When Impact Wrestling returns to PPV early next year, there will be an Ultimate X match to determine a new X-Division Champion. The latest X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, will cash in “Option C” on the PPV for a shot at the Impact Wrestling World Championship currently held by Johnny Impact.
The rules for an Ultimate X match are as follows:
3 or more participants (at Homecoming there will be 4).
The X-Division Title or a giant red “X” are placed high above the ring (at Homecoming it will be the title).
Two cables are attached high above the ring with the title or X placed in the middle.
The first wrestler to grab the title or X is declared the winner.
Impact has announced 4 wrestlers will compete in the match, though none of the participants have been officially named as of yet. Qualifying matches will begin next week.
Homecoming takes place January 6th, 2019 from the Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as the TNA Asylum.
Impact Wrestling’s Ultimate X Match
The first Ultimate X match was held in 2003. Michael Shane won the X-Division title from Chris Sabin in a match which also involved Frankie Kazarian. Sabin is the all-time winningest competitor for these matches, however. He has won 8 out of 17 of such matches he has taken part in.
Pierre Carl-Oulette has revitalized his career in 2018. Now known as PCO, he is one of the biggest names on the independent circuit. Much of his new found fandom has come through is bizarre and often disturbing YouTube videos.
In his latest video, PCO bites the head of a dead fish. He is accompanied in the video as always by Destro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1Vl019lDnc
PCO in 2018
The 50-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. He made his professional debut 31 years ago in 1987. By 1993, Oulette was in WWE as one-half of the Quebecers. By 1995, Oulette was repackaged as Jean-Pierre LaFitte, a decedent of real-life pirates. He would head to WCW in 1996 where he would team with Jaques Rougeou as one-half of the Quebecers.
He returned to WWE and WCW in minor roles in the early 21st century but largely kept to the independent scene after the 90s came to a close.
Largely due to his YouTube videos and a stellar performance for Game Changer Wrestling, PCO ascended to the top of the indies this year. This summer, he then signed a deal with Major League Wrestling.
“It’s been my greatest run ever in the pro wrestling business,” PCO described 2018 to the Pro Wrestling Torch this summer. “This is the best. This year has been really, really intense. It’s organic. It’s been a crazy run, and it’s also the run where I’m having the most fun and I enjoy the most.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2pAmODbEw
Posted November 27th, 2018 in MLW, News. Tagged: PCO.
It’s a rivalry that seemed destined to last forever as each man strove to prove they were the dominant competitor in New Japan Pro Wrestling. But now, six years into their historic feud now turned friendly competition, Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi about to team up together for the first time ever.
With both having a common enemy in new Bullet Club member, Jay White, it has led the men to a tense truce and unlikely alliance.
As part of New Japan’s current World Tag League tournament, we will get the opportunity to witness ‘The Ace’ and ‘The Rainmaker’ join forces on both the 29th and 30th of November.
?Tanahashi and Okada finally team together?
On Thursday 29th and Friday 30th, Tanahashi and Okada, the two heated rivals will finally be on the same side! Don't miss this historic match!
The first match will see Okada, Tanahashi, and KUSHIDA face off against Jay White, Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori — a clash that also further developments the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight feud between the champion, KUSHIDA, and Ishimori.
The next day, the team will see Rocky Romero bolster their ranks in an eight-man tag team match as they compete against White, Fale, Ishimori, and the man who betrayed Okada, Gedo.
It was Gedo’s betrayal and Jay White’s unrelenting attack post-match at NJPW’s Destruction in Kobe event that would lead to this unlucky team coming together.
At a later New Japan show, ‘Road To Power Struggle’ on October 27th, Tanahashi would run in to save Okada from an assault at the hands of the Firing Squad, bringing the two men together in the face of a unified enemy.
Okada will eventually face Jay White at next year’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 event. Tanahashi, meanwhile, will be cashing in his G1 Climax briefcase for a shot against IWGP Heavyweight champion, Kenny Omega.
It was only recently that we reported on how Ring Of Honor wrestler, Silas Young, defines a ‘real man.’
Turns out ‘The Last Real Man’ can add ‘watching Raw live’ to that list.
According to PWInsider, Silas Young was present at last night’s Monday Night Raw event in Milwaukee.
Like the recent Enzo Amore debacle at Survivor Series, Young was a part of the crowd. Unlike the Amore incident, Young remained discreet and hidden throughout.
This appearance comes at an interesting time given that his contract with Ring of Honor expires at the end of the year. Because of this, rumors have begun to circulate that Young may end up signing with the WWE once his contractual obligations to Ring of Honor are completed.
