WWE is bringing in an Australian powerhouse named Jonah Rock. According to F4wonline, Rock is expected to start with WWE in January. The 30-year-old is one of Australia’s top talents and competed on a tour with NJPW this February as well. He is listed at 5’11 and 275lbs.
Rock lost the Pro Wrestling Australia heavyweight title to Cageman Ugg this summer. He had defeated Robbie Eagles for the strap back in June. Rock also recently lost the Wrestle Rampage heavyweight title in a 6-way match to AJ Istria on Friday. He also lost an MLW World title match to Low-Ki on Thursday in a match in Claremont, Western Australia.
Jonah Rock To WWE
Rock also competed on the most recent World Series Wrestling tour in Australia. WSW spares little expense bringing in big names for their tours. As he likely told WSW he is off to WWE at the end of the year, Rock lost most of his matches on the tour. In the only match he won on the tour, Rock teamed with fellow future WWE Superstar, WALTER. The duo defeated the Street Gang Hooligans.
Also on the WSW tour, Rock lost to Brian Cage in a triple threat match which also featured Flip Gordon. Rock lost a single’s match to Flip Gordon on his first night on the tour. In his other match for WSW recently, Rock lost a single’s match to WALTER.
Gail Kim was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. She subsequently retired from in-ring competition in February. Lance Storm believes Kim to be a G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time). He made his opinions known on Twitter recently:
Gail Kim Involved In Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie Rivalry
Despite seemingly being retired, however, Kim made an appearance on Impact Wrestling this week. She prevented Tessa Blanchard from strangling a referee. Blanchard has been having her issues with referees as of late. She punched one in order to get purposely disqualified in her rematch with Taya as well.
Kim has mentioned that if she ever does decide to come out of retirement, she’d have her return match for Impact.
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie III has been booked for Homecoming. The event will take place January 6th, 2019 from Nashville.
Earlier this year, Kim spoke to Women’s Wrestling Weekly about why she decided to retire.
“My back was starting to deteriorate and basically what happened was I just couldn’t walk after a couple of matches here and there. I never had an MRI and I never knew what was going on in my body for so long, and then it was coming to point where I was always wrestling and not being able to walk after. And I was like ‘ It’s time, I need to know what is going on. It’s a scary thought, but you have to know so you can help it’.So, I got an MRI done and I guess, I’m grateful it wasn’t worse.”
“My L4 and my L5, pretty much the discs, was just basically all gone and there was just a thin layer left to the point, it could be bone on bone soon. Basically, I made the decision that I didn’t want to keep on going, where I had to have that major surgery because that minor surgery; he (the doctor) told me I can get back in the ring in 7 weeks and that 7 weeks turned into 7 months.”
A Falls Count Anywhere match between LA Park and Sami Callihan will take place on December 13th in Miami. The match has been booked as part of MLW’s Never Say Never event the night before their live special on December 14th for BeIN Sports.
Park had previously been booked to wrestle PCO that night. PCO has signed with Ring of Honor, however, and has since pulled out of the event.
An MLW press release explained PCO’s departure as follows:
“PCO has withdrawn from his December 13th Falls Count Anywhere in Miami bout and has suspiciously vanished from the league. ”
LA Park vs Sami Callihan
“As league officials worked through the weekend on a new opponent for LA Park,” An MLW press release reads. “Rumblings about a falling out between Salina de la Renta’s Promociones Dorado and their hired mercenary Sami Callihan began to surface. Some claim Saline de la Renta was furious with Callihan failing to take out Lawlor last month in Chicago. Another source claims LA Park was disrespectful towards Callihan backstage and it triggered Callihan into demanding a match. While details are sketchy, one thing is for sure: there is bad blood between Callihan and Promociones Dorado.”
The match will be taped as part of the promotion’s Fusion tapings. Fusion airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports and full episodes are posted to YouTube the following day at 6:05 PM.
A tag team which has been successful in Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and PWG might be falling apart on the World Tag League Tour. Chuckie T has gotten himself disqualified in multiple matches now and even took a swing at his partner and supposed best friend, Beretta.
Most recently on the World Tag League Tour, Chuckie T got disqualified for hitting Michael Elgin with the chair. It looked as though he was going to again take a shot at Beretta when his partner came to stop him, only Chuckie just went in for the hug instead. Beretta has been acting suspicious of his partner during at least the last 3 round-robin matches.
The team is 5-4 in the round robin thus far and by no means out of the running to make the finals. The dissension the team has been showing, however, seems to indicate they might not even be together much longer.
Chuckie T’s actions in the World Tag League also bring up the possibility that he is the mole Jay White has been referring to. Earlier this fall, White said he still had a mole working for him from within Chaos. As the Best Friends Are technically a Chaos team, it’s possible Chuckie could turn out to be the mole Jay White was referring to.
Impact Wrestling has announced the second qualifying match for the Ultimate X scheduled for Homecoming on January 6th. On Impact this week the first match, Ethan Page vs Matt Sydal was confirmed.
Willie Mack will take on Jake Crist from OVE on the next episode as well with the winner qualifying for Ultimate X.
The Ultimate X match at Homecoming will crown a new X division champion. Former champion, Brian Cage, will cash in “option C” that night and face Impact world champion, Johnny Impact.
Homecoming – January 6th, 2019 – Nashville Fairgrounds
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
Several matches have already been announced for next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs Tessa Blanchard & Moose
Dark Allie debuts
Ultimate X Qualifier
Matt Sydal vs Ethan Page
Ultimate X Qualifier
Jake Crist vs Willie Mack
The show will be the 4th from the promotion’s Las Vegas tapings held last month.
Impact Wrestling airs Thursdays at 10 PM on POP TV. The show is also broadcast globally through the Fight Network and other international television deals.
Titus O’Neil has been honored on the 2018 EBONY Power List. O’Neil attended the EBONY Power 100 Gala on Friday night.
Last night at the @EBONYMag #EbonyPower100 I had the opportunity to Sit&Enjoy what God has Done with my Life. I haven’t done anything outside of Being obedient to my Purpose,Love&Care 4others As others did for me&Above Everything else Unapologetically Be WHO GOD MADE ME TO BE!?? pic.twitter.com/eaccJs1kv7
“Last night at the @EBONYMag#EbonyPower100 I had the opportunity to Sit&Enjoy what God has Done with my Life. I haven’t done anything outside of Being obedient to my Purpose,Love&Care 4others As others did for me&Above Everything else Unapologetically Be WHO GOD MADE ME TO BE!”
O’Neil joins such honorees as the NBA’s James Harden and Stephen Curry, as well as tennis champion Venus Williams,” a WWE press release reads. “As an MVP honoree, O’Neil will be featured in the December/January issue of EBONY magazine and on EBONY.com.”
Titus O’Neil
O’Neil’s charitable work includes working with the United Way’s Walking School Bus program and providing scholarships for youth in his home city of Tampa Bay. He is also a Lightning Community Hero with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
His efforts with Titus Worldwide have not been as successful, however. In recent months, both Apollo Crews and Dana Brooke have left the faction. The 41-year-old generally wrestles on live events and episodes of Main Event now. In recent weeks he has been defeating Curt Hawkins and also Mojo Rawley on those shows. He defeated Rawley on main event in his last match on November 26th.
Xavier Woods has no time for fans who complain about wrestling they don’t like. He made his comments during a recent WWE press conference in Manila.
“When people talk about the difference between the organizations – not even organizations – between like NXT and the main roster. So when they say like, ‘Oh man! Takeover killed it. SummerSlam, this is gonna suck!’” Woods said. “It’s on the same company. What is there to complain about?”
“And then like, you can watch New Japan. You can watch Triple A. You can watch so much wrestling from all corners of the world. And it’s all awesome and it’s all good. It’s all different guys and girls portraying their form of art that they love – that they wanna give to you,” he continued.
Woods said that as a performer it can be frustrating to give maximum effort and then receive criticism from a subset of the audience.
“So anytime anyone complains about wrestling it’s so annoying to me because people come off as these entitled infants,” Woods said.
Woods would then say the following:
“Because in reality, wrestling hurts so bad. And then we’re hurting ourselves to entertain the masses. And sometimes the masses wanna tell us how much it sucks,” he concluded.
WWE has announced a change to WrestleMania 35 weekend. NXT TakeOver will now take place on Friday night that weekend as opposed to Saturday. The Hall of Fame ceremony will now take place on Saturday night instead.
“WWE will be going back to its previous WrestleMania Week schedule with NXT TakeOver on Friday, April 5 and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 6. We believe this better serves our fans,” WWE stated to Pro Wrestling Sheet.
The change in schedule also means WWE avoids going head-to-head with ROH/NJPW. The G1 Supercard is scheduled for April 6th, 2019 from Madison Square Garden.
WrestleMania 35 Weekend
WrestleMania 35 takes place Sunday, April 7th, 2019 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. As has become custom in recent years, however, a weeklong celebration will be held in the area.
