The Bullet Club invaded a Hot Topic during on the latest episode of “Being the Elite.”

Buy Bullet Club Merch from Hot Topic

What’s Upcoming for the Young Bucks?

Currently the Young Bucks aren’t taking many independent dates. Their schedule consists entirely of ROH, NJPW, and monthly PWG shows at the moment.

They will probably be away from Japan for most of the summer now, as the company focusses on their heavyweight G1 tournament.

Look for the Bucks to play a key role in ROH for the remainder of the summer.

Former WWE creative team member, Nico Gendron, has a lot to say regarding WWE’s backstage attitude during the initial Divas revolution. The writer recently penned a letter for the entertainment website, birthmoviesdeath.com.

Gendron compares WWE’s recent emphasis on women’s wrestling to the Glorious Ladies of Wrestling, and the new Netflix series which dramatizes their story. Highlights:

Why WWE Hired her:

“I was hired at WWE in the summer of 2015, right after they introduced ‘The Divas Revolution.’ In a male-dominated writers room, a female perspective was needed as WWE’s women wrestlers were expected to rise above their traditional role of full-time arm candy and part-time wrestler to share consistent (though limited) air time with their male, Superstar counterparts.”

WWE’s Attitude Towards Women’s Wrestling at the Time:

“I learned quickly that this wrestling dynasty hadn’t caught up to the main cultural dialogue around feminism and female empowerment that was electric outside WWE. With a great deal of ground to cover, I realized I would have to embrace the little victories, like storylines that do not hinge on a disagreement over a male love interest, avoiding dialogue where male Superstars reduce female wrestlers by telling them to shut up or by positioning them as getting in the way of their own success.”

GLOW (Glorious Ladies of Wrestling):

“In comparison, GLOW and the original Gorgeous Girls of Wrestling portray women as their own and each other’s champions. Their gimmicks are self-identified and perfected by their chemistry with one another. This camaraderie defies the historically flawed gender dynamics at WWF and WWE.

Shows like GLOW force wrestling enthusiasts and “girl on girl” fanatics alike to consider just how far women wrestling has come since its inception in a Las Vegas ballroom in the mid-eighties. No longer a sideshow, women wrestlers have demonstrated that they are more than anything, fighters, and deserve a league of their own.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZqDO6cTYVY

On Friday night in Los Angeles, Cody wrestled arguably the most impactful match of his career. He challenged IWGP heavyweight Kazuchika Okada, in the main event of an important card for the promotion.

Many are calling his match with Okada “better than expected”. The results of a recent MRI also provided Cody with some good news.

Good news: the delayed MRI on my shoulder was essentially "negative"
-grade A separation
-no surgery
-no time off??

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) July 6, 2017

Potential Cody vs. Kenny Omega Feud, Shows Over WM Weekend

Both nights of the NJPW Los Angeles shows featured teased dissension between Cody and Kenny Omega. The two members of Bullet Club each hold distinguished singles championships. Cody is the new ROH champion, and Omega won the inaugural IWGP US championship on Saturday. With news that Omega’s championship will be defended on ROH shows, one has to wonder if a power struggle is brewing between the two stars.

The shows this weekend were considered a huge success for NJPW. Recent rumours suggest the company is considering holding evens in New Orleans over WM33 weekend. Plans to open a Los Angeles office and dojo are also being considered.

We’ve had a Women’s Hell in a Cell match main event a pay-per-view. We’ve seen two Women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches. Could a Royal Rumble be next?

There have been rumours of a potential women’s Rumble going back as early as last year. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted, “There has been at least talk of doing a women’s Royal Rumble match in January.”

With the strength RAW, SmackDown and NXT’s women’s rosters and more female competitors being brought in for the Mae Young Classic, there’s certainly enough talent to pull this off.

Recently, Becky Lynch had this to say regarding a women’s Rumble match:

“I think there’ll definitely be a time where the women get their own Royal Rumble. When you look at the fact that in July there is the Mae Young Classic taking place between 32 women. Then you have the women in NXT and the women on both brands. I think it’s a year or two away from having our own Royal Rumble, then maybe our tag titles. The sky is the limit.” [Source]

Charlotte Flair commented on a women’s Rumble match earlier this year:

“I hope in the future, if we have a big enough division to do it or if they ever bring RAW and Smackdown back together, I’d love for us to have an all-female Royal Rumble. I think that would be awesome.” [Source]

Prior to this year’s Rumble, Bayley was asked her thoughts about a potential women’s Rumble match:

“I kind of honestly think we need a few more girls to do something like that because the guys have 30 men. We don’t have many girls. Even if it was Raw and Smackdown combined, I don’t think it would make it 20. If we had more girls brought in, maybe like NXT girls, that would be really cool and I think it would be a lot of fun.” [Source]

Sasha Banks meanwhile, notes that Chyna and Beth Phoenix have both appeared in the men’s Rumble match, and leading up to the 2017 Rumble, she wanted to do the same:

During NJPW’s Los Angeles specials over the weekend, the Young Bucks appeared to make several moderately heated comments towards NJPW commentator, Josh Barnett.

Barnett didn’t engage with the Bucks, and the incident was largely ignored on commentary. Recently, the Bucks appeared on Sean Waltman’s podcast, and clarified their criticism of Barnett’s commentary.

Young Bucks on 12360 w/ X-Pac Highlights

On Josh Barnett’s Commentary:

Matt Jackson: “I feel like he should be doing his job instead of trying to get whatever he wants over for himself. He has a certain style he likes and it comes across so much like obviously, Josh doesn’t like this style.”

Nick Jackson: “Announcers are not supposed to get themselves over. You’re supposed to get the product over.”

On Possibly Going to WWE:

Matt Jackson: “Our names are always floating up according to our buddies. If you asked me right now no, why do I even need to go there at this point, in a year in a half from now the landscape may change. We may have to go somewhere different, do something different to get hot again. I’ll never ever say never.”

On Deal with Hot Topic:

Matt Jackson: “The CEO of Hot-Topic was actually at WrestleMania, and he kept seeing Young Buck T-Shirts, Kenny Omega T-Shirts, Cody Rhodes T-Shirts and Bullet Club T-Shirts. So he was like ‘WOW, Why don’t we have those T-Shirts in our shop.’ So he called someone from WWE to find out who owned all of these shirts. When WWE said no, we don’t own those shirts, he was like ‘What? I need to find out who owns them.’ He finds out who owns Pro-Wrestling Tees and calls Ryan (Owner of PWT) to see if any way he can get the t-shirts. So Ryan contacted us and we’re like yeah let’s get it done. They just talked to us yesterday about an exclusive Elite T-Shirt.”

This week on Smackdown, AJ Styles narrowly defeated former Olympian, Chad Gable, in singles competition. The match would determine who would move on to compete in the battle royal later that night, with a chance to earn a US title shot.

