Tag: WWE ID

Daily Update: AEW notes, John Cena, WWE ID

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • NJ.com notes that John Cena and comedian Eric Andre are in New Jersey filming their Netflix movie “Little Brother” with production now underway. Here is the description for the film:
    • The movie revolves around a prominent real estate agent, played by Cena, and his younger brother, played by Andre. Everything in the professional’s life is turned upside down when his little brother shows up.
  • A new trailer for the upcoming “WWE: Unreal” docuseries will be released next Tuesday (July 15). The series debuts on Netflix on July 29.
  • Nikki Bella was a guest on the Today show this morning.
  • Goldberg and Jade Cargill made appearances on 11Alive News in Atlanta to promote WWE’s events that are happening in the city this weekend.
  • The inaugural men’s and women’s WWE ID Champions will be crowned in Rutherford, New Jersey on August 1. Kylie Rae vs. Zara Zakher vs. Zayda Steel will determine the women’s champion. The men’s champion will be a singles match featuring whichever two wrestlers advance out of Brad Baylor, Ice Williams, Sean Legacy, Jack Cartwell, Bryce Donovan, and Cappuccino Jones.
  • A WWE Evolve Championship match has been announced for the July 19 WWE ID Showcase event in Longwood, Florida. Jackson Drake will put his belt on the line against Timothy Thatcher.
  • Roxanne Perez joined Sheamus on this week’s episode of Celtic Warrior Workouts.
  • WWE ranked Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins from SummerSlam 2019 as the 22nd greatest match in SummerSlam history.
  • The WWE Vault YouTube channel put together a compilation video on the rise of AJ Lee from 2013-2014.

Other Wrestling

  • Max – the streaming service that AEW Dynamite and Collision are simulcast on – officially rebranded back to HBO Max as its name today.
  • Big Boom AJ cut a promo calling out the Don Callis Family ahead of All In, saying it doesn’t matter which member of the faction Don Callis sends to face him at the show. AJ said he’ll have his son Big Justice and their friend The Rizzler accompanying him for the match.
  • After it was announced that an interim ROH Women’s TV Champion will be crowned due to Red Velvet being injured, Red Velvet posted the following: “Not the news I wanted to share. I won’t be cleared to compete at Supercard of Honor due to injury. Don’t get it twisted this is just a pause, not the end. To the new Interim ROH Women’s TV Champ congrats in advance. Hold it down, because when I come back? I’m coming for it ALL.”
  • In an interview with Uncrowned, Tony Khan praised Swerve Strickland:
    • He arrived in AEW with a strong reputation as an excellent wrestler, and he’s become a bigger and bigger wrestling star. Each year he has been here, he’s appeared in some of the most important AEW matches, and his star continues to rise because he’s one of the hardest working wrestlers,
    • He’s very respected by his peers and through his hard work and his remarkable skill. So Strickland has been able to evolve himself into one of the most dynamic and exciting top stars in pro wrestling today.
  • Uncrowned also published a story on Athena, who discussed the love she has for pro wrestling:
    • I tell [Tony Khan] all the time — I’m a sicko. I love wrestling. I still watch pro wrestling. I’ll watch 14 hours of PWG, old ROH from 2003 to 2006, which is my era.
    • I love that pro wrestling, in general, is always consistently changing, consistently evolving. There’s always something to learn. There’s always a new trick to do. There’s always a new move to invent. When I first started wrestling, I never wanted to do the same thing two days in a row.
  • While speaking with Undisputed, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley hyped up his All In match against Hangman Page:
    • I’ve found myself pacing, I’ve found myself twitching my fingers, I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve looked forward to physically hurting someone the way I’m going to hurt Hangman Page on Saturday. I don’t even hate him, but I do have this intrinsic disdain for him. It would be different if we worked in an office. But in the line of work we’re in, I get to beat the shit out of him.
  • The Beast Mortos has been pulled from his scheduled appearance at Starrcast this Friday. Instead, Mortos will be facing Esfinge in a singles match at CMLL’s Arena Mexico show that night.
  • A Swerve Strickland panel will no longer be taking place at Starrcast due to a scheduling conflict, but Strickland will still be at the convention for photo ops. A new panel has been added with Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness giving an inside look at AEW commentary.
  • The New York Post interviewed “Timeless” Toni Storm.
  • MJF was a guest on The Ringer’s Masked Man Show.
  • Members of the AEW roster discussed their favorite All In moments.
  • NJPW’s English-language website posted an interview with Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Elayna Black vs. Priscilla Kelly is now set for GCW’s show in Dallas this Friday with Kelly replacing Masha Slamovich in the bout.
  • CMLL wrestler Templario has been announced for MLW’s Fightland event that’s taking place in North Richland Hills, Texas on September 13.

