Former WWE professional wrestlers appearing at 2 local live wrestling shows
(WKBN) – Former WWE professional wrestlers from the 1980s and 1990s will be appearing at two local live pro wrestling shows on Saturday.
WWE Hall of Famers 'Mr. USA' Tony Atlas and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine will be appearing at the Niles Retro Toy Market on Robbins Avenue in Niles. The wrestlers will be at the market for a meet-and-greet from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Tony Atlas teamed with Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, to become the first African American tag team to win the WWE World Tag Team championship in 1983. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. Atlas appeared in WWE as an on-screen manager of Mark Henry from 2008-2010, and he has been featured in recently released wrestling documentaries.
Greg Valentine is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion. Valentine feuded with legends like Chief Jay Strongbow, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Tito Santana over the course of his storied career. Valentine last wrestled in a WWE ring at the 1994 Royal Rumble. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
The market will also have live professional wrestling matches from MEGA Championship Wrestling starting at 1 p.m.
There will also be vendors with food, desserts, toys and collectibles from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Later that night, Absolute Intense Wrestling will present 'Bang Your Head' at Penguin City Brewery in Youngstown. The professional wrestlers on the card include The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher), Evil Uno of All Elite Wrestling, Little Guido and Trumbull County native Zoey Skye.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and matches begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information on tickets to this event, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
20 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Fan-Favorite Star Admits They Were Surprised By Major WWE Decision
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After establishing a reputation as one of the world's top female performers in Japan, Giulia signed with WWE in mid-2024 but was made to wait until September to make her official debut. Since then, her ascent through NXT and onto the main roster has been a whirlwind. Giulia quickly won the NXT Women's Championship, clashing with top talents like Roxanne Perez, Stephanie Vaquer, and Jordynne Grace. After that impressive run, Giulia was officially called up to the main roster on May 16, 2025, joining the SmackDown brand. Just one week later, she won her way into the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, which takes place on June 7th. During a new interview with MeraWrestling (h/t to SEScoops, Giulia admitted she was surprised to be called up to the main roster so quickly. She joked that she hadn't even had time to learn the language properly yet. More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation "I already thought WWE's pace was incredibly fast to begin with but I'm truly surprised by this speed of moving up to the Main Roster in just eight or nine months," Giulia stated. "I'm like 'Oh no, I still haven't properly learned English.' [laughs] So I'm like 'I'm sorry I haven't learned English.'" COLOGNE, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 07: A WWE Logo at the WWE Live Tryout at the Motorworld on November 7, 2018 in Cologne, Germany. COLOGNE, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 07: A WWE Logo at the WWE Live Tryout at the Motorworld on November 7, 2018 in Cologne, initially wanted to move up fast, but found her time in NXT flew by. "At first of course I had the feeling of 'I want to go quickly, I want to go quickly.' But as I wrestled in WWE, every single day, every single match, every single show. Everything was new to me," she explained. "So time just flew by in an instant until today. There's definitely a feeling of 'Already?' It all feels like it happened incredibly fast." Before heading to Money in the Bank, Giulia will team with fellow Money in the Bank competitors Roxanne Perez and Naomi on tonight's SmackDown. They will face their ladder match opponents Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, and Alexa Bliss in a major six-woman tag team match. This will mark only Giulia's fourth match on the main roster. For many fans, they think that Giulia is just getting started with her career and can become a top star. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WWE Money In The Bank 2025: The most likely to least likely briefcase winners, ranked
It's a big weekend in the WWE universe, as Money in the Bank returns Saturday for its 16th iteration as a standalone PLE. Across the men's and women's rosters, 12 wrestlers will compete for the chance to bag themselves a future title shot at the time and place of their choosing — provided, of course, they can climb that ladder before their rivals. We all know the gimmick by now. What shouldn't go unappreciated, though, is just how difficult this year's lineup is to predict — particularly on the women's side, where all six could be plausible winners. Despite the various threads and variables, we've done our best to make the case for each potential victor and, from there, work out who is likely to triumph this weekend. Men's match, most to least likely Seth Rollins (Likelihood: 4 out of 5) If we're taking things on face value, all the signs are pointing in the right direction for Seth Rollins. Not only does he command the most powerful alliance in WWE right now, but he's also the most obvious candidate to execute a successful cash-in on Jey Uso, bringing the kibosh down on Yeet-mania in a devastating heel move. The fact that Rollins has history with the MITB briefcase probably helps his case too. All things considered, he enters this one as the man to beat. Advertisement LA Knight (Likelihood: 3 out of 5) Certain parts of the fan base made their displeasure clear when WWE failed to capitalize on LA Knight's popularity back at MITB in 2023. With the megastar now set for his third back-to-back-to-back MITB appearance (having lost again in 2024), you have to wonder if the time has finally come for the former U.S. champion to move on to bigger things. The tricky question, though, is what you'd do with him afterward. Given their respective babyface statuses, a cash-in on Jey Uso seems unlikely. But if you're looking for a fan-favorite to try their luck against heel John Cena, he might well be your guy. It would be a doomed venture, of course, but it'd blow the roof off the arena whenever it happened — and potentially add some welcome juice to Cena's meandering heel run. El Grande Americano (Likelihood: 3 out of 5) As heel moves go, it's an audacious one: Stealing a spot in the MITB match at the expense of perhaps the most popular man on the entire 'Raw' roster. Could El Grande Americano top that with a surprise victory on Saturday night? I've suspected since before WrestleMania 41 that WWE is going big on this lucha storyline, and the past few weeks have strongly hinted as much. Could it even involve the AAA crossover somehow? Advertisement An El Grande win would be a bold move, admittedly, but given everything we know — not least the fact that Chad Gable is competing for the AAA title on Saturday afternoon — we'd be silly to rule it out. Solo Sikoa (Likelihood: 2 out of 5) It's been a funny six months for Solo Sikoa, who's been effectively relegated to valet status following his big loss to Roman Reigns on the Netflix premiere of "WWE Raw." Is MITB the moment that changes for the Bloodline leader? Prior to the qualification matches, he wasn't a name I'd have picked to compete, but his lack of obvious aerial ability (a common thread for MITB matches) suggests that he's in this match for another reason. Penta (Likelihood: 2 out of 5) Having already drawn entry No. 1 at the Royal Rumble and competed at WrestleMania 41, 2025 has been one hell of a year for Penta, who only arrived in WWE (from AEW) in January. Could winning MITB be the next step? As much as I love the lucha sensation, I wouldn't wager on him winning this time around. That's good news, then, for Dirty Dominik Mysterio, who can rest that bit easier knowing that his Intercontinental title is likely safe (for now, at least). Advertisement Andrade (Likelihood: 1 out of 5) Judging by the dearth of television time he's had for much of the past year, it's nigh on impossible to see Andrade winning this one. His prowess for the high-flying stuff makes me think that his inclusion is more about executing some death-defying stunts — think Logan Paul and Ricochet in 2023, for example — than providing serious competition. I may be wrong, of course, but it would be a major shock if he won this one. Naomi appears poised for a major breakthrough on Saturday. (Heather McLaughlin/WWE via Getty Images) (WWE via Getty Images) Women's match, most to least likely: Naomi (Likelihood: 4 out of 5) In an extremely tight field, Naomi has to enter this match as the slight favorite. Her heel evolution since her big reveal at Elimination Chamber (when she was outed as Jade Cargill's assailant) has been solid. Having largely rolled over for Cargill at WrestleMania 41, you have to feel that Naomi is overdue a win soon — at least if we're to believe that she's as dangerous as she claims. And her new caution-tape branding would look excellent on a briefcase. Advertisement Stephanie Vaquer (Likelihood: 3.5 out of 5) When was the last time we saw an NXT call-up with half as much momentum as Stephanie Vaquer? She's only been on the red brand for five minutes and she's already been getting a massive pop for staring down Rhea Ripley. Given that, coupled with her more advanced age and experience compared to most NXT talents, I wouldn't be surprised if we see WWE propelling her straight into the title scene before long. Is this weekend the moment that it begins? Roxanne Perez (Likelihood: 3.5 out of 5) Welcome back Roxanne Perez, who impressed us all with her stellar performances at the Rumble and Elimination Chamber before being sadly parked for WrestleMania. Her current flirtation with the rather combustible Judgment Day stable (where she appears to be working with Finn Balor, in particular) provides an interesting case for her to leave with the briefcase. Just imagine how Liv Morgan would react to seeing Perez with that kind of power… Advertisement Alexa Bliss (Likelihood: 3 out of 5) It's been a stop-start year for Alexa Bliss since her surprise return at the Rumble. The former champion gets a monster pop every time she pops up on 'SmackDown,' even if the WWE doesn't appear to have a firm plan for her just yet. If Charlotte Flair had beaten Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania, we'd probably be calling Bliss the firm favorite, given the backstage interactions between the duo. As it stands, she probably falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. Rhea Ripley (Likelihood: 2.5 out of 5) Ninety percent of the time, betting against Rhea Ripley to win is a speedy route to bankruptcy. But do we really think "Mami" is leaving Los Angeles as the MITB winner? Sure she'd relish the chance to get her women's championship back from Iyo Sky, but it isn't as if 'The Eradicator' needs a briefcase to get herself a title shot. Instead, WWE should use this match to build a decent non-title feud for Ripley. Advertisement Giulia (Likelihood: 2 out of 5) It's a testament to the strength of the women's match that even the least likely winner isn't completely out of the picture here. A win for Giulia would be a swerve, for sure, but it certainly isn't impossible. Just look how quickly the Japanese sensation was pushed to the top of NXT after arriving last year. As with her fellow developmental alumnus Stephanie Vaquer, WWE may be tempted to strike while the iron is hot.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WWE Money in the Bank is the house that John Cena and CM Punk built
If winning the Royal Rumble is WWE's equivalent to Charlie's golden ticket, then Money In The Bank briefcase is its Golden Gun, the instantaneous world-killer you very rarely see coming. Since its inception as a match in 2005, and shift to a PLE in 2010, the victor's ability to cash in that win in the form of a title match at any time, on the fly, has led to some of WWE's most surprising wins and painful losses. But outside of its namesake, the event itself has produced classic, pivotal matches that helped shape careers for years to come. Its most notable flashpoint came in 2011, when current WWE Champion John Cena faced off against one of his most enduring rivals, CM Punk, in a battle that helped both competitors ascend to new heights. WWE was about six years and 10 world titles into the 'Hustle, Loyalty, Respect' experience. Cena had just main-evented WrestleMania for the third time, with his most recent outing being a loss to The Miz with a bit of help from The Rock. The mission was clear: Having faced and beaten all of the established stars on the roster, WWE reached out to its world-famous ambassador/Hollywood leading man to see if they could make Cena a household name. But the two wouldn't lock horns for another nine months, so the rest of 2011 was expected to serve as a kind of résumé-builder until the dream match could come to fruition. Cena regained the WWE Championship less than a month after WrestleMania 28 at Extreme Rules, defeating The Miz and John Morrison in a steel cage match. As the only 10-time WWE Champion at that point, there weren't too many more things to do procedurally, but creatively, Cena needed a new foil to bring out new aspects to his presentation and performance. Advertisement That muse would come in the form of CM Punk, who spent a good part of the previous two years as a stable frontman, first for his personal cult The Straight Edge Society, then for neophyte fight club The New Nexus. He'd had plenty of singles success in WWE, first as one of faces of the revived ECW, then across both "WWE Raw" and "SmackDown" as Intercontinental, Tag Team and World Heavyweight Champion. During that time, he was also Money in the Bank's biggest beneficiary, having won and successfully cashed in to win the World Heavyweight Title in consecutive years, defeating Edge and Jeff Hardy respectively. Yep despite all of those accolades and accomplishments, Punk hadn't really been in position to win the company's top prize. Once mid-June arrived, Punk had one of his hottest weeks to date, defeating John Cena, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio all in the same week, with the final win earning him No. 1 contender status to Cena's WWE Championship. Punk then announced that his contract was set to end after Money in the Bank. He hit his creative peak the week after, storming to ringside to interfere with Cena's tables match with R-Truth. After distracting Cena long enough for R-Truth to spear him through a table, Punk grabbed a microphone from the announcer's station and made his way back up to the top of the ramp. He ducked down into the lotus position, and — decorated in a crisp new Steve Austin 'Stomping Mudholes' tee — he channeled the spirit of "Stone Cold" himself to sound off on all things WWE. 'I don't hate you, John," Punk started in after celebrating Cena's lifeless body, then stating that he'd beat Cena for the title and exit the company with it. "I don't even dislike you. I like you a hell of a lot more than I like most people in the back. I hate this idea that you're the best — because you're not. I'm the best.' Punk went on to list the many ways the machine had either failed or worked against him, throw shots at Cena and The Rock's ability to politic, coin the term 'Paul Heyman guy,' introduce his 'Best in the World' moniker and even the general apathy of fans. With every bar, the crowd's anticipation for another shot grew, until Punk's mic was cut off as he started weaving his way through a Vince McMahon anecdote about bullying. Appropriately dubbed 'The Pipe Bomb,' Punk's promo sent shockwaves through the wrestling world, blurring the lines between properly planned out stories and long-brewing backstage beefs. Suddenly the feud was more than just a title match — the world Cena ruled was called out as flawed and fictional, whereas Punk, with his authenticity built into the history Ring of Honor, his 'earned' appreciation from getting it out the mud, and his willingness to fight the system, was viewed as the real. Advertisement It was presented as a war of ideologies, and the first real battle would take place at 2011's Money in the Bank. If your connection with the fans is strong enough, almost every game can be a home game in professional wrestling, with two notable exceptions: New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and the city of Chicago, Illinois. In 2006, Rob Van Dam became the second person to ever win Money In The Bank, securing the briefcase at WrestleMania 22. Instead of a surprise cash-in, he called his shot: He'd challenge Cena at that year's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view at "RVD's" hometown Hammerstein Ballroom. Cena entered the building to boos, slurs and gestures alike, speed-walking his way to the ring with his head down and his title raised. Van Dam won the match and the WWE Championship with assistance from Cena's bitter rival and first Money In The Bank winner, Edge. Just the same, Chicago's 'Middle America meets Metropolis' mystique rewards those who make their own way, who speak their own truth, and those who win. So Punk's hometown Allstate Arena would be another dedicated, disrespectful destination for Cena, who'd reaffirm that he's more than five moves, eight shirts and two mantras. Prior to 'This Fire Burns' blaring through the arena's sound system, the crowd of 15,000 chanted 'C-M-PUNK!' in frenzied anticipation. He entered with his chin held high, introducing his now iconic 'Best in the World' ringer tee, with the event's date included for exclusivity. While Punk always wore the Chicago flag across his trunks and tights, he made sure the stars were red and stripes were white, firmly emblazoned on a white background. Michael Cole called the crowd 'partisan' as the graphic and titantron still both recognized Punk as the leader of The Nexus. As the commentary team explained Punk's unwillingness to sign a new deal, and the purposeful disruption he was looking to bring to the WWE Championship lineage, he stared into the camera, affirming their fears, taking in the signs, chants and screams, even putting his hand to his ear to fan the flames. Cena's entrance was eerily similar to One Night Stand, a fast pace to the ring, then affirming the title with his head down, as if saying, 'You may not respect me, but I know you respect this.' It's still jarring to see prime Cena, an absolute mountain of a man with an almost waifish waist, still fashion conscious enough to sport a pair of Jordan 1 Fund 5/8s. Advertisement The next 34 minutes would produce each man's best-ever outing in WWE — with Punk's 2024 Hell in a Cell Match with Drew McIntyre being a photo-finish second. There's always a willingness among Cena's more well-traveled opponents to tell the crowd, 'No, no he can wrestle.' The two spent the first few minutes trading headlocks, takeovers and visual acknowledgements of the other's wrestling acumen, making sure to include glares after the other made a bit of leeway. But a shift comes about four minutes in, and that's where their similarities outshined their differences. Time robbed the world of a Diamond Dallas Page vs. Randy Orton killer-cutter contest, and mismanagement cut off what could've been really promising Bret Hart vs. Sting deathlock lore. But with Cena's Attitude Adjustment and Punk's Go To Sleep having the same Fireman's Carry setup, they start making identical attempts to finish one another off in quick fashion, as commentary alludes to the Montreal Screwjob, pointedly painting Punk as the self-righteous Second City Saint and Cena as the dutiful Doctor of Thuganomics. During an almost 10-minute impasse, Punk is the first to really lean into strikes, doing his best Austin impression while Booker T appropriately calls the action a chess match from the booth, realizing it's more trying to outmaneuver one another than actually put the other man down. The match finally starts to devolve around the 15-minute mark, when Punk leaps to the top rope and hits Cena with a cross body. Shaking off what looks to be a sprained knee, Cena baits Punk into an inside/outside suplex, with Punk lands hard ringside. Cena attempts to immolate with innovation, hitting a kind of shoulder carry into a body slam, to the tune of a two-count. As he locks eyes with the referee to infer about the pin count, you start to see the earliest glances of frustration from Cena. The two then finally slug it out, with Cena channeling his inner Scott Hall, locking in an abdominal stretch off on an Irish Whip. Never afraid to cut corners, Punk rakes his eyes to escape. The two once again strike each other in concert, with both laid out, trying to regroup. As the match reaches its early climax, Cena's subterfuge into a Five-Knuckle Shuffle is thwarted by a timely kick by Punk, followed by a knee to the back that forces Cena to the outside, then a suicide dive from Punk to put an exclamation point on the turned tide. Yet it's the back half of the match that highlights the real charm of CM Punk: He's talented, he's engaging, but he can be appropriately clunky. If he did everything perfectly, he'd be Bryan Danielson, and I'd rather watch Punk vs. Danielson than a Danielson mirror match. After Punk