Ring of Honor will be live-streaming their “Honor Reigns Supreme” show from Cabarrus Arena in North Carolina tonight for free. Fans can see the show at ROHWrestling.com, Facebook Live, or the FITE App.
The promotion is currently building anticipation for their upcoming “Honor Club” streaming service. Vignettes for Honor Club have been appearing on ROH television lately, and further details about the service were released earlier this week.
ROH Honor Reigns February 9th, 2018
Cody, Hangman Page, & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club) vs. Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, & Vinny Marseglia (the Kingdom)
Dalton Castle & the Boys vs. Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, & Scorpio Sky (SoCal Uncensored)
Jay Lethal vs. “the Octopus” Jonathan Gresham
The Best Friends vs. the Young Bucks
Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor
the Briscoes, Silas Young, and Mandy Leon are all expected to be on the show as well.
In 2015, Shinsuke Nakamura released a 2-volume autobiography. The Japanese language book was titled “King of Strong Style: 1980-2014″. Plans are now underway for the book to be released in English.
Viz Media sent out a release today that they have obtained the rights to the English-language version of the book. Digital and hard-copy editions will be available this summer.
Shinsuke Nakamura: King of Strong Style: 1980-2014
As the book only covers up until 2014, it won’t cover his decision to leave NJPW for WWE. It will, however, cover Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014. His match that night with Hiroshi Tanahashi was controversially voted to be the main event. Okada and Naito were wrestling for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but fans voted for Tanahashi and Nakamura’s Intercontinental Championship match to close the show.
Last month, Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Royal Rumble. After the match, Nakamura announced he was choosing to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania, which could mean a rematch with AJ Styles.
Styles and Nakamura first met at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2016. Nakamura defeated AJ Styles to retain his IWGP Intercontinental Championship that night.
Mae Young Classic performer and former member of CM Punk’s “Straight Edge Society”, Serena Deeb, is the newest coach at the WWE Performance Center in Florida. Deeb will be coaching the female talent alongside Sara Amato
In addition to being a former member of the Smackdown main roster, Deeb has a history of teaching. She has been working as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles for the past few years.
Deeb’s release from WWE in 2010 was controversial. She was fired after evidence of her not living up to the straight-edge gimmick outside of WWE was discovered. 7 years later the company brought her back to participate in the Mae Young Classic tournament. Today she was officially announced as the newest WWE Performance Center coach.
Serena Deeb Hired By WWE
WWE has published an interview with Deeb on their website. In the interview, Deeb goes into more detail regarding her approach to teaching. It appears evident that Deeb’s yoga background will play a role in her work with WWE recruits.
Being able to contribute to instilling a healthy mindset and helping [recruits] to be better people though the whole process is very important to me.
Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling will be the 2nd from the set of TV tapings the company held in Orlando last month. The Orlando tapings were the first under the company’s new management team of Don Callis, Ed Nordholm, and Scott D’Amore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj1WC4sNb74
Matches and Segments Announced For Impact Wrestling Tonight
Tonight’s show will also be the first since Austin Aries won the promotion’s world championship last week.
Austin Aries Speaks on Winning the Championship
Aries defeated Eli Drake to win the championship last week.
The Cult of Lee in tag-team action
Caleb Konley and Trevor Lee attacked LAX last week. Konnan and his faction may have revenge in store tonight.
Knockouts Championship Laurel Van Ness (c) vs. Kiera Hogan
Hogan defeated LVN last week in a non-title match.
Allie caused the distraction last week which cost LVN the match.
Hania vs. Amber Nova
Hania is a pro since 2013 and has competed for Women of Honor. The Orlando tapings were her first with Impact.
Amber Nova is a pro since 2016 and has not competed with Impact previously.
#1 Contenders Match EC3 vs. Moose vs. Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Impact
While not yet confirmed, it’s increasingly looking like CM Punk’s next UFC fight will be taking at UFC 225 on from Chicago, Illinois.
Our partner site MMANews.com reports that talks are underway for CM Punk to fight Mike Jackson at the June 9th show. Jackson is also 0-1 in UFC. Like Punk, he got steamrolled by Mickey Gall in his debut.
CM Punk’s teammate at Roufusport and UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, is rumored to be defending his title against former UFC lightweight champion, Raphael Dos Anjos, in the main event of UFC 225.
CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson
Jackson has previously called out Punk by posting a wrestling-inspired promo on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SK2QiMqll0
Following Punk’s loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203, Dana Whtie did not sound optimistic about him fighting again. Recently, however, White has changed his stance on Punk fighting in the UFC again.
