A long-running storyline from the Young Bucks’ “Being the Elite” series could come to a conclusion at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle PPV on Friday.
On the latest episode of the show, Matt Jackson received another letter from the person known only as “H”.
“If you choose to be our next hire, all cease and desist orders will expire,” the note reads. “Sign with a stooge, we’ll wipe your slate clean. You remember my last note? It read ‘Final Battle 2018′”.
Final Battle takes place Friday night, December 14th, from New York. It is available free for Honor Club VIP subscribers.
You can view the latest episode of Being the Elite below:
Also this week on BTE, Christopher Daniels received a blood transfusion of blood type SCU+.
Final Battle 2018 Lineup
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs Cody
ROH Tag Team Championship
Ladder War VII
SCU (c) vs the Briscoes vs the Young Bucks
Women of Honor Championship
Sumie Sakai (c) vs Madison Rayne vs Kelly Klein vs Karen Q
ROH TV Title
Jeff Cobb (c) vs Adam “Hangman” Page
Matt Taven vs Dalton Castle
Zack Sabre Jr vs Jonathan Gresham
Singapore Cane Match
Bully Ray vs Flip Gordon
Christopher Daniels vs Marty Scurll
Matches booked for the TV tapings the following night include:
Court Bauer’s MLW is having a tough time getting WWE to stop negotiating with their talent. Bauer recently appeared on Wrestling Observer radio and discussed what appears to be a widespread issue in 2018 for wrestling promotions.
“I had guys at WaleMania approached by WWE people backstage in the green room about signing,” Bauer said. “I’m like ‘you can’t do that, I’ll give you a freebie, don’t do it again’. Boom, they do it again. I had to send a cease and desist to WWE, that’s called tortious interference.”
Bauer also recently mentioned on Twitter that luchadors Garza Jr. and Ultimo Ninja were supposed to be brought into MLW but ended up ditching his company to negotiate a deal with WWE.
Former MLW Champion, Shane Strickland, is expected to sign with WWE. The terms of his Lucha Underground contract will likely dictate when he signs with the promotion, however. Recent ROH signees, PCO and Brody King, were not under MLW contracts when they signed deals. King was upfront with MLW about wanting to go to ROH because of their relationship with NJPW when asked as well.
WWE Allegedly Negotiating With Wrestlers Contracted To Other Organizations
There have also been reports from various outlets stating WWE has contacted wrestlers contract to NJPW about signing. Tetsuya Naito told Tokyo Sports he rebuffed a deal from WWE this summer. This week, a report from the Wrestling Observer indicated WWE has interest in Kushida, who is also under contract with NJPW until 2019.
MLW To Air Live On Fusion This Friday
MLW will air live this week on BeIN Sports. The move to airing live specials is something which could up the value of Bauer’s company. Live programming is as valuable as it ever has been to advertisers and networks at the moment.
“There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer to SI.com. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
Jeff Hardy’s segment for this coming’s Smackdown has been announced. Last week on Smackdown, Samoa Joe mocked Hardy’s history of substance abuse issues by creating a fake “public service announcement” about the dangers of drinking.
WWE recently revealed Hardy will be given time on Smackdown to address Joe’s public service announcement from last week.
“Jeff Hardy will address Samoa Joe’s public service announcement this Tuesday night on the blue brand,” a WWE press release reads. This likely means Hardy will have an in-ring promo segment on Tuesday night.
Hardy and Samoa Joe have met one-on-one just twice in WWE, though they’ve wrestled more frequently in other promotions. They are 1-1 in their WWE matches. In TNA Wrestling, Hardy is 4-1 against Joe in single’s matches. In multi-person matches in TNA, they met another 6x. Hardy won just one of those matches and the rest were one by other competitors.
Smackdown This Week
Smackdown will take place from the T-Mobile Centre in Las Vegas Tuesday night. In addition to Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe’s segment, a WrestleMania rematch has also been booked. Asuka will take on Charlotte Flair just 5 days before they will each try to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship from Becky Lynch at TLC.
When WWE goes into Madison Square Garden for a house show on December 26th, security might be advised to be on the lookout for Enzo again. Similar to what he did for WWE’s trip to the Staples Center at Survivor Series, Enzo is now promoting a live comedy & music event to be held on Broadway near MSG at 11 PM the night of WWE’s house show.
