World News
Where Next For WWE’s Released Stars?
There are more established stars on the ‘free agent’ scene in professional wrestling than there have been for quite a while. WWE has been in a ratings war with rival promotion AEW on Wednesday nights for quite some time, and that war is likely to intensify now several former WWE stars are now available for hire. Will AEW pick them all up, though, or are we more likely to see these fallen stars appear elsewhere? Will some of them leave the wrestling business completely? Let’s take a closer look and see if we can work out who will go where.
One thing we can say with confidence is that not all of them will go to AEW. The last thing AEW wants to be seen as is a place that’s full of cast-off WWE wrestlers. It’s true to say that a wrestling show is only as good as its lineup, but just like anyone who’s ever played slots knows, not every lineup is a winner. By the time some players realize that, they’ve already sunk too much money into an online slots game to have any realistic prospect of making that money back. AEW doesn’t mind a gamble – it’s proven that in the past by using a casino and online slots theme for its ‘Double or Nothing’ Pay Per View event, but it only gambles when it makes sense to do so. Picking up a whole raft of recently-released WWE talent probably doesn’t.
Let’s start off with the best-known and most surprising of all the releases, and work from there.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Gallows and Anderson are multiple-time WWE tag team champions, and until their release, they were part of ‘The Original Club’ on television with AJ Styles. They even had a role in the well-received ‘Boneyard Match’ between Styles and the Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. It was a surprise to see them released when you consider their name value, but perhaps not so much when you consider the financial side of the situation. Both men signed huge new contracts – believed to be worth $750,000 per year each – with the company last year to avoid the risk of them walking out when their current deals expired. The objective of the WWE releases was to save money, and so if they weren’t going to be used in a featured position, it probably makes more sense to let them go. We don’t think AEW is their likely destination for now, though – if AEW picks up a tag team, it will be The Revival. Gallows and Anderson were a huge deal in Japan before they arrived in WWE, and that’s where they’re likely to return to.
EC3
If WWE offered voluntary redundancy to any of the released performers, EC3 probably accepted it before Vince McMahon had even finished speaking. It’s been an open secret that he’s wanted out of his deal for a long time, and he was never used correctly on the main roster. He’s already started releasing promotional videos for his new character on Twitter and is understood to be in high demand on the indie scene and by every other promotion you could mention. He has a ready-made feud waiting with MJF in AEW, though, and we’d be surprised if he signed anywhere else.
Drake Maverick
We’re going to call WWE’s bluff on this release. Drake Maverick released a tearful video on social media after his release while still wearing a WWE t-shirt. He mentioned that he was being permitted to complete his scheduled cruiserweight tournament matches before his departure, and his video became a talking point on WWE NXT before his first tournament match was aired last week. There’s been a groundswell of support for Maverick ever since he released the video, and the smart money says that WWE will have a change of heart about letting him go. We think he’ll end up with a new contract, and he’ll stay put.
Sarah Logan
The release of Sarah Logan wasn’t really a shock. Aside from being used as cannon fodder in the ‘Riott Squad’ stable, she hasn’t done anything of note since signing a WWE deal. She was, however, immensely popular backstage. She’s also the wife of Raymond Rowe, who is one half of the Viking Raiders and wrestles under the ring name ‘Erik.’ Firing one half of a married couple while keeping the other isn’t really the WWE way, and several industry websites have suggested that a number of people have gone to bat for Logan since she was let go. We think that she, too, will be hurriedly re-signed to a new deal.
Lio Rush
This might be it for Lio Rush when it comes to wrestling, and that would be a huge shame. He’s made no secret of the fact that he’s lost his passion for performing as a wrestler during his WWE run, and he could never seem to stay out of trouble backstage. These days he’s far more interested in making music, and he can’t pursue that full time while under wrestling contract in WWE or anywhere else. As gifted as he clearly is in the ring, he’s always been limited by both his size and his attitude, and so we might have seen him work in the ring for the last time.
Heath Slater
Heath Slater has been one of WWE’s most consistent mid-card workers for more than a decade. He’s also a former member of the ‘Three Man Band’ stable – and there’s an interesting story to be told there. The other two members of the stable were Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre – both of whom have been released by the company in the past, worked hard on the independent scene, and then returned to the company in much better physical shape and won the WWE Championship. Slater, at 36, is still young enough to do that if he wants to. That might limit his options, though. If he signs with AEW, he can kiss goodbye to any dreams of coming back to WWE in the future, and so he’ll have to choose wisely. A stint with the NWA, Ring of Honor, or Impact Wrestling wouldn’t harm him. Impact might be the best bet of the three.
