Thursday, February 28, 2019
Sami Callihan Talks WRSTLING and Title Defense - AAW Pro Wrestling
Sami Callihan talks about his title match with Jake Something on 3/16/19 at the Logan Square Auditorium. He also comments on the rest of WRSTLING, David Starr, Eddie Kingston, and Curt Stallion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_AxJB1SOQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_AxJB1SOQ
Warriors of Wrestling- W.O.W Warrior Wire #88
In this edition of the W.O.W Warrior Wire we will hear from the brand new No-Limits champion TK Luthor, the former champion Isaiah Wolf, and Mr. Darius Carter and Abdul Nasir of the Hostile Collective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyFn324hVEI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyFn324hVEI
ICW Zero G Championship - Joe Coffey vs Ilja Dragunov | ICW 8th Annual Square Go 2/24/19
ICW Zero G Championship - Joe Coffey vs Ilja Dragunov | ICW 8th Annual Square Go 2/24/19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKbv_kF2OU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKbv_kF2OU
Woman Wrestler LuFisto Makes Major Announcement.
- LuFisto announced that she’s decided 2019 will be “the last year of LuFisto” in the ring. She wrote that she’s canceled many bookings and may cancel more, though she hasn’t decided when and where her in-ring career will come to an end. She wrote about knee issues she’s dealing with, noting that she’ll need a full knee replacement before she’s 50. LuFisto ended her post by thanking everyone and saying she’s forever grateful for their love and support
- https://www.facebook.com/notes/lufisto-professional-wrestler/i-knew-this-moment-would-come-eventually/2083365451719237/
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Terry Funk Match Compilation
No Rope Barbed Wire Match against Cactus Jack (IWA Japan)
vs Brickhouse brown (USWA Title Tourney)
vs Dick Murdoch (USWA Title Tourney)
vs Jerry Lawler (USWA Title Tourney)
Vs Jerry Lawler (USWA- a rematch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6GQllHJjgA&t=4525s
vs Brickhouse brown (USWA Title Tourney)
vs Dick Murdoch (USWA Title Tourney)
vs Jerry Lawler (USWA Title Tourney)
Vs Jerry Lawler (USWA- a rematch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6GQllHJjgA&t=4525s
Main Event Wrestling UK- Rory Coyle vs. Jonah Phoenix - MEW King of the North
The final - - who will be crowned the 2019 MEW King of the North?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oVHv7-XpYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oVHv7-XpYA
Main Event Wrestling UK- HT Drake vs. Boris Koslov - MEW King of the North
the MEW Heavyweight title is on the line as HT Drake defends against Boris Koslov.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBvRkAO3Jp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBvRkAO3Jp4
Bert Prentice's USA Championship Wrestling: Ep. 49 - 2/23/19
This week we witness the fallout of the huge Thunderdome Cage Match between Jerry Lawler and Matt Riviera. We also look at the career of the legendary Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvIjwrVXkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvIjwrVXkg
AEW - The Road to Double or Nothing - Episode 05
Chris Jericho wants a "Thank you" from AEW and it's fans ... Brandi Rhodes announces an incredible new partnership and the signing of an amazing female athlete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIKkAym4Wh0&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIKkAym4Wh0&t=1s
900 Days as NWA Women's Champion | Jazz vs. Heather Monroe (2019
Since September of 2016, Jazz has been the NWA Women's World Champion. The career of Jazz spans over twenty-years including her time with WWE, ECW and now the NWA.
At NWA 70 and the NWA Pop Up Event, Jazz made it clear she wanted to be treated like the men and for the Women's division to have its own Ten Pounds of Gold.
In this match from Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, Jazz defends the NWA Women's World Championship against Heather Monroe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lbTs1WT458
Capitol Wrestling - Episode 99: Nyla Rose vs Ariela Nyx - WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
his Week we make our FINAL stop before the 100th Episode of Capitol Wrestling TV! See the RETURN of Nyla Rose as she goes one-on-one with Ariela Nyx for her long held Women's Title. Also, don't miss the impressive TV Debut of "The Jersey Muscle Jock" Steve Gibki. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDuuZDB0aaQ
FIVE NEW WWE SIGNINGS ANNOUNCED, AND A NEW AEW SIGNING AS WELL
WWE NXT has officially signed the following talents.
Ilja Rukober - 25 years old, professionally known asIIja Dragonov, a top star for WXW in Germany who was vastly becoming one of the most in demand talents for Wrestlemania weekend independent events before WWE stepped in and signed him.
Kay Lee Ray - 26 years old, Scottish star, competed in the first Mae Young Classic.
Jazzy Gabert - Competitor from the first Mae Young Classic tournament from Germany.
Oliver Sauter - Professional known as Oliver Carter, Swiss wrestler.
Jay Melrose - aka The Primate.
