CMLL will hold their 85th Anniversary show today. The event will air live and for free to Honor Club subscribers.

Of note for this show is that Pentagon and Fenix are actually double-booked for events today. They will have to quickly make it to this show from the Impact tapings also happening today. Both events are taking place in Mexico City, however.

Tonight’s Anniversary show kicks off on Honor Club at 930 PM from Arena Mexico.

.@MattTaven puts his hair on the line TOMORROW at #85AniversarioCMLL in the main event! https://t.co/TK7t4IuHzx takes a closer look at his journey to the top.

Read Now: https://t.co/PkniOcfsNe

Streaming LIVE TOMORROW for #HonorClub at 930pm ET!https://t.co/vS7fcMBTTh pic.twitter.com/Cn0hBLgu6f

— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) September 13, 2018

CMLL 85th Anniversary Show Lineup 9/14

1. La Jarochita, Marcela, and Princess Sujey vs Dalys la Caribena, La Maligna, and Reyna Isis
2. Angel de Oro, Audaz, and Niebla Roja vs La Peste Negra (El Felino and Negro Cass) and Mephisto
3. Atlantis, Mistico, and El Soberano vs El Cuatero, Forastero, and Sanson
4. Gran Guerrero, Euforia, and Ultimo Guerrero vs Ciber the Main Man, The Chris, and Sharlie Rockstar
5. Caristico, El Hijo de L.A Park and L.A Park vs Diamente Azul, King Phoenix (Fenix), and Penta el 0M (Pentagon Jr.)
6. Hair vs Hair Match
   Matt Taven & Volador Jr. vs Rush and Barbaro Cavernario

The first ever Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre show took place on September 21st, 1933. At 85 years old, many believe the promotion to be the oldest of its kind. Another promotion which is hitting its senior years, the NWA, will hold their 70th Anniversary show later next month.

Last night, Impact Wrestling aired their final show from the Toronto tapings. Also last night, the company traveled to Mexico City for the first of two nights of television tapings.

With last night’s show in the books, we are just 4 episodes away from Bound for Glory in New York City. 3 matches are now confirmed for Impact’s next pay-per-view.

Impact Wrestling 9/13

Austin Aries, Killer Kross, and Moose Claim Another Victim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9uTOneheBc

• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) defeated Fallah Bah

Austin Aries challenged Fallah Bah to a World Championship match this week. Not only would he later defeat Bah, he would put his tag-team partner out of action.

Following the match, Aries, Kross and, Moose wrapped KM’s head around a chair and hammered him into the post with another chair. It’s the same move the group has used to take out Eddie Edwards and Johnny Impact.

Hall Of Fame Induction Next Week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgIJXIx-98&frags=pl%2Cwn

It was revealed last night that there will be an Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame induction at Bound for Glory. Impact announced the inductee will be revealed next week.

Johnny Impact Will Be Back At Bound For Glory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ejUTVFszzs

Much like Fallah Bah this week, Johnny Impact was the victim of an assault by Aries’ crew last week.

Josh Mathews conducted an interview with Johnny. The future Survivor contestant stated he will be back for Bound for Glory on October 14th.

The Machine Took Down The Monster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3RT3-kfOcg

• Brian Cage defeated Kongo Kong

It was a change of pace for Brian Cage this week. Recently in Impact, Cage has been facing X-Division stars like Matt Sydal and Fenix. Tonight, he had an entirely different type of match with a much larger opponent.

Cage picked up the win just the same, however, finishing off Kong with a discus clothesline followed by an F-5.

Brian Cage & The Lucha Brothers Will Face oVe At Bound For Glory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReWj3TN-ZXA

After he defeated Kongo Kong, Cage accepted the Lucha Brothers’ offer and will join their team against oVe.

A trios match featuring the Lucha Brothers and Cage against Sami Callihan and oVe was then made official for Bound for Glory.

Matt Sydal Will Face Rich Swann In Mexico City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m57goor_fg

Sydal confronted Swann in the back last night. Swann was offering words of encouragement to Fallah Bah when Sydal said he was in no position to be giving anyone advice.

Swann then challenged Sydal to a match in Mexico City.

Allie’s Not Done With Su Yung, Tessa Blanchard Not Done With Allie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8XVM461zEU

Allie cut a promo in the back saying she doesn’t like Tessa Blanchard but rescued her last week because she promised she wouldn’t allow Su Yung to lock anyone else in a coffin.

Blanchard also cut a promo in the back saying she sees right through Allie and that Allie is just coming for her title.

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

On another note, Allie’s Demon friend Rosemary has been insinuating she could be back sooner rather than later.

Keep her reeling, Bunny.. we’ll test that Reign of Terror against a brand new battle meatsuit at full strength soon enough..

The Shadow will not see Ündeath run unchecked any longer..

She’s marked..#DemonAssassin https://t.co/Xda0kirLhp

— The Demon Assassin (@WeAreRosemary) September 14, 2018

Katarina Is Not Allowed In Joe Hendry’s Bedroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBqrlrnbw84

• Alisha Edwards defeated Katarina

Katarina was in single’s action tonight. Joe Hendry and Grado opted to interrupt the match, however and played a special video to Katarina on the big screen.

Hendry has mentioned that Impact Wrestling gives him a lot of creative freedom with his videos. With that in mind, it’s likely Hendry himself came up with the idea to poke fun at an old WWE angle Katarina was involved in.

This resulted in Alisha Edwards rolling up Katarina for a quick 3-count. Katarina might be a little upset with Scarlett Bordeaux for what the Smoke Show said to her men.

