SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • Kevin Owens’ Injury Worse Than Expected

    Kevin Owens’ Injury Worse Than Expected

    Kevin Owens underwent knee surgery recently and it looks like the former Universal Champion will be out of action longer than expected. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Owens isn’t expected back until February or March.

    “Kevin Owens had double knee surgery,” Dave Meltzer said. “The damage in his left knee was worse than expected but they’re hopeful late February – early March return. So, that’s sort of the timetable for what it is. He didn’t have full-blown reconstructive surgery on either knee but it was serious in the left knee especially.”

    Owens underwent knee surgery in 2015 and 2017 as well.

    Kevin Owens Injury

    The current timetable for Owens’ return is just before WrestleMania. He’ll have little time to build up a program, however. Owen’s best friend, Sami Zayn, is expected back in WWE around the same time as Owens. Zayn had surgery on both his shoulders recently and has been out of action since the summer. He spoke with Sports Illustrated regarding his injury:

    “I was apprehensive [at WWE Money in the Bank], but it was still manageable,” Zayn said. “It’s just so weird how you get so used to what we do: I could go in there and wrestle main events on Live Events for 25-30 minutes, but I couldn’t really get the sheets off me in bed. It’s weird how that works. Your body just adapts. And I guess my body’s used to being in the ring and that kind of punishment.”

  • John Hennigan Explains Why He Won’t Comment On Survivor

    John Hennigan Explains Why He Won’t Comment On Survivor

    John Hennigan is having a terrific year. The current Impact Wrestling World Champion competes regularly for both Lucha Underground and Impact and is also a contestant on this season of the hit reality TV show “Survivor”.

    According to Hennigan, giving out scoops on Survivor is a far riskier proposition than doing so for pro-wrestling.

    “Nobody gets Survivor scoops!” Hennigan said to Fightful recently. “There are some pretty iron-clad NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). I think you have to chop off your left arm if you give away a secret (laughs). They don’t mess around at all. Hunting for Survivor scoops would be a very tough job.”

    John Hennigan On Survivor

    Hennigan’s season of Survivor pits “Davids” against “Goliaths”. He spoke to Fightful regarding his experience filming the show.

    “I cleared my schedule and everyone was supportive, and seemed pretty happy I was doing something. There’s a lot of people who watch Survivor and a lot of Survivor fans — that’s certainly true about the Impact office. Every time I come to work and everyone’s asking me what happened and I can’t say anything. It’s cool to be a part of something like Survivor, that’s a mainstay of pop culture. It’s good to be on the other side and get to experience it.”

  • NXT & 205 Live, & Mae Young Classic 10/17 Previews

    NXT & 205 Live, & Mae Young Classic 10/17 Previews

    WWE will present 4 previously unaired television programs today. At 3 PM est, the NXT UK brand will debut on the network. At 7 PM est, the WWE Network will air 205 Live, NXT, and the next episode of the Mae Young Classic.

    Here are the matches and segments airing on the Network today:

    NXT UK Brand:

    United Kingdom Championship
    Pete Dunne (c) vs Noam Dar

    The United Kingdom title will be defended tonight on NXT UK. Pete Dunne will look to keep his 500 day plus title reign going when he faces Noam Dar.

    Toni Storm vs Nina Samuels

    The NXT UK brand’s women’s division kicks off with two stars destined to become a bit part of the brand.

    Mark Andrews vs Joe Coffey

    Joe and Mark Coffey cost Andrews a match during the second UK title tournament and now he’s out for revenge.

    Dave Mastiff vs Sid Scala

    Big Dave Mastiff looks to make an impact tonight when he takes on Sid Scala.

    205 Live:

    Akira Tozawa vs Drew Gulak

    Drew Gulak recently kicked Brian Kendrick out of his small faction. Tonight he’ll take on a former Cruiserweight Champion in Tozawa. Gulak’s other ally, Jack Gallagher, lost to Tozawa in single’s action recently as well.

    Why Did Mike Kanellis Attack Lince Dorado?

    Mike and Maria Kanellis showed up on 205 Live last week and cost Dorado a match against Lio Rush. We’ll hear why Mike and Maria did what they did this week.

    NXT:

    NXT Tag Team Championships
    The Undisputed Era (c) vs War Raiders

    Hanson and Rowe will have a chance to win NXT gold tonight when they take on Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong.

    Nikki Cross vs Bianca Belair

    The last time these two met it was a double count-out after a tense match-up. Cross had been lobbying William Regal for a rematch and she gets her wish tonight.

    Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan In Tag Action

    Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan will team up tonight. Their opponents haven’t been announced.

    Shayna Baszler In Single’s Action

    Shayna Baszler will also be in single’s action tonight. Her opponent has not been named either.

    Mae Young Classic:

    4 quarter-final matches will take place tonight. Each winning Superstar will earn entry into the tournament’s semi-finals.