While Styles would win the match, Gable won over the respect of the former WWE champion. The two shook hands after their match, and the sportsmanship continued on social media later.

It's scary how motivating a night like last night is for a guy like me.

Thanks for bringing it, @AJStylesOrg… but I'll be back for more. pic.twitter.com/U8CpfI4BYL

— Chad Gable (@WWEGable) July 5, 2017

@WWEGable is scary good. I've got 10+ years experience on the guy and he gave me all I could handle. Last nights real winner…#wweuniverse

— AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) July 5, 2017

Chad Gable Single’s Push?

Fans of American Alpha will note that little mention was given to Gable’s tag-team or tag-team partner on Tuesday night. This fact is fuelling unconfirmed speculation that Gable could be in-line for a singles push, and American Alpha might not be a team for much longer.

Since forming in 2015, American Alpha has won the NXT and Smackdown tag-team championships. Since losing the belts to the Usos in March, the team has struggled to stay relevant in Smackdown’s tag division.

Leon White, better known to wrestling fans as Big Van Vader, has released a trailer for a pending documentary on his life titled “2 Years to Live”. A Kickstarter to help fund the film is expected to be active shortly.

Big Van Vader’s Documentary

The film’s description is as follows:

“Leon White is better known to millions as professional wrestler, Big Van Vader. Over 30 years of professional football and wrestling have done a toll on Leon’s body. Last November, doctors diagnosed Leon with Congestive Heart Failure and gave him less than two years to live. Dispite his diagnoses Leon refuses to give up the one thing he loves more than anything that happens to also be killing him, wrestling. The next two years will be a wild ride for Vader, as he takes on, the fight of his life.”

Big Van Vader first became a name in the wrestling business in the late 1980s in NJPW. He became the first “Gaijin” (non-Japanese wrestler) to hold the IWGP heavyweight championship. In the early 90s he returned to the US and began wrestling for WCW. He would sign with WWE in the late 90s before returning to Japan in 1998.

WWE has released a preview on the new collections being added to the WWE Network this month.

Cathy Kelly hosted a sneak peak at the new collections on behalf of WWE.

WWE Collections Added to Network in July

• Piper’s Pit – 30 episodes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s talk show segment, dating back to the very first episode to the final one in 2014.
• The Best of Razor Ramon – Hosted by Scott Hall himself, this collection looks at the best matches of Razor Ramon’s WWE career – looks to be just Razor and not Scott Hall.

NXT this week was taped from Full Sail University, and featured an NXT championship match between Roderick Strong and Bobby Roode. Additionally, the show featured Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami teaming up to take on members of Sanity.

At one point it appeared Roderick Strong had become the new NXT champion, but that is not how the night would finish.

EXCLUSIVE: With his family by his side, @roderickstrong reflects on a heartbreaking loss to #NXTChampion @REALBobbyRoode. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/B8CiDWa66W

— WWE (@WWE) July 6, 2017

NXT 
July 5th 2017
Full Sail University

1. Kassius Ohno & Hideo Itami vs. Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe (Sanity)

• Both Ohno and Itami have been on losing streaks recently. Ohno lost to Aleister Black and Itami lost to Bobby Roode in an NXT championship match.
• Things didn’t go well for the pair in their first tag match together either.
• Ohno could be heard calling for a tag frequently, but Itami wasn’t able to get to his corner.
• Sanity on the other hand, worked as a well-oiled machine.
• Dain hit Itami with a running cross-body for the pin. Another loss for both Itami and Ohno.

Winners: Sanity

• In the back Ruby Riot told Ember Moon it was her time to get a shot at Asuka’s title.
• Drew McIntyre got a video package and was interviewed in the back. He basically just said he’s coming for the NXT title.
• They aired a video package on Ciampa and Gargano, and it was announced that Gargano will return from injury next week.
• The Iconic Duo were being interviewed when cameras caught Andrade “Cien” Almas arguing with Thea Trinidad in the background.
• Highlights of Bianca Blair defeating Aliyah in a Mae Young Classic qualifying match were shown.

2. NXT Championship Match
Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong

• The story of this match was Roderick Strong having his whole family in the front row, watching as he attempts to achieve his dream.
• Roode worked Strong’s knee for most of the match.
• Strong kicked out of the Glorious DDT!
• After battling back, Strong hit the “Strong Breaker” and looked as though he got the pin.
• The ref’s hand counted 3 and everyone celebrated as though Strong had won, only Roode had one leg under the bottom rope.
• Strong and his wife (Marina “the SuperNova from Moldova” Shafir) hugged and celebrated like he was champ, but the ref finally told him the match was still on.
• Roode knocked Strong into the barricade right in front of his family. With Marina calling him a cheater, he gave Strong a DDT on the floor, then another in the ring and pinned him.

Winner: Bobby Roode (retains)

Global Force Wrestling held another round of Impact Wrestling tapings on Wednesday night from Orlando. These episodes should air on July 20th and July 27th.

– El Hijo de Dos Caras defeated Mario Bokara in a match for Xplosion

– Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer opens the show in the ring with Jeremy Borash. He reads a proclamation, announcing Wednesday, July 5th, 2017 as Impact Wrestling Day in Orlando. Dyer will ring announce for a match tonight. JB brings out Tony Marrero, a survivor of the Pulse night club terror attack that happened last summer, to remember the victims of the tragedy

– JB announces that Grado must get married to stay in the United States as he’s overstayed his visa. Grado comes out and re-shoots the angle with Laurel Van Ness from Tuesday where he asked her out on a date

– Ethan Carter III, Chris Adonis and Eli Drake defeated Impact Grand Champion Moose, Eddie Edwards and Naomichi Marufuji when EC3 pinned Moose. The Mayor was the guest ring announcer for this match. Dyer and Marrero posed with the losing team and a few referees for a photo-op in the middle of the ring after the match

– They re-shoot Unified Knockouts & GFW Women’s Champion Sienna’s non-title win over Amber Nova from Tuesday night. The match didn’t last half as long as Tuesday’s match did and it ended with Sienna’s AK-47 instead of the submission win from yesterday

– Taiji Ishimori defeated Davey Richards to advance in the Super X Cup tournament

– Bobby Lashley comes to the ring and wants a world title shot at Destination X. He calls Bruce Prichard to the ring but Prichard says they already discussed this matter. Matt Sydal comes out but Lashley disrespects him and acts like he’s not there. Lashley tries to hit a cheap shot spear but Sydal drops him and hits a Shooting Star Press

– Sienna retains over Rosemary in a Last Knockout Standing match

– Octagoncito defeated Trevor Lee by count out. Lee still has the stolen X Division Title belt and wrestled with it around his waist again. X Division Champion Sonjay Dutt came out but Lee ran through the crowd, causing the count out