over-rotates to escape a Cena AA, he failes to land on his feet, but it still works to stymie Cena — and when Punk pivots from the sitting position, he hits a quick martial arts combo, ending with a leg sweep, earning him a two-count. Advertisement It's here you start to see both men delve into desperation, looking for their deadliest non-finisher to try and throw the other man off. Punk rallies, and hits two high knees against the ropes, followed by a bulldog, setting up his springboard clothesline, earning another near-fall. Cena finally reverses an attempted GTS into his STF submission, and even re-establishes it in the middle of the ring to try to secure the win. To the delight of the crowd, Punk manages reverse the hold into his Anaconda Vice submission, only to have Cena get back to his feet and finally hit an AA. The ever resilient Punk kicks out, sending the match into its final act — the risk/reward, end-all, be-all showdown. Cena, who very rarely leaves his feet, attempts his Top Rope Rocker Drop, only to have it reversed into a powerbomb for another close call. With Punk's frustration visible as well, he calls on the crowd to give him the energy to close the deal. Cena, with a top-rope guillotine and successful top-rope leg drop, can only laugh as he once again fails to seal the deal. He gathers himself, shaking out his shoulders and shadow-boxing, feeling like he has the combination to the Second City safe. After Cena once more hits an AA, Punk emphatically kicks out, and Cena leans even harder into asking the ref for clarity — like a .350 hitter that's never, in their estimation, been fooled on a curveball. Going for a super AA off the middle rope, Cena is once again foiled by Punk, who parlays a round of elbows into a Frankensteiner, shooting Cena off into the corner. Punk traverses the ring to hit another high knee, and finally nails a GTS. Unfortunately, he's too close to the ropes, as Cena goes tumbling to the outside. Punk literally grasped for Cena, realizing that window might be closing. John Cena and CM Punk brought the best out of each other. (Photo via WWE) As Punk shoots Cena back into the ring, the specters of Survivor Series '97 and '98 resurface, as Vince McMahon, flanked by John Laurinitis, make their ways toward the ring to secure the positioning of WWE's top prize. The distraction allows Cena to secure another STF, and like Bret Hart and Mankind before him, McMahon looks to process a loss for Punk without any actual proof of submission. McMahon relays Laurinits to tell the timekeeper to ring the bell to the match, and as he rustles to the bell, that third word in Cena's credo takes over — with his respect for Punk and the validity of the title causing him to break the hold and molly-whop Laurinitis before he can get the bellringer's attention. Advertisement Cena then works his way to McMahon, explaining to him that he's not Shawn Michaels, he's not The Rock, and that the way he goes about his business can't be dictated by anything outside of competition. That loyalty to respect would be his fatal flaw though, as Cena hustles directly into a GTS — and a pinfall — leading to CM Punk's first WWE Title win. Punk coveres his face in disbelief, reaching to the heavens in celebration, then sits and turned the title to camera-side like a prized pup, for its smile and shine to take centerstage. McMahon swiftly moves to commentary and calls out that night's Money in the Bank winner, Alberto Del Rio, to cash in his contract, to challenge an exhausted, wounded Punk to defend his newly won championship. But Punk gets the drop on Del Rio, hitting him with a head kick then exiting the arena through the crowd, cementing his dominance with his infamous blown kiss goodbye. It's the best match of Cena's career. It's deeper than the reversals, the displays of power, or the showmanship. It is the ability to endure, to improvise, and to show emotion in those moments of doubt that let you know he was the guy to put in position. For Punk, it's his "Tha Carter 3" — while it may not be his most valued collection, it's absolutely his coronation, his highest moment at its highest peak. Advertisement He'd have his first 'Real Title' run after sporadic, non-wrestling appearances, unifying his title, and would once more become the linear champion after winning the 'properly defended' title held by Cena at that year's SummerSlam. Cena had gained a new level of credibility as a competitor, but also successfully fought off some of the on-screen 'yes man' claims lobbied against him as the main man for the mega promotion. Fourteen years later, Cena's doing what he can to end his run as the business' biggest bad guy, and it may behoove him to lean into the nuances of his finest outing. He showed frustration, disappointment and self-doubt in his biggest moments, highlighting what made both him and Punk so special. In Punk's case, far before he was AEW's Clint Eastwood — the grizzled gunslinger using all the tricks on the trade to out-duel the young guns — he was a young gun in his own right, out-dueling the big boss en route to superstardom. Money in the Bank may be a bit of a cheat code, but Cena and Punk are two men who played the game inside and out, typed out their own strategy guides, and followed them until their PCs hit sleep mode. It's an absolute classic from two of the best to ever do it, with the foresight to know it would solidify one another as two of the best to ever do it.
