First-day G1 Supercard ticket sales are very encouraging for Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling
The quick sell-out of All In has emboldened other wrestling promotions to think big. After All In, the biggest non-WWE event on the calendar is New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor’s G1 Supercard event from Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania 35 weekend.
Subscribers of Ring of Honor’s Honor Club program got first crack at G1 Supercard tickets on Wednesday. Tickets started at $30 for upper deck and ringside seats cost $300. The event is already shaping up to be a huge success. G1 Supercard is already 60% sold out, according to ROH CEO Joe Koff (via Post Wrestling).
Madison Square Garden will host its own ticket presale MSG will host their own pre-sale on Thursday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday morning at 10AM (Eastern).
How Will WWE React to G1 Supercard Ticket Sales?
At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before the show sells out. WWE officials were reportedly unhappy with the show even taking place. It will be interesting to see how they react to the strong ticket sales.
Talent advertised for G1 Supercard includes NJPW stars Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito.
Many have speculated WWE will attempt to sign some of the big names involved. Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks are undoubtedly all on WWE’s radar.
ROH & NJPW’s G1 Supercard will run head-to-head with NXT Takeover in Brooklyn. WWE loves to have one of their new signees sitting ringside at Takeover shows. WWE will have strong competition right down the street on Saturday night, April 6th. What better way to flex their muscle as the world’s top wrestling promotion than to have one of the Bullet Club members watching Takeover from the crowd?
Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling will be running a super-card from Madison Square Garden next year. The G1 Supercard will be held on April 6th, 2019.
While the deal is now official, it almost didn’t happen. There were reports that WWE initially prevented a deal between the famous venue and the two wrestling promotions.
“We had a deal with [Madison Square] Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE,” ROH COO Jeff Coff told PWInsider last month.
WWE is apparently not happy they were blamed for the initial deal following through.
ROH/NJPW in Madison Square Garden
A report from Sports Illustrated is stating WWE is not happy with how they are being portrayed publicly in regards to the deal.
“WWE was not happy they were blamed for having anything to do with ROH’s pursuit of Madison Square Garden,” the report reads. “Multiple industry sources also verified that MSG officials found WWE very cooperative during the entire process.”
WWE released the following statement on ROH & NJPW working with MSG: “MSG is, of course, free to work with ROH however they want.”
G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden
So far, only Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Kazuchika Okada have been confirmed for the show.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling to Madison Square Garden for the much anticipated G1 Supercard,” said Executive Vice President of MSG Marquee Events, Joel Fisher. “We expect April 6 to be another memorable night of wrestling at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’”
Ring of Honor has a couple of shows this weekend. They are in Nashville tomorrow night and then return to Atlanta for television tapings on Saturday. NJPW just completed night 4 of their 19-show G1 Climax 28 tournament. It was the first of 3 straight shows in Korakuen Hall.
In a landmark announcement, ROH and NJPW have just announced a super-card from Madison Square Garden.
“ROH and NJPW are proud to announce that on April 6th, 2019, the companies will join forces to present the ultimate wrestling event,” an ROH press release reads. “G1 Supercard, to fans from around the world, LIVE from Madison Square Garden in New York City!”
It had previously been reported that talks between ROH and the historic venue had broken down.
G1 Supercard Madison Square Garden
“The G1 Supercard is an event that can only represent the absolute best possible matches with both NJPW and ROH stars. Madison Square Garden is the perfect venue for them,” said Greg Gilleland, ROH General Manager
“This is a historic initiative for ROH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling,” Harold Meij, President of NJPW proudly commented. “This gives us a great chance to expose fans to NJPW in the building which housed so many memorable and compelling matches.”
The only confirmed participants so far are Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
ROH and NJPW Book Madison Square Garden
“We are thrilled to welcome Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling to Madison Square Garden for the much anticipated G1 Supercard,” said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, MSG Marquee Events. “We expect April 6th to be another memorable night of wrestling at The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
“This is destined to join a long list of historical wrestling moments and where better to hold it than at Madison Square Garden,” ROH Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff said.
Koff would continue to say that this would not be possible without the tremendous fan support they enjoy.
Tickets will go on sale August 8th, 2017 at 10AM ET for Honor Club VIP subscribers. They will go on sale to the general public August 10th.
Madison Square Garden has released an updated lineup for the July 7th WWE live event featuring are rare in-ring appearance by The Undertaker and Ronda Rousey’s Garden debut.
The Undertaker will team with Roman Reigns & Braun Strowman against Kevin Owens, Elias & Baron Corbin. It will be The Undertaker’s first MSG appearance since 2010.
Ronda Rousey will re-match her MITB opponent Nia Jax with WWE Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss serving as the special guest referee.
New WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler will put his championship on the line against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match.
Also advertised for the event are WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy, Jinder Mahal, Bobby Lashley, Bayley, Natalya, Bobby Roode and more.
The Deadman and The Baddest Women on the Planet Return
News of the Undertaker’s return back to the square circle has been circling online for weeks now. In addition to Wrestlemania 34, where he defeated John Cena in less than two minutes, the Dead Man has also competed at the Greatest Royal Rumble Event where he defeated Rusev in a casket match.
This six-man tag match will allow fans to see The Undertaker in action while limiting the physical toll on his body. He’s scheduled to face Triple- H in October for the WWE Super Show-Down stadium show from Australia.
Rousey’s match against Nia Jax is still a go despite her “30-day Suspension” for attacking Alex Bliss and Kurt Angle on RAW.
Last week, it was reported that the Ring of Honor was looking at booking Madison Square Garden for WrestleMania 35 weekend next April. A report from Pro Wrestling Insider then stated WWE had blocked them from booking the famous arena.
Chief Operating Officer for Ring of Honor, Joe Koff, spoke to PWI’s Mike Johnson.
“You know, I’m going to tell you Mike because you are asking. I’m not going to discuss beyond this statement because I am not going to litigate this in the press. We had a deal with (the) Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE. We are not able to get any other dates in any kind of discussion. I’m expecting that our lawyers will be contacting all the parties involved and the best we can hope for is that we can find resolution, and we can bring the kind of energy and excitement that ROH and our partner New Japan brings to a bigger audience and to bigger arenas to the fans of New York City.”
A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now stating WWE was able to block ROH booking the building with just one phone call.
WWE Blocks ROH From Booking Madison Square Garden
According to the Observer, ROH officials are furious about what happened and are looking at legal options.
“We were told last week by sources close to the situation that it could and probably would turn into an ugly legal fight.” Dave Meltzer on WWE blocking ROH at Madison Square Garden
Ring of Honor officials had been of the belief a deal had been struck, although the terms were agreed to orally and not in writing. MSG canceled the deal reportedly after one phone call from a high-ranking WWE employee (not Vince McMahon).
Sinclair believes a court would not uphold MSG’s cancellation of their agreement. This is the case despite the agreement never having been signed. There is also speculation that Madison Square Garden officials were looking for other wrestling promotions as WWE only runs house shows in the arena a few times a year. WWE does not generally broadcast television shows or PPVs from the arena due to the increased cost the venue charges for such rights. Some are saying MSG was upset the company will not be running WrestleMania from the arena despite being in the surrounding area.
AAA Lucha Libre has also expressed interesting in running MSG later this year.
It was reported before that Ring Of Honor was looking to run a show at Madison Square Garden sometime next year but the exact date of this event was not known.
Now Wrestling Observer Newsletter reveals that the company is planning to hold this show on April 6th next year, during the WrestleMania weekend.
What’s interesting to note here is that WWE will be holding an NXT Takeover on the same night, meaning that ROH’s event will be clashing directly with a WWE Show.
This is bound to make the already unhappy WWE Officials even angrier and now it’d be interesting to see what steps they take to block this show.
Alexa Bliss On Her MITB Victory
While the decision from WWE is receiving mixed reactions online, it’s safe to say that The Money In The Bank PPV was a successful night for the Goddess Alexa Bliss.
Bliss not only defeated the other 7 Women to win the Money In The Bank briefcase, but she went on to successfully cash it in later in the night to win the Raw Women’s Championship back from Nia Jax.
She was interviewed backstage after her title victory and during the interaction, Alexa revealed if she had planned this all along. You can check out her interview in the video below:
– WWE will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 16th for a live event. Two matches have been announced for the event; including WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Kane, and Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns vs. The Miz vs. John Cena.
– Yesterday marked 18 years since current SmackDown Live star Shelton Benjamin signed his first WWE deal. He posted the following on social media to celebrate the milestone:
“On Jan 10 2000 I signed my first @wwe contract and officially became a Pro-wrestler/sports entertainer. Hard to believe that was 18 years ago #TODAY. Thank you to All who have cheered/booed supported or hated it’s all motivation for me. The Ride is far from over. I guess the best way to put it is #Ain’tnostoppinMeNooowwww!!! #18thyearanniversary”
– WWE Hall of Famer Lita is rumored to be joining Jim Ross on commentary for the upcoming Mae Young Classic women’s tournament, which airs on the WWE Network this summer.
– Emma is currently out of action recovering from a shoulder injury that took place during WWE’s recent European tour. The injury is not as serious as initially thought, so she could be ready to return around mid-June.
– Former Ring of Honor World Champion Adam Cole remains a free agent. There’s interest from both WWE and Impact Wrestling, but he will most likely wind up in NXT.
