It has been a rough couple of weeks for former WWE performer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch. She was arrested for driving while intoxicated last month and was placed in jail shortly afterwards. Sytch has had a long history of legal issues in recent years, but she had outstanding warrants for her arrest in this particular instance. In an update provided today by PWInsider, it was mentioned that Sytch has been extradited from Monmouth County Corrections in Freehold, New Jersey to the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. Sytch will remain in jail for the time being. Sytch was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2011. Be sure to stay tuned for any additional updates on Sunny’s status that may arise.
Given that WWE no longer refers to their female performers as “Divas,” it may seem strange to some that the Total Divas reality show on the E! network still goes by that name. However, that was not originally the name that was selected for the series. According to former WWE writer Brian Mann during an appearance on Post Wrestling’s Rewind-a-SmackDown show, the original name for the show was “Heels on Wheels.” The company even filed a trademark for that very term back in 2011. Discussions for the show that ended up becoming Total Divas came up when creative team members were pitching show ideas for the WWE Network. Total Divas premiered on E! in 2013 instead, and it still airs on the network to this day.
One person who has been influential in WWE over the years has been Michelle Wilson. Wilson is a name that some wrestling fans may not be familiar with, but she currently works as a member of the Board of Directors and as the Co-President of the company. It has just been announced that Wilson will be receiving a huge honor for her contributions. Multichannel News will be awarding Wilson with a spot in the 2019 class of “Wonder Women.” The 2019 class consists of eleven other females who have made a difference working in the media. Stephanie McMahon congratulated Wilson shortly after the news was broken. The luncheon for the event is taking place in the Marriott Marquis in New York later on today.
Congratulations to Michelle Wilson, @WWE’s Co-President, on being named to the 2019 class of Multichannel News’ #WonderWomen recognizing female leaders in media. Well-deserved, you are an inspiration to me and so many others! @MCNWonderWomen #MCNWW2019 https://t.co/5t7g3CVZxP
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) March 20, 2019
WWE COO Triple H & WWE CBO Stephanie McMahon recently visited The UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, they were interviewed by Wrestling Inc.’s Justin LaBar about Connor Michalek, who is the inspiration for Connor’s Cure (pediatric cancer research). While speaking with Wrestling Inc.’s Justin LaBar about Connor Michalek, Triple H would recall a story of him getting punched and pinned by Connor in the middle of the ring that for him was a very special moment. In the video below, you can check out the clip beginning at The 2:10 mark.
“He had such a personality, everybody he met fell in love with him,” Triple H recalled. “There’s a video online with all the WWE Superstars around the ring cheering for him and he punches me. None of that was planned, he had just met those people. As they saw him coming out to do that entrance, as a moment, they all just ran out and started cheering for him. That’s the impact he made on people and they just wanted to be around. Afterwards, he said, ‘I got ya,’ and I said ‘I know,’ and he said ‘No, no, no, I got you.”
When asking @StephMcMahon and @TripleH favorite funny memories of Connor! @ConnorsCure @ChildrensPgh pic.twitter.com/ecypbPg9Ur
— Justin LaBar (@JustinLaBar) March 22, 2019
BURNSVILLE, MINN. – It was quite the week for St. Cloud State University wrestler Vince Dietz (Homer Glenn, Ill. / Lockport Township). The senior captain showed why he’s the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class, with a perfect 5-0 record and three falls to boot. For his performances, Dietz was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Dietz was instrumental in St. Cloud State’s success over the week, helping the No. 1 team in the nation defeat No. 21 Chadron State College on Thursday, November 15 before dominating at the Finn Grinaker Open in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday. The senior opened his week with a 2:40 fall victory over Chadron State’s Aspen Naylor, helping the Huskies cruise to a 36-9 dual victory over the No. 21 Eagles.
Dietz’ best performances, though, came on Saturday as he preserved his perfect record with a championship win at the Finn Grinaker Open. Dietz opened the tournament with a 3:33 fall victory over Minot State’s Je-Mario Jones before earned a 1:35 fall against Hunter Lee in the quarterfinal round. However, the senior saved his best performances for last, winning the semifinal and title bouts by three points. In the semis, Dietz defeated Augustana’s Clayton Wahlstrom 4-1 before taking down Cole Witzig of Division I’s North Dakota State 5-2 in the championship.
