Another member of the Impact Wrestling roster has agreed to a deal with the company.

Though the exact length wasn’t disclosed, Impact announced on Twitter today that Rich Swann has signed a “long-term contract” with the promotion: “We are absolutely delighted to announce that @GottaGetSwann has signed a long-term contract with IMPACT Wrestling.”

Swann made his Impact debut in June and was supposed to be in action at Slammiversary XVI this month, but a concussion that he suffered on the Thursday before the pay-per-view kept him from wrestling.

WWE and Swann parted ways in February following domestic battery and false imprisonment charges against Swan being dismissed due to insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. The December 2017 arrest was made after an argument between Swann and his wife, Vannarah Riggs (current Knockouts Champion Su Yung). The arrest report alleged that Swann grabbed Riggs and dragged her back into their vehicle after she had gotten out due to fearing the argument was going to escalate. Swann denied physically touching Riggs.

Tessa Blanchard also signed a two-year contract with Impact earlier this month, while Eli Drake agreed to a new multi-year deal in June.

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PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

Results: @loosejonnyt

The Knockouts Championship changed hands at tonight’s Impact Wrestling television tapings in Toronto.

Tessa Blanchard defeated Su Yung and Allie in a triple threat match, rolling up Allie to win the title. Yung will get her rematch as the tapings continue tomorrow.

Yung had been champion since defeating Allie in a Last Rites match at a set of tapings in April.

This is Blanchard’s first reign with the Knockouts Championship. She made her Impact debut at April’s Redemption pay-per-view and signed a two-year deal with the company last month.

In another title match that was filmed tonight, Brian Cage defeated Fenix to retain the X Division Championship. oVe and Sami Callihan attacked Pentagon Jr. and Fenix after the match until Cage came back to make the save.

Tonight and tomorrow’s tapings are being held at the Rebel Entertainment Complex, which is where Slammiversary XVI and the post-PPV TV episodes were filmed in July.

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PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

The UFC’s August has been a relatively quiet one, but the promotion kicks off a four-in-five week stretch tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska, with an interesting main event and a lot of litmus test fights up and down the card.

Per usual, Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick are here to help me answer a few questions about the card, the majority of which can be seen on FS1 and FS2.

The show:

Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick
Michael Johnson vs. Andre Fili
Cortney Casey vs. Angela Hill
Jake Ellenberger vs. Bryan Barbarena
John Moraga vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Eryk Anders vs. Tim Williams
James Krause vs. Warlley Alves
Iuri Alcantara vs. Cory Sandhagen
Andrew Sanchez vs. Markus Perez
Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan
Joanne Calderwood vs. Kalinda Faria
Drew Dober vs. Jon Tuck
Rani Yahya vs. Luke Sanders

What are you most looking forward to?

Ryan: Gaethje vs. Vick. Gaethje provides some of the most action-packed fights in the sport, and there is a very good reason tonight is his third main event in just his fourth UFC appearance. It is about time that Vick, an excellent fighter, gets a spotlight fight as he has a solid win streak and is making headway into the title picture at 155 pounds. It’s a great fight that should produce a lot of action. I’m also interested in seeing how some notable fighters — namely Eryk Anders, Mickey Gall and Joanne Calderwood — bounce back after recent tough losses.

Paul: The main event, for sure. Other that, I’d like to see if Mickey Gall can rebound from his first career loss and become any kind of a star coming off the high profile wins over Sage Northcutt and CM Punk. He’s in a good spot, opening up the TV broadcast on FS2.

Josh: Without a doubt, the main event because of the stakes for both guys. Vick has been calling for a big fight for months and months, and answered the call when Al Iaquinta had to drop out due to…something. A win here puts him in a spot where he can’t be ducked anymore while a loss makes it that much harder to get the names he wants. For Gaethje, he really needs a win here. He certainly won’t get cut, but even the most exciting fighters need a ‘W’ to stay relevant, especially in a deep division like 155.

Anything being slept on?

