Raw Superstar, Elias, has a big day today. His debut album “Walk With Elias” released today on iTunes and Spotify. His album will also reportedly be for sale at WWE live events.
Tonight after Raw, “Elias: Live From Bourbon Street” airs on the WWE Network.
WWE is not done promoting Elias today, however. The WWE Network will air “Walk With Elias” on July 30th, a documentary focussed on Elias’ recording of the album.
https://youtu.be/lflAuk1MPoM
“Walk With Elias” Track Listing
The Ballad of Every Town I’ve Ever Been To
Nothing I Can’t Do
Walk With Me
Elias’ Words
Elias Samson
Real name, Jeffrey Logan Sciullo, Elias was signed to WWE in early 2014. He would crack the NXT roster later that same year.
Prior to being signed by WWE, Elias wrestled on the independents for 5 years. He wrestled under the name “Heavy Metal Jesus” Logan Shulo.
Late last year, Elias appeared on the Stone Cold Steve Austin podcast and talked about his gimmick.
“I like to think Elias is (kind of) the culmination of everything I ever wanted to be and who I ever wanted to be so I’m very happy with that,” he said.
The character Elias worked on the independents was similar to what he now does in WWE.
“I can recall at one point I was “the Frontman” Logan Shulo,” Elias said on the podcast. “I came out with a mic stand, in my mind, I was this eclectic frontman rockstar. Then as it went on I became “Heavy Metal Jesus”.
As for the Heavy Metal Jesus nickname, Elias credits a training partner of his from Pittsburgh.
“It was a guy named Michael Facade out in Pittsburgh. One time we’re training, I just looked like it, I looked like Jesus you know, and he said “Heavy Metal Jesus”, he called me that. I said that’s the coolest nickname I’ve ever heard.”
Posted July 23rd, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Elias.
Earlier this week, Smackdown General Manager Paige announced a tag-team tournament. The winners will receive a title shot against the Bludgeon Brothers. She has now released the names of the 4 teams which will be participating in the tournament.
The Usos, New Day, Sanity, and the Bar are all entered. The most notable team not included in the tournament is Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows. A possible reason the team wasn’t included in the tournament is that they have already lost two title matches on television to the current champions.
Smackdown Tag Team Division vs Raw Tag Team Division
Although the SD tag division consists of fewer teams than Raw’s, it arguably has the stronger ones. New Day are the longest reigning tag champions of all-time, the Usos are arguably the hottest tag-team on the roster, and Cesaro and Sheamus are multi-time champions as well.
Meanwhile, on Raw, the titles are currently held by Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. The B-Team defeated the Deleter of Worlds at Extreme Rules for the belts. Other Raw tag-teams include the Revival, the Authors of Pain, Ascension, Titus Worldwide, and Breezeango.
Paige As Smackdown General Manager
Paige took over as Smackdown General Manager on the first episode after WrestleMania. The night before on Raw, Paige announced she was not medically cleared to compete. It’s possible she never competes in a WWE ring again but she doesn’t seem to be abandoning hope.
Prior to Paige’s appointment, the show had been run by Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan. After Bryan’s reinstatement as a wrestler, however, he stepped down as brand GM. Shane McMahon stepped away from the role after WrestleMania as well, citing his problems with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens as a reason why.
Impact Wrestling presented Slammiversary last night from the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto, ON, Canada. The show aired live via pay-per-view on the FITE App.
The venue was clearly at capacity as we were pretty packed in there but there was a great atmosphere inside. The traditional Impact/Anthem ring and apron were replaced with a gold-roped Slammiversary version.
Impact Wrestling- Slammiversary XVI
July 22nd, 2018
Rebel Nightclub Complex
Toronto, ON, Canada
1. Johnny Impact defeated Fenix, Petey Williams, and Taiji Ishimori
There was no dark match, so this match opened the live show and pay-per-view. The crowd was into all four wrestlers.
Rich Swann suffered a concussion during the MLW: Battle Riot tapings earlier this week. He was replaced by Petey Williams.
Lots of high-flying spots, and easily the most athletic match of the night.
Johnny Impact pinned Fenix with Starship Pain.
2. Tessa Blanchard defeated Allie
Allie got a big pop from her hometown but there were clearly many Tessa Blanchard fans in attendance as well.
Blanchard missed a senton, allowing Allie to hit a codebreaker but Blanchard rolled outside the ring to avoid a cover. When they got back in the ring Allie was unable to pin her, hit a super-kick, went for her finish but got it reversed into Blanchard’s hammerlock DDT which finished the match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA6LtgP0AXs
3. House of Hardcore Match
Eddie Edwards defeated Tommy Dreamer
This was an ECW-style match from the beginning, which the fans seemed to expect. Cooking sheets, garbage cans, and more plunder were involved. A staple gun busted Eddie Edwards open. Dreamer used a replica ECW title belt a fan at ringside had and used it to bash Edwards with.
Dreamer brought out a table and poured lighter fluid on it. Neither the table nor the lighter fluid was used, however, which the fans didn’t like. Edwards ended up hitting Tommy with the Boston Knee Party to end the match.
After the match, Dreamer and Edwards reconciled and Edwards’ wife came to the ring area as well. It appeared Dreame passed the torch to Eddie as the new “Innovator of Violence”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wGXSl290p8
4. X-Division Championship
Brian Cage defeated Matt Sydal (c) – New Champion
There were many impressive spots in this match. Cage did the spot where he caught his opponent in the air in a suplex position and kept him perched before eventually bringing him down.
The crowd was really into Cage but Sydal had his fans in attendance as well.
The end of the match came when Sydal missed a Shooting Star Press (hitting his bottom foot on the rope on his way down). Cage then hit the Drill Claw for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzmGF-w117k
5. Knockouts Championship
Su Yung (c) defeated Madison Rayne
The live crowd calmed down a bit for this match. Several chants for Su Yung were started and abandoned shortly after.
Yung’s undead brides carried her onto the entrance ramp in a coffin. Rayne tried to cut her off before she got into the ring, however.
Yung won with her mandible claw type hold. After the match, Yung and the undead bridesmaids put Madison in a coffin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzypsFWcj9s
6. 5150 Street Fight
LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defeated the OGz (Homicide & Hernandez)
This match picked up where the House of Hardcore match left off in terms of plunder and weapons.
This match was just an aggressive, hardcore spot-filled, nasty tag match (in a good way). The fans perked back up in a big way for this match.
