[Emperor Smeat]

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SPOILER: show

Originally Posted by PWI Impact Wrestling tapings are scheduled to begin soon, but it was announced to the crowd that Alberto El Patron didn't want to win the title that way and the belt is officially vacant. So, Alberto won the belt yesterday and the championship was vacated today. 8:35 PM Update: Later on, Despite Jeremy Borash telling the crowd earlier that the Impact World Championship was vacant, Bobby Lashley came out with the belt and was being referred to as champion. This whole thing has been so weird.

Spoiler tags used since its related to today's Impact tv tapings.

Originally Posted by Pro Wrestling Sheet Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned Broken Matt and Jeff Hardy have begun preliminary talks with WWE about a return to the company … this according to multiple sources. Sources with direct knowledge tell us talks started this week after the brothers’ Impact Wrestling contracts expired, and right now things are looking good. No deal has been offered quite yet, and something could always change — but as of right now it looks as though they’re heading towards Matt and Jeff returning home to WWE. As we previously reported, Broken Matt and Jeff felt dissed during contract negotiations with Impact and their lawyer was told to call WWE if they didn’t like the offer being given. It’s unclear what creative plans for the brothers are if they get signed.

Originally Posted by Observer The WWE officially announced today that Jacob Hager, aka Jack Swagger, has not been released, even though he said that he was leaving the company on Wednesday. Where this gets interesting is that Swagger has been announced for several shows next weekend in the U.K., the first being a singles match on March 10th against Alberto El Patron in Norwich, England for the WAW promotion. WWE claims he can not do that match, noting that when he is officially released, at that point he would have a 90-day non-compete period where WWE will pay him based on his downside guarantee, but during that period he can't wrestle anywhere else, whether that be promotions they consider rivals, television promotions, or anywhere else. "He's currently under contract to WWE," said a WWE company source. "When he is released, he would have a 90 day non-compete." Swagger appeared on Chael Sonnen's "Beyond the Fight" podcast earlier this week to announce that he had requested his release from WWE and to explain why he made the decision.

Originally Posted by PWI The 3/2 edition of Impact on Pop brought in 293,000 viewers, up from last week's 275,000 viewers.

Originally Posted by PWI Homicide is backstage at the TNA Impact Wrestling taping. Also backstage are the TNA Tag Team championship belts, which I am assuming Vanguard-1 carried from Cameron, NC to return to TNA management.

Originally Posted by Observer The storyline of WWE trying to figure out who will challenge for Bray Wyatt's championship at WrestleMania may be coming to an end on Tuesday. It was announced on Friday morning that Randy Orton would face AJ Styles on next week's SmackDown to determine a number one contender for the WWE Championship. It will be a first-ever match between the two.

Originally Posted by Observer Tomoaki Honma was injured earlier today in a match in Okinawa and carried out of the ring, seemingly immobile after taking a DDT off the middle rope from Jado. About 9:00 into the match at the Okinawa Prefectural Budokan Gymnasium, with Honma, Togi Makabe & Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Jado, Jado delivered the move. Honma couldn't get up and the match was immediately stopped. Evidently in coming off the ropes, Honma's foot got caught on the ropes, changing the trajectory of his landing. The match was immediately stopped and medical personnel came into the ring. They removed the top rope and carried him out of the ring on a stretcher. He was able to talk to doctors but did not appear able to move.

Originally Posted by Observer We haven't heard anything new since this morning regarding Tomoaki Honma, who was rushed to the hospital after landing badly on a DDT off the middle rope from Jado during a match today in Okinawa. We've been in contact with people from New Japan and as of last word, they still don't know anything new.

According to recent reports from Japan, Honma suffered paralysis from the neck down. Image of the severity of the accident and pretty much a miracle he's even alive: http://imgur.com/6NegyOx

Originally Posted by Observer The WWE officially announced today that Jacob Hager, aka Jack Swagger, has not been released, even though he said that he was leaving the company on Wednesday. Where this gets interesting is that Swagger has been announced for several shows next weekend in the U.K., the first being a singles match on March 10th against Alberto El Patron in Norwich, England for the WAW promotion. WWE claims he can not do that match, noting that when he is officially released, at that point he would have a 90-day non-compete period where WWE will pay him based on his downside guarantee, but during that period he can't wrestle anywhere else, whether that be promotions they consider rivals, television promotions, or anywhere else. "He's currently under contract to WWE," said a WWE company source. "When he is released, he would have a 90 day non-compete." Swagger appeared on Chael Sonnen's "Beyond the Fight" podcast earlier this week to announce that he had requested his release from WWE and to explain why he made the decision.

Originally Posted by Observer Jerry Lawler will be in Milwaukee to do the post-fight show after Fast Lane on the WWE Network.

Originally Posted by Observer The Evolve show on 3/30 at 8 p.m. in Orlando, the Thursday before WrestleMania, has a strong lineup with Zack Sabre Jr. vs. ACH for the Evolve title, Tracy Williams & Fred Yehi vs. Michael Elgin & Donovan Dijak for the tag titles, Matt Riddle vs. Drew Galloway, Ricochet vs. Keith Lee plus Ethan Page, Timothy Thatcher and more. They also run 3/31 at 4 P.M. with Sabre Jr. vs. Elgin for the Evolve title, Yehi vs. Riddle, Lee vs. Dijak, and ACH vs. Galloway.

