Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens are back in Bullet Club. The two had been seemingly kicked out of the group by the Firing Squad last year and placed with the Elite on NJPW tours. They were accepted back into the faction earlier today at New Year’s Dash in Korakuen Hall, however.
“For months people have been asking what side are you on or why does chase still wear bulletclub gear. Well last night I answered ;) bc4life”
Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens Back In Bullet Club
Owens and Takahashi interfered during the NEVER 6-Man tag team championship match at New Year’s Dash. Their run-in allowed Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori to keep their belts. After the match, Owens and Takahashi were accepted back into Bullet Club.
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi Being Booked With The Elite
Even after members of the Elite began saying they were no longer members of Bullet Club, Owens and Takahashi never did. Owens Tweeted out “BC 4 Life” shortly after news broke the Elite were officially leaving Bullet Club. Takahashi seemingly never realized he’d been placed with the Elite, as evidenced by his comments on an episode of Being the Elite during the World Tag League tour. Takahashi and Hangman Page teamed together in the tournament.
“What’s up with Elite B*lls**t?” Takahashi asked Page on the BTE episode. “Am I supposed to be in it?”
“That’s not really up to me,” Page responded. “We kind of thought you’d be booked to be with the Tongans, to be honest. Maybe that’s why they don’t trust you completely yet.”
WWE has released footage of Braun Strowman’s recovery from recent elbow surgery. The company presented episode 1 of “Remaking a Monster” on their YouTube channel today:
“Get an all-access look at Braun Strowman’s elbow surgery and the first steps in his rehab journey as he works his way back to the ring,” WWE’s description of the video reads.
Braun Strowman Injury
In storyline, Strowman received the injury after 3-on-1 attack by Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley.
“As reported by Michael Cole during the Monday Night Raw broadcast, Braun Strowman suffered a shattered elbow at the hands of Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin,” a WWE statement on his injury reads.
There was concern Strowman would not be cleared to compete at TLC on December 16th. He was, however, and then defeated Baron Corbin to officially end his reign as Raw General Manager.
Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar
Up next for Braun Strowman is a clash with Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar. The match will take place at the Royal Rumble on January 27th.
The match at the Rumble will actually be the 4th time the two have faced each other. They’ve only met twice before in single’s competition, however. Lesnar has won all 4 matches. The other matches were a fatal 4-way which also involved Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe and a triple threat which also involved Kane.
A 3-night 12-team tournament will take place on the road to ROH’s debut in Madison Square Garden this spring. ROH will run a 3-night tour of Texas later this month which will stream live for subscribers to Honor Club.
The tournament will run under the following rules:
3 2-on-2 matches will take place on the 1st night.
3 2-on-2 matches will take place on the 2nd night
The winning teams will face each other in 2 separate triple threat matches on the 3rd night.
The 2 winning teams from the triple threat matches will meet each other in the final to be held later on the 3rd night.
The tournament begins in Dallas on January 24th, heads to Houston on the 25th, and finishes up in San Antonio on the 26th.
ROH Tag Wars 2019 and NWA Crockett Cup
The winners of ROH Tag Wars 2019 will earn a shot at the ROH Tag Team championships at the promotion’s anniversary show on March 15th. Additionally, the winning team will be entered into the NWA’s Crockett Cup tournament announced for later in the year.
“This will be the sixth edition of Tag Wars, which was first held in 2005. Past winners include The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero), reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) and Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser,” an ROH press release for the tournament states. “Who will prevail this year and get a shot at the gold in Las Vegas? Join us in person or watch LIVE on HonorClub to find out!”
Impact Wrestling will present Homecoming this Sunday from Nashville, TN. The promotion has released the opening video for the PPV on their YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzyc98K-e00
Impact Wrestling Homecoming PPV
2 matches were added to Homecoming this week on Impact. Willie Mack will take on Sami Callihan, and Jordynne Grace will team with Kiera Hogan to take on Allie and Su Yung.
Impact Wrestling: Homecoming, January 6th – Lineup:
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
Impact released the following press release in regards to the upcoming PPV:
“IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., returns to pay-per-view on Sunday, Jan. 6 for Homecoming, its first event of the New Year, from The Asylum in Nashville, TN. The three-hour extravaganza kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app.”
Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are both official for the Royal Rumble this year. Rollins declared his entry into the match at a recent WWE live event in Columbus.
