Cody Tells Vince Russo To Stay Away From All In

Controversial wrestling personality, Vince Russo, has expressed his desire to appear at Bullet Club’s All In event on September 1st, 2018. For his part, Cody has expressed his strong desire Vince Russo not appear at the event. Cody also recently announced he has booked his dog, Pharoah, for the event.

This dynamic recently led to a series of Twitter messages I have curated for you below. Enjoy!

Cody responded to Russo’s text not long after.

Vince Russo then sent out a series of additional Tweets:

The above Tweet could be construed as Russo saying the style of wrestling at All In would be too dangerous.

The above Tweet seems to insinuate Russo feels he is being ostracized for having a perspective which deviates from the norm.

Velveteen Dream has been cutting some anti-independent wrestling fan promos as of late.

Russo gives the old “Sorry Not Sorry” line.

It’s not completely clear what Russo’s opposing viewpoints are although he seems to indicate modern wrestling is a little too dangerous.

Tessa Blanchard: “I’m the Hottest Free Agent Out There Right Now!

Tessa Blanchard made a surprise appearance at the Impact Wrestling “Redemption” PPV on April 22nd, 2018. She did guest commentary alongside Josh Matthews and Don Callis for the Taya Valkyrie vs Kiera Hogan match.

Recently, ImpactWrestling.com conducted an interview with Blanchard, who believes she is the hottest free agent available right now.

“I came to the Knockouts Division because it’s no secret that the past six months or so IMPACT’s been making strides. The hottest free agents out there – Pentagon, Fenix, Brian Cage – IMPACT has locked them down,” Blanchard explained. “When it comes to the Knockouts Division, I’m the hottest free agent out there right now!”

The Knockouts division in Impact is pretty crowded at the moment but Blanchard believes she’s earned the right to skip the line.

“I’m not looking to work my way up. I feel like I deserve a shot at the Knockouts Championship. On the independent circuit, I’ve traveled the world, I’ve won championships, I’ve won tournaments – I’ve defeated some of the best out there so I feel like I am one of the best.”

It seems as though Blanchard is gunning straight for the Knockouts champion, Allie.

“I’m coming here and I want to be the top dog, I’m going to go after whoever has the Knockouts Championship – and right now that’s Allie. I’ve got my sights set on Allie and if any of the Knockouts get in my way I’ll run right through them.”

Blanchard also spoke on what it is like to carry on the Blanchard name.

“Carrying on the Blanchard name is a huge honor for me because my grandfather, my father and my step-father – they’ve all put a lot into their legacy and for me to carry that on, it’s a lot of weight on my shoulders. I put pressure on myself to be the best and to carry on the Blanchard name with dignity and with pride.”

CM Punk Announced For Meet & Greet In Chicago During “All-In” Weekend

Fans attending Bullet Club’s “All In” event will be able to attend a Meet and Greet with CM Punk the night before. The Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago has just announced Punk will be at their location on August 31st, 2018, the night before All In.

Cody Rhodes re-tweeted Pro Wrestling Tees’ announcement of Punk’s Meet and Greet. This could fuel speculation of Punk’s further involvement with the event. That news of Punk’s meet and greet in Chicago is coming just before tickets go on sale this Sunday might be a coincidence.

Punk has an upcoming MMA fight to worry about first, however. He takes on Mike Jackson at UFC 225 on June 9th, 2018. UFC 225 will also be held in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.

Punk previously teased the idea he would be appearing at the September 1st, 2018 event earlier this year. Punk posted a Tweet saying fans had been asking him if he’s “All-In”. He followed it up with a post about being “In” for the Chicago Cubs upcoming season, however.

Punk’s friend, Matt Jackson, said this of Punk in an interview he gave earlier this year:

“I will say this: I text message Punk on a weekly basis. We’re good friends,” Matt Jackson said. “We talk wrestling. He still loves wrestling, of course, he does. We’re pro wrestlers. That’s what we do. Even when you quit or retire or whatever, it’s still in your blood.”

Punk has said he’ll never return to WWE but he’s never fully closed the door on a return to wrestling either. On the now-famous episode of Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast, he did mention the idea of wrestling with the likes of the Young Bucks for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerilla. Ever since signing with the UFC, however, Punk’s focus has been solely on MMA it seems.

Big Bully Busick

Nick Busick, better known to wrestling fans as Big Bully Busick, has passed away at the age of 63. He had been receiving hospice care after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Busick began his wrestling career in the late 1970s. He had been competing as a powerlifter before then and wrestled in high school. After moving to Atlanta to work for the local police department, Busik began wrestling for Jerry Blackwell and developed the Big Bully persona.

Under his gimmick, Busick wore a derby hat and smoked a cigar. When he debuted for Vince McMahon in 1989, he used the gimmick as a way to get heat with fans at ringside. Busik would be shown popping a kids balloon with his cigar and committing other acts to antagonize live crowds. The act led to the introduction of the “Sid Justice” character in 1991. The Sid Eudy character came to the aid of a ring announcer Big Bully Busick was bullying. Busick would then enter a feud with the Brooklyn Brawler before leaving the company the same year.