GCW hosting WWE ID Showcase during SummerSlam weekend

Posted on by Josh Nason

GCW’s relationship with WWE will continue during SummerSlam weekend as the indie promotion will host a WWE ID Showcase event.

Announced by GCW on Tuesday, the show is set for Friday, August 1st at the Williams Center in Rutherford, New Jersey, part of GCW Summersmash weekend that will also feature the 14th Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport event on Saturday in the same venue.

Both shows will be held in the afternoon and will stream live on Triller+.

The event will feature Timothy Thatcher, Kylie Rae, Marcus Mathers, The Vanity Project, Jack Cartwheel, Cappuccino Jones, Ice Williams, Aaron Rourke, It’s Gal, Jordan Oasis, Aaron Roberts and others.

**********

While no matches were announced for the Showcase, both the men’s and women’s WWE ID Championship tournaments are still in progress. June saw Bryce Donovan, Williams, Cartwheel, Jones and Baylor pick up wins in the round robin tournament.

The relationship between WWE and GCW saw the latter host the kickoff to the tournament during April’s WrestleMania weekend in addition to main roster and NXT wrestlers competing on Bloodsport events.

WWE ID prospect announces departure from program

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Indie wrestler Freedom Ramsey is no longer part of the WWE ID talent development program.

Ramsey announced his departure from WWE ID this week in a video posted to social media. He did not give a reason for no longer being part of the program, but Ramsey said WWE has always been a dream of his and he learned, grew, and developed during his time with ID. Ramsey is excited for his next chapter, though he doesn’t know what that looks like yet.

“I just wanted to share something: I am no longer with WWE ID,” Ramsey announced. “This did not happen publicly, some things are just meant to be handled behind closed doors. I just wanted to keep it real with the fans who have supported me since day one, whether it was in small gyms or in the bright lights.

“WWE has always been a dream of mine. It changed me. Wrestling on WWE Evolve, training at the Performance Center, just meeting everybody I used to see on TV — I learned, I grew, I developed. Now a new chapter begins, and I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but I’m going to come into it with the same hunger that I did when I started professional wrestling. Thank you guys for the support. Thank you for riding with me. This journey is far from over.”

Ramsey joined WWE ID in November 2024 with his ID contract being presented at a show for City Championship Wrestling in Michigan. He was trained by Truth Martini at the House of Truth Wrestling School.

In his WWE debut, Ramsey teamed with ID prospect Aaron Rourke in a loss to NXT tag team Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe on the April 30 episode of Evolve.

Ramsey was part of the WWE ID Championship tournament, losing in the first round. The inaugural men’s and women’s ID champs have not been crowned yet.

The WWE ID program, which was launched in October 2024, sees WWE partner with select indie wrestlers and training schools, providing wrestlers with financial support, other development opportunities, and a potential pathway to joining NXT full-time.

Updates on men’s WWE ID Championship tournament

Posted on by Josh Nason

The following are results and developments from night two of the inaugural men’s WWE ID Championship tournament from the FSW (Future Stars of Wrestling) Arena in Las Vegas Friday.

Per tournament rules, two losses eliminates a wrestler from the men’s tournament. Friday’s show followed Wednesday’s tournament openers at a GCW event.

Friday’s show featured just men’s tournament matches. It has yet to be announced when the next round of action will be for either the men or women.

WWE ID Men’s Championship Tournament matches:

  • Cappuccino Jones defeated It’s GAL who now has one loss.
  • Aaron Rourke defeated Sam Holloway who was eliminated with his second loss.
  • Aaron Roberts defeated Jordan Oasis who now has one loss.
  • Jackson Drake defeated Marcus Mathers who now has one loss.
  • Sean Legacy defeated Ricky Smokes who now has one loss.
  • Ice Williams defeated Brad Baylor who now has one loss.

Non-tournament results:

  • Freedom Ramsey defeated Young Prodigy Bodhi
  • Brittnie Brooks & Zara Zakher defeated Zayda Steel & Mazzerati

About the WWE ID Championship tournaments:

The men’s and women’s tournaments have different formats. In the men’s tournament, there is a double-elimination first round where competitors are eliminated once they lose two matches. It will then become single elimination once the tournament is down to its final four.

The tournaments will continue in various independent promotions until the inaugural champions are crowned. While only ID-contracted wrestlers are featured, WWE stated that non-contracted indie talent will be able to challenge for the belts after the champions are decided.

About the WWE ID program:

The WWE ID program was announced last October and entails WWE partnering with indie promotions and training schools. Wrestlers signed to the WWE ID program receive some form of financial support from the company, plus access to WWE training facilities.

WWE ID Championships to be open to all indie wrestlers

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced some more information regarding its recently introduced ID Championships.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that WWE had created men’s and women’s title belts for its ID program. The title tournaments are set to begin next week at two indie events in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week. Those events are being hosted by Game Changer Wrestling and Future Stars of Wrestling.

The tournaments will continue in various independent promotions until the inaugural champions are crowned. While only ID-contracted wrestlers are featured, WWE has confirmed that non-contracted indie talent will be able to challenge for the belts after the champions are decided.

“The WWE ID Championships will be open to all independent wrestlers once the champions are crowned,” WWE announced. “The titles will be defended at various independent wrestling events. If a non-WWE ID prospect wins the title, they will be awarded a WWE ID contract.”

The men’s and women’s tournaments have different formats. In the men’s tournament, there is a double-elimination first round where competitors are eliminated once they lose two matches. It will then become single-elimination once the tournament is down to its final four.

For the women’s tournament, there is a round-robin format. Zayda Steel vs. Kylie Rae is the first bout announced on the women’s side. Matchups for the men’s tournament include Ice Williams vs. Brad Baylor, Marcus Mathers vs. Sam Holloway, Sean Legacy vs. Ricky Smokes, and It’s Gal vs. Cappuccino Jones. All WWE ID-contracted wrestlers will compete in one of the tournaments.

WWE launched the ID program in late 2024. It provides ID-contracted talent with financial and other support while on the indies, and potentially a pathway to earning a full-time NXT deal. ID wrestlers are also featured on the WWE Evolve series that recently premiered on Tubi.

WWE ID championship tournament match announced for WrestleMania week

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE ID has revealed a first round matchup in the men’s championship tournament to kick off at indie events in Las Vegas on WrestleMania 41 week.

Stemming from events on Wednesday’s WWE Evolve show on Tubi, an Ice Williams vs. Brad Baylor match was officially announced for the FSW event to take place on Friday, April 18.

WWE ID previously announced that tournaments to crown the first men’s and women’s WWE ID champions would kick off at WrestleMania week indie events, including matches at the Wednesday, April 16 GCW event at The Collective at The Palms in Las Vegas, plus the FSW show on April 18.

The eventual tournament winners will defend the WWE ID titles on the indies.

The following talent has been booked for both the GCW and FSW events in question:

  • Sean Legacy
  • Zayda Steel
  • Ice Williams
  • Jackson Drake
  • Brad Baylor
  • Ricky Smokes
  • Zara Zakher
  • Cappuccino Jones

WWE ID entails WWE providing financial support to indie wrestlers signed to the program, plus training opportunities at WWE facilities, as well as mentorship, all in partnership with indie promotions and training schools.

WWE ID championship tournament to begin on WrestleMania week indie shows

Posted on by Ethan Renner

WWE has announced that the tournament to crown the first WWE ID champions will begin at a pair of independent shows the week of WrestleMania 41.

In a social media post Monday, WWE announced that the ID Championship Tournament will kick off with opening round matches at the GCW event scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 at The Collective at The Palms in Las Vegas. More opening round matches will take place at the FSW event on Friday, April 18 at the FSW Arena.

WWE announced the men’s and women’s ID Championships last month. The tournament winners will defend the titles on the indies.

Match announcements for the tournament were not made, and whether both the men’s and women’s tournaments will kick off at the same time was not made clear. The social media post listed the following talent as being booked for both the GCW and FSW events in question:

  • Sean Legacy
  • Zayda Steel
  • Ice Williams
  • Jackson Drake
  • Swipe Right (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes)
  • Zara Zakher
  • Cappuccino Jones

The WWE ID program was announced last October and entails WWE partnering with indie promotions and training schools. Wrestlers signed to the WWE ID program receive some form of financial support from the company, plus access to WWE training facilities.

Daily Update: NJPW Cup, Yuji Nagata, WWE ID

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

A ridiculously large issue of the Observer:

  • Full coverage of AEW Revolution, business numbers, what mathes showed the most interest, match order, PPV buys, live numbers,  what the PPV number means, Dynasty card and more
  • WrestleMania update, MSG angle with Reigns, Punk and Rollins, card and interest level of the show.
  • New Japan Cup update with notes on every tournament match
  • Full UFC 313 coverage, looking at the main event decision wwht comes next, fight of the year candidate and business notes.
  • Lex Luger goes into the WWE Hall of Fame and notes about his life and career from the highs to the lows.
  • Latest update on the Vince McMahon/Janel Grant lawsuit
  • The classic Frank Deford story on the life of Mildred Burke
  • We look at “Queen of the Ring,” deciphering what was and wasn’t real about the movie, the facts regarding the career of Burke, the breakup with  Billy  Wolfe, the characters in the movie and how they were portrayed and Burke’s significance in the history of pro wrestling.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week, how they ranked for the week and for the night, competition, how Raw did on Netflix as well as how the other shows did worldwide.
  • A look at the all-women’s Friday night show at Arena Mexico.
  • More on the Stardom Tam Nakano angle.
  • Notes on a week with some of the best matches of the year.
  • Notes on Dark Side of the Ring for this coming season.
  • New books out on wrestling.
  • What pro wrestling legend is Gable Steveson attempting to tie the record of?
  • Hodge Trophy candidates
  • Forming boxing celebrity back doing pro wrestling.
  • Notes on Bruno Sammartino and others with Madison Square Garden longevity.
  • Full details on the 16 Carat gold tournament
  • WBD news story regarding sports and how this affects wrestling.
  • Notes on AEW booing.
  • Advance ticket sales for WWE & AEW
  • More notes on the 18-49 record low number for Dynamite on a Wednesday.
  • More on the Dana White/Nick Khan/Turki Alashikh boxing promotion and who is the person responsible for originally putting them together.
  • More on the next  WWE & UFC media rights talks.
  • Notes on a time slot change for WWE & AEW  shows over the next few weeks.
  • Idea being discussed for a WWE PPV show.
  • Netflix and how much WWE is worth to them and the key change coming.
  • Lots of backstage notes.

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about weekend news and shows. Garrett and I do our week in review show on Friday covering the past week’s issue of the Observer, Queen of the Ring, Mania build, business news, AEW PPV notes and fallout.

— In the New Japan Cup, David Finlay beat Zack Sabre Jr. today in Shizuoka to advance to the finals of the New Japan Cup. Finlay will face the winner of tomorrow’s Shota Umino vs. Shingo Takagi match. The tournament winner faces Hirooki Goto at Sakura Genesis on 4/5 for the IWGP world heavyweight title.

— Yesterday’s show in Nagoya for New Japan was among the best shows of the year. It’s not at the level of Elimination Chamber or Revolution or New Beginning in Osaka, but the last five bouts are really quite good, particularly Finlay vs Yuya Uemura and Sabre  vs. Taichi. Goto vs. Yuji Nagata was amazing when you consider Nagata is 56 and is the oldest wrestler ever to challenge for the title and he was great. The hot crowd helped but the wrestling was excellent.  Also recommended from this weekend is FTR vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong from Collision. I haven’t seen Gunther vs. AJ Styles from Dortmund which was not taped for TV but heard that was great as well.

— New Japan also introduced Yusei Nagata to its audience, the 15-year-old son of Yuij Nagata. He was at ringside for the Nagoya main event. He placed first in Japan and third in Asia in amateur wrestling in the 15-and-under weight class. He’s short at this point, but  he looks like a powerhouse already. Yuji was a top college wrestler in Japan before being a pro wrestler and his uncle, Katsuhiko, won an Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.

— The get-in price on the secondary market for this coming Saturday’s NCAA wrestling championships is $242. This would make it  the most expensive of all but a few U.S. wrestling events. WWE for Mania both nights is higher, but this is higher than Rumble, not higher than Punk’s AEW first match was at its peak but higher than it ended up and higher than this year’s Rumble.

— WWE results from yesterday in Dortmund, Germany:

  • LA Knight b Shinsuka Nakamura to keep the U.S. title
  • Lyra Valkyria b Zoey Stark to keep the women’s IC title
  • Ludwig Kaiser (as a babyface) b Austin Theory
  • Motor City Machine Guns b DIY
  • Rhea Ripley b Liv Morgan in a street fight
  • Penta b Chad Gable
  • Jey Uso b Dominik Mysterio
  • Gunther b AJ Styles to retain the world title in a cage match

Nakamura is on the show and the tour. The stories of Nakamura leaving are untrue as WWE confirmed the story of his leaving was false. The only reason anyone acknowledged them and I was besieged with questions on what he is doing next was because the source was also listed as Wade Keller. However, those at the Torch said that Keller never said that and it became a story that spread because it was made up with Keller as the source. It was one of those fake stories that earlier in the week I kept getting asked about for several days.

