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.
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.
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.”
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 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? pic.twitter.com/5dMq4TW2co
“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.”
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.
Actually, the X-Division Championship itself invoked the rematch clause. I’m simply flowing with the natural order of things. Nature seeks homeostasis, the X-Division Championship seeks me. ????
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:
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.”
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.
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.
Actually, the X-Division Championship itself invoked the rematch clause. I’m simply flowing with the natural order of things. Nature seeks homeostasis, the X-Division Championship seeks me. ????
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.
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.
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? #RomanTheRatpic.twitter.com/VMTMKjlyNR
“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! ???? https://t.co/cfNXpUSSGd
“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. https://t.co/Nt5eR9PsOn
“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.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, is believed to still be in hospital 19 days after his match with Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace.
Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex spot on the July 7th card. After finishing the match, Takahashi is said to have collapsed backstage. He was taken to a local hospital and then was transported back to Japan a few days later.
Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update
“He’s still in the hospital,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “He’s in good spirits but it’s 18 days and he’s still in hospital. That’s not a good sign to me, at all.”
The day after his injury, NJPW updated fans on his condition by stating he was awake and able to sit and talk.
His toy cat, Darryl Takahashi, then sent out the following update:
— ????? / Hiromu Takahashi (@TIMEBOMB1105) July 14, 2018
Dragon Lee also reacted to Hiromu’s injury. “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”
Juice Robinson also commented on Takahashi’s injury while on Jim Ross’ podcast.
“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”
Sean Waltman, who has a history of neck problems, made the following comments:
“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”
Do not expect former WWE Superstar Gail Kim to appear at the company’s upcoming all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view.
Kim is widely considered one of the best female wrestlers in WWE history. She is a former WWE Women’s Champion and worked for the company from 2002-20004 and 2008-2011.
A fan asked Gail Kim on Twitter why she won’t consider returning to WWE, even for a one-time appearance. Gail Kim said it’s really a matter of what makes her happy – and she never felt happy in WWE.
Bc I’ve been there twice. I have never been happy there. Life is about happiness. Impact Wrestling is my happiness. It’s not about money sometimes…. people just don’t understand that https://t.co/rOaehEimOH
Gail Kim had a successful WWE career and is a former WWE Women’s Champion. However, her frustration with WWE has a lot to do with with her unhappiness.
During her first WWE run, wrestlers such as Trish Stratus were often made to participate in degrading and over-sexualized storylines, such as Bra and Panties matches. Her second run involved an angle where she was Daniel Bryan’s girlfriend and another one where she and Melina were “Frenemies”.
Gail Kim spoke candidly about her dissatisfaction while in WWE during an appearance on Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast.
“I felt held down in WWE,” Kim said. “It was just the wrong timing in that company. When I first came into the company the woman’s division was strong with Trish and Jazz with all those girls. When the first diva’s search happened it kinda went away, that’s when I got fired actually, and mind you, it brought me my best friend Christy Hemme. It always felt like it was just never a right fit for me.”
Gail Kim in Impact Wrestling
Kim signed with Impact (then known as TNA) in 2005. She won the Knockouts Championship in 2007 and was also involved in several high-profile storylines and angles. After leaving WWE in epic fashion in 2011, she re-signed with Impact in 2011. She retired from in-ring competition in 2016 and was hired as a producer.
She now works with Impact’s current Knockouts division featuring the likes of Su Yung, Allie, Tessa Blanchard, Kiera Hogan, Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, and Madison Rayne.
James Ellsworth has been fired from WWE again. Smackdown General Manager, Paige, fired Ellsworth on Tuesday night.
It had previously been reported that Ellsworth was working on a per show agreement with WWE and had not signed a contract. Ellsworth took to Twitter last night to make a statement.
The 33-year-old first debuted on WWE programming in 2016 shortly after the brand split. At the time, WWE was going back to using squash matches on television. Ellsworth was brought in as a frequent enhancement talent, losing his first WWE match to Braun Strowman.
It is believed that Mick Foley was a big supporter of hiring Ellsworth and Steve Austin has also sung his praises on his podcast. As a result of his time in WWE, Ellsworth cracked the PWI top 500 ranking in 2017. He managed to hit #410 on the list.
James Ellsworth on Steve Austin’s Podcast
When Ellsworth was on Steve Austin’s podcast earlier this year, he spoke about always wanting to become a wrestler.
“I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a pro wrestler,” Ellsworth said. “I started watching it at a young age. In kindergarten and first grade, they would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. People would dress as doctors or police officers, nurses, but I would come dressed as a wrestler. My dad would try to dress me up as a baseball player, but I’m like, no, I want to dress up like the Ultimate Warrior because I want to be a professional wrestler when I grow up,” Ellsworth said. “I can’t remember not wanting to be a professional wrestler my whole life. I started watching wrestling at a young age; around 4 or 5 years old. Ricky Morton was the first pro wrestler that I noticed in the NWA around 1988, 1989 when I was 4 or 5 years old. Then I noticed ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior.”
WWE has confirmed four more participants for the upcoming Mae Young Classic women’s tournament: Zeuxis, Isla Dawn, Lacey Lane and Karen Q.
The following names are now confirmed for the 32-woman single-elimination tournament:
Deonna Purrazzo
Io Shirai
Isla Dawn
Jessie Elaban
Jinny
Kacy Catanzaro
Kaitlyn
Karen Q
Kavita Devi
Killer Kelly
Lacey Lane
Mercedes Martinez
Mia Yim
Nicole Matthews
Reina González
Rhea Ripley
Taynara Conti
Tegan Nox
Zeuxis
The 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament will tape on August 8th and 9th. The finals will take place at the WWE Evolution pay-per-view on Sunday, October 28th.
1. Zeuxis (CMLL)
29-year-old Puerto Rican Luchadora, Zeuxis, has been officially entered into the tournament. She wrestles primarily in CMLL (where she has been for the last 10 years) but also wrestles for AAA and the Crash.
24-year-old Isla Dawn is from Scotland. She most recently competed for WWE during the United Kingdom shows last month. She lost a triple threat match to Toni Storm (Killer Kelly was the 3rd competitor) which would have put her in a position to wrestle for the NXT UK Women’s title.
Last November, Dawn lost a squash match to Asuka on Raw under the name Stacy Coates.
Trained by the Dudley Boyz, this former NCAA Basketball standout is already training at the WWE Performance Center.
She reported to the Performance Center in February of 2017 but has yet to crack the NXT roster or house show circuit.
Before being signed to WWE, Lane competed across the US and Mexico. She is the former Women’s Champion for the Crash promotion.
Check her out in this inter-gender match she had last year with Lio Rush.
4. Karen Q
If you are wondering if this is the same woman who just lost to Sumie Sakai at ROH’s Honor For All show on Friday, you are correct.
She also teamed with Ray Lyn in a losing effort to the Twisted Sisters (Holidead & Thunder Rosa, aka Kobra Moon) at RISE 9: RISE Of The Knockouts.
The former gymnast has competed for Women’s Wrestling Revolution, Game Changer Wrestling, Victory Pro Wrestling, and as a member of the Women of Honor roster.
She will now be looking to add to her resume by competing for WWE for the first time in the Mae Young Classic.
There is only one match scheduled for tonight’s edition of NXT but it’s arguably one of the biggest ever to air on a regular episode for the brand. Only one other segment has been confirmed for tonight’s show.
Just 13 wrestlers have won the NXT Championship belt. Only two men, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, have ever held the title more than once. Tommaso Ciampa looks to become NXT Champion #14 tonight.
NXT Preview 7/25
NXT Championship
Aleister Black vs Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa is arguably the most talked about heel in the business right now. He’ll have a chance to become the 14th champion in NXT history tonight.
As for the NXT Champion, Black defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas for the title in April. Since that time he has defeated Eric Young and Lars Sullivan in title matches.
Adam Cole Responds to Ricochet’s Call-Out
The inaugural NXT North American Champion, Adam Cole, was called out last week by Ricochet. The high-flyer has said Cole is not a fighting champion.
Since winning the championship over WrestleMania weekend in April, Cole has defended the title twice on WWE programming. He defeated Oney Lorcan in a title match just one week after winning it. He then defeated Wolfgang on night 2 of the recent United Kingdom Championship tournament shows.
As for Ricochet, he’s yet to lose a single’s match in NXT yet. After 8 matches he is 4-3-1. His losses were in a multi-person ladder match he did not win, a 2-on-1 handicap match loss to Lars Sullivan (Velveteen Dream was his partner) and a 6-person tag to Undisputed Era while teaming with Moustache Mountain. His single’s wins have been over Fabian Aichner, Donovan Dijak, and the Velveteen Dream. He teamed with Aleister Black once to defeat EC3 and the Velveteen Dream as well. He also went to a no-contest with Velveteen Dream once.
Renee Young has worked commentary before. She was a color commentator on NXT from 2013-14 and also worked on Superstars alongside Tom Phillips.
There was some talk of Young returning to the commentary booth after JBL’s departure from the company. Young, however, was quick to point out she might not be the best replacement.
While I truly appreciate all of the support on this,I would just like to remind everyone that I was never very good at commentary for NXT ?? https://t.co/aQpysHDx6o
The 32-year-old started her entertainment career by studying at Toronto’s Second City Training Center. From there she joined theScore.com which formerly aired WWE Raw and Smackdown in Canada before being purchased by Sportsnet.
Young hosted the show “Right After Wrestling” which would later be named “Aftermath”. Other WWE personalities who have been associated with the post-wrestling show include Santino Marella, Mauro Ranallo, and former referee, Jimmy Korderas.
She was signed to WWE in 2012 after working at theScore for 3 years.
Young married Dean Ambrose in a private ceremony on April 9th, 2017. Fans only realized the two had officially tied the knot when Ambrose was seen wearing a wedding ring on television that week.
Video game publisher 2K has announced WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair will be the centerpiece for the upcoming “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition of the WWE 2K19 video game.
Customers who purchase the Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will receive a plaque with a piece of one of Ric Flair’s robes, a Ric Flair Funko Pop vinyl figurine, a replica Flair’s Hall of Fame ring and bonus in-game content.
WWE 2K19 “Wooooo!” Collector’s Edition
The Ric Flair collector’s edition of WWE 2K19 will feature several bonus characters that the Nature Boy feuded with during his illustrious in-ring career (plus Charlotte):
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper character (1980s)
Dusty Rhodes (1980s)
Rick “the Dragon” Steamboat (1980s)
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (WM8)
The Undertaker (2002)
Ric Flair (WM24 attire)
Charlotte Flair (WM32 attire)
NWA Starrcade 1983 Arena
The following pre-order bonus content is also included in the collector’s edition:
Rey Mysterio (Royal Rumble 2018 Attire)
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey (WrestleMania 34 attire)
2K sent out a press release that included this quote from Ric Flair himself: “For all of my fans around the world, it’s exciting and humbling to see my career immortalized through the power of video games. This is going to be one stylin,’ profilin,’ limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ ‘n’ dealin’ son of a Collector’s Edition, and you don’t want to miss out. Wooooo!”
The “Wooooo! edition of WWE 2K19 will available on October 5th, 2018, four days before the game is on sale the general public. WWE 2K19 will be released for Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Earlier this month, 2K confirmed the game will not be released for Nintendo Switch. Visit WWE.2K.com for more information.
Of all the things that happen on Twitter, the social media platform has decided Tama Tonga’s Tweets needed to be locked away for a little while. The founding member of Bullet Club has been temporarily suspended from the service.
Tama Tonga took to his Instagram account to reflect on the news.
It is not clear exactly what led to Tama Tonga getting suspended from Twitter. He had been handling internet trolls with some rather hilarious comebacks, however. It’s possible one of Tama Tonga’s Twitter troll victims filed a complaint.