His son Branko is a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Branko lost his debut fight in Bellator last year but won his 2nd bout earlier this year.

Busick suffered cardiac arrest in 2005 but reportedly refused medical treatment after. His health started to deteriorate further in 2015 when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. After losing almost 80lbs during chemotherapy, Busick announced he was cancer-free in 2016.

He underwent surgery for a brain tumor last year. Busick was diagnosed with cancer of the Cerebrospinal fluid earlier this year and was placed into hospice care in Weirton, West Virginia. His wife released word of his passing yesterday.

After leaving wrestling in 1991, Busick began working as a bouncer and private investigator in Atlanta. He continued competing in powerlifting competitions up until 2015.

Cody Announces Plans To Run For Texas State Senate in 2020

Former Ring of Honor World Champion, Cody, has announced plans to run for the Texas State in 2020. The announcement was made on the season premiere of “Being the Elite” released last night.

Cody recited a speech from a Harry Potter movie into a mirror as if it was a political address and then handed Page a tablet with a “Cody for Texas State Senate 2020” logo.

Mike Kanellis Comments On Birth of Child, Getting Sober

The last year has been an eventful one for Mike Bennett, aka Mike Kanellis. He recently celebrated the birth of his first child along with his wife, Maria. The 32-year-old has also been open about his recent battles with pain medication, however.

The former IWGP heavyweight tag-team champion recently posted the following message to his social media channels:

"Less than a year ago, my days were spent sitting on this couch, taking pain killers, and watching everything I loved slip away. Now, almost 10 months sober, this is how I spend my days. Life doesn’t offer 2nd chances very often, but I feel like it has offered me one. And I plan on making the most of it. This little girl deserves that! #sobriety #daddysgirl #daddyslittlegirl #princessfred #familytime #wwe"

Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis signed with WWE in 2017 and debuted at the Money in the Bank PPV that summer. Previously, Bennett and Kanellis had a brief stint in Impact Wrestling. Bennett won the X-Division championship during this time.

Bennett wrestled for several years in Ring of Honor, even winning the top prospects tournament in 2011. He would form a successful team with Matt Taven and win titles in both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Bennett and Taven were involved in a memorable feud over the tag titles with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows when Anderson seemed to fall hopelessly in love with Maria. Anderson’s infatuation with Maria allowed Taven and Bennett to defeat them for the belts.

Since debuting in WWE, Bennett has taken Maria’s last name.

At last week’s Greatest Royal Rumble, Bennett was eliminated in near-record setting fashion. While he didn’t last long in the actual match, he did get a few laughs for his entrance. Bennett opted to mime his normal entrance with Maria even though Maria was not there.

Kiera Hogan Talks Her Last Name, Conflict With Tessa Blanchard

“The Girl on Fire” Kiera Hogan is just 3 years into her wrestling career but is already being called the future of Impact’s Knockouts division by some of her fellow wrestlers.

The 23-year-old was featured on a recent Impact Wrestling media conference call. She spoke on several topics including her last name and Tessa Blanchard’s appearance at the Redemption PPV during her match.

Hogan, who uses her real name as a performer, seems comfortable addressing her famous last name. She was asked if she had any reservations about entering the pro-wrestling world with the last name “Hogan”.

“I knew this question was coming,” Hogan joked. “My real name is Kiera Hogan, it’s on my license, it’s on my birth certificate, I’m a real Hogan.”

She continued to say that when she first started in the business she was a ring announcer and simply decided to go by her real name. When she began her in-ring career, Hogan decided she didn’t want to separate her announcer character and in-ring character so that she could show her evolution.

In an interview she gave to Interactive Wrestling Radio last month, Hogan was asked if she’d ever considered doing an angle where she portrayed Hulk Hogan’s daughter.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I’ve actually had a conversation with Brooke Hogan about it. She got a hold of me and was like, ‘We should be sisters or something!’ I was like, ‘That would be so cool!’ My real name is Kiera Hogan. That is my real real name. When I got into wrestling, I was like, ‘That works. I already am a Hogan!”

As the conversation turned to other Knockouts in the division, a twinge of jealousy could be detected from Hogan. In particular, Hogan seems to feel disrespected that Tessa Blanchard stole the spotlight away from her at Redemption. Blanchard came in to do guest commentary during Hogan’s match with Taya Valkyrie.

“I was just so overwhelmed and then here comes 3rd generation Tessa Blanchard walking in,” Hogan said. “It did overshadow what I was doing, which she has accomplished way more than I have, I’ll definitely give it to her there, but it was my moment. I felt like this was my moment why did she have to come in and overshadow me?”

Blanchard recently gave an interview to ImpactWrestling.com, insinuating she plans to skip to the front of the line in the Knockouts division. Perhaps, we could see Hogan and Blanchard meet in an Impact ring sometime in the future.