WWE may be planning to have a Final Deletion match sometime in the future.

While speaking to IGN about the possibilities of the match taking place against Bray Wyatt, Matt Hardy responded, “100%. Absolutely.”

Matt didn’t elaborate exactly when and where the match will happen, but given that he’s currently involved in a feud with Bray, it could be happening sooner rather than later.

The first Final Deletion was aired on TNA programming on December 15h, 2016 and featured The Broken Hardys vs. Abyss & Crazzy. The match was taped at The Hardy Compound in Cameron, North Carolina and is arguably one of the best segments in Impact Wrestling’s history.

You can check out the match embedded below:

The post WWE Planning Final Deletion Match? appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Photo: WWE

Update On Last Weekend’s WWE Releases

As we reported last weekend, Emma, Summer Rae, and Darren Young were all released from their WWE contracts. It’s being reported now that they are being paid through the end of February under their no-compete clause, so we shouldn’t expect to see them pop up on the indies any time soon.

No word on why these three don’t have the standard 90 day no-compete, which would free them up to compete elsewhere at the end of January 2018.

Broken Hardys Update

Well, it sounds like Matt Hardy is still trying to get the Broken Hardys gimmick. He was denied a trademark on the name when he last applied in May, with the USPTO citing “unacceptable specimens/documents provided as proof of use.”

Hardy has apparently hired a Nashville, Tennessee, attorney who specializes in intellectual property to help him acquire the “Broken” trademark. He has now reapplied, submitting a CWF MidAtlantic Wrestling promotional poster featuring him in his Broken gimmick during the “Expedition Of Gold” tour as documentation.

Sawyer Fulton & Leo Gao Released From NXT

Sawyer Fulton is the latest talent to be released from WWE. The former member of Sanity in NXT signed with WWE in 2012, and his last appearance on WWE television was on an episode of NXT last October. He was out with an injury until he returned to the road with NXT in July.

Fulton took to Twitter to address his release.

A new path is beginning to unfold and I'm excited to walk it!
Time to move forward to the same goal! pic.twitter.com/locZPJZTzR

— FULTON (@SFulton_WWE) November 3, 2017

Also released today was Leo Gao. He suffered a neck injury over the summer, and that may have played a part in his release. Gao took to Twitter after news broke of his release with a positive message.

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never konw what you're going to get.So should be keep smile! pic.twitter.com/yGVHL9gB3B

— Leo Gao (@LeoGaoWWE) November 3, 2017

The post Update On Latest WWE Releases; NXT Stars Released; Broken Hardy Update appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: Twitter

WWE Hell In A Cell Announced

WWE announced that they will be returning to Detroit on October 8th at the Little Ceasers Arena for this year’s Hell In A Cell PPV. This year, WWE Hell In A Cell will be a SmackDown Live exclusive PPV.

SPORTS: Little Caesars Arena to host WWE Hell in a Cell from ABC7 https://t.co/ZqsUA52AyM #Detroit

— MI News Place (@minewsplace) July 30, 2017

Latest Broken Hardys News

This is the story that just won’t go away. Shock of shocks, all four of the initial trademark applications that Global Force Wrestling filed for in relation to the “Broken Universe” have been denied by the USPTO.

The “Broken Matt” trademark was denied due to it being too similar to the “Broken Matt Hardy” trademark that Matt Hardy himself filed for first. In order for GFW to get the trademark they applied for, they have to indicate whether the trademark refers to a living person, and if so, Matt would have to sign off on it since his application holds precedence.

“Brother Nero” was denied because GFW did not indicate whether or not is was going to be used to identify a living person. If it does, then they will need Jeff Hardy’s consent.

“Broken Brilliance” was refused due to GFW failing to specify whether or not the term has any significance in professional wrestling or is just a “term of art” in the business.

“Vanguard 1” was denied due to its similarity with a non-wrestling trademark.

All four trademarks received initial refusals due to the wording used for identification and classification and goods being too broad in the initial filing. The USPTO has asked for additional clarification on all of the filings.

John Cena At No Mercy

John Cena will be making his first appearance on a RAW brand PPV since the draft split last year. He’s being advertised for September’s No Mercy PPV in Los Angeles.

