Today in wrestling news, there are a lot of announcements to take in. There are some Superstars leaving WWE, a couple wrestlers looking to return to the ring soon, and another big announcement for Progress Wrestling’s show in New York City.
Eva Marie Leaves WWE
Even though most WWE fans saw this departure coming, this is still the biggest news story of the day. After working with WWE for about four years, Eva Marie announced on Twitter today that she will be leaving the wrestling company. She first saw the spotlight in the first season of Total Divas, which documented her journey to becoming a WWE Superstar. She appeared on the show until the most recent season, and she was a glaring omission from the upcoming seventh season that features newcomers Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Carmella.
After being drafted to SmackDown Live in last years Brand Extension, All Red Everything seemed to have big things ahead of her. She had a gimmick that made excuses for not being able to compete, and once that started heating up, she got hit with a 30-day suspension for violating the Wellness Policy. She had not been on WWE television since, and in the meantime, she started her own fashion brand.
Ho Ho Lun is Granted His WWE Release
In the same day as Eva Marie’s release, WWE also lost a member of NXT in Hoho Lun. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Ho Ho Lun requested his release to deal with a “family situation,” and later on WWE.com, it was confirmed that he left for “personal reasons.”
Lun first appeared in the Cruiserweight Classic, where he was one of two Superstars representing China. After the tournament, he would occasionally make appearances in NXT, where he would help elevate other stars that were getting pushes at the time. While he was announced as part of the 205 Live roster, he never appeared on the Cruiserweight-only brand.
Alberto El Patron’s GFW Suspension May End Soon
When Alberto El Patron joined Global Force Wrestling (which merged with TNA recently), he was pushed to the moon and given the GFW World Heavyweight Championship. Shortly thereafter, an altercation with wife Paige at an airport blew up all over social media and it led to El Patron’s suspension with title in hand. The suspension was indefinite, but according to a conversation with Bully Ray, El Patron thinks that when it comes to him returning, “that’s going to happen pretty soon.”
In an official statement by Global Force Wrestling, “Alberto El Patron remains under suspension while GFW continues its internal look at the situation.”
Paige Hoping to Return to WWE Soon
While El Patron looks to be returning to the ring soon, so does Paige. The former Divas Champion has been recovering from neck surgery since October 19, and a recent visit with her doctor has her hoping to be back “sooner rather than later.” It is unclear exactly when she will return, but it sounds like there is progress being made.
Another WWE Contracted Superstar to Compete at Progress NYC
Speaking of progress (this segue was a complete accident, I swear), there is more news for Progress Wrestling’s big show in New York City. Just a few days ago, it was announced that Gentleman Jack Gallagher would be challenging Pete Dunne for the WWE United Kingdom Championship. On top of that, WWE has now allowed a member of the Mae Young Classic to compete on the show as well, and this is all on the heels of Noam Dar returning to ICW in Scotland for a one-off appearance.
Dakota Kai, who represents New Zealand in the historic women’s tournament, will appear in tag team action for Progress alongside Dahlia Black to take on the debuting Deonna Purrazzo and Jinny. With an incredible show taking place on August 12, here is a look at the entire card:
- Mark Andrews vs. Mark Haskins vs. Zack Gibson
- Dahlia Black & Dakota Kai vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Jinny
- Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela
- Donovan Dijack vs Timothy Thatcher – #1 Contender’s Match (Progress Atlas Division Championship)
- WALTER (c) vs. Matt Riddle – Progress Atlas Division Championship
- British Strong Style (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate) (c) vs. South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) – Progress Tag Team Championships
- Pete Dunne (c) vs. Gentleman Jack Gallagher – WWE United Kingdom Championship