– Another in-ring segment with JB, Grado and Joseph Park. JB calls on the Impact Zone to help convince Laurel that she should marry Grado so he can stay in the US. Grado calls Laurel to the ring and drops to one knee to propose as Allie watches. Braxton Sutter comes out and carries Allie to the back. Kongo Kong is out next to intimidate Park and Grado. Laurel leaves with Kong after calming the big man down

– Dezmond Xavier defeated Drago to advance in the Super X Cup tournament

– JB introduces Trevor Lee, who still has the stolen belt around his waist, and says Lee is demanding respect and if he doesn’t get it, he will leave Orlando for good

– The Mumbai Cat defeated Trevor Lee. The Cat unmasks after the match and it’s Sonjay Dutt. Dutt challenges Lee to a Ladder Match at Destination X on August 17th with the title on the line

– Eli Drake vs. Eddie Edwards is up next but we cut to Kongo Kong beating Eddie up backstage

– Ethan Carter III defeated Moose to become the new Impact Grand Champion. Judges were Bruce Prichard, Dutch Mantel and Scott D’Amore. EC3 won the first round and Moose won the second, then it went to a split decision as Mantel and D’Amore ruled it a tie but Prichard ruled it 10-8 in favor of EC3

– Unified GFW Global & Impact World Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron faced The LAX in a Gauntlet Match main event. Patron squashed Homicide, pinned Ortiz and defeated Santana by DQ when the whole group attacked him. Dos Caras, El Hijo de Dos Caras and The Veterans of War hit the ring to make the save. Patron and the others clear the ring of LAX and stand tall together to end the show.

Tonight’s episode of 205 Live was the go-home show for Neville vs. Tozawa on the GBOF Kickoff show. It also continued an angle with Jack Gallagher and the Brian Kendrick, as well as TJP and Rich Swann.

205 Live
July 4th 2017
Talking Stick Arena
Phoenix, AZ

Titus O’Neil and Neville Segment

• O’Neil started the show off by promoting the GBOF match between Tozawa and Neville for the cruiserweight championship.
• This brought out Neville, who said what he does tonight to Lince Dorado will be just a sample of what he does to Tozawa on Sunday.

1. Lince Dorado vs. Neville (non-title match)

• Titus joined the announce booth.
• Neville looked very aggressive, throwing Dorado knee-first into the stairs.
• Dorado submitted to the Rings of Saturn.
• Titus told Neville Sunday is his last day as champ.

Winner: Neville

• In the back, Swann confronts TJP about why he requested a match with him for tonight.
• TJP said he wants to bring back the old TJP, the one who won the cruiserweight classic, and its just friendly competition.
• Swann says he’s not going to go easy on him.

2. Tony Nese vs. “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher

• Nese beat Gallagher a couple of weeks ago by suckering Gallagher into believing he had an injured shoulder, allowing him to gain the advantage.
• Nese attempted to sucker Gallagher in again at the end of this match, pretending to have a knee injury. Gallagher wasn’t fooled a 2nd time.
• Gallagher nailed a headbutt and his running dropkick in the corner for the pin.

Winner: Jack Gallagher

• After the match Brian Kendrick appeared on the big screen. He was dressed as a British soldier. He listed off famous battles the British lost and compared them to Gallagher.
• Kendrick said he sees through Gallagher, and he won’t rest until he rids 205 Live of him.
• In the back the doctor is tending to Noam Dar and his injured neck. Alicia Fox is there too, and Dar says he should focus on winning the cruiserweight championship. Fox disagrees and says Dar needs to get even with Cedric Alexander for embarrassing her. She says its not done until Alexander quits 205 Live.

3. Rich Swann vs. TJP

• A big narrative in this match, was TJP trying to go back to being the guy who won the cruiserweight classic. As in, not being a bad guy.
• They had a very back and forth and even match.
• Finish of the match was interesting. They were doing a revolving pin combo spot, when Swann managed to pin TJP’s shoulders to the mat for 3. Right after, TJP continued trying to put a headlock on Swann but the ref stepped in and told him the match was over.
• TJP seemed frustrated at the end of the match.

Winner: Rich Swann

• After the match the two shook hands and showed good sportsmanship.

Lucha Underground continues the Cueto Cup tournament and the road to Ultima Lucha III tonight.

The first round of the single-elimination tournament will most likely conclude this episode. A new character is also set to debut tonight.

Lucha Underground Tonight

There's more than one mysterious warrior from the open road. Presenting – SON OF MADNESS! #LuchaUnderground Wednesdays 8p ET @ElReyNetwork! pic.twitter.com/JqzlxRj2HW

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) July 5, 2017

• Son of Madness vs. Son of Havoc
  • At the end of last week’s episode we met “Son of Madness”, who looks as though he is a larger version of Son of Havoc. He also happens to be from “the open road”.

TOMORROW! An aerial assault where the weapons are the Luchadors themselves! An All-New #LuchaUnderground 8p ET @ElReyNetwork! pic.twitter.com/UxZgNmNn6y

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) July 4, 2017

• Dante Fox vs. El Dragon Azteca
  • Last week Fox distracted Killshot in his match, so Killshot might be looking at repaying the favour tonight.

WEDNESDAY! Sexy Star faces The Darewolf PJ Black as The Cueto Cup continues on an All-New #LuchaUnderground 8p ET only on @ElReyNetwork! pic.twitter.com/ahSGqYpxPH

— Lucha Underground (@LuchaElRey) July 3, 2017

• Sexy Star vs PJ Black
  • Taya from the World Wide Underground advanced last week, perhaps PJ Black can do the same tonight.
• Ricky Mandel vs. Prince Puma
  • This match has not been announced by Lucha Underground, but is the last remaining Cueto Cup match, so could potentially air tonight.

Only 2 segments have been announced for NXT tonight, but both play heavily into what will happen at NXT: Takeover Brooklyn III. The next Takeover event takes place August 19th, the night before SummerSlam 2017.

Segments Announced for Tonight

• Bobby Roode will defend the NXT championship against Roderick Strong in the main event.
• Roode made some slide remarks towards Strong and his new family backstage recently, starting the conflict between the two.
• Strong had previously lost a #1 contenders match to Hideo Itami in April.
• Since then he’s defeated Eric Young at a Takeover event and teamed up with Kassius Ohno to defeat members of Sanity.

• Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami, who have been having their disagreements ever since Itami lost an NXT title match to Bobby Roode, team up tonight as well.
• Ohno and Itami will take on members of Sanity in a tag team match. I’m sure they will get along just fine.
• Last week, Itami tried to tell Ohno to brush off his loss to Aleister Black, but Ohno may not have been as receptive as he would like.

WWE has announced 4 segments for tonight’s Smackdown. The show comes from the Talking Stick Arena, in Phoenix Arizona.

The most promoted segment of the evening, is John Cena’s return to WWE programming. Cena hasn’t been on WWE programming since WrestleMania.