Josh: Gall vs. Sullivan because, not that long ago, Gall was touted as a very interesting prospect at welterweight. I’m glad to see him back in there after his recent defeat and this one will tell us a lot about whether he’s made advances since his last time out. Also, the aforementioned Anders gets a nice opportunity to resume his push after his controversial decision loss to Lyoto Machida, a fight he shouldn’t have been in to begin with. A flashy finish will put him back on the right track. 

Ryan: There is an excellent flyweight fight between John Moraga and Deiveson Figueiredo on the main card that is flying under the radar. There hasn’t been much attention given to the flyweight division this year (I believe this is just the second or third flyweight fight to be on a main card in 2018), but there is a new champion at 125 pounds and a growing list of contenders. Moraga has bounced back strong of late after a tough string of losses, and Figueiredo is undefeated in 14 career fights. This should be a good one.

Paul: Anders was supposed to be the next big thing before the Machida fight. He’s still very early in his career and his fight with little-known Tim Williams is not getting a lot of buzz. He’s the biggest favorite on the card and I’m looking for a big bounceback performance from “Ya Boy”.

Anything not doing it for you?

Paul: I like women’s MMA as much as the next guy but seeing Angela Hill vs. Cortney Casey that high up on the card seems a little odd. Pair that with the fact that it will most likely be a boring standup fight for 15 minutes and I’m not really sure why they’re getting such a high profile spot that could be used for the flyweight bout Ryan brought up earlier, or even what I think could be a better women’s fight between Joanne Calderwood and Kalindra Faria on the Fight Pass portion of the show.

Ryan: I’m not sure we should still be seeing Ellenberger fight, at least not in the UFC. He is 2-8 in his last ten fights, being finished in six of those losses. He was actually cut at one point, but begged Dana White to get his job back, won in his next fight after that, but has since lost three straight, all by brutal knockout. He is also less than three months removed from being knocked out cold at the hands of Ben Saunders. He probably shouldn’t be fighting at all, let alone this quickly again, but this could be it against Barberena.

Josh: I agree with Ryan on Ellenberger, but another fighter in that same vein is Michael Johnson. He’s lost five of his last six and while I understand he’s moved down a division, he’s been finished in his last three. Another loss here doesn’t forebode well for his Octagon future.

What’s the intrigue with the show?

Ryan: I don’t think there is that much intrigue, but it is nice to see some UFC action after three weeks away. It’s a big stretch heading into the end of the year. The only real interest might be in the main event, and a couple of undercard fights. This isn’t a star heavy show and might not pull in big ratings, but is a solid refresher from no UFC action since August 4.

Paul: Whether or not Gaethje will actually die in the Octagon. He gives it his all each and every fight and at some point, all of these brutal wars are going to catch up to him. Until they do, he’ll keep racking up the Fights of the Night and entertaining his growing multitude of fans.

Josh: The outcome of Vick-Gaethje and how Anders performs.

What will be people talking about most after the show is done?

Ryan: That the winner of the main event finds himself just outside the title picture at 155 pounds. It’s a real toss-up as to whom that is going to be, but the winner will definitely be in the conversation for a top-five opponent in their next fight.

Paul: Other than the main event, It will be whether or not Anders is as good as he’ll probably look against Williams and whether he can be a middleweight contender like everyone thought he could be going into the Machida fight. Also, Gall will probably have an interesting callout should he win his fight.

Josh: That Gaethje sustained his spot and that Vick is still a bit far away from the upper echelon of the division.

**********

Who wins?

Justin Gaethje vs. James Vick

Gaethje: Ryan, Paul, Josh

Michael Johnson vs. Andre Fili

Johnson: Ryan
Fili: Paul, Josh

Jake Ellenberger vs. Bryan Barbarena

Barberena: Paul, Ryan, Josh

James Krause vs. Warlley Alves

Alves: Ryan, Josh
Krause: Paul

Mickey Gall vs. George Sullivan

Gall: Josh, Ryan, Paul

Keep up with our live coverage tonight.

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PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

1932 

Kansas City, Missouri:
– World Champion Jim Londos beat Abe Coleman
– Rudy Dusek beat Wee Willie Davis 
– George Zaharias drew Gino Garibaldi 
– Jim McMillen beat Jack Hurley 

1935

Waterloo, Iowa:
– Earl Wampler beat Louis Thesz

1950 

Houston, Texas:
– Verne Gagne defeated Miguel Guzman for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title

1962 

Minneapolis, Minnesota:
– AWA Champion Verne Gagne beat Ilio DiPaolo
– Bill Miller beat Bob Geigel
– Moose Evans beat Kurt Von Brauner
– Crusher beat Floyd Ude (this was the debut of the Crusher character)
– Doug Gilbert beat Johnny King

1967 

Atlanta, Georgia:
– El Mongol defeated Mr. Wrestling for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title 

1973 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
– Superstar Billy Graham beat the Crusher 
– Wahoo McDaniel & Billy Robinson beat AWA Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens on a 3rd fall DQ
– Ivan Koloff beat Sailor Art Thomas
– Reggie Parks drew Geoff Portz
– Ric Flair beat Billy Howard

1974 

Green Bay, Wisconsin:
– Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens beat Larry Hennig & Jim Brunzell
– The Crusher beat Superstar Billy Graham
– Chris Taylor beat Horst Hoffman
– Bull Bullinski drew Khosrow Vaziri (sub Bobby Heenan)

1979 

Springfield, Massachusetts:
– Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson defeated WWF World Champion Bob Backlund via countout in a champion vs. champion match

1983 

Chiba, Japan:
– Stan Hansen defeated Giant Baba for the Pacific Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Title 

1985

Asheville, North Carolina:
– NWA Champion Ric Flair no contest Ivan Koloff
– Bunkhouse Match: Ron Bass & Manny Fernandez & Magnum TA beat Ole Anderson & Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard
– AWA Tag Team Champions Road Warriors beat Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khruschev by DQ

Minneapolis, Minnesota:
– AWA Champion Rick Martel beat Kamala by DQ
– Terry Gordy beat Jerry Blackwell by DQ
– Greg Gagne & Curt Hennig & Scott Hall beat Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens & Larry Zbyszko
– Curt Hennig & Greg Gagne beat Jim Garvin & Steve Regal by DQ

1987

Greenville, South Carolina:
– John Savage defeated Brody Chase
– Colt Steele defeated David Isley
– Denny Brown defeated Gladiator #2
– Kendall Windham defeated Teijo Khan
– UWF Western States Heritage Champion Barry Windham fought Arn Anderson to a double count-out
– NWA US Champion Lex Luger defeated NWA TV Champion Nikita Koloff in a Russian chain match
– NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Ron Garvin in a No DQ match

1989

Miami, Florida:
– Lou Perez defeated Powerhouse Parker
– Dick Murdoch defeated the Cuban Assassin
– Kevin Sullivan defeated Brad Armstrong
– Brian Pillman defeated Norman
– Jim Cornette defeated Paul E. Dangerously
– Bobby Eaton & Brad Armstrong (sub. for Stan Lane) defeated NWA Tag Team Champions Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin via disqualification
– The Road Warriors defeated the Samoan Swat Team in a steel cage match

1990 

Jackson, Mississippi:
– Tim Horner pinned Dutch Mantell
– Mike Rotunda fought Brad Armstrong to a draw
– NWA US Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Buddy Landell & Blade Hunter (Al Greene)
– Brian Pillman defeated Harley Race via disqualification
– The Junkyard Dog defeated NWA TV Champion Arn Anderson via disqualification
– NWA Tag Team Champions Doom defeated Ricky Morton & Wendell Cooley (sub for Robert Gibson)

Bayamon, Puerto Rico:
– Kim Duk (aka Tiger Chung Lee) defeated Invader #1 for the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Title

1991 

– The National Wrestling Alliance officially stripped Ric Flair of the NWA World Heavyweight Title ahead of his debut for the WWF

Oakland, California:
– PN News & Big Josh defeated Johnny B. Badd & Mike Graham 
– Bobby Eaton & Tom Zenk defeated Terrance Taylor & Richard Morton 
– Dustin Rhodes pinned the Diamond Studd 
– WCW Tag Team Champions Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyzsko defeated WCW US Tag Team Champions Firebreaker Chip & Todd Champion 
– WCW US Champion Sting pinned Oz 
– Rick Steiner defeated WCW TV Champion Steve Austin via disqualification 
– Barry Windham & Ron Simmons defeated WCW World Champion Lex Luger & Mr. Hughes via disqualification at 11:48
– El Gigante defeated the One Man Gang in a steel cage match

1994

Fishersville, Virginia:
– Doug Dalton defeated the Hornet
– Ricky Morton defeated Chris Candido in a hair vs. mask match
– SMW Heavyweight Champion the Dirty White Boy defeated Bruiser Bedlam
– Chris Candido defeated Lance Storm
– SMW Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated New Jack & Mustafa

Bad Segeberg, Germany:
– Jim Duggan defeated Diamond Dallas Page
– Brian Pillman defeated WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal in a non-title match
– Sting defeated Steve Austin
– The Nasty Boys defeated Kevin & Dave Sullivan
– Marcus Alexander Bagwell & the Patriot defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma in a non-title match
– Vader defeated the Guardian Angel
– WCW World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned Ric Flair

2007 

– Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Paul London & Brian Kendrick to win the WWE World Tag Team championshipship

>

PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents a special Thursday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast featuring a WrestleMania 36 Preview with ex-WWE Creative Team member and professional stand-up comedian Matt McCarthy.

(Search “wade keller” to subscribe in podcast app or CLICK HERE to subscribe in Apple Podcasts.)

A 59-year-old European man is currently awaiting extradition to France after abusing two girls in their early teens in Madagascar. One of the survivors testified that the man, who took nude photographs of both girls and put them online, sexually assaulted her.

This is far from an isolated case. Child sexual abuse has emerged as internet’s darkest secret. It is an $8bn industry in itself – and that sum does not include the exponential profits made by data service providers across the globe.

Blocking child porn websites is just a quick-fix solution. The real challenge is to block individuals from disseminating such content and data servers from hosting it.

Internet users these days can access child abuse material with near impunity, taking advantage of decentralised networks accessed through special algorithms. As many of those who seek to view such content use crypto-currencies, it is extremely difficult to track the seller and buyer.

Every picture is a crime scene in itself which not only violates the rights of children at the time but also remains on the internet forever, a life-long psychological burden.

Therefore, as world leaders gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, I am demanding a legally-binding UN convention against online child sexual abuse and pornography.

Several Nobel laureates, Pope Francis, Angela Merkel, and international bodies such as the OECD have extended support for the endeavour.

In 2017 the Internet Watch Foundation found 78,589 individual web addresses worldwide showing images of child abuse. The five countries that host 87 per cent of this material are the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, France and Russia. However this tells us nothing about where this material was being produced or viewed.

The content may be produced in one part of the world, hosted in another, and viewed in an altogether different location. Some studies claim that videos of infants as young as eighteen months being raped or tortured sell for anywhere between $7,000 and $8000.

At the same time, cybersex trafficking of children is one of the most brutal forms of modern day slavery. Paedophiles lure children and their parents online to watch acts of sexual abuse from wherever they may be abroad.

While the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and a few other international treaties do mention the crime, they are not legally binding.

The UN Convention that I envisage will focus on the prevention of all forms of online sexual abuse. It will be backed by a new Global Task Force against online child pornography, child sexual abuse and child trafficking to provide victims with holistic support.

It will include a dedicated international toll-free helpline for reporting cases under real-time supervision of INTERPOL or any other relevant agency. It will create a treaty body to provide assistance to stakeholders where the expertise to deal with such cyber-crimes is inadequate. And it will facilitate extradition procedures.

Finally, the Convention will ensure a convergence of efforts at national, bilateral and international levels. This will lead to a uniform legal regime dealing with online sexual abuse of children, as well as uniformity in standards and efficiency of global law enforcement response.

Together we must make the internet safer for our children.

Mr Satyarthi is attending the World Economic Forum