Here is your fight size update for Wednesday, September 28, 2021.
- The New York State Athletic Commission is anti-stage dive. Sorry, Rochester.
- Masked Republic teaming with Encantos to 'help kids learn 21st century skills through the power of Lucha Libre'
Encantos and Masked Republic Partner to Help Kids Learn 21st-Century Skills Through the Power of Lucha Libre
CULVER CITY, Calif.-- Encantos, an award-winning education technology company, today announced a partnership with Masked Republic to develop a new lucha libre-inspired kids property. Inspired by real life luchadores and Mexican mythology, the new Encantos Original property will take lucha libre culture beyond the wrestling ring, teaching learning, literacy, and life skills to kids around the world. As the leader in lucha libre, Masked Republic’s Legends of Lucha Libre division acts as the “player’s association of luchadores” representing dozens of the industry’s top icons, legends and superstars for name, image, likeness and intellectual property rights.
Officially declared “an intangible part of the culture of Mexico” by the Mexican government, lucha libre has grown from amusing entertainment to a national pastime to an international global phenomenon. The top lucha libre stars in Mexico, known as luchadores, have transcended the ring and have become stars of film and comic books and heroes to kids of all ages.
“At the heart of everything Masked Republic does is the desire to give underrepresented children and families more access to heroes and icons who look like them, and to share the great heroes and icons of Mexico with the rest of the world,” said company founder and CEO Ruben Zamora. “The opportunity to partner with the leading kid-focused creator platform and bring our characters, stories, and culture into their storyteaching platform, it’s a powerful tag team for today’s multicultural world.”
The partnership will launch the property as a storyworld, a creator channel, on the Encantos platform. Acclaimed Mexican-American character artist Zoro Rodriguez, who recently joined Encantos as a Creative Director after 12 years at DreamWorks Animation, will lead art and character direction for the as-yet-untitled property. Rooted in cultural authenticity along with fun, engaging characters and stories, the property will highlight key 21st-century skills like creativity, collaboration, and resilience.
“As the child of educators, finding the right manner by which to incorporate lucha libre storytelling into educational opportunities has been a goal of mine over the last decade as we have continued to build Masked Republic,” said company President & COO Kevin Kleinrock. “And, over that same period, the importance of kids learning the new fundamentals for a fundamental changed world has only grown. As an edtech innovator, Encantos has developed the best platform to allow storyteachers like us to inspire kids to learn through interactive play and we can’t wait to bring this to life with their amazing team.”
“There will be so many things that kids will love about this storyworld - adventure, comedy, mystery all with a mythical lucha libre twist,” said Encantos Chief Story Officer Susie Jaramillo. “We’re already working on it, and I’m thrilled to bring something this entertaining, meaningful, and culturally authentic to kids and families around the world.”
- Seth Rollins is stoked to say "shit."
- The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville issued the following announcement for attendees for the upcoming October 4 edition of WWE Raw:
Effective Oct. 2, all guests aged 12 and older will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test. This test must by administered by a healthcare professional (local pharmacies are suitable; at home tests will not be accepted) within 72 hours prior to the event. Test results must include your name and the date of the test to attend all Nashville Predators games and events held at the venue.
- Speaking to WrestlingInc, Jacob Fatu talks about how Young Rock accurately depicts growing up in the Samoan Dynasty.
“That was just the way we was raised, though, for real for real, but it’s all love though, man, and shoutout to The Rock too,” Fatu said. “It feels good to hear the Samoan music that we actually grew up on playing on a worldwide network, so shoutout to The Rock for doing that, man.”
- Paul Ellering tweets from the heart:
- IndependentWrestling.TV (IWTV) filed a motion on September 20 asking for more time to respond to Game Changer Wrestling's motion before the United States District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
- Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Konnan hyped the Aramis vs. Arez match on tonight's Fusion ALPHA
I still remember telling Paul E. [Heyman] that Rey and Psicosis were going to blow everyone away,” says Konnan, who is the head of creative for AAA and serves in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles for MLW, including talent liaison. “After the Rey-Psicosis match, Paul E. called me from the arena and said to me, ‘Can I have them back next week?’ I knew it was going to be great.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to compare them to Rey and Psicosis—they revolutionized wrestling and there has been no one like them since; Arez and Aramís will get over for different reasons,” Konnan says. “People are really going to get into them.”
- Watch: NXT's top 10 moments
- "Speedball" Mike Bailey, Robbie X, and Connor Mills have been announced for the 2021 British J Cup in RevPro Wrestling.
- Jumanji, a film series currently starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson, will be getting its first theme park ride in Italy as Sony teams with Gardaland:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Italian theme park Gardaland create the world’s first “Jumanji” ride.
The “Jumanji” film franchise has expanded into new territories as Gardaland theme park in Ronchi, Italy announces a new partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“Gardaland continues on the winning path of licensing agreements with leading global brands,” says Aldo Maria Vigevani, chief executive officer, Gardaland. “The global importance of the ‘Jumanji’ brand will surely contribute to further reinforcing Gardaland Resort’s reputation as a top tourist destination in Europe and place it among the market leaders for fun attractions. Synonymous with adventure, fantasy, fun, action, play and imagination, ‘Jumanji’ blends seamlessly with Gardaland's founding values.”
“The team at Gardaland are top notch creatives and storytellers who have designed an immersive experience that expands on the world created by the films,” says Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president, global partnerships and brand management and head, location-based entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Adding many new elements, fans will be transported far beyond their imagination, deep into the jungles of Jumanji.”
Jumanji – The Adventure will offer visitors a series of ‘dark ride’ for adventure enthusiasts of all ages and will open early 2022.
- Speaking with Dr. Chris Mueller of Bleacher Report, Ruby Soho explains what she did after being released by WWE and joining AEW.
"I built a farm," Soho said. "I have three horses. I've wanted horses since I was a kid. Basically, the one thing that you would expect me not to have, like the lifestyle that you expect me not to live, is the lifestyle I actually live [laughs]. I bought a house right before I got released and it had a farm on it.
"I managed to come across some horses, so I kind of remodeled a lot of stuff and did a lot of things with that. So, that was something I kind of focused on. Sarah Rowe actually started it and then she kind of spread the farm bug to all of us."
"I really focused on my mental health a lot during that time," she said. "Because, you know, it was very difficult after I got released. It was very, very taxing on my mental health. And so I focused a lot on going to therapy and really just making sure that I was in the right headspace and the healthiest headspace for me to return back to pro wrestling."
- When the market closed today, WWE stock was trading at $56.09 per share.
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- Here's the latest Ethan Page Vlog: