It was rumored on various websites that Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard may be signing with WWE in the near future, however it now appears those rumors are false.

Blanchard recently mentioned on Twitter that she is now taking independent bookings for next year, so that should rule out any indications of her signing to WWE at this time.

Now accepting bookings for 2018 #TessaIsForever #Undeniable

TessaMB1@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/Z0F2kWNmSs

— Tessa Blanchard (@Tess_Blanchard) December 1, 2017

In addition to competing in the Mae Young Classic for WWE, she also wrestled several months in NXT.

The post Tessa Blanchard NOT Signing with WWE appeared first on Wrestling News & WWE News, Rumors & Spoilers.

WWE has announced that Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane will compete for the vacant NXT Women’s Title at NXT Takeover: Houston on November 18th. As of this writing, her opponent is unknown. We will keep you updated once the announcement is made.

BREAKING: @TripleH says that @KairiSaneWWE will compete at NXT TakeOver on Nov. 18 for the NXT women's championship: https://t.co/bJnfiycqLD

— WWE on ESPN (@WWEonESPN) September 13, 2017

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Photo: WWE

Matches Added To Hell In A Cell

On tonight’s SmackDown Live, we found out that there will be at least two Hell In A Cell matches at the upcoming PPV on October 8th.

The main event of the show will feature Jinder Mahal defending his WWE World Title against Shinsuke Nakamura in the Cell. I am guessing this is being done so that The Singh Brothers can’t interfere like they are prone to do in all of Mahal’s bouts.

The second match that was announced is Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens in the Cell. Vince McMahon made the match on SmackDown Live tonight before getting utterly destroyed by Owens (it was glorious).

As for those wondering why Shane McMahon is in a program with Kevin Owens, it’s being reported that Vince thinks his son is a big attraction and can boost business by stepping into the ring and having a match with a top star. Shane is also required to wrestle at least twice per the terms of his WWE contract.

Backstage News On The NXT Women’s Title

It’s being reported that the winner of the Mae Young Classic (and as we all now know, Kairi Sane defeated Shayna Baszler in the finals tonight) will get a future title shot.

At this time, it appears that the new NXT Women’s Champion will be determined in with a multi-woman match. No date or indication if the match will take place on a weekly NXT show or if it will happen at a TakeOver special.

The post Matches Announced For WWE Hell In A Cell; NXT Women’s Title News appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

NXT Tapings Postponed

Due to Hurricane Irma and the damage caused in parts of Florida, WWE has announced that the NXT tapings scheduled for tomorrow night in Orlando at Full Sail have been postponed. NXT will have the tapings on Thursday, September 14th at Full Sail instead.

As of today, the Full Sail campus remains closed due to the hurricane. Common sense says it will reopen tomorrow if WWE is planning on doing the tapings then.

Mae Young Classic Finals News & Notes

As everyone knows, the finals of the Mae Young Classic tournament will be airing on WWE Network tonight after SmackDown Live and will see Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler fight it out to be the tourney winner.

Also tonight, WWE is hosting a red carpet event for the tournament finals on their Facebook page with guests that range from Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to members of the cast of Netflix’s GLOW. WWE Hall Of Famers Madusa and Beth Phoenix are being brought in for the finals, as well as many of the women who competed in the tournament itself.

Brie Bella has said that she will miss tonight’s MYC finals due to Birdie being sick.

The post NXT Tapings Postponed; Mae Young Classic Finals News & Notes appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

Mae Young Classic Finals

As everyone knows by now, the finals for the Mae Young Classic tournament just around the corner. WWE will be airing a 30-minute special on the tourney after RAW on Monday, hosted by Charly Caruso. During this special, there will be a 6-woman tag team match featuring Tessa Blanchard, Jazzy Gabert, and Kay Lee Ray taking on Santana Garrett, Sarah Logan, and Marti Belle. The special will air on WWE Network immediately following RAW.

On Tuesday night, there will be a MYC Finals Red Carpet special airing on WWE’s Facebook page at 6:00 pm EDT. And, in the tourney finals, which will air from 10:00 to 10:30 pm EDT on WWE Network, Shayna Baszler will face Kairi Sane.

ROH Death Before Dishonor Updated Card

Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor is fast approaching, and they’ve added yet more matches to the September 22nd card.

ROH World Championship 
Cody vs Minoru Suzuki.

ROH World Television Championship
KUSHIDA vs Kenny King.

ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship 
The Young Bucks & Hangman Page vs ???  (they will face the winners of the #1 Contender’s match).

ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match
Bully Ray & The Briscoes vs The Kingdom.

Chuck Taylor vs Marty Scurll.

Last Man Standing Match
Jay Lethal vs Silas Young.

Las Vegas Street Fight
Jay White vs Punishment Martinez.

The post Mae Young Classic Finals Lineup; Updated ROH Death Before Dishonor Card appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

Ric Flair Changes Management Companies

Ric Flair, who has been hospitalized with a myriad of health issues since last month, announced yesterday via Twitter that he had parted ways with his management company.

As of Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, I have parted ways with Melinda Morris Zanoni and Legacy Talent Entertainment, LLC. I Will Announce New Representation Tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the new beginning and the great opportunities that await me. WOOOOO!

There had been some criticism from many quarters on how his management team dealt with his health issues and updates on social media last month, so that may have played a role in Flair deciding to change companies.

Today, he announced that he will be managed by Get Engaged Media.

Thank You To All My Fans For Your Support !
For Business Inquiries – cam@getengagedmedia.com
ben@getengagedmedia.com pic.twitter.com/hjm0506Ob0

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 8, 2017

According to the company website:

We specialize in providing solutions for individuals and brands trying to effectively communicate online. We curate digital and social media strategy for household names from the world of music, professional sports as well as non-profit organizations. We also focus on developing strategy and tools in digital and social media spaces.

Mae Young Classic Red Carpet Announced

It was announced today that WWE will hold a Mae Young Classic Red Carpet event on their Facebook page on Tuesday.

Hours before Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler square off in the final match of WWE’s inaugural Mae Young Classic this Tuesday on WWE Network, watch Superstars and celebrity-athletes walk the red carpet at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, live on Facebook.com/WWE.

Cathy Kelley will host coverage from the red carpet, which begins at 6 ET/3 PT. With the Mae Young Classic Finale being one of Sin City’s hottest tickets next week, luminaries from all walks of life will be in attendance for the all-important event.

Among those expected to appear on the carpet and speak to members of the media are former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, former Team USA soccer star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo, WWE COO Triple H, Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, The Bella Twins, Charlotte Flair and Bayley. Cast members of the hit Netflix series, “GLOW,” will also be on hand Tuesday for one of the most pivotal nights in the history of women’s wrestling.

The post Mae Young Classic Red Carpet; Ric Flair Gets New Representation appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

Mae Young Classic Dominating WWE Network

The Mae Young Classic is the most watched show on the WWE Network this week. All eight episodes top the most watched shows on the Network, with this week’s 205 Live and SummerSlam rounding out the Top Ten.

Top Viewed Shows On Network This Week

1. MYC Episode 5
2. MYC Episode 6
3. MYC Episode 7
4. MYC Episode 8
5. MYC Episode 4
6. MYC Episode 3
7. MYC Episode 1
8. MYC Episode 2
9. 205 Live (9/5/17)
10. SummerSlam 2017

Samoa Joe Return Update

It’s being reported that Samoa Joe, who was injured back in August during a house show in a match with John Cena, is due back at the end of October. Whether or not his program with Cena, which was scrapped due to his injury, will be picked back up when he returns is unknown at this time.

Sasha Banks On Ronda Rousey

Sasha Banks has never been one to temper her thoughts, and after the face-off we saw with the 4 Horsewomen of WWE and the 4 Horsewomen of UFC during the Mae Young Classic, the former Women’s Champion had a few words for Ronda Rousey and the possibility of the two groups facing off in the ring.

“I feel like I keep hearing rumblings of that too, which is cool. It’s awesome, but we are The Four Horsewomen and they’re just fans. Yeah, and if they wanted to fight us, they need to get in the back of the line like everybody else, get a contract, train down at the [WWE] Performance Center, get on NXT, and try to get called up [to the main roster] just like everybody else. She’s [Rousey] an amazing athlete. She [has] changed the game, but she’ll never be [on Banks’ level in the pro wrestling ring].”

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Photo: WWE

WWE’s Mae Young Classic kicked off tonight in Orlando at Full Sail, and the first round matches are over and done with. While the tournament itself won’t begin to air on WWE Network until next month, the actual matches will take place this week, with the finals airing live on September 12th.

Here are the results from tonight’s tapings.

Mae Young Classic Tournament First Round Results

Princesa Sugehit defeated Kay Lee Ray.

Serena Deeb defeated Vanessa Borne.

Shayna Blaszler defeated Zeda.