Homicide hit a suicide dive onto Santana through a table. Then Ortiz gave Homicide a DVD through a table but then got put through one himself by Hernandez.
Konnan got up on the apron and tossed in a bag of thumbtacks to Santana, who threw some into Homicide’s face before slamming him into the tacks, giving him a frog-splash and pinning him.
After the match, King and the OGz attacked LAX and Konnan. They put Konnan into the tacks, then spray painted and stole the title belts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__d8TGKzP9A
7. Mask vs Hair
Pentagon Jr. defeated Sami Callihan
They seemed to structure this match into 3 different parts before the end. The opening bit involved dueling kicks and chops. Then they ended up dueling over chairs. Then the nails came out and they duelled over the as well.
Callihan brought out 2-3 large nails and began jamming them into Pentagon’s head. Once Pentagon got a hold of them, however, he then did the same to Pentagon. They then each ended up with one nail and repeatedly jammed each other in the head with it, busting each other open.
The Crist brothers came out (both of them with their arms in a sling) but weren’t able to help Callihan much.
Callihan blew dust in the face of Pentagon, temporarily blinding him. Shortly after, a blinded Pentagon thought the ref was Callihan and broke his arm. He hit the Fear Factor on Callihan but there was no ref to count the pin. Callihan would then hit the Cactus Driver 97 on a chair but again there was no ref to count the pin.
Pentagon then gave Callihan a package piledriver on top of four chairs for a near-fall that fans thought was the finish. Pentagon then broke Sami’s arm, gave him another piledriver, and got the pin.
Sami originally tried to get out of the stipulation but Fenix brought him back to the ring. Pentagon was able to pretty cleanly shave Callihan’s head on the entrance ramp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQf5F-wHdV8
8. Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) defeated Moose
Moose got the majority of the offense early in the match until Aries was able to reverse a spear into the Last Chancery and from there the match seemed more balanced.
Aries threw Moose into the crowd, gave him a DVD on the apron, and even gave him a brainbuster on the floor in an attempt to get a count-out victory.
Moose hit a spear but Aries grabbed the rope during the pin-count. At that point, Aries tried to abandon the match and left the ring. Moose picked him up and threw him into the crowd, however.
The finish came when Aries went to hit Moose with the championship belt but Curtis Granderson prevented him. Moose tried a school-boy for a near-fall but Aries got up, kicked him in the face, and gave him a brainbuster for the win.
Impact Wrestling Slammiversary XVI
July 22nd, 2018
Rebel Nightclub
Toronto, ON, Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD1NtYRl88U
Mask vs Hair
Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan
A Mask versus Hair match arguably the most talked about match of the night.
Pentagon hit his package piledriver and his tag finisher with Fenix on Callihan on television leading up to this match but Callihan kicked out of both, indicating Callihan won’t be finished so easily tonight.
If Pentagon wants to win this match, he’s going to have to go to great lengths to keep Callihan down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqEvpLATHQQ
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Moose
Aries has been saying Moose is a failed football player who is trying a new career.
Moose has been saying he left the NFL to chase his pro-wrestling dream.
Aries tried his old tricks on Moose recently on television this week. He attacked Moose from behind, hit him in the groin, and beat him up with a chair. Aries assumed Moose was down for good but was shocked when Moose got up and took the fight to him.
As Aries left the arena he looked less than confident for the first time in a long time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPbFdu0QBg
Knockouts Championship
Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne
Su Yung has been haunting Madison Rayne in her dreams, luring her into fields, and dousing her with blood. It’s been a little weird.
Yung most likely has more than a wrestling match in mind for her opponent tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMCp7-KqeWY
X-Division Championship
Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage
The X-Division isn’t about weight limits, it’s about no limits. This vague yet somehow also descriptive line defines the X-Division and it also defines Brian Cage.
Cage has been kept strong on television all year. His only loss came via count-out against Sydal after Kongo Kong interfered.
Can Brian Cage win the X-Division title? Or will Matt Sydal use his 3rd eye to guide him to victory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTDegMNnXxc&t=9s
House of Hardcore Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards has spiraled into madness. His delusions have led him to believe Tommy Dreamer is his enemy.
Dreamer had only been trying to stop Edwards from making the same mistakes he did during his feud with Raven. Dreamer said he lost years of his life obsessed with Raven and didn’t want Edwards to do the same with Callihan.
It is being reported that Swann has been removed from this match due to the concussion he suffered on Thursday at MLW: Battle Riot.
Johnny Impact has stressed he needs to win this match to move up the rankings as fast as possible. He indicated if he doesn’t win a title in Impact before his wife Taya does, that he’ll never hear the end of it.
Fenix has been tearing it up on Impact television lately, he’s also scheduled to take on Sami Callihan on Tuesday night at the television tapings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNwVeUuVPTM
Allie vs Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard dropped two matches to Madison Rayne during the last set of tapings. Both losses were via pinning combination, however, and Blanchard felt slightly. She attempted to get revenge on Rayne but Allie (who was teaming with Rayne at the time) fought her off, leading to this match.
Allie is from Toronto and should get a big pop from her hometown crowd but she will be in tough tonight against the fast-rising Blanchard.
Rich Swann will miss tonight’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary show from Toronto. Swann reportedly suffered a concussion on Thursday at the MLW Battle Riot tapings. He is believed to have been taken to hospital after.
It was reported on Friday that Impact management was aware of the situation and was looking for possible replacements. Today, the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Swann has in fact been removed from the match although no official announcement has been made from either Impact or Swann.
Swann was scheduled to face Johnny Impact, Fenix, and Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori tonight. He also played a key role in the build-up to Sami Callihan vs Pentagon during the company’s Windsor television tapings.
Earlier this week, Johnny Impact had this to say about the upcoming match.
“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”
“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.”
Slammiversary is an important night for the promotion. The new management regime consisting of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore has put a lot into this show. Johnny also talked about why he feels fans should be watching the promotion right now.
“You’ve got your traditional American psychology type wrestling but now we’ve got with Ishimori, with Pentagon, with Fenix, with Sami Callihan and Cage and Kevin Kross now, Aries, and of course, Johnny Impact. You’ve got this crazy blend of wrestlers from different styles from all over the world that make the matches on Impact infinitely interesting.”
Eddie Edwards will face Tommy Dreamer in a House of Hardcore rules match tonight at Slammiversary tonight. The match will be a culmination of a storyline which began in January of this year.
Sami Callihan cracked Edwards in the orbital bone with a baseball bat during a set of television tapings this January. After a long feud with Sami Callihan, Edwards’ character spiraled. He began to see Tommy Dreamer as his enemy.
Edwards spoke with Interactive Wrestling radio recently about his upcoming pay-per-view match.
“I’m ready to leave it all out there in that ring to take Tommy out,” Edwards said. “I know Tommy, the Innovator of Violence, is ready to do that too. So, let’s go out there and see what we can do and see what we create along the way.”
Eddie Edwards On Being Compared To A Young Tommy Dreamer
As his rivalry with Dreamer has evolved, some fans have compared Eddie to a younger version of his rival.
“Two weeks ago, you got to see the classic ECW Tommy Dreamer promo. He’s bloody, he’s talking crap to me,” Edwards said. “That is what people have wanted to see. That’s the beast, the monster that I’ve created along the way. It is an interesting story we have going on. As you said, mirror images. He’s trying to stop me from what he had become. Why stop me? He’s this Hardcore Legend.”
Edwards would continue to talk about the angle with Dreamer and Callihan which has carried through all of 2018 so far.
“This all stemmed from Sami Callihan and Tommy Dreamer and my wife getting involved,” he continued. “This is emotion. This is something that anybody can feel. Anybody that has been hurt or wronged or thinks they’ve been wronged, this is something they can watch and feel. This is emotion and I think that’s something that we can play with.”
Eddie Edwards vs Tommy Dreamer – Slammiversary – House of Hardcore Match
Edwards also addressed the 47-year-old Dreamer being worried about keeping up with him.
“I think that is a solid concern on his part,” Edwards said. “The same goes for me going into a House of Hardcore match. He was part of the original ECW – The man who created this violence. He is the “Innovator of Violence”. I know that. It is kind of this meshing of styles, putting he and I in a blender and seeing what comes out! (laughs) I’m looking forward to taking what he’s got. Does he still have it? Is he still that Tommy Dreamer that everybody loves? Let’s have a House of Hardcore match on the biggest pay per view of the year in front of a sold out crowd!”
Cody will be back on the comic-book superhero show, Arrow this season.
The former ROH World Champion had previously stated he dyed his hair back to black due to an upcoming television commitment. It’s possible this is what he was referring to.
Cody’s IMDB credits for non-wrestling related entertainment is on the rise. He previously appeared in the WAGS Atlanta reality television show this year as well.
He also appeared in two episodes of Arrow in 2016 and 2017.
41 Days Until Cody Challenges For NWA World Heavyweight Championship
There are just 41 days left until All-In on Saturday, September 1st, 2018. Cody is scheduled to face whoever is the NWA World Heavyweight Champion for the belt on the show.
The current Champion, Nick Aldis, recently defended the title successfully against Flip Gordon on an ROH show from Nashville Friday night. Had Flip won, not only would he have won the NWA title, he would have qualified for All-In.
During the match, Cody began cheering for Flip and appeared to turn the corner in regards to his opinion of him. It’s possible Flip’s performance in the match might be enough for Cody to book him at All-In regardless of the fact he didn’t win.
We will most likely be updated on Flip Gordon’s All-In status early this week when the next episode of Being the Elite is release.
Yesterday, Tama Tonga and Kenny Omega met in the round-robin of the G1 Climax 28. Omega went into the match with a 2-0 record with victories over Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto. Tonga went into the match 1-1, winning his first bout against Juice Robinson but dropping his next to SANADA.
A win for Tama Tonga likely would have led to an IWGP Heavyweight Championship opportunity for him and a big-time main event match for the Bullet Club civil war angle. It was not to be, however, as Tonga was disqualified after repeated interference by Tanga Loa and Bad Luck Fale.
Omega responded to the match result recently on Twitter.
I’m very indifferent about these 2 points, but I get it, I really do. You’re not trying to ruin it just me but for everyone. You won’t ruin it for Ibushi. Onward and upward. #g128
“I’m very indifferent about these 2 points, but I get it, I really do,” Omega Tweeted. “You’re not trying to ruin it just me but for everyone. You won’t ruin it for Ibushi. Onward and upward.”
Tama Tonga and Kota Ibushi will meet on August 8th, 2018.
Kenny Omega vs Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale, King Haku, and HIKULEO (out with leg injury) currently comprise the Bullet Club “Firing Squad”. The Bullet Club sub-faction is still introduced in NJPW as the Bullet Club OGs, however.
Tama Tonga explained his actions in an interview shortly after the G1 Special in San Francisco.
“This has been a long time coming,” Tonga said to Sports Illustrated. “Kenny Omega started a subgroup, ‘The Elite,’ within Bullet Club. No one is the head of Bullet Club, no one ever has been, and we had a self-proclaimed leader focusing on his own ‘Super Kliq’ or whatever else nerd ass name it’s called. This war was sparked the moment ‘The Elite’ was formed.”
“We tried, over time, to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it kept getting worse,” he continued. “The ideals of Bullet Club working together, being a team, and watching each other’s backs was no longer what we stood for. We were a divided club. It was just too much to ignore.”
Austin Aries will defend his Impact World Championship tonight against Moose. Aries returned to the company this year and promptly won the World Title shortly after. In the half-year since Aries has been back in Impact, he has sung the praises of the new management team of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore.
On a recent Impact Wrestling media call, Aries suggested that the promotion provides a platform for wrestlers to be successful.
“I mean listen, if there’s a number of men and women over there (WWE) who feel they’re in a position where they’re spinning their wheels,” Aries said. “Or maybe not getting the opportunities they feel they earned that are immensely talented.”
“I’m not gonna name names,” he continued. “But I think anyone in that position who wants to better themselves, I think IMPACT Wrestling provides a platform at least that’s not gonna tie you down and lock you in and give you the opportunities to actually go and prove that.”
Aries has also been involved in a back-and-forth with DeAngelo Williams on Twitter. Williams appeared on a recent episode of Impact to update fans on Moose’s training. Aries attacked Williams during the segment, possibly due to Williams’ performance while on Aries’ fantasy football team:
$75, @DeAngeloRB? You cost me 10x that in fantasy football with your end of the game, week 16 fumble in 2015.
Aries also noted that the WWE roster is very large. There are only so many high-profile spots to go around, however, and some wrestlers might find there are more opportunities available to them outside the company.
“Listen, there’s a lot — they have a huge roster and there’s a lot of talent on there,” Aries continued. “There’s only so many spots and so many hours of television. So you know I’m sure there are people who feel like they’re getting left out or they’re not getting the shots that they want, and if they find themselves free and clear, it’s cool. There’s a nice vibrate professional landscape right now for people to go out and apply their craft.”
Slammiversary takes place tonight at 8 pm from the Rebel Nightclub Complex in Toronto, ON, Canada. The event will live on pay-per-view, available on the FITE app.
After attacking both Kane and Daniel Bryan before their match at Extreme Rules, Harper and Rowen were able to defend their titles successfully against Team Hell No. Now, Smackdown General Manager, Paige, has announced a tag-team tournament to determine their next challengers.
The winning team will meet the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. Paige made the announcement on Twitter yesterday.
Paige stated that the tournament will be contested over the course of 3 weeks. The tournament will also consist of just 4 teams. That means a 3-match tournament with one match per week, most likely.
Assuming there will not be any debuting or newly formed teams in the 4-team tournament, here are the teams who could possibly be included from the Smackdown roster:
The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus)
Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, Eric Young)
The Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
New Day
Rusev & Aiden English
Smackdown Tag Team Championships
The Bludgeon Brothers are the 6th team to have won the Smackdown tag-team Championships. Harper was once part of a 3-person team with Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton who held the titles in 2016 briefly as well.
The Usos are the most decorated team in the history of the belts thus far. They’ve held the titles 3x for a combined 329 days. The longest single reign with the belts is also by the Usos, who held the titles for 182 days in their last reign.
The Bludgeon Brothers have currently held the titles for 105 days. They defeated the Usos and New Day for the belts at WrestleMania and have since defended the titles successfully against the Usos (1x), the Cub (3x), and Team Hell No (1x).
Posted July 22nd, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: Paige.
Following tomorrow’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, Impact Wrestling will run two consecutive nights of television tapings. The promotion has recently announced several matches for the shows.
Impact Wrestling- Television Tapings
Rebel Nightclub
Toronto, ON, Canada
July 23rd, 2018
Kongo Kong vs Stone Rockwell
Kongo Kong defeated Abyss earlier this year only to lose to Brian Cage recently. He’ll be looking to reaffirm his status as Impact’s monster here.
Stone Rockwell has competed on 3 Impact Wrestling shows this year. He lost on an episode of Xplosion to Rohit Raju of the Desi Hit Squad. Then he lost a tag match to the Desi Hit Squad on a One Night Only show from Windsor. He teamed with Fallah Bah at the One Night Only show in Mississauga and defeated the Fraternity.
The debut of Scarlett Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a Chicago-based indie wrestler. She previously worked as Matt Taven’s valet in Ring of Honor.
July 24th, 2018
Sami Callihan vs Fenix
Just two days after Pentagon and Sami Callihan will collide with a Mask vs Hair stipulation at stake, Callihan will face his brother, Fenix.
Matt Sydal vs Pentagon Jr.
Sydal may or may not still be X-Division Champion when this match takes place.
Pentagon may or may not still have his mask when this match takes place.
Petey Williams vs Tyson Dux
The Canadian Destroyer takes on one of the top stars from Toronto’s Smash Wrestling in Dux.
Dux wrestled singles matches against Matt Sydal and Taiji Ishimori last year in Impact, dropping both matches. He defeated Braxton Sutter on a Twitch special in March.
Earlier this summer, Dux won the Northern, a 16-person tournament with similar rules to BOLA. Notable participants in the tournament included Matt Riddle, Joey Janela, Kimber Lee, Mia Yim, Andrew Everett, Brent Banks, and several others.
The Cult of Lee vs The Deaners
The Cult of Lee will look to get back into the thick of things in the Impact tag-team division.
Cody Deaner has wrestled on a One Night Only and Twitch specials for Impact in 2018. His partner is Jake Something. They have previously lost to the Desi Hit Squad as a team in Impact.
Alexa Bliss will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam. Bliss was a guest on the Cheap Seats podcast and gave her opinion on Rousey’s WWE run so far.
“I am absolutely impressed, Bliss said. “She does really well at her facial expressions, which I appreciate because I am really big on facial expressions. It is really easy to appreciate the fact that you know she has been hit before, and you know that pain, you have that emotional connection to her one way or another when you watch her perform. I was very impressed with her match against Nia Jax, and also her match at WrestleMania with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, it was just awesome. I am very proud of her and it’ll be fun to see where things go with that.”
Alexa Bliss On Babyface Move-sets and Heel Move-Sets
Bliss has her detractors who say her in-ring work is not as good as other athletes on the roster. She believes, however, this is only because she is a heel and utilizes a less crowd-friendly move-set as a result.
“I don’t, but here’s the thing, I’m a bad guy,” Bliss stated. “Who likes a bad guy that does a lot of flashy things? You know what I mean? It is my job to be hated, so if that means coming in when the opportunity is right and cashing in on other people’s misfortunes in the ring that is what I am going to do.
“Now, when I become a good guy are people going to see a brand new skill set from me? Absolutely. Right now, my job isn’t to wow the crowd with my in-ring ability,” she continued. “My job is to be hated, which is what I love to do. My job is to be hated because people get that much madder when I win a title because they talk about me not being able to wrestle in the ring—I can, but I am choosing not to, and the fact that when I win and they are getting angry that only means that I am doing my job that much more.”
John Cena took part in a Q&A session at the San Diego Comic Con recently. He was asked what it is like to play a villainous role in a movie. In answering the question, Cena also addressed the possibility of his WWE character turning heel.
“To actually answer your question, I think it is a really great opportunity,” Cena said. “I have had a great career in the WWE and for that entire time I have been the good guy and that kind of went into my films so far, and now it doesn’t seem like my character in the WWE will ever evolve into that bad guy role that perhaps a lot of people have wanted; so this is kind of a way for my fans from that aspect of my career to see that side of me.
So, don’t expect heel John Cena in the WWE – that’s Inside Baseball talk for some of you,” Cena continued. “But it means bad guy John Cena isn’t happening there, so this is that chance for me.”
Heel John Cena
According to former WWE writer, Kevin Eck, there were plans to turn Cena heel in 2012.
“We were very close. We had Vince sign off on it at one point and Cena was on board to do it,” Eck said. “We started making plans for it and then Vince got cold feet “. He further added, “we had signed an exclusive Cena merchandise deal with Walmart”.
