Site icon Slam Wrestling

News and Rumors

Slam Wrestling
Samantha Irvin

Samantha Irvin

 

Tuesday, January 21st, 2025

A new match has been added to NXT tonight:

Congrats to Kurt Angle:

WWE has officially announced details for WWE World at WrestleMania 41, a five-day interactive fan experience taking place from Thursday, April 17 through Monday, April 21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall in Las Vegas. Tickets will go on sale Monday, February 3 at 12pm ET/9am PT. Pre-sale opportunities will be available starting Wednesday, January 29 at 12pm ET/9am PT. For more information, please visit FanaticsEvents.com/WWE.

WWE World at WrestleMania 41 will feature a variety of immersive experiences for fans including a central main stage that will host roundtable discussions with top WWE Superstars, live podcast recordings, live memorabilia and autograph sales through Fanatics Live, and the largest WWE Superstore in WrestleMania history. The event will also feature exclusive merchandise, autograph sessions and meet-and-greets with WWE Superstars and Legends, in addition to immersive exhibits and memorabilia honoring WrestleMania’s 41-year history.

Here is a health update from Allie Katch

Samantha Irvin is releasing a new single. “Make Me” will debut on February 14th on Spotify.

The WWE has changed their plans for how SNME will air in the UK. It will now air on their YouTube channel.

Here is what you will see on NXT tonight:

Here is the updated SNME line-up:

 

For more wrestling nostalgia, make sure to dive into our Lucha Underground Archive. This archive boasts an array of comprehensive articles that detail the thrilling matches, intricate storylines, and memorable moments from the show. Whether you’re revisiting the classic episodes or exploring the Temple for the first time, our archive serves as the ultimate guide to one of wrestling’s most distinct promotions.

Click here to visit the Lucha Underground Archive : Lucha Underground Archive

Monday, January 20th, 2025

Here is what you will see on Raw tonight:

Another talent is jumping brands:

ECW Press, released the cover for the next Keith Elliott Greenberg book, BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER!: WRESTLEMANIA III and the Year It All Changed. It comes out in March, and the press release described it: “On an overcast day in 1987, the pro wrestling landscape was altered forever when a reported 93,173 fans converged on the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit to see Hulk Hogan defend his championship against André the Giant. For several years, Vincent Kennedy McMahon had been transforming old-time rasslin’ into mainstream “sports entertainment,” incorporating A-list celebrities into storylines and forcing even cynics to follow the proceedings. But the massive turnout for WrestleMania III convinced sponsors, licensees, and media conglomerates that the company that would become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was no longer a fringe diversion for the unwashed masses; it was now legitimate physical theater worthy of global attention. From this point forward, it would be acceptable for devotees to make the annual pilgrimage to WrestleMania from the far corners of the Earth, the way others journeyed to the World Cup or Super Bowl. BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! is the story behind the seminal event, told from the perspective of company executives, wrestlers who appeared on the card, fans who attended the show, and other wrestling personalities. But wrestling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg also examines the entire industry at the time, including insights from representatives from the rival promotions McMahon was putting out of business as pro wrestling transitioned from a regional phenomenon into an international juggernaut.” You can preorder at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER!: WRESTLEMANIA III and the Year It All Changed

Wrestler Kendall Ryann broke her wrist on Saturday night. “Tough break tonight lol don’t worry guys, i’ll be back soon,” she posted to Facebook when revealing the news.

The National Wrestling Alliance gave this press release on the final appearance of Jax Dane which will be featured on the social media platform, X.

“This Tuesday’s NWA Powerrr features the last National Wrestling Alliance match “The Dane Event” filmed before unexpectedly passing in December. Jax teams with long-time friend and partner Baron Von Storm to take on NWA National Champion Mims and BLK Jeez.”

Courtesy of the NWA.

You can read more from the NWA’s official website, and you can purchase a memorial T-shirt there to honor Jax Dane.

Don’t be surprised if you see Frankie Kazarian confront JBL on Raw tonight after what went down at Genesis.

Word is that AEW is considering moving Double or Nothing out of Las Vegas this year as WWE and WrestleMania will be there a month before.

Based on this post, it looks like last night’s match at Genesis might have been Jordynne Grace’s final one with the company. She is rumored to be heading to WWE ASAP.

WWE star Karl Anderson (we say “star” but he hasn’t been featured on TV in months) turns 45 today.

