SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • Smackdown & 205 Live Preview 7/31: Jeff Hardy Confronts Randy Orton

    Smackdown & 205 Live Preview 7/31: Jeff Hardy Confronts Randy Orton

    Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida tonight. 2 matches have been confirmed for Smackdown, including the 2nd semi-final match in the Smackdown tag-team tournament. Just one match has been announced for 205 Live tonight.

    Smackdown Live 7/31 Preview

    Jeff Hardy Confronts Randy Orton

    Jeff Hardy wasn’t on Smackdown last week. He was out selling his injuries from Orton’s attack the previous week. 2 weeks ago on Smackdown, Orton attacked Hardy and tried to rip open his stretched earlobe. Last week, Orton cut a scathing promo on the WWE Universe and promised to end Hardy’s WWE return.

    Jeff Hardy returns to Smackdown tonight and will confront Orton on the show.

    Lana vs Zelina Vega

    Andrade Almas defeated Rusev on Smackdown last week. This week, Lana has challenged Zelina Vega to a single’s match. It will be Vega’s first match on WWE’s main roster.

    Lana won her last single’s match. She defeated Billie Kay in a MITB qualifying match. It was her first single’s victory on the main roster.

    Smackdown Tag-Team Tournament
    The Usos vs The Bar

    Paige announced a 4-team tournament to determine who will challenge the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. Last week, New Day defeated Sanity to move to the finals of the tournament which will be held next week.

    Tonight, two decorated tag-teams will fight for the right to take on the New Day in the finals.

    Fallout From Samoa Joe’s Attack On AJ Styles

    Samoa Joe will challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. Joe made a point of attacking and choking out the champion last week.

    We should get Style’s response to his new challenger tonight.

    Becky Lynch and Carmella Segment

    Last week, Becky Lynch defeated Carmella in a non-title match to earn a title shot at SummerSlam. Without James Ellsworth by her side, Carmella is going to be in tough with the surging Lynch.

    Daniel Bryan’s Response to the Miz

    Last week on Miz TV, the Miz threw a fake baby at Daniel Bryan before attacking him. As we build to a showdown between these longtime rivals, Bryan will be looking for payback tonight.

    Expect the Miz to promote his reality show as much as possible.

    205 Live Preview

    Akira Tozawa and Lio Rush Segment

    Tozawa and Lio Rush have been feuding as of late. Rush believes Tozawa is too complacent whereas he takes whatever he wants. Tozawa has been calling for a rematch with Rush but that decision lays in the hands of Drake Maverick.

    Cedric Alexander vs the Brian Kendrick

    Alexander will defend his title against Drew Gulak at SummerSlam but tonight he’ll have a tune-up match with Brian Kendrick. Gulak will likely be on hand to scout his upcoming opponent. He might even get involved in the match.

  • Cody and Nick Aldis Add New Stipulation For All-In

    Cody and Nick Aldis Add New Stipulation For All-In

    In the latest edition of NWA’s YouTube series, Cody and Nick Aldis reached an agreement on a new stipulation for their match at All-In.

    Aldis expressed disappointment that Cody failed to win the ROH title last month and said that Cody now has nothing to put up in their match at All-In. Cody ended up putting his Ring of Honor ring on the line instead, even handing it to Aldis to keep as collateral.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YsCB4-lj-c&frags=pl%2Cwn

    NWA World Heavyweight Championship
    Nick Aldis (c) vs Cody

    The show started with highlights from an in-ring promo featuring Cody and Nick Aldis. After Cody spent some time speaking about Brandi, he was interrupted by the current champ.

    “You and I, we’re very alike in many ways and Cody. We’ve taken different roads to get where we are today,” Aldis said. “You very smartly hitched your wagon to this big old money-train called the Bullet Club. And some may even say at this point, you’re the conductor of the train and I applaud you for that.”

    Aldis then explained the difference between his and Cody’s last few years in wrestling.

    “I took a different approach and I took the challenge to reinvigorate and revitalize a brand that was on life support. Not just any brand but a brand you hold deal, and I know why, the most historic brand in wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance.”

    Aldis would continue to see he doesn’t understand what is in this match for him.

    “It’s time to put up or shut up,” Aldis said. “You don’t have the Ring of Honor Championship to put up, so my question to you is, what are you willing to put up instead?”

    Cody then handed Aldis his Ring of Honor ring. He said it was collateral for their match at All-In. Should Cody lose, the ring would likely then belong to Aldis.

  • Drew Gulak Releases Comic Strip For A Better 205 Live

    Drew Gulak Releases Comic Strip For A Better 205 Live

    The #1 contender to the Cruiserweight Championship, Drew Gulak, has released a comic strip. Promoted through Gulak’s Twitter, the comic warns wrestlers to avoid the pitfalls of modern-day pro-wrestling.

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024067980630663168

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068004068372481

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068027762069505

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068048293179392

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068074419445760

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068094812086272

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068119122333697

    https://twitter.com/DrewGulak/status/1024068129733992448

    “Children, as Jeff The Mauler showed us, temptation is EVERYWHERE,” Gulak later Tweeted. “With a little hard work and discipline you too can lead a wholesome and more fun lifestyle in all aspects! Thank you!”

    Drew Gulak For A Better 205 Live

    Gulak spoke to ESPN earlier this year regarding his WWE run thus far.

    “It’s been really surreal,” Gulak said. “I’m basically getting the chance to revisit old creative stuff that I was able to experiment with at a different point in my career, and I’m able to see what that’s like under the banner of WWE. Now I have a whole new set of resources to kind of grow things and try things out.”

    Gulak continued to say he was surprised when WWE came calling regarding the Cruiserweight Classic.

    “I had been way outside WWE’s radar for the longest time. I didn’t know how to get in touch with the company, and I didn’t even know if that was a goal of mine,” he continued. “Then, a few years ago, I was able to start learning about the system, and did some extra work.

    “Just by chance, based on my work on the independent scene and what I was doing with promotions like EVOLVE and Pro Wrestling Guerilla, William Regal reached out to me while I was overseas in England and mentioned that there would be a tryout happening,” Gulak continued. “It was about a year prior to the Cruiserweight Classic, and I was invited down with a few of my colleagues — Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Oney Lorcan, TM61 and Chuck Taylor were all at that same tryout event.”

    Drew Gulak will challenge Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship at SummerSlam.

  • Rey Mysterio & Young Bucks’ Match For ‘All In’ Announced

    Rey Mysterio & Young Bucks’ Match For ‘All In’ Announced

    We now know what The Young Bucks and Rey Mysterio will be doing at All In on September 1st.

    The @ALL_IN_2018 Twitter account has announced a trios match involving Rey Mysterio, Rey Fenix and Bandito vs. Kota Ibushi and the Young Bucks. This is the fourth confirmed bout for the card.

    https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/1023984289329946629

    Nick Jaskson Reacts to All In Booking

    Nick Jackson responded that this match must be a gift for his recent 29th birthday.

    Nick Jackson also mentioned that this was the 2nd Young Bucks match confirmed yesterday. The Bucks will also face LAX at the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea this October.

    Updated Card for All-In

    Here is the updated card for All In, which takes place on Saturday, September 1st from the Sears Center Arena outside Chicago, IL.

    • “Bad Boy” Joey Janela vs Hangman Page
      • This match will likely play into the missing Joey Ryan angle in some way. Page has been having nightmares regarding what exactly happened to Ryan.
    • Kazuchika Okada vs Marty Scurll
      • This week on Being the Elite, Marty Scurll met up with his friend Nick Aldis. They discussed Scurll’s match with Okada at All-In.
      • Aldis suggested to Scurll that he gain weight and handed him a box of doughnuts.
      • Okada was interviewed later in the episode and said he would beat Scurll in what would be his last match before he goes to 205 Live.
    • Fenix, Bandido, and Rey Mysterio Jr. vs The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi
      • Jim Cornette will not like this match.
      • Mysterio has said he wants a chance to team with some of the young luchadors coming up before he heads back to WWE. They don’t come much more young and up and coming than Bandido and Fenix.
      • Bandido is 23 and has made a name for himself in Mexico. He just started getting booked with PWG this year.
    • NWA World Heavyweight Championship
      Nick Aldis (c) vs Cody

      • Technically, all that is confirmed is that Cody will challenge for the title. Aldis still has to defend the title for another month first. It’s likely he’ll do that, however.
      • Cody has already challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight and ROH World titles unsuccessfully this summer.
  • Kenny Omega Reveals Secret To His Undefeated G1 Climax 28 Thus Far

    Kenny Omega Reveals Secret To His Undefeated G1 Climax 28 Thus Far

    Kenny Omega is 5-0 in the round-robin of the G1 Climax 28 tournament. As the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, any loss he endures in the tournament could lead to a future title defense.

    The other member of Bullet Club Elite entered into the tournament has not been as lucky. With a record of only 1-5, Hangman Page is already mathematically eliminated from the tournament.

    On this week’s edition of “Being the Elite”, Page and Omega discussed their performances in the tournament thus far. Omega revealed the reason he has done so well in the tournament is a book he’s been reading.

    “As seen on #BTE ep. 113, “The Will to Keep Winning” by, @daigothebeast was featured. Legends in any field usually have ideas that are applicable to real-world success and Daigo’s are no exception.”

    Kenny Omega, The Will To Keep Winning

    Daigo Umehara authored the book Omega refers to on the show. Umehara is a professional video game player who specializes in fighting games.

    At the end of the BTE episode, Hangman Page offers Omega a slice of ham in exchange for the book. Omega states he is unable to part with the book until after the G1 tournament. Page insists, however, and it started to become clear Page might becoming a little unhinged with all the rumors of his involvement of Joey Ryan’s disappearance spreading.

    Omega eventually gives Hangman Page the book (and his slice of ham). Page only has 3 matches left in the G1 and the most points he could finish with at this point is 8.

    Omega’s remaining opponents in the tournament are Zack Sabre Jr, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and is Golden Lovers tag-team partner, Kota Ibushi. As for Page, he has Togi Makabe, Minoru Suzuki, and YOSHI-HASHI left to face in the tournament. Omega is looking to become the first person to ever make it to the finals of the tournament 3 years in a row.

  • Flip Gordon Signs New Contract With Ring of Honor

    Flip Gordon Signs New Contract With Ring of Honor

    One of the fastest rising prospects on the Ring of Honor roster has re-signed with the company.

    According to a report from PW Insider, Flip Gordon has just reached a deal with Ring of Honor which will keep him in the promotion through to 2020. He still has yet to reach a deal with Cody and the Young Bucks to participate at All-In on September 1st, 2018, however.

    It has been a big year for Gordon. Not only has he re-signed with Ring of Honor but Gordon also made his debut in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in Japan this spring. His new deal with ROH means he’ll likely find himself in the tournament again next year. His new contract also ensures he will be with the promotion when they run Madison Square Garden over WrestleMania weekend next year.

    Flip Gordon Ring of Honor

    Gordon began his pro-wrestling career in 2015 and found himself on the Ring of Honor roster in 2017.

    Earlier this year, Gordon spoke with reporter Chris Van Vliet about his attempts to join Bullet Club. “I tried. Kenny and Cody didn’t want me in there,” Flip said. “So if The Bucks can convince them then sure.”

    Earlier this summer, Gordon spoke with the New York Post about being positioned as a little-brother type character on Being the Elite.

    “It’s kind of funny because I’ve never been the little brother,” Gordon said. “I’ve always been the oldest brother out of my family. I’ve never had an older brother. I always looked to my cousins or other people that I looked up to as big brothers. So it’s kind of funny. I guess that is kind of my character because the Young Bucks, Marty, all them are like big brothers to me.”

    Ring of Honor will be back on the road in mid-August. They’ll run shows from Edinburgh, Doncaster, and London before returning to Philadelphia on August 25th.

  • Lana Challenges Zelina Vega To Match On Smackdown

    Lana Challenges Zelina Vega To Match On Smackdown

    Lana appears ready to get back in the ring. The 33-year-old has been on house shows lately but hasn’t wrestled a match on television since the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match last month.

    She took to Twitter to challenge Zelina Vega to a match on Tuesday’s Smackdown Live!

    “Lana is the best! Lana #1” – Rusev (and some others)

    Lana Challenges Zelina Vega

    Lana has only wrestled 16 televised (Raw, Smackdown, WWE Network, etc) matches during her WWE career. It took until her 10th match for her to get a victory.