“WrestleMania is more than just a one-day event,” a WWE press release reads. “It is a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania, other events include: WrestleMania Axxess®, WWE’s interactive fan festival, and four spectacular live events taking place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, including the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony; NXT® TakeOver®, Monday Night Raw®and SmackDown® Live.”
“WWE will also host activities designed to give back to the local community during WrestleMania Week including Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, hospital visits and Make-A-Wish events. “
Pierre Carl Ouelette, now known as PCO, has signed with Ring of Honor. The news comes 2 weeks after SEScoops exclusive report revealed PCO’s rival, Brody King, had done the same.
The 50-year-old will be leaving MLW as a result of his new contract with ROH. The exclusive contract will also prevent him from appearing for Black Label Pro as well.
Signing with ROH also opens up the possibility both PCO and Brody King could compete with NJPW as well.
PCO Revitalizes Career in 2018
PCO appeared on the Steve Austin podcast in September. During the interview, he referred to 2018 as the best year of his career, including the years he was with WWE.
“The greatest year of my life as far as a pro-wrestler because I’m making more money this year than I made in 1993 with Vince, in 1995 with Vince, in 1998, 1999, or in 1996 with WCW.”
In terms of what is left for the man who recently bit the head of a fish, PCO had this to say:
“My goal is to fight the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 35. My PCO character is a bit like a French Frankenstein, and is tailor-made to fight the Deadman,” PCO said to Grizzly Media earlier this summer. “I am presently in an incredible form, and I am in all the major events of the independent scene. I declined an offer from TNA because I really believe that I can reach WWE for one last run.”
It looks as though the rivalry between Brody King and PCO will continue in 2019, this time in Ring of Honor.
Posted December 1st, 2018 in News, ROH. Tagged: PCO.
In 2018, Cody has begun supporting various charities by donating money from Meet and Greets, t-shirts, and other fundraising efforts. Yesterday, Cody revealed a new T-shirt with all proceeds going to the animal welfare charity, RedRover.
Pharaoh, Winston, and Ultra Tito present to you this “Elite Dogs” shirt! W/PROCEEDS GOING TO RedRover!
RedRover helps animals rescued from disasters/neglect, domestic violence victims seeking safety w/their pets, animals with life-threatening illnesses. https://t.co/z0wJH8mkHkpic.twitter.com/L57UpTpi2W
“Pharaoh, Winston, and Ultra Tito present to you this “Elite Dogs” shirt! W/PROCEEDS GOING TO RedRover! RedRover helps animals rescued from disasters/neglect, domestic violence victims seeking safety w/their pets, animals with life-threatening illnesses. https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/elite-dogs.html “
Cody also donated his earnings from the NWA 70th Anniversary show to charity. He later posted a receipt to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for the amount of $2000.
RedRover Animal Welfare Charity
RedRover listed the following as their missions statement: “RedRover helps animals rescued from disasters or neglect, domestic violence victims seeking safety with their pets, and animals with life-threatening illnesses. We use innovative solutions to prevent cruelty.”
The animal welfare organization has put boots on the ground in areas devastated by the Camp Fire, California’s deadliest wildfires in history.
“RedRover Responders are dedicated to helping these poor animals recover from this horrifying experience,” said RedRover Director of Field Services, Beth Gammie. “We will continue to provide soft hands and warm hearts when animals are in pain and work collaboratively with agencies to help animals recover from trauma.”
Xavier Woods is having an interesting trip to Malaysia. Upon arriving in the country, Woods says he had a rather interesting interaction with a customs agent. Woods described the encounter on his Twitter account:
Landed in Kuala Lumpur
Customs agent: You're with WWE
Me: Yea
CA: Kofi Kingston
Me: Nah I'm the other black guy
CA: hmm, so you're not Kofi Kingston
Me: ?No
CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn't wanna tell me
“Landed in Kuala Lumpur Customs agent: You’re with WWE Me: Yea CA: Kofi Kingston Me: Nah I’m the other black guy CA: hmm, so you’re not Kofi Kingston Me:
No CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn’t wanna tell me”
It does appear Woods was allowed into the country without incident, however.
Xavier Woods Left Up To His Own Devices
Woods is an adventuristic superstar. On Friday WWE was in Manila in the Philippines. Woods did not take long to become enamored with the country:
JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWEpic.twitter.com/yX8dgMB4b5
“JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWE”
Xavier Woods On Survivor Series Raw vs Smackdown Scoring
Woods was not happy following Survivor Series recently. While the Smackdown tag-team division defeated the Raw tag-team division on the pre-show, WWE neglected to mention this when touting Raw’s “clean sweep” over Smackdown on the main PPV.
