Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) has had a falling out with another pro-wrestling promotion. Yesterday, AAA Lucha Libre announced the full card for this weekend’s TripleMania show. Alberto was noticeably absent from the lineup.
“The promotion soured on him when he no-showed the Impact vs. AAA show in New Orleans and just felt with his track record that he wasn’t worth the risk,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Earlier in the year, Alberto teased he would face a legendary opponent on the show. He has said he had talks with the promotion about wrestling against or teaming with Rey Mysterio Jr. for the event. While Albero has never officially left the promotion, his name has not been mentioned on their television in months.
Alberto El Patron TripleMania
AAA owner, Dorian Roldan, went public in Mexico saying Alberto’s no-showing the Impact vs LU was a significant factor. Alberto has gone public and said the two sides were negotiating after his no-show.
TripleMania takes place August 25th, 2018. The main event of the show will feature a 4-way cage match. Pentagon, Psycho Clown, El Hijo Del Fantasma, and LA Park will be the participants. After 2 luchadors have escaped the cage, the final two will wrestle a single’s match. The loser of that match also loses their mask.
The Young Bucks will debut a new entrance at All In. Their new ring entrance music debuted earlier today, however, during an episode of Chris Jericho’s podcast.
The entrance music was produced by Meat Sauce Media in conjunction with Killing the Business. Check out the new Young Bucks theme in the player below:
The song is by the band Class of 88. On August 24th, fans will be able to purchase the theme on 7-inch vinyl which will also feature bonus tracks by “Papa Buck” Matthew Lee Massie.
Fans can also purchase a “Championship Gold Bundle” which features the vinyl and various Young Bucks merchandise.
“This exclusive CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD Bundle includes the Superkick Party 7? Gold Vinyl Variant with alternate cover artwork, printed on gold foil, and the bundle exclusive Superkick Party Shirt and Bumper Sticker,” states the Meat Sauce Media webpage.
The popular tag-team announced last week that a new theme song and new entrance would debut at All In “Nick and I are excited to announce, we will be debuting our new entrance & theme song at ALL IN!” Matt Jackson wrote on Twitter recently.
“Tune into @IAmJericho’s Podcast, Talk is Jericho on Aug 22 to check out the song in its entirety! (follow @MeatSauceM on Twitter for more)”
On the latest episode of his Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho revealed how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reacted when he learned about All In. The latest episode features an interview he conducted with Cody and the Young Bucks back in June. The interview took place in Osaka, Japan following NJPW’s “Destruction in Osaka” event.
Vince McMahon All In Reaction
Chris Jericho says he told Vince McMahon about All In earlier this year. Vince’s reaction was classic Vince. “I told Vince about All In about 4 or 5 months ago,” Jericho said. “We were just discussing and shooting the breeze and I said ‘Yeah the show’s in September in Chicago’ and Vince said ‘I wish they would have called me. September is the worst time of year to promote!’”
Jericho, Cody, and the Young Bucks got a good laugh at the notion of calling up Vince McMahon to get advice. “Hey Vince, it’s Cody, I’ve got the Young Bucks on the phone,” Cody joked. “Couple of questions about promoting in the fall.”
“Don’t say ‘Rhodes’ haha,” Jericho joked in a Vince McMahon voice.
The story takes place just after the first commercial break in the episode. Subscribe to Talk is Jericho at iTunes.
Tonight’s episode of NXT will feature matches taped before Takeover: Brooklyn IV on Saturday night. The main event will feature a match for the United Kingdom Championship.
Two matches have been announced for tonight’s show. Fans can likely expect several highlight packages of Saturday’s Takeover event as well.
NXT 8/22 Preview
WWE United Kingdom Championship
Pete Dunne (c) vs Zack Gibson
The winner of the NXT U.K Championship tournament in London earlier this year will get another crack at Pete Dunne tonight. Dunne defeated Gibson in Royal Albert Hall following Gibson’s tournament victory.
Meanwhile, Dunne has expressed interest in challenging for Ricochet’s newly won NXT North American Championship. He’ll have to get by Gibson tonight for that to happen, however.
Bianca Belair vs Deonna Purrazzo
A back injury forced Bianca Belair out of title contention but she’ll return tonight to take on newcomer Deonna Purrazzo. Belair is hoping the newly signed Mae Young Classic competitor isn’t the first one to hand her a loss in NXT.
Purrazzo made her in-ring NXT debut at a live event on the 17th. She competed in the MYC tapings which were held on August 8th and 9th.
The fallout from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV
With two new champions crowned on Saturday, fans can expect to see plenty of the Takeover fallout tonight.
Ricochet is the new NXT North American Champion but you can bet Adam Cole won’t simply let that go without a fight. Shayna Baszler was also dethroned by Kairi Sane and does not appear finished with the original MYC winner either.
Jerry Lawler appeared on Local 24 Memphis recently to speak further about the investigation into his son’s death.
“It’s like a nightmare that we can’t wake up from”, Lawler said. “It seems like every day something new comes up, we hear something from someone that was either an eyewitness to incidents that happened the day that Brian died or people that have heard stories about just different things that went on in the jail.”
Yesterday, we reported that Lawler’s lawyers are trying to make sense of an affidavit filed regarding an inmate using Brian’s identity.
“Even as recently as just a couple days ago,” Lawler continued. “Somebody in the jail is still using Brian’s identity and was caught for identity theft.”
Brian Lawler Death Investigation
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death. The Lawler family has consistently stated they doubt the official version of events which states Brian died via self-inflicted hanging.
“It just doesn’t pass the smell test,” Lawler said earlier this month. “We’ve received literally countless calls, text messages from people, actual eyewitnesses, that were in the jail and saw things that happened on the actual day that Brian died that now has opened up a new can of worms,” he continued. “It just doesn’t seem like it was suicide.”
Experts have also cast doubt on ligature marks found around Brian’s neck.
“Just look at his neck and look at his hand,” Lawler said earlier this month. “You can see the lines on his neck all the way around here to here and what would be the length of your hand as if he was trying to keep the pressure off.”
Last night on Smackdown, the New Day defeated the Bludgeon Brothers to win the tag-team championships. Rowan entered the match with a torn biceps but competed hard anyway. He will have surgery next week and is expected to be out for 2-4 months.
Following the match, both Harper and Smackdown creative head, Road Dogg, offered praise for the man who worked the main event match while injured.
Rowan’s injury means the tag-team division on Smackdown is opened up quite a bit moving forward. Now all the teams the Bludgeon Brothers defeated while champions are back in the mix.
During a backstage segment last night, the Bar and the Club scheduled a match for next week which could determine the New Day’s first title challengers.
Bludgeon Brothers Smackdown Tag Team Championship Reign
Harper and Rowan held the Smackdown Tag Team Championships for 135 days. They won the titles at WrestleMania 34 in a triple threat tag match against the Usos and New Day. The Usos were the champions going into the match.
BB then defeated the Usos at the Greatest Royal Rumble. They defeated the Club at Money in the Bank and then again on Smackdown just two days later. Harper and Rowan also defeated Team Hell No at Extreme Rules before dropping the Summerslam match to the New Day via DQ.
Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) has withdrawn from AAA’s premier annual event, TripleMania. The event is scheduled to take place on August 25th.
Alberto is saying the company did not pay his agreed upon deposit and did not make other necessary arrangements for his participation. The letter also says he will send out information about new projects he is working on shortly.
Para que no exista ni duda ni malentendidos. Simplemente las cosas como son https://t.co/ujKXHHzXw8
Cruiserweight Championship
Australian Suicide (c) vs Multiple opponents TBD
AAA Mixed Tag Championships
Big Mama and Nino Hamburguesa vs Hijo Del Vikingo and Vanilla vs Dinastia and Lady Maravilla vs Angelikal and La Hiedra
AAA Tag Team Championships
Aerostar and Drago vs Golden Magic and Laredo Kid vs Bandido and Flamita vs Andrew Everett and DJZ
Mamba, Maximo, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Carta Brava Jr, Mocho Cota Jr, Tito Santana vs Hijo de LA Park, Puma King, and Taurus
Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera and Teddy Hart vs Averno, Chessman, Super Fly
La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, and Texano Jr. vs Joe Lider, Murder Clown, and Pagano
AAA Heavyweight Championship
Jeff Jarrett (c) vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann
Mask vs Hair
Lady Shani vs Faby Apache
One Luchador Will Be Unmasked Cage Match (After 2 Luchadors escape the other 2 wrestle, loser losing his mask)
Psycho Clown vs Hijo Del Fantasma vs LA Park, vs Pentagon Jr.
Impact Wrestling has announced that their event from Wrestling MediaCon will be streamed live on Twitch. The show is scheduled for September 9th from Manchester.
Impact’s return to Manchester coincides with the launch of Anthem’s Fight Network in the UK, which can now be seen on Sky Channel 455. The show will begin at 5 pm UK time and 12 pm EST.
BIG NEWS: Our @WrestlingMediaC event in Manchester on September 9th will stream LIVE on Twitch!
Impact Wrestling at Wrestling MediaCon September 9th
5 matches have been confirmed thus far for the event, including a match for the Impact Wrestling Tag-Team Championships. Jimmy Havoc will also wrestle for the promotion for the first time since they toured the UK in early 2016.
Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm
Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Death Match
Sami Callihan vs Jimmy Havoc
Eli Drake vs Joe Hendry
Su Yung vs Lana Austin
Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal vs Trevor Lee
Moose and Eddie Edwards are also scheduled to appear but have yet to be booked in a match.
Impact Wrestling Twitch
“IMPACT Wrestling’s official Twitch channel features exclusive monthly live events, original weekly live shows such as “Prestigious Tuesdays with Joe Hendry,” an Impact press release reads. The Twitch channel also features a 24/7 stream of classic Impact Wrestling events.
Impact Wrestling returns to television tomorrow night when Sami Callihan and Pentagon Jr. clash in a Mexican Death Match.
The world of Lucha Libre has lost a legend today. Villano III, real name Arturo Díaz Mendoza, passed away today at 66 years old. His death is believed to have been from a cerebral infarction.
“Villano III, one of the greatest stars of LLI (UWA), has passed away today.”
Villano III’s career began in the 1970s for the Universal Wrestling Association. His older brothers had already been wrestling professionally for a few years and his father, Ray Mendoza, had been a successful luchador already in his career. He leaves behind two sons, who wrestle as Villano’s IV and V.
Villano III has passed away, the son of the late Ray Mendoza, and one of the biggest Lucha Libre performers of the past four decades.
“Villano III has passed away, the son of the late Ray Mendoza, and one of the biggest Lucha Libre performers of the past four decades.”
Villano III
In 2000, Villano III won the Wrestling Observer’s prestigious Match of the Year award for his bout versus Atlantis in Mexico City. His retirement match in 2015, however, earned Worst Match Of The Year as well. This was on the ill-fated TripleMania show which suffered from numerous production glitches.
Villano III won the WWC heavyweight championship on two occasions in Puerto Rico. He won the CMLL world light heavyweight championship once as well. Along with his sons, he held the AAA America’s Trios Championships twice.
Chris Jericho believes match quality is overrated. To him, what sells a match or colors how it is perceived is the characters involved.
“I’m gonna go on record here,” Jericho said on a recent episode of his podcast. “Guess what guys? Great matches don’t matter. Here’s the secret to wrestling: personalities and character. That’s all that matters.”
Jericho expressed similar sentiment earlier this year during an appearance on Busted Open radio:
Chris Jericho on Dangerous Wrestling and Will Ospreay
Jericho would continue to use Will Ospreay as an example of what he means. Ospreay is often referred to as the next Dynamite Kid. In one respect, this is a compliment considering the success Tom Billington had. From another perspective, however, being the next Dynamite Kid could also mean a shortened career and limited mobility inlater life.
“People were predicting he’s gonna be the next Dynamite Kid,” Jericho said of Ospreay. “I called him on the phone and said, ‘dude you do not want to be the next Dynamite Kid. I want you to be around when you’re 47 just like me kicking ass. Stop doing stupid moves that don’t mean anything.’”
According to Jericho, he and Ospreay had a productive conversation and the popular junior heavyweight has toned down his style since.
Jericho also recalled the story of meeting Nick Bockwinkle at a TV taping in 1992. Bockwinkle, Jericho recalled, had a similar attitude to him that he now has given to Ospreay.
“I remember Nick Bockwinkle told me back in like 1992, at a TV taping in Winnipeg when he was there as a color commentator, ‘you do too much’.”
WWE is back in the Barclay’s Center tonight for Smackdown and 205 Live. 4 matches have been booked for the two shows as well as several segments stemming from Sunday’s Summerslam.
Smackdown Preview 8/21
Smackdown Tag Team Championships
No Disqualification
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs New Day
New Day defeated the Bludgeon Brothers on Sunday via disqualification. The match result means BB keep the titles but will have to defend them again tonight.
General Manager Paige has made this match a No DQ rules bout, meaning the mallet blows which caused a disqualification on Sunday are perfectly legal tonight.
Rowan is believed to have suffered a torn bicep on Sunday so his status for the match is unclear. Big E was the one who took the mallet shot on Sunday and is probably injured in storyline. Woods is also likely banged up after delivering a flying elbow drop from the top turnbuckle to the outside.
Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton
Sunday at Summerslam, Randy Orton walked to the ring following Nakamura’s victory over Hardy. Then Orton just turned around and went to the back. Tonight Hardy and Orton will go one-on-one.
Orton resents Hardy for being a crowd favorite when he feels he should receive that level of respect from fans.
How Nakamura and his US title factor into things here remains unclear.
Becky Lynch Explains Her Actions
Becky Lynch attacked her longtime friend Charlotte Flair following the triple threat match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Summerslam. The match had originally been scheduled as Lynch versus Carmela one-on-one for the title. Flair was only added after returning to Smackdown recently.
Lynch’s bitterness towards her friend for inserting herself into the title match was evident. She took the opportunity to attack Flair after she had won the title and again yesterday at a house show event.
Tonight, Lynch will explain her actions for anyone who can’t understand them already.
AJ Styles Exclusive Interview
Samoa Joe defeated AJ styles via disqualification on Sunday night. Joe had gotten under the champion’s skin for repeatedly insinuating his family is upset he’s on the road so much.
Tonight, AJ will give an exclusive interview and answer questions regarding his actions from two nights ago. Samoa Joe will likely be on-hand and could demand another shot at the WWE Championship as well.
What’s Next For the Miz and Daniel Bryan?
The Miz will likely want to gloat about his victory over Daniel Bryan and promote his reality series tonight. Bryan was seething after his controversial loss to Miz on Sunday. Maryse passed Miz a foreign object during the match which he then used to defeat his rival.
205 Live 8/21
Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese vs the Lucha House Party
Workout buddies, Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese will form a tag-team tonight. They will take on Kalisto and Lince Dorado. The 3rd member of the Lucha House Party, Grand Metalik, has been dealing with Visa problems lately. He could be back tonight but he’s not scheduled for this match.
Noam Dar vs TJP
This will be the rubber match between these two. Noam Dar defeated TJP a few weeks ago in his return to the division. TJP evened the series between them just two weeks ago, however.
Tonight, either Dar or TJP move closer to a cruiserweight title shot and the other moves farther away from one.
As new details regarding the death of Brian Christopher are becoming known, what exactly happened is becoming less clear.
An affidavit filed last week is stating that inmate Danterriaus Jones committed identity fraud concerning Christopher’s information. Jones made several phone calls from prison using Christopher’s information before Christopher’s death. He used Christopher’s social security number which is required for outgoing prison phone calls. One of the calls is believed to have taken place on July 28th, the day before Christopher died.
Jones is believed to have called the Lawler family and said Brian had been assaulted and had a concussion. The next day when Christopher was being transported for medical care, Jones then called members of his own family.
Jones is being charged with identity theft but lawyers believe this is being done in an attempt to discredit potential future testimony from him. It is possible Jones would testify he was told to notify the Lawler family that Brian had been assaulted in prison the day before he died.
“If you’re skeptical, you might think that there’s a witness in the Hardeman County Jail that someone is attempting to discredit,” Lawler lawyer Ted Hamson said. “That’s one scenario that makes sense.”
The Lawler family has stated they doubt Christopher died via suicide. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into the matter.
Private investigators have also raised concerns regarding the evidence in the case. The lack of ligature marks around the neck has been raised by experts.
Brian Christopher Death Investigation
In addition to attempting to contact the Lawler family, Jones did use Christopher’s identity to make calls to his own family, which is likely what is leading to the charge.
“At some point, Brian clearly gave this guy his PIN number,” Hansom continued. “He (Lawler) told him to call his family and let Jerry know what was going on. All that is consistent. After Brian was transported to the Med, this guy attempted to contact his own family to tell them what was going on. But again, nobody has complained about it.”
Pentagon and Fenix missed an indy event Friday night in California. The promoter who booked them for the show appears unsure about the reasons he was given for their last-minute cancellation.
Pro Wrestling Revolution was only able to notify fans a few hours before bell-time that neither Pentagon nor Fenix would be attending the show. PWR owner, Gabriel Ramirez, posted the following on the matter:
I really didn't want to have this happen, but it is what it is.
I am getting texts, and DM about Pentagón 0M and why he was not at Pro Wrestling Revolution – King City, August 18thand asking if he is was or ever was… https://t.co/1NyeYQqsyR
“Pentagón 0M told me he hurt is back in Naucalpa,” Ramirez wrote on Facebook. “When we spoke he was at a chiropractor getting adjusted and then called me to tell me that the doctor told him he needed to rest his body for 4 days.”
Ramirez then said he offered to pay Pentagon to come to the event and not wrestle but Pentagon said the flight would be too much on his back. He continued to say Pentagon sent him a clip from the match where he was injured which can be viewed through this link.
It is being said that both brothers then wrestled a match in Mexico Sunday night but I can’t find an official record of this match.
Did The Lucha Bros No-Show An Event on Friday Night?
News that the Lucha Bros may have skipped out on a booking comes on the heels of rumors the brothers could be jumping ship to WWE in 2019. The Lucha Bros have told promoters that dates which they had previously committed to in 2019 are now in question.
As it concerns their status with Major League Wrestling, the brothers were pulled from an upcoming October event amid the rumors. In terms of their Lucha Underground contracts, the brothers are believed to be able to opt-out after the current season finishes airing. Their relationship with Impact Wrestling appears unaffected by the rumors, however. The brothers are booked for a key match at Bound for Glory and played a big role in the tapings held last week.
Hiromu Takahashi has officially vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Takahashi won the title earlier this year after also winning the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
Takahashi was injured at last month’s G1 Special in San Francisco show. He was dropped on his head by Dragon Lee during a cradle-suplex spot. Takahashi finished the match but collapsed backstage and was taken to a hospital.
He suffered a broken neck but is believed to be on track to return to the ring in 9-12 months. Takahashi has now vacated the title due to his injury.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Tournament
NJPW has scheduled a 4-man single-elimination tournament to declare a new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. All 4 wrestlers have held the title on at least 1 occasion previously.
The tournament will begin on September 23rd from Beppu.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Semi-Final
Kushida vs Bushi
the next semi-final will be held in Long Beach at Fighting Spirit Unleashed on September 30th.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Semi-Final
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll
The finals of the tournament will be held at King of Pro Wrestling on October 8th, 2018. No other matches have been announced for the show thus far.
The announcement of the tournament comes at the same time the promotion has released the full cards for the Destruction tour. Just two matches have been announced thus far for Fighting Spirit Unleashed.
Bullet Club’s Firing Squad have recently been scheduled for two upcoming title matches in NJPW. Although NJPW President, Harold Meij, threatened the group with suspensions due to their repeated interference during the G1, the faction is once again back on the promotion’s tours for September.
The biggest upcoming match for the faction will take place September 30th in Long Beach. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa will challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight tag-team Championships at Fighting Spirit Unleashed. They will take on their rivals from Bullet Club Elite, the Young Bucks.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Taiji Ishimori Defend NEVER 6-Man Championships
The Firing Squad won the NEVER 6-Man tag-team Championships on the final day of the G1 Climax tour. They then threw the belts down in front of Harold Meij. Now, Meij has scheduled for the group to defend the titles on the September 15th show from Hiroshima.
The Firing Squad will defend their titles against Juice Robinson, David Finlay, and Ryusuke Taguchi.
Since their original attack following the G1 Special in San Francisco, the group has added a few wrestlers. The original names confirmed were Haku, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Loa but quickly it would be confirmed that Bad Luck Fale and HIKULEO were both aligned with the faction as well.
The group then added Taiji Ishimori on the final days of the G1 tour. They have now added Gino Gambino from Melbourne City Wrestling. The faction, Fale most notably, spend a lot of time on the continent. Fale has a dojo in New Zealand and has worked with Gambino often. Gambino frequently tags with Bullet Club members when they tour the territory.
Last night WWE presented their biggest event of the summer. As is often the case when the promotion is in the New York area, plenty of celebrities were backstage. Additionally, several wrestling personalities were backstage as well.
Who Was Backstage At Summerslam?
Shane McMahon hasn’t been seen on camera for several months but was backstage last night. Ric Flair was also on hand to witness his daughter, Charlotte Flair, win back the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Bayley and Sasha Banks were both backstage at Summerslam too. The other 2 members of the 4 Horsewomen of NXT were involved in the Smackdown Women’s Championship match.
David Arquette was everywhere around Summerslam this year and it’s assumed he was backstage at some point as well.
Teddy Hart was backstage. He wrestled for Joey Janela’s Lost in New York on Friday and was likely wrestling somewhere nearby on Saturday or Sunday as well. Additionally, it is being said that both Carmella and Charlotte’s ring-gear yesterday, which were both pink, were worn in honor of Jim Neidhart.
Comedian Jon Stewart was at Summerslam but did not continue his rivalry with Seth Rollins.
PW Insider is also reporting that Stokely Hathaway, a manager from EVOLVE, was also backstage.
Former UFC Middleweight Champion, Chris Weidman, was in attendance. He tweeted out the following:
New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced their lineups for September. The company will begin the month by building up their 3 big Destruction shows before they land back in Long Beach for Fighting Spirit Unleashed on the 30th.
A 4-man single-elimination tournament for Hiromu Takahashi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has also been scheduled.
Samoa Joe defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles last night via disqualification.
Joe has been taunting Styles for abandoning his family in order to be WWE Champion. This reached a boiling point last night when Styles’ family were watching ringside. Joe grabbed the mic mid-match and proclaimed to Styles’ daughter that if “Daddy” wasn’t coming home that he would be her new daddy.
This set Styles into a rage and he would later be disqualified for using a steel chair on Joe. Styles then left the arena along with his wife and daughter.
WWE cameras caught up to Styles as he was leaving and captured his apology to his family on video.
AJ Styles’ WWE Championship Reign
Last week, AJ Styles made history when he became the longest-running champion in SmackDown history. Styles’ WWE Championship reign began on November 7th, 2017 when he defeated Jinder Mahal in Manchester, England. Since then, he has defended the title 9 times on WWE programming:
Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (Clash of Champions 2017)
AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn – 2-on-1 Handicap match (Royal Rumble 2018)
Styles defeated Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn – 6-Pack Challenge (Fastlane 2018)
AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (WrestleMania 34)
Double Count Out against Shinsuke Nakamura (Greatest Royal Rumble)
No Contest against Shinsuke Nakamura (Backlash 2018)
defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – Last Man Standing (Money in the Bank 2018)
Finn Balor once again wore the Demon face and body paint last night at Summerslam. He then defeated Constable Corbin in just 1 minute and 35 seconds.
The last time the WWE Universe had seen the Demon was at the 2017 TLC pay-per-view. The October 22nd, 2017 show was changed last-minute due to several Superstars falling ill. Balor’s poorly-reviewed rivalry with Bray Wyatt centering on each character’s alter-ego was scrapped when Wyatt was pulled from the show.
Instead, Balor’s Demon defeated AJ Styles that night. Last night at Summerslam, the Demon made a surprise return:
Finn Balor’s Demon
Balor discussed why the Demon character is used so rarely in an interview last year.
“The Demon character is something I draw on occasion,” Balor told the Australian media. “It’s something that requires a lot of focus to tap into and really requires the right situation for me to sort of draw on that darker side of my personality.”
“Since I’ve been back on Raw, the opportunity hasn’t really presented itself to tap into that side,” he continued. “I’ve had such a good time being back I haven’t wanted to change. I quite like walking out in my sweet new Balor club jacket. popping my collar and being Mr. Cool.”
Summerslam was the 3rd time Balor and Corbin have faced each other in single’s action on WWE programming. Balor leads the all-time series 2 wins to 1.