King Is Trying To Provoke LAX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW51wBOY3Xk

• LAX defeated the Frat

LAX defeated local wrestlers the Frat. After the match, however, King and the OGZ attempted to provoke Konnan and LAX.

Last week a ceasefire was ordered by a crime family boss. The ceasefire ends at Bound for Glory.

Night of the Dummies Premieres Tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-4vnJxU_8&frags=pl%2Cwn

Night of the Dummies will premiere on the Global Wrestling Network at 8 PM tonight.

The matches for the event are as follows:

• Eli Drake vs Eddie Edwards
• Moose vs KM
• Sean Carr vs Brute Vanslyke
• Z&E vs LAX
• Homicide vs TBD
• Wagner Brown vs Axel Lennox
• Alisha Edwards vs Rebel
• Fallah Bah vs Richard Justice

Impact Wrestling 9/13 Quick Results:

1. The Lucha Brothers defeated the Cult of Lee
2. Alisha Edwards defeated Katarina
3. LAX defeated The Frat
4. Brian Cage defeated Kongo Kong
5. Impact World Championship
   Austin Aries (c) defeated Fallah Bah

Bound For Glory (October 14th):

• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) vs Johnny Impact
• LAX & Konnan vs King & the OGZ
• Brian Cage & the Lucha Brothers vs Sami Callihan & oVe

WWE is reportedly negotiating once again with powerful Austrian heavyweight wrestler WALTER. According to the Wrestling Observer, the two sides are close to striking a deal and the talks have gotten serious.

“The situation with Walter is back alive,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “His name came up several times this past week and the belief was that talks had gotten serious between the sides.”

The report continued to say WWE was interested in bringing WALTER in at the same time as Keith Lee this year but his WXW contract in Germany prevented this from happening.

WALTER To WWE?

It should be noted, however, that the last time there were rumors of WALTER going to WWE, the wrestler himself denied them.

https://twitter.com/WalterAUT/status/969265942705434624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E969265942705434624%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b636f6e74726f6c%7Ctwcon%5Elogo&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prowrestlingsheet.com%2Fwalter-denies-wwe-offer%2F

Then again, the same report was also denied by Keith Lee, who would sign a WWE contract shortly after.

In today's play, the Dragon will be playing the role of "The Rumor Mill."

I will be playing the role of "The Knight." pic.twitter.com/zAAbpszoPv

— Loving Lee (@RealKeithLee) March 1, 2018

WWE often makes an attempt to keep the rumors under wraps until the wrestler is ringside at Takeover.

WALTER is the current Defiant Internet Champion, OTT Champion, PWG Champion, and Progress World Champion. Last year, his match with Zack Sabre Jr from October 21st was awarded a 5-star rating by Meltzer. The PWI ranked WALTER as the 77th top male single’s wrestler of 2018.

Do you want to see WALTER in WWE? Or should he stay where he is?

WWE has released video of Raw commentator Renee Young’s 2012 job audition. The clip has been added to the WWE Network as part of the Hidden Gems section. As seen below, Renee Young was given a pet grooming product and instructed to “sell” it” as a way to gauge her screen presence and improvisational speaking skills.

Meet @ReneeYoungWWE: EXPERT pet groomer.

It's the newest @WWENetwork HIDDEM GEM! pic.twitter.com/8qKLGGkb7u

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) September 13, 2018

WWE and Renee Young

While Renee Young has been with the company since 2012, she has actually been working as a host for WWE programming longer than that. Young hosted “Aftermath” on the channel now known as Sportsnet 360 in Toronto. Aftermath is a post-game show for WWE programming aired on the channel.

Young had been taking classes at the Second City Training Center down the block from the station in 2009 when she was hired to work on the show.

WWE and Weird Broadcaster Auditions

Young is not the only person WWE asked to sell a random product as part of an audition. Long before he was the President of WCW, Eric Bischoff auditioned for WWE once as well. The 83 Weeks host was asked to sell a broom. WWE opted not to hire Bischoff after his audition in 1990.

After 6 years with the company, WWE recently announced Renee Young as the first full-time female broadcaster in the history of Monday Night Raw.

It appears that James Storm’ appearance at MLW War Games was simply a one-off. According to PWInsider, Storm and MLW have already agreed to part ways.

Storm surprised fans when he showed up at the recent taping from Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Coliseum. During a match between Tom Lawlor and Joey Janella, Storm hit the ring and attacked the leader of Team Filthy. Later in the show, he wrestled a squash match against a local competitor. In light of this latest development, we’ll see if MLW airs the segment with James Storm on Fusion.

MLW Fusion

A special episode of MLW Fusion will air this Friday night on BeIN Sports. The War Games match filmed last week is scheduled to air. The show is posted to YouTube Saturday nights at 6 PM.

It is also being reported that several BeIN Sports executives were in attendance for the War Games event on September 6th. It is being reported that MLW will play a greater role on the network in the weeks and months to come.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnaoUI4Hq3b/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1r4y8k3d3vp42

Fans who have been watching Monday Night Raw recently may have noticed something out of place. WWE hasn’t used managers much in recent years as Vince McMahon is said to not be a fan of the role.

205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick is now not only running the Cruiserweight division but also managing the Authors of Pain, however. Similarly, 205 Live’s Lio Rush cut a promo in the back yesterday hyping up his new client, Bobby Lashley.

This development has fans asking two questions: Is WWE in favor of using managers again? And if so, are they going to continue using cruiserweights in the role?

Cruiserweights As Managers In WWE

According to a report from Fightful, the plan is to continue using some cruiserweights in this role. The report says that there is an effort backstage in WWE to add more managers to the product. Smaller cruiserweights who are good on the mic are seen as perfect for the role as well.

A contributing factor to cruiserweights being used on Raw as managers is that they are often only booked for a half a dozen events per month. Using the better talkers in the division as managers is a way of maximizing their investment in that talent. It is also a way of easing the company back into using managers without having to invest in a performer permanently in the role.

Rush has been paired with a larger partner previously in WWE. He was originally paired up with the gigantic Babatunde Aiyegbusi.

Rush will continue to compete on 205 Live, however, as he is scheduled to face Noam Dar next Tuesday night.

WWE 2K19 will be available to those who pre-order the game on October 5th, 2018. The game goes on sale to the general public on October 9th.

Just yesterday, the game manufacturer announced the entire “on-disc” roster for the game, which led to some controversy over certain characters not making the cut.

2K released a new gameplay trailer today:

WWE 2K19 Roster Omissions

Several notable omissions from the game’s official “on disc” roster have been noted by fans. The most noteworthy, however, is the apparent removal from the game of NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa.

Ciampa himself commented on his exclusion in a since-deleted Tweet. In the Tweet, Ciampa said “@WWEGames had their final roster reveal for WWE2k19,” Ciampa Tweeted. “A lot of people are wondering why The Champ is not in the game. Well, it’s quite simple. I’m The Champ for a reason. I don’t lose. Not in real life. Sure as hell not in your fantasy world.”

Mick Foley has also been removed from the game. The man who will referee the Hell in a Cell match for the Universal Championship on Sunday previously had 3 different models in the game for his Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind characters.

Rob Van Dam and recent Hall of Fame inductee Mark Henry are also not on the game’s official on-disc roster after having been in the game last year. Brian Kendrick and Nikki Cross are two others.

Tonight is a big night for Impact Wrestling. In real-time, the promotion will be in Mexico City for the first of two nights of television tapings. On television, Impact Wrestling will present the final show from their extended summer stay in Toronto’s Rebel nightclub.

From July 22nd to August 13th, Impact Wrestling held 5 nights of shows which produced 8 episodes of Impact television and one universally-praised pay-per-views.

Impact Wrestling 9/13 Preview

Update on Johnny Impact

The trio of Austin Aries, Moose, and Killer Kross took out Johnny Impact last week. After Johnny had declared he would be Austin Aries’ challenger at Bound for Glory, it didn’t take the champion long to try and take him out.

We will hear from Johnny Impact tonight and find out if he will be ready come Bound for Glory. It’s going to be a big few weeks for Johnny. His season of Survivor will hit the airwaves later this month.

The Lucha Brothers vs the Cult of Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH1QrsZS_LY&t=9s

While there may be rumors of Pentagon and Fenix possibly going to WWE in 2019, they will be in action on Impact Wrestling tonight. They are scheduled to go up against Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley in tag-team action.

Last week, the Lucha Bros extended an invite to Brian Cage to help them in their rivalry against Sami Callihan and oVe. Perhaps Cage and the trio from Ohio will be watching this match closely tonight.

Grado and Joe Hendry Have A Surprise For Katarina

Scarlett Bordeaux whispered something to Hendry and Grado and it doesn’t appear to be working out too well for Katarina. After Hendry and Grado lost to the Desi Hit Squad last week, Katarina belittled Grado and confessed her love for Hendry. Unfortunately for her, Hendry really does only feel platonic love for his best friend’s girl. He was upset at Katarina for attempting to kiss him.

Grado and Hendry will have some type of surprise for Katarina tonight.

Brian Cage vs Kongo Kong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8UnJg1nWPY

Recently we’ve seen Brian Cage tear through the X-Division. He defeated Matt Sydal for the title at Slammiversary and has since defended it twice, once against the Sydal and once against Fenix.

Tonight, however, Cage will be put in the ring with someone much larger than many of his X-Division opponents. It’s Monster vs Machine as Kongo Kong takes on Brian Cage in a non-title match.

LAX In Tag Team Action

A fictional crime boss has ordered the two factions into a ceasefire until Bound for Glory in New York. LAX will be in tag-team action tonight, however. It’s likely the OGZ won’t be too far away, however, as they prepare for the blowoff to this feud in New York.

Also in Impact News:

• Bound For Glory is officially sold-out.
• Night of the Dummies debuts on the Global Wrestling Network tomorrow.
  • Eli Drake vs Eddie Edwards
  • Moose vs KM
  • Sean Carr vs Brute Vanslyke
  • Z&E vs LAX
  • Homicide vs TBD
  • Wagner Brown vs Axel Lennox
  • Alisha Edwards vs Rebel
  • Fallah Bah vs Richard Justice
• Scarlett Bordeaux was yesterday’s guest on the Impact media conference call.

The second episode of the 2018 Mae Young Classic aired on the WWE Network last night. Matches 5 through 8 were shown as the tournament reaches the halfway point of the opening round.

Mae Young Classic 9/12 Results

Donna Purrazzo defeated Priscilla Kelly

Before the match, Purrazzo spoke about being an alternate in last year’s tournament and how disappointed she was.

EVOLVE’s Priscilla Kelly has had obstacles in her path to get to the Mae Young Classic as well. She was once featured on the television show “My Big Fat Romanian Gypsy Wedding” where she was being shopped around as a potential bride while she was just 14-years-old.

It would be Purrazzo who would come away with the victory. She made Kelly tap to her Fujiwara armbar.

Zeuxis defeated Aerial Monroe

Cedric Alexander was shown in the crowd to watch his wife, Aerial Monroe, perform.

It would be Zeuxis who punched her ticket to the second round, however. The luchador picked up the win with a Spanish Fly from the top turnbuckle.

Kacy Catanzaro defeated Reina Gonzalez

The woman from American Ninja Warrior that everyone has been talking about picked up her first win on WWE programming here. There was nearly a foot height difference between the two but the smaller Catanzaro was not deterred.

It was a David and Goliath battle with Catanzaro using the ropes to try and gain an advantage on her much larger opponent. Catanzaro would then pick up the victory, seemingly out of nowhere, with a victory roll.

After the match, it looked like Gonzales was going to attack Catanzaro but she then lifted her up on her shoulders instead. Catanzaro will face Rhea Ripley next.

Mercedes Martinez defeated Ashley Rayne

Ashley/Madison Rayne took a long road to get to the WWE. Once she got there, she’d lose her first match to Mercedes Martinez.

In a bit of a surprise, Rayne (who had been featured in promos leading up to the tournament) was knocked out in the 1st round.

Martinez made it all the way to the semi-finals last year and she’s off to a good start already in this year’s tournament as well. She picked up the win with a Fisherman Buster to advance to the second round.

Bad Luck Fale is a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion and founding member of Bullet Club. He’s also been a key member of Bullet Club’s Firing Squad during the ongoing faction civil war. He recently spoke to njpw1972.com on fan response to the Firing Squad angle, comparisons to the original Bullet Club in 2013, and more.

Bad Luck Fale On Firing Squad Angle

New Japan traditionalists have been critical of the factions use of outside interference in the G1 this year. Fale compares the reaction to what the original incarnation of Bullet Club received when they first formed.

“After the first couple of nights, I said to the boys ‘boys, we’re back in 2013,'” Fale said. “It’s exactly how it felt. And I said to them ‘we’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to make the most of this’. That’s how our G1 turned out (laughs).”

Fale wasn’t in San Fransico for the Firing Squad’s initial attack on the Elite. A subsequently released YouTube video would show he was actually the mastermind behind the assault, however.

Perhaps the biggest match in the Elite vs Firing Squad rivalry yet will take place in Long Beach on September 30th. The Young Bucks are scheduled to defend the IWGP Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships against the Guerillas of Destiny that night.

Fale also mentioned he doesn’t feel Bullet Club will ever solidify as one unit again.

“I don’t think that we’re ever going to come back together,” Fale said. “Our views of how to take the group forward are too different at this point. The end goal for me is to still be here in ten years. Whatever happens to the Club, it’s not something I really think about. The end goal is for us to work together and still be here in another five, ten years from now.”

He did have some positive words to say about the Young Bucks, however. The Bucks joined Bullet Club just months after its formation in 2013.

“The Bucks were always good. Always good,” Fale continued. “I’ve always liked them because they rise up to the challenge that they’re faced with. When they first came in, the junior tag division really had no hype behind it, but them coming in helped us; they had a niche following on the American indie scene and from there, we helped them get bigger in Japan, and they helped us get bigger in America. For them to go from that level in 2013 to where they are now, that’s just amazing.”

You can read the full interview here. 

Road Dogg is asking fans to pick a side in the Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair rivalry. While he isn’t saying which side he wants them to pick, Road Dogg is adamant that fans choose one of the two to cheer for. Road Dogg made the comments while responding to a fan on Twitter. A fan commented on Road Dogg saying he’s not trying to turn fans against Becky when the Smackdown creative head responded.

Pick a side. That’s what I’m asking you to do, pick a side!!!

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) September 12, 2018

The fan then indicated he will be taking Becky Lynch’s side. Road Dogg responded positively as the fan had picked a side just as he suggested.

So you’ve picked your side! Check!

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) September 12, 2018

Talk then turned to Lynch’s attack from the crowd on Flair this week.

The safety of the fan is paramount at events. Makes ya think ? don’t it?! If not, you’re not really seeing the bigger picture.

— Brian G. James (@BrianRDJames) September 12, 2018

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair Rivalry

The Flair vs Lynch rivalry has been contentious since before Summerslam. Lynch went on a winning streak and earned a title match against Carmella. Flair then returned from hiatus and was added to Lynch’s title opportunity by defeating Carmella in a non-title match. This also led to R-Truth and Carmella becoming a tag-team in the Mixed Match Challenge but that is another story entirely.

Flair won the title at Summerslam by capitalizing on Lynch’s turned back. She has stated since that Lynch would have done the same thing. The two will meet one-on-one on Sunday for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

WWE will air the second episode of the 2018 Mae Young Classic tonight. Former Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne will make her WWE debut tonight.

Blue-chip prospect from American Ninja Warrior, Kacy Catanzaro, will also be in action tonight.

Mae Young Classic Preview 9/12

Ashley Rayne vs Mercedes Martinez

Known in Impact Wrestling as Madison Rayne, the former Knockouts Champion takes on Mercedes Martinez in the 1st round tonight. She’ll be in tough, however, as Martinez made it all the way to the semi-finals of last year’s tournament.

Martinez is a regular for SHINE, Shimmer, RISE, and WSU. Ryane has competed for Impact, ROH, and at All In already this summer.

Kacy Catanzaro vs Reina Gonzalez

Catanzaro is receiving rave reviews since starting at the WWE Performance Center earlier this year. She is formerly of American Ninja Warrior, a show which Matt Cross was also once featured on.

Catanzaro will be up against fellow WWE PC trainee, Gonzales. The 6-footer is also said to be impressing trainers as of late. This should be a David vs Goliath type situation for Kacy but if she’s really as good as the rumors state, she’ll be able to handle it.