We’re looking for reports on these shows:

  • WWE in Dortmund, Germany yesterday
  • WWE in Hannover, Germany today
  • WWE Raw tomorrow on Brussels, Belgium (stuff not on the live TV show like Main Event or dark bouts)
  • TNA Impact TV tapings from yesterday in El Paso, TX

We’re looking for results, finishes, and highlights to [email protected].

— CM Punk is on LFG tonight at 8 pm. on A&E. Rock vs. Mick Foley will be on Rivals at 9:30 p.m. and WWE Greatest Moments will be on Punk at 10:30 p.m.

— We’ll have more on this in the next issue, but for WWE ID showcases matches which some indie promoters have been brought up, the WWE has pushed that for those bouts, Gabe Sapolsky gives the script to the promoters, the promoters pay the guys, WWE covers their costs to travel to the shows with a stipend and the promoter pays the difference if it’s more. This is for bouts billed as WWE ID showcase matches meaning everyone in the match is a WWE ID talent and WWE promotes them as ID showcase matches. If the talent is getting booked on their own this doesn’t apply and WWE doesn’t block matches for ID talent, and they can work indie shows against AEW talent. But WWE won’t promote those matches or feature them on YouTube. This wasn’t supposed to be in the issue as the story was planned for next week, but due to a mixup it was in the issue this week but not completed.

— Mick Foley will be receiving the Iron Mike Mazurki Award for the Cauliflower Alley Club at their banquet 8/18 to 8/20 at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas.

–The Observer twitter did a poll trying to ascertain how many people are watching AEW on MAX. The results were the same as other polls, but unfortunately, the numbers don’t make sense:

  • 45.5% said they still watch AEW on cable television
  • 39.9% said they moved from TV to MAX
  • 14.6% said they  started watching on MAX

The problem is if 39.9% said they moved from TV to MAX, the audience for Dynamite on TV should be around 324,000, and obviously that’s not the case. Also that poll would indicate 1.38 million viewers this past Wednesday, and I don’t buy that one at all.

— Rudy Diamond, who wrestled in the 80s, mostly in the Northeast, passed away in recent days. He appeared as an enhancement guy on WWE television from time to time between 1983 and 1986.

— Bruno Forever in Ross Township, PA last night did a sellout of 400 plus people. They are hoping to make a tribute event honoring Sammartino an annual thing. Bill Apter and Stan Hansen both appeared.

— While the SmackDown broadcast on Friday was focused on Lamine Yamal of Barcelona FC, it was noted that he was accompanied by other top stars on the team. Hector Fort Garcia and Alejandro Balde were also at the show but not mentioned. The focus on Yamal, who is 17, is that he’s accomplished so much at a young age (thanks to William Beltran)

–Maple Leaf Wrestling from last night in Windsor, ONT:

  • QT Marshall & Blake Christian & Sheldon Jean b Bhupinder Gujjar & El Reverso & Psycho Mike Rolins
  • Kylie Rae b Taylor Rising in the women’s title tournament  first round
  • Alex Zayne  won four-way over Taiji Ishimori, Stu Grayson and Kait Kiyomiya when he pinned Ishimori
  • Gisele Shaw b Serena Deeb in the women’s title tournament first round
  • PCO b Michael Allen Richard Clark in a street fight
  • Billy Gunn & Bishop  Dyer (Baron Corbin) b Thom Latimer & Matt Cardona when Dyer pinned Cardona
  • Rohan Raja b Rich Swann to keep the Grail Championship
  • Kevin Knight & Kushida b Mike Bennett & Matt Taven

Josh Alexander was there and said he would be wrestling on the 5/10 show in Toronto at the Mattamy Athletic Centre which is the site of the old Maple Leaf Gardens.

— There was nothing from yesterday’s UFC show that did anything as far as Google trends. Nothing from pro wrestling at all this past weekend.

— Mercedes Mone makes her first defense of the British women’s title against Kanji on 4/20 in Doncaster at the Dome for RevPro.

— Eve has a show on 4/4 at the Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, London, England with Skye Smitson defending her International title against whoever recently attacked her.

— Himawari debuts on the MLW 4/5 show in Los Angeles at the Commerce Casino & Hotel.  She wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro.

