Various: Sami Callihan on His Current Free Agency, MLW Lawsuit Against WWE Update, Indies

Nov 3, 2023

Sami Callihan Comments on His Current Free Agency

As noted before, Sami Callihan’s contract with Impact Wrestling expired this past September and is currently a free agent.

In a recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast, Callihan provided an update on the current situation with his free agency.

“I’m looking at everywhere. Right now, I’m having a lot of fun working on Wrestling REVOLVER and having the time to do that. I haven’t worked on the independents for almost three years. Getting a chance to go out there and see what’s out there, this week I went viral doing something with Jason Segel at Fenix’s and Pentagon’s show. Being able to have those moments on a weekly basis is a lot of fun. I’m open to pretty much anywhere right now, it’s just a matter of what’s going to be the best home for me and the best fit. It’s out there on the dirt sheets, there is interest in other places, I’ve talked to a lot of places, it’s just a matter of what’s going to fit best for me and timing is everything.”

Callihan also gave his thoughts on the potential next destination for his wrestling career.

“It’s anywhere. I’m not going to pick just one because it’s anywhere. I can be plugged in at AEW, I have relationships and written storylines with almost everyone in that company and have good relationships with almost everyone at that company. What AEW is doing is different than everyone else and that’s a great place. You look at WWE, I feel like a guy that can be plugged in backstage extremely easily and have a lot of well-being with what I can do. You look at MLW, I already, at one point have been an agent there when they did the relaunch and had a good relationship there. I can go back to New Japan. My options are pretty vast. It’s just determining the best timing and what’s going to be the best.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

MLW Antitrust Lawsuit Agianst WWE Update

As noted before, Major League Wrestling’s original antitrust lawsuit against WWE was dismissed this past February and had filed a new amended lawsuit this past March.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that the United States District Court, Northern Division of California, San Jose Division issued a ruling on October 31st rejecting MLW’s motion to strike down many of WWE’s listed potential defenses against MLW’s amended lawsuit based on recent court records.

Johnson reported that as a result of the court’s ruling, MLW’s amended lawsuit will now proceed to the Discovery phase unless MLW and WWE were to reach a settlement deal beforehand.

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

As noted before, Major League Wrestling talents Lance Anoa’i and Juicy Finau were granted their releases from the company this past Sunday. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that prior to their releases, MLW officials did not have any creative plans in place for Anoa’i and Finau for the rest of this year. Finau reportedly had informed MLW officials that he was open to returning to the company next year but decided to ask for his release instead afterwards. In regards to their releases, it was reported that both sides had some “conduct issues” that needed to be sorted out first before MLW would grant their releases and MLW’s current lawsuit against WWE ended up complicating Anoa’i’s release.

As noted before, Alex Shelley has been out of action for Impact Wrestling since suffering a calf-related injury at Impact’s UK Invasion Tour Night 1 event on October 26th. Prestige Wrestling recently announced on Twitter that they have pulled Shelley from their upcoming Alive event on November 12th in Portland, Oregon due to him not being medically cleared to compete. It was also announced that Shelley will still be making an appearance for a fan meet & greet following that night’s event.

As noted before, British indies wrestler Harley Hudson signed a developmental contract with Impact this past October. In a recent interview with the WrestleSlam podcast, Impact President Scott D’Amore gave his thoughts on Hudson’s performance at their recent Gut Check tryouts and when she might join the company’s main roster. D’Amore stated “Gut Check was an amazing experience seeing talent from all over Europe come together and, and seeing how vibrant the scene is. It’s fantastic. Having Harley [Hudson] there and the opportunity presented to her, I think there was at least 20-to-30 people that were in the running that we could have looked at. She just — when you looked at everything; looks, presentation, passion, athletic ability, wrestling ability, and potential. I think it was all there. So, I look forward to having her come to Canada. She’s got a scholarship to the Can-Am Dojo where she can get to train with Josh Alexander, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, and myself among others. I think she’s gonna do great at that. With that in mind, I think there’s probably a time in the not-too-distant future where you see her join Leon Slater on the TNA wrestling roster.” D’Amore also praised recent Impact signee Leon Slater ring work as well. D’Amore stated “Leon’s as good a prospect as I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to believe he’s only 19 years old. He’s mature beyond his years. He’s got all the athletic ability under the sun and is a wonderful young man, great attitude on him, and we look forward to him being part of TNA wrestling starting in 2024. I’d say the sky’s the limit for him.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

The National Wrestling Alliance filed a trademark for “NWA” on October 25th for wrestling and merchandise-related purposes.

In a recent interview with the Casual Conversations with The Classic podcast, NWA talent Kerry Morton gave his thoughts about the pressures of being a third generation wrestler and revealed that he is currently signed with the NWA for a “long time.” Morton stated “Obviously, I got some big shoes to fill. But at the end of the day, I’m my own man, and that’s something that, in professional wrestling, it is tough to stay relevant and stay on top of the food chain. That’s something I think about every single day, is staying on top of the food chain, staying in that highlighted spot, doing things that are out of the ordinary to be in this position. So it’s there. It’s there, most definitely. But I try not to let it get to me. I try to think about what’s happening in the moment, and how I can direct the future, for either my path…Professional wrestling is such a strange industry where you don’t know what is to come tomorrow. Nothing is ever guaranteed in professional wrestling. I don’t take that lightly. It’s something that you gotta think about, and you gotta create and edge. I love it. I love the position I’m in right now. I signed with the National Wrestling Alliance for a long time because I believe in this company. I believe in what we’re doing. We’re not everyone’s cup of coffee, and that’s okay. I accept it. I’m not. Kerry Morton is not everyone’s cup of coffee, and that’s okay. That’s what professional wrestling is interpreted for. Opinions are meant to be heard. Whether you like me, you love me, you hate me, you want to hurt me, I am still on the tip of your conversation when you think of the National Wrestling Alliance and you think of the generation of superstars coming up. That’s how I like to think of it right now.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

Wrestling Revolver recently announced that Jake Something and The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) will be making their appearances for the company at their Unreal event on November 16th in Los Angeles, California.

Wrestling Revolver also recently announced one new updated match for the card of their Unreal event on November 16th in Los Angeles:

Athena & Billie Starkz vs. Ronda Rousey & Marina Shafir

Prestige Wrestling recently announced one new match for the card of their Roseland 7 event on January 5, 2024 in Portland, Oregon:

Josh Alexander vs. Timothy Thatcher

DEFY Wrestling recently announced one new match for the card of their Pantheon event on November 18th in Seattle, Washington:

DEFY Women’s Championship – Allie Katch vs. Vert Vixen (c)

House of Glory recently announced one new match for the card of their The Darkest Hour event on December 1st in New York City, New York:

Swerve Strickland vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling recently announced one new match for the card of their January 4, 2024 event in Tokyo, Japan:

Princess of Princess Championship – Masha Slamovich vs. Miyu Yamashita (c)

New Japan Pro Wrestling recently announced three new matches and one updated match for the card of their Power Struggle 2023 event on November 4th in Osaka, Japan:

Pre-show: Frontier Zone match – Boltin Oleg, The DKC, & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Dragongate (Mochizuki Jr., Yoshiki Kato, & Strong Machine J)
Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima vs. United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman)
Four-way Tag Team match – YOH & MUSASHI vs. TMDK (Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) vs. El Desperado & Master Wato vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors)
Kevin Knight, KUSHIDA & Tama Tonga vs. BUSHI, Titan, & Shingo Takagi