Balor lasted almost an hour in last year’s Rumble match after entering in at #2. He was eliminated by John Cena with only 3 other competitors left in the match. Balor eliminated Baron Corbin, Aiden English, Dolph Ziggler, and Rey Mysterio.
Rollins entered into last year’s Rumble at #18 and was the 22nd eliminated. He was thrown out by Roman Reigns after lasting 19 minutes. He eliminated the Miz and Cesaro during the match.
Royal Rumble 2019
With Balor and Rollins official for the Rumble, there are now 7 Superstars set for the men’s Rumble match.
Confirmed for 2019 men’s Royal Rumble match:
R-Truth (#30)
Drew McIntyre
Xavier Woods
Big E
Kofi Kingston
Finn Balor
Seth Rollins
Confirmed for the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble match:
Carmella (#30)
Ember Moon
Natalya
Bayley
Sasha Banks
Ruby Riott
Liv Morgan
Sarah Logan
Royal Rumble 2019 Lineup – January 27th, 2019
Women’s Royal Rumble match
Men’s Royal Rumble match
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs (Winner of Carmella vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch)
WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD
Glenn “Kane” Jacobs and Tom Prichard are opening a wrestling school in Knoxville, TN. Jacobs won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of the school but is an investor. He spoke at a recent open house for the Academy as well.
“Glenn is totally focused on his duties as County Mayor, and he wants everyone to know that,” reads a Facebook post for the Academy. “He (has) chosen a top-notch team for the day-in-day-out activities of the school, and he will be there only during windows of time that aren’t dedicated to his job as mayor.”
Jacobs Prichard Wrestling Academy
“This whole thing really started because Tom was traveling around the country training people and thought, ‘Why not just do it here?’” Jacobs said at a recent open house for the Academy. “It’s like going to Harvard. Where would you rather go? If you are going to learn something, you want to learn from the best.”
Jacobs also spoke to the students about what students can expect from the Academy.
“No one can guarantee you’re going to be successful, but we want you to be successful,” Jacobs said. “It doesn’t do us any good if we run a bunch of guys through. We want people who are serious and are going to put in the work to be successful.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling presented their annual New Year’s Dash show from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo earlier today. The show aired live and for free on their streaming service, NJPWWorld.com.
NJPW New Year’s Dash 1/5 Results
1. Roppongi 3K (Sho & Yoh) and Rocky Romero (CHAOS) defeated the Killer Elite Suad and Takashi Iizuka (Suzuki-Gun)
Yoh got the pin on Iizuka with a roll-up.
2. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tomoaki Honma and Toa Henare
Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton talked about how the future of Owens and Takahashi was uncertain after the departure of the Elite. Charlton noted that both still wore the Bullet Club colors and logo, however.
Owens picked up the pin on Honma after delivering his cradle piledriver.
3. Juice Robinson and David Finlay defeated the Best Friends (Chuckie T & Beretta) (CHAOS) via DQ
This match ended like several others did in the World Tag League recently. Chuckie T pulled out several chairs and begun hitting his opponents, causing the disqualification. Beretta tried to calm him down but Chuckie got loose from him after the match and delivered a piledriver to Juice Robinson onto a chair.
Yesterday after Wrestle Kingdom, Beretta let it be known he wants a shot at Juice’s IWGP United States title.
4. Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto (CHAOS) defeated Yuji Nagata, Kushida, and Jeff Cobb
They replayed Ospreay’s elbow to Ibushi from Wrestle Kingdom. After he delivered the move, Ibushi was dead weight when Ospreay picked him up for Storm Breaker.
Ospreay picked up the pin on Kushida after Storm Breaker here too. Before giving him his finish, however, Ospreay looked as though he was going to give Kushida the same elbow he gave Ibushi but then decided not to. Kelly then said Ospreay could break out that dangerous move at any time.
Ishii and Nagata had to be separated after the match and Cobb and Goto were also getting at each other a bit as well.
5. NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championships
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, & Taiji Ishimori (Bullet Club) (c) defeated Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Togi Makabe
Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens interfered in this match, allowing Bullet Club to successfully defend their titles. Tanga Loa picked up the pin on Makabe with his Apes**t piledriver.
After all 5 beat down the challengers after the match, Owens and Takahashi put their hands up in a 2-sweet gesture.
Tama Tonga looked as though he didn’t want the others to accept Owens and Takahashi back into the group but then turned and hugged both guys.
The rest of the group celebrated with Owens and Takahashi being officially brought back into Bullet Club
6. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taichi (Suzuki-Gun) defeated Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI (LIJ)
This match started with Taichi hitting Naito in the head with a chair before the bell.
Taichi would eventually get the pin on Naito later in the match and then continued the beat down after the match as well. He would then challenge Naito to a match for the Intercontinental championship. We could get that at one of the New Beginning shows at the end of the month.
7. Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, & Gedo (Bullet Club) defeated Yoshi-Hashi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Kazuchika Okada
White and Bullet Club continue their undefeated streak against Okada and Tanahashi when they team up.
This match was also Yoshi-Hashi’s return match. He was injured with a concussion back in September. He also took the pin here after taking Blade Runner from White.
White challenged Tanahashi for a match at the post-match press conference yesterday and continued his taunting of the new champion after the match before leaving to close the show. White vs Tanahashi for the title could be booked for the New Beginning shows as well.
WWE could be bringing in another big name for this Monday’s Raw. According to a report from PW Insider, Ric Flair is booked for the show. WWE is bringing Hulk Hogan in for the show as well, reportedly as part of a planned tribute for “Mean” Gene Okerlund.
Ric Flair Pays Tribute To “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Flair is likely coming in to pay tribute to “Mean” Gene Okerlund. He paid tribute to his friend earlier this week as well. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Flair said the following:
“Friend would be too generic a term for us,” said Flair. “We were more than friends, we were brothers. We were tied to each other for years. If I was going somewhere, and I knew Gene Okerlund was there, I made sure I found him.”
“In my opinion, Gene Okerlund added more entertainment to the business than anybody. Gene made our product better. You can be good at what you do, but Gene was so good that he made the people around him better. Gene brought that to every segment he was on for his entire career. It’s hard to explain how much talent he had. Gene was entertainment-ready, witty beyond belief, sophisticated, and I’ve never seen anybody else like him.”
Ric Flair On Raw
This Monday’s show will take place from the Amway Center in Orlando, Fl. Also booked for the show is John Cena’s return to Raw. Cena was also on last week’s Smackdown. The Revival will take on Roode and Gable in a lumberjack match for the Raw tag titles this week as well. Alexa Bliss will also debut a new talk show “A Moment of Bliss” on this week’s show.
WWE has announced a triple threat match for Smackdown Tuesday night. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Carmella will meet in a #1 Contenders match. The winner will face Asuka for the Smackdown women’s championship at the Royal Rumble.
“Charlotte and Becky both feel that they should be SmackDown Women’s Champion at this present moment and only are not because of Ronda Rousey’s interference in their match against Asuka,” a WWE press release for the match reads.
Becky Lynch vs Carmella vs Charlotte Flair
The #1 contenders match also represents a return to the championship picture for Carmella, who held the title from last April to August. Carmella told media last month she plans to win back the title someday.
“I will become champion again,” Carmella said. “That’s for sure, but right now everyone has their moment and then you get back into the mix. I’m not in any rush, when it happens it’ll happen.”
Royal Rumble 2019
With the winner of this match taking on Asuka at the Royal Rumble, the updated card looks like this:
Royal Rumble 2019 – January 27th, 2019
Women’s Royal Rumble match
Men’s Royal Rumble match
Smackdown Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs (Winner of Carmella vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch)
WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan (c) vs AJ Styles
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Fatal 4-Way
Buddy Murphy (c) vs Kalisto vs Akira Tozawa vs TBD
“Switchblade” Jay White didn’t waste any time being the first to issue a challenge to new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. White and Gedo showed up in the post-match press conference during Tanahashi’s interview and issued the challenge, which Tanahashi accepted.
White defeated the former champion, Kazuchika Okada, in a special grudge match at Wrestle Kingdom.
Jay White Vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Jay White and Hiroshi Tanahashi each had an eventful 2018. Tanahashi started the year by defeating White in the Tokyo Dome on White’s first match back from an excursion to ROH. White then avenged the loss in the G1 this summer but Tanahashi won the rubber match at King of Pro Wrestling with the G1 briefcase on the line.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega III?
Omega hinted after Wrestle Kingdom that there is still unfinished business between the two. Wrestle Kingdom 13’s main event was just the second time Omega and Tanahashi have faced each other in single’s competition. Omega won the first match which was for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at the New Beginning in Niigata in 2016.
Kota Ibushi is said to have suffered a concussion during his match with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom. Ibushi was taken out on a stretcher after the match by several of the New Japan young lions.
NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, Tweeted out an update on Ibushi’s condition after the match. “Kota Ibushi suffered a concussion against Ospreay,” Charlton Tweeted. “His condition is not described as serious. More information to come.”
Ibushi lost to Will Ospreay in the opening match of the Wrestle Kingdom main card. With the win, Ospreay is the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Ibushi had defeated Hirooki Goto for the title on the final night of the World Tag league.
Kota Ibushi Vs Will Ospreay
Not long before Ibushi and Ospreay met at Wrestle Kingdom, Ospreay paid tribute to his opponent on Instagram. He posted a photo of the two from April 2016.
“You have no idea how much you helped me this day,” Ospreay wrote. “Only a few days before this photo/match, I lost a friend who helped me in British Wrestling, Kris Travis.
To be in the ring with a man I would call an inspiration, helped me not focus on grieving but to celebrate his life.
After this moment and how fans reacted to how we were in the ring, I knew that this was the match I wanted.
Now I’m under a week my dream match on the biggest stage of my life. For a championship that has lost its place in New Japan but now shall live up to what it should be, an Openweight Championship.”
The last episode of Impact Wrestling on POP TV aired last night. It was also the go-home show for Sunday’s Homecoming PPV. Impact has promised an edgier product to go along with the move to a network more suited for it.
8 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 1/3:
Johnny Impact and Brian Cage Square Off Before Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8SPepgPqck
The Lucha Bros defeated Johnny Impact and Brian Cage
In the night’s main event, Pentagon and Fenix defeated the World Champion and #1 contender. Following the match, it appeared as though Cage and Impact were going to agree to settle things in Nashville but Johnny appeared to change his mind just as Cage went to leave. The champion motioned for Cage not to leave the ring and the two brawled through security to end the show.
Raven & Tommy Dreamer United Against Eli Drake
Eli Drake cut a promo this week hyping his Monster’s Ball match with Abyss on Sunday. Tommy Dreamer came out to attack Drake but just as he was going to stomp his head into a chair, the lights went out. When they came back on Raven was in the ring. The two long-time enemies stared each other down before teaming up to beat up Drake. Raven and Dreamer might have a vested interest in Abyss vs Drake this Sunday.
There Are No Friends In War Between LAX and Lucha Bros
This is passion. This is fire. This is what the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles mean to @Ortiz5150 and @SantanaLAX.
The Lucha Bros and LAX each cut backstage promos this week about their Impact tag-team championship match at Homecoming. LAX said they will prove they can win without Konnan, who has said he won’t’ be in the corner for the match.
Pentagon and Fenix said backstage that the two teams aren’t allies and it will not be a friendly match in Nashville.
Sami Callihan Vs Willie Mack Added To Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PAHGGVl760
Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz defeated Sami Callihan, Dave Crist, Jake Crist, Matt Sydal & Ethan Page
Sami Callihan and OVE are the reason Willie Mack isn’t wrestling for the X-Division Championship at Homecoming. This week Callihan again antagonized Mack by attacking him after the Rascalz, Mack and Rich Swann defeated OVE, Ethan Page, and Matt Sydal.
4 of the wrestlers in this match, Jake Crist, Ethan Page, Swann, and Trey, will compete in the Ultimate X match on Sunday. Meanwhile, after Callihan and OVE attacked Mack after the match, Impact officials made the match between Callihan and Mack official for Sunday.
Allie & Su Yung vs Kiera Hogan & Jordynn Grace Added To Homecoming
Allie defeated Kiera Hogan
Dark Allie defeated her old ally, Kiera Hogan, in single’s competition this week. After the match, Allie and Su Yung continued the beat down on Hogan until Jordynne Grace made the save. Later in the show, a tag match featuring the four involved was made official for Homecoming.
Killer Kross Put Trevor Lee Out Of The Territory
Killer Kross defeated Trevor Lee
Earlier in the show, Trevor Lee was seen telling management he was sick of sitting on the sidelines. Impact management booked him in a match with Killer Kross as a result. Kross not only beat Trevor Lee, he then sent him out of the territory by smashing a cinder block over his head.