    Quarter-finals to air tonight:

    • Toni Storm vs Mia Yim
    • Tegan Nox vs Rhea Ripley
    • Io Shirai vs Deonna Purrazzo
    • Lacey Lane vs Meiko Satomura
  • Tama Tonga Warns Finn Balor About The Elite Coming To WWE

    Tama Tonga Warns Finn Balor About The Elite Coming To WWE

    In New Japan Pro Wrestling, a new Bullet Club has formed. Jay White, Gedo, and Jado recently joined the Tongans side of the faction. At the same time, members of “the Elite” are stating they will not be putting out any further Bullet Club style T-shirts past the ones they just released.

    Tama Tonga seems convinced it was members of the Elite who made comments to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter running down the promotion’s new management. He also seems convinced the Elite are on their way to WWE when their contracts expire at the end of the year.

    Tama Tonga Warns Finn Balor About the Elite

    It was Tama Tonga’s birthday yesterday. Fellow original Bullet Club members Karl Anderson and Finn Balor each wished him a happy birthday. Tonga then commented there might be some “OG Business” heading their way.

    Tonga responded to Hangman Page putting out his last Bullet Club styled shirt as well:

    Is This A Work?

    As with some other storylines currently playing out in wrestling, it’s not clear if this is real or not. The Elite and Bullet Club are feuding in storyline but much of what has been said online seems to go beyond what is showcased on NJPW programming.

    Tonga alleges it was members of the Elite who spoke anonymously to media in regards to the company.

  • Charlotte Flair Being Sued By Ex-Husband

    Charlotte Flair Being Sued By Ex-Husband

    Riki Paul Johnson has filed a lawsuit for defamation against his former wife, Charlotte Flair. The couple was married between 2010 and 2011. Johnson alleges that comments made by Flair in her book “Second Nature” about him are untrue and have had a negative impact on him and his family.

    The lawsuit alleges that Flair’s book states Johnson is sterile, a claim he denies. Johnson also claims the book contains “multiple false allegations physical and/or psychological abuse.”

    He is also disputing parts of the book stating he lost 2 jobs due to illicit drug use. The lawsuit is seeking $5 Million in damages. The lawsuit contends that Johnson was made to look bad in order to showcase Flair as a “victim who overcame personal adversity and domestic abuse.”

    Neither Ric nor Charlotte Flair has commented on the lawsuit.

    Charlotte and Ric Flair’s “Second Nature”

    Ric and Charlotte Flair released “Second Nature” together last year.

    “Charlotte grew up in the shadow of her famous father, “the dirtiest player in the game,“ but now she is poised to take the Flair name to new heights,” an intro to the book states. “As the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte has had an impressive career, and she’s just getting started. With the (dare we say it) flair of the “Nature Boy“ running through her blood, Charlotte is destined for greatness. Find out how she embraced her heritage and battled her own challenges through her rise to the top of WWE. For these two Champions, sports entertainment is simply SECOND NATURE.”

  • JBL Explains Why WWE Should Got To Saudi Arabia On Fox Business

    JBL Explains Why WWE Should Got To Saudi Arabia On Fox Business

    John Bradshaw Layfield recently appeared on Fox News to discuss the controversy surrounding WWE’s planned Crown Jewel event. The former WWE Champion didn’t mince words, stating his belief WWE needs to follow through with the planned event as scheduled.

    “My personal opinion is that they should go (to Saudi Arabia),” stated JBL. “Look at what we did with Cuba. You isolate a country all you do is impoverish that country. You want to promote change? WWE went to Abu Dhabi, did the first women’s match that had ever happened in the Middle East. The crowd was chanting, in English, ‘This is Change’.”

    He continued to blame the Senators for trying to improve their approval ratings.

    JBL Says WWE Can Promote Change By Going To Saudi Arabia

    Eric Bischoff and Alundra Blayze/Madusa chimed in to say they approve of JBL’s reasoning.

    https://twitter.com/EBischoff/status/1052220133412757504

    WWE’s planned Crown Jewel event is scheduled for November 3rd in Saudi Arabia. Recently several US Senators have spoken out regarding the event.

    “I would hope that WWE will recognize on its own a conscience and conviction if there is proof that Saudi officials approved and ordered this kind of killing, and I would lean first on the United States government to do its duty so that it can lead private interests like WWE, and the first place to look is to the United States of America,” stated Senator Richard Blumenthal recently.

  • Smackdown Women React (Strangely) To WWE Evolution Battle Royal Announcement

    Smackdown Women React (Strangely) To WWE Evolution Battle Royal Announcement

    Several members of the Smackdown Live Women’s division responded in interesting fashion to news of the battle royal at Evolution. The match was added to the upcoming all-women PPV last night during Raw.

    WWE tagged each confirmed participant of the battle royal on Twitter last night. Several of the competitors then responded to the news. They don’t seem that impressed.

    Smackdown Women Respond To Evolution Battle Royal Announcement

    The winner of the first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Naomi, doesn’t seem too enthused about the match.

    Lana then gave a similar response:

    Naomi and Lana’s posts then seemed to start a trend for other women on the roster. Mandy Rose posted the following to her social media account:

    Former Smackdown Women’s Champion, Carmella, also responded with a reaction GIF. She didn’t respond in the actual thread, however, but she did post the following:

    The Iiconics didn’t respond in the WWE thread about the match either but their recent social media activity seems to have a similar theme to Lana, Carmella, and Naomi.

