The ending of last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw was an explosive way to lead us into this Sunday’s Survivor Series event.

With Becky Lynch leading the fray, attacking Ronda Rousey backstage and locking her in her Dis-Arm-Her submission, Lynch would strut out onto Raw to confront the Women’s Raw Survivor Team.

However, she didn’t come alone.

Even with Rousey making her way out to assist the Raw roster, the SmackDown invaders were able to rally, with Lynch attacking an injured Rousey with a steel chair before leaving the ring bloodied, courtesy of a broken nose.

In response to this, The Lass Kicker took to Twitter with an awesome reaction to the blood masking her face:

https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1062231777253748736

With both women coming off major wins in recent events, they both have a wave of momentum behind them coming into Survivor Series. They also seem to have the fans attention firmly affixed on the outcome of their champion-versus-champion clash.

Becky’s brazen attack and proud display of her “Irish war paint” only add to the feud that has developed between the two women, and further propels Lynch as a top star within the company — one that has been compared numerous times to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

With this brash attitude, disregard to injury, and anti-hero persona, it’s hard to argue against.

We reported last night on Insane Championship Wrestling bringing in a WWE Superstar for their hotly anticipated “Fight Club” event that took place in Glasgow’s Garage venue.

Prior to the event, ICW owner, Mark Dallas, hinted heavily at which superstar could be gracing the venue. He revealed he had asked the WWE for “a BIG favour” in order to find the right opponent for Mikey Whiplash.

Turns out that opponent was none other than Sanity’s own, Killian Dain.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/1061771209136840705

https://twitter.com/StephenLouch/status/1061764781189853185

Killian, who alongside his Sanity stablemates, returned to SmackDown LIVE last Thursday, has previously wrestled all over Europe, including ICW, under his previous moniker, Big Damo.

European Tour

The WWE has been touring across Europe this past weekend. This serendiptious scheduling gave Dain the perfect opportunity to revisit his old stomping grounds.

Dain became the ICW World Champion in 2016 when he defeated Chris Renfrew in Glasgow, Scotland. He is just one of a slew of WWE talent that have made recent appearances for the company. Others include 205 Live/NXT UK Star, Noam Dar, and RAW Superstar, Finn Balor.

Noam Dar is scheduled to compete at ICW’s upcoming December 2nd event. He will team up with Wolfgang and BT Gunn to face off against British Strong Style.

Next January’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 event is being pushed as an event headlined by a battle of core ideologies.

On one side, you have Hiroshi Tanahashi, who doesn’t believe that New Japan Pro Wrestling should sacrifice the very things that made them so unique. So Japanese.

The other side of the argument is fronted by The Elite’s Kenny Omega, representing an outsider who wants to help bring global recognition to the promotion by adapting its style into something new. Evolving it into something he deems suitable.

It’s been an engaging feud so far — one that flirts with real-life tensions that exist within the company over alleged concerns of rampant “Westernization” that dilutes the “Strong Style” nature of Japanese puroresu.

Now an important voice has just been added to this feud: Harold Meij.

“They’re Almost Two Extremes To Each Other”

Meij is the current NJPW CEO, and has been speculated to have caused upset within the locker room with his recent decisions to reshuffle high-ranking New Japan corporate officials.

Speaking to Uproxx about their January extravaganza, Meij ruminated on the ideological clash between Omega and Tanahashi, juxtaposing it with NJPW’s philosophical stance.

“We talked a little bit about the philosophy, and I think that’s one of the things that sets New Japan apart from a lot of other promotions, or other sports for that matter, is we emphasize more the philosophical part… Keeping that in mind, I have to say that the Tanahashi vs. Kenny is going to be something special. Because they’re almost – I almost want to say they’re almost opposites, they’re almost two extremes to each other.”

“He Is The Epitome, Really, Of The Tradition Of New Japan”

“[…] if you’ve seen any of the comments that both have given, I mean, Tanahashi, for example, on the one hand, he is the essence of New Japan. He’s almost Mr. New Japan. I mean, he started with New Japan, he was brought up as Young Lion, he was there during the bad times, he was there during the good times. I mean, he’s been taking a lot of initiatives to help the company as well. Not just inside the ring, of course, as a wrestler, but also outside the ring he did a lot of PR. He went to personally sell tickets during our darker times… he is the epitome, really, of the tradition of New Japan. It’s in his DNA…that’s who he is.”