Deonna Purrazzo vs Priscilla Kelly

Deonna Purrazzo returns to the tournament this year to take on EVOLVE regular, Priscilla Kelly. Purrazzo was an alternate in the tournament this year but signed a WWE contract earlier this year. She lost to Bianca Belair on the Takeover: Brooklyn IV preliminary card which would later air on NXT.

Kelly is only 21 and just getting her career started. Purrazzo will be looking to lock in her Fujiwara armbar tonight.

Aerial Monroe vs Zeuxis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoPHuRS3A3E&frags=pl%2Cwn

Monroe was trained by her husband, Cedric Alexander, and George South. She sometimes goes by the nickname “Big Swole” and is formerly of the United States Air Force. Her opponent tonight is the Lucha Strong-Styled Zeuxis. .

4 matches will take place on NXT programming tonight. In addition to the in-ring action, NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is also scheduled to make his first appearance since Takeover: Brooklyn IV.

NXT Preview 9/12

Nikki Cross vs Bianca Belair

Bianca Belair is undefeated in NXT but she will put that streak on the line tonight against Nikki Cross. As for Cross, she’s been looking to find herself on the NXT roster since dropping an NXT Women’s Championship match to Shayna Baszler earlier this summer.

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch Reunite

Oney Lorcan found himself on the injured list for months with a broken orbital bone recently. He’ll be back tonight and reunited with his tag-team partner Danny Burch.

Their opponents are TBD and likely are local competitors.

Lars Sullivan vs Raul Mendoza

Lars Sullivan has been out of action since a broken jaw suffered at the hands of Aleister Black. He was also questioned by General Manager William Regal regarding his whereabouts when Black was attacked recently.

Sullivan said he wished he was the one who beat up Black but it was not him. He’s said since returning a couple of weeks ago that he is putting the entire NXT roster on notice.

Shayna Baszler In Single’s Action

Former NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, will be in single’s action tonight. Her opponent has yet to be named and is likely just a local competitor.

Baszler has already said she plans on cashing in her rematch clause against Kairi Sane. We still don’t know when she plans to do that, however.

Tommaso Ciampa Speaks

NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa, will address the NXT Universe tonight. Ciampa has said he hasn’t appeared in front of the Full Sail crowd yet because he doesn’t have a title challenger.

He’ll likely have something planned for tonight but it’s possible a new challenger might as well.

205 Live last night took place inside the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA. 3 matches took place last night, including a tag-team main event featuring the Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander.

At the end of the night, General Manager Drake Maverick announced a Cruiserweight Championship match for next week.

205 Live Results 9/11

Buddy Murphy defeated Gran Metalik

Murphy will challenge for the Cruiserweight Championship at Super Show-Down. The Australian will likely have the large crowd inside Melbourne Cricket Grounds cheering for him that night. As for Gran Metalik, he came into this one having just defeated Murphy’s training partner, Tony Nese last week.

Gran Metalik was looking good until Murphy kicked out of the Metalik Driver. He then came down awkwardly on his knee. Murphy took the opening and hit a knee to the face, followed by Murphy’s Law for the win.

• highlights of Hideo Itami beating Mustafa Ali last month were shown. The commentators speculated on if Ali came back from injury too soon.

Mustafa Ali defeated Michael Thompson

Before the match, Hideo Itami came out and said he’ll be watching this match closely. Ali won without much difficulty, hitting the 054 for the win.

After the match, Ali dared Itami to get in the ring but his rival didn’t take him up on the opportunity.

• In the back, Noam Dar and Lio Rush cut promos on each other. They’ll face each other next week.

Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak defeated Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa

The odds were even this week as Brian Kendrick is out with an injury and Alexander had Tozawa watching his back.

It would be Gallagher and Gulak who would pick up the victory this week, however. Gulak got Tozawa to tap in the middle of the ring to the Gu-Lock.

• In the back, Drake Maverick announced that next week Drew Gulak will face Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Consider @WWEMaverick impressed…

Next week, #Cruiserweight Champion @CedricAlexander will defend his gold against @DrewGulak on #205Live! pic.twitter.com/8WTsDAJJK6

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018

The G1 Climax 28 tournament will go down in history as one of the most unique in the history of the event.

Hiroshi Tanahashi would walk away from the G1 with the briefcase this year. Leading up to his victory, however, there were several big moments in the tournament. NJPW counts down the top-5 in the video below:

Top 5 Heated Moments From the G1 Climax 28

5. Sanada defeats Toru Yano

Sanada found a unique way to defeat Toru Yano. The two wrestlers frequently like to tie their opponents up in knots but it would be Sanada who would gain the upper hand this year. He wrapped Yano’s hands around the guardrail with athletic tape and left Yano there to be counted out.

4. Kota Ibushi defeated Kenny Omega

Tomohiro Ishii was the first to defeat Kenny Omega in the G1 Climax this year. It was Omega’s loss to Kota Ibushi on the final night of the round-robin which cost him the block, however.

The two Golden Lovers teammates hadn’t found since they were back in DDT.

3. Tomohiro Ishii defeats Kenny Omega

Ishii and Omega have met 4 times in single’s action. They’ve each beaten the other twice. Ishii defeated Omega in the 1st round of the New Japan Cup in 2017 but then lost a single’s match to him 2 months later at Wrestling Dontaku.

Omega then defeated Ishii in the finals of the inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship tournament in Long Beach last year. Ishii then even the series between the two on August 4th when he defeated Omega in B Block action.

2. The Firing Squad Ejected

The Firing Squad spent the entire tournament interfering in matches, getting disqualified, and abusing referees. They were finally ejected from the building on the final night of the round-robin tournament.

