In the late 90s, the old NWO faction would release “paid advertisements” on Nitro. Bullet Club is now doing the same in NJPW.
The faction has been the focal point of NJPW’s marketing strategy for their July 1st and 2nd shows in L.A, and have now released the following video:
Bullet Club at NJPW G1 L.A Special
Somewhat surprisingly, Cody will receive an IWGP heavyweight title shot on night 1 of the 2-night event. At Dominion, Cody defeated Michael Elgin in what turned out to be a pretty important match.
The rest of the announced lineup so far:
NJPW July 1st 2017 Lineup
the Briscoes, Will Ospreay, & Roppongi Vice (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale, the Young Bucks, Yujiro Takahashi & Marty Scurll (Bullet Club)
Jushin Liger, Volador Jr., Dragon Lee & Titan vs. Sanada, Evil, Bushi & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables)
IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)
IWGP U.S Championship Tournament (1st Round)
Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kushida, Jay White & David Finlay vs. Billy Gunn, Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
UK Superindie IPW:UK have announced that they will be returning to the Casino Rooms in Rochester, Kent on Easter Monday (April 17th) and that several Lucha Underground stars will be on the card.
Two matches have already been announced for the show; ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll will be taking on Angelico and Big Grizzly will be facing Jack Evans.
Also announced for the show are Rey Fenix, Pentagon, Jimmy Havoc, Zack Sabre Jr and The London Riots. Tickets for the event are available to purchase through the IPW:UK Website.
It has not been confirmed whether the show will be available to view through FloSlam but keep an eye on the UK section of the site as we will post any updates as and when IPW:UK confirms.
Here are the results from PWG’s latest event Nice Boys (Don’t Play Rock N’ Roll) from the world famous American Legion Post 335 in Reseda, California:
Brian Cage b. Keith Lee & Sami Callihan – Cage won the bout after hitting a Falcon Arrow on Keith Lee
Chosen Bros (Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle) b. Jake and Dave Crist – Riddle took the win for his team after making Crist tap out to the Bromission
Lio Rush b. Trevor Lee – Rush won the match with a small package counter
Shane Strickland b. Dezmond Xavier – Strickland won the match after hitting a Cuerno Killer
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent?) b. PWG World Champion Zack Sabre Jr. and Marty Scurll – Trent? Won the match for his team after hitting Sabre Jr with a Cradle Piledriver. After the match Sabre and Scurll powerbombed Chuck into chairs
PWG Tag Team Title Match – Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero M b. The Young Bucks and Ricochet & Matt Sydal – Fenix and Penta are the new PWG Tag Team Champions after hitting a Cradle Piledriver in to a Destroyer on Ricochet.
WCPW will be hosting their latest live event on Monday 20th from the Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester, England.
Dubbed ‘Bulletproof,’ the show is a Bullet Club themed event and several bouts have already been announced including:
WCPW Title Match: DREW GALLOWAY vs JOE COFFEY
ADAM COLE vs ZACK SABRE JR
Magnificent Seven Match: RICOCHET vs DOUG WILLIAMS vs MARTY SCURLL vs BT GUNN vs MARTIN KIRBY vs TRAVIS BANKS vs EL LIGERO
VIPER vs LANA AUSTIN
RAMPAGE vs DRAKE
GRADO vs PRINCE AMEEN
What Culture have now announced that the WCPW Tag Team Titles will be on the line in a very special 4-way bout. The Young Bucks, Swords of Essex, Prospect and the team of Matt Riddle & Liam Slater will be looking to prove they are the best team in What Culture Pro Wrestling.
The event will be available to view live via the What Culture Extra service at 7pm GMT (that’s 3pm Eastern and 12pm Pacific): whatculture.com/extra.
UK independent promotion What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) announced back in January that they would be hosting the first ever ‘Pro Wrestling World Cup,’ an event that would take place over several qualifying stages over the coming months that would build up to the finals in August.
The first of the qualifying nights takes place on March 21st at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Nottingham, England and tickets are still available to purchase at Eventbrite.uk.
The brackets for the English Qualifying Round can be found below. The two eventual winners will then go on to compete at the finals in Newcastle, England this August.
Confirmed bracket for England qualifier in Pro Wrestling World Cup. Which two competitors will progress to the finals in August? pic.twitter.com/NxzTRV1dan
WCPW General Manager Adam Blampied has announced a new match for the ‘Bulletproof’ event taking place on March 20th in Manchester. The ‘Magnificent Seven’ match will see seven competitors battle it out in an elimination style bout where the eventual winner will receive a Championship bout at a time of his choosing.
The lineup for the first ever M7 match is as follows:
WCPW have announced that their Bullet Club themed March 20th event ‘Bulletproof’ will now be moving to a larger room in the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester. The venue change has prompted the company to release more tickets for sale in what promises to be a star-studded event. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wcpw-manchester-march-20th-live-wrestling-tickets-31029100876.
The announced performers and matches for the event are as follows:
WCPW World Title Match – DREW GALLOWAY vs TBC
Ring of Honor World Title Match – ADAM COLE vs ZACK SABRE JR
WCPW Women’s Title Match – BEA PRIESTLEY vs TBC
WCPW Internet Title Match – CODY RHODES vs TBC
WCPW Tag Team Title Match – SWORDS OF ESSEX (Will Ospreay/Scott Wainwright) vs TBC
UK Independent promotion What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) have announced that their latest ‘PPV quality’ event ‘Exit Wounds’ will be available to view live and for free on their dedicated YouTube channel. The event takes place on March 6th at 7:15pm UK Time (that is 11:15am Pacific and 2:15pm Eastern).