Want to know what’s new to stream this week? Check out your weekly calendar from Slam’s John Powell:

What’s New To Stream This Week January 20 to 24

Prince Nana has reportedly filed to trademark his character’s name with the US Patent & Trademark Office for sports entertainment and entertainment services, clothing, and coffee branding.

On a similar note, WWE has reportedly filed to trademark the terms D-1 and D-One.  Stay tuned.

In an SEC filing last week, TKO (parent company of WWE) reported that company President Nick Khan was receiving a deferred share bonus comprising approximately 42,000 company shares, to be vested in three annual instalments starting in 2026. At current market prices, the value of this is just under $6MM USD.

Sunday, January 19th, 2025

WWE Vault has posted this great release from yesteryear:

Last night was a sad night for The Acclaimed fans:

Buddy Matthews and Brody King have both applied for the trademark “Hounds of Hell”. What could it all mean?

Congrats to Brooke Hogan:

Lince Dorado will not only be wrestling in NXT he will also be acting as a coach behind the scenes.

Here is the full card for tonight’s TNA Genesis show:

TNA Champion Nic Nemeth vs. Joe Hendry.

TNA X-Division Champion Moose vs. Ace Austin.

TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary – Clockwork Orange House of Fun.

TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. The Rascalz.

Mike Santana vs. Josh Alexander – I Quit Match.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace.

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Spitfire vs. Heather and Ash by Elegance.

Saturday, January 18th, 2025

Happy birthday to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (turning 71) and the man with the million dollar smile, Mark Briscoe (40).

Also celebrating is Dave “Batista” Bautista, who turns 56 today.

On this date in history:

Click on their names to read all about their amazing lives and careers.

Roxanne Perez had this to say after her appearance on Smackdown last night:

Since Pat McAfee is shuffling off to his football duties this week Wade Barrett could be heading to Raw to assist Michael Cole.

According to Lucha Libre Online, word from inside AEW is that frustrated talent there feel better about perhaps jumping to WWE due to not only how Penta’s debut with the company went over but how talent like Ethan Page and Lexis King have been booked and treated. Stars such as Miro, Ricky Starks, Rey Fenix and Malakai Black are rumored to be headed to WWE once their contracts with AEW run out.

In case you missed it, a Charlotte Flair vignette aired on Smackdown last night:

Word is that Smackdown will shift back to two hours in the spring.

Friday, January 17th, 2025

More on that big GCW card this weekend:

Here is the final TNA Genesis card for this Sunday:

  • TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth defends against Joe Hendry
  • TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich defends against Rosemary in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun match
  • Jordynne Grace vs. Tessa Blanchard
  • TNA Tag Team Champions Matt & Jeff Hardy defend against The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel)
  • TNA X-Division Champion Moose defends against Ace Austin
  • I Quit match: Josh Alexander vs. Mike Santana
  • TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Spitfire (Jody Threat & Dani Luna) defend against Ash by Elegance & Heather by Elegance
  • Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers vs. Steve Maclin & Eric Young
  • Pre-show: Frankie Kazarian vs. Leon Slater

A reminder that GCW’s: The People Vs GCW airs this Sunday on Triller TV. Many ECW alum are expected. Here is the card thus far:

Want to know what’s new to stream this weekend? Slam’s John Powell has your calendar here:

What’s New To Stream This Weekend January 18 to 19

On his Keepin’ It 100 podcast, Konnan had some advice for Kenny Omega: “I know that he was working without a contract which he was unhappy about but I don’t how long he has on his contract. The guy’s got to be like 40, 41, 42, somewhere like that and is that where you want to end your career? You already had a grip of five-star matches. You don’t need to prove anything else. Go to WWE and get the star treatment and don’t be a big fish in a little pond.”

WWE announced individual event tickets for WrestleMania 41 on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20 will be available starting Friday, January 24 at 9 a.m. PT. Presale for individual WrestleMania 41 tickets will begin Wednesday, January 22 at 9 a.m. PT. Fans can access tickets by clicking here. Additionally, WrestleMania 41 two-day combo tickets can still be purchased by clicking here.

Nick Khan has confirmed that WWE will hold an event in Paris soon.

Here is what you will see on Smackdown tonight:

Solo Sikoa returns
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Title)
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garza (WWE Tag-Team Title No. 1 Contender Match)

Speaking of Smackdown, don’t be surprised if Roxanne Perez makes an appearance.

Despite rumours indicating that the WWE may play it off as a shoot, the whole Corey Graves incident was NOT one.