NJPW President Harold Meij assured fans the Kota Ibushi vs Kenny Omega match would go on without interference and it did.

1. Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi – Time Limit Draw

In the final match of the A Block, Tanahashi and Okada went to a time limit draw. Tanahashi only needed a draw to advance but Okada needed a win. Tanahashi will put his briefcase on the line against Okada at Destruction in Kobe on September 23rd.

Natalya and Ronda Rousey teamed up to give their opponents a “Hart Attack” last night. The move was the finisher for Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart for years when they were a tag-team.

Hart took the time to say how honored he was by the gesture.

Very honored Ronda is paying homage to the Hart Foundation https://t.co/Gnq5IE72O6

— Bret Hart (@BretHart) September 11, 2018

Ronda Rousey then responded:

I’m speechless! The honor is entirely mine! #HartFoundation #HartAttack @NatbyNature ?? https://t.co/ihWYXEimBC

— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) September 11, 2018

Natalya chimed in as well:

#HartFoundation ??? https://t.co/S9sWIsDRe5

— Nattie (@NatbyNature) September 11, 2018

Ronda Rousey on Natalya’s Influence

Rousey spoke about Natalya earlier this summer while promoting the movie Mile 22.

“I’ve known Nattie years before I started wrestling,” Rousey said. “She teaches me so much technically, obviously but I was coming into a new environment, I was nervous and felt like the new kid in school,” Rousey said. “She really went out of her way to make me feel welcome and comfortable and part of the family. She’s been amazing since day one and I’m so lucky to have her as a friend.”

Ronda Rousey (c) vs Alexa Bliss

It took less than 5 minutes for Ronda Rousey to roll through Alexa Bliss when they met at Summerslam. Rousey is undefeated since joining WWE earlier this year. Including house shows, Rousey is a perfect 18-0.

On WWE programming she’s 5-0 with 3 singles victories, 1 in mixed tag-team action, and one last night in traditional tag-team action with Natalya.

2K completed their roster reveal for the upcoming WWE 2K19 video game today. One notable omission was NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa. While the game’s downloadable content (DLC) has yet to be announced, Ciampa has seemingly been left off the game. Ciampa himself commented on the matter:

In a since-deleted tweet, Ciampa wrote, “@WWEGames had their final roster reveal for WWE2k19,” Ciampa Tweeted. “A lot of people are wondering why The Champ is not in the game. Well, it’s quite simple. I’m The Champ for a reason. I don’t lose. Not in real life. Sure as hell not in your fantasy world.”

Tommaso Ciampa WWE 2K19

It is entirely possible this is a marketing/troll job orchestrated to get more attention for the game. Ciampa has been mocking many things online as of late. He mocked star-based match ratings after his NXT title match with Aleister Black:

https://twitter.com/projectciampa/status/1022988360229384192?lang=en

He also released his own version of the PWI Top 500 list:

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1034908917367758848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1034908917367758848%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b636f6e74726f6c%7Ctwcon%5Elogo&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Fwwe%2Fwwe-news-tommaso-ciampa-savagely-mocks-the-pwi-500-list

Ciampa even mocked the great NXT tradition of taking pictures with Triple H.

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1022626924923744264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1022626924923744264%7Ctwgr%5E373939313b636f6e74726f6c%7Ctwcon%5Elogo&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ringsidenews.com%2F2018%2F07%2F27%2Ftommaso-ciampa-mocks-triple-hs-nxt-tradition%2F

It seems unlikely that Ciampa would actually have been left off the 2K roster this year. He was in the game last year and his character model would only need a little updating.

The Rock’s daughter, Simone Johnson, has previously expressed interest in pursuing a career in wrestling. According to a report from Pro Wrestling Sheet, the 17-year-old already attends training sessions at the WWE Performance Center.

Simone spoke to the Hollywood Reporter last year about wanting to pursue a career in wrestling. “It’s a sport that is unlike anything else in the world,” she said. “There’s just a certain amount of passion that every move and match requires, and that’s so admirable. It’s definitely something I’ve thought about and want to pursue.”

• The Rock Talks About His Daughter Simone Becoming A WWE Superstar

Simone Johnson and The Rock

Simone Johnson was named Golden Globes ambassador last year. When asked, however, she stressed a career in film isn’t something she’s currently interested in pursuing.

“As much as I love and admire the film industry,” she continued. “I don’t see myself pursuing a career in it at the moment. I plan to study business in college — NYU, hopefully — and after graduating, I want to pursue wrestling and eventually transition into talent management.”

In other family news, Simone Johnson’s Grandfather, Rocky Johnson, will be featured in a biopic on his life. The movie will be titled “Ring King”. There is no word on a release date or if any other members of the family will be involved, however.

Scarlett Bordeaux skipped her prom and went to an independent wrestling show in Chicago instead. It was an AAW show that some of her friends were into.

In her senior year of high school, Bordeaux says some of her friends were into going to independent wrestling shows. She didn’t know much about wrestling at the time, however.

“One day I was just like ‘can I just come with you guys?’ because I chose not to go to my prom,” Bordeaux said. “I was dating someone from out of state I was like ‘I can miss it it’s fine’. I decided to go to a wrestling show instead, it was AAW. I saw it, I loved it.”

Earlier this month Bordeaux turned some heads with her in-ring ability. In front of a packed Chicago crowd on Friday of All In weekend, Bordeaux delivered a Canadian Destroyer onto Trevor Lee.

Trained by Jimmy Jacobs and Truth Martini, Bordeaux is now a fixture on Impact Wrestling.