The post WWE Hell In A Cell Announced, John Cena Set For RAW PPV, & Broken Hardys Latest appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

Eric Bischoff Thinks He Knows Angle’s Secret

On the latest installment of his podcast, former WCW President and RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff said that he thinks he knows what Kurt Angle’s big secret is. Angle is scheduled to do a big reveal on Monday’s show, and if Bischoff is even close to being right, we are all going to need some anti-nausea medication.

Bischoff gave his take on the angle to his co-host Nick Hausman.

Bischoff: Uhh, alright…I’m sure I’m going to be burning a bridge with this one, cause I’m not supposed to know about this. And hopefully, nobody gets into any trouble over this because leaks happen, right? But you remember the storyline with AJ and Claire?

Hausman: Oh my god, yeah. How could you forget?

Bischoff: WWE is ripping that off. Dixie is Claire and Kurt is AJ.

Hausman: Wow. So you’re saying Dixie and Kurt have been having an affair? He’s been cheating on his wife?

Bischoff: I’m saying the storyline, that everyone is alluding to, is shockingly familiar to AJ and Claire.

If WWE is actually going to try to recycle and revamp an old TNA storyline, then we know Vince McMahon has actually lost it.

Broken Hardys Update

As we reported earlier this week, Jeff Jarrett said on a conference call that Anthem and Global Force Wresting still own the Broken Hardys intellectual property and that there has been no agreement reached for Matt Hardy to bring the gimmick to WWE. We also reported in the same story that Reby Hardy, Matt’s wife, completely contradicted that story.

It’s being reported now that both sides were close to an agreement within the past month where the Hardys would have paid $10,000 – $15,000 for the rights to the trademark. It noted that the non-disparagement clause that Reby mentioned was a $1,000 fine for the first offense and $5,000 for each following violation. The Hardys also agreed to signing off on a press release stating that both sides settled on good terms.

However, Anthem also wanted 50% of all the Hardy’s revenue, including the revenue from Jeff’s art and music. The Hardys said nope to that.

Apparently, GFW is still looking to use the gimmick to profit off DVDs and even a digital series on the Broken Hardys. Since the Hardys wouldn’t promote or endorse those ventures, it would be difficult for Anthem to pull them off.

GFW gave the following statement about the whole ordeal:

“WWE has clearly stated via email that they do not want the ‘Broken Brilliance’ IP [intellectual property]. GFW has been and always will be open to a licensing agreement for the IP to all parties, which is customary in the music and entertainment business, but revolutionary in the professional wrestling business.”

The post Eric Bischoff On Kurt Angle’s Secret; Broken Hardys Update appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

WWE has footage of Matt and Jeff Hardy being interviewed by Corey Graves on the WWE Network. Graves asks about the “Broken Hardys” gimmick and Matt had the following remarks to say regarding the chances of it re-surfacing in WWE:

“I definitely think there is a chance. It’s a work in progress. Unfortunately, because of legal reasons, I really can’t go into it right now but I find it very flattering and humbling that every time we come and wrestle in front of the WWE Universe, they chant and they address it and they acknowledge it.”

Matt added, “When it happens, and I’m not even going to say if, when it happens, it’s going to be the most exciting thing to hit WWE programming in a long, long time. We’ve got to keep people guessing.”

The post Jeff Hardy Says “BROKEN” Gimmick Will Be The Most Exciting Thing To Hit WWE Programming appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

Photo: Twitter

Tommaso Ciampa Injury Update

The impending feud between former DIY partners Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano has the potential to be absolutely fantastic. However, it appears as if we will have to wait a bit for it to actually get going.

As we reported last week, Ciampa suffered an ankle injury last week at the Highland Heights live event. It’s now being reported that the injury is worse than originally feared. And, to make matters worse, Ciampa suffered another injury during Saturday’s ladder match at TakeOver Chicago against The Authors of Pain. WWE sources have him heading to Birmingham, Alabama for further diagnosis. That can’t be good as Birmingham is the home of famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

At tonight’s NXT tapings, Ciampa came out on crutches and cut a promo that acknowledged the injury. The storyline explanation for him turning on Gargano will be that he (Ciampa) “knew” Gargano would replace him because of the injury.

“Broken Matt” Trademark Refused

Matt Hardy’s ongoing legal battle with Impact Wrestling hit a speedbump today when his trademark application was given an initial refusal by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The registration application was denied because it “identifies only the name of a particular character/personal name” and doesn’t function in a way to “identify and distinguish applicant’s services from those of others and to indicate the source of applicant’s services.”

