SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • WWE Announces Their Top 25 Matches Of The Year

    WWE Announces Their Top 25 Matches Of The Year

    WWE.com has unveiled their top 25 matches of the year. As always there will be some controversy here.

    Topping the list was Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair from Evolution.

    WWE Top 25 Matches Of 2018

    1. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair — SmackDown Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match (WWE Evolution)

    2. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa — Chicago Street Fight (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)

    3. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)

    4. Moustache Mountain vs. The Undisputed ERA — NXT Tag Team Championship Match (NXT, July 11)

    5. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz — Intercontinental Championship Match (Backlash)

    6. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins — Raw Tag Team Championship Match (Hell in a Cell)

    7. Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano — NXT Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia)

    8. John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz vs. Finn Bálor vs. Braun Strowman vs. Elias — Gauntlet Match (Raw, Feb. 19)

    9. Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Stephanie McMahon & Triple H (WrestleMania 34)

    10. The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day —SmackDown Tag Team Championship No Disqualification Match (SmackDown LIVE, Aug. 22)

    11. Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole —NXT North American Championship Triple Threat Match (NXT, Oct. 10)

    12. Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane — NXT Women’s Championship Match (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)

    13. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka — SmackDown Women’s Championship Triple Threat Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match (WWE TLC)

    14. Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy — No Disqualification Match (205 Live, July 3)

    15.  Roman Reigns vs. Finn Bálor — Universal Championship Match (Raw, Aug. 20)

    16.  Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez (Mae Young Classic, Round 2)

    17. Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy — WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match (205 Live, May 29)

    18. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz (SummerSlam)

    19. Ricochet vs. Adam Cole vs. The Velveteen Dream vs. EC3 vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain — NXT North American Championship Ladder Match (NXT TakeOver: New Orleans)

    20. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match (Money in the Bank)

    21. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe — Intercontinental Championship Match (Raw, Jan. 1)

    22. Kalisto vs. Buddy Murphy (205 Live, April 3)

    23. Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)

    24.  Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — Champion vs. Champion Match (Survivor Series)

    25.  “Woken” Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt — The Ultimate Deletion (Raw, March 19)

  • Seth Rollins To Open Coffee Shop In Davenport, Iowa

    Seth Rollins To Open Coffee Shop In Davenport, Iowa

    Seth Rollins plans to open a coffee shop soon. The location will be in the same building of his wrestling school, the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy in Davenport, Iowa.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BsA8fxABJSO/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=144oafzswrg4e

    Seth Rollins On His Wrestling Academy

    Media for the Illinois Quad Cities area ran an article on Rollins’ wrestling school in 2016. He described the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy as “a nice punch in the gut with physical fitness.”

    “I think it’s a great avenue for people to get their feet wet in the independents before jumping into the WWE,” Rollins continued.

    Rollins also described how rehabbing his ACL injury played a role in helping him create the school.

    “I spent some of my rehab in Birmingham, Ala., some of it at Plaza Physical Therapy in Davenport. But, it was nice to have the school in session during the time I was off to be around the industry without having to be a huge part of it,” Rollins said. “I had my own space to do my own thing when I wanted to. It was nice to have home time to be able to sleep in my own bed and cook my own breakfast and do Quad-Cities things.”

  • MLW Fusion 12/28 Preview

    MLW Fusion 12/28 Preview

    Major League Wrestling presents matches from their recent Miami shows tonight on Fusion. Tonight’s main event features an MLW World Championship match pitting champion, Low-Ki, against Konnan.

    2 other matches are scheduled for tonight.

    MLW Fusion 12/28 Preview

    Simon Gotch $20,000 Prize Fight Challenge

    Last week on BeIn Sports, Gotch lost in the main event to Tom Lawlor. While Lawlor will shift his focus to his MLW title shot at SuperFight, Gotch will be back in action tonight. Eager to prove he is still a dominant force in MLW, Gotch will bring back his Prize Fight Challenge tonight. He’ll offer someone a $20,000 prize if they can defeat him on tonight’s episode.

    Andrew Everett vs Ariel Dominguez

    Andrew Everett defeated Dezmond Xavier on last week’s episode. He’ll look to make it two in a row against middleweight competition this week when he takes on Ariel Dominguez, a wrestler trained by Afa the Wild Samoan and Lince Dorado. Dominguez is aligned with Tom Lawlor’s “Team Filthy”.

    MLW World Championship
    Low-Ki (c) vs Konnan

    Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado would love to get Konnan out of MLW. They’ll have that chance tonight when Konnan challenges MLW World Champion, Low-Ki. The current champion has taken out Shane Strickland, and Konnan’s allies, Fenix, and Daga. Tonight, Konnan will have a chance to write the comeback story of the ages. The 54-year-old will attempt to win one last championship in his long and storied career.

    Also tonight:

    • An update on Kotto Brazil, who was assaulted recently at a nightclub.
    • Tommy Dreamer comments on his match against the Hart Foundation from last week.

    Speaking of the Hart Foundation, the faction debuted H2tv recently, a YouTube series following Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr., and Harry Smith/Davey Boy Smith Jr.

    MLW recently announced that their middleweight champion, Teddy Hart, has signed a new deal with the promotion.

    “I love a good comeback story,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer in a company press release announcing 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.”

    If you missed it, MLW released a special Christmas Day special on YouTube only featuring previously unaired matches from their Chicago tapings.

  • John Cena Wrestles Daniel Bryan In Steel Cage (Video), Replaces AJ Styles

    John Cena Wrestles Daniel Bryan In Steel Cage (Video), Replaces AJ Styles

    John Cena wrestled WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, last night at a WWE house show in Unionville. Cena replaced a sick AJ Styles, who is said to be suffering from some type of cold or flu bug.

    The following Twitter user posted some videos of the steel cage match between Bryan and Cena.

    WWE Unionville Results

    Here are the results from last night’s house show in Unionville:

    1. Mustafa Ali defeated The Miz
    2. R-Truth and Carmella defeated Andrade Almas and Zelina Vega
    3. Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and Shelton Benjamin defeated The Colons and Aiden English
    4. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated “Sanity” Eric Young and Killian Dain
    5. Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton
    6. Smackdown Tag Team Championships
      Sheamus and Cesaro defeated The Usos and “New Day” Kofi Kingston and Big E
    7. Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe
    8. WWE Championship 
      Steel Cage 
      Daniel Bryan (c) defeated John Cena

    John Cena To Miss 2019 Royal Rumble

    John Cena may be back but he’s not going to be participating on WWE programming much. We reported yesterday that Cena’s upcoming schedule does not include the Royal Rumble:

    • 12/26: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
    • 12/27: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY
    • 12/28: Royals Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
    • 12/29: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
    • 12/30: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
    • 1/4: Columbus Civic Center, Columbus, GA
    • 1/5: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, FL
    • 1/6: Hertz Arena, Ft. Myers, FL
    • 1/7: Amway Center, Orlando, FL (WWE RAW)
    • 1/11: Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV
    • 1/12: Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN
    • 1/13: Von Braun Civic Center, Huntsville, AL
    • 1/14: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
  • BJ Whitmer Reportedly Headed To All Elite Wrestling

    BJ Whitmer Reportedly Headed To All Elite Wrestling

    BJ Whitmer recently left Ring of Honor, a company he had been with for the majority of his career. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Whitmer is expected to join All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

    “Whitmer did a little bit of everything behind the scenes,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “Helping produce matches, was part of the booking team, trained wrestlers, did commentary at times, ran the Gorilla position and at some points was Bernard the Business Bear. He’s expected to be headed to AEW in a similar role.”

    BJ Whitmer Leaves Ring of Honor, Expected In All Elite Wrestling

    We previously reported that Whitmer left Ring of Honor this month amidst frustrations with the promotion. Whitmer was frustrated when ROH wouldn’t let him accept an invitation to be a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center. Instead, ROH asked him to sign a non-compete agreement after being informed of his invitation to WWE’s developmental facility.

    Whitmer is reported to have sent an email to all ROH employees prior to leaving.

    “In leaving ROH, I want to say thank you and it’s been a pleasure working with all of you,” Whitmer wrote. “I wish everyone nothing but the best and I’m certain I’ll cross paths with most of you again.”

  • Being The Elite (Ep. 131) Recap: “BTE On Christmas Eve”

    Being The Elite (Ep. 131) Recap: “BTE On Christmas Eve”

    It was a Christmas Eve special this week on Being the Elite. While much of the episode focussed on the cast’s memories of 2018, Cody also sent out a message regarding where they plan to go in 2019.

    “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.”

    In this week’s episode, members of the Elite shared their favorite and least favorite memories from BTE in 2018.

    Matt Jackson Watches Scorpio Sky Eat A Candy Cane

    Members of the Elite and SCU are enjoying the holidays at the Young Bucks house. Scorpio Sky then announced he was going to make a toast. He said this was the best year of his career and he owes it to everyone there. This led to Matt Jackson slowly walking up to Sky and offering him a candy cane. Jackson has been gifting Sky candy bars for several weeks now on the show. Then Jackson just watched Sky eat the candy cane for several awkward moments.

    Hangman Page Shares His Favorite and Least Favorite Moments Of 2018

    Adam “Hangman” Page was shown sitting by a Christmas tree. He shared several of his favorite stories from BTE in 2018. He enjoyed the episode where Cody got “the Money Shakes” and also the one where Marty Scurll sang “Complicated” when the rivalry between Kenny Omega and Cody had broken the faction apart.

    Marty Scurll Shares His Favorite BTE Episodes

    Scurll then shared a few of his most notable ups and downs from Being the Elite this year. He mentioned getting fired from his recording contract as particularly memorable.

    Cody On His Favorite And Least Favorite BTE Moments In 2018

    Cody is shown smoking a cigar while holding his front door open, seemingly because someone doesn’t want him smoking in the house. He listed his favorite moment from BTE this year as having been when the words “Bullet Club is Fine” were first uttered. Cody said he felt that saying defined the rivalry he was in at the time.

    He also mentioned an unaired bit from BTE that was apparently filmed on the Chris Jericho cruise as his low point on BTE This year.

    Cody then addressed the Elite’s future in 2019 with the quotes referenced above.

    Kazarian Gets His Holiday Bonus

    Kazarian was concerned he didn’t get his holiday bonus. Then, Christopher Daniels found a letter addressed to him. When he opened up what was his holiday bonus, however, it was only a one-year subscription to Honor Club.

    Kazarian then chugged a Monster Energy drink and said he wished his boss was there so he could tell him off. I’m pretty sure this was from the Christmas Story movie.

    Kenny Omega In An Ugly Sweater

    Omega shared a message on Christmas Eve from Winnipeg. He calmly spoke of his favorite moments on the show. Omega then asked the fans to comment on their favorite episodes.

    The Young Bucks Tease A Big Announcement

    The Young Bucks reminded everyone that the next episode is due to be released on New Year’s Eve. It seems as though next week’s episode could be a particularly interesting one. Earlier this week, Matt Jackson posted a countdown clock on Twitter that expires on January 1st.

    Being The Elite: “BTE On Christmas Eve”

  • AEW Reportedly Turned Down Offer To Purchase Impact Wrestling

    AEW Reportedly Turned Down Offer To Purchase Impact Wrestling

    The parties behind the All Elite Wrestling upstart promotion have reportedly turned down an offer to purchase Impact Wrestling, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “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.”

    We’ve reached out to Impact Wrestling for their comment on the matter.

    Impact Moving to Pursuit Channel

    Impact Wrestling recently announced they will be moving to the Pursuit channel in 2019. Anthem owns a minority stake in the channel as well. The promotion will debut on their new channel on Friday, January 11th, 2019 at 10 PM. Once WWE Smackdown moves to Fox Sports in October, Impact’s new timeslot would air right after it.

    One possible outcome of the switch to the Pursuit channel is the potential for edgier content. This was addressed in a recent company press release.

    “With IMPACT Wrestling coming off a tremendous year of audience growth globally and positive fan engagement,” an Impact press release reads. “We look forward to leveraging our respective resources to bring fans more of the wrestling content they want to see: tougher, edgier action.”

  • Update On WWE’s Plans For Mandy Rose

    Update On WWE’s Plans For Mandy Rose

    Mandy Rose could be in line for a push soon. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is set on trying to make the former fitness model a star.

    “Vince is also very high right now on the idea of making Rose a star,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “Basically, it’s the similar mindset they earlier with Lana, with the big introduction, before she faded into becoming another woman on the roster and then was put back with Rusev.”

    Mandy Rose on Smackdown

    27-year-old Mandy Rose was called up to the main roster on November 20th, 2017. In the 13 months since, she’s been featured in Absolution and then furthered her alliance with Sonya Deville after Paige’s retirement.

    A budding rivalry between Mandy Rose and Naomi is currently brewing on Smackdown as well. A match between the two was scheduled and then scrapped earlier this month, however.

    Rose played it off as though she couldn’t make the match due to a photoshoot:

    “The real truth is that I was too busy to wait around and had a photoshoot, something doesn’t know anything about. You should be glad bc I was going to embarrass you tonight SIS!”

    The angle between the two took another turn this week:

     

  • Update On Christopher Daniels’ ROH Status

    Update On Christopher Daniels’ ROH Status

    While nothing is official, it is looking more likely that Christopher Daniels is finishing up with Ring of Honor. The 48-year-old has been booking independent dates in 2019, likely meaning he has no intention of signing a new ROH contract.

    His status was addressed in the recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    “Christopher Daniels has taken a number of independent dates, which means he’s not planning on signing a new contract (with ROH) any time soon,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “He’s also not being advertised for the January dates.”

    The report continues to suggest Daniels could work in ROH as a producer (as he has been doing) and still work independent dates as a wrestler.

    Christopher Daniels in 2019

    Daniels, Scorpio Sky, and Kazarian gained momentum in 2018 as members of SCU. The trio has appeared on numerous episodes of Being the Elite as well.

    Daniels won the ROH World Championship in 2017. He spoke to Sportskeeda about the accomplishment.

    “I’m just glad that I finally had that opportunity to win the big one. I feel like it was a good period of time in my career, and I think people look back at that and just the overall art of my career to finally get it 25 years in was an accomplishment that I’m very proud of and something that I’ll always look back on fondly with.”

    If you want to see Christopher Daniels in a non-wrestling role, you can do so at Universal Studios Hollywood. For the past few years, Daniels has played the lead villain at the park’s Waterworld exhibit. Joey Ryan posted the following sneak peak of his show:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5II6ChSQzoA

  • Darren Young Says He Could Be Back With WWE Next Year

    Darren Young Says He Could Be Back With WWE Next Year

    Darren Young was recently interviewed on the Roman Show hosted by Rodolfo Roman. On the show, Young teased a possible return to WWE next year.

    “Recently, I was just at WWE in LA,” Young said. “They invited me back with open arms. So who knows? 2019 you could see me as an ambassador with the company. It’s just amazing, wrestling right now.”

    Roman continued to ask if it’s possible we see Young back in a WWE ring next year as opposed to just being in an ambassador’s role.

    “Just because moves aren’t being announced doesn’t mean moves aren’t being made,” Young teased. He continued to say he has interest in competing for both Ring of Honor and in Japan as well.

    Darren Young Comments On WWE Superstars

    “Pride Month is here and I’m celebrating with open arms and taking a stance against hatred and bigotry. Never let anyone shame you from being yourself.

    Young also commented on current Smackdown Superstar, Sonya Deville, who came out as gay while being interviewed by Triple H on Tough Enough.

    “That’s my girl (Deville),” Young said. “We need more representation, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about Sonya, it’s about everyone living their truth, living their honest life.”

    He also commented on Finn Balor wearing the Pride colors on his merchandise.

    “My dude, Finn is an amazing guy,” Young continued.

  • Shane Taylor Signs Exclusive Deal With Ring Of Honor

    Shane Taylor Signs Exclusive Deal With Ring Of Honor

    Ring of Honor’s heavyweight division is going to be interesting to watch in 2019. The recent signings of Jeff Cobb, Brody King, and PCO will add a big boost to the promotion’s roster next year.

    Shane Taylor, who wrestled his first match for ROH in late 2014, recently announced he has agreed to terms on a new exclusive contract with the promotion as well, bringing him back for another year with ROH.

    “Incredibly excited to announce that I’ve officially agreed to terms on an EXCLUSIVE contract with @ringofhonor for 2019!! Trust and believe I’m going to continue to #ShatterTheGlassCeiling & show why I’m #TheREALBreakoutStar in ROH!!”

    Taylor wrestled 28 times for ROH in 2018. His last televised match was a loss to Jeff Cobb.

    Shane Taylor Featured In Orlando Sentinal Article

    Taylor was featured earlier this year in an article by the Orlando Sentinal. He spoke in the article about how he knew wrestling was the profession for him shortly after debuting.

    “I heard the crowd and felt that rush. It’s hard to explain, but I knew I was where I needed to be,” Taylor said. “Anytime you can love what you’re doing and get as much energy out of it as you’re putting into it, whether that’s music, painting or whatever, you know that’s truly what makes you happy.”

  • Tama Tonga Responds To Critics Of Jay White As Bullet Club Leader

    Tama Tonga Responds To Critics Of Jay White As Bullet Club Leader

    Tama Tonga has released a video on his YouTube channel where he addresses criticism some have of Jay White being named the new leader of Bullet Club. Tonga named White as the new leader of the faction in a series of Tweets last week.

    “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?”

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

    Bullet Club at Wrestle Kingdom 13

    The next show for NJPW will be Wrestle Kingdom 13 inside the Tokyo Dome. Tama Tonga and his brother, Tanga Loa, will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against both the Young Bucks and Evil & Sanada in a triple threat match. Jay White will also take on Kazuchika Okada in a one-on-one grudge match.

  • Matt Riddle Talks Earning Respect From Wrestling Fans

    Matt Riddle Talks Earning Respect From Wrestling Fans

    One of NXT’s newest and brightest stars, Matt Riddle, was a guest on Edge and Christian’s “Pod of Awesomeness” this week. The 32-year-old spoke on having to earn over the respect of fans at EVOLVE and other independent wrestling events early in his wrestling career.

    At first, Riddle said, the fans taunted him for coming from an MMA background.

    “I remember my first match for EVOLVE, at EVOLVE 49, when I came out, the crowd chanted ‘Baby Lesnar’,” Riddle said. “And then the next night in Long Island the crowd chanted ‘You Can’t Wrestle.’”

    Over time, however, Riddle won over the respect of not only fans of EVOLVE but fans from all over the independent scene.

    “So I wrestled all over and by the time I got back to where they said I couldn’t wrestle, all they kept chanting was ‘Bro.’”

    Matt Riddle Booked For Madison Square Garden Show

    Matt Riddle will be wrestling on a WWE house show in Madison Square Garden on December 26th. Several members of the NXT roster are in a multi-person tag-team match on the show.

    Riddle recently Tweeted out, “Wow I just can’t stop! If you haven’t heard my year isn’t over and I get to wrestle in the Legendary MSG in NYC on the RAW brand, which makes this my biggest DeButt of 2018 and it’s gonna be the DeButts of all DeButts!”

  • WWE Announces 2018 Awards On Instagram, Becky Lynch Comments

    WWE Announces 2018 Awards On Instagram, Becky Lynch Comments

    WWE announced several year-end awards on Instagram stories recently.

    • Male Star of the Year: Braun Strowman
    • Female Star of the Year: Becky Lynch
    • Tag Team of the Year: The Bar
    • Breakout Star: Elias
    • Most Underrated: Naomi
    • Return of the Year: Dean Ambrose
    • Best on the Mic: Paul Heyman
    • Best Rivalry: Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns
    • Diss of the Year: Ronda Rousey’s DNB promo to the Bellas
    • Best Match: Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair at Evolution
    • Shocking Moment: Randy Orton/Jeff Hardy screwdriver meets earlobe.
    • Best GM: Paige
    • Most Hated of the Year: Baron Corbin
    • Brand of the Year: Raw
    • Funniest Moment of the Year: Titus Worldslide

    Becky Lynch Comments On Winning Female Superstar Of The Year

    Becky Lynch decided to comment on her award by replying to a Tweet from Charlotte Flair.

    https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1076627601748303873

    Asuka vs Becky Lynch at Royal Rumble Announced And Then Withdrawn

    In other news concerning the Smackdown women’s division, a potential championship match was announced and then canceled last week. Asuka defending her title against Becky Lynch was announced for Royal Rumble 2019 on Main Event this week. Not long after, however, Smackdown General Manager Tweeted out that she had made the match before being relieved of her position.

    “Soooo I tried to make one last match before my time as #SDLive GM came to end…but unfortunately @BeckyLynchWWE vs. @WWEAsuka for the Smackdown Women’s Championship is NOT official for #RoyalRumble. #Oops”

  • All Elite Wrestling Files For New Trademark

    All Elite Wrestling Files For New Trademark

    The LLC “All Elite Wrestling” has filed for a new trademark. The trademarked term appears to be for a potential charity wrestling event. Both the term “Fight For The Fallen” and an accompanying logo were filed on Friday.

    All Elite Wrestling Trademarks

    Previously filed trademarks for All Elite Wrestling also include:

    • All Elite Wrestling and AEW
    • Tuesday Night Dynamite
    • AEW Double Or Nothing
    • AEW All Out

    All Elite Wrestling and Members of The Elite

    One of the bigger questions surrounding the newly formed LLC is if wrestlers from the Elite will be permitted to perform for both NJPW and a new wrestling promotion based in the United States that isn’t Ring of Honor.

    “Obviously, both AEW and ROH will want a business relationship with New Japan,” Dave Meltzer wrote recently in the Wrestling Observer.

    “New Japan has blocked its talent from working for Impact, even though Don Callis is an announcer for New Japan, because of the ROH relationship,” he continued. “They have not blocked people from working for MLW.”

    As it stands now, several members of the Elite have matches scheduled at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Kenny Omega will face Hiroshi Tanahashi, the Young Bucks will be in a 3-way for the heavyweight tag titles, and Cody will face Juice Robinson.

  • NJPW New Beginning In USA Shows Sell Out Quickly

    NJPW New Beginning In USA Shows Sell Out Quickly

    NJPW’s New Beginning in the USA tour is sold-out. Both the January 30th show in Los Angeles and the February 1st’s show in Charlotte, NC were sold-out in mere minutes today.