AEW announced in their latest "Double Or Nothing" Episode ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIKkAym4Wh0 ) that Bea Priestly would be coming into the promotion, debuting this July in Jacksonville, Florida at the Fight for the Fallen event:
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Leva Bates vs Allie Recks | Ladies Night Out 5 - Feb 23, 2019
Former NXT star Leva Bates (aka Blue Pants) made her debut for Title Match Network & Ladies Night Out this past Saturday. Her opponent Allie Recks is a staple in the women's wrestling scene, having competed in CZW, WSU, ACE & most recently at ROW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxf3sBpoEn0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxf3sBpoEn0
Jimmy Jacobs Responds To Mance Warner - AAW Pro Wrestling
Jimmy Jacobs responds to Mance Warner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpk94OTK7mc Next Event: Hell Hath No Fury - 3/16/19 - Logan Square Auditorium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpk94OTK7mc Next Event: Hell Hath No Fury - 3/16/19 - Logan Square Auditorium
PWCI This Week - #164 World League Wrestling
On the program, in counting down to Night of Champions 4 in Moscow Mills, MO on March 9th - we head over to Troy, MO for World League Wrestling. In action tonight, DaMarius Jones faces the man who will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight title, The Legacy Leland Race!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlf6Lsc5yY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlf6Lsc5yY
Mat Memory- Nikolai Volkoff vs Paul Rosenberg
Nikolai Volkoff vs Paul Rosenberg
Pembroke Memorial Center
06-25-2016
Multiple time WWE tag team champion and "WWE Hall of Famer" Nikolai Volkoff faces off against ''The Messiah'' Paul Rosenberg who recently defeated Carlito and had a tag team victory over ''Demolition'' Ax & Smash with partner Jeremy Prophet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdT1aQEscHw
AIWF Mid Atlantic Wrestling- Midatlantic 358
We are back with new episodes. On this episode tensions are high in Laurel Fork, as The Fear factory tries to take over but some are not having it. But can everyone stand together. Our classic match comes from August 1997 as Butch Steel takes on Ironhorse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCd31o5a_U
Honky Tonk Man is Going Into The WWE Hall Of Fame, BUT... Has WWE Seen, THIS!?
Here's Honky himself burying the very Hall of Fame that he's now going into. UUHH OOHH!! DOH!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaV1jfWjeVc
Yes, I do enjoy always being... "That guy". :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaV1jfWjeVc
Yes, I do enjoy always being... "That guy". :)
Fallah Bahh Re-Signs With Impact Wrestling
Fallah Bahh has signed a new multi-year deal with IMPACT Wrestling. This comes on the heels of our exclusive report yesterday noting Sami Callihan has also re-signed with IMPACT Wrestling.
More signings are expected this week including a former Impact Wrestling Champion.
More signings are expected this week including a former Impact Wrestling Champion.
Monday Mumblings- Random Thoughts and other things.
I did actually start writing this at 11:00 last night (Monday). :)
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/heres-top-notch-plug-of-somethinbg-by.html
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/meltzer-posts-link-to-video-thats.html
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2018/09/dave-meltzer-isnt-capable-of-posting.html
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/instead-of-wrestlinginc-correcting.html
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/i-get-to-put-someone-at-wrestlinginc-in.html
https://billsbrandnewblog.blogspot.com/2019/02/wrestlinginc-shows-what-hypocrites-they.html
I
think I'm going to make this a weekly thing, Back in the day I had a
column called “Below The Belt w/Bill “ that appeared in The
Wrestling Edge, Pro Wrestling Monthly, and acouple other mail order
monthly newsletters. So since I'm feeling that itch to voice my
opinions loud and proud, I'll do this every week, thoughts and
opinions, answer any questions that may come thru my email, Twitter
and/or FB. Hell it's my blog, my platform to say what I want, how I
want, so why not, right? :)
Aleister
Black said his goodbyes to NXT during a house show in San Antonio,
Texas this weekend. He along with the other call-ups will still be
part of the NXT TV tapings at least through the next TakeOver.
So
this goof, 'says his goodbyes to NXT' at a house show, KNOWING he's
STILL going to be part of the tapings thru maybe the next “TakeOver'
show? Doesn't he realize how fucking dumb that was? You say your
goodbyes when it's YOUR LAST APPEARANCE THERE, IN THE COMPANY....
DUMB ASS! Whoever the agent was who thought THAT, was a great idea
needs to go back to agent school.
Speaking
of dumb shit, there's this.
NWO
Sting (Jeff Farmer) will be an entrant in the clusterfuck match at
Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3, part two in Jersey City, New Jersey
on Saturday, April 6.
The
'story' (cough cough) behind this is 'allegedly' they paid twenty
grand and got the WRONG STING! Now.. This either comes off as one of
the lamest fucking story lines I've ever heard, OR Joey's a fucking
moron if this was actually true. I mean seriously, how is it one can
pay all that cash and get the WRONG PERFORMER? Nobody can be this
fucking clueless, can they? Hell why not get Brian Lee to be the
Underfaker, Tom Brandi to be the phony ass Patriot and get Rick
Bognar to be the fake Razor Ramon again while you're at it. That way
you can have a 'fake gimmick fatal four way'.
I
mean really, who really wants to see a fake Sting? Come on, everyone
who wants that, raise your hands.. Raise your hands really high... I
seriously doubt I'm going to be seeing many hands being raised.