Is Twitter Reacting To Tama Tonga’s Actions In the G1?
Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale have both been using interference and under-handed tactics in the G1 tournament this year. As a result of their tactics, neither has done well in the tournament thus far from a standings perspective.
Fale’s record is 1-3 and Tama Tonga is only 1-2 at this point. Tonga also dropped a match to Kenny Omega via disqualification. Had Tonga won the match with Omega he possibly could have qualified for a future IWGP Heavyweight title shot.
It appears title shots and points aren’t what the Bullet Club OGs are going for this tournament, however.
Alex Shelley appears to have retired from in-ring competition. For the time being, at least.
Last month, it was reported that Shelley’s Ring of Honor contract had expired and he was going to spend time focussing on pursuing a career as a physical therapist.
He suffered an injury in June and has been out ever since. Recent Twitter activity from Shelley seems to suggest he’s moved on from his wrestling career, however.
Is Alex Shelley Saying Goodbye?
Shelley posted the following in regards to Motor City Machine Guns’ “final match”:
In the end, MCMG's final match was against @NickJacksonYB, @MattJackson13, @njpwShowT, and @njpwyohei_k. I really don't think I could've asked for a better ending. Four guys I love very much who I hope I helped some over the years. Thank you, gentlemen.
Shelley took to Twitter to describe his latest injury.
“Long story short: my teeth got knocked out alongside a concussion that made me time travel. And it all goes to hell from here,” Shelley Tweeted on June 4th, 2018.
“That said, Ring of Honor takes care of their athletes when injured and practices the most ethical business practices possible. Not all major companies I have wrestled for could say that. NJPW could though.”
“Ironic considering this happened 3 years ago in NYC as well,” Shelley continued. “And that was the turning point for me to pursue physical therapy. Ain’t no PT for teeth and traumatic brain injuries.”
Alex Shelley’s Career
The 35-year-old has had a decorated 14-year career in the business. He started his pro-career in Ring of Honor in 2004 and would end it in the same promotion in 2018. He spent another 8 years in Impact Wrestling (then known as TNA).
He’s also done a few stints in New Japan Pro Wrestling as well, including from 2012-2015 when he teamed with KUSHIDA as the Time-Splitters.
Shelley is a former 5x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag-Team Champion (3x with Chris Sabin and 2x with KUSHIDA). The Time Splitters also won the Super Jr Tag Tournament in 2012. The Motor City Machine Guns won gold in both Impact and ROH. Shelley is a 1x former X-Division Champion as well.
Chris Jericho has said that he’ll never wrestle for a company other than WWE in the United States. There are signs Jericho has re-considered his position on this topic.
Jericho held a Q&A on Twitter this week and was asked if he’d consider going to Impact Wrestling, which is currently being co-run by his longtime friend Don Callis.
As has been revealed on both Jericho and Don Callis’ podcasts, Jericho served as a reference for Callis when he was interviewing for his position with Impact. The two Winnipeg natives also arranged for Jericho to take on Kenny Omega in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where Callis serves as color commentator.
While he was promoting Slammiversary in Toronto, I asked Callis about talent he was looking at signing. Callis rather nonchalantly listed both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him,” Callis said. “His name is Kenny Omega. Another is Chris Jericho.”
Jericho was also live-Tweeting Slammiversary on Sunday.
Another fan asked Jericho if he would be interested in working with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada. Okada is arguably one of the top professional wrestlers in the world. The prospect of a Jericho vs. Okada match is enticing. Jericho makes it sound like we might actually see this showdown.
Chris Jericho has been busy promoting his Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which sets sail out of Miami in late October. The ‘main event’ of that cruise experience will be Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club: Jericho and the Young Bucks taking on Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll and “Hangman” Adam Page. Sail away, man!
Matt Riddle is likely WWE-bound as speculation regarding the former UFC fighter’s future continues. Riddle has been canceling upcoming bookings as of late and the belief is he could be shown on-camera during Takeover: Brooklyn this year.
New details were revealed today regarding Riddle’s negotiations with NJPW before signing with WWE.
PWG recently announced that he will no longer be a participant in this year’s Battle of Los Angeles as well.
Matthew Riddle will no longer be a participant in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles. Trevor Lee has now entered the tournament in his place!
“Matthew Riddle will no longer be a participant in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles,
PWG Tweeted. “Trevor Lee has now entered the tournament in his place!”
“On a plane to Detroit so stoked to see my sexy lady after weeks of travel and work #stallion#kingofbros#splx#love#sexylady#wife”
Matt Riddle Negotiations with WWE and NJPW/ Marijuana Stigma
WWE and NJPW are both believed to have sent offers to Riddle. NJPW is also believed to have made Riddle an offer last November only to have rescinded it shortly after.
“New Japan did go back to (Riddle) which surprised me a lot,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio. “He was going to be on the November New Japan tournament with Jeff Cobb and then Bushi Road found out about his marijuana past.”
NJPW has stricter policies towards marijuana-related offenses due to the increased stigma of marijuana in the country. Riddle has been an out-spoken marijuana proponent and has previously failed multiple drug-tests for it while fighting in the UFC. NJPW is believed to rescinded their offer as a result of Riddle’s association with marijuana.
WWE had previously shied away from Riddle as well, possibly for similar reasons.
NJPW and WWE are both believed to have reversed their stance recently, however. Both promotions reportedly sent offers to Riddle despite his association with marijuana. Riddle evidently opted for WWE’s offer.
Matt Riddle Pro-Wrestling Career
Riddle had a decorated career on the independent scene. He is a former WWN Live Champion, PWG Tag Team Champion, Progress Atlas Champion, and Evolve Champion.
In 2016, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted him both the Most Improved and Rookie of the Year.
It didn’t take long for Mickie James to figure out who she wants to face at October’s all-female pay-per-view. Not long after Raw went off the air last night, Mickie James took to Twitter to challenge Trish Stratus.
The two historic rivals also shared a one-on-one moment during the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble in January.
The Mickie James vs Trish Stratus rivalry/storyline building toward WrestleMania 22 is one of the most talked about in the history of WWE’s women’s divisions. James earned some controversy during the angle as her obsession with Stratus often had sexual undertones.
At WrestleMania 22, the live crowd cheered for James in the way WrestleMania crowds sometimes cheer a heel who is good in their role, even if they are still the heel.
James defeated Trish Stratus that night to win the WWE Women’s Championship. She would defend the title successfully against Stratus throughout the spring and summer of 06 before Trish retired from in-ring competition later that year.
James met another Canadian in the ring last night. She defeated Natalya in single’s competition. It was her first win on Raw since February when she defeated Sonya Deville.
Austin Aries successfully defended his Impact World Championship against Moose at Slammiversary. Not long after, Aries sat down for an interview with Impact Vice President, Don Callis.
Callis hosts “Killin the Town” on the Podcast One Network and had the Impact Champion on as his guest this week. They discussed the reaction to Slammiversary, scripted promos, and Aries made some surprising comments about his time in WWE.
Aries mentioned that he hears from many fans who feel he was used poorly in WWE. He stated he doesn’t have the same opinion of his time in the company, however. According to him, it would have been unrealistic to expect his WWE run to have gone any different.
“Honestly, that was like the perfect run for me,” Aries said. “I don’t think anybody had any real plans for me, I came in on double-secret probation because of my attitude problems so everything was a test from day one, I don’t think they really saw me as anything much.”
While his time in the company was short, Aries did wrestle Neville for the Cruiserweight title at WrestleMania.
“I talked myself into WrestleMania on commentary because I got over with Vince doing that,” Aries continued. “He put me in WrestleMania. Then, you know, as things happen, sometimes you fall out of favor for different reasons…”
At this point, Callis chimed in to remind Aries he is aware of how these things sometimes work in WWE.
“I got in and got out and got exactly what I needed from it,” Aries said on his time in WWE. “It was a great experience, a great learning experience, I got those three letters on my resume which to some people means everything. I got my WrestleMania moment which cemented my legacy so to speak.”
Austin Aries and Don Callis on Slammiversary Reaction and Booking
Callis and Aries addressed comments by some who suggested the 3 hardcore matches on Slammiversary created a difficult scenario for the two men working the main event. Aries, however, feels that creative wrestling can always win over a crowd, even when that crowd has seen several high-spot or hardcore moves earlier in the show.
“Part of why it worked last night was creatively you guys allowed us to go out there and build this match using our own voice and our own story,” Aries said to Callis.
Aries and Callis also debated the decision to give Aries the clean victory on Sunday over Moose.
“When Scott and I came in here in January,” Callis said. “One of the things that we both felt very strongly about was clean finishes.”
“He’s the best wrestler in the world, he beat the guy with his finish,” Callis continued. “It’s an athletic contest, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
New episodes of Killin the Town are released every Tuesday through PodcastOne.
Smackdown and 205 Live this week will emanate from Evansville, IN.
3 matches have been confirmed for tonight’s shows thus far.
On 205 Live, a fatal 4-way match will take place to determine a new #1 contender to Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Championship. Meanwhile, on Smackdown, Paige will announce who AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship against at SummerSlam.
Smackdown 7/24
Paige Reveals AJ Styles’ SummerSlam Opponent
Smackdown General Manager, Paige, has announced she will reveal who Styles’ new challenger is tonight. Whether she announces a match to determine AJ’s next challenger or just announces a name outright isn’t yet known, however.
Styles’ last title defense came against Rusev at Extreme Rules. Rusev had won a gauntlet match on Smackdown to earn the title shot.
Non-Title Match
Becky Lynch vs Carmella
SummerSlam title match implications will be on the line tonight in a match between Becky Lynch and Carmella. This match was made last week with the stipulation that if Lynch is victorious she will earn a title match against Carmella at SummerSlam.
Lynch has gone 4-0 since Money in the Bank on Smackdown. She’s won single’s matches on 4 of the last 5 episodes of Smackdown. In that time she has defeated Billie Kay, Sonya Deville, Peyton Royce, and Mandy Rose.
Smackdown Tag-Team Tournament
The New Day vs Sanity
In a rematch from Extreme Rules, New Day take on Sanity tonight. The winner moves on to the finals of the 4-team tournament and will meet the winner of the Bar vs the Usos.
Sanity defeated New Day on the Extreme Rules Kickoff show but tonight is the match which has title implications on the line.
Why Did Randy Orton Almost Rip Jeff Hardy’s Ear Off?
Twice now we have seen Randy Orton target Jeff Hardy during a match against Shinsuke Nakamura. Why is Orton targetting Jeff Hardy? What is the status of Jeff Hardy’s earlobe following last Tuesday’s encounter with the Viper?
We will hopefully have answers to these questions after tonight.
Is WWE Building Towards The Miz vs Daniel Bryan At SummerSlam?
All signs point to the long-awaited Miz vs Daniel Bryan one-on-one match to take place at SummerSlam. Last week, Bryan crashed a mock-funeral Miz held for Team Hell No. This week should only further the tension between the two vastly different Superstars.
205 Live 7/24 Preview
#1 Contenders Match
Mustafa Ali vs Hideo Itami vs TJP vs Drew Gulak
Just one match has been announced for 205 Live tonight. Mustafa Ali, Hideo Itami, TJP, and Drew Gulak will battle for the right to face Cedric Alexander for the Cruiserweight Championship.
TJP is the only former Champion in the match. Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali for the vacant title on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show. He also defeated Hideo Itami on the July 10th episode of 205 Live. He’s faced Drew Gulak 5x in the history of 205 Live. Alexander has won 3 of those matches to Gulak and lost the other two. Gulak’s only victories over Alexander were both in early 2017.
Moose unsuccessfully challenged Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship Sunday night at Slammiversary. The Champion had said he was going to force Moose into his 3rd career during the match, football and pro-wrestling having been his first two.
