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Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy Predict The G1 Climax: Night 4

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors are competing in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.

SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy have made their predictions for Night 4 of the tournament, which takes place this Thursday 19th July.

(You can check out the Predictions for Night 3 here)

Jake Jeremy – Ok so we are talking Night 4 of the tournament (it feels like it’s been weeks already…), here are the bouts:

  • Juice Robinson vs Kota Ibushi
  • Hirooki Goto vs Kenny Omega
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito
  • Toru Yano vs Zack Sabre Jr
  • SANADA vs Tama Tonga

Ian Carey – Alright, 4 shows in a row, 3 of them at Korakuen Hall

Jake Jeremy – I think that to start Ibushi will need to defeat Robinson, it’s a tough position for the new IWGP US champ but I still see Kota taking this block.

Ian Carey – Yes I agree, Kota beats Juice. I also see Kenny Omega beating Hirooki Goto and Tetsuya Naito defeating Tomohiro Ishii

Jake Jeremy – I actually see Goto getting the shock win over Omega to set up a nice little bout before WK and give Goto his shot in the main event. I can also see Naito beating Ishii

Ian Carey – Here is my underdog pick of the night…Yano defeats Zack Sabre Jr

Jake Jeremy – Ahhh but will Yano actually lose every match BECAUSE he’s playing it a little more ‘straight’ this time with less cheating?

Ian Carey – I was thinking that, but I think Omega is losing to Ibushi and Tonga. i also think he’ll drop a tie at the top of the block at 7-2. In terms of Yano? Well, I don’t know if they’ll keep going with that because historically having Yano in a group is a great for giving someone a cheap loss without making them look weak

Jake Jeremy – That’s a great point

Ian Carey – With ZSJ i think he’ll have a great tournament but ultimately not win the block…so he’s got to have a few cheap losses. I also see Tama Tonga beating SANADA

Jake Jeremy – Agreed on Tama beating SANADA

So here are the full predictions:

Ian Carey 

  • Kota Ibushi beats Juice Robinson
  • Kenny Omega beats Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito beats Tomohiro Ishii
  • Toru Yano beats Zack Sabre Jr
  • Tama Tonga beats SANADA

Jake Jeremy 

  • Kota Ibushi beats Juice Robinson
  • Hirooki Goto beats Kenny Omega
  • Tetsuya Naito beats Tomohiro Ishii
  • Zack Sabre Jr beats Toru Yano
  • Tama Tonga beats SANADA

What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments.

Posted July 18th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

Report: Major Change To PROGRESS Wembley World Title Match

PROGRESS Wrestling has announced a major change to their upcoming event in September. The ‘Hello Wembley’ show will be taking place on Sunday September 30th from the hallowed grounds of Wembley Arena in London, England and is easily the biggest show in company history…and it already appears to be creating more headaches for the PROGRESS co-owners Jim Smallman, Glen Joseph and Jon Briley than perhaps initially anticipated.

First came the news that Will Ospreay would no longer be able to compete in a long anticipated rematch against rival Jimmy Havoc. The two men are responsible for arguably the hottest angle in company history which many fans claim put PROGRESS ‘on the map’ in terms of independent wrestling. The cancellation of Ospreay’s appearance was due to an unforeseen booking conflict with New Japan Pro Wrestling; Ospreay is contractually obligated to appear on the planned United States show on September 30th for NJPW.

Once the news broke of Ospreay’s absence from PROGRESS’ biggest ever show fans questioned whether another big time performer for the company would also be missing the date in London…

Zack Sabre Jr competed in and was the eventual winner of this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament, outlasting the field and gaining himself a World Title shot against Travis Banks at an event of his choosing. ZSJ informed the PROGRESS fans that he would be taking the shot at Wembley but PROGRESS co-owner Glen Joseph took to Twitter to confirm that Zack would not be appearing due to his New Japan commitments and he also revealed the contingency plan for this massive event in Wembley Arena.

Joseph announced that “between Chapter 74 and Chapter 75 inclusive and the whole USA Coast to Coast Tour any wrestler that puts together 3 back-to-back consecutive singles wins in competition will qualify for the World Championship match and indeed the main event at Wembley Arena.”

It is messy situation however this does give the #CoastToCoast tour in the United States an extra shot of importance and does embody the spirit of competition that the company was built upon.

Posted July 18th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

Rev Pro Announce Return of British J-Cup, New Japan Legend Confirmed for Tournament

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) has announced that the British J Cup will be returning later this year. The company sent out a tweet stating that “JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER will look to defend his crown as 16 of the best Jr Heavyweights in the world will compete over 2 days for the 2nd Annual British J Cup Sep 8/9.” The shows will be taking place at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England.

This will be the second iteration of the tournament, the debut field in 2017 included Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger, Kushida, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, Kyle O’Reilly, Josh Bodom, Ryusuke Taguchi and Tiger Mask IV. As previously mentioned Liger won the new trophy and he looks to be the first confirmed competitor for this September in Manchester.

With the wealth of talent at Rev Pro’s disposal through their NJPW affiliation we could see a number of Junior division stars make their way into this increasingly prestigious field of competitors. Hopefully the likes of Hiromu Takahashi, Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, KUSHIDA et al can be booked for the two nights.

Posted July 16th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

Two More Confirmed Matches for Rev Pro’s Summer Sizzler 2018 feat. Former WWE Tag Team Champion

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) has announced two more bouts for their upcoming Summer Sizzler 2018 event which takes place Friday August 17th from the historic York Hall in Bethnal Green, London.

The first is a tag team bout pitting the New Japan Pro Wrestling/Pro Wrestling NOAH team of Davey Boy Smith Jr and Lance Archer (Killer Elite Squad) against one of the most praised duos in all of the UK scene: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis). The second bout sees CMLL’s Titan and El Soberano in a bout between two of the globe’s finest high flyers.