Silas Young achieved quite a lot during his tenure with ROH. He has won the ROH World Television Champion twice and featured in a number of high profile, main event feuds. A consistent member of the ROH roster since 2012, losing him would be an unfortunate blow to the company.
Ring of Honor still has their Final Battle PPV event coming up in December. Despite not currently having an opponent, Young is currently scheduled to participate when it goes down at the Hammerstein Ballroom, December 14th.
What do you think? Would Silas Young make a great addition to the WWE roster? Who could you see him feuding with?
Tonight’s episode of Smackdown will take place inside the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. Smackdown Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, has been confirmed to appear on the show.
Only 3 segments have been announced for tonight’s episode. Although traditionally Smackdown announces more matches and segments ahead of time than Raw, that has not been the case in recent weeks.
Edit: New Day vs The Bar in a non-title match has now also been announced for tonight.
Smackdown 11/27 Preview
Becky Lynch Returns to Smackdown
The most reaction-garnering Superstar on the roster returns to Smackdown tonight. Although she is still not cleared to compete, Lynch has evidently been cleared to travel, which is a good sign.
The last time Lynch was in a WWE ring she was hugging Charlotte Flair and picking her as her Survivor Series replacement. Since then, quite a bit has taken place on social media. It will be interesting to hear what Lynch might have to say regarding Rousey, Flair, and/or Nia tonight.
AJ Styles Responds To Daniel Bryan
Last week on Smackdown, Daniel Bryan delivered a promo explaining his actions from the week prior. Bryan won the WWE Championship after kicking AJ in the groin 2 weeks ago today. He said his dreams took over for him and that’s why he did what he did. Tonight, former champion AJ Styles will address both Bryan and the WWE Universe.
Jeff Hardy Celebrates 20-Years in WWE
Jeff Hardy and his brother Matt debuted in WWE in 1998. Tonight, Jeff Hardy celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the Hardyz in WWE. Such celebrations rarely take place on WWE programming without incident, however.
We recently reported that the WWE had signed WALTER. With the Austrian currently being one of the most popular independent talents in the world, this is a major acquisition.
Further details have since come out regarding NXT UK’s most recent signee.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer highlighted that WALTER had no interest in joining the black-and-yellow brand in Florida.
Not wanting to leave Germany has clearly influenced WALTER’s decision, leading him to NXT UK over moving to the United States.
It’s reported that, though he’s open to taking trips over to America, he has no desire to live there or commit to lengthy WWE tours.
NXT Germany
Furthermore, it’s speculated that WALTER will inevitably become a cornerstone for WWE’s planned NXT German brand.
Popular German based promotion, wXw are reportedly working with the WWE to bring NXT Germany to life. Their plans factor in having WALTER eventually teach at their facility.
WALTER has been transparent over his feelings about the WWE in the past, expressing disinterest in both Raw and SmackDown. Conversely, the Austrian has always had high praise for NXT, so ending up a part of NXT UK and, ultimately, NXT Germany makes perfect sense.
When asked recently on his podcast, ‘The Steve Austin Show,’ which current superstar he would enjoy working a final feud with, Austin came back with two interesting answers.
First up is the current WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar.
“I’m good friends with Brock Lesnar,” said Austin, “and it’d be fun to work with Brock ’cause I was supposed to all those years ago.”
“Stone Cold” is actually referencing a storyline that was meant to occur in the early 2000s. That feud would have seen him go one-on-one with Brock Lesnar, back when Lesnar was known as “The Next Big Thing.”
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Austin famously “took his ball and went home” and left WWE because Vince McMahon wanted him to lose to Brock Lesnar on Monday Night Raw with virtually zero build up.
The second name? Well, turns out that Austin wants to walk with Elias.
“I also really think Elias is doing well. I’d like to work with that guy to elevate him,” he admitted. “I think he’s on his way to being a top guy.”
“I’ve known Brock forever and we’re good friends,” Austin reiterated, “but Elias has been making more and more progress. The character is coming around. The guitar work is great. Damn good hand in the ring. Great gimmick. He’s working baby[face] now and I think that’s great.”
If he were to do it one last time, who would you want to see “Stone Cold” feud with?
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is aware of All Elite Wrestling and would consider working for the upstart promotion if they made him a solid offer. During an interview with MMAFighting, Punk said, “If those guys all go and start their own thing, more power to them,” Punk said.
When asked directly if he’d entertain an offer to work for All Elite, Punk replied, “I would always listen. I would listen to them because … I like the Young Bucks, I text with Matt on and off. But business is business.”