Ring of Honor presented “Honor for All” from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium tonight. The main event featured Flip Gordon challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Not only was the NWA title on the line, however, if Flip wins he will earn the right to defend the title against Cody at All-In.
ROH: Honor For All
July 20th, 2018
Nashville, TN
Nashville Municipal Auditorium
This was Martinez’ second title defense. He defeated Silas Young for the belt on June 16th and would later defend it successfully against Hangman Page at Best in the World 2018.
2. WOH Championship Proving Ground Match (non-title but if the challenger wins they earn a title shot at a later date) Sumie Sakai (c) defeated Karen Q
Karen Q attempted to distract the ref and then attempted to convince the ref that Sumie Sakai was going to hit her with the championship belt. All of this led to Karen Q trying to pick up Sakai in a fireman’s carry but Sakai reversed it into a sunset flip and got the pin.
3. Jonathan Gresham defeated Shane Taylor, Chris Sabin, and Kenny King
After Shane Taylor had taken out the others in the match, Jonathan Gresham got a hold of his back and never let go. He locked in a sleeper and with both Sabin and King out of the equation at that point in the match, Taylor went out and the ref called for the bell.
4. Chuckie T defeated Bully Ray via DQ
Bully Ray has been picking on smaller wrestlers and young lions for the past several months. Chuckie T been wrestling for 16 years, however, which Bully Ray pointed out. Bully said he has no problem with Chuckie and even said he’s a fan. He even mentioned Chuck’s work in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and compared it to ECW.
When Chuckie T got on the mic, however, he told Bully Ray where he could shove all those nice things he said about him.
Not long after the match started, Bully kicked Chuckie in the groin to cause the disqualification. He continued to beat on Chuckie until Colt Cabana left the broadcast station to make the save. Bully ended up getting the advantage on Cabana as well though. This brought out a returning Beretta to make the save!
5. Will Ferrara, Rhett Titus, Silas Young, the Beer City Bruiser defeated Cheeseburger, Eli Isom, Ryan Nova, FR Josie vs
Cheeseburger teamed up with 3 Future of Honor wrestlers in Eli Isom, Ryan Nova, and FR Josie. In the end, it was the more established heel team who picked up the victory, however.
6. Marty Scurll defeated Vinnie Marseglia
Before the match, Matt Taven came out in streetwear. He brought the old ROH World Title with him, though he kept the belt covered with a red tarp for his whole promo. Taven eventually said that Scurll would not face him tonight, he would face his Kingdom minion, Vinny Marseglia instead.
Scurll made Marseglia tap to the chicken-wing but Taven hit the ring after and the Kingdom started teaming up on Scurll. This brought out Cody to make the save and led into the next match between Cody and TK O’Ryan.
7. Cody defeated TK O’Ryan
Security had to separate Cody and Scurll from the Kingdom. Eventually, Scurll, Taven, and Marseglia were sent to the back. Brandi Rhodes and Bernard the Business Bear were allowed to stay, however.
Cody picked up the win with the Cross Rhodes and celebrated with Bernard and Brandi before leaving the ring area.
8. NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) defeated Flip Gordon
As much as Flip’s fans wanted it to happen, Flip Gordon did not defeat Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Cody joined the commentary team for this match. He said that in 5-7 years, Flip Gordon might be a franchise guy but he’s not ready yet. Cody continued to say that he considered this match an open-workout for Aldis.
Aldis took control early. He hit a standing suplex, a couple of fall-away slams, a modified camel clutch and a chin lock. Flip began his comeback after the chinlock, hitting several springboard moves. He hit a springboard dropkick, running kick in the corner, a suicide dive, and a diving moonsault. He began selling as if he had tweaked his knee, however, which led the commentary team to speculate that Flip is too inexperienced to change his gameplan mid-match due to injury.
Flip missed a diving move which allowed Aldis to hit a Jerry Lawler-style piledriver and then a flying elbow. He pinned Flip after the flying elbow. The ref counted Flip’s shoulders down for 3 but Flip had actually gotten his bottom foot on the rope. The match was awarded to Aldis but several refs and even Cody came down to argue. It was declared a “Dusty Finish” and the match was restarted. Flip hit a suicide dive on Aldis to re-start the match.
Gordon hit a Star-Spangled Stunner for a near fall. Cody started cheering for Flip at this point while back at the commentary booth. Flip then went for a springboard move but tripped on the ropes and went down selling his knee. Aldis got back on offense, locked in the cloverleaf, and Flip eventually passed out causing the referee stoppage.
After the match, Cody came to ringside. Aldis and Cody helped Flip to his feet. Cody raised Flip’s arm as the crowd chanted “All-In” and later “Flip! Flip!”
After Cody left Flip in the ring by himself to celebrate, Bully Ray hit the ring and hit Flip low.
9. The Young Bucks defeated the Briscoes, and The Addiction (non-title match)
In 2018, Jay and Mark Briscoe have become the biggest anti-Bullet Club threat in Ring of Honor. This was a non-title match but the commentary team mentioned that if either the Bucks or the Addiction win they could get the next shot at the Briscoes’ titles.
The Bucks hit a Meltzer Driver on Mark Briscoe for the win, seemingly putting them in a position now to challenge the Briscoes for the tag-team titles.
Rich Swann debuted for Impact Wrestling this spring. Since that time, Swann has been involved in several well-reviewed matches with guys like Fenix, Sami Callihan, and oVe.
Swann is also an active wrestler with Major League Wrestling. At last night’s Battle Riot tapings, Swann was taken hospital with a possible concussion.
Swann’s injury is believed to have taken place during his tag-team match with ACH against Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. PWInsider is reporting that Impact Wrestling officials are aware of the situation and are looking to replace Swann in the match.
Slammiversary International 4-Way Match
The match Swann was scheduled for on Sunday’s pay-per-view was the international 4-way. He was to face Fenix, Johnny Impact, and Taiji Ishimori.
A possibly interesting note regarding Taiji Ishimori’s inclusion in this match is that Impact has stressed he will be representing Bullet Club when he does so. The promotion sent out the following on Twitter yesterday:
Taiji Ishimori working in Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling at the same time is an interesting development. If further stars from NJPW are allowed to work Impact tapings and pay-per-views it could provide a big boost for the promotion.
