Streaming service FloSlam has made the decision to cease operations and effectively close the door on their push to become an all in one destination for independent wrestling fans.
FloSlam officially launched in October 2016 and have been proactively adding to their roster of independent companies since then, their parent company FloSports announced back in August of 2016 that they had received $21.2 million in funding to “accelerate the online sports network’s growth into new sports and expand it’s existing verticals.” Interestingly one of the companies listed as an investor was WWE.
One of the biggest issues facing FloSlam was their pricing strategy, which saw users shelling out $20 a month or $150 for a year, this of course is more than double the WWE Network costs on a monthly basis.
Did you subscribe to FloSlam? Are you shocked at the quickness of which they folded or did you expect this to happen sooner? Let us know in the comments.
Defiant Wrestling will be presenting their first PPV event this Monday December 4th. #WeAreDefiant will be showcasing some of the best talent that the UK, Europe and the United States has to offer.
As part of the 7pm UK time pre show on YouTube, Bennett will be introducing a brand new talent who he describes as the “hottest free agent in professional wrestling today.”
The names currently being thrown around as potential signees are Austin Aries, James Ellsworth (!?)and James Storm.
Who do you think it could be? Let us know in the comments.
Wrestle Kingdom 12 is set to take place on January 4th from Japan’s legendary Tokyo Dome. There are two matches on the card which have arguably driven more ticket sales and generated the most hype: Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito.
Kenny Omega recently spoke to Yahoo Sports in Japan and commented on the buzz surrounding his upcoming match with Chris Jericho. He made mention of the mainstream U.S. appeal of this bout and how it could create a “double main event” feel to the show next to the IWGP World Heavyweight Title match.
Tetsuya Naito also spoke to Yahoo Sports and responded to ‘The Cleaner.’ Naito stated that “One, I’ve been through this. I’ve been called ‘double main event one. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s the semi main event.” Of course alluding to his previous G1 Climax 2013 win wherein he did not go on to main event the next year’s Wrestle Kingdom due to a fan vote.
He went on to say “Two, if you truly respect that you lost to me, then you don’t need to pull this ‘double main event’ stuff. If anything, cut the crap and say ‘let me be the main event’. Say what you mean. Third, you’re saying the US belt is now number two, not the IC belt. So you and Jericho and Jay White and Tanahashi should be the ‘double semi main event’ then, surely? Maybe the US title match is getting more focus abroad. But who will eyes be on at the Tokyo Dome?”
Naito responds to @KennyOmegamanX calling #njwk12 a double main event. 'One, I've been through this. I've been called 'double main event one'. It doesn't mean anything. It's the semi main event.' https://t.co/wamY2P3bjG
It’s about time isn’t it? Matt Hardy took a loss to Bray Wyatt this past Monday on RAW and he rather unequivocally used his ‘delete’ gesture, heavily hinting that ‘Broken’ Matt would FINALLY be making his way to WWE…
Sadly the WWE does not have an unblemished record when it comes to using ‘gimmicks’ and intellectual property brought in from elsewhere in the pro wrestling world. With such a lengthy absence of the ludicrous and creative character the WWE has the opportunity to truly redesign ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy and bring his broken brilliance to a bigger audience but…there are certain elements of the character that MUST be retained if it is going to work, here are 3 of them:
The Hardy Family
One of the most intriguing parts of Matt’s TNA portrayal of the ‘Broken’ character was the inclusion of his wife Reby, his son Maxel and his father in law Señor Benjamin. These personalities truly took on a life of their own and only added to the lunacy of Matt’s character arc, each adding to the cult like status that Matt and his brother Jeff were cultivating. Maxel recently appeared at the Starrcade event and many believe that WWE will be allowing Matt to work alongside his son as the upcoming storyline progresses…whether Reby and Señor Benjamin will be making appearances remains to be seen, and that’s not even mentioning Vanguard 1…
The Backstage Vignettes
Final Deletion was undoubtably one of the most absurd, creatively dynamic and groundbreaking moments in the history of not just TNA but pro wrestling as a whole. The production style, the overblown scripting and hyperbolic performances of Matt gave viewers a completely different perspective on what professional wrestling actually was and could be. It can’t be disputed that TNA’s Jeremy Borash had a major hand in the presentation of Final Deletion and the subsequent ‘special attractions’ centred around the Hardys but ultimately it was the direction of Matt that gave life to the characters, with a WWE production crew and a budget that likely engulfs anything previously he could easily reinterpret this style in a new, vibrant and exciting way.