    Billie Kay:

    And of course, Peyton Royce with a similar response:

    https://twitter.com/PeytonRoyceWWE/status/1052046785806553088

    Other WWE Evolution Battle Royal Participants React

    Torrie Wilson seemed fine with the news, however. She added her response under Naomi’s GIF:

    Dana Brooke then indicated she misses either Torrie Wilson or Naomi, it’s not clear who.

    In addition to the battle royal, WWE Evolution will feature Ronda Rousey defending her championship against Nikkie Bella. Becky Lynch will also face Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match.

  • Smackdown 1000 Preview: Evolution Reunion, Undertaker Returns To Smackdown, more…

    Smackdown 1000 Preview: Evolution Reunion, Undertaker Returns To Smackdown, more…

    Tonight’s episode of Smackdown will be the 1000th to air in the show’s history. As such, WWE has planned a night of returns, reunions, and high-profile matches.

    Smackdown 1000 Preview

    WWE World Cup Qualifying Match
    Rey Mysterio vs Shinsuke Nakamura

    Rey Mysterio will return to WWE tonight. He’ll face Shinsuke Nakamura with the winner earning a spot in the WWE World Cup (to determine the best in the world.) It will be Mysterio’s first match on Smackdown since 2014.

    The Undertaker At Smackdown 1000

    The Undertaker has been confirmed for Smackdown 1000. While the Dead Man isn’t wrestling in a match, he’ll likely have plenty to say regarding his upcoming match with Kane against HBK and Triple H at Crown Jewel.

    Evolution Reunites

    Evolution was primarily a Raw brand faction but they’ll be celebrating Smackdown 1000 tonight as well. Both Randy Orton and Triple H have matches upcoming at Crown Jewel, with Orton having qualified for the World Cup last week and Triple H teaming with HBK to face the Brothers of Destruction.

    It will be a coming home for Batista, as tonight’s episode is also taking place in his hometown of Washington, DC. The Guardians of the Galaxy star has openly said he’d like to return for another run with the company.

    WWE World Cup Qualifying Match
    Rusev vs the Miz

    The Miz will take on Rusev in another World Cup Qualifying match tonight. Rusev might want to look over his shoulder to see if his rival, Aiden English is watching the match. Meanwhile, the Miz has stated he gets next crack at the WWE Championship no matter who wins at Crown Jewel between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.

  • WWE Responds To Reports Of Superstars Uncomfortable With Crown Jewel Event

    WWE Responds To Reports Of Superstars Uncomfortable With Crown Jewel Event

    Yesterday, it was revealed that several WWE Superstars spoke to the media regarding Crown Jewel. These Superstars, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggested to Sports Illustrated they are uncomfortable performing on the show. WWE has now reached out to the media to give a statement on the matter.

    “As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers as we continue to monitor the situation,” WWE stated to the New York Post.

    WWE Crown Jewel Controversy

    The ongoing situation was covered by HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday. Host John Oliver commented on both the upcoming event and WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event held back in April.

    “Audiences around the world were treated to wall-to-wall propaganda about the new Saudi Arabia,” Oliver said. “Including a video showing women happily driving, men dancing, and tourist-destination beauty shops, as well as constant excited compliments throughout the broadcast.”

    Sen. Richard Blumenthal made the following statements to media recently as well:

    “I would hope that WWE will recognize on its own a conscience and conviction if there is proof that Saudi officials approved and ordered this kind of killing, and I would lean first on the United States government to do its duty so that it can lead private interests like WWE, and the first place to look is to the United States of America.”

  • Rush’s MLW Debut Match Announced

    Rush’s MLW Debut Match Announced

    The leader of Los InGobernables will make his Major League Wrestling debut next month. The match will take place on November 8th in Chicago’s Cicero Stadium. Rush will take on Sammy Guevara at MLW: Fightland.

    https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1051859938052632578

    Rush To Make MLW Debut

    “Arena Mexico’s greatest sensation Rush will finally arrive in what should be a fantastic fight as he takes on the talented Guevara, who himself is an accomplished luchador having won championship gold in Mexico and beyond,” an MLW press release reads.
    Rush’s Los InGobernables won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s award for the best gimmick in 2017.
    “A known brawler, the charismatic Rush will look to showcase his talents against the Houston high flyer Guevara.  If Guevara can shutdown Rush in his debut, the impact will be felt all the way to Mexico City.  No stranger to high-pressure matches, Rush has promised to show Chicago what the founder of Los Ingobernables is all about at Cicero Stadium.”
    It’s been a huge year for MLW. The recently re-launched promotion already has a television deal with BeIn Sports for Friday nights. They also post full episodes to their YouTube channel every Saturday.
    “Both men represent MLW’s reloaded roster as the league looks to 2019 and beyond with some key fresh match-ups.  This is the first of many exciting encounters you can expect from both in MLW.”
  • Impact Wrestling ‘Home Coming’ PPV Announced For January 6, 2019

    Impact Wrestling ‘Home Coming’ PPV Announced For January 6, 2019

    Impact Wrestling is ‘coming home’ for its next pay-per-view event.