US President-Elect (and WWE Hall of Famer) Donald Trump has named actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight, and Sylvester Stallone as Special Ambassadors to Hollywood.

Stallone, of course, has plenty of history with professional wrestling. In his movie Rocky III, his titular character had a memorable boxer vs. wrestler match against Thunderlips, who was played by Hulk Hogan. Years later, Stallone would induct Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame. Last year, there were reports that WWE was trying to get Stallone to appear at WrestleMania, which was taking place in Philadelphia, the city where Rocky was from – Jim Cornette talked about that in this clip (warning for profanity):

On a related note, we assume that Kane will be named as the Ambassador to Parts Unknown.  He does, after all, have political experience, which we wrote about here.

Coming up this week on the site: an exclusive interview with TNA’s Tessa Blanchard.

Happy birthday to WWE’s Dexter Lumis, who turns 41 today.

Thursday, January 16th, 2025

Major League Wrestling (MLW) today announced a Grudge Match: Donovan Dijak (managed by Saint Laurent) vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor at MLW SuperFight 6 on Saturday, February 8 at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA and presented live on YouTube. Grab tickets at http://www.MLWLIVE.com and at Ticketmaster.

Among those who were booing Hulk Hogan during his appearance at the RAW debut on Netflix were actor O’Shea Jackson, comedian Eric Andre and rapper Wale.
Jackson gave his reasoning in this interview with EW.com. Spoiler alert – It concerns racism.

On his podcast, JR had this to say about the entire Corey Graves situation. “How many times has that happened to me? Several. And here I am jolly, happy and healthy as an old horse. I’ve got nothing to complain about. It’s just part of the life we choose.”

Word is that the reason JBL is appearing on Raw next week is that Pat McAfee won’t.

CHEK News has an story on indie wrestler Kale Van Bruggen. You can check it out here.

Kevin Owens reveals all about his ink:

Here is what you will see on TNA tonight:

TNA Champion Nic Nemeth and Joe Hendry go face to face.

PCO & Sami Callihan vs. Matt & Jeff Hardy.

Eric Young & Steve Maclin vs. First Class.

Leon Slater vs.  Trent Seven.

Jake Something vs. Laredo Kid.

NXT Ratings:

This week: 779,000 overnight viewers and 0.17 in the key demos.

Last week: New Year’s Evil and The Rock: 957,000 overnight viewers and 0.25 in the key demos.

Also: Saturday’s replay of New Year’s Evil scored: 297,000 overnight viewers and 0.04 in the key demos.

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025

Here is what you will see on Dynamite tonight:

AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal winner Powerhouse Hobbs.

The first-ever Women’s Casino Battle Royal Gauntlet – Winner earns AEW Women’s Championship bout at Grand Slam Australia.  Kris Statlander enters at #1.

Kenny Omega returns to the AEW ring vs. Brian Cage

Hook vs. Christian Cage.

The Hurt Syndicate’s MVP & Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin vs. AEW Tag Team Champion Private Party & Mark Briscoe.

Charlotte Flair and Mickie James were backstage at NXT last night.

After his brother Penta’s WWE debut AEW has removed all of Rey Fenix’s merchandise from their digital store.

Best wishes go out to woman wrestler Jessie Belle, who is recovering from breast cancer surgery, and is facing radiation and chemo therapy. If she’s anything like her late father, Tracy Smothers, she will kick cancer’s ass.

Lince Dorado may be heading back to WWE. After an announcement was made that he would have to vacate the title of the Toronto-based Demand Lucha promotion, he posted the following message (note the spelling of the word “NeXT”):

On last night’s episode of the game show The Wall, there was this wrestling-related question: Before becoming a professional wrestler, Dwayne Johnson played football for a university whose sports teams go by which name? The options were: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, or Lightning.

The contestant didn’t know, but using specious logic, correctly guessed Hurricanes. Speaking of Hurricanes, check out this story from our archives about one of the good ones: My friend the Hurricane – a tribute to JJ Maguire

No bull, it’s the birthday of Bull Buchanan. One half of the Canadian Ninjas — maybe the best tag team name ever — is celebrating today, and we point you to our Nicole Matthews archive to see how great she is. Also celebrating is Barbie Blank aka Kelly Kelly.

Rocky Johnson died on this day in 2020, leaving behind a much larger family than was ever acknowledged, Dwayne “The Rock” being only one of his eight children.

 

Exit mobile version