– WWE is stacking the card for the July 7th RAW-branded live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Two big SmackDown “special attration” matches have been added to the show: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles. The event is being promoted as Nakamura and Finn Balor’s first appearances at MSG.
H/T to Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com for the information used in this report
– WWE returns to Madison Square Garden with a live event on Saturday, July 16th. Fans interested in getting pre-sale tickets can do so now at Ticketmaster.com using the code WWELIVE. Top stars advertised for the show include John Cena, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose, Chris Jericho and The New Day.
– In honor of May 4th (“Star Wars Day”), WWE.com has posted a feature looking at sci-fi versions of several top Superstars, including John Cena, Sasha Banks, Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose.
– What do WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Marino and late artist Andy Warhol have in common? All three hail from the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA and were honored this week.
Mayor Bill Peduto and other city officials held a sign dedication ceremony in the neighborhood. “If you think about it, there are probably few places on Earth where within a few blocks three people rose from three fields to become internationally known,” Peduto said.
For more on this story, visit Pittsburgh’s WPXI.com.
– The New Day reacted to what happened with The Dudley Boyz at Saturday night’s WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The New Day ended up making Kyle Edwards walk away from the interview with a box over his head. Video below:
– During a No Disqualification Match against Roman Reigns at last night’s WWE live event in Bangor, Maine, Bray Wyatt suffered bad cuts to his head and hand. It was reported that the hand injury came from a kendo stick shot where his trainers attempted to tape Wyatt up and continue the match. Ultimately, Bray lost the match. Below are tweets obtained from reporter Jon Alba:
Bray Wyatt's head busted open the hard way here at #WWEBangor. No DQ match with Reigns. Doctors out but he's good. #WWE
Tonight, WWE returns to Madison Square Garden in New York City for a live WWE Network special. The show will feature a rare live event appearance by Brock Lesnar, a steel cage match and more. Here’s the announced card:
-Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show
Steel Cage Match for the United States Championship:
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. WWE United States Champion John Cena
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
-Kevin Owens (c) vs. Chris Jericho
-Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler
-Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
Also appearing are Team Bella, Divas Champion Charlotte, Kane, Stardust and Mark Henry.
– The next WWE pay-per-view will be the WWE Night Of Champions event, which takes place on Sunday, September 20, 2015, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. WWE aired the following promo during SummerSlam last night to promote this year’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
– Brock Lesnar’s return to the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City will be on October 3, 2015. No opponent has been announced as of yet for Lesnar.
– WWE announced the following new original programs for the WWE Network during WWE SummerSlam on Sunday night:
* WWE Breaking Ground, which will look at the WWE Performance Center and what it takes to become a WWE Superstar
* Next “Stone Cold Podcast” guests will be Edge and Christian
* WWE Swerved, new episodes including the season finale
WWE returns to Madison Square Garden tonight for “Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night.”
Here’s a preview for this evening’s live event.
– Hogan Appreciation Night with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash
– US Champion Rusev vs. John Cena
– Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt
– Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins & Kane.
– IC Champion BNB vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Dean Ambrose.
– Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel
Plus Paige, The Bella Twins and more will be in attendance.
With Randy Orton siding with the Authority on RAW, it remains to be seen if he’ll still be teaming with Daniel Bryan against The Authority’s Rollins & Kane.
WWE’s next live event from Madison Square Garden on February 27th will be “Hulk Hogan Appreciation Night.” This will be Hogan’s first WWE appearance at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” since 2005.
The following matches are being advertised for the show:
John Cena and Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt and Rusev
Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins and Kane
Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro
Also appearing will be Chris Jericho, Bad News Barrett, Goldust and Stardust, Paige and The Bella Twins. For ticket information, visit TheGarden.com.
WWE announced that they will break an annual tradition with next year’s SummerSlam, moving the event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California to the New York/New Jersey market.
As things stand now, WWE will most likely run the show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, or the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There is also talk of trying to run MetLife Stadium.
Apparently the feeling in the company is that it’s just too expensive to run Madison Square Garden in New York for a major show these days compared to other arenas in the market.
As noted recently, Bray Wyatt had his eye swollen shut after receiving a stiff shot from Ric Flair during the recent WWE live event in Madison Square Garden. Wyatt spoke to the local CBS affiliate in Tampa today to discuss the situation.
“I look at it as an honor,” said Wyatt. “Madison Square Garden. Ric Flair. John Cena. At the end of a long, long, long war, a little [bruise] is not so bad. I’m used to having stitches and things all over my body, so I didn’t even know I was bleeding.” Wyatt concluded, “I thought I was blind!”
