James Ellsworth
Tonight’s dark match before the WWE Smackdown Live tapings in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania saw James Ellsworth defeat a local wrestler.
Kentucky Wrestling
Inside Louisville has a new article looking at new regulations introduced by the new Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission as part of the ‘Red Tape Reduction Initiative’ to hopefully bring more events back to Kentucky.
The new commission, which was created to replace the defunct Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority, helped to get rid of “unnecessary” boxing and wrestling regulations that reportedly stopped such promotions as WWE from hosting events in the state. One of the items removed was the ‘cut rule’, where a match would be stopped in a wrestler started to bleed. Managers of two of the major arenas in Kentucky, the KFC Yum! Center and Rupp Arena, reportedly criticized the former KBWA for strictly adhering to these rules, arguing it was insane and ridiculous and it was costing Kentucky millions in revenue from visitors who might attend WWE events.
Ryan Helfenbein, the spokesman for the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, told Inside Louisville (via email) that the cut rule:
“prevented certain wrestling promoters from bringing major wrestling events (and economic development opportunities) to the Commonwealth for fear that a live television event would be stopped. The proposed regulation provides that blood will not stop a match if the contestant has submitted a blood test to prove that he or she is negative of certain major diseases.”
Additionally, Helfenbein said:
“The proposed regulation is more in line with boxing and mixed martial arts, and the Commission saw no reason to distinguish among the sports. The promoters we have worked with have indicated a willingness and desire to come back to Kentucky under Governor Bevin and the new Commission’s leadership.”
