Author: Chris Stephens

  • More Details On Big Cass’ Release From WWE

    More Details On Big Cass’ Release From WWE

    Yesterday, WWE announced they had parted ways with Smackdown talent, Big Cass. The announcement was made just hours before Smackdown went to air from Toledo, OH last night.

    Also of note regarding Cass’ release is that it did not come with the normal wishing well in his future endeavors statement. WWE also chose not to wish Enzo Amore well on his future endeavors when he was released either. All other recently released WWE Superstars, including Austin Aries, Rich Swann, Darren Young, Emma, and Summer Rae were wished well by the company.

    What Was Big Cass Fired For?

    Sports Illustrated is reporting that multiple sources have told them that Cass’ drinking on the most recent European tour was an issue. Evidently, Cass was intoxicated often and in public during the tour. His attitude while drinking was also said to be an issue. According to SI’s Justin Barrasso, company officials were happy with Cass’ match at Money in the Bank and were surprised at his release, his attitude problems notwithstanding.

    Cass was no stranger to heat while he was with WWE. There had been reports not long after he was brought up to the main roster with Enzo that Cass could be obnoxious in his political views, namely those regarding Donald Trump. Last month, Cass also upset officials when he reportedly went off-script during a segment. Cass’ character was involved in a scene with a little person dressed up as Daniel Bryan. Even though he was told not to go overboard with his beating of the little person, Cass did exactly that.

    William Morrissey was signed to WWE in 2011 after being trained by Hall of Famer, Johnny Rodz. Prior to his signing, Cass played basketball for New York University. Despite being with the company for 7 years, Cass never won a title in either NXT or the main roster.

  • NJPW Releases G1 Climax 2018 Full Schedule

    NJPW Releases G1 Climax 2018 Full Schedule

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has just announced the full schedule for this year’s G1 Climax tournament.

    In the final night of the round-robin for Group A, Hiroshi Tanahashi will take on Kazuchika Okada. Meanwhile, on the final night in Group B, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi will go one-on-one for the 3rd time in their careers.

    G1 Climax 2018 Full Schedule

    Night 1 (A Block)
    July 14th, 2018

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

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

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

    Night 3 (A Block)
    July 16th, 2018

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

    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
    • 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
    • Jay White vs YOSHI-HASHI

    Night 14 (B Block)
    August 4th, 2018

    • Juice Robinson vs Zack Sabre Jr
    • 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
    • Kota Ibushi vs Tama Tonga
    • Tetsuya Naito vs SANADA

    Night 17 (A Block)
    August 10th, 2018

    • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada
    • 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
    • Tetsuya Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr

    Night 19 (Finals)
    August 12th, 2018

    • A Block Winner vs B Block Winner
  • Kevin Owens Pleads With Shania Twain On Twitter

    Kevin Owens Pleads With Shania Twain On Twitter

    “I got verified again so that I can beg Shania Twain to play my favorite song “When” at her concert this summer in Montreal because I’ll be there. I’m serious.” – Kevin Owens Twitter bio.

    According to Kevin Owens, tonight is the night he finally sees Shania Twain in concert. The former Universal Champion will see if the return to Twitter was worth it.

    https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1009008950795210752

    “Hello, @ShaniaTwain! I’m Kevin. I’m a @WWE wrestler and fellow Canadian. I had quite a rough couple of days. I was thrown off a very tall ladder by an awful man. I’m really hurting… What would make me feel better is hearing you sing “When” at your concert in Montreal tonight.”

    Shania Twain’s official concert at Montreal’s Bell Center takes place June 26th, 2018. It’s possible Owens is referring to a small, unannounced warm-up show taking place before her “Now” Tour begins, however.

    https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/1009008990272081920

    “By the way, I’m sorry that my tweet will now probably get you bombarded all day by @WWE fans asking you to play “When” tonight but my awesome wife surprised me with tickets for your concert and I really want to hear it live. It’s my favourite.
    Thanks!”

    Kevin Owens Really Likes Shania Twain

    Shania Twain is a singer-songwriter from Timmons, ON, Canada. She is perhaps best known for her hit singles “Any Man of Mine”, “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “Man, I Feel Like A Woman”.

    Owens is evidently a big fan of the song “When”. The song’s official video can be viewed in the player below:

  • NJPW Kizuna Road Night 3 Results, Hiromu Takahashi vs El Desperado

    NJPW Kizuna Road Night 3 Results, Hiromu Takahashi vs El Desperado

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling presented another show from Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall this morning. They’ll be in the venue tomorrow for a special retirement ceremony for Super Strong Machine as well.

    The main event for the show was an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match between champion, Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado.

    NJPW Kizuna Road
    Monday, June 18th, 2018
    Tokyo, Japan
    Korakuen Hall

    1. Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw
    2. Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi (Bullet Club) defeated Ren Narita and Shota Umino
    3. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata defeated Tomoyuki Oka and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
    4. Sho, Yoh, Yoshi-Hashi and Toru Yano (CHAOS) defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare, David Finlay, and Togi Makabe
    5. Bushi, Evil, Sanada, and Tetsuya Naito (LIJ) defeated Taka Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka (Suzuki-Gun)
    6. Kushida, Jeff Cobb, Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS)
    7. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
      Hiromu Takahashi (c) (LIJ) defeated El Desperado (Suzuki-Gun)

    Kizuna Road Developments

    • In the closing moments of the main event, El Desperado landed a low blow with the referee down. Takahashi countered by unmasking El Desperado (who made little attempt to shield his face). Desperado then hit Takahashi with the title belt and placed his mask back on. As the referee came to, Desperado hit his opponent with a sit-down piledriver for a near-fall. Takahashi countered Desperado’s next attempt into a triangle, however. Shortly after, Takahashi hit the Time Bomb for the win.
    • Yoshi-Hashi scored the win for his team. He made Henare tap out to a Butterfly Lock. As he doesn’t normally win matches for his team, this was likely done to build Yoshi-Hashi up a bit since he’ll be included in this year’s G1. Togi Makabe, who will be in the same G1 Block as Yoshi, attempted to get in his face after the match as well.
    • Following Los InGobernables’ victory over the Suzuki-Gun team, Sanada and Naito shared a moment in the ring. The two will be in the same Block for this year’s G1 tournament. Naito attempted to give a fist-bump to Sanada but Sanada left him dry.
    • Following the semi-final match, Jeff Cobb and Hirooki Goto brawled to back, previewing their upcoming title match.
    • As he did on Sunday as well, White attacked Juice Robinson after the match. The two will meet for the IWGP United States Championship on July 7th from the Cow Palace. This time Juice was able to fight back, however. As Juice was going for the Pulp Friction, however, White low-blowed him. He then proceeded to hit Juice with a series of elbows from the crucifix position. After that, he then attacked Juice’s arm with a chair shot.

    NJPW Super Strong Machine Retirement Ceremony
    June 19th, 2018
    Tokyo, Japan
    Korakuen Hall

    • Ren Narita and KUSHIDA vs Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi (Bullet Club)
    • Tiger Mask, Jushin Liger, Togi Makabe vs Shoto Umino, Tomoyuki Oka, and Toa Henare
    • Sho, Yoh, and Rocky Romero (CHAOS) vs Taka Michinoku, El Desperado, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun)
    • Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs Taichi and Takashi Iizuka (Suzuki-Gun)
    • David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb, and Michael Elgin vs Yoshi-Hashi, Jay White, Hirooki Goto, and Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS)
    • SS Machine No.69, SS Machine Don, SS Machine Justice, SS Machine Buffalo, SS Machine Ace vs Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL, and Tetsuya Naito (LIJ)
  • Paige Says Fan Assaulted Her At Money In The Bank

    Paige Says Fan Assaulted Her At Money In The Bank

    Smackdown General Manager, Paige, says she was assaulted by a fan last night at Money in the Bank. She is believed to have been high-fiving fans when one pie-faced her and told her to lose weight. The incident is alleged to have happened outside Chicago’s All-State Arena as Paige was leaving the building.

    She posted the following through Instagram stories:

    “To the fan that decided to pie face me through my car window and then told me to ‘lose some weight, Paige’ you inspired me to keep being myself and eat whatever the f— I want. Good luck with your karma!”

    Paige has not made any further comment on the matter. So far, it is not believed that police have been involved.

    Paige in 2018

    Shortly after WrestleMania 34 this year, Paige announced she was no longer medically cleared by WWE doctors to compete. Despite only being 25 years old, Paige has wear-and-tear damage to her neck and shoulders. Paige was born with a condition called Scoliosis, which causes a curving of the spine. Although not serious, there are concerns her condition may have led to her being more injury-prone during her career. The condition was only detected by WWE trainers shortly after she signed with the company.

    Paige’s last match was a December 27th, 2017 house show. The bout was stopped early as Paige was injured after taking a kick to the back. She would then spend the beginning of 2018 managing the Absolution stable before being named as the Smackdown General Manager in April.

  • AJ Styles Comments on Victory, Updated WWE Championship Statistics

    AJ Styles Comments on Victory, Updated WWE Championship Statistics

    Last night at Money in the Bank, AJ Styles successfully defended his WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. In the closing moments of the match, Styles kicked Nakamura low before hitting a Phenomenal Forearm which took the challenger through an announce table. Nakamura was unable to make it to his feet in time to meet the referee’s 10-count and Styles was declared the victor.

    WWE.com caught up with Styles after the match and spoke to him about the tactics he used last night:

    “When the championship’s on the line, it’s my livelihood. I’m not about to let that go no matter what,” Styles said. “Winners find a way and I found one. It may have not been the most respectable but it’s an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth out there and I won.”

    AJ Styles WWE Championship Statistics

    Styles is currently on his second run with the title. His previous run with the belt began at Backlash 2016 when he defeated Dean Ambrose to become champion. Styles then dropped it 140 days later to John Cena. He won the title for a second time by defeating Jinder Mahal on the November 7th, 2017 Smackdown from Manchester, England. His current reign is at 222 days, the longest since Brock Lesnar held the title for 224 days back in 2014 and the 20th longest of all-time.

    Styles recently passed Big Daddy Cool Diesel as having held the title for the 15th most combined days.

    WWE Championship
    Most Combined Days Spent as Champion

    1. Bruno Sammartino (4,040)
    2. Hulk Hogan (2,185)
    3. Bob Backlund (2,138)
    4. John Cena (1,257)
    5. Pedro Morales (1,027)
    6. Randy Orton (660)
    7. Bret Hart (655)
    8. Triple H (610)
    9. Brock Lesnar (578)
    10. Steve Austin (530)
    11. Randy Savage (520)
    12. CM Punk (463)
    13. Shawn Michaels (396)
    14. The Rock (378)
    15. AJ Styles (362)

    WWE Championship
    Longest Single Reigns of All-Time

    1. Bruno Sammartino (1963-1971) 2,803 days
    2. Hulk Hogan (1984-1988) 1,474 days
    3. Bob Backlund (1979-1983) 1470 days
    4. Bruno Sammartino (1973-1977) 1,237 days
    5. Pedro Morales (1971-1973) 1,027 days
    6. Bob Backlund (1978-1979) 648 days
    7. CM Punk (2011-2013) 434 days
    8. John Cena (2006-2007) 380 days
    9. Randy Savage (1988-1989) 371 days
    10. Hulk Hogan (1989-1990) 364 days
    11. Billy Graham (1977-1978) 296 days
    12. The Ultimate Warrior (1990-1991) 293 days
    13. Yokozuna (1993) 280 days
    14. JBL (2004-2005) 280 days
    15. John Cena (2005) 280 days
    16. Hulk Hogan (1991) 248 days
    17. Bret Hart (1995) 248 days
    18. Shawn Michaels (1996) 231 days
    19. Brock Lesnar (2014-2015) 224 days
    20. AJ Styles (2017-present) 222+ days
  • NJPW Releases Blocks For G1 Climax 2018, Kenny Omega Will Face Kota Ibushi

    NJPW Releases Blocks For G1 Climax 2018, Kenny Omega Will Face Kota Ibushi

    This morning in Tokyo, Japan, NJPW released the block groupings for the G1 Climax 2018 tournament. The announcement was made at the Kizuna Road show held in Tokyo’s famed Korakuen Hall.

    The promotion unveiled the participants on Sunday’s show and will release the schedule in the coming days.

    Block A

    • Togi Makabe (GBH)
    • Michael Elgin
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS)
    • Jay White (CHAOS)
    • Yoshi-Hashi (CHAOS)
    • Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)
    • Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
    • EVIL (LIJ)
    • Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)

    Notable matches which will occur during the round-robin portion of Block A include Hiroshi Tanahashi facing his longtime rival, Kazuchika Okada. Also of note, is that recent CHAOS newcomer, Jay White, will get to face Okada as well, something he said he wanted to do not long after joining the stable. White is also the only Champion in the block so far. Any matches he loses during the tournament could lead to a future title defense. He will have to defend his title against Juice Robinson on July 7th, 2018 before the G1, however.

    B Block

    • Juice Robinson
    • Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)
    • Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)
    • Toru Yano (CHAOS)
    • Tama Tonga (Bullet Club)
    • SANADA (LIJ)
    • Tetsuya Naito (LIJ)
    • Zack Sabre Junior (Suzuki-Gun)
    • Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
    • Kota Ibushi

    These groupings mean Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi will face each other at some point during the round-robin portion of the tournament. The two Golden Lovers teammates have met twice in single’s action before. Both matches took place in DDT. Ibushi won both matches, the first in 2008 and the second in 2012.

    As of this writing, Omega and Goto are the only champions in the block. Any losses they incur during the tournament could lead to future title defenses. Juice Robinson will have the chance to win the IWGP United States title before the G1 stars as well, however.

    Omega and Tama Tonga will also meet in the G1 this year. Omega previously beat Tonga in the tournament in 2017. Leading up to the match, Tonga complained that Omega was too focussed on the Elite and not on Bullet Club as a whole. Tonga has also been complaining through social media about the recently unveiled “Golden Elite” faction. He will get to wrestle Kota Ibushi at this year’s G1 as well.

  • James Ellsworth & Carmella Comment On Beating Asuka

    James Ellsworth & Carmella Comment On Beating Asuka

    Carmella was ready for Asuka. She defeated her last night at Money in the Bank thanks to a returning James Ellsworth. In the closing moments of the match, Ellsworth appeared in disguise at ringside. As the challenger was distracted by Ellsworth in an Asuka mask, Carmella hit a super-kick and pinned her for the win.

    The victory is Carmella’s second successful title defense on WWE programming, her first coming against former champion, Charlotte Flair. Carmella has defended it 20x when you include house shows, however.

    WWE.com caught up with Ellsworth and Carmella following the match.

    James Ellsworth and Carmella Comment on Beating Asuka

    Carmella had this to say on Twitter following her victory last night:

    James Ellsworth had the following to say regarding the reaction he received from the Chicago fans.

    James Ellsworth Cancels Booking in China Days Before Money in the Bank

    In the days and weeks leading to Money in the Bank, rumors began to circulate Ellsworth could be at the event. Ellsworth countered by stating he was booked for Middle Kingdom Wrestling in China that day.

    Last week, Middle Kingdom Wrestling announced that Ellsworth had informed them at the last minute that he would not be attending the event. The company released the following statement regarding his canceled booking:

    “James Ellsworth was scheduled to appear this weekend (June 16/17, 2018) in Harbin, China as part of Middle Kingdom Wrestling presents Eyes on the Prize and an MKW Meet N Greet party. This booking has been in place since February.

    James Ellsworth informed us last night that he will not be traveling to China. This news came after repeated attempts by MKW management to contact Ellsworth over the last six days to confirm travel arrangements.”

    Ellsworth also played a major role in last year’s Money in the Bank PPV as well. On that night, he helped Carmella win the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match.

  • Nia Jax Comments On Having Wrestled Ronda Rousey

    Nia Jax Comments On Having Wrestled Ronda Rousey

    Last night in Chicago, Nia Jax defended her Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey. It looked as though Rousey was en route to winning the title as she locked-in the armbar but Alexa Bliss interfered causing the match to be thrown out.

    After insuring Rousey was taken out, Bliss then cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. Bliss was easily able to defeat an injured Jax to win back the Raw Women’s Championship. She is now a 3x Raw Women’s Champion and a 2x Smackdown Women’s Champion.

    Jax Tweeted out the following not long after Money in the Bank ended:

    “Not the ending I was hoping for, but can’t help but be proud of what @RondaRousey & I accomplished tonight. She is the REAL DEAL!”

    Raw Women’s Championship

    Only 5 people have held the Raw Women’s Championship since its inception at WrestleMania 32 on April 3rd, 2016.

    Bliss is the all-time most decorated champion in the title’s lineage, having held the belt for a combined 336 days. Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks have each won the title 4x but their title reigns have not been as lengthy. Flair has held the title a combined 246 days and Sasha Banks only 84 days. Bayley has held the title once and dropped it after 76 days. Nia Jax’s only run with the belt concluded last night after 70 days.

    The Raw Women’s Division currently consists of

    Raw Women’s Division Roster

    Champion: Alexa Bliss

    • Nia Jax
    • Ronda Rousey
    • Ruby Riott
    • Sasha Banks
    • Ember Moon
    • Natalya
    • Mickie James
    • Bayley
    • Sarah Morgan
    • Liv Morgan
    • Dana Brooke
    • Alicia Fox (inactive)
  • Hirooki Goto Defeats Michael Elgin For Title, Full NJPW Kizuna Road Results

    Hirooki Goto Defeats Michael Elgin For Title, Full NJPW Kizuna Road Results

    Hirooki Goto defeated Michael Elgin for the NEVER Openweight Championship today from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Shortly after doing so, however, he was challenged to a future match by Jeff Cobb. Elgin and Cobb were teammates in the World Tag League last year.

    The likely time and date for Cobb vs Goto for the NEVER Openweight Championship is July 7th at NJPW’s G1 Special in San Fransisco.

    Elgin’s run with the belt was the shortest in history. It lasted only 8 days and did not include a single successful title defense. Goto is now a 3x champion and has defended the title 6x in total.

    Kizuna Road Results
    June 17th, 2018

    1. Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura – Time Limit Draw
    2. Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata defeated Shota Umino & Tomoyuki Oka
    3. Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ren Narita
    4. Jeff Cobb, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi, Toa Henare & Togi Makabe defeated Rocky Romero, SHO, Toru Yano, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI
    5. BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito defeated El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Takashi Iizuka & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
    6. Jay White, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii defeated David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Juice Robinson
    7. NEVER Openweight Title
      Hirooki Goto defeated Michael Elgin (c)

    Kizuna Road Developments

    Jay White and Juice Robinson built up their upcoming title match on today’s show. White attacked Juice after their tag match and attempted to injure his rival’s arm with a chair. Juice fought back and punched the chair into White’s face to end the melee, however.

    White also chose to enter the ring separately from his fellow CHAOS stablemates again.

    Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi had a weird exchange after their match. Takahashi set the Best of the Super Juniors trophy on the mat in front of Naito. Although Naito initially looked like he was going to bow to the trophy, he instead kicked it and broke off a piece. Takahashi was upset by this. He picked up the trophy and walked away from an apologetic Naito. Whenever he is around a title belt or trophy, Naito can’t help but want to destroy it it seems.

    Updated G1 Special In San Francisco Card

    • IWGP Heavyweight Championship
      Kenny Omega (c) vs Cody
    • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
      the Young Bucks (c) vs Evil and Sanada
    • IWGP United States Championship
      Jay White (c) vs Juice Robinson
    • Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay vs Tetsuya Naito and Bushi

    Likely to be announced soon:

    • NEVER Openweight Championship
      Hirooki Goto (c) vs Jeff Cobb
  • NJPW Announces All G1 Climax 2018 Competitors

    NJPW Announces All G1 Climax 2018 Competitors

    Early this morning from Tokyo, Japan, NJPW announced the full participant list for this year’s G1 Climax tournament. The promotion will announce the full schedule and tournament blocks in the coming days.

    The announcement came during the first of two back-to-back shows from Korakuen Hall as part of the Kizuna Road tour.

    G1 2018 Participants

    • Kenny Omega
    • Michael Elgin
    • Jay White
    • Hiroshi Tanahashi
    • Togi Makabe
    • Juice Robinson
    • Kazuchika Okada
    • Hirooki Goto
    • Tomohiro Ishii
    • Toru Yano
    • YOSHI-HASHI
    • Bad Luck Fale
    • Hangman Page
    • Tetsuya Naito
    • EVIL
    • Sanada
    • Minoru Suzuki
    • Zack Sabre Jr
    • Kota Ibushi

    Not many changes in the tournament this year. Hangman Page and Jay White both enter the tournament for the first time this year. Nagata said last year would be his last tournament so he’s no longer entered. All heavyweight single’s champions are entered, which should set up some future title matches as well.

    NJPW also said that all 19 shows will air live and with English commentary available. Normally, only a select few shows are available live with weekday matches usually being posted later in the day and with no English commentary available.

    In addition to the upcoming G1 tournament, NJPW is building towards the show at the Cow Palace on July 7th, 2018. Cody vs Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship will be the main event of the show. The Cow Palace show creates a unique opportunity for Cody. He will have a chance to win the ROH World Championship, the IWPG Heavyweight Championship, and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in matches on June 29th, July 7th, and September 1st, 2018.

  • Xavier Woods Thanks Fans For The Success of UpUpDownDown

    Xavier Woods Thanks Fans For The Success of UpUpDownDown

    Yesterday, Xavier Woods competed against Kenny Omega at E32018. They played against each other in Street Fighter V. The showdown was even promoted by WWE.com.

    Today, Woods posted a heartfelt thank you to fans who have been following his YouTube channel and supported his gaming efforts.

    “I started my YouTube channel ‘UpUpDownDown’ in order to have a creative outlet that was my own where I had the ability to create something that was mine. For the past three years all of you have watched the videos, laughed with me, cried with me, made fun of me, and most importantly just had a good time with me.

    Everyday my amazing team works hard to bring you the most ridiculous and fun content that we possibly can. Yesterday we did something that no one thought we could ever do. We pulled off the “impossible” and I couldn’t be more proud of everyone involved. Yes, the rivalry between Kenny and myself was our story. But the larger picture was to shine a spotlight on the fighting game community. This group of guys and girls live this life all year long. They are an amazing group of people and we wanted to show the world what they are missing if they aren’t keeping an eye on them.

    Yesterday was an example of how entertaining esports can be so find your local tournaments scene and support them. Thank you to everyone who has come along on this wild ride!”

    He also posted this photo of himself with Kenny Omega from E3, where the New Day squared off against The Elite in a Street Fighter V battle.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BkBri9ChPwX/?hl=en&taken-by=xavierwoodsphd

    Xavier Woods on Smackdown

    While Xavier Woods’ week has been filled with video games, he’ll be back wrestling this weekend. The New Day still has not revealed which of their members will be competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match on Sunday. All three will likely be in Chicago for the event, however.

  • Hangman Page Comments On Possibly Having Murdered Joey Ryan

    Hangman Page Comments On Possibly Having Murdered Joey Ryan

    While Hangman Page’s career seems to be skyrocketing, recent events could lead to his downfall. As has been alluded to recently on Being the Elite, there are concerns that Hangman Page is responsible for the disappearance of famous dick-wrestler, Joey Ryan.

    He recently sat down with Impact Wrestling and AMBY’s Alicia Atout and spoke about the current allegations against him.

    “If (Joey Ryan) is missing forever, I’m kind of fine with that,” Page explained. “But you know, it wasn’t me.”

    Did Hangman Page Murder Joey Ryan?

    Atout brought up that Joey Ryan’s wife has been raising concerns about Ryan’s whereabouts. She insinuated some are of the belief Page is responsible for Ryan’s disappearance. She asked Page why he dislikes Ryan so much.

    “He was a penis pretender,” Page said. “I’m going to talk about him in the past tense maybe; he’s missing.”

    “For years and years he built his whole career off a lie,” Page said regarding Ryan’s emphasis on his genitals. “As if he had a more impressive nether region than I did and it just wasn’t true.”

    If Joey Ryan is ever to return, he might want to face Hangman Page on a big show. All-In on September 1st from Chicago seems like a possible time and location for such a match.

    Hangman Page on Bullet Club Civil War

    Atout also asked Page about the dissension in Bullet Club.

    “At this point, it’s just down to Kenny and Cody; Two alpha males who they can’t help but want to call themselves the leader,” Page said. “We’re grown men, I don’t think we need a leader.”

    Hangman Page will be in Texas tonight and tomorrow for Ring of Honor’s “State of the Art” tour. His most recent match was at Dominion this weekend. Page teamed with Cody and Marty Scurll to defeat the team of Rey Mysterio Jr, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Jushin “Thunder” Liger. He’ll team with the Young Bucks and Marty Scurll to go up against the Briscoes and KES tonight in San Antonio and then part of an ROH TV title 6-way Proving Ground match in Dallas on Saturday.

  • Ring Of Honor Announces “International Cup” For August UK Tour

    Ring Of Honor Announces “International Cup” For August UK Tour

    Ring of Honor will be holding their first of what they hope will be many “International Cup” tournaments in mid-August. The promotion will be heading back to the UK from August 16th to 19th, 2018.

    The cup will be competed for via an 8-man tournament featuring wrestlers from the United States against wrestlers from the United Kingdom. ROH noted they hope to follow a similar format for tournaments in Japan, Germany, and Mexico.

    ROH’s International Cup

    While the participants for the tournament have yet to be announced, ROH has revealed the tournament format.

    The four 1st-round matches in the tournament will all take place in Edinburgh on August 16th, 2018. Each match will pit a UK wrestler versus one from the United States.

    Both the semi-finals and the finals of the tournament will be held in Doncaster, England on August 18th, 2018. This part of the tournament does not appear to be based on the UK versus the United States theme but rather just pits wrestlers who advanced past the 1st round against each other regardless of where they are from.

    The winner of the tournament will then move on to the show from London’s York Hall on August 19th, 2018. On that show, the ROH World Champion will defend the title against the winner of the first-ever ROH International Cup.

    Tickets are available for all shows on ROHWrestling.com.

    ROH Dojo

    In other Ring of Honor news, the ROH Dojo is due to open next week. The Ring of Honor dojo is holding a 2-day camp on June 23rd and 24th. Delirious, BJ Whitmer, Jonathan Gresham, and Will Ferrara will be on hand for the camp.

    Selected camp participants will then be invited to continue training at the dojo.

    ROH will be in Texas this weekend. They have shows from both San Antonio and Dallas coming up on Friday and Saturday night.

  • Enzo Amore Opens Up About Problems With WWE

    Enzo Amore Opens Up About Problems With WWE

    Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Enzo Amore, recently appeared on the “Store Horsemen” podcast. The podcast features comedians from “the Comedy Store” in Los Angelas talking about pro-wrestling.

    Enzo Amore on Almost Quitting WWE

    During the podcast, Amore noted that he got into a disagreement with WWE management shortly after his heel turn. According to Enzo, the company never officially told him he was turning heel.

    “I was backstage, I wrote the most tremendous promo of my life, which would have saved me as a babyface if I would have gotten the microphone,” Amore said. “So I was in the midst of turning heel but they didn’t want to tell me that, per say, per say. For the first time they come to me and say ‘no, you can’t say anything. You have to read this verbatim.’ And I’m backstage losing my sh*t, and Hunter comes up to me and was like ‘you say what’s on that script if you wanna keep your job.’ And they didn’t tell me I was turning heel so I get it, but at the time and in the moment, I was like f*ck this man I’m quitting.”

    As talk turned to the allegations which have been plaguing his career as of late, Enzo had this to say:

    “You know how scarred I am, bro? I haven’t even talked to a woman in five-six months. I’m out here hitting the repeat list, dawg.”

    Enzo Amore’s Problems With WWE Creative

    It also appears Enzo did not get along well with the creative team in WWE. During the podcast, Enzo also spent some time explaining why he and the WWE writers often came into conflict.

    “As a writer, you gotta understand why people were maybe were mad to work with me or say I was difficult to work with. If a writer has a job to work with you and you get to work on Monday I re-write the whole f*cking promo,” Enzo said. “So they would give me my bullet points and I would rewrite my whole promos you know what I’m saying, and sometimes I could and could not, for instance ‘zero dimes’ you remember that thing? Like, Vince didn’t get it. So I used in NXT a bunch when I got to the main roster, Vince was like ‘…what’s that mean?’ So he doesn’t get but we’re making money off merchandise with it.”

    The full video can be viewed here.

    Transcriptions via WrestleZone

  • Cedric Alexander Rips Lio Rush and Enzo Amore On Twitter

    Cedric Alexander Rips Lio Rush and Enzo Amore On Twitter

    WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Cedric Alexander, recently took the time to put Lio Rush in his place on Twitter. He got in a shot at former Cruiserweight Champion, Enzo Amore, as well.

