Various: Maria Kanellis on Talks with AEW, WWE, & WOW, Sat. NJPW Strong Card, Trademarks, Indies

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Sep 23, 2022

Maria Kanellis Comments on Career Future & Talks with Tony Khan, Triple H, and WOW

A recent episode of Fightful’s Grapsody podcast had Maria Kanellis as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Kanellis’ thoughts on the future of her wrestling career and her recent talks with other companies.

“I’m on a per-appearance deal with them [IMPACT Wrestling] until October 8. It’s so hard to make decisions moving forward because I love what we’re doing in IMPACT and I know the possibilities of where we might go with it and where I might go with it as an individual. Scott D’Amore is a fantastic boss, if I’m not in the Maria Honor No More voice [laughs]. I absolutely love what we’re doing there. When [The Kingdom] won the tag titles, that meant something, especially after losing what, to me, was going to be the next ten years of my life, if not longer, Ring of Honor. I was looking at Ring of Honor like, ‘Okay, this is going to be the next ten to fifteen years of my life. I’m going to run this women’s division. I’m going to transition completely to the other side. I’m going to help with production. I want to move forward with taking over more responsibilities.’ Then it ended, and Scott gave us an opportunity. It’s really hard looking ‘where do I go next?’ I talked to Tony Khan, I talked to Triple H, I talk to Scott all the time. Recently, I talked to WOW [Women of Wrestling]. It’s a very interesting time for me. For me, it’s about creating opportunities for all of the women I’m working with now. Where does that make sense?
Not only that but then there is the heart of me that says when Mike, my husband, went to WWE and it was his ultimate dream to be in WWE. That’s all he talked about. He was a WWE person from the moment I met him. We got to WWE, and it was not the way he wanted it to go. I think, for him, there is still a part of him that thinks there is unfinished business. For me, I don’t know if you guys could see it, but when [The Kingdom] won the tag team titles (in IMPACT), there were tears. They are my boys. Taven married us. I was literally standing with the both of them at my wedding going, ‘you are my husband’s best friend and my friend, and this is my husband, we are family.’ The idea of the two of them walking out at WrestleMania and me managing them. Of course, that thought is in my mind. Then I look at AEW where they have some of the greatest tag teams in the world. Competition-wise, there is that at AEW. The fact that the boys have never gotten in there with FTR. I look at all of these things and go ‘shit.’ Then, where is Ring of Honor going to go? I think it’s an amazing time in wrestling right now.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Full Card for Saturday’s Episode of NJPW Strong

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced the full card for this Saturday’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed 2022 Night 3 themed episode of NJPW Strong, which will air on New Japan World starting at 8:00PM EST.

QT Marshall vs. Keita
Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura vs. TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito)
Ren Narita vs. Jakob Austin Young
Taiji Ishimori vs. Alan Angels

WWE, AEW, & Missy Hyatt File New Trademarks

WWE, AEW, and Missy Hyatt recently filed several new trademarks to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Trademarks for “NXT Global” and “NXT Europe” were filed by WWE on September 16th for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes.

A trademark for “The Firm” was filed by AEW on September 16th for wrestling and merchandise-related purposes.

A trademark for “First Lady of Professional Wrestling” was filed by former WCW and ECW wrestler Missy Hyatt on September 13th for wrestling and merchandise-related purposes.

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

During a press conference on Thursday in Japan, DDT Pro Wrestling talent Konosuke Takeshita announced that he will be returning to the United States for another tour of the country this October. Takeshita also stated that his current goal is to win the KO-D Openweight Championship and defend the title in AEW.

Sports retailer Champs Sports recently announced that new limited edition Young Bucks themed sneakers will be officially released for sale at their online store starting on September 28th. The Young Bucks announced that only 100 sneakers will be available for sale and only for those in the United States.

Major League Wrestling recently announced that Willie Mack will be making an appearance for the company at their Fightland 2022 event on October 30th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame recently announced their full list of nominees for potential induction into their Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Among the notable names listed included former NFL player and current WWE SmackDown announcer Pat McAfee.

As noted before, tattoo artist Catherine Alexander is currently suing WWE and Take-Two Interactive in regards to allegations of copyright infringement over her tattoos inked for Randy Orton that have been shown in WWE’s video game series. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Orton is currently scheduled to be a witness for the upcoming trial before the United Stated District Court Southern District of Illinois. Johnson reported that this upcoming trial is currently scheduled to start on September 26th and will take place over five days.

Stardom announced that KAIRI is the third official participant for their and NJPW’s upcoming IWGP Women’s Championship tournament. It was also announced that KAIRI will be in the international side of the tournament’s bracket and will receive a First Round bye.

Guinness World Records recently announced that they have awarded John Cena with an official Guinness World Record for most wishes granted in Make-A-Wish Foundation history at 650. It was announced that Cena currently has over double the amount of wishes granted than anybody else in Make-A-Wish history.

Gatoh Move recently announced that Yuna Mizumori will be leaving the company at the end of the month and will be working as a freelancer for her career going forward. It was announced that Mizumori’s final appearance for the company will take place at their Tropical Night event on September 29th in Tokyo, Japan. It was also announced that Mizumori will be facing off against Emi Sakura in a singles match at the event.

Game Changer Wrestling announced a new match for the card of their Drop Dead event on October 22nd in Detroit, Michigan: