AEW has arrived and it’s the biggest news story in wrestling right now. The Double or Nothing rally took place earlier today and had some interesting twists and turns. The biggest news came when former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho was named as a new signee to the company.
Jericho appeared in front of the live crowd for the rally and declared himself as the newest contracted performer in All Elite. He also stated that he “wasn’t doing this for the money.”
Cody and Brandi Rhodes are of course two of the top heads of the new venture. Both discussed the signing of Jericho and how it affects the fledging company.
“To have Chris Jericho here today, to give us what we call in the wrestling industry, ‘the rub,’ and for him to—no pun intended—go all in with All Elite Wrestling, I want that to be the news today,” Cody stated. “So, that meant we held some things back because we want to do this thing slow, we want to do it correct.”
Brandi also discussed the announcement of a TV deal, saying “[Being on TV] is always the goal for everything, As [Cody] said we are a startup and we are in some ‘baby phases’ right now. What I can say is more information on that will definitely be forthcoming sooner than later.”
PROGRESS has announced that Will Ospreay will once again be returning ‘home.’ The current NEVER Openweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling will be taking part in the 83rd Chapter event ‘Remove Child Before Ironing.’ This takes place on 20th January from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, England.
Ospreay recently returned to the company for the ‘Unboxing’ event in December. Unboxing is a completely unannounced show where anything can happen. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ appeared to join his Swords of Essex teammate Paul Robinson to win the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships. The Essex based team defeated Aussie Open’s Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis.
Ospreay and Robinson will once again be teaming when they take on CCK at Chapter 83. CCK consists of Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos, one of the most revered and tenured teams on the UK circuit. This was one of the first announced matches for the show and could easily be the showstealer.
NXT UK has appeared to have reneged on a previously confirmed deal. Wrestle Gate Pro is a new promotion in the UK and have their first event on January 26th. ‘Open Gate’ will be taking place from the Rushcliffe Arena in Nottingham, England.
The original main event for the card would’ve seen NXT UK Superstar Jordan Devlin face UK standout Chris Ridgeway. Wrestle Gate owner Gary Ward spoke to us exclusively back in December regarding this match stating: “Him (Devlin) being able to perform on January 26th following his signing is great news for us, but this will be 1 and done for him so we’re grateful to Jordan and WWE for this.”
Wrestle Gate has now confirmed that Jordan Devlin will not be appearing on the show. This comes as a surprise as although it wouldn’t have been permitted under the new NXT UK contracts this was a done deal. The company tweeted the following: “Due to circumstance beyond our control, Jordan Devlin has been withdrawn from Open Gate on Jan 26th by the WWE.”
This will likely not be the last time that this occurs on the UK scene. Whilst WWE do of course have the final say on their contracted talent it seems odd to pull someone from a guaranteed pay day this close to the event. NXT UK Takeover Blackpool of course takes place this Saturday.
Breaking-
Due to circumstance beyond our control, Jordan Devlin has been withdrawn from Open Gate on Jan 26th by the WWE.
Jake McCluskey will now be facing Hard As F*ck Chris Ridgeway in the Main Event Of the Evening.
We reported earlier this week that KUSHIDA would be leaving NJPW after 8 years. KUSHIDA is easily one of the greatest performers in the history of New Japan, let alone the Juniors division.
KUSHIDA lost his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at last week’s Wrestle Kingdom show from the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The former champion’s final bout for the company will come at the ‘Road To’ New Beginning show on January 29th against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
One of the top stars from the NJPW Juniors Division (as of now) Will Ospreay took to Twitter to talk the departure of KUSHIDA and what it means to the division going forward. The UK star stated “This is when opportunity can present itself. New Japan will need Junior Heavyweights. I could name 5 lads in the UK alone that would be a great addition. Time to step up lads.”
Ospreay is still technically classed as a Junior performer for the company. The ‘Aerial Assassin’ faced Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom for the NEVER Openweight Championship, meaning that he could compete against a ‘heavyweight’ star. It is likely that Ospreay will be moving into the heavyweight division going forward. This would mean that there are two open spots for the Juniors division in the company, exciting times ahead.
DEFIANT Wrestling has announced their first PPV of the year. The UK based company will be heading to the Manchester Academy on Saturday February 9th for ‘Unstoppable.’
Tickets are now available to purchase as of Wednesday 12th December. The first match of the show has finally been announced. DEFIANT Tag Team Champions Aussie Open will be defending against CCK (Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos).
DEFIANT also recently announced the return of ‘Loaded.’ The show is a free-to-air programme that features many of the top talent from the UK independent scene. The show has seen many iterations over the past few years. DEFIANT sent out the following press release for the return back in September:
“Loaded previously ran for 33 episodes between July 2016 and October 2017, amassing over 25 MILLION views on YouTube. Loaded, at that time, ran under the WCPW (What Culture Pro Wrestling) banner, with WCPW since rebranded as Defiant Wrestling in late 2017 following a diversification from the What Culture brand.”
The company also recently announced that PAC will be making his debut for the company in 2019. The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion is confirmed for the first two dates of 2019’s ‘Loaded’ tapings. It is not confirmed if PAC will be part of Unstoppable but it would be a huge opportunity to get the former WWE Champion on PPV.
Manchester… Saturday, February 9th… Tag Titles on the line as Kid Lykos returns to Chris Brookes’ side to take on Aussie Open!
We’re hit the aftermath of New Japan’s biggest show Wrestle Kingdom. This means that the annual Fantastica Mania tour is just around the corner. Several of the top stars from Mexico’s CMLL promotion will be in the New Japan ring for the next few weeks.
Probably the biggest headline grabber on this show is the appearance of KUSHIDA. The New Japan star has announced that he will be leaving the promotion when his contract expires on January 31st. KUSHIDA will be teaming alongside Soberano JR and Mistico to face Namahage, Barbaro Cavernario and Caristico.
Another notable bout will see Fujin, Raijin, Toa Henare and Satoshi Kojima take on Los Ingobernables’ Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito and CMLL star Terrible.
Here’s the lineup for the show in Osaka (01/11):
Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi and Audaz vs Gedo, Taiji Ishimori and Templarino
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger, Flyer and Titan vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi and Forastero
Atlantis Jr and Atlantis vs OKUMURA and Sanson
Angel de oro, Dragon Lee and Mistico vs Cuatrero, Gran Guerrero and Ultimo Guerrero
KUSHIDA, Soberano JR and Mistico vs Namahage, Barbaro Cavernario and Caristico
Fujin, Raijin, Toa Henare and Satoshi Kojima vs Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito and Terrible
Fight Club: Pro held one of their biggest events this past weekend. The company held their debut event in Tokyo, Japan. The world famous Korakuen Hall played host to the event and featured some top international talent. WWE Superstar Akira Tozawa was on hand for the event and teamed with Meiko Satomura to take on Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos of CCK.
Here’s the results from the show:
Moonlight Express (MAO & Mike Bailey) b. The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter)
Sendai Girls Tag Team Title Match – Beauty Bear (Chihiro Hashimoto & Mika Iwata) (c) b. DASH Chisako & Millie McKenzie – Hasimoto and Iwata took the win to retain their titles
Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi) b. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
Strong Hearts (Seiki Yoshioka & T-Hawk) b. Strong Hearts (CIMA & El Lindaman)
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen, including the main event between Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The main event has just taken place in front of the Tokyo Dome crowd. Up to this point every Championship had changed hands on the card. That trend continued here.
One of the biggest spots in the match saw Tanahashi attempt to hit his High Fly Flow to Omega who was on a table outside the ring. Omega avoided the impact and Tanahashi took a huge spill through the wood. Kenny then opted to not take the count out victory as he rolled Tanahashi back into the ring.
The finish saw Tanahashi hit one final High Fly Flow to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the 8th time in his career.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Tetsuya Naito defeated Chris Jericho in the co-main event of the card. Naito is now once again the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, dethroning Y2J. This bout was changed to a No DQ contest when Jericho attacked Naito at the Fan Fest earlier this week. The match featured some hellacious kendo stick attacks from Jericho, the GOAT vowing to end Naito’s illustrious career. Naito also got some nasty looking strikes in late in the match, a huge welt appearing on Jericho’s chest. The finish came when Naito hit Destino on Jericho for the pinfall win.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Taiji Ishimori defeated KUSHIDA to become the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in the 6th match of the might. Ishimori hit the Bloody Cross to become the new champion and end KUSHIDA’s 6th reign with the belt.
After the match the commentary team were describing the win as the end of an era. The team where discussing KUSHIDA being one the greatest performers in the division’s history and the vibe felt like his time in NJPW was coming to an end. There have been numerous reports recently linking KUSHIDA with WWE, so there may well be a chance that his contact ends soon with New Japan and he appears in NXT. Though this is in no way confirmed.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Juice Robinson won the IWGP United States Championship in the 5th match of the night. Robinson hit two Pulp Frictions on Cody to win the title. Brandi Rhodes interfered multiple times in the match.