Dave
Schilling, a writer who has previously written for Grantland and VICE
among others, tweeted that he will be joining the WWE writing team
next month.
Everyone's
raving about the new writers, producers being hired by the WWE. But
everyone one of these fans/ WWE Fanboys/marks forget one little
thing. It doesn't matter what experiences they bring to the table
from OTHER organizations. They all, will have to learn how to do
things 'The WWE Way', which means all the producing and creating
ideas in the world won't mean shit, if Vince McMahon craps on those
ideas and goes with what he feels on a whim (which seems to happen on
a weekly basis). But of course, the Meltzers, Kellers, Scherers, etc
won't DARE 'say that'. They want to keep their VIP memberships happy
and make sure they can get in on media calls and not piss off their
sources by telling it like it is. So I'll forever be 'that guy', who
will have the balls to say what they won't because I have no need or
want for a VIP membership, could care less if I'm in on media calls
or not, and all that other bullshit those others foam at the mouth
over.
I
got into a back and forth on YouTube with someone over Eddie
Kingston. (Shots of it will be posted so you can see it for
yourself). One guy said Kingston couldn't hang in Impact and when I
brought up the fact that he's getting over in every indy company
that's booking him, another tried to say nobody cares about him. I
always find it funny when I present solid facts that bury willy nilly
claims by fans/marks they suddenly back up, and try something else
that gets shot down by more facts. I've always been a solid fan of
Eddie Kingston, he's great on the mic and can get over any story line
or angle that's presented to him, no matter what company is booking
him. So it goes back to again, Callis and D'Amore (Or more so, Impact
Wrestling) dropping the ball on yet another great talent who's now
getting over everywhere he appears at and is showing that indeed,
Impact did fuck up.
Bruce
Prichard is back in creative at WWE while WWE got rid of Arn
Anderson. HHMM, maybe it's me but I don't see this as a great trade
off. Get rid of a guy whose knowledge is golden just so Vince McMahon
can have one of his old 'yes men' back in the fold? Now unlike the
Twitter marks and FB fan boys, I.. Actually have HAD interactions
with Bruce Prichard when he was part of the WWF Training Dojo back in
1998 (Which was ran by Dory Funk jr. and Tom Prichard). The Dojo
regularly headlined shows for WWA New England (who I was working for,
behind the scenes, helping setting up ring, chairs, locally promoting
shows for them in NH). I have no real beef with him and he was
knowledgeable in the areas I asked him about, BUT... Who really has
credited Bruce Prichard with advancing or helping with their career?
Anyone? Anyone?
If
you're a pro wrestler and you wanted solid advice that would indeed
help you in the long run, who would you go to? Arn Anderson? Who HAS
been in the ring, done promos and gotten over some of the most well
known stables and stars Professional Wrestling has ever seen? OORRR..
Bruce Prichard, who's only real gimmick was Brother Love (And 'The
expert' with Eddie Gilbert in Global Wrestling Federation)?
One
hand.. Arn Anderson whose list of accomplishments is endless, The
other hand... Bruce Prichard who's mostly been kissing McMahon's ass
even away from WWE on his podcast? HHHMMM, (balancing both hands, up
and down trying to make a decision). Even a blind man can see that
Anderson was and will always be, the better choice.
How is it that a so called 'major' wrestling company go and delete 16 hours of material, and use “saving space on their server” as their excuse for doing it? ESPECIALLY when it just happens to be the very material they're being sued over? As most know that's exactly, what Impact Wrestling is claiming. (Proof of that is shown with a screenshot I got from Twitter)
Seems
JJUUSSST ALITTLE 'convenient' that the very material they deleted is
the very material Jeff Jarrett is suing them over.. OOHH WWOOW, gee
whiz, what are the odds of this happening just as you're in the
middle of a lawsuit?
Come
on, anyone can see this was a bullshit move in every sense of the
word. Deleting the said footage isn't going to get them out of the
lawsuit and whoever the dumb ass was that thought deleting all that
was a great idea? I'd love to see them explain that to a judge,
explain what the logic was behind it. Out of sight, out of the
lawsuit? LOL. Yeah ok stupid, nice try.
It
shouldn't really come as no big surprise that Impact keeps doing
stupid shit, remember this is the very company that thought that
THIS... Would be a credible looking world title belt at one time.
So
Black Label pro Wrestling (based in Indiana) is booking, get this...
The Godfather AND.. Papa Shango for a show in South bend, Indiana in
April. Both gimmicks in the same company, on the same show on the
same day...While that usually WOULD be a big draw? There's just
OONNEE LITTLE PROBLEM here that no other wrestling site will have the
balls to bring up, but.. Since I am 'that guy', I'll do it for them..
The
WWWWEE little problem with booking both these gimmicks is... THEY'RE
BOTH THE SAME FUCKING GUY!!! How are fans not gonna notice that both
gimmicks have the very same tattoos? Is 'The Godfather' gonna wear a
long sleeve shirt to cover them up so that way .. ahem.. 'Papa
Shango' can come out wearing a t-shirt? SOMEONE really hasn't thought
this thru very well.