    Impact Wrestling: Home Coming will take place on January 6th, 2019. The show will emanate from the former ‘TNA Asylum’ at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, TN.

    The TNA Asylum is the venue the promotion held many of their big events from their early years. The promotion’s first venue was the Martin Van Buren Arena in Huntsville, Alabama. In the summer of 2002, Impact moved most of their events to the Asylum, however.

    Most of these shows are available on the Global Wrestling Network, which also features promotions such as World Series Wrestling, Destiny, Smash, and now Championship Wrestling From Hollywood as well.

    The TNA Asylum is the nickname given to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville. The company was founded in the city by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett. TNA was originally part of the National Wrestling Alliance now owned by Billy Corgan. Their first recognized World Champion was Ken Shamrock, who won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA’s first-ever weekly PPV.

    The genesis of the promotion was evidently a fishing trip taken by WCW’s Bob Ryder, Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry. WCW and ECW had just closed and at the time there was only one wrestling promotion on television.

  • John Oliver Criticizes WWE Crown Jewel On “Last Week Tonight”

    John Oliver Criticizes WWE Crown Jewel On “Last Week Tonight”

    John Oliver made some critical comments regarding WWE’s involvement with the Saudi Royal Family last night. Oliver hosts “Last Week Tonight” on HBO.

    Before launching into his commentary regarding Crown Jewel, however, Oliver opted to make a joke about wrestling being “homoerotic”.

    “It seems the WWE is as overtly pro-Saudi Arabia as it is lately homoerotic, which is to say, intensely.”

    He was then critical of WWE for continuing with the Crown Jewel event.

    “As for the WWE, while they say they are monitoring the situation, their gigantic Crown Jewel event is still scheduled for November, meaning John Cena could well be back there [praising Saudi Arabia again], which I guess in this context means you don’t see these human rights abuses right here,” Oliver then did the Cena “You Can’t See Me” gesture.

    Watch John Oliver’s comments about WWE’s Saudi Arabia propaganda: 

    Will Crown Jewel Be Cancelled?

    It is assumed the company will make a great deal of money from the event. The exact details of their contract with the Saudi Royals are not known, however. While some are pointing to changes made to the WWE schedule on WWE.com, there is nothing firm which states WWE is planning to cancel or move the event.

    As of this writing, WWE plans on having two World Cup Qualifying matches take place on tonight’s Raw.

  • Bound For Glory 2018 Results

    Bound For Glory 2018 Results

    Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory took place October 14th, 2018 from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City.

    Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Matt Sydal & Ethan Page

    Swann announced Mack as his partner this week on Impact after Page and Sydal challenged him to find someone to face them at the PPV. Swann pinned Sydal with a Phoenix Splash after a fast-paced opener. Mack cut a promo after, encouraging fans to make noise and running a sponsorship promo giving two fans front row seats.

    • Konnan was shown beat up in the back. He said King attacked him.

    Eli Drake defeated James Ellsworth

    James Ellsworth answered Drake’s Open Challenge. He was not well received and booed heavily. Fans cheered for Drake, who defeated him quickly with Gravy Train.

    Drake cut a promo after saying he wanted stiffer competition, which brought out Abyss. The recently inducted Hall of Famer gave Drake the Blackhole Slam and a chokeslam through a table. 

    Knockouts Championship
    Tessa Blanchard © defeated Taya Valkyrie

    Valkyrie looked to have Blanchard beat after giving her the Road to Valhalla but the referee was momentarily out of position, allowing Taya to kick out. Blanchard hit her Buzzsaw DDT but Taya kicked out. She then hit a codebreaker from the top rope and got the pin.

    Eddie Edwards and Tommy Dreamer defeated Moose and Killer Kross

    This match was originally scheduled to be Moose vs Edwards but after Kross interfered and Dreamer made the save, it was turned into a tag match. Edwards won with a roll-up on Moose. After the match, Kross and Moose kept up the attack, delivering a powerbomb onto the ring apron to Edwards. 

    Sami Callihan & OVE defeated Brian Cage and the Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr and Fenix)

    Sami Callihan became the first person in Impact to pin Brian Cage here. Fenix had been thrown from the top onto the stage ramp and Callihan gave Pentagon a piledriver on the apron, leaving Cage alone with OVE. After the trio gave Cage a series of superkicks, Callihan delivered his Cactus Driver and got the pin. This will likely lead to Callihan vs Cage for the X-Division title sometime in the future, likely in the coming days of television tapings.

    Concrete Jungle Deathmatch
    Konnan & LAX defeated King and the OGZ

    This match consisted of no mat on the ring, exposed boards, and exposed turnbuckles. Konnan was not there to start the match. Lots of weapons, brawling, and a few table spots. Then they actually started taking big bumps on the exposed boards as well. After everyone was down after a big superplex spot, Konnan came out and brawled with King. LAX then hit Street Sweeper for the win.