“Now, Kenny on the other hand,” he continued, “[…] incredibly high-quality moves, incredible stamina and agility, but he’s almost self-taught. Almost. He didn’t go to the dojo, obviously, so he doesn’t have that part of him. He came from other experiences from the world. He’s wrestled and fought the world, really. So it’s almost, you know, two polar opposites. And yeah, I almost have to say that I almost don’t want to see the outcome of that.”

If there’s one woman that Ember Moon is familiar with, it’s her old NXT rival, Asuka.

“The Empress Of Tomorrow” ran roughshod throughout her tenure at NXT, including victories over Moon, as she accumulated an impressive winning streak that rivalled, then topped, the one set by Bill Goldberg.

Now that both women are on WWE’s main roster (with Ember Moon on RAW and Asuka on SmackDown), the chances of their rekindling a rivalry are still slim until some sort of shakeup or draft takes place. Even then, both women would have to end up on the same brand.

That, however, hasn’t stopped Moon from speculating over a future match with Asuka.

Speaking to Sky Sports’ “Lock Up Wrestling” podcast, Ember Moon was forthright in her ambition to wrestle Asuka once again, believing she now has enough experience to avenge her previous loss.

“[…] as far as Asuka goes she’s my biggest rival – I’ve said it time and time again. She’s on my list. I’d love another crack at her,” Moon admitted.

She continued, “I would love to have another match just to prove that I can beat her and to have another great rivalry with my best friend-worst enemy, but you know, it’s… it kind of stinks because we’re on different brands right now but who knows. Hopefully soon, I’ll see her in the Rumble. […] I would love another crack at Asuka. Just throwing her over at the Evolution battle royal wasn’t enough for me.”

Would you like to see these two superstars feud once again? Do you think Ember can avenge that loss to Asuka?

Despite being forced away from the ring due to an unfortunate set of real-life injuries and neck complications, Jason Jordan remains optimistic his injuries won’t keep him away from the squared circle.

At least, that’s if his latest Tweet is anything to go by.

Jordan, who was in the early days of a major push was set to wrestle Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. He was also revealed to be the (storyline) son of WWE’s own Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, before being cruelly sidelined.

The Power Of Positivity

Regardless the misfortune that befell him, Jason Jordan reflected that he’s been making improvements and is optimistic about getting back to where he feels he belongs.

Although initial surgery was a success, the severity of the damage was more severe than originally thought. This revelation led to concerns over his ability to ever return to in-ring action. Jordan has since segued into a backstage producer role over the past few months.

“I’m ready to attack this week and make huge improvements! I’ve been trying to keep my eye on the prize and look at the big picture. I’m still on the road to recovery and I’m very optimistic about getting back to where I belong!”

I’m ready to attack this week and make huge improvements! I’ve been trying to keep my eye on the prize and look at the big picture. I’m still on the road to recovery and I’m very optimistic about getting back to where I belong! pic.twitter.com/hven7dXOFF

— Jason Jordan (@JasonJordanJJ) November 11, 2018

Props to Jason Jordan for maintaining such a positive attitude to such an unfortunate situation. Hopefully, he’ll be able to achieve his ambitions and, when healthy, return to the ring he so clearly misses.

Current WWE SmackDown Champion, Becky Lynch, is slated to face off against RAW Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey, next Sunday at Survivor Series, and it’s anyone’s guess as to who has the advantage.

With Becky Lynch having staved off Charlotte Flair’s attempts at her title, and Ronda having successfully retained against Nikki Bella, both women come into this matchup with serious momentum.

This equal footing adds further interest for their inevitable RAW vs SmackDown clash, come November 18th.

“Ronda Has To Be Scared”

Speaking with Gorilla Position, Lynch addressed her upcoming champion-versus-champion confrontation against the former UFC Bantamweight Champion.

The Lass Kicker didn’t mince her words, stating that Ronda should, of all things, be scared.

Lynch, who maintained character for the entire interview, proclaimed that, “[Ronda Rousey] is based on being strong, dominating people, and running through them, and that’s not how I was built.”

“I’m not scared of losing,” she continued, “and I have been taking a beating my entire life and I came back from them time, after time again, and that’s why Ronda has to be scared.”

What are your thoughts on this? With such a high profile clash between both champions, should Ronda be intimidated? Who do you see winning this encounter?

Triple H suffered an unfortunate injury during his tag team match up against The Undertaker and Kane at WWE’s Crown Jewel event, this past Friday.

The injury, believed to be related to his pec, is thought to have occurred as Hunter took a Harley Race-esque bump to the outside.

Because of this, it appears that Triple H will require surgery. News broke shortly after Crown Jewel had finished that he flew straight to Birmingham, Alabama.

A torn pectoral muscle usually requires six months to heal and rehab, if all things go smoothly. If not, then rehabilitation and healing could take as long as a year for full recovery.

With Wrestlemania 35 just five months away, there is a very real chance that Triple H simply won’t be fit to compete against Batista.

SmackDown 1000

WWE planted seeds for what they hoped would become a major feud at SmackDown’s recent 1000th episode celebration.

Batista’s flippant comments towards Triple H during the Evolution section of the show teased the start of their storyline.

Because of the injury, there is concern within the WWE that the match will no longer happen. Batista, to his credit, is thought to be determined with competing at Wrestlemania 35.

This decision would force the WWE into finding a suitable replacement for The Animal sooner rather than later.

He may be the current WWE Intercontinental Champion, but let’s not forget that Seth Rollins has history with the WWE’s black-and-yellow brand. He was, after all, the inaugural NXT champion.

It was in NXT that he, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns were initially developed. They would be subsequently packaged together for their main roster debut as The Shield.

Turns out, ‘The Architect’ keeps tabs on his old stomping grounds in NXT and has his eyes on particular talents that he believes will be major players on the WWE’s main roster.

They’ll Make Waves

Speaking with AlArabiya.net, Seth Rollins pinpointed a few NXT superstars that had caught his attention:

“There’s a ton of guys down there with absolutely incredible potential,” he said. “Shayna Baszler is one of those people who I never got a chance to watch that much, but I saw her on the NXT show last Sunday and I was blown away. I think she’s fantastic.”

He highlighted that “Velveteen Dream is really good—he’s got something wacky about him. I’ve always been a fan of Ricochet,” he continued. “I’ve known him since he was a 17-year-old kid from Paducah, Kentucky. I’ve always thought the world of him and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in the future.

Rollins rounded out his praise by talking about the Undisputed Era. He stated that “those guys are fantastic” before adding, “I think there’s a lot of talent down in NXT that has the chance to make waves when they move up to the main roster.”

We recently reported that “The Beast” Brock Lesnar has two further matches scheduled in the future, with one of them pitting him against SmackDown’s WWE champion, AJ Styles. This is due to Lesnar’s victory over Braun Strowman at WWE’s recent Crown Jewel event, where he became the first ever two time WWE Universal Champion.

Turns out, this wasn’t the plan that the WWE had heading into Crown Jewel, at all.

Apparently, the plans for the event would have seen then Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, retain the belt in the originally scheduled triple threat against both Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman.
This matchup would have coincided with Brock Lesnar’s last contractual match, leaving him free to train for his rumored UFC return against Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

However, Reigns would reveal on RAW a few weeks earlier that he was sadly once again battling leukaemia. This revelation led him to relinquish the title, turning the triple threat into a one-on-one contest.

It also forced the WWE into a major rewrite that saw Brock reassert his place as the Universal Champion.

“Reigns Was Going To Win That Match”

According to Dave Meltzer, “The deal was, when Roman went down, Vince backed up the Brinks truck and felt with Roman gone they needed Brock. Brock’s last date was gonna be Crown Jewel. Roman Reigns was gonna win that match.”

Brock, if nothing else, is a consummate businessman, as evidenced by his ability to further leverage his personal stock between both the WWE and the UFC.

We now live in a world where the UFC’s ‘Champ-Champ’ Daniel Cormier is telling Lesnar to “bring that belt [to the UFC]” because he feels like “being a WWE Champion, too” in the build-up to their supposed confrontation in the Octagon.

Crazy thing is, depending on how Vince McMahon wants to play it, seeing the WWE Universal Championship appear on a future UFC PPV could become an actual reality.

What do you think? Would you want to see the Universal Championship at UFC? Think it’s possible?

With Power Struggle in the rear view window, we’re officially on our way to NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 event next January.

Granted, there’s still the World Tag League and Road To Tokyo Dome shows on the horizon, but that hasn’t stopped New Japan from hyping up their January showcase. NJPW took to NJPW1972.com earlier to day in order to announce a slew of new matches.

Joining the already established main event of Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship are the following matchups:

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match

Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) (c) vs Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) vs Los Ingoberables de Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori

“The Rainmaker” Kuzuchika Okada vs “Switchblade” Jay White

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Chris Jericho (c) vs Tetsuya Naito

A Battle Of Beliefs

Many of these feuds have only just been developed in recent months, particularly in the wake of both King Of Pro Wrestling and Power Struggle, and it will be interesting to see how each rivalry develops between now and January.

Either way, Wrestle Kingdom 13 is beginning to look like a genuinely stacked card that has a lot on the line across the board — including a clash of core ideologies between “The Best Bout Machine” Omega and “The Ace” Tanahashi that is indicative of the struggles between NJPW staying true to its Japanese ‘Strong Style’ roots versus changing in order to appeal to a broader, Western audience.

With this kind of card to look forward to, January can’t come fast enough for NJPW fans.

Are you counting down the days until Wrestle Kingdom? Which match are you looking forward to the most?

Not known as an organization that backs down from controversy — or the chance to make some extra cash — the nWo could be bound for Saudi Arabia. That is, if nWo founding member Scott Hall gets his way.

Hall, who was a part of last weekend’s 2 Sweet nWo Reunion show in Orlando, Florida, shared his thoughts on the controversy that surrounded the WWE in the lead up to, during, and wake of their Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.

He believes that the WWE did the right thing in adhering to their agreement and forging ahead with the Crown Jewel show, despite critical worldwide attention being shone on the country and its government.

“Well, Kevin [Nash] and I just did an nWo Reunion last weekend at Hulk’s Beach Shop in Orlando with the WWE’s blessing,” said Hall. “It’s the first time Hulk’s been welcomed back into the fold, and I’m happy he’s back. There’s a lot of backlash [regarding WWE Crown Jewel] but I saw JBL on a show last weekend talking about… by boycotting stuff, that doesn’t solve anything. He used Cuba as a reference. We boycotted Cuba forever, and what did that get us? Nothing. Nothing changed there. The people, their quality of life never improved. So I agree with that.”

He concluded by expressing “staying away is not the answer,” before reflecting that “we’re not a bunch of politicians. We’re entertainers, we’re ‘rasslers’, we’re not involved in all that global…stuff. That’s the way I look at it. I’d be happy to go, Vince. If you want to bring the nWo over there the next time, let me know.”

For those wondering about the current contractual status of the newly crowned WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, it turns out that “The Beast” has at least two more WWE appearances slated for the future. One of which is a highly-anticipated rematch against SmackDown Live’s current WWE Champion, AJ Styles.

First reported by Dave Meltzer, Lesnar is apparently “signed for at least two more appearances.” He extrapolated his point, saying, “You always knew there’s a chance because how many times are you going to surprise people with Lesnar winning without people going, ‘Well there’s always a chance.’ So Lesnar is signed for at least two more appearances.”

When speculating on Brock’s potential opponents, Meltzer stated that “he’s going to face AJ at Survivor Series which is non-title and the plan is for Strowman, whether that’s at Rumble or Mania — I don’t know.”

“I can see Strowman winning the Rumble and facing Lesnar at Mania,” Meltzer predicated. “I could definitely see that.”

The Beast vs The Monster Among Men

Brock Lesnar recently won the WWE Universal Title for a second time (the only superstar to have done so) at WWE’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. The match left a lot of fans confused, to say the least, given the pre-bell interference by Baron Corbin and subsequent squash against Braun Strowman.

A Strowman victory at the Royal Rumble would set up nicely for a rematch at Wrestlemania 35, this coming April.

But, here’s the crux of the issue: is that the match fans want to see?

What do you think? Is this a match you’d want at Wrestlemania? Is this theoretical plan the best storyline WWE have for these two? Who would you prefer they face, if not each other?

Not content with solidifying his position at the top of the UFC’s Heavyweight division, defending his Heavyweight title, and climbing up to 15-0 (as a Heavyweight fighter), Daniel Cormier took to the mic after his successful victory at UFC 230 to address a potential future contender — one that he has had an in-Octagon confrontation with in the past: Brock Lesnar.

“You Have To Be One Of The Best In The World To Even Compete”

“I think a lot of people have to understand that I’ve been doing this for 9 years, and I’ve fought at the championship level for 8 of them,” Cormier explained. “So, there’s no surprises with me.”

Cormier continued, “I come in here [into the Octagon] and try to do my thing. If you have a puncher’s chance, like I’ve said, that’s not enough. You have to be one of the best in the world to even compete.”

Joe Rogan took this as an opportunity to ask a question that has been a hot topic debate between pro wrestling and fight fans since UFC 226.

“Which brings me to the next challenge, which is most likely going to be Brock Lesnar,” Joe said. “What are your thoughts on that?”

Taking a deep breath, a smile on his face, D.C. responded with gusto, throwing out an invitation and a warning to the current WWE Universal Champion:

“Brock Lesnar, when you come, bring that brand new WWE [Universal] title, too — I feel like being a WWE champion, too. Let’s go! Let’s go, Brock! Bring that belt with you if you come to my house.”

From “The Black Beast” to “The Beast Incarnate,” Daniel Cormier is on track to trying to top Stipe Miocic’s reign as the most fighting Heavyweight champion in the UFC.

What do you think? If you’re a fight fan, is this a clash you want to see, or would you prefer another Daniel Cormier vs Jon Jones bout?

Speaking with alarabyia.net, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion, Seth Rollins, shared his thoughts on his Shield brethren, Roman Reigns, and his unfortunate battle with his returning leukemia.

‘The Architect’ admitted that it “threw everything up in the air” and that it’s “hard to go a day without thinking about him and how he’s doing and hoping he’s doing alright. I’m fighting the urge to check in on him like a brother every two hours, but he’s a strong dude, and I know that he’s in a good place mentally as well as physically.”

He did shine some light on Reigns’ current health, however, saying that “He’s in good health for the most part. I think he’s going to be able to fight this thing pretty strong. We’re just getting through it while we can.”

“Obviously it’s going to be easier as time goes on,” Rollins reflected, “but certainly, the last couple weeks have been, and last week especially, have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Lots of ups and downs.”

Roman Reigns was sadly rediagnosed with lekaemia. This forced him to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship on RAW a few weeks ago, where he publicly addressed his health issues to a shocked WWE Universe.

So it turned out that the ‘Best in The World’ was none other than Shane McMahon. In case you missed it, Shane inserted himself into Crown Jewel’s World Cup Tournament when his SmackDown! LIVE representative, The Miz, suffered a story-line injury during the match and was unable to continue.

Shane McMahon, being the fighting commissioner that he is, took it upon himself at that point to represent the blue brand, defeating Dolph Ziggler in order to claim the trophy for SmackDown.

Turns out, this confusing, controversial decision was a part of a bigger overall picture in order to turn Shane heel. This decision may also feed into the WWE’s November event, Survivor Series.

According to Dave Meltzer, “[…] the idea is that Shane is going heel and this was — Miz wasn’t hurt. This was all booked to be what it is: the beginning of a Shane McMahon heel turn. You know as far as why you want another hell McMahon authority figure on a show? I guess it’s a response to the declining ratings of SmackDown.”

He also shone some light on how The Miz was utilized for the the match up, explaining that, “they [the WWE] didn’t want Rey to look weak and quit, they didn’t want Randy Orton to look weak and quit…obviously they didn’t want Jeff Hardy to look weak and quit — so Miz had to be the one to look weak and quit for Shane to go in there.”

What did you make of their decision to insert Shane into this tournament? Did it make a mockery out of the entire concept? Do we need Shane as another McMahon heel figure on our screens?

“The Beast” Brock Lesnar returned last night at WWE’s Crown Jewel event, becoming the first ever two-time WWE Universal Champion in the process by defeating Braun Strowman in controversial fashion.

Though many fans were unhappy with the outcome – and the scenario that led up to it – there is one person who couldn’t be happier that Brock Lesnar is not only back, but has reclaimed the Universal Championship.

That man? The King of Bros, Matt Riddle.

Riddle, himself a former UFC fighter, took to Twitter in order thank Lesnar for returning and giving him the opportunity to try and accomplish what he’s wanted for a surprisingly long time: retire Brock Lesnar.

His Tweet read, “Thank you Brock for coming back and winning the universal title! You’re right where I need you bro,” which is a clear statement of intent over Riddle’s future goals.

Having only just successfully debuted for NXT, Matt Riddle has even set himself an ambitious timeframe to work towards, stating that he intends to “retire you [Lesnar] in a few years.”

Thank you Brock for coming back and winning the universal title! You’re right where I need you bro and it’s gonna be that much sweeter when I retire you in a couple years. #kingofbros #bro #stallion #nxt #wwenxt #wwenetwork pic.twitter.com/2e4cbvxWRN

— Matthew Riddle (@SuperKingofBros) November 2, 2018

This isn’t the first time the King of Bros has spoken about facing Brock Lesnar. On a recent edition of “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” he said the following:

“In my perfect world I’m champion in like, three months,” Riddle said. “And then I’m on the main roster and I’m challenging Brock Lesnar. And I want to retire Brock Lesnar. That’s the perfect world. Maybe Brock Lesnar, main event [at] WrestleMania for the Universal Title, and if he loses he retires.”

It’s good to have goals.

Is this a match you’d like to see? Who would win if it were to go down? Can you see Matt Riddle being the one to retire Lesnar?

Frequently referred to as Mr. Wrestlemania, Shawn Michaels developed a star-studded career filled with top-tier clashes against some of the very best of the business. Then, in 2010, he retired after losing to The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXVI.

Last night, HBK made his in-ring return at WWE’s Crown Jewel event. However, it may have been more of a one-and-done situation rather than the reigniting of a career that has lain dormant for eight years.

In a post-match video for WWE.com, The Heartbreak Kid reflected on his tag match. He spoke about how “this whole day I’ve been anxious and nerves and everything. Once I got in there though, it was fun, it was comfortable. Y’know, I did a few things, got a little warm and you forget just how tough this is on your body. I’ll be feeling it for the next several days.”

He then hinted that his return to the ring may have been a one time deal, reflecting that “[…] it’ll be a very good reminder of why I didn’t do it for eight years and why I’m not going to do it again if I can possibly help it.”

Looking to the future, Shawn said, “Monday night, Shawn is back at the P.C. We’re going back to our regular life, boys. It was a lot of fun to do, but I’m glad it’s over, too.”

What do you make of this? Was this match worth Shawn coming out of retirement? Does he have one more run in him? Is that something you would want to see?

New Japan Pro Wrestling is on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 13, but before we get to their premier event in January, there’s still the World Tag League, the Road To Tokyo Dome shows, and today’s NJPW Power Struggle event to enjoy.

Power Struggle took place in Osaka’s Edion Arena, Osaka, Japan.

Power Struggle Results

ACH, Chris Sabin, Ryusuke Taguchi, & Toa Henare defeated Jushin “Thunder” Liger, Soberano, Jr., Tiger Mask IV, & Volador, Jr. via pinfall.

ACH and Taguchi nailed Soberano Jr. with a wheelbarrow X-Factor, allowing Taguchi to pick up the victory for his team.

Bullet Club (Robbie Eagles, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Loa) defeated Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) & KUSHIDA via pinfall.

The win came in typical Bullet Club fashion, with Jado and a supposedly injured Taiji Ishimori interfering in the match. Isihomori nailed KUSHIDA with his crutch; one Gun Stun later and the Bullet Club were victorious.

Ishimori proceeded to hold the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title, clearly stating his intentions for championship gold.

CHAOS (Beretta & Kazuchika Okada) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & “Switchblade” Jay White) via pinfall.

Beretta slipped out of an attempted Bad Luck Fall, which led to a pinning opportunity over Bad Luck Fale.

Post-match, Jay White threw down a challenge that he would face Okada anytime, anywhere. When Okada suggested they fight then and there, White leaves.

Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) defeated David Finlay & Hiroshi Tanahashi via pinfall.

Omega and Ibushi executed a high-impact Golden Trigger onto C-Block champion, David Finlay.

Super Jr. Tag League 2018 Finals

Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi) and Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) via pinfall.

SHO landed an imapctful Last Ride/Backcracker combination onto Desperado, who somehow kicked out at 2. SHO scooped up the LIJ member and quickly hit the Shock Arrow, giving Roppongi 3K the victory.

Roppongi 3K are the only team in New Japan history to win the Best of Super Jr.’s twice in a row.

Hirooki Goto defeated Taichi (c) by pinfall with GTR to win the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Goto weathered the storm after being attacked by Taichi before the bell. Fighting back, he managed to pull off the Shouten Kai and followed up with a GTR for the pinfall, winning back the NEVER Openweight Championshiop for the fourth time.

Tomohiro Ishii (c) defeated Minoru Suzuki by pinfall, thanks to a vertical drop brainbuster.

Ishii retained the RPW British Heavyweight Championship during this hard-hitting match that perfectly encapsulated the ‘strong style’ ideology.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Zack Sabre, Jr. via pinfall after hitting a second Destino.

Chris Jericho (c) defeated EVIL via submission with the Walls of Jericho, retaining the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the process.

After the match concluded, Jericho continued to attack EVIL, putting him back into the submission hold until Naito ran in to save his LIJ teammate. Jericho escaped and began to leave, but not before he teased a match between the two, indicating to an inevitable confrontation between himself and Naito for the belt.

Naito got on the mic and officially challenged Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to close out the show.

The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, has joined a rare, exclusive club. This club is filled with a very specific type of Superstar and features a litany of WWE Hall Of Famers, so the Georgia native couldn’t be in better company.

As of yesterday, November 1st, AJ Styles reached a new milestone by maintaining his championship status for 359 days. This has seen him officially place amongst the Top 10 longest reigning champions in WWE history, as documented by WWE.com.

Having won the belt back in November 2017 against Jinder Mahal during a SmackDown LIVE event in Manchester, England, AJ has been able to fend off all comers and challengers for the championship, solidifying his place in the main event and firmly establishing SmackDown as the “House That AJ Styles Built.”

Styles is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship at today’s Crown Jewel event, emanating from Saudi Arabia, in a matchup against Samoa Joe. If successful, this will see him continue to climb the ranks as his days as champion continue to accumulate.

All of that could change, however, in just a few short hours, especially if Samoa Joe gets his way.

AJ Styles, You Just Made The List

Here are the Top 10 Longest-Reigning WWE Champions of all time:

10. AJ Styles (360 days, at time of writing, and counting)

9. Hulk Hogan (364 days)

8. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (371 days)

7. John Cena (381 days)

6. CM Punk (434 days)

5. Pedro Morales (1,027 days)

4. Bruno Sammartino (1,237 days)

3. Hulk Hogan (1,474 days)

2. Bob Backlund (2,135 days)

1. Bruno Sammartino (2,803 days)

The oft-outspoken John Bradshaw Layfield has never been one to shy away from controversy or an opportunity to share his opinion, especially on a subject he’s so knowledgeable and passionate about.

Speaking recently with Busted Open Radio, the former WWE Champion offered his thoughts on the issue with modern-day heels in the industry.

JBL believes that it’s “easier now than ever [to be a heel], but the guys have got to stay in character. […] we stayed in character 24/7. People would think you’re a horrible person, but you don’t want to see a guy at the airport, and smile, and be friendly.”

He admits that this outlook – one that happens to be shared by Chris Jericho – is an “old school mentality,” before explaining, “People don’t like it anymore, but it’s what we did and you didn’t want them coming to the arena and saying, ‘Hey, I met that guy – he’s actually a really good guy,’ and tell everyone around him because that’s what they’ll do. You want people to think you’re this bad guy. You live this character 24/7.”

A Social (Media) Issue

Attempting to pinpoint contributing factors to the issue, JBL highlighted social media as a major reason for this break in heel dynamics.

“I would see these guys trying to be heels and right after some dastardly deed on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown, they quote a bible verse and say how great it is to help people on social media,” he said.

“You’re killing yourself because these same people who follow you on social media are the same ones that watch you on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown, and they’re the ones out there saying, ‘you know, he’s really a good guy; I like him; he’s a good heel.’ If somebody tells you, ‘you’re a good heel,’ you have failed miserably. If you’re selling t-shirts as a heel, you’re selling them, then you’ve failed miserably. If you have a heel section, then you’ve failed miserably.”

What do you make of JBL’s thoughts? Is there a problem with modern-day heels? Is social media to blame?

Usually WWE is the company poaching talent from other promotions, but it appears New Japan Pro Wrestling is going on the offensive.

New Japan has been aggressively increasing its presence in the West over the past few years, hoping to grow a larger fanbase amongst American fans. A whole new audience is being exposed to New Japan’s brand of “strong style” wrestling. Another big step in that effort would be acquiring WWE talent that fans are familiar with.

According Dave Meltzer, NJPW has been reaching out to WWE’s wrestlers in an effort to lure them away with comparable money for fewer dates.

“There were some offers that have been made to some guys in WWE that surprised me in the sense of how much they could make outside of WWE,” Meltzer said, before adding, “One person who is there [in the WWE] got an offer for ridiculous money for way less dates and it very much surprised me. This would be one of the top guys in WWE. New Japan is weird but they are willing to pay real big money, like they did with [Chris] Jericho.”

No specific names were mentioned during his observations, but rumors are rife with names such as current US Heavyweight Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows – all of whom have been previously associated with NJPW in the past and that many fans believe have been grossly underutilized during their time with WWE.

What do you think of this? Do you feel they’ve been misused in the WWE? Who would you like to see get signed to NJPW?

He may no longer be appearing at WWE’s Crown Jewel event this coming Friday, but that hasn’t made John Cena any less in demand, especially as he continues to bypass boundaries into different mediums, continuously building a wider cross-media fanbase as he does so.

In a recent video interview, the former Doctor Of Thuganomics, sporting a blue suit and maintaining his longer hairstyle, was asked about potentially returning to the ring, and whether he was still maintaining a physical fitness compatible for in-ring competition.

Cena responded candidly, admitting: “Full disclosure, I can’t run at the full demanding schedule at 41 years old as the current WWE Superstars do. They go every day, all the time, and it is a young man’s game.”

Addressing the fact he has segued into a part-time position within the company as he continues to appear in more movies, Cena said, “There is some folks out there that – certainly because of what I have said and done in the past are like, ‘urgh, you’re hypocritical.’ […] I’m old, guys. I’m old. I’m 41 and performing 310 times a year isn’t what’s best for my overall health. I want to be able to run the streets at 80 instead of hobbling around.”

He was quick to clarify, however, that he’s not going anywhere soon, “[…] I’m at a point in my life where I, kind of, gotta think a little bit more long term. That doesn’t mean I’m leaving the WWE. I’ll never leave the WWE. It’s my home, but I have to think of my overall long-term health and, right now, this is probably the best play for me.”

What do you make of this? Is Cena moving towards less in-ring competition? Do you think he is on his way to full-time Hollywood?

Renee Young made history recently by becoming the WWE’s first ever full-time female commentator when she joined the RAW commentary team.

Turns out that she had a number of supporters backstage who were rallying for her success, one of whom was none other than Paul Heyman.

Speaking with Bleacher Report, Renee mentioned how Heyman had always been a vocal supporter of hers, ever since she first signed with the company back in October 2012.

“He’s had my back from the get-go,” she admitted. “He did not need to do that. For whatever reason, he [Heyman] and I have always been close when it comes to talking about being better and wanting to be the best.”

Young also revealed that Heyman gave her advice before her RAW commentary debut, remembering that “he just kind of gave me advice on how to be a little more succinct, how to create those little punchlines.”

“You’ve gotta think about what this is going to sound like in a video package,” Young elaborated. “Make sure you’re saying their name instead of he or she. Just little nuggets like that that you might forget. And I do forget. Sometimes, I might be out there and catch myself saying, ‘Oh, he just speared him’ instead of ‘Roman Reigns just speared Braun Strowman.'”

The World Cup tournament concludes this Friday at WWE’s controversial Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. However, it was originally slated to play out slightly differently compared to the brackets that were recently revealed.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsiderElite.com, the “original plan was to kind of have the talents mixed up.”

He went to to say, “[…] at one point we were told that John Cena was going to wrestle Rey Mysterio in the first round and then the decision was made to keep the Raw and SmackDown talents segregated until the final.”

This was done in order to “[…] serve as sort of a preview of next month’s Survivor Series which will have a Raw vs SmackDown theme.”

Blue Brand Ultimatum

Shane McMahon made a staggering declaration last night during SmackDown Live regarding the World Cup..

He said that if the blue brand’s finalist is not successful against their Raw opponent, they would “no longer have a home on SmackDown Live.”

He prefaced this ultimatum by stressing that “[…] one of the worst things in the world that could happen to me personally, is that my sister can call a Raw superstar the ‘best in the world.'”

A lot has been said and speculated about the current status’ of Elite members, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Cody, Marty Scurll, and Adam Page in relation to the Bullet Club.

More fuel was added to the fire earlier in the month as the collective released new t-shirts that they claimed would be their “final Bullet Club style” merchandise. Cody also took to Twitter and plainly stated that he was “100% not in the Bullet Club.”

Whilst on the Jericho Cruise, Chris Jericho scheduled a recording of his popular podcast, Talk Is Jericho with the entirety of the Elite group.

Matt Jackson touched on a number of subjects during the course of the conversation, including the origins of the YouTube hit series, Being The Elite, and how the show has evolved and changed since it started. He also confirmed that the group were now officially “The Elite,” and that they are no longer a part of the Bullet Club in any capacity.

He would go on to address the gradual separation that led to the split between Bullet Club and the Elite over the years, highlighting that it’s “not like I’m going to make this crazy announcement because it just feels natural, right?”

He went on to clarify his point, saying, “I think everyone on the ship can agree, it’s not just Kenny, me, and Nick as The Elite. We’re all elite. So, from this very day forward, why don’t we just call all of us The Elite?”

Bullet Club Is Fine

On the other side of the split, Tama Tonga took to Twitter in order to solidify the Bullet Club’s unity since attacking the Elite at NJPW’s G1 Special in San Francisco.

Back to business. We run this game now you bitches. #BulletClub #CutThroatEra pic.twitter.com/oSIjmScoEq

— Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) October 23, 2018

So there you go, we now have official confirmation: the feud between the two factions is not a reignited Bullet Club civil war, and the Elite has branched off into their own, separate unit away from BC.

What do you make of this announcment? What do you see the two factions accomplishing going forward?