The Right Opponent
Bray Wyatt (via Instagram @WWE)
When Matt first made the turn into his ‘Broken’ persona he had a fitting opponent in his brother Jeff Hardy. Interestingly feuds between the two siblings had never quite hit the right note and this was the first time that a Hardy Boys feud had garnered real traction and built intrigue in a genuine way. That being said Matt Hardy will need the ideal opponent to unleash his new persona on the WWE Universe. I believe that Bray Wyatt should be that opponent.
Before Matt reappeared in WWE I truly felt that Wyatt vs Hardy would be a dream bout, the two characters have a unique spin on the traditional pro wrestling fare and with their creative juices flowing surely they could break boundaries and present something completely different for the WWE fans? Wyatt has already taken part in some unique match types this year, his House of Horrors match against Randy Orton did not appeal in the way WWE would have hoped but with Matt’s direction and a new lease of life for the Wyatt character could they breathe life into both superstars and lift both up out of the quagmire of the mid card?
Are you excited for the return of ‘Broken’ Matt? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE superstar Emma has been announced for German based promotion wXw’s upcoming ‘Superstars of Wrestling’ event in May 2018.
Now known as Tenille Dashwood, the Australian star is regarded as one of the hottest free agents in wrestling after her unexpected release from WWE earlier this year. Whether this will lead to further appearances on the European independent scene remains to be seen however the likes of Pro Wrestling: EVE, ICW and PROGRESS would be ideal should Tenille decide to ply her trade throughout the continent.
Top UK independent promotion Rev Pro has announced a huge ROH Title match as part of their upcoming ‘Uprising’ event on Friday December 8th.
Fans of ROH will know that Cody is due to defend his title against Dalton Castle in the main event of Final Battle, Rev Pro has clarified how this match could massively affect that bout:
“In a world championship clash which will have huge ramifications for ROH’s biggest show of the year Cody will put his gold on the line against ROH’s franchise and former heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal at Friday December 8th’s ‘Uprising’.
To ensure that Dalton Castle gets his contracted championship match at Final Battle, should Lethal be victorious then two scheduled matches would become one as the Final Battle main event would turn into a 4 way.”
PROGRESS’ latest Chapter event took place this past weekend from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London.
The main event of the show saw the team of Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos (#CCK) defend their PROGRESS Tag Team titles against the Grizzled Young Veterans. Early into the bout Kid Lykos sustained an injury to his shoulder and had to be taken out of the building for medical assistance.
Company co-owner Glen Joseph confirmed via Twitter that Lykos had to have his shoulder ‘popped’ back into place, this comes after Kid Lykos recently returned from a wrist injury so the timing is hugely unfortunate for the rising UK star.
In case you weren’t aware…Chris Jericho will be making his return to New Japan Pro Wrestling when he faces IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th.
This once in a lifetime match appears to be making a huge difference to the sale of WK tickets, reports indicate that sales are up a staggering 80% from this time last year, that equates to 20,000 from October 25th – November 25th in 2017 as opposed to around 11-12,000 in 2016.