Woods sent out the following in regards to the controversial brand vs brand scoring:
Former NXT Champion, Aleister Black, was recently married to Zelina Vega. Multiple sources are now confirming the two have tied the knot, though details regarding where and when are not available.
Little is known about when the two became linked. Black did appear in an Instagram training video along with Vega recently, however.
Vega had also been linked to Austin Aries while both were in WWE developmental. She has since stated the relationship is over and no longer wishes to be associated with Aries, however.
In a since-deleted Tweet, Vega mentioned, “I am going to say this once:
We are NOT together and have not been together for a very long time. We were certainly NEVER married or engaged. I’ve moved on a long time ago and do not wish to be associated with him.”
Zelina Vega’s Emotional 9/11 Story
Vega was a guest on Lillian Garcia’s podcast earlier this fall. During the course of the show, Vega shared the emotional story of losing her father in the September 11th, 2001 attacks. She overheard her father tell her step-father to raise her as if she was his own.
“When he got onto the phone with my step-dad he said ‘honestly Kermit, I don’t think I’m going to make it out of here. I know you’re a great man I need you to be a father to my kids,” Vega said. “Love them like I would.”
Ring of Honor COO, Joe Koff, is not expecting the Young Bucks, Cody, or the rest of the Elite back in ROH next year. Koff spoke to Wrestling Inc recently regarding what the future holds for ROH in 2019.
“I don’t think (the Elite will return), and I don’t think that’s new news either,” Koff said regarding the pending departures. “They definitely have something in mind… and I’m very thankful for Cody and The Young Bucks and Page and their contributions to ROH.”
Members of the Elite played a pivotal role in ROH’s 2018. The promotion is used to talent making a splash and leaving, however.
“They were part of our great year,” Koff continued. “They’ll always be a part of the ROH family and I’m always excited when people choose to take a different direction or go in a different direction because it’s exciting for them as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.”
What Is Next For ROH? What Is Next For The Elite?
“These guys are very good marketers and very strong,” Koff said regarding the Elite. “Throughout the years, we’ve provided wrestlers a unique platform to showcase their talents to worldwide audiences. We’re so proud of our wrestlers, who’ve not only gone on to successful careers outside of ROH, but [also] the ones who have continued to stay here because they understand what ROH represents.”
Another big question remains for Ring of Honor as they approach Final Battle, however. What happens if Cody defeats Jay Lethal and regains the ROH World Championship.
“If he does it, then we’ll have to deal with it,” Koff answered. “I think Jay’s a formidable competitor. He’s been a great champion and I don’t think it will be a walk in the park for either. But as always, the best man will win and that speaks to itself.”
Last month, Ruby Riott broke sunglasses which used to belong to Natalya’s father, Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart, kick-starting a rivalry between the two. Recently on Total Divas, Natalya was shown giving the eulogy at her father’s funeral.
While Natalya would get a measure of revenge recently, defeating Riott in single’s action on Raw, the rivalry between the two appears to be far from over.
Riott sent out the following to Natalya on Twitter yesterday:
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart passed away this summer at the age of 63. He is said to have died after falling and hitting his head at his home. Natalya sent out the following statement on August 13th:
“I can’t put into words how hard it is going to be for myself and our family to have to say goodbye to my dad,” she Tweeted. “He meant he world to us, and nothing will ever replace the special times we shared together as a family. My dad was always a fighter and an incredibly special person. There was no one like him! I’m just gonna miss him so much. We are going to hold all of the moments we had with him close to our hearts forever and never let them go. I promise to keep your memory alive. We love you so much, Daddy!”
“On behalf of my entire family, we would also like to personally thank everyone for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers. It’s meant so much to us,” Natalya continued.
TGI Fridays recently revealed they have been marketing their restaurant to fans of professional wrestling. A new trend in marketing is for companies to develop “brand advocates” as opposed to paid endorsements. According to TGI Fridays, wrestlers make fantastic brand advocates.
Amanda Brown, senior manager of digital marketing at TGI Friday’s, spoke with VentureBeat about this new trend.
“We really do find that when we activate our brand advocates, we see a lot more of a positive lift in sentiment for our brand,” said Brown.
The Twitter account for Wendy’s often works a similar gimmick.