Zack Ryder
The biggest crime Zack Ryder ever committed in WWE was to get over without assistance from the head office. His YouTube channel made him popular with fans and briefly saw him elevated from jobber status to solid midcarder. Ryder has been a US Champion, an Intercontinental Champion, and, more recently, a tag team champion with Curt Hawkins. He’s a big guy with a great look and a lot of charisma, and he could be an asset to the right company. More importantly than all of that, he’s a very close friend of Cody Rhodes – and Cody is the guy who makes the majority of hiring decisions in AEW. He’s going to AEW, and we’re more certain about this call than we are with any of the others. He might even be able to get Curt Hawkins a job there at the same time.
As for the rest – time will tell. Rusev is the biggest name among the releases, but he’s understood to have had some sort of issue that’s kept him off television for three months already. Without knowing what that issue is, it’s impossible to say what his next move might be. Eric Young, Epico, and Primo were likely close to retirement anyway, and Mike and Maria Kanellis can breeze straight back into Impact Wrestling any time they like. It’s never nice to lose your job – but for these wrestlers, a lost job means a whole new set of opportunities.
World News
Former US Army Servicemember, Sanda G. Frimpong Sentenced to Prison in Money Laundering Romance Scam
Sanda G. Frimpong, 33, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution to victims for laundering the illicit proceeds of an elaborate series of romance scams. Frimpong pled guilty to three counts of money laundering on September 14, 2023.
“Romance scammers exploit our most vulnerable citizens, even our seniors and military veterans, sometimes leaving them financially and emotionally devastated,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The fact that an Army servicemember was involved in romance scams while serving as a soldier is appalling. We are partnering with the Department of Defense to drum out fraudsters and money launderers like Frimpong from our military ranks and put them in prison where they belong.”
“Integrity is a core tenet of the armed forces and when servicemembers choose to compromise their integrity for greed, it tarnishes the reputation of all others serving in uniform,” stated Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “DCIS and its law enforcement partners will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold those accountable who cheat government programs and use online scams to prey on the most vulnerable.”
Frimpong and other conspirators, engaged in elaborate scams, impersonating romantic love interests, diplomats, customs personnel, military personnel, and other fictitious personas for the purpose of ensnaring their victims by earning their confidence, including promises of romance, sharing of an inheritance or other riches, or other scenarios intended to fraudulently induce the victims to provide money or property to the conspirators. Frimpong then laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds of these frauds through his various bank accounts across state lines and through his contacts in Ghana. Frimpong was also an active-duty Army servicemember stationed at Fort Bragg during the commission of the offenses up until shortly after his arrest in 2023.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III announced the sentence. Defense Criminal Investigative Service led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Beraka prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:23-CR-0035-D.
World News
US Army Major Kojo Owusu Dartey Found Guilty After He Smuggled Guns to Ghana in Blue Barrels of Rice and Home Goods
US Army Major Kojo Owusu Dartey, 42, was convicted for smuggling firearms to Ghana in blue barrels disguised as containing rice and household goods.
The incident, which took place in April 2024, has sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms. Dartey, involved in a marriage fraud scheme, faces a maximum sentence of 240 months and is scheduled for sentencing on July 23, 2024. The case has raised questions about the motives behind the smuggling and the potential implications for national security.
A US Army Major, Kojo Owusu Dartey, known for his role in the US special forces, has been found guilty of smuggling firearms to Ghana hidden in blue barrels of rice and household goods.
The 42-year-old is facing a maximum sentence of 240 months and awaits sentencing on July 23,… pic.twitter.com/o28I3wZOKd
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) April 30, 2024
A federal jury convicted a United States Army Major, currently assigned to Fort Liberty, on charges of dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the United States, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements made to an agency of the United States, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy. Kojo Owusu Dartey, age 42, faces a maximum penalty of 240 months when sentenced on July 23, 2024.
Read Also: Abena Korkor says she’s found love in a bipolar American army officer
“We are partnering with law enforcement agencies across the globe to expose international criminals – from money launderers to rogue international arms traffickers capable of fueling violence abroad,” said U.S Attorney Michael Easley. “Through a partnership with Ghanaian officials, this rogue Army Major was convicted at trial after smuggling guns to Ghana in blue barrels of rice and household goods. I want to thank the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana for their assistance in the investigation. I also commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attachés to U.S. Embassy Accra and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division for their significant assistance to this prosecution.”