This
isn't a new trick by any means either. Tom Brandi used to get himself
booked on shows as three different gimmicks. Tom Brandi, Salvatore
Sincere AND THEN come out wearing a mask as 'The Patriot', hoping
that fans wouldn't notice that ALL THREE had the very same
physique.
Fans aren't that dumb so I'd love to see how Charles Wright pulls
this one off without any fan noticing the fucking obvious.
And
finally.. Someone (whose name won' be revealed because he currently
works for a very major wrestling company, and I've known him/her
since they first started at a wrestling school somewhere) asked me
“You slam Dave Scherer And Mike Johnson at PWInsider all the time
why don't you pick on Meltzer or someone like that”?
Well..
I HAVE.. And still do every chance I get.. I'll list links to
examples of it right here.
Here's
one or two (well, three) I did on WrestlingInc as well.
So
yes, I slam the others too. I don't play favorites with any of them.
So
until next week, Hope you continue to enjoy what I post on my blog,
and in the FB groups I'm a part of. :)
.
Monday, February 25, 2019
FATU Makes His AAW Debut And Destroys Everyone - AAW Pro Wrestling
FATU made his AAW debut this past Saturday at the Art of War. Check out this exclusive video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erZJfS47ctU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erZJfS47ctU
Mance Warner Comments On Jimmy Jacobs - AAW Pro Wrestling
Mance Warner comments on his match with Jimmy Jacobs this past Saturday night and Jimmy post match attack with the spike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pTW6MTLXWE
ALOT of Indy Wrestling Dates, Results.
- USA Championship Wrestling is doing an Eddie Gilbert Tribute show on 3/9 in Jackson, TN at the Oman Arena headlined by Jerry Lawler & Doug Gilbert vs. Tommy Rich & Matt Riviera in a fall count anywhere in Madison County match, plus Jimmy Valiant and Tom Prichard will wrestle on the show and Phil Hickerson will make an appearance. The show is being taped for Pivotshare.
- AAW from Saturday night in Chicago before a sellout 575 fans: Ace Perry b Sheldon Jean, Savannah Stone b Judy Threat, Gringo Loco won four-way over Jake Landers, Logan James and Aaron Orion. The first three bouts were preshow matches for their You Tube channel. Main card for Art of War: Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel b Ace Romero & Paco & Rich Swann, Sammy Guevara b Darby Allin (Guevara before the match vowed to win with a side headlock takedown, and got the pin after a low blow and a side headlock takedown), Mance Warner b Jimmy Jacobs, DJZ b Australian Suicide in a heritage title match, David Starr & Eddie Kingston & Jake Something & Curt Stallion b Mat Fitchett & Sami Callihan & Jessicka Havok, MJF b Kimber Lee, Jacob Fatu b Stephen Wolf (Fatu's debut), Kylie Rae b Su Yung to keep women's title, LAX won three-way elimination match over Penta 0M & Rey Fenix and champions AR Fox & Myron Reed to win the tag titles in 13:54. Fox & Reed were eliminated first. This was where the Young Bucks interfered and took out the Lucha Bros that allowed LAX to win and take the title. Next show is 3/16 in Chicago at the Logan Square Arena with Psicosis and Juventud Guerrera.
- ICW from Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland before 1,000 fans: Kings of Catch b Rampage Brown & Ashton Smith to keep the tag titles, Kay Lee Ray NC Toni Storm in a women's title match, Joe Coffey b Ilja Dragunov to keep the Zero G title, Lionheart b Angelico to keep the ICW title, Lightning won Square Go (a rumble match where the winner earns a title shot on a day they choose for up to one year throwing out Joe Hendry. Jeff Jarrett was in the Rumble. (thanks to Jordan Clark)
- Progress from Sunday in London before a sellout 700 fans: Mark Haskins b Trivet & Chuck Mambo-DQ in a handicap match, Millie McKenzie b Bea Priestley, Nina Samuels b Jinny (both earn shots in a four-way later for the women's title), Jordan Devlin b Travis Banks-DQ, Will Ospreay & Paul Robinson b Aussie Open to keep the tag titles, Trent Seven b Timothy Thatcher to keep the Atlas title, Walter b Chris Ridgeway to retain the Progress title. Seven challenged Walter to a title vs. title match in May. Next Electric Ballroom show is 3/31 with Ospreay & Robinson vs. Aussie Open in a TLC Match for the titles plus LAX vs. Jonathan Gresham & Chris Brookes. (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)
- Northeast Wrestling from Saturday night in Bethany CT: Keith Youngblood & Zane Bernardo & RJ Rude b Cam Zagami & Tommy Grayson & PJ Grayson, Chuck O'Neil (the MMA fighter) b Hammer Tunia, Brian Anthony b Chris Battle, Wrecking Ball Legursky b Brian Milonas, Anthony Battle & Daniel Evans b Mike Gamble & Dexter Loux, JT Dunn b Josh Briggs, Jake Manning b Christian Casanova, Brad Hollister b Bandido to keep the heavyweight title (thanks Nick Mahmood)
- Femme Fatales from Friday night in Ottawa before 350 fans: Alexia Nicole & Willow Nightingale b Veda Scott & KC Spinelli, Samantha Heights b Neveah, Jessicka Havok b Penelope Ford, Mary Lee Rose b Angie Skye, Nicole Savoy b Nicole Matthews, Kris Statlander won three-way over Mercedes Martinez and Allysin Kay. Next shows are 5/4 in Quebec City and 8/10 in Toronto, the day before SummerSlam.