    Lana’s first victory in WWE came in the Mixed Match Challenge held earlier this year. Rusev and Lana defeated Bayley and Elias in the first round of the tournament before losing to Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair the next. She won her first single’s match back in May. She defeated Billie Kay in a MITB qualifying match.

    Zelina Vega’s First Main Roster Match

    Assuming she accepts Lana’s challenge this will be Zelina Vega’s first match on the WWE main roster. Throughout February and early March this year she teamed with Andrade “Cien” Almas and wrestled Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano on NXT house shows.

    Vega’s only televised match so far in WWE was a single’s match loss to Candice LeRae on the April 11th edition of NXT.

    Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Rusev in single’s action last week on Smackdown. It was his 6th televised match on the main roster thus far. He is 5-1 since being called up. His victories have been over Jake Constantinou, Kevin Bennett, Sin Cara (2x), and Rusev. AJ Styles defeated Almas 2 weeks ago on Smackdown, giving Almas his only loss on the main roster thus far.

    Almas has also been using several mannerisms from his Los InGobernables faction from CMLL. Tetsuya Naito re-invented himself a few years ago when he also joined the stable and then brought it to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

  • NXT Pays Tribute To Brian Christopher and Nikolai Volkoff At House Show (Video)

    NXT Pays Tribute To Brian Christopher and Nikolai Volkoff At House Show (Video)

    Yesterday, WWE lost both Brian Christopher and Nikolai Volkoff. At yesterday’s NXT house show in Phoenix, a 10-bell salute was held to pay tribute to both.

    A former WWE tag-team champion, Brian Christopher was 46-years old. Nikolai Volkoff was 70. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s class of 2005.

    Response to the Deaths of Brian Christopher and Nikolai Volkoff

    There has been an outpouring of support online for both Christopher and Volkoff.

    Volkoff won the WWE tag-team championships with the Iron Sheik at the first-ever WrestleMania:

    “WE HAVE TO WEAR WIGS & DISGUISES WHEN WE WENT TO RESTAURANT BECAUSE EVERYBODY HATED US. NIKOLAI SAY NO MORE EATING OUT SO HE MAKE FOOD IN HOTEL ROOM. VINCE TELL US “YOU HAVE THE WHITE HOT HEAT”. ONCE NIKOLAI SING ANTHEM WE DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO WRESTLE. I MISS HIM”

    “MY BEST FRIEND. MY PARTNER. MY BROTHER. WE GET MORE HEAT THAN ANYONE ON EARTH. I TRUST HIM WITH MY LIFE. HE TAKE CARE OF ME WHEN I WAS DOWN. I MISS YOU FOREVER”

    “My deepest condolences go out to the family & friends of Brian Lawler, aka Brian Christopher, after his passing today. Jeff & I worked with Brian & @TheScotty2Hotty for a year straight when we started in @WWE. He was SO talented. We learned from him. Godspeed, Grandmaster Sexay.”

    https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1023696839890153473

    “Very sorry to learn of the passing of Brian Christopher. Brian had so much talent, such great charisma. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”

    “Rest In Peace Nikolai Volkoff Brian Christopher Brickhouse Brown Each in their own way contributed to this world of wrestling that we inhabit, and have left memories that will last.”

    WWE will likely play tribute to both Brian Christopher and Nikolai Volkoff on Raw later tonight. A Table for 3 featuring Volkoff is currently featured on the WWE Network.

     

  • Kenny Omega Rips G1 Climax Opponent On Twitter

    Kenny Omega Rips G1 Climax Opponent On Twitter

    Kenny Omega is having a great G1 Climax 28 tournament thus far. The current IWGP Heavyweight Champion is undefeated in the round-robin portion of the tournament. He defeated LIJ’s Sanada in his last tournament match.

    Omega took to Twitter to comment on his most recent opponent. He also took a shot at his upcoming tournament opponent as well.

    “You know, I hate to say it but SANADA may a future wor…. Woah, I’ll stop myself there. *Ahem* it was an easy 2 points. ZSJ next. He’s about to get that Hanes underwear model body pulverized.”

    Kenny Omega G1 Climax 28

    Omega has stated several times that he is not a fan of Tetsuya Naito’s Los InGobernables de Japon.

    Last month, Omega clarified his feelings regarding the Naito and his faction.

    “Naito in a way is a Pseudo-Stone Cold Steve Austin, anti-hero-esque character. I really don’t appreciate his message and I really only think it works in Japan,” said Omega. “Naito’s message is rather than trying to follow your dreams, rather than try and strive for something more than that, just calm down, just don’t worry about it, and don’t care.”

    Omega’s comments are likely a way to build a future angle, however, and not his true feelings.

    “LIJ is just rinse, wash repeat. Sure they are talented, maybe they have an interesting type of charisma, but they are very local and not the type of worldwide image NJPW is looking for,” Omega continued. “They’re assets, we can use them, but they’re niche.”

    Omega and Naito met on night 2 of the G1 Climax 28. Omega defeated Naito in the main event of the first night of round-robin matches for the B Block. Naito won the G1 Climax 27 tournament last year by defeating Omega in the finals. Omega had won the G1 Climax 26 tournament the year before.

  • LAX Challenge The Young Bucks To Match On Chris Jericho’s Cruise

    LAX Challenge The Young Bucks To Match On Chris Jericho’s Cruise

    Chris Jericho’s cruise is starting to shape up as one of the better match cards this year. Already confirmed for the event is the Sea of Honor tournament presented by Ring of Honor and the Bucks of Jericho/Y2Jacksons taking on Cody, Marty Scurll, and Hangman Page.

    Another match which could be confirmed shortly is between Konnan’s LAX and the Young Bucks. Konnan spoke about such a match recently on his “Keepin it 100” podcast.

    “I’m gonna put that out there: Young Bucks meet LAX on international waters. First blood, first death, whatever the hell you wanna call it and let’s do this.”

    “All right, Young Bucks, we’re calling you out,” he continued. “You can stop a revolutionary but you can’t stop a revolution. Boom. We’re serious like a late period. Bring it.”

    LAX vs the Young Bucks

    Should this match be confirmed, it could possibly be a champions vs champions tag match. Santana and Ortiz are the current Impact Wrestling tag-team champions, although the OGz recently stole their belts. The Young Bucks are the current IWGP Heavyweight tag-team champions as well.

    The Young Bucks have made statements in the past regarding facing LAX one day. In a Q&A session with fans back in March, the Bucks stated they would like to face the Usos as well as LAX.