Young Bucks and TGI Fridays
TGI Fridays said they first discovered the Young Bucks when the brothers began Tweeting about their Tokyo location. Matt & Nick Jackson would jokingly refer to it as their favorite local restaurant while in Japan. The restaurant invited the Young Bucks to their headquarters the next time they were back in the United States.
“This is a true harmonious relationship that we’re building with these wrestlers,” Brown explained. “You could feel the excitement and the authenticity once we actually met them face to face and started engaging with them. That was the biggest opportunity for us to really bring an authentic influencer relationship to life, versus what we had previously been doing in our strategy with influencers, which is strictly paid.”
TGI Fridays said they wooed the Bucks by giving them VIP service. The Bucks then invited them to help sponsor All In.
“They said, we’d love you to be a part of it because we love you and we know our fans love you,” Brown said. “To have that kind of an approach to a relationship and a sponsorship is completely different than anything I’ve ever seen before with a paid agreement. It also helped us build a bigger relationship with our consumers. Once we did sponsor that event, we got so much love from their fan base saying, ‘thank you so much for supporting our favorite wrestlers.’ We got to see the power of really building and establishing a good rapport with our influencers, treating them well, and really welcoming their fan base.”
In terms of how their sponsorship of All In worked out, TGI Fridays could not have been more thrilled.
“Sentiment, obviously, was through the roof,” Brown continued. “It was the second-largest spike that we had had all year in sentiment and overall volume and conversation.”
TGI Fridays and Baron Corbin
TGI Fridays then mentioned how a Twitter interaction with Baron Corbin helped give the restaurant some cost-effective exposure.
“We ended up developing a relationship with Baron Corbin and teasing him about getting fired from Friday’s, getting him a severance package of boneless wings,” she continued. “There’s a lot that just comes from embracing this niche audience that we didn’t know existed, and then turning that into not only sponsorships but new and expanded awareness of our brand.”
We’re glad you brought this up. He was fired a couple of weeks ago for taking his vest home. ?
Chris Jericho was in Toronto last night for a Fozzy concert at the Rockpile. While in town he evidently met with the Impact Wrestling management team of Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, and Ed Nordholm.
Jericho posted a photo of the four of them along with Jericho’s father (and former New York Ranger), Ted Irvine.
Anthem Sports and Entertainment’s head office is located in Toronto.
Chris Jericho and Impact Wrestling
Jericho has been linked to Impact since his friend Don Callis was appointed co-Vice President. Callis takes credit for bringing Jericho into NJPW and setting up the WrestleKingdom match between Kenny Omega and Jericho last January. Jericho, Callis, and Omega are all from Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Jericho and Impact Wrestling worked together in October as well for the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea. He had originally booked just Ring of Honor wrestlers to appear on the cruise but Impact’s involvement was confirmed earlier this year as well.
Earlier this month, the Wrestling Observer printed the following regarding a potential Impact and NJPW talent-sharing arrangement.
“(NJPW) didn’t use guys like Brian Cage and John Morrison because they were Impact guys,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “And stopped some of their own talent from working Impact.”
Many things in wrestling seem destined to change in 2019, however. Jericho, Callis, D’Amore, and Nordholm may have touched upon that subject last night.
John Bradshaw Layfield turned 52 last night. Evidently, he opted to have a few drinks to celebrate. During the course of his evening, JBL posted several Tweets in regards to Cody Rhodes. The former WWE Champion said he could take either Cody or his “daddy” – the late Dusty Rhodes.
The following morning, JBL acknowledged that he was under the influence of “one too many” adult beverages when he was trash talking Cody and Dusty Rhodes.
JBL then offered an apology for at one point (in a possibly deleted Tweet) saying he’d “kill” Cody. JBL offered up an apology for those comments:
“Was having fun with Cody last night and said I’d kill Cody Rhodes, I obviously didn’t mean that literally. It was a very poor choice of words, I go way back with him and his family and I just was talking smack in a pro wrestling sense. I apologize for that poor choice of words.”
Cody Responds To JBL
Cody didn’t offer up much a response to JBL’s comments:
JBL has been offering up a few explanations this morning:
“I go way back with Dusty, tagged with Murdoch/Dusty’s old partner. I didn’t mean disrespect to Dusty. It’s what happens when elation from a Cowboys win, my birthday, talking smack and booze mix.”
Against Konnan’s best wishes, Santana and Ortiz challenged Pentagon and Fenix to a match at Homecoming last night on Impact. Two weeks ago, LAX told Konnan they wanted to face the Lucha Brothers for the titles but Konnan said he didn’t want to see that match. Evidently, LAX chose to ignore his advice and challenged the brothers to a match at Homecoming anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann when LAX made the challenge. Impact Wrestling management would make the match official shortly after.
BREAKING: It's OFFICIAL for Homecoming on January 6th.
@SantanaLAX and @Ortiz5150 will defend the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles in a dream championship match against @PENTAELZEROM and @ReyFenixMx! #IMPACTonPop
Impact Wrestling Homecoming – January 6th, 2019 – Nashville, TN
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
LAX – Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship Reign
LAX is on their 3rd reign as Impact tag champs. They defended the belts 3x. LAX has defended the belts successfully against the OGZ, Brent Banks & Tarik, and Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch. They also beat Matt Sydal and Ethan Page in a non-title match recently.
Out of the last 636 days, LAX has held the Impact tag belts 551 days, the longest of any team in the promotion’s history. They broke Beer Money’s record of 514 combined days last month.
Impact Wrestling presented their 3rd episode from the Las Vegas tapings last night. Last week, however, the promotion only aired one new match with the rest having been flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving specials.
This week, the promotion was back to building towards Homecoming on January 6th, 2019 in Nashville.
Here are 10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/29:
Two weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they want to defend their belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t like that match just yet but LAX challenged the Lucha Bros this week anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann to open the show when LAX came out and challenged them. The title match was later made official for Homecoming.
Later in the show, Konnan told LAX that once the two teams went head-to-head there would be no turning back, and no being friends after and that’s why he didn’t want the match to happen yet.
Killer Kross Is Still Trying To Protect Johnny Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQwX1Wo07Y
Killer Kross wants to help Johnny Impact. Kross again offered to help Johnny “do whatever it takes” to beat Brian Cage at Homecoming this week. It sounds as though Kross is trying to bring out a different side of Johnny, one he believes is more capable of beating someone like Brian Cage.
One has to wonder if Kross is going to take it upon himself to influence what happens between Cage and Johnny at Homecoming.
Eli Drake Goes Hardcore On Tommy Dreamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IitXAhkUMv4
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ MATCH
Eli Drake wants to rid Impact Wrestling of hardcore matches and wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer. Ironically, Dreamer actually beat Drake via count-out in the night’s main event, only for the match to be re-started as a No DQ match by Impact management. Once playing under Tommy’s rules, Drake managed to get the victory.
Dreamer kicked out from the Gravy Train, the first person in Impact to do so. This left Drake needing to take things a step farther to get the win in last night’s main event. He wrapped a steel chair around Dreamer’s head and bashed it with a boat ore before pinning him for the win.
Taya Valkyrie Adds A Submission To Her Arsenal
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
At Bound For Glory, Tessa Blanchard needed to break out a new move to defeat Taya Valkyrie. After Taya kicked out from the Buzzsaw DDT, Blanchard broke out “Magnum”, a top rope codebreaker named after her step-father, Magnum TA.
This week Taya broke out a new submission move to get the win over Ray Lyn. It wasn’t the only new wrinkle added to the Knockouts title match at Homecoming, however, as Tessa Blanchard’s conflict with Impact referees continues.
Tessa Blanchard Will Strangle Referees/Gail Kim Does Not Condone
Taya vs Tessa II at Final Hour ended when Blanchard punched the referee to get purposely disqualified. The referee then visited Blanchard in the back this week and explained that in the ring, he stands for law and order. When Blanchard hit the ring after Taya’s match this week, she ended up punching the referee yet again. She would continue to strangle him until his face was flush red.
Impact Hall-of-Famer, Gail Kim, had to come out and pry Blanchard off of the referee. Management may have to take action against the Knockouts Champion. Will Gail Kim play a further role in the Tessa v Taya rivalry?
Eddie Edwards Is Staying At Shady Acres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6513ph24k&t=7s
Eddie Edwards is staying at a mental institution which shares the same name as the one from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Somehow, his doctors seemed to think it was a good idea to allow Alisha Edwards to berate him for several moments before then allowing Moose to read to him from his own children’s book.
Moose mentioned Edwards’ book didn’t mention Moose power-bombing him on the ramp or any of the other beatings he’s given him. Edwards will likely be released from Shady Acres before Homecoming, and we’ll possibly see him and Moose renew their rivalry then.
