Major League Wrestling will air live from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday, February 2nd on BeIN Sports. An MLW press release confirmed the news that the promotion’s second live episode of Fusion will take place next month.

“Major League Wrestling and beIN SPORTS are excited to announce that on Saturday night February 2nd at 8pm ET, the 2300 Arena will host the next MLW Fusion LIVE on beIN SPORTS.”

One match for the live special has been officially confirmed. Pentagon and Fenix will defend their MLW World Tag Team Championships against the Hart Foundation team of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Teddy Hart. The Hart Foundation will also have Brian Pillman Jr. in their corner.

MLW Fusion Live: February 2nd, 2019
Philadelphia PA, 2300 Arena

The current card for MLW Superfight on February 2nd includes:

• MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low-Ki (c) vs Tom Lawlor
• MLW World Tag Team Champions Pentagon and Fenix w/Konnan vs The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Teddy Hart) w/ Brian Pillman Jr.
• Brian Pillman Jr. & TBD vs Tommy Dreamer & TBD
• MJF vs TBD
• Simon Gotch vs Ace Romero
• Rey Horus vs Aerostar
• Mance Warner Debuts

On the latest episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho went in-depth about what led to him signing with All Elite Wrestling.

Evidently, the first rumbling of All Elite Wrestling first occurred in a group text chat that had been created for the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea. The group included Cody, the Young Bucks, Jericho, and Kenny Omega. Tony Khan’s name started coming up even before All In in the summer of 2018.

Chris Jericho On Meeting With Tony Khan

“We’re group texting, we’re becoming friends, making jokes, laughing, talking about the cruise, all this different stuff,” Jericho said. “Then I started hearing about this guy Tony Khan. This was brought to my attention by my manager, Barry Bloom. ‘There’s a guy who wants to start a new company, his family is very wealthy, he’s the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and he wants to talk to you.'”

Jericho said at first he didn’t think much of it because people want to start promotions all the time. He was then contacted by Cody for All In, however. At first, Jericho didn’t think he’d be able to do it as he was on tour with Fozzy. Nick Jackson made the pitch for him to dress up as Pentagon, however, and Tony Khan’s private jet flew him to the event to be there on time.

Not long after All In, Jericho met with Tony Khan in Florida.

“We happened to have a Fozzy gig in Jacksonville, FL around that same time (September 26th),” Jericho continued. “That was when I had a meeting with Tony Khan for four hours and really had a chance to get to know this guy.”

“That’s when I realized this guy really wants to do this,” Jericho continued. He then said he respected his passion and respected what his family has done in business. When his original offer from AEW came in, Jericho said it blew his mind.

Chris Jericho On Receiving An Offer From AEW

“The original offer that came in, was like, it blew my mind,” Jericho said. “This is like a real almost NHL-level offer.”

After the cruise, Jericho said he was really enjoying what he was doing and who he was working with. The idea of not going back to WWE was looking less appealing to him.

Ultimately, however, Jericho concluded he signed with AEW for the challenge and to do something different.

Chris Jericho On Working For A Promotion Other Than WWE

Jericho addressed his previous statement that he would never work for another wrestling promotion in the United States other than WWE early in his podcast.

“That was the case,” Jericho said. “That was very much the truth when all of this started. Basically, what happened was I finished up with the WWE, I believe it was in May of 2017. That’s when I ended up losing the US title to Kevin Owens.”

Jericho explained that he did an injury angle and he left WWE then. He then went on tour with Fozzy after they released Judas. Jericho said Fozzy was on tour for about 19 months and he didn’t have a lot of time for WWE or wrestling in general. He did get a call from Don Callis that summer, however, asking if he would be interested in wrestling Kenny Omega in NJPW.

Chris Jericho On Wrestling With NJPW

The original plan had been for Jericho to just wrestle the one match in the Tokyo Dome. Jericho says he told Vince McMahon and the WWE chairman was very accommodating.

Once in Japan, Jericho said he really enjoyed working with New Japan Pro Wrestling. In particular, Jericho said he enjoyed the freedom NJPW gives its talent to run their own angles. Jericho continued to say it was his idea to continue his relationship with NJPW the next night at New Year’s Dash 2018 when he attacked Tetsuya Naito. He then signed a 3-match deal with NJPW.

Back In WWE, Greatest Royal Rumble

Jericho said he then received a very large payoff to do the Greatest Royal Rumble show in Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest of his career. He had been booked to wrestle the Undertaker on the show but after he told Vince he signed a 3-match deal with NJPW, Rusev was put back in that match. Jericho then asked Vince why he was taken out of the match and was told it was because the Saudi Prince wanted Rusev vs Taker. This is not why Jericho believes he was pulled from the match, however. He feels his relationship with NJPW is what led to the change.

After winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in NJPW, Jericho says he pitched Vince on a match for SummerSlam. Jericho pitched an IC champ vs IC champ match versus Seth Rollins but evidently, Vince was not interested.

Wanting To Wrestle In Impact Wrestling

Jericho said he’s really been enjoying Impact Wrestling lately and received a good offer from the promotion.

“They were going to spend some money on Chris Jericho,” he said of Impact Wrestling. “I did honestly talk to Impact and really really thought about going there.”

Tonight’s episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. The Cruiserweight division will return to the WWE Network on Tuesday nights at 10 PM tonight.

Smackdown 1/15 Preview

Rey Mysterio vs Andrade “Cien” Almas

Excluding non-televised events, these two have met twice before. Almas pinned Mysterio in a tag match last week. Mysterio defeated Almas, however, on the November 6, 2018, edition of Smackdown from Manchester.

These two have a chance to steal the show as they go one-on-one again tonight.

Carmella vs Sonya Deville

Says the chick who got eliminated by her “day one” at #WWEEvolution. ?

Why don’t you put your hair up and square up with me this Tuesday on #SDLive? Unless you’re gonna be too embarrassed when you lose to the chick with the dance breaks.. ? https://t.co/sDEaUR7Qej

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) January 12, 2019

Deville is upset that Carmella was given a spot in the triple threat match to declare a new #1 contender for the Smackdown women’s title last week. These two then went back and forth on Twitter in the days leading up to tonight’s show.

How Vicious is the New Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan has promised to show AJ Styles just how vicious he can be when they clash at the Rumble. He might decide to give him a sneak preview tonight, however. Bryan might also decide to bring up some environmentally destructive things the live audience does on a regular basis.

Asuka vs Becky Lynch Segment

Becky Lynch won a triple threat match last week to earn the right to challenge for the smack down women’s championship at the Royal Rumble this year. New champion, Asuka, is not about to back down, however. With two weeks left until the Rumble, Lynch, and Asuka will be in the same building tonight.

205 Live 1/15 Preview

Buddy Murphy Open Challenge (non-title)

Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy plans to hold an Open Challenge tonight. His title won’t be on the line, however. Who will answer Murphy’s call?

Murphy will also have to worry about his upcoming title match at the Rumble against Akira Tozawa, Kalisto, and Hideo Itami.

Shane Strickland announced on Tuesday that he is officially a free agent. With WWE, NJPW, AEW, ROH and MLW signing up talent left and right, don’t expect “Swerve” to remain on the sidelines for long.

Officially a free agent again

— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) January 15, 2019

Shane Strickland – WWE Interest?

A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in August suggested WWE had interest in Strickland.

“Shane Strickland is another name (WWE) are looking at and will be coming in for a future look,” Dave Meltzer wrote. At the time, however, Strickland was under contract to Major League Wrestling. He had been the promotion’s World Champion from April to July last year.

It was then announced last November that Strickland would be finishing up with MLW at their Miami tapings in December. Strickland also lost the DEFY championship last month.

Shane Strickland’s Career Thus Far

Strickland got his first break in the wrestling business with CZW in 2012. Lucha Underground then cast him as Killshot in 2015. He was involved in a heavily praised storyline along with AR Fox on the show.

Beginning in 2018, Strickland competed with EVOLVE, AAA, PCW, and Major League Wrestling. He became the first man since Steve Corino in 2004 to hold the Major League Wrestling World Championship when he defeated Matt Riddle in the finals of a tournament at Gilt Nightclub in Orlando on April 12th, 2018.

On April 6th, NJPW and ROH will perform in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden. No matches have been made official for the event. There is a rumored main event match being talked about, however. The show’s potential main event was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. According to Dave Meltzer, the rumored main event is Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada.

“That’s the match I’ve heard,” Meltzer said referring to Tanahashi vs Okada. “I don’t think it’s official or anything. When I was in Japan that was what everybody was saying but I don’t know if that was more rumor and what would make sense. It’s kind of like if you don’t have Omega in the main event then you have to have Tanahashi and Okada.”

Tetsuya Naito was discussed as someone who could be put in the main event as well. Chris Jericho’s name came up in the discussion too.

Tanahashi vs Okada is one of the most storied rivalries in NJPW history, however. The two have met in 13 single’s match. They each have a record of 5-5-3 against each other dating back to 2010.

Some members of the Elite have specifically mentioned they will not be performing on April 6th. Cody had the following to say on the show to Sports Illustrated late last year:

“After 10 years with WWE doing ’Mania weekend and two more with ROH, I am leaving that weekend for the boys and girls of the WWE.”

This week’s episode of Being the Elite followed several members of the AEW roster while in Jacksonville for last week’s rally. Things began with the Young Bucks welcoming Britt Baker to the new promotion.

Britt Baker Confronts The Young Bucks Over Adam Cole’s Murder

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1084861334611730434

Britt Baker signed with All Elite Wrestling recently despite having a rocky relationship with the promotion’s executives, Matt & Nick Jackson. To open up this week’s episode, the Young Bucks welcomed her to the promotion. Baker then asked if they wanted to address the elephant in the room. She then began to confront the Bucks over the murder of her boyfriend, Adam Cole, but she was cut off by the Being the Elite intro.

Young Bucks Comment On Unknown Future In Japan

Matt & Nick Jackson commented on their future wrestling in Japan early on in this week’s episode.

“We’re hopping on a plane today flying business to Chicago,” Matt Jackson said. “Leaving Japan, possibly the last time, for a long time.”

Nick Jackson then noted it could the last time, they don’t know.

“We don’t know what the future will be for us here in this country,” Matt noted. He then said he hopes they can come back because they love Japan but they don’t know what the future is for them there.

Flying Economy Class Vs Private Jet

Matt Jackson pointed out that they’ve done plenty of blogs from the economy section of airplanes but now they are doing one from Tony Khan’s private jet. They noted that their whole families went through about 24 hours travel to get to the rally in Jacksonville.

Scorpio Sky Continues Candy Bar Gimmick

Scorpio Sky continued his storyline involving candy bars this week. He was seen drinking wine with Kazarian when he mentioned he had a case of the “Snickers”. This led to him packing a suitcase, getting on a plane, and traveling to an unnamed city with palm trees, checking into a hotel and barricading the door. Despite going to great lengths to prevent Matt Jackson from continuing the long-running gag, Matt came out of nowhere and handed Sky a Snickers chocolate bar.

All Elite Wrestling Rally Highlights

After Scorpio Sky ate a Snickers bar out of Matt Jackson’s hand, the episode showed clips from the All Elite Wrestling rally in Jacksonville last week. Nick Jackson announcing Double or Nothing in the MGM Grand Garden Arena was shown.

PAC vs Hangman Page Rivalry Continues To Build

https://twitter.com/theAdamPage/status/1082840621470179328

Hangman Page was seen taking some promotional photos for AEW. Cody then mentioned Page was looking jacked but not “PAC jacked.”.

Page could only utter “what?” before the camera cut away to highlights of their confrontation at the rally.

Joey Janela Is Not Good At Football

AEW roster member, Joey Janela, was shown on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice field. He threw a bad pass, not at all reminiscent of when Mr. Perfect threw a touchdown to himself.

From Jacksonville to Chicago, felt great to be on the road again this week!

— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) January 13, 2019

Jacksonville Is The Worst Town SCU Has Ever Been In

Granted, they say this about a lot of towns but the members of SCU were not impressed with Jacksonville this week. The trio was shown on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice field as well and Christopher Daniels complained about it being humid and not being able to find a good flavor of Monster energy drink.

Cody Is Taking MJF Under His Wing

Cody told Hangman Page and the Young Bucks he’s taking MJF under his wing this week and introduced him to them. When Cody wasn’t around, however, MJF told the Bucks and Page he doesn’t plan on being their “cool friend” and said he was better than them. Once Cody came back, however, he went back to being friendly.

Reliving Chris Jericho’s Rally Appearance

Clips of Chris Jericho standing on the stage at the rally with pyro exploding all around him was shown. Parts of Jericho’s speech from the rally was also shown as well.

“It starts now and it starts forever,” Jericho said at the rally. “I’m not here to change the world, AEW is not here to change the world, we’re here to change the whole universe!”

https://youtu.be/sxnAXR1Ekbg 

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have each taken a shot at Matt Taven recently. Dawson had posted and then deleted a Tweet about Taven having allegedly stolen tanning lotion at a WWE tryout several years ago. Wilder then posted the following response to seeing a similar looking move performed by the Kingdom at Honor Reigns Supreme last night.

https://twitter.com/DashWilderWWE/status/1084644335944192000

Maria Kanellis Responds To The Revival

Taven’s former stablemate in the Kingdom, Maria Kanellis, responded to Dash’s comments.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes and had to pay dearly for them. I don’t know what you are trying to prove but I know from experience that our business is a very small world. Be careful who you step on on the way up the ladder b/c they will be the same people you pass on the way down. https://t.co/xOPiYCJo3b

— MariaKanellisBennett (@MariaLKanellis) January 14, 2019

Taven has not responded publicly to the Revival.

https://twitter.com/DashWilderWWE/status/1084659810287710214

Matt Taven, Mike Bennett/Kanellis, & Maria Kanellis

Matt Taven is a former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion along with Mike Kanellis/Bennett. Along with Maria, the Kingdom won NJPW’s heavyweight tag titles during the course of a feud with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Some say Anderson was not able to keep his mind on the match during this rivalry due to his infatuation with Maria.

Currently, Matt Taven is the leader of a new version of the Kingdom in ROH. TK O’Ryan and Vinnie Marseglia make up the other members of the trio.

#FTR

The Revival seem frustrated these days. In recent months, they’ve had to deal with “Lucha House Rules” and several instances of suspect officiating. Last week, the Revival lost a championship match even though Dawson’s foot was on the rope during the pin.

Dash Wilder applied to trademark “#FTR” on New Year’s day. The team has been wearing the term on the back of their trunks recently.

Former WWE Champion, John “Bradshaw” Layfield says he dealt with memory loss after retiring from wrestling. JBL was on Prime Time with Sean Mooney recently. He talked about his concerns about possibly having CTE, which currently can only be diagnosed posthumously.

The topic of the many unprotected chairshots that used to take place throughout JBL’s career came up. Mooney then asked JBL if he worries about the long term impacts of such blows to the head.

“I figure pretty sure soon I’ll be hunting for the Easter eggs I just hid. I don’t know, I should be the poster child for CTE,” JBL said. “When I first retired, I had short term memory loss, and I started reading about neuroplasticity in the brain, about how the brain can regenerate itself and I don’t know if it can or not.”

JBL then mentioned he does many cognitive strengthening activities to keep his mind active.

“I do all kinds of stuff, I do a mind game every day, I play chess, sudoku, I learn something different, a language, a few words of a different language, I learn something to always stretch the brain and my memory came back completely. Right now it appears to be as normal, if I can be called normal but as normal as I know I am. Right now, I don’t have any effects.”

You can listen to the full interview here.

In late December, there was a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter which stated Impact Wrestling was looking to sell their company to All Elite Wrestling.

“It is not a secret that there were forces attempting to sell Impact to AEW a few months ago,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “But that proposal was turned down.”

Ed Nordholm then told talent on January 7th that Anthem was not looking to sell the company. The Observer clarified their story today.

“The only deal we know of regarding a potential sale was when Chris Jericho became aware of Tony Khan wanting to start a company and tried to set up a meeting with Khan and Impact,” Meltzer wrote in the latest edition of the Observer.

Meltzer would continue to say this discussion took place all the way back in September. This means Jericho has been involved in discussions involving the new promotion since shortly after All In.

“Anthem was willing to talk and this was in September but Khan, who at that point was exploring starting up, said that he would start up on his own and wasn’t looking at buying an existing company,” Meltzer continued.

Ed Nordholm On Impact Wrestling’s Future

Following the Homecoming PPV this weekend, Ed Nordholm addressed the roster at the following night’s TV tapings. He talked about the important role Impact plays in the expansion of the Fight Network. The combat sports station signed big deals in Mexico and the United Kingdom in 2018.

Impact Wrestling begins a new era tonight. With the move to the Pursuit channel, Impact retains the digital rights to their show. This means they are also able to stream tonight’s show on their Twitch channel. The show starts at 10 PM est.

Don Callis said on his podcast recently that with the move to the Pursuit channel there will be changes to how the product is presented.  “I think people are gonna love to see a sexier, edgier, maybe a little more hardcore Impact Wrestling,” Callis said. “I’m really really pumped about that, so I’m pretty excited.”

The Impact roster is currently in Mexico filming TV today and tomorrow.

Impact Wrestling 1/11 Preview

What are you most looking forward to on tomorrow's debut episode of IMPACT on @PursuitChannel and @Twitch? #IMPACT pic.twitter.com/ItfHiilTXO

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 11, 2019

Willie Mack vs Sami Callihan

This will be a rematch from Homecoming. Callihan got the win on Sunday but only after receiving some outside help from OVE. They will run it back once again tonight.

Mack’s ally, new X-Division Champion Rich Swann, doesn’t think they should get involved against OVE, however. We’ll see where all this goes tonight.

Johnny Impact Is Out For Revenge

At Homecoming, Johnny was able to successfully defend his Impact World Championship against Brian Cage. Following his victory, however, Killer Kross attacked him and Taya from behind. Tonight, the Impact World Champion Is out for revenge and in his crosshairs is Killer Kross.

The Lucha Bros (Pentagon and Fenix) vs The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier)

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!!!! LUCHA BROS VS RASCALZ 10pm EST!!! On the new home of @impactwrestling PURSUIT! And if you don’t have pursuit, watch ON TWITCH!!!! ??? pic.twitter.com/ZTHlHw23Xf

— Zachary Wentz (@ZacharyWentz) January 11, 2019

The Lucha Bros dropped an Impact Tag Team Championship match to LAX at Homecoming. Tonight, they will try to get back in the win column when they take on the Rascalz. This match, in particular, strikes me as one that could steal the show tonight.

Tessa Blanchard Back in Action

How will @Tess_Blanchard react to losing the Knockouts Championship at #IMPACTHomecoming?

She'll be in action TOMORROW at 10/9c on @PursuitChannel and @Twitch! #IMPACT pic.twitter.com/AmmIE0rRFe

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 10, 2019

Tessa Blanchard likely has a bone to pick with Gail Kim. The Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer attacked Blanchard during her title match at Homecoming. While Blanchard no doubt antagonized her throughout the match, Kim chose to deliver her finisher to Blanchard, which set her up for Taya to hit the Road to Valhalla for the win.

Blanchard will be in single’s action tonight but she likely has a few things to say about what happened on Sunday as well.

Is Dark Allie Here To Stay?

At Homecoming, Rosemary returned and looked as though she was going to place her hand over Allie until Allie backed away and exited the ring. Does Rosemary have the ability to give Allie her soul back? Or is Dark Allie here to stay?

Konnan Reunites With LAX

Konnan chose not to be in the corner of Santana and Ortiz on Sunday. He did come out after the match and congratulated all four competitors, however. Tonight, Konnan plans to reunite with LAX and celebrate yet another championship defense for the team. LAX said they wanted to prove they could win without Konnan but now how does K-Dawg fit into their plans?

WWE has announced a 2-day tournament will take place at Royal Rumble Axxess this year. The show will also be taped to air at a later date on the WWE Network. The tournament will pit Superstars from NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live against each other. The winner will receive a title match on any of the 3 brands.

“Brand-versus-brand dream matches will become a reality as 15 Superstars in total — five from NXT, five from NXT UK and five from 205 Live — will compete over the course of two days, with the tournament winner receiving a future NXT, NXT UK or 205 Live Championship Match of their choosing,” A WWE press release reads. “That means anyone can become a champion on any brand!”

Worlds Collide Tournament Participants

NXT:

• Adam Cole
• Velveteen Dream
• Dominik Dijakovic
• Keith Lee
• Otis Dozovic

NXT UK

• Mark Andrews
• Tyler Bate
• Travis Banks
• Jordan Devlin
• Zack Gibson

205 Live

• Cedric Alexander
• Humberto Carrillo
• Tony Nese
• Drew Gulak
• TJP

Worlds Collide Tournament Format

The tournament gets going Saturday, January 26th, 2019 at the Royal Rumble Axxess event in Phoenix. A 15-person battle royal will take place to kick off Axxess at 8 AM on the Saturday session of the convention. The winner of the battle royal will receive a bye in the 1st round of the tournament. The seeding for the rest of the 1st round will be determined based on the order of eliminations. 7 tournament matches will then take place later in the day on the 26th.

On the Sunday, there should still be 8 Superstars still in the tournament barring any double count-outs/dqs. The final two rounds will take place between 8 AM – 5 PM the day of the Royal Rumble, January 27th.

Chris Jericho appeared on Busted Open Radio on Thursday morning to discuss All Elite Wrestling and dropped some new information about AEW’s television negotiations and signings. Jericho said that there is a lot of ‘infrastructure’ being built behind the scenes to make AEW a full fledged major league wrestling promotion. AEW hasn’t just been signing wrestlers to contracts in recent weeks. There’s a whole backstage element that’s being signed, from talent relations to booking agents, directors and more.