Other Smackdown Segments for Tonight

In addition to John Cena’s return, 3 other segments have been confirmed for tonight:

• The Usos and New Day will have a “Rap Battle”. Award-winning recording artist, Wale, is being brought in to moderate and judge the contest.
• Lana will once again challenge Naomi for the Smackdown women’s championship. In the week since their last match, Lana has been able to successfully petition WWE that should should receive another rematch on the basis of her shoulder being up last week, yet her still being counted down for 3. Carmella may be interested in this match as well.
• An “Independence Day” battle royal will be held, the winner moving on to challenge Kevin Owens at Battleground later this month. AJ Styles is particularly interested in winning this match.

Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks have satirized Seth Rollins’ leaked photo incident from 2015. For those who don’t remember, Seth’s ex-fiancee admitted to posting nude photos of Seth, along with former WWE developmental prospect, Zahra Schreiber on Seth’s social media accounts.

The latest episode of Omega and the Young Bucks’ “Being the Elite” YouTube show, pokes fun at the incident.

Being the Elite Highlights

• Segments for this week’s episode were filmed while the trio were at the Long Beach Convention Centre for the 2 NJPW G1 Special shows.
• The episode focussed on a mysterious “DM”. The Bucks want to release the “DM” but the rest of Bullet Club is unsure.
• The Bucks ask Cody about the DM shortly after his loss to Kazuchika Okada, and get a rather cold response in return. This could be more teasing of dissension amongst Cody and the rest of BC.
• After Omega won the US title the Bucks informed Omega they had enough votes from BC to release Omega’s DM. Omega then blames Cody for this, which leads to a group argument amongst Bullet Club. Many of them still upset they murdered Adam Cole in a previous episode.
• Matt required Cody and Omega to hug it out and said he’d delete the controversial DM.
• Unfortunately NJPW referee Red Shoes found the photo and shared the DM.
• The fake DM’s are at the end of the episode.

I would like to apologize to all BTE fans, my family, and friends for private DM's that were distributed without my consent. #BeingTheElite

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) July 4, 2017

the Tweet looks very similar to Rollins’ from 2 years earlier:

I would like to apologize to all the WWE fans and my family and friends for private photographs that were distributed without my consent.

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) February 10, 2015

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/882079720849891328

Jinder Mahal recently sat down with Indian media outlet, Sunday Guardian Live, about his

Jinder Mahal is scheduled to defend his WWE championship against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match at the Battleground PPV on July 23rd.

Jinder Mahal Interview Highlights

On his conditioning and fitness routine:

“So, every morning when I wake up, before I eat anything, I drink water or may be black coffee without sugar or any calories. And then for half an hour, I do intense cardio and then I eat. I eat oatmeal, white protein shake and bananas and lift weights. And also, every day since last year, I have been doing yoga, as stretching is very important for recovery and injury prevention. Most of my workouts are athletic-based alongside body-building workouts.”

Who His Biggest WWE Rivals Are:

“Right now, I am focusing on my match with Randy Orton as I want to retain my title. But I think John Cena is my biggest competitor because for a long time, John Cena has been the face of the WWE and he won’t give up this title anytime soon. So, it would be challenging.”

On His Old Trainer, Bad News Brown:

“The greatest influence on my life, I would say would be my original trainer, Bad News Brown. He taught me so much, not only in wrestling but taught me so much in real life—what it is to be a man, taking care of your family, and that life outside the ring is also very important. He taught me that.”

Jinder’s Advice to Aspiring Wrestlers:

“My advice would be, stay motivated and work hard and don’t give up. Because miracles could happen and that big break could be right there in the corner. Stay focused and driven. Take care of your body and stay away from drugs and stuff like that. Respect your body and your coach. And keep working hard and nothing is impossible as long as you are ready to work hard for that.”

You can read the full interview here.

Kurt Angle sat down with Spanish-language media outlet Planeta Wrestling recently, to promote his involvement in the WWE 2k18 video game. Angle spoke on several issues, including the possibility of NXT women’s champion Asuka being called up to the Raw brand.

Asuka has recently mentioned through social media, that she will not be returning to NXT until suitable competition is found. An opponent will most likely be found for Asuka in time for Takeover: Brooklyn III, but a main roster call-up could still happen for Asuka in the next few months.

Kurt Angle Interview Highlights

(transcript via Wrestling Inc.)

On NXT Superstars he wants on RAW:

“Oh gosh, I really like that Asuka girl. I’m telling you, the girls have really come on strong. Watching her, I know she’s gonna make a huge impact when she comes up, and I really hope we get her on RAW.

On WWE Developmental:

“I think Triple H and the WWE have done an incredible job with NXT. They’re grooming these talents, they’re become stars before they even get on TV on RAW and SmackDown. Wow, that’s never happened before. You have to give credit to how they’ve been able to produce them. Whether they get them from theatre programs or independents, they bring them to NXT and they groom them. They get them ready for TV and it’s amazing how many talents are coming through NXT. That’ll continue to be their staple. that’s gonna be the way it goes and I like it. I like what they’re teaching them down there. And it’s not just the wrestling, it’s the persona, working on cutting promos, entrance themes – I mean you look at these entrances now: Finn Balor, Nakamura, Bayley, they’re just different now and larger than life. I really think the WWE has caught onto something really cool. Fans like the entrances just as much if not more than the matches, yes it’s true. So they’re on to something and I enjoy seeing it.”

On How Much Different WWE is Now From His Previous Stint:

“It’s different now, but in many good ways. The drug policy, the wellness policy, the way they cater to the athletes – it’s a lot of fun to be back. I wanted to come back – Bill Goldberg said last year, he spoke about him returning to WWE. It wasn’t about him, it was about his kids. I have three little ones that actually never have seen me wrestle. A six-year-old, four-year-old, and seven-month-old. And not only that, but I owed it to the WWE Universe to come back and end my career here, where I started it. A lot of fans have been asking for that for many years. So it isn’t about me coming back, it isn’t about me making money, it’s about the WWE Universe, the fans, and my kids that never watched me wrestle. I wanted them to see their dad and the light that my two older children have and the light that the rest of my family have. So it’s really not about me, it’s about them and I want to show them what daddy really can do.”

NJPW G1 Los Angeles Special Night 2
NJPWWorld.com
July 2nd 2017
Long Beach Convention Centre

Jushin Liger, KUSHIDA, Dave Finlay vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu (Tempura Boyz) and YoshiTatsu

• • 8-9 minute fast-paced opening match.
  • Crowd was really into Liger, Finlay and Kushida
  • Finish of the match was a triple submission: Liger with the surfboard on Komatsu, Finlay with a stretch muffler on Tatsu, and Kushida with a kimura on Tanaka.
  • Tatsu was the legal man and he tapped, giving the good guys the win in the opener.
  • Kushida and the Tempura Boyz shared some words after the match. Tanaka and Komatsu are NJPW young lions currently on loan to CMLL.