Prior to All In, there was speculation as to whether or not he would be involved in that show. Cody Rhodes stated at one point that they reached out to CM Punk to appear, but Punk says an official offer was never made.
“I know Cody was out there in the media saying that an offer was made,” Punk said. “An offer was not made. Calling me up or texting me saying, ‘Hey, if you want to come to the show and do something, we would love that’ is not an offer. That’s not an offer.”
While the signing of CM Punk would be a huge deal for All Elite, Punk is pretty adamant that his pro wrestling days are most likely behind him.
“There are a couple more loose ends that I’m still trying to tie up to fully absolve me from the world of pro wrestling,” Punk stated. “I feel like I’ve still been attached to it since the day that I left it and that’s mostly because of fugazi lawyers and such. But we’re wrapping all that up and that’ll come to an end. And once I’m truly free, we can explore the world and just float and hang out and I can walk my dog and drink coffee and do commentary for Dave Sholler and continue to train at Roufusport and do all kinds of stuff. I’ve earned it, I’ve paid my dues.”
IMPACT and ICW star Grado has made some comments ahead of his Fear & Loathing XI with James Storm on December 2nd.
The Scottish star appeared in a backstage interview following his Fight Club win against Red Lightning. He had some rather inflamatory comments towards the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Grado stated “James Storm, you were tweeting the other day talking about thanksgiving. Stick thanksgiving up your farter, it’s not that I don’t like Americans, I just don’t like you ya dafty. Next week at the Hydro, you’re a cowboy, you’re coming from America. You call yourself a Redneck…when it comes to Americans coming to Glasgow you certainly are a f*cking redneck. December 2nd at the Hydro, James Storm I’m GONNA BOOT YOUR ARSE. YOU THINK I’M A JOKE I’M NO JOKE, I AM ICW. I AM SCOTLAND. IT’S YER FU*KING SEL. See you ya dafty.”
Fear & Loathing XI will be taking place on December 2nd at the SSE Hydro. If you’re an ICW fan you know that the ‘Loathing event is ICW’s biggest in the calendar year and last year’s iteration featured Rey Mysterio, Kevin Nash and Rob Van Dam amongst the homegrown talent.
Tickets are available to purchase via Ticketmaster now.
Dragon Lee is the latest wrestler to be announced as part of MLW’s 2-night set of Fusion tapings in Miami next month. Court Bauer made the announcement earlier today on Twitter.
The “tough few days” Bauer mentioned is in reference to the numerous injuries which have occurred recently. Top MLW star, Tom Lawlor, broke his hand in an MMA fight this weekend. He was scheduled to face Simon Gotch in Miami but there is no word on if his injury will prevent him from competing in Miami.
Joey Janela was involved in an angle with middleweight champion, MJF, up until he suffered an injury in late September. MJF has since announced he broke his elbow and is also off MLW’s Miami shows.
Dragon Lee in MLW
Dragon Lee is perhaps best known for his long-running feud with Hiromu Takahashi. The pair began their rivalry in CMLL and then continued it around the globe for various promotions. Unfortunately, in their last match, Takahashi was injured after landing on his head after a suplex spot. Takahashi finished the match but collapsed backstage. As of this writing, there is concern he’ll never wrestle again.
Dragon Lee was voted the rookie of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2014. He unmasked Hiromu Takahashi (who was wrestling as Kamaitachi) the following year in a mask vs mask match. PWI ranked him at #125 in their PWI top-500 list in 2018.
Chris Jericho recently sat down with NJPW1972.com for a special interview. Part 1 of the interview has now been released and the IWGP Intercontinental Champion made some interesting points relating to EVIL, WWE comparisons and the rematch with Tetsuya Naito.
Match With EVIL
When asked about the Power Struggle match with EVIL, Jericho stated “I’ve never been in a match with EVIL before. I think the fact that the match was so great; the quality, the fighting spirit, the intensity, the strong style. I think EVIL was very good. He’s got a great character, a great gimmick and I really enjoyed working with him.” We reported shortly after the Power Struggle match that Jericho claimed it was EVIL’s “first ever classic match.” Y2J again made this claim in this new interview, saying that “I think it’s the best match EVIL has ever had – a classic match, a must-see match. That makes it 1 for him and 557 for me, which is just a result of the experience that I have in comparison to EVIL. I really enjoyed it.”
Comparisons to WWE
The interviewer also asked Jericho if EVIL was comparable to any Superstars he has faced in WWE. Jericho replied “I don’t rate and think of performers that way, everyone is unique and different. If you say “Oh EVIL’s like this guy, or that guy” then it’s usually not a good thing. I think he’s got a great character. There was however one WWE legend that sprang to mind; “Obviously, it’s a little bit of an Undertaker theme, but it’s an original take on that. In the ring, I don’t know… it’s hard to compare… He’s a very Strong-Style type of wrestler, but he’s fast.”
Rematch with Naito
The interview ended with Jericho’s comments on Tetsuya Naito and the planned rematch at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho asked “Why does Naito get a re-match? Why? What does he do? He beat Zack Sabre Jr. You know, ZSJ is a great technical wrestler, but I can break him in two like a branch. I beat Naito. I beat EVIL. To me, you don’t just get to have a re-match just because you say so. When I lost the WWE title to John Cena, I didn’t just come back the next day and say, “I want a re-match”, it doesn’t work that way.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s November scheduling is usually dominated by the World Tag League shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature some of NJPW’s top stars, but there are some notable exceptions. Some of the shows will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the World Tag League in Aichi (11/25):
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page b. Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida – Takahashi took the win after hitting the Pimp Juice on Yoshida
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match:Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii b. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata – Yano rolled up Nakanishi with a Schoolboy for the win
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Michael Elgin and Jeff Cobb b. Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan – Elgin took the win after hitting the Elgin Bomb on Kojima
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: David Finlay and Juice Robinson b. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe – Finlay took the win over Henare with the Granby Roll
SHO, YOH and Kazuchika Okada b. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito – Okada took the win after hitting the Rainmaker on BUSHI
5th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa b. Takashi Iizuka and Minoru Suzuki – Tonga took the win after hitting the Gun Stun on Iizuka
6th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr b. Chuckie T and Beretta – Archer and Smith Jr took the win following the Killer Bomb
7th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Zack Sabre Jr and Taichi b. SANADA and EVIL – ZSJ took the win after hitting the Tensho Zack Driver on EVIL
New matches for upcoming events for the EVOLVE brand that takes place in December have been announced.
The promotion returns with two other events to close out the year. EVOLVE 117 goes down on December 15th in Queens, NY while EVOLVE 118 takes place on December 16th in Deer Park, NY.
On Tuesday, the promotion made the matches known in their newsletter that was sent out. Three matches for EVOLVE 117 have been revealed including EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. LAX vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff while EVOLVE 118 will feature Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & LAX.
In an update, EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky revealed on Twitter that LAX has been pulled from these shows due to Impact Wrestling officials.
The promotion will be announcing more matches for these cards in the coming weeks as the events will be the final shows for the promotion of the year. Here are the updated cards:
EVOLVE 117 Card
Kassius Ohno vs. Darby Allin.
EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner vs. Austin Theory.
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. TBA vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff.
EVOLVE 118 Card
Darby Allin & The Street Profits vs. Austin Theory & TBA.
Kassius Ohno vs. Anthony Henry.
What are your thoughts on these matches being added to these cards? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.
A new title has been added to the card of the upcoming ROH Final Battle pay-per-view event. On Tuesday, the company announced that ROH WOH World Champion Sumie Sakai will defend the title against Madison Rayne, Karen Q, and Kelly Klein in a four corners survival match.
Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 14, 2018 in Manhattan, New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. This marks the final Ring of Honor PPV event of 2018.
The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show in the coming weeks. ROH World Champion Jay Lethal vs. Cody is expected to headline this show.
Updated ROH Final Battle Card
ROH World Champion Jay Lethal vs. Cody – Main Event
ROH World TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Adam Page
ROH Women Of Honor World Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Madison Rayne vs. Karen Q vs. Kelly Klein
ROH Tag Team Champions SoCal Uncensored (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Briscoes – Triple Threat Ladder War
Matt Taven vs. Dalton Castle
Jonathan Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon – I Quit Match
ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to this card? Do you plan on buying the pay-per-view and watching? Sound off in the comment section.
Last night on Raw, Natalya came to defend Ronda Rousey from a 2-on-1 attack from Nia Jax and Tamina. As she was running to the ring, however, she was ambushed by all 3 members of the Riott Squad. The attack led some to question where the group had been hiding.
Riott Squad member, Liv Morgan, revealed their hiding spot was under the ring earlier this morning on Twitter. The group wore black hoodies and pants in order to get under the ring unseen.
The Riott Squad recently celebrated their 1-year anniversary on the main roster. It’s been a successful year for the trio who have found themselves in rivalries with the Bellas, Ronda Rousey, and now Natalya.
Their rivalry with Natalya began earlier this month when Ruby Riott broke Natalya’s father’s sunglasses during a 6-person tag. Natalya defeated Riott last week in single’s competition.
