October 19, 2018 at RISE 10 - INSANITY, "Undeniable" Tessa Blanchard defended The Phoenix of RISE Championship against "The Latina Sensation" Mercedes Martinez in a 75 Minute Iron Woman Match. This match set a new, all-time record as the longest one-on-one Women's Professional Wrestling match in history.
Witness this masterpiece of wrestling storytelling, truly showcasing what RISE is all about, giving a platform to Today's Best, Tomorrow's Brightest in Women's Professional Wrestling.No paywalls and no annoying pop up ads Wrestling Past and Present Consistently shows the most weekly Independent Wrestling shows, classics and more than any other wrestling news site anywhere. Nobody does it like WP&P does it, nobody
Thursday, October 8, 2020
John Morrison vs. Fit Finlay (Northeast Wrestling)
John Morrison vs. Fit Finlay
Northeast Wrestling "Wrestlefest XVI" held on March 23, 2012 in Poughkeepsie, NY at the Mid Hudson Civic Center.Jerry Lawler (w/Mick Foley) vs. "Man Scout" Jake Manning (w/Terry Funk)
Northeast Wrestling presents "Wrestlefest XX" held March 4, 2016 in Newburgh, NY
Jerry Lawler vs. Man Scout Jake Manning match from Wrestlefest XX!! In this historic match up The King had Mick Foley in his corner and the Man Scout was managed by the Legendary TERRY FUNK!!! This was a wild and uncontrollable match up.Jeff Hardy vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (Northeast Wrestling)
Northeast Wrestling's Wrestling Under The Stars V. Dutchess Stadium, Wappingers Falls, New York August 27, 2016.
Cody Rhodes vs Jack Swagger (Northeast Wrestling 2017)
Northeast Wrestling Presents
Wrestling Under the Stars 2017 Tour Troy, NY 7/15/17 Cody Rhodes vs Jack SwaggerGoldust vs Mike Bennett - Wrestlefest XVII (5/3/13)
From Wrestlefest 17 in Waterbury, CT, Mike Bennett with Maria Kanellis, takes on Goldust in singles competition.
Jerry "The King" Lawler & Cherry vs. Velvet Sky & Romeo Roselli (Northeast Wrestling)
Jerry "The King" Lawler & Cherry vs. Velvet Sky & Romeo Roselli
"Autumn Ambush '08 " - Washingtonville, NY - October 18, 2008Tessa Blanchard vs. Brandi Rhodes (Northeast Wrestling)
Northeast Wrestling Presents
Wrestling Under the Stars 2017 Tour Troy, NY 7/15/17 Tessa Blanchard vs. Brandi RhodesWednesday, October 7, 2020
Memphis Wrestling May 18-25, 1985 (WMC Feed Featuring King Bruiser Brody)
Bruiser Brody promo (5/13/85)
Jerry Lawler promo (5/18/85)
Bruiser Brody promo (5/20/85)
Mr. Kareem Muhammad promo (5/25/85)
Bill Dundee & Jerry Lawler vs. Bruiser Brody & Mr. Kareem Muhammad (5/13/85)
Thrill of a Lifetime with Dino Bravo
This is Canadian tv show Thrill of a Lifetime. Two senior ladies get to manage their favorite wrestler Dino Bravo.
Mulligans Barbeque - Heenan Family Jumps Mulligan (WWF)
Bobby Heenan, Ken Patera and John Studd on Blackjack's Barbeque. They attack Mulligan after he embarrasses Heenan. Andre, the Giant makes the save.
Ed Whalen stirs up trouble in Stampede Wrestling
Steve Disalvo, Gary AlBright and Mike Shaw all involved.
Homicide Wins the ROH World Championship (2006)
To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, enjoy some of the greatest moments from ROH's past and present Hispanic stars, including Homicide's emotional World Championship win vs Bryan Danielson at Final Battle 2006!
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
GCW August 2-9, 1980
Ole & Gene Anderson raising hell highlights this video as well as a promo with Andre the Giant & Dusty Rhodes.
Warriors Of Wrestling- King of New York 2020
Warriors of Wrestling presents "King of New York" 2020
Match Listing: King of New York Tournament: Round 1: Match 1 - Isaiah Wolf v "Frat Boy" Farva v Fabio v Scotty Priest Match 2 - TK Luthor v Rhett Titus v Jack Gallow v Marcus Marque W.O.W World heavy weight championship - Darius Carter v Jason Carrion Match 3 - Anthony Gamble v Vinny Pacifico v Mike harvey v Abraham Khan Match 4 - Chris Steeler v Dexter v Roger Mendez v Jaymes Tyler Intergender Match - Midnight Classics v The new Wifebeaters King of New York Round 2: Match 1 - ??? v ??? Match 2 - ???v ??? Women'c championship - Deanna Diaz v Joelle for the vacant title King of New York Finals:NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title Match | Adam Pearce | Jimmy Rave | Chance Prophet | Shaun Tempers
NWA Worlds Heavy Weight Title Match that happens for the vacated NWA Worlds Title in Ohio at the State Fair in 2011. Adam Pearce VS Jimmy Rave VS Chance Prophet VS Shaun Tempers. Commentary Dean Bibb and Stephen Hensley.
Monday, October 5, 2020
Rick Martel vs Mr. Saito (AWA)
April 24, 1985. Winnipeg, CANADA. Rick Martel defends the AWA World Heavyweight title against challenger Masa Saito. Pre-match interviews included.
NEWF 8/14/1993: Demolition Ax vs. Rick Martel
From New England Wrestling Federation August 14, 1993 in Highgate, Vermont.
AWF On 45TV - Episode 159 (JDX vs Brandon Gore, NDS vs Bronco Braxton and Chris Coyote)
Original Air Date - October 3rd, 2020
This week on the AWF, AWF Heavyweight Champion JDX is back in action as he goes one on one with The Legitimate Athlete Brandon Gore! Plus, in our Main Event, it's tag team action as NDS (Rylie Jackson & Levi Cruise) look to get a measure of revenge against Bronco Braxton and Chris Coyote!Rick Martel vs The Natural (Cyrus AKA Don Callis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRd1EKVnLec
Winnipeg IWA Hardcore Wrestling promoter Tony Condello brought in Rick Martel (using his WWE "Model" gimmick, but as a face) to do a feud with Tony's lead heel, The Natural in 1995/1996. The highlight of this feud was a series of cage matches held at Tony's cards in small towns across Manitoba. One of those matches was held at a TV taping for Tony's Winnipeg CKY TV show that was held in the summer of 1996 in Portage La Prairie, MB. I was there and I didn't record the date, but I recall it was on a Friday night, and it took forever for Tony's crew to put that cage up, so it was past midnight by the time the match took place. The Natural went on to become The Jackyl in WWE, then Cyrus in ECW, then under his real name Don Callis in TNA. But all those characters were only mouthpieces, so fans outside of Manitoba could be watching Don actually wrestle here for the first time. Bad News Allen appears as The Natural's bodyguard. An interesting bit of trivia is that when Don was first accepted by WWE, he and Martel were supposed to debut as a tag team called The Models with Don's character being called Don Casablancas. But Martel decided to go to WCW instead, so Don became The Jackyl in WWE. (Source: Don himself when he co-hosted Winnipeg wrestling radio show No Holds Barred on CITI FM with the annnouncer you hear in this match, CITI's Joe Aiello.)
No Real Justice As Man Who Killed Indie Wrestler Matt Travis Gets Slap On The Wrist As A Result.
Talk about getting away with murder, this is it... literally.. Total bullshit.
Luc C. Vu, who drove the vehicle that ran into Matt Palacios (Matt Travis) pleaded guilty to reckless driving, failure to exercise due car, causing serious injury and failure to yield to a bicycle, in a report by PWInsider and other places. His driver's license was suspended for six months and he was fined $250. That seems way too light for a manslaughter case.
I guess the message is clear now, it's okay to run indie wrestlers over with your car and kill them, because this is what you get when you do.
Absolute bullshit if you ask me.
KEN RESNICK DISCUSSES HULK HOGAN'S LOCKER ROOM REPUTATION, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STRUCTURE OF PRO WRESTLING TODAY VS. THE '80S, AWA ADVERTISING HOGAN AFTER HE BOLTED FOR THE WWF & MORE
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The Pathetic Saga That Never Ends... Continues As.. JEFF JARRETT AND GLOBAL FORCE ENTERTAINMENT FILE MOTION TO SET NEW TRIAL DATE AGAINST IMPACT WRESTLING PARENT COMPANY
Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Entertainment filed the following motion on 10/2 before the Tennessee Middle District Court, citing that they do not believe they and Impact Wrestling parent company Anthem Wrestling will come to a settlement, leaving them back at square one after their previous civil trial was ruled a mistrial and had to be reset:
UNOPPOSED MOTION TO SET A DATE FOR RE-TRIAL
Plaintiffs Global Force Entertainment, Inc. and Jeffrey Jarrett respectfully request the Court set a date for re-trial.
Although the parties have a private mediation scheduled for November 3, 2020, Plaintiffs do not believe there is any realistic chance of settlement in this case without a settlement conference before a judicial officer given the parties’ positions on the likely outcomes (and causes of such outcomes) at re-trial.
Plaintiffs’ counsel asked Defendant’s counsel whether Defendant opposes a motion requesting the Court set a date for re-trial. Defendant’s counsel informed Plaintiffs’ counsel that Defendant does not oppose Plaintiffs’ request for setting this case for re-trial.
WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs respectfully request this case be set for re-trial and the Court dispense with requiring the parties to attend a private mediation, which would effectively be a fifth day of private mediation.
