Wrestling News Round Up

Pic: WWE.COM

//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at http://www.wrestling-online.com/




> MAURO RANALLO DEPARTS WWE
- Mauro Ranallo has officially left WWE according to an exclusive story by Newsweek. Ranallo confirmed the news via statement issued to the publication but refused to blame JBL for his departure. “WWE and I have mutually agreed to part ways. It has nothing to do with JBL,” Ranallo told Newsweek by e-mail. A WWE spokesperson confirmed Ranallo’s exit and said he will remain under contract through August 12. Ranallo has been absent from WWE television since the March 7 Smackdown Live broadcast, missing every television show since then including WrestleMania. He admitted on Twitter that he had health issues, issues that were lated revealed to be bouts with depression. Newsweek also reached out to JBL for comments about Ranallo’s departure. “Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago,” Layfield told Newsweek in a statement. “WWE addressed my behavior and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumors. I apologize if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.” WWE also denied the bullying claims that have clouded the story. “As part of our commitment to creating an inclusive environment, in April 2011, WWE launched our anti-bullying campaign, Be a STAR, which encourages young people to treat each other with tolerance and respect,” a WWE spokesman told Newsweek. “As a publicly traded company, that mantra carries forward in our corporate culture. As such, we fully investigate any allegations of inappropriate behavior including the recent alleged situation with John Layfield (aka JBL), despite no formal complaint having been submitted.” Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported last week that WWE has been working hard with Ranallo’s representatives for a settlement which will also include a clause for Ranallo not to talk publicly about the alleged rumors.




> LANA PRACTICES HER NEW DANCE ENTRANCE ROUTINE AT NXT LIVE EVENT
- The next time Lana will be making her way to the ring during a Smackdown Live episode, she won’t be walking down the ramp…but dancing down the ramp. Lana, along with her husband Rusev, have been moved to Smackdown from Raw during the Superstar Shake-up and Lana will now be involved in the women’s division rather than just being Rusev’s valet. The 32-year-old blond bombshell has been practicing her entrance at non-television NXT live events and let’s just say online feedback has been pretty brutal. WWE has been airing the “coming soon” vignettes of Lana dancing to hype up her arrival on the blue brand. You can watch a video of her entrance from an NXT live event a few days ago at http://w-o.it/2pLHJZc .




> RIC FLAIR GIVES HIS OWN VERSION OF EVENTS FROM THE BAR INCIDENT
- Speaking on The Dan Le Batard Show on ESPN, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair gave his own version of events of the bar incident which happened a few weeks ago in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Flair said that while he was at The Deck at the Gas House located at 305 E Superior St bar, he politely asked if they could put the Masters golf tournament on TV. The bartender told Flair that this wasn’t a sports bar and Flair replied saying that he never said it was, he just asked if they could put on the golf tournament on the screens. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said that he had one drink and then asked for another drink and the bartender used the same glass, rather than give him a new one. When the bartender challenged Flair and asked him if he’s trying to teach him how to bartend, Flair replied, “Not if I don't have to, dumbass.” The bartender then asked Flair to clarify if he just called him a dumbass and Flair said he could call him a dumbass or a fat ass. The 16-time World champion was then kicked out of the bar for disrespecting the employee.




> LOW KI RETURNS TO IMPACT, WINS X DIVISION TITLE
- Former 3-time X Division champion Low Ki returned to Impact during Thursday night’s episode as the surprise sixth entrant in a match for the X Division title. Low Ki’s return was a very successful one as by the end of the match, he walked out of the six-sided ring with the gold, beating Andrew Everett, Sonjay Dutt, Dezmond Xavier, Suicide, and champion Trevor Lee. This is his fourth stint with the company, having previously wrestled for TNA between 2002 and 2004, 2006 and 2008, and 2014 to 2015. Low Ki even had a stint with WWE between 2008 and 2010, wrestling under the name of Kaval. He had last appeared on Impact in July 2015.




> IMPACT RETURNS ON UK TELEVISION SCREENS
- After an absence of three months, Impact Wrestling returned on television screens in the United Kingdom last night on Spike UK. The deal includes new episodes of Impact premiering less than 24 hours after the broadcast airs in the United States on POP as well as Impact pay-per-views, One Night Only specials, and Xplosion, which will air soon My5. Spike UK, the sister of channel of Spike TV in the United States, is owned by Viacom International Media Networks Europe and launched in April 2015. Impact aired on Challenge TV before they were dropped and then Anthem launched an app for UK and Irish viewers only which enabled them to watch Impact and other shows from the TNA vault for 4.99 GBP a month.




> IMPACT RATING
- Impact did a total of 320,000 viewers this week, up 18,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast and the best number in a month. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)




> UNIVERSAL PICTURES PLANNING FAST SPINOFF WITH DWAYNE JOHNSON’S CHARACTER
- It looks like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be the big winner coming out of this Fast & Furious franchise as Universal Pictures is looking to green-light a spinoff of the series focusing on the characters of The Rock and Jason Statham. Deadline Hollywood reports that Universal execs already met to discuss the concept and a screenwriter, Chris Morgan, has already been chosen. Morgan is the chief writer of the series. “The idea is for Johnson’s U.S. Diplomatic Security Agent Luke Hobbs to form an unlikely alliance with Statham’s Decker Shaw for a movie that conceivably could be made while they are figuring the next Fast film,” Deadline.com writes. The Fate of the Furious is Johnson’s fourth appearance in the Fast franchise, having appeared from Fast 5 onwards. Statham is in his second movie with the franchise and the two share some incredible chemistry on screen.