WRESTLING NEWS ROUNDUP

//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
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> JINDER MAHAL BECOMES #1 CONTENDER FOR WWE TITLE
- Smackdown ends up being really the land of opportunity as Jinder Mahal, the former member of 3MB who returned to the company last year, won a number one contender’s match last night on the show and will be facing the WWE champion at the next Smackdown pay-per-view. Mahal had a helping hand from NXT tag team and fellow countrymen The Bollywood Boyz, pinning Sami Zayn in the match which also had former Wyatt Family members Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler, and Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner Mojo Rawley. This is Mahal’s second stint with the company, having first spent four years as a mid-carder before getting his release in 2014. He returned in July of 2016 as part of Monday Night Raw but was traded to Smackdown during the Superstar Shake-up. Jinder will be facing Randy Orton at the next Smackdown pay-per-view Backlash, set for May 21.




> TOTAL DIVAS PREVIEW FOR TONIGHT
- Total Divas returns tonight on E! with episode 13 of season 6, an episode titled Group-Sext. The synopsis for the show reads, “Trinity and Renee get fed up with Lana's behavior on a group trip to the Caribbean and an epic fight between the girls ensues. Maryse accidentally sends a nude selfie to a bunch of WWE Superstars. Brie debates if she even wants to have a kid if she will be forced to eat meat.”




> SMACKDOWN RATING
- Smackdown this week drew 2,544,000 viewers, down a whooping 561,000 viewers from last week’s show. Smackdown, like Raw, went head to head with the NBA Playoffs. This was the least watched Smackdown since the January 10 episode. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)




> STEVE AUSTIN EXPLAINS HIS ABSENCE FROM WRESTLEMANIA 33 WEEKEND
- During his latest podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin tackled the rumors spreading online on why he was absent from WrestleMania this year. Austin said that during that same week of WrestleMania, he was in the process of selling his Broken Skull Ranch located in Tilden, Texas, and could not make the trip to Orlando for the show. The former WWE champion said that his ranch was for sale for the past 18 months and things started moving right around WrestleMania, preventing him from leaving. Austin shot down the rumors that he is done with WWE, calling all the online rumors “total BS,” but admitted that he never talked to anyone about being part of WrestleMania 33. The Rattlesnake said WWE did reach out and invited him down to Orlando but it was not meant to be this year. “They know I love going to the Hall of Fame and I had some of my very close friends going in this year. But as it goes, I was having to drive down there, fly down there to get all my stuff, drive back after just selling the place, getting all our stuff. Man, I was too busy,” Austin explained on his podcast. “I will always be a part of the WWE. The WWE will always be a part of my life. I’m in this thing for the rest of my life,” Austin added, saying that there’s no heat with the company and he’s a WWE member for life.




> IMPACT WRESTLING ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF NEW DEAL WITH LUCHA LIBRE AAA
- Impact Wrestling announced the details of the new alliance with Lucha Libre AAA, Mexico’s preeminent professional wrestling organization founded in 1992. “This is an exciting time of celebration for both IMPACT Wrestling and AAA Lucha Libre,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “By combining our efforts on talent, touring and distribution, we will increase the global footprint of our respective companies and create the best product for our passionate fan bases.” The previously announced talent exchange between the organizations will come into effect on July 2 when IMPACT Wrestling presents Slammiversary 2017 from the IMPACT Zone in Orlando, Florida. The PPV will showcase top talent from the AAA roster. Meanwhile, AAA will present its 25th Anniversary Triplemania XXV on August 26, 2017 in Mexico City. The annual extravaganza will feature top IMPACT Wrestling stars Bobby Lashley, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, and an IMPACT championship belt will be defended on Mexican soil. The two organizations also intend to launch co-branded live tours in the fall. In addition to these cross-promotional initiatives, Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. will work with Lucha Libre AAA to expand the distribution of Fight Network. AAA will also facilitate distribution of IMPACT Wrestling in new territories throughout Latin America and South America, while Anthem will facilitate the expansion of the Lucha Libre AAA footprint through Fight Network’s diverse distribution channels. “The best way to celebrate these 25 years of uninterrupted work is sharing with all of you the news that we presented today - our alliance with IMPACT Wrestling and the announcement of our international tour that includes not only the North American stops that we will complete with IMPACT Wrestling but also countries like Colombia and Japan, in addition to other activities that will help us to celebrate this important anniversary,” said Dorian Roldan, Executive VP of Enterprise Development for AAA. Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer of IMPACT Wrestling, added: “I am excited to see the stars of IMPACT Wrestling and AAA on both anniversary shows and eager to start the co-branded live events as we continue to build promotional bridges on a global basis.”