Neither Luke Gallows nor Nia Jax competed at SummerSlam. Nia Jax lost the Raw Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank earlier this year to Alexa Bliss, who was cashing in the MITB briefcase she won previously that night. Jax was about to be locked in an armbar by Ronda Rousey at the time Bliss cashed in the briefcase.
Jax was given a rematch against Bliss at Extreme Rules but again lost to her longtime rival. She had previously defeated Bliss at both WrestleMania 34 and Backlash 2018.
As for Luke Gallows, the Club failed to defeat the Bludgeon Brother for the Smackdown tag-team championships on two successive occasions this year. The last time Gallows and Anderson wrestled was in a dark match on Tuesday night. They teamed with their fellow club member, AJ Styles, and defeated Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Samoa Joe after 205 Live.
Shinsuke Nakamura’s status with WWE has been the topic of some debate recently. There has been some speculation he could leave WWE and return to NJPW when his contract is up next year. Nakamura signed a 3-year deal with WWE in 2016. He was interviewed by Sky Sports this week and addressed his future.
“Who said that?” Nakamura asked in regards to rumors his WWE run would be a short one. “Moving to the US is a big decision for my family. Long term thing.”
Nakamura insists he’s had no discussion with NJPW., despite the rumors. “New Japan didn’t contact me,” Nakamura said in regards to his former employer.
Nakamura was also asked if he plans to re-sign with WWE in 2019. He indicated it was probable but would depend on the money offered.
Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy
Nakamura will take on Jeff Hardy for the US title tomorrow night at Summerslam. It is the first time Nakamura has held a title on the main roster. Previously, Nakamura has lost multiple WWE Championship matches to Jinder Mahal and AJ Styles.
Nakamura won the Royal Rumble earlier this year but then failed in multiple attempts to take the title from AJ Styles. This resulted in Nakamura’s heel turn and subsequent forgetting of the English language. Nakamura has claimed he is unable to speak the language when asked why he low-blowed Styles so often during their feud.
Paul Heyman surprised the audience of Cheap Heat Live last night in New York’s Sony Hall theatre. The advocate for Brock Lesnar took time out of a busy Summerslam weekend to speak on topics ranging from WWE’s current product to naming a modern-day version of the Dangerous Alliance.
Perhaps the most notable question Heyman answered, however, was in regards to who he feels is the next big rebel in WWE today. The audience member cited guys like Shawn Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and CM Punk as rebels who launched WWE into very successful runs for the company.
Paul Heyman knows a thing or two about rebels, counter-culture and the X-factors that lead a talent to break away from the pack. Heyman said, “Seth Rollins. Seth Rollins because he continuously comes up with moves that are politically incorrect and they have to tell him to stop doing them but they become so popular that they end up saying to him ‘alright go ahead, we’ll deal with it, go do it.’”
Heyman continued to describe Rollins’ rebellious contributions to WWE. “It’s because he’s innovative and he rebels against the system that tries to be politically correct and he continues to be politically incorrect and when he came up with the saying of ‘Burn it Down,’ he was being honest about what he thought would be the constraints of what was being put on him, that he’s going to break through that and do things his way and innovate a style that you can only see in a Seth Rollins match.”
Paul Heyman on Working For Vince McMahon
David Shoemaker then asked Heyman how he feels about working for Vince McMahon. Heyman didn’t address the answer directly but rather corrected Shoemaker regarding who he works for.
“I really don’t consider myself in the Vince McMahon business, I don’t consider myself in the WWE business,” Heyman said. “I pretty much now have found a place in life where I am in the Brock Lesnar business.”
Paul Heyman’s New Dangerous Alliance
Heyman was also asked about the lack of factions in wrestling today. He was asked to put together a Dangerous Alliance 2.0. Heyman responded that there is already a modern version of the stable, however.
“Would you like me to tell you who’s in it?” Heyman asked. “Two members: 1) Brock Lesnar 2) Paul Heyman. That is as dangerous an alliance as you’re ever going to get in WWE.”
Heyman on running a wrestling promotion & more
The first question of the evening centered around the WWE Universal Champion’s torso tattoo. Heyman took a bit of time to berate the question and the person asking it before he gave his answer though.
“Obviously (he’s) trying to insinuate that the tattoo looks like a penis,” Heyman said. “Because, of course, that’s what would attract *points out question-asker* a p***y.”
