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.
Daniel Bryan wasn’t on Smackdown last night. Former WWE Champion AJ Styles remarked that perhaps Bryan has been watching Raw and was hoping to have a schedule which more closely resembles that of the Universal Champion’s. Styles also mentioned that Bryan was not on the WWE live event schedule this weekend either.
Bryan responded to Styles’ comments earlier today on Twitter:
The old Daniel Bryan wrestled 227 matches in a calendar year, much more than AJ has ever done in his career. Shortly thereafter he needed neck surgery. The New Daniel Bryan is above that sort of masochism. https://t.co/F0BLWGRsf8
“The old Daniel Bryan wrestled 227 matches in a calendar year, much more than AJ has ever done in his career. Shortly thereafter he needed neck surgery. The New Daniel Bryan is above that sort of masochism.”
Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles at TLC
Styles mentioned on Smackdown last night that he was not medically cleared to compete at Survivor Series or on Smackdown last week due to injuries suffered during Bryan’s post-match attack. Not long after losing the WWE Championship, however, Styles posted the following to Twitter:
The thing about being a real Champion, a reigning, DEFENDING champion is that any day someone can beat you. But holding the title is more than just wins and losses, it’s about who you are as a man. Daniel showed us that last night. And the receipt is coming. #SDLivepic.twitter.com/m99WvL1JpJ
“The thing about being a real Champion, a reigning, DEFENDING champion is that any day someone can beat you. But holding the title is more than just wins and losses, it’s about who you are as a man. Daniel showed us that last night. And the receipt is coming. #SDLive”
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan Head-To-Head Stats
Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles have met in single’s action 8 times, 3 in WWE, 3 in ROH, 1 in PWG, and once for IWA Mid-South. Outside of WWE, Styles leads the series 3-2. In WWE, they are tied at 1-1-1.
The WWE Network will present an episode of 205 Live and NXT tonight. 205 Live could get moved back to their live Tuesday night timeslot next month, however, as the Mixed Match Challenge is scheduled to finish at the TLC PPV.
NXT 11/28 Preview
Tonight’s episode of NXT was filmed at a San Jose house show on the 15th. WWE will be back in San Jose next month for TLC.
Keith Lee vs Lars Sullivan
A battle of heavyweights tonight. Sullivan is main roster-bound but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll lose to Lee tonight. Lee is someone who could have a big future ahead of him in NXT and WWE as well so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out looking stronger in this clash tonight.
Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs the Mighty
The NXT tag-team division will see Burch and Lorcan take on Australia’s the Mighty tonight. The Mighty have seen better results since they started breaking the rules but tonight they’ll be in tough against the hard-nosed team of Burch and Lorcan.
EC3 vs Marcel Barthel
EC3 could use a win after being bounced out of title contention before the last Takeover. He was also the target of an attack by the Undisputed Era which took him out of action for a few weeks. You can’t keep the top 1% down for long, however, and EC3 starts his road back to the top of the men’s singles division tonight.
Mia Yim vs Vanessa Borne
Mia Yim took a loss to Bianca Belair her last match out. In fairness, only Nikki Cross has faced Belair in NXT and managed to avoid taking a loss. Vanessa Borne has been progressing as of late, however, and won’t let Mia Yim get back in the win column so easily.
205 Live 11/28 Preview
Hideo Itami Returns
Hideo Itami has not wrestled since being defeated by Mustafa Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere match to blow-off their rivalry. Itami will be in single’s action tonight but his opponent has yet to be named, likely meaning they are enhancement talent.
Mustafa Ali & Cedric Alexander vs Tony Nese & Buddy Murphy
Things are tight atop the Cruiserweight division at the moment. Murphy’s reign as champ has included just the one title defense against Mustafa Ali thus far but a new challenger could emerge in this match here. Alexander has never received a rematch from his loss to Murphy in Australia and Alexander had previously defeated Murphy in a title defense as well. Their trilogy bout could be upcoming. On the other hand, Tony Nese recently defeated Alexander, so he could be in line for a shot at his training partner’s belt.
Former WWE Superstar and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura spoke to TMZ Sports this week and had some newsworthy things to say about his future in pro wrestling and politics.
It’s been rumored that WrestleMania 36 will take place from Ventura’s home town of Minneapolis. The 66-year-old said he’s in great physical shape and teased that he could be part of WrestleMania one more time.
“I’m just telling you I’m in fighting shape,” Ventura said as he pulled up his shirt and showed off his abs. WWE has yet to announce which city will host WrestleMania in 2020, but Ventura says the company will bring the show to Minneapolis “if they’re smart.”
“I ain’t saying I am [wrestling again] but I’m just saying [WrestleMania] is in Minneapolis,” Ventura said. “If they were smart, if they’re smart, I’m not saying they’re smart.”
Ventura vs. Trump?
Jesse Ventura isn’t ruling out a Presidential run in 2020, either. In fact, Ventura said if he does run, President Trump won’t have a chance against him.
“If I do do it, Trump will not have a chance,” Ventura said. “For one, Trump knows wrestling. He participated in two Wrestlemanias. He knows he can never out-talk a wrestler, and he knows I’m the greatest talker wrestling’s ever had.”
Ventura also mentioned in the video he is getting a lot of interest from the Green Party about possibly running for President. His main points of focus are renewable energy and cannabis legalization.
Joey Mercury was able to prove he was not responsible for a series of fraudulent credit card purchases recently. Mercury was arrested over All In Weekend in Chicago when it was discovered he had an outstanding warrant from Florida. His passport records and proof of him participating at wrestling events during the time in which the crimes happened led to charges against him being dismissed yesterday, however.
Just because the charges were dismissed and Mercury was proven innocent doesn’t mean he hasn’t suffered as a result, however. The arrest led to Mercury not being able to work as an agent for All In. Reports of his arrest, even though he was innocent, could also have potentially prevented other promoters from booking Joey.
Mercury’s lawyer’s released the following statement in regard’s to his case:
WWE Intercontinental Champion, Seth Rollins, commented on the situation involving the former J&J Security Team member.
Innocence should never be taken for granted. Joey’s story is just one of many, but hopefully his case can help bring attention to those who’ve been wronged as well. #justiceforjoeyhttps://t.co/0ZUmZiVnmW
“Innocence should never be taken for granted. Joey’s story is just one of many, but hopefully his case can help bring attention to those who’ve been wronged as well. #justiceforjoey”
Unfortunately for Joey and others, the public can often view celebrities as “guilty until proven innocent” when reports of their arrest surface. In the case of Mercury, he was able to prove his innocence but doing so isn’t always that easy, even for the truly innocent.
Kevin Owens is not happy with Elton John at the moment. The famous singer canceled his scheduled Orlando performance last night just 30 minutes before it was to begin due to an ear infection.
Evidently, the former Universal Champion had planned to spend a “date night” with the Mrs. at the concert.
“Hey, @eltonofficial, nobody ruins my wife and I’s date night except me! You, me…WresteMania. I’ve fought men in their 70’s before, I can do it again! #KOvsElton#KOMania4”
“The last time I wore red heart-shaped glasses for another man before tonight was on January 12, 1996 at the Montreal Forum. I was 11 years old. It was for Shawn Michaels! I’m never wearing red heart-shaped glasses for another man again! @eltonofficial”
Kevin Owens’ Musical Taste
This is not the first time Owen’s concert attendance has been promoted on his social media. After leaving social media along with Sami Zayn earlier this year, Owens returned to Twitter only so he could encourage Shania Twain to sing a certain song when he attended her concert.
Owens was able to go on stage with Shania but she did not play the song “When” that he had hoped she would. He hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since an October 8th loss to Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw. Owens had surgery on his knees recently and at last update, his timetable for return is the first-quarter of 2019.
When Impact Wrestling returns to PPV early next year, there will be an Ultimate X match to determine a new X-Division Champion. The latest X-Division Champion, Brian Cage, will cash in “Option C” on the PPV for a shot at the Impact Wrestling World Championship currently held by Johnny Impact.
The rules for an Ultimate X match are as follows:
3 or more participants (at Homecoming there will be 4).
The X-Division Title or a giant red “X” are placed high above the ring (at Homecoming it will be the title).
Two cables are attached high above the ring with the title or X placed in the middle.
The first wrestler to grab the title or X is declared the winner.
Impact has announced 4 wrestlers will compete in the match, though none of the participants have been officially named as of yet. Qualifying matches will begin next week.
Homecoming takes place January 6th, 2019 from the Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as the TNA Asylum.
Impact Wrestling’s Ultimate X Match
The first Ultimate X match was held in 2003. Michael Shane won the X-Division title from Chris Sabin in a match which also involved Frankie Kazarian. Sabin is the all-time winningest competitor for these matches, however. He has won 8 out of 17 of such matches he has taken part in.
Pierre Carl-Oulette has revitalized his career in 2018. Now known as PCO, he is one of the biggest names on the independent circuit. Much of his new found fandom has come through is bizarre and often disturbing YouTube videos.
In his latest video, PCO bites the head of a dead fish. He is accompanied in the video as always by Destro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1Vl019lDnc
PCO in 2018
The 50-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. He made his professional debut 31 years ago in 1987. By 1993, Oulette was in WWE as one-half of the Quebecers. By 1995, Oulette was repackaged as Jean-Pierre LaFitte, a decedent of real-life pirates. He would head to WCW in 1996 where he would team with Jaques Rougeou as one-half of the Quebecers.
He returned to WWE and WCW in minor roles in the early 21st century but largely kept to the independent scene after the 90s came to a close.
Largely due to his YouTube videos and a stellar performance for Game Changer Wrestling, PCO ascended to the top of the indies this year. This summer, he then signed a deal with Major League Wrestling.
“It’s been my greatest run ever in the pro wrestling business,” PCO described 2018 to the Pro Wrestling Torch this summer. “This is the best. This year has been really, really intense. It’s organic. It’s been a crazy run, and it’s also the run where I’m having the most fun and I enjoy the most.”
Tonight’s episode of Smackdown will take place inside the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. Smackdown Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, has been confirmed to appear on the show.
Only 3 segments have been announced for tonight’s episode. Although traditionally Smackdown announces more matches and segments ahead of time than Raw, that has not been the case in recent weeks.
Edit: New Day vs The Bar in a non-title match has now also been announced for tonight.
Smackdown 11/27 Preview
Becky Lynch Returns to Smackdown
The most reaction-garnering Superstar on the roster returns to Smackdown tonight. Although she is still not cleared to compete, Lynch has evidently been cleared to travel, which is a good sign.
The last time Lynch was in a WWE ring she was hugging Charlotte Flair and picking her as her Survivor Series replacement. Since then, quite a bit has taken place on social media. It will be interesting to hear what Lynch might have to say regarding Rousey, Flair, and/or Nia tonight.
AJ Styles Responds To Daniel Bryan
Last week on Smackdown, Daniel Bryan delivered a promo explaining his actions from the week prior. Bryan won the WWE Championship after kicking AJ in the groin 2 weeks ago today. He said his dreams took over for him and that’s why he did what he did. Tonight, former champion AJ Styles will address both Bryan and the WWE Universe.
Jeff Hardy Celebrates 20-Years in WWE
Jeff Hardy and his brother Matt debuted in WWE in 1998. Tonight, Jeff Hardy celebrates the 20-year anniversary of the Hardyz in WWE. Such celebrations rarely take place on WWE programming without incident, however.
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is aware of All Elite Wrestling and would consider working for the upstart promotion if they made him a solid offer. During an interview with MMAFighting, Punk said, “If those guys all go and start their own thing, more power to them,” Punk said.
When asked directly if he’d entertain an offer to work for All Elite, Punk replied, “I would always listen. I would listen to them because … I like the Young Bucks, I text with Matt on and off. But business is business.”
Prior to All In, there was speculation as to whether or not he would be involved in that show. Cody Rhodes stated at one point that they reached out to CM Punk to appear, but Punk says an official offer was never made.
“I know Cody was out there in the media saying that an offer was made,” Punk said. “An offer was not made. Calling me up or texting me saying, ‘Hey, if you want to come to the show and do something, we would love that’ is not an offer. That’s not an offer.”
While the signing of CM Punk would be a huge deal for All Elite, Punk is pretty adamant that his pro wrestling days are most likely behind him.
“There are a couple more loose ends that I’m still trying to tie up to fully absolve me from the world of pro wrestling,” Punk stated. “I feel like I’ve still been attached to it since the day that I left it and that’s mostly because of fugazi lawyers and such. But we’re wrapping all that up and that’ll come to an end. And once I’m truly free, we can explore the world and just float and hang out and I can walk my dog and drink coffee and do commentary for Dave Sholler and continue to train at Roufusport and do all kinds of stuff. I’ve earned it, I’ve paid my dues.”
Dragon Lee is the latest wrestler to be announced as part of MLW’s 2-night set of Fusion tapings in Miami next month. Court Bauer made the announcement earlier today on Twitter.
The “tough few days” Bauer mentioned is in reference to the numerous injuries which have occurred recently. Top MLW star, Tom Lawlor, broke his hand in an MMA fight this weekend. He was scheduled to face Simon Gotch in Miami but there is no word on if his injury will prevent him from competing in Miami.
Joey Janela was involved in an angle with middleweight champion, MJF, up until he suffered an injury in late September. MJF has since announced he broke his elbow and is also off MLW’s Miami shows.
Dragon Lee in MLW
Dragon Lee is perhaps best known for his long-running feud with Hiromu Takahashi. The pair began their rivalry in CMLL and then continued it around the globe for various promotions. Unfortunately, in their last match, Takahashi was injured after landing on his head after a suplex spot. Takahashi finished the match but collapsed backstage. As of this writing, there is concern he’ll never wrestle again.
Dragon Lee was voted the rookie of the year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2014. He unmasked Hiromu Takahashi (who was wrestling as Kamaitachi) the following year in a mask vs mask match. PWI ranked him at #125 in their PWI top-500 list in 2018.