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Appalachian Mountain Wrestling- AMW-TV 212
AMW-TV 212
We look back at the AMW Title match from AMW SUMMERBASH 2017. Champions Stan Sierra defends against Legendary Larry D.American Pro Wrestling EP #5
On this episode:
-Elite 8 Tournament Nick Fury vs Aaron McClure -Elite 8 Tournament Rob Killjoy vs Damien Legion -The Foundation vs Chief Jay Eagle & Taylor Pope -Elite 8 Tournament Kat Daddy vs Joey RhymerChampionship Wrestling From Hollywood Episode #79
Today's all new line-up:
SINGLES MATCH | WILL ALLDAY v JOSE SANTIAGO Will Allday is back in action and he is more focused than ever. Jose Santiago stands in his way and looking for his first victory in Championship Wrestling! SINGLES MATCH | "THE MIDNIGHT DELIGHT" RICHIE SLADE with COACH FLEX v FRANKIE FRANK Frankie Frank is set to sing us a song! But not if BEEF Candy has anything to say about it. Slade has Coach Flex accompanying him at ringside... this doesn't look good for Frank. TAG TEAM MATCH | THE FRIENDSHIP FARM v CLARK CONNERS & SLICE BOOGIE Gentleman Jervis & Sweet Robin attempt to get back in the win column against 2 of the toughest newcomers we've seen in a long, long time. Both Slice Boogie and Clark Conners have been on a roll. This will be a great tag team contest! SINGLES MATCH | "THE GOLDEN BOY" JORDAN CLEARWATER v JACK CARTWRIGHT Since returning, The Golden Era has been absolutely on fire. Will the streak continue against the thrilling 19 year old Jack Cartwright? Big opportunity here! DRIVE-IN SPOOKTACULAR MATCH OF THE WEEK | MAIN EVENT | DAN JOSEPH & EJ SPARKS v THE BODEGA United TV Champion Dan Joseph & former 3x Arizona State Champion EJ Sparks team up to take on the new team of Danny Limelight & Papo Esco, collectively known as The Bodega. This match could Main Event anywhere! PLUS | After the riot ending last week's show, David Marquez has major news stemming from the chaos. And don't think we won't hear from Nikko Marquez, the cause of that very riot. You won't believe this! AND | We attempted to hear from Heritage Champion Ray Rosas, last week. That was cut short by a brutal attack from SoCal Distancing. This week, we'll hear an update from Ray Rosas - at home. LAST BUT NOT LEAST | Jon Roberts will be standing by with post match interviews with today's competitors throughout the broadcast! AND REMEMBER | Anything can happen on the FASTEST HOUR IN PRO WRESTLING!Florida Championship Wrestling (PWF) (1989) (Featuring Dusty Rhodes, Dick Slater & Manny Fernandez)
Florida Championship Wrestling (PWF) (1989)
Broadcast Date - April 8th, 1989
Host - Gordon Solie
Color Commentator - Diamond Dallas Page
Interview with Dusty Rhodes
DDP interviews PWF President Randy Roberts
Florida Title Match: Al Perez (c) vs Steve Keirn
Al Perez & Manny Fernandez attack Dusty Rhodes
Comments from Dusty Rhodes
Johnny Ace vs The Gladiator
Promos for the 4-19-89 card in Ft. Lauderdale
Manny Fernandez vs Rick Diamond
DDP interviews Fernandez/Humperdink/Perez
Mike Graham/Italian Stallion vs Jim Backlund/El Diablo
SOH interviews The Terminator & The Big Steel Man
Jaggers/Bart/Big Steel Man vs BG Kid/Awesome/Perez
MLW Underground #13: Sabu vs. Mikey Whipwreck
Matches:
•La Parka vs. Sabu
•Christopher Daniels (with Jerry Lynn) vs. Billy Fives
Following what can only be described as one of the most shocking nights in Major League Wrestling history, return to the Underground with the new World Heavyweight Champion Steve Corino.
MLW examines Corino’s Machavilian plot to gain the World Heavyweight Title as the Extreme Horsemen now control all the gold in MLW.
The war between La Parka and Sabu reaches its final battle as two of the greatest brawlers in the sport’s history collide in the final chapter of their rivalry.
Can Sabu vanquish the unrelenting La Parka? Or will Sabu follow the fate of his manager Bill Alfonso and be confined to a hospital bed? Tune in to find out!
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels continues his rise to power as the man who brought Jerry Lynn over to the darkside returns to action.
All of this plus CM Punk looks to get through to Simply Luscious, The Extreme Horsemen celebrate their victory and enact a little revenge, plus an Extreme Icon acts as the cavalry in Terry Funk’s battle against the Horsemen.
Join Joey Styles as he calls the action!
Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling- Best of PPW (Episode 8)
South Philly's Finest and D'Lo Brown vs. Sam Adams and Punk Rock All Stars (PPW Shootout - July 21, 2018)
Johnny Moran vs. John Wes vs. Rick Rekon vs. Pat Sawyer (PPW Super Show 1 - April 21, 2018)
Simon Grimm vs. Facade vs. Desean Pratt vs. Mike Orlando (PPW Super Show 2 - April 27, 2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezmrPXQrCM
OVW TV 1103 - "The National Championship Rumble"
“Mr. PEC-Tacular” Jessie Godderz, OVW Heavyweight Champion Tony Gunn, Brian Pillman Jr., Jake Crist, Sinn Bodhi, Dustin Jackson, all of OVW's champions and others title holders from around the country make history as they compete in a 21-man Rumble to become the first EVER OVW National Champion! Who will leave with that historic honor? Presented by Gladiator Sports Network.
PWCI This Week - #244 IWA Productions
Today we once again head back to Mt. Vernon to check out two championship matches at IWA Productions - first the tag team titles are on the line as The Rage take on the duo of Savage Scar, and the IWAP Heavyweight title is on the line as Chris Thomas defends against St. Louis's Ricky Cruz, The King of Chaos!
Yuji Nagata vs Keiji Muto (NJPW)
August 12, 2001 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
G1 CLIMAX 2001
Yuji Nagata vs Keiji Muto
Friday, October 2, 2020
Drew Galloway vs. Roderick Strong - From EVOLVE 35
EVOLVE 35 at "The Dungeon" in Brooklyn, NY saw the EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway face a man who has represented the best of the independents for the past decade, Roderick Strong.
The match was booked as a test for Galloway, who had only been on the independent scene for a few months. How would he fair against the man who has set the standard for the last ten years on the independents?
Before the bout even started, Roderick made it clear that this would not be a contest about respect through both his words and his actions. Then things escalated after the match. Witness it for yourself.
Abdullah the Butcher vs Frenchy Riviera - NAWA Bloodiest Brawls 2004
01/31/2004 - NAWA Ringchampions - Dillard's Music Park - Rome, Georgia. Abdullah the Butcher vs Frenchy Riviera - NAWA Bloodiest Brawls 2004.
World League Wrestling TV - Thursday Night Showdown | Episode #104
Welcome to this week's episode of World League Wrestling TV - Thursday Night Showdown! On this week's episode, WLW Young Lions Moses “The Deliverer” and Colton Theron Vaught defend their (at the time) WLW Tag-Team Championships against Austin Cravens and Rahim De La Suede in Richmond, Missouri.
Nick Aldis vs. Jake Hager | NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (2018)
Nick Aldis has continued The Aldis Crusade With Ten Pounds of Gold as he faces Jake Hager. This match is courtesy of AML Wrestling and Wrestlecade.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Sabu VS Jack Jester VS Drew Galloway - ICW World Championship Match
Full match for the ICW World Championship filmed at the KoKo nightclub in London. In this classic ICW match its a three way dance which see Sabu enter with the ICW Championship which he stole the night before to face Jack Jester and Drew Galloway!
Victory Championship Wrestling- VCW Season 2020 Episode 14
In this week's episode you will see Shane Mako vs Justin Fleaux. Then is a qualifying match for the Belladonna's Championship Tournament, JayLee faces Hayley Shadow. Plus Joshua O'Hagan defends the VCW Television Championship against Jacob Danger.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
WORK RATE | "The King of Studio Wrestling"
WORK RATE | On this week’s episode of #WorkRate, David Marquez shares "The Marquez Mentality" behind studio wrestling and the story behind our early TV tapings at Columbia Square Studios nearly a decade ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbn4FWRhAVY
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan | AAW Pro
AAW Heavyweight Championship Match
Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan
The Art of War
2/21/20
Logan Square Auditorium - Chicago, IL
Reality of Wrestling TV: Episode 286
This taping was filmed on a closed set with all athletes and audience members tested prior to the event as well as all staff are required to wear a mask at all time.
Matches: Promise Braxton vs Rok-C for the Women's Championship
Zack Mason vs Ryan Davidson for the ROW Championship
Kevin Sullivan Extended Interview with Ron Fuller
Kevin Sullivan Extended Interview with Ron Fuller
Former WCW Head Writer Kevin Sullivan full "Taskmaster Talks" Podcast Interview with legendary Pensacola/Alabama/Knoxville Promoter/Wrestler Ron Fuller moderated by producer Joh Poz!
The Grappler on Dynamite Kid, Junkyard Dog & When Wrestling Fans Attack
The Grappler (Len Denton) tells some crazy stories about Dynamite Kid, Junkyard Dog and fans fighting the wrestlers.
Get A Load Of This Shit As.. Joey Ryan Files Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit Against #SpeakingOut Accusers
Yeah, good luck with that.. Too many people have come forward and if more than one person says the same thing. That's something that says plenty.
Joey Ryan has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against three woman who have alleged that Ryan sexually assaulted them, according to a filing obtained by HeelByNature.com. These allegations were made during the #SpeakingOut movement prompting Impact Wrestling to release Ryan and for Ryan to delete his and Bar Wrestling's social media accounts. Ryan has since reactivated those accounts as well as his Patreon and has made statements denying the allegations.
