Pat Buck has publicly criticized TNA Wrestling for blocking the scheduled match between Nic Nemeth and MJF, which was set to headline a Create-A-Pro event on May 1 in Melville, New York.

Buck, who owns Create-A-Pro and also serves as an executive with All Elite Wrestling, issued a lengthy statement addressing the situation and placing blame directly on TNA leadership, specifically Carlos Silva.

“I don’t usually speak on things like this, but this one’s too ridiculous to ignore.

TNA, specifically Carlos Silva, forced a change to the main event of our Create A Pro show three weeks out after it was already approved and promoted.

Not sure who that helps.

Create A Pro is a training school with a promotion focused on developing talent while running consistent live events. We’re a school, dojo, and a mom and pop business… just with two dads.

Live events are a necessary training tool, and they’re disappearing, even at the highest levels, because they’re not as cost effective and the money is in television. In a direct way, we are providing a service for your talent to make $ and keep their skills sharp. Do you not see that ?

We train wrestlers for wrestling companies. And now a wrestling company has stepped in and hurt another wrestling company that helps wrestlers get to wrestling companies. Makes perfect sense. Maybe I’m the one missing something.

I’m annoyed, as it’s hard to ignore how unnecessary, and honestly how cringe, this situation is.

And to be fair, talent wasn’t pulled, but altering a main event match like that on our limited stage has the same impact. Anyone who has actually promoted shows understands that.

When something changes that affects another promoter’s show, you make it right. Whether that means sending talent, strengthening the card, or finding a way to return value, you don’t just create the problem and walk away from it.

That didn’t happen here. And if any attempt is made now to make it right, it’s a bit too late. You meet people with grace, not chaos.

Create A Pro isn’t a competing media company. It’s a training ground that built its own platform to develop talent. No TV deal, no streaming, and we’re not attached to any bigger company, yet.

Between CAP/WrestlePro, we run around 25 events a year and reinvest back into us, our leases, rings, and the equipment needed to put on shows.

Equipment that, at one point, your company needed to rent to operate in this market. And at another point, when your company needed content and additional matches, talent was placed on Create A Pro and WrestlePro shows because there wasn’t enough content to support it. Did anyone let you know about a past positive relationship?

Years ago your company used our students for extra work in a meaningful way. Now it looks more like carrot dangling, ring crew, and helping with catering but that’s an entirely different conversation.

Create A Pro has been a pipeline and a support system to just about every major company in wrestling. Most people know that. (Unless you ask the WWE ID program, then we apparently don’t exist.)

I’m willing to believe Carlos may not know who I am, and that’s fine. But if you’re in an executive position, you should probably understand the room you’re operating in and the etiquette that comes with it. Maybe Tony Khan can give a quick crash course on how to protect your brand while still helping the overall scene. It’s times like this I’m glad to work for someone who actually champions the entire sport, not tries to shrink it.

And yeah, I’m on the payroll but these words are from experience not influence.

At the end of the day, we’ll adjust like we always do. But if the goal is to grow this industry, or even your own company, this isn’t the way to do it.

Keep it up!

Pat Buck

CAP Founder/Trainer,

AEW VP Talent Development

One of the Adults in the Wrestling Room”

The canceled Nemeth vs. MJF match is one of several bouts affected by TNA’s recent policy shift restricting its talent from appearing against wrestlers signed to other promotions on independent shows. Additional matches reportedly impacted include Leon Slater vs. Ricochet for the Mark Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow, as well as a planned appearance by Moose at a Maple Leaf Pro event promoted by Scott D’Amore.

MJF has also voiced strong criticism of the situation, targeting Silva directly.

“What Carlos Silva is doing is disgusting. And if anybody supports him or that company at this point, it is very hard for me to wrap my head around.”

The situation continues to draw attention across the wrestling industry as multiple promotions and independent events feel the impact of TNA’s updated stance.

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Pat McAfee’s recent WWE promo has sparked significant backstage discussion, with new details suggesting the segment was not produced by the company’s creative team and instead originated from higher up within WWE’s corporate structure.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the belief internally is that the entire angle was not driven by the creative team or Paul Levesque.

“The belief internally is that this angle and storyline were not from the creative team nor Paul Levesque. This is where it gets weird. McAfee we know was an Emanuel call, not a Levesque call. The content of the McAfee promo was also not a creative team call. There were many people who knew about McAfee being contacted, not as many who knew he was actually doing it, although the key people certainly knew his name in the mix for a few weeks. It was kept from talent and McAfee was snuck into the building at the last minute to avoid people seeing him and word getting out. Multiple people have said that what McAfee said in knocking the company for Mania ticket sales and record low ratings was not written for him by the writing team.”

Meltzer also addressed McAfee’s controversial line referencing WWE SmackDown having its “lowest-rated” episode, noting confusion internally about what metric was being referenced.

“Some believe his line about the last Smackdown being the lowest rated show ever, which it wasn’t, referred to Cagematch ratings of the 3/27 show, which in fact were the lowest ever although then topped by the 4/3 show, but in my entire life, while people in fact to bring up Cagematch ratings for matches to me very often, I had never had anyone ever bring up Cagematch ratings for television shows except Tony Khan on press calls ever until McAfee said that on television if in fact it was what he was referring to the last two weeks.”

Further details revealed that while a writer was officially assigned to the segment, the actual promo delivered differed from what had been communicated internally.

“As far as where those lines came from, that’s the million dollar question. The belief is that McAfee came up with those lines himself and was given permission to do so from someone. The writer of record for the segment was Christian Sowell and there was a writer, so creative itself was aware of McAfee and aware that it was not a Levesque call but something done over his head. However, the promo McAfee did was not the promo that Sowell told Levesque what McAfee was going to say. And Nick Khan was right there for all of it.”

Despite the unusual circumstances, the promo aired as delivered, with CM Punk later incorporating elements of the storyline into his own promo on WWE RAW.

McAfee is set to continue his involvement in the angle on this week’s SmackDown in San Jose, where Cody Rhodes is advertised to respond. Current plans, also reported by Meltzer, call for McAfee to team with Randy Orton against Rhodes and Jelly Roll at WWE Backlash on May 9 in Tampa.

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The planned match between Asuka and IYO SKY for WrestleMania 42 is now in question, with a final decision still pending.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the bout was previously listed internally by WWE but was notably absent when the full WrestleMania lineup was officially revealed on ESPN earlier this week. As it stands, night two currently features six matches, leaving uncertainty over whether the company will add another.

“Last week that match was listed on the internal lineup but not yet announced. Asuka did a taped interview on Raw on 4/6 to build the match. Sky put a photo of Allegiant Stadium on her social media teasing it. On 4/7, when they announced both nights lineups on ESPN, the match was not there and the Sunday show only had six matches left. At press time, we were told it is up in the air and I guess this basically depends on how long they want the show to go and how much time is allotted for the six matches. There is a plan, and it may not even be the backup plan but the plan, to save the match for Backlash on 5/9. But we were told this decision is still up in the air.”

One major factor affecting the situation is the status of Nikki Bella. If she is not medically cleared following her recent injury, WWE may alter its plans for the Women’s Tag Team Championship match. In that scenario, The Kabuki Warriors could be inserted into the bout, which would remove Asuka from a potential singles match against SKY altogether.

Despite the uncertainty, both competitors have already taken steps to build anticipation for the match. Asuka delivered a taped promo on the April 6 episode of WWE RAW, while SKY teased her involvement by posting an image of the WrestleMania venue online.

WrestleMania 42 is scheduled for April 18 and 19 at Allegiant Stadium. Meanwhile, WWE Backlash on May 9 at Amalie Arena remains a potential landing spot for the match if it does not take place at WrestleMania.

For now, the status of Asuka vs. IYO SKY remains unresolved, with WWE still weighing its options based on timing, match length, and overall card structure.

Backstage Update on Asuka vs IYO SKY WrestleMania 42 Match

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WWE is reportedly lining up a celebrity tag team match for WWE Backlash on May 9 in Tampa, with the bout expected to spin directly out of the WrestleMania 42 main event storyline.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, current plans call for Randy Orton to team with Pat McAfee against Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll.

Meltzer noted that the match is part of WWE’s creative direction following WrestleMania, with the rivalry between Orton and Rhodes continuing beyond their Undisputed WWE Championship clash, which headlines night one of WrestleMania 42 on April 18.

“McAfee will team with Orton against Rhodes & Jelly Roll coming out of WrestleMania and be a key match at the Backlash PPV on 5/9, at least as of plans that were confirmed to us by multiple people and were still in play at press time.”

Jelly Roll’s involvement has been building for weeks on WWE programming, with Orton previously targeting the music star during the WrestleMania storyline. The angle is expected to escalate further, with Rhodes potentially aligning with Jelly Roll as the feud expands.

The storyline continues this Friday on WWE SmackDown from San Jose. WWE has already announced that Rhodes will respond to McAfee following last week’s attack, while McAfee himself teased a “massive surprise” for the show, adding further intrigue heading into WrestleMania weekend.

This episode of SmackDown serves as the second-to-last show before WrestleMania 42, making it a key stop in building both the championship match and the reported celebrity tag team bout.

WWE Backlash will take place on May 9 at the Amalie Arena, where the high-profile tag match is expected to be featured prominently if plans remain unchanged.

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Nikki Bella has shared an update on the ankle injury she suffered during a recent episode of WWE SmackDown, revealing that she is still waiting on MRI results to determine the severity.

The injury occurred during the March 27 episode, where Nikki teamed with Brie Bella against Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair. Nikki rolled her ankle early in the match but managed to finish the bout despite the apparent pain.

Speaking on Angie Martinez’s YouTube channel, Nikki admitted she has been frustrated by the uncertainty surrounding the injury.

“No, not at all. I’ve been super bummed out about it, so, as of now, it’s a sprained ankle. We don’t know if it’s a high sprain or something else, so I got an MRI I’m waiting for the results,” Nikki said.

She then detailed how the injury happened and what went through her mind as she continued competing.

“In our match on Friday, so, it was our second tag match back together, and it happened right in the beginning of the match, and I finished the match. I can’t believe I finished the match, and I stressed out my poor sister,” Nikki said.

Brie recalled the moment from ringside, explaining how chaotic and confusing the situation felt while the match was still unfolding live.

“It’s my second match back in eight years. So much anxiety in her first tag. So she tags me, and as I’m about to come in, she goes, ‘Oh, I think I broke my ankle,’ and we’re on live television. I was like, ‘Huh?’ I was like, ‘Do we need to call the match?’” Brie said.

Nikki went on to explain that she initially believed the injury could be a break, describing the intense pain and difficulty putting weight on her ankle. Despite that, she pushed through, aware of the larger storyline implications heading into WrestleMania 42.

“I thought it possibly could be broken, because I’ve had a break before and the rush that was going through my calf, and I couldn’t put weight on it, I was like, oh, I think I just broke my ankle and just how it felt, I just knew something was wrong but, I knew this was starting the story to WrestleMania. So in my head, I knew there were girls in the back waiting to run in. I knew there was just a lot of women a part of this match and I didn’t wanna let anyone down. But I still had like 10-12 minutes to go, and I was like, ‘My goodness…’ So every time I would tag in, I was like, ‘No, it’s really broken, Brie. It’s broken’ and the girl who we’re beating up is like, ‘Uh, put me in a hold?’ She’s like, ‘Wait, is her ankle broken?’” Nikki said.

Despite the injury, the Bella Twins are still being advertised for a Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 42 night one on April 18. However, Nikki’s participation will ultimately depend on her MRI results and medical clearance, which could impact the final lineup for the event.

Nikki Bella Awaiting MRI Results After SmackDown Ankle Injury

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