    Allie Rescues Kiera Hogan From the Undead Realm (W/ Rosemary’s Help)

    James Mitchell arranged for Allie’s safe passage into the undead realm and we got a rather intense Final Deletion style mini-movie here. Allie started her trip into the undead realm by killing several undead bridesmaids with an ax. She then found Hogan in a coffin but Su Yung was not far behind.  Yung and Allie then had an ax fight but Allie eventually rescued Hogan from the coffin and got away. James Mitchell then revealed he would not grant them passage out of the undead realm. Rosemary then showed up to fend off Su Yung with some sorcery and black magic feasible only in the undead realm. So both Rosemary and Su Yung are still in the undead realm but Allie and Kiera Hogan are out.

    The company then announced their next PPV in Nashville:

    Impact World Championship
    Johnny Impact defeated Austin Aries (c)

    In the days leading up to this match, they started to blur the lines between reality and fiction through social media. They kept the theme up in this match by starting with a realistic MMA approach and stiff looking shots. The stiffness kept up throughout most of the match. Taya was at ringside for Johnny and Kross and Moose were there for Aries. In the closing moments, Aries was sent to the ropes and ended up doing a suicide dive into Taya. Johnny then capitalized on that by hitting Aries with his own brainbuster, followed by Starship Pain for the win.

    The show closed with Johnny and Taya celebrating.

  • Johnny Impact Wins World Championship At Bound For Glory

    Johnny Impact Wins World Championship At Bound For Glory

    John Hennigan, aka Johnny Impact, has won the Impact World Championship. He defeated Austin Aries tonight at Bound For Glory to win the gold.

    The win comes at an opportune time for both Johnny and Impact. Currently, John Hennigan is a contestant on the hit reality TV program, Survivor.

    Johnny Impact (John Hennigan) – Impact World Champion

    The title is his first in Impact. He’s previously been Lucha Underground Champion as well, having won the title in Season 3. In WWE, he’s a 3x former Intercontinental Champion, a 4x Tag Team Champion, a WWECW World Champion, and a 2-time Slammy Award winner. PWI ranked him #24 in their Top-500 rankings last year. He won the AAA Mega Championship in Mexico as well.

    The loss for Austin Aries concludes his 3rd run as Impact World Champion. He had lost and regained the title to Pentagon Junior earlier in the year. He originally won the title from Eli Drake shortly after the new management team took over in January.

    Impact will hold two nights of tapings in the Melrose Ballroom over the next two nights. They will then travel to Las Vegas for 3 nights of tapings in November. Tonight, they announced their next PPV will take place on January 9th, 2019 in Nashville, TN.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9SrNKgQcS

  • Impact Wrestling Announces Rules For “Concrete Jungle Deathmatch”

    Impact Wrestling Announces Rules For “Concrete Jungle Deathmatch”

    Tonight’s Concrete Jungle Deathmatch at Bound For Glory will be contested between Konnan and LAX against King and the OGZ. Impact Wrestling recently unveiled the unique set of rules for the match.

    The ring mat will be gone, exposing just the boards underneath. Also gone will be the turnbuckle coverings. Josh Mathews goes into greater detail regarding the stipulations in the video below.

    Concrete Jungle Deathmatch

    The unique gimmick match comes by way of an order from a crime boss. King would later admit he put a hit out on Konnan and that he feels Konnan leaches off of the talent he represents.

    Konnan recently returned to the ring for Major League Wrestling in their Battle Riot event. This will be the first non-battle royal match for Konnan in over 5 years, however.

    Bound For Glory Lineup

    1. Impact World Championship
      Austin Aries (c) vs Johnny Impact
    2. Knockouts Championship
      Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
    3. Eddie Edwards vs Moose
    4. Sami Callihan & oVe vs Brian Cage & the Lucha Brothers
    5. Concrete Jungle Deathmatch
      LAX & Konnan vs OGZ & King
    6. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs Ethan Page and Matt Sydal
    7. Eli Drake Open Challenge
    8. Allie Travels To the Underworld

    The event takes place at 8 PM inside the Melrose Ballroom in NYC.

  • WWE Announces World Cup Qualifying Matches For Raw

    WWE Announces World Cup Qualifying Matches For Raw

    WWE has confirmed that two World Cup Qualifying matches will take place on Raw Monday night. The World Cup is currently scheduled for Crown Jewel on November 2nd in Saudi Arabia.

    Seth Rollins will face Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose will take on Dolph Ziggler on Monday in the two qualification matches. So far, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and Randy Orton have qualified for the tournament. Rey Mysterio will face Shinsuke Nakamura at Smackdown 1000 in another qualifying match.

    Tomorrow night’s edition of Raw will take place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

    WWE World Cup At Crown Jewel

    Kurt Angle earned his qualification into the tournament in unique fashion. Angle won a battle royal last week organized by Constable Corbin while dressed as the Conquistador. He’d previously be on vacation at the advice of Stephanie McMahon.

    Randy Orton qualified for the tournament by defeating Big Show Tuesday on Smackdown. Jeff Hardy qualified for the tournament by defeating Samoa Joe via referee stoppage Tuesday night as well. John Cena was just announced as being in the tournament rather than having to qualify.

    As of this writing, the Crown Jewel event is still scheduled to go ahead as planned on November 2nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 4 Superstars from Raw and 4 from Smackdown will take place in the 8-person one-night tournament.

  • New NXT UK Tag Team Championships Unveiled

    New NXT UK Tag Team Championships Unveiled

    The NXT UK brand spent this weekend filming episodes for their new weekly show on the WWE Network. The brand debuts their first weekly show this Wednesday at 3 PM EST. During the tapings, Triple H and NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint unveiled the new NXT UK Tag Team Championships.

    NXT United Kingdom

    Triple H recently spoke to the media in the UK about his goals for the brand.

    “My goal long-term would be to make a career choice for people who want to have a career option, for people where they didn’t have to necessarily ever make it to RAW or Smackdown, if you want to look at it from that sense, and be able to have a very viable and lucrative career.”

    He also spoke regarding an NXT territory system potentially resembling the old system before wrestling promotions went national.

    “Whether you could be a part of the NXT system globally and over the course of a 10-year career, 15-year career go through multiple territories and get the wide range of experience and have a very meaningful career.”

  • Chris Jericho Teases Appearing At Bound For Glory Tonight

    Chris Jericho Teases Appearing At Bound For Glory Tonight

    There is growing speculation Chris Jericho could make an appearance at tonight’s Bound For Glory event in New York City. Jericho was asked on Twitter if he might be at the event and he didn’t deny it was possible.

    He then responded to another fan who feels this would be a terrific birthday gift for Jericho’s longtime friend and Impact Vice President, Don Callis.

    Chris Jericho Bound For Glory?

    Jericho’s band Fozzy isn’t on tour at the moment. A Fozzy tour didn’t stop him from appearing at All In last month, however.

    Rumors regarding Jericho’s involvement with Impact Wrestling began shortly after Don Callis was named to the promotion’s management team. Callis told me this spring he was interested in bringing both Jericho and Kenny Omega into the promotion.

    One possible way for Jericho to appear on tonight’s PPV is if he was to answer Eli Drake’s Open Challenge. On the most recent episode of Impact Wrestling, Drake said he was bringing his Open Challenge to New York. He added the stipulation, however, that the person who answers his Open Challenge at Bound For Glory has to be from New York. Chris Jericho was born in New York in 1970.

    Bound For Glory takes place tonight at 8 PM from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. It will be available for purchase via the FITE app. The Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea sets sail on October 27th as well.

  • Diamond Dallas Page Comments On David Arquette’s Return To Wrestling

    Diamond Dallas Page Comments On David Arquette’s Return To Wrestling

    In 2018, David Arquette is a legitimate professional independent wrestler. He’s been competing on episodes of Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and traveling to different territories.

    The night after All In, he teamed with RJ City and defeated James Ellsworth and Frank the Clown at WW2 in Chicago. At 47 years of age, he’s actually doing it. TMZ reporters recently caught up with Arquette’s “Ready 2 Rumble” co-star Diamond Dallas Page. The DDPY founder says he gave Arquette some advice before he hit the indy scene.

    Diamond Dallas Page On David Arquette

    “He came to me, he talked to me about this. He wanted to get at least some respect back so I was like ‘dude, go pay your dues,’” DDP said. “I got him doing my DDP yoga program cause ‘you’re going to need it you’re going to be so beat up!’”

    “You want to get respect from our fans?” Page continued. “You gotta put the work in.”

    Arquette recently competed in Border City Wrestling for Scott D’Amore’s promotion. The show will debut on the Global Wrestling Network next month.

    Page also commented on the decision to make Arquette World Champion in WCW.

    “It was stupid to do that (WCW making Arquette World Champ) but the fans reacted in a way where they were friggin furious,” DDP told TMZ. “David [] loves professional wrestling and he gets vilified over the last 20 years, it just never stops because they put the World Title on him. I don’t want to spoil this for anybody but wrestling, sports entertainment, is ‘pre-determined.’ The bottom line is it was a storyline and the fans who were really mad there’s not one of them – if they were given the opportunity – who wouldn’t have done it!”

    Arquette donated all of his earnings from his original WCW run to the families of Owen Hart and Brian Pillman.

  • The Elite Announce Their Final Bullet Club T-Shirts

    The Elite Announce Their Final Bullet Club T-Shirts

    Cody and the Young Bucks have both announced that their newest T-shirts will be their final ones with a Bullet Club theme to them. This comes amid growing speculation that the members of the Elite will drop Bullet Club from their name, leaving it to the NJPW faction.

    The Bucks unveiled a golden version of their classic Bullet Club tee:

    https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1050802893488570369

    Cody then announced his final Bullet Club themed shirt as well:

    Is The Elite Leaving Bullet Club?

    Members of the Elite are still announced as being from “Bullet Club Elite” during their ring introductions. They are still listed as part of the larger faction. With their contracts coming due at the end of the calendar year, however, it’s possible they want to distance themselves from the group.

    Bullet Club’s “Firing Squad” attacked the Elite at the G1 Special in San Fransico this summer. The group became fractured in two. At King of Pro Wrestling last week, “Switchblade” Jay White joined the faction. White had previously rejected a spot in Bullet Club when it was offered by Kenny Omega at New Year’s Dash. Gedo and Jado also joined the new version of Bullet Club, which might not have room in it for the Elite.

    New Japan Pro Wrestling will be on tour from now until the Power Struggle event on November 3rd. Live events will focus on the Super Junior Tag Tournament.