Enzo produced the following NWO style promotional video for the event, which he has titled “Nzo: Sole Survivor (The Untold Stories)”:
Enzo Amore On Broadway After WWE House Show At Madison Square Garden
WWE is running two house shows on December 26th this year. The Raw crew will be in Madison Square Garden and the Smackdown roster will head to Chicago’s Allstate Arena. The Undisputed Era, Pete Dunne, and Ricochet are also confirmed for the Madison Square Garden show.
Enzo made headlines last month on a couple of occasions. He was booted from a flight, allegedly for vaping (though he denies this). Not long after, Enzo was forcibly removed by WWE security from the Staples Center during Survivor Series. Enzo was removed from the building and reportedly has been banned from Staples Center as a result of the incident.
Mick Foley paid tribute to the Dynamite Kid recently in a Facebook post. Foley, like so many others who have paid tribute since his passing, believes Dynamite Kid is one of the greatest pro-wrestlers in history.
“My personal Mount Rushmore (of wrestlers) has probably changed a dozen times,” Foley begins his post. “But more often than not, as was the case last week in the UK, I had Tommy Billington, The Dynamite Kid, etched in stone on my mountain.”
Mick Foley Tribute To The Dynamite Kid
Readers of Foley’s bestselling books will note that he served as “enhancement talent” in a match against the British Bulldogs early in his career. Foley mentioned the experience in his tribute to Dynamite:
“Imagine how honored I was – not to mention terrified- to face Tommy in the second match of my career, a tag-team contest pitting me and British great Les Thornton against Tommy and Davey Boy Smith as the British Bulldogs,” Foley wrote. “While it’s true that I was worse for the wear after that match, and could not eat solid food for about three weeks, it was a valuable lesson; an emphatic example of how high that bar was set, and how hard I would have to work if I ever hoped to reach it.”
Big Cass suffered a seizure at a House of Hardcore event in Philadelphia last night. Cass was in the lobby of the 2300 Arena at intermission when fans reported they saw him fall and begin to shake.
He came to and was awake and communicating with medical personnel as well as Tommy Dreamer and Bully Ray, who were both by his side. Cass was taken to a nearby hospital after.
Dreamer told fans after intermission that Cass’ seizure was not drug-related and he’d been with him all day.
Scary moment going down at the #HouseofHardcore event in Philly right now as former WWE Star Big Cass collapses in the lobby. Doctor attending to him now.
Big Cass Suffers Seizure At House of Hardcore Event
The following video is Dreamer addressing the crowd about Cass’ seizure and noting it was not drug related:
Interested. Dreamer addresses the crowd and says Cass “suffered a seizure,” and makes a point of saying it’s “not drug-related.” pic.twitter.com/ikyj85KamQ
This was Cass’ second appearance for House of Hardcore wrestling. Tommy Dreamer’s promotion also booked Cass, now wrestling as Big Cazz, at their Blizzard Brawl event on December 1st. Cazz lost to MVP in his debut with the promotion.
The 32-year-old was released from WWE this summer. He’d been with the company since 2011. Cass competed in Florida Championship Wrestling before starting with NXT as Colin Cassady in 2012. In 2013, he was paired with Enzo Amore and former girlfriend, Carmella. As a tag-team, Enzo and Cass were called up to the main roster in 2016.
Posted December 9th, 2018 in News. Tagged: Big Cass.
Becky Lynch took a crack at Charlotte Flair’s “cosmetic enhancements” on Twitter recently. Lynch was responding to criticism from Flair about having missed time on Smackdown due to a concussion and broken face.
Walking out in a T-shirt doesn’t qualify as “not missing a smackdown”.
I’ve never missed a day as champ. You want to make fun? Go ahead. You have plenty of time to tweet from the sidelines. When you pull out of TLC, I’ll be there to save the day. Again. https://t.co/e93Wyh7cJF
“Walking out in a T-shirt doesn’t qualify as “not missing a smackdown”. I’ve never missed a day as champ. You want to make fun? Go ahead. You have plenty of time to tweet from the sidelines. When you pull out of TLC, I’ll be there to save the day. Again.”
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Asuka – TLC
Becky Lynch will defend her Smackdown Women’s Championship against 2 challengers in 8 days at TLC. Originally, Smackdown GM, Paige, booked a rematch between Becky and Charlotte for the title. The rest of the Smackdown Women’s roster complained, however, and Paige later scheduled a battle royal with the winner being added to Becky vs Charlotte at TLC.