The International Smoke Show

Over the last year, Bordeaux has wrestled in Japan for Stardom and in Mexico for AAA. I had the chance to ask her about her experiences wrestling in both cultures on today’s Impact Wrestling media call.

Bordeaux mentioned the two styles are completely different and communication with other performers could be difficult. She would continue to say, however, that wrestling across the globe has given her perspective on wrestling’s “universal language.”

“I’ve never done the lucha style before, I didn’t speak Spanish,” Bordeaux continued. “But wrestling – you kind of realize when you are travelling the world that it really is a universal language.”

She also mentioned India as a country she enjoys performing in.

“I’m excited to try going to England and Australia because I know those two are also very different,” she continued. “Every little thing adds to my arsenal and makes me a better performer slowly.”

What Did Scarlett Bordeaux Say To Grado and Joe Hendry?

Previously on Imact Wrestling, Scarlett Bordeaux gave career advice to KM and Fallah Bah that turned out quite well for them. She did the same for Joe Hendry and Grado recently.

This week on Impact, Grado and Hendry are planning to give the Smoke Show a gift to show their appreciation.

You can listen to the full Impact Wrestling media call below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTAr3PUylJs&frags=pl%2Cwn

Zelina Vega lost her father when she was only 10 years old. While her father’s story ended in tragedy, however, his last words and actions left his family with a lot to be proud of.

Vega was a guest on the most recent edition of Lillian Garcia’s “Chasing Glory” podcast and told the tragic story of losing her father in the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

She spoke about how her father was an amateur wrestler and a big wrestling fan. When Zelina told her father she wanted to be a wrestler, he was supportive. Vega said she knew from the time she was 4-years old she wanted to be a wrestler and her father played a big role in that.

“He took me to ECW and that scared the hell out of me as a kid,” Vega recalled.

Vega kept a lot of mementos from going to wrestling events with her Dad. A Hardy Boyz T-shirt from her childhood still seems to be one of her prized possessions.

“We didn’t have a lot of money but we were always at the events,” she continued.

Such an emotional day for ??

Hear @Zelina_VegaWWE open up like never before about her father’s untimely death during the 9/11 attacks, and her father’s heartwarming message to her stepfather. #NeverForget https://t.co/h0gytOv7k9

— Lilian Garcia (@LilianGarcia) September 11, 2018

Zelina Vega Recalls Losing Her Father In 9/11 Attacks

Vega recalled the emotional story of her experience of September 11th, 2001. She had stayed home from school that day and her father phoned from inside the second tower after it had been hit but before the building collapsed. He worked inside the World Trade Center on the 103rd floor.

Vega’s mother and step-father were taking turns speaking to him on the phone. She recalled overhearing him coughing and the coughing growing louder.

Vega then overheard her father say something very touching to her step-father through the phone. “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.”

Garcia posted part of the conversation to her YouTube channel below:

Tonight’s episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live will take place in the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA.

In total, 7 matches have been scheduled for this week’s shows.

Smackdown 9/11 Preview

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1038937103663546368

Brie Bella vs Maryse

In a match Paige made official earlier this week, Brie Bella will face Maryse. This will be Brie Bella’s first single’s match in 2.5 years. Her opponent, however, hasn’t wrestled a single’s match since 2011 and last wrestled at WrestleMania 33.

Daniel Bryan and the Miz will likely be watching this match closely.

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs R-Truth

Paige also made this match official earlier this week. Almas is coming off of 2 straight losses to Daniel Bryan and could really use a win. In total, however, Almas is 6-3 in single’s matches on the main roster. His only losses have come to Bryan and AJ Styles.

As for R-Truth,  he picked up a win in the Smackdown main event last week against the Miz. Another win tonight and Smackdown General Manager Paige might consider R-Truth in contention for a single’s title.

Charlotte Flair vs Sonya Deville

Before Charlotte Flair defends her title against Becky Lynch at Hell in a Cell, she’ll have to get by Sonya Deville tonight. Under WWE’s “pin the champion” rules, however, if Deville is successful tonight she could get added to the Smackdown Women’s Championship match on the pay-per-view. Seems unlikely, however.

Becky Lynch will no doubt be nearby while this match is going on.

Smackdown Tag-Team Championship #1 Contenders Match
The Bar vs Rusev Day

Both the Bar and Rusev Day won triple-threat tag matches recently to advance to the finals of this mini-tournament. The winners will face the New Day for the tag titles at Hell in a Cell.

English and Rusev have been working well together recently but can they keep their hot streak going against the former multi-time champions the Bar.

Jeff Hardy vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Jeff Hardy will face Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell but will have a chance to settle unresolved business with the United States Champion tonight. It seems as though this is a non-title match.

Paige has announced this match will kickoff tonight’s show.

205 Live 9/11 Preview

https://twitter.com/WWEMaverick/status/1038950167494438912

Buddy Murphy vs Gran Metalik

Gran Metalik defeated Tony Nese last week on 205 Live. Tonight he’ll face Nese’s training partner Buddy Murphy.

Murphy will challenge Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship in Australia for Super Show-Down on October 6th. Alexander will likely be watching his match with Metalik tonight.

Cedric Alexander & Akira Tozawa vs Drew Gulak & Jack Gallagher

Even though Cedric Alexander is scheduled to defend his title against Buddy Murphy next, Drew Gulak is still trying to position himself for a title rematch. Alexander defeated Gulak at Summerslam.

Gulak has aligned with Jack Gallagher and others in an attempt to rid the division of its current champion. Tonight, Alexander has Akira Tozawa watching his back, however, in an attempt to even the odds.

Ring of Honor television this week featured a 30-minute Ironman match for the ROH World Championship. Jay Lethal would defend his title against “the Octopus” Jonathan Gresham.

