fightful

Select Portions: WWE Raw Producers, TNA, Non-Call Ups,

- Fightful is officially adding a "Hater of the Year" category to the 2024 Fightful Awards for next year

- The Eric Young-TNA speech crossed one million viewed across all platforms at Fightful. It's the most viewed wrestling video on our Youtube channel, outside of short-form content. We're told that the entire speech was Eric Young's words, personally written.

- Fightful will be speaking with Josh Alexander this week about his contract option being picked up

- Regarding rum...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 2/26 | Two G'Days Late, A Dollary-Doo Short

Hey remember that match they didn't have on Elimination Chamber in Australia? Cody Rhodes vs Grayson Waller?
Yeah, they just did it tonight instead.

Nia Jax's losing streak begins now. At minimum, she's losing to Becky next week and Liv Morgan at some point in the next month, maybe even at Mania.

Gunther wants a challenger at Mania, and everybody wants to get in line.
Including the worst possible choice.

Everything sucks. Let's talk about it.

VIDEO: 2024-02-27 03:46:17 +0000 UTC View Post

WWE Raw Plans for tonight

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

Please note -- these are ALWAYS subject to change!

Please be cognizant of those who wish to avoid spoilers

- Rhea Ripley promo

- Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

- Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green

- Gunther promo

- Street Fight: New Day vs. Imperium

- Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae

- Drew McIntyre promo

- ...

Bobby Fish on WHERE'S THE LIE, Boxing, MLW, Undisputed Era

Bobby Fish spoke with Fightful ahead of MLW Intimidation Games on February 29 at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York.

Fish told us he was excited to work with Alex Kane, and put over his athleticism and his hip explosivity. He said that even though Alex Kane has been a world champion, he still isn't getting the mainstream recognition he deserves, and hopes that changes. In general, Fish said that he's looking to work with younger talent, like youngster Lou Thesz.

Speaking of ...

Details on another AEW hire

AEW has made another hire.

Arkady Aura posted on social media this week that she'd been hired by All Elite Wrestling. While there hasn't been an official announcement, we did confirm it to be true, and she'll be joining the company. 

Aura is expected to join as a backstage interviewer, to help spread the assignments that Renee Paquette and Lexy Nair currently share. We're told that there have been others that have discussed working in the role with AEW over the past few month...

Former tag team champion sidelined

Unfortunate news out of WWE. 

A couple of months removed from their tag team title loss, one half of the former tag team champions Piper Niven has been sidelined from action. We're told that Niven sustained a hand injury in the last month and hasn't been around of late. The fear internally was that she had a broken hand. 

Niven last competed alongside her tag team partner Chelsea Green on WWE Main Event in St. Louis in a losing effort against Natalya & Tegan Nox. She...

SRS Backstage Report 2/26: Lots of TNA news

- Tons of TNA news

- Lots of TNA contracts

- Hangman spot

- Kyle Fletcher

- Bronson Reed

- Elimination Chamber

- More

Reactions, news from TNA talent meeting

TNA held a meeting with talent and some of the new bosses within the company, and we've gained some reactions from it.

Fightful was told that the meeting was planned out well ahead of time, and featured some of the bosses within the company both familiar and ones the talent will be answering to now. Some talent had spoken with higher ups individually as well. 

The general feeling was that nobody wanted the roster to abandon the hard work they've done as a group, even if they ...

Fightful Weekender (2/25): GCW, BLP, VXS, C4, GLORY PRO, NWA, NXT LEVEL UP, TNA & ROH SPOILERS

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

- GCW: "Touch The Sky" results

- BLP: "In Defense Of The Genre" results

- VxS: "Arrival" results

- C4: "High Tension" results

- TNA *IMPACT SPOILERS* (45 mins-49 mins)

- GLORY PRO: "Ascend" (Ep. 24) results

- NWA: "Powerrr" (2/20) results

- NXT Level Up (2/23) results

- ROH *HONORCLUB SPOILERS* (1 hour-end)

Select Portions: AEW News, Sting, Fuego, WWE Travel

- In asking around about the road to Sting's retirement match, there were some backstage that had pushed for Darby Allin to take the bump at the end of the Daily’s Place tag team match instead of Sting, but Sting was insistent. Obviously he's been fine in the follow up.

- Jenn Pepperman was at AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday. We're not told if she was working or observing.

- As mentioned this weekend, QT Marshall was back at work at AEW Collision. Even though he's not expected ...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Collision 2/24 | Unwasted Potential

Eight days away and Revolution is shaping up to be a fantastic PPV.
(Except for the fact that Meat Madness doesn't have enough meat in it.)

The Main Event is Danielson vs Akiyama. Which is crazy to even type.

There's a lot to discuss tonight, fellow Colliders.

Everything sucks. (Darby.) Let's talk about it.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMYH7wOkyvo

Update on QT Marshall-AEW

QT Marshall is getting back into the fold.

Fightful Select reported recently that QT Marshall was heading back to All Elite Wrestling in a VP capacity. At that time he'd not yet returned, and many talent actually didn't even know it was on the horizon. However, we've learned that Marshall as of this week was at least scheduled to be backstage at the February 24 AEW Collision show in Springfield, MO.

Marshall has returned to AEW in a VP role, but isn't planned to wrestle for the co...

Original Bronson Reed plans for Elimination Chamber

Bronson Reed was not WWE Elimination Chamber, and was not in Australia for the show.

This was not the original plan.

Reed tweeted this morning that his wife gave birth to their child early, although that wasn't the original reason he was off the show, as he'd indicated on twitter recently. 

Fightful Select has learned that Bronson Reed was slated for a huge spot on the Elimination Chamber show in his home country. Originally, Reed was scheduled to face Seth Rollins in a...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Elimination Chamber 2024 | What Ever Happened To Unpredictability

Literally everything you expected to happen at the Chamber, did.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/FuSCsSB7AXM

Becky won.
Drew won.
The Judgment Day and Rhea Ripley both retained.

Even the Kabuki Warriors won on the Kickoff Show.

Were the matches good though, you ask?
Does it matter, I ask?

The only mildly surprising thing on the show was Cody Rhodes challenging The Rock to a singles match that p...

WWE Smackdown Backstage News, Producers, More

- Dunne & Bate's tag team name is not yet reflected on internal run sheets, but will be soon.

- We've heard of no issues heading into WWE Elimination Chamber.

- WWE Raw was the only live show for WWE since the end of Sunday, as they taped everything else. 

- Some members of the NXT crew traveled to Perth to help with producing the show.

- There were no dark matches for last week's Smackdown tapings, as they filmed WWE Speed and two episodes of Smackdown

...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: SmackDown Review & Rampage WatchAlong 2/23 | Point Breakk

It's the go home for Eliminayshun Chaymbuh!

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/z9LKTffvAo4

Drew vs LA Knight!
Tiffy Time vs Liv Morgan!
Street Profits vs AOP finally!
British Strong Style vs Gothic Dweeb Style!
Bron Breakker squashes a guy!

But it's not all exclamation points.
Sometimes it's question marks.

Will Bobby Lashley have to miss the Chamber Match?
If so, will Bronson Reed r...

SRS Q&A February 23: Almost a half hour of mailbag

Sean Ross Sapp answers all your question!

Select Portions: Interview Notes From Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins, Bianca

Anna Bauert of Fightful got the opportunity to join WWE Superstars for Elimination Chamber Media Day.

Becky Lynch

Anna’s first interview was with “The Man” Becky Lynch. Anna mentioned that this would be Becky’s first time in the Elimination Chamber. Anna asked the multi-time Women’s World Champion if she had a hiding place in mind. Becky responded, “I am not going to hide from nothing, what are you talking about? The Man doesn’t hide, the Man runs to...

Select Portions: Elimination Chamber, Sting, More

- A reminder -- the Fightful Select Discord is here! You should be able to connect it with the email you use here. It is exclusive to Fightful Select members. You need Discord and to make sure the email you use is the one you use here on Select.

- Fightful is in talks to add a Tuesday morning wrestling show.

- For those asking, Sting did miss Dynamite last week due to the passing of his father.

- Fightful's Anna Bauert is on the scene this week for media interviews.
2024-02-23 19:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post

WWE Smackdown Plans For Tonight

Below are tonight's WWE Smackdown plans, which are subject to change on screen.

This show was taped last week.

- Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton

- Ashante Thee Adonis & Cedric vignette

- Bloodline backstage

- DEBUT MATCH SPOILER

- Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh

- Street Profits vs. Authors of Pain

- Bloodline Backstage

- Elimination Chamber package

- LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre

Moose's Contract Length, Talking Scott D'Amore, More Details

MOOSE INTERVIEW NOTES (Originally aired on In The Weeds - February 21, 2024) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo2bCQE-Wxk

- On Scott D'Amore's removal as TNA President, Moose said he was initially shocked, angry and sad, but his time in the NFL makes him well suited to understand the situation, equating D'Amore's departure with a head coach being fired

- In his rookie year in the NFL, Moose said h...

Hangman Page update

Hangman Page had the wrestling world worried at the end of AEW Dynamite this week, but as it turns out he's just very good at his job.

At the conclusion of his match on the February 21 AEW Dynamite, Hangman was holding his ankle and encouraging the cameras to not film him. He was helped to the backstage area and limped there, but we're told that this was an angle, and he was fine once he got backstage. 

We're told this could be worked into the show now, but upon returning to ...

AEW/ROH talent facing visa issues

A top ROH talent is currently unable to work in the United States.

Fightful Select has learned that Kyle Fletcher is currently facing visa issues, and hasn’t been able to perform for All Elite Wrestling or Ring of Honor. The current Ring of Honor World Television Champion, Fletcher has been out of action since he last competed on January 31 against Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite.

We’re told that AEW has been very happy with Fletcher’s performance. His longtime partner Mark Da...

The List Goes On 2/21/24

SRS and Jimmy Van talk about another AEW absence

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/OI7UunLaJ00

Grizzled Young Veterans talk WWE departure, TNA

Grizzled Young Vets spoke with Fightful for their first interview after WWE. 

They told Fightful that they'd considered their WWE departure for quite some time, and talked about asking for their releases last year. They said that they actually believed they were on the chopping block in 2022 after NXT 2.0 had taken over, but someone there saw something in them and pitched them as the Dyad. They noted that John Laurinaitis was just firing people left and right. 

They didn...

Update: Fightful Select Discord is here!

Hey guys, SRS here.

I've mentioned I'll likely be less active on Twitter soon outside of some news stuff. Many of you have asked, and we're delivering a Fightful Select Discord.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions below. We'd like to connect with our audience more directly and cultivate a positive community and promote media literacy.

Edit: for those confused, this will be restricted to Fightful Select subscribers only

UPDATE:

...

Update on Grizzled Young Veterans' contract status

The Grizzled Young Vets have been outside of WWE for several months, working the indies and TNA.

After a year-plus run as the Dyad in Schism, James Drake and Zack Gibson left WWE and headed to TNA Wrestling. The former Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid have been embroiled in a feud with Ace Austin and Chris Bey, aka Bullet Club's ABC. It will culminate at this weekend's TNA No Surrender PPV.

This has led to a lot of inquisition regarding the contract status' of Drake and Gibson.  Wh...

Jake Something talks TNA return, rebrand, Monty Brown.

Fightful spoke to TNA Wrestling’s Jake Something ahead of TNA No Surrender.

Jake told us that leaving TNA a few years ago to venture outside was scary, but also awesome. It was something that he felt like the had to do, and believes it made TNA respect him more. He said that Josh Alexander contacted him about coming back, and had him reach out to Scott D'Amore. He said that just a couple of minutes after messaging D'Amore, they started working on a deal to bring him back to the compan...

Details on Josh Alexander's TNA contract

TNA has exercised their one year option on Josh Alexander's contract, and we've now got more information.

Fightful has learned that Alexander's TNA deal would have been up on February 14, which if the option year was not exercised, he would have been a free agent. As the deal was two years with a company option year, TNA picked that up. Alexander's current deal expires on February 14, 2025, at what point he'll be a free agent unless another extension is reached.

There were many sp...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 2/19 | The Opposite of Hakuna Matata

Cody hadn't been pinned since Roman at Mania last year.
Drew pinned him tonight.

Raquel has back.
(Sorry that should have read "Raquel IS back.")
((Damn speech to text.))
(((Although both are accurate.)))

The WWE2k24 ratings are out, and they are A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE.

Chad Gable is being built for something. Let's hope it's not over before it begins, depending on the results on tonight's main event.

Gunther vs Yeet is already in progress.  Fingers cro...