To commemorate a successful first year on the main roster, the 3 Superstars each got matching tattoos on the back of their neck. The Riott Squad brought a WWE camera crew with them as they got the tattoos done. The tattoos are of the date of the group’s main roster debut, 11-21-17.
Morgan’s year wasn’t all positive, however. She was knocked out on an episode of Monday Night Raw last month. Morgan took a Yes Kick from Brie Bella right to the face and was later diagnosed with a concussion. She was cleared in time for her match at Super Show-Down. She had the following to say to the Mirror in the UK.
“I’m 100% cleared by the WWE doctors; they took great care of me. They have a very extensive concussion protocol, which we followed 100% and luckily I am feeling fantastic and we are ready to win.”
Former NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane revealed on Twitter that she is diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious illness and often seen in young children. The 2017 Mae Young Classic Winner is confused as to why she has contracted a disease that children under age 10 are most likely to catch.
“The fever has gone down, but now my hands, feet, and mouth have a mysterious eczema… Ouch you go to the hospital with it? (even in the United States, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease) It is a disease that infants under 5-years-old have been examined. Why did the virus enter my body by mistake?”, wrote the 30 year-old on Twitter in Japanese.
?????????????????????????…Ouch ??????????????????????????????????Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease?????5???????????????????? ?????????????????????????????
The viral infection can be contracted by adults too, even though it commonly only affects children. There is no treatment required as it is not serious and it generally goes away within a week or two.
Tomasso Ciampa doesn’t care about Seth Rollins’ attempts at proving himself to be a fighting champion.
Rollins hosted an open challenge for his Intercontinental Championship last night on Raw. He would go on to successfully defend his title against the man who answered the challenge, Dolph Ziggler.
Prior to Raw, Rollins took to Twitter to hype up the open challenge:
Time to refocus heading towards Ambrose and #TLC. I learn the most by testing myself…so the #ICTitle Open Challenge returns tomorrow night on #Raw. #mondaynightrollins It’s go time.
The current NXT champion, “Blackheart” Tomasso Ciampa, however, took chagrin to the Tweet and the entire concept of an open challenge.
In a not-so-subtle shot, the NXT champion highlighted that “Cena had the US Title Open Challenge. Rollins has the IC Title Open Challenge,” but “CIAMPA does not, nor will he ever, offer an NXT Title Open Challenge.”
He bluntly stated that if “You want a shot at The Champ, earn it,” before signing off with “#ZeroParticipationAwards”.
The concept of the open challenge has become repopularized over the past few years, with both Cena and Rollins having hosted a successful series that helped to regain some prestige to the title they were defending. Cena’s long-running open challenge, in particular, helped to elevate the flagging US championship at the time.
It appears an all-out faction war could be on the horizon within the WWE as tensions rise between the MMA Horsewomen and members of the WWE Horsewomen.
The back-and-forth hostilities have only further escalated as Horsewomen members voiced their opinions and insults via social media.
It all stemmed from the following Tweet by Charlotte Flair:
Current NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, made sure to point out that her stable are a team, not just a collection of people who are “barely friends half the time.”
The OG 4 horseman weren’t just simply 4 wrestlers that made history, they were friends, a real TEAM. Like us, the only ACTUAL team here. Those others, sure they made history, but they’ve never been a team. They are barely friends half the time. #4HW#FourHorsewomen
There were plans in place at one point for an MMA Horsewomen vs WWE Horsewomen matchup. That was originally slated for this year’s Survivor Series but, as things often are with the WWE, things changed and the match didn’t happen.
That clearly hasn’t stopped the participants from planting seeds for what could take place in the future. However, whether this was planned amongst themselves or by WWE creative is uncertain at this time.
What do you think? Is this a feud you want to see? With Charlotte Flair having recently turned heel, would this set up a heel WWE Horsewomen team to face off against a babyface MMA Horsewomen quartet?
The team of Braun Strowman and Ember Moon was going strong at the Mixed Match Challenge with winning all four of their matches and they surely seemed like the favourites of this season.
But since Braun has been injured on last week’s Raw, Ember needed a new partner to continue competing in the event.
WWE announced that Curt Hawkins will be replacing Braun Strowman as Ember Moon’s partner at the Mixed Match Challenge. Hawkins, known for his losing streak, has lost 236 matches without a single win.
Moon had a singles match against Alicia Fox on this week’s Raw where Fox was accompanied by her Mixed Match partner Jinder Mahal as well as The Singh Brothers. Curt Hawkins was at ringside for Moon and she ended up winning the match.
