TJP broke it up, but was hit with another Crazy elbow drop for his troubles. Mike D Vecchio in 4th and quickly showed off his skills with a huge lariat turning Vertigo inside out and sprung out the corner to take out TJP. Vecchio connected on a stalling vertical suplex on TJP, who was saved by Vertigo and both dropped Vecchio with a double suplex. Fresh off his tour and Unified World Wrestling Title win in wXw, 1 Called Manders is 5th, as he & Vecchio collided like two bulls. Vertigo avoided an Oklahoma Stampede and hit a Swanton onto the back, but Vecchio returned to wipe Vertigo out. Crazy returned and hit a moonsault to the floor, until Vecchio one-upped him with a Shooting Star onto the pile. Cheeseburger in 6th to a huge ovation as Vecchio gave him free shots and Cheeseburger took them. Misdirect thrust kick led to a variation of Shotei’s handed out to everyone.

TJP & Cheeseburger slowly raise to their feet until lucky number 7 is Danhausen, who walks out with his jar of teeth. Many fans cheered Danhausen, but there were some boos as well. Danhausen tried to curse Cheeseburger, who fought off giving a Shotei to himself, as TJP tried a Tornado DDT, but Danhausen hit a Northern Lights into the corner. Danhausen hurt his own hand trying to chop Vecchio, so a foot stomp and dropkick was successful. Vertigo ate a GTS, as Danhausen cursed Manders, who collided with Vertigo and sent outside. Danhausen dumped the jar of teeth into Vertigo’s mouth, hit a pump kick and won the match.

Match Result: Danhausen defeated Vertigo to win the Scramble

Matt Riddle vs. Matt Mako

(I feared this would be strictly a comedy match with all the Matt chants in the early going, but it turned into a nice hard hitting back and forth battle. Mako put up a strong fight in this, as he had a series of near falls and submissions, but it was not meant to be.)

Matt Forever and One More Matt chants from the crowd to start, as both scramble on the mat, Riddle wanting a cross-arm breaker, but Mako was able to grapevine the leg into a pin attempt for two. Let’s Go Matt & You Suck Matt dueling chants confuse the competitors, as Mako ramps up the kick battle first, but switches to chops, busting the chest of Riddle open. Mako countered a chop into a spinning arm breaker, forcing Riddle to scramble to the ropes. Both exchange stiff forearms and chops until Riddle hits a gut wrench suplex and series of brotons. Fisherman Buster spiked Mako for two, as Riddle started a Matt chant, which only caused Mako to hulk up with forearms.

After the ref backed off Mako in the corner, Riddle was able to lock in a triangle in the ropes, before hitting a series of flying forearms and overhead throws. Riddle took Mako up in the corner for an Avalanche Fisherman’s Buster, as Mako is busted open pretty good under the eye. Flowing Bro twisting senton connected, but Mako kicked out. Riddle went for it again, but was cut off by Mako, who hit a Spanish Fly into a cross-arm breaker in mid-air. Riddle kicked his way free and hit the Gotch Style Tombstone for the win.

Match Result: Matt Riddle defeated Matt Mako

Mickie James vs. Maki Itoh

(I thought this would be a lot better, but whatever the heck that middle portion of this was, didn’t really do James any favors, as it just randomly turned her heel. Once they got going, it was ok, but that middle did a number on the fans and they didn’t seem to be all that into it going forward.)

Itoh sang and danced her way to the ring, as both she & James received strong ovations, but Itoh refused a handshake. Both trade takedowns and headlocks, as Itoh escaped a head scissors into a Cutest in the World pose. James easily won the test of strength and stomped on Itoh’s fingers before they exchanged wrist locks and standing switches into the stalemate. James again wanted a handshake, but Itoh refused, so James grabbed the mic. James said people came to wrestling to see some wrestling, but guys and girls in the back are looking for their 5-star notice. James said Meltzer has never put her over and won’t tonight, as she entertains. James said she hasn’t wrestled in a year, then did a weird shuffle and sort of put over Itoh as a Hardcore Pop Star. James told Itoh the fans wanted a sing-off, which only got a little applause, call me crazy, but I think they want wrestling?

Itoh took the mic and sang for the crowd acapella. She passed the mic to James, who had no idea what Itoh said, but assumes it was awesome. James did a version of her theme song insulting Itoh and got booed, as it was pretty bad, so she cracked Itoh with the mic in the throat (not sure how that wasn’t a DQ?). James hit a series of running boots, as Itoh flips her off, so James drove her into the buckle, which Itoh kept no selling. Itoh fired off a headbutt of her own and hit the Kokeshi for two. Itoh hit the face wash in the corner and hit a top rope cross body for another near fall. James countered a DDT into a flapjack, but missed a top rope Thesz Press, allowing Itoh to sink in a half crab. James pulled the hair to escape, so Itoh bit at the fingers, no sold a Mick Kick into a rolling headbutt. James escaped a fireman’s carry, they trade near falls, James hits a thrust kick and awkward DDT to win. James flipped off Itoh for good measure.

Match Result: Mickie James defeated Maki Itoh

Minoru Suzuki vs. Butterbean – Special Enforcer: Dan Severn

(Was this good, absolutely not, it was a trainwreck, but if you knew even half of the health issues Butterbean has gone through in recent years, this was incredible he was even able to do this amount. That said, give Minoru Suzuki all the awards possible, as he sold his ass off the best that he could. The highlight of this was the way too brief stare-down with Suzuki & Don Frye, which could be the best part of this entire show so far, hell, maybe the entire weekend.)

The Entourage of Rick Bassman, Tom Howard & Don Frye accompany Butterbean to the ring. Commentary reminds us that Butterbean is the reason we thankfully don’t do the Brawl for All anymore after he KO’d Bart Gunn at Wrestlemania 15 in 35 seconds. This match will be done in rounds, as Suzuki no sold some midsection shots before trading chops. Body shots from Butterbean until the end of the round, but Suzuki didn’t let go and Severn finally stepped in.

Round 2 was only 2 minutes, as Suzuki got a single leg takedown, as both held onto heel hooks for the majority of the round until time wound down. 60 second rest period we’re told, as Butterbean starts throwing shots to the midsection and Suzuki flew back to the corner. Suzuki pulled Butterbean to the outside and the two slugged it out until Suzuki grabbed a chair and Butterbean’s Entourage stepped in. Suzuki went back to the ring, but we’re told Severn counted both men out of the ring, the crowd was booing loudly.

Post-match, Severn & Bassman held back Butterbean as we got a briefly awesome face-off with Frye & Suzuki. The crowd chanted One More Round, as both men wanted it. Severen reminded the ring announcer it was a double count-out, which, again, got loud boos. That was just it, Butterbean’s music played and he walked to the back with his crew.

Match Result: Minoru Suzuki & Butterbean went to a double count-out

TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) vs. Flip Gordon, Hechicero & Michael Oku (w/Amira)

(This action-packed main event was obviously match of the night, as everyone got in their time in. The only person to get booed at any point during the match was Gordon as the match went on, but I didn’t think he did anything actually wrong, his stuff looked good, as did everyone else’s. The fans got their Sabre & Hechicero interactions and we seemed to get a little Oku & Sabre tease to close the show.)

Bad Dude & Oku dueling chants from the crowd to start, but it was Oku who won an early exchange over Haste. Tito & Gordon in for a chop battle, until Gordon tried a Lionsault, was caught and mowed down by a Tito shoulder tackle. Sabre tagged in and called out Hechicero, who gladly obliged, taking Sabre down and wrenching the leg after escaping a key lock. The counters are fast and frequent, as Hechicero had a visible pin on a head scissors, but the ref never caught it. Sabre looked for a cross-arm breaker, but Hecichero escaped into a surfboard variation. Sabre easily escaped and stomped down onto the elbow violently. Hechicero backed Sabre into his corner, zoning in on Sabre’s left leg before tagging in Oku. Quickly up top, Sabre dodged a dive and clipped the leg during a leap frog attempt, allowing TMDK to make fast tags, keeping Oku grounded.

Haste punted at the shoulder of Oku before doing a Rick Rude hip swivel, as Tito followed with a slingshot senton and short arm lariat for two. Blind tag from Sabre, who lit up Oku with uppercuts, as Haste was back in to pick up the pieces. Oku fought his way free out of the corner and laid out Haste with a Tornado DDT that led to a Gordon hot tag, which was more lukewarm, as there wasn’t much of a reaction. Whole bunch of flips led to a springboard missile dropkick and springing side kick to Haste. Rolling fireman’s carry and moonsault for a near fall, as Haste fought back with a pump kick and a Falcon Arrow variation.

Tito makes the tag and cleans house, taking out Gordon with a huge dive. Back inside, Tito hit a Frog Splash for a near fall, but Gordon answered with a springboard Sling Blade and got booed for it. Hechicero tagged in with a running knee in the corner, but took too long to follow-up, allowing Tito to hit a combo of kicks that led to Sabre returning. Both countered each other so much, as Hechicero avoided the Euro Clutch and got a rolling cradle of his own for two. Both exchange heavy shots until Oku tagged in, was quickly flipped over, as Sabre wanted a Euro Clutch, Oku countered and sank in the half crab, but Sabre got the ropes.

Both up, as Sabre slapped the hell out of Oku, who faked a slap, but opted for a punt to the legs in response. Sabre answered by snapping the neck between his feet, but tried another and Oku countered with a dragon screw. Romero Special from Hechicero, as both Gordon & Oku hit a double face buster, as Gordon followed with a Lionsault for two. The match broke down, as Sabre countered a twisting Sling Blade into a cross-arm breaker, but Oku flew in with a Frog Splash. Haste & Tito tried a double press slam, but Oku countered into a double DDT. Gordon took out Sabre with a dive, Hechicero followed with one on Tito & Haste, as Oku finished with a Fosbury Flop. Gordon missed a 450 on Sabre back inside, as Sabre scrambled and violently snapped the arm back, causing Gordon to tap.

Post-match, Sabre shook hands with Hechicero & Gordon, but Oku wasn’t so accepting, as Sabre had his eye on Oku’s RevPro title, putting it on Oku’s shoulder before leaving.

Match Result: TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito & Shane Haste) defeated Flip Gordon, Hechicero & Michael Oku

WWE announces WrestleMania week schedule for April 2024

WWE has announced the schedule for WrestleMania week. 

WrestleMania 40 will take place from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on April 6 & 7. WWE announced on Wednesday that the Friday, April 5, 2024 edition of SmackDown will take place from the nearby Wells Fargo Center. The annual Hall of Fame ceremony will take place immediately following from the same venue. 

The Wells Fargo Center will also host NXT Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 6, 2024, likely in the afternoon before night one of WrestleMania begins that evening. 

WWE Raw on Monday, April 8, 2024, has also been announced for Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. 

From WWE.com

Special Combo Tickets On Sale Friday, November 17 for
Friday Night SmackDown/2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver and Monday Night Raw at Wells Fargo Center


STAMFORD, Conn., November 8, 2023
– WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced its initial schedule of major events planned for WrestleManiaWeek in Philadelphia, including three events at the Wells Fargo Center:

  • Friday, April 5: Friday Night SmackDown/2024 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
  • Saturday, April 6: NXT Stand & Deliver
  • Monday, April 8: Monday Night Raw

An exclusive presale opportunity for special three-day event combo tickets will take place Wednesday, November 15 at 10 a.m. ET. Fans can register now to receive an exclusive presale offer by visiting https://www.wwe.com/wrestlemania-weekend-presale. General public on-sale for combo tickets will be available Friday, November 17 at 10 a.m. ET via https://www.ticketmaster.com/. Additional details on individual tickets being released for each event will follow.

In celebration of WrestleMania 40, WWE in partnership with Fanatics Events will also stage a first-of-its-kind, multi-day WWE fan and collector event in the heart of Philadelphia.

WrestleMania 40, which takes place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, broke the company’s all-time gate record in one day with more than 90,000 tickets sold when it went on sale in August.

Limited tickets for WrestleMania 40 are still available via https://www.ticketmaster.com/. In addition, limited exclusive ticket packages are available for WrestleMania 40 via On Location at https://onlocationexp.com/wm40

WWE announces Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver for WrestleMania week

After two years of WrestleMania being affected by COVID-19, this year’s event will look a bit closer to normal.

WWE announced via the Dallas Morning News today that it is returning to putting on a full slate of in-person events during WrestleMania 38 week. That will include this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony, NXT Stand & Deliver, episodes of SmackDown and Raw, and “a ‘Superstore Axxess’ interactive fan experience.”

All of the shows will take place in the Dallas area surrounding WrestleMania 38. Dates, locations, and ticket information for the events have yet to be announced.

In 2020, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was canceled due to the pandemic. The 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame classes were inducted in a ceremony that was taped at the WWE ThunderDome last year.

Stand & Deliver will be the first NXT event to take place outside of Florida since the start of the pandemic. It will also be NXT’s first show outside of Florida since the NXT 2.0 rebrand.

WrestleMania 38 is being held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3.

Daily Update: WrestleMania week notes, Prince Philip, MMA weigh-ins

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

JOB LISTING: Web/UI Developer(s)

  • Experience with OnLamp (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP)
  • GITHUB and Linux command line experience while be helpful as well.
  • CMS – Drupal and WordPress. vBulletin
  • Possible experience with AWS (s3 specifically), Dreamhost, UI development
  • Cloud based hosting experience a plus
  • Javascript also a huge plus

While this is a diverse request this doesn’t have to be just one person! If you fit any part of this please feel free to inquire.

This is not just for projects related to F4WOnline.

  • Send all inquiries to [email protected] with title WEB DEVELOPER.
  • If you have inquired before, please send your information again. 

Latest Free YouTube Video:

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!

WON NEWSLETTER: April 12, 2021 Observer Newsletter: WrestleMania 37 week begins

A preview to WrestleMania leads off the current issue of the Wrestling Observer.  We look at each match, thoughts on the match, who are the gambling oddsmaker favorites, chart ticket demand with Mania and the next two UFC PPV shows, rules in play, and non-WrestleMania ticket demand.

Also in this issue:

End of the Wednesday night war with the final standings, cover the two Takeover shows, look at television vs. streaming viewership, Canadian numbers, final stands in shows and quarters, and where AEW and NXT go from here.

Takeover with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and other notes from the shows.

Vince McMahon’s decision to put the Chris Jericho interview on Peacock right after the second day of WrestleMania, why the timing works, how Tony Khan reacted, the good, the bad, the political, a preview of something talked about and how this does show a change in WWE policy.

The death of Jack Veneno, a look at his four world title matches with Ric Flair, Dominican wrestling, the story about the world title change that wasn’t approved by the NWA board, as well as the movies on his life and career that have been produced.  We look at the level of fame he had in the Dominican Republic and outside the Dominican Republic.

A feature on the direction of AEW, where the viewership declines are and aren’t, reasons, and changes in AEW television over the past year as well as a look at different stars and how much time they are getting.

Nick Khan talking the return of two of WWE’s best known women stars, A.J. Styles’ idea for this year’s Mania that didn’t happen, Roman Reigns talks a match with The Rock, looking at the popularity of all the major promotions and who is gaining and falling, WWE gets rid of longtime announcing team, The Hurt Business breakup, Paul Levesque talks Undertaker’s comments on the modern generation, how pro wrestling did compared to televised sports this past week, Seth Rollins talks fans at TV, A&E wrestling schedule, and WWE market value.

Will Ospreay’s win of the IWGP title, the history of U.K. wrestlers challenging for New Japan’s world title, business updates including bad news for New Japan going into two stadium shows, why the title changed, other angles, all the upcoming streaming shows and major shows over the next month and some good business news as well.

Sakura Genesis, with match-by-match coverage and star ratings.

WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies, go through the candidates, note speeches, the major gaffe in one of the inductions and a look back at a pioneer wrestling family that is never talked about.

U.S. Olympic wrestling trials, the major confrontations, the stars of the team, plus stars of the future to watch out for.

Stardom PPV show.

More into detail on ratings than any other source, we have how every segment on NXT and AEW did as well as how it did with different age groups, genders and more, plus a look at all other wrestling shows of the past week.

Results of the major pro wrestling events of the past week.

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 [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

Garrett Gonzalez and I will be doing a show tonight talking all the latest news from wrestling and MMA, and we’ll have shows Saturday, Sunday and Monday with Bryan Alvarez talking WrestleMania and Raw.

Smackdown tonight is built around two matches originally considered for WrestleMania, the Andre the Giant Battle Royal and the four-way for the Smackdown tag titles with Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Street Profits vs. Chad Gable & Otis.

AEW is doing its first house show tonight in Jacksonville. The show was just about sold out this morning with about 100 tickets left.

A story with me talking about WrestleMania on Tampa radio with Mark Schrenier.

We’re doing polls this week for both Takeover shows and both WrestleMania shows, thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with best and worst matches on both shows to [email protected].

Elle Magazine has a piece they’ve been working on for literally a few years on Becky Lynch.

A look at the British Parliament committee report on pro wrestling. (thanks to Lee Wall)

Stephanie McMahon talks WrestleMania with Bill Simmons.