Winners: Liger, KUSHIDA & David Finlay (Tatsu submitted to Finlay)

IWGP US Championship Tournament (Semi-Final)
Kenny Omega (Bullet Club) vs. Jay Lethal

• • Lethal was coming into this one with injured ribs.
  • Omega started the match by kicking Lethal in the ribs when the ref was calling for a clean break on the ropes.
  • He worked Lethal’s ribs on the outside and rolled him back in.
  • Back in the ring, Omega went for the 1-Winged Angel, but Lethal rolled out of it and gave Omega a series of super-kicks.
  • Lethal then hit a Lethal Injection, but Omega rolled out of the ring afterwards.
  • Lethal then gave Omega 3 suicide dives on the outside, knocking him into the guardrail.
  • Lethal rolled Omega back in and gave him a flying elbow drop for a near-fall.
  • As Omega kicked out, Lethal grabbed his leg and locked in a figure four leglock, as he continued to go for his big moves early.
  • Omega got to the ropes but was now favouring his leg.
  • Lethal worked his leg with kicks and a couple of kneebreakers.
  • Lethal went for his second Lethal Injection but Omega countered it into a backstabber, which hurt his leg some more.
  • After that, Omega began to work Lethal’s back and ribs.
  • Lethal landed a blue-thunder power-bomb but wasn’t really able to capitalize.
  • Omega brought out the V-Trigger knees and took control afterwards. He hit a cross-legged neckbreaker, dragon suplex, doctor-bomb, and several more knees.
  • Omega went for the 1-winged angel but Lethal attempted to counter it into a hurricanrana. Omega countered Lethal’s counter however and hoisted him back up on his shoulders, re-positioned him on his shoulders and finally hit the 1-Winged Angel to get the pin.

Winner: Kenny Omega

IWGP US Championship Tournament (Semi-Final)
Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-Gun)

• • Zabre Jr hit a pele kick on Ishii’s arm early and then proceeded to work the limb the rest of the match.
  • ZSJ would lock in a submission on Ishii, and Ishii would counter with headbutts, chops, a superplex and various other power moves, but ZSJ would eventually get back on offence and lock in a submission. Ishii probably never got more than 1 move in a row.
  • Ishii went for a lariat but ZSJ grabbed his arm and locked in an armbar with a head scissors. Ishii made several attempts to get the ropes but was thwarted several times, as Zack pinned back his various limbs. Eventually Ishii just rolled his entire body into the ropes and got the break.
  • ZSJ went for a guillotine but was countered, Ishii hit a brainbuster and got the pin.

Winner:  Tomohiro Ishii

Volador Jr, Dragon Lee, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Titan  vs. Bushi, Evil, Sanada, Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)

• • Very lucha-styled 10-man tag match.
  • Plenty of lucha style comedy spots as well, once leading Josh Barnett to proclaim he was having an existential crisis.
  • Finish of the match was Jay White pinning Bushi after giving him a flatliner.

Winner: Volador Jr., Dragon Lee, Jay White, Juice Robinson and Titan (White pinned Bushi)

Michael Elgin and War Machine vs. Hangman Page and the Guerillas of Destiny (Bullet Club)

• • Haku came out with GoD!! He’s the father of both Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa.
  • Bit of a surprise in the end of this match, as Hangman Page hit his reverse piledriver finish on Ray Rowe and got the pin.
  • Page lost to an injured Jay Lethal yesterday, so needed a good result here and he got it.
  • Page then said into the camera that War Machine’s tag titles are his, though he neglected to mention who his partner is.

Winners: Hangman Page, Tama Tonga, and Tanga Roa (Page pinned Rowe)

• Naoki Sugabayashi, through an interpreter, announced that NJPW would return to the United States in 2018.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
The Young Bucks © (Bullet Club) vs. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS)

• Young Bucks have really been incorporating more sharpshooters into their offence lately.
• They worked on Beretta’s back a good portion of the match, which would play into the finish.
• They started the match by countering all of each other’s moves, and Josh and Ross played up how well the two teams know each other.
• Later in the match Young Bucks hit More Bang For Your Buck for a nearfall.
• Roppongi Vice got in quite a bit of offence as well. Beretta gave Nick Jackson a piledriver on the apron and then a running knee.
• Roppongi Vice also countered two Meltzer Driver attempts by the Bucks.
• Vice managed to hit Strong Zero, but Matt Jackson kicked out. Can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone kick out of that move before.
• The Bucks would later give Rocky Romero a Meltzer Driver on the floor. Nick springboarded off the top rope into a corkscrew and got one hand on Romero as Matt brought him down with the tombstone piledriver.
• This left Beretta all on his own, and he played the valiant wrestler trying to battle back against the odds. They super-kicked him once in the face, and then another to his injured back.
• They then gave another Meltzer Driver to Romero, and wrapped both guys in sharpshooters. Romero tapped, giving the Bucks the win.

Winners: the Young Bucks

• After the match Ricochet hit the ring and took out both Matt and Nick.
• He challenged them to a tag title match along with his partner Rysuke Taguchi.
• Ricochet also said he wanted to be at the show yesterday but “A certain underground fighting company are being pricks right now”
• Roppongi Vice then broke up! Romero cut a promo, saying the team had achieved all they had set out for, and that it was time for Beretta to go up to the heavyweight division.
• They hugged and the crowd chanted for them. Romero never said he was retiring, but said “he was done with it”, so his future is left a little vague.
• They’d been together 3 years, won the jr tag titles on 4 occasions and won the super junior tag tournament.

Marty Scurll, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Cody (Bullet Club) vs. Will Ospreay, the Briscoes and Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS)

• • Cody had a separate entrance from the rest of the Bullet Club.
  • The story of this match was really how much the live crowd did not like Cody.
  • In the opening moments of the match, the fans chanted for Cody to tag out to any member of the Bullet Club.
  • Naturally, Cody got the pin for his team. He hit Cross Rhodes on Ospreay and pinned him.

Winners: Bullet Club (Cody pinned Ospreay)

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Billy Gunn

• • Tanahashi was coming into this one with an injured shoulder.
  • Gunn took the advantage by out powering Tanahashi and focussing on his injured shoulder.
  • Tanahashi started to come back after he pulled down his opponent’s tights to reveal neon green trunks underneath. Gunn did the same thing back to Tanahashi later, but there were no trunks underneath.
  • Gunn hit his cobra clutch slam for a near fall.
  • Gunn then hit a Fame Asser after Tanahashi missed a High Fly Flow for another nearfall.
  • Tanahashi then hit a slingblade clothesline and a HIgh Fly Flow and got the pin.
  • They shook hands after the match and gave each other respect.

