Reports included on this page… 

February 11 • July 5

• The plans for the top matches at Summer Break are not yet set in stone, but over the past month or so, I have heard lots of rumours that are worth passing on.
‐ Unlike last year, where he was not part of the active roster at this point in time, Mr. BIG gets first pick of the talent he wants to worth with out of the guys with creative control. After last year's event, it was pitched that Tobias Granville would turn heel in time to face BIG, but that will not materialise (more on that story later). Earlier this year, when The Assassin was considering retirement, there was a plan for a Tables, Ladders, Cell match between the two to definitively end their rivalry. After The Assassin signalled that he will be staying for at least one more year, plans then shifted for Mr. BIG finally face Kurt Angle in a long-awaited dream match, but, Angle is now booked to face Cody Rhodes in a charity match on the day of Summer Break, meaning he is not available. At the moment, my understanding is that Mr. BIG is pencilled in to face Riptide and whilst BIG is reportedly happy with that pairing, he is privately concerned that a match between the two will not steal the show as his previous Summer Break matches have done.
‐ The Assassin's program is also up in the air. After having faced almost everyone in the main event picture during his most recent heel run, Assassin is concerned that he too will have a damp squib of a bout, and is concerned about who his potential opponents will be for the rest of 2016. I wouldn't be surprised if the company reaches out for an outside name to appease the Modern Day Messiah this year.
‐ Like last year and the rumours of Alberto del Rio, Rey Mysterio, TimeSplitters and the Young Bucks appearing at last year's event, the rumour mill this year is pointing to former WWE talent Stu Bennett (né Wade Barrett) making an appearance. Bennett spent part of his youth in Cardiff and the appeal of being in a featured bout at the national stadium is a big pull for him. I would anticipate an appearance for him at Summer Break. Cody Rhodes was actually in negotiations to appear, but pulled out after the Kurt Angle charity match was booked. The other two names I am hearing are Eric Young and MVP, who would provide some good depth in the midcard right now.
• Given the result of the Brexit referendum and the likelihood of Donald Trump becoming president, I am curious to see where the TWF's touring schedule takes them in feature. The big plus of the European tours of the past few years has been the lack of paperwork the company has had to do to get talent able to work in these areas, but that is unlikely to continue. The winners of this scenario are looking to be Australia and Canada. With the overwhelming success of the Australian tour earlier this year, I can see the TWF returning down under before the decade is out, and I understand the TWF will be undergoing a Canadian tour next winter.
• It does appear that the TWF will hold Summer Break XVIII at the Bridgend Dome next year, although the TWF did originally want to hold the show at MetLife Stadium to be able to give WWE a black-eye, after their negotiated to dump the TWF out of the renovated Citrus Bowl in Orlando in order to hold WrestleMania there next spring.
‐ Easter HeAT 2017 will be confirmed in the next few weeks to be taking place at the brand new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. There will be three consecutive special events in the United States next year, and there will also be the first TWF supercard to be held in the Netherlands. This is according to a finalised June 2016–June 2017 schedule that was circulated around TWF Towers last week.
• Expect there to be some significant roster movement post-Summer Break. A source has informed me that Jack Beam is likely to sit-out the rest of his contract to be with his wife-to-be Kaitlin Simmons, who is pregnant with the couple's first child. I'm also told that heel turns are being worked for Bill Hansen and Tobias Granville, whilst I hear that David Tissot and Zero are being considered for face turns, signalling the potential end of J.E.J. Enterprises as we know it.
• The TWF has also begun reaching out to big names for the King of the Ring tournament and the company is looking for a worldwide feel for this year's event. I also understand that Mr. BIG is pushing for a "Queen of the Ring"-style tournament after the success of the Women's Championship tournament last year, feeling that with Women's wrestling in the best position it has been in many years (arguably since the TWF's own division reached it's zenith in the mid-00s), it would be an excellent draw.
• The next episode of Legends Roundtable featuring the career of Mr. BIG will be hosted by Jonathan Cullen and features Disturbed, Jean Claude Van Slam, Jim Ross and Mastermind as panellists. It's a must-watch, as they discuss BIG's career, warts and all, from start to finish.
• The re-mastering of the XCW shows on the xWn over the past few weeks is actually thanks to Mr. BIG. I found out recently that a lot of the original XCW tapes were lost in a fire that damaged the warehouse a couple of years ago. But, after noticing the superior quality of his backups, BIG ended up giving the xWn copies of his material and as a result, the XCW section is now nearly complete and looking splendid. I understand that BIG also has some copies of Marz-era TWF tapes that are in much superior quality (to save on costs in those days, the company would reduce quality to be able to fit more information on one tape or disc, instead of having to buy several more).
• Injury updates: Sin Nombre is still on-target to return in October, whilst Mike Haggar's torn calf is worse than first feared and I wouldn't expect him back before Easter HeAT next year.

• Expect the TWF to be very aggressive to find some big free agents in the next few months. I found out two weeks ago that the TWF had successfully defended it's claim that it had not acted improperly when the "Exodus" of talent occurred in July 2011 and as a result, were cleared of wrong doing. The Exodus of talent, lead by Jayden Gabriel, then lost the counter-suit filed by the TWF for breach of contract. The TWF had decided against hiring big names from elsewhere in the meantime and this obviously put a focus on PWC, which has thrived. However, the TWF has begun courting several big names from the United States over the past few weeks and I expect some deals to be concluded by the end of the month.
• Whilst Justin Polaris has already declared that he will retire at the conclusion of his contract (which still has around 15 months to run), I have been informed that other main event stars are contemplating retirement. The biggest name of which is The Assassin, who is considering his options at the moment. Assassin has believed that he has done it all in the TWF (and he's not wrong) and feels he has nothing left to prove.
• SuperBrawl was originally scheduled to be held in Dubai, U.A.E. as a way of splitting up the travel for the TWF roster before continuing on to Australia. However, the potential for negative P.R. for an event taking place in the Emirate, with issues regarding worker's rights and censorship meant the TWF moved the show to the UK.
• Summer Break XVIII was originally pencilled in for The Bridgend Dome as a nod to the legendary show ten years earlier. It was then pencilled in for MetLife Stadium in New York, but the TWF is now, allegedly, awaiting the results of the Presidential election before committing to another U.S.A. pay‐per‐view in 2017. The TWF fears that any legislation to prevent foreigners and limiting visas in the country in the event of a Republican president, will prevent the company from holding the months long sojourns to the country. If things change, expect the TWF to instead only hold two weeks of shows in the United States and then spend more time in Canada, where the TWF is still welcomed with open arms.