Kross has been trying to tell Johnny Impact as of late that Johnny needs to have Kross watch his back. It’s possible Kross decides to get involved in the main event of Homecoming.
Not match happened this week in the Knockouts division. The rivalry between Tessa Blanchard and Taya Valkyrie will see match #3 take place on Sunday. Blanchard won the first match, albeit there was some controversy as the referee had been out of position after Valkyrie hit the Road to Valhalla. Blanchard was then DQ’ed in the rematch. With Gail Kim assigned as the special referee for this one, the Knockouts title match at Homecoming could steal the show.
Scarlett Bordeaux Scouts KM & Fallah Bah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12daRQ3HbXU
Scarlett Bordeaux continued her talent search this week as well. She seemed somewhat impressed with the team of KM and Fallah Bah, who were victorious over the Desi Hit Squad this week.
Quick Results:
Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz defeated Sami Callihan, Dave Crist, Jake Crist, Matt Sydal & Ethan Page
KM & Fallah Bah defeated The Desi Hit Squad
Allie defeated Kiera Hogan
Killer Kross defeated Trevor Lee
Fenix and Pentagon defeated Brian Cage and Johnny Impact
Homecoming PPV Lineup
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)
When Major League Wrestling invades the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on February 2nd, the Hart Foundation will look to win the MLW tag-team championships from the Lucha Bros.
MLW recently announced the title match for their Philadelphia Fusion tapings which will also include Tom Lawlor challenging Low-Ki for the MLW World Championship. Pentagon and Teddy Hart are scheduled to go one-on-one on Fusion tomorrow night as well.
“This is a big match,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer. “Fénix and Penta have practically cleaned out the division while the Hart Foundation have not just dominated but straight up decimated everyone we’ve thrown at them. Philly is in for something special when these four throw down.”
The Hart Foundation In MLW
Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and Brian Pillman Jr make up the new incarnation of the Hart Foundation.
MLW locked up Teddy Hart to a deal last month. “I love a good comeback story,” said Court Bauer when speaking of Hart’s signing. “Teddy has lived up to his end and has brought it in every match. He’s hands down one of the most talented wrestlers of his generation and his commitment to MLW has been exceptional so we’re committing to him.”
MLW also recently signed Davey Boy Smith Jr. to a multi-year deal. “He’s been a part of MLW dating back to when he was just 18 and I know I speak for fans and the league when I say we’re very excited to see what the big guy does in 2019 and beyond,” Bauer said regarding Smith.
All Elite Wrestling recently sent out a press release regarding their rally in Jacksonville on Tuesday. The rally will take place just hours before Smackdown is held in the same city. The Elite have promised to release more information about Double or Nothing at the event.
Brandi Rhodes’ new role with the organization was also revealed in the press release. Rhodes will serve as the “Chief Brand Officer” for the upstart promotion, the same title Stephanie McMahon holds with WWE.
Brandi posted a statement on Twitter commenting on her new role with AEW. “I’ve dreamt of a life where I could marry my passions, combining my academic past with my entertainment future,” said Rhodes. “I’m so excited to have been named Chief Brand Officer of AEW, and thrilled to continue to entertain inside and around the ring. 2019 is going to be amazing. #AEW”
All Elite Wrestling Press Release
Today’s press release notes that next week’s rally will be free and open to the public. It will begin at 5 PM outside TIAA Bank Field in Parking Lot J.
“The rally is on the heels of the unveiling earlier this week of DOUBLE OR NOTHING, the inaugural event under the new All Elite Wrestling (AEW) banner,” the press release continues. “Keeping in true The Elite fashion, attendees can expect the unexpected as the rally will showcase the true spirit of wrestling entrepreneurialism and feature special guests, inside info and limited edition merchandise.”
“The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, are right with me in committing to deliver on our promise to change the wrestling landscape in 2019, and the DOUBLE OR NOTHING event is just the start,” said Cody in the release. “The time to change the world is now.”
Here is the official #AEW press release about the upcoming rally at TIAA Bank Field, home of the #Jaguars.
WWE will present a 2-hour NXT tonight featuring the best moments from 2018 as well as a big main event featuring Matt Riddle once again taking on Kassius Ohno. On 205 Live, qualifying matches for the Royal Rumble fatal 4-way cruiserweight title match will take place.
