Weekend Roundup: Vince McMahon Upset at WWE Talent & Staff, Paul Wight on Joining AEW, Impact Tapings, NWA, Indies

WWE

• During a recent interview with ESPN West Palm podcast, Jeff Hardy stated that he feels AEW is more “open minded” than WWE when it comes to producing wrestling shows. Hardy stated “It’s really cool, you know. Matt’s in AEW and before the pandemic hit the crowds were just incredibly on fire. It’s so exciting watching. They’re very different than the WWE. I don’t know how to explain it, i think they’re more open minded. WWE’s kind of set in their ways. This changed many times over the years, especially since the Attitude Era. It’s way different, you know, and thank God we don’t hit each other in the head with chairs anymore because I worry about that. I try not to future trip too much. It’s a lot safer now but you can still get hurt at any moment.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• Fightful Select reported that WWE’s current plan for this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony is to pre-tape the event in some form. It was reported that WWE officials currently feel that this is the best option available for this year’s ceremony due to the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic.
• WWE recently produced a PSA video featuring Daniel Bryan, Bianca Belair, Rey Mysterio, and Montez Ford urging people to get their vaccine shots for COVID-19 once eligible.
• PWInsider reported that WWE recently signed Australian indies talent Matty Wahlberg and Steph De Lander to official developmental contracts for their NXT brand.
• NXT referee Tom Castor announced on Instagram that he recently suffered a torn biceps injury and will be undergoing surgery to repair it.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE had several shakeups occur to their creative team this past week. Writer Andrea Listenberger reportedly quit the company due to unknown issues while Ed Heller reportedly was recently hired as a lead writer for their creative team.
• WWE reportedly recently dropped their lawsuit against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to HeelByNature.com. It was reported that WWE filed a voluntary dismissal request on March 10th to the the United States District Court District of Connecticut. Prior to the dismissal request, it had been speculated that WWE filed the lawsuit over issues with getting their talent or employees into the country due to the previous Trump Administration’s immigration policies.
• During a recent interview with the Cigar Store Idiots podcast, WWE backstage producer Michael Hayes revealed that indie wrestler Miranda Gordy recently received a tryout from the company. Gordy is the daughter of former wrestler Terry Gordy.
• During a recent episode of the MC! True Long Island Story podcast, host Matt Cardona (former Zack Ryder) revealed that he was recently interviewed by WWE for a future episode of their WWE 24 documentary series based on The Miz.
• WWE reportedly is currently seeking over half a million dollars in legal fees from lawyer Konstantine Kyros, according to Law360. It was reported that the company is specifically asking for $573,770.44 in legal fees related to the class-action concussion and CTE lawsuit filed by several former wrestlers that was led by Kyros. It was also reported that WWE is also asking for an additional $39,844.00 in legal fees and costs following the Second Circuit’s dismissal of the class-action lawsuit.
• Vince McMahon reportedly has been growing upset over several WWE talent and staff continuing to not properly follow the company’s COVID-19 precautions policy, according to Fightful Select. It was reported that McMahon has been recently sending messages to talent “either directly or indirectly” over the need for them to not take unnecessary risks during the coronavirus pandemic. It was also reported that McMahon became very upset with either a wrestler or staff member who had recently attended a theme park without wearing a mask. Several staff reportedly have recently seen their responsibilities and duties in the company diminished due to photos of them circulating in public revealing their lack of mask wearing while out in public.

AEW

• A recent episode of the Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast had Paul Wight as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Wight’s reasons for leaving WWE in favor of AEW. Wight stated “It was a very quick decision that was made in a matter of 48 hours for me. For me, it was creative frustration. I had gone back and forth with Paul Heyman, Bruce Prichard, and Vince. I had some medical issues a couple of years ago where I had problems with my hip real bad. You know how things are there. If you get out of the loop a little, it’s hard for them to work you back into the ring, no matter how much talent you have or have to offer. It was frustrating for me because, yeah, I was making money and working once against Drew and did a couple of things like be partners with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe, but I was like, ‘I need more than this.’ I’ve never been a sit on the bench guy. I’m not going to take my money, sit at home, and be happy like a little princess. I like to work for my money and earn it. I went 18 years in WWE without missing a tour. I love doing what I’m doing. That was the biggest letdown for me; not being able to get something going creatively. I’ve known Vince for a long time and when he gets focused and blinders on, it’s hard to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. If you’re not at TV and nobody is going, ‘Paul Wight is still alive, he can work.’ It got frustrating and I got frustrated trying to knock on the door. They were trying to use me for other things like relations. They were trying to do me a favor and put me in Shady Pines. I didn’t want to be in Shady Pines. I told them, ‘Don’t put me in Shady Pines.’ I had the opportunity to do something else and I took it. I talked to Vince and Kevin Dunn. Nobody is mad, nobody is upset. The day I signed, Vince called me and wished me luck, saying I was a big asset for AEW and he was glad I signed. They did a lot of things for me. For me to try and bury WWE, it’s not about that. It’s just business.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

Other Wrestling

• Major League Wrestling announced that this Wednesday’s episode of MLW Fusion will feature a MLW Middleweight Championship match of champion Lion Rush vs. a mystery opponent.
• Fightful Select reported that Impact Wrestling will be holding several days of television tapings for their Impact! series starting on March 15th in Nashville, Tennessee. It was also reported that Impact is currently planning to hold monthly tapings from now on with the next set scheduled for the month of April for their Rebellion event and post-PPV fallout Impact! episodes.
• The National Wrestling Alliance announced that Chris Adonis will be making an appearance at their Back for the Attack event on March 21st.
• The NWA also announced that the main event for their upcoming Back for the Attack event will be a NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match of Aron Stevens vs. Nick Aldis (c).
• Game Changer Wrestling announced that Lio Rush will be making an appearance at their The Collective 2021 set of events on April 8-10 in Tampa, Florida.
• Mexico City’s Box y Lucha commission reportedly is currently working on plans to allow live attendance for events held in the city and at a maximum of 30% venue capacity, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Hiromu Takahashi stated that he recently had successful surgery on his torn left pectoral muscle and was discharged on March 6th. Takahashi also stated that he hopes to be able to make a full recovery and in-ring return earlier than currently expected. (English translation via PostWrestling.com)