  • Alexa Bliss & Mickie James Promote WWE Evolution At American Music Awards (Video)

    Alexa Bliss & Mickie James Promote WWE Evolution At American Music Awards (Video)

    Alexa Bliss and Mickie James were in Los Angeles for the American Music Awards recently. The event was held at the Microsoft Theatre on October 9th, 2018.

    “I don’t know how you feel about Team In-Your-Dreams owning the red carpet here in LA,” Mickie James said. “But somebody’s gotta do it.”

    When the topic of Alexa and Mickie James teaming up to take on Lita and Trish Stratus.

    “We’re on the red carpet right now and where are they?” Bliss asked. James and Bliss then each answered they were at home.

    Mickie James and Alexa Bliss At the American Music Awards

    It was originally announced that Bliss would be taking on Trish Stratus and Lita facing Mickie James. This surprised some as older fans may have been looking forward to a possible Mickie James vs Trish Stratus rematch from their classic WrestleMania 22 tilt. James referenced their Mania moment this week on Raw when she mentioned that both her and Trish know “Nothing good happens in Chicago.” WrestleMania 22 was held in Chicago’s Allstate Arena.

    It was later reported that the tag match was always what WWE wanted to go with. They only announced the single’s matches as they couldn’t yet announce Nikki Bella vs Ronda Rousey as the main event.

  • Nikki Bella Says She Wanted AJ Lee At WWE Evolution

    Nikki Bella Says She Wanted AJ Lee At WWE Evolution

    While they may not have gotten along while they worked together, Nikki Bella says she wanted AJ Lee to be booked for Evolution. WWE is bringing back Trish Stratus and Lita for the event but the rest of the show focusses on currently active WWE Superstars.

    Nikki Bella On AJ Lee At WWE Evolution

    Nikki made the comments recently in Chicago as part of the ACE Comic Con convention. The twins were taking part in a Q&A session moderated by Lillian Garcia when she made the comments.

    “I was actually hoping (AJ Lee) was going to be at Evolution,” Nikki said when AJ’s name was brought up. “She was a huge part of the Women’s division and if she came back, I would totally love to [wrestle her]. We had good chemistry. I really loved when Paige and AJ and Brie and I had a really good story going for a long time. I felt like that really helped with the evolution, [to] where it’s at today. So, it would be so fun.”

    Nikki and AJ Lee are the two greatest Divas Champions in WWE history. Aj held the title 3x and held it for a combined 406 days (1st all time). Nikki held the title twice and held it for a combined 307 days (2nd all-time). Her 301-day title reign from 2014-15 was the longest in the title’s lineage.

    Just for fun, here is AJ’s infamous pipe-bomb she dropped on the Bellas and other Divas in 2013:

    And the Bellas Response:

  • Bound For Glory Final Card And Preview

    Bound For Glory Final Card And Preview

    This Sunday night, Impact Wrestling presents Bound For Glory live on pay-per-view from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. Let’s take a look at what’s scheduled for the big event.

    Impact World Championship
    Austin Aries (c) vs Johnny Impact

    The main event of Bound For Glory 2018 will feature Johnny Impact taking on Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship. Impact Wrestling is likely hoping Johnny’s exposure in the hit reality show Survivor helps to draw interest in the show’s main event.

    Aries has been atop Impact Wrestling for the majority of 2018. He won the title from Eli Drake on January 10th, 2018. Aries would then drop it to Pentagon Jr, however, at the Lucha Underground vs Impact Wrestling show over WrestleMania weekend. He’d win it back at the tapings over the following 2 days, however. Since then, he’s held the belt 172 days and defended it 11x. Johnny Impact might represent the biggest threat to his title reign yet, though.

    Knockouts Champion
    Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie

    Tessa Blanchard says she’s cleaned out the entire Knockouts division since debuting with the company this spring. Taya Valkyrie disputes this, saying Blanchard can’t claim to have cleared out the division until she faces her.

    Blanchard is 13-2 in Impact Wrestling. Her only losses both came to Madison Rayne, who won by clever pinning combinations each time. She’s defeated Kiera Hogan, Mercedes Martinez, Allie, Rebel, Alisha Edwards, Su Yung, Gisele Shaw, Faby Apache, and Keyra. Blanchard hasn’t defeated, or faced, Taya Valkyrie yet, however.

    Sami Callihan & oVe vs Brian Cage & the Lucha Brothers

    Brian Cage won’t defend his X-Division Championship at Bound For Glory. Instead, he accepted the offer by the Lucha Brothers to join them in their rivalry with OVE. Callihan and his cronies claim they are the best trio out there but Fenix, Pentagon, and Brian Cage will have something to say about that at Bound For Glory.

    Eddie Edwards vs Moose

    Moose main event’ed the last PPV against Austin Aries. Now, Moose is aligned with the Impact World Champion and taking on his former friend Eddie Edwards. According to Moose, Aries was the only one who called him while he was in the hospital post-Slammiversary. He then cost Edwards a shot at the Impact World Championship during the Toronto tapings this summer. Edwards will be out for revenge tonight.