— Defy from last night in Seattle:

  • Clark Connors won over Titus Alexander, Marcus Matthers and Labon Kozone in the Super 8GP first round
  • Starboy Charlie won over Jordan Oasis, Bishop Kaun and Evan Rivers to advance’
  • Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl b Spencer Scott & Zayne Perez
  • Rhio won an elimination match over Nicole Matthews, Vert Vien, Tara Zep , Liiza Hall, Danike Della Rouge, Anna Beretta and Broke Havok
  • Cody Chhun & Guillermo Rosas b Bollywood Boyz in a double chain match
  • Clark Conors b Starboy Charlie to win the Defy title (the one Ricky Starks vacated)

— Nic Nemeth beat 420-pound Aaron Roberts in the main event from yesterday’s Memphis TV show. They are doing a multiple team ladder match for their tag team titles soon. Matt Hardy will be involved in some way (thanks to Brian Tramel)

— House of Glory Wrestling sold out the NYC Arena last night:

  • Zilla Fatu b Donovan Dijak to keep the Crown Jewel title
  • JK Bouii b Joey Silver-DQ
  • Mighty Mante b Danhausen
  • Private Party b Darren Richardson & Joodi Aura
  • Mercedes Mone b Indi Hartwell
  • Midas Black & Jan Lyon b Jay Armani & Rheem Royal in 2/3 falls to the became champion

Next show at the NYC Arena 4/25.

WWE ID prospect Zayda Steel shares update after collapsing following indie match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE ID prospect Zayda Steel is urging fellow wrestlers to take care of themselves after she collapsed following an indie match this past weekend.

Steel was in action for CZW in New Jersey on Saturday night, facing off against Zara Zakher in an official WWE ID Showcase match. She was then supposed to face Charity King for New Texas Pro Wrestling on Sunday, but Steel did not compete at the show. She sent out a tweet yesterday saying that, due to not sleeping or eating enough, she collapsed after her match for CZW.

The 21-year-old Steel wrote: “I collapsed after my match last night due to lack of sleep & eating so let this be your reminder to take care & listen to your body!”

Vert Vixen replaced Steel against Charity King at the New Texas Pro Wrestling event.

Steel currently holds the New Texas Pro Women’s Championship.

This Thursday, Steel is scheduled to be back in action when she faces Kylie Rae in a WWE ID Showcase match for Wrestling Open in Worcester, Massachusetts. By winning Showcase matches, ID prospects can earn the opportunity to compete on WWE’s new Evolve series that premieres this March.

Steel was one of the first wrestlers to join the WWE ID program. Launched in October 2024, it provides indie wrestlers with financial support and other development opportunities ahead of them potentially joining NXT on a full-time basis one day.

WWE recently announced the creation of men’s and women’s WWE ID Championships, which will be defended on the indies.

WWE unveils two new championships for ID program

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is ramping up its ID program with the introduction of two new title belts.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque sent out a social media post on Tuesday announcing that men’s and women’s championships have been created for the ID (Independent Development) program. Created in October 2024, WWE ID is a system where WWE partners with independent wrestlers and training schools. Indie wrestlers who sign WWE ID deals receive financial support from WWE, in addition to other benefits like mentorship and access to training facilities.

The inaugural WWE ID Champions will be determined by a tournament taking place on the “top independent wrestling promotions.” The belts will then be defended on the indies. Further details about the tournament — including the participants and when it will be happening — have not been announced yet.

Kylie Rae, Jack Summit (Jack Cartwheel), Aaron Rourke, Marcus Mathers, Bryce Donovan, Zayda Steel, and Zara Zakher are among the talent that’s been signed to WWE ID.

Official matches involving WWE ID prospects take place on the indies and are spotlighted on WWE ID’s social media accounts. Victories can earn prospects an opportunity to compete on WWE Evolve, a new series that debuts on Tubi this March.

WWE Survivor Series press conference notes: Jimmy Uso & Bronson Reed injuries, Triple H on ID program

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Triple H and other WWE stars spoke to the media following Survivor Series.

The winning teams from WarGames, Bron Breakker, and Triple H all took questions from the media Saturday. Here are some of the highlights:

Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Bayley, IYO SKY, and Naomi

  • Ripley that it wasn’t over between herself and Liv Morgan, and Dominik Mysterio is a part of that.
  • She was also asked about her injury. She said she couldn’t see it, but it felt pretty good.
  • They ended up celebrating Naomi’s birthday, including singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.