This joins the news that former British Heavyweight Champion and legend of the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion Tomohiro Ishii will be taking on former PROGRESS ATLAS and wXw Unified World Champion WALTER.

Ishii recently lost his British Heavyweight title against Minoru Suzuki at the Strong Style Evolved this past weekend, after the match WALTER appeared and attacked the ‘Stone Pitbull’ to set up this huge bout at the ‘Sizzler.

WALTER has been heavily rumored for a move to WWE over the past year, his work as part of the Ringkampf stable in wXw and his breakout year on the UK scene for the likes of PROGRESS have earned him worldwide acclaim and a chance to appear for PWG and quite possibly New Japan in the near future.

Posted July 16th, 2018 in News. Tagged: , , .

Matt Riddle Out of DEFIANT Ringmaster Tournament, Replacement Announced

UK based promotion DEFIANT Wrestling will be holding their ‘Ringmaster’ tournament over two nights starting today (16th/17th) from the O2 Academy in Newcastle, England.

The company has described the ‘Ringmaster’ as follows: “featuring 16 competitors, the tournament will feature stars we have never seen before in Defiant, stars we haven’t seen for a while, and stars we see often!”

Unfortunately Matt Riddle is no longer scheduled to compete due to a flight delay, a replacement has however been announced and it is highly rated UK scene performer El Phantasmo. Phantasmo will be taking on Aussie Open’s Mark Davis in the opening round this evening.

The full lineup for the tournament is as follows:

  • Adam Brooks
  • Bad Bones
  • BT Gunn
  • David Starr
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Curtis Chapman
  • Kyle Fletcher (of Aussie Open)
  • Mark Davis (of Aussie Open)
  • Martin Kirby
  • El Phantasmo
  • Millie McKenzie
  • Nathan Cruz
  • Omari
  • Simon Miller
  • Stevie Boy
  • TK Cooper

With the recent announcement of the NXT UK brand and the news that WWE contacted talent cannot be featured on streaming services across the UK it is testament to the depth of talent that the United Kingdom scene has when looking at this stacked tournament.

The event will be available to purchase either on the FITE app or on DEFIANT’s Access On Demand service which available for $8.99 per month.

Posted July 16th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

PROGRESS Chapter 73: ‘Fourth Shade Of Green’ Results

PROGRESS held their 73rd Chapter event ‘Fourth Shade of Green’ this past Sunday July 15th from the O2 Academy in Birmingham, England. The card featured some top tier talent from the UK isles as well as some of the stars of NXT UK, Frontline Wrestling and beyond.

Here are the full results for the show:

  • Mark Andrews b. El Phantasmo – The 205 Live Superstar took the win via pinfall, this was a showcase bout for El Phantasmo who is quickly becoming one of the UK scene’s most underrated talents
  • PROGRESS Atlas Championship Number One Contendership Match – TK Cooper b. Rob Lynch – The South Pacific Powerhouse took the win here by pinfall to gain an unlikely match for the ATLAS Championship against Doug Williams
  • Danny Jones b. Eddie Dennis – Duggan took the win here via DQ, Dennis then claimed that he only wants to fight Mark Andrews and Mandrews obliged with a stage dive
  • Tyler Bate b. Travis Banks – Banks took the loss via Countout once again and now the PROGRESS owners have mandated that his next bout against WALTER will be no countout
  • British Strong Style (Pete Dunne & Trent Seven) b. The Kings Of The North (Bonesaw & Damien Corvin) – BSS took the pinfall win
  • Toni Storm b. Killer Kelly – NXT UK Superstar Storm won the match via pinfall in her attempts to regain the Women;’s title and sit atop the division
  • Mark Haskins & Flash Morgan Webster (w/Vicky Haskins) defeated David Starr & Jack Sexsmith – Haskins and Webster won the bout however ‘Flash’ turned on Mark Haskins when his 198 tag team partner Wild Boar made his PROGRESS redebut
  • No Disqualification Match: Drew Parker defeated Jimmy Havoc – Parker won via pinfall and after said he was not happy by defeating a broken down Havoc. Parker then prepared himself to be attacked via Axe (!?) when Paul Robinson then appeared to put stop the madness.

Posted July 16th, 2018 in News.

G1 Climax 2018 Night 3 Results and Updated Rankings

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 3:

Michael Elgin b. Hangman Page – Elgin took the win via pinfall with the Elgin Bomb

EVIL b. YOSHI-HASHI – EVIL took the pinfall win after hitting his namesake move

Togi Makabe b. Minoru Suzuki – Makabe took somewhat of a shock pinfall win with the King Kong Knee Drop

Bad Luck Fale b. Kazuchika Okada – Fale also took a shock win by pinfall with Bad Luck Fall after Tama Tonga interfered and hit a Gun Stun on Okada

“Switchblade” Jay White b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – White took the pinfall win after hitting the Blade Runner. This came after a ref bump and a chair to Tanahashi’s face. White cut a promo after the match celebrating his wins over Okada and Tanahashi.

Here are the current tournament standings:

Block A

  • Jay White – 4 Points (2-0-0)
  • Michael Elgin – 4 Points (2-0-0)
  • Togi Makabe – 4 Points -2-0-0)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi – 2 Points (1-1-0)
  • Hangman Page – 2 Points (1-1-0)
  • Evil – 2 Points (1-1-0)
  • Bad Luck Fale – 2 Points (1-1-0)
  • Kazuchika Okada – 0 Points (0-2-0)
  • Minoru Suzuki – 0 Points (0-2-0)
  • Yoshi-Hashi – 0 Points (0-2-0)

Block B

  • Kenny Omega – 2 Points (1-0-0)
  • Tama Tonga – 2 Points (1-0-0)
  • Tomohiro Ishii – 2 Points (1-0-0)
  • Kota Ibushi – 2 Points (1-0-0)
  • Hirooki Goto 2 Points (1-0-0)
  • Tetsuya Naito – 0 Points (0-1-0)
  • Zack Sabre Jr. – 0 Points (0-1-0)
  • Sanada – 0 Points (0-1-0)

You can find the results for Night 1 here and Night 2 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out how they fared with Night 3’s predictions right here.

Posted July 16th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

G1 Climax 2018 Night 2 Results

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 2:

B Block Results

Tomohiro Ishii b. Toru Yano – Ishii took the win via a low blow into La Casita

Tama Tonga b. Juice Robinson – Tonga took the pinfall win after reversing the Pulp Friction into a Gun Stun

Hirooki Goto b. SANADA – Goto won by pinfall after hitting the GTR

Kota Ibushi b. Zack Sabre, Jr. – Ibushi won via pinfall after hitting the Kamigoye

Kenny Omega b. Tetsuya Naito – Omega won via pinfall after hitting the One-Winged Angel

You can find the results for Night 1 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out Night 3’s predictions right here.

Posted July 15th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

PROGRESS Reveals More Matches for #CoastToCoast USA Tour

PROGRESS has announced more bouts for their upcoming tour of the United States. The #CoastToCoast tour will run August 4th through August 12th.

The matches announced are as follows:

  • PHILADELPHIA August 4th – South Pacific Power Trip vs Moustache Mountain
  • BOSTON August 5th – TK Cooper vs Kid Lykos
  • NEW YORK CITY August 7th – CCK vs LAX
  • SEATTLE August 9th – WALTER vs Jimmy Havoc
  • CHICAGO August 11th – CCK vs Flamita and Bandido
  • DETROIT August 12th – WALTER vs Mark Andrews

These join the following bouts which were confirmed earlier last week:

  • BOSTON August 5th – Rickey Shane Page vs Eddie Dennis
  • SEATTLE August 9th – British Strong Style vs Bandido, Rey Horus and Flamita
  • CHICAGO August 11th – Pete Dunne vs ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • DETROIT August 12th – TK Cooper vs Jimmy Havoc

The Coast to Coast tour will be taking place from August 4th and will be hitting the following cities:

  • 4th August – 2300 Arena, Philadelphia (aka The ECW Arena). TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 5th August – Melrose Memorial Hall, Melrose, Boston. TICKETS
  • 7th August – La Boom, New York City. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 9th August – Washington Hall, Seattle. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM PT / 8PM UK
  • 11th August – Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Chicago TICKETS
  • 12th August – Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall, Livonia, Detroit TICKETS

The talent that PROGRESS will be taking ‘across the pond’ for #CoastToCoast are as follows:

  • PROGRESS World Champion – Travis Banks (4th, 5th, 7th August only)
  • PROGRESS Tag Team Champions – Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
  • PROGRESS Women’s Champion – Jinny (4th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • WWE United Kingdom Champion – Pete Dunne 
  • NXT Tag Team Champions – Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven)
  • TK Cooper
  • WALTER (9th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • Mark Haskins
  • Jimmy Havoc
  • Mark Andrews
  • Eddie Dennis
  • Jack Sexsmith (7th, 9th, 11th, 12th August only
  • CCK (Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos)
  • Toni Storm (4th, 11th, 12th August only)

Posted July 15th, 2018 in News.

Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy Predict The G1 Climax: Night 3

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.

SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy have made their predictions for Night 3 of the tournament, which takes place this Monday July 16th.

(You can check out the Predictions for Night 2 here)

Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 3 of the G1 tournament. Here are the bouts:

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White
Togi Makabe vs Minoru Suzuki
Michael Elgin vs Hangman Page
Kazuchika Okada vs Bad Luck Fale
YOSHI-HASHI vs EVIL

Ian Carey – My predictions for the second night of A Block action are as follows:

  • Jay White beats Tanahashi – this way he’ll have 2 straight wins in a main event and he avenges his loss to him at the Tokyo Dome last year
  • Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe
  • Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page – I think Elgin will lose a lot later in the tournament because he’s selling an arm injury
  • Bad Luck Fale beats Okada – This is my underdog pick, then everyone will comment on how poorly he’s (Okada) doing and he’ll come back to win the block in dramatic fashion
  • EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI

Jake Jeremy – I actually agree with your Fale assessment, but I can see Okada actually losing quite a few matches and NOT winning the block. One of the biggest grievances that I’ve seen surrounding Okada is that he doesn’t emote enough, if he is seen to have more of a personality and “human” in this post IWGP title run then when he finally gets the belt back it’ll mean that much more. Anyway here’s my predictions:

  • Jay White beats Hiroshi Tanahashi – I’m still seeing Jay White win A Block
  • Minoru Suzuki beats Togi Makabe – This’ll get Suzuki’s tournament started after the loss to Tanahashi
  • Michael Elgin beats Hangman Page
  • Bad Luck Fale beats Kazuchika Okada
  • EVIL beats YOSHI-HASHI

Ian Carey – I just know NJPW has a lot invested in the guy (Okada). I think he wins G1 and beats Omega in the Tokyo Dome. I think Okada defends the title against Jay White early next year unless they’ve decided Naito and Omega are just more popular and they should be the top two guys…which might be the case, plus with all the international expansion talk things might change up fairly dramatically

Posted July 15th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy Predict The G1 Climax: Night 2

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.

SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy made their predictions for Night 2 of the tournament, which takes place this Sunday July 15th.

(You can check out the Predictions for Night 1 here)

Ian Carey – So we have night 2 in the B Block – Omega vs Naito in the main event
so this is interesting because hints have been dropped by both sides that an LIJ vs Bullet Club feud is coming

Jake Jeremy – Wouldn’t they want to do a Firing Squad vs Elite feud first?