Currently announced matches for Exit Wounds are as follows:
WCPW World Championship Match Drew Galloway [Champion] Vs Will Ospreay [WCPW Tag Team Champion]
WCPW Internet Championship Match Cody Rhodes [Champion] Vs Liam Slater
Ring of Honor Showcase Bout Delirious Vs Silas Young
Revolution Pro Wrestling Showcase Bout Marty Scurll Vs David Starr
Martin Kirby Vs BT Gunn
Check out the Tweet below for more information on the event:
When it was announced that Chris Hero had re-signed with WWE and would be returning to NXT it created a chasm across the Independent wrestling scene, both in the United States and Europe.
After his original departure from WWE back in 2013, Hero toured the world performing for numerous promotions big and small and establishing himself as quite possibly the best independent wrestler on the planet. What is truly astonishing is the quality and variety of matches that Chris Hero had in 2016; from his bouts in UK based Revolution Pro against Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata, his show stealing PROGRESS bouts against Mark Andrews and Marty Scurll, his PWG tag bout alongside Tommy End against Fenix & Pentagon Jr through to his EVOLVE matches with Dick Togo, Timothy Thatcher, Zack Sabre Jr……and Matt Riddle.
One of Hero’s biggest draws was that he seemed just as happy performing in front of thousands of fans as he did in front of a smaller crowd, eager to help as many promotions as possible gain traction and build their fan base.
Before I started writing this I saw a tweet from a very small UK based promotion stating that Matt Riddle would be performing for them in April against Josh Bodom, himself an up and coming star on the UK scene. Counter this with Riddle’s other matches so far in 2017 in the UK for the likes of Rev Pro and PROGRESS and you can see why I drew the comparison to Hero, he appears to be working for independents big and small.
Now, Riddle has only been wrestling for around 3 years and while he is not quite at the caliber of a Chris Hero just yet, he certainly has all of the tools to get there. Ever since his departure from UFC Riddle has taken to Pro Wrestling at an astonishing rate, earning him comparisons to the likes of Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. His natural charisma and ability to read is what established him as a star in EVOLVE.
Riddle’s temperament seems to be the same as Hero’s, he wants to work for as many companies as possible, get as much experience as he can and build his brand globally. As I mentioned before the hole that Chris Hero left in the Independent scene was substantial. Indie companies desperately need a performer that can come in and elevate both your company and the stars on your roster Matt Riddle looks set to be the man to fill those boots with his willingness to work in diverse matches against a litany of different opponents.
The WCPW Pro Wrestling World Cup looks set to be one of the biggest events of the year and the entire event will be available to watch for free via the WCPW Youtube channel.
There will be 8 nations represented in the tournament and the performers in the English, Scottish, Mexican and German qualifying rounds have been revealed:
England – March 21st in Nottingham, England
Rampage
Zack Sabre Jr
Marty Scurll
Will Ospreay
Martin Kirby
Zack Gibson
Jimmy Havoc
Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis.
Scotland – March 23rd in Motherwell, Scotland
Drew Galloway
Joe Coffey
Lewis Girvan
Kenny Williams
Joe Hendry
Mark Coffey
BT Gunn
Liam Thomson
Mexico – April 30th in Coventry, England
Rey Mysterio Jr
Alberto El Patron
Caristico
Penta El 0m
Rey Fenix
El Hijo del Dos Caras
Drago,
El Ligero
Germany – July 2nd in Berlin, Germany
Bad Bones
Axel Dieter Jr
Juvenile X
Crazy Sexy Mike
Cash Money Erkan
Lucky Kid
Tarkan Aslan
Pascal Spalter
The US, Japanese, Canadian, and Rest of the World groups will be revealed at a later date.
The Easter Weekend Fight Club: Pro events were already looking like some of the most must see shows in the UK this year, and now they have announced that Will Ospreay will be appearing on Friday 14th April at the Fixxion in Wolverhampton and Sunday 16th April at the Bush Hall in London.
Other stars announced for these shows are:
Pentagon Jr
Sami Callihan
Moustache Mountain
Travis Banks
Zack Sabre Jr
Rey Fenix
Pete Dunne
Chris Brookes
Shane Strickland
Marty Scurll
FSU – Mark Andrews and Eddie Dennis
Kenny Omega
The Young Bucks
Mark Haskins
Dan Moloney
Guess you can't put on one of the best shows in the country without one of the best fighters in the country… pic.twitter.com/MmFWe0tVK6
Here are the results from Revolution Pro Wrestling’s first York Hall show of the year. The promotion has been growing rapidly in popularity over the past year and with this absolutely stacked card that trend looks set to continue:
RPW Interim British Cruiserweight Championship Match:Josh Bodom b. Ryan Smile – Bodom took the win via pinfall to become the Interim Crusierweight Champion. The Interim title has been introduced as current champion Will Ospreay is tied up with New Japan & Ring of Honor commitments
RPW Undisputed British Tag Team Championