media

It’s still a change. There are a lot of different ways to keep a wrestler feeling different and one of the most important is the wrestler’s name. Having the wrong name can cause a few problems for someone and as a result, WWE likes to mix things up a bit every now and that. That is the case again for a current WWE star, though this is one of the smallest changes you will ever see.
WWE has officially changed Ludwig Kaiser’s name to Ludvig Kaiser, as shown on his WWE.com profile page. There is no word on why the change was made and it has yet to be acknowledged on WWE TV. Kaiser was called up to the main roster full time earlier this year after the split of of the Imperium stable. He has continued to appear with Gunther on SmackDown, though Kaiser has yet to wrestle a match on WWE TV.
Opinion: This is one of those “only in WWE” things as they have literally decided to change a single letter in the name of someone who doesn’t actually wrestle at the moment and is solely there to introdu..

That is too far. Fans are the life blood of wrestling and the last few years have shown that the industry is not the same without them. You can only do so much without having fans in the arena and they keep the shows functioning as usual. However, there are occasions where a fan takes things too far, and that seems to be the case again in a very serious way indeed.
On Tuesday night, Alexa Bliss was promoting an upcoming fundraiser when someone posted a comment asking if she had anything to say. Bliss responded saying that she has seen a direct message from the fan threatening to shoot Bliss and her husband Ryan Cabrera. Bliss has said that she has turned those in, presumably to the authorities. There is no word on any response from either the fan or from the authorities as a result. Bliss returned to action on Monday Night Raw this month after nearly three months off.
This is crazy man wtf??? pic.twitter.com/qJWxxYecTP
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) May 25, 2022
View this post on Inst..

It can happen to anyone. Injuries can take anyone down at any given time and that is never good to see. Any wrestler can be hurt doing just about anything but at the end of the day, there are some moves and stunts that are even more dangerous. It might not be the best idea to try something like this but wrestlers can do some wacky things. That was the case recently and now it isn’t going well.
AEW has announced that due to suffering an unspecified injury, Sting will be unable to participate in this weekend’s Fan Fest Meet and Greets. There is no word on how Sting was injured but it said to have taken place last week. Sting was not scheduled to appear at the show and it is not clear when he will be able to return to television or action. While Sting has not wrestled regularly this year, he has helped Darby Allin during various brawls.
Due to injury last week, @Sting has not been cleared to travel & will unfortunately not be at this Saturday’s #AEWDoN Fan Fest Meet & Greets. For fans w..

That would explain it. There are a lot of ways to present a wrestler to WWE. Sometimes you see them brought in for the first time but other wrestlers have already been around for a long time and need a shakeup. That can lead to some rather creative debuts as someone needs a repackaging and now we might be seeing WWE’s latest efforts with one of its many superstars.
This week on NXT, a vignette aired for a debuting wrestler by the name of Giovanni Vinci. There was no specific information given about him, though the wrestler was shown as being from Italy. According to Cageside Seats, this will be a repackaging of Fabian Aichner, who has been missing from television since the split of the Imperium stable. There is no word on when Vinci will be debuting.
Opinion: I don’t think this is the biggest surprise as the Italy detail was about all you needed to hear. Aichner getting his own singles push instead of being part of Imperium could be a good way to go for him, as he certainly has the t..

Meet your invaders. One of the most interesting parts of AEW has been the amount of international promotions that have worked with the company. AEW has brought in several wrestlers from around the world and it can offer more than a few cool moments. That was the case again this week, as two international stars appeared for a preview of something coming next month.
This week on AEW Dynamite, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Great O’Khan and Jeff Cobb interfered in a match between FTR and Roppongi Vice for FTR’s Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles. Following the match, O’Khan and Cobb attacked both teams and held up the title belts. This comes just over a month before the New Japan/AEW co-promoted Forbidden Door event, though no matches have been announced. The interference marked O’Khan’s AEW debut and Cobb’s first appearance in AEW since February 2020.
Opinion: This is the kind of story that can get my interest, as Cobb and O’Khan are part of the United Empire in New Japan and not just two people..

The card keeps growing. We are less than four days away from AEW Double Or Nothing and the card is all but set. The matches have been made for quite awhile not, but this time around there are some gaps that still need to be filled in. This includes a few tournament finals, and now we know who will be taking part in one of them, with a prestigious prize on the line.
This week on AEW Dynamite, Samoa Joe defeated Kyle O’Reilly to advance to the finals of the men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament. As a result of his win, Samoa Joe will face Adam Cole at Double Or Nothing on Sunday May 29. The match will mark the finals of the first ever edition of the tournament, as well as the first time that the two of them have faced off in their careers.
Opinion: This is the kind of match that is certainly intriguing, as I could see either of them winning. What matters here is having the best match they could, as I can imagine that the goal will be to put on a match to honor Hart. Samoa Joe winning w..