    Kevin Kelly broke the news on Twitter:

    As is usually the case for any sold-out event, a limited number of tickets could be put on sale at a later date.

    Expected Attendance At NJPW New Beginning USA

    Charlotte, North Carolina’s Grady Cole Center is listed at holding 3,000-3,9000 people. It’s hard to find attendance numbers for LA’s Globe Theatre. PWG held a show there in the spring. One website lists 1500 as a possible capacity but I have no idea how reliable it is.

    New Japan Pro Wrestling Ticket Sales

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has also been touting that tickets to Wrestle Kingdom 13 are selling even faster than they did last year.

    Tickets to New Year’s Dash, NJPW’s “Night after WK” in Korakuen Hall, are sold to only club members and are said to be nearly impossible to obtain.

    The strong ticket sales are the latest in a string of good financial news for the company. A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter earlier this week stated the company’s total earnings are up 25% this year.

  • Eddie Edwards Reacts To Sami Callihan Winning Impact Wrestler Of The Year

    Eddie Edwards Reacts To Sami Callihan Winning Impact Wrestler Of The Year

    Eddie Edwards received a broken orbital bone in January after a botched baseball bat spot with Sami Callihan. At Impact Wrestling’s January 2018 tapings, Callihan struck Edwards in the eye with a baseball bat. Callihan had been swinging at a chair which was positioned atop Edwards at the time.

    This week, Impact Wrestling fans voted Sami Callihan as the promotion’s MVP of the year. They also voted the infamous baseball bat spot as “Moment of the Year”.

    Eddie Edwards Reacts To Sami Callihan’s Awards

    Edwards, who will face Moose at Homecoming, reacted to Callihan’s awards.

    Edwards spoke to Sports Illustrated not long after the incident. He said his initial concern was losing his eye.

    “Losing my eye was my immediate concern. As soon as I got hit, I put my hand over my eye, started walking up the ramp to the back and all I was thinking was that I really hoped my eye was not hanging out of my head or in my hand.”

    Callihan also spoke with TMZ Sports not long after the botched spot took place.

    “I hit this man in the face with a baseball bat and in the last 24 hours I’ve been getting all this hate and all this negativity online and Impact says ‘Yo, you have to go out of your way to make this right,’” Callihan said. “People are saying we crossed the line, so from the bottom of my heart, I have to tell each and every one of you that I’m not sorry for a single thing that happened. Look at me and tell me I’m not being serious. I do not feel bad. TMZ is messaging and interviewing Eddie Edwards when they should be interviewing me. The most dangerous man in professional wrestling today. Oh yeah, and Jim Cornette, you can kiss my ass too.”

  • WWE Network To Air 4 New Shows Next Week

    WWE Network To Air 4 New Shows Next Week

    The WWE Network will air 4 new shows over the next week. Over the holidays, the WWE Network will feature a cooking show, gaming show, a Fashion Files cold-case episode, and a blooper show hosted by the Club.

    4 New WWE Network Shows Announced

    Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit

    A new episode of Fashion Files will air on the Network December 24th. Fandango and Tyler Breeze will try and solve the cold case of “the Mysterious Pie Face Perpetrator”. The tag-team will look to solve the long-running mystery of who threw a pie at Kevin Owens a few weeks back. The show will start at 11 PM est following a taped airing of Raw.

    Xavier’s Arcade Challenge

    On December 25th, the WWE Network will feature Xavier Woods’ new gaming show. Woods will visit the arcade scene in different cities on the show playing games such as “NBA Jam”. He visits Philadelphia first. The show will air at 7 PM est.

    WWE Kitchen SmackDown

    An Iron Chef type show featuring Bo Dallas will hit the Network on December 26th. Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, and Curtis Axel will compete in a cookoff with Mark Henry Noelle Foley, and Big E as the judges. The show will air at 7 PM est.

    Botch Club

    Similar to the popular underground blooper series, Botchamania, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will host a blooper show on December 27th on the Network. The “Titus Worldslide” which occurred in the Greatest Royal Rumble will be featured on the show. The show will get going at 7 PM est.

  • Sami Zayn Says He’s “Not Even Close” To Returning From Injury

    Sami Zayn Says He’s “Not Even Close” To Returning From Injury

    Despite recent vignettes stating he is returning soon, Sami Zayn says he is “not even close” to doing so. Zayn had double-shoulder surgery this summer. At the time, his timeline for return was listed at just before WrestleMania.

    Zayn was Chris Jericho’s most recent guest on Talk is Jericho and spoke about his recovery from double rotator cuff surgery. Jericho asked him if he is close to returning on the show.

