Is Vince McMahon Starting A Wrestling Company To Rival WWE; February 26th Wrestling News Round-Up

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has strongly dismissed the relevance of Dave Meltzer’s star rating system, claiming it holds “absolutely zero importance” in professional wrestling.

Meltzer, known for decades of assigning star ratings to matches, is both respected and criticised within the wrestling world, with some questioning his credibility due to his lack of in-ring experience.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray made it clear that he doesn’t take Meltzer’s ratings seriously, stating that a star rating would only carry weight for him if it came from wrestlers with substantial in-ring pedigree, such as Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan.

Ray went on to express frustration with how much influence Meltzer’s reviews have over fans, noting that some people might avoid watching a match just because it received a low rating. His advice? Watch the match for yourself and make your own judgement, rather than relying on someone else’s opinion.

Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know using the thumbs below!

Sabu’s highly anticipated final match, scheduled for WrestleMania week at the Spring Break event in Las Vegas, may now be in jeopardy due to an injury sustained by his scheduled opponent, Joey Janela.

Back in January, following a confrontation at The People vs. GCW event, it was confirmed that the ECW legend would face Janela in what was set to be his swan song.

However, after Janela suffered a torn bicep at GCW Up All Night and underwent surgery, his participation in the match has been cast into doubt.

Janela addressed the situation on social media, assuring fans that despite the setback, he was committed to making Spring Break 9 a memorable event, but he made it clear there would be no replacement for Sabu.

Janela further stated that if he couldn’t compete, Sabu wouldn’t either, emphasising the personal significance of the match to him.

The former AEW star confirmed that there was no chance of his recovery in time for the event and added that if Sabu wanted to face someone else during that weekend, it would be his choice, but the match would not be rescheduled for Spring Break.

In case you missed it, here are the full results from last night’s episode of NXT as well as full highlights courtesy of WWE.

Results:

• Stephanie Vaquer defeats Karmen Petrovic to retain the NXT Women’s North American Championship.
• Giulia challenges Vaquer to a title vs title championship match at NXT Roadblock, the match is later made official.
• Moose defeats Lexis King to retain the TNA X-Division Championship.
• The Hardy Boyz defeat NCQC to retain the TNA Tag Team Championships.
• Jaida Parker defeats Arianna Grace.
• Ricky Saints & Je’Von Evans defeat Wes Lee & Ethan Page

Check out the full highlights below!

In the latest Inside The Ropes video Kurt Angle talks exclusively about his best WWE run before recalling his emotional match against ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar.

Two champions will collide at WWE NXT Roadblock on March 11th in a highly anticipated winner-takes-all match, with the victor emerging as a double champion.

On the February 25th episode, Women’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer successfully defended her title against Karmen Petrovic in her first defence.

However, her celebration was interrupted by NXT Women’s Champion Giulia, who entered the ring to confront Vaquer.

After offering her congratulations, Giulia questioned whether Vaquer truly held the title of “best champion” in NXT, to which Vaquer confidently responded that she was indeed the “champion of champions.”

Eager to settle the dispute once and for all, Vaquer issued a challenge for a champion vs. champion match, which Giulia promptly accepted.

It was later confirmed that the highly anticipated showdown would take place at the NXT Roadblock special, airing live from The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on March 11th.

Are you excited for NXT Roadblock? Let us know using the thumbs below!

NWA World Champion Ric Flair vs. National Champion Brad Armstrong headlines this Georgia Championship Wrestling event from the Omni in Atlanta on Feb. 26, 1984, featuring wrestling legends like The Road Warriors, Stan Hansen, King Kong Bundy, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Ron Garvin.

Check out the event in full below courtesy of the WWE Vault YouTube channel!

Before we turn back to some of the biggest stories in wrestling, let’s take a look at what’s set to go down on tonight’s AEW Dynamite.

Currently announced for tonight’s show:

• Deonna Purrazzo vs. Harley Cameron
• Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Orange Cassidy – AEW International Championship match
• Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Keith
• Daniel Garcia & FTR vs Undisputed Kingdom
• Swerve Strickland, Adam Page and MJF are all also slated to appear.

Are you excited for tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite? Let us know using the thumbs below!

Bron Breakker’s debut at WrestleMania is fast approaching, but he faces a challenging path with the odds stacked against him.

The Intercontinental Champion has enjoyed a breakthrough year since his NXT call-up in early 2024, having dazzled fans with his incredible speed and brutal Spears.

His dominance has been marked by two reigns as Intercontinental Champion, with his first victory at SummerSlam, standout matches against Sheamus and Ilja Dragunov, and even a viral moment when he eliminated YouTuber IShowSpeed at the Royal Rumble.

With the Intercontinental Title’s prestige firmly restored, Breakker is set for a high-profile showdown in April.

However, with competitors like AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Penta challenging him on Raw, the champion’s path to WrestleMania may not be straightforward.

Reports suggest that WWE is considering a multi-man match for Breakker, following the tradition of multi-person bouts at the event. As first reported by WrestleVotes on Sportskeeda’s Backstage Pass podcast, the company may opt for a match involving multiple opponents rather than a one-on-one encounter, though whether this will include a ladder match remains unclear

The ongoing lawsuit against Cody Rhodes, WWE, and Fanatics over the trademark dispute concerning the phrase “American Nightmare” continues to evolve, with recent updates providing more details on the case.

In September 2024, musician Wesley Eisold filed legal action against the trio, claiming that the use of the phrase “American Nightmare,” which is both a nickname for Rhodes and the name of Eisold’s band, violated their 2021 agreement.

While Rhodes and Eisold had previously come to terms on the use of the phrase, Eisold alleges that recent merchandise, particularly shirts displaying “American Nightmare” without a specific reference to Rhodes, is causing confusion among fans. Eisold claims that some fans mistakenly purchased the wrong merchandise, believing it was related to the pro wrestler rather than his band.

The agreement between Eisold and Rhodes (whose real name is Runnels) outlined the following terms: Eisold allowed Rhodes to use the phrase on apparel, but only under the condition that the merchandise prominently featured Rhodes’ name, likeness, or significant wrestling-related branding (which must be 75% larger than the “Runnels Mark”).

An update from Mike Johnson of PWInsider reveals that all three defendants—Rhodes, WWE, and Fanatics—have been granted an extension until April 7, 2025, to respond to the lawsuit. Eisold is seeking a jury trial and demands a judgment against Rhodes for breach of contract, trademark infringement, and other alleged violations. He also seeks damages totaling $900,000, an injunction to prevent the sale of merchandise violating his trademark, and attorney’s fees.

Earlier in November 2024, WWE attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that Rhodes’ signature neck tattoo (the “Skull Mark”) has become widely recognized as part of his image, which fans associate with him. WWE’s motion suggests that consumers have come to identify the Skull Mark with Rhodes specifically, given his global popularity and presence in wrestling.

Despite swirling speculation, Fox has denied any involvement in Vince McMahon’s rumored new entertainment venture.

Reports initially suggested that McMahon was working on launching a new company alongside former WWE executives, with some rumors even hinting that Fox could be a potential partner.

However, a spokesperson for the network has made it clear that this is not the case.

The rumors gained traction after wrestling insider Conrad Thompson mentioned on his 83 Weeks podcast that there were whispers about McMahon’s team reaching out to professionals with experience in filming wrestling content.

Additionally, McMahon’s presence at Super Bowl LIX, which aired on Fox, further fueled speculation.

However, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand later reported that a Fox representative had directly denied any involvement in such a project.

With McMahon still facing multiple lawsuits, including the high-profile case filed by Janel Grant, many remain skeptical about his ability to successfully launch a new company.

For now, any talk of a Fox-McMahon partnership has been officially debunked

Hello and welcome back to the ITRWrestling live blog

My name is Liam and I will be with you from 2pm to 6pm (UK) covering all the biggest stories from the past 24 hours across the world in wrestling.

Kicking things off today we have:

• A new report has provided a major update on claims Vince McMahon is trying to start a wrestling company to rival WWE.
• A huge title vs title match has been announced for NXT Roadblock.
• One WWE legend has blasted Dave Meltzer’s star ratings as absolutely meaningless.