After the weekend, Dietz is now 7-0 and the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 197-pounds. He and the rest of the Huskies will return to the mat on November 29 when they take on Southwest Minnesota State at 7 p.m. in Marshall, Minnesota.
Check out Huskies Wrestling at scsuhuskies.com and on Twitter and Facebook.
#1 St. Cloud State rolls to home victory over Minot State
The #1 ranked St. Cloud State University wrestling team (7-0, 2-0 NSIC) rolled to a 45-3 victory over NSIC rival Minot State (0-2, 0-1 NSIC) on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The victory was SCSU’s 35th consecutive dual match win and it continued SCSU’s unbeaten streak in NSIC dual meet action that dates back to Jan. 27. 2011.
SCSU opened the night with a tech fall win by Travis Swanson at 141-pounds. The extra points continued to roll in for the Huskies at 149-pounds as #2 ranked James Pleski gained a fall over Minot’s Tanner Crissler at 5:34. At 157-pounds, #9 Jake Barzowski notched another tech fall for the Huskies over Max Miller of Minot at 5:11.
At 165-pounds, #8 Devin FitzPatrick added SCSU’s third tech fall of the night at 6:49 of his match against Minot’s Tyler Sharron. #3 Kolton Eischens extended the Huskies’ lead with a 3:17 fall over Anthony Raupp of Minot at 174-pounds. SCSU’s lone setback on the night was a 7-3 victory by Minot’s Keegan Berry over Riley Vanik at 184. SCSU quickly returned to the win column in top fashion at 197-pounds as #1 ranked Vince Dietz posted a 4:04 fall over MSU’s Je-Mario Jones.
At 197, @SCSUHUSKIES_WR move its lead to 33-3 with a pin by #1 Vince Dietz at 4:04.#unleashSCSU #NSICWrestling pic.twitter.com/UypuvErMsU
— SCSU Wrestling (@SCSUHUSKIES_WR) December 6, 2018
At 285-pounds, #11 Zach Muller tallied a 5-2 win over Minot’s Jordan Will and at 125-pounds, #2 ranked Brett Velasquez added a 9-2 decision over Minot’s Dean Arevalo. The evening was capped by #11 Garrett Vos at 133-pounds, who gained a fall at 6:42 over Minot’s Oscar Nellis.
The Huskies will continue their 2018-19 season on Saturday, Dec. 8 by hosting the Holiday Inn/Husky Open in the Halenbeck Hall Fieldhouse. The action starts at 9 a.m. and tickets for the tournament are available at the gate on Dec. 8. SCSU students get into the Husky Open for FREE.
#1 St. Cloud State 45 Minot State 3 141: Travis Swanson (SCS) over William Horton-Hayden (MSND) (TF 15-0 4:39) 149: James Pleski (SCS) over Tanner Crissler (MSND) (Fall 5:34) 157: Jake Barzowski (SCS) over Max Miller (MSND) (TF 21-6 5:11) 165: Devin Fitzpatrick (SCS) over Tyler Sharron (MSND) (TF 24-9 6:49) 174: Kolton Eischens (SCS) over Anthony Raupp (MSND) (Fall 3:17) 184: Keegan Berry (MSND) over Riley Vanik (SCS) (Dec 7-3) 197: Vince Dietz (SCS) over Je-Mario Jones (MSND) (Fall 4:04) 285: Zachary Muller (SCS) over Jordan Will (MSND) (Dec 5-2) 125: Brett Velasquez (SCS) over Dean Arevalo (MSND) (Dec 9-2) 133: Garrett Vos (SCS) over Oscar Nellis (MSND) (Fall 6:42)
SCSU is now 7-0, 2-0 NSIC; Minot State is now 0-2, 0-1 NSIC
At 197, @SCSUHUSKIES_WR move its lead to 33-3 with a pin by #1 Vince Dietz at 4:04.#unleashSCSU #NSICWrestling pic.twitter.com/UypuvErMsU
— SCSU Wrestling (@SCSUHUSKIES_WR) December 6, 2018
Check out Huskies Wrestling at scsuhuskies.com and on Twitter and Facebook.
