Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling will be running a super-card from Madison Square Garden next year. The G1 Supercard will be held on April 6th, 2019.

While the deal is now official, it almost didn’t happen. There were reports that WWE initially prevented a deal between the famous venue and the two wrestling promotions.

“We had a deal with [Madison Square] Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE,” ROH COO Jeff Coff told PWInsider last month.

WWE is apparently not happy they were blamed for the initial deal following through.

ROH/NJPW in Madison Square Garden

A report from Sports Illustrated is stating WWE is not happy with how they are being portrayed publicly in regards to the deal.

“WWE was not happy they were blamed for having anything to do with ROH’s pursuit of Madison Square Garden,” the report reads. “Multiple industry sources also verified that MSG officials found WWE very cooperative during the entire process.”

WWE released the following statement on ROH & NJPW working with MSG:  “MSG is, of course, free to work with ROH however they want.”

G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden

So far, only Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Kazuchika Okada have been confirmed for the show.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling to Madison Square Garden for the much anticipated G1 Supercard,” said Executive Vice President of MSG Marquee Events, Joel Fisher. “We expect April 6 to be another memorable night of wrestling at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’”

Ring of Honor has a couple of shows this weekend. They are in Nashville tomorrow night and then return to Atlanta for television tapings on Saturday. NJPW just completed night 4 of their 19-show G1 Climax 28 tournament. It was the first of 3 straight shows in Korakuen Hall.

Bret Hart and Martha Hart have been debating Owen Hart’s legacy in public. Recently, Martha Hart made a public statement regarding Hart’s comments about her erasing Owen’s legacy.

Early this morning, Bret Hart posted a response to Marth on his Facebook page. He is saying that Martha has isolated her family from the rest of the Harts so much that Bret wouldn’t even recognize his own niece if he saw her.

https://t.co/ohssXNFzf6 pic.twitter.com/f6NYALUt3J

— Bret Hart (@BretHart) July 19, 2018

Bret Hart’s Responds To Martha Hart and the Owen Hart Foundation

Bret Hart on Martha’s Comments About Him:

“This past week, I have received multiple requests for comment regarding my recent interview on a podcast and the rebuttal made by Dr. Martha Hart. First of all, I want to express my disappointment in both the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald for running a gossip-style article and making it front page news when there are more pressing issues in the world to highlight. You are better than that. I listened back to the interview in question and I specifically want to address Martha’s comments about my words being “cruel, reckless, irresponsible, and hurtful”.

Stampede Wrestling was an institution in the city of Calgary. Wrestling was our family business. My brothers and I either wrestled for my father Stu or worked behind the scenes. Fans packed the Victoria Pavilion every Friday night for decades. Martha has seemed to have forgotten that she attended those same shows before she met Owen. She was, by definition, a wrestling fan. That same group Martha appears to look down upon and ignore.”

The Issue of Owen Hart Not Being In The WWE Hall of Fame

“Earlier this year, Mark Henry took time during his WWE Hall of Fame induction to specifically address Martha,” Hart continued. “With tears in his eyes, Henry pleaded with her to allow Owen to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. My nieces and nephews were in the audience with tears in their eyes as he expressed how much he deserved to be there with his peers. Fans have told me they had tears in their eyes when they watched the moment on television.

Those same fans Martha sat side-by-side with at Stampede Wrestling and WWE events. Those same fans that donate to the Owen Hart Foundation and helped make it what it is today because they remember the joy he brought to their lives and not by how he died. Those royalty checks she receives from the company she says she doesn’t want any part of? Those are also from those same fans. To her, their tears do not matter. To me, that is cruel and hurtful.”

Bret Hart On His Relationship With Marth Hart

“It is true that Martha and I were close at one time. I was right by her side after Owen’s death until she received her settlement from WWE and proclaimed me a “pest”. Martha later declared herself and her children Harts in name only, called us all “black sheep”, and ceased contact with the rest of the Hart family.

She further isolated from us when we all came together in 2010 to honour our father Stu being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and participated in a DVD that celebrated our family (Hart & Soul). Owen’s children do not have a relationship with his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

One of my nieces, in fact, named her son Owen after him. I do not know Oje and I wouldn’t know Athena if she walked passed me on the street. Owen’s children only know of their father’s family by what is told by their mother, whatever that may be, painting us all with one broad brush. To block Owen’s children from knowing their father’s family, to me, is cruel, reckless, and irresponsible.”

On Owen Hart’s Death

“Owen’s tragic accident almost 20 years ago changed our family forever. Martha lost her soulmate and her children lost their father. You have to remember, however, that I also lost my brother. My children lost their uncle. My grandchildren will only know him through pictures and stories. His peers lost a close friend who filled them with endless laughter through long periods on the road. The fans lost someone that they lovingly connected to. Martha is not alone in her loss and grief.”

On the Owen Hart Foundation

“The Owen Hart Foundation is a wonderful charity that has raised millions of dollars and has helped many people in its 19 year history. I am not disputing or denying that whatsoever. I disagree, however, that it should be the sole outlet to remember Owen by.

This is not just about Owen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This is about his wrestling career, his wrestling legacy, his contribution to the business that he loved and honouring that contribution. Owen Hart was a world-renowned professional wrester, and a damn good one.

He was part of the foundation that our family name was built on not just in the city of Calgary but all over the world. For Martha to want to rewrite history, to refuse to acknowledge or recognize his great wrestling career, to brush off what he, myself, and my father did as “that fake stuff” is wrong.”

On Owen Hart’s Wrestling Legacy

“Owen Hart was a wrestler. The next generation deserve to know how great he truly was.

I am happy to hear that my brother Owen will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 28 in Waterloo, Iowa. My father and I are past honourees. While I will not be in attendance, the Hart family will be well-represented with my brothers Ross, Bruce, Keith, sister Diana, and my nephew Harry Smith accepting the honour on his behalf. Thank you to the Board of Directors for recognizing his wrestling career, his contributions to the wrestling business, and his legacy. I’m sure the event will be filled with laughter, tears, and an overall appreciation for the man that he was. I can only hope that this is only the beginning.

Bret Hart x”

Titus O’Neil has released further comment in regards to Hulk Hogan’s apology to the WWE roster on Sunday. O’Neil had earlier expressed support for the statement released by the New Day but has now released further comment.

My TRUTH!! pic.twitter.com/3HgsmXOOEg

— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) July 18, 2018

Titus O’Neil Statement on Hulk Hogan

To my gracious fans and the WWE Universe.

The reports and rumors concerning my boycotting “Extreme Rules” in Pittsburgh is false and inaccurate. I was not scheduled to attend or be a participant in the Extreme Rules match/production and was otherwise not booked for the show.