Asuka would win the battle royal later that same evening and book her spot with Becky and Charlotte at TLC.
Justin Credible was arrested and taken into custody again on Tuesday. He is being booked on misdemeanor assault, violating a protection order, and breach of peace. Credible has had multiple run-ins with the law on similar charges this last year.
He was arrested twice in September on similar charges and had the following to say:
“I promise to my fans, my friends and my family that the man Peter Polaco will never be a negative headline again.”
Justin Credible Legal Problems
A documentary on the 45-year-old’s struggles is currently in production.
Earlier this fall, Credible spoke with WrestleZone regarding his struggles with drug and alcohol abuse:
“Anybody with an addiction [knows that] no one is safe,” Credible said earlier this year. “I’m not saying that, ‘we’re clear of the bad stuff.’ I’m clear today. I’ve been clear for the past couple of weeks but who’s to say that something may happen next week, next month, next year?”
“It’s really a work in progress, but it’s been an amazing process and its been a great opportunity to really show people what it is like to deal with substance abuse and also in the unique business of professional wrestling. It very much humanizes what we do.”
Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie defeated Moose & Tessa Blanchard
Earlier at the Las Vegas tapings, Taya Valkyrie demonstrated a new submission hold. This week on Impact, she was able to make the Knockouts Champion tap to it during the main event. If that happens at Homecoming, Taya will be the new champ.
After the match, Moose and Blanchard attacked the victors but various run-ins would prevent much damage from taking place.
Killer Kross Saves Taya/Brian Cage Saves Johnny Impact
Strange and strained alliances were on display in Impact’s closing moments this week. Killer Kross has been offering to watch Johnny Impact’s back in recent weeks. He made the save for Taya this week, preventing Tessa Blanchard from hitting Taya with a chair. Moose seemed to be confused by Kross’ actions, as the two have been aligned for much of the year. Before Moose and Kross could do anything further, however, Brian Cage hit the ring and took them both out.
Johnny Impact and Brian Cage stared each other down to end the show.
Raven (!!!) Helps Eddie Edwards Escape From Mental Institution
Another ECW veteran gave advice to Eddie Edwards this week. While Tommy Dreamer warned Edwards not to shorten his career trying to get revenge on Sami Callihan, Raven told Edwards he hasn’t gone far enough in his feud with Moose. Then Raven stole a key card from an orderly and passed it to Edwards, allowing him to escape Shady Acres Insane Asylum.
A former NWA World Heavyweight Champion while with TNA Wrestling, Raven is often credited with being one of the most unique minds in the history of wrestling. He said he voluntarily checks himself into Shady Acres ever so often.
Jake Crist Qualifies For Ultimate X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c37SZ3r4Vc0
Jake Crist defeated Willie Mack – Ultimate X Qualifier
Jake Crist is going to Homecoming after defeating Willie Mack in the opener this week. Mack looked as though he had the match going his way when Sami Callihan got involved. Crist picked up the upset win after Mack was pulled off the top rope by Callihan and Crist gave him a cutter and got the pin.
Later, Mack was seen speaking to Rich Swann about wanting to get revenge on OVE. Swann, who has been in CZW wars with Callihan, warned Mack that they might not want to go there with OVE.
Ethan Page Qualifies For Ultimate X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PamGgKjid9Q
Ethan Page defeated Matt Sydal – Ultimate X Qualifier
The second of two upsets in Ultimate X Qualifying matches came when Ethan Page defeated his mentor, Matt Sydal. The two exchanged multiple pinning combinations in a row when Page was able to keep Sydal’s shoulders down for the 3.
Sydal was a good sport about the loss, even raising Page’s hand after.
Dark Allie Is Really Dark
Allie defeated Heather Monroe
Last week, Kiera Hogan made an emotional plea for the good Allie to return. Hogan didn’t get what she wanted this week, however. Allie defeated Heather Monroe while Su Yung watched ominously on the outside.
After the match, Allie continued the attack on Monroe using Su Yung’s mandible claw type move. This brought out Hogan who tried to talk some sense into Allie. Although it looked as though Allie had come back to her senses, she suddenly struck Hogan. Yung then joined the melee and they continued the beatdown on Hogan to end the segment.
Monster’s Ball Match Booked For Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG6e5PdmIiM
Eli Drake claimed this week that he’s dropped his lawsuit against Impact Wrestling. Despite this, he claims he is being punished by the promotion as he has now been booked in a Monsters Ball match against Abyss at Homecoming.