Kiera Hogan Pleas For The Old Allie To Come Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KiMJO8V6MY
A new Allie has returned from the undead realm, one now aligned with James Mitchell and Su Yung. This week Kiera Hogan made a plea for the good Allie to return. Hogan believes the darkness hasn’t fully consumed Allie. She said Allie could have really hurt her two weeks ago but didn’t. To Hogan, that makes her believe good Allie is still alive deep within this new dark Allie.
Jordynne Grace Is Very Strong (Still)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZVoE-WU_o8
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Jordynne Grace has started her Impact Wrestling career by defeating Katarina twice in a row. Katarina seemed to get in a bit more offense then she did last time out but the end result was the same: Grace squeezing her opponent in a bear-hug so tight the tap-out comes almost instantly.
After Homecoming, it’s likely a new challenger for the Knockouts title will need to be declared (assuming there are no further immediate Tessa vs Taya matches). Grace is someone who could rise to the top of the division quickly as we head into 2019.
The Rascalz Have Arrived
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoWe7pscr7o
Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz have arrived in Impact Wrestling. They’d each participated in tapings before but now it’s clear the trio are about to make a splash in the promotion. All three have impressed many on the independent scene and look primed to do the same thing in Impact Wrestling.
Gold Rush – November 30th
Gold Rush takes place tonight from Newark, CA. The show gets going live on Twitch at 10:30 PM. Some of the matches advertised for the show are below:
Brian Cage vs Moose
Kiera Hogan vs Tessa Blanchard
Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal
oVe vs the Freaks
Johnny Impact vs Eli Drake
Quick Results:
The Lucha Bros defeated Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz w/ Trey Miguel defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ
Next week:
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs Tessa Blanchard & Moose
Dark Allie debuts
Ultimate X Qualifier
Matt Sydal vs Ethan Page
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
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
John Cena is set to receive this year’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award by Sports Illustrated. The award is given annually to an “athlete or sports figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership, and philanthropy while using sports as a platform.”
Cena commented on the award to the Associated Press.
“To have a legacy award of any kind bestowed upon you is tremendous,” Cena said. “To be in the company of people who have received this and to receive an honor named after Muhammad Ali is an honor that means so much to me.”
“It really is a wonderful match. I never try to downplay that experience because a family has been given one wish and that is to meet you or hang out for an afternoon,” he continued.
John Cena Muhammad Ali Legacy Award
Cena’s younger brother is a survivor of brain cancer. This influenced Cena to approach WWE about doing more to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
“I saw baseball doing the pink bats, football with the pink cleats and I asked why we weren’t doing anything. I pretty much established the connection and years later we have donated millions and helped a lot of people.”
Former winners of the award include Colin Kaepernick, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Last week, Impact Wrestling featured mainly GWN flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving-themed matches. Tonight, the promotion is back with a full episode featuring previously unaired matches.
Impact Wrestling Preview 11/29
The Lucha Bros vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Two of Impact’s top tag-teams will face each other tonight. Granted, Mack and Swann have only teamed up once before. They were victorious over the team of Matt Sydal and Ethan Page at Bound For Glory, however.
2 weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they wanted to defend their tag belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t want that match to take place, however. We’ll see if anything changes regarding the LAX/Konnan/Lucha Bros situation tonight.
Eli Drake vs Tommy Dreamer
Eli Drake wants to rid professional wrestling from hardcore matches. Tommy Dreamer made his name from such a style of wrestling and plans to defend it tonight. Dreamer previously interrupted an anti-hardcore wrestling promo by Drake, leading to tonight’s match.
The Rascalz Debut
A few weeks ago we saw Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz in a “That 70s Show” style smoke circle. This week they will be in action, though their opponents have yet to be named. This could be the beginning of a good run with the promotion for 3 wrestlers who have impressed many on the independent scene.
Jordynne Grace vs Katarina
This is a rematch from Grace’s first match in Impact. Grace was victorious but the next week Katarina approached Grace in the back and let the newcomer know she thinks she can beat her. “Thick Mama Pump” seemed amused by this and a rematch was scheduled for tonight.
Taya Valkyrie In Single’s Action
Taya Valkyrie is preparing for her rematch with Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming. In the meantime, however, she’ll be in single’s action tonight, though her opponent has yet to be revealed.
Knockouts Champion, Tessa Blanchard, will likely be watching this match closely as she prepares to face Taya for the 3rd time in Nashville.
Gold Rush On Friday
Impact Wrestling is actually back tomorrow as well for a live special on Twitch. Impact Gold Rush will start at 10:30 PM est and 7:30 PM local time from Newark, CA.