Ryan filed the lawsuit in the United States District and Central Court on Sep. 24 claiming the women made false allegations against him, resulting in damages to his reputation and his livelihood. Ryan said he has lost upwards of $20,000 in monthly income from his various revenue sources, including live event bookings, merchandise, Twitch, Cameo and Patreon.
The filing contains details of the losses Ryan has claimed to have lost. The first section concerned the loss of social media followers of at least 11,000 on his Twitter account as well as no longer receiving 1,000 followers per month as Ryan previously had. Listed also is the loss of 8,000 followers on his Instagram as well as no longer receiving 1,000 followers per month as Ryan previously had.
Also included is the loss of venues for Bar Wrestling as well as lost revenues from Bar Wrestling in the amount of $1,500 per month from distribution and streaming services and $2,000 per event with two events per month. There is also a list of alleged lost revenues from merchandising in the amount of $1,000 per month, lost revenues in his Patreon account in the amount of $3,000 per month, lost revenues in his Cameo account in the amount of $500 per month, lost revenues from his Twitch account in the amount of $1,000 per month plus subscription shares and tips from subscribers and lost revenues from Wrestling Performance Bookings of $8,000 to $10,000 per month.
Ryan is reportedly looking for the following resolution to the matter, including payment for economic and non-economic damages. He is also looking for the accusers to retract and delete any defamatory statements made against him.
Ryan is seeking $200,000 in economic damages as to each of the defendants or the amount lost as a result of defendant's conduct multiplied by the months from June 21, 2020 to the date of the award of economic damages. He is also seeking $5,000,000 as to each of the defendants in non-economic damages.
Ryan and his legal term have also filed an injunction on the defendants from making "defamatory statements or any iteration of the defamatory statements as set forth above and herein", "to retract the defamatory statements as set forth above and herein" and "to direct any, and all, websites that defendants posted the defamatory statements as set forth above and herein, to delete the defamatory statements".
You can see HeelByNature's story here. https://heelbynature.com/wrestling-news/joey-ryan-files-multi-million-dollar-lawsuit-against-speaking-out-accusers/
NJPW President Harold Meij Resigns
Harold Meij, the President and CEO of NJPW, will be departing the company next month.
In a statement released by NJPW, it was revealed that Takami Ohbari, who is presently CEO of NJPW America, will take over from Meij as the new President and CEO of NJPW starting from October 23.
Meij, who was appointed president of NJPW in May of 2018, wrote a blog on NJPW's website and apologized to fans for resigning during the ongoing G1 Climax 30 event. He had previously served as senior VP of Coca-Cola Japan.
New Japan Pro Wrestling issued the following statement this morning, announcing that NJPW President Harold Meij is resigning from the company and will be replaced by Takami Ohbari:
At a meeting of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's parent company Bushiroad's board of directors today September 29, 2020, a change was announced in NJPW's directorship. This change will take effect at the beginning of NJPW's 50th year of trading on October 23rd.
Outgoing President/CEO
Harold Meij
New NJPW President/CEO (as of October 23)
Takami Ohbari (current NJPW of America CEO)
Harold's blog is here. https://www.njpw.co.jp/freediary/harold-george-meij87
Monday, September 28, 2020
RANDY ORTON TATTOO LAWSUIT MOVING FORWARD FOLLOWING JUDGMENT FOR ARTIST
The Hollywood Reporter, among other mainstream media outlets, picked up on the ongoing the civil lawsuit was brought by tattoo artist Catherine Alexander against World Wrestling Entertainment, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s Co., Ltd. and Yuke’s LA Inc. after a judge ruled on 9/26 that WWE and Take-Two had indeed copied five tattoos that were Alexander's original work that were tattooed on Orton and that she holds valid trademarks on. the lawsuit, initially filed in April 2018 in the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois, alleges that all of Alexander's tattoo work on WWE star Randy Orton are her original designs that she owns and that she has never given any of the defendants permission to recreate them in the WWE videogames, therefore they and other defendants have infringed on her copyrights.
In the suit, Anderson stated that she performed the tattoo work on Orton between 2003 and 2008 and that "are easily recognized by his fans and members of the public." She also noted that, in advance of the lawsuit obviously, she "submitted applications to register copyrights on each of the aforementioned works on March 15, 2018." She also alleged that she has previously contacted WWE regarding material featuring Orton's tattoos being sold by the company in 2009 and at that time, they offered her a $450 fee for the rights to the designs. Alexander claimed she turned that offer down and at the time, "told WWE that Plaintiff did not grant any permission to WWE to copy, duplicate or otherwise use or reproduce any of Plaintiff’s designs."
Alexander has alleged that by recreating the tattoos in the WWE videogames, the rights to her designs are being infringed upon. She also alleges in the lawsuit that "Mr. Orton does not have ownership in the copyrights asserted herein and has no authority to and did not grant permission for Defendants to commit the acts complained of in this Complaint." Orton has not been named as a defendant in the lawsuit and has never commented publicly on the situation.
The court did deny Alexander's request for a summary judgment (which would have been a knockout blow for her legally, setting up definite damages) citing that some of the tribal tattoos Orton has inked would not allow for a judgment, sending it on for a jury to decide. It also noted that while there is no question that WWE copied Alexander's works, they have laid out three potential defenses that the jury can decide for itself whether to agree with or not.
With the Judge siding with Alexander, there are several issues that a jury will decide, including whether Orton was automatically granted an impied license to have his tattoos recreated via WWE's licensed products, if they would be considered copyright infringement if Orton did not have that license, whether the tattoos would fall under "fair use" (brief excerpts of copyright material may, under certain circumstances, be quoted verbatim for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, and research, without the need for permission from or payment to the copyright holder), whether the tattoos are de minmis (too trivial or minor to merit consideration legally) and whether there would be damages due to Alexander. There are a lot of eyes on the case given that scores of videogames that feature professional athletes recreate their tattoos in the games, and this case could set a legal precedent for other tattoo artists to follow.
The case was at one point scheduled to go to trial a year ago, but was pushed back to after the original presiding Judge retired from the bench, requiring a new Judge, Judge Staci M. Yandle, to take over the proceedings. The trial was pushed back again to June 2020 at the request of 2K and several other plaintiffs and is finally inside the court following delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes have departed Impact Wrestling
Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes have departed Impact Wrestling, multiple sources within the company have confirmed.
Their departures are a result of their current storylines ending. Van Dam had not been under contract for some time and had been working on a series of short-term agreements. They had most recently feuded with Sami Callihan.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Miranda Alize (Hurricane Pro)
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo battles Miranda Alize in this exclusive women's wrestling match from Hurricane Pro.
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Kasey vs Kay Lee Ray (ICW UK)
In one of the greatest matches in ICW history, Kasey put her ICW Womens Championship on the line against Kay Lee Ray in the main event at ICW Fight Club!
Championship Wrestling From Hollywood Episode #78
Today's all new line-up:
TAG TEAM MATCH | THE MILLENNIALS v PAPO ESCO + DANNY LIMELIGHT
Brenden & Danny Divine may have picked the wrong week to return to Championship Wrestling, as they step in there with the newly formed alliance of Papo & Limelight. We hear that Papo is hungry!
SINGLES MATCH | "THE GOLDEN BOY" JORDAN CLEARWATER v JOSE SANTIAGO
The Golden Era begins this week with the return of Jordan Clearwater! Jose Santiago better look out for the deadly Midas Touch!
OPEN CHALLENGE UNITED TV TITLE MATCH | DAN JOSPEH DEFENDS
We've received word that United TV Champion Dan Joseph will issue an Open Challenge... but who will answer the call? This didn't work out so well for WATTS during our live return.
DAVE & BUSTER'S MATCH OF THE WEEK | MAIN EVENT | HEATHER MONROE with HALSTON BODDY v LACEY RYAN
This is Match #5 of the Best of 7 Series - we are all tied up 2-2... and don't forget that Halston Boddy will pick the special stipulation! The Women's Division is this week's Main Event and should be thrilling!
PLUS | David Marquez & Jon Roberts will be standing by with post match interviews from this week's competitors.
AND | We will hear from Heritage Champion Ray Rosas for the first time since winning the Championship from WATTS... and you better believe SoCal Distancing will be lurking somewhere.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST | We hear that WATTS will make his return to Championship Wrestling for the first time since losing his Title. Will Miguel be there... and if so, what exactly does he want?
AND REMEMBER | Anything can happen on the FASTEST HOUR IN PRO WRESTLING!
Saturday, September 26, 2020
MLW Underground #12: Kojima vs. Awesome
Matches:
•World Heavyweight Title Fight: Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Mike Awesome
•Jerry Lynn (with Christopher Daniels) vs. Kid Romeo
Has Kojimania run into a force too awesome for him to overcome? This week’s main event may prove to be the toughest challenge for the reigning World Heavyweight Champion since winning the belt as he goes against the seemingly unstoppable Mike Awesome!
Have Kojima’s defenses in his native Japan prepared him for the rare combination of power, size and speed possessed by Awesome or will Kojima feel the Awesome Bomb and MLW see a changing of the guard?
After last week’s battle against Homicide, Christopher Daniels returns to the Underground, but this time in the corner of his disciple, Jerry Lynn. Lynn’s returns to singles action to face a focused and determined Kid Romeo!
Also, we hear from a determined Steve Corino who has a vested interest in this week’s World Title main event!
All of this plus CM Punk confronts Raven, comments from the Samoan Island Tribe, and more!
Join Joey Styles as he calls the action!