The road to NXT tag team supremacy will reach an emotional climax when Aleister Black & Ricochet battle it out with The Forgotten Sons in The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals. Plus, Adam Cole & Johnny Gargano will meet face-to-face for the first time since last week’s blockbuster NXT Title Match announcement for NXT TakeOver: New York.
Aleister Black & Ricochet Meet The Forgotten Sons in Dusty Classic Finale:
As The War Raiders await the newest challengers to their throne at NXT TakeOver: New York, a separate crown will be bestowed tonight when the teams of Aleister Black & Ricochet and The Forgotten Sons square off in The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals. In the weeks since the tournament’s launch, eight teams have battled it out in the name of the lionized WWE Hall Of Famer, electrifying Full Sail Live with a series of stellar clashes. Now, only two teams remain, as the stakes sit high and tension is fully boiled.
The Forgotten Sons raised the temperature last week when they ambushed Black & Ricochet from behind after the duo’s gruelling Fatal 5-Way battle against Velveteen Dream, Adam Cole & Matt Riddle. Plenty of questions were raised after the attack, none more pressing than what condition Black & Ricochet will be in for the finals. Will Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake complement their vicious streak with a Dusty Classic victory, or will they Fade to Black as Black & Ricochet become The One and Only challengers for The War Raiders’ NXT Tag Team Titles at TakeOver: New York?
What Will Happen When Adam Cole & Johnny Gargano Meet Face-To-Face?
Adam Cole will stand face-to-face with Johnny Gargano, less than two weeks before their 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match for The NXT Title at TakeOver: New York.
What will Gargano have to say to his opponent, who incredibly outlasted the likes of Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black, Ricochet & Matt Riddle in a hectic slugfest to earn a ticket to tTe NXT Championship Match at TakeOver? Better yet, will the squared circle be enough to contain their uncontrollable championship desire?
Kacy Catanzaro & Lacey Lane Take On Aliyah & Vanessa Borne:
The high-flying combination of Kacy Catanzaro & Lacey Lane will take on the bad and bougie alliance of Aliyah & Vanessa Borne in tag team action. Expect sparks to fly when these tandems collide. Can Aliyah & Borne add another win to their united front, or will Catanzaro & Lane throw a blow to their momentum?
The Original Bro Squares Off With NXT’s “Finest”:
Before stepping into the spotlight with NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream at TakeOver: New York, Matt Riddle will take on Kona Reeves tonight. While his championship match against Dream still may be on the brain, Riddle will have to shift his focus on Reeves, who poses a significant threat to The Original Bro on the road to TakeOver.
Can NXT’s favorite Bro shake off any sign of fatigue following the daunting Fatal 5-Way Match, and pull out a victory? Find out tonight on WWE NXT!
The South Dakota State University wrestling team closes out the dual slate for the calendar year by traveling Sunday to Oregon State in nonconference action.
The dual is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Pacific Time (3 p.m. Central) at Gill Coliseum on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis. Video coverage will be available through Pac-12.com.
The Jackrabbits enter the matchup with an 0-3 dual mark after falling to a trio of ranked squads. SDSU has wrestled most of the season without defending 133-pound national champion Seth Gross and fellow returning NCAA qualifier Martin Mueller due to injury. Gross will be a match-time decision Sunday, while Mueller is expected to make his dual debut.
Oregon State won its season-opening dual against Cal State Bakersfield, 20-17, on its home mat on Dec. 9. The Beavers posted a 6-6 dual mark last season and later finished second at the Pac-12 Conference Championships.
OSU currently has three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes by FloWrestling, and are led by top-ranked heavyweight Amar Dhesi. At 125-pounds, Ronnie Bresser is ranked third, while Hunter Willits stands 15th in the 157-pound weight class.
THE SERIES: Sunday’s match will mark the fourth time South Dakota State and Oregon State have wrestled each other in dual competition. The Beavers won each of the first two duals, starting with a 45-3 decision at the 2011 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Oregon State later claimed a 35-6 victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 25, 2015.
SDSU cracked the win column with a 30-13 dual victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 5, 2018. Seth Gross and Logan Peterson each recorded pins to lead the 15th-ranked Jackrabbits to their fifth consecutive victory.
After Gross’ pin at 133 pounds, SDSU’s Henry Pohlmeyer notched a pivotal win in the 141-pound bout, scoring a 5-2 decision over Jack Hathaway. Pohlmeyer avenged a defeat at the hands of Hathaway at the previous weekend’s Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.