Konnan Says It Can Never Be The Same Between Lucha Bros and LAX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JGEd5s53ac
Konnan didn’t want LAX to defend the belts against Pentagon and Fenix at Homecoming but LAX put out the challenge anyway. The two teams were seen arguing in the back this week, leading Konnan to say this is what he had been worried about.
Scarlett Bordeaux Joins The Rascalz Session
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns2TlITM3eA
Scarlett Bordeaux joined the Rascalz smoking session this week. The trio seemed a little confused as to how she got there. Regardless, Bordeaux let them know she was impressed with their match last week and then reminded everyone about her ongoing global talent search.
Zachary Wentz seemed concerned that Bordeaux would attract the presence of bears.
The Desi Hit Squad Back In The Win Column
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgvnlFbjfHQ
The Desi Hit Squad defeated Damien Drake and Manny Lemons
The Desi Hit Squad were back in action this week. They defeated a pair of local competitors with much ease. Callis and Mathews talked about the depth of the tag team-team division which has been developing as of late. With the addition of the Rascalz, a new Desi Hit Squad team, the Lucha Bros and LAX, the tag division is pretty stacked at the moment.
Quick Results:
Ultimate X Qualifier
Jake Crist defeated Willie Mack
Allie defeated Heather Monroe
The Desi Hit Squad defeated Damien Drake and Manny Lemons
Ultimate X Qualifier
Ethan Page defeated Matt Sydal
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie defeated Moose & Tessa Blanchard
Next Week:
Ultimate X Qualifier Rich Swann vs Dave Crist
Ultimate X Qualifier Trevor Lee vs Trey Miguel
Moose vs Brian Cage
Santana vs Fenix
Confirmed Matches for Homecoming (Non-Spoiler):
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
Jake Crist vs Ethan Page vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
There are 5 episodes of Impact Wrestling left before Homecoming on January 6th in Nashville. Tonight, Impact Wrestling will further the build to their next PPV.
Impact Wrestling 12/6 Preview
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs Moose & Tessa Blanchard
Johnny Impact will face Brian Cage at Homecoming but tonight he’ll team with his newlywed wife, Taya Valkyrie. The Knockouts Champion will team with Moose, who is hoping Eddie Edwards is not released from Shady Acres Mental Institution in time to interfere in this match.
Last week on Impact, Blanchard attempted to strangle a referee until Gail Kim ran out and pulled her off. It’s possible we hear more about Gail Kim’s potential involvement with Blanchard tonight.
Killer Kross might be watching this match closely as well. He again offered to watch Johnny’s back last week.
Dark Allie Returns
Allie returned from the undead realm at Bound For Glory without her soul. Now a dark passenger is along with Allie wherever she goes. Kiera Hogan believes there is still good inside of her, however. Hogan made an emotional plea last week for the good Allie to come back.
Tonight, Dark Allie will return to Impact Wrestling. Wherever she goes, Su Yung is sure to follow as well.
Ultimate X Qualifier: Willie Mack vs Jake Crist
Willie Mack will go one-on-one with OVE’s Jake Crist tonight. The winner will be granted one of four spots in the Ultimate X match at Homecoming. Mack hasn’t been in Impact Wrestling for long but he’s already in a spot to potentially win a major title.
Ultimate X Qualifier: Matt Sydal vs Ethan Page
Third-eyes will collide tonight as Matt Sydal goes one-on-one with his protege, Ethan Page. Sydal is the former X-Division Champion before dropping the belt to Brian Cage at Slammiversary. He once said the X-Division title was his calling and it’s possible the belt is calling to him again. He’ll have to get by his own pupil to get that chance, however.
Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid’s careers will forever be linked by their matches against one another in Stampede Wrestling. They would later feud as part of the Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs rivalry in WWE as well. Bret Hart is now the only surviving member of those legendary tag matches, however, as Jim Neidhart and Dynamite both passed this year. Davey Boy Smith passed away in 2002.
Hart posted the following to Instagram after learning of Dynamite’s passing:
Dynamite’s legacy in the wrestling industry is complicated, as is evidenced by Bret’s comments. The tales of Dynamite’s ability in the ring are often mixed with stories of an abusive, and angry individual. He has left complicated memories in the world of professional wrestling.
For many current active Superstars, however, Dynamite’s influence cannot be understated. Dynamite influenced those who now serve as influences to others. As Dynamite influenced names like Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, and others, those names then influenced many of the wrestlers we see active today.
