fightful

WOW Talent Claim Tessa Blanchard Had A Falling Out With WOW

It seems as if WOW Women of Wrestling is already facing issues, if people in the company are to be believed.

Via sources that work for WOW in a talent capacity, Fightful has been informed of allegations of issues surrounding Tessa Blanchard and WOW, after the brand looked to serve as a rehabilitation project for her. After Blanchard deactivated her social media, Fightful was told WOW sources that there has been a bit of a fallout between the two sides. We do not know her status for this...

AEW Fight Forever video game news

Fightful has learned more about the upcoming All Elite Wrestling video game.

Several people that have done work with the game have said it was a very "happy accident" that Kenny Omega needed time off from the ring during the home stretch of the video game being produced. We've heard Omega has gone "above and beyond" and stretched far to make sure he can be of help in any way possible to the...

Current front runner for WWE Royal Rumble 2023 location

WWE Royal Rumble looks to head back to a familiar home.

Fightful has learned that WWE's Royal Rumble event for January 2023 currently has the Alamodome in San Antonio as the front runner. The event last appeared there in 2017, and it was the site for the 1997 edition. Nothing is official until the venue and location is officially announced. Last year's Summerslam location was being discussed until fairly close to the actual announce date.

The company has run Royal Rumble at domes ...

Backstage Report Podcast: Stu Grayson, AEW Departures, WWE, MLW, More

- AEW Departures

- Naomi

- WWE releases

- Stu Grayson

- Roderick Strong

- New AEW Show

- Alicia Atout contract

- MLW

- Mustafa Ali Return

- Matt Hardy

- Deonna Purrazzo/AEW

Update On Stu Grayson-AEW

Another name is out of All Elite Wrestling, for now, at least as far as talent in the company have heard.

AEW sources have indicated that Stu Grayson's AEW deal has expired, and he's technically a free agent, which is why he was removed from the AEW roster page along with Marko Stunt, Joey Janela and Jack Evans. Many online speculated that it was in error, but we're told that's not the case.

Talent that we've spoken to say that All Elite Wrestling had offered a new deal and wanted...

WarnerMedia Property Says New AEW Show On The Way

We've gained word from several readers that they received an email from Ringleaders, claiming that a new AEW show is on the way.

The email reads:

"A new AEW show is coming to TBS!  We want to know what you think this new show should be named in the below survey.

This is your chance to voice your opinion on a key part of the the development & marketing process and we're excited to hear what you have to say!"

Among the pitched names are:

To The Top

...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 5/2--Overcooked and Underdone

I'm too tired to write a description here.  

Raw happened. It sucked.  Everything sucks. 

Tonight, EVERYTHING sucks. Let's talk about it.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/WQaJUXjsrSQ

Ciampa's originally scheduled match on Main Event was an interesting one

Ciampa's main event match against Apollo Crews puzzled many, and for good reason.

Last week, Ciampa attacked Mustafa Ali on WWE Raw, signifying a heel run for the former NXT Champion. This week on the WWE Main Event tapings before Raw, he surprisingly worked as a babyface against Apollo Crews, picking up a win. 

Fightful Select learned that wasn't the original plan. Ciampa was actually originally scheduled to take on former Universal Champion Finn Balor according to internal ...

Plans for tonight's Raw

Fightful Select has learned the following plans for tonight's episode of WWE Raw, subject to change. 

This is not complete, and out of order.

- The Bloodline was planned to start the show, with RKBro interrupting

- Ezekiel & Street Profits vs. Kevin Owens and Alpha Academy

- Veer squash match

- Damian Priest vs. AJ Styles. The stipulation listed is if Styles wins, Priest is banned from ringside at Backlash

- Seth Rollins Appreciation Night!

-...

Breaking News Podcast: Roderick Strong Asked For WWE Release

Sean Ross Sapp talks Roderick Strong and WWE

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/YDX6pj9hxwE

Roderick Strong Recently Requested WWE Release

Roderick Strong wants out of WWE.

Fightful Select has learned that Roderick Strong has asked for his WWE release "multiple times" over the last several months. We're told that Strong has grown frustrated with many things over the past year within the company and had requested his release, which has been denied by WWE.