The general consensus was that Cody would lose this match due to the announcement of All Elite Wrestling. ROH, NJPW and AEW are reportedly meeting following the conclusion of the show, you can check out our full report on that here.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
January 4th marks the biggest day in the Japanese wrestling calendar. Wrestle Kingdom 13 took place earlier today and featured some of the top stars from all over the globe. One of the biggest talking points of 2019 will be All Elite Wrestling, the new promotion brought together by Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Hangman Page and the Khan family.
According to the Wrestling Observer All Elite, Ring of Honor and New Japan will be meeting at the conclusion of Wrestle Kingdom. Dave Meltzer stated that the companies do want to work together and that it is “not impossible by any means.”
There are several issues pertaining to all three companies ‘working together.’ New Japan has been working hard to develop their presence in the United States alongside Ring of Honor, AEW may well threaten that. Another issue is that Cody, The Young Bucks and Page are current NJPW talent. New Japan finding out that their own stars were looking to establish their own brand may not have sat well with them, however that is purely speculative on my part.
Reports have shown that AEW are offering multiple year deals to independent talent and they want to lock them down as quickly as possible. Could the three companies work in conjunction? Possibly.
With AEW looking to make a splash quickly it might actually be in their favor to not get in bed with the more established companies and to carve their own path.
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
SANADA and EVIL captured the IWGP Tag Team Championships in the 4th match of the night. SANADA took the win after hitting the Magic Killer and a Moonsault. SANADA was on fire during the bout, easily the star of the show.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Zack Sabre Jr defeated Tomohiro Ishii in the 3rd match of the night. ZSJ won the bout to become the new Undisputed British Champion of Revolution Pro wrestling. Zack took the win after locking Ishii in a double octopus arm stretch and the referee Chris Roberts called for the bell. Ishii initially stopped ZSJ’s original run with the belt so Zack finally got his revenge here.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Shingo Takagi and BUSHI captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championships in the second match of the night. Takagi hit the Last of the Dragon on SHO to win the Championships and end Suzuki-gun’s run with the belts.
Here’s the full card for the event:
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen.
Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi in the opening bout. Ospreay used the Stormbreaker to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Ibushi took a nasty bump against the ring post during the bout and there appeared to be a cut in his mouth. Ibushi was stretched out of the ring following the match.
Here’s the full card for the event:
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom show is just about to get started and there has already been a major announcement. Traditionally, the January 4th show is followed by the New Year Dash event in Korakuen Hall…however next year is very different.
New Japan has officially confirmed that there will be two events at the Tokyo Dome in 2020. That’s right, Wrestle Kingdom will be taking place on January 4th and January 5th.
The company also confirmed that the G1 Climax will be opening this year in a new location. Dallas, Texas will be playing host to the very first night of the tournament.
Here’s the full card for the ongoing Wrestle Kingdom event:
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
The IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega will be defending his title in just a few hours time at Wrestle Kingdom. The Champion has had a fairly mixed run with the belt but is still considered one of the premier performers in New Japan and the world scene.
According to the Wrestling Observer this hasn’t gone unnoticed at WWE. Dave Meltzer has said that WWE have made a “Fantastic offer” to Omega. It’s not clear what that means monetarily but WWE do have some firepower when it comes to contract negotiations. The company will be wanting to boost their roster with the upcoming move to FOX and the multi billion dollar deal that they signed, even if that means potentially bolstering the likes of NXT.
With All Elite Wrestling also getting off the ground there is a good chance that Omega winds up there. Omega is of course very close with The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes, he could be a huge asset in helping to promote the new venture going forward. With NJPW also looking to further expand into ‘the west’ they will not be wanting to lose one of their biggest stars, so there could be some interesting developments in the coming weeks.
New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome show is now underway. The stacked card could end up being one of NJPW’s best ever and we’ve got the results as and when they happen. Here’s the result of the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Number 1 contender’s match:
Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay b. Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll – Finlay rolled up Takahashi to eliminate him
Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay b. Hirooki Goto, Chuckie T & Beretta – Finlay rolled up Chuckie T for the pinfall
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) b. Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay – The Killer Elite Squad (Smith and Archer) hit the Killer Bomb on Finlay for the pinfall
Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Ryusuke Taguchi b. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) – Yano hit a low blow on Davey Boy Smith and rolled him up for the victory. Makabe, Yano and Taguchi will now be challenging for the NEVER 6 Man Belts at tomorrow’s New Year Dash event
Here’s the full card for the event:
NEVER Openweight Championship Match – Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship Match – Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zac Sabre Jr.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match – Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match – KUSHIDA (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori
Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match – Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match – Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
We are fast approaching Wrestle Kingdom, the biggest show of the year for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The card has been finalized for 13th installment of NJPW’s annual Tokyo Dome spectacular and it’s shaping up to be another can’t-miss event. New Japan has made a habit of locking in “Show Of The Year” honors just days into the new year, but the card for Wrestle Kingdom 13 might even exceed them all. If you’re not too familiar with New Japan Pro Wrestling, this is the perfect opportunity to take the plunge and we’re eager to explain why.