NXT 1/2 Preview
Matt Riddle vs Kassius Ohno
Matt Riddle defeated Kassius Ohno at Takeover with just one clean shot. Ohno got some revenge on Riddle, however, by attacking him after he defeated Punishment Martinez in December. Tonight, Riddle and Ohno will go one-on-one once again.
NXT 2018 Award Nominees Announced
WWE is advertising that the 2018 NXT award nominees will be announced tonight. Those nominated and not nominated could lead to some future storylines as well.
2018 Re-Visited
Other than the announcing of the 2018 award nominees and the rematch between Ohno and Riddle, the rest of tonight’s special two-hour episode will feature the best NXT had to offer over the last calendar year.
205 Live 1/2 Preview
Royal Rumble Fatal 4-Way Qualifier: Drew Gulak vs The Brian Kendrick
Two cruiserweight matches will take place on 205 live tonight. Both will serve as qualifiers for the fatal four-way cruiserweight championship match scheduled for the Royal Rumble. In the first qualifying match tonight, former allies turned rivals will clash when Drew Gulak meets the Brian Kendrick.
Royal Rumble Fatal 4-Way Qualifier: Lio Rush vs Kalisto
Lio Rush could be someone WWE has their eye on. He is regularly featured on Monday Night Raw as the hype man for Bobby Lashley. It’s possible WWE sees him as a potential star in the making on 205 Live as well. Rush can book his ticket to the Royal Rumble with a win over former cruiserweight champion, Kalisto, tonight.
Hiromu Takahashi hasn’t wrestled since the G1 Special in San Francisco earlier this year. During his performance on that show, Takahashi was dropped on his head and sustained a serious neck injury.
Since sustaining the injury there have been scattered reports regarding his status. Some reports have even questioned whether he’ll be able to return to the ring at all.
According to comments made by journalist Fumi Saito, Takahashi could return to the ring in a few months. Saito was a recent guest on Talk is Jericho with Chris Jericho.
“(Takahashi’s) out little longer than we originally thought,” Saito said. Jericho then asked if Takahashi will be able to return to the ring at all. “I think so,” Saito responded. “Still, out like months and months.”
Based on Saito’s comments, it sounds as though Takahashi will be able to return to the ring but that return is still a long way off.
Hiromu Takahashi Updates His Own Condition
Takahashi has also been addressing his own recovery through social media. Some of his updates, however, seem to lack any medical credibility. For instance, some of his self-reported updates include him being 732% better.
Takahashi vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship following his injury. Kushida and Taiji Ishimori will face each other at Wrestle Kingdom for that belt.
Chris Jericho believes Bullet Club should change its name. He made the comments on the most recent episode of his podcast, Talk is Jericho.
“I’m wondering, is it time to change the name?” Jericho asked allowed on the show in regards to the faction.
“Bullet Club has been through so many different phases and is so synonymous over the last couple of years with the Bucks and Kenny and Cody,” Jericho continued. “Now that they are gone, it seems like they should want to change it to something else.”
Many longtime fans of Bullet Club, however, would state the current incarnation of the faction more closely resembles the original.
Jericho and his guest, famed Japanese wrestling journalist Fumi Saito, then discussed how NJPW would still like to sell Bullet Club merchandise.
Bullet Club recently announced Jay White as the faction’s new leader. Tama Tonga responded to critics of the announcement through his YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLEcaePQqbE
“Yes, I said all that (that Bullet Club has no leader),” Tonga says in the video. “Right after I kicked out the Elite and right before we brought in Jay White. Now, think about this. With Jay White in, we got one man covering the direct route to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, right? You’ve got my brother and I; tag team duo, holding it down for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. We got Fale the monster. We got Ishimori chasing the Junior Heavyweight. Now, if it needs to be a junior heavyweight tag-team, we also got Robbie Eagles. We’re covering all angles, that’s smart, don’t y’all think?”
Tetsuya Naito believes that New Japan Pro Wrestling management is going out of their way to cater to IWPG Intercontinental Champion, Chris Jericho. He made the comments recently in an interview with NJPW1972.com.
“I know that New Japan wants to use his name for overseas expansion, but I want them to stop kissing up to him,” Naito said in regards to Jericho. “That’ll happen once I take back that title. I’ve said this many times before, but they should focus on showing the pure New Japan style to the world, instead of altering it.”