The Jackrabbits sealed the victory with five consecutive wins between the 157- and 197-pound divisions, including Peterson’s second-period pin of Billy Bigelow. David Kocer (technical fall) and Martin Mueller (major decision) also earned bonus-point victories for SDSU.
#15 South Dakota State 30, Oregson State 13 (Jan. 5, 2018) 125: #15 Ronnie Bresser (OSU) major dec. Connor Brown (SDSU), 15-3 133: #1 Seth Gross (SDSU) def. Devan Turner (OSU), by fall 1:10 141: Henry Pohlmeyer (SDSU) dec. Jack Hathaway (OSU), 5-2 149: Kurt Mode (OSU) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 10-7 157: #11 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU) dec. Hunter Willits (OSU), 5-4 [TB-1] 165: Logan Peterson (SDSU) def. Billy Bigelow (OSU), by fall 4:54 174: #9 David Kocer (SDSU) tech. fall Myles Terry (OSU), 21-6 [5:16] 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) major dec. Seth McLeod (OSU), 16-8 197: #6 Nate Rotert (SDSU) dec. #13 Corey Griego (OSU), 9-4 285: #6 Amar Dhesi (OSU) def. Blake Wolters (SDSU), by fall 2:43
RECENT ACTION: Freshman Tanner Sloan continued his run through open tournaments, winning the 197-pound division in dominant fashion Dec. 8 at the UNI Open in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
A native of Alburnett, Iowa, Sloan avenged his lone loss of the season by pinning Minnesota’s Dylan Anderson in 1 minute, 3 seconds in the championship bout at 197 pounds. Sloan, who went 4-0 on the day, outscored his opponents by a combined 35-1 margin in his other three matches. He scored a 16-0 technical fall over Corel Duhart of Missouri, followed by a 5-1 decision over Bobby Steveson in the quarterfinals.
Sloan advanced to the championship with a 14-0 major decision against Garrett Joles of Minnesota.
Also moving on to the quarterfinals were freshman 141-pounder Clay Carlson and junior 184-pounder Zach Carlson. Clay Carlson tied for fifth with a 3-1 record. He opened with a 4-3 decision over Missouri’s Nick Nasenbeny, before falling to Iowa’s Vince Turk, 8-5. In the wrestlebacks, Carlson tacked on two more wins before withdrawing from the tournament.
Zach Carlson placed fourth in his weight class with a 5-1 mark after starting with back-to-back wins over North Dakota State’s Michael Otomo (8-5) and Hank Swalla of the Iowa State Wrestling Club (4-0) before dropping a 16-11 decision to Iowa State’s Joel Shapiro. Carlson added three more wins in the consolation rounds. He took fourth by virture of already losing to Shapiro and reaching the maximum of six matches on the day.
Completing the Jackrabbits’ top-five finishes was redshirt freshman Alex Aarsvold, who placed fifth in the heavyweight division. Aarsvold posted a 2-2 record on the day as he reached the semifinals by winning his first two matches by fall and injury default.
Oklahoma Dual Postponed The Jackrabbits’ Big 12 Conference dual scheduled for Dec. 7 at Oklahoma was postponed due to a winter storm that was expected to hit the area. A makeup date has not yet been determined.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will have nearly a two-week layoff before returning to the mat Dec. 29-30 at the 56th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. One of the top mid-season college wrestling tournaments in the country, the Midlands Championships are hosted by Northwestern University and will be contested for the second year in a row at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Coverage of the tournament will be available through FloWrestling.org (subscription required), starting at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 29. Action on Dec. 30 is set for a noon start time.
Check out Jackrabbit Wrestling at gojacks.com and on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram.
NXT Superstar Adam Cole was recently interviewed by ESPN on a number of topics. During the interview, Cole spoke about his 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match for the vacant NXT Title against Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: New York and said that he is ready to take The NXT Title, as seen below:
“If I had to pick one word to describe how I’m feeling, it’s ready,” Cole said. “I made my debut at TakeOver Brooklyn. I joined forces with Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, we formed the greatest faction in NXT history — the Undisputed Era — and I held the NXT championship above my head. And pretty much since then, I have not been in the forefront of the NXT championship picture. It’s something I feel like I’ve been ready for since I got here, and finally getting that opportunity on the biggest stage in NXT history, it’s going to be special.”
Cole then talked about fans comparing him to Gargano and said that they have brought out the best in each other since their first match, as seen below:
“For many years, people who’ve been following both myself and Johnny Gargano, people have compared us quite a bit,” Cole said. “Two guys on very similar rises on the independents. A lot of times, we would work for different companies, but we ended up competing against each other. Pretty much from the very first match I had with Johnny, he was a guy that brought out the best in me, and I brought out the best of him.”
Triple H would also speak to ESPN and praised Cole as a complete package. He said, “As far as Adam Cole goes, man, he’s one of the most talented guys in NXT, or any roster. Complete package, can do all of it. A key player. … He’s had a lot of big moments, he’s stolen a lot of shows and he’s really cemented himself.”
Despite the match only having a little build and hype behind it, Cole said that fans won’t be disappointed and Triple H said that it will be hard to follow for the weekend.
Cole said, “For us to get the chance on literally the biggest TakeOver that we’ve ever had, I can promise you won’t be disappointed. I know the fans who have followed our careers know they’re in for something special. For people who haven’t, I could promise you it will be. It will probably be the toughest, most exciting [and] the best match of my entire career. I’m ready to show that to the world in New York.”
Triple H added, “I expect it to be hard to follow for the weekend. I don’t mean that as a knock on anybody, it’s just the level of talent there and the emotional storytelling component. It’s probably two of the guys, if you said to me, ‘Name two of the most consistent performers at all levels on any on the rosters that, no matter what, they’re going to knock it out of the park,’ it would be tough for me to come up with bigger names than Gargano and Adam Cole. I know this is going to be epic. I’m thrilled for both of them, I’m proud of both of them and this is the first of many moments like that for them across WrestleMania weekends, for sure.”
The Clash XVII National High School Duals Brackets have been released. The Clash will take place at the Rochester Community & Technical College Regional Sports Center on January 4th and 5th.
Update – Brackets A, C, and D have been updated to accommodate late addition teams Blaine and East Ridge.
Visit www.clashmn.com to buy tickets and to find out more information about The Clash XVII.
Ahead of the show airing on the WWE Network later this month, the card has been revealed for EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration.
The card was announced by WWE.com today, with six matches being added to the two that had already been confirmed. NXT Champion Adam Cole will defend his title against Akira Tozawa, and Matt Riddle will face off with Drew Gulak.
There will be a “winner-take-all match” as EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory faces WWN Champion JD Drake. The EVOLVE Tag Team titles will also be on the line, with Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy defending against AR Fox & Leon Ruff.
The EVOLVE/Dragon Gate USA anniversary event will be the first non-WWE wrestling show to air live on the WWE Network. It’s taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13 and will go head-to-head with AEW Fight for the Fallen.
WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view is being held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on July 14.
The full lineup for EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration is listed below:
NXT Champion Adam Cole defending against Akira Tozawa
EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory vs. WWN Champion JD Drake in a winner-take-all match
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy defending against AR Fox & Leon Ruff (w/ Ayla Fox and The Skulk)
Matt Riddle vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak in a non-title match
Anthony Henry vs. Arturo Ruas
Babatunde vs. Colby Corino
Curt Stallion vs. Sean Maluta vs. Stephen Wolf vs. Harlem Bravado in a fatal four-way match
Josh Briggs vs. Anthony Greene (w/ Brandi Lauren)
After teaming together on Tuesday, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley issued a SummerSlam challenge to Ember Moon.
Moon teamed with Bayley to defeat Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville on this week’s SmackDown. In a post-match angle, Bayley was interviewed in the ring by Kayla Braxton and was asked who her next challenger would be.
Bayley challenged Moon, saying she wants to wrestle someone who is worthy of a title shot, someone with charisma, someone she’s never faced before, and someone who would be dedicated to the title if they defeat Bayley for it. Moon accepted the title match.
WWE.com then announced Bayley vs. Moon as official for SummerSlam.
Charlotte Flair also returned to SmackDown this week and defeated Liv Morgan.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 11. Seth Rollins will challenge for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship at the pay-per-view, and Becky Lynch will defend her Raw women’s Championship against Natalya.