The Main Event
The marquee bout of Wrestle Kingdom 13 will see IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defend against New Japan’s ‘Ace’ Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi won this year’s G1 Climax tournament. This win gave him the opportunity to headline the Tokyo Dome show against the Champion Omega. This will be somewhat of a clash of ethos…Tanahashi represents the tradition and prestige of New Japan. Omega represents the present/future and influence of the West into the Japanese style.
This could be one of the last opportunities for Tanahashi to walk into a Tokyo Dome main event, so you can guarantee that he will leave everything in the ring. Omega is already fast becoming one of the best in-ring practitioners in New Japan’s history, his unbelievable run of bouts against Kazuchika Okada solidified his status as the ‘Western’ face of New Japan as they look to build on their expansion into the United States.
Other bouts on the show are potential show stealers, so there is no way that Omega and Tanahashi won’t walk into the main event and try and outdo all that comes before them.
Return of The GOAT
Omega’s fellow Canadian Chris Jericho will also be taking part on the card. Jericho’s ability to trick fans and make himself the talking point of pro wrestling in 2018 has been nothing short of impressive. Jericho is the company’s IWGP Intercontinental Champion, he will be defending against Tetsuya Naito. As the leader of Los Ingoebernables de Japon, Naito is the definition of cool in New Japan.
Naito has a strong technical ability and can change the pace and style of a match seemingly at will, Jericho is the master of the ‘less is more’ approach, especially at this point in his career. Whilst this may not be an in-ring clinic (no detriment to the two performers) this will be an element of the card where character and pacing/storytelling will be at the forefront.
The Dream Match
The match that has me extremely excited was only just recently confirmed. NEVER Openweight Champion Kota Ibushi will be defending against Will Ospreay. As the resident UK writer for this website I have been following Ospreay’s career for the best part of 5 years.
The ‘Aerial Assassin’ is one of the most exciting talents in the world and when you put him in the ring with a talent the caliber of Kota Ibushi you’re likely to get excellence. This is an opportunity for Ospreay to ‘move up’ and mix it with the Heavyweight Division in New Japan.
Ospreay has been one of the shining beacons of the Juniors over the past couple of years but his athletic abilities could translate extremely well to a different weight class, although the NEVER title is technically ‘openweight’ it has up to now been a heavyweight and ‘strong style’ flavored division.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFJ0a4RSswI
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
There’s also a IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship that catches the eye. Champion KUSHIDA will be defending against Taiji Ishimori. Ishimori joined the BULLET CLUB as the new Bone Soldier and has been flourishing in the Juniors ever since. Taiji had a very impressive showing in the Best of The Super Juniors 2018, losing only to Hiroshi Tanahashi in the final.
KUSHIDA is a name that you may be aware of, he is reportedly being looked at by WWE as a potential NXT signing…NXT overseer Triple H is supposedly a big fan of the Japanese star.
If this doesn’t convince you then check out the full card below:
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Chris Jericho (c) vs Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori
IWGP United States Championship Cody (c) vs Juice Robinson
RevPro British Heavyweight Championship Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs Zack Sabre Jr.
IWGP Tag Team Championships Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs The Young Bucks vs. EVIL and SANADA
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs Roppongi 3K vs BUSHI and Shingo Takagi
IWGP NEVER Openweight Championship Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
WrestleKingdom 13 Pre-Show Gauntlet Match to become Number One Contender for the NEVER Six-Man Titles
You can watch the show via FITE TV or NJPWWorld. If you have any questions about New Japan just hit us up in the comments
The 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick appeared on the show this week. The GM discussed the plans for 205 Live in 2019.
Maverick stated “A new year means new opportunities. 2018 saw the cruiserweight division take on a remarkable transformation. As long as I’m the General Manager of 205 Live, I have no intention of resting on my laurels.”
Maverick elaborated further, saying that “I’ve been busy over the holidays, contacting General Managers of other brands, and scouting all corners of the globe for up & coming cruiserweight talents to raise the standard of competition here on 205 Live. That means the WWE Universe can expect to see some new faces on 205 Live, and the 205 Live roster can expect fierce competition.” Maverick finished by saying “I expect everyone in the division to step up their game and rise to the occasion. It’s going to be an exciting year and 205 Live will remain the premier destination for the best cruiserweight wrestling in the world.”
