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.
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.”
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.”