“Mahalicia” and the team of Ember Moon and Curt Hawkins will face each other on tonight’s episode of the Mixed Match Challenge following SmackDown Live.
EXCLUSIVE: With @WWEEmberMoon as his #WWEMMC partner, could @TheCurtHawkins' losing streak soon be coming to an end?? #Rawpic.twitter.com/KXRhYZngF7
On the other hand, there is no information on when Braun Strowman will return, as he was attacked by Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin last week, shattering his elbow in the process.
We recently wrote about Rey Mysterio revealing that wrestling his son, Dominic would be a dream match he wants before he retires from in-ring competition.
Speaking with Lilian Garcia on her ‘Chasing Glory’ podcast on the subject of leaving the squared circle, Mysterio shared his thoughts process on retirement, what that might look like, and when he predicts it could happen.
“I’m definitely getting close to shutting down sometimes in the next couple of years,” he admitted, before adding, “I definitely don’t see myself going past five years. That’s without a doubt, you know, and I just wouldn’t wanna do it for the sake of my body and what I’ve gone through.”
“I Don’t Want To Have To Keep Doing This Because I Have To”
Allowing a unique insight into how he views his career at this stage, Mysterio hinted that he felt comfortable if he were to leave because of the decisions he and his wife have made over the years.
“You know I think I’ve done the work at home and I’ve brought the money in and my wife has been very smart to administrate everything at home,” said Rey. “She’s been a wife, a mother, a friend, and she’s been my accountant all these years and my administrator and she’s known how to handle the money and how to invest and how to move it around in the right direction.”
“I don’t want to have to keep doing this because I have to. I wanna keep doing it because I love it and you know I still feel like I have a little bit more to give to the audience.”
A Mysterious Tradition
Another subject discussed was the idea of Dominic continuing the Mysterio tradition, donning a mask when he debuts.
Rey confessed that he doesn’t believe his son will. This would bring an end to the masked tradition within the Mysterio lineage. It is worth noting, however, that Rey recently trademarked the name, Principe Mysterio. Principe translates to Prince, which would be a fitting title for Rey’s son.
“I don’t think he wants to [wear a mask],” Rey said. “He has something special to do with the mask just to represent and to pretty much honor his father,” he added, “but I think since he was known already when doing this as a kid and we post pictures together it is kind of hard.”
Dominic technically made his WWE television debut back in 2005 when he became embroiled in an on-screen battle over who his biological father was, Rey Mysterio or Eddie Guerrero.
He has since been training with Lance Storm in Canada and apparently has plans to move to Houston, Texas to continue his education under Booker T at Booker’s Reality of Wrestling school.
This week’s episode of Raw saw the appointment of yet another authority figure as Baron Corbin asked Alexa Bliss to be his assistant and oversee the Raw Women’s Division.
After the show, ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy made the following tweet teasing a return to the brand saying that only he can fix the broken Raw:
These DASTARDLY GMs are abusing their positions & power on #RAW.
This brand needs an EXTREME double dose of #WOKEN Mattitude.. Only 1 man can fix a #BROKEN#RAW.. and that’s Matt Hardy.
It’s worth mentioning here that reports suggested that Alexa Bliss could replace Corbin as the GM of the Red Branded Show after TLC and the latest events on Raw seem to be supporting these rumors.
Becky Lynch Returning To SmackDown This Week
We noted before how WWE confirmed that AJ Styles will be returning to SmackDown Live this week, for the first time since losing his WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan.
Though now it has been revealed that he is not the only star who will return during the show as the company has announced that Becky Lynch will also make her return tonight.
Lynch has been away from the Blue Branded show since the go-home episode of Survivor Series PPV where it was revealed that the SmackDown Women’s Champion was not medically cleared for the PPV and Charlotte Flair was announced as her replacement.
Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey didn’t wrestle during the broadcast of Raw and instead, she was involved in a segment with her TLC opponent Nia Jax during the show.
Though she wrestled after the show went off air and the Women’s Champion teamed up with Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya and Ember Moon for a 10 women tag team match.
This group went against the team of Tamina Snuka, Nia Jax, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan and the faces won the bout to try to send the crowd home happy.
Seth Rollins Comments On His Victory
We noted before how Seth Rollins announced that he will be holding an Intercontinental Championship open challenge during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw.
We saw Seth holding the challenge during the final hour of the show and it was answered by Dolph Ziggler. The match was won by Rollins and he retained the title via a Falcon Arrow.