Jericho vs Naito II will take place inside the Tokyo Dome on January 4th at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Chris Jericho vs Tetsuya Naito II
Earlier in the interview, Naito said he understands why NJPW caters to Jericho.
“I can see why New Japan kisses his ass because he’s a good marketer,” Naito continued. “Actually, that all works in my favor because it sets a bigger stage for me to kicks his ass on.”
Naito also responded to Jericho’s comments that Naito is not a star. Jericho said that he didn’t believe Naito was a star because he doesn’t see anyone selling Naito ice-cream bars.
“I read that. It made me laugh, a little,” Naito responded. “Even though I’m extremely popular, he’s right, I don’t have an ice cream bar. He probably knows a lot about ice cream, that’s why his physique has changed so much since his Junior days.”
We are just days away from Wrestle Kingdom 13 inside the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. The main event of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year will be Kenny Omega versus Hiroshi Tanahashi. The two took part in an official contract signing which was live-streamed on the promotion’s YouTube channel earlier today.
Omega addressed his rivalry with Tanahashi when it was his turn to speak.
“From what I’ve heard now, there are over 30% of you that are from foreign countries,” Omega said in English.
Omega has been saying his style of pro-wrestling is more appealing to an international audience than Tanahashi’s is.
“There may even be more of you that speak English,” he continued. “That’s just wonderful. That is the entire point of this main event coming up in Tokyo Dome.”
Unbelievable! Hundreds of thousands of fans have come for the live contract signing for @KennyOmegamanX vs @tanahashi1_100!!
“On January 4th, we have our biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom,” Omega continued. “If you guys aren’t going to watch it, I urge you please give it a try. Believe it or not, I’m the best in the world at doing this thing, and you may actually like it.”
NJPW commentator, Chris Charlton, provided some translations of Tanahashi’s comments.
Tanahashi ‘I’ve given it my all my entire career, but on January 4 I’ll fight harder than I ever have in my life’ #njwk13
As 2018 winds to a close, so too does one of the most eventful years in pro-wrestling history. 2019 could be even more significant, however.
The Young Bucks have been counting down until the new year during recent episodes of Being the Elite. The Bucks are currently in Tokyo preparing for Wrestle Kingdom 13. Matt Jackson recently sent out the following:
On December 26th, Matt Jackson tweeted out the following, which has led to speculation the group plans to unveil or announce something as the clock strikes zero on 2018:
It’s possible the timer that has been prominently displayed on recent episodes of Being the Elite is simply counting down until the faction are all officially free agents. Another possibility, however, is that they plan to release a special episode of Being the Elite tonight.
Cody Teases New Promotion/Wrestling Revolution
On last week’s episode of Being the Elite, Cody spoke about how the fans have given him the confidence to do what they are about to do next year.
“I know a lot of people think what we’re getting ready to do is a big gamble. Some people think it’s very stupid but I’m not filled with false-hope,” Cody said on the episode. “You the fans have given me real hope and that’s what it takes for a revolution.”
Marty Scurll’s “Villain Enterprises” have begun their journey to the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden. The group’s first official match was recently announced. They will take on Silas Young and the Briscoes at Honor Reigns Supreme on January 13th. ROH released footage from their recent set of television tapings where Scurll debut the new faction.
ROH Honor Reigns Supreme – January 13th, 2019 in Concord, NC
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs Dalton Castle
Women of Honor World Championship
Kelly Klein (c) vs Jenny Rose
ROH 6-Man Tag Team Championships
The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, & Vinny Marseglia) Vs. Shane “Hurricane” Helms, Luchasaurus, & Delirious
Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO, and Brody King) vs Silas Young and Mark & Jay Briscoe
The event will air live on Honor Club for subscribers.
Marty Scurll will continue with Ring of Honor until at least the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden. ROH COO, Joe Koff, spoke about the promotion’s talent roster on a recent episode of the WINCLY podcast.
“We have no shortage of talent which is why ROH is so exciting to me and we always deliver a product, we wrestle a brand,” Koff said. “We wrestle a style. Regardless of who’s wrestling that brand or style, the fans’ expectations have always been met.”
Kazuchika Okada has spent much of 2018 dealing with “Switchblade” Jay White. First, the New Zealander joined CHAOS but then defected and joined Bullet Club at King of Pro Wrestling in October.