NJPW announces that 20,000 tickets have been sold for Wrestle Kingdom 12 in the first month of sales (Oct. 25 – Nov. 25), an 80% increase from last year, which would be in the 11-12,000 range. https://t.co/Z2RrzJikZF
Whether this rise can be attributed solely to Jericho/Omega can of course be disputed, however stars within the company, including ROH Champion Cody Rhodes are certainly attributing a major portion of the sales to the massively hyped match:
PROGRESS Wrestling’s 58th Chapter event took place this past Sunday from the fabled Electric Ballroom in Camden, London. Here are the full results from the show:
PROGRESS World Championship Match – Travis Banks b. “Super King Of Bros” Matt Riddle – Banks won the opening match of the night to retain his PROGRESS World Championship and avenge his previous loss to the ‘Bro’
Mark Haskins & Jimmy Havoc (w/ Vicky Haskins) b. Maverick Mayhew & Connor Mills – The veterans took the win after DECIMATING the newcomers in Mayhew/Mills…brutal
Eddie Dennis b. Jack Sexsmith – This match ended via ref stoppage, after the bell Dennis continued to attack Sexsmith until Travis Banks appeared for the save, Dennis then issued a challenge for the PROGRESS World Title
PROGRESS Women’s Championship No.1 ContenderMatch – Jinny defeated Dahlia Black by pinfall to become the number one contender to the PROGRESS Women’s Championship, this was an extremely tense No DQ bout
Timothy Thatcher b. Strangler Davis – Thatcher defeated Davis to become the Number 1 contender to the ATLAS title, the VALHALLA vignette played during the match and it was revealed that Rob Lynch had returned to the company
Timothy Thatcher b. Chris Ridgeway – Thatcher demanded another bout after defeating Davis and debutant Ridgeway was happy to oblige
Joseph Conners b. Flash Morgan Webster – WWE UK star Conners won via pinfall
PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match: Toni Storm b. Alex Windsor – Storm won via pinfall to retain the PROGRESS Women’s Championship
PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Match: Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) b. CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos) – Gibson won the match via submission to capture the tag titles for the Vets
5Star Wrestling has announced that both Rey Mysterio and John Morrison will be appearing on February 1st at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. The company recently made a groundbreaking deal with UK television channel FreeSports to broadcast live events across the United Kingdom throughout 2018 and beyond.
FreeSports is a channel available via the UK’s FreeView service, Sky, FreeSat, BT, TalkTalk TV and is available in over 22 Million homes.
Also currently announced for the show are Zack Gibson and Rob Van Dam.
Tickets for the show are available to purchase here.
BREAKING NEWS: John Morrison set to defend the 5 Star Championship, at the Liverpool Echo Arena on February 1st. The event will be broadcast LIVE on TV right across the UK thanks to FreeSports.
Last night saw the return of Starrcade inside the legendary Greenboro Coliseum for the first time in 30 years. Incidentally this is also the first time that WWE has used the once iconic WCW pay per view name for one of their events…sadly this was only a house show but none the less there were quite a few high profile appearances and returns from World Championship Wrestling’s historic past, here are the full results from the show:
Bobby Roode b. Dolph Ziggler – Arn Anderson made an impromptu appearance during the match and hit one of his patented Spinebusters on Dolph! Check it out below for the epic WCW nostalgia feels.
Rusev, The Bludgeon Brothers, The Colons, & Mike Kanellis b. Breezango, The Ascension, Tye Dillinger, & Sin Cara
The New Day tweaked with The Rock n Roll Express and The Hardys…the Hardys also spoke to WWE.com on why Starrcade is of such high importance to them as performers:
Naomi b. Tamina (w/Lana)
‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes b. Dash Wilder – Dustin made an emotional appearance using his old WCW persona and paid tribute to his father Dusty.
Charlotte (c) b. Natalya in a cage match for the SmackDown Women’s title – Incredibly this was the first cage match that Natalya has ever been a part of, unfortunately for her it was in a losing effort.
Tonight was my first time fighting in a steel cage. I’m bruised, cut up & really exhausted. Tonight, we also made history. We were the first women to ever have a cage match in North Carolina. With all of that being said, I’ll stop at nothing to get my championship back. ?? pic.twitter.com/fWVKxYPdnW
The Nature Boy and possibly the most iconic performer in WCW’s illustrious history Ric Flair made an appearance and spoke briefly with WWE.com on his memories of the Coliseum, let’s face it you can’t have Starrcade without some jet flying and limousine riding…
AJ Styles (c) d. Jinder Mahal (w/ The Singh Brothers) in a steel cage for the WWE Title – A result that will no doubt please a large portion of the WWE fan base, AJ retained the title heading into the Clash of Champions event where he will again defend against Jinder Mahal.