    “No, I’m not even close, I need a few more months,” Zayn said about his pending return.

    He would later mention he is currently rehabbing at the WWE Performance Center.

    Sami Zayn On Being Injured

    Zayn also said he’s been enjoying his time away from WWE.

    “I know wrestling fans, maybe don’t want to hear this, but I’ve been loving being off,” Zayn said. “I think wrestling fans want to hear, ‘I can’t wait to be back and I miss everything.’ I don’t miss anything, I don’t miss it yet. I’m surprised by how little I’ve missed it. Five months and I don’t miss it. What’s up with that?”

    Kevin Owens is also scheduled to come back in the first quarter of 2019. Zayn also spoke to his friendship with Owens on the show with Jericho:

    “He lives like two blocks from me and when he lived in Montreal, he lived like two blocks from me. We can’t get away from each other if we tried. I get moved to RAW, he gets moved to RAW. Even when he got signed he got put into a program with me right away and since our names have been linked here in one way or another since. We can’t get away from each other if we tried. I’m sure he’d like to get away a little bit. There are times I’d like to get away a bit. It’s good.”

    Several other topics were discussed by Jericho and Zayn on the episode. They opted to title the show “The Mental State of Sami Zayn”.

  • Impact Wrestling’s Scott D’Amore Speaks On New TV Deal

    Impact Wrestling’s Scott D’Amore Speaks On New TV Deal

    Impact Wrestling will be moving to the Pursuit Channel in 2019. The first episode of Impact Wrestling on their new channel will be on Friday, January 11th, 2019 at 10 PM. Anthem Sports and Entertainment owns a minority stake in the Pursuit channel as well.

    Impact co-Vice President, Scott D’Amore, spoke to Nick Hausman of the WINCLY podcast regarding the move:

    “First and foremost, I have to say POP TV — despite all the frustrations that are our very passionate fan base has — they have been a very supportive partner over the years that we’ve been there, and they’ve been supportive through this process,” D’Amore said. “We’ve been looking and evaluating things on an ongoing basis, when myself and Don [Callis] came on board at the beginning of the year, we always said it was going to be a slow process. It was going to be a bunch of small victories, a bunch of small maneuvers that would lead us to bigger and better things. We think we had a great 2018 where we made a lot of positive steps, and as we look back to the beginning of the year to where we are now, we’re very hopeful and excited about things.”

    Impact Wrestling Moves To The Pursuit Channel

    A key part to the deal appears to be the demographics of who watches Pursuit versus who watches POP.

    “POP is changing up things on the network and while both sides acknowledged we were never the right fit for a female-dominated network, we enjoyed a few years together,” D’Amore continued. “We’ve been looking at moving on, doing some other things, as we looked at the options it seemed like the best time to make a move to Pursuit, which is a sister company to Impact Wrestling. There’s an ownership stake that [Impact parent company] Anthem Sports & Entertainment has in them and Pursuit is a male-dominated demographic.”

  • Jay White Officially Declared New Bullet Club Leader

    Jay White Officially Declared New Bullet Club Leader

    When “Switchblade” Jay White joined Bullet Club at King of Pro Wrestling this fall, it was made clear he was not the new leader. A few weeks after his defection, White commented that he was not the faction’s leader in a backstage promo.

    https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/1053850457263800323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1053850457263800323&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F1012317-jay-white-leader-bullet-club-passionate-promo

    Evidently, something has changed. Today, Bullet Club founding member, Tama Tonga, declared on his social media accounts that White is, in fact, the new Bullet Club leader.

    Jay White Bullet Club Leader

    Jay White was scouted into NJPW and Bullet Club by Prince Devitt in early 2014. Devitt was performing on a VPW show in Australia and was impressed by White. Not long after Devitt’s visit, White received a phone call from Bad Luck Fale, who has a dojo in White’s native New Zealand.

    Arrangements were made for White to train at the New Japan Dojo starting in early 2015. He would leave for excursion to the United States the following year. He would return in time to challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 12. This year at Wrestle Kingdom, White has another top NJPW star opposing him. White, with Gedo in his corner, will take on Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 13. The two have built up an intense rivalry after White spent much of 2018 ruffling feathers from within as a member of CHAOS.

  • Sarah Logan & Ray Rowe Married In Viking Ceremony (Photos)

    Sarah Logan & Ray Rowe Married In Viking Ceremony (Photos)

    Sarah Logan of the Riott Squadd and Ray Rowe of the War Raiders were married yesterday.

    They were married in a Viking style ceremony as well. Several members of the WWE Universe, including Logan’s Riott squad teammates, were in attendance.