Dynamite
Date: May 25, 2022
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone
It’s Double Or Nothing weekend and that means it is time to get in the last Dynamite before the pay per view. That means it is time to find out who will be in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments, which should make for some interesting matches for the pay per view. It’s also the third anniversary of the first AEW show so this should be good. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Wardlow vs. Shawn Spears In a cage with MJF as the referee and Wardlow has to win here to get MJF on Sunday. Wardlow is still handcuffed to start so Spears gets in a few shots, allowing MJF to stomp away in the corner. The double teaming is on, including sending Wardlow into the steps. MJF stops to talk too much trash though and gets hit in the face, allowing Wardlow to drop Spears.
The Swanton connects but MJF won’t count, allowing Spears to get up. One heck of a chair ..

That could mean something. There are a lot of people who come together to make WWE work. With so many people involved behind the scenes, it can mean quite a bit when something changes. However, there are a few names who mean more than almost anyone else and those people tend to have the name McMahon. Now we might know a little more about one of their futures.
Last week, Stephanie McMahon announced that she would be taking a leave from her duties at WWE. While WWE President Nick Khan will be taking over her duties in the short term, he is not the long term solution. WWE has posted a job listing on their corporate website for Brand And Chief Marketing Director, who would take over several of McMahon’s former duties as Chief Branding Officer. There is no word on when McMahon will return to her job.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that makes me wonder what this is going to mean for WWE going forward. I’m curious to see if McMahon does return, but at the moment she is going to be repla..

That’s a big day. WWE is the most powerful and dominant wrestling promotion in the world and that has been the case for a very long time now. However, for the first time in about twenty years, another promotion has come up and given WWE a bit of competition, as AEW has become another national company. Now we might be seeing the two of them airing on the same night later this year.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there is a chance that AEW Full Gear and WWE Crown Jewel could both be taking place on November 5. WWE has already announced the date for Crown Jewel and Full Gear is always held in early November. AEW has not confirmed the date of their show or the night of the week that it will air. This would be the first time that the two promotions have aired a major event on the same night.
Opinion: This is one of those situations where it might not happen but it will certainly be interesting if it takes place. At the end of the day, AEW and WWE running on the same day or even th..

Get to know him. There are all kinds of ways to present someone new in wrestling and it can make for some interesting presentations. Sometimes you see a new wrestler show up altogether, but sometimes it is a new presentation of someone you have seen before. This time it might be either, which could make quite the surprise whenever we find out who we will be seeing.
This week on NXT, a vignette aired announcing the debut of a new star named Giovanni Vinci. The video features a woman speaking while showing a man putting on expensive clothing. The voiceover talks about status and living life in the fast lane while showing shots from around Italy, where Vinci seems to live. There is no word on who the wrestler is or when they will be debuting.
Who do you think it is? Check out the vignette for the new star:
[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: The more I think about this, the more I think this might be the return of Fabian Aichner under a new name. He is from Italy and h..

That’s a big one. There are some legends of the wrestling world but some of them are among the biggest of all time. It takes someone special to get to that level but you know someone who reaches such a point. Those names are some of the greatest stars wrestling has ever seen and now one of them will be feeling a lot better after some serious medical issues have been solved.
WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed that he has undergone double knee replacement surgery and is ready to begin his rehabilitation process. Angle posted a video on his Twitter announcing the surgery and thanking fans for their thoughts and prayers. Angle retired from the ring in 2019 after working for WWE and Impact Wrestling, being inducted into both of their Halls of Fame.
That could be worse. Check out Angle post surgery:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Opinion: That is something hard to go through but at the end of the day, it is going to be worth it for Angle. If nothing else, you can imagin..

Fare thee well. While it might not seem to always the case, every wrestler steps out of the ring for good at some point. They are able to finally leave active wrestling and move on to something else, though it can be easier said than done for some. It can be emotional to see someone walking away, and now we will be seeing someone do just that after a very long time in the ring.
Former WWE and current NWA star Aron Stevens, formerly known as Damian Sandow, has announced that he will be having his last match on June 11 against Trevor Murdoch at ALWAYZ READY. Stevens made the announcement on Instagram in character, saying that he will be praying that the wrestling business survives without him. Stevens debuted in 2001 and is a former WWE Tag Team Champion with the Miz.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aron Haddad (@thearonfiles)
Opinion: This is one of those careers that has lasted for a very long time and it deserves quite the sendoff. Stevens is someone who has done well ..