He then discussed AEW’s ongoing negotiations with television networks. Jericho said he’s aware of two networks trying to secure AEW programming and if either goes through, the entire industry will be saying, “Holy sh*t. They’re the real deal.”

Jericho said, “I wouldn’t have gone to All Elite if there wasn’t a strong TV deal on the table being worked on, and there’s a couple that I know of and both are like, ‘Wow.’ When it’s announced, if it’s one of those two, you’ll go, ‘Well, that’s what they need.'”

Busted Open host Bully Ray chimed in and told Jericho he doesn’t need specifics, but he wanted to clarify: if one of these networks picks up AEW’s programming, fans around the world, the entire industry, they’re going to say, “Holy sh*t. They’re the real deal.”

Jericho said, “Agreed. Yes.” He also talked about what he brings to the table in terms of star power, which opens doors for AEW in terms of landing a TV deal. “A lot of people don’t know Kenny, or Cody or the Bucks. We know them, but your average fan doesn’t.”

(Did he just say Kenny? Yes, he did.)

He added that certain WWE performers who are making a good living but think they can do better will take notice of him joining AEW and will follow suit.

Listen to Chris Jericho’s comments from Busted Open Radio, which airs weekday mornings on SiriusXM Channel 93: 

EXCLUSIVE: "I wouldn't have gone to All Elite if there wasn't a strong TV deal on the table being worked on, and there's a couple that I know of that are on the table…"@IAmJericho on why @AEWrestling will further legitimize itself when their TV deal is announced.#AEW pic.twitter.com/yCchkQf1y5

— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) January 10, 2019

AEW Potential Television Deals

Tony Khan appeared on Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast recently. He addressed potential television deals for the new promotion as well. Although he stated he was not able to go into details on negotiations, he did confirm there are several interested parties.

Jim Ross on AEW Potential Television Deal

Jim Ross also commented on a possible AEW television deal this week. Ross believes a television deal is all but finalized for the promotion.

“I think a TV deal is basically done,” Ross said. “Why would you do all this celebration? Why would you have this major announcement, this huge event, if you didn’t have TV pretty much locked up?”

Wrestling fans might be familiar with the term “FTR” as it relates to WWE tag team The Revival. Whether that stands for “Forever The Revival” or something else entirely, they are taking steps to protect and monetize the phrase.

According to the US Patent and Trademark office, a Daniel Wheeler of Winter Park, Florida (Dash Wilder) registered an application to claim the phrase #FTR back on January 1st for “Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”

Many fans noticed that on Monday’s Raw, Dash and Dawson had #FTR on their trunks during their lumberjack match against Raw Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1082460043965071365

The Legend of #FTR

The Revival has had a friendly rivalry with The Elite going back to 2017. The Revival and The Young Bucks have taken some jabs at each other, which was the genesis of #FTR (“F” The Revival). The Elite even sells an #FTR shirt at Pro Wrestling Tees, which might become a collectors item sooner or later based on the trademark filing.

As for what they declared the hashtag stood for, TR=the Revival but there has been some debate over what the F stands for.

https://twitter.com/nickjacksonyb/status/898948411516485633

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have a different opinion of what it stands for, however:

https://twitter.com/ScottDawsonWWE/status/886002777046102016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E886002777046102016&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cagesideseats.com%2Fwwe%2F2017%2F7%2F16%2F15979400%2Fftr-young-bucks-the-revival-rivalry-being-the-elite

WWE has filed for a new trademark, one that could indicate a new show or PPV. According to the US Patent and Trademark office, WWE applied to trademark the term “Worlds Collide” for wrestling purposes on January 3rd.

Recent WWE Trademarks

Other interesting recent trademarks from WWE include “Work Horse Open Challenge” which was filed this summer. “The Awesome One” was also trademarked by WWE last year.

Many of their recent filings have been for new WWE Network shows. “WWE Kitchen Smackdown” was filed late last year. “Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit” was also trademarked for Tyler Breeze and Fandango’s show on the WWE Network recently.

Worlds Collide and When Worlds Collide

“When Worlds Collide” was the name of a famous 1994 PPV put on by AAA Lucha Libre in Los Angeles. In a show which drew 13, 000 fans, Konnan defeated Perro Aguayo in the main event. Eddie Guerrero was also featured on the show’s semi-main event, teaming with Art Barr. They lost to the team of Octagon and El Hijo del Santo.

ECW used “When Worlds Collide” as the name of a PPV in 1994 as well. It should be noted, however, that WWE has applied to trademark “Worlds Collide”, however, and not “When Worlds Collide.”

New Japan Pro Wrestling President, Harold Meij, recently took part in an interview with NJPW1972.com. During the interview, Meij commented about the departures of Kenny Omega and the members of the Elite. He also issued a response to his critics who say NJPW is currently too focussed on international expansion.

NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, provided the translations.

Meij: ‘Talent will come & go. That’s life. Half of Japanese people have had more than one occupation. More overseas. There are different life stages, priorities change. What counts is that while here, ppl shine as bright as possible & produce the best product possible for us’

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 9, 2019

“Meij: ‘Talent will come & go. That’s life. Half of Japanese people have had more than one occupation. More overseas. There are different life stages, priorities change. What counts is that while here, ppl shine as bright as possible & produce the best product possible for us’”

Harold Meij On NJPW Booking and Departing Talent

Meij has come under criticism from some NJPW fans as of late for what they perceive as focussing too much on appealing to international fans.

“I often see talk along the lines of ‘since Meij came in, they’re only looking at international, they don’t care about Japan.’ That couldn’t be more wrong,” Meij continued.

“New Japan has gotten to the stage that the world has taken notice of it and we can do these things abroad. I’m not pushing the company international; if anything it’s the other way round. I’m doing my job as a professional to fulfill very strong demand.”

All Elite Wrestling will present Double or Nothing on May 25th, 2019 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The announcement was made at today’s AEW rally by Nick Jackson.

“We’re running May 25th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena!” Nick Jackson shouted before either Matt Jackson or Cody had the chance to.

MGM Grand Garden Arena

The famous arena has a capacity listed at just under 18,000. The MGM has hosted numerous high-profile boxing and MMA events. WCW used to run their Halloween Havoc PPV from the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as well. The highest attendance WCW ever got for their Havoc shows in the arena was 12, 500 for Hogan vs Piper in 1997. Their final Halloween Havoc in the building in 2000 drew under 8000 for a card featuring Booker T vs Scott Steiner for the WCW title and Goldberg vs both members of Kronik. Several episodes of Nitro were also filmed in the arena.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena has hosted over 40 UFC cards. It has also been the venue for several Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mike Tyson fights as well.

Statement From Tony Khan On All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling President, Tony Khan, sent out a statement earlier today.

“The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wresting but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.”

Anthem Sports and Entertainment’s Ed Nordholm addressed the Impact Wrestling roster yesterday in Nashville. The promotion filmed episodes of Impact Wrestling last night.

According to a report from PW Insider, Nordholm spoke to the roster about the new television deal and the benefits it offers for not just Impact Wrestling but all of Anthem Sports and Entertainment.

Impact Wrestling’s Role In The Fight Network’s Success

Nordholm mentioned Anthem purchased Impact Wrestling because it is one of the better ratings draws for the Fight Network. Anthem also owns the Fight Network. The combat sports dedicated TV network has distribution deals all over the world and recently announced new deals in 2018 in the United Kingdom and Mexico. The Fight Network’s growth in 2018 is also an accomplishment Impact Wrestling can take partial credit for. Impact has value to Anthem beyond revenue earned from TV deals or PPVs, they are helping to expand the reach of the Fight Network and other properties of Anthem Sports and Entertainment.

Is Anthem Looking to Sell Impact Wrestling?

Nordholm also denied reports that the company was looking to sell. There had been reports that the company was looking to sell to AEW. Nordholm, however, denied the company was looking to sell.

Impact Wrestling On The Pursuit Channel

Nordholm also addressed the benefits of the new TV deal in the United States, where the promotion will air on the Pursuit channel. He again mentioned that part of the reason Anthem purchased Impact Wrestling was to provide benefits to their other properties, such as the Pursuit channel, which Anthem owns a minority stake in.

Another benefit of the new deal with Pursuit is that they are able to post full episodes to Twitch and even air them live at the same time as the show airs on Pursuit, Friday’s at 10 PM est. Now anyone with access to the internet can watch episodes of Impact Wrestling as they air for free.

Impact Wrestling is expected to hold another PPV in April. The promotion traditionally holds their Lockdown PPV in April. It’s not clear if the all steel cage PPV will be returning in 2019, however.

Braun Strowman is scheduled to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. According to a recent report from Wrestling Observer radio, however, Strowman is still recovering from recent elbow surgery.

“I want to make something clear, Braun Strowman is not cleared,” Dave Meltzer said. “That’s also why what happened tonight happened because he’s not cleared for anything physical yet.”

Strowman was involved in a promo segment with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman this week.

Braun Strowman Recovering From Shoulder Surgery

Strowman had surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He has only wrestled once since November, which was at TLC against Baron Corbin. On that night, several WWE Superstars were required to help him defeat the temporary Raw General Manager.

Braun Strowman Takes The Polar Bear Plunge

Strowman recently raised $2500 for the Boys and Girls Club of America by taking the Polar Bear Plunge. Strowman took the plunge on Friday.

“I am asking for donations to the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County and in exchange, I will go find a frozen lake, cut a hole in it and will jump in – all to support Boys & Girls Club,” Strowman wrote on his GoFundMe page for the event.

Video of his plunge can be watched below:

Shad and Tony Khan have released statements to the wrestling media about their new upstart wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. Notably, Shad Khan reveals he is the lead investor in AEW and promises something new and authentic for wrestling fans worldwide.

Shad Khan Statement On All Elite Wrestling

“I am the lead investor, a supporter and a backer of All Elite Wrestling, and I anticipate great things today and into the future for AEW and everyone who has worked passionately on this week’s launch,” said Shad Khan, the 68-year-old patriarch of the family. “I know AEW will be welcomed by wrestling fans here in the U.S. and throughout the world who are ready for something new and authentic. AEW will work hard to deliver on that promise.”

Khan then turned attention to his son’s role in the promotion:

“As important, I am the father – the proud father – of Tony Khan, who will serve in a leadership role at AEW during the 2019 launch and in the years ahead. Tony will assemble a great team to take AEW over the top, for the benefit of everyone who loves the wrestling industry, while continuing to serve in his current capacities with the Jaguars and Fulham.”

He also stated that AEW will not take away from his other work:

“AEW will operate as an organization completely independently from my other interests. It will not deter attention or divert resources from any of my businesses, teams, projects or investments. At the same time, AEW will enjoy the same full commitment I given to everything and everyone in my life – my family and friends, my business and, in recent years, to sports, hospitality and now entertainment.”

Tony Khan Statement On All Elite Wrestling

“Wrestling fans are a community unlike most others,” the longtime wrestling fan stated. “I’ve been a part of this community since I was 7 years old, and I can tell you that wresting fans see the world every day through a special lens. We see wrestling in Hollywood films and tv shows, we see elements of wrestling in the presentation of sports and in the marketing of grandiose star athletes, and we certainly see wrestling in politics.”

Khan continued to talk about the wrestling community.

“The wrestling community is a constant; its members are diverse, we are physically located on all corners of the planet, yet we are constantly connected. Recently, a new family has formed, bonded by love and respect for wresting but armed with a vision and resources that have never before been available to the wrestling community. Our objective is to connect our community closer than ever before through All Elite Wrestling, or AEW.”

Tony Khan also pointed out his work with All Elite Wrestling won’t take away from his other obligations.

“AEW does not mean any less of a continued commitment to existing obligations and duties that I have, or my family has, to our business and sports interests. That will never be the case. What’s important is that every individual decision we make as family, whether it’s ownership or investment in a team or property, is 100 percent beneficial to those specific interests. I will always welcome that accountability and responsibility, as nothing is more important than serving our supporters and friends.

AEW will launch with a roster of the top wrestlers in the world. While they’ll clash in what will be some of the most intense and fast-paced contests ever sanctioned in the squared circle, they’ll also share a common goal: to make this the true golden age, to make this the greatest time ever to be a wrestling fan. Likewise, as a business, by treating our wrestlers with respect and warmth, we also seek to make this the golden age for the performers themselves.”

He then encouraged fans to watch.

“I urge everyone who believes in what we’re doing, or wants to believe in dreams coming true, to support AEW by spreading the word and passing the wrestling bug onto someone else. My message: Get in on the ground floor with AEW today and help lead our movement to grow the wrestling community and ensure that the voices of the wrestling fans, their creative minds and their remarkable ideas, will always be heard.”

After 8 years with the promotion, KUSHIDA is leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling. In his final match for NJPW, he’ll face IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, on January 29th.

Wow. January 29, will be KUSHIDA’s Final NJPW Match: one on one with Tanahashi! #njnbg https://t.co/hut4oZW35x

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 8, 2019

“Wow. January 29, will be KUSHIDA’s Final NJPW Match: one on one with Tanahashi!”

KUSHIDA Leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling

Chris Charlton provided some translations of KUSHIDA’s comments from the recent press conference in Tokyo where he announced his departure.

“I will leave NJPW on January 31,” Kushida said. “This was an extremely tough condition made with Meij, Sugabayashi and Kidani. It was a very big decision in my life and I’m thankful they understood. I will head overseas and to see the world of pro wrestling.”

Kushida then said, “I am contracted with this company until the end of January so I won’t be talking much about beyond then. But it has been my dream for a long time to travel the world with professional wrestling. And that’s what I will be doing.

KUSHIDA To WWE Speculation

In December, a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted WWE’s interest in the junior heavyweight.

“Kushida is a name has been talked about for weeks and we’ve been hearing more and more about it,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “He’s under contract to New Japan until the end of January so we shouldn’t be hearing his name, but WWE has been more forward about trying to get people and not caring about contracts.”

Kushida lost the IWGP Junior heavyweight championship to Taiji Ishimori this weekend at Wrestle Kingdom. He has held the title 8x.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez, wants to wrestle with WWE. The man who defeated Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 has already trained at the WWE Performance Center.

Velasquez recently commented on how he wants to go to WWE on an episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.

Cain Velasquez wants to wrestle for WWE. And soon.

Full: https://t.co/vL3Se0bT4g pic.twitter.com/CdUsXWIF2F

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 8, 2019

Cain Velasquez Trains At WWE PC

Velasquez trained at the WWE Performance Center this summer. He was asked about the experience in an interview for WWE.com.

“My experience here has been amazing,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to being here and learning as much as I can. I’ve been a fan of the sport since I was a little kid, and now I get to participate in it.”

“I had a great time over the last couple days getting a few workouts in at the @wweperformctr and attending @wwenxt,” Velasquez later Tweeted. “Thanks to everyone at @wwe for the Invite and first-class treatment. #LuchaLibre”

Cain Velasquez To WWE?

At 36 years-of-age, Velasquez will have to make the jump in the next few years if he’s serious. According to his comments, however, Velasquez is still focussed on his fighting career. Injuries have hampered his career. He hasn’t fought since the summer of 2016 and has only fought 9 times over the last 9 years.

New Japan Pro Wrestling held a press conference on Monday from Tokyo, Japan to address some of the fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 13 weekend. While Kenny Omega was absent from the New Year’s Dash show from Korakuen Hall, he was at the press conference.

According to NJPW commentator Chris Charlton, Omega said that there is currently no place for him in NJPW and he needs time away.

“‘There is no real place for me to fit, so it’s best for me not to be in (NJPW). I can’t be there working under Tanahashi. I don’t think he’s surpassed me, don’t think he’s better. If we can, I want to face him again. But I need time away, and not just from New Japan.”

Charlton also cited this article from Japan’s Tokyo Sports news publication with a more aggressive framing, that Omega is “leaving” New Japan.

Kenny Omega is leaving NJPW. https://t.co/hfSYmZKaHd

— chris charlton (@reasonjp) January 7, 2019

During an interview with Tokyo Sports, Omega spoke directly about the possibility of signing with either WWE or the upstart All Elite Wrestling. Omega said (translated),  “If I go to WWE, the fans there will be pleased, and the fans there will be pleased if I go to AEW. I want to be in a place where I’m going to be happy.” Omega added, “I do not know what will happen myself .”

It is believed that Kenny Omega’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling expires later this month. At this time, we don’t have any further details about whether or not Omega is taking time off as part of a storyline or if he is legitimately leaving Japan.

WWE Reportedly Make Kenny Omega A “Fantastic Offer”

Omega’s comments indicate he could be leaving NJPW. This could mean he will sign with All Elite Wrestling or WWE. Then again, it could also just be Omega giving an excuse for taking some time off before coming back for trilogy match with Tanahashi.

It was reported that if Omega doesn’t sign with WWE this year, it won’t be because WWE wasn’t interested.

This Friday night, Impact Wrestling premieres on the Pursuit Channel, the show’s new home on cable television. Many fans of the product have been disgruntled about this news since Pursuit is not widely available on television providers throughout the United States. On Sunday night, Impact made an announcement that is good news for everybody.

In addition to new episodes of Impact premiering Friday nights at 10PM ET on Pursuit Channel, the shows will premiere concurrently on Impact Wrestling promotion’s Twitch online streaming channel for free. That’s right: No pursuit, no problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMRSO5WKoGo

Impact Wrestling Promises Edgier Product On Pursuit

Don Callis addressed a change in direction for the product with the move to the Pursuit channel on his podcast.

“A lot of fans thought, ‘Wow, you guys should be on a different network with a different demographic’ so we announced this week we’re moving to Pursuit which is an exciting thing for me,” Callis said.

Judging by what we have seen on Impact Wrestling PPVs versus their television program, it’s possible more hardcore wrestling could be in store for the promotion.

“It’s a great strategic move for us,” Callis continued. “And I think people are going to love to see a sexier, edgier, maybe even a little more hardcore IMPACT Wrestling. I’m really, really pumped about that.”

The first episode of Impact Wrestling on the Pursuit channel, and now also on their Twitch channel begins Friday, January 11th, 2019 at 10 PM est.

Impact Wrestling will hold a show tomorrow at the Asylum as well. Presumably, this is where they will be taping the next couple of episodes and the first with this new direction.

There is a new Knockouts champion. Taya Valkyrie defeated Tessa Blanchard tonight at Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming PPV from Nashville TN.

The match will go down as controversial, however. Special guest referee, Gail Kim, hit Blanchard with Eat Defeat before allowing Taya Valkyrie to hit the Road to Valhalla for the victory.

Eat Defeat by @gailkimITSME.

Road To Valhalla by @TheTayaValkyrie.

NEW CHAMPION! #IMPACTHomecoming pic.twitter.com/4eTgh12nkt

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 7, 2019

Tension had been brewing between Kim and Blanchard for weeks on episodes of Impact Wrestling as well as after several near-falls in this match.

Taya Valkyrie Knockouts Champion

Valkyrie becomes the 22nd woman to won the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship. The inaugural champion, Gail Kim, having been the one to count the 3 tonight. She is already a 2x Reina de Reinas champion for AAA and also got a run with the infamous Iron Heavymetalweight championship for the comedy promotion in Japan, DDT.

The win for Taya ends Tessa Blanchard’s reign with the belt at 147 days. Blanchard has spent the 12th most combined days with the belt out of the 22 champions in its lineage. Two days ago, she passed Velvet Sky who is at 145 days. Blanchard falls short of ODB, who held the title for 153 days over the course of 4 runs with the belt.

Tessa Blanchard vs Gail Kim

Based on the actions of Kim and Blanchard in this match, it’s possible Kim comes out of retirement for one last match with Blanchard. Kim has said if she does wrestling again, it would be with Impact.

Rosemary has returned to Impact Wrestling. She had been on the shelf since last April after suffering a torn ACL. Tonight, Rosemary popped out of a coffin to attack Su Yung and confront Dark Allie.

.@WeAreRosemary IS BACK! #IMPACTHomecoming pic.twitter.com/ZF3Jyaz61U

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 7, 2019

Su Yung and Dark Allie had just defeated Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan. They were continuing the beatdown on Hogan when Yung motioned for her undead bridesmaids to bring the coffin to ringside. When they opened the coffin, however, Rosemary popped out.

She then took out Su Yung and the bridesmaids before turning towards Dark Allie.

.@AllieImpact flees from her former best friend @WeAreRosemary.

The Demon Assassin is back to take on The Undead Bride! #IMPACTHomecoming pic.twitter.com/p71Mfue7q4

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 7, 2019

She has since issued the following statement to Allie:

Be All Our Sins Continue’d..#DarkWar #ImpactHOMECOMING #DemonAssassin #DeathDealer

Wrong Choice, Bunny.. pic.twitter.com/VuXTWIqBs5

— The Demon Assassin (@WeAreRosemary) January 7, 2019

Rosemary Returns To Impact Wrestling

Rosemary was last seen in Impact at the Bound For Glory PPV. She appeared in a segment in the undead realm, where Allie had traveled to save Kiera Hogan from Su Yung.

Homecoming PPV

Join us for live coverage of Impact Wrestling’s Homecoming PPV.

• Impact World Championship
  Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
• Knockouts Championship
  Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
• X-Division Championship
  Ultimate X Match
  Rich Swann vs Trey Miguel vs Jake Crist vs Ethan Page
• Impact Tag Team Championships
  LAX (c) vs The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
• Monster’s Ball
  Abyss vs Eli Drake
• Falls Count Anywhere
  Moose vs Eddie Edwards
• Sami Callihan vs Willie Mack
• Allie & Su Yung vs Kiera Hogan & Jordynne Grace