A story on when Prince Phillip went to a major show in London for an all-star card at Royal Albert Hall. (thanks to Lee Wall)

Phillip, who passed away today at 99, was a fan and also attended a second show in July, 1968.  At the 1963 show, he gave George Kidd a medal for Outstanding Performance as he was a big fan of technical wrestling. The show raised 10,000 pounds for His Royal Highness’ Award Scheme.  Some of the historical biggest names in U.K. history were on that show like Kidd, Billy Robinson, Mick McManus, Ian Campbell, John Da Silva and Jackie Pallo. (thanks to Bradley Craig)

UFC weigh-ins for tomorrow’s show:

ESPN+ at Noon Eastern:

  • Impa Kasanganay (170.5) vs. Sasha Palatnikov (170.5)
  • Da Un Jung (205.5) vs. William Knight (205.5)
  • Luis Saldana (145.5) vs. Jordan Griffin (145.5)
  • Hunter Azure (135.5) vs. Jack Shore (136)
  • Yorgan DeCastro (261.5) vs. Jarjis Danho (255.5)
  • John Makdessi (153.5) vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (156.75),  Bahamondes forfeits 20 percent of his purse to Makdessi
  • Scott Holtzman (155.5) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (156)
  • Jim Miller (155.5) vs. Joe Solecki (155.4)

ABC TV at 3 p.m. Eastern:

  • Mike Perry (170) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (170.5)
  • Nina Nunes (116) vs. Mackenzie Dern (115)
  • Sam Alvey (186) vs. Julian Marquez (186)
  • Sodiq Yusuff (146) vs. Arnold Allen (145.5)
  • Kevin Holland (183.5) vs. Marvin Vettori (186)
  • Nina Nunes was formerly known as Nina Ansaroff but is taking the name of her wife, Amanda Nunes. The scheduled Erin Blanchfield vs. Norma Dumont fight was canceled by the Nevada Athletic Commission due to Dumont missing weight by 3.5 pounds.

Bellator tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on Showtime:

  • Goiti Yamauchi (155.8) vs. Dan Moret (155.6)
  • Cat Zingano (145.2) vs. Olivia Parker (145.4)
  • Adam Borics (145.8) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (145.7)
  • Liz Carmouche (125.4) vs. Vanessa Porto (126)
  • Ryan Bader (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.6) in the light heavyweight tournament

WWE

AEW

  • Anakin Rosa, the 15-year-old son of Thunder Rosa, had his first match at the Dogg Pound Dojo  where his mother is a trainer, in San Antonio.

OTHER NOTES

  • Kevin Eck’s weekly ROH news.
  • Because of shows running long today, the shows on Title Match Network tonight from Florida will be starting later than originally scheduled (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
  • An article on the new book by John Arezzi, who we had on as a guest a few weeks ago.
  • The PFL has announced a partnership with FPT TV in Vietnam for the 2021 season.  FPT is the leading sports broadcaster in Vietnam.  They’ve also inked a deal with ELEVEN in Portugal for the new season that starts 4/23.  They will carry all the events this year.
  • The PFL also announced that Loren Mack has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications.  Mack has worked with the WEC, UFC and ONE in the past.  
  • Bellator light heavyweight Grand Prix odds from SportsBetting.ag:
    Vadim Nemkov +190
    Yoel Romero +425
    Ryan Bader +500
    Anthony Johnson +700
    Corey Anderson +1000
    Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov +1000
    Phil Davis +1400
    Lyoto Machida +3300
    For tonight Bader is a -290 favorite over Machida at +230
  • IWF will be running the first Tuesday of every month going forward on CompoundMedia.com
  • During an NHL game on NBC Sports network, announcer Bryan Boucher talked about how his coach used to wrestle as Little Brutus for Stampede Wrestling.(thanks to Barry Werner)
  • During the TV show “The Goldbergs” on ABC, two of the characters had an argument over who had the better physique, Hulk Hogan or Randy Savage (thanks to Joe Puccio)
  • Legacy Fighting on 4/16 at the Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, OK on Fight Pass is headlined by Aaron McKenzie (9-2-1) vs. Brandon Phillips (8-3).
  • Alex Hammerstone vs. Milo Muertes for the National Open weight title will headline Wednesday’s MLW Fusion show.
  • Generational Championship Wrestling from earlier today in Tampa:  Leila Grey b T-Gainz, Kayden Greene & Ronnie Rios b Sir Knight & Space Cowboy, Jake Painter b JC Vega, Danny Vegas & Hezekiah Hoskins & Jebediah Moss b The Make Its, Janai Kai b Killa Kate, Mr. King won six-way over Aaron Nova, Izzy James, Ron Bass Jr., Rey Fury and Speedy Ricky, , Culture Inc b The Mane Event-DQ, Lio Rush b KC Navarro (thanks to Shannon Walsh)

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Jim Crockett Promotions purchases UWF

CONTACT INFORMATION

AEW running house show during WrestleMania week

On Wednesday, AEW announced they will run a house show at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday, April 9th which is during WrestleMania weekend.

Tony Khan announced prior to tonight’s Dynamite that AEW would be running on that date. When they announced the event on Dynamite, they said it wouldn’t be televised but didn’t mention whether it will be shown at a later date.

The house show comes as WWE and other promotions are set to run shows all throughout the week of WrestleMania. The distance between Tampa, where WrestleMania events are scheduled to take place, and Jacksonville, is approximately three hours.

Besides WWE and AEW, other promotions that are scheduled to run shows in Florida that week include events from IWTV and The Collective. Additionally, WrestleCon will run a socially distanced convention.

Tickets for the house show, as well as the April 7th edition of Dynamite, will go on sale this Monday, March 29th.

WrestleCon announces scaled-back convention for WrestleMania week

WrestleCon has announced they will be running a scaled-back convention during WrestleMania week.

This year’s WrestleCon will run on April 9 and 10 and will take place at the Westin Tampa Waterside, a Marriott property. It will be a modified convention, with no live wrestling events taking place. WrestleCon’s website noted that there will also be a significant virtual component of the convention. Sgt. Slaughter has been announced as a featured guest.

The convention will be entirely indoors. WrestleCon plans on having no more than 320 people in one room at any time, which also includes vendors, talent, and staff. Talent will remain masked for all interactions, including photo ops. Talent may also be seated behind plexiglass screens.

WrestleCon has been holding conventions since 2013, and has featured live wrestling. They were set to run during last year’s WrestleMania week, but the convention was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their 2019 Supershow event was headlined by Will Ospreay defeating Bandido.

WWE Network announces WrestleMania week content schedule

WWE has announced its full slate of WrestleMania week programming for the WWE Network.

A special ranking the 15 Greatest WrestleMania Title Matches of the Last 15 Years will be added to the WWE Network’s on-demand section at 10 a.m. Eastern time this Tuesday. It’s focused on matches for the WWE, Universal, and World Heavyweight Championships and the WWE, Raw, and SmackDown Women’s Championships.

“WWE Dream Match Mania” will stream at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. It will feature WWE wrestlers commentating over simulated video game dream matches on WWE 2K.

“WWE Untold: HBK vs. Angle” is being made available on demand at 10 a.m. Eastern on Friday. Here’s the description for it: “Learn the full story behind WrestleMania 21’s incredible showdown between Mr. WrestleMania and The Olympic Gold Medalist, featuring interviews with Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Johnny Gargano and Michael Cole.”

WWE’s Chronicle episode on Drew McIntyre will be uploaded on demand at 10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, while the WWE 24 episode on Edge’s return is being made available on demand at 10 a.m. Eastern on Sunday.

WrestleMania 36 is airing on the WWE Network on Saturday and Sunday. Both nights will have hour-long pre-shows starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time. New episodes of WWE’s The Bump previewing WrestleMania will also stream at 1 p.m. Eastern on both Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s the full schedule of new WWE Network programming for this week:

MONDAY, MARCH 30

Edge’s Best WrestleMania Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Relive The Rated-R Superstar’s most amazing battles on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31

The Broken Skull Sessions – Uncensored Versions (TV-MA) – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
For the first time ever, previously aired episodes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s no-holds-barred interview show will be presented completely uncensored and unfiltered.

15 Greatest WrestleMania Title Matches of the Last 15 Years – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
Edge vs. The Undertaker, Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, Batista vs. John Cena. See where these and other celebrated championship showdowns rank among the 15 greatest WrestleMania Title Matches of the last 15 years, presented by Snickers.

Shawn Michaels’ Best WrestleMania Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
They don’t call him “Mr. WrestleMania” for nothing. Witness the best of Shawn Michaels at The Show of Shows as the WWE Hall of Famer lives up to his moniker in these classic showdowns.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

WWE’s The Bump – Streaming at 10 a.m. ET
AJ Styles and Humberto Carrillo join the gang on WWE’s The Bump.

Triple H’s Best WrestleMania Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
From clashes with The Undertaker to World Championship main events, watch The Game’s biggest hits at WrestleMania.

Charlotte Flair’s 8 Most Memorable Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Experience The Queen’s eight greatest matches, featuring classic showdowns against Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and Asuka.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

Where Are They Now?: Eva Marie & Snitsky – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
Find out what Eva Marie and Snitsky, two of WWE’s most unforgettable Superstars, are up to today on a new episode of Where Are They Now?

WWE Dream Match Mania – Streaming at 1 p.m. ET
WWE Superstars commentate over simulated dream matches, as played out in video-game form.

“Stone Cold’s” Best WrestleMania Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
No Superstar ruled The Attitude Era quite like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Watch The Texas Rattlesnake’s best WrestleMania clashes during one of sports-entertainment’s most beloved periods.

Best of WrestleMania Theater – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Experience your favorite WrestleMania matches like you’ve never seen them before with the Best of WrestleMania Theater.

WWE NXT UK – Available on demand at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. BST
Watch the United Kingdom’s top competitors on a new episode of NXT UK, featuring a 20-Man Battle Royal to determine the next challenger to NXT UK Champion WALTER.

This Week in WWE – Streaming at 7 p.m. ET
Scott Stanford and Alyse Ashton bring you up to speed on the latest goings-on in the WWE Universe.

WWE NXT – Available on demand at 10 p.m. ET
Catch up on the previous night’s episode of NXT, the final stop for the black-and-gold brand before WrestleMania.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

WWE Untold: HBK vs. Angle – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
Learn the full story behind WrestleMania 21’s incredible showdown between Mr. WrestleMania and The Olympic Gold Medalist, featuring interviews with Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Johnny Gargano and Michael Cole.

The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Relive The Phenom’s greatest matches at The Show of Shows, including the most memorable battles from his fabled WrestleMania Streak.

Best WrestleMania Ladder Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Superstars always raise their game at WrestleMania, but these thrilling and daredevil Ladder Matches take it to a new level.

205 Live – Streaming at 10 p.m. ET
The most exciting and fearless competitors under 205 pounds take the spotlight on WWE Network.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4

WWE Chronicle: Drew McIntyre – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
WWE Network cameras follow Drew McIntyre as he triumphs at WWE Royal Rumble and gets ready to challenge Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36.

Randy Orton’s Best WrestleMania Matches – Available on demand at 3 pm. ET
Relive Randy Orton’s greatest WrestleMania matches — and some unforgettable RKOs out of nowhere — against WWE’s biggest names.

WWE’s The Bump – Streaming LIVE at 1 p.m. ET
The countdown to WrestleMania 36 continues on a new episode of WWE’s The Bump, featuring appearances by WWE Superstars.

WrestleMania 36 Kickoff Part 1 – Streaming at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
A panel of experts will provide key analysis in the hour leading up to WrestleMania 36 Part 1.

WrestleMania 36 Part 1 – Streaming at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
The Showcase of the Immortals returns to WWE Network for the first part of an unprecedented two-night extravaganza. Emanating from the WWE Performance Center, this year’s WrestleMania will be hosted by former NFL great Rob Gronkowski.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5

WWE 24: Edge: The Second Mountain – Available on demand at 10 a.m. ET
This new installment of WWE Network’s popular docuseries brings you behind the scenes of WWE Hall of Famer Edge’s arduous, and once-unfathomable, journey back to the squared circle.

WWE’s The Bump – Streaming LIVE at 1 p.m. ET
WWE’s The Bump crew looks ahead to a second night of action on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

WrestleMania 36 Kickoff Part 2 – Streaming at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
WWE experts join the Kickoff panel to break down the biggest matches of WrestleMania 36 Part 2.

WrestleMania 36 Part 2 – Streaming at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
The Only WrestleMania Too Big for Just One Night returns for night two, hosted by Rob Gronkowski and featuring heated grudge matches and title bouts.

Previewing NXT TakeOver New York: Gargano vs. Cole

Hello again, friends. Allow me to be the first to welcome you and all your loved ones to WrestleMania week 2019. It was, as always, a long and torturous road to getting here, but Mama, we made it.

When the WWE lists ‘card subject to change’ on all their tickets, this TakeOver is an example of why. The disappointment of losing Tommaso Ciampa to a neck injury for god knows how long is very, very real. Capping off the biggest TakeOver over the year with the biggest match in NXT history would have been really special, but sometimes even the toughest necks need surgery, and I only hope we see that beautiful bald bastard in a WWE ring, of any form, sooner rather than later.

As always, this is an excellent card. I’m personally excited for Pete Dunne and WALTER to get introduced to a broader audience. NXT fans are the smartest fans in WWE, but there is still a large subset of them who might not be as familiar with those two. Lets face it: there is too much wrestling every week to watch everything. Even I, a professional wrestling writer, don’t have enough time to watch it all. But fret not because I always make time for NXT so I can crank out *checks word count* 2,700+ words before each TakeOver. It is a labor of love and one I take very seriously.

Since this is the unofficial season finale, I’m going to try out a new thing called ‘Where do we go from here’ in which I predict the future of the guys/girls involved in the matches. Since I was the genius who predicted Kenny Omega would stay in NJPW, these should be considered unimpeachable predictions and not just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

For those keep track at home, the answer is yes, I do try to shoehorn the shrugging man into as many columns as possible.

So like we always do at this time, let us run through the card and try to figure out what’s going to happen this Friday in Brooklyn.

NXT Tag Team Champions The War Raiders vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black

Man. I am just having a real hard time caring about this match. I’ve said in multiple columns that the War Raiders don’t really do it for me, and they still don’t. Their match at the last TakeOver was really, really good, but I’m inclined to give more credit to The Undisputed Era guys than Rowe and Hanson. They just don’t connect with me. Maybe it’s because I don’t buy a lot of Hanson’s offense. Sure, it’s cool that a big dude can do a handspring and a (slow) cartwheel, but it would be a whole lot cooler if we didn’t see someone do them better. Jeff Cobb can do a standing shooting star press! I can’t do that on a trampoline! As I’m writing this, I realize that maybe it’s just Hanson that doesn’t do it for me, because I think Rowe could be a legit singles star if given the chance.

It’s always kind of hard to put words to digital paper when you feel this way about someone. I think of it like Radiohead. They are incredibly talented musicians and it’s clear how technically proficient they are, but they just don’t do it for me. I even like some of their songs and would probably see them in concert, but they aren’t a band I would wait in line to see. What I’m saying is Ray Rowe is Thom Yorke and Hanson is…the other dudes in Radiohead. I just really hope they don’t have a 20 minute entrance like they did last TakeOver.

Something else that’s not connecting with me (that’s what we in the biz call a transition) is the team of Ricochet and Your Pal Aleister Black. Never has a tag team felt more like ‘two dudes wrestling together’ than these guys. Individually, they are incredible performers. Together they are…incredible performers who don’t perform together. They don’t work as a cohesive unit. There is no teamwork, no tandem offense, nothing that makes tag team wrestling the best form of wrestling on the planet.

I understand the reason for this, and I understand that they might want to give these two a proper sendoff from NXT on the TakeOver stage. All of it makes sense, and I just can’t seem to make myself care about it. Giving them the titles makes less than zero sense. At this point, both of them are established main roster stars, and putting the belts on them would be a stroke of insanity.

WDWGFH (where do we go from here): This one is pretty obvious, really. Ricochet and Black are clearly main roster bound. Could the War Raiders join them? Sure, but the Magic 8-Ball that is my brain says ‘highly unlikely’. Someone has to anchor the tag division in NXT, and my personal bias aside, they will do a great job in that role. Besides, we all know they’re just keeping the belts warm until the Forgotten Sons get their title shot. Just kidding, those guys are the dirt worst. I’m convinced they are some kind of inside joke NXT has where they are convinced they can get absolutely anyone over.

NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne vs. WALTER

Woooooo brother, is this match going to slap. If it wasn’t for the next match in this column, this would be what I’m looking forward most the entire Mania week. Admittedly, I am not caught up on NXT UK, but I don’t think that matters and even if it does, I don’t care. Dunne, for all his considerable gifts and charisma, is not a physically imposing man. This really kind of hit home when he was in the Royal Rumble back in January; he’s just not that big of a dude!

You know what he is? An incredibly talented wrestler. Someone who just gets wrestling. It’s actually a bit scary how well he gets it considering he somehow is only 25 years old. He knows how to tell a story and how to structure a match. I can’t tell you one bad match I have seen him in and it might actually be impossible. His size isn’t a detriment for a couple reasons. The first, obviously, is that he’s just so damn good. The second is that pretty much everyone in NXT UK is Mike DellaCamera sized, which, for the record, is not large. You know who is large? WALTER. WALTER is large.

He feels like the final boss of Europe. On the rare occasions where he loses, it feels like a huge deal. Jordan Devlin beat him a little while ago in OTT and the reaction was as loud as I’ve ever heard at an indie show. Part of that was because it was Devlin’s hometown promotion, and part of it was because, well, WALTER lost. Part of me is actually surprised he is in WWE because of just the brutal style of matches he works, but I’m certainly not going to complain about it.

I don’t mean to keep waxing on about why and how WALTER is so incredible, but I’m absolutely going to continue doing just that. He’s big, he can move, and his chops sound like gunshots. His physical imposition is so striking and so unique that even people who haven’t seen wrestling before understand that they are seeing someone who is a big deal. I showed someone the clip of him chopping Zack Sabre Jr. recently and after they were done squirming, they asked “Is he alive?”

How many other people in wrestling elicit that kind of reaction? One? None? WALTER is a singuarly unique force in wrestling. This really seems like a good time to take the belt off of Pete. He’s had it for so long that it only makes sense to see what it’s like having him someone to chase after. He’s always felt more important than anyone one else on NXT UK…until now.

WDWGFH: Neither of these guys are going anywhere. These are the two dudes who are going to make NXT UK.

NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle

It is April 2019. The world has been around for a long time (and is also round) and never in its long and illustrious history has it ever produced something more perfect or more beautiful than this: a match for a secondary title between an MMA stoner Bro and, for lack of a better description, a Prince impersonator. This sounds like something that would be at one of the GCW shows running this weekend, not at one of the biggest WWE shows of the year.

