Rumor Mills: October 18th

Hello everyone, Matt Mills here, and apparently today is “National Information Overload Day.” I promise that this is hot goss worth waiting for!

• • Word on the street is that The Anglo Luchador is ducking Tony Gamble, at least that’s what I’m hearing from admittedly biased sources. The truth is that the match with Jacob Mephisto at ReVival 17 was set in stone before Gamble laid his challenge out. The luchador is said to be acutely sensitive towards his reputation, especially after two vicious wars in two consecutive weeks against Balaam and Jace Parker Davidson. In response, we are hearing third-hand from various people who may have been in Jon Rhine’s hospital room while the Intense Champion was visiting him, that he is preparing to challenge the leader of the GAS at Colossus, in order to “make an example of him on the biggest stage.” We could not get any of our normal sources around the luchador to confirm. Timo Bolamba is busy on Cancer Jiles detail. Mikey has blocked my phone number. TAL’s wife Tamara is too busy screening calls due to an uptick of angry phonecalls from EDWARDS!!!, and the luchador himself is trying to keep things closer to the vest. We’ll have more information as we can glean it.

• • Alex Steel has been rumored to be “sunsetting her career” as per dirtsheets and has been looking at becoming a manager full-time.

• • There are swirling rumors that Timo Bolamba is planning to give away his jet to none other than…Cancer Jiles. When the anonymous source was asked why he would do such a thing, they simply said, “Timo has short memory for treachery…but El Temblor does not.” Who knows if there is any truth to this scandal.

• • “Mr. Middle Management” Mike McGee is said to have been offering PRIME roster members a “significant way for them to lower their costs on cellular phone plans, homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance” via a bundling project, but has yet to find any takers.

• • Rumor is that Coral Avalon is auctioning off some of his spare Baron von Blackberry lab coats for charity. Perhaps he’s looking to expand his collection of sweaters to wear around his neighborhood instead?

• • Sid Phillips was spotted shopping for suits in Vegas in the days leading up to ReVival 17, in the company of Joe Fontaine. While details are scarce because every member of the PRIMEarazzi have grown terrified of Sid’s “powerbomb first and ask questions never” policy regarding them, it’s believed that Sid has secured the *hottest* of dates!

• • (Fade-in.)

(The President of the Narrators’ Guild has requested that Dave the Narrator appear at Guild Headquarters no later than 10AM on Thursday, October 20 to discuss multiple reported infractions against the union’s regulations. These include, but are not limited to: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Addressing the Audience Directly, Peeling Back the Curtain, and Expired Parking Permit.)

(If Dave is found to be in violation, he may lose his Guild membership and will not be allowed to narrate for any union-affiliated project for up to five years.)

(Dave the Narrator was last seen working with GREAT SCOTT (aka LARGE DADDY SCOTT, SCOTTZILLA, and Just Scott). If you have information about Dave’s current whereabouts, please contact your local chapter of the Narrator’s Guild immediately.)

(Thank you.)

(Fade to black.)

• • The people in charge say Paxton Ray is fired. They swear he’s paid for his crimes and the Bayou Butcher era is dead before it began. But I’ve heard from an anonymous source that Paxton Ray isn’t done with PRIME. I’m told that the bruiser is going to try and get back on the show to plead his case to Lindsay Troy, and she will relent. The biggest point of evidence to that rumor? The fact that Ray’s bio is still on the PRIME website. The front office is blaming the web staff, but my source is adamant. “Look out for Paxton at ReV 17. He’s going to make a splash.”

• • Is Brandon Youngblood’s PRIME career coming to an end after Colossus?

An anonymous source within PRIME talent relations has intimated that this isn’t “a simple rumor,” but a certainty. PRIME Head of Talent Relations, Killean Sirrajin, was noncommittal in answering questions about the future status of “The Diamond” after the end of the year. Deeper rumblings indicate that there is a growing schism between the Hall of Fame legend and PRIME management that is fast growing untenable.

Youngblood, who won the Almasy Memorial Invitational as well as the Universal Championship earlier this year, has been a key figure in PRIME’s rapid ascent since its return. His original signing made waves within the industry, as he had remained out of active competition for a majority of the last decade, despite the attempts of various promotions to bring him out of retirement. Youngblood’s deal with PRIME is rumored to be in the three to four year range, with an undisclosed annual salary which, including incentives, “makes him the highest paid member of the roster by a wide margin”, said anonymous stated. There are apparent annual opt out provisions, however, given the contract framework, only ‘The Diamond’ can execute them.

Tensions seem to have developed over a multitude of recent issues within the company. Youngblood has been public in his criticisms of PRIME President and CEO Lindsay Troy’s use of fines as the only deterrent to actions he has deemed outrageous. At the UltraViolence media scrum, he made light of such penalties, inferring that former PRIME star Paxton Ray would merely be fined for his act that left former tag team partner and Intense Champion Jonathan Rhine paralyzed from below the waist. Ray was, instead, terminated for his actions at UltraViolence. After the events of ReVival 16 where Darin Zion, the returning Jonathan-Christopher and Vickie Hall, and the debuting Tristan-Crispin Gladhappy viciously assaulted Tag Team Champions Reina Raspberry and King Blueberry, Youngblood is said to have been irate over the penalties levied. “They threatened to take her eye. They committed a war crime on national television. We have military personnel serving prison sentences over shit like that. Here? They get fined five grand less than what Sykes was after ReVival 3. Probably the blood money going rate for a contendership they never could earn in the ring too.” This says nothing about the situation involving the Universal Championship, where Julian Bathory and eventual champion Cancer Jiles forced the title into vacancy with an attack that may well have ended the in-ring career of then Universal Champion Phil Atken.

With the information spreading, Angelica Brooks asked Youngblood directly during their scheduled segment on her Undergroundcast whether there was any truth to the rumors of him either retiring or leaving PRIME to join another promotion. No answer was given. When asked about the rumored tension with PRIME Management, Youngblood was concise in his response. “All hail The Queen, even as she sits on her throne acting like she’s in total control as Camelot burns around her.”

• • The 2022 Milo Flynn Cup was perhaps the most watched in the tag tournament’s history, thanks in part to an affiliation deal that allowed the event to be showcased in full on Ace Network. While many PRIME stars, such as the Dangerous Mix, The Masters of the Multiverse B-Team, and the soon to be debuting “Crownless King” Coral Avalon performed admirably, the wrestling world has been abuzz about the next step for the breakout stars of the tournament and eventual Cup Champions, The New World Trash.

Since the Flynn, both Bex “Ripper” Savage and “Eternal Sunrise” Angel Quinley have made special appearances in west coast independent promotions, but haven’t wrestled. Sources indicate that this isn’t a result of a contractual agreement, but that The Trash have been dealing with a bevy of injuries that have kept them out of the ring. Savage was reported to have had a staph infection, whereas Quinley has appeared in a walking boot at events. Despite a willingness to fight, they have yet to be cleared by any of the Oregon, Washington, or California Athletic Commissions.

Rumors abound that their next wrestling match will take place in a major promotion. Word has it that SHOOT, DEFIANCE, High Octane Wrestling, and PRIME have all expressed significant interest in adding the pair, believing they could all benefit after what they all view as a “significant star making performance.” PRIME CEO and President Lindsay Troy has gone as far as to invite both Savage and Quinley as personal guests for UltraViolence. I’ve tried to contact The Trash directly to get any updates, but was told “to get lost, unless you’re Benny. And if you are, get your ass to the Space Needle if you want to prove you ain’t all talk.” Whatever that means, hopefully it means we see The Trash in a PRIME ring someday soon!

• • Neither Julian Bathory nor Bruce Shanahan have been seen or heard from since the brutal Universal Title match at UltraViolence. Rumor has it that Bathory suffered significant injuries that will keep him on the shelf for months. There is no timetable for his return.

• • Adam Ellis and Ginny Van Lear were spotted car shopping this past weekend. The happy couple reportedly checked out new model Volkswagen Jettas at a Dallas auto lot to replace Adam’s beloved Volkswagen Jetta that’s taken him all over the Midwest the past three years. One auto lot they did not stop at was a local Kia auto dealership just down the road from their new home. Ginny allegedly asked Adam about buying a Kia. Adam’s reaction? “Are you ****ing kidding me? No. There’s no way in hell I’d never buy a Kia. They suck.”

No word on what vehicle the Ellises eventually brought home.

• • We’ve got some piping hot tea to spill about news in the Kings of Popsicles locker room. According to sources familiar with the team, neither half of the PRIME Tag Team Champions have spoken to each other since Justine Calvin, who fans know better as the masked Reina Raspberry, flew home early last week. Her partner, leading candidate for Sexiest Man in PRIME and fellow fruit aficionado Jared Sykes (King Blueberry), was seen at a terminal at Harry Reid International Airport last Friday. The flight in question was headed for Vancouver, British Columbia. Whatever the reason, whether a sizzling dalliance with another hot Canadian or simply a break from the chaos, rest assured that we’ll make sure to keep the PRIMEates connected with all the hot goss’!

• • We’ve got the inside dish on the hot talk of the locker room. It’s well-known that Dusk has submitted a list of opponents that he’d like to face in closing out his in-ring career. First on that list is Tony Gamble, but we can now report that the other names include Dinesh Paliwal, the CEO of HARMAN, whose company recently acquired Martin Lighting, a leading manufacturer of entertainment smoke machines! While we here at PRIME haven’t yet been made aware of the third name, we do know that the individual in question is known to have posted some very scandalous fan-fiction involving the Lost Soul and former Sin City queenpin Alexandra Pierce between 2008 and 2010. Private investigators have been hired to ferret this person out, in the hopes that – at the very least – they can be convinced to delete everything on their hard drives.

• • Buzz around the Vegas scene seems to suggest that the Masters of the Multiverse are taking this “Commissioner of Food and Beverage” schtick berry seriously, indeed.

Posted around the vicinity of the MGM on every wall imaginable has been a paper titled “THE NO BANG LIST,” listing off all the flavors and varieties of Bang energy drink that are hereby BANNED from PRIME going forward.

At the top of the list?

“King” Nectarine Blueberry.

We can only assume this is the work of the B-Team, for obvious reasons…we’re just waiting for our man on the scene Buzz to get back to us.

• • When asked for comment regarding Brandon Youngblood’s criticisms of recent punishments being levied in PRIME, Lindsay Troy waved us off. “Brandon can pop off at the mouth all he wants, or he can act like an adult and have a one-on-one conversation. He knows how to reach me. Same goes for anyone else.”

The Queen’s weekly security meeting with Dametreyus and Wade Elliott did run longer than initially scheduled. We can only assume this was to address the happenings between the Kings of Popsicles and the Love Convoy, although we here at Rumor Mills cannot confirm what action plan was discussed or put in place. Speculation around our offices here range from Dam reaching out to more Enemigos to join the security ranks to members of Troy’s DEFIANCE stable, Vae Victis, being present at PRIME shows to help “settle the herd.” While the latter suggestion is pure theory, it should be noted that VV members Henry Keyes, Kerry Kuroyama, and HOW’s Clay Byrd all have Jabber accounts and have been interacting with PRIME talent.

We’ll see what, if anything, comes of this.

• • In more TAL HOTT GOSS, some among the company’s roster, albeit perhaps not in good faith, have wondered if the self-proclaimed “Paladin of PRIME” is nothing but a self-absorbed hypocrite after he was one of the many members of the roster who did NOT make the save for Hayes Hanlon and the Kings of Popsicles at ReVival 16. We were not able to find the reason why he did not make the save for King Blueberry in particular after he backed him up at HOW. Again, the Anglo Luchador has limited media access. Sources close to him indicate he wasn’t watching the show by this point and was arranging to move plane tickets for his trip home.

• • We are almost sure we saw Daniel Darby enter the same Las Vegas drinking establishment of which the FLAMBOrghini was parked outside, and thusly questions arise. PRIME interns were denied entry (and rights to name the establishment), but initial word on the scene is that the meeting was shockingly cordial. Perhaps we will see a Brets/FLAMBERGE partnership once again flourish?

• • We have issued a retraction for a previous item. The announcement regarding GREAT SCOTT and his…narrator?…was included by mistake. PRIME has no record of an employee or freelance affiliate by the name of “Dave the Narrator,” nor does Just Scott have any associates by that name. Please disregard.

We at Rumor Mills apologize for the error.