Johnny Impact took part in a recent Impact media call. He had this to say regarding his match at Slammiversary.
“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”
“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.”
54-year-old Carlos Santiago Espada Moises is better known to wrestling fans as Konnan. While his own in-ring career ended several years ago, Konnan has continued to be a major player behind the scenes for several promotions.
Konnan participated in MLW’s Battle Riot last night. It was his first official match in close to 5 years.
According to comments he made yesterday on Wrestling Observer Live, however, Konnan has been getting back in shape for a lengthier return to the ring.
Konnan Farewell Tour
“Right now, I’m getting into shape,” Konnan said. “I haven’t gotten back into the gym to do weights yet but I’m getting into cardio shape. I think by next year I’m going to do like a 6-month farewell tour.”
When Konnan was asked who he’d like to face on his farewell tour, he mentioned wanting to wrestle many of his opponents from his prime.
“I just want to wrestle as many of my contemporaries that I can,” he continued to say about a potential farewell tour. “Whether it’s Rey Mysterio, or Psychosis, or Chris Jericho, guys of that ilk.”
Konnan also stressed, however, that he would also like to get in the ring with some of today’s top luchadors. He mentioned several wrestlers he never got a chance to face during his in-ring career.
“The young cats that I never got into the ring with,” he continued to say regarding talent he’d like to wrestle. “Pentagon, Fenix, Rush, those type of guys.”
Konnan will be in the corner of Santana and Ortiz this Sunday at Slammiversary. The Impact tag-team champions will face the former LAX team of Homicide and Hernandez. Now known as the OGz, the team is managed by King, aka Eddie Kingston.
Major League Wrestling airs Friday nights on BeIN Sports. Replays of their shows are available on the MLW YouTube page.
Billy Corgan took ownership over the NWA on October 1st, 2017. The NWA Heavyweight Champion at that time was Tim Storm. Nick Aldis would take the title from Storm just 2 months later, however.
Tonight in Nashville, TN, Nick Aldis will defend his title against Flip Gordon on a Ring of Honor show. Not only is the NWA title on the line, however, if Flip wins he would then be in a position to defend the title against Cody at All-In.
Nick Aldis (c) vs Flip Gordon – NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
“Mr. Aldis you say you’re the dealer. Cody, you’re the gambler. Well, I’m the house,” Corgan stated. “Flip Gordon deserves this title shot and I’m a businessman first and foremost. The buzz around this match is real. And in this very building, Flip Gordon will have a chance to make history, Mr. Aldis.”
Corgan continued to say he won’t be in attendance for the match tonight as he will be playing a concert nearby.
Ring of Honor – Honor For All
July 20th, 2018
Nashville, TN
Nashville Municipal Auditorium
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) vs Flip Gordon
The Briscoes vs the Young Bucks vs The Addiction (non-title match)
ROH TV Championship
Punishment Martinez (c) vs Scorpio Sky
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs Silas Young
WOH Championship Proving Ground Match (non-title but if the challenger wins they earn a title shot at a later date)
Sumie Sakai (c) vs Karen Q
Bully Ray vs Chuckie T
Cody vs TK O’Ryan
Marty Scurll vs Matt Taven
Kenny King vs Shane Taylor vs Chris Sabin vs Jonathan Gresham
Tomorrow Ring of Honor head to Atlanta. They will film a set of television tapings from Center Stage in the city. They will then travel to Edinburgh, Doncaster, and London in August before returning to Philadelphia for another set of tapings in late August.
WWE Champion, AJ Styles, was asked recently which side of the Bullet Club civil war angle he sides with. While it may have been easier for Styles to give a vague answer of “Those guys are all my friends,” or something similar, Styles did not hesitate to pick a side.
When asked if he was with Team Kenny or the Firing Squad, Styles was adamant. “I don’t know if you watched my last match that I had over in Japan with New Japan,” Styles said in reference to the night Omega kicked him out of Bullet Club. “I kind of got the crap kicked out of me by those guys. So, I’m a Firing Squad kind of guy.”
Bullet Club, January 5th, 2016
Following his match the night after the Tokyo Dome show in 2016, Omega turned on Styles. He gave him a 1-Winged Angel and then continued to deliver the boots to him.
The Young Bucks separated Omega from Styles while Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows tended to Styles. As Anderson and Gallows were holding Styles, however, the Bucks gave him a double super-kick. Anderson and Gallows then later joined in the beating of the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Omega would announce he was moving up to heavyweight afterward and Styles would be in WWE’s Royal Rumble later that month.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows would join Styles in WWE just months later, however. They would form “the Club” with Styles and it appeared as though Styles and the tag-team managed to work things out between them off-camera.
Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will be running a joint show on April 6th, 2019. The night before WrestleMania 35 the G1 Supercard will emanate from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Although the deal between ROH/NJPW and Madison Square Garden is now confirmed, it almost didn’t happen. ROH indicated MSG backed out of their initial verbal agreement after WWE spoke to them. ROH COO, Joe Koff, also indicated ROH was looking at taking legal action as they felt MSG had already committed to the deal despite a contract not being signed.
Yesterday, it was reported that WWE officials were not happy they were seen as sabotaging the deal. Today, further details regarding the situation were released.
It appears that once ROH took legal action, MSG contacted them and agreed to the April 6th, 2019 date so that the legal action would be dropped.
“We were very aggressive in wanting that date and we thought we had that date, but we did what we had to do as a business” Koff told the Wrestling Observer.
“(MSG) did what they had to do as a business and I guess all of a sudden there was a phone call and we were able to work it out. That’s probably their story to tell because they made the call and said, ‘let’s get on the phone and see if we can work this out.’ They wanted us. They knew that we would be a good promotion. I think they were just looking for a satisfactory outcome for all parties.”
G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden
Koff would also say that the success of All-In helped the company decide to produce such a big show.
“[All In] certainly changed the landscape in the thinking of what is possible and I think in this world of possibility, I think they really clearly illuminated what is possible. I think if there was All In, or not, because of the weekend and what it represents, and our involvement always in that weekend, we probably would have thought a little more cautiously about the size of the crowd. It certainly didn’t hurt.”
Impact Wrestling presented their go-home show before Slammiversary tonight. We are now just 3 days away from Slammiversary and one of the biggest nights in the promotion’s recent history.
Here are 9 takeaways from this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.
“Besides being a sociopath, besides being a psychopath, besides being a narcissist,” Don Callis said tonight in reference to Killer Kross. “This man is also an accomplished wrestler.”
Kross ran through Petey Wiliams to open the show. He even toyed with his opponent during the match, releasing his Kross Jacket submission even though Williams was clearly unconscious.
“This guy is clinically psychotic, he’s a high-functioning sociopath,” Callis continued to say about Kross. “He’s a very successful guy but does he have a plan? Or is it random violence? That’s the scary part.”
Killer Kross isn’t booked for Slammiversary but seems poised to do big things in the following two days of television tapings.
Real name, Kevin Kross, he was the 2018 recipient of Cauliflower Alley Club’s “Rising Star Award”. It was also his 33rd birthday today.
Callihan demonstrated to Pentagon Jr. what his plans are for him on Sunday. After making short work of Greg Osbourne, he informed everyone that Impact management asked him to promote the pay-per-view. He attempted to do this but was interrupted by Pentagon Jr.
Pentagon’s sub-titled promo riled up Sami and the members of oVe. They ran to the back to find him. The Crist brothers got separated from Callihan and thought they discovered Pentagon. They ran up to attack who they thought was Pentagon but it turned out to be Callihan in Pentagon’s mask and tied to a chair. As they were figuring this out, however, Pentagon entered the scene and took out both Crist brothers.
The Great Gama Singh Has The Desi Hit Squad Prepared
The Great Gama Singh has been running the Desi Hit Squad through old-school conditioning drills and tonight they used old-school tactics to get the victory. Old-school dirty tactics mind you, but still.
Tonight, the Desi Hit Squad were victorious over KM and Fallah Bah. With the Great Gama distracting the referee, Gursinder Singh raked Bah’s eyes and Rohit Raju rolled him up with his feet leveraged on the ropes for the pin.
Previously, the Hit Squad defeated the former champions, Z&E as well. They aren’t booked for Slammiversary but their two wins from the Windsor tapings should put them in a position to face top teams at the tapings to be held the following two nights.
“This is a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ business,” stated Don Callis today in reference to Eli Drake. He also said the former Impact World Champion has to prove himself all over again. Callis continued to mention Drake recently re-signed with the company.
After defeating Grado last week, Drake dropped his match tonight to a debuting Joe Hendry.
Eli Drake isn’t booked for Slammiversary but will likely be back in the mix of things over the next two nights of TV tapings.
Before the match, Hendry sang a pop song about Drake’s YouTube channel. There were further hints this week that Hendry and Katarina may not be being entirely up front with Grado…
Eddie Edwards Says He’s the Real “Innovator of Violence”
The match between Andrew Everett and Dezmond Xavier was interrupted by a deranged Eddie Edwards. He took a Singapore cane to the referee and then addressed Tommy Dreamer on the microphone.
Edwards predicted pain and violence for his match with Dreamer at Slammiversary. He continued to make various promises related to how much he would make Dreamer bleed on Sunday.
Finally, Edwards promised he would prove to Tommy Dreamer that he is the real “Innovator of Violence”.
Su Yung has been haunting Madison Rayne in her dreams. Last week, the Undead Bride lured Rayne into a field where she was surrounded by her army of zombie bridesmaids. They all really wanted to inform Madison that her time has come.
This week, Rayne’s dreams were haunted by visions of Su Yung and her minions as well as seeing her own image in a coffin. When she awoke she was back in the same field as last week. That’s when Yung gave her the Brood’s “Blood Bath” treatment.
After walking out on her tag-team partner tonight, Blanchard offered a simple explanation. “That is not my problem,” Blanchard said. “That is your problem.”
Blanchard didn’t seem to have much interest in softening her opponent up for Slammiversary. That’s clearly the only match coming up which matters to Blanchard as she just bailed on this one tonight.
The soon-to-debut Knockout was given a name this week. She is Scarlett Bordeaux, a Chicago-based wrestler who has wrestled for ROH, got squashed by Nia Jax on WWE TV, and somehow won the comedic DDT promotion’s Superheavymetalweight championship at one point.
When she was in ROH she was mainly used as a valet for Matt Taven but wrestled a few matches there as well.
Josh Matthews stated that Bordeaux will be on the show next week.
Austin Aries’ Normal Tricks Not Enough To Beat Moose?
Aries used the same tactics he used to beat Pentagon and the same he used last week on DeAngelo Williams. Only this week, they didn’t quite have the same impact.
After tricking Moose into thinking he wasn’t coming into the ring, Aries snuck up from behind and booted the title-challenger low. He then gave him a devastating chair shot and picked up the microphone assuming his opponent was down for awhile. Only Moose got up much faster than Aries expected.
Aries had been confident in the weeks leading up to this match but all of a sudden with just 3 days to go his demeanor appears to have changed considerably.
This Saturday, Kenny Omega will face Tama Tonga in the G1 Climax 28 tournament. The match is arguably the biggest to take place in the Elite versus Bullet Club OGs angle so far.
Earlier today in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, Omega defeated Hirooki Goto in the main event. Omega moves to 2-0 (4pts) in the tournament. He defeated Tetsuya Naito to open the tournament.
Tama Tonga is 1-1 (2pts) to start the tournament. He defeated Juice Robinson in his first match but dropped his second earlier today against Sanada. The LosInGobernables member got the better of Tonga with a pinning combination.
“I got Tama Tonga next,” Omega said in reference to his opponent on Saturday. “Tama Tonga, you think your idea of the Bullet Club is better than mine. F****ng prove it. It’s your chance. See you next time at Korakuen Hall.”
Kenny Omega Backstage Comments From G1 Climax 28 Night 4
“Goto, you fight with that Japanese spirit,” Omega said backstage following his victory. “That’s the same spirit I fell in love with, heck, 18 years ago, probably.”
Omega would then refer to himself as the most sought-after athlete on the planet.
“I’m right up there with other athletes such as Tiger Woods, and Larry Bird, and Michael Jackson,” Omega said before realizing it. “You know what I mean.”
As Omega is the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, any wrestler who defeats him in the G1 is then in a position to challenge for his title. Should Tama Tonga defeat Kenny Omega, he would likely earn a title shot. Such a match could be scheduled for NJPW’s return to the United States on September 30th, 2018 in Long Beach.
Impact Wrestling has scheduled another set of television tapings for August.
The company just announced they will return to Toronto on August 12th and 13th, 2018 for another set of tapings.