After the show, the IC Champion was interviewed backstage where he talked about his victory during the episode and how he is the true best in the world. You can check out Seth Rollins’ interview in the video below:
Rey Mysterio has accomplished a lot of things in the wrestling business but as a father of an aspiring wrestler, he still has one more dream match left, before he calls it a career.
During his recent appearance on Lillian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast, Mysterio talked about a number of things including how he has accomplished a lot more than he ever thought he would.
Talking about his retirement, The Former World Champion said that he is definitely getting close to shutting down and hinted that he could retire within the next two years.
Though before that, Mysterio said that his final dream come true as a father and a wrestler would be to perform with his son in the ring so he can say ‘Ok. Now I’ve done it all. Now, this is it.’
For those who don’t know, Rey’s son Dominic has been training for a wrestling career for a while now and he originally started his training with Jay Lethal
He then moved to Lance Storm’s Wrestling Academy in Calgary and is currently looking to enter the next phase of his training by either joining Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling in Houston or going to Mexico for lucha lessons.
You can check out Rey Mysterio’s full interview at this link.
The Young Bucks dropped the latest episode of Being The Elite yesterday and it features some of the most ridiculous yet entertaining minutes in the history of the series.
The episode dubbed ‘The Exorcism of Cody Rhodes’ starts with a segment featuring all the Elite members in a locker room where there is a hammer lying in the middle of the room.
In the next segment, ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll continues his efforts to invite his friends to his New Year’s party but finally loses control when his offer is declined by Adam Page. After the refusal, Scurll decides that he will go to the party all by himself.
We then see another SCU segment and the following segment features Hangman Page trying to talk to the Bucks about the strange things that have been happening with all the members.
Though he is interrupted by Flip Gordon who mentions how Cody Rhodes has been acting strange lately and doubts that he has been possessed.
After listening to Gordon, The Young Bucks decide to call in an old friend and we see the return of an old gimmick on the 127th episode of Being The Elite.
Finally, we see an extremely ridiculous but fun segment which features ‘The Exorcism Of Cody Rhodes’. You can check out the full episode below:
The November 26th, 2018 episode of WWE RAW aired live from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Braun Strowman Addressed His Injury & Vowed To Get Revenge
RAW GM Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Lio Rush kicked off RAW in the ring. They claimed that Braun Strowman deserved to get beaten down last week and showed footage of the brutal attack.
Strowman was then shown right before his surgery and vowed to return at 100%. Strowman told Lashley, Corbin, and McIntyre that all three of them were going to “get these hands” when he returns to RAW. It was later announced that Curt Hawkins will replace Braun Strowman as Ember Moon’s teammate in the Mixed Match Challenge.
Corbin noted that there was no way that Strowman will be medically cleared before their match at WWE TLC. Baron stated that the match was still on and that he will just win by forfeit and become the permanent GM of RAW. Corbin warned the Superstars in the locker room to start treating him with some respect or he will make their lives difficult on RAW.
The RAW Women’s Championship Match At TLC Has No Momentum
Ronda Rousey will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax at WWE TLC. On tonight’s episode of RAW, Nia Jax came down to the ring alongside Tamina to a chorus of boos from the crowd.
Jax boasted about leading Team RAW to victory at Survivor Series and breaking Becky Lynch’s face two weeks ago. She claimed that “The Man” was no match for “The Facebreaker” and vowed to take the RAW Women’s Championship from Rousey at TLC.
Nia showed highlights of her dominating Ronda Rousey this past June’s MITB PPV. She claimed that is where Ronda’s career went on a downfall and showed footage of Charlotte Flair brutally attacking Rousey at Survivor Series.
Jax mocked Rousey for believing that she is a true champion and went right back to bragging about her recent accomplishments. Nia grinned and said, “the top of the mountain belongs to me”.
Rousey interrupted and came down to the ring as the crowd chanted her name. Ronda complimented Nia on winning the Battle Royal at Evolution to earn a shot at the title. Rousey then vowed to rip Nia’s arm off at TLC and slap Charlotte Flair across the face with it.
Ronda challenged Nia Jax to a match tonight but Nia declined. Tamina and Nia circled Rousey but Natalya sprinted to the ring to make the save. The Riott Squad attacked Natalya from the crowd but Rousey fought them off to end the segment.
At Survivor Series, Ronda Rousey was booed out of the building after being on the receiving end of a vicious attack from Charlotte Flair. On tonight’s show, she was back to being a fan favorite. Jax got some legitimate heat from the crowd for punching Becky in the face and depriving them of the anticipated Lynch vs. Rousey match at Survivor Series.