Originally Posted by Observer The deal for Impact Wrestling to bring in Alberto El Patron wasn't finalized until Wednesday. Reno Scum's match was taped for next week's Impact and they were wearing the GFW tag team titles belts, so GFW and those belts will be acknowledged on television. Add Tanea Brooks (Rebel) to the list of those expected back in Impact this week.

There was some speculation online Del Rio didn't sign a deal yet and Impact were just assuming he'd return the next night of tapings as a gesture of good will and make things official.

Leon White (Vader) on his health issues from the Two Man Power Trip: The cryptic tweets regarding his health: “I really kind of regret tweeting it out. In other words when I got diagnosed and was told, 'Leon, you have a bad heart and you have congestive heart failure and we feel your time is limited and you have maybe a couple of years left...two years or less to live.' I remember getting very angry and said this has got to be bullshit because I don't feel bad and I remember getting extremely angry. Since that time and when I got the news I left the hospital and went right to the gym and rode the bike for a half hour. Hard. As hard as I could and when I got off the bike and got on the treadmill and walked for another 15 minutes pretty hard and I was exhausted but my heart felt fine so how can I do that if my heart is going to give out? The doctor in some of the ongoing appointments that I had with him explained to me that when you are tipping the scales at 400 and 420-25 pounds that a man that size and that heavy isn't supposed to be able to push himself in a cardiovascular endeavor no matter what it is much past 2 or 3 minutes.” Accepting his fate and still taking bookings to wrestle: “I kind of wish I hadn’t brought it up, and I am continuing to wrestle. Someone said, ‘Aren’t you afraid? Why would you get a booking (to wrestle) at this point when you’ve had this type of diagnosis?’ I said, ‘Brother, where would you rather die in a bed at home, or in the hospital, or would you rather die in front of 10,000 people having fun in the ring?” “So, if it’s true, if this doctor isn’t just totally full of sh*t which, that’s what I’m betting on, and I should say ‘these doctors’ at this point you know, that’s my choice, and that’s the way I decide to go out. If this thing’s gonna happen, I’d rather be in a ring, anywhere, compared to sitting in a hospital room in a hospital bed, sitting there like some sheep getting ready to be slaughtered. It’s not who I am, and it’s not the way it’s gonna happen with me.”

Link to the podcast episode: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/t...21_00_00-08_00

Originally Posted by ESPN "It's on Shaq," the Big Show, whose real name is Paul Wight, told ESPN.com in a recent interview. "He has to figure things out in his own camp. Maybe he is just too scared to show up because he's too busy riding around singing karaoke with John Cena and going to Krispy Kreme and getting fatter every week." "Maybe he doesn't want to put on spandex and show the entire world that Shaquille O'Neal, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, looks like Jabba the Hutt," Big Show said. "It's on him. He has to weigh these consequences in his own mind. Does he want the world to know how fat and out of shape he is or does he want to sit back and talk s--- into a podcast."

From a recent interview ESPN had with Big Show about Shaq being the reason why their Mania match might not happen (assuming he's not pulling a worked promo on the whole situation).

Originally Posted by Observer Most of the U.K. contracted wrestlers are being booked on the upcoming post-Mania tour in May. Listed as appearing on the shows are Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, Wolfgang, Trent Seven, Joseph Conners, Tyson T-Bone, James Drake, Dan Moloney, San Gradwell, Saxon Huxley, Tucker and Jordan Devlin. They will be working six-man tags with six guys on the Raw tour and six on the Smackdown tour. The matches vary but Seven, Bate, Wolfgang, Gradwell and Huxley are working as faces and Dunne, Conners, T-Bone and Drake are working as heels

Originally Posted by Observer Dick Beyer, The Destroyer, now 86, is looking to get into the WWE Hall of Fame. He did work with WWE a few years ago when they inducted Gorgeous George because George’s last major program before he died was doing two hair vs. mask matches with Destroyer in Southern California. But the combination of being before 1984 and not owning a tape collection makes this not someone they’d usually put in. Jim Ross and Gerald Brisco couldn’t even get Danny Hodge in, and Pat Patterson was able to get Mad Dog Vachon in, but not Ray Stevens even when WrestleMania was in Northern California

Originally Posted by Observer It appears the ice cream plans for New Day that they are pushing will be frozen pops. Merchandise regarding that was already on sale at the Raw show in Green Bay

Originally Posted by Observer Notes from the 2/28 Smackdown tapings in St. Paul. Smackdown is more and more outdrawing Raw, as they had 10,000 fans here, way more than Smackdown usually does in a market that size. They’ve also been beating Raw domestically all year at the house shows.

Some other sheet news includes:

• Jim Ross recently debunked rumors of him signing a deal with Impact nor being at the recent set of tv tapings for the company. https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/837780725625683968
• Kurt Angle's final indie booking took place tonight with a cage match against Cody Rhodes for Northeast Wrestling.
• According to F4W/Observer, Joe vs Cena was the Mania match they teased about not wanting to leak due to fears of Vince scrapping it. Joe was meant to be on the Smackdown brand before recent stuff caused a change in those plans. https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCirc...couple_months/
• Corey Graves revealed he will be interviewing Kurt Angle for the next episode of WWE Network's Bring It To The Table show on March 13th. https://www.instagram.com/p/BRL6wlSD4Sh/
• According to the Observer, WWE has recently been scouting Asia for new talent and likely for the rumored Asian tournament expected to happen within the near future.