Heyman was asked about what it’s like to run a wrestling promotion. He responded with a quote he heard from UFC President, Dana White.
“I think actually the person who said it best was Dana White,” Heyman said. “That when he wakes in the morning and his feet hit the ground he knows he’s already 100-miles deep in s**t to deal with.”
Someone in the audience asked Heyman about a member of New Day going solo and winning a single’s title. Heyman used the Shield as an analogy.
“Why would you break up that group?” Heyman asked. “Why would you take a group like that and split them up? It would be like splitting up the Shie… nevermind on that.”
After some murmuring from the crowd, Heyman continued, however. “Hey, when Roman Reigns was in the Shield you guys thought he was the coolest..” the crowd disagreed with this. “Yes, you did! Yes, you did!”
Heyman continued to say New Day were the most entertaining team aside from the Usos, which got some cheers. If he was a member of New Day and collecting their merchandise cheques, Heyman said, they’d have to sue him to break that group up.
As time ran out during the live show, the Hall of Pain music hit and Mark Henry entered the stage. This spelled the end for Paul Heyman’s eventful surprise appearance in the Sony Hall Theatre.
Just hours before the Lucha Bros were to compete on a card in Daly City California last night, the promotion was forced to tell fans neither would make it to the show.
Fenix and Pentagon Jr. were to team up and take on Reno Scum at the event. Fans were told via Twitter that Pentagon was injured and Fenix was having travel difficulties.
It is with deep regret to inform the APW Faithful that @PENTAELZEROM was injured last night in ??. @ReyFenixMx has also informed us that he is experiencing travel issues. We greatly apologize to everyone and wish Penta a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/u58whdj4sa
The Lucha Bros have been the center of controversy as of late. Reports surfaced 2 weeks ago that WWE had interest in the brothers. At the time, both Pentagon and Fenix were thought to be locked into Lucha Underground contracts. Their contracts were believed to be preventative from them from jumping ship, however.
It has since been revealed that both Pentagon and Fenix are of the understanding they can opt out of their LU contracts following the 4th season. They would have to sit out 6 months following the expiration of their LU deals but then would be free to sign with WWE.
Pentagon and Fenix, who are the MLW tag-team champions, were pulled from an upcoming MLW show amidst the above rumors. The Lucha Bros are arguably the two most popular stars for Impact Wrestling at the moment as well.
Pentagon is scheduled to take on Sami Callihan in a Mexican Death match next week on Impact. Fenix will take on Brian Cage for the X-Division title in 2 weeks.
WWE is not interested in hearing fans’ opinions on one of their top superstars. The company sent out a survey to fans recently asking them to select up to 10 superstars that they enjoy seeing on WWE programming. There was one notable omission.
WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, was not one of the selectable Superstars. His exclusion from the survey may lead to further speculation that Lesnar’s last match with the company will be at Summerslam.
Lesnar’s absence from the survey is notable considering his accompanying notable absence from WWE programming. It is still not clear how much longer Lesnar will be with WWE.
Sunday will the 3rd time Lesnar has defended the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. He defeated Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 34 and then again at the Greatest Royal Rumble. His match against Roman at the GRR, however, was a controversial finish after Lesnar and Roman crashed through the cage at the same time.
Kenny Omega has landed a sponsorship deal with Team Razer. The avid video game fanatic uses Team Razer products such as the Panthera Evo fight stick and the Razer Thresher Ultimate headset for PlayStation 4.
“I’ve always been a supporter of Razer and their products, so joining their team is really exciting,” said Omega. “To rise to the next level in wrestling or gaming, a true support system is needed, and that’s where Team Razer comes in. Their top-quality devices and fashion-forward gear are the best on the market, and I’m proud to be working with a company whose motto is ‘for gamers, by gamers’ that is just as driven to win as I am.”
Proud to be a member of the team. Better believe we’re gonna do a ton of cool stuff in the future. Can’t wait to show everyone! https://t.co/egtGMfh5cX
Some felt Omega’s deal with the company was only a cover, however. Omega seemed to profess his love for Brandi Rhodes on an episode of BTE. It was later revealed, however, that Omega was simply talking about his new sponsor.
Omega will face Pentagon Jr. on September 1st at All In. Following that match, Omega will next defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii.