Bert Prentice's USACW EP110 09/26/20
Justin Savage, Miranda Gordy, Luke Cage, and many more are featured on this weeks tv.©2020 USA Championship Wrestling.
Victory Championship Wrestling- VCW Season 2020 Episode 13
In this weeks episode of Victory Championship Wrestling, Legatto Von Squares off with Alex Kane. Also in Action is Scott Paterson, Brandon Cash, Big Smuve, and more. Then in the Main Event, The VCW Tag Team Champions (James & Jensen) defend the titles against Freak Ink.
Supreme Wrestling Last Word 9/25/2020
Hear from your favorite Supreme stars as they get ready for Final
Friday tonight at 2520 Lanier Drive in Madison, Indiana! BE THERE!!! Doors open at 6:30 and bell time is 7:30
Friday, September 25, 2020
NEW HEAD WRITER FOR WWE'S NXT UK BRAND
WWE's NXT UK brand has a new head writer.
Inside the Ropes reported on Thursday that NXT UK talent were informed that Glen Joseph has left NXT UK due to "personal reasons" and Jim Smallman has been promoted to head writer of NXT UK. Joseph and Smallman are both former co-owners of PROGRESS Wrestling.
Inside the Ropes wrote that Smallman "still has to answer to Matt Bloom and Shawn Michaels, who are running the brand remotely from the US due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions."
Dave Meltzer confirmed Inside the Ropes' report in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
At a zoom meeting on 9/24, the talent was told Glen Joseph, the former co-owner of Progress and head writer of NXT U.K., has left the promotion due to personal reasons and that Jim Smallman, another former co-owner of Progress is now head writer for the brand. Joseph was with Progress through June, when he left his post over allegations by women against him. Smallman left Progress at the end of this past year to work full-time for WWE. NXT U.K., headed by Paul Levesque, is actually run by Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom, but Smallman will be head writer and in charge of tapings since Levesque, Bloom and Michaels can’t travel to the U.K. and back right now.
ITR Wrestling reported the talent is all together at the U.K gym for a three-week training session prior to the next tapings. Usually the talent is brought in for one week to practice for the tapings. The change is because there was a feeling at the last tapings the ring work wasn’t good. A number of matches ended up being re-shot because they weren’t good on the first shooting. Some blamed this on people not having wrestled for months. It’s also reported that WWE has signed more European talent which will start debuting on upcoming tapings. U.K. talent was also told that they could no longer sell their merchandise, which had been allowed as a way to make money since the U.K. contracts are for a low amount. They also have to follow the WWE main roster restrictions of not working with any third party companies, which were also previously allowed. People aren’t happy because most U.K. contracts range from $24,000 to $36,000 per year, although the top guy (Walter and maybe a couple of others) are believed to be well over triple the higher end because they had to make him an offer of real money to get him. Walter was in the range of most of the high-end NXT guys in the U.S. besides somebody like Balor who gets main roster money but was moved to NXT for the ratings war. Originally this was presented a that the talent would make most of their old money plus they’d get their WWE money and most were barely scraping by on wrestling just working indies, so even that $20,000 boost (which was what the original contracts were for) made a big difference for most.
It was announced in August that NXT UK was returning with new in-ring content. The brand hadn't held any events since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tapings were done at BT Sport studios in London, England and began airing on September 17.
Francine On Why She Didn't Enjoy Her Time In WWE
Whereas WWF had Miss Elizabeth as the First Lady of Wrestling, Francine was known as the First Lady of ECW. She was the Queen of Extreme and is best known for her time with Shane Douglas and the Triple Threat.
But Francine also had a stint in WWE's version of ECW in 2006. She recalled why it wasn't the best experience working there when Francine joined The Ryback Show.
"I never wanted to work there. Everybody thinks that's the mecca and that's their goal in the business; it wasn't my goal. I was very comfortable with working for ECW and I said if we didn't go out of business, I would have probably died working for them. I would have been there for a long time," said Francine.
"We did 2005 [ECW One Night Stand]. They had the One Night Stand reunion thing and they called, 'Do you want to do it?' 'Sure, I'll do it.' It's nostalgia, whatever. I thought it was a one-time deal and I go and I do the thing in New York and then, a year later, they tell me, 'Oh, we're bringing ECW back and I'm just like, 'Really?' Now I'm 34 when I get this call in 2006. I'm 48 now. I'm 34 then and I said to myself, 'Is this something I want to do?' because what they're telling me is probably not going to happen, because I know people who work there. And I know how they get you in and then, they change everything."
"Then, the other side of me says, 'This is probably the last chance I'll get a big run for some money because I'm getting up there in years and the girls don't last as long as the men do.' Being a woman, your time is shorter. I'll give it a try. So, they tell me 'You're going to do exactly what you did for Paul [Heyman] and we're going to put you with somebody. Probably, you'll be a mouthpiece' because I can talk and I said, 'That's great. I love to be a manager. I'll bump. Whatever you need.' And I said, 'Can I sign a one-year deal' and they said, 'No, you need to sign a three-year deal.' [Tommy] Dreamer was the one that was doing the deals and he said they want to know you're committed and you're going to ride it out. 'Okay, I'll do it', but my gut tells me I'm not going to make the three whole years."
