NEWS

NXT UK
Date: March 3, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness
It’s time for another title week here as Ilja Dragunov is defending the United Kingdom Title against Nathan Frazer. That should make for a great one, as the two of them have a nice record of rising to the occasion in the big matches. Other than that, Gallus gets Sha Samuels in a preview of Joe Coffey vs. Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup later this month. Let’s get to it.
We open with a video on Nathan Frazer vs. Ilja Dragunov.
Opening sequence.
Sha Samuels vs. Mark Coffey There are no seconds here for a change. They slug it out to start with Samuels headlocking him over. With that not working, Coffey is back up and starts working on the arm, setting up a Russian legsweep. A backdrop sends Samuels rolling to the floor but he’s right back in to kick away. Samuels drops him with a running clothesline before pulling up the suspenders for some reason.
Coffey gets twisted d..

That’s a bad way to go. There are a lot of wrestlers in the industry and the majority of them come and go without doing much of note. When you think about it, only a small handful make it to the big leaves and even a smaller handful of them are successes on that level. Sometimes wrestlers do things that are noteworthy for reasons that are more infamous than anything else, which might be the case again.
According to PWInsider.com, former Impact Wrestling star Michael Elgin is suing the company for breach of contract. Impact Wrestling removed Elgin from television following sexual misconduct allegations against him. Elgin was removed from Impact Wrestling television on June 26, 2022 over allegations in the SpeakingOut Movement and is claiming that his career was damaged as a result. He is also claiming that he was told he was being removed based on statements against him with Impact never conducting an investigation.
Elgin has released a video going into detail on the case, saying his ..

Maybe not? There have been a lot of wrestlers moving from one company to another in recent months, many of which are the result of WWE letting them go. Most wrestlers have been leaving WWE, but there are a few who have been heading there. That can make for a big moment, but this time it seems like someone will not be going there, at least for the time being.
Last month, Cody Rhodes left AEW when the two sides could not come to terms on a new deal. This led to speculation that Rhodes would be on his way to WWE, but according to Cassidy Hayes of Bodyslam.net, talks between Rhodes and WWE have “fizzled out”. It is not clear why talks between the two sides stalled. There is a chance that Rhodes could return to AEW as part of the newly acquired Ring of Honor, though there is no guarantee that it will happen.
Opinion: That’s quite the surprise, though I’m curious to see what happens going forward. At the end of the day, Rhodes left AEW, where he was in charge, but now I’m not sure where el..

He’s a big one to have back. WWE has a long history of bringing in celebrities to take part in major wrestling events. The idea makes a lot of sense as fans can be interested in seeing what happens when someone famous steps into their world. It can make for some fascinating moments, especially if the celebrity has some kind of an athletic background. That might be the case again soon.
During an interview with Give Me Sport, heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury said that he would be back in WWE, saying “one million percent, you will see me in the WWE again.” Fury has made multiple appearances with WWE, including defeating Braun Strowman in a match at Crown Jewel 2019 via countout. There is no word on when Fury will return to WWE, though he has a title defense scheduled for April 23. Fury has said that the fight will be the final one of his career.
Opinion: I’m sure WWE would enjoy having one of the most successful boxers of all time and one of the most recognized athletes in the worl..

There are a lot of reactions. The wrestling world was changed in a pretty big way this week as AEW President Tony Khan announced that he has purchased Ring of Honor Wrestling. This means that the promotion will continue, though it is not entirely clear where everything is heading. It does mean that people are excited though, and now the wrestling world is reacting to the news.
Following Khan’s announcement this week on AEW Dynamite, the wrestling world has reacted to the news, including several legends, AEW wrestlers and former Ring of Honor stars. Here are some of the highlights, including comments from some stars who might be popping up again in the new Ring of Honor when it relaunches on April 1 with Supercard of Honor:
As far as major announcements go, @TonyKhan acquiring @ringofhonor is pretty freaking major!
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) March 3, 2022
Congratulations @TonyKhan !!! Let me know if you are interested in @ringofhonor Women’s Division. They are incredibly talented..

Now that’s a SHAHT AHT! During his first live interview in 15 years on today’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Vince McMahon invited the host to compete at WrestleMania 38. The invitation was extended due to the former NFL player and Smackdown commentator’s tremendous connection to the WWE Universe.
You can see the announcement below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

McAfee last competed in a WWE ring at NXT Takeover: WarGames 2020. McAfee, along with Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch defeated The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish).
It is unknown at this time who his opponent will be.
Editor’s Opinion:
YES! This is awesome! I remember thinking all during the pandemic how absolutely terrific he has been at everything that he has done in WWE. Not only has become the best commentator in the company on Smackdown, but his in-ring work was fantastic and he has earned the right to compete at the Showcase of the Immortals. I have..

That will work. Ever since it was announced that The Undertaker would be the headliner in the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2022, many have been wondering who will be the person that inducts him. That question was answered on today’s episode of the Pat McAfee Show.
Vince McMahon was a guest on today’s show and announced that he will be the one that officially inducts The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame. You can see the announcement vai Twitter below:
MASSIVE @WWE BREAKING NEWS…
“I'm gonna have the distinction of inducting The Undertaker into the Hall of Fame” ~@VinceMcMahon#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qbC6XBEGjb
— ??at McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 3, 2022
From WWE.com:
This monumental decision was destined, considering the close personal relationship Mr. McMahon and The Phenom have developed over the years.
The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place Friday, April 1, at American Airlines Center in Dallas as part of WrestleMania Week. The event will stream live exclusively ..

That makes the most sense. The biggest wrestling story of the week came this week on Dynamite when Tony Khan announced that he had purchased Ring of Honor Wrestling. This created a lot of questions, as there was now another well known promotion under, or at least near, the AEW umbrella. Now we might know the answer to one of, if not the most important questions.
According to Bodyslam.net’s Cassidy Haynes, the current plan is for AEW to use Ring of Honor as a developmental territory “of some sort”. There is no word on when this will begin, though Ring of Honor is planned to return from hiatus on April 1 with Supercard of Honor. It is not clear how the show will be changed now that the company is owned by Khan.
Opinion: I don’t think this is the biggest surprise and that is not a bad thing. The best thing about AEW and Ring of Honor working together is the fact that they have a new place to put a lot of their wrestlers. AEW’s lower level is bigger than most Ring of Honor names so the u..

According to its corporate website, WWE has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcaster Match and shut down the WWE Network in Russia effective immediately.
The report further states that the move eliminates access in Russia to any WWE programming, including the company’s weekly Raw, SmackDown and NXT shows, its on-demand library, and all of its premium live events, including WrestleMania 38.
This is the latest in a series of economic decisions made in an attempt to punish the Russian Government and Vladimir Putin for its invasion of Ukraine. Several companies, including Apple, have stopped doing business with Russia, which is hurting their economy. In addition, the United States has placed several sanctions on Russia over the past weeks, with more to come in the future.
Editor’s Opinion:
This doesn’t surprise me, as we are starting to see a pattern of major industries from the west doing what they can to stand up to the Russian Government. Many people view Russia’s invasio..

They need the practice. NXT has been shaken up in a lot of ways over the last several months, leaving the promotion looking almost nothing like it looked in its glory days. That creates a problem as it still serves as the official developmental show for WWE, meaning the wrestlers still need to be in the ring. However, a WWE decision might make that even harder than it seems.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE has no intent to take NXT on the road as a touring brand because they do not feel fans would buy tickets to see the shows. This includes running live events in Florida as the NXT did for several years before the relaunch. The only shows that NXT is currently running is its television taping, which is shown in front of people who are let in.
Opinion: So to clarify, these wrestlers are supposed to improve their wrestling without wrestling? NXT wrestlers are in need of ring time more than anything else and I have no idea why WWE does not think selling tickets matter. No one..

There is a place for him. AEW has been built on a rather strong roster, which is a blend of several wrestlers and styles, many of whom have been around for a long time. It can be difficult to find something for everyone to do, but AEW has managed to make it work well enough. Every now and then you get a bit of a surprise, which was the case again this week as a wrestler returned to the ring. Now we know a bit more about his future.
Opinion: The more I see of Daniels wrestling this well so late into his career, the more impressive he really is. Daniels is 51 years old but you would be able to imagnie him being in his mid to late 30s. I’m not sure what Daniels is going to be doing going forward in AEW but he is certainly someone who could offer quite a bit, if nothing else just based on the incredible experience that he has.
What did you think of Daniels’ appearance? How should he be used in AEW? Let us know in the comments below. Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty ye..

Add it to the card. We are less than a month away from WrestleMania 38 and the card is starting to come together. There are two different nights to fill in though and that is going to be easier said than done. WWE needs to add in some more matches to bolster the card and they do have some things set in motion. Now they have officially announced another match for the show.
WWE has announced that Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin will take place on the first night of WrestleMania on April 2. The match comes after Corbin and Madcap Moss injured McIntyre in January and put him out of action for several weeks. McIntyre and Corbin were scheduled to face off last week on SmackDown but Moss took Corbin’s place instead. This is the fourth match set for the fight night of WrestleMania.
Opinion: I don’t think this is any kind of a surprise but that might not make it the most interesting match. The feud has been going for about two months now and it makes sense for WWE to want to (presumably) blow ..