The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte:
On sharing the moment with her father Ric Flair when she won the NXT Women’s Title at Takeover: “I really don’t have the words. It was so special. I mean, to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I think if anyone’s followed my father’s career, they truly know how passionate he is about sports entertainment. And to be able to carry on his legacy in my own way and to win the NXT Women’s Championship, it just meant the world to me. I know how much his legacy, hard work, sacrifice and his love for his fans and the WWE Universe that he put into them. And to know that I’m representing his brand that he worked on for so long means a lot to me. So I just want to do it justice and I felt that pressure that night. I think it went really well. No matter how grand the stage is, he be proud of me. But to win my first title with there, was special.”
On her WWE debut at Madison Square Garden this past weekend: “Heck of a way to start your main roster debut. It was amazing. While Sasha Banks and I started pretty much at the same time and to have her tagging with me was special in itself. But Madison Squarer Garden has so much history and tradition. And to walk out there and know that I was making history within that building and having my dad there and being on the same card as him, that’s what made it special. Like his name was on there, I was on there. But facing Natalya again, that was pretty awesome too. That was the first time I faced her since Takeover and obviously going up against Nikki (Bella) too. Also, what was so cool, they (the crowd) knew who we were. Walking out there playing our little package and knowing us made you feel like even more like a superstar like NXT means business.”
– Mark Henry made his return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Henry served as one of the lumberjacks that was led by Ric Flair. According to live reports, Henry actually turned heel during the match and threw John Cena into the ring post.
– Speaking of Ric Flair, it’s said that when he and Bray Wyatt got physical after the end of the Wyatt-Cena lumberjack match, Flair accidentally busted Wyatt open. According to reports, Wyatt was said to be nearly covered in blood. Here’s video of the incident:
– The official Twitter account of TNA is now following recently released WWE announcer Josh Mathews. As noted in the past, Mathews was backstage at the recent TNA tapings in New York City immediately after his WWE release. Mathews has a long-standing relationship with former WWE executive John Gaburick, who is now in charge of TNA’s talent department.
– Triple H posted the following photo on his official Twitter account of Vince McMahon watching the action at last night’s WWE live event in Madison Square Garden:
– Following WWE’s live event in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, the company will return to MSG for their next event on December 26th.
– As we noted on Saturday, Daniel Bryan is scheduled to release an autobiography called “YES! YES! YES!” during WrestleMania 31 weekend. The following is the official synopsis for the book:
“YES! YES! YES! Daniel Bryan is the real deal. Everyone’s favorite underdog, he’s proven to the world and to all of WWE that looks can be deceiving. Just ask everyone who’s ever underestimated him…right before he went out and whipped the WWE Universe into a frenzy. This is Bryan’s behind-the-scenes story told for the first time ever — from his beginnings as a child wanting to wrestle to his ten years on the circuit before finally making it in WWE. When his “YES!” chant becomes a full-fledged movement, his career skyrockets. This book chronicles all the hard work, values, influences, unique life choices and more leading to his watershed week at WrestleMania 30. You won’t want to miss it. Yes! We’re sure about this.”
Ric Flair is scheduled to make his return to WWE television on Monday’s RAW in Richmond, Virginia. The WWE Hall Of Famer is also scheduled for the SmackDown television tapings the next night in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
“The Nature Boy” returns as a character at this coming Saturday night’s non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. He is scheduled to serve as the captain of one of the lumberjack teams in the main event.
Chris Jericho will not be working WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan. Instead, he will be on the July 13th show in Wildwood, New Jersey and July 12th event in Madison Square Garden, where he is scheduled to do a Highlight Reel segment.
Speaking of the upcoming WWE MSG show, the main event will feature John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Lumberjack Match, with Ric Flair and Triple H as the leader of the two teams of lumberjacks. Also on the show will be a triple-threat match for the WWE United States Championship, with Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio.
– Regarding Ric Flair, he has yet to be given a start up date for WWE television, however he is still scheduled to work the Madison Square Garden show on July 12th as a baby face manager.
– WWE recently promoted Mark Kowal, the Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller to the company’s Principal Accounting Officer. Kowal, 38, has been with the company since 2001 in various executive roles.
Daniel Bryan is still being advertised locally on television in Canada for WWE live events on July 5th in London, Ontario, July 6th in Toronto, Ontario and July 7th in Kingston, Ontario. He is being promoted as the headline attraction, as a match featuring he and Kane is being advertised as the main event for those shows.
Either this means that WWE didn’t bother to change the advertising, or that he will be back in action by that point. Considering the fact that he was pulled from the advertising for the July 12th event in Madison Square Garden, as well as the upcoming shows in Japan, all of which take place after the aforementioned Canadian loop, it’s likely that WWE simply didn’t bother updating the advertising for the Canadian shows.