However, that heat already seems to be fading and Jax is back to getting painfully silent reactions from the crowd. I would have preferred to see Nia Jax attack Rousey from behind tonight rather than this promo. The most notable thing from this segment was Rousey mentioning Charlotte Flair’s name and the RAW Women’s Championship match at TLC already feels like an afterthought.
The Tag Team Division Continues To Be Booked Terribly
The Authors of Pain defended their RAW Tag Team Championships tonight against Bobby Roode & Chad Gable. Drake Maverick took Bobby Roode’s robe from the ringside area and draped it around his shoulder right when the match started.
Maverick then put Roode’s robe on and walked up the entrance ramp. Drake mocked Roode’s pose before jogging backstage. Maverick was then shown on the jumbotron with Roode’s robe in the bathroom. Drake put Roode’s robe in the toilet and urinated on it. AOP capitalized on the distraction and hit the Last Chapter on Roode for the pinfall victory.
In addition to The Revival getting squashed by Lucha House Party tonight, Akam and Rezar retained their titles because of Drake Maverick urinating on Roode’s robe. Long gone are the days of AOP being a dominant force with their manager Paul Ellering leading the way in NXT.
Instead of getting that version of the team, we see Akam and Rezar grunting behind Drake Maverick as he makes pee jokes before a title match. On last week’s SmackDown, The Bar was also made to look like a joke in a throwaway Thanksgiving Feast Fight match. WWE has talented teams on both RAW and SmackDown but they refuse to do anything with them on the main roster.
Seth Rollins Retained In Another Match Against Dolph Ziggler
Seth Rollins issued an open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship tonight on RAW. Rollins claimed that he was done chasing Dean Ambrose around in an effort to find answers. Earlier on RAW, Dean Ambrose said that he was not going to be on RAW tonight because he was getting a series of injections to protect him from the WWE Universe.
Dolph Ziggler accepted Rollins’ challenge and vowed to take his title back. The match went back and forth as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Ziggler set up for the Superkick but Seth didn’t get up off the canvas. Dolph shouted that Rollins didn’t have it anymore and planted him with a DDT. Rollins battled back and connected with the Superplex into the Falcon Arrow for the pinfall victory to retain his Intercontinental Championship.
Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler are both tremendous in the ring, so it was no surprise that they put on an entertaining match. The issue is that we have seen this match far too much lately. It was billed as an IC Title match but in reality, it was just a way to kill 30 minutes and get the crowd to chant “this is awesome!”. The only thing that was new here was Rollins picking up a win with the Falcon Arrow.
Alexa Bliss Now Oversees The RAW Women’s Division
Baron Corbin informed Alexa Bliss that she was now in charge of the entire RAW women’s division during tonight’s show.
Bliss then held an open forum so that the WWE Universe could ask Sasha Banks and Bayley whatever questions they want. The first fan asked what they would do change the RAW women’s division going forward.
Bayley said that she is proud of the division and hopes that as Superstars they continue to get opportunities. Sasha Banks told Alexa that she would ship her back to SmackDown. Bliss tried to create a divide between Banks and Bayley but they weren’t having it. Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, and Mickie James then attacked Banks and Bayley from behind. Bayley and Banks fought back and stood tall to end the segment.
Alexa Bliss is entertaining and a great heel, so it makes sense that she still is a part of RAW despite not being medically cleared to compete. However, this segment didn’t go well at all and was just awkward. I’m also confused as to when Dana Brooke turned heel again.
Baron Corbin Abused His Power To Beatdown Elias & Finn Balor
In the first hour of RAW, Elias was set to face Bobby Lashley in a singles match. Elias had the match won but Lio Rush pulled the official out of the ring. RAW GM Baron Corbin announced that the match was no disqualifications. Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley then beatdown Elias and it resulted in an easy victory for Lashley.
Baron Corbin battled Finn Balor in the main event of this week’s episode of RAW. Baron grabbed the microphone during the match and announced that this match was now a 2 on 1 Handicap Match and that his partner is Drew McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre quickly hit Balor with the Claymore Kick for the victory. Bobby Lashley joined the party and slammed Balor the canvas. Corbin followed it up with End of Days. McIntyre shouted that Balor was nothing but a boy in a man’s world and hit him with another Claymore Kick.
Corbin versuse Balor is another match that we have seen far too much of RAW. I was expecting someone to come out and help Balor out but that was not the case. WWE is trying to make the trio of Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley seem like an unstoppable force but the crowd really didn’t react when they posed at the end of the show. Time will tell if this leads to anything interesting going forward but tonight was just another forgettable episode of WWE RAW.