    Rush earned himself some heat late last year after posting an insensitive remark concerning Emma following her WWE release. His upcoming debut in the cruiserweight division is currently being built up on episodes of 205 Live with a series of vignettes. Possibly in response to his reputation, Rush is being portrayed as an arrogant and entitled young prospect.

    Rush and Alexander have been having a back and forth on Twitter recently.

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1007460182719455233

    Cedric Alexander and Lio Rush Beef on Twitter

    Rush then seemed to acknowledge Alexander’s joke and laughed along with him.

    https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1007462392719138816

    The most significant comment was given by Alexander, who roasted both Rush and Enzo Amore in the same comment:

    https://twitter.com/CedricAlexander/status/1007468316657676288

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

    Lio Rush in NXT

    The 23-year-old Rush has been competing on the NXT live tours but has not wrestled much on NXT television since signing with the company last year. Rush has only had 2 single’s matches on WWE programming thus far and he lost both of them. He has lost to Lars Sullivan earlier this year and to the Velveteen Dream late last year.

    Cedric Alexander’s Cruiserweight Title Reign

    Alexander is the 8th wrestler to wear the title and is currently defending the championship’s 10th reign. He’s held the title since WrestleMania 34 when he defeated Mustafa Ali in the finals of a tournament to declare a new champion. Since that time, he has successfully defended the title against Kalisto at the Greatest Royal Rumble and Buddy Murphy on 205 Live from May 29th, 2018.

  • David Arquette Returns To The Ring For CFWH (Video)

    David Arquette Returns To The Ring For CFWH (Video)

    David Arquette announced last month he plans to return to pro-wrestling. Few took his comments, or previous run in wrestling, seriously. Yesterday, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood posted the following clip of the former WCW World Champion in action.

    David Arquette Returns To Pro Wrestling

    “I’d like to announce my return to professional wrestling!” Arquette proclaimed on the Wendy Williams show last month. He would later explain his motivation for returning as wanting to clear his name.  “I was promoting a movie I did called Ready to Rumble and it just so happened that I won the championship,” Arquette said. “(Fans) blamed me for ruining WCW, it’s no longer around and maybe I did have something to do with it.”

    “For 18 years, I’ve been trolled on the internet,” he continued. “And I just want to bring some respect back to my name!”

    According to the German wrestling statistic site, Cagematch, Arquette has officially wrestled in 5 pro-wrestling matches. Not only is he a former WCW World Champion, he actually successfully defended the title once against Tank Abbott.

    1. April 24th, 2000 (Nitro)
      David Arquette defeated Eric Bischoff
    2. April 25th, 2000 (Thunder)
      WCW World Championship
      DDP (c) and David Arquette defeated Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett (Arquette wins title due to getting the pin)
    3. May 1st, 2000 (Nitro)
      WCW World Heavyweight Championship
      David Arquette (c) defeated Tank Abbott
    4. May 7th, 2000 (Slamboree)
      WCW World Heavyweight Championship
      Triple Threat, Triple Cage
      Jeff Jarrett defeated David Arquette and
    5. December 13th, 2010
      Monday Night Raw
      2-on-1 Handicap Match
      Randy Orton defeated Alex Riley and David Arquette

    When asked if working for WWE is in his future, Arquette had this to say:

    “I love WWE, I’ve always been a fan of the McMahons and Vince and everything they’ve been doing over there,” Arquette said. “It’s always been a weird relationship between me and wrestling. I’m just trying to clear my name.”

  • Impact Wrestling (6/14/18) Preview: X-Division Title Clash

    Impact Wrestling (6/14/18) Preview: X-Division Title Clash

    Impact Wrestling tonight will feature an X-Division Championship match. Brian Cage, who is undefeated for the promotion, will challenge X-Division champion, Matt Sydal. Moose and Eli Drake will also clash with the winner receiving a title shot against Austin Aries at Slammiversary.

    The promotion is beginning the build to their Slammiversary pay-per-view on July 22nd, 2018 from Toronto’s Rebel nightclub.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvR_0EeKaKk

    Impact Wrestling (6/14/18) Preview

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

      • Cage earned this match by defeating Dezmond Xavier on a previous episode of Impact.
      • Lately on Impact, the promotion has been showing footage of Cage wrestling from promotions all around the world. He’s wrestled for companies such as Destiny, World Series of Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling NOAH.
      • Sydal most recently defended the title successfully against El Hijo Del Fantasma. He won the title from Taiji Ishimori, who is also booked for Slammiversary despite now wrestling for NJPW as well.
    • NO DQ
      Tessa Blanchard vs Kiera Hogan

      • Two women in their early-20s just starting to get their careers going will clash tonight with no DQ.
      • Blanchard wants to bounce back from her recent loss to Madison Rayne.
      • ImpactWrestling.com notes the winner of this match could be in a position to challenge Su Yung for the Knockouts title.
    • Eli Drake vs Moose
      • The winner of this match will earn the right to challenge Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship at Slammiversary.
      • As for the champion, he is likely still on vacation this week. That’s where Aries was last week when Josh Matthews conducted a Skype interview with him.
      • Aries has been on vacation since defeating Pentagon Jr for the Impact World Championship at Under Pressure.

    Also booked for tonight’s show:

    • Jake Crist vs El Hijo Del Fantasma
    • Update on the mystery attacks in the back
    • Fallout from Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards’ “Fight in the Woods”.

    Zero Fear Friday

    Also in Impact news, the company’s One Night Only PPV event “Zero Fear Friday” airs tomorrow. That show featured Austin Aries facing Rich Swann, Sami Callihan vs Josh Alexander, Matt Sydal vs Dezmond Xavier, Su Yung vs Katarina, Madison Rayne vs KC Spinelli, and Eddie Edwards vs Trevor Lee.

  • James Ellsworth Cancels Booking On Same Day As MITB

    James Ellsworth Cancels Booking On Same Day As MITB

    Earlier this month, James Ellsworth denied reports he was possibly due to return to WWE. According to Ellsworth, he had a booking in China that day which confirmed he would not be at Money in the Bank.