There’s no official news on who the new talent will be taking the jump to 205 Live. There could be some movement from NXT into the brand, would the likes of Ricochet move over? Or could that be seen as somewhat of a demotion? As soon as we have information we will update here on the site.
Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) has announced a big match for their upcoming show in Northampton. Dragon Gate star PAC will be taking on CCK’s Chris Brookes. Both men are two of the top free agent talents on the planet right now. Brookes was heavily touted with a move to WWE earlier this year. Rev Pro event mentioned in a promotional tweet saying “what could well be his last match in a RevPro Ring” back in June. The Calamari Catch King opted to remain on the UK independent scene. He also seemingly shunned the WoS brand in the process.
In other PAC news Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) also announced that ‘The King’ will be heading to Bethnal Green in February. The company’s ‘High Stakes 2019’ event takes place on February 15th from the world famous York Hall in London. PAC will be facing Will Ospreay as part of the event. Tickets for the show sold out in record time with just the one match being announced.
This comes after Rev Pro announced that PAC would be facing Zack Sabre Jr in 2019. The former WWE Superstar will be heading to ‘Live at The Cockpit’ at The Cockpit Theatre in London on January 6th. PAC recently appeared for Rev Pro at their Portsmouth show, where he faced Mike Bailey.
It’s been fairly common knowledge for the past few months but now it is official. PROGRESS’ official Twitter account confirmed today that the 3 owners of the company are indeed affiliated/work at NXT UK. The Wrestling Observer claimed a few months ago that PROGRESS co-owner Jim Smallman would be running the NXT UK promotion. Smallman has been joining WWE and the NXT brand in America at sporadic points over the past few years, seemingly to become ingratiated in the WWE style of running shows.
Jon Briley and Glen Joseph, the other 2 owners of PROGRESS were not previously in the rumors surrounding the running on NXT UK. There is a VERY good chance that PROGRESS are playing with fans, they are known to do that. The PROGRESS Twitter account wrote earlier today “because the 3 guys that run PROGRESS also work at NXT UK. Hope that helps.” This was in direct response to a fan question asking why PROGRESS shows had been re-scheduled, the fan claimed that NXT UK was behind it.
Because the 3 guys that run PROGRESS also work at NXT UK. Hope that helps. ? https://t.co/QqCslDdnbG
Pete Dunne has passed a major milestone in his short WWE career thus far. As you may have already guessed the ‘Bruiserweight’ has spent a full calendar year as WWE’s United Kingdom Champion.
With the NXT UK brand now official but still in it’s infancy Dunne has not been made to defend the title a whole lot. Pete Dunne originally won the title back at NXT Takeover: Chicago on May 20th in 2017 against Tyler Bate. That match won critical acclaim and helped to establish the UK talent and brand to hardcore NXT fans.
Some other Superstars to go a full year include CM Punk, who was WWE Champion throughout 2012. Punk of course defended his title quite a few more times than Dunne was made to. Gillberg also held on to the Light Heavyweight Championship throughout 1999 and Rockin’ Robin held the Women’s Championship throughout 1989.
There are also two other Champions who started and ended the year as title holders. Brock Lesnar started 2018 as the Universal Champion and ended the year with the belt after beating Braun Strowman. The Undisputed Era also held the NXT Tag Team Championships at the start of 2018 and recaptured their belts on June 21st from Tyler Bate and Trent Seven of Moustache Mountain.
It’s now official. On the latest episode of the Elite’s Being The Elite YouTube series, Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks and Hangman Page officially announced All Elite Wrestling.
The suspenseful episode culminated with the four men standing outside the Tokyo Dome as the countdown clock they’ve been teasing expired. After an initial pause in which it appeared they waited “4 months wait for nothing,” they realized something was coming through on their phones. Cody and The Bucks displayed Double or Nothing, which will be the first live show under the AEW banner. Cody said, “Hangman, show us yours.” Hangman Page’s screen showed something else: the All Elite Wrestling logo.
All Elite Wrestling
This is of course one of the biggest news items heading into 2019. We exclusively reported back in October that the Elite had been working alongside the Khan family. Shahid Khan, the patriarch, is one of the wealthiest men on the world (and a colorful personality). He owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. of the English Premier League. Shahid’s son, Tony, is a big wrestling fan and has been hands-on with getting this off the ground.
‘Double or Nothing’ is presumably the first event for the new startup. Following in the mega success of the ‘All In’ show which took place earlier in 2018. Click Here for the latest information surrounding AEW: Double or Nothing.
With the financial backing of a multi-millionaire and some strong independent talent 2019 could be the year of AEW.