The talent present in Pittsburgh, which I was a part of, was asked to attend a mandatory meeting in which Mr. Terry Bollea addressed everyone and informed the same that he would be reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. At no point during, after or otherwise, did I make any scene concerning Mr. Bollea’s communication to the talent. In addition, let it be known that I did not refuse to shake Mr. Bollea’s hand; we did not have any type of one-on-one interaction whatsoever that would or did necessitate any exchange between us individually.

As to the reinstatement of Mr. Bollea, I can only communicate that I am a proponent of second and even third chances for individuals that show true remorse, acknowledgment of wrongdoing, fulfill their punishment, if applicable, and otherwise put forth sincere efforts to correct the issues.

Unfortunately, I must echo the sentiment and dissatisfaction expressed by many of my fellow contemporaries concerning Mr. Bollea’s apology and its lack of true contrition, remorsefulness and a desire to change. Mr. Bollea’s apology “that he didn’t know he was being recorded” is not remorse for the hateful and violent utterances he made which reprise language that has caused violence against blacks and minorities for centuries.

I stand firm in my position that Mr. Bollea is entitled to reinstatement; he was and is a role model, hero and icon to countless people. I hope that Mr. Bollea’s missteps in communicating to the WWE talent in Pittsburgh are not repeated to his fans and I expect that he shall pursue an agenda that clearly communicates to all third parties that his language was inappropriate, wrong and should not be tolerated in a civilized and inclusive society.

As the father of two young Black men, I have spent their entire life and the majority of my adult life with a singular focus; being a role model for my children and young black boys and girls. I take tremendous pride in my charity work and the community outreach programs that I have fostered via the platform I have been given. I teach my sons love and tolerance for everybody, but I also teach them to operate in truth and respect.

I hope this clears up any confusion. I, like New Day, will continue to use my platform to positively affect, entertain, embrace, celebrate and love people from all backgrounds both inside and outside of the WWE Universe.

Sincerely,

Thaddeus Bullard aka WWE SuperStar “Titus O’Neil”

The second pay-per-view event of the new Impact Wrestling’s management regime will bring in the maximum gate revenue possible this Sunday. Slammiversary at the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto is now sold out.

Tickets for the next two nights of television tapings are still available, however.

Slammiversary THIS SUNDAY is officially SOLD OUT!

We absolutely cannot wait for a jam packed crowd in The Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV! pic.twitter.com/k4ILBPz2fe

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 18, 2018

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary XVI SOLD OUT

The Rebel Nightclub is Canada’s largest nightclub complex. On a recent Impact Wrestling media call, Austin Aries mentioned he has visited the venue and believes it will create a special atmosphere for the event.

Slammvierary XVI will also air live on pay-per-view through the FITE App.

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary Lineup

• Mask vs Hair
  Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan
• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) vs Moose
• Knockouts Championship
  Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne
• X-Division Championship
  Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage
• House of Hardcore Match
  Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards
• 5150 Street Fight
  LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/Konnan vs the OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) w/King
• Fenix vs Rich Swann vs Taiji Ishimori vs Johnny Impact
• Allie vs Tessa Blanchard

Johnny Impact On Why Fans Should Be Watching Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling has been running frequent media calls to promote Slammiversary as of late. Johnny Impact was the featured guest yesterday and spoke about why he feels fans should be watching Impact Wrestling.

“When you’re surfing right before a wave breaks, that’s where you want to jump on and surf because you don’t want to miss the boat,” Johnny explained. “That’s what Impact is now.”

“The current roster of Impact Wrestling is possibly the best roster in the world,” Johnny continued. “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.”

“You’re seeing this collision of styles every time you’re out there.”

This Sunday at Slammiversary, Austin Aries will defend his Impact World Championship against Moose. Despite the pay-per-view recently selling out, Aries knows there is still work to do to improve the company’s reputation. He recently took part in an Impact Wrestling media teleconference.

“When people go ‘oh its the same old TNA, lol, or whatever’,” Aries said in reference to Impact’s historical reputation. “I know it will take time but I think now we are showing people with the product and what is going on in the locker room that this is really a different Impact Wrestling.”

“People should give it a chance and see if it might be something that they enjoy watching again,” he continued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg1ftzoDLP8&frags=pl%2Cwn

Austin Aries On His Relationship With Impact Wrestling

Aries returned to Impact Wrestling in January. He’d previously been at odds with the company’s old management regime.

“This time to me feels completely different,” Aries said. “There’s just a different energy and a different thought process. And a different foundation being laid as far as what’s being done behind the scenes.”

“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 On What He’s Brought To Impact Wrestling In 2018

In a video posted to Impact Wrestling’s YouTube channel earlier this week, Aries said he returned to the company because he felt they needed him. We had the chance to ask Aries what effect he feels he’s been able to have on the company so far.

“I think, at the very least, I’ve been able to be a bit of a stabilizing force,” Aries said. “I think I’m someone who is a familiar face that for the fans who have followed this company for a long time, they can have some comfort in knowing.”

“They were able to bring a marquee player back into the fold,” Aries continued. “Which every company needs those guys in top positions to then help elevate the next group of guys.”

Austin Aries On Moose and Slammiversary

The build-up to Moose vs Aries has been done through sit-down interviews.

“I’m excited for this match-up coming up,” Aries said. “Moose, in his mind, feels like he’s ready, feels like he’s worked his whole life for this. I disagree and I think this is going to be a good learning experience for a man named Moose.”

Titus O’Neil has released a statement in response to Hulk Hogan’s reinstatment into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is stating that he agrees in full with a statement released earlier by the New Day.

O’Neil has been the subject of several unconfirmed reports in recent days regarding the Hogan situation. He is denying those reports and is expressing support and agreement with the statement released by New Day earlier.

In FULL AGREEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EVERYTHING SAID IN THIS STATEMENT. MY additional response to this from to follow as there have been NUMEROUS ERRONEOUS reports on my Views and Response-to this situation. https://t.co/jCjtAusYW9

— Titus O'Neil (@TitusONeilWWE) July 18, 2018

Mark Henry Comments on Hulk Hogan

Mark Henry recently commented that the WWE locker room is split 50/50 on the issue.

“The first thing I thought was I’m hoping he is able to address everybody and voice some concerns. He made an announcement. He apologized. He’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys And Girls Club,” Henry said. “But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done and I think that’s going to happen.”

Booker T is one wrestler who has had Hogan’s back for some time now. He credits Hogan with helping his career when both were in WCW.