Ian Carey – Omega making that comment about how the Japanese wrestlers don’t go to the gym as much as the others on the roster. That was all to build to an eventual rivalry
they are doing that first but this will come after
it could be a year from now, it could be longer, but eventually

Jake Jeremy – So who wins? Can Omega really lose this quick?

Ian Carey – Kevin Kelly was mentioning on commentary how Evil and Naito got upset at that. I think Omega wins but enough Naito is somehow kept strong/I think Naito is winning the block though and I imagine Omega is going to drop matches to Tama Tonga and Kota Ibushi

Jake Jeremy – So you have an Okada vs Naito final?

Ian Carey – Exactly, i know Okada’s on a losing streak but i think he turns it up and comes back to win the block

Jake Jeremy – Ok so the matches are:
Juice Robinson vs Tama Tonga
Hirooki Goto vs SANADA
Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano
Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr

Ian Carey – Speaking of Tama Tonga; I have him beating Juice which may set up a US title match down the line except I also figure Tonga is going to beat Omega and get a heavyweight title shot…anyway here’s my predictions for Night 2:

  • Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson
  • SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
  • Toru Yano beats Tomohiro Ishii
  • Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
  • Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi

Jake Jeremy – I’m seeing Tama taking the win as well. I know that Juice is the new US Champion but Firing Squad are the ‘in thing’ right now

Ian Carey – How Zack Sabre Jr does this tournament should be interesting, they’ve sort of established this year that he can beat anyone…he used a Michinoku Driver in his tag match today for the win (Night 1)

Jake Jeremy – Zack Sabre Jr won the PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16, he’s won wXw 16 Carat Gold and he’s won PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles I think?

Ian Carey – He won the New Japan Cup and beat Okada a couple of weeks ago…In other words, he’s glad he didn’t sign on to be a part of 205 live

Jake Jeremy – Of course, I forgot about the cup! So here’s my predictions for Night 2

  • Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson (I think this might be via DQ)
  • SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
  • Tomohiro Ishii beats Toru Yano
  • Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
  • Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi

Jake Jeremy – I think that the only difference we have is Yano!

Ian Carey – B Block is going to be more fun to follow I think

So here’s the full predictions:

Ian Carey

  • Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson
  • SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
  • Toru Yano beats Tomohiro Ishii
  • Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
  • Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi

Jake Jeremy

  • Tama Tonga beats Juice Robinson (I think this might be via DQ)
  • SANADA beats Hirooki Goto
  • Tomohiro Ishii beats Toru Yano
  • Kenny Omega beats Tetsuya Naito
  • Zack Sabre Jr beats Kota Ibushi

What are your predictions for Night 2? Let us know in the comments.

Posted July 14th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

WWE Legend Claims That He Could Beat Brock Lesnar

WWE Legend and (until recently) active roster member Goldust has made some rather interesting comments relating to Brock Lesnar and the Universal Title…Dustin Rhodes took to Twitter to claim that “If I were to face Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules I have no doubt in my mind that I could beat him. #GotLotsofTricks #WontFightFair.”

Rhodes recently held a Q&A on his Twitter account following his successful knee surgery and when asked what he has left to do in his career he simply answered “Win the World title. That’s it. Nothing else.” With the WWE Superstar potentially nearing the end of his career could one final shot at the Universal Title be on the cards?

Goldust hasn’t been seen on Monday Night RAW since May 7th during a brief backstage segment with General Manager Kurt Angle and Jinder Mahal before the Money In The Bank pay-per-view. His last bout took place in a Six-Man Tag Team match where he teamed up with Chad Gable and Zack Ryder to defeat Curt Hawkins, Mike Kanellis and Mojo Rawley at a WWE live event from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.

Would you like to see Goldie in a match against the Beast? Let us know in the comments.

https://twitter.com/Goldust/status/1017869908250644480?s=09

Posted July 14th, 2018 in News, WWE. Tagged: , , .

Cody Rhodes Has Huge Praise for Bullet Club Stablemate

Former Ring of Honor World Champion and one of the de-facto leaders of the Bullet Club Cody Rhodes recently spoke to ESPN as part of an article featuring ‘Hangman Page’ from the aformentioned New Japan stable.

Cody claimed that “Adam Page is making a run, unbeknownst to us all, he’s making a run for best wrestler in the world long before he should be,” Cody then went on to mention that “He’s got Kenny Omega right there by him to help him along. He’s got Matt and Nick to help him along. He has me. He has Marty. He’s a sponge to all of that, and then he’s a sponge to the wrestling he grew up on.“

Rhodes is not the only member of the New Japan roster who sees big things ahead for Hangman; “Chris Jericho saw Adam Page at Dominion and he jokingly said, ‘What is this guy, 6-5, 265 pounds, a Texan doing a shooting star press?’. Adam Page isn’t any of those things except the shooting star press. The presence of him is what made Jericho turn his head. Everything in wrestling is about turning your head. I can’t sing his praises enough. He’s just the man.“

You can check out the full article from ESPN here.

Posted July 14th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: , .

G1 Climax 2018 Night 1 Results

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 1:

Non Tournament Bouts:

Hirooki Goto & Jado b. Ren Narita & Toa Henare

SHO & Tomohiro Ishii b. Toru Yano & YOH

Guerrillas of Destiny Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. David Finlay & Juice Robinson

TAKA Michinoku & Zack Sabre, Jr. b. Kota Ibushi & Yujiro Takahashi

SANADA & Tetsuya Naito b. Chase Owens & Kenny Omega

A BLOCK Matches 

Togi Makabe b. YOSHI-HASHI – Makabe took the pinfall win after hitting the King Kong Knee Drop

Hangman Page b. Bad Luck Fale – Page won the match via disqualification after the Guerrillas of Destiny interfered. The Golden Lovers later made the save

Michael Elgin b. EVIL – Elgin won via pinfall with the Elgin Bomb

Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Minoru Suzuki – Tanahashi won via pinfall after hitting the High Fly Flow

“Switchblade” Jay White b. Kazuchika Okada – White took the shock win via pinfall after hitting the Blade Runner after a ref bump and a low blow. After the match he cut a promo claiming that CHAOS was “his” stable.

Posted July 14th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

NJPW G1 Climax 28 Night 1 Staff Predictions

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.

SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy made their predictions for Night 1 of the tournament, which takes place this Saturday, July 14th.

Here are their thoughts:

Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 1 of the G1 Climax, we’ve got some sleeper matches in here but let’s talk winners and losers, here’s the full card:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki
  • Togi Makabe vs YOSHI-HASHI
  • Michael Elgin vs EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
  • Bad Luck Fale vs Hangman Page

Ian Carey – Definitely not going to win is Yoshi-Hashi. My Prediction to win it all is Kazuchika Okada as I really feel he is going to face Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome next year. I think that he’ll face Tetsuya Naito in the finals.

Jake Jeremy: Wow really? I don’t think that Okada is winning, I’ve got Kota Ibushi down as my favourite to face Kenny at Wrestle Kingdom.

Ian Carey – I mean I don’t know but to me Okada seems like the safest pick. I’d love to see Kota win but I feel Okada is a stronger possibility. I also think that Tama Tonga beats Omega in the round-robin and gets the title shot in Long Beach on September 30th

Jake Jeremy – That makes sense for Tama to win with the Firing Squad building momentum, but hey Kenny could win the G1.

Ian Carey – It’s a really important tournament for Tama Tonga. This is where he becomes a main event guy. Ok so my predictions for Night 1 are:

  • Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page – Which is really the first Elite vs Firing Squad match and the Firing Squad need to build more momentum
  • Kazuchika Okada beats Jay White – Although I could easily see them giving White a win here since he just lost to Juice
  • Togi Makabe beats Yoshi-Hashi – in a match I won’t watch
  • EVIL beats Michael Elgin – again, a match I probably won’t watch

Jake Jeremy – Here’s my predictions for Night 1:

  • Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page – I completely agree, this is the first Bullet Club ‘Civil War’ bout and I see Fale getting the win
  • Jay White beats Kazuchika Okada  – Night 1 of the G1 tends to have a shock or two so I’m guessing that White gets the win here. He might even get damn close to winning the block
  • Yoshi-Hashi beats Togi Makabe  – I will watch this match because I hate myself. I’m going for YOSHI-HASHI because why the hell not?
  • Michael Elgin beats EVIL – I’m going Elgin because EVIL isn’t going anywhere in this tournament sadly.

Ian Carey – But if Okada is going to go all the way a win here seems important. Though, as you said, he might not be going all the way

Jake Jeremy – I really don’t see Okada doing it, I think he might even be put in the IC Title picture to rebuild it but that’s not highly likely though

Ian Carey – Did you know Okada has had 10 matches that Meltzer has ranked as 5 stars or better?

Jake Jeremy – That doesn’t shock me, 4.5 is average at best anyway according to Omega.

Ian Carey – Tanahashi vs Suzuki is a tough one to call. I think I’m going to take Suzuki though. I feel like a possible route they go is Suzuki injuring one of Tanahashi’s limbs or something which gives Tanahashi an excuse to lose a bunch of matches this summer

Jake Jeremy – Has anyone ever been ‘taken out’ of a G1? Could Minoru just straight out destroy Tanahashi so that he can’t compete in later bouts?

Ian Carey – I don’t know if they’ve ever planned it but wrestlers have had to pull out
they just lose all their remaining matches by default. Alex Shelley had to do it once in the BOSJ

Jake Jeremy – Maybe that’s Suzuki’s strategy…injure everyone and have a shorter run to the final

Ian Carey – Ah ok, so on the final night of A Block its Tanahashi vs Okada. That leads me to believe it could be the two of them in the running on the last day cause nobody else has a big match

Jake Jeremy – Maybe they could go to a Draw like last time?

Ian Carey – In the A Block it has to be Okada coming out…I take it back, I now think Tanahashi beats Suzuki on the first night

Jake Jeremy – I’m going with Minoru

Ian Carey – Somebody will go to a dramatic draw this tournament. Could be Omega and Ibushi on the last day. I find it hard to pick against Minoru Suzuki, possibly because I’m worried he’ll find out…but i think A Block will just be the Tanahashi vs Okada show.

So here’s the full predictions:

Ian Carey

  • Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page
  • Kazuchika Okada beats Jay White
  • Togi Makabe beats Yoshi-Hashi
  • EVIL beats Michael Elgin
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi beats Minoru Suzuki

Jake Jeremy

  • Bad Luck Fale beats Hangman Page
  • Jay White beats Kazuchika Okada
  • Yoshi-Hashi beats Togi Makabe
  • Michael Elgin beats EVIL
  • Minoru Suzuki beats Hiroshi Tanahashi

What are your predictions for Night 1? Let us know in the comments.

Posted July 12th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

Tournament Matches For G1 Climax Night 1 07/14

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors will compete in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.

Here are the tournament bouts announced for Night 1 were A Block takes the spotlight:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki
  • Togi Makabe vs YOSHI-HASHI
  • Michael Elgin vs EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
  • Bad Luck Fale vs Hangman Page

The real headline grabbing bout for Night 1 appears to be between CHAOS stablemates Kazuchika Okada and Jay White.

Jay White is one of the more intriguing elements of this year’s G1 tournament, the ‘Switchblade’ recently lost his IWGP United States Championship to Juice Robinson and this has lead many to believe that he might actually win A Block. New Japan are clearly excited about the talented New Zealander’s prospects and a win here against Okada is certainly not out of the question. Okada himself is now in arguably the strangest position of his recent NJPW career, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion isn’t currently considered a favourite to win the G1 and it will be interesting to see his path between now and January 4th…could he be in line for a bout against the likes of Chris Jericho?