Now, Okada will face Jay White in a special grudge match at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th. Okada spoke to NJPW1972.com about facing the 26-year-old upstart.
“I feel that Jay White is the toughest foreigner in New Japan right now,” Okada said. “I really do. Tougher than Jericho, tougher than Omega.”
“It’s more than potential,” Okada continued. “I think he’s the toughest right now. The world might not know it yet, but they just might after he faces me January 4th.”
Kazuchika Okada On NJPW in 2019
Not that Okada is looking past his test at Wrestle Kingdom 13 but he’s also looking toward the future. Okada spoke about NJPW’s many lofty plans for the upcoming year as well.
“It’s full on for sure. MSG is coming up and we’re tearing it up overseas too,” Okada continued. “But I think we need to do our thing in Japan and make sure neither side is neglected. If we’re doing well in Japan, we’ll do well internationally as well, and the other way, guys killing it in the US are making the fans in Japan proud. ‘The NJPW we love so much managed to sell out Madison Square Garden’. I think there’s all sorts of ways we can blow fans away.”
A controversial angle played out this week on MLW: Fusion. Just two weeks after the company presented its first live special, MLW Champion, Low-Ki, assaulted Konnan with a shank (homemade knife often used in prisons) to close out this week’s episode.
53-year-old Konnan was challenging Low-Ki for the title but the match disintegrated into a series of run-ins early. The match was eventually declared a non-contest after numerous members of Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado attacked Konnan.
Low-Ki then stabbed Konnan in the back with the shank. The incident takes place in the closing moments of the MLW Fusion episode below:
MLW To Add Women’s Division
In other MLW news, Court Bauer announced the promotion will be adding more women to the roster in 2019. Plans are also in place to introduce a title for the division.
“Yes! It’s very important part of the next phase to me,” Bauer said when addressing a potential women’s division on Twitter. “Just saw the first wave of designs for a women’s title… but before we can talk about that I want to hear from everyone who we should be looking at for the division.”
MLW Fusion airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports. Full episodes of Fusion are uploaded to YouTube on Saturday evenings.
Chris Jericho was in attendance at Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings NFL game. In a post to Instagram, Jericho made sure to thank Jacksonville Jaguars executive for the tickets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsBlF0pFVSF/
Chris Jericho and All Elite Wrestling
Jericho’s name has been linked to Tony Khan since our world exclusive back in October regarding the upstart wrestling promotion in the works, now known as All Elite Wrestling.
In an interview with Drew Dalby this fall, Jericho spoke about the rumors of Tony Khan starting his own promotion. In typical Jericho fashion, he managed to avoid saying much.
“Is Tony Khan opening his own company? I’ve heard nothing that says he’s not, and of course, WWE is WWE and I have a 20-year history there,” Jericho said when discussing his options for 2019. “I could walk in the door tomorrow and know exactly what to do to get a reaction.”
“So it’s exciting for me to know there’s options,” he continued. “I can go anywhere and not have to worry about anything. The fact that we did the cruise with six guys (Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club), none of us under contract and able to sell out a cruise with it. It really makes all of us top contenders as to ‘who’s going to go where?’”
Dana White commented on Brock Lesnar’s ability to negotiate between WWE and UFC recently. The UFC President made the comments during the post-fight press conference from UFC 232.
White was asked if Brock Lesnar is still in the title picture in UFC’s heavyweight division.
“So, we were talking about it (Lesnar coming back) and then he ended up signing a new deal with WWE,” White said.
Then Dana White commented on what he believes has been taking place between Brock Lesnar and WWE during recent contract negotiations.
“What I think happens is, he’s in a very unique position because he can play this thing between UFC and WWE,” White continued. “They get right down to the wire and I think Vince (McMahon) throws so much money at him that he says ‘Alright, I’ll do it again’ because (the UFC) is here for him no matter what. When he’s ready, he can come in here and fight and he’s going to make a s**t load of money here too. So, it makes sense, I’m assuming that’s what’s going on.”
White continued to say he won’t be waiting for Lesnar in terms of his match-making moving forward specifically concerning Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Lesnar confronted Cormier inside the octagon after the UFC heavyweight champion won his last fight. Similarly, Jones called out Lesnar after his UFC 214 victory but instead called out Cormier after his win over Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday.
