First show from AOP’s new promotion features return of Nia Jax & Lana, debut of Alistair Overeem

Not long after word spread former WWE tag team Authors of Pain were returning to wrestling, they announced they were launching their own promotion. That company, Wrestling Entertainment Series, has its first show coming up on June 4 in England, and yesterday Gzim Selmani (fka Rezar) and Sunny Dhinsa (Akam) unveiled the card.

It features several other former WWE Superstars, including returns to the ring for Nia Jax* & Lana, the pro wrestling debut of UFC star Alistair Overeem** , and is just generally kind of bonkers.

• Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) vs. Alistair Overeem for the WES World championship
• Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) vs. CJ Perry (Lana) for the WES Women’s title
• Legion of Pain (AOP) w/ Paul Ellering vs. Westin Blake & Steve Maclin for the WES Tag Team championship
• Killer Kross vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. JONAH
• Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green for the WES Women’s Tag Team titles
• Dean Muhtadi (Mojo Rawley) vs. Lince Dorado

That’s the PPV card for FITE. There’s also a free streaming pre-show featuring...

• Mike Bennett vs. Biff Busick (Oney Lorcan)
• Dirty Dango (Fandango) vs. Levis Valenzuela Jr. (No Way Jose)

Told you it was kind of bonkers.

WES’s debut event is taking place at the 10,000 seat Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. The promotion’s website says it’s “working hard to become a global brand in the sports entertainment and professional wrestling industry... bringing a new level of entertainment to the world of professional wrestling, by bringing together the highest level of athletes.” The press release announcing its creation said it has “dates across Europe & the Middle East” scheduled for 2022.

Anybody gonna give this show a watch next month?

* Lina Fanene said it was “high unlikely” she’d ever wrestle again after her WWE release, so her participation is probably an indication that whoever Selmani & Dhinsa are working with on WES have deep pockets.

** Overeem’s had some... thoughts... about pro wrestling in the past, so... see above asterisk.