Who is your favourite for the G1? Let us know in the comments.

Posted July 12th, 2018 in News, NJPW. Tagged: .

PROGRESS Reveals More Bouts for #CoastToCoast USA Tour

PROGRESS has announced more bouts for their upcoming tour of the United States. The #CoastToCoast tour will run August 4th through August 12th.

The matches announced are as follows:

  • BOSTON August 5th – Rickey Shane Page vs Eddie Dennis
  • SEATTLE August 9th – British Strong Style vs Bandido, Rey Horus and Flamita
  • CHICAGO August 11th – Pete Dunne vs ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • DETROIT August 12th – TK Cooper vs Jimmy Havoc

The Coast to Coast tour will be taking place from August 4th and will be hitting the following cities:

  • 4th August – 2300 Arena, Philadelphia (aka The ECW Arena). TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 5th August – Melrose Memorial Hall, Melrose, Boston. TICKETS
  • 7th August – La Boom, New York City. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 9th August – Washington Hall, Seattle. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM PT / 8PM UK
  • 11th August – Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Chicago TICKETS
  • 12th August – Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall, Livonia, Detroit TICKETS

The talent that PROGRESS will be taking ‘across the pond’ for #CoastToCoast are as follows:

  • PROGRESS World Champion – Travis Banks (4th, 5th, 7th August only)
  • PROGRESS Tag Team Champions – Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
  • PROGRESS Women’s Champion – Jinny (4th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • WWE United Kingdom Champion – Pete Dunne 
  • NXT Tag Team Champions – Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven)
  • TK Cooper
  • WALTER (9th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • Mark Haskins
  • Jimmy Havoc
  • Mark Andrews
  • Eddie Dennis
  • Jack Sexsmith (7th, 9th, 11th, 12th August only
  • CCK (Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos)
  • Toni Storm (4th, 11th, 12th August only)

Posted July 12th, 2018 in News.

Full Card for PROGRESS Chapter 73 ‘Fourth Shade of Green’ This Sunday

PROGRESS has announced the full card for their upcoming Chapter 73 event ‘Fourth Shade of Green’ which will be taking place this Sunday July 15th from the O2 Academy in Birmingham, England.

Here’s the lineup for this Sunday:

  • PROGRESS Championship Match – Travis Banks v Tyler Bate
  • Jimmy Havoc v Drew Parker
  • Pete Dunne & Trent Seven v Kings Of The North
  • Sexy Starr v Haskins & Webster
  • Toni Storm vs Killer Kelly
  • TK Cooper vs Rob Lynch
  • Eddie Dennis vs Jones
  • Mark Andrews vs El Phantasmo

One of the biggest bouts sees Travis Banks defend his PROGRESS World Championship against fellow NXT UK colleague Tyler Bate. The ‘Kiwi Buzzsaw’ Banks has been a dominant reigning World Champion since his win over WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne in September 2017 having avenged losses to Keith Lee and Matt Riddle whilst Champion. Banks also featured in arguably the best PROGRESS bout of 2017 when he defeated Will Ospreay as part of the Unboxing Live show in December, again to retain his title.

Tyler Bate is of course a name that fans of the WWE United Kingdom specials will know well. The inaugural UK Champion has seen his stock rise exponentially over the past year with performances on WWE’s 205 Live and NXT Takeover where he had arguably the match of the year against Pete Dunne; having said that the momentum that PROGRESS has found since ‘turning’ Banks against the fans (he would say that they turned against him) has been nothing short of phenomenal and when he finally drops the title it will be a huge moment and a chance to coronate a new champion and usher in a new era for the UK based company.

Posted July 12th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

DEFIANT Announce CCK vs Haskins/Havoc for Stacked ’18

DEFIANT Wrestling has announced the second match for their upcoming Stacked ’18 event which takes place from the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England on August 26th.

Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos (better known as CCK) will be taking on the team of Mark Haskins and Jimmy Havoc to decide the Number 1 contender to Aussie Open’s Tag Team Championships. Aussie Open defeated Havoc & Haskins at No Regrets 2018 to capture the belts on April 28th.

Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins are both scheduled to take part in Ring of Honor’s upcoming Honor ReUnited tour in August and are two of the highest profile performers in the UK who have not signed for the NXT UK or WoS brands. Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos likewise do not appear to have signed for the two ‘warring’ promotions with Brookes outright saying to a Rev Pro crowd earlier this year that he is staying independent for the foreseeable future.

This bout joins the already confirmed Will Ospreay vs WALTER bout…looks like ‘Stacked’ might be the right word for this show and DEFIANT will be adding to the lineup over the coming weeks.

Ticket information can be found via the tweet below:

Posted July 11th, 2018 in News. Tagged: , .

WoS Reveal Official Website and Complete Roster

WoS (World of Sport) has revealed their new official website ahead of their return to mainstream television on July 28th. As well as confirming the complete roster for the upcoming return of the iconic programme the website has an ‘events’ tab, possibly alluding to some Live Event shows taking place down the line however these are nowhere near confirmed.

Here’s the full official roster:

  • Rampage Brown
  • Grado
  • Iestyn Rees
  • Sha Samuels
  • Davey Boy Smith Jr
  • Adam Maxted
  • Nathan Cruz
  • CJ Banks
  • Brad Slayer
  • Martin Kirby
  • Lionheart
  • HT Drake
  • Doug Williams
  • Crater
  • Gabriel Kidd
  • Kip Sabian
  • Liam Slater
  • Robbie X
  • Will Ospreay
  • Stevie Boy
  • Joe Hendry
  • Justin Sysum
  • Ayesha
  • Kasey Owens
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Bea Priestley
  • Viper

WoS has also announced that former TNA on air talent SoCal Val and British wresting legend Alex Shane will be joining former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett in the commentary booth for the rebooted series.

