SEScoops

Author: Chris Stephens

  • Will Ospreay Spent £10,000 On Ring Gear In 2016

    Will Ospreay Spent £10,000 On Ring Gear In 2016

    Will Ospreay shared an interesting fact on social media while doing his taxes recently. The first ever British wrestler to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament (2016), plans to write-off £10,169.64 in ring-gear related expenses.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BTtxc1pjFvl/

    Will Ospreay in 2016

    While his ring-gear expenses seem unusually high, there can be no doubts that Will Ospreay has raised a lot of eyebrows this year. His performance in the Best of the Super Juniors last spring put a jolt into Japan’s junior heavyweight division.

    The Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from last year’s tournament is essential viewing for any fan of the division. It caused some controversy however, as the high-spot focussed match drew the ire of many wrestling purists. If you like high-spots however, this match is arguably one of the greatest of all time.

    the 23 year-old has been wrestling since 2012, but debuted in both ROH and NJPW last year.

  • Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada Rematch Set

    Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada Rematch Set

    On January 4th, 2017 Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada were the main event of WrestleKingdom 11. The match, held in the Tokyo Dome, went over 45 minutes and some experts have referred to it as the greatest professional wrestling match they have ever seen.

    At Wrestling Dontaku on Wednesday, Okada called out Omega after defeating Bad Luck Fale. Omega had come down to the ring area to check on his Bullet Club teammate, when Okada issued the challenge. Normally it is the challenger calling out the champion, but in this case it was Okada who wanted the rematch.

    That match is now official for NJPW’s June PPV, Dominion. The match will be held on June 11th in Osaka, Japan. Also announced for the show is Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP intercontinental title against Hiroshi Tanahashi.

    Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada

    At last year’s G1 tournament, Kenny Omega became the first non-Japanese wrestler (in storyline) to win the tournament. His win may also help the tournament’s popularity in the United States, including in Los Angeles where part of the tournament will be held this year.

    The win earned Omega a shot at Kazuchika Okada’s title in the Tokyo Dome. Okada just barely did pull out the victory over Omega, and now he will have to do that again next month.

  • Alicia Fox Celebrates 11 Years With WWE

    Alicia Fox Celebrates 11 Years With WWE

    Lately Alicia Fox has been substituting for a mid-card championship on 205 Live. In absence of a cruiserweight intercontinental championship, Fox has become the prize several 205 Live superstars have been fighting over.

    Today is Alicia Fox’s 11th anniversary with WWE.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BTttv_RhFBx/

    Alicia Fox’s WWE Career

    Alicia Fox was signed by WWE as a 19 year-old and has been with the company ever since. At the time of her signing, Fox was a model. John Laurinaitis discovered her in the pages of a fashion magazine, which sums up how WWE scouted female talent at the time.

    While today is her 11-year anniversary of signing with the company, her actual debut as a performer occurred on July 1st 2006 in Ohio Valley Wrestling. She first debuted on the main roster in 2008, appearing as Edge and Vickie Guerrero’s wedding planner.

    Fox is a 1-time Divas champion, the only African-American superstar to ever win the title. Her younger sister wrestled in NXT and briefly for TNA under the name Caylee Turner. She is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader.

  • Miz & Maryse Tour the Colosseum, More Superstars In Europe

    Miz & Maryse Tour the Colosseum, More Superstars In Europe

    WWE arrived for the European tour recently, they were in Rome yesterday, and Glasgow today. They will have shows in Dublin, Ireland and Cardiff, Wales tomorrow.

    WWE.com recently posted this video of the Miz & Maryse touring the Colosseum: 

    Other Superstars in Europe

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BTq6UjqjpQX/

    https://twitter.com/WWECesaro/status/860120475095240704

    https://twitter.com/NinoVentura8/status/860143173557002240

  • ROH Championship Team vs. NJPW Championship Team Match Booked

    ROH Championship Team vs. NJPW Championship Team Match Booked

    Ring of Honor announced today that their 6-man champions, Bully Ray & the Briscoes, will defend their titles against the current NJPW 6-man championship team, Los Ingobernables. The match will take place in Dearborn, MI on May 10th as part of the War of the Worlds tour.

    Only the Ring of Honor titles will be on the line however.

    NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships

    Bushi, Evil & Sanada won the NEVER Openweight 6-man championships yesterday at Wrestling Dontaku 2017, defeating Tanahashi, Taguchi, & Ricochet.

    The titles are frequently won and lost however. Only one team, Kenny Omega & the Young Bucks, have ever defended the titles successfully more than once in a row. The titles first debuted in the company at WrestleKingdom 10 on Jan. 4th 2016. The inaugural champions were the Briscoes & Toru Yano.

    The rest of the card is as follows:

    MAIN EVENT
    ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
    ROH WORLD CHAMPION “ALMIGHTY” CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. MATT TAVEN
    BULLET CLUB (CODY, HANGMAN PAGE, & ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE YOUNG BUCKS) vs. CHAOS (WILL OSPREAY, HIROOKI GOTO & ROPPONGI VICE)
    ROH WORLD SIX MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
    ROH WORLD SIX MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS BULLY RAY & THE BRISCOES (JAY & MARK) vs. LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (BUSHI, EVIL, & SANADA)
    SIGNED TO APPEAR
    ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION Marty Scurll
    New Japan’s Tetsuya Naito
    New Japan’s KUSHIDA
    Dalton Castle
    Jay Lethal
    and more!
  • NXT Highlights: Asuka Heel Turn Continues

    NXT Highlights: Asuka Heel Turn Continues

    NXT
    airdate: May 3rd 2017
    Full Sail University

    1. Killian Dain vs. Danny Burch
    Burch got in a little bit of offence, but for the most part this was a showcase match for Dain. The 32-yeear old Irish member of Sanity picked up the win with the Ulster Plantation, a 1-handed electric-chair driver.
    Winner: Killian Dain

    2. Heavy Machinery vs. Local Talent
    The tag-team of Heavy Machinery won a quick squash match here. After the match they said they want to face the Authors of Pain for the NXT tag titles.
    Winners: Heavy Machinery

    • In the back Bobby Roode is seen giving advice to Kona Reeves, who will face Hideo Itami later in the show
    • Also in the back, Team DIY state in an interview that they deserve a match with Authors of Pain next, not Heavy Machinery.

    3. Hideo Itami vs. Kona Reeves
    Possibly acting on the advice Roode gave him, Reeves attacked Itami before the bell to gain an advantage. It worked for a bit, but eventually Itami battled back, and gave Reeves the GTS for the win.
    Winner: Hideo Itami

    Who is Roderick Strong? Part II
    Last week a video package aired which detailed the troubled upbringing of Roderick Strong. This week’s video focusses more on his adult life.

    4. NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender Battle Royal
    The match came down to Ruby Riot, Nikki Cross, and Ember Moon. As all 3 were down, Asuka hit the ring and beat up all 3. She then said “No one is ready for Asuka” and left. William Regal then came out and said since Asuka ruined the match, she would have to face all 3 of the remaining participants in a fatal 4-way for her NXT championship at NXT Takeover: Chicago.
    Winner: Riot, Cross, and Ember Moon will all face Asuka in a fatal 4-way

  • NJPW Dontaku 2017 Results: Kenny Omega, Cody, Kazuchika Okada…

    NJPW Dontaku 2017 Results: Kenny Omega, Cody, Kazuchika Okada…

    NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2017
    May 3rd 2017
    Fukuoka, Fukuoka
    Fukuoka Kokusai Center

    Preliminaries:

    1. Yoshi Tatsu & Hirai Kawato defeated Tomoyuki Oka & Katsuya Kitamura (Tatsu made Kitamura tap)

    2. Yoshi Hashi & Will Ospreay (CHAOS) defeated Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens (Bullet Club) (Yoshi made Owens tap)

    3. Togi Makabe, Tiger Mask W, Tiger Mask defeated Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Jushin Liger (Makabe pinned Nakanishi)

    4. Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Jado, Rocky Romero, Beretta (CHAOS) defated Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, El Desperado, Taka Michinoku (Suzuki-Gun) (Goto pinned Taka)
    -After the match Suzuki attacked Goto and there was a melee between the two factions. Mainly it was about Goto and Suzuki though, as Suzuki defeated Goto for the NEVER Openweight title just days ago. Suzuki also gave a hard right hand to one of the young boys at ringside, which Don Callis called “a shoot”. 

    5. Cody defeated David Finlay
    – After the match Cody called on NJPW to give him a bigger, higher-ranked opponent. 

    6. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables) defeated Juice Robinson & Kushida (Takahashi pinned Kushida)
    – They teased the idea that Takahashi has Kushida’s number, and mentioned the win streak he is on over him. They’ll be on opposite blocks for the BOSJs, but could potentially meet in the finals. 

    Main Card:

    7. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
    War Machine vs. Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Tencoji
    War Machine came out with full medieval knight/Viking helmets, which made for a cool entrance. They hit Fallout on Tenzan for the pin.
    After the match they were attacked by Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa, who will probably get a 2-on-2 shot at them next.
    Winners: War Machine (1st title defence)(Rowe pinned Tenzan)

    8. NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championships
    Tanahashi, Taguchi, & Ricochet (c) vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi (Los Ingobernables)
    Taguchi made Bushi tap to the ankle lock but the referee was down. Bushi then sprayed Taguchi in the face with the poison mist, but couldn’t get the pin.
    He then landed a codebreaker from the 2nd rope on Taguchi, followed by another from the 3rd rope, and then finally did get the 3-count. 
    Winners: Los Ingobernables (new champions)(Bushi pinned Taguchi)

    9.Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)
    This match started with Ishii beating up Omega around the ring for the first few minutes. Omega only got back on offence when the referee prevented Ishii from using a chair, and the momentary distraction allowed Omega to hit a running dropkick.