Here is what White had to say in regards to Punk at a UFC 220 presser 2 weeks ago:
“I like that guy. He’s a good dude,” the UFC President said. “He wants one more. He wants to get another shot, I’m going to give it to him. He’s a completely different case than most normal human beings, so I’m going to give him another shot.”
Visit MMANews.comfor all the latest UFC & MMA News.
Posted February 8th, 2018 in News. Tagged: CM Punk.
Jeremy Borash and Josh Mathews will no longer be the Impact broadcast team. Borash recently signed with WWE and Matthews is believed to be moving to a manager’s role.
Mathews and Borash recorded commentary for tonight’s show which was filmed at the Orlando tapings in January. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, the company has decided to overdub Borash and Mathews with their new broadcast team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj1WC4sNb74
Who is the New Impact Broadcast Team?
It’s not yet clear who the new broadcast team for Impact will be. There has been speculation that Sonjay Dutt and Don Callis could be paired together but that is not confirmed.
Tonight’s episode will be the 2nd from the Orlando tapings. The Orlando shows are the first under the new management team of Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, and Ed Nordholm.
Triple H has long been known to be Vince McMahon’s successor as the creative head of WWE. According to reports, Triple H’s ascension to the position will begin sooner than expected as Vince spends more time working on his new company and the XFL.
Triple H is also said to have already taken over booking for 205 Live and the cruiserweight division.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon will be spending less time with WWE in the near future despite him saying that would not be the case during the XFL announcement. Triple H will then receive more booking influence on WWE’s product in his absence.
Triple H To Head WWE Creative?
This is not the first time Vince has reportedly given up booking power. He has done so in the past only to reclaim it a short while later.
It should also be noted, however, that several WWE Superstars have disputed the accuracy of recent WON reports.
Seth Rollins disputed a report he has been working with an injured back, Jason Jordan’s wife disputed the seriousness of her husband’s injury, and Lars Sullivan insists he has not fallen off the face of the earth. The reports being disputed do not necessarily mean they are untrue, however.
Last night on 205 Live, 2 more matches were held in the tournament to determine a new cruiserweight champion. The finals of the 16-man tournament will be held at WrestleMania.
Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
The tournament kicked off with 2 matches last week:
Cedric Alexander defeated Gran Metalik
TJP defeated Tyler Bate
Last night, two more matches took place:
Kalisto defeated Lince Dorado
Roderick Strong defeated Hideo Itami
The matches for next week show have already been announced:
Akira Tozawa vs. Mark Andrews
Drew Gulak vs. Tony Nese
The final 2 1st round matches have yet to be announced. Cruiserweights who have yet to compete in the tournament include:
Mustafa Ali
Jack Gallagher
Ariya Daivari
Noam Dar
The Brian Kendrick hasn’t wrestled either but he is selling an injury from a GTS by Itami.
The Bludgeon Brothers aren’t just looking at Smackdown’s tag-team division for opponents. They recently let athletes in other sports know they could be targetted by Rowen and Harper as well.
The bearded former Wyatt family members recently called out another bearded tandem, Brent Burns and Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks. Burns and Thornton get a fair bit of attention for their facial hair as well. Evidently, Luke Harper feels a tag match is in order and WWE will be in San Jose next week.
Lucky that Raw is heading to San Jose next week and not the BLUDGEON brand. Rowan told me he doesn't like the look of these 2. Hey @sanjosesharks tell the boys to keep their heads up. pic.twitter.com/vPQ2m2Phlm
. I would have liked our chances… I do know we would have looked better in some tight wrestling shorts!! Wish we could have seen ya or got ya with a chair! @WWE@LukeHarperWWE I’ll be heading to the show tho
WWE teased a possible Bludgeon Brothers versus the Usos match last night on Smackdown. The Usos made their entrance passed the Bludgeon Brothers after Rowen & Harper had just defeated a pair of local wrestlers.
2 matches and 1 segment has been announced for tonight’s episode of NXT. This will be the first show from the set of TV tapings recorded out of Center Stage in Atlanta on February 1st.
NXT Announced Matches and Segments
Johnny Gargano Segment
Gargano will make his first public statement since his loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas in the main event of Takeover: Philadelphia.
Between his loss at Takeover and the attack he suffered at the hands of his former tag partner, Tommaso Ciampa, Gargano should have plenty to say.
Killian Dain vs. Adam Cole
The Sanity vs. Undisputed Era rivalry renews with this match.
Adam Cole has dropped two straight on NXT television, both to Aleister Black. He hasn’t had a victory on WWE programming since Takeover: War Games.
Dain has been getting a mild push as a single’s star in NXT in the last few months. He was in the fatal 4-way #1 contenders match back in November (won by Gargano), having qualified for it by defeating Trent Seven. His last single’s loss in NXT was in June to Drew Mcintyre in a #1 contenders match.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match the Undisputed Era (Fish & O’Reilly) vs. Sanity (Young & Wolfe)
Young and Wolfe get their rematch from the December 20th, 2017 show when they lost the belts to Fish & O’Reilly.
Fish & O’Reilly will be looking for their 3rd title defense tonight. They’ve defended the titles successfully against Aleister Black & Roderick Strong and the Authors of Pain.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling will head to Australia for a 4-night tour next week. While the full lineups for the shows have yet to be released, the promotion has announced two of the main events so far.
Melbourne and Sydney! Your NJPW Fallout tour is almost SOLD OUT!
Main Event: Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. the Young Bucks
Saturday, February 17th, 2018 Festival Hall Melbourne
Main Event: Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero, & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga
The main event matches in Sydney and Perth will be announced in the coming days.
The reports from the show in Melbourne should be interesting as Kenny Omega is teaming with Bullet Club members, the Guerillas of Destiny, that night. It’s not clear at the moment just how well Omega, the Elite, and the Tongan/OG faction of Bullet Club are getting along these days.
Former Raw and Smackdown tag-team champion, Jason Jordan, recently underwent neck surgery.
WWE.com released a statement from their medical director, Dr. Joseph Maroon:
“He had an injury to a disc in his neck which resulted in significant pain that was refractory to all conservative measures,” WWE Medical Director Dr. Joseph Maroon said. “It was decided to do a minimally invasive operation to decompress the nerve, to allow it to heal.”
Dr. Joseph Maroon’s website goes into further detail regarding the type of surgery Jordan had. The site states patients return home the same day as surgery and are able to return to work soon after but did not mention recovery times for athletes.
WWE.com stated there was no timetable for Jordan’s return.
Michael Gregory Mizanin has signed a long-term deal with WWE. The new deal locks the Miz up for the next 4 years.
Miz was originally signed to the comapny following his performance on Tough Enough in 2004. According to a report from PW Insider, his new deal will see him continue with the promotion until at least 2022.
Slowly but surely throughout his 13-year career the Miz has become a respected veteran. A far cry from his early days, where a poor backstage reputation had many feeling he wouldn’t be with the company long. Over time, Miz’s reputation has flipped and he has even won over some of his more hardened detractors. There can be little doubt now as to his future inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame.
In addition to having once defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania, Miz also has a claim to being the greatest Intercontinental champion of all-time. As of this writing, Miz has held the Intercontinental title for 535 days combined over 8 reigns. Pedro Morales holds the record at 619 days and Don Muraco is in 2nd with 541 days. Miz will pass Morales on Thursday April 26th, 2018 if he doesn’t lose the title before then.
Another rumored injury is being disputed by those close to the situation.
Last week, Seth Rollins responded to reports he is working with an injured back as “Fake News”. This week, Jason Jordan’s wife is disputing the most recent reports regarding the seriousness of Jordan’s injury. According to her, he is only dealing with a minor neck injury. She also used the term “Fake News” in response to the report.
The Wrestling Observer report which stated Jason Jordan’s injury is more serious than previously thought was the same report which stated Seth Rollins is dealing with a back injury. Both reports have been disputed, though that doesn’t necessarily make them untrue.
In a similar case, Lars Sullivan was referred to as “having fallen off the face of the Earth” by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Soon after, Sullivan posted the following to Twitter:
Tonight’s Smackdown, 205 Live, and Mixed Match Challenge come from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.
As of right now, 3 matches and one important segment have been announced for Smackdown. 2 important cruiserweight tournament matches have been announced for 205 Live and the Mixed Match Challenge continues tonight on Facebook as well.
Smackdown Live Preview
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens – winner faces AJ Styles for WWE Championship at Fastlane
Kevin Owens’ friendship with Chris Jericho ended around this time last year, perhaps the same can be said for his re-formed friendship with Sami Zayn. The two will have a one-on-one match tonight with the winner facing Styles for the title at Fastlane.
Daniel Bryan Unveils the Smackdown Live Top 10 Superstars List
Last week, Bryan announced a new ranking system which will impact Smackdown booking. Superstars will vote in the rankings but will not be allowed to vote for themselves.
This week, Bryan will unveil the inaugural top 10 rankings
Charlotte Flair vs. Liv Morgan
A beatdown from the Riott Squad on last week’s show almost left Flair in a vulnerable enough position for Carmella to cash-in her briefcase. This week, she’ll want revenge and will have the opportunity in a single’s match against Riott Squadd member, Liv Morgan.
United States Championship Match Bobby Roode (c) vs. Rusev
Rusev won a fatal 4-way match last week earn a title opportunity this week.
Conveniently enough, this match will take place on Rusev Day.
Mixed Match Challenge
Goldust and Mandy Rose vs. Jimmy Uso and Naomi
205 Live
Two cruiserweight tournament matches will take place:
Former members of Legacy, Cody and Randy Orton, had an interesting exchange on Twitter recently.
Cody was interacting with a fan when Orton decided to chime in.
Randy Orton and Cody Twitter Exchange
Earlier, Cody had sent out a Tweet stating his belief that Vince McMahon doesn’t hold wrestlers back. He was responding to a fan who said his comments were political:
Don't comment directly on my tweet as if I don't see it. How's my answer to a fan in a random Q/A remotely political? I have zero to gain. I worked there, you didn't…you bought a ticket, not an education. Sit the fuck down. https://t.co/AVpor9CznG
Randy Orton led the stable “Legacy” from 2008-2010. Cody and Ted Dibiase Jr. were his two main cronies during that time. Dibiase has since retired and Cody left WWE in 2016 and is now a former Ring of Honor champion, having lost the title to Dalton Castle at Final Battle.
Update: NXT General Manager William Regal issued a brief statement that WWE has no Latin American tournament booked “at this time.”
I usually use this account for entertainment purposes only.This is official though. The @WWE has no Latin American tournament booked at this time despite the news that is being reported today.
Reports coming out of South America are indicating WWE could be looking at organizing a tournament in Chile this summer. The tournament would follow a similar single-elimination format as the previous Cruiserweight Classic, UK Tournament, and Mae Young Classic tournaments have in recent years.
Planeta Wrestling is reporting that WWE is looking at holding the event in Chile as house shows have previously been successful in the country. The tournament will be open to any wrestler from South America.
WWE South American Expansion
WWE spent much of 2017 trying to break into the India market. Their attempts concluded with a house show in the country. WWE had scheduled 2 house shows in India but was forced to cancel one of them due to limited demand. WWE organized an extra show in Abu Dhabi on the tour as a result.
If WWE is planning to organize a Latin American tournament in Chile this summer, it could indicate the company plans to double-down their efforts to create stars in South American countries.
Billy Corgan, owner of the National Wrestling Alliance, has announced that wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer will receive an NWA World Heavyweight Championship opportunity next month. A title opportunity for Dreamer was promised by former champion, Tim Storm, last November.
The match will take place March 24th from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia at House of Hardcore 39.
Corgan announced the match through the NWA’s official YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM3_Qvs_3PU
NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2018
Last week, Nick Aldis announced a world tour which will include 20 title defenses in 60 days. If Aldis is still NWA champion come March 24th, he will take on Tommy Dreamer.
The NWA also announced that should Aldis lose the title to any challenger along his tour, the new champion will pick up where Aldis left off and continue the tour.
Last night, the Super Bowl was contested between WWE management’s adopted team, the New England Patriots, and the home team for many of ECW’s original stars.
#99 Jerome Brown would have been 53 today. The same day his team the Philadelphia Eagles are in Super Bowl 52. Bring one home for Jerome! Do it for Dawk! #flyeaglesfly? pic.twitter.com/E5zNurJk0W
— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) February 4, 2018
I’m a lifelong @Eagles fan and happy about the #SuperBowl win, but I’ll never understand the need to destroy property and loot.
Reactions from Triple H, Stephanie, and Vince McMahon
The 3 most important people in WWE are all New England Patriot fans. Normally when a team wins the Super Bowl, Triple H is quick to announce they will be receiving a custom championship belt. Triple H hasn’t been on social media since Saturday, however.
Vince McMahon hasn’t posted anything about the game.
This was the last post from Stephanie McMahon in regards to the Super Bowl:
At WrestleMania last year, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots got involved in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Gronk helped his friend, Mojo Rawley, eliminate Jinder Mahal and win the match.
Last night, Gronk’s New England Patriots fell to the Philadelphia Eagles. Jinder was quick to jump on him for the loss.
For 170 days nobody could hinder Jinder. He defeated Randy Orton for the WWE championship at Backlash on May 21st, 2017. He held the title all the way until November 2nd, 2017 when he lost the belt to AJ Styles on an episode of Smackdown from Manchester, England.