Winner: HIroshi Tanahashi

IWGP US Championship Tournament Final
Kenny Omega (Bullet Club) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS)

• • They started the match with Ishii getting the advantage with shoulder tackles.
  • Then Omega gained control with a snap mare and kick to the back.
  • Ishii egged him on to kick him in the back some more, and Omega obliged.
  • Omega raked Ishii’s eyes when he kept coming forward. This actually got some booes.
  • Ishii countered with a suplex and Omega rolled to the outside.
  • Ishii landed chops which took Omega over the guardrail.
  • The Young Bucks were distracting the ref which prevented him from counting both guys out.
  • Ishii threw Omega into several rows of seats and dragged him back towards the ring.
  • Omega countered a german suplex on the outside by landing on his feet, he then gave Ishii a suplex on the floor, then got back in the ring.
  • Ishii got back in the ring and took Omega down with a shoulder tackle, then chopped him in the corner for a bit.
  • Omega started to battle back but Ishii chopped him down again and gave him a snapmare and kick to the back.
  • Omega started to egg Ishii on to kick him just like Ishii had done earlier, then they traded chops several times.
  • Ishii got the advantage in the chops, which took Omega through the ropes and onto the ring apron.
  • Ishii hit a powerslam.
  • They exchanged shots for a bit when Omega hit a DDT and they both stayed down.
  • Omega hit his firemans takeover followed by a 2nd rope moonsault for a nearfall.
  • After that, Omega hit a dropkick to the knee followed by his jumping fameasser to a standing Ishii.
  • Ishii rolled to the outside and Omega hit him with a diving senton plancha on the outside, but he started holding his knee afterwards.
  • As the ref (Red Shoes) was tending to Omega, the Young Bucks set up their own “gimmick table”.
  • Omega bounced up to show his knee was fine, then hit his opponent with a flying dropkick to the back of the head. Then he hit him with a back elbow in the corner.
  • Omega landed strikes in the corner for a period, but this seemed to only make Ishii grow stronger.
  • Ishii fought back but came off the ropes right into a hurricanrana by Omega.
  • Omega then tried to put Ishii through the table. As he was trying to give him a dragon suplex through the table, Ishii held on by biting the top rope. Omega eventually gave him the move through the table and onto the floor however.
  • Once back in the ring, Omega went to give him a 1-Winged Angel, but Ishii countered into a DDT.
  • Ishii then hit a superplex from the top rope for a nearfall.
  • Omega started to battle back with V-Trigger knees and got a nearfall.
  • Omega then hit his own brainbuster onto Ishii for a near fall.
  • A few spots later, Ishii actually hit a 1-Winged Angel onto Omega for a nearfall.
  • After that Omega took control with V-Trigger knees, hit a cross-legged neckbreaker, a reverse hurricanrana and several more V-Triggers.
  • Omega finally hit the 1-Winged Angel and got the pin to become the inaugural IWGP US Champion.

Winner: Kenny Omega (inaugural IWGP US Champion)

• After the match Omega was presented with the belt.
• Cody entered the ring and ripped the belt away from him, but then gave it back and hugged him.
• The rest of the Bullet Club also came out and they carried Omega on their shoulders in the ring .
• Omega got on the mic and cut a promo thanking the fans. He said nobody in Japan believed this could be a success, and he said we’d sell out a bigger arena. Said they are coming back bigger and better next year. 

NJPW G1 Los Angeles Special Night 1
July 1st 2017
Long Beach Convention Center
(AXS TV, Fight Network)

• Beretta, Rocky Romero, Will Ospreay & the Briscoes (CHAOS) vs. the Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)

• • Matt Jackson directly into the camera: “They put us in the opening match, are you kidding me?”
  • High paced fun match.
  • Scurll got in a period of offence, using his normal moves: finger breaking spot, super kick to the shin, then got countered when he elaborately announced he was going for the chicken wing.
  • Ospreay hit a standing spanish fly on Scurll. Also a springboard shooting star press onto everyone.
  • Romero got a period of offence in as well, hitting “clotheslines forever” on the Young Bucks.
  • The Bucks looked to be going for the Meltzer Driver onto Romero, but Nick was pulled to the ground from the outside while Romero rolled up Jackson for the pin.
  • Romero seemed surprised he got the pin.
  • Matt Jackson to the camera “I’ve got a deal with Hot Topic, I can’t lose on TV!”

Winners: Roppongi Vice, the Briscoes and Will Ospreay (Romero pinned Matt Jackson)

• Titan, Dragon Lee, Volador Jr. & Jushin Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA (Los Ingobernables)

• • Liger got a big ovation before the match began.
  • Seemed like Los Ingobernables had the bulk of the offence.
  • Takahashi distracted the ref, which allowed Evil to hit Titan with a chair.
  • Takahashi then hit Titan with the Time Bomb for the pin.

Winners: Los Ingobernables (Takahashi pinned Titan)

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

  • The IWGP United States Championship Belt was brought out by the CHairman of NJPW.
  • Before the match, Ross mentioned that Lethal suffered bruised ribs in a match with the Beer City Bruiser in ROH 8 days ago.
  • Page attacked Lethal before the bell to gain the early advantage.
  • The story of this match was Lethal battling through his injured ribs.
  • Lethal went for the Lethal Injection but Page countered it into an abdominal stretch.
  • He then went for the Lethal Injection a 2nd time, but Page countered again.
  • Lethal finally hit the Lethal Injection on his 3rd attempt (kinda botched) but he couldn’t make the cover because his ribs were too sore.
  • They both got back up and started exchanging strikes. Lethal got the advantage with an enziguri, hit Lethal Injection again and got the pin.

Winners: Jay Lethal

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-Gun)

  • Sabre Jr. focussed on Juice’s arm for most of the match.
  • Robinson hit a jackhammer like slam, a standing senton, and a cannonball in the corner.
  • He then went for the Pulp Friction but Sabre Jr. countered that into an abdominal stretch.
  • Robinson went for the ropes, but Zack pinned both of his arms back in a modified stretch, causing Juice to submit.

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. via submission

• David Finlay, Jay White, KUSHIDA, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu, YoshiTatsu, & Billy Gunn

  • Josh and Ross talked about Tanahashi having an injured arm, and he has to defend the IC title against Billy Gunn tomorow night.
  • Kushida got a big cheer when he held up both the ROH TV title and the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship.
  • A good portion of this match previewed the Billy Gunn vs. Tanahashi match tomorrow.
  • Gunn’s team isolated Kushida, though he eventually made the hot tag to Tanahashi, who cleared house.
  • With everyone on the outside, Jay White hit a flatliner on Yoshi Tatsu for the win.
  • Tanahashi and Gunn had a brief staredown afterwards.