To take it a step further, this is a match between someone who appears to not care about anything to someone who cares so much about everything.

Riddle dropped into pro wrestling as an almost fully formed character. It helps that he is essentially just himself on screen, but he is someone who is as close to a natural as there is. Even from his earliest matches, it was clear that his time on the independents was going to be short lived. Compare that to Dream’s path. He started out as Patrick Clark, a contestant on Tough Enough, a “competition” he didn’t even win. For him to achieve success meant he had to completely destroy Clark in order to become the Velveteen Dream. He has even disavowed him on television.

When he was asked about his past, he said, “The Dream has no recollection of this.” Patrick died so Dream could live. All of that has created this incredible juxtaposition of two characters, ene who has succeeded because of his own authentic self, and the other by creating a persona so unique and so powerful that it has become his true self.

The build to this match produced the greatest tweet in the history of the internet when Dream posted ‘UR Not A BRO UR A HO’. I need that tattooed on my back yesterday. The build to this match also produced the best moment in NXT history when Dream came out on a couch to watch Riddle’s match last week. Imagine not liking this. It would be like not liking bikes or pizza or something else that is just so clearly great. This will be, like all of Dream’s matches, an experience. Riddle has been incredibly protected in NXT, so would he really lose here?. Then again, would Dream really lose in his first TakeOver title defense? Something has to give and I think it’s everyone’s favorite Bro.

WDWGFH: This one is actually a bit tricky. If there really is a plan for Riddle to retire Brock (and please believe that is something very real and not just a social media gimmick), his time in NXT should be short. I don’t think now is the time for a call up, but it’s not that far off. Dream is an even weirder case in that he could get called up tomorrow, or stay in NXT forever. I truly think it would be a shame if he doesn’t get a title run at some point, and I think he’s down there for the foreseeable future.

NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai vs. Kairi Sane

On one hand, it’s so great that there are four women wrestling on a TakeOver special. One the other hand, couldn’t there just have been, you know, two women’s matches on the card? I’m never going to complain about seeing 2/3 of the Black Lotus Triad wrestle Shayna Two Time and the EST of NXT, but it’s still fair to wonder.

There is just an incredible amount of female talent in this match. The greatness of Shirai and Sane is apparent, even to a novice fan. They just wrestle and move differently like it’s ingrained in their DNA. My thoughts on Bianca were exhaustively documented before the last TakeOver, but the TL;DR version of it is that I think she is incredible with a Charlotte Flair ceiling.

Everyone remembers the Four Horsewomen era of NXT as a transformative time for women’s wrestling, as they absolute should. I would argue that these four have just as much talent as the horsewomen did back in their day, not to mention better resumes at this point in their careers. With these four plus Candice LeRae, Deonna Purrazzo, Mia Yim, plus the rehabbing combo of Dakota Kai/Tegan Knox, the future of the NXT women’s division is the brightest one in the entire company.

This is the match that I’m having the hardest time wrapping my head around from an outcome perspective, because it can really go anywhere. It’s easy to write a story where Shayna keeps the belt and continues running through NXT. It’s just as easy to write when where she doesn’t get pinned, loses the title…and continues running through NXT. Selfishly, I never want her to drop the title. She is one of my favorite NXT talents of recent memory, but it’s time for her to do more. If there really is a large Ronda Rousey sized hole on the main roster, what better choice to fill it? Being on the older side means there are fewer opportunities to take advantage of Baszler’s substantial gifts. It makes sense to drop the title to either Io or Kairi, and I’m going to say Io because she hasn’t had the title and has the best nickname in wrestling.

WDWGFH: As much as it pains me to predict Shayna loses her title, it’s time for her to go. With the women’s division on the main roster in flux with the constant switching of brands, now is the perfect time to establish her as an immediate main event level threat. This allows Io/Kairi/Bianca to lead the next wave of women in NXT, and what a wave it is.

Vacant NXT Championship: Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano (2/3 falls match)

Apparently, they have been running a version of this match on the house show circuit and the results have been incredible. My super official sources (Twitter, the Internet) have provided nothing but glowing reviews which is kind of crazy because everyone on the Internet is miserable and hates everything.

I have no doubt that these two can live up to any and all expectations attached to this match. Both are proven, main event caliber wrestlers and talkers…but does that matter? Will anyone really care about a Gargano coronation if it comes against Cole? Will anyone really care about a Gargano coronation if it comes against anyone not named Tomasso Ciampa? This was supposed to be the last chapter of the best planned out story the WWE has told in years, and it’s so, so unfortunate that Ciampa’s neck isn’t allowing that, but this is as fine an alternative as we could rationally expect.

More than any other match on this card, this match is about the future. This maps out the next generation of NXT. Does Johnny get to stick around for another year waiting for Ciampa to come back or is this the time to send him off? They can’t really just re-run the underdog story scraping to the top again, can they? Is there really such a burning desire to see him finally win the NXT title? He has been in the main event scene for such a long time that the risk of burnout is absolutely real. There is actually a section of fans that doesn’t like the Gargano/Ciampa feud, and to that I say get over yourself. That mindset is the reason we don’t deserve nice things. People criticize the main roster endlessly for not telling coherent, cohesive stories. When NXT tells a story that has stretched on for years, is layered, well written, dynamic, and is as close to complete as can be, people want to complain about it. Complaining is fun, I get it. But come on, guys.

Adam Cole was born for this. He really has it all: the look, the music, the stable, the microphone skills, the wrestling ability, all of it. There is nothing he can’t do well in the world of pro wrestling. He has held major titles in every just about company he’s ever worked for, so why should NXT be different? He is a proven main event level heel that is more than ready to carry the post Gargano/Ciampa/Black/Ricochet version of NXT. Gargano has had more than enough time in NXT, and if his time there doesn’t end with a title reign, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

It makes all the sense in the world to put the belt on Cole for a while and let someone like Dream come get it. So yeah, let’s go with that! Oh, and if you don’t do the ‘Boom’ point during Cole’s music, you are an actual coward.

WDWGFH: The era of Johnny Gargano in NXT ends (please don’t put him on 205 Live), and the reign of the Undisputed Era officially begins.

USA announces WWE programming schedule for WrestleMania week

In addition to the Raw and SmackDown go-home shows, there will be three more hours of WWE programming on the USA Network as part of WrestleMania week.

A special that looks at the greatest moments in WrestleMania history will air on Thursday, April 5th at 8 p.m. Eastern time, a one-hour version of the 2018 Hall of Fame ceremony will be shown at 10 p.m. on April 7th, and the second hour of the WrestleMania pre-show will be live on the USA Network, which is in addition to its other platforms.

WWE has yet to announce which matches are scheduled for the pre-show. The first hour will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern on April 8th before the main card starts at 7 p.m.

This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony takes place on the Friday of WrestleMania week, with the full version airing live on the WWE Network. Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, Mark Henry, celebrity inductee Kid Rock, and Warrior Award recipient Jarrius “JJ” Robertson will be honored during it.

Ibushi teaming against Ospreay in RevPro six-man tag

Revolution Pro Wrestling has announced Kota Ibushi’s match for WrestleMania week in New Orleans.

Ibushi will be teaming with Flip Gordon & Shane Strickland against Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Chuck Taylor on Friday, April 6th. This will be the second time Ibushi and Ospreay have been in the ring together — and the first time was also during a WrestleMania week six-man tag. Ibushi, Johnny Gargano & TJP defeated Ospreay, Marty Scurll & Tommy End for WWN in 2016.

In addition to RevPro, Ibushi will be in action at ROH’s Supercard of Honor XII and WrestleCon’s Supershow in New Orleans. He’s facing Hangman Page for ROH and teaming with Kenny Omega against Taylor & a partner (after Trent Barreta was removed from the match due to injury) at the Supershow.

RevPro’s event is in conjunction with WrestleCon and will take place at The Sugar Mill at 4 p.m. Central time. The other matches that have been announced are: Zack Sabre Jr. defending his Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii, Minoru Suzuki vs. Jeff Cobb, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson vs. Aussie Open, and Martin Stone vs. David Starr.

Impact vs. Lucha Underground show set for WrestleMania week

Impact Wrestling is partnering with Lucha Underground for their show in New Orleans during WrestleMania week.

Both promotions announced the partnership today, and the theme of the show will be Impact vs. Lucha Underground matches. Pentagon, Fenix, King Cuerno, Drago, Aerostar, Killshot, Matanza, The Mack, and Jack Evans are among the Lucha Underground wrestlers scheduled to appear.

Austin Aries, Alberto El Patron, Eli Drake, Moose, Eddie Edwards, LAX, OVE and Sami Callihan, Trevor Lee, Brian Cage, Allie, Rosemary, and Taya Valkyrie have been announced for Impact, along with an appearance by Scott Steiner.

The show, which is part of WrestleCon’s WrestleMania week events, will take place at The Sugar Mill on April 6th and air live on Impact’s Twitch channel starting at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Their Twitch channel will also have “over 10 hours of original daily content” for three days during that weekend, including podcasts and behind-the-scenes footage.

WrestleMania: Looking back on our favorite shows and matches

The history of WrestleMania is filled with its fair share of great shows, memorable moments, stellar matches, and some events that failed to deliver. Time will tell where WrestleMania 33 fits into all of that, but in anticipation of WWE’s biggest PPV of the year, some of our writers collaborated to look back on both their favorite WrestleMania show and match of all time.

Our contributors are —

Josh Nason —

My favorite WrestleMania match is one that will never be known for a high workrate or a six star rating. But for an 80s kid that grew up loving Hulk Hogan and saw his friendship with Andre the Giant disintegrate over the course of several weeks on Superstars of Wrestling, I have to go with Hogan vs. Andre at WrestleMania III.

You’ve heard enough about this match that I don’t need to rehash it, but it was two larger-than-life megastars doing battle in front of a massive crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome. I didn’t see the match live as we didn’t have cable, but I remember being ridiculously excited when the tape came into my local rental store.

As far as a favorite overall Mania, I’m going with Mania IV but only because of the tournament and because, well, it was two tapes instead of just one. That might sound ridiculous, but the whole tournament playing out in one night and the fact there was so much action that it couldn’t be contained on just ONE tape will always stick with me.

Chris Aiken —

WrestleMania X in 1994 is my favorite for purely nostalgic reasons. The show from MSG was a bright spot in a tumultuous time for the company. Titan Sports’ bottom line was suffering as overall popularity had plummeted amongst scandals and a looming federal trial. But all of that took a backseat for one night as the Federation presented their biggest show of the year.

Bret and Owen Hart opened the show putting on a clinic. Bret lost that match but went on to win the WWF title in the main event defeating Yokozuna. Also, Randy Savage had a memorable brawl with Crush (Brian Adams) in a falls count anywhere match during a time when Macho Man was more of an announcer than a wrestler. He proved on that night he could still go.

Stealing the show was Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) in their legendary ladder match. What may appear tame for a ladder match judging by today’s standards was at that time mindblowing. I read stories in magazines and saw pictures of the spectacle before finally getting to watch it. Obtaining a VHS copy of WrestleMania X was a top priority for fifth grade me.

Choosing a favorite WrestleMania match is a tough choice between two matches. Distinguishing between those two, one match is my favorite WrestleMania match to ever watch on TV. The other is my favorite to have ever seen live in attendance.

Bret Hart and Steve Austin had a submission match at WrestleMania 13 in 1997 that stands the test of time as an all time classic and was a masterpiece. Many years later in 2009, Houston was the site where Shawn Michaels and Undertaker had a mesmerizing classic that I witnessed live inside Reliant Stadium (now NRG Stadium). Looking out and seeing the crowd on fire and moving like an ocean caught up in a sea of emotion was something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Paul Fontaine —

Narrowing it down to one WrestleMania is really hard for me, but if I go by the premise of which one could I watch over and over and still be entertained, I’m probably going with WrestleMania X-Seven.

It was an amazing time in wrestling history. WWF had just won the Monday Night Wars six days prior. They then had the biggest event of their calendar year and they totally delivered. Most memorable for me was TLC II, featuring Edge & Christian, The Hardys, and The Dudleys. You also had a much better than expected Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon match, and of course the main event World title match featuring Steve Austin vs. The Rock.

Austin’s heel turn at the end of that match was not the smartest business move in WWF history, but it didn’t take away from how great the match, and the entire card, were.

As for favorite WrestleMania match, I go all the way back to WrestleMania X and no, I’m not picking the ladder match, although that was very good. My favorite WrestleMania match, and among my favorite matches ever, was Owen Hart beating his big brother Bret.

Owen was my favorite wrestler dating back to his days with Stampede Wrestling and seeing him pick up such a big win on such a big stage made me so happy. I was 22 at the time and definitely tended to favor the “bad guys” — but that’s not why I liked Owen. It’s hard to describe…he was just always my favorite and nothing he could ever do would change that.

Jeremy Peeples —

WrestleMania XIX remains the easiest WrestleMania card for me to rewatch in its entirety. Outside of a pillow fight and the nothing SmackDown tag title match, every match on the card is either quite good or a quick watch.

Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio got things off to a hot start, while Undertaker’s tag match turned into a handicap match defending the streak. It wasn’t much, but it did come off as a big deal thanks to the Limp Bizkit entrance. Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon was a fun spectacle that led to one of the company’s greatest camera shots with Vince coming up from the apron caked in blood.

This show also featured an excellent HBK vs. Chris Jericho match, a greatest hits version of The Rock vs. Steve Austin with a few new wrinkles thrown in for Austin’s final match, and a classic in Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar that was one of the most touch-and-go main events in WrestleMania history due to Angle’s neck.

It was one of the most dramatic matches to watch in real-time because his neck was in such bad shape, and it was an absolute miracle it wound up being as good as it was — even if it closed in a terrifying manner with the botched shooting star press knocking Lesnar loopy for the closing moments.

When it comes down to the greatest WrestleMania match, two spring to mind featuring The Undertaker. His WrestleMania XXV match against HBK is the easiest to point to, but his WrestleMania XXVII match with HHH remains my personal favorite when it comes to drama. They started things off perfectly with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” being used for HHH and setting the stage — tonight was the night it tolled for the Deadman, and the song starting just like Taker’s, with gongs signaling the end was flawless.

Their match wasn’t as highlight-filled as either Undertaker vs. HBK affair, but had a single moment that eclipsed any other in the streak — HHH hitting the tombstone, covering Undertaker with his own iconic arm cross, and Undertaker kicking out at the last possible second.

HHH was sent scurrying away in shock and fans both at home and in the arena were stunned. The streak went from something that seemed like a given to something that could very easily be taken away, and no false finish did more to sell that than the tombstone. Undertaker won that match with the Hell’s Gate, but had to be carted out later. He won the in-ring battle, but lost the war — and that set the stage for showing weakness in The Undertaker that would eventually be paid off when Lesnar ended the Streak at WrestleMania 30.

Joseph Currier —

The story of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30 is my favorite moment in WWE history. Everything came together in so many unlikely ways to create the perfect ending to the show.

After it not initially being the plan, the months of build accidentally built to the coronation of Bryan when no other option would’ve been accepted. The only disappointing thing looking back on it is that Bryan’s career (at least for now) ended when he had finally become a complete performer capable of matching his absurd in-ring ability with being the top babyface in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Bryan’s triple threat match against Batista and Randy Orton may not have been the best match in WrestleMania history. It may not even have been Bryan’s best match of the night. But it’s easily my favorite WrestleMania match of all time and capped my favorite WWE show ever.

Even without everything else delivering, how invested I was in Bryan would’ve probably still made it my favorite WrestleMania. But the show also had Brock Lesnar breaking The Undertaker’s streak, Cesaro getting a chance to shine in the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and a great opening segment with Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock.

WrestleMania Week: WWE gives a sneak peek at the set

Though there have been plenty of unofficial updates throughout its construction, WWE provided the first official look at the WrestleMania 33 set with a video hosted by The New Day.

The video shows what has been known since pictures of the set began to make their way online. It’s based on the layout of Universal Studios in Orlando and the canopy above the ring is shaped like another giant wrestling ring.

That video is available to watch below:

The Camping World Stadium set will be on display at WrestleMania 33 tomorrow night. The two-hour pre-show kicks off at 5 p.m. ET, with Neville defending the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries and the 2017 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal currently scheduled for it after the SmackDown Women’s Championship match was moved to the main card.

Before that, the Amway Center will be home to NXT TakeOver: Orlando at 8 p.m. ET tonight.

WWE Hall of Fame live notes: Kurt Angle headlines 2017 inductee class

As part of WWE’s WrestleMania weekend, Friday’s Hall of Fame ceremony kicks off five straight nights of WWE-branded action in Orlando, FL, even though tonight won’t feature any in-ring competition.

Starting at 8 PM EST, I’ll be your companion through tonight’s show on WWE Network, giving you bullet points and any need-to-know fun facts from the ceremony at the Amway Center.

Historian and MLW podcaster Matt Farmer will have some insight on the ceremony from a different slant, coming either later tonight or early Saturday.

Here’s who is being inducted and by whom:

– Kurt Angle, inducted by John Cena

– “Diamond” Dallas Page, inducted by Eric Bischoff

– “Ravishing” Rick Rude, posthumously inducted by Ricky Steamboat

– The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, inducted by Jim Cornette

– Beth Phoenix, inducted by Natalya

– Teddy Long, inducted by Ron Simmons

Additionally, former Rutgers football player Eric Legrand will be honored during the night with this year’s Warrior Award.

Join us at 8 PM EST.

**********

Jerry Lawler is out to host tonight’s festivities. 

Diamond Dallas Page

Eric Bischoff starts us off. He talks about what a heart is, but before anything he wishes one person was out here tonight inducting DDP — Dusty Rhodes. When he met Diamond Dallas Page, it was in 1988 when he managed Badd Company (Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond). Bischoff felt at the time it was an odd pairing, considering he was significantly taller than either of them. 