    The Young Bucks vs ??? At All-In

    We are almost a month away from All-In but still have little idea as to who the Bucks might face that night. They have previously listed the Revival as a team they would like to face and have even hinted WWE might let the team participate in the event.

    During their post-match media scrum from the G1 Special in San Francisco, the Bucks made some vague statements.

    “How cool would it be to win the WWE tag team championship belts and not even have to perform on their show?” Jackson asked, seemingly out of nowhere. After Matt made the comment Nick asked his brother, “a little one off?”, to which Matt replied, “yeah, a little one off.”

  • Report: How Much Did WWE Make From The Greatest Royal Rumble?

    Report: How Much Did WWE Make From The Greatest Royal Rumble?

    Some new details are now available regarding how much money WWE made off the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudia Arabia this year. WWE released its financial earnings report this week and have been touting their success to investors.

    “This success is evidenced by the completion of our new U.S. distribution agreements with USA Network and Fox Sports, the staging of another record-breaking WrestleMania,” WWE’s financial report reads. “And the development of a 10-year strategic partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority.”

    While specific figures regarding the Saudi deal were not released in the report, some assumptions can be made.

    WWE Earnings From The Greatest Royal Rumble

    WWE breaks down their financial earnings into 4 categories: Network subscriptions, content fees (TV deals), advertising fees, and “other”.

    The category of “other” increased from $11 million at this time last year to $60 million. Some are speculating the large increase is due to fees paid for the Greatest Royal Rumble.

    Since the deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority is for 10-years, some are assuming WWE will be paid $45 million per year for the length of the deal. This is just speculation based on the earnings report, however. How the number got rounded down from the $49 million extra revenue to $45 million is not clear.

    The report only confirms WWE was paid approximately $49 million extra this year and nobody is giving details as to where it came from.

    In terms of how the deal with the Saudis is structured, there is little clarity here either and certainly, no firm conclusions should be made. The $49 million could have been a lump sum paid in advance for future events or the deal could be back-loaded to be more lucrative near the end of the 10-year deal. There are likely only a few people who know the exact details.

    How Many WWE Network Subscribers Are There

    WWE stated in their recent earnings report they are now at 1.8 million subscribers. It is not clear how many of these subscribers are currently on a free month trial, however.

    WWE’s revenue from the Network increased slightly from this time last year. The company had earned $52.1 million in Network subscriptions by this time in 2017. They are now up to $56.2 this year.

    The full earnings report can be read here.

  • Konnan: Impact Wrestling Is Really Fun Right Now

    Konnan: Impact Wrestling Is Really Fun Right Now

    On recent episodes of his “Keepin it 100” podcast, Konnan has been talking about what a great time it is for the wrestling business. Konnan himself is keeping quite busy, working with AAA, Impact Wrestling, and Major League Wrestling.

    In fact, Konnan just returned to the ring for the first time in almost 5 years recently. Konnan was entered into the MLW’s Battle Riot which was taped on July 19th and aired last night on BeIN Sports. The episode has yet to be uploaded to their YouTube account as of this writing, however.

    On his most recent episode, Konnan talked about Impact turning the corner lately.

    “What was amazing to me was that when the Hardy Boyz left and Jeremy Borash left, I was like, ‘Wow man, this place is gonna be f****d’,” Konnan said. “That’s a big loss. But they just put it all together.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzypsFWcj9s&t=12s&frags=pl%2Cwn

    Konnan on Impact Wrestling

    In terms of the atmosphere in the back right now in Impact Wrestling, Konnan was also complimentary.

    “It’s very easy to talk to management and they let you collaborate and everybody’s joking around and having a good time,” he said. “Like the locker room’s real relaxed right now and everybody’s pulling together to really make this work. I thought that was a great PPV. I saw every single match and I thought it was really good.”

    He would continue to talk about positive recent changes in the business.

    “It’s very fun right now because a lot of the people that are running these companies are not old school grizzled vets,” Konnan said. “Everybody knows that now, you’ve gotta just treat people with respect and gotta treat them right, you can’t treat them the way they used to treat us.”

    Konnan mentioned Impact will be in New York in the same building MLW runs. Impact will run the Bound for Glory show from the venue this October. Konnan praised the atmosphere inside the building. He also stressed LAX has an upcoming surprise which will get over well with the New York crowd.

  • Ronda Rousey Comments On The Rock, Alexa Bliss, & WrestleMania

    Ronda Rousey Comments On The Rock, Alexa Bliss, & WrestleMania

    Ronda Rousey and the Rock appeared together at WrestleMania 31, 3 years before Ronda would have her first WWE match at WrestleMania 34. The Rock and Rousey were promoting the upcoming Expendables movie at the time.

    Rousey will also appear in the upcoming movie, Mile 22. While promoting the movie, Rousey was asked if the Rock gave her any advice about her movie career.

    “No, not really. Just have fun, really,” she said. “The object is to have fun.”

    She would also comment on Alexa Bliss, fan response to her matches thus far, and her WrestleMania experience.

    Chris Van Vliet commented on how when Ronda was leaving the interview room, he let her know he would be interviewing Alexa Bliss shortly. Rousey was then quoted as saying “Tell Alexa I’m going to kick that stupid pink hair right off of her head.”

    Rousey will challenge Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam for the Raw Women’s Championship.

    Ronda Rousey On Fan Response To Her WrestleMania Match

    She was also asked about fans who were surprised her match at WrestleMania went as well as it did.

    “Going into any new career like wrestling or acting or anything like that, a lot of people assume you can only be really good at one thing,” Rousey said. “And that if you master one thing you will never be able to master anything else as well.”

    Rousey would continue to say there were low expectations from fans about how well she would do at WrestleMania. She also stressed it is hard to learn something new while the world is watching.

    “There was a lot of low expectations going into things,” she continued. “It’s harder to learn while with the world watching.”

    Rousey’s first match was at WrestleMania but she’s now up to 9 total matches now, 7 of which were on house shows. Not surprisingly, she is a perfect 9-0 thus far. Her two matches on WWE pay-per-views came at WrestleMania when she teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie and then at Money in the Bank when she defeated Nia Jax via disqualification after being attacked by Alexa Bliss.

    “It helps me improve even quicker that my first match was at WrestleMania,” Rousey continued.

  • Bobby Lashley Wants Brock Lesnar MMA Fight

    Bobby Lashley Wants Brock Lesnar MMA Fight

    WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley won’t get to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Roman Reigns earned the right to do so by defeating Lashley recently on Raw.

    If it were up to Lashley, however, he’d face Lesnar in MMA and not pro-wrestling, however.

    “Our careers are so similar,” Lashley said to Newshub recently. “We were both WWE guys, then we went into fighting then we have both come back to WWE.”

    Lashley would continue to say that he suggested an MMA fight with Brock but there are obstacles in the way.

    “The problem is I am still currently contracted to Bellator and Brock is signed with the UFC,” Lashley continued. “However if there was some sort of cross-promotion fight we could do, with all three companies involved, then I would absolutely love to do it.”

    Lashley would continue to say that in lieu of a cross-promotional fight, he’s focussed on pro-wrestling at the moment.

    “Right now I’m focused on the wrestling side of things and what comes with that, including a match with Brock,” he continued. “But I would be down for that and I am sure the fans would be as well.”

    Bobby Lashley in WWE

    A possible Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley showdown has been talked about ever since Lashley’s return earlier this year. WWE had a chance to cash in on this match at SumemrSlam, however Lashley lost a #1 contender’s match with Roman Reigns.

    When asked about Reigns, Lashley said he can’t understand why fans reject him so strongly. “It kills me to be out in the ring with somebody of his level and the crowd be divided as to whether or not he deserves to be in the position he is – and I don’t get it,” Lashley said. “He has the look, he’s a great athlete and he’s a great in-ring performer.”

    Brock Lesnar could be done with WWE after SummerSlam, so a match against Bobby Lashley might not come to fruition.

  • Beth Phoenix Confirmed For WWE Evolution

    Beth Phoenix Confirmed For WWE Evolution

    WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix will take part in the upcoming WWE Evolution pay-per-view this fall. What she will be doing on the show is still a mystery, however, even to her.

    When a fan asked what she will be doing on the all-female pay-per-view, Phoenix admitted she doesn’t know.

    She even listed off a few possible opponents. Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair were mentioned specifically.

    A notable inclusion here is Phoenix’s close friend Natalya, who inducted Beth in the Hall of Fame this year. The two friends only met in single’s action once during their careers. Phoenix defeated Natalya on an episode of Smackdown in 2012.

    Beth Phoenix At WWE Evolution

    Beth Phoenix is one of the most decorated female champions in the history of WWE. In fact, only 3 other women have held a Women’s Championship for more combined days.

    Phoenix won the WWE Women’s Championship 3 times and the Divas title once. In total, she held a Women’s World Title in WWE for 571 combined days, good for 4th all-time in the category. Only Alundra Blayze, Trish Stratus, and the Fabulous Moolah can top that. Considering that 26-year-old Alexa Bliss is already closing in on 500 combined days as champion, expect Beth Phoenix to get bumped down on this list before the end of the year.

    Beth Phoenix on Commentary?

    If Phoenix is not wrestling on the Evolution show, it’s possible she does commentary. Phoenix did commentary for the Mixed Match Challenge recently. Facebook Live showcased the inter-gender tag-team tournament earlier this year.

    It’s possible that Phoenix is brought back to do commentary at Evolution. WWE host, Renee Young, has already volunteered to be on the broadcast team should WWE decided to go with an all-female version.

    Evolution takes place on Sunday, October 28th.

  • Cedric Alexander Calls Neville A “Quitter”

    Cedric Alexander Calls Neville A “Quitter”

    Reigning WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander has taken a shot at the former champ, Neville. Alexander was responding to comments beneath the video he posted below when the topic of Neville came up.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1023030448958722049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    Cedric Alexander Shades “Quitter” Neville

    Neville reportedly had a falling out with WWE last October, however Cedric Alexander has deemed the former King of the Cruiserweights a “quitter.”

    Alexander then responded back that the fan had spelled “quitter” wrong.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1023077604839096321

    Alexander doubled-down on his comments when someone defended Neville.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1023100240159813632

    Alexander would continue to defend his status against that of the former champ.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1023199343120142336

    Finally, Alexander seemed to give up on the conversation and just suggested some of the fans go back to their regularly scheduled activities.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1023200551398506498

    Neville’s WWE Status

    There have been no updates as to Neville’s status with WWE. The last anyone saw of him he had returned to the UK where he was spotted at the Mid Breath Gym on July 10th, 2018.

    The last match he wrestled for the company was on October 1st, 2017. He defeated Enzo Amore on a house show via DQ in a match for the Cruiserweight Championship that night.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BlDNOa1gnn1/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander vs Former Cruiserweight Champions

    This isn’t the first time Cedric Alexander has taken a shot at a departed champion on Twitter. During a back-and-forth with Lio Rush, Alexander took a shot at Enzo Amore as well.

    “This coming from the kid who wants to be a fake rapper,” Alexander Tweeted at Lio Rush. “We had one of those on 205Live. You wanna end up like him? I suggest you watch your mouth youngster.”

    Alexander won the Cruiserweight Championship following a 16-man single-elimination tournament earlier this year. The tournament was scheduled by 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick following the title being vacated when Enzo Amore was released by the company.

  • Cody Chimes In On Total Divas Using “All-In” Slogan

    Cody Chimes In On Total Divas Using “All-In” Slogan

    WWE’s Total Divas are All In. No, they won’t be appearing at Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks’ big independent wrestling show on September 1st. However, promotional materials hyping the September 19th premiere of Total Divas Season 8 features the phrase All In repeatedly.

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

    The Young Bucks & Bella Twins Acknowledge Total Divas’ “All In” Marketing

    Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks took notice of WWE and the E! Network using the phrase “All In” to market Total Bellas.

    https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1022505267873832961

    Nikki Bella responded to Matt and revealed they also realized something was amiss.

    Cody’s Response to Total Divas Use of The Term “All-In”

    Cody does not seem phased by WWE’s use of the term “All-In”. His opinion appears to be that this was not something done on purpose but rather a case of a production team not being aware of other things going on in wrestling.

    A fan asked him about it on Twitter recently:

    “Could care less. It’s not the girls’ fault that whoever built that campaign had their head lodged in their ass Most in that office that aren’t involved with wrestling/LE coordination are just checking their Facebook hoping the boss doesn’t notice they don’t do any actual work”

    All In: September 1st, 2018

    As of this writing, there are just 36 days until All In takes place in Chicago. We know Cody will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship that night but we don’t yet know who the champion will be. All signs are pointing to Nick Aldis still holding the ten pounds of gold come that time, however.