- Pro Wrestling Phoenix on Thursday in Omaha at the Waiting Room Lounge.
Onita Underwent Surgery
- Atsushi Onita underwent surgery for three hours on 2/21 to replace both knees. He will still be coming to the US on 4/5, but only for pictures and autographs. He’s been announced for Joey Janela’s Spring Break events WrestleMania weekend.
Carpe Diem | NWA Ten Pounds of Gold 49 (2019)
NWA Ten Pounds of Gold (Episode 49) explores the first part of the Crockett Cup segment that took place at Ring of Honor Wrestling's Lakeland event between Marty Scurll and Nick Aldis which lead to Nick Aldis vs. Marty Scurll being made for the 2019 Crockett Cup. Watch full segment here -
In that segment, the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis spoke about spending the day with former NWA Worlds Champion Dory Funk, Jr. Nick and the cameras of #TenPoundsOfGold visited the Funking Conservatory in Ocala, Florida. In that day, Nick and Dory discussed various subjects in the business from training, to legacy of the Ten Pounds of Gold and what is truly the most important thing as NWA Champion.
UUUHHH OOHH, UUUHHH OOHHH- AEW Faces Initial Refusal On Several Key Trademarks
As of February 19, 2019, each of All Elite Wrestling's trademark applications have faced initial refusal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The trademarks at issue include the AEW applications made on November 5, 2018 (the AEW design and wordmark, All Elite Wrestling, AEW Double Or Nothing, AEW All Out, Tuesday Night Dynamite, and Fight For The Fallen) as well as Change The Universe, which AEW applied for on January 17, 2019.
The trademark applications for AEW and Change The Universe were initially refused on identical grounds: the misclassification of certain goods and services on the applications and insufficient payment of fees. As a matter of fact, these reasons for rejecting AEW's trademark filings are present in all of the letters of initial refusal from the USPTO.
Notably, amendments to the international classification and identification of goods are required as AEW misclassified a few goods involving leather accessories, video games, and party favors on each of its original trademark applications. Other issues include, for example, the misspelling 'bandanas' and 'yoyos' and the term 'thongs' being too broad. Moreover, the applications each identified goods and/or services that are classified in at least 13 different classes, but AEW submitted fees sufficient to cover only 9 classes.
In addition to the above issues, the trademark application for All Elite Wrestling requires that AEW "must disclaim the word 'WRESTLING' [in the phrase All Elite Wrestling] because it is not inherently distinctive" to the extent that "the word 'WRESTLING' merely describes a feature or characteristic of [AEW]'s goods and services, specifically the subject matter."
Similarly, the trademarks for Tuesday Night Dynamite and Fight For The Fallen contain wording that must be disclaimed by AEW. In the case of Tuesday Night Dynamite, the USPTO aptly observed that the wording 'TUESDAY NIGHT' is "not inherently distinctive" and "'TUESDAY NIGHT' refers to an evening on a particular day of the week."
With respect to Fight For The Fallen, a disclaimer for all of the words in the trademark is required because "the term 'FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN' is commonly used as a promotional phrase to indicate that a fighting event will occur for fundraising purposes to support fallen heroes." The USPTO reasoned that the term is used so often that consumers would view it as informational rather than being distinct to AEW's product.
"Because consumers are accustomed to seeing this term commonly used by many businesses to impart information to consumers, they will perceive this slogan only as informational matter rather than as a trademark or service mark that identifies the source of applicant's goods and/or services."
On the subject of the AEW Double Or Nothing trademark, this application has been initially refused by the USPTO partly because of the likelihood of confusion. The USPTO pointed to 75 existing trademarks, such as Double Or Nothing Enterprises, LLC in the music industry, to suggest that the AEW Double Or Nothing trademark may be too confusing to the consumer. Even though AEW Double Or Nothing and Double Or Nothing Enterprises contain differing wording, "marks must be compared in their entireties, the word portion is often considered the dominant feature and is accorded greater weight in determining whether marks are confusingly similar." Given that the USPTO determined that AEW Double Or Nothing is "confusingly similar" to Double Or NothingEnterprises in wording, it is a logical consequence that it would also determine that AEW's mention of "music" and "ringtones" in its application would make AEW's goods and/or services relating to music too "closely related" to Double Or Nothing Enterprises.
As for AEW All Out, this application was initially refused because two other pending applications use the phrase 'ALL OUT' and AEW will likely not be able to trademark AEW All Out if one of the other filings is successfully completed first.
AEW will have six months from the date of USPTO's letter of initial refusal to respond.