In layman’s terms, that means Hardy filed the trademark without naming any services (such as DVD sales, merchandise, and the like) that would be associated with it. Conversely, Impact Wrestling and Anthem filed a trademark request for “Broken Matt” on April 28th that is for “DVDs featuring wrestling performances, interviews with wrestlers, backstage happenings and behind-the-scenes information; wristbands; commemorative photographs; posters; trading cards; clothing, namely, shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, visors and arm sleeves; entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler; entertainment services, namely, ongoing wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and recorded for the purpose of distribution through broadcast media; and toy action figures and accessories therefor.”

Hardy has 6 months to respond to the refusal and resubmit the application before it is considered abandoned.

Asuka Added To WWE Japan Tour

Asuka has officially been added to the WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan, which obviously makes a lot of sense. On both nights, she will be teaming with Bayley and Sasha Banks against Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Emma. Mickie James was initially booked in Asuka’s spot. The rest of the card has remained unchanged from what we first reported.

The post Tommaso Ciampa Injury Update; Hardy Trademark Denied; Asuka Added To WWE Japan Shows appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: Impact Wrestling

The drama between Impact Wrestling and their parent company Anthem and the Hardy family rolls on. Today, Anthem’s Ed Nordholm released a detailed statement regarding the stance of Impact Wrestling and Anthem on the whole “Broken” Hardys situation.

Good afternoon,

In response to on-going speculation concerning our position with respect to the “Broken Brilliance” creative, I am providing this detailed log of our communications on the subject and the contractual structure of our relationship with Matt Hardy with respect to intellectual property matters (which is standard to our roster and in the industry).

There has never been any argument from Impact Wrestling that the Hardy’s were key contributors to the development of the characters and story line, or that Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy executed on their roles in spectacular fashion. But the position taken by the Hardys is a massive disservice to the contributions of the rest of the creative team at Impact Wrestling, including Jeremy Borash, Dave Lagano, Matt Conway and Billy Corgan, and is totally at odds with the terms of their contracts.

The Hardys would have you believe that Anthem is somehow avoiding their lawyers to address this. This is the log of our communications with the Hardys and/or their lawyers. It is clear that we have not been avoiding them.

• March 10 – EBN speaks with executives at ROH about “Broken Brilliance” being used in ROH shows. I indicated willingness to provide an arrangement that would allow the creative to be used in ROH shows and encouraged ROH to have Matt speak with me if he wanted to pursue that discussion
• March 11 – EBN spoke at length with Matt by telephone about the structure of an amicable arrangement for use of the Broken Brilliance creative
• March 14 – Matt sent text message to Ed Nordholm at 4:05pm:
  “Tried giving you a call, it rang & went busy. I’m open to working things out amicably as we spoke about. The lawyer who represent me is interested in seeing your offer. My lawyer’s email is redacted which you could send the offer to for review. Thanks.”
• And I responded by text at 6:41 pm
  “Thank you Matt. I was supposed to be [flying] into NYC today and am a little twisted. I will pull something together with [our] lawyers and try to get it over to your lawyer tomorrow or Thursday at latest“
• March 16 – At 8:25 pm I sent an update text to Matt:
  “Hi Matt. My lawyer got me a draft too late to get reviewed for today. I will look at it in the morning. Sorry for the delay”
• And he responded at 9:16 pm
  “Ok, he’s ready for it. Thanks for the update.”
• March 17 – counsel for Anthem Wrestling delivered draft proposal to counsel for Matt Hardy
• March 24 – counsel for Anthem Wresting followed up with Matt Hardy counsel requesting comments on the proposal
• March 27 – counsel for Matt Hardy responds that they have been away and have not reviewed the proposal but will be back “in the next few days”

After which no further communication until:

• April 18 – counsel for Matt Hardy leaves a voice mail message for counsel for Anthem Wrestling asking to arrange a meeting
• April 20 – EBN contacts WWE by email to determine veracity of internet rumours concerning WWE interest in Broken Brilliance
• April 21 — WWE respond by email that there “is no interest on our end” redacted email exchange attached
• April 21 – counsel for Matt Hardy sends a follow up message requesting a meeting
• April 27 – lawyers speak to arrange a meeting
• May 16 – lawyers meet but no agreement reached

Finally, I am attaching a copy of the relevant provisions of Matt’s contract with Impact. The clause is virtually identical to the corresponding provisions of every wrestler under contract with Impact.