Strong is the last remaining member of Undisputed Era with WWE, and was pitched the Diamond Mine stable last year. It was set to feature himself, Tyler Rust, Arturo ...

Alex & Kate's SourGraps: SmackDown 4/29 & NXT Releases--Moving On

So I wasn't able to react to the NXT releases in real time on Friday, nor was I able to even WATCH SmackDown, because my family was in the process of moving across state lines (something we are STILL in the process of, 48 hours later).

I still haven't watched Smackdown, but I gather there was some inexplicable change to the Tag Title Unification match that happened for basically no reason? Cool. Let's talk about that too, then.

Everything sucks. ESPECIALLY MOVING.

Let's talk...

Deonna Purrazzo News: AEW debut, Missing SCOH, ROH wanting to sign her

Fightful spoke to Deonna Purrazzo ahead of her AEW debut and IMPACT Under Siege.

She had an insane couple of weeks going from Rebellion in New York, to IMPACT media in Cincy, AAA in Mexico, over to AEW in Baltimore, and back into the Kentucky/Cincy area for Under Siege. We spoke about her AEW appearance, and she said it was a long time coming but that she's known pretty well since before Supercard of Honor that it was coming. It would have been difficult for her to make both Multiverse ...

Raw/Smackdown Backstage Notes And Producers

Fightful has learned the following producers for WWE Raw for April 25:

- Randy Orton celebration, 8-Man tag: Jamie Noble & Ariya Daivari

- Bianca Belair vs. Sonya Deville: Shawn Daivari & Molly Holly

- Veer squash: Shane Helms

- Arm Wrestling Challenge: Adam Pearce

- Reggie & Dana Brooke vs. Akira Tozawa & Tamina: Kenny Dykstra

- 2022-05-01 21:52:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Fightful Weekender (5/1): NXT RELEASES, IMPACT UNDER SIEGE PREDICTIONS, GCW, MLW, NWA, NXT UK, NXT LEVEL UP, DEFY, AAA TRIPLE MANIA, BATTLE SLAM SPOILERS, BTE

STEPHEN JENSEN is back with a new edition of the WEEKENDER!

Topics:

- NXT Releases

- IMPACT: "Under Siege" predictions

- GCW: "In Too Deep" results

- MLW: "Intimidation Games" results

- NWA: "Powerrr" (4/26) results

- NXT UK (4/28) results

- NXT Level Up (4/29) results

- DEFY: "Wild Ones" results

- AAA: "TripleMania XXX Monterrey" results

- BATTLE SLAM: "Vendetta" *SPOILERS*

- BTE: "Emo Young Bucks" recap

Former IMPACT talent scheduled for AEW Dark Tapings

An IMPACT Wrestling veteran could be making an AEW appearance.

Fightful has learned that as of mid-April, IMPACT Wrestling alumni Jake Something was planned to be at this weekend's AEW Dark tapings. Jake had performed with IMPACT Wrestling for the last several years. His deal with IMPACT was actually up at the end of February, but he worked a March 5 date at Sacrifice to close out the deal. 

In addition to working for IMPACT, Jake Something has been very active in the indepen...

More on Malcolm Bivens, Dakota Kai not re-signing with WWE

Fightful Select has learned more about plans or lack thereof for both Malcolm Bivens and Dakota Kai following their WWE releases.

Sources indicated that WWE had tentative main roster plans for Malcolm Bivens, and had pitched his name as a potential manager for Omos months ago, before MVP was solidified as the direction. In addition, we're told LA Knight was considered for the spot. However, when presented a new, restructured contract, Bivens passed on it after re-signing last year. We'r...

CARD HAUL: WWE Topps Finest

The WWE card pack breaks continue!

More on Malcolm Bivens, Dakota Kai, Harland NXT releases

Unfortunate news, as WWE has cut ten NXT stars

Malcolm Bivens/Stokely Hathaway, Dakota Kai, Raelyn Divine, Mila Malani, Draco Anthony, Sanjana George, Persia Pirotta, Harland, Dexter Lumis and Paige Prinzivalli were all released Friday, April 29.