Bron Breakker

  • Breakker was asked if he would get involved with what is going on between Pauil Heyman and The Bloodline. Breakker said he would leave that door open and never say never.

The Usos, CM Punk, and Sami Zayn

  • When asked if the OG Bloodline were reunited going forward, Zayn said he didn’t know for sure, but it was definitely not the end. Zayn also said he was proud of both the work he had done with Johnny Knoxville as well as the storyline between himself and the Bloodline.
  • Regarding the future of The Usos, Jey said that they “could move and groove either way.”
  • Punk, who entered during the middle of the interview, was asked one question regarding the rise of Roman Reigns. Punk said no comment.
  • Jey Uso noted at the end of the interview that Jimmy Uso broke his toe following the splash off the steel cage.

Triple H

  • He announced that Survivor Series was sold out with 17,828 people. It is WWE’s 63rd sellout of the year and has broken the all-time arena gate record in North America.
  • Bronson Reed is getting looked at following the missed splash off the steel cage.
  • One question was regarding Elimination Chamber being a stadium show for the second year in a row. Triple H said that idea wasn’t necessarily about Elimination Chamber, but making WrestleMania season the biggest it could be.
  • The final question was about the aim of the WWE ID program. Triple H compared it to WWE’s NIL deals where wrestlers on the independent level get help financially as well as help in terms of education, guiding them regarding how they could progress. As long as they continue to progress, Triple H said, they’ll stay with them. He also teased future content plans with ID talents. He said it was part of strengthening the independent scene.

AEW Full Gear media scrum notes: Tony Khan on WWE ID, Kenny Omega, Ricky Starks

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AEW stars spoke to the media following AEW Full Gear.

Tony Khan, Big Boom AJ, Mercedes Mone, Private Party, Daniel Garcia, Don Callis, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, and The Hurt Syndicate took questions following Saturday’s pay-per-view events. Here are the highlights.

TBS Champion Mercedes Mone

  • Staying mostly in character, Mone said that Statlander had given her the hardest match she had, but she’s better.
  • When someone asked about Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, she said you could expect her there.

Big Boom AJ

  • AJ was positive about his pre-show match, saying that the goal was about making people happy and being a hero.
  • Tony Khan put over The Costco Guys, saying he’s never seen anything like what he saw doing media with AJ. Every person at Fox News wanted a picture with Big Justice and AJ. He said it was really nice to see a father and a son working together and having such big success, calling them “marketing geniuses.”
  • AJ said he loves it in AEW and if he’s welcomed back, he would bring the boom.
  • Someone asked AJ about a possible match against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. He said he doesn’t think a championship run is likely.

AEW Tag Team Champions Private Party

  • They were asked about performing in front of their hometown family. Quen said it was more pressure as his family is usually hard on him. Kassidy said he doesn’t notice, as he lives in the moment.
  • They were also asked who they would like to play them to the ring. Quen said Drake, while Kassidy said Jay Z.

TNT Champion Daniel Garcia

  • Garcia said winning the TNT Championship felt like a bucket list item for him, comparing it to chasing a ghost. 
  • He officially announced that he would be competing in the Continental Classic tournament, which starts on Dynamite this Wednesday.
  • Garcia was asked why the crowds have stayed with him despite losses. Garcia said that people can relate to coming up short. 
  • He confirmed that his mother did the voiceover for his promo prior to Saturday’s TNT title match. He said he became a fan through his mother, so it is cool for her and his family to see this moment.

Kyle Fletcher, AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita, and Don Callis

  • Callis was asked if Fletcher and Takeshita would be going after the tag team titles next. Callis chose to put over both Fletcher and Takeshita, as well as Lance Archer and Brian Cage.
  • Fletcher said that something very profound needed to happen in order for him and Ospreay to reconcile, basically saying Ospreay needed to flatter him with praise.

The Hurt Syndicate

  • MVP ended up answering questions with short, one sentence answers.
  • They were asked what it was like to be in a place having so many Black champions. Lashley said he wanted to eliminate the world Black, saying they have normalized the idea of minorities being champions, so they can just be champions now.