Episode 1 of the new series will be airing on ITV Saturday 28th July at 5pm GMT.

Posted July 11th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

British Legends Facing The Young Bucks at Honor ReUnited

Ring of Honor has announced that British wrestling Legends Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch will be taking on The Young Bucks at London’s York Hall for Honor ReUnited. This clash of generations will be taking place on August 19th.

Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch both made their ROH debuts on June 22nd 2002 at the ‘Road to the Title’ at the Murphy Rec Center and were opponents on that evening. ROH sent out the following press release hyping Storm/Fleisch and the bout:

“Fleisch and Storm have a decade-plus of tag team experience teaming together with accolades that include being the first-ever 1PW Tag Team Champions and have stated they are looking to make an instant splash into the most competitive tag team division in the world in ROH! Fleisch and Storm at young ages early in their careers built their lineages that include bouts against ROH pioneers Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles and more recently against some of the top independent stars in the world and they will be in tag team action in Doncaster and London!

The Young Bucks clash with Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm for the first time in London! The Bucks are looking to get back to the top of the tag team mountain while Fleisch and Storm look to pick up victories over first the Briscoes in Doncaster and then the Young Bucks in London! Who will pick up the victory? Join us to find out!”

Tickets are available to purchase via the tweet below.

Posted July 11th, 2018 in News, ROH. Tagged: .

NXT UK vs. WoS: Which Brand Has The Better Roster?

The battle lines have been drawn…NXT UK and the WoS (World of Sport) rosters have been revealed in some form or fashion and now the new ‘war’ for supremacy on the British Isles has begun.

NXT UK

The long touted NXT UK brand was FINALLY announced as part of the Royal Albert Hall shows back in June with British wrestling legend Johnny Saint at the helm as the General Manager. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be the focal point of the show which is being taped sporadically throughout the year (for the Network but potentially television if a deal can be reached), new Tag Team and Women’s Championships will also be created.

So, here’s the NXT UK roster as we currently understand it:

NXT UK Roster

  • Mark Andrews
  • Travis Banks
  • Tyler Bate
  • Joe Coffey
  • Mark Coffey
  • Joseph Conners
  • Noam Dar
  • Eddie Dennis
  • Jordan Devlin
  • Pete Dunne
  • Jack Gallagher
  • Sam Gradwell
  • Saxon Huxley
  • Amir Jordan
  • El Ligero
  • Dave Mastiff
  • Trent Seven
  • Ashton Smith
  • Tyson T-Bone
  • Flash Morgan Webster
  • Wild Boar
  • Kenny Williams
  • Wolfgang
  • Isla Dawn
  • Jinny
  • Killer Kelly
  • Charlie Morgan
  • Nina Samuels
  • Toni Storm
  • Zack Gibson
  • James Drake

World of Sport

The story behind the second reboot of WoS has been quite an unstable one. With the initial show airing way back on New Year’s Eve there was a huge opportunity for the programme to capture a whole new audience in the mainstream…unfortunately that did not come to fruition and a co-branding deal with IMPACT/Global Force Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett certainly did nothing for the brand.

Fast forward to earlier this year and WoS held television tapings for a new 10 part series that will be airing later this month. With a huge proportion of UK based stars having signed with WWE’s UK division there was certainly skepticism as to who WoS could even bring in. With former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett installed as the ‘Executive’ for the show and essentially the ‘General Manager’ they have a recognisable face for fans in the UK and here is the roster that they have amassed:

WoS Roster

  • Will Ospreay
  • Davey Boy Jr
  • Grado
  • Moose
  • Primate
  • Joe Hendry
  • Martin Kirby
  • Iestyn Rees
  • Viper
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Bea Priestley
  • Sha Samuels
  • Doug Williams
  • Rampage Brown
  • Lionheart
  • Nathan Cruz
  • Kip Sabian
  • Robbie X
  • Adam Maxted
  • Gabriel Kidd
  • CJ Banks
  • Liam Slater

NXT UK vs. World of Sport

Deciding which roster is ‘better’ is of course subjective. Even the idea that WWE and World of Sport/ITV are ‘at war’ is speculative at best but with the way that NXT UK seemingly ‘snapped up’ UK stars to contracts was certainly telling. Looking purely at the starpower on offer you have to give it to NXT UK, the likes of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson are now well established to the WWE audience and Dunne in particular is seemingly being groomed for a huge run on the main roster when WWE deems him fit.

WoS however is not slouching when it comes to in ring talent, with Will Ospreay leading the charge but huge underrated stars such as Nathan Cruz (PROGRESS’ first ever Champion), Kip Sabian and Martin Kirby having charisma and in ring guile that should translate well to a mainstream audience.

Another area where NXT UK appears to have the edge is in their Women’s Division. Viper, Kay Lee Ray and Bea Priestley are indeed three of the best in ring female performers on the planet but when you line them up against the likes of Isla Dawn, Jinny, Killer Kelly, Charlie Morgan, Nina Samuels and Toni Storm it just doesn’t stack up and WoS are found wanting…IF ONLY we could get all of these stars on one programme.*

Something else to factor in is the fact that WoS will only be running for 10 episodes initially, so do they really need a completely ‘stacked’ roster right now? Granted they DO have an incredibly talented pool of performers but in terms of numbers WWE again does have the edge…but seeing the likes of Ospreay light up mainstream British television is an extremely exciting prospect.

What do you think of the two rosters and who do you think has the edge heading into the summer? Let us know in the comments.

Side Note: The Pro Wrestling: EVE promotion can be very proud of the work they’ve accomplished on the UK scene when looking at these Women’s division stars, most if not all have been featured on an EVE card in the past few years and it has given Women’s wrestling a massive platform in the UK.

Posted July 10th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

James Storm vs Jody Fleisch Confirmed for ICW ‘Shug’s Hoose Party 5’

Insane Championship Wrestling has confirmed that former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm will be facing UK independent wrestling legend Jody Fleisch for the first night of the upcoming ‘Shug’s Hoose Party 5’ event on July 28th.

Jody Fleisch is a severely underrated veteran from the UK independent scene, the ‘Phoenix’ has been wowing UK and European crowds since his debut in 1997 and he has gone on to appear for companies across the globe including Ring of Honor, TNA/IMPACT, IPW:UK, XWA, ICW, 5* and Rev Pro. He will be heading to the US as part of the upcoming PWG Battle of Los Angeles later this year.

Here are the currently announced matches for the two nights of action:

Night 1

  • BT Gunn vs. WALTER
  • Lionheart vs “Just Justice” Jackie Polo
  • ICW Tag Team Championship Title Match – The Kinky Party (Jack Jester & Sha Samuels) (c) vs Iestyn Rees & Bram
  • Street Fight – Joe Hendry vs Chris Renfrew
  • If Kid Fite Wins, He Replaces Ravie Davie In The Texas Death Match –Ravie Davie vs Kid Fite

Night 2

  • Texas Death Match – James Storm vs. Ravie Davie
  • ICW Zero-G Title Match – Mark Coffey (c) vs. Joe Coffey
  • ICW World Heavyweight Title Match – Stevie Boy (c) vs. DCT
  • ICW Women’s Championship Title Match – Kasey vs “The Vixen Of Violence” Viper (c) vs “Session Moth” Martina
  • Aaron Echo vs “Mr Athletic” Jeff Cobb

The company has also announced that WWE Hall of Famer and founder of TNA/GFW Jeff Jarrett will be heading to the company for a special one off appearance; ‘Double J’ will be making a special appearance as part of ‘Shug’s Hoose Party 5’ acting as the Commissioner for Night 2. This isn’t the first time that WWE affiliated talents have acted as Commissioner for the Scottish based company; Former WCW/WWE Superstar Kevin Nash and Mick Foley have appeared at previous ‘Fear & Loathing’ pay per view shows in the same capacity.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/1016351404284313602

Posted July 9th, 2018 in News. Tagged: , .

World of Sport Confirms Premiere Date, More Talent Confirmed

World of Sport (WoS) have confirmed the official start date for the new ‘reboot’ of the iconic British Wrestling series.

The mainstream ITV channel will be hosting the 10 part series starting on Saturday 28th July at 5pm, which is a huge opportunity for the brand to present a new era of UK wrestling to a broad demographic and is clearly hoping that this will be a hit amongst viewers in the 16 and under as well as the older generations who may remember the days of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks.

WoS has also announced that Mae Young Classic competitor, ICW, Stardom and Pro Wrestling: EVE star Viper/Piper Niven will be part of the brand new series alongside Will Ospreay, Grado, Moose, Primate, Martin Kirby, Iestyn Rees, Viper, Bea Priestley, Sha Samuels, Doug Williams, Rampage Brown, Lionheart, Nathan Cruz, Kip Sabian, Robbie X, Gabriel Kidd, CJ Banks and Liam Slater.

WoS has also announced that former TNA on air talent SoCal Val and British wresting legend Alex Shane will be joining former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett in the commentary booth for the rebooted programme.

This is one of the biggest opportunities that the UK scene has been exposed to this century, ITV is one of the ‘big four’ channels in the United Kingdom alongside BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4. Stars such as Ospreay who are already major names across the globe to independent wrestling fans will now be able to ply their trade to a brand new audience and potentially break out into the mainstream.

Posted July 9th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

PROGRESS Announce The First Bout for USA Coast To Coast Tour

PROGRESS has announced the first bout for their upcoming #CoastToCoast tour which begins on August 4th in the World Famous ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Grizzled Young Veterans will be facing CCK as part of the THUNDERB*STARD Tag Team Series that will be culminating at the Wembley Arena show in September.

PROGRESS has also confirmed that if the Grizzled Young Veterans (NXT UK’s Zack Gibson and James Drake) are still PROGRESS Tag Team Champions at the time of the event then this bout will be for the belts. The team of CCK (Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos) are one of the heavy favourites to win the THUNDERB*STARD match in September with their huge following in the UK so this is a huge treat for the Philly fans that will be in attendance.

The Coast to Coast tour will be taking place from August 4th and will be hitting the following cities:

  • 4th August – 2300 Arena, Philadelphia (aka The ECW Arena). TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 5th August – Melrose Memorial Hall, Melrose, Boston. TICKETS
  • 7th August – La Boom, New York City. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK 
  • 9th August – Washington Hall, Seattle. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM PT / 8PM UK
  • 11th August – Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Chicago TICKETS
  • 12th August – Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall, Livonia, Detroit TICKETS

The talent that PROGRESS will be taking ‘across the pond’ for #CoastToCoast are as follows:

  • PROGRESS World Champion – Travis Banks (4th, 5th, 7th August only)
  • PROGRESS Tag Team Champions – Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake)
  • PROGRESS Women’s Champion – Jinny (4th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • WWE United Kingdom Champion – Pete Dunne 
  • NXT Tag Team Champions – Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven)
  • TK Cooper
  • WALTER (9th, 11th, 12th August only)
  • ‘Flash’ Morgan Webster
  • Mark Haskins
  • Jimmy Havoc
  • Mark Andrews
  • Eddie Dennis
  • Jack Sexsmith (7th, 9th, 11th, 12th August only
  • CCK (Chris Brookes and Kid Lykos)
  • Toni Storm (4th, 11th, 12th August only)

Posted July 9th, 2018 in News. Tagged: .

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