A truly memorable event, the only question that remains is this…why wasn’t this on the WWE Network?
AAA and Lucha Underground star Angelico has announced that he will be departing Mexico as of January 1st.
The Lucha Libre performer took to Twitter to reveal his plans going forward, which include a move east to Europe and his new home in Barcelona, Spain. Reports indicate that Angelico’s leaving is amicable, he made a point to thank Ultimo Dragon & Konnan in his official announcement and it is clear that the door is wide open for a potential return if and when Angelico decides to head back to Mexico.
PROGRESS has announced two tag bouts for their upcoming Chapter 58 event this Sunday. The team of Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos (also known as #CCK) will be taking on the Grizzled Young Veterans comprised of Zack Gibson and James Drake for the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships.
Drake and Gibson were expected to challenge for the belts back at Chapter 56 however due to injury Lykos had to forfeit and Jimmy Havoc took his spot in the bout. There is a very good chance that the Veterans take the belts here as PROGRESS looks to rejuvenate their Tag Team title scene heading out of the British Strong Style run earlier this year.
Speaking of Jimmy Havoc…he and Mark Haskins will be taking on the young team of Connor Mills and Maverick Mayhew. PROGRESS have decided to throw their own ‘young lions’ to THE lions in Havoc & Haskins who recently turned heel and run roughshot over Jack Sexsmith and David Starr, expect this to be a bloodbath.
PROGRESS has also released a teaser video with the tagline ‘Til Valhalla. The company often use social media as a way of hyping an appearance at a Chapter event and this could be leading to a new debut, who it may be is completely up in the air at this time.
Revolution Pro has announced the first name for their High Stakes 2018 show that will take place on January 20th from the legendary York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.
Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki will once again be gracing UK shores with his now confirmed appearance. Suzuki’s opponent has not yet been named however a slew of challengers has already been suggested by Rev Pro’s fanbase including fellow Suzuki-Gun member Zack Sabre Jr and rematches against Matt Riddle and Will Ospreay.
Suzuki recently appeared as part of Rev Pro/NJPW’s Global Wars co branded shows in both London and Walthamstow, he faced Hirooki Goto, Will Ospreay and Matt Riddle as part of the two day festivities.
High Stakes 2018 Saturday January 20th HE'S BACK Mailing list ticket pre-sale starts MONDAY 7PM pic.twitter.com/YnK7AQJBfQ
UK promotion UnPro Wrestling has released their first show ‘The Man Who Would be King’ for FREE online over the weekend.
The event took place back in August and featured some of the top up and coming names from the British Independent scene, including former PROGRESS World Champion ‘Pastor’ William Eaver, recent WWE Tryout attendee Jack Sexsmith, World of Sport and former PROGRESS Tag Team champion El Ligero and ‘Liverpool’s Number 1’ Zack Gibson.
You can check out the full card via the tweet below, let us know your thoughts on the show via the comments section.
As per the Wrestling Observer, there are several talents currently booked on the card for January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom show that are actively pushing for the event to be shown on Pay Per View in the United States.
Chris Jericho is one of the proponents for a PPV option however there is some resistance within New Japan. NJPW World will be showing the event and company heads want the extra hype and press from Jericho’s involvement to boost subscribers for the on demand service. It’s also worth bearing in mind that January 4th will be a weeknight and the timezone difference would mean a start time of around 2am in the US, a potentially tough sell for Pay Per View companies…
Will you be watching on January 4th? Would you like a PPV option or will you be joining/using NJPW World for the event? Let us know in the comments
Cody Rhodes is known to be fairly outspoken on Social Media with regards to his position on the independent wrestling scene and his role as ROH Champion & Member of the Bullet Club.
Since his departure from WWE Cody has been featured on a number of high profile PPV events such as New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom, Impact’s Bound for Glory, WCPW events across the UK and of course Ring of Honor’s numerous offerings.