Despite being spotted at Monday Night Raw recently, Silas Young is expected to sign a new deal with ROH. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the two sides have agreed on a new 3-year deal for the 39-year-old.
“Silas Young was offered a new three-year deal that right now he’s expected to accept,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “There were rumors of him leaving because he was at the 11/26 Raw show, but he was there because his son, a big WWE fan, wanted to attend.”
Raw was in Silas’ hometown of Milwaukee, WI.
Silas Young ROH
Young is a 16-year pro, having begun his career in 2002. He made his first appearances for ROH in 2007 and was a regular by 2012. He is a former 2x ROH TV champion and won the Honor Rumble in 2016.
Young revealed in a 2011 interview that prior to becoming a pro-wrestler, he had been addicted to heroin.
“Ya know a lot of people think that heroin addiction would be a touchy subject which is why I chose to share that part of me,” Young said to 411Mania. “I was young and stupid as fuck (obviously) but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Wrestling is honestly what got me to get clean then start working out then wrestling training and then getting booked on every single show I could. I got to meet my wife along the way. Maybe if I wouldn’t have become a heroin addict maybe I wouldn’t be where I’m at now in life and I’m pretty happy with what I got.”
Cody, the Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Adam Page are all finishing up commitments in ROH and NJPW at the moment. When 2019 hits, however, it’s looking as though the group will be part of a new promotion, All Elite Wrestling.
Cody was asked recently at a Meet in Greet for World Series Wrestling in Australia about the promotion. He indicated an announcement would be made in January. Cody also stated the announcement will be bigger than expected.
Cody’s answer to the question was covered in this week’s Wrestling Observer.
“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.
Cody and All Elite Wrestling
Cody has also doubled-down on his statements that he will be finishing up with Ring of Honor after Final Battle. He has said his title match with Jay Lethal will be his final match with the promotion. The angle is if Cody wins he’ll bring the title with him into free agency.
Cody also appears to be scouting talent. He sent the following out on Tuesday evening:
Curious
Who are some of the hottest male/female independent acts not signed anywhere?
James Ellsworth has released a statement regarding accusations he sent nude photos to an underage fan. Ellsworth and his legal team are stating the social media accounts which sent the photos are fake.
The statement also says Ellsworth and his legal team will take action against any party spreading the allegations against him.
“Recently, allegations of misconduct have been lodged against me which I categorically deny. I never have, nor will I ever engage in any activity that could be deemed as inappropriate or disrespectful. My delay in publicly commenting on this situation was based on the advice of my legal team, which has just completed a thorough investigation.”
Ellsworth then mentions in his statement that they have uncovered evidence he was being impersonated online by someone interested in ruining his reputation.
“My attorneys have pinpointed a trusted witness who is willing to testify on my behalf. In addition, they have uncovered concrete evidence that supports my innocence and proves that without a shadow of a doubt the social media accounts alleged to be mine are fake and the messages from the account were fraudulently created without my knowledge or consent.”
Ellsworth then said he hopes to restore his reputation.
“My only hope is to restore my reputation as I, along with my family, friends and supporters have suffered because of a social media stunt devised to end my professional wrestling career. My team and I are prepared to pursue legal action against any party that persists with the promotion of these lies.”
Last night on Smackdown, WWE proclaimed that Jeff Hardy is celebrating his 20th Anniversary with WWE this year. This is not entirely accurate, however, as Jeff is actually a little over 6 months away from his 25th Anniversary with the company.
In terms of his overall tenure in WWE, Jeff has been with the company for approximately 14 years. He’s had 3 different runs with the company from 94-03, 06-09, 17-present.
Jeff Hardy in WWE
A possible reason for why WWE decided to fudge Jeff’s anniversary statistics last night is the age he was when he started. Jeff’s first match with the promotion was a loss to Razor Ramon on Monday Night Raw taped on May 23rd, 1994. He was only 16-years-old at the time.
Jeff would wrestle 3 more times for WWE in 1994, losing to the 1-2-3 Kid, Jim Neidhart, and King Kong Bundy. Hardy would even get a win over Razor Ramon on an episode of Superstars in late 1995 after he had turned 18. The match would air in early 1996:
The Hardyz would receive their first WWE Tag Team Championship match against the Smoking Gunns on May 28th, 1996 on another episode of Superstars. By early 1997, the Hardyz were a regular part of WWE programming. Why WWE decided to tell their audience Jeff is celebrating his 20th Anniversary with the company in late 2018 was likely just to give Samoa Joe an excuse to interrupt his celebration and kick-start their rivalry.