    Omega would use all of his standard moves, such as a reverse-hurricanrana, a normal hurricanrana, a springboard move to the floor (that he almost over-shot), and many running knees. Ishii responded with his typical hard-hitting style, with lots of hard clotheslines and suplexes.

    After they started getting near-falls on each other, Omega started landing moves similar to Ishii’s, such as hard clotheslines and a brain-buster. Then things got really weird when Ishii started landing some of Kenny Omega’s moves, including a reverse hurricanrana. He landed on his head when he did it, but he did it. Then Omega hit the One-Winged Angel and pinned him.
    Winner: Kenny Omega 

    10. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
    Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS)(c) vs. Bad Luck Fale (Bullet-Club)
    Bad Luck Fale has beaten Okada in the G1 tournament 2 years in a row. He’s beaten many big names over the years, including Tanahashi. The problem is he usually loses in title matches. Though he is a 1-time IWGP Intercontinental champion. 
    Before the match they showed clips of Fale in his dome dojo in New Zealand. He spoke to the camera about how he wants to help NJPW expand into New Zealand & Australia, and thinks he’ll do that if he wins the title.
    Fale hit Okada with a tombstone for a near-fall. Okada countered the Bad Luck Fall into a hurricanrana. He then transitioned from a backslide to a 2 Rainmaker clotheslines, then a german suplex and into a 3rd Rainmaker clothesline for the win.

    After the match Kenny Omega was at ringside and Okada called out to him. Omega got in the ring and they had a stare down while the fans chanted for Omega. He then made the pointed gun motion at Okada before leaving the ring area.

    Okada then announced he would defend his championship against Omega at NJPW Dominion in June.
    Winner: Kazuchika Okada (5th title defence)

  • 205 Live Highlights: Alicia Fox Returns!!

    205 Live Highlights: Alicia Fox Returns!!

    205 Live
    May 2nd 2017
    Fresno, CA

    1. Lince Dorado vs. TJ Perkins
    Considering Perkins lost to Aries clean on Raw, they needed him to pick up a win here. While he did use Dorado’s mask to gain an advantage, it was a mostly clean win here for Perkins. Dorado tapped to the knee-bar.
    Winner: TJ Perkins via submission

    Brian Kendrick and Akira Tozawa Interview Segements
    Corey Graves sat down with Brian Kendrick and talked about his rivalry with Akira Tozawa. basically Kendrick said he’s insulted that Tozawa didn’t want Kendrick as a mentor. Tozawa interupts the interview by kicking Kendrick in the face.
    Tozawa’s lesson to Kendrick this week: “Always end an interview with impact”.

    2. Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak
    Gulak has been stocking Ali matches as of late, attempting to get Ali to stop using high-flying moves. This week Gulak again came out with protest signs stating that cruiserweights should not do dangerous high-flying moves.
    Finish of the match was fitting, as Gulak got his knees up when Ali came off the top rope. Gulak than rolled his opponent up and got the 3-count. After the match, Gulak said his victory was vindication for his campaign.
    Winner: Drew Gulak

    3. Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar
    After weeks of building this match looked to be the final blow-off for the feud between Rich Swann and Noam Dar.
    Dar picked up the surprise win after working the arm for most of the match, gaining a measure of revenge on his rival.
    After the match was when the real action happened however. Alicia Fox re-debuted on the brand, and aligned once again with her former boyfriend Noam Dar. Fox skipped into the ring and her and Dar reconciled to close the show.
    Winner: Noam Dar

  • US Championship Statistics: Who Is The Best Champ Since 2015?

    US Championship Statistics: Who Is The Best Champ Since 2015?

    The US Championship was originally a title in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. The inaugural title-holder was Harley Race, who won a tournament in 1975. By the late 70s the belt was being feuded over by Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat. Into the 1980s names like Greg Valentine and Roddy Piper also began wrestling in matches for the belt.

    As the title moved to WCW, it became a secondary belt, though one which still carried much prestige.

    US Championship Since 2015

    WWE planned to elevate their secondary titles at WrestleMania 31. On that night Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship, and John Cena defeated Rusev to win the US Championship. Bryan’s injury would prevent that from happening however.

    John Cena – (won the title at WrestleMania 31 from Rusev)
    11 Successful Title Defences
    147 Days as Champion
    Title Defences:
    defeated Dean Ambrose- Raw March 30th 2015
    defeated Stardust – Raw April 6th 2015
    defeated Bad News Barrett – Raw April 13th 2015
    defeated Kane – Raw April 20th 2015
    defeated Rusev (Russian Chain Match) – Extreme Rules 2015
    defeated Sami Zayn (Zayn’s main roster debut) – Raw May 4th 2015
    lost to Neville via DQ – Raw May 11th 2015
    defeated Rusev (I Quit Match) – Payback 2015
    defeated Zack Ryder – Raw May 25th 2015
    lost to Cesaro via DQ – Raw June 29th 2015
    defeated Cesaro – Raw July 6th 2015
    lost to Rusev via DQ- July 13th 2015
    defeated Kevin Owens – Battleground 2015
    defeated Seth Rollins – Raw July 27th 2015
    lost championship to Seth Rollins – SummerSlam 2015 (Rollins earned a statue!)

    Seth Rollins
    Title Defences: 0
    Days as champion: 28
    Title Defences:
    Lost championship to John Cena – Night of Champions 2015

    John Cena
    Title Defences: 5
    Days as Champion:35
    Title Defences:
    defeated Seth Rollins – Raw September 20th 2015
    defeated Xavier Woods via DQ – Raw September 28th 2015
    defeated Seth Rollins (steel cage) – Network Special from MSG October 3rd 2015
    defeated Big E – Raw October 5th 2015
    defeated Dolph Ziggler – Raw October 12th 2015
    lost championship to Alberto Del Rios – Hell in a Cell 2015

    Alberto Del Rio
    Title Defences: 1
    Days as Champion: 78
    Title Defences: 
    defeated Jack Swagger (chairs match) – TLC 2015
    lost to John Cena via DQ – Raw December 28th 2015
    lost championship to Kalisto – Raw January 11th 2016

    Kalisto 
    Title Defences: 0
    Days as Champion: 1
    Title Defences: 
    lost championship to Alberto Del Rios- Smackdown January 12th

    Alberto Del Rios
    Title Defences: 0
    Days as Champion: 12
    Title Defences:
    lost championship to Kalisto – Royal Rumble 2016

    Kalisto
    Title Defences: 4
    Days as Champion: 119
    Title Defences: 
    defeated Neville – Smackdown January 26th 2016
    defeated Alberto Del Rios (best 2-of-3 falls) – Fastlane 2016
    defeated Ryback – WrestleMania 32
    defeated Ryback – Payback 2016
    lost championship to Rusev – Extreme Rules 2016

    Rusev
    Title Defences: 7
    Days as Champion: 126
    Title Defences: 
    defeated Kalisto – Smackdown May 24th 2016
    defeated Titus O’Neil – Money in the Bank 2016
    defeated Cesaro – Smackdown June 28th 2016
    defeated Titus O’Neil – Raw July 4th 2016
    defeated Zack Ryder – Battleground 2016
    defeated Mark Henry – Raw August 1st 2016
    defeated Cesaro – Raw August 8th 2016
    lost championship to Roman Reigns – Clash of Champions 2016

    Roman Reigns
    Title Defences: 5
    Total Days as Champion: 106
    Title Defences: 
    double-count out with Rusev – Raw September 26th 2016
    defeated Rusev (Hell in a Cell match) – Hell in a  Cell 2016
    defeated Chris Jericho via DQ – Raw October 31st 2016
    defeated Chris Jericho – Raw December 5th 2016
    defeated Kevin Owens – Raw December 26th 2016
    defeated Chris Jericho – Raw January 2nd 2017
    lost championship to Chris Jericho (2-on-1 handicap match w/Owens teaming with Jericho)- Raw January 9th 2017

    Chris Jericho
    Title Defences: 1
    Total Days as Champion: 83
    Title Defences: 
    lost to Roman Reigns via DQ – Raw January 23rd 2017
    defeated Sami Zayn – February 6th 2017
    lost championship to Kevin Owens – WrestleMania 33

    Kevin Owens
    Title Defences: 0
    Days as Champion: 28
    Title Defences:
    lost championship to Chris Jericho – Payback 2016

    Chris Jericho
    Title Defences: 0 so far
    Days as Champion: 1+ (ongoing)
    Title Defences:
    None so far

  • Did Jericho & Owens Pay Tribute to Ricky Steamboat Last Night?

    Did Jericho & Owens Pay Tribute to Ricky Steamboat Last Night?

    Last night Kevin Owens gave Chris Jericho a DDT on the floor that seemed to be the catalyst for Jericho’s injury angle. Jericho will be touring with his band soon, and an angle was needed to write him off television.

    Normally when Kevin Owens injures someone he gives them the powerbomb on the ring apron outside. This begs the question, why change things up here and use a DDT on the floor to explain Jericho’s impending absence?

    31 Years Ago Today: Jake Roberts DDTs Ricky Steamboat

    It was 31 years ago today that a famous angle played out between Ricky Steamboat and Jake “the Snake” Roberts. Jake gave Ricky the DDT on the floor, resulting in a long stay on the injured list for Steamboat.

    Jericho has been known to throw out homages to his favourite wrestlers and moments in wrestling before, and it is possible that’s what he has done here.

    ** The match was taped on May 3rd 1986, but wouldn’t air until later in June that year. 

  • Marty Scurll Confirmed For BOSJ 2017, Full Participant List

    Marty Scurll Confirmed For BOSJ 2017, Full Participant List

    28 year-old Marty Scurll’s ascension in pro-wrestling continues, as he has been announced for this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament in NJPW. The round-robin tournament kicks of on May 17th.

    https://twitter.com/MartyScurll/status/859709893888135168

    Best of the Super Juniors 2017

    Last year the tournament was won by another Englishman, Will Ospreay, the first time a wrestler from England has won the tournament.

    The highlight of last year’s tournament was the well-received Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match. Not everyone liked the match however, as some, most notably Vader, felt it was too high-spot focussed. Others point out that high-spot laden matches are what the Best of the Super Juniors is all about.

    Block A
    Dragon Lee (CMLL)
    Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
    Jushin Liger
    Marty Scurll
    Ricochet
    Taichi (Suzuki-Gun)
    Taka Michinoku (Suzuki-Gun)
    Will Ospreay (CHAOS)

    Block B
    ACH
    Bushi (Los Ingobernables)
    El Desperado
    Kushida
    Ryusuke Taguchi
    Tiger Mask IV
    Volador Jr.
    Yoshinobu Kanemaru

  • Sean Waltman Arrested, Attempted to Smuggle Drugs on Overseas Flight

    Sean Waltman Arrested, Attempted to Smuggle Drugs on Overseas Flight

    Sean Waltman has resurfaced after missing a scheduled appearance in the UK over the weekend and growing concern that he had gone missing. Waltman had been scheduled to wrestle for IPW: UK on Saturday, which was billed as his final UK match. When he didn’t show, the promotion released a statement that they were unable to get a hold of him.

    After minor updates from Kevin Nash and Waltman’s podcast host stating that he was deal with “issues” – Sean Waltman broke his silence late Monday night and tweeted:

    https://twitter.com/TheRealXPac/status/859257064429731841

    As it turns out, Waltman was arrested on Saturday (4/29) at LAX Airport in Los Angeles after he was stopped at Customs and officials discovered he was concealing meth and marijuana. Police were called to the scene and Waltman was arrested and taken to jail, where he was booked for possession of a controlled substance. To make matters worse, he had an outstanding warrant stemming from a prior DUI arrest.

    Waltman was released the following day on $35,000 bond and has a court date later this month (5/25) to address the charges.

    The following arrest record sent in by reader Michael Hottle is posted on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website (click to enlarge):

  • NWA President Confirms Sale To Billy Corgan

    NWA President Confirms Sale To Billy Corgan

    NWA President Bruce Tharpe has released a statement on his Facebook page regarding Billy Corgan’s purchase of the promotion. You can read the full statement here.

    “As everyone knows by now – Billy Corgan and I have agreed on principle regarding his acquisition of the NWA brand. This decision comes after many weeks of negotiation and deep consideration.”

    Current State of the National Wrestling Alliance

    The NWA has earned revenue in recent years through their on-demand streaming service NWA Ringside. The service offers on-demand viewing of many classic NWA matches.

    There are still several small promoters who belong to the Alliance, although none that were part of the group during their glory days. Tharpe had previously developed a relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, which saw the NWA title defended in Japan in 2013.

    If Billy Corgan is buying in, he’ll have some type of plan. Corgan hasn’t posted to social media in over a month.

    “With the capital and business acumen that Billy Corgan brings to the table – I am confident that he has the ability to take the NWA to the next level. And I have promised to do all I can to help him succeed. I ask you to join me in supporting the new NWA regime in the future,” Tharpe said.

  • Title Match Scheduled For Smackdown Tonight

    Title Match Scheduled For Smackdown Tonight

    The rubber match in the Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens feud goes tonight on Smackdown with the US championship on the line.

    Owens defeated Jericho at WrestleMania, but Jericho forced Owens to tap at Payback to win the championship.

    https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/859267782961053696

    Story-Telling in the Owens vs. Jericho Program

    At the Festival of Friendship, Jericho presented Owens with a painting. It was a replica of the “Creation of Man” painting, only with Jericho and Owens playing the roles of God and man. In the painting Owens and Jericho are reaching out their index fingers towards one another.

    At WrestleMania, Owens used his index finger to reach the bottom rope while trapped in the Walls of Jericho. Owens then went on to win the match. At Payback, Owens again just used his index finger to grab the bottom rope to get out of a submission. Jericho then smashed Owens’ finger in the steps and locked Owens back in a submission. This time with his index finger injured, Owens had to tap as he could not reach out and grab the rope.

    Owens’ index finger is an analogy for their “friendship”. He had used the finger/Jericho’s friendship to win matches. So if Jericho wanted to win he had to break the finger/friendship, which is what he did. Pretty creative storytelling.