Impact Wrestling is currently preparing to run shows on 3 straight nights from Toronto starting this Sunday. Impact will have two nights of television tapings following the pay-per-view from the same venue.
Previously in 2018, Impact has held television tapings in Orlando, FL (Impact Zone) and at St. Clair College in Windsor as well.
Impact Wrestling Television in the United Kingdom
While the second straight set of television tapings being filmed from Anthem’s home city of Toronto might make it seem as though they will settle in there as they did Orlando, the company is making strides to expand internationally as well.
Impact Wrestling’s ownership group at Anthem Sports and Entertainment also run the Fight Network. The channel recently announced they are expanding their reach into the UK.
“We are delighted to expand Fight Network’s global footprint to the UK,” said Peter Einstein, COO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of Fight Network. “The UK is rooted in combat sports tradition, producing many world champions and memorable personalities over the years.”
“Based on popular demand, we are excited to announce that IMPACT Wrestling fans in the UK can now watch our weekly show contemporaneous with its North American broadcast premiere, as well as replays in primetime,” stated President of Impact, Ed Nordholm.
Tommy Dreamer will face Eddie Edwards this Sunday at Slammiversary. The match will be contested under “House of Hardcore” rules.
Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion has collaborated with Impact, Billy Corgan’s NWA, and we’ve even seen Tommy Dreamer in Lucha Underground this year. According to Dreamer, however, WWE once offered him a lot of money to close his promotion. Dreamer commented on the matter during today’s Impact Wrestling media call.
“WWE asked me to sign a contract when I went back with the Wyatts,” Dreamer said referring to his brief 2015 run with the company. “They offered me a lot of money to close House of Hardcore and I refused.”
Dreamer would also say he’s apprehensive about signing contracts with anyone.
“Impact Wrestling, I’ve worked there under a lot of different regimes,” Dreamer continued. “Once politics or BC started getting involved, I just left.”
Dreamer commented on how his experiences with ECW are what helped shape his policy of not signing contracts.
“Everyone talks about ECW and the greatness of what was ECW and it was,” Dreamer said on the call. “But none of us ever knew that Paul Heyman was in bed with the WWE the entire time. I had to live with those effects for a long, long time.”
“I would not sign a contract with anyone,” Dreamer continued.
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards – Slammiversary XVI (House of Hardcore Rules)
The Dreamer versus Edwards rivalry grew out of Edwards’ previous rivalry with Sami Callihan. Throughout the course of the Callihan vs Edwards feud, Dreamer attempted to talk sense into Edwards only to eventually become the subject of his delusions.
Edwards came under the belief that Dreamer was sleeping with his wife and confronted him at a House of Hardcore show in Philadelphia. Dreamer, upset at Edwards’ actions towards him, then challenged him to this match at Slammiversary.
This Sunday, Impact Wrestling will present Slammiversary from Toronto’s Rebel Nightclub. The company announced yesterday the event has sold-out. The current belief is that the set-up for the venue will host 1000 fans for the show.
Tonight is the final episode of Impact before the pay-per-view.
Up until tonight the rivalry between Moose and Austin Aries has been contested through sit-down interviews. Last week, however, Aries assaulted Moose’s friend DeAngelo Williams.
Moose has promised to confront Aries tonight about his actions from last week.
Eli Drake vs Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry makes his Impact Wrestling debut tonight and he’s got his hands full. Hendry will face former Impact World Champion, Eli Drake. Last week, Drake defeated Grado and then tried to tell his opponent that Hendry and Katarina had something going on behind his back.
It doesn’t appear Hendry and Katarina have Grado’s best interests at heart. What that will mean for this match, however, remains to be seen.
Desi Hit Squad vs Fallah Bah & KM
This match came about as a result of a backstage interaction last week. The Great Gama Singh said Bah and KM represent Western culture in that one of them can’t control what they put into their mouth and the other can’t control what comes out of it.
Singh has been running the members of the Desi Hit Squad through traditional conditioning drills and will likely have them ready for tag-team action tonight.
Konnan Addresses the OGz
Last week, King said the reason Homicide and Hernandez joined him is Konnan reunited LAX without them. Now, they were out for revenge on him. Tonight, Konnan will address his former tag-team just days ahead of the 5150 Street Fight at Slammiversary between the two teams.
Tessa Blanchard & Shotzi Blackheart vs Kiera Hogan & Allie
Tessa Blanchard and Allie will go one-on-one at Slammiversary. Before Sunday, however, they will meet in tag action tonight.
Allie will team with the young upstart, Kiera Hogan. Blanchard will align with the standout from a recent RISE seminar, Shotzi Blackheart. Allie defeated Blackheart last week.
Killer Kross vs Petey Williams
Before Killer Kross was discovered as the man behind the attacks in the back, there was suspicion on Petey Williams. Tonight, Williams will get a chance for revenge and Kross will get a chance to hurt someone (which he seems to enjoy).
Jake “the Snake” Roberts is often cited as having had the best in-ring psychology of all-time. He’s now passing down that knowledge to students at the Snake Pit Wrestling Academy.
“Wrestling came naturally to me,” Roberts said to Sports Illustrated recently. “Whenever I thought about something, I’d think, ‘There is only one way to do that.’ There was no question about doing this or doing that. Hell no. Now that got me in trouble a couple of times, because I spoke my voice, but I always believed that if you’re going to do it, you do it right.”
According to Jake, wrestling today needs more psychology and less big bumps and high-spots.
The WWE Hall of Famer will be running a seminar on July 28th, 2018.
“That’s what I don’t get about the young talent today,” Roberts continued. “So many matches are the same. Don’t they get bored? It’s ridiculous what they waste, and they don’t even know they’re wasting it. I blame that on the new way of wrestling; if you come up now, you can be in the main event within a year. In my day, you had to learn. We had the territories that forced us to constantly grow and change.”
Another difference between wrestling in his day and today Roberts notes is the psychology behind moves.
“I had six moves,” Roberts said. “I knew when to do them and I did them absolutely perfectly, and people believed them. Teaching this class, I’m going to make people think differently. The truth is in what you’ve done and where you’ve been, and there are not many people who have done more than I have.”
Roberts would continue to say that wrestling fans have given him everything he has in his life.
“Without the fans, you have no wrestling,” he said. “Without the fans, I’d have had no life. The fans have given me more than I can ever give them. They showed me that all my years of sacrificing meant something, and I do appreciate it.”