Get A Load Of This Bullshit-- IMPACT WRESTLING ADMITS IT HAS DELETED GFW MASTER TAPES, Update On Jarrett Lawsuit.
Got some of this from PWInsider, Other parts from other places on Twitter and someone sent me part of this.
WWE and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett and his company Global Force Entertainment filed a second amended lawsuit against Impact Wrestling and its parents company Anthem on 22, an amended lawsuit brought on by Impact's admission that they have deleted the master tapes of the 16-hours of Global Force Wrestling Amped!, the Jarrett TV series that he independently produced before returning to Impact after Anthem seized control of the company from Dixie Carter in early 2017.
The 33-page amended lawsuit alleges Anthem has Prevented Jarrett and GFE from filing copyrights on the GFW Amped! TV footage with the amended lawsuit noting, "The last remaining step in the registration process is submission of deposit copies, which GFE cannot provide to the Copyright Office due to Defendants’ unlawful possession and/or deletion of the only master recordings of the 16 one-hour GFW Amped videos. Defendants admit that the master recordings were deleted while in their custody and no longer exist. "
Attached to the amended lawsuit was a 11/30/18 response from Anthem, answering requests from Jarrett and GWE to produce certain documents and information. In response to the request to provide the GFW masters, it was stated, "The sixteen one-hour Episodes of Global Force Wrestling Amped content sought in this question no longer exist. It was deleted in the normal course of business, long prior to the onset of this litigation, in order to free up storage space on Anthem Wrestling's systems."
The amended lawsuit GWE & Jarrett have valued each of the 16 hours of TV footage at $300,000 per episode, meaning they allege losses worth $4.8 million connected to the loss of the masters.
As in the previous lawsuits, Jarrett is also alleging Impact and Anthem have violated state and federal trademark infringements in relation to GFE, violated Jeff Jarrett’s exclusive property rights to his own name, photograph, and other likeness, that Anthem has used “a reproduction, counterfeit, copy, or colorable imitation of the GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING and GFW trademarks” in commerce, therefore they are in violation of the Lanham Act, which prohibits trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising. The lawsuit also claims violation of the Lanham Act through alleged “acts of unfair competition” that were done “with the intent to deceive the public into believing that goods and services offered or sold by Defendants are made by, approved by, sponsored by, or affiliated with GFE.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Anthem has "caused products and/or services to enter interstate commerce designated with variations" of the Global Force Wrestling and GFW trademarks. The filing claimed, "Defendants’ use of said designation and other representations constitute a false designation of origin which is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake, and to deceive as to the affiliation, connection, or association of Defendants with GFE and as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of such goods and services by GFE." This allegation would be an alleged violation of the Lanham Act.
It also alleges that Anthem was involved in “Unfair Competition in Violation of Tennessee Common Law”, alleging, “GFE and Defendants compete for a common pool of customers. As alleged herein, Defendants have engaged in unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent conduct, which is likely to cause, if it has not already, customer confusion in violation of Tennessee common law.” The lawsuit also claims that Anthem has unjustly enriched themselves through their actions and violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, claiming, “Defendants have violated and, upon information and belief, continue to violate GFE’s exclusive rights in the GFW Amped content and the 16 associated copyrights, including, but not limited to, the right to reproduce, right to prepare and sell derivative works, and right to vend by copying, publishing, distributing, and publicly displaying in the marketplace in this District, and in all marketplaces reached by the Internet, videos that were copied or otherwise derived from the GFW Amped content.”
Defendants Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp and Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC requested the lawsuit be dismissed for several reasons on 11/1 with a series of filings. The first motion argues that Jarrett and GWE are claiming there is a copyright infringement on their Global Force Wrestling Amped! content that Impact aired as PPVs, but "failed to state an adequate claim of copyright infringement " as there were no actual copyrights filed on the material in question before the lawsuit was filing. That would explain why GWE and Jarrett were requesting that the court order Impact to hand over the masters, so Jarrett could go forward with filing copyrights on the 16 hours of GFW Amped!, but with the admission that Anthem/Impact deleted the masters, it's impossible to state where the court will fall over that request, especially since the filing of the amended lawsuit puts all sides back to square one, resetting the case.
Impact had previously argued that Jarrett's allegations that the defendants "violated Jeff Jarrett’s exclusive property rights to his own name, photograph, and other likeness", the defendants are claiming this cannot be correct as "Jeff Jarrett has previously authorized the use of his name and likeness as a trademark and Defendants own that trademark." Anthem responded that they own a trademark on the name "Jeff Jarrett" as Jarrett had consented to agree to allow TNA Entertainment, LLC those rights in 2004 with Anthem taking over that trademark when they acquired TNA/Impact Wrestling from Dixie Carter's company Impact Ventures, LLC. They backed their claim by submitting to the court a copy of a statement signed by Jeff Jarrett, dated 1/19/06, stating that he was giving that consent to TNA Entertainment, LLC and submitted a copy of trademark transfers for several copyrights held by Impact Wrestling when Anthem took over the company, assigning the ownership of those trademarks to Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions LLC, effective 1/1/17 with an execution date of 1/11/18. The Jarrett copyright is included in a collection of the trademarks that were transferred.