John Laurinaitis made the cuts and cited budget cuts as the reason. The email internally read "Due to budgetary cuts, and with immediate effect as of today, 4/29/2022, we have come to the terms to release the following."

Those cited...

4:45 EST: Co Existing With Rob & Maggie After Dark

The show rolls on!!!

NXT releases

Fightful Select has learned that Malcolm Bivens is no longer under WWE contract and has been released by the company.

We're told that WWE had pushed him to re-sign with the company both last year, which did result in a short extension. Bivens had been asked about re-signing an extension in February and he made it clear he did not want to re-sign.

Fightful has also learned that Dakota Kai has been released by the company. 

This article is not paywalled for obvious reason...

LIVE SRS Q&A

SRS answers questions LIVE!

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/j1DgFvmSweo

More on Alicia Atout contract, heel turn, pitching role change

Fightful spoke with Alicia Atout, who confirmed our report that she'd signed a new contract with MLW

Atout also said that she pitched working as a performer outside of interviewing about eight months before the seeds were planted in MLW. She noted that Court Bauer told her they would circle back to it and eventually it paid off. She's still interviewing and working in that capacity, but knew that she would also work well as an on-screen performer. She spoke about how EJ Nduka, Alex Kane...

More on backstage NXT "fashion meetings"

Athena, the former Ember Moon, made news today when recalling meetings where WWE had allegedly encouraged female wrestlers to dress "sexier."

"We would have to sit through stupid meetings about how we'd have to dress sexy. I remember looking at someone else (and laughing). I cater to children. I'm not about to wear fishnet booty buttcheek shorts because we had a two-hour meeting about how to dress like Mandy Rose. That's not fair. Mandy is absolutely phenomenal and an amazing person, b...

LIVE: The List Goes On 4/27

SRS and Jimmy Van's post show!!

Video!: https://youtu.be/43awhsBxs8M

Details On The Wrestling Code-IMPACT Wrestling

Recently, Fallah Bahh was put back into Virtual Basement's The Wrestling Code video game after he left IMPACT Wrestling. In 2020, IMPACT pulled all of their contracted talent from the game. We've learned a little bit more about that.

We're told that Virtual Basement had meetings with IMPACT Wrestling, where there pitches for the developers to work on the first new IMPACT Wrestling game in over a decade. However, we learned that IMPACT's parent company Anthem Entertainment nixed IMPACT W...

Current betting odds for WWE WrestleMania Backlash

Courtesy of our friends at BETOnline

WWE - Wrestlemania Backlash

WWE Smackdown Women's Championship "I Quit" Match

Ronda Rousey              -700     (1/7)

Charlotte Flair (c)           +360     (18/5)

WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match Winner 2022-04-27 18:38:42 +0000 UTC View Post

Matt Hardy interview notes: WCW talks, wrestling changing, more

Fightful spoke to Matt Hardy for a new interview to promote his excellent Extreme Life of Matt Hardy Podcast.

Hardy admitted to Fightful that he sees himself in a transitional period of his career as he's 30 years into taking bumps. The podcast was a big part of him transitioning into something he can do for years without taking bumps, while still being a modern name in the middle of everything. He looked at his career and there was no shortage of things he can go in depth on, and that ...

Latest on Mustafa Ali's return, contract, how it came together

Mustafa Ali returned to WWE Raw on the April 25 episode, ending a six month absence following a creative disagreement between he and Vince McMahon.

We're told last week creative came up with ideas to bring Ali back to WWE television. As of Sunday afternoon, plans actually called for Mustafa Ali to lose the match against The Miz, but virtually everything played out as it was planned. Ali was scheduled to be at Raw Monday, and meet with Johnny Ace according to people within the company, a...

NXT Notes

Some notes emerging out of NXT this afternoon.

- Rick Steiner is at today's WWE NXT tapings, as PWInsider reported. 

- Bianca Carelli, the daughter of Santino Marella, is now known as Arianna Grace. 

- For those asking, we've heard nothing of NXT returning to the road soon, but will continue to ask about the process. 

- There are no plans moving forward for LA Knight in NXT and he's already considered main roster after his Smackdown dark match appearance...