    On the latest episode of Being the Elite, a match between “the Bad Boy” Joey Janela and Adam “Hangman” Page was scheduled. Some fans may have assumed Page would be put in a match with Joey Ryan. In storyline, however, Ryan is missing and presumed dead. It’s not clear how this will impact the match between Page and Janela, however.

    Cody has also said he personally walked around the Sears Center in Chicago to ensure each seat had a good view.

    “You’ll be good!” Cody responded to a fan asking about his seat’s view on Twitter. “We compromised on stage size a bit because we wanted as many seats filled as possible.”

  • Chris Jericho Says He Has No Restrictions In NJPW

    Chris Jericho Says He Has No Restrictions In NJPW

    Chris Jericho says there are no restrictions to what he can do in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion has only wrestled 3 matches in 2018, but he has remained one of the most talked about wrestlers in the world.

    Jericho made waves when he wrestled Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2018. He appeared at WWE’s big Raw 25th Anniversary just a few weeks later, his first appearance for the company since he started working for New Japan.

    In April, he was back in WWE competing in the Greatest Royal Rumble. By June, he was the IWGP IC Champion after dethroning Tetsuya Naito at Dominion.

    Chris Jericho On Working For NJPW & WWE

    “It’s very cool to go back to Japan, where I started, and be part of this worldwide growth of New Japan,” Jericho said to Sports Illustrated recently. “There are no real restrictions on what I can do in New Japan.”

    Jericho would continue to talk about the restrictions in WWE versus NJPW.

    “We did the original beatdown with Kenny and got some blood going, which you never see in the WWE nowadays,” Jericho continued.

    “We did the press conference where I was swearing and attacking reporters. You can’t do that in WWE, but you can in Japan. Just to have those shackles released, it just felt like all of these things led to more of a Bruiser Brody character than a Shawn Michaels-type vibe.”

    Chris Jericho Wrestling For Non-WWE Promotions

    Jericho has always said he would never wrestle for a company other than WWE on American soil. Events which have unfolded this year may test his commitment to this, however.

    When asked by a fan on Twitter if he still intends to stand by his earlier claims, Jericho gave an answer some fans will find surprising.

    There’s been speculation that Jericho is interested in working for Impact Wrestling. Jericho responded, “Of course!” when asked if he’d consider ‘going to’ Impact.

    Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager

    This October, Chris Jericho is hosting the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which departs out of Miami on October 27th and travels to the Bahamas.

    Talent from WWE, Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor will be appearing on the ship. Very few people can pull off something like this. Chris Jericho is among a rare breed of performers who makes his own rules in this business.

  • Juice Robinson Says He’s Never Going Back To WWE

    Juice Robinson Says He’s Never Going Back To WWE

    IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson has publicly addressed a report from this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating WWE is interested in signing him. Robinson, who wrestled as CJ Parker for former WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling and later NXT from 2011-2015, isn’t going anywhere.

    “That’s in the rearview mirror now,” Juice said. “I ain’t going back, I ain’t ever going back.”

    https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/1022593863326814208

    Robinson made the comments backstage from Night 8 of the G1 Climax 28 tournament. He has lost every single match in the tournament thus far, likely due to competing with a broken hand.

    Juice Robinson on WWE and NJPW

    Earlier this summer, Juice spoke with Uproxx about his frustrations while with WWE.

    “You know, I loved NXT. Just, I just knew I was dead in the water, so I had to get out,” Juice said. “So it wasn’t that it was bad, it was (that) I turned it bad because I got sad. You know what I mean? So what was happening to me on a daily basis… it wasn’t like I was going home every night and crying in my room.”

    He would continue to say that in NXT anytime he would try and lighten the mood, he would be told to get back in line. This was under the old head-trainer, however.

    “But they’ve got a good guy there now, and everything’s really – I think it’s fun again,” Juice said in reference to current NXT head trainer Matt Bloom. “It’s good to hear. But I’m having more fun, so, haha.”

    Juice Robinson’s Other Options

    WWE is not Juice’s only option other than NJPW. Don Callis of Impact Wrestling has made it clear they would make Juice a big part of their company if he ever jumped ship.

    “Juice is a tremendous performer with unlimited likeability and unlimited charisma,” Callis said on his Killin the Town podcast earlier this month. “He definitely is a rock star.”

    “I really like him a lot,” Callis continued. “He’s a guy you build a company around.”

  • Kenny Omega Comments On Roman Reigns/Tama Tonga Beef

    Kenny Omega Comments On Roman Reigns/Tama Tonga Beef

    Kenny Omega has chimed in on the recent Twitter escapades of Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns. Tonga was recently suspended from Twitter temporarily and went looking for who turned him in. He eventually concluded it was Roman Reigns which led to an interesting back and forth between the two of them.

    Omega took to Twitter to give his thoughts on the situation.

    “If the enemy of my enemy is my friend but my new friend hates me more than my enemy does, is he still my friend?”

    Omega was referring to the fact that while Tama Tonga and he are enemies in current NJPW storylines, Omega and Roman Reigns have had their issues in the past as well.

    Kenny Omega and Roman Reigns Rivalry

    Late last year/early this year, Omega and Roman Reigns were involved in a mild public spat as well. Their issues began after Reigns claimed he was the best in-ring performer in the world.

    “I’m the best performer, in-ring, in the world right now,” Reigns said in late 2017 to the Bleacher Report. “You can go to my matches and my pay-per-views over the last three years and you can say I’m an idiot or you can be like, ‘man, he has a point.’ Do you know what I mean? I didn’t come here for any other reason.”

    Omega then responded t Roman’s claims in an interview with the Bleacher Report.

    “I don’t know if Roman was put up to saying a comment like that from a social media team or if it was something that he consciously thought of himself,” Omega said. “But I thought it was pretty smart of him to do — to say — that, because it became instantaneously a topic that people were talking about. And just because it sounds so ridiculous. You know what I mean? By no means do I actually think he believes in those words. There’s no possible way. … I don’t have to feel like I have to speak up about it. It is what it is, and I understand that it’s a fun thing for fans to generate interest in the product. I take absolutely zero offense in him saying it. Especially, since it’s quite clear that the fact of the matter is much, much different.”