In the new Amended lawsuit, Jarrett notes Anthem has no "intent" in hiring him again (which would be impossible since he now works for WWE as a Producer), that Anthem "is not currently providing any entertainment services, namely wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer, under Mr. Jarrett’s name" and that "Anthem Wrestling is not providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network under Mr. Jarrett’s name." The lawsuit also notes that Anthem is no currently using Jarrett's name for action figures or toys and has "and has no intent to resume such use. "
A previous motion filed by Anthem noted that Global Force Wrestling LLC's own trademark filing for the GFW initials, dated 3/9/18 and signed by Jeff Jarrett, featured photo usage of the GFW initials, meant to provide a publicly available usage of the letters to support the ownership of the trademark, that was actually the cover art for the Impact Wrestling DVD release of GFW Amped! "to substantiate his claim that Global Force Wrestling was entitled to the registration for use on DVD.” So, Anthem had previously arguing that Jarrett himself has already provided proof that Impact had permission to utilize the logo and name, because he himself was using that usage to support trademarking the GFW initials.
Anthem then filed a second motion explaining that the court lacked jurisdiction over the myriad of companies related to Impact Wrestling.
Anthem Sports has also previously noted that when Jeff Jarrett signed a non-disclosure agreement with the company during the time period he was coming in to work for them as the Chief Creative Officer, Anthem insisted upon and received a clause that any issues that arose legally would fall under New York law, noting, " Even if one believes Plaintiffs’ allegation that their claims do not relate to arise from this NDA as one is required to do at this juncture of the proceedings, these allegations actually establish that Anthem Sports deliberately did not avail itself of doing business in the forum. Obviously, if Anthem Sports initiated merger discussions pursuant to this NDA as Plaintiffs allege, it did not anticipate being hauled into court here. In fact, it expressly bargained for and obtained a contractual provision that it could not be sued in Tennessee. In light of the fact that the Complaint expressly establishes that the parties agreed that Anthem Sports could not be sued in Tennessee, these allegations cannot establish that Anthem Sports has purposely availed itself of the privilege of doing business in Tennessee for purposes of the specific jurisdiction analysis. Further, Anthem Sports asserts that this bargained-for provision that was reached as a pre-requisite for its merger discussions with Plaintiff--the facts that give rise to Plaintiffs’ purported claims--should be dispositive of the “purposeful an ailment” issue. Anthem Sports expressly bargained for and obtained the right not to be hauled into court in Tennessee."
So, they are claiming that Jarrett cannot technically sue them in the State of Tennessee to begin with based on the language of the agreement that he signed with the company - an agreement that as of this writing, remains sealed by the court. The new amended lawsuit may require Anthem to re-file these claims as opposed to the court ruling on them.
In another previous filing, Anthem Sports and Anthem Wrestling jointly stated, "This action is the aftermath of a failed merger between two wrestling entertainment companies" and for the first time on record, gave their side of the story, stating Jarrett was actually the one in charge of the release of the GFW content and that material did not even turn a profit for the company, claiming, "Jarrett entered into discussions wherein Jarrett’s company would merge into Anthem Wrestling in exchange for an officer-level position with a large salary, a job for Jarrett’s wife, and an equity interest in Anthem Wrestling. The plan was to use Jarrett and his extensive experience in the wrestling business to help grow and differentiate the IMPACT! Wrestling brand that Anthem had recently acquired. Jarrett would bring to the deal his GLOBAL FORCE WRESTLING and GFW brands and 16 episodes of wrestling content (the “Amped Content”) that he had produced some two years earlier but thus far had been unable to monetize. The parties planned to complete and finalize the Amped Content, add voiceover, and perform the other necessary post-production work in order to get it in shape to broadcast and sell. In order to carry out these plans, Jeff Jarrett was made Chief Creative Officer of Anthem Wrestling effective April of 2017 and given complete authority over its wrestling operations and the content that the company would create, market, and sell. Under Mr. Jarrett’s watch as Chief Creative Officer, the Amped Content was packaged as five different PPV broadcasts and was marketed with both the GFW and IMPACT! trademarks. The Amped Content was also packaged as DVDs and sold on-line. Also during Mr. Jarrett’s tenure as Anthem Wrestling’s Chief Creative Officer, the company decided to use the phrase “Global Wrestling Network” as a descriptor for an Over-the-Top (“OTT”) application developed by Anthem Wrestling upon which wrestling content would be marketed. As often happens, the parties’ merger plans did not work out as expected. Mr. Jarrett was terminated near the end of October 2017. The sale and marketing of the Amped Content was not successful and did not turn a profit. "
Anthem has also previously noted that All of Jarrett's allegations and claims against them "arise out of the same conduct--Anthem Wrestling’s broadcast and sale of the Amped Content using both parties’ trademarks pursuant to the failed merger. Remarkably, Mr. Jarrett is suing over the very conduct that he oversaw and conducted as an officer of Anthem Wrestling."