Francine's gut was correct as was her worry that WWE would sell her one thing and then have her do something completely different. That involved doing bikini contests which is something she didn't even do in ECW.
"Even before, I said, 'There's no way I'm going to last three years.' I know what people tell me. I'm not homegrown. I don't look like a Barbie Doll. I mean, I have a different look to me, which is fine. Not everybody has to be the classic blonde, blue-eyed. I don't think I'm Vince's cup of tea, but I'll give it a go. Who knows? No. I get in there and it was exactly the opposite," stated Francine.
"And I begged and begged and begged to work and Johnny Ace, I mean, I cried in front of him. I begged, 'Just sit tight. We'll do something.' They had me in a bikini, that I never did in my 20s. Mind you, now I'm in my mid-30s and working with a 19-year-old [Kelly Kelly]. It was very uncomfortable. The audience was very young. There are so many children and they had us coming out in these thong bikinis and it was just not right and very uncomfortable. It wasn't what I signed up for and I'm a team player. I'll do what you want me to do, but if you ask me what can you do and I tell you I'm willing to work, let me work because at that point I had 13 years' experience, more than any girl that was in that locker room. I had the most experience although I went in as the most humble person. I would get the girls cookies from the catering, 'Does anybody need a bottle of water' because I'm the new kid here. I'm trying to make friends."
Francine said she didn't think she was Vince McMahon's cup of tea and McMahon reportedly knew nothing about her previous work in ECW. She recalled learning that during a conversation she had with McMahon backstage.
"I hear, 'Francine, can I speak to you for a second' and I turn around and it's Vince McMahon. He's just standing there and I've shaken his hand a bunch of times, but I've never had a conversation with him because he's untouchable sometimes," said Francine. "And so, I go, 'Sure' and he goes, 'Take a walk with me.' I said, 'Okay.'
"We start walking around the arena and he says to me, 'What makes you so special?' I said, 'I don't know what you're getting at' and he goes, 'Why should I put money into you?' I said, 'I can work' and I said, 'You never watched?' And he goes, 'No, I never watched ECW' and I said, 'You have our tape library.' He goes, 'I don't watch it.' I said 'Okay then' and I learned later Shane McMahon was the ECW mark. So, I'm like, 'Where is Shane!?' I'm taking laps with this man and he's just like, 'You're beautiful, but beautiful girls are a dime a dozen. What can you do for me?' And I said, 'Well if you let me work, I can show you what I'm capable of doing. If you don't want to watch the tapes of my performances' – because part of me wanted to say – 'Why'd you hire me?' But I know he's not the only one in that. There are a bunch of people doing it."
At this time WWE would do Raw on Mondays and then do both SmackDown and ECW on Tuesdays. All talent had to work both days even though Francine – being a part of SmackDown – was never used on Raw on Mondays.
"So, he says, 'You come to RAW and look for me. No matter where I am, you run up to me and you smack me on the back and you say, 'Hey Vince, what do you got for me tonight?' So, I go back and sit down and go, 'I'm going to look like a moron for doing this, but I'm going to do it because I want to show him I'm a team player," said Francine.
"Next week is RAW and I see him and he's standing there with a bunch of suits – guys I didn't even know who they are. He's at the end of the hallway and I ran like a lunatic. I ran down the hall, I smacked him so hard on his back and I said, 'Hey Vince, what do you got for me tonight?' And he grabbed me and embraced me and just hugged me and he said, 'That's my girl!' And he let me go and he walked away. I said, 'Okay, but you didn't tell me what you got for me tonight. Am I working? Am I not working?' And I walked over and my name's on the TV."
Francine would be paired with a fellow ECW Original in Balls Mahoney but the duo would be short-lived thanks to Mahoney's personal problems.
"So, we get this little angle where they paired me with Balls Mahoney. Balls was a dear friend of mine from ECW. It was a weird pairing but it worked," said Francine. "They were the beauty and the beast; they were labeling us. So, fine. Then, Balls takes the drug test and he goes in the cup and they find something and I get a phone call, 'Oh, bring your bathing suit back' and there goes my deal and I wanted to kill Balls. I was just like, 'You could've got me out' and he goes, 'I'm sorry!'
"There were talks about putting me with Test. They were going to make us this monster heel team and I was all on board for that, never happened. I said, 'I don't care who I work with, I just don't want to do this bikini stuff, because number one, it's God awful. It's stupid and I don't want to say I'm above it, but I know I have talent and I know I can work and I know I can help get somebody over if they need it and this is just something I didn't sign up for.'"
WWE wasn't able to find anything else for Francine outside of the occasional bikini contest and she would be released just one month after making her WWE TV debut.
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