“I talk about Hulk Hogan being in my corner, back in the day and a lot of the boys they may look at me and say, ‘Why is Booker T talking to [Hogan]?’ Booker said on his podcast back in May.

“Back in the day, Sister Sherri was an intricate detail to Harlem Heat, and our success, and it was all because of Hulk Hogan. Saying ‘Hey man, those are the guys you need to put your money behind.’”

“Everybody deserves a second chance,” Booker T told TMZ Sports. “It’s what life is all about.”

NXT will present a taped show from Full Sail University tonight. The main event is scheduled to be a triple-threat match to determine a new #1 contender to Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship.

Another important match in the women’s division will take place as well. Additionally, Kassius Ohno will return to single’s action on tonight’s show.

NXT 7/18

Candice LeRae vs Nikki Cross vs Kairi Sane

• Bianca Belair was originally scheduled to take part in this match as well. A back injury forced her eventual removal from the match, however.
• Cross dropped a match to the champion at Takeover: Chicago II.
• Sane defeated Baszler in the finals of last year’s Mae Young Classic but lost to Baszler on an episode of NXT from February of this year.
• LeRae also lost to Shayna Baszler in the quarter-finals of the Mae Young Classic last year.

Dakota Kai vs Lacey Evans

• This is another important match in the Women’s division.
• Dakota Kai dropped a title match to Baszler on an episode of NXT from May.
• In her most revent match, Kai defeated Santana Garrett, however. She also defeated Lacey Evans back in February.
• The First Lady of NXT has won some and lost some since debuting with the brand last year. She’ll be looking to avenge her loss to Dakota from February.
• Evans was likely pushed out of title contention due to her loss to Candice LeRae in June.

Kassius Ohno Returns To Single’s Action

Ohno has dropped 4 straight single’s matches on NXT programming. He’s lost to EC3, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, and the Velveteen Dream. If Ohno wants to avoid falling to the very bottom of the single’s rankings in NXT, he’ll have to put together some wins soon.

No opponent has been officially named for Ohno tonight. Whoever his opponent is, however, Ohno will be looking to break out of his current losing streak.

Kenny Omega will take on NEVER Openweight Champion, Hirooki Goto, tomorrow in the G1 Climax 28 tournament. It will be a rematch from 2 years ago when Omega defeated Goto in the finals of G1 Climax 26.

Omega spoke with reporters backstage after night 3 of the tournament. He spoke about his upcoming match with Goto and the possibility he could one day become the first-ever NJPW Grand Slam Champion.

Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto G1 Climax 28 (night 4)

Omega and Chase Owens were defeated by Hirooki Goto and Yohei Komatsu in a tag match on night 3. Goto pinned Owens and Omega then directed his comments towards him after the match.

“Hey Goto,” Omega started his post-match interview. “It’s easy to say that your belt means nothing compared to mine. That you are nothing compared to me. But guess what? That isn’t true because your NEVER belt, as s****y as it may be, it’s the only single’s belt I’ve never won.”

“Trust me, I’m a fair man. I believe in revenge. My career has been fundamentally been built upon revenge,” Omega continued. “So, I’m going to give you a fair chance. G1 26 Finals, I beat you, do you remember? I do. I made history and then I went on to have one of the greatest matches of all time against Okada and I lost. And he gave me revenge and then I couldn’t beat him and then he gave me revenge and then I did.

What kind of champion would I be if I didn’t give you that same chance? You better come prepared because the next chance at the G1 could mean everything. And it could cost everything for you Goto because I might just come for your title after. What are you going to do then? What’s everyone going to do once I become the first-ever Grand Slam Champion of New Japan? Wouldn’t that be interesting? Wouldn’t that be something?”

X-Division Champion, Matt Sydal, will defend his title this Sunday at Slammiversary against Brian Cage. He recently sat down with the Sporting News and discussed why having creative freedom as a performer is important.

“We’re creating an ethereal consciousness during the match,” explained Sydal. “There’s a symbiotic relationship that we’re co-creating together and I want them feeling the same mystical experience that I am going through simultaneously. I just am trying to do more. It’s easy to go out there and wrestle. It’s hard to go out there and try new things, to create an atmosphere.”

Sydal would continue to say that recent developments in the pro-wrestling landscape have reinvigorated his love for wrestling.

“Wrestling used to be like this — it was this bathtub that we will fill up from only one faucet,” Sydal said. “It was mainly WWE filling the tub of love of wrestling for the entire world. And because of the internet, technology, the interconnectedness of people and the desire of independent artists to create their own work, this resurgence of wrestling has come up and it’s reinvigorating for me.”

Sydal continued to say what he feels is different about today’s wrestling. “Now the bathtub of wrestling that we’re trying to fill up to the brim with water — it has a WWE faucet, it’s got a New Japan faucet, IMPACT Wrestling, some of these hotter indies, WWN, Evolve, Progress. It’s getting filled from everywhere and all of the water is warm and everybody’s saying come on in and take a bath with us because this is some good, clean fun.”

Matt Sydal on His Slammiversary Opponent, Brian Cage

Sydal will take on a much larger opponent on Sunday. Brian Cage is a heavyweight wrestler who utilizes an X-division style move-set.

“Someone like Brian Cage, he’s a gigantic man who is trying to wrestle like me,” explained Sydal. “That’s his mistake because I clearly hold the top card in someone who is wrestling like Matt Sydal. I see things from a higher perspective. I can know what Brian Cage is doing before he’s doing it because he’s doing me. I’ve been facing the man in the mirror my entire life. That’s been my hardest battle is the one where it’s me versus me.”

Cedric Alexander is now the second longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion in the title’s short lineage. He is currently at 101 days as champion, 96 days short of Neville’s 197-day record.

Last night on 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick made an announcement regarding who Alexander’s next title defense will be against. Maverick announced a #1 contenders match for next week featuring 4 of the division’s top-ranked competitors.

Next week, Mustafa Ali, TJP, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak will meet in a fatal 4-way match. The winner will earn a title shot against Cedric Alexander.

205 Live Title Picture

Alexander won the title by defeating Mustafa Ali in the finals of a tournament to declare a new champion. The title had been vacated after Enzo Amore was released from the company. Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show.

Since then, Alexander has defended the title against Kalisto, Buddy Murphy, and most recently, Hideo Itami.

205 Live 7/17 Results

• TJP defeated Noam Dar
  • This was a rematch from two weeks ago when Dar defeated TJP in under 30 seconds.
• Drew Gulak defeated Danny Garcia
  • After the match, Gulak stated his case for a Cruiserweight title shot.
  • Danny Garcia wrestles indies in the Toronto area.
• Lio Rush defeated Akira Tozawa
  • Rush wins his first real test since debuting on 205 Live.
  • Rush pulled Tozawa off the top rope as he was going for his Senton. This allowed Rush to hit his frog-splash for the win.

Last night, WWE was awarded the League Humanitarian Leadership award by ESPN. They received the award at the 4th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards in Los Angeles.

“The Sports Humanitarian Awards is a celebration of the impact made by athletes, teams and sports industry professionals who use the power of sport to make a difference throughout the world,” a company statement reads.

Roman Reigns, Stephanie McMahon, and Charlotte Flair were on hand to accept the award.

.@WWE is honored to be named the @espn League of the Year at their annual Sports Humanitarian Awards Dinner. Our mission is to put smiles on faces the world over, and we will continue to use our platform to inspire social good! pic.twitter.com/NT2C6yfFwF

— WWE Community (@WWECommunity) July 18, 2018

WWE League Humanitarian Leadership Award

“Our mission is to put smiles on faces the world over, and we will continue to use our platform to inspire social good!” WWE Tweeted.

“WWE  helps to address and provide support on important social issues worldwide, including diversity and inclusion, education, military and bringing hope to critically ill children,” WWE’s statement continues. “In 2017 alone, WWE generated 3.1 billion impressions, held 237 events in the community and donated more than $25 million in media value to its community partners.”

WWE has placed emphasis on corporate social-responsibility these last few years. Their work on the Be A Star and Conor’s Cure are two examples of CSR projects the company has spearheaded.

Earlier this year, WWE organized the Mixed Match Challenge tournament. Each team picked a charity of their choice. The winning team would earn a donation of $100,000 to that organization. The winning team of Asuka and the Miz earned a donation to the charity “Rescue Dogs Rock”. The charity supports neglected or abused dogs and helps find them a forever home.

Thank you @espn for the honor of @wwe the League Humanitarian Leadership award! This award is for all of our Superstars, employees and fans who do so much to give back and put smiles on people’s faces. #SportsHumanitarianAwards pic.twitter.com/FwO3kbxcAY

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) July 18, 2018

“Thank you ESPN for the honor of WWE the Sports Humanitarian Leadership award!” Stephanie Tweeted. “This award is for all of our Superstars, employees and fans who do so much to give back and put smiles on people’s faces.”

The members of New Day have released a statement regarding Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Universe. The statement was released through Kofi Kingston’s Twitter account early this morning.

pic.twitter.com/9S6W0UUDRS

— Kofi Kingston (@TrueKofi) July 18, 2018

New Day Statement On Hulk Hogan

“To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:

This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend energy debating the point because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, out energy is spread thin enough already, lol.

We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.

We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.

How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, or resentful. Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.

On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.

Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.

We know we are worth it, we know our kids are worth it, and most importantly, we know that people that look like us are worth it and always have been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyone’s approval on that, regardless of who they are.

Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort we will put into doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.

Sincerely,

• The New Day

“Never trade your authenticity for approval.”

Johnny Impact will face Fenix, Rich Swann, and Taiji Ishimori on Sunday 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.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEBlnX2BiJw&frags=pl%2Cwn

Johnny Impact On Why Fans Should Be Watching Impact Wrestling

We had a chance to ask Johnny Impact why fans should be watching Impact Wrestling right now.

“The current roster of Impact Wrestling is possibly the best roster in the world,” Johnny said. “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.”

“You’re seeing this collision of styles every time you’re out there,” Johnny continued.

“Social media, the youtube channel, all the views are spiraling upward because there is a new interest in this product,” Johnny said. “That new interest is just a symptom of the fact that what we are doing is something that wrestling fans like to see.”

Johnny Impact would also compare Impact Wrestling’s current product to right before a wave breaks when you’re surfing.

“When you’re surfing right before a wave breaks, that’s where you want to jump on and surf because you don’t want to miss the boat,” Johnny explained. “That’s what Impact is now.”

Slammiversary takes place July 22nd, 2018 from the Rebel Nightclub Complex in Toronto. It will be available to purchase live on the FITE app. 

Impact Wrestling World Champion, Austin Aries, will defend his title against Moose on Sunday in Toronto. He took part in a sit-down interview to promote his Slammiversary title defense and also mentioned why he decided to return to Impact earlier this year.

“Not every platform is created equal. Not every platform allows the same freedoms, not every platform gives guys the opportunity to truly grab the brass ring.” – Austin Aries on Impact Wrestling

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

Austin Aries on Impact Wrestling

“Why did Austin Aries choose to come back to Impact Wrestling?” Aries asked himself. “Cause Impact Wrestling needed me and I like to feel needed. I like to feel wanted. But in some ways maybe Austin Aries needed the platform of Impact Wrestling.

“Not every platform is created equal,” Aries continued. “Not every platform allows the same freedoms, not every platform gives guys the opportunity to truly grab the brass ring.”

They offered me an opportunity, they said ‘hey, we love what you do, we respect the artist you are, please come to Impact Wrestling, we’re going to give you a blank canvass to paint as you see fit.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjQEBA5nvFz/?utm_source=ig_embed

Austin Aries in Live Kindly

Austin Aries is a vegan and promotes the diet and lifestyle whenever he can. He recently sat down with Live Kindly last week and spoke about what it’s like to be a vegan professional wrestler.

“I’ve really had a positive impact on a lot of my fans just by being who I am,” he said before recalling a moment with a fan at a Veg Fest. “After a panel signing books, and a longtime fan of mine came up to me and said I was the reason he chose to become plant-based himself and in the time since, he lost 200 pounds. His sister-in-law lost 100 pounds but went back to her previous lifestyle, but the point is, I affected this young man’s life in such a huge way and turned his life in a completely different direction.”

Smackdown and 205 Live tonight will emanate from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The featured match will be a rematch from Extreme Rules between Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy with the United States Championship on the line.

Only one match is confirmed for Smackdown, whereas two are confirmed for 205 Live.

Smackdown Live! 7/17

United States Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs Jeff Hardy

At Extreme Rules on Sunday, Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy after a low blow and a quick Kinshasa. After the match, Randy Orton inexplicably came out and targetting Hardy. Was he trying to send a message to the champion? Or does he have some grudge against Hardy?

WWE is reporting that Jeff Hardy demanded his contractually obligated rematch tonight.

#AndStill WWE Champion AJ Styles

At Extreme Rules, AJ Styles defeated Rusev. It was his 9th televised WWE Championship defense of this reign and 15th all-time.

What is next for the champion? WWE.com is teasing Styles’ next challenger could make themselves known tonight.

How Will Asuka React To Her Second Straight Loss To Carmella?

Carmella retained her title on Sunday by slamming Asuka’s head into James Ellsworth’s shark cage. Despite her second straight loss to Carmella in a Championship match, WWE is indicating Asuka might not be out of the title picture yet as we get closer to SummerSlam.

Will Team Hell No Bounce Back From Their Loss To The Bludgeon Brothers?

Before their match on Sunday, the Bludgeon Brothers attacked Team Hell No. Kane’s leg was in a brace and Daniel Bryan had to start the match alone.

Kane is still not medically cleared compete tonight.

205 Live 7/12

TJP vs Noam Dar

When Noam Dar returned to 205 Live two weeks ago, he defeated TJP in under 30 seconds. Previously, TJP had been complaining he wasn’t being given tough enough competition.

TJP demanded this rematch tonight.

Lio Rush vs Akira Tozawa

Lio Rush has been chastizing Tozawa as of late. He showed up on commentary during a recent match of Tozawa’s and then after the match told him he wasn’t doing enough to be successful.

Tozawa returned the favor to Rush last week during Rush’s match. Drake Maverick then made this match official for tonight.

WWE has released an update on the medical condition of Raw’s Kevin Owens.

At Extreme Rules on Sunday, Braun Strowman chokeslammed Owens off the top of the cage through an announcer’s table below. Owens was taken away via stretcher after technically winning the match.

Kevin Owens Injury Update

“After a 20-foot descent through an announce table during his Steel Cage Match against Braun Strowman at WWE Extreme Rules,” A WWE statement reads. “Kevin Owens sustained multiple injuries, including bruising of the shoulder and back, bruised ribs and a neck strain. He will be re-evaluated later in the week.”

“The injuries occurred during the final moments of the match,” the statement continues. “When Strowman hurled Owens from atop the cage, sending him through an announce table at ringside, technically winning the match by leaving the structure first. Owens was then rushed to a local medical facility for evaluation.”

How Long Will Kevin Owens Be Out of Action?

While Kevin Owens did not appear on Raw, he is still expected to appear at Raw’s house shows. He is still advertised as a featured performer for Saturday’s house show in Lexington, KY.

Kevin Owens Social Media Accounts Back To Dark

Following the Shania Twain concert, Kevin Owens returned all of his social media pages back to dark. Owens had previously stated the only reason he returned to Twitter was to encourage Shania Twain to play his favorite song at a Montreal concert.

John Hennigan is a featured performer for both Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. In the 4th season of Lucha Underground, Johnny Mundo’s World Wide Underground is in a feud with Kobra Moon’s Reptile Tribe. Meanwhile, in Impact Wrestling, Johnny Impact is booked for the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view in Toronto.

Hennigan spoke with TV Insider recently and commented on the differences between the two companies.

Johnny Impact and Johnny Mundo on Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground

Hennigan started by describing what he believes to be Lucha Underground’s style. “Lucha is hard-hitting, acrobatic, fast-paced. It has this cool world that is uniquely Lucha Underground.”

He then compared Lucha Underground to Impact Wrestling. “Impact is similar, but it’s a different world. The stuff going on there is the evolution of traditional wrestling product into a cutting-edge, modern, present-day program.”

“I think the best way to make an example of that is I’m returning there at Slammiversary on July 22,” Hennigan continued. “The match I’m going to have is Rich Swann vs. Taji Ishimori vs. Fenix vs. Johnny Impact. Rich Swann and I both worked for WWE. Taiji works for New Japan and Noah. Fenix is one of the best Luchadores in the world. He has worked for pretty much every company in Mexico.”

John Hennigan on Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground

“The office for Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling are both forward-thinking people that are trying to build something, instead of competing against one another, which traditionally happened in the past,” Hennigan stated.

“Lucha, Impact and hopefully more companies going forward are working together now, which is awesome to me. As a wrestler, we get to work for both companies. As a wrestling fan, I get to see a bunch of dream matches five years ago you would never get to see.”

The final Impact Wrestling television show before Slammiversary airs this Thursday. Lucha Underground’s 4th season continues on the El Rey Network this Wednesday night.

Unfortunately for fans of Corey Graves, his T-shirt is no longer available at WWEShop.com. The shirt had featured a picture of Graves with the words “Shut Up Saxton” on it.

“Sorry guys, no #ShutUpSaxton shirt,” Graves tweeted. “Out of my hands. We tried.”

Saxton had been campaigning for the shirt leading up to its release earlier this month. Graves added that he needs something else – “something different.”

Corey Graves Comments on CM Punk

Last month, Corey Graves made several Tweets after CM Punk’s second straight loss in the UFC.

“Maybe abandoning everybody who stood by your side, even when we weren’t supposed to, only to have you turn your back on us wasn’t the right move after all?” Graves Tweeted short after the end of the fight. “No anger. Only sadness.”

“The first rule of ‘punk rock’ is loyalty, and this guy betrayed it all,” Graves continued. “I still love you, “friend” and I’m sorry you got lost.”

Graves continued to comment on the matter.

“Awww. Seems the “fans” are disappointed. Maybe you guys should know that “That Dude” held my first son before I did because I was on tour and I trusted him,” Graves continued. “I had dinner with him the week after he quit.”

The next day he spoke with Fightful.com

“What really set me off was this week when he essentially disowned the business that made him,”Graves said. “My only issue with him was that he turned off people that actually loved and supported him. Beyond “the business” and he never wanted anything to do with us…yet continued to present himself as this ‘Punk’ hero.”

He clarified his comments had nothing to do with Punk’s recent trial.

“Dude, this has ZERO to do with court, or testimony or any of the above. Nothing that I tweeted was corporate,” said Graves. “I’m simply hurt/pissed off that a guy that I looked like as a big brother-type has turned his back on me and everyone that loved and supported him only because of the name on my paycheck. I’m definitely not the only one. I won’t name names, but there is a large group of us to this day that inexplicably lost a solid friend because of where we work.”

Yesterday, it was reported that Hulk Hogan’s apology to the WWE roster was filmed for an upcoming WWE Network special. The news was first reported by Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

A WWE representative has denied that the segment was taped for a special to eventually air on the WWE Network.

Hulk Hogan Reinstated

Earlier this year, Mark Henry stated he didn’t feel Hogan was ready for a return to WWE. Henry said he felt Hogan needed to complete more community work but did not rule out giving the legendary wrestler a second chance.

“There is going to have to be more community service and outside work, support for programs and even create a program that deals with diversity in the workplace,” Henry said on Busted Open radio. “There is going to have to be more community service and outside work, support for programs and even create a program that deals with diversity in the workplace”.

Henry also spoke on how he sits on a delegation of African American wrestlers. “The delegation is pretty much all of the established African American wrestlers in the country and in the world, for that matter. Every promotion,” Henry said. “There is not a wrestling promotion that does not house someone from the delegation”.

Henry appeared on TMZ Sports earlier this week and said he’s been meeting with Hogan and believes he is genuine.

“He [Hogan] made an announcement, he apologized, he’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys and Girls Club. But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done,” Henry stated.

Hulk Hogan was officially reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame over the weekend.

The G1 Climax 28 tournament is 3 shows into their 19 show tour. To keep everyone up-to-date with the tournament thus far we’ve put together a list of the most recommended matches thus far in the tournament. Below that we have the upcoming scheduled with key matches highlighted and the updated standings.

All matches and events air with english commentary on NJPWWorld.com 

Recommended Matches G1 Climax 28 (Nights 1 – 3) (Non-Spoiler)

1. Zack Sabre Jr. vs Kota Ibushi (night 2) (B Block)

2018 has been a breakthrough year for Zack Sabre Jr in NJPW. Winning the New Japan Cup solidified him as someone who will have IWGP-endorsed titles around his waist at some point.

At a recent NJPW Strong Style Evolved UK show, ZSJ pinned Kazuchika Okada. ZSJ has defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJ Cup Finals), Tetsuya Naito (NJ Cup opening round), and Okada this year. He’ll get a chance to wrestle Omega later in the tournament, which is pretty much the only big name he has left to beat.

This match from night 2 in the B block is also a rematch from the quarter-finals of the New Japan Cup when the referee stopped the match after Ibushi passed out in a submission. Ibushi is the only of ZSJ’s 4 opponents in the tournament not to actually submit.

2. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (night 2) (B Block)

If you’re an NJPW fan this match doesn’t require any selling. They are the two most popular stars in the company, including Kazuchika Okada.

Here are just a few other statistics as to why this match was important:

• It’s a rematch of the finals last year when Naito defeated Omega.
• In 2016, Omega defeated Naito in the round-robin en route to winning the tournament.
• It’s just the 3rd time they’ve faced each other in a single’s match.
• Omega’s recent comments about how the Japanese wrestlers don’t go to the gym as much as the international wrestlers do seems to have hit a nerve with Naito. Omega frequently makes statements about not liking LIJ. At some point, an LIJ vs Bullet Club rivalry is coming.
• Since Omega is the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, a win here would put him in line for a future shot against Omega.
• They are also the last two men to win the G1.
• This match is currently the highest-rated by users of the statistics-based website, Cagematch, with a 9.53 rating as of this writing.

3. Hangman Page vs Bad Luck Fale (night 1) (A Block)

This is the first match of the Bullet Club OG vs The Elite angle. It’s not recommended viewing so much for its athleticism as it is for its spectacle and storyline development.

Also, Bad Luck Fale keeps shouting “F*** em” and that’s pretty funny.

4. Hangman Page vs Michael Elgin (night 3)  (A Block)

Kevin Kelly pointed out on commentary that these two met three times in Ring of Honor. This would have been when Page was just developing. He really shows just how much he’s developed in this match. His style meshes with Elgin’s strongman style well. Elgin is all slimmed down and looks to be in great shape too.

5. EVIL vs Michael Elgin (night 2) (B Block)

Speaking of Michael Elgin being in good shape, he demonstrated this in a different way during this match. Elgin and EVIL do some reversals and sequences in this match which are pretty impressive to see.

6. Jay White vs Kazuchika Okada (night 1) (A Block)

The story behind this match is White has said ever since he joined CHAOS that one day he’d face Okada. White is sort of the black sheep of the stable and Rocky Romero has frequently mentioned this on commentary.

Romero would grow further frustrated with White as this match wore on. White and CHAOS is a storyline which could take time to develop or it could combust quickly, we’ll just have to see.

Other recommended matches

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki (night 1)
• Jay White Hiroshi Tanahashi (night 3)
• Bad Luck Fale vs Kazuchika Okada (for storyline purposes…) (night 3)

Upcoming Schedule

Single’s champions are highlighted

“Night 4 (B Block)
July 19th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Kota Ibushi
• Hirooki Goto vs Kenny Omega
• Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito
• Toru Yano vs Zack Sabre Jr
• SANADA vs Tama Tonga

Night 5 (A Block)
July 20th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Bad Luck Fale
• Togi Makabe vs EVIL
• Michael Elgin vs Jay White
• Kazuchika Okada vs Hangman Page
• YOSHI-HASHI vs Minoru Suzuki

Night 6 (B Block)
July 21st, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Tetsuya Naito
• Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii
• Toru Yano vs Kota Ibushi
• Kenny Omega vs Tama Tonga
  • Every Kenny Omega match is important because it can lead to a future title match. This match, however, is also important for storyline purposes. If Tonga wins this match it could set up a Tama Tonga vs Kenny Omega IWGP Heavyweight title match at the September 30th show in Long Beach. That is just speculation, however.
  • This is a big match in the career of Tama Tonga.
• SANADA vs Zack Sabre Jr

Night 7 (A Block)
July 22nd, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Hangman Page
• Togi Makabe vs Kazuchika Okada
• Michael Elgin vs YOSHI-HASHI
• Jay White vs Minoru Suzuki
• EVIL vs Bad Luck Fale

Night 8 (B Block)
July 26th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Kenny Omega
• Hirooki Goto vs Tou Yano
• Tomohiro Ishii vs Zack Sabre Jr
• Tetsuya Naito vs Tama Tonga
• SANADA vs Kota Ibushi

Night 9 (A Block)
July 27th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe
• Michael Elgin vs Minoru Suzuki
• Kazuchika Okada vs YOSHI-HASHI
• Jay White vs Bad Luck Fale
• EVIL vs Hangman Page

Night 10 (B Block)
July 28th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Toru Yano
• Hirooki Goto vs Tetsuya Naito
• Tomohiro Ishii vs Kota Ibushi
• Kenny Omega vs SANADA
• Tama Tonga vs Zack Sabre Jr.