    Liv Morgan Tweeted out the following:

    Rowe and Morgan are seen just after the ceremony here:

    Logan posted the following to her Instagram:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsNusbnECB/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=g329ydzerpog

    In this photo you can see 4-Horsewoman Jessamyn Duke attended the wedding as well:

    https://twitter.com/KicksByNox/status/1076441515063496704

    Duke also sent the following out on her Instagram account before heading to the wedding:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrpmVSkHGap/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1e1ckctbtwmxr

    NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, isn’t one for weddings. She posted that she enjoyed the dress code for Ray Rowe and Sarah Logan’s Viking wedding, however. Baszler sent this out on Instagram:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrrVuX4F8bh/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=13ra19s5ooojp

    Logan posted the following this spring:

  • Update: Asuka vs Becky Lynch Not Official For Royal Rumble 2019

    Update: Asuka vs Becky Lynch Not Official For Royal Rumble 2019

    Despite the match being announced on a recent episode of Main Event, Asuka vs Becky Lynch is not confirmed for the Royal Rumble. Former Smackdown General Manager, Paige, Tweeted that she made the match before she was relieved of her position and that the match is not official.

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1076219918637395968?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

    “Soooo I tried to make one last match before my time as GM came to end…but unfortunately vs. for the Smackdown Women’s Championship is NOT official for . ”

    Paige’s statements do leave the door open for the match still taking place, however, only the match is not official. It’s not clear what led to the match being announced and then later retracted.

    Royal Rumble 2019

    Three matches are confirmed so far for the Royal Rumble PPV this year. Braun Strowman will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. There will also be the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches with R-Truth and Carmella having earned the 30th entrant in their respective Rumbles.

    Royal Rumble 2019 is scheduled for January 27th, 2019 from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.

    John Cena Praises Becky Lynch

    John Cena offered up some praise for Lynch earlier.

    “I love any instance where people feel comfortable enough with self to be expressive,” Cena said of Lunch. “For so long I didn’t know what or who Becky Lynch was. And now I do. And that fires me up.”

  • BJ Whitmer Departs ROH Amidst Frustrations With Company

    BJ Whitmer Departs ROH Amidst Frustrations With Company

    BJ Whitmer is no longer with Ring of Honor. The 40-year-old tendered his resignation earlier this week. According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, Whitmer was unhappy with the company, leading to his departure.

    “We’re told BJ had been unhappy with management for months and that was his reasoning for quitting,” wrote Ryan Satin.

    According to PW Insider, Whitmer sent an email to ROH employees which was critical of the company. He said he had been treated with “utter disrespect” by ROH in the email. The report from PW Insider would continue to say an incident involving a WWE PC guest-coaching spot may have been the catalyst for these events. ROH evidently would not let Whitmer accept a guest-coaching spot with WWE. Such temporary positions are often offered to industry veterans for a few days at the Performance Center in Orlando.

    “In leaving ROH, I want to say thank you and it’s been a pleasure working with all of you,” Whitmer wrote to ROH employees. “I wish everyone nothing but the best and I’m certain I’ll cross paths with most of you again.”

    ROH has declined comment on the matter.

    BJ Whitmer Leaves Ring of Honor

    Whitmer has spent the majority of his career with Ring of Honor. He first debuted for the promotion in 2003 in a match against CM Punk. Whitmer’s last wrestling match was in March of 2017.

  • Kenny Omega Says Hiroshi Tanahashi Has Been Wrestling “Like A Coward”

    Kenny Omega Says Hiroshi Tanahashi Has Been Wrestling “Like A Coward”

    Kenny Omega will defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13. In many ways, the match has become about Tanahashi’s style of pro-wrestling versus a new style Omega is looking to usher in.

    Omega addressed the sub-plot during a recent interview with NJPW1972.com.

    “I feel like I have given my heart, my soul, all of my passion to this company, but everyone keeps telling me about how Tanahashi’s given up so much,” Omega said.

    “Everyone is evolving. I’ve become an inspiration to everyone, and people are trying to follow my lead. Tana just can’t accept that. He wants to be the leader. He wants to do it in his own way.”

    Kenny Omega on Hiroshi Tanahashi

    Omega would continue to say that Tanahashi relies too much on reminding fans what he has done for the company in the past.

    “Here’s the thing, I have this style that can’t be duplicated,” Omega continued. “It eats Tana up alive, he hates it. Tana speaks to his cult and says, ‘my style is the true style, it’s the right way!” “Do you remember 15 years ago when I saved the company? That was me! That was me! I’m going to do it again! You still believe me, right? Right? Still?’”

    You can read the full interview here.