When a fan tweeted Cody earlier today stating that WWE didn’t treat him as “the star he is” the ‘Grandson of a Plumber’ had an interesting response:
I was a multi-time champion & made the walk at Mania' a handful of times. WWE DID treat me like a star and I am grateful for it. I just saw something bigger in myself and I teamed up with folks like Matt & Nick who have that same vision and want to go for it. https://t.co/Zac2v5T1yG
WWE Mae Young Tournament competitor Piper Niven/Viper was recently featured by the BBC as part of the promotion for ICW’s upcoming Fear & Loathing X event in Glasgow, Scotland.
The 26 year old star, best known for her work in ICW as well as the short lived reboot of World of Sport talks at length about the career thus far and how she gets “hit like the big boys.” Here are some of the highlights:
On her initial training: “The way I was brought up in wrestling was that you train with the boys, you’re one of the boys, and you’ll get hit like one of the boys. If I was constantly pandered or treated differently then I definitely wouldn’t be here today.”
On gender equality in wrestlng: “People will say things like ‘it’s such a good woman’s match’ – why is it not just a good match? I hate that. Sometimes you’re segregated in a way. If you’re going to put in the work and break the mould, you can be a good wrestler”.
On the cancellation of World of Sport:“I was utterly devastated. It was one of the worst days of my life, To have it all come crashing down was so hard.”
On performing as part of the Mae Young Classic:“It was amazing just being there. It was great, seeing everything and how high-class it was.”
On her proud Scottish heritage and ICW: “It should be important to everyone to be proud of where they come from. Scottish wrestling is huge at the moment, I think it has some of the best wrestling in the world. I’m quite proud of my heritage. It [ICW] really is my home. It’s where my friends are, it’s the place I’ve come back to, it’s the place that grounds me.”
You can check out the feature in full via the tweet below:
This week’s schedule for the WWE Network has been released and here are the highlights and what you can expect following Survivor Series and NXT: War Games.
MONDAY
6:30 PM Eastern – RAW from December 1, 2008 – this is the live stream “debut” of this episode of Monday Night RAW
WWE 365 featuring Kevin Owens will air directly following RAW
TUESDAY
10 PM – 205 Live
WEDNESDAY
8 PM Eastern – NXT featuring the following matches:
Ruby Riot vs Sonya Deville
Johnny Gargano vs Pete Dunne for the WWE UK Championship
FRIDAY
Flashback Friday with the theme of “Thanksgiving: Part 2”.
3 PM Eastern – The inaugural Survivor Series PPV from 1987
6:00 PM Eastern – Smackdown from November 23, 2012
7:30 PM Eastern – “The WWE List” focusing on WWE merchandise
8 PM Eastern – The 1988 “Survivor Series” PPV
11 PM Eastern – Beyond the Ring documentary “World’s Greatest Managers”
SATURDAY
1 AM Eastern – World-Class Championship Wrestling TV from September 27, 1986
3 PM Eastern – This Week in WWE
11 AM Eastern – RAW from September 15, 2014
SUNDAY
1:30 PM Eastern – Smackdown from September 19, 2014
The Bullet Club appears to be adding to their ranks once again…
Stephen Amell, best known for his role in popular television superhero ‘Arrow’ has been unveiled as the newest member of Bullet Club. Amell was signed to host last night’s Ring of Honor ‘Survival of The Fittest’ event and he got involved during the main event, joining the Young Bucks in hitting a top rope IndyTaker (check out the video below).
Amell has gone on record regarding his love for the wrestling industry and you may remember his involvement in WWE alongside ROH Champion Cody Rhodes. It is understood that Cody and Amell have kept in touch since Amell’s Summerslam appearance and this latest chapter in ‘Arrow’s’ wrestling career seems to raise more questions around the Bullet Club and ROH going forward.
ICW will be hosting their biggest event of the year tomorrow when they invade the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Several stars from the WWE UK and NXT rosters have performed for Scotland’s number 1 wrestling promotion and four ICW alumni have taken to Twitter to wish the company luck for Fear & Loathing X tomorrow night…WWE UK superstar Wolfgang sent out the tweet below alongside Killian Dain, Nikki Cross and NXT Champion Drew McIntyre.
Good luck to team #ICW this weekend from some former World Champs and your #FearAndLoathing alumni
Speaking of Fear & Loathing X, here is the full card for the event:
Tag Team Match: The Kings Of Catch (Aspen Faith & Lewis Girvan) vs. The Kinky Party (Jack Jester & Sha Samuels)
King Of Insanity Tag Team Match: Jimmy Havoc & Stevie Boy vs. The Legion (Chris Renfrew & Mikey Whiplash)
Lionheart vs. Rob Van Dam vs Zack Gibson
ICW Unified Zero-G World Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Six Man Ladder Match: Aaron Echo vs. Bram vs. DCT vs. Jody Fleisch vs. Joe Hendry vs. Kid Fite
ICW Tag Team Title Match: The Marauders (Mike Bird & Wild Boar) (c) vs. Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey)
ICW Women’s Title Three Way Steel Cage Match: Kay Lee Ray (c) vs. Kasey vs. Viper
Kenny Williams vs. Rey Mysterio
ICW Zero-G Title / ICW World Heavyweight Title Match: BT Gunn vs. Joe Coffey
New Japan’s World Tag League begins tomorrow (November 18th) and the first night of the event will be available to stream live and FREE on YouTube.
The World Tag League is the last major tour on the road to Wrestle Kingdom in January. The tournament will see some high profile independent stars make their NJPW debuts, such as Sami Callihan and Jeff Cobb as well NJPW’s own homegrown talents.
Raymond Rowe, Hanson & Tomoyuki Oka vs Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Leo Tonga
Michael Elgin, Jeff Cobb, David Finlay & Katsuya Kitamura vs Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Barreta & Chucky T
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi vs Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe & Henare vs Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., & El Desperado
Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & Gero vs Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
World Tag League 2017 A BLOCK Match: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka
World Tag League 2017 A BLOCK Match: Juice Robinson & Sami Callihan vs EVIL & SANADA
NJPW WORLD’S Thanksgiving Special! See the opening night of World Tag League 2017 at Korakuen Hall on November 18 FREE! Check it out live on https://t.co/3O4aCKfFO2
A WWE 365 special will be airing this Sunday immediately following Survivor Series. The episode will feature former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens.
Speculation surrounding Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn has been ramping up recently with reports of the WWE locker room being upset with the duo becoming more commonplace. Owens and Zayn were recently sent home from WWE’s tour of Europe early and Owens has had a public back and forth with Randy Orton on Twitter.
Whatever the backstage/locker room is situation with Owens, it is clear that the company are still backing him and with this new feature show there is a very good chance that Owens makes an impact at Survivor Series this Sunday.
UK promotion IPW:UK has enlisted the services of former WWE producer Jimmy Jacobs as well as former Ring of Honor World Champion Christopher Daniels for their Clapham Calling event on March 18th 2018.
Jacobs will be taking on one of the most dangerous men in Independent wrestling, Jimmy Havoc. Both men have a penchant for the extreme and this match looks set to be nothing short of a bloodbath.
Christopher Daniels will be taking another former TNA roster member in Doug Williams. Doug is now celebrating 25 years in the wrestling industry and he is out to prove why he is one of British wrestling’s pioneers. This is not a bout to be missed if you’re a UK based fan.
Top UK based promotion Revolution Pro has announced the first names for their Wrestlemania weekend show in New Orleans. The event will take place as part of Wrestlecon and the following New Japan stars have already been announced:
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Zack Sabre Jr
Will Ospreay
Further information for the event can be found at wrestlecon.com
If you are heading to New Orleans next year for the Wrestlemania festivities then I highly recommend that you check out Revolution Pro, they are in the top 3 promotions of the United Kingdom alongside PROGRESS & ICW and their presentation and caliber of performers is nothing less than stellar.