Night 11 (A Block)
July 30th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs YOSHI-HASHI
• Togi Makabe vs Bad Luck Fale
• Michael Elgin vs Kazuchika Okada
• Jay White vs Hangman Page
• EVIL vs Minoru Suzuki

Night 12 (B Block)
August 1st, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs SANADA
• Hirooki Goto vs Kota Ibushi
• Tomohiro Ishii vs Tama Tonga
• Toru Yano vs Tetsuya Naito
• Kenny Omega vs Zack Sabre Jr

Night 13 (A Block)
August 2nd, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs EVIL
• Togi Makabe vs Hangman Page
• Michael Elgin vs Bad Luck Fale
• Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki
  • The first time these two met was in 2013. Suzuki defeated Okada that night. Okada has won the last 4 NJPW matches between them, however. His victories include 2 IWGP Heavyweight title defenses and 2 matches in G1 round-robin matches.
  • The last time they faced each other was actually outside NJPW, however. They met in the main event of Minoru Suzuki’s 30th Anniversary “Great Pirates Festival”. In the pouring rain, the two went to a time limit draw.
• Jay White vs YOSHI-HASHI

Night 14 (B Block)
August 4th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Zack Sabre Jr
  • A Zack Sabre Junior victory here would put him in line for a shot at the IWGP United States Championship. ZSJ is one of the big names NJPW has to showcase to their European audience and Juice is becoming that for their American audience.
  • This seems like it could be an important match for NJPW’s international markets but it could also just be a good wrestling match.
• Hirooki Goto vs Tama Tonga
• Tomohiro Ishii vs Kenny Omega
• Toru Yano vs SANADA
• Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi

Night 15 (A Block)
August 5th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Michael Elgin
• Togi Makabe vs Jay White
• Kazuchika Okada vs EVIL
• YOSHI-HASHI vs Bad Luck Fale
• Hangman Page vs Minoru Suzuki

Night 16 (B Block)
August 8th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Tomohiro Ishii
• Hirooki Goto vs Zack Sabre Jr
• Toru Yano vs Kenny Omega
  • Yano’s inclusion in the G1 seems to really upset some people. His comedy is also seen as a way of breaking up the monotony of serious single’s matches but some feel the G1 should be a straight-up serious tournament.
  • Omega and Yano matches in this tournament before have been both hilarious and controversial. This one will likely be as well. Yano is saying he is trying not to cheat this tournament but somehow I don’t see that holding up…
• Kota Ibushi vs Tama Tonga
• Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA

Night 17 (A Block)
August 10th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada
  • This will be the main event of the night and is arguably the biggest rivalry in NJPW history.
  • We won’t know exactly what is on the line until match time, however.
• Togi Makabe vs Michael Elgin
• Jay White vs EVIL
• YOSHI-HASHI vs Hangman Page
• Bad Luck Fale vs Minoru Suzuki

Night 18 (B Block)
August 11th, 2018

• Juice Robinson vs Hirooki Goto
• Tomohiro Ishii vs SANADA
• Toru Yano vs Tama Tonga
• Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi
  • The Golden Lovers collide!
  • They’ve met each other twice before, each time in DDT in 2008. Ibushi won both matches.
  • By the time this match comes about, we’ll no more about how it could impact the standings.
• Tetsuya Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr

Night 19 (Finals)
August 12th, 2018

• A Block Winner vs B Block Winner”

G1 Climax 28 Results (Nights 1-3)

Night 1 (A Block)
July 14th, 2018

• Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Minoru Suzuki
• Togi Makabe defeated YOSHI-HASHI
• Michael Elgin defeated EVIL
• Jay White defeated Kazuchika Okada
• Hangman Page defeated Bad Luck Fale via DQ

Night 2 (B-Block)
July 15th, 2018

• Tama Tonga defeated Juice Robinson
• Hirooki Goto defeated SANADA
• Tomohiro Ishii defeated Toru Yano
• Kenny Omega defeated Tetsuya Naito
• Kota Ibushi defeated Zack Sabre Jr

Night 3 (A Block)
July 16th, 2018

• Jay White defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Togi Makabe defeated Minoru Suzuki
• Michael Elgin defeated Hangman Page
• Bad Luck Fale defeated Kazuchika Okada
• EVIL defeated YOSHI-HASHI

Standings:

Block A

• Michael Elgin – 4pts
• Togi Makabe – 4pts
• Jay White – 4pts
• EVIL – 2pts
• Bad Luck Fale – 2pts
• Hangman Page – 2pts
• Hiroshi Tanahashi – 2pts
• Minoru Suzuki – 2pts
• Kazuchika Okada – 0pts
• YOSHI-HASHI – 0pts

Block B

• Hirooki Goto 2pts
• Kota Ibushi 2pts
• Tomohiro Ishii 2pts
• Kenny Omega 2pts
• Tama Tonga 2pts
• Tetsuya Naito 0pts
• Juice Robinson 0pts
• Zack Sabre Jr 0pts
• SANADA 0pts
• Toru Yano 0pts

Smackdown Women’s Champion, Carmella, is having a great time on social media this morning. Carmella was victorious over Asuka last night at Extreme Rules. It was her second straight victory over Asuka, having defeated her at the Money in the Bank event last month as well.

She was able to win the match after throwing Asuka head first into the shark cage which was supposed to be holding James Ellsworth.

Some of Carmella’s critics took to Twitter to let the champion know how they feel about her victory last night. Carmella was all too happy to respond to them.

Aw, don’t feel sorry for me..
1. I’m the champ
2. I beat Asuka AND Charlotte 2x
3. First ever Ms MITB
4. I’m hot
5. I’m rich
6. I’m damn good at what I do
7. I’m humble af

I actually feel sorry for you, Kev. ????? https://t.co/nzgcaefesT

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) July 16, 2018

Me: (breathes)

Internet: “Carmella sucks at breathing. It’s so unfair she gets to breathe more than girls who are better than her at breathing. She gets zero stars for not knowing how to breathe properly!!”

??????????

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) July 16, 2018

“Me: (breathes) Internet: “Carmella sucks at breathing. It’s so unfair she gets to breathe more than girls who are better than her at breathing. She gets zero stars for not knowing how to breathe properly!!”

The pinned Tweet atop Carmella’s Twitter feed lists the opponents she’s beaten:

Just in case you needed a visual…. #MellaisMoney pic.twitter.com/mDA95K3S99

— Mella Is Money ? (@CarmellaWWE) May 22, 2018

Carmella’s Smackdown Women’s Championship Reign

Carmella is the 6th person to ever win the Smackdown Women’s Championship. She won the title by cashing-in her Money in the Bank contract on Charlotte Flair during the 1st Smackdown following WrestleMania this year.

As of this writing, Carmella has held the title for 97 days, good for the 3rd longest reign of all time. Charlotte Flair holds the record for the longest reign at 147 days. Naomi holds the record for the most title defenses in a reign with 5. So far, Carmella has held the title for 97 days and defended it 4x on WWE programming (i.e not including house shows).

Naomi’s 5 title defenses are also the all-time accumulative record for the title as well.

Legendary wrestler, Masa Saito, has passed away at 76. He is reported to have passed away due to complications related to Parkinson’s disease over the weekend.