He talks about a time he got into a bar fight with DDP during his time in AWA. He didn’t feel bad when DDP left for WCW shortly after. But when Bischoff left the AWA, he auditioned for a gig as a WCW announcer…and the guy handling the interview? DDP. He was still flamboyant and obnoxious, but he had a great time. He learned to respect his passion for the company — both by announcing and training at the Power Plant. 

People told DDP he was too old to enter wrestling at the age of 35, but he wasn’t relentless and kept going. Bischoff lists names DDP has worked with in the past, including Goldberg, Sting and Eddie Guerrero. Bischoff defines the scientific term of what heart means, then says DDP is living proof of heart through his dedication to help others, listing his successes through DDP Yoga. He introduces Diamond Dallas Page.

He talks about a time he got into a bar fight with DDP during his time in AWA. He didn’t feel bad when DDP left for WCW shortly after. But when Bischoff left the AWA, he auditioned for a gig as a WCW announcer…and the guy handling the interview? DDP. He was still flamboyant and obnoxious, but he had a great time. He learned to respect his passion for the company — both by announcing and training at the Power Plant. 

People told DDP he was too old to enter wrestling at the age of 35, but he wasn’t relentless and kept going. Bischoff lists names DDP has worked with in the past, including Goldberg, Sting and Eddie Guerrero. Bischoff defines the scientific term of what heart means, then says DDP is living proof of heart through his dedication to help others, listing his successes through DDP Yoga. He introduces Diamond Dallas Page.

DDP says he used to have diamond dolls, but now has diamond daughters as he introduces his daughters, who accompanied him to the ring. He brings up his cameo at WrestleMania VI, saying the car he drove got the gig, not him. Crazy to think that at WrestleMania 33, now he’s in the WWE Hall of Fame.

He says it is a bittersweet night because Dusty Rhodes isn’t here tonight. He tells a story of when he first met Dusty. He brings up wrestling at 35, saying that Michael Hayes was on the ground laughing when he heard it. He thanks Terry Taylor, the Assassin Jody Hamilton and Buddy Lee Parker for their tutelage while training at the Power Plant. He thanks Eric Bischoff next, as when he first started out he put on so many gimmicks he didn’t know who he was, but when Bischoff came in he helped him find out who DDP really was. He thanked Jake Roberts too, because without the both of them, he wouldn’t be there. People made fun of him for watching tapes of all his matches, but now everyone does it on YouTube. 

DDP brings up stories of Macho Man and Hulk Hogan, and how he met Hogan in 1994 and said soon they’d be working together. Years later, they not only did just that, but also with Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman. After listing people he wanted to thank, he brought up his ex-wife Kimberly for supporting him even when she thought he was crazy. He brings up his wife, a breast cancer survivor. He rattles off a list of names, including Chris Jericho, who helped put out the world regarding DDP Yoga.

 He finishes off his speech talking about Dusty Rhodes, who would let him vent when things weren’t going right him. He says he went too far one night and rakes his eyes, asking what he meant. He said that night he thought he would never be champion. Dusty said if you don’t believe you’ll be champion as hard as a worker as he is, then what are you doing here. He says he took a piece of paper that night and wrote that he will be world champion one day. He says when he won the title, the next day Dusty called him and asked how it felt, he said it felt real. Dusty said because it was.

Jim Ross once called him the biggest overachiever in wrestling. He said you first must be an over believer and you must believe in you.

Rock and Roll Express

Jim Cornette arrives, saying that back in 1983 the biggest thing on television was MTV, so the idea to put together the Rock and Roll Express seemed like the right idea at the time. But it wasn’t just the gimmick – Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson knew the mental part of this sport in connecting with the audience. The women loved them for their look, the men loved them for their toughness, especially Ricky Morton. He talks about their infamous hot tags, the double dropkicks, and the adoration of the fans.

They wrestled every great tag team there was back in the day, but like how Batman needed the Joker, the Rock and Roll Express needed the Midnight Express. They toured the Mid South and Carolina areas, people never getting tired of the feud. When politics split up the Midnight Express, they were the backbone of Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

The Rock and Roll Express always delivered, no matter where they were. People always come up to him, especially on the WWE roster, saying that when they saw the Expresses battle they knew they wanted to enter the business. Even by the 2000s, the RnR Express fought guys half their age, then feuded with the Midnight Express all over again. 

Nobody can make them stop and nobody wants them to stop because they are a national treasure. He notes one time that one family would take their Christmas pictures and give them to the Rock and Roll Express because they thought of the RnR as their own family, Cornette musing that you know you’re over when you’re in the same picture with Jesus.  He then brings out the Rock and Roll Express.

After musing about their families, Morton says he’s watch the wrestling business grow from a sport that they love into a global empire. He says that it is the boys, that is what it is all about. He credits Jimmy Hart, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Bill Dundee for believing in them. Morton brings up Dusty Rhodes, saying it was his vision that helped them. They go through a list of people, including Ric Flair, who gave them a PhD in the business.

Morton briefly brings up their history with Dennis Condrey, Bobby Eaton, and Stan Lane, the Midnight Express, saying that hopefully they’ll soon be here on this stage. They thank their families. Morton tells Gibson that he’s the greatest person he’s ever met in his life and he wouldn’t change a thing.  

Rick Rude

Ricky Steamboat is introduced, giving shout outs to Triple H and Shane McMahon. After bringing up his accomplishments, Steamboat says that Rude was a true heel, insulting both men and women. Steamboat tells a story of how strong Rude was, and being in the ring with him you could feel that strength. He knew what he was doing in the ring and had a great sense of timing. He brings up his enforcer role in DX, as well as being a part of Bobby Heenan’s family.

He wasn’t stiff in the ring, but he was awfully snug and you could feel it whenever he laid him in. He introduces his son, Rick Rood, as well as his wife and daughter, Michelle and Marissa.

His son Rick speaks for the family, saying how do you talk about one of the best entertainers in all of television? He thinks what his father would say, then tells the fat, out of shape central Florida sweathogs to keep the noise down to a big pop. He talks about Rick Rude’s early life, noting how it wasn’t until many of his high school friends became wrestlers that he did too, joining the business and learning under Eddie Sharkey. 

Rick Rood mentions his father loved being with his family more than anything else, that he worked so he could provide his family what he didn’t have growing up. Rood says proudly tonight he can say he accomplished that. He brings up his late brother Colton, who was the most wonderful, Christ loving person and kind person he’s ever met. On behalf of the entire Rood family, he thanks the WWE for placing his father with some of the greatest wrestlers of all time. 

Beth Phoenix

Natalya says it all started with Mark Henry, who noted when they first met that she reminded him of Beth Phoenix. She smiled, saying who the hell is she? She wondered who was this girl, why did they look so much alike,  and why was she single white femaling me? She says eventually they met, and wouldn’t you know, they wore the same outfit.

They did their best to impress Arn Anderson and Fit Finlay the best they could. They weren’t models growing up — they wanted to kick ass. She brings up when they faced Laycool in a tag team table match, and she wanted the match to focus on Natalya – she wanted to lift other women up.

Beth is not just an ass kicker, but a mother of two, a trained pianist, has a masters degree in criminal psychology and can lift 220 pounds – that’s two Carmella. To this day, she believes was my Uncle Owen’s gift from me because of you, Beth. She introduces Beth Phoenix. 

Beth says you never forget your first love, and she knows that because it was wrestling. She grew up watching WCW with her Polish immigrant grandmother, but it wasn’t until watching WrestleMania X, with Owen vs. Bret Hart, that she knew what she wanted to do. 

She thanks her college roommate Janet, who encouraged her to enter wrestling, and Ron Hutchinson, who helped train herself, Edge, Christian and Trish Stratus. She noted how when she went to her tryout to train with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero and others and how she opened the doors and smacked right into none other than Brock Lesnar.

She brings up her time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, bringing up how Nora, also known as Molly Holly, helped pay for her tuition in OVW and says that is what women’s empowerment is all about. She thanks those who helped her in OVW, including Paul Heyman, who helped build her confidence, and Tommy Dreamer, who she called the champion of the little guy.

When she was brought to the main roster, she got to work with great women including Melina, Gail Kim, Maria, the Bella Twins, Vickie Guerrero, Tamina, Michelle McCool, Layla and others. She brings up Candice Michelle, who helped her become the Glamazon, Mickie James, who she had her first ever wrestling match with, and Eve, who always made time for her as a peer and a friend.

Santino Marella is brought up, which she says she had the best moments of her career with and always put a smile on people’s faces, bringing up how one time in Italy he cut a promo on her saying she couldn’t cook and she didn’t know it until bumping into an Italian fan at the hotel. She finally brings up Nattie, who she bonded with over wrestling, and truly feels Owen had a part in bringing them together because as far as friends go, she’s the best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be.

She puts over the current crop of women’s talent, thanking them for continuing to bring equality to women’s entertainment. She thanks those who came before her, including Chyna. While she never met her, she’s proud of the accomplishments she gave to the business. She thanks her family, then gets to Edge, who gets an introduction by Tony Chimel. She thanks him, saying not only was he born to be a father, but he was born to be a father for their two girls. She brings up her daughters Lyric and Ruby, saying that one day when they’re watching this again she wants to let them know they are her greatest accomplishments.

She finishes by saying of you ever feel like you don’t feel the mold, it is because you were meant for greater things. Don’t try and be someone you’re not and be accepting of how others are different because those are how dreams are made. 

Warrior Award recipient Eric LeGrand

Dana Warrior says it’s fitting that the WWE is in Orlando, as it is a city of once upon a times. WWE has heroes and villains, evil queens and brass knuckle princesses. Our mighty men don’t have swords, they have spears, and stitches. Every story needs a jester, then brings up Enzo. There once was a warrior that was considered ultimate, and three years ago he stood here as a part of the Hall of Fame.

But not every story ends with a happy ending. There are no true once upon a time or happily ever afters, but a cast of characters that have a warriors spirit throughout the ages. Eric LeGrand has that spirit. He required himself to always believe, and shine such a light others followed. His mother Karen is a heroine. This award can go to no one more worthy than Eric. He is in a chair, but he is not the chair. It may be his chariot, but he was vowed to walk again and she believes in him.

He has an eye on champions, bringing up Team LeGrand which is a part of the Dana and Christopher Reeve foundation. She welcomes Eric LeGrand. He thanks God, then Triple H. He brings up Joe DeFranco, who brought him up on his podcast. At the end of the podcast, he was surprised by tickets to SummerSlam a couple of years ago. He talks about a story with a man with deformed legs who wrestled despite this that was featured on his television show on Fox Sports.

He brings up his injury, crediting those who had to hear the news and how they stayed with him that night how he could never walk again, would never eat solid food again and how he was paralyzed from the waist down. He says he had to keep a positive attitude and said he would never give up and keep fighting. Five weeks after the injury he was able to breathe again. That Thanksgiving, he was able to have a full solid meal with his family. The injury was in October; that February, he was able to move his head.

Six years into this, a lot of people would give up, and unfortunately he has seen people pass away from injuries such as his. He brings up Team LeGrand, who wants to look into research for spinal cord injuries. He brings up Christopher Reeve, and says he feels like he is ready to take that mantle that he carried for spinal cord injury research.

He brings up his love for wrestling, noting he was into Stone Cold Steve Austin, remembering the big Invasion angle where Stone Cold Steve Austin returned and laid everyone out with a crowbar. He says Kane was a big influence as well, and also brings up The Rock, who he marveled at just how he was able to move the crowd .

He thanks his mother, who has given her life to help him cope with his injury. He finally thanks his Rutgers team, because without them he wouldn’t be where they are at. He promises that he will walk again one day.

Teddy Long

The APA says they have learned one thing tonight, and that is to go home. They teased him, with JBL saying he was the biggest scrooge in the industry, he never paid for anything. Ron Simmons brings up an invoice, noting he owes around $72,000 dollars. 

Simmons says he held just about every job in the industry, racking up a number of accomplishments.  JBL brings up how Teddy Long was born in Birmingham, Alabama and how he grew up watching and witnessing moments in the Civil Rights movement. JBL says this isn’t about Black History, it is about history and how opportunity was going to come for all for generations. 

Simmons says anyone who puts in hard work can have great things regardless of race. JBL intrudes the  cheapest man on the planet, Teddy Long!

Teddy Long comes out and acts like he threw his back out, but then reveals it’s a rib, much to the APA’s dismay. He corrects the story JBL told earlier about him being arrested for being drunk despite never drinking. He says he got a ticket, and found a way to get the APA to pay for it.

He brings up his career in wrestling, how he started by driving guys to the WTBS studio and how eventually he was able to become a referee. His first match he ever match was a match between Black Bart and Ron Bass, who were in a Texas Death match and how he bolted when they started bleeding because they thought they were going to beat him up.

Running through his career, he mentions managing guys in WCW like Doom, Ice Train and Johnny B. Badd. He went to the WWE in 1998, and a few years later became manager for the likes of Mark Henry, Mark Jindrak, D’lo Brown and others. He also brings up his time as General Manager of Smackdown, as he held that title for around 9 years, the longest of any General Manager run in the company.

He wanted to prove to everyone who said he didn’t had talent to prove them wrong, and he thanks the McMahon family for that. He thanks his son and his wife, who he’s been married to for 20 years. He finishes off by saying he’ll put the APA in a tag team match, but since Ron Simmons is retired he’ll just have to put Bradshaw one on one with the Undertaker. He thanks everyone, saying now he’s a Holla Holla Hall of Famer.

They showed a video package of the Legacy wing inductees for this year. Haystacks Calhoun, Judy Grable, Bearcat Wright, Farmer Burns, Rikidozan, Luther Lindsay, June Byers, Toots Mondt and Dr. Jerry Graham were all given short profiles

Kurt Angle

Cena says the experience we’re about to feel is long overdue. There’s no words to describe how great this next man as we’ll never see someone as physically gifted as him as well as being an incredible entertainer. His accomplishments are mythic, wrestling guys way bigger than his own weight class. People get signed to the WWE with high expectations, and sometimes people aren’t able to meet them. Angle, however, exceeded them.

He didn’t just make us laugh, he made us heer and made us believe in him. He says that he has the type of story that a dad tells to his son and says dad, that can’t be true. But it is true, Cena says, as he was there, and it’s damn true. He brings out Kurt Angle.

Kurt starts with a story about how he was offered a huge money deal after the Olympics, and said he would never lose a match. He didn’t hear from Vince again. He started watching Raw is War and got hooked, and called head of Talent Relations at the time Jim Ross to see if Vince’s orignal offer still stands. Ross told him it wasn’t, but could come in and try out just like everyone else. 

He mentions Jim Ross again thanks him, as well as Dory Funk Jr., Steve Bradley and Sean Evans. He was able to be great because of so many great, unselfish athletes like the Hardyz, Edge and Christian, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Rikishi and many others. 

He wants to give advice for all the sports entertainers in the crowd. Limit your mistakes. Follow the protocol, follow the rules. Don’t be the guy or girl who they said could have been the best. Take chances with your personality and character. 

Sometimes you make fun of yourself, it can turn out to be in your favor. He cites the cowboy hat as an example. Someone brings out a cowboy hat, and Angle puts it on to cheers. He sings the song from the infamous promo. He also brings up the wig from when he was shaved bald, then brings up other comedic moments in his career before ending with the milk truck angle, saying that you gotta get those entertaining moments because they last forever.

He thanks the WWE Universe, who always believed in him, as well as his family and wife. He’s going to celebrate the only way he knows how…by getting two big cartons of milk. He says to the WWE Universe, you are now looking at the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame class — it’s true, it’s damn true. 

Joey Janela’s Spring Break results: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Severn; Janela vs. Marty Jannetty

Late Thursday night, Game Changer Wrestling presented a rather unique event on FloSlam: a Spring Break show booked and hosted by one of their stars, Joey Janela.

Here’s the results in case you missed them:

– Sami Callihan defeated Kyle the Beast by submission with the Stretch Muffler

Good opener where Beast held his own.

– Andy Williams & Penelope Ford defeated Allie & Braxton Sutter after Ford pinned Sutter following a moonsault

Williams is the frontman for the band Every Time I Die and has been wrestling for the last few months. This was an intergender match with a bunch of male/female spots. Allie and Sutter played the heels.

– GCW Champion Matt Tremont defeated Eddie Kingston to retain after a death valley driver through a door

This turned into a bloodbath brawl with Tremont bleeding heavily throughout.

– Jimmy Lloyd defeated Arik Cannon, Bryan Idol, Crazy Boy, Evil Dink, Ethan Page, Facade, Glacier, The Invisible Man, Jervis Cottonbelly, John Silver, Veda Scott and Flip Gordon in Spring Break ClusterF%$# match after Lloyd eliminated Ethan Page

The match lived up to its name, going over 40 minutes with a ton of spots, both serious and comedy. The highlight of the match had to be either the showdown between Glacier and Page (Mortal Kombat movie music and all) or The Invisible Man being thrown to the outside where everyone took a bump in response. We heard Scott lost some teeth in the match.

– Lio Rush defeated Keith Lee after three frog splashes.

In terms of pure in-ring action, this was easily the match of the show.

– Joey Janela pinned Marty Jannetty following a superkick

This wasn’t bad although it was obvious Jannetty couldn’t move around that much. They kept it simple and used lots of smoke and mirrors. Lots of ref bumps near the end, which brought in Earl Hebner for the finish. One big spot: a Hebner ref bump that allowed Virgil to interfere which then set up a Jannetty Canadian Destroyer on Janela. 

– Matt Riddle defeated Dan “The Beast” Severn by submission with the Bromission

This was pretty good, a nice back and forth effort with some cool mat wrestling. Afterward, Riddle said “they didn’t call sh*t” in the match, but “just beat the sh*t out of each other.”

This wasn’t a “star ratings” show at all, nor was it designed to be. It was simply a very fun show with everyone playing their role very well. What needed to deliver did and what didn’t need to deliver at least held its own with some fun spots. Definitely catch the replay on FloSlam if you want to watch something fun as a change of pace from everything else going on.