  • 10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 7/26

    10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 7/26

    Impact Wrestling presented their first show since Sunday’s Slammiversary last night. The venue was again Toronto’s Rebel nightclub.

    We also got a rematch from Slammiversary last night. Former X-Division Champion, Matt Sydal, cashed in his rematch clause or rather, as he put it, the title itself cashed in the rematch clause.

    Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 7/26:

    Sami Callihan Has Descended Further Into Madness

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3BzjT4oRxs

    Don’t look at Sami Callihan’s head. Don’t laugh at him and don’t make fun of him. Even if you don’t, he’ll probably think you did, however.

    Callihan has become unhinged (more so) since Pentagon Jr. cut off his hair at Slammiversary.

    This week we saw Callihan lose it on a guy in the urinal next to him. Callihan thought the guy was laughing at him so he and oVe beat him up and shaved his head in the washroom.

    Pentagon delivered this promo later in the show:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDlE8bJREVs

    Austin Aries Has 2 New Challengers

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fidMR6tfspY

    When Austin Aries gave his Championship Address last night on Impact, much of what he said applied to both himself as champion and Impact Wrestling as a promotion.

    Aries talked about how in Impact Wrestling nobody hands them a script. In Impact they allow talent to be creative as opposed to just following directions. This was as much of an Impact Wrestling address to fans as it was Aries gloating over his victory.

    Eddie Edwards attacked Aries from behind, signifying he wants in the mix for Aries’ world title.

    He wouldn’t be the only person who would challenge Aries by the end of the night, however. Anthony Carrelli’s student, Dustin Quicksilver, challenged Aries in the back after the champion interrupted an interview with Carelli.

    Don’t Hot-Shame Scarlett Bordeaux

    Scarlett Bordeaux: “I want to be remembered as the greatest women’s activist of all time.”

    Alicia Atout: “Like Susan B Anthony?”

    Scarlett Bordeaux: “Ew. Like Marylyn Monroe. Or Cardi B.”

    Bordeaux is a heel. She is the anti-hero in terms of female wrestlers being treated as athletes rather than models. She wants to bring sexy back to wrestling but will it be to the detriment of other Knockouts in the division?

    King Says Konnan Didn’t Win The War

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8lJYnxdzk

    We didn’t see LAX this week. Konnan and the tag champions are likely out of action for a week or two after the beating the OGz gave them after the match at Slammiversary. Even though LAX was victorious over the OGz, King and his crew beat up Konnan an the champs after the match was over.

    King told Homicide and Hernandez that Konnan and LAX thought they won the war but they had only won a battle.

    Tessa Blanchard Is A Very Good Professional Wrestler

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

    News flash: Tessa Blanchard can wrestle. Her intense style is heavily influenced by old-school wrestling eras. The ones her father and step-father, Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA, made their names in.

    We spoke to Blanchard in May about what has influenced her in-ring style.

    “I have huge respect for the 4 Horsemen, all bias aside,” Blanchard said of her father’s old faction. “My Dad and Arn were one of the greatest tag-teams of all time.”

    “I watch that era of professional wrestling for inspiration and to study tape,” Blanchard continued to say. “I want to portray that style through my work.”

    She made quick work of Rebel this week, defeating her in the very nightclub which bears her name.

    The Desi Hit Squad Attacked Taiji Ishimori and Petey Williams

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itz2O9RKgV0

    In the opening match, Taiji Ishimori defeated Petey Williams. After the two former X-Division Champions shook hands after the match, they were attacked by the Great Gama Singh’s Desi Hit Squad.

    Gursinder Singh (Lance Storm Wrestling Academy graduate) and Rohit Raju delivered the beatdown while Gama Singh shouted instructions from outside the ring. It’s likely we see a tag match involving these four wrestlers sometime soon.

    Johnny Impact Has Un-Finished Business With Kongo Kong

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewywZm95Q4A

    After Johnny Impact defeated Trevor Lee this week, he said his goal is to become Impact World Champion. He said he has some unfinished business to take care of first, however.

    It was Kongo Kong who put Johnny out of action and now Johnny wants his revenge.

    Allie and Kiera Hogan are Coming For Su Yung

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

    In a backstage interview, Allie said her match with Blanchard distracted her from getting even with Su Yung. Allie says she is not going to let Su Yung lock any more wrestlers in coffins. Kiera Hogan then showed up to offer her support as well.

    The Young Bucks vs the Motor City Machine Guns

    The GWN moment of the week just so happened to be the Motor City Machine Guns vs Generation Me (aka the Young Bucks).

    Alex Shelley has been making statements lately which seem to indicate he is not returning to the ring.

    The X-Division Is In The Brian Cage Era

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

    After an action-packed main event, Brian Cage once again hit the Drill Claw on Sydal. The victory gives Cage is first-ever title defense of the X-Division belt.

    Cage has never been pinned and never submitted in Impact. If anyone can beat Cage for the title, they are going to have to do something no Impact wrestler on the roster has been able to do yet.

    After Slammiversary, Cage posted the following to his Instagram account:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BlkDbYolsj3/?hl=en&taken-by=briancage

    quick results:

    • Taiji Ishimori defeated Petey Williams
    • Tessa Blanchard defeated Rebel
    • Johnny Impact defeated Trevor Lee
    • X-Division Championship
      Brian Cage (c) defeated Matt Sydal
  • Andre the Giant Documentary A Huge Success For HBO

    Andre the Giant Documentary A Huge Success For HBO

    The Andre “the Giant” documentary released earlier this year by HBO is the most-watched sports documentary in the history of the channel. Over 7 million viewers have tuned in to see the film.

    Many are speculating the news could lead to more wrestling-related documentaries in the future.

    The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news. The outlet spoke with the film’s producer, Bill Simmons after he’d signed a new deal with HBO earlier this week.

    “I’m thrilled to keep going with the HBO family and can’t wait to get started on a couple of the more ambitious projects we’ve hatched,” said Simmons. “I witnessed it firsthand with our Andre doc — when you create something unique for HBO, they’ve built so much trust and equity in their audience over the years that it’s always going to be seen. Every single time. If it’s good and it’s on HBO, it will stand out. Even though we have more entertainment choices than ever right now, HBO still cuts through in an incredibly precise, almost unassailable way — and they work better with creatives than anyone, period. I am lucky to work with them and I know it.”