Seth Rollins is disputing the recent rumors that he is injured. Yesterday, a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Rollins has been working through an injured back as of late.
Rollins, however, is stating his back is just fine.
The report also stated Jason Jordan is dealing with a significant neck injury.
Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan Injuries
At Royal Rumble 2018, Rollins and Jordan dropped the Raw tag-team titles to Sheamus and Cesaro. Jordan never tagged in for the match, leaving Rollins to do all the work.
Both Jordan and Rollins are scheduled to compete at tonight’s house show at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, KS.
Rey Mysterio Jr. was a surprise entrant in the men’s 2018 Royal Rumble match. It is unclear at the moment if there are plans for him to make a full return to the company, however.
At the moment, Mysterio’s return is considered to be a one-off deal. The 43-year-old currently has bookings all over the world in the near future.
If he does ever return to WWE, however, Mysterio knows one opponent he’d like to face.
An AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio match in WWE would draw the interest of many.
If this match does ever happen, it won’t take place at this year’s WrestleMania, however. AJ Styles is scheduled to defend his WWE championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at the event. It will be a rematch of their contest at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in the Tokyo Dome when Nakamura defeated Styles to retain his IWGP Intercontinental championship.
37-year-old Tyson Kidd suffered a career-ending neck injury in 2015 after taking a Muscle Buster from Samoa Joe. Kidd would state as little as 1 in 20 people survive the injury he suffered. He required 16 staples, 4 screws, and had to have a rod inserted in his neck.
Bret Hart commented shortly after his injury that he felt the Muscle Buster was reckless and was surprised Joe was still using the move. Hart had the following to say,
“It’s (Joe’s Muscle Buster) extremely dangerous. The move that Samoa Joe did was reckless, and the way they rushed that match beforehand in the back without giving Tyson time to prepare was a mistake.”
Does Tyson Kidd Blame Samoa Joe?
Kidd, on the other hand, does not blame Joe for his injury. When asked, here is what he posted on the subject:
I have zero animosity with Samoa Joe. I found him my first day back at WWE after my injury and we had a very good heart to heart. I wish him nothing but the best https://t.co/LpVSnGeoYQ
Controversial UFC lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, is happy for Ronda Rousey now that she is in WWE. Reporters caught up with the Irish superstar earlier this week and got his comments.
“I’m delighted for her. Absolutely over the moon for her. She looked like she really enjoyed herself at the event and I was very, very happy to see her. She’s a pioneer for the game and she came through it all and faced big wins and big, big losses and she came through it.”
McGregor continued, “It’s great to see her represent herself and mixed martial arts and have fun in the WWE. I know she’s been a big fan all her life. It’s great to see that.”
Conor McGregor in WWE
Conor McGregor has been linked to WWE in the past as well. In August of 2016, Conor caused a stir when he posted a tweet saying he’d “slap all the heads off” the WWE roster.
A few months later, Triple H attended a Conor fight live in person and told reporters that the 29-year-old fighter “has it all”. Triple H also mentioned he thought Conor could perform in a WrestleMania match similar to Floyd Mayweather vs. the Big Show.
With reality setting in that Ronda Rousey is a WWE Superstar and will be the showpiece of WWE’s Women’s division for years to come, many are hypothesizing potential feuds for the former Women’s Bantamweight champion.
Another scenario that’s come up is the prospect of Brock Lesnar’s Advocate, Paul Heyman, providing similar services to the “Rowdy” WWE newcomer.
Last year (March 30, 2017), Heyman appeared on the Fight Society Podcast to discuss the possibility of Ronda Rousey in WWE. At the time, when asked if he’d be interested in working with Rousey, he sounded interested.
“I’d love to see it and would be happy to discuss with her all of the benefits that she could inure by being a Paul Heyman girl.” – Paul Heyman
WWE’s evil genius was also asked about prospective match-ups for Rousey in WWE.
“I would personally pay to see Charlotte [Flair] versus Ronda Rousey, “Heyman said. “I would personally pay to see Stephanie McMahon versus Ronda Rousey for a completely different reason but why digress. I think Ronda Rousey doing anything in WWE is a natural fit.”
The fact that we could very likely see Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte or even Rousey vs. Stephanie is still surreal, but we’re not complaining.
You can listen the full interview of Paul Heyman’s thoughts on Ronda Rousey in WWE (from last year) here:
Do you think Ronda Rousey should align herself with Paul Heyman? Comment below and tell us what you think!