    Concrete Jungle Deathmatch
    LAX & Konnan vs OGZ & King

    A ceasefire was ordered in this storyline after King ran over a child with his car. LAX and the OGZ were not permitted to get physical with each other until the PPV in NYC. Konnan brought the ceasefire to a premature end Thursday night, however.

    This is likely the blow-off to this feud which has been building for 8 months.

    Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs Ethan Page & Matt Sydal

    After losing the X-Division title to Brian Cage, Sydal began pitching Swann about being his mentor. Swann isn’t into yoga and spirituality, however, so he rebuffed Sydal’s offer. They would then meet in single’s action in Mexico City. Sydal won after interference from his newest protege, Ethan Page. The team of Page and Sydal challenged Swann to find a partner for Bound For Glory. This week on Impact, Swann announced Willie Mack will be his partner and make his Impact debut on Sunday.

    Allie Travels To the Undead Realm

    2 weeks ago Su Yung locked Kiera Hogan in a coffin. Allie had promised that she would stop Yung from ever doing that to anyone ever again. This week on Impact, Allie enlisted the help of Father James Mitchell, who promised her safe passage to the Undead Realm at Bound For Glory. Allie looks to be traveling to the land of the dead to rescue Kiera Hogan from Yung this Sunday in what might be a Final Deletion style segment.

    Eli Drake Open Challenge (NYC Wrestlers Only)

    The last time Eli Drake did an open challenge it was answered by La Parka in Mexico City. Drake opted to leave the match and get counted-out rather than face the legend. Although now Drake is claiming La Parka should have been DQ’ed for that match.

    Drake said he’s bringing his open challenge to Bound For Glory but that only wrestlers from New York City are eligible to answer. That surprise will only be revealed at the PPV.

    Join us here this Sunday for Bound For Glory Results & Live Coverage. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5TZWLjMJZ4

  • NJPW Releases Classic Matches With English Commentary

    NJPW Releases Classic Matches With English Commentary

    New Japan Pro Wrestling is increasing the amount of English content on their streaming service, NJPWWorld.com. The promotion recently announced they have recorded English commentary over several classic matches.

    NJPW English Commentary On Classic Matches

    Here is the lineup of classic NJPW matches now available with English commentary from Kevin Kelly.

    • Andre the Giant vs Antonio Inoki (October 7th, 1976)
    • Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen (May 18th, 1979)
    • Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen (June 5th, 1980)
    • Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant (May 27th, 1983)
    • Cobra vs Davey Boy Smith (May 11th 1983)
    • Seiji Sakaguchi & Kengo Kimura vs Dick Murdoch & Ed Leslie (March 16th, 1984)
    • Antonio Inoki vs Big Van Vader (February 7th, 1988)
    • Black Tiger vs Owen Hart (January 25th, 1990)
    • Keiji Mutoh & Masahiro Chono vs the Road Warriors (July 22nd, 1990)
    • Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs Dave Finlay (February 5th, 1991)
    • The Great Oz (Kevin Nash) vs Hashimoto Shinya (May 17th, 1992)
    • Masahiro Chono vs Rick Rude (August 12th, 1992)
    • The Road Warriors vs The Steiner Brothers (January 4th, 1993)
    • Hulk Hogan & the Great Muta vs The Hellraisers (September 23rd, 1993)
    • Antonio Inoki vs Sting (January 4th, 1995)
    • Keiji Mutoh vs Ric Flair (August 13th, 1995)
    • Jushin Liger & El Samurai vs Koji Kanemoto & Chris Jericho (January 29th, 1997)
    • El Samurai & Scotty Riggs vs Marcus Bagwell & Hiro Saito (February 9th, 1997)
    • El Samurai vs Chris Jericho (May 25th, 1997)
  • WWE To Release Eddie Guerrero Documentary On YouTube

    WWE To Release Eddie Guerrero Documentary On YouTube

    WWE will premiere the first episode in a new documentary series on Sunday. The company announced the debut episode of WWE Untold will premiere on their YouTube channel at 1 PM.

    The first episode will focus on the life and career of Eddie Guerrero.

    Eddie Guerrero Documentary

    “Eddie Guerrero was one of the most beloved Superstars in WWE history,” A WWE press release reads. “He played a huge role in defining SmackDown as a brand. The newest edition of the documentary series ‘WWE Untold’ explores Guerrero’s effect on the blue brand as it approaches its 1000th episode, and will stream live on WWE’s YouTube channel this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.”

    The documentary will come just two days before Smackdown’s 1000th episode is scheduled to air.

    “Featuring exclusive interviews with John Cena, Batista, Kurt Angle, JBL, Paul Heyman, Sasha Banks, Aiden English and Vickie Guerrero, this edition of “WWE Untold” will examine how Guerrero emerged as a leader on SmackDown in the early days of the 2002 brand split.”

    Guerrero was the Smackdown brand champion in early 2004. He defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out and held the belt for 133 days. Guerrero would drop the title to JBL at the Great American Bash that year.

    “Before SmackDown’s historic 1000th episode, take an incredible behind-the-scenes look at one of the blue brand’s greatest Superstars in an all-new edition of “WWE Untold,” streaming live on WWE’s YouTube channel this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT!”