  • ROH Report: Young Bucks Issue Challenge, Spirit Squad Accept

    ROH Report: Young Bucks Issue Challenge, Spirit Squad Accept

    Ring of Honor TV
    airdate: May 1st 2017 (Fite App)
    Baltimore, MD

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJipYcRjQ8Q

    1. Coast to Coast (Shaheem Ali & LSG) vs. the Kingdom (Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia)

    They announced on commentary before the match that the winners would face the tag team champions in New York at the War of the Worlds show.
    Taven hit a reverse DDT on Ali, followed by a senton by Vinny, but the Kingdom opted not to pin him when they could have. Instead Taven called out ROH world champ, Christopher Daniels, and then hit Daniels’ Angel’s Wings on Ali, and got the 3 count.
    Daniels and Taven meet for the title on May 10th in Dearborn Michigan.
    Winners: the Kingdom (Taven pinned Ali)

    Young Bucks Segment

    The Young Bucks came out and tried to quell any rumours that there was dissension amongst them and Adam Cole in Bullet Club. They reaffirmed that Bullet Club was 4-life.
    Then they said they were out of challengers in ROH, so they issued an open challenge to any tag team anywhere.
    This brough out Mikey and Kenny from the Spirit Squad. They said they were accepting the challenge, but not for next week, they wanted to face the Bucks right now. They ran into the ring and were immediately super-kicked and knocked out by the Bucks. Commentary then announced we’d get the actual match next week.


    2. Flip Gordan vs. Matt Sydal

    Sydal will challenge Marty Scurll for the ROH TV title at War of the Worlds. While this was a showcase match for Sydal, Gordan got in a fair amount of offence as well.
    Sydal wins with the shooting star press.
    After the match Scurll ran into the ring and up behind Sydal. He tried to give him the chickenwing but Sydal hit him with a kick that took him out of the ring.
    Winner: Matt Sydal


    Story Time with Adam Cole Segment

    Adam Cole came out and again said there were no problems in Bullet Club, and that he and the Young Bucks have worked everything out. Cole also mentions he will team up with Cody (Rhodes) next week against Dalton Castle and Christopher Daniels.


    3. ROH World Title #1 Contenders Match
    4-Corner Survivors Match 
    Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young vs. Jay White vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

    Christopher Daniels was on commentary, he also brought an apple-tini.
    I don’t know quite how to describe this, or why I’m describing this but at one point during this match Silas Young spat on Hangman Page. In response, Page wiped the spit off his torso, licked it, and spat it back at Silas Young. It was nothing that should ever be repeated.
    Lethal ended up getting the pin on Young after the Lethal Injection. Lethal will now face Christopher Daniels and Cody at War of the Worlds on May 12th for the ROH title.
    Cody and Daniels each came down for a stare down session.
    Winner: Jay Lethal (added to world title match at War of the Worlds) 

    For no reason, here is a video of the Young Bucks super-kicking some kids:

  • Women’s Tag Team Match Announced For Tonight’s Raw

    Women’s Tag Team Match Announced For Tonight’s Raw

    One night after losing the Raw women’s championship in her hometown, Bayley will team up with Sasha Banks to take on Nia Jax, the newly crowned champion, Alexa Bliss.

    The match was announced earlier today by a guy Chris Jericho thinks is Tom Phillips:

    Raw Women’s Division

    Raw’s women’s division grew deeper after the Superstar Shakeup. It now consists of: Alexa Bliss (c), Bayley, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Mickie James, Emma, Dana Brooke and Alicia Fox. On the roster but currently inactive: Summer Rae, Paige (might not return).

    Despite the increased roster size, the division still only had 1 match on the PPV last night.

    Tonight’s episode of Raw takes place inside the Golden 1 Centre in Sacramento, California.

  • NJPW Releases Commercial For American Expansion

    NJPW Releases Commercial For American Expansion

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been taking strides over the last year to increase their english-speaking fanbase. They have increased the amount of shows they bring on an english-announce team for, and have been increasing the amount of foreign stars they feature.

    The biggest move the company is making to expand into english-speaking markets however, is bringing their famous G1 tournament to Los Angeles this summer.

    The company released the following commercial for the show recently:

    Should You Start Watching New Japan Pro-Wrestling?

    For those who don’t follow Japanese pro-wrestling, there are some significant differences. NJPW, and most other Japanese companies (not DDT) place far greater emphasis on pretending the sport is real. That is to say they don’t break down the fourth wall as much as WWE does. There is also far less talking, with backstage segments being limited to press-conference question and answer periods.

    NJPW also divides much of the year up by holding several tournaments, such as the G1.

    The G1 tournament is the main singles tournament of the year (with all do respect to the New Japan Cup). It is a round-robin tournament where wrestlers are split into 2 divisions. The wrestler who finishes with the most points in their division (2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss) moves on to the finals to face the winner of the other division. Whoever wins in the finals, earns a contract for a title match at WrestleKingdom.

    The two G1 shows in Los Angeles will most likely be during the round-robin portion of the tournament.

  • Further Information Regarding Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers

    Further Information Regarding Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers

    Last night at Payback, Jinder Mahal and the tag team formerly known as the Bollywood Boyz interfered in the Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton match. Their actions ended up costing Orton the bout, though not the championship, as it was not on the line.