In the joint filing, Anthem noted they began speaking to Jarrett in October 2016, which is before they officially took the company over from Dixie Carter's Impact Ventures LLC. Regarding his employment in the company, Jarrett and Anthem Wrestling signed a term sheet in May 2017. Anthem's joint filing notes, "The term sheet provided that as Chief Creative Officer, Jeff Jarrett was responsible for all wrestling operations of the Company and would have “overall responsibility and full authority” for “ensuring timely and efficient production of programming to meet the Company’s obligations under its distribution agreements to produce content for television broadcast and PPV airings, content for the Company’s digital distribution channels, [and] performance of live events. In other words, Mr. Jarrett was to be the Anthem Wrestling employee in charge of the content it would sell."
The only reference to Jarrett's release from Impact Wrestling comes in the joint filing, reading, "It became clear the merger was not going to work for various reasons and Mr. Jarrett was terminated as Anthem Wrestling’s Chief Creative Officer at the end of October 2017." Anthem noted that all the GFW PPVs aired during Jarrett's time as Chief Creative Officer of the company, with the exception of one, which aired in December 2017 - and that any trademark violations alleged over the usage of GFW Amped materials should be tossed out because Anthem had an implied license to use the material from Jarrett and GWE via his employment as an officer for the company.
In the joint motion, Anthem notes, "Under these circumstances, there can be no doubt that Jarrett provided the content at the request of Defendant Anthem Wrestling and that he intended that Anthem Wrestling use and distribute the content, using Plaintiffs’ trademarks. Moreover, because Plaintiff Jarrett granted this license in exchange for his salary and the promise of the anticipated merger, it is supported by consideration and is irrevocable."
Anthem also uses the aforementioned GFW trademark filing that utilized photo proof of the GFW DVD sold by Impact Wrestling, noting, "This is the very same content and very same airing (on August 11, 2017) of it that Mr. Jarrett claims in this action is copyright and trademark infringement committed by Defendants. Yet, under penalty of perjury, he swore that this very same use was use that inured to his benefit--in other words--use by a licensee. This SOU is a sworn admission that Defendant Anthem Wrestling’s alleged use of the Amped Content and GFW trademarks was as a valid licensee."
The joint filing stated that Jarrett and GWE's claims should have be dismissed under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure when "it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted." Anthem claims in the filing that Jarrett has incorrect information about the relationship between Anthem Sports and Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions and due to those errors, there is no actual claim that can be made against Anthem Sports. All the previous Anthem motions refer to a declaration filed by Ed Nordholm, the Executive Vice President of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. In the declaration, Nordholm explains that Anthem Sports has "no business operations of its own" and is a holding company for "various operating companies and brands that are part of the Anthem portfolio", listing Fight Network, The Pursuit Channel, FNTSY Sports Network and the Edge Sport channel. The declaration notes that Anthem Sports owns a subsidiary, Anthem Sports & Entertainment. While Sports is a Canadian-based company, Anthem S&E is a United States holding company for "certain Anthem operating entities in the United States" - but like Anthem Sports, it is not registered to do business in Tennessee, has no employees and is a "passive holding company." Under Anthem Sports & Entertainment is Fight Media, the operating company of The Fight Network, which Nordholm declared, is also not registered to do business in Tennessee and is Canadian-based with all its employees in Canada.
In the declaration, Nordholm publicly revealed for the first time how Anthem was able to take ownership of Impact Wrestling, explaining the creation of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC, which somewhere in the pyramid of holding companies under the Anthem Sports banner, is the parent company of Impact. Nordholm noted in his declaration: "Anthem Wrestling was formed in order to acquire the assets of an entity called TNA Entertainment LLC, when Fight Media foreclosed on certain loans to that entity."
So, in the middle of the Jarrett vs. Anthem lawsuit, it has been revealed that after musician (and now NWA President) Billy Corgan stopped funding Impact in October 2016, the "working capital loan to fund the operations of TNA Impact Wrestling" by Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp (later described as a “credit relationship” by Anthem) ended up being a loan that Impact Wrestling, headed at the time by Dixie Carter, was unable to repay, which led to Anthem foreclosing on the loan, acquiring control and ownership of the company, in the process.
Given the timeline of when they began speaking with Jarrett (according to legal filings by both Jarrett and Anthem in this case), it would appear Anthem's plan all along was to use the loans to acquire control of the company from Carter, who had been having financial difficulties in the wake of losing her TV deal with SpikeTV and with Panda Energy, Impact's original backer and parent company, divesting itself of ownership and financial support, placing Impact in the hands of Carter's Impact Ventures LLC.
Nordholm's declaration also noted that Anthem Wrestling has 15 employees and 50 contractors that carry out its day-to-day operations and that "Anthem Sports does not control or dictate the operations of Anthem Wrestling."
A June 2020 court date had been previously set for the lawsuit. Whether that timeline is pushed back due to what is now the third version of this lawsuit being filed remains to be seen.
GWE and Jarrett are seeking damages and are now also seeking a ruling that Impact Wrestling's trademark on his name be canceled and returned to him, which would obviously make it much easier for WWE to license and utilize Jarrett's likeness in future action figure, video games, etc.
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