WWE fans will be most familiar with Saito from the tag-team he formed along with Mr. Fuji. Saito and Fuji are 2x WWF tag-team champions. He is also a former AWA World Heavyweight champion, winning the title from Larry Zbyszko in 1990. The match was held in front of 63,000 people inside the Tokyo Dome.

Saito retired from the ring in 1999 and was given a special Service Award from Tokyo Sports in recognition of his contributions to pro-wrestling. He is also the innovator of the Saito suplex.

Rest in Peace the legendary Japanese wrestler Masa Saito #goforbroke pic.twitter.com/wxyI1GD82Y

— Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) July 16, 2018

Reactions to the Death of Masa Saito

The death of the legendary wrestler has caused an outpouring of support online.

Shinsuke Nakamura sent out the following in response to the news: “Rest in Peace the legendary Japanese wrestler Masa Saito.”

Japanese wrestling expert and author, Chris Charlton, also commented. “Masa Saito got his start in the JWA and was part of the pioneering IWE,” Charlton Tweeted. “His work in America as a liaison and trainer forged a path for so many American stars in Japan, including Hulk Hogan.”

Samoa Joe recently sent out the following:

RIP Masa Saito. May your reigns of terror never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/WzwyH1dBva

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) July 16, 2018

“RIP Masa Saito. May your reigns of terror never be forgotten.”

WWE Performance Center trainer, Steve Corino, also spoke about the influence Saito had on his career.

“Masa Saito was in the first tag team match I ever saw on TV 1981,” Corino Tweeted. “I was fortunate to be a fly on the wall while him and Nick Bockwinkel (I was the 3rd wheel) had lunch at our hotel in Tokyo in 2006. I was floored by how nice of a man he was. A true legend. Rest well.:

James Ellsworth might not be sticking around WWE for much longer. At Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view from Pittsburgh, Ellsworth once again helped Carmella defeat Asuka. He did the same thing last month when he re-appeared in the promotion at Money in the Bank, distracted Asuka, and allowed Carmella to get the win.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer, Ellsworth’s latest run with the company could already be over. “I wonder if that’s it for him,” Meltzer questioend. “He’s working independent dates everywhere. They never signed him, they never offered him a contract this time out.”

With Ellsworth on only a per-show agreement, his future with the company may consist of occasional one-off appearances. The beating he took at the hands of Asuka last night could serve as a way for WWE to write him off television for the near future.

James Ellsworth in WWE

Ellsworth first debuted with the company as one of Adam Rose’s Rosebuds in 2014. He would frequently be in Rose’s entourage when the company was in Baltimore or the surrounding area.

His first match with WWE was shortly after the brand-split in 2016. The company was utilizing occasional squash matches at the time and Ellsworth was a frequently used enhancement talent. He wrestled Braun Strowman in Pittsburgh in his first match.

#Pittsburgh is where it all started 2 years ago for me when I stepped into the Ring with @BraunStrowman

Always good going back to the arena that will always have a special place in my heart

Can’t wait to hang out there again #ExtremeRules .. pic.twitter.com/09qB7Yyhsh

— James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) July 16, 2018

Ellsworth is also said to have canceled bookings in China in order to be available for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view last month.

Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan was backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in Pittsburgh and met with the WWE roster.

According to a report from Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, Hogan’s meeting with the roster was filmed for a WWE Network special.

The Hogan meeting with talent backstage was filmed for an upcoming WWE Network special. #ExtremeRules

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) July 15, 2018

Earlier this year, WWE expressed interest in Hogan helping others to learn from his mistakes. They issued a statement echoing such sentiment shortly after Hogan was present at the Andre the Giant documentary premiere.

Hulk Hogan Backstage Meeting

“After a three-year suspension, Hulk Hogan has been reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame,” WWE’s statement reads. “This second chance follows Hogan’s numerous public apologies and volunteering to work with young people, where he is helping them learn from his mistake. These efforts led to a recent induction into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame.”

Just met with the @WWE Superstars and on all levels the volume of love and support was overwhelming. I’ve been praying for this day and I finally feel like I made it back home. Only Love 4 the #WWEUNIVERSE brother HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) July 15, 2018

Reports are Hogan was emotional and apologetic as he spoke to the roster. He apologized for embarrassing the company and also warned the roster to be careful what they say.

His daughter, Brooke Hogan, talked about her father’s transformation in the time he’s been away.

https://twitter.com/MizzHogan/status/1018606509637304320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

“So proud of the true transformation my father has made spiritually & as a human. None of us are perfect, but we can UNlearn old things & learn new ways. Everyone’s evolution is unique to them & Gods timing. Thx to the fans for the endless love. Round 2 here we come.”

Hulk Hogan Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame

The Boys and Girls Club inducted Hogan into their Hall of Fame as well recently. He was emotional during his acceptance speech.

https://twitter.com/BoysGirlsClubGA/status/991919889727111168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E991919889727111168&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cagesideseats.com%2Fwwe%2F2018%2F5%2F3%2F17315396%2Fhulk-hogan-addresses-past-mistakes-in-speech-at-the-boys-girls-club-wwe

“And what’s so cool now is working with the Boys Club,” Hogan said during his speech. “I have a chance to help these kids not make the mistake I made, being at the wrong place at the wrong time or saying the wrong words.”

At the recent Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Kofi Kingston was chosen as the one New Day representative in the MITB match. Kingston came up short in the match, however, continuing his long losing streak in such matches.

Kingston recently spoke with Sports Illustrated regarding the members of New Day having single’s championship aspirations.

“All of us want to be top-tier singles champions,” Kingston said. “That’s the goal all the time. Now a lot of people think you have to break up to do that. We’re told, ‘You know, you have to go your separate ways.’ I think that’s the dumbest thing in the world…”

New Day Single’s Careers

This is not the first time a member of New Day has made such comments. The trio previously indicated they would be open to using the “Freebird Rule” on a single’s title if such a thing is possible.

Kofi talked about the possibility of this happening during an interview with Sportskeeda.

“You never know. The thing about singles titles is when one of us is champion, we are all champions,” Kingston said. “So it’s in the cards. There’s a lot of championship titles out there that need to be won and we like winning. So, we’ll see. Like I always say, you never know what’s gonna happen.”

The idea also appealed to Big E.

“But imagine ya boys Freebirding — nay, New Daying — a singles title,” Big E said. “That’s fresh, that’s what the people need. That’s what the people want to see.”

Xavier Woods noted during the same interview that he was hoping they could enter a King of the Ring tournament.

“That’s what I’ve been talking about! Been trying to get us into that King of the Ring mix,” Woods said.

Tonight, New Day will take on members of Sanity on the Extreme Rules pre-show.