    The Bollywood Boyz now going by “the Singh Brothers” is a subtle homage to Jinder Mahal’s family history in pro-wrestling. Singh was also the last name given to the members of a controversial faction from the 1980s.

    https://youtu.be/WQQ1ywQ5kn8

    Karachi Vice

    Karachi Vice was the name Bruce Hart gave to the Great Gama Singh’s stable in Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling. Singh’s father had immigrated from India to Calgary in the 1960s. He would play the role of the evil foreign menace in the territory for years. Jinder Mahal is the Great Gama Singh’s nephew.

    There were two other Singh’s in Karachi Vice: Makhan Singh (played by Mike Shaw/Bastion Booger) and Vokhan Singh (played by Gary Albright, who married into the Anoai’i family). The stable would feud with the likes of Owen Hart, Bruce Hart, Brian Pillman, and Chris Benoit.

    While Jinder’s push has seemingly come out of the blue, the company is full-blown behind it, especially considering what it could mean to their exposure in India.

  • WWE Superstars React To New “Great Balls of Fire” PPV Name

    WWE Superstars React To New “Great Balls of Fire” PPV Name

    The “Great Balls of Fire” PPV name has drawn strong reactions from the pro-wrestling community. Several WWE superstars, and other wrestling personalities have commented on the rather oddly titled PPV.

    Great Balls of Fire PPV Name Reactions:

    https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/858032743569137664

    Noam Dar wrote this, I’m not sure if it’s related to Great Balls of Fire or not:

    https://twitter.com/NoamDar/status/858061395945979905

  • NJPW Toyo Province 2017 Lineup: Juice Robinson Challenges Naito

    NJPW Toyo Province 2017 Lineup: Juice Robinson Challenges Naito

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has a show from the Beppu B-Con Plaza in Yamanotecho, Japan starting at 4am est. tomorrow.

    The main event will see Juice Robinson challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

    April 29th 2017 NJPW Lineup:

    1. Tomoyuki Oka, Hirai Kawato, Jushin Liger vs. Syota Umino, Katsuya Kitamura, & Tiger Mask
    2. Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun) (non-title)
    3. Yoshi Tatsu and Taguchi vs. Bushi and Sanada (Los Ingobernables)
    4. David Finlay, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Tanga Roa & Tama Tonga (Bullet Club)
    5. Will Ospreay, Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto (CHAOS) Vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
    6. Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Chase Owens, Kenny Omega and Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)
    7. IWGP JR. HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
      Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)(c) vs. Ricochet
    8. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL (Los Ingobernables)
    9. IWGP INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH
      Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)(c) vs. Juice Robinson
  • WWE Great Balls of Fire PPV Announced: Brock Lesnar’s First Title Defense

    WWE Great Balls of Fire PPV Announced: Brock Lesnar’s First Title Defense

    Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship on July 9th 2017, in Dallas at the all-new “Great Balls of Fire” PPV event.

    The American Airlines Centre in Dallas announced Lesnar’s participation in the event earlier today:

    https://twitter.com/AACenter/status/857973196364029952

    Great Balls of Fire PPV

    Unless the verified social media accounts from Dallas’ American Airlines Centre are trolling everyone for some reason, this does appear to be the name of the new July PPV.

    **Update: WWE has now confirmed the new PPV name on their event listings page. 

    It looks as though “GB of F” will be a Raw-exlusive PPV. As it stands currently, the plan is to limit co-branded shows to the big 4 PPVs.

  • Matt Hardy’s “Modern Genesis Nears”, More Hints That Broken Character Returning Soon

    Matt Hardy’s “Modern Genesis Nears”, More Hints That Broken Character Returning Soon

    Matt Hardy is making it as clear as he can (without actually saying it) that his broken character will be returning shortly.

    Hardy started going all-out Broken again on Twitter recently, which led some to report/suggest that a deal with Impact had been struck. Impact has been claiming ownership of the characters despite Matt and Jeff using them on the independent scene as well.

    There is no confirmation that a deal with Impact has been reached, but it does appear Matt is confident the character will be on WWE programming shortly.

    It could also be the case that the Hardys have received legal advice that they are able to use the characters, and that Impact’s claim to ownership of them is too weak. that seems to be what Reby is insinuating below:

    https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/857792624522035200

    The Hardyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro

    Should a return to the Broken gimmick occur, it could mean the Hardys drop the tag belts on Sunday. In storyline, it was Matt’s successful expedition of gold that contained his condition, so having him lose the belts could let it loose again.

  • New Champions Crowned in NJPW This Morning

    New Champions Crowned in NJPW This Morning

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling is building to their big Wrestling Dontaku show on May 3rd. Last night/this morning, the company held a Road to Wrestling Dontaku event in Hiroshima.

    Two titles matches were included on the show; the NEVER Openweight title and the junior heavyweight tag titles.

    April 27th 2017 Road to Wrestling Dontaku Results

    1. Tomoyuki Oka, Hirai Kawato and Jushin Liger defeated Syota Umino, Katsuya Kitamura and Tiger Mask (Umino tapped to Oka’s boston crab).
    2. Will Ospreay & Toru Yano (CHAOS) defeated El Desperado and Taka Michinoku (Suzuki-Gun)(Ospreay pinned Taka)
    3. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & David Finlay defeated Chase Owens, Tanga Roa & Tama Tonga (Bullet Club) (Owens tapped to Tenzan)
    4. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
      Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Suzuki-Gun)(c) vs. Beretta and Rocky Romero (Roppongi Vice)(CHAOS)
      Roppongi Vice wins back the Jr. Heavyweight tag team championships after hitting Strong Zero on Kanemaru. After the match Romero cut a promo bashing Suzuki-Gun and calling out the Young Bucks. 
      Despite their multiple championship wins, Roppongi Vice has only ever defended these titles successfully one.
      The Young Bucks have won the titles 5x and defended them 8x.
      The best junior heavyweight tag in NJPW history is Gedo and Jado who won the titles 4x and defended them 15x.
      In 2nd place is Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt/Finn Balor and Taguchi) who won the titles 4x and defended them 13x.
      Winners: Roppongi Vice (4x champions) (Beretta pinned Kanemaru)
    5. Yoshi Tatsu, Ricochet, Taguchi, Tanahashi & Juice Robinson defeated Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito (Los InGobernables) (Juice pinned Sanada)
    6. Yujiro Takahashi, Kenny Omega and Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club) defeated Yoshi-Hashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada (CHAOS) (Fale pinned Yoshi-Hashi)
    7. NEVER Openweight Championship
      Hirooki Goto (CHAOS)(c) vs. Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
      Goto was looking for his 4th straight title defence here, which would tie the record for the belt. Masato Tanaka and Tomohiro Ishii each had runs where they successfully defended the belt 4x. Ishii and Shibata are tied for the record at 6 title defences total, Ishii having had 4 reigns with the belt and Shibata 3.
      Beginning of the end came here when Desperado hit Goto with a chair behind the ref’s back. Suzuki then hit Goto with a series of strikes, locked in a sleeper, and transitioned into a cradle piledriver for the win.
      Winner: Minoru Suzuki (new champion)(Suzuki-Gun)
  • Kenny Omega & Young Bucks Merchandise Coming To ‘Hot Topic’

    Kenny Omega & Young Bucks Merchandise Coming To ‘Hot Topic’

    The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) have reached an agreement with clothing store, Hot Topic, for their merchandise to be sold in their retail locations.

    The Young Bucks tweeted out their reaction to the deal:

    https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/857477305555230720

    Young Bucks and Kenny Omega Merchandise Sales

    It is believed that Omega and the Bucks are the top merchandise sellers on ProWrestling Tees. They often brag about how many T-shirts they sell at live events as well.

    The deal is considerable for the Elite, as currently fans only have the option of buying their clothes online or at a live event (aside from some scattered pro-wrestling specific stores that exist). If the deal leads to similar agreements for other wrestlers as well, it could be a potentially good source of income for non-WWE wrestlers.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDePc9YLQU0

  • NXT Highlights and Results: UK Championship Match

    NXT Highlights and Results: UK Championship Match

    NXT
    air date: April 26th 2017
    Full Sail University

    Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross Brawl
    The show started this week with Nikki Cross coming down to the ring area and calling out Ruby Riot. This brought out Riot and the two brawled until separated by security.
    William Regal would later announce the two will face each other in a single’s match later in the show.

    1. Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Drew McIntyre
    The former La Sombra used some mannerisms of his old Los Ingobernables stable from CMLL. The same stable Tetsuya Naito belongs to in Japan. He forced Galloway to chase him which led to Almas being on offence for the first bit of the match.
    McIntyre eventually got a hold of Almas, and put him away with a running boot to the face for the win.
    Winner: McIntyre.

    Who Is Roderick Strong?
    We get a video package for Roderick Strong. In it, Strong details his harsh upbringing and his parents toxic and violent relationship. Pretty heavy stuff.

    2. Aleister Black vs. Kona Reeves
    Reeves plays up his Hawaiian heritage for a gimmick. He charged at Black to start the match, but Black backed him up with strikes moments later. Black hit him with strikes that knocked him down, then hit him with a spinning back kick to pin him. It was a Goldberg-style squash, if Goldberg was more of a kickboxer.
    Winner: Black

    3. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross
    These two women really went all out to showcase an aggressive brawl. Cross jumped Riot from behind and the match never started. They continued to brawl around the ring and stage area until once again separated by security.
    Result: No-contest

    William Regal announces there will be a battle royal next week to determine the next challenger to Asuka’s championship.

    4. UK Championship Match
    Jack Gallagher vs. Tyler Bate (c)
    A very technical European style match, as you would expect from these two. Finish of the match came when Gallagher was unable to pin Bate after a series of headbutts, and then Bate hit the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin and successful title defence.
    At ringside were several UK competitors, most notably Pete Dunne, who looked angry whenever shown on screen.
    Winner: Tyler Bate