The facts are that we tried to accommodate the Hardys for their Ring of Honour engagements, and have tried to elicit an indication from WWE whether they have an interest in using the Broken Brilliance creative in WWE. We are not hoarding it from WWE; WWE is not interested in it.

We fully respect the decision of Matt and Jeff to return to WWE and appreciate all of their contributions to Impact Wrestling. We wish them every success.

Our focus is on the future and we will not have any further public comment on this matter.

As for the e-mails in question which purport to show that WWE has no interest in the “Broken” Hardys gimmick, here they are.

Nordholm also released portions of Hardy’s contract, which you can see here. He claims that this proves that Anthem and Impact Wrestling are in the right in this situation, and the Hardys are basically have no legal leg to stand on.

Matt’s wife, Reby, immediately upon seeing this press release, took to Twitter to slap back at Impact Wrestling, Anthem, and Ed Nordholm with her side of the story.

Long story short: TNA tried a literal sales pitch on WWE re: #BROKEN gimmick (which isn't legally theirs) & they said "LOLZ yeah no, thanks"

— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) May 23, 2017

Anthem mad because WWE didn't fall for their offensive money grab. That type of "business" is right on par with @RealJeffJarrett gold scam

— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) May 24, 2017

There’s plenty more on her Twitter time line about this, too, and you can check that out to get all the latest from her.

In my opinion, it’s time for both sides to kind of grow up and just move on. This is getting crazy. Go to therapy or mediation or something.

The post Impact Wresting & Anthem Release Statement On Hardy Situation; Reby Hardy Responds appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: Twitter

Linda McMahon Talks Vince Biopic

Linda McMahon, wife of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and current Administrator of The Small Business Administration in the Trump Administration, was interviewed recently and asked about a few WWE-related things.

As we’ve reported, a Vince McMahon biopic is apparently in the works, but Linda doesn’t think the picture will ever be made. She was also asked about her favorite current WWE wrestler, and to no one’s surprise, her favorite is son-in-law Triple H.

Bella Book In The Works

Nikki Bella revealed in the latest video uploaded to The Bella’s YouTube channel that she and Brie are working on a book. Since Brie is due to (hopefully) deliver Birdie Joe any day and Nikki is taking time away from the ring to plan her wedding to John Cena and heal up from a nagging neck injury, they should have a little spare time to work on a few outside projects.

Well, Nikki obviously does. I have a feeling Brie will be in full Mommy mode for a long while to come.

Broken Gimmick Still In Limbo

The Broken Hardys gimmick is still in some sort of legal/moronic limbo. With all of the trademark applications flying around, it’s hard to keep up. Impact Wrestling and Anthem are claiming now that their trademark applications, which were filed back on April 28th, were in truth filed back in January. Huh?? Matt Hardy and his wife Reby filed their trademark applications for all things related to the Broken Universe back on March 1st.

So, as of now, the Hardys and Impact are going round and round with legal letters. We do know now, though, that there has been no lawsuit filed yet and no agreement or settlement regarding the gimmick has been made.

Triple H To Be Inducted Into The Boys & Girls Clubs Of America Alumni Hall Of Fame

WWE sent out the following press release today announcing that Triple H will be inducted into the Alumni section of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America Hall Of Fame.

Paul Levesque to be inducted into Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame

DALLAS — Paul “Triple H” Levesque will enter the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Alumni Hall of Fame today in Dallas. The Hall of Fame honors distinguished people who got their start at their local Boys & Girls Club.

Levesque enters the Hall of Fame alongside six other inductees: WNBA star Skylar Diggins, MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, actor Anthony Anderson, Dr. Dante Lauretta and Dr. Philip Schein.

A member of the Nashua, N.H., Club, Levesque debuted in WWE in 1995 and has gone on to capture 14 World Championships in addition to becoming a successful executive within the company.

He will join WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, who entered the BGCA Hall of Fame in 2015.

The post WWE News: Linda McMahon, Bellas Book, Triple H, & Broken Hardys Still In Limbo appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.