Winners: Finlay, White, Kushida & Hiroshi Tanahashi (White pinned Tatsu)

Intermission

• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
  Guerillas of Destiny ©(Bullet Club) vs. War Machine

• • Before the match, Rowe cut a promo saying that their opponents introduced weapons into the last match, so let’s have them legal in this match.
  • Tama Tonga was about to answer but then both brohters attacked War Machine to start the match. Weapons are legal.
  • GoD used a trash can early, which gave them the advantage for a bit.
  • Hanson started a comeback for War Machine by giving both members of GoD his own version of Clotheslines Forever.
  • A lot of good double team moves from each team.
  • Chase Owens interfered on behalf of his Bullet Club teammates, hitting members of War Machine with chairs.
  • War Machine battled back and hit Fallout through a table on Tanga Roa and got the pin to win the belts.

Winners: War Machine (New Champions)

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)

  • Naito attacked Ishii before the bell to start the match.
  • Each guy landed a lot of their moves.
  • Naito hit a frankensteiner, 2 flying dropkicks, german suplex, dragon suplex, but couldn’t hit Destino on 2 attempts.
  • Ishii hit mainly power moves, several lariats, chops, head butt, power-bomb, and countered Destino twice.
  • Ishii hit a brainbuster and got the pin.

Winner: Tomohiro Ishii

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)

  • Commentary mentioned that Elgin has never lost to Omega in a 1-on-1 match.
  • Elgin got most of the offence early, with a gorilla press slam and springboard splash.
  • Omega hit a hurricanrana which sent Elgin to the outside. He hit a plancha, and a fameasser on the ramp.
  • Omega gave Elgin a body slam on the outside at an 18 count and then got back in the ring. Elgin got back in just before the 20 count.
  • Elgin got back on offence, hitting moves such as a series of rolling german suplexes, which Ross referred to as the “3 Canucks”.
  • Elgin hit a turnbuckle powerbomb, Omega hit a dragon suplex, and each hit various other moves as well.
  • The finish of the match started when Omega hit Elgin with a running knee. Elgin initially shook off the first knee and charged back at Omega who gave him a 2nd knee, and that one wobbled him.
  • Omega hit some more knees and then a reverse-hurricanrana for a near-fall.
  • He hit yet another knee on Elgin and eventually got him up for the 1-Winged Angel and pinned him.

Winner: Kenny Omega

Updated IWGP US Championship Tournament Brackets:

• Kenny Omega vs. Jay Lethal
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii

• IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
  Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

  • The crowd really did not like Cody Rhodes (although some fans would later chant for him), this despite his all-American apparel he had on. Brandi was wearing a USA flag dress.
  • The match started with some grappling and then each trying to hit a few signature moves but getting blocked or avoided.
  • Okada went on offence first, landing a running dropkick to a seated Cody.
  • Cody escaped to the outside, where Okada eventually hit him with a running crossbody that took them both about 3 rows deep in the crowd.
  • Cody got on offence by catching Okada as he was getting back into the ring. He hit a flatliner, facebuster, and a springboard dropkick.
  • Cody got some heat by spitting at the referee and flipping off the fans.
  • It was mentioned that Cody has an injured shoulder.
  • Okada hit a neckbreaker and goes back on offence. He hits a series of running elbows to knock Cody down.
  • Okada continued on offence with a ddt and a running uppercut for a near-fall.
  • Cody was perched on the top turnbuckle, when Okada hit a dropkick to take him to the outside.
  • Cody countered a tombstone attempt on the outside into a back body drop.
  • Okada countered Cody’s draping ddt into his own draping ddt, and eventually thew him back into the ring.
  • Okada was going to the top rope but Cody countered by hitting a an arm drag off the top.
  • Cody then hit a Disaster Kick for a near-fall.
  • Okada countered a 2nd Disaster Kick with a flapjack.
  • Okada then hit a side-slam neckbreaker combo that nobody ever refers to by a name. He then hit a flying elbow and called for the Rainmaker.
  • Cody countered the Rainmaker attempt by grabbing Okada’s leg and rolling into a modified calf-slicer. Okada would eventually get to the ropes.
  • They ended up in a slap and strike contest, which was won soundly by Okada. He eventually knocked Cody all the way down and stomped on his back several times. This brought Brandi to ringside.
  • Okada hit him in the back with a dropkick, then landed a tombstone piledriver and called again for the Rainmaker.
  • Cody countered the Rainmaker attempt again, this time by spitting at Okada.
  • Okada just wiped off the spit and hit him with a partial Rainmaker, then picked him up and hit him with another Rainmaker.
  • This brought Kenny Omega to ringside with a white towel, just like Cody did for his match with Okada in Osaka.
  • The Young Bucks tried to talk some sense into Omega, as he started encouraging Brandi to throw in the towel for Cody’s sake.
  • Cody then countered another Rainmaker but was eventually hit with yet another dropkick.
  • Cody then countered yet another Rainmaker with his own Rainmaker and got a near-fall.
  • Cody grabbed the towel, wiped off his sweat from it, then made a rude gesture with it, and threw it at Kenny. This caused Ross to state that there are clearly issues within Bullet Club.
  • Okada then countered Cody’s Cross Roads attempt with his own Cross Roads for a near fall.
  • Cody went for Cross Roads again but Okada countered with knees, so Cody hit him with a slam instead for another near-fall.
  • Cody went for the 1-winged angel but was countered by Okada into a German suplex.
  • Okada then hit a jumping spinning tombstone followed by one more Rainmaker for the pin.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada (7th Title Defence this Reign)

• After the match Omega called for a mic as Okada was going to speak.
• Omega said that he would not steal Okada’s moment, but said they have a date for a rematch in the G1.
• Gedo then spoke english. He told the crowd that Okada is the future of strong-style.
• Okada then spoke english and asked everyone how New Japan Pro Wrestling was? this got a big pop and the crowd chanted “New Japan! New Japan!”.
• We then saw a backstage interview with Okada that was very loosely translated by Josh Barnett. Basically Okada said he underestimated Cody and complimented the American media.

Reby Sky is not someone shy to express an opinion.

It has been close to 13 years since Matt Hardy and Lita’s relationship ended in a rather public way. Despite the length of time the two have been separated, Reby Sky is evidently cautious towards the 42-year old Amy Dumas.

Reby Sky on Twitter

Reby Sky recently responded on Twitter to a person who is most likely still in elementary school. The Twitter user had tagged pictures of Matt Hardy with Jeff and Lita from their original WWE run along with pictures of Matt’s current family.

https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/881015072574685184

13 years is a long time, but evidently not long enough for Reby. Lita is currently set to call the Mae Young classic later this month, alongside Jim Ross.