“Far from being a victimless crime, firearms trafficking threatens public safety across our nation and beyond,” said Toni M. Crosby, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Baltimore Field Division. “The Baltimore Field Division is proud to partner with the Ghana Revenue Authority and ATF’s Charlotte and Louisville Field Divisions for this investigation, which has kept firearms off the streets — preventing them from being used in any number of killings and other crimes — and ended this international firearm trafficking scheme.”
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and tasked a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms there and send them to Dartey in North Carolina. Dartey then hid all the firearms, including multiple handguns, an AR15, 50-round magazines, suppressors, and a combat shotgun inside blue barrels underneath rice and household goods and smuggled the barrels out of the Port of Baltimore, Maryland, on a container ship to the Port of Tema in Ghana. The Ghana Revenue Authority recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attaché in Ghana and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division. At the same time, Dartey was a witness in the trial of U.S. v. Agyapong. A case that involved a 16-defendant marriage fraud scheme between soldiers on Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana that Dartey had tipped off officials to. In preparation for the trial, Dartey lied to federal law enforcement about his sexual relationship with a defense witness and lied on the stand and under oath about the relationship.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II accepted the verdict. The ATF, Army Criminal Investigation Division and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel J. Diaz prosecuted it with technical assistance from David Ryan, DOJ Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
World News
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou announces death of his 15-month-old son
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou announced the death of his 15-month-old son Kobe on Monday. (more…)
World News
Iraqi TikTok star Om Fahad shot dead outside Baghdad home
Iraqi social media influencer Om Fahad has been shot dead outside her home in Baghdad, according to local media reports. (more…)
World News
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi sentenced to death for protesting
Iranian Dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has been given a death sentence for his involvement in the widespread protests that swept Iran in 2022, according to his lawyer. (more…)
Radio & TV
2024 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) to air LIVE on DStv
MTV has announced the 2024 “VMAs” will make its return to New York on Tuesday, September 10th at the UBS Arena. Airing LIVE on MTV, DStv Channel 130 on Wednesday, 11 September at 1:00am WAT and 2:00am CAT around the world in more than 150 countries. This year’s global fan-filled phenomenon will celebrate the best music videos of the past year with supersized performances, epic tributes, and unforgettable appearances from the world’s biggest celebrities.
“We’re excited to bring this year’s VMAs to UBS Arena, one of the country’s newest and most cutting edge venues,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “Celebrating one of music’s biggest nights with the incredible, robust New York area fans is something we’ve been looking forward to since the moment last year’s show ended.”
“It’s an honor to host MTV and the VMAs at UBS Arena,” said Mark Shulman, Senior Vice President of Programming, UBS Arena. “This is the culmination of bringing a world class event to a venue that offers state of the art capabilities and the best in fan amenities. We look forward to welcoming this year’s top artists, fans, and viewers worldwide to experience our arena and campus at Belmont Park.”
“We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”
The “VMAs” will air across MTV’s global footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, reaching over 319 million households.
Additional details will be announced closer to the show. Follow @MTV and @VMAs on social to keep up with all-things #VMAs.
- Buzz6 days ago
I underestimated the extent of my influence – Serwaa Amihere apologizes
- Buzz1 week ago
Kofi Kinaata Credits Samini’s High Grade Family for Musical Breakthrough
- Buzz7 days ago
Why single mothers struggle to find partners – Joselyn Dumas
- World News1 week ago
Kanye West reportedly planning to launch porn studio
- People & Lifestyle1 week ago
Why Ghanaians question the authenticity of King Promise’s alleged wedding
- Buzz6 days ago
Some Wealthy Ghanaians Lack Philanthropic Spirit – Michael Blackson asserts
- Buzz1 week ago
Sarkodie’s Nigeria performance sparks social media buzz
- Buzz6 days ago
Dress decently to the gym; some men want to make it to heaven – Williams Uchemba tells ladies
- Buzz1 week ago
One half of the Mitch Brothers was arrested at Dulcie Boateng’s Porials Pitch event
- Buzz4 days ago
Funeral arrangements announced for late Nollywood actor Junior Pope
- Buzz7 days ago
I produced most of the biggest hit songs in Ghana last year – Beatz Vampire claims the crown ahead of TGMA 2024
- People & Lifestyle7 days ago
Delta to serve Ghana with new Airbus A330-900neo