The show was filmed from Center Stage in Atlanta.

ROH TV Results 9/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfkYo8bKcJk&frags=pl%2Cwn

Kazarian defeated Mark Briscoe

This match was filmed before SCU and the Briscoe Brothers would face off on the All In preshow. The feud between these two teams doesn’t seem as though it is close to being over.

Mark Briscoe missed a Froggy-bow and Kazarian countered into a crucifix-pin for the win. This brought out Jay Briscoe to start a 2-on-1 beatdown but SCU made the save. SCU then had a 3-on-2 advantage but Punishment Martinez hit the ring and aligned with the Briscoes.

The Briscoes and Punishment Martinez stood tall to end the segment.

• Highlights of the Dawks beating up Cheeseburger and LSG (the Bouncers) were shown. The Bouncers had just defeated the Dawgs in tag action.
• Video recap of Bully Ray walking out on Silas Young last week was shown.

ROH World Championship Match
30-Minute Ironman Match
Jay Lethal (c) defeated Jonathan Gresham (2-1)

The vast majority of the match went without a pin. Then, with only minutes to spare, Lethal tapped out to an Octopus stretch.

Lethal went after Gresham as soon as the next fall started. He locked in a figure-four leglock in the middle of the ring with 2minutes and 24 seconds to go. Gresham tried to turn it over but was forced to tap out with just under 90 seconds remaining.

Gresham went for several pinning combinations with under 30 seconds left but none were successful. The 30 minutes ended with each wrestler having earned one fall. Gresham challenged Lethal to a 5-minute sudden death overtime period and the champion accepted.

With under 2 minutes remaining in overtime, Lethal countered a sleeper into a cutter and then hit Lethal Injection for the pin and the victory.

Joey Mercury was arrested over All In weekend. As a result, he was forced to miss the event. Mercury had been scheduled to work as a producer and backstage agent.

In an update to this story, Mercury has been released and will not face any further charges.

Real name Adam Birch, he was discovered by police sleeping in his car last weekend. Police ran his information and discovered he had an outstanding warrant in Florida. The only available information regarding his outstanding warrant is that it was for a non-violent offense and it wasn’t serious enough to warrant extradition back to Florida.

Joey Mercury/Wrestling in 2018

Birch recently made his Lucha Underground debut under the name “Joey Wrestling”. The longtime tag-team partner of John Hennigan was introduced into the LU world as a guest at the wedding of Johnny Mundo and Taya.

Joey Wrestling also appeared in the most recent episode when he faced Matanza Cueto in single’s action. Matanza had interrupted Mundo and Taya’s wedding the week prior and Joey wanted revenge.

The 39-year-old is also a regular for Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion. Mercury aligned with Shane Douglas and Nick Aldis in the promotion earlier this year. The trio is something of a remake of Douglas’ old Triple Threat faction.

https://twitter.com/joeyfromROH/status/927540917195722754

On October 27th the New World Order will reform at Mango’s Tropical Cafe in Orlando. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall will take part in a Q&A and reunion event. Hogan has been making the media rounds lately to promote the event.

When he was asked how the original 3 NWO members would fare against the Shield, Hogan didn’t mince words. Hogan declared, “We would murder the bums, brother!”

Watch: Hulk Hogan says nWo would “murder” The Shield

Hulk Hogan On NWO Reunion

“I use to wrestle with Roman Reigns’ Dad,” Hogan continued. “You’ve seen pictures of me holding Roman Reigns as a baby, c’mon. We taught them almost everything we know!”

Hogan would continue to say their reunion event will begin with a 3-hour Q&A session before moving into pictures and autographs.

Speculation of a possible NWO reunion began earlier this summer. Fans attempting to visit Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop noted it was closed and Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hollywood Hogan were all seen inside wearing NWO gear.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash “invaded” WCW in 1996 as “the Outsiders.” At first, the angle was meant to appear as though WWF talent were invading WCW. Hogan would join the Outsiders at Bash at the Beach that summer. He would win the WCW World Championship from the Giant shortly after and re-christen it the NWO World Title.

Bullet Club’s Firing Squad is looking for new members. The group previously put out a call for new member suggestions on social media and has now produced a recruitment video of sorts. Bullet Club OG Tama Tonga posted the following earlier today:

We are #BulletClub #RecruitSeason pic.twitter.com/E9n1LcOjj5

— Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) September 10, 2018

Recruiting season now open. We need names. Go. #BulletClub #FiringSquad

— Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) September 9, 2018

A few names were brought up multiple times by Tonga’s followers. Jay White, Toa Henare, and Punishment Martinez were all suggested as potential new members. White had previously been offered a spot in Bullet Club by Kenny Omega. He turned down the offer in epic fashion, however, and joined CHAOS instead. Ring of Honor’s Kenny King volunteered for the role:

?????

— Evolving…. (@KennyKingPb2) September 9, 2018

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Cody and his wife Brandi Rhodes chimed in:

https://twitter.com/codyrhodes/status/1039203633089454085?s=21

You mean the JV squad needs chicks? Adorable. Cause Varsity’s all set over here with the Queen ? https://t.co/O3BsOsffyL

— Brandi Rhodes (@TheBrandiRhodes) September 10, 2018

Firing Squad Title Matches In September

The Firing Squad have a few big matches coming up in September. Tonga, Loa, and Taiji Ishimori will defend the NEVER Openweight 6-Man tag-team titles on Saturday. They will face the team of Taguchi, Juice Robinson, and David Finlay.

The Guerillas of Destiny will then face the Young Bucks for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships on September 30th in Long Beach.