    Andre the Giant Documentary

    Bill Simmons had originally wanted to do a documentary on Andre the Giant while he was still at ESPN. According to Simmons, Andre’s doc was on the list of original 30 for 30 series.

    “I have this old computer that has a lot of the original 30 for 30 stuff from 2007 on it,” Simmons said. “Andre was on the initial list of 12 documentaries that I just thought could really resonate. Back then, HBO had a monopoly on the sports documentaries. They were doing a lot of older stuff like Joe Louis and Vince Lombardi and people like that, and it just seemed like there was an inefficiency with subjects and athletes and teams from the ’80s and ’90s, so he was always on that list but at the time the WWE kept everything for themselves and rightly so.”

    transcriptions via WrestleZone

  • Report: The Rock Interested In Appearing At WrestleMania 35

    Report: The Rock Interested In Appearing At WrestleMania 35

    Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is believed to want to wrestle this year at WrestleMania. In previous years, however, his Hollywood schedule has prevented this from happening.

    WWE is hopeful the Rock will be at the event this year, though. Should the Rock be available, it’s likely he’ll be involved in a program with Elias.

    “Elias has been teasing a confrontation with The Rock,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the recent Wrestling Observer. “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show, but he hasn’t wrestled in years.”

    The Rock At WrestleMania 35

    The Rock’s last official match was at WrestleMania 32. He defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match that night. His previous match before then had been against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.

    Unfortunately, the Rock suffered multiple injuries at WrestleMania 29. He tore his abdominal and abductor muscles and also suffered a hernia. This meant he required emergency hernia surgery after the event. His injuries almost caused a delay in filming “Hercules” as a result.

    The biggest obstacle in the way of Rock being at WrestleMania concerns insurance taken out on him. For instance, a movie studio might take out an insurance policy on Tom Cruise so if he breaks his leg and is unable to film Mission Impossible for a few months, the company receives compensation. If the Rock competes in a wrestling match, it will drive up the cost required to insure him. To make a long story short, Hollywood has a lot of money invested in the Rock. They would obviously prefer he doesn’t engage in risky activity, such as wrestling.

    The Rock calls his own shots, however. If the 46-year-old wants one more WrestleMania match, it’s his decision to make.

  • Impact Wrestling 7/26 Preview: Slammiversary Fallout

    Impact Wrestling 7/26 Preview: Slammiversary Fallout

    Impact Wrestling is back tonight with their first episode since their well-reviewed Slammiversary show on Sunday night.

    Tonight’s episode will feature matches and segments taped from Toronto’s Rebel nightclub on the Monday following Slammiversary.

    Impact Wrestling 7/26

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQf5F-wHdV8&t=32s&frags=pl%2Cwn

    Austin Aries Championship Address

    Austin Aries successfully defended the Impact World Championship against Moose on Sunday night.

    Tonight Aries will give his championship address. We could also find out more tonight about who Aries’ next title challenger could be.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJIa8g9dqOs

    X-Division Championship
    Brian Cage (c) vs Matt Sydal

    After losing the X-Division championship on Sunday, Sydal will have a chance to win it back tonight.

    At Slammiversary, Sydal missed a shooting star press (hitting his foot on the top rope) which allowed Cage to hit the Drill Claw for the win. How Sydal missed the shooting star press while having his 3rd eye open is still not entirely clear.

    Tonight, Sydal claims it is not him who is asking for a rematch but rather the championship itself. He explained his comments recently on Twitter.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4R6dlGFynY&t=45s&frags=pl%2Cwn

    Johnny Impact Returns

    Johnny Impact returned to the company at Slammiversary following time away for reality television and matrimony commitments.

    At Slammiversary, Impact pinned Fenix in the fatal 4-way match. The victory should vault the former title-challenger back up in the rankings. Tonight we will find out more about what comes next for Johnny.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVkF0-AwZpY&frags=pl%2Cwn

    Scarlett Bordeaux Debut

    Unfortunately, tonight might be Don Callis’ last night on commentary. He does not seem to be able to handle Scarlett Bordeaux.

    The Chicago-based indie wrestler will make her Impact Wrestling debut tonight.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqlFaCuEL1A

    Fallout From Slammiversary

    Impact Wrestling is also advertising tonight’s episode will see the fallout from numerous Slammiversary matches.

    Su Yung is still Knockouts Champion and Madison Rayne is now locked in a coffin. King and the OGz stole the titles from LAX after losing to them at Slammiversary. Several Impact Wrestling storylines will be further developed tonight.

  • Roman Reigns and Tama Tonga Engage In Twitter War

    Roman Reigns and Tama Tonga Engage In Twitter War

    It’s been an interesting G1 Climax tournament in New Japan Pro-Wrestling so far this summer. Easily the most talked about part of the tournament has been the actions of Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale, the two members of the Firing Squad entered into the tournament.

    Yesterday, we reported that Twitter temporarily suspended Tama Tonga’s account. Tonga has a knack for handling trolls online and evidently, Twitter decided he needed a timeout for a little while. Once back, however, Tonga went looking for the person who turned him in. It wasn’t long until WWE’s “Big Dog” was centered on as a suspect.

    “Got the #Snitch. Your bark can’t seem to get OVER your Yard for me to hear you. My yard has no fences, come test your skills here anytime. “Jealousy is a bitch trait”- what album is that from? #RomanTheRat”

    “I actually doubled your lil videos views for you in like 4 hours. You should be thankful. Thanks for the laughs tho!”

    “Thanks for time keeping and view counting, must be looking for new material…writers gave up on you? If you need more laughs just continue fist cocking, it gets funnier every time.”

    Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale in the G1 Climax 28

    Disqualifications are rare in New Japan Pro Wrestling but they have happened multiple times in this year’s G1 tournament. Fale and Tonga, who are joined by Tanga Loa on the tour, have repeatedly used outside interference in their matches to the dismay of the live crowds.

    As a result, they have only have 1 win between the two of them so far. Fale, in particular, has seemed to come into this tournament with an unsportsmanlike attitude.

    Fale met Hangman Page on the first night of the tournament. It was the first match in the G1 between a member of rival Bullet Club factions. It didn’t take long for both Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to interfere, however, resulting in a disqualification.

    Tonga also got himself disqualified in his match against Kenny Omega.