Tony Khan

  • Regarding pay-per-view buys, Khan said he didn’t have numbers yet but he strongly suspected it did better than WrestleDream.
  • Khan said WWE ID would have an effect on the independent scene, but he has been providing independent talent with opportunities for a while, pointing out that the best place for independent talent to go during the pandemic was in AEW, specifically highlighting Daniel Garcia as someone who benefited during that time.
  • Khan only had positive things to say about Big Boom AJ and Big Justice, saying today was the first time he met The Rizzler. He hoped they were a gateway for the casual fan the same way GI Joe and Sgt. Slaughter were a gateway for him to get into pro wrestling.
  • Regarding the recent New York Post article with Jon Moxley, Khan said that Moxley wanting to help younger talent was the greatest thing in the world and that every time Moxley has been champion, it’s been good for the company. He called Moxley one of the most important people in the company.
  • Someone asked about the status of Ricky Starks and Kenny Omega. Tony said to keep an eye in the future and put over Wrestle Dynasty, pointing out Omega would be working on that show. He called them both great champions.
  • Regarding November Rain being used, Tony Khan said it would be the first time Guns ‘n’ Roses has been properly compensated for using it. He said the music video they did would always be in the AEW library in perpetuity. He’ll use it again this week to promote the fallout from Full Gear and the start of the Continental Classic. 
  • He was asked about an update on Adam Copeland. Khan said he couldn’t wait to have him back in the near future.

William Regal reveals another WWE ID prospect

Posted on by Josh Nason

Backstage during Friday’s WWE SmackDown, NXT’s William Regal presented another budding indie talent with a WWE ID contract.

The recipient is Jordan Oasis, a graduate of both the Buddy Wayne Academy and Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy. A Tacoma, Washington, native, the 27-year-old has been a pro since 2015.

Oasis made appearances in both WWE and AEW in 2022, working in squash matches. He is a regular for several West Coast indies, specifically California in addition to Las Vegas’ Future Stars of Wrestling.

Here’s the current rundown of indie talent under WWE ID deals:

  • Kylie Rae
  • Ricky Smokes
  • Aaron Rourke
  • Brad Baylor
  • Jackson Drake
  • Sean Legacy
  • Cappuccino Jones
  • Zayda Steel
  • Bryce Donovan
  • Marcus Mathers
  • Sam Holloway
  • Freedom Ramsey
  • Jack Summit (aka Jack Cartwheel)
  • Zara Zakher
  • It’s Gal (aka GAL)
  • Ice Williams
  • Zoe Sager
  • Aaron Roberts
  • Jordan Oasis

New WWE ID prospect revealed

Posted on by Josh Nason

The list of those under WWE ID deals keeps growing with Thursday’s announcement of indie star Kylie Rae and yet another reveal of a young talent joining the ranks.

Freedom Ramsey was announced as joining the program during a City Championship Wrestling card on Thursday in New Baltimore, Michigan.

The 26-year-old Detroit native was trained by Truth Martini and kicked off his career in early-2018. He appears frequently on the Michigan indie scene and has worked against the likes of Timothy Thatcher, Rhino, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, and both WWE Tag Team Champions Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin of the Motor City Machine Guns.

Here’s the updated list with more likely to be added this weekend:

  • Kylie Rae
  • Ricky Smokes
  • Aaron Rourke
  • Brad Baylor
  • Jackson Drake
  • Sean Legacy
  • Cappuccino Jones
  • Zayda Steel
  • Bryce Donovan
  • Marcus Mathers
  • Sam Holloway
  • Freedom Ramsey
  • Jack Summit (aka Jack Cartwheel)
  • Zara Zakher
  • It’s Gal (aka GAL)
  • Ice Williams
  • Zoe Sager
  • Aaron Roberts

Kylie Rae announced as WWE ID prospect

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A familiar name is the latest independent wrestler to be tabbed as a WWE ID prospect.

Former AEW wrestler Kylie Rae has been announced as the latest wrestler to join the WWE ID program as the announcement came Thursday night at an independent event put on by Freelance Wrestling. WWE employee Gabe Sapolsky commented on Rae’s ID status on X, calling Rae “the best worker on the indies.”

Rae was an original member of AEW’s women’s division in 2019 before asking for her release from the company later the same year.

WWE has now announced 17 prospects as part of their ID program where signees will receive some financial and training support, but are not signed to a full-time talent contract with the promotion. The updated list of WWE ID prospects:

  • Kylie Rae
  • Ricky Smokes
  • Aaron Rourke
  • Brad Baylor
  • Jackson Drake
  • Sean Legacy
  • Cappuccino Jones
  • Zayda Steel
  • Bryce Donovan
  • Marcus Mathers
  • Sam Holloway
  • Jack Summit (aka Jack Cartwheel)
  • Zara Zakher
  • It’s Gal (aka GAL)
  • Ice Williams
  • Zoe Sager
  • Aaron Roberts