CM Punk has made a point of telling people he is straight-edge for years, but evidently there are exceptions to that rule. According Bruce Prichard on the latest episode of his Something to Wrestle With podcast, Punk took a shot of alcohol out of respect to wrestling legend Harley Race, who offered it to him. The story can be heard below around the 19-minute mark.

https://youtu.be/oVoWl8U6fm8?t=18m20s

Prichard on Punk Taking a Shot

“He was in Kansas City or St. Louis or somewhere and it was Harley Race’s birthday and he was in a camp; Harley’s camp, and they were out at a restaurant bar type thing”

“Everybody got shots for Harley’s birthday. Now Punk doesn’t drink, don’t do drugs, but he took a shot out of respect for Harley Race.”

“And he goes, ‘you know, Harley asked me to do it, one shot’s not gonna kill me. I’m not gonna go get hammered, I took a shot out of respect for Harley Race and for whatever reason I just thought that was cool. That just kinda showed the love and passion he had for the business and respect for the old-timers. He didn’t have to and it would have been fine.”

The Usos and New Day are scheduled for a rap battle against one another this week on Smackdown. Just to make sure the contest is moderated by a qualified judge, WWE is bringing in long-time wrestling fan, and international recording-artist, Wale.

Wale announced the news through social media last night:

https://twitter.com/wale/status/880930982362304514

WaleMania

For the last 3 years, Wale has been holding an event over WrestleMania weekend, aptly dubbed “WaleMania”. The event often involves a live Q&A podcast with several wrestling personalities, and the hosts of MLW Radio. The featured performance of the night however, is a performance from Wale himself.

In 2013, Wale’s hit “Lotus Flower Bomb” was nominated for a Grammy. In 2015, his video for “White Shoes” was nominated for Best Video With a Social Message by MTV. His track “Bad” was given the award for “Best Hip Hop Song of the Year” at the 2013 Soul Train Awards.

It’s been a big week for Jeff Jarrett. The man who helped create NWA: Total Non-Stop Action in 2002, has now reached a deal to rebrand the company into Global Force Wrestling. The promotion returns to PPV this Sunday.

Jarrett recently sat down with Sports Illustrated to speak on the upcoming PPV, the Hardys, and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi32bKLPgO4

Jeff Jarrett Interview Highlights

On keeping a promotion’s roster fresh:

“The old saying is familiarity breeds contempt, so my philosophy is to refresh the roster. The brand took a lot of hits over the past 36 months, and the quickest way to rebrand is by bringing in new talent and giving new opportunities.”

On his relationship with the Hardys:

“My family and Jeff Hardy’s family have taken vacations together for several years, and Jeff’s been one of my best friends for a long time, but business is business.”

“Whether it’s a song you write or a television show or a movie or professional wrestling, there are three components to IP law. There is publishing, there are writers, and there are performers. The publisher is always the owner.

The discussions have really gotten twisted, but IP law is real simple. The publishers are the owners. I’ll leave it at that because I want to take the high road. I think very highly of Jeff, and I respect Matt Hardy’s ability, quite frankly, more than he ever will know, but business is business. I’m very happy for their success, and they’re kicking butt in WWE.”

On Slammiversary:

“I can tell you about the heavyweight title, the women’s match between Rosemary vs. Sienna, or the X-division match between Sonjay Dutt and Low Ki. We have a star from the NFL in DeAngelo Williams wrestling. From top to bottom, you will be thoroughly entertained by this show.”

On Expansion to India:

“We were the first wrestling organization to ever produce content on Indian soil, and that is something we’re very proud of. Airing on Spike in the U.K. is another milestone for us, and we got in our ratings from Africa, where there has been a constant, steady growth.”

You can read the full interview here.

Arguably the most important international show in New Japan Pro Wrestling history runs tomorrow night from Los Angeles. The show will air live on AXS TV with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett calling the action. In Canada, it will also air live on the Fight Network.

Sunday night’s show will air on New Japan World. Both shows sold out quickly, and speculation is the company would like to run a bigger venue for future American shows.

NJPW Lineups for This Weekend

July 1st (AXS TV, Fight Network)

• Beretta, Rocky Romero, Will Ospreay & the Briscoes (CHAOS) vs. the Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)
• Titan, Dragon Lee, Volador Jr. & Jushin Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA (Los Ingobernables)
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-Gun)
• David Finlay, Jay White, KUSHIDA, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu, YoshiTatsu, & Billy Gunn
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
• IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
  Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

July 2nd (New Japan World)

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final Match A
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final Match B
• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament Finals
• IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match
  Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Billy Gunn
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
  the Young Bucks (c)(Bullet Club) vs. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS)

We are just over 2 weeks away from the Mae Young Classic. The tournament will tape from Full Sail University on July 13th and 14th. 10 episodes featuring matches from the tournament will premiere on the WWE Network on August 28th. The finals of the tournament will be held September 12th.

Kairi Sane announces that she will take part in the historic #MaeYoungClassic! #WWETokyo pic.twitter.com/LleJ4P9XHN

— WWE (@WWE) June 30, 2017

Wrestlers Announced So Far

13 wrestlers have been officially announced for the 32 person tournament so far:

• Lacey Evans
  • Lacey has been in NXT since the fall. She tours the house show circuit. She’s appeared on 4 episodes of NXT. Losing a battle royals, 2 singles matches and a tag match for an 0-4 record.
• Sarah Logan
  • Well known on the indy scene as “Crazy” Mary Dobson.
• Toni Storm
  • 21 year old can’t miss prospect from New Zealand. Current Progress Women’s champion.
• Princesa Sugehit
  • 37 year old veteran from Mexico.
  • Been wrestling in CMLL since 2005.
• Kavita Devi
  • Recently signed out of Great Khali’s school in India.
  • WWE’s first female Indian born superstar.
  • Powerlifter.
• Taynara Conti
  • Brazilian superstar with a martial arts background.
  • Been on the NXT house show circuit since May.
• Abbey Laith
  • Known on the indy scene as Kimber Lee.
  • Made her NXT TV debut in April, losing a squash to Ruby Riot.
• Tessa Blanchard
  • Amazing WWE hasn’t locked her up. Daughter of Tully Blanchard, step-daughter of Magnum TA.
  • Only 21, but has seemingly been wrestling non-stop since debuting in 2014.
• Jazzy Gabert
  • Known as Alpha Female on the indies.
  • 35 year old, 6ft 1 and 185lbs.
  • From Germany.
• Dakota Kai
  • 29 year old, formerly known as Evie.
  • Wrestled for Shine and Shimmer.
  • Signed with WWE last winter.
  • From New Zealand.
• Kairi Sane
  • Formerly known as Kairi Hojo.
  • 6 year pro from the Stardom promotion.
  • Very highly touted.
• Piper Niven
  • Formerly known as Viper.
  • 26 years old from Scotland.
  • Wrestled with ICW, WCPW
• Bianca BelAir
  • Crossfit enthusiast signed by WWE last year.
  • Appeared in NXT sparingly.
  • Wrestles on the NXT house show circuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZgaJb8PbIo