    There are now reports that Ellsworth has cancelled his booking in China for this weekend.

    “James Ellsworth was scheduled to appear this weekend (June 16/17, 2018) in Harbin, China as part of Middle Kingdom Wresting presents Eyes on the Prize and an MKW Meet N Greet party. This booking has been in place since February.

    James Ellsworth informed us last night that he will not be travelling to China. This news came after repeated attempts by MKW management to contact Ellsworth over the last six days to confirm travel arrangements.”

    Will James Ellsworth Be At Money in the Bank?

    After speculation was running that Ellsworth would be at the event in Chicago this weekend, Ellsworth denied the claim. He played a major role in the event last year, however, helping Carmella win the first-ever female Money in the Bank match.

    Ellsworth was officially released from his WWE contract in November of last year. He had been with the company full-time for 14 months at that point. Before then, he had been used as enhancement talent in the summer of 2016 shortly after the brand extension.

    Ellsworth is said to have been popular and well-liked backstage. His Inter-gender championship act on the independent circuit has also received positive reviews.

  • Dave Meltzer Awards 7-Stars To Kenny Omega Vs Kazuchika Okada IV

    Dave Meltzer Awards 7-Stars To Kenny Omega Vs Kazuchika Okada IV

    Longtime pro-wrestling journalist, historian, and expert, Dave Meltzer, confirmed today that Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada from Dominion last weekend was the greatest match he has ever seen. He awarded the match 7-stars out of what was originally only a possible 5.

    All four matches between Omega and Okada have received a 6-star or higher rating from Meltzer.

    While assigning a rating or score to a match is controversial, Meltzer’s rating system is the most high-profile of its kind.

    Dave Meltzer’s Match Ratings Explained

    Meltzer began reviewing matches with a star-based system back in the tape-trading era. For those unaware, this pre-internet period involved fans connecting via ads in wrestling magazines. Fans would tape (with a VCR) their local shows and mail them to fans outside of the market. Tape trading allowed fans to keep up with promotions from around the world before the internet did.

    Meltzer’s match-ratings were originally just to let fans know which tapes they might want to trade for. It wasn’t meant to be used as a way to compare matches or wrestlers. All the same, a 5-star match is usually confirmation that something special has occurred.

    Dave Meltzer’s Highest Rated Matches Ever

    In total 8 matches have broken Meltzer’s 5-star system by receiving more than 5 stars.

    1. Kenny Omega defeated Kazuchika Okada (c) (NJPW Dominion 2018) 7*,
    2. Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (time limit draw) (NJPW Dominion 2017) 6.25*
    3. Kenny Omega defeated Kazuchika Okada (G1 Climax 2017) 6*
    4. Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Kenny Omega (WrestleKingdom XI) 6*
    5. Mitsuharu Misawa defeated Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW June 1994) 6*
    6. Tetsuya Naito defeated Kenny Omega (G1 Climax 2017) 5.75*
    7. Hiromu Takahashi defeated Taiji Ishimori (Best of the Super Juniors 2018) 5.5*
    8. Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (Wrestling Dontaku 2018) 5.5*

    Notable 5-star WWE matches include Bret Hart vs Austin at WM13, Michaels vs Undertaker in the first ever Hell in a Cell match, and CM Punk vs John Cena MITB 2011.

    NXT has also produced several 5-star matches in recent years, including Takeover: New Orleans. The North American title ladder match and Gargano vs Ciampa matches from that show each earned 5-stars from Meltzer.

  • Meiko Satomura Likely Added To Mae Young Classic

    Meiko Satomura Likely Added To Mae Young Classic

    Tokyo Sports is reporting that longtime Joshi veteran, Meiko Satomura, will be taking part in the second Mae Young Classic. The 38-year-old is a former World of Stardom champion and 1/3 of the Chikara Trios champions.

    Author Chris Charlton posted the following this morning:

    Meiko Satomura Mae Young Classic

    In 2005, Satomura co-founded the all-woman promotion, Sendai Girls. She also worked with WCW in the mid-90s on their short-lived women’s division which was to feature the likes of Bull Nakano and Madusa.

    She helped create Sendai Girls after a previous female promotion, Gaea Japan, went out of business. Satomura wrestled in the final match ever held by the promotion before founding a new company the next year. She is the current Fight Club Pro champion. Satomura is also the last person to win the Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize award before Io Shirai began her sweep of the award. Satomura was given the award in 2013 and Shirai has swept every year since. That will change in 2018, however, as Shirai has spent the year with NXT.

    Satomura defeated Kairi Hojo (Kairi Sane) for the World of Stardom Championship on July 26th, 2015. She held the title for 150 days before losing it to Io Shirai, who would then hold the title for 546 consecutive days. The most recent title change in the promotion saw Toni Storm drop the belt to Kagetsu on June 9th in Nagoya. Storm is recently believed to have signed a WWE UK deal and could likely end up in the second Mae Young Classic as well.

    Mae Young Classic II

    Last year, the tournament taped over a couple of days in July. They then aired the finale live in September. This year, it is believed they are looking at filming the tournament in August. This has not been confirmed, however. Full Sail University is expected to host the tournament again this year.

  • Rusev Says He’s Pressing Charges Against Memphis Hotel

    Rusev Says He’s Pressing Charges Against Memphis Hotel

    The WWE Smackdown crews’ stay at the Memphis Sheraton earlier this week did not go smoothly. Rusev, Lana, and Paige have all reported they had items stolen during their stay.

    Despite public Tweets from Rusev and Paige criticizing the hotel, Sheraton has chosen not to respond. Looking at their social media accounts, it’s evident the Sheraton has a policy of only responding to positive comments.

    Rusev made further comment on the matter today after the Pro Wrestling Sheet stated the Sheraton was not interested in speaking to them.

    Rusev, Lana, and Paige Unhappy With Memphis Sheraton

    In further Tweets, Rusev stated he had put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on his door as well. He also said they had filled out a police report.

    https://twitter.com/WWEMaverick/status/1006753215730339840

    Drake Maverick has not made further comment on his Mac.

    Paige has not made any further comment on the matter either. Lana does not appear to have commented publicly.

    Memphis Sheraton Hotel

    The Memphis Sheraton is a 600-room hotel located just off highway 40. It is often used for conventions and big events held in the city.

    Previous news reports concerning the hotel also include a shooting which took place there in September and a couple being attacked while walking to their car in October. Following the two crimes, the city has been looking into hiring a safety consultant to discuss a plan to make the downtown area safer.

    “A security consultant in crowd dynamics should take a look at the look at street before the task force makes its formal recommendations to city council,” said Berlin Boyd, the city taskforce chairman in a statement.

    Earlier this month, the city began reviewing recommendations made to them by the task force. In general, it seems city council believes over-crowdedness is leading to a surge in crime in the area and they are looking at ways to address this.

  • Impact Wrestling Hires Alicia Atout As Backstage Interviewer

    Impact Wrestling Hires Alicia Atout As Backstage Interviewer

    Impact Wrestling has hired Alicia Atout as the company’s new backstage interviewer. Atout runs the award-winning blog and interview site, AMBY. The site posts interviews with wrestlers and musicians.

    Atout was brought in by the company for the latest set of TV Tapings in Windsor. She recently posted to her social media account that she is now with the company in a more permanent role.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj8QuU7Ah1y/?hl=en&taken-by=aliciaatout

    Changes At Impact Wrestling

    Impact’s previous host, McKenzie Mitchell, recently posted about moving on to new adventures. This should lead some to believe she is no longer going to be working with the promotion.

    The company likely chose to bring in Atout over McKenzie at the most recent set of tapings due to geographical convenience. McKenzie is based out of Nashville and it had been easy to bring her in for the Orlando shows. As the tapings earlier this month took place in Windsor, ON, Canada it would have been cheaper for the company to bring in Atout, who is from Toronto.

    Atout has also interviewed wrestlers for promotions such as Smash Wrestling, RISE, Shimmer, and appears frequently on the Fight Network in Canada.

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

  • Chris Jericho and The Young Bucks Reveal Team Name, Tease Partnering On Cruise

    Chris Jericho and The Young Bucks Reveal Team Name, Tease Partnering On Cruise

    On the latest episode of “Being the Elite”, the Young Bucks and Chris Jericho teased forming a 3-person team. Jericho and the Jackson brothers toyed around with team names “The Bucks of Jericho”, “Y2Jacksons”, and even “The Bucks of Jericho or is it Y2Jacksons?”.

    After much deliberation, Jericho says he is now ready to land on a team name.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj-J6wyFjxk/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=16okonc0u8e9j

    The Bucks of Jericho

    Also on a recent episode of “Being the Elite”, the three speculated as to under what promotion they would be able to team together. As they brought up on the show, they work for different companies: Bullet Club and Alpha Club. They then began to tease they would team together on Chris Jericho’s cruise this fall.

    There has been some speculation that Jericho won’t be appearing in NJPW for some time. He has said he will not be at the Cow Palace show and others have said his winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship might be a way for the promotion to put the title on ice. As with anything involving Chris Jericho, however, he’s only going to let out the information he is OK with people knowing. Jericho and NJPW are likely the only parties who know when he will be appearing for the promotion next.

    The Golden Elite

    Following the main event of NJPW Dominion over the weekend, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks reunited. The trio had been out of contact following the Bullet Club civil war this spring and Omega taking time off to prepare for his 4th bout with Okada. Omega chose to hug with the Bucks before he was even handed the IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt.

    Omega, the Bucks, and Kota Ibushi then unveiled the four of them will be known by the name “the Golden Elite”. This development is most likely not going over well with Cody or some of the Bullet Club OG faction.

  • Eric Bischoff On How He’d Book Roman Reigns, SmackDown On Fox

    Eric Bischoff On How He’d Book Roman Reigns, SmackDown On Fox

    Eric Bischoff’s 83-Weeks podcast has been gaining some traction lately. The former President of WCW is the latest to co-host a podcast with Conrad Thompson. The show takes a look back at Bischoff’s recollections of his time running WCW. His most recent show concerned his dealings with Chris Jericho.

    Interviewer Chris Van Vliet recently spoke to Bischoff and asked him how he would book Roman Reigns if he was running WWE. Although Bischoff stated he hates to fantasy book, it turned out he had plenty to say on the matter.

    Eric Bischoff on How He’d Book Roman Reigns

    “I think the way he’s been packaged and the way he’s been presented and dare I say it because I don’t like to be critical but there’s no other way to say it, he’s been forced down everybody’s throats for two years,” Bischoff said. “But no matter how good you are, I don’t care if you’re Vince McMahon or you’re Steven Spielberg or if you’re William freaking Shakespeare, it’s doesn’t matter. The audience is only going to go so far. You can only force that fish to swim upstream until it just gets tired as has to go the other way. I wish they would turn him heel. I wish they would embrace that.”

    Bischoff on WWE SmackDown Moving To Fox

    Talk also turned to WWE’s most recent deal with Fox. Bischoff brought up a point which perhaps has gone under the radar regarding the deal.

    “(USA Network and Fox Sports) are competitive networks. Now, what’s going to happen when the WWE, which traditionally has been able to cross-pollinate talent and do all kinds of cute little things creatively? What’s going to happen when WWE says ‘We’re going to take this guy who’s really getting over here on FOX and put him over here on Raw for a night?’” Bischoff wondered aloud. “I think some FOX executives are going to go ‘Woah, woah woah! I can give you a billion reasons over the next 5 years why we don’t want that to happen.’ That’s the kind of thing that I think politically is going to be an interesting manifestation of those choices.”