Impact Wrestling is looking for a new home. The show currently airs on POP TV in the United States but the promotion is looking for a new broadcast partner. Internationally, Impact airs on the Fight Network and on various other channels in different markets.
The deal to air Impact Wrestling in the United States on POP is up at the end of this year. The show is expected to continue on POP in 2019, however, until Impact is able to find a new broadcaster for the show in the USA.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Impact has been meeting with several channels but has yet to strike a new deal.
“Impact is expected to remain on Pop until they can negotiate a deal with a new station,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “They have talked to a ton of stations. Besides the ones mentioned, they’ve also inquired into Bein.”
The issue with Impact having spoken to BeIN is that the station has an exclusive deal with MLW.
The other networks Impact is believed to have met with include SyFy, TruTV, and WGN America. In recent weeks, POP TV has pushed back Impact’s start time to 10 PM. This has caused the show’s start time to also be pushed back in other markets.
Posted December 6th, 2018 in News, TNA. Tagged: POP TV.
WWE is considering a Queen of the Ring tournament in 2019. The promotion has held 20 King of the Ring tournaments previously. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the idea has been talked about as a potential format for a 2nd all-Women PPV next year.
“An idea being talked about for 2019 would be a Queen of the Ring tournament with the main roster women,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “At this point, it’s just an idea thrown around but they are looking for ideas for a second all women’s PPV show next year.”
The company is said to be pleased with the response to Evolution and are looking to do similar shows once a year.
WWE Queen Of The Ring
The Mae Young Classic has generally been for prospects and developmental Superstars. The Queen of the Ring, however, would be for WWE’s main roster Superstars. WWE did hold a similar tournament recently, albeit it did not carry the King of the Ring name. The WWE World Cup concluded at Crown Jewel last month, with Shane McMahon being declared the winner.
The King of the Ring tournament ran almost annually from 1985 to 2002. It skipped 1990 and 1992. The event became more scarcely held after that. The last tournament was held in 2015 and was won by Bad News Barrett. Previously, the last tournament had been 2010 and won by Sheamus.
WWE presents two hours of previously unaired programming tonight in prime time. Both 205 Live and NXT will air on the WWE Network beginning at 7 PM est.
NXT 12/5 Preview
Tommaso Ciampa Addresses The NXT Universe
In what will be his first appearance since defeating Velveteen Dream at WarGames, Tommaso Ciampa will address the NXT audience tonight. We’ll find out what Ciampa has to say about his win at Takeover and possibly find out what is next for him tonight on NXT.
Shayna Baszler vs Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai used to be petrified of Shayna Baszler. She eventually learned to stand up for herself, however. Tonight, the Captain of Team Kick will be back inside the squared circle with Baszler. Kai’s allies in Io Shirai and Kairi Sane might be nearby but so will Baszler’s teammates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
Matt Riddle vs Punishment Martinez
The King of Bros will take on the former Ring Of Honor Television Champion tonight. These two only recently started with the promotion this year but both are likely to become major players in NXT moving forward. Neither Riddle nor Martinez will likely want to take a loss this early in their run with NXT so there’s a lot on the line for each tonight.
The Forgotten Sons vs Raul Mendoza and Humberto Carrillo
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler will represent the Forgotten Sons tonight in tag-team action. The team has been getting wins on WWE programming as of late and could start to move up the rankings further as we move into 2019.
205 Live 12/5 Preview
TJP & Mike Kanellis vs the Lucha House Party
TJP and Kanellis might want to have a consulting session with the Revival before this tag match. It’s still not clear if Drake Maverick endorses the use of Lucha House Party rules as is done on Monday Night Raw. It’s possible Maverick has entirely other problems to deal with, however. It is scheduled to be a tornado tag team match tonight between these two teams but as of yet, it’s not clear how many members of the Lucha House Party will be allowed to compete in this match.
The Brian Kendrick vs Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak recently kicked the Brian Kendrick out of his cruiserweight bad guy stable. Tonight, Kendrick and Gulak will go one-on-one. Akira Tozawa has recently become aligned with Kendrick as well, so he might need to help fend off Jack Gallagher should he decide to interfere on Gulak’s behalf tonight.
The Elite is a polarizing group. While many fans love their antics, YouTube show, and matches, some NJPW fans feel their comedic antics take things too far and is not consistent with the style of NJPW they are used to.
Some of these critics decided to bring a sign to a show recently which read “Harold Meij and the Elite Ruined NJPW”. A fan took a screenshot of the sign and sent it to members of the Elite. Kenny Omega then responded.
Omega continued to respond to people on Twitter after as well. He responded to this fan who questions Omega’s drawing power:
Didn’t I outdraw Tana vs Okada by over 2 times and set attendance records across the board spanning multiple years? Can we talk about that? Nah, didn’t think so ?
“Didn’t I outdraw Tana vs Okada by over 2 times and set attendance records across the board spanning multiple years? Can we talk about that? Nah, didn’t think so”
A fan of Omega’s then took to Twitter to voice their concern that Omega doesn’t let fans disagree with him. Omega had the following response:
Cool. I’ll agree next time that I’m destroying a company I sacrificed everything for and pray to the heavens that you like me
On Monday night, Rhyno lost a single’s match to Heath Slater. Unfortunately, Baron Corbin stated that the loser of the match would be fired from Raw. Slater didn’t make out much better, however, as he has now been relegated to serving as a referee. Rhyno then announced his retirement to the live audience in a segment which didn’t air on Raw.
It doesn’t appear as though Rhyno is actually fired or retired, however. His status was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Live.
“All I can tell you is Rhyno is still booked for house shows,” Bryan Alvarez said on the show. “If he’s being fired or if he’s retiring, it’s not happening anytime soon, so that’s that.”
Heath Slater and Rhyno
Heath Slater and Rhyno were paired together not long after the brand-extension in 2016. After Rhyno defeated Slater to win a spot on the Smackdown roster, the two ended up teaming together in a tag-team tournament. Against all odds, the team was able to win the tournament and became the new Smackdown tag-team Champions.
The title win was just the 2nd non-hardcore championship win of Rhyno’s WWE tenure. He is a 3x Hardcore Champion and a former WCW US Champion (during the Alliance vs WWE angle) as well.
Posted December 5th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Rhyno.
Tom Billington, best known as former WWE tag team champion The Dynamite Kid, has passed away. He was 60 years old. Billington is considered one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. His in-ring style, described by WWE.com as technically brilliant and wildly aggressive, influenced generations of competitors and resonates to this day.
Billington passed away on his 60th birthday. His health had been deteriorating significantly since suffering a stroke in 2013. Many credit the British Bulldogs vs Hart Foundation rivalry in the 1980s as one of the best tag team feuds ever. Unfortunately, only Bret Hart survives from the 4 men who worked those matches.
Reactions To Dynamite Kid’s Passing
The pro wrestling community is paying respects to the Dynamite Kid on social media. Here are some reactions to his passing:
It deeply saddens me to announce the passing of Tom Billington the “Dynamite Kid.” ???I was really happy and glad I got to see Dynamite one last time last June in the UK. ?? ???. Dynamite was certainly an inspiration to myself and many others and really revolutionized pic.twitter.com/req7CWTdxm
— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) December 5, 2018
Dynamite Kid was instrumental in the evolution towards today’s style. Most current wrestlers owe him a debt of gratitude for his role in the shift towards talent and effort over look and size. He’s also one of the saddest cautionary tales in risking too much in that effort.
Dynamite Kid was simply awesome and definitely made a believer out of a younger me, His matches with Tiger Mask can be used as an educational resource for anyone wanting to do this for a living
Smackdown tonight will take place inside the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. 4 segments have been confirmed for the show.
Smackdown 12/4 Preview
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka Contract Signing
Last week on Smackdown, Asuka won a 9-person battle royal to become the third participant in the triple threat TLC Women’s Smackdown Championship match at TLC. Tonight, all 3 competitors will be in the ring at the same time to officially sign their contracts.
MizTV w/ Special Guest Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan and the Miz were rivals for years while Bryan was not medically cleared to compete. In 2018, they’ve taken their rivalry to the ring. Now that Bryan has become “the New Daniel Bryan”, however, the dynamic between the two could be entirely different. We’ll find out tonight when Bryan is the guest on MizTV.
Former WWE Champion and Bryan’s opponent at TLC, AJ Styles, will likely be watching this segment closely.
Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton
Tonight will be the 12th 1-on-1 match between Orton and Hardy dating back to 2006. Hardy beat Orton in a #1 contender’s match for the Intercontinental Championship back on Monday Night Raw from August 28th, 2006 in their first match.
The last time the two met, on Smackdown October 23rd, 2018, Orton beat Hardy to pull ahead in the all-time series 6-5.
What about Samoa Joe? He interrupted Jeff Hardy’s 20th Anniversary with the WWE celebration last week. Will he get involved in Jeff’s match with Orton tonight?
Xavier Woods vs Cesaro vs Jey Uso
At TLC, the Bar will defend the Smackdown tag team Championships against both the New Day and the Usos in a triple threat match. Tonight, one wrestler from each team will face off in a triple threat single’s match.
The Revival and the Young Bucks have been linked together the last couple of years, despite not being signed to the same promotion. They exchanged the following Tweets last night after Raw:
“One day we’ll wrestle The Young Bucks & everyone will rejoice. Remember this tweet.”
The Young Bucks vs The Revival
This isn’t the first time the two teams have teased facing each other either. In 2017, the Young Bucks were constantly pushing #FTR, which is an acronym of an insult to the Revival. The Revival then said on social media they wanted to wrestle the Young Bucks.
One thing the Revival might appreciate about facing the Young Bucks is that there are only 2 of them. For the last few weeks on Raw, the Revival have been booked against the team of cruiserweights. Unfortunately for Dash and Dawson, however, the Lucha House Party trio appear to have their own set of rules.
The luchadors have been allowed to wrestle 3-on-2 against the conventional tag-team. Then last night on Raw, the Lucha House Party was allowed to face Scott Dawson 3-on-1. It’s still not clear if the Revival will ever get a fair match against their current rivals.
Lars Sullivan was not supposed to get called up to the main roster in 2018. Originally, the plan had been for Lars to make his main roster debut at the Royal Rumble. Plans evidently changed when Vince McMahon saw a planned vignette for the Superstar and decided to fast-track his move to Raw or Smackdown.
Original Plans For Lars Sullivan’s WWE Main Roster Call-Up
The original plans for Lars were addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Live.
“That video package they’ve been airing was not going to air until after TLC,” Bryan Alvarez said. “What they were going to do was they would have the Raw people wanting Lars (Sullivan), they would have the Smackdown people wanting him and then it was all going to build up to the Royal Rumble where Lars was going to make his big decision about what show he was going to go to.”
Alvarez continued to say Vince McMahon saw a filmed vignette for Lars and was impressed. The WWE owner then made the decision for the vignettes to air earlier than originally planned.
Lars could still debut at the Royal Rumble but it would mean 2 months of vignettes airing before he does.
With Vince McMahon behind him, Lars’ character can go far. Vince has changed his mind several times in the past, however. Triple H is also said to be a supporter of Sullivan’s.
Chris Jericho is reported to have fended off an attacker on a Fozzy tour bus last night in Regina, Saskatchewan. From what has been reported, a fan wanted to get on the tour bus but was denied. The fan somehow ended up sneaking onto the bus and got into a fight with a member of the crew.
“A guy described as all messed up tried to get on the bus and was pounding on the door,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “He walked away and somehow got on. He assaulted a member of the crew, who ended up hospitalized with a broken collarbone.”
Jericho is believed to have speared the guy and gotten on top of him at one point. The guy ended up getting away from everyone, however, including police.
Chris Jericho On Tour With Fozzy
Jericho’s band Fozzy will open for Iron Maiden in 2019. Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickenson, has been on his podcast multiple times. Speaking on Iron Maiden’s tour, Dickenson had the following to say recently:
“We’ve got all kinds of crazy things going on, including a replica Spitfire plane dominating the stage during Aces High, tons of pyro, a giant Icarus, muskets, claymores and some truly marvelous flame-throwers which I have a hell of a lot of fun with, as you will see! And of course we have Eddie, as you’ve never seen him before, and absolutely loads of other surprises. I’ve had the time of my life playing with all these magnificent props on stage, it’s been fantastic, we can’t wait to bring this show to you!”
Vince McMahon has sold off more stock in WWE recently. According to a recent SEC filing, he sold 300,000 shares recently at a value of $74 a share, totaling over $22 million. McMahon still has over 30 million shares left, however, good for $2.3 billion.
Last year, McMahon sold 3.34 million shares in December. At the time the value of those shares totaled just over $100 million. The move then was reportedly to fund his new venture, Alpha Entertainment. McMahon’s new company will be behind the return of the XFL in 2020.
Vince McMahon Bringing Back The XFL In 2020
The XFL recently announced the following cities will have teams in the re-booted league:
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
New York
St. Louis
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Washington, DC
McMahon made the following comments regarding the XFL back in January:
“Let me say as far as our league is concerned it will have nothing to do with politics, and nothing to do with social issues either. We’re there to play football. We want really good football, and that’s what the fans want too.
“When they tune in I don’t know if they want to be dealing with social issues and things of that nature. And that’s what we’re going to deliver.”
“You want someone that has does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them. In the XFL, If you have a DUI (driving under the influence) you will not play in the XFL.”
Ronda Rousey had all she could handle from Nia Jax and Tamina last night on Raw. Meanwhile, the Smackdown Women’s Champion was on Twitter antagonizing her.
Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey Twitter War
With Becky and Ronda on separate shows, WWE appears to be building towards an eventual match between the two on Twitter.
The two exchanged the following Tweets last night:
“Hey Ronnie?! My division is on fire over here. Everyone thinks they’re a badass all of a sudden. How’s the division that I let you run going?”
U sure had alot of free time during #DrPaidVacation 2beg for my attention on Twitter-but Im busy promoting a PPV w/ an opponent whos actually going to show up.Leave it to #TheMillennialMan to still be on social media crying for a participation trophy for never showing up to fight
“U sure had alot of free time during #DrPaidVacation 2beg for my attention on Twitter-but Im busy promoting a PPV w/ an opponent whos actually going to show up.Leave it to #TheMillennialMan to still be on social media crying for a participation trophy for never showing up to fight”
“Hey, hey. You know that time I got sucker punched? When I stood up I was out on my feet. That means I LITERALLY beat you in my sleep.”
Oh you talking about that time you showed up to #Raw trying to look tough and left with your face caved in? That’s some more #BackwardsBullshitBecky – Keep hiding behind your Dr’s note while the #ArmTaker handles your #FaceBreaker
“Oh you talking about that time you showed up to #Raw trying to look tough and left with your face caved in? That’s some more #BackwardsBullshitBecky – Keep hiding behind your Dr’s note while the #ArmTaker handles your #FaceBreaker“
Becky Lynch is arguably the hottest star in the world of pro-wrestling right now. In a recent interview with NBC News, she says what had always been holding her back was confidence.
“I think the greatest obstacle in my career has always been myself, been confidence,” Lynch said. “If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.”
She also spoke about her 7-year absence from wrestling after having trained and competed as a teenager.
“In 2006, I was trying to make it to WWE but my head wasn’t focussed on the right thing,” she continued. “I ended up getting hurt in a match in Germany. It was my own fault. My mom really wanted me to leave wrestling because I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t have any money, and I didn’t know what to do with my life.”
Between 2006 and 2013, Becky wrestled less than a handful of times. She studied acting, worked as a stewardess, and did various other jobs.
“There was 7 years when I was away from wrestling,” she continued before saying she ultimately felt pulled back into it. “Nothing ever felt like it pulled me like wrestling did. I felt like I was meant to be in WWE, I just didn’t’ know how.”
Lynch decided to give wrestling a second shot in 2013 when she was 27. This time things went much easier for her. A wrestling school she attended briefly was able to get her a WWE tryout fairly quickly and she was signed not long after. She spent two years in developmental before making the main roster in 2015.
Codi and Brandi Rhodes spent an NFL Sunday inside the Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner’s box yesterday. The NFL franchise is owned by the billionaire Khan family. The Jags also share the same registered address as All Elite Wrestling.
Cody didn’t publicize the trip on social media as he does for most things, however. Brandi, on the other hand, felt it necessary to discuss her choice in wardrobe with her followers.
Cody recently traveled to Australia for a tour with World Series Wrestling. Despite having a torn meniscus, Cody worked the tour doing Meet and Greets. He also defended the IWGP United States title on 3 occasions by defeating Joey Ryan in a staring contest. During the tour, he told fans to expect an announcement regarding All Elite Wrestling in January.
“At a meet and greet in Melbourne, Australia, Cody was asked about a new promotion and said to wait for January as an announcement will be made, and said the announcement would be bigger than anyone expects,” Dave Meltzer wrote in this week’s Wrestling Observer.
Last Tuesday, Cody put out a Tweet asking “Who are some of the hottest male/female independent acts not signed anywhere?” Fuelling speculation the Elite is looking to bring in unsigned talent to their new promotion.