According to recent comments made by Moose, Aries may actually have knocked Moose out of wrestling.
“Gave it my All and came up Short,” Moose Tweeted. “Probably time to reconsider if I still want to do this for a living. Time to make some career and Life Decisions. Thank you All”
Moose Injured At Slammiversary
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Moose is suffering from vertigo today. He previously sent out a now-deleted Tweet which simply read “CTE”, leading many to believe he had suffered a concussion in the match.
Most of the build-up towards Moose vs Austin Aries was done through sit-down interviews. Aries would claim Moose is a failed football player whereas Moose would say he gave up football to chase his wrestling dream.
Moose on Austin Aries
“Aries is known for his trash talk and I’m not gonna go there with him,” Moose said in the weeks leading up to the match. “I mean he can believe whatever he believes, I know what’s true and there’s that.”
“He’s been a good champion,” Moose admitted. “I mean guess so, he’s been a decent champion. I have a lot of respect for Aries. He is the Belt Collector, he does carry all the titles from a lot of independent promotions around. I mean, he’s a veteran of the game.”
“I could sit here and list a bunch of things, accomplishments Aries has had. Or you could Wikipedia it. I know what my game plan is for Sunday and what I need to do to fulfill my game plan to come home with the Impact World Championship.”
Kenny Omega defeated Tama Tonga on Saturday in NJPW’s G1 Climax 28. Tonga was disqualified after repeated interference and giving a cutter to the referee. This G1 has seen far more interference and run-ins than what is normally seen in the promotion.
According to comments Omega made after the match, he was upset at Tama for cheating but for different reasons than you might expect.
“I’m not mad that you cheated in this match,” Omega said backstage. “In fact, what I’m most mad at is that by using your friends, by using a DQ just to beat me up and leave me possibly with injury, you, my friend, have affected my average star-rating.”
The Bullet Club OGs/Firing Squad have been interfering in several matches and Bad Luck Fale has already been disqualified multiple times for his actions. On the first night of the tournament, the Firing Squad interfered early in Fale’s match with Hangman Page, who was making his debut in the tournament. The BCOGs constant cheating has been the talk of the G1 thus far.
Kenny Omega had the following to say when he got to the back after the match.
“Tama Tonga, nothing much has changed since last year, has it?” Omega said. “Last year, you yourself said the G1 didn’t mean anything. Clearly, the same is true. You don’t care about the 2 points, you don’t care about going to the finals, all you care about is making a statement that you and your boys care about each other. And oh boo f****ng hoo, there’s a group of people that are better than you that dream bigger.”
“I thought you were clever by implicating the use of your boys,” Omega continued. “But Tama, at the end of the day, it was still all to make a very immature point that blood is thicker than water.”
“Tama Tonga, all take these boys and their talent and what they bring to the table over whatever the hell it is you believe in.”
Last night at Slammiversary, Austin Aries defeated Moose to retain his Impact World Championship. Aries is the 5th most decorated champion in the title’s lineage, behind only Sting, Bobby Roode, Lashley, and Kurt Angle.
Aries is a 3x Impact World Champion and has held the title for 290+ plus days combined. He’s defended the title 6x since winning the belt back from Pentagon back in May.
Aries sent the following out on Twitter early this morning:
Austin Aries on Why He Returned To Impact Wrestling
Aries took part in a media call last week to help promote Slammiversary. During the call, he mentioned what is different in the promotion under the new management group.
“This time to me feels completely different,” Aries said. “There’s just a different energy and a different thought process.”
“I’ve been at odds with the company over the course of my career, I don’t think that’s a big secret,” Aries continued. “But I think the difference now why I’m back is because the people or the ideals that I had issues with are no longer there and attached to this.”
Austin Aries: Belt Collector
Aries currently holds the following championship belts:
Impact World Championship
WSW Heavyweight Title
DEFY 8xGP Title
He recently lost the IPW: UK World Title and the All England title for IPW: UK. Aries also lost the Defiant World Title back in April. He was the Impact Grand Champion earlier this year but opted to merge that belt with Impact World Title.