Piper Niven defeated Santana Garrett.

Mia Yim defeated Sarah Logan.

Mercedes Martinez defeated Xia Lee.

Rhea Ripley defeated Miranda.

Abbey Laith defeated Jazzy Gabert.

Toni Storm defeated Ayesa Raymond.

Dakota Kai defeated Davi Kavita.

Candice LeRae defeated Renee Michelle.

Rachael Evers defeated Marti Belle.

Bianca Belair defeated Sage Beckett.

Lacey Evans defeated Taynara Conti.

Nicole Savoy defeated Reina Gonzalez.

Kairi Sane defeated Tessa Blanchard.

There were some surprising eliminations tonight; personally, I expected and wanted Kay Lee Ray to last a lot longer.

These were all first round matches of the single-elimination tournament, and tomorrow, the second round matches will take place at Full Sail. We will have full results of tomorrow’s bouts as soon as the tapings conclude.

The post Mae Young Classic Results (7/13/17): Night One SPOILERS appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: ICW

More Mae Young Classic Competitors Revealed

On the final day before the WWE’s Mae Young Classic women’s tournament’s first taping, two new competitors have been confirmed, while a third Hall of Famer’s role with the broadcast was revealed. On Wednesday, the WWE announced that the United Kingdom’s Kay Lee Ray and Ayesha Raymond are the 16th and 17th competitors of the classic.

Ray has been recognized for numerous championship wins, including the Queen of Southside Champion, Scottish Women’s Champion, SWE Speed King Champion, and the ICW Women’s Champion. Ray was among the Top 10 Names that Top Rope Press wanted to see in the tournament. Raymond, described as one of the “biggest and strongest” women in the tournament, won championships at STARDOM, IPW, and World War Wrestling. She was also trained by current WWE Performance Center coach Robbie Brookside.

Ray and Raymond join Kairi Sane, Sarah Logan, Lacey Evans, Bianca Belair, Princesa Sugehit, Toni Storm, Abbey Laith, Tessa Blanchard, Taynara Conti, Jazzy Gabert, Dakota Kai, Piper Niven, Kavita Devi, Rhea Ripley, and Sage Beckett as the confirmed participants in the Mae Young Classic.

Alundra Blayze/Madusa To Join MYC Commentary Team

WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Lita have been confirmed as the commentators for the tournament. Ross, during his latest Ross Report Podcast, announced fellow WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze will join their broadcast team as a backstage interviewer and lead other segments. Blayze, also known as Madusa, has been at the WWE Performance Center this week.

Awesome day at the office !! Working hard putting things together and having a little fun at the @maeyoungclassic @wweperformctr #photo #shooting

A post shared by Madusa/AlundraBlayze (@madusa_rocks) on Jul 11, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT

On Thursday, just prior to the start of the Mae Young Classic’s taping from Full Sail University, the WWE Facebook will air the live “Parade of Champions” starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The WWE will film another round of tapings on Friday, July 14. The first episodes of the women’s tournament will not air until August 28 on the WWE Network. The final round will air from Las Vegas on September 12, at 10 p.m. EDT, on the WWE Network.

The post Two More Mae Young Classic Competitors Named; Alundra Blayze’s Tournament Role Revealed appeared first on TopRopePress.com – Wrestling News, WWE News, TNA News, Wrestling Results.

Photo: WWE

The Mae Young Classic women’s tournament finally kicks off this week with the “Parade of Champions” airing live this Thursday. From Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, starting at 6:30 p.m. EDT, all 32 competitors in the tournament will be shown live on WWE’s Facebook page. The Parade of Champions, if it follows the same format as the WWE Cruiserweight Classic’s Parade of Champions, will show each competitor enter the ring as their name is announced, and it will continue after all 32 women have a moment in the ring.

The Parade of Champions will air live and on the same day as the first round of the Mae Young Classic’s tapings, which will not air until August 28, exclusively on the WWE Network. Another round of matches will be taped on July 14 and air on another date later this summer. The final round will air on September 12 from Las Vegas at 10 p.m. EDT on the WWE Network. WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Lita will commentate through the tournament.

The WWE has formally announced 15 of the 32 women participating in the tournament: Kairi Sane, Sarah Logan, Lacey Evans, Bianca Belair, Princesa Sugehit, Toni Storm, Abbey Laith, Tessa Blanchard, Taynara Conti, Jazzy Gabert, Dakota Kai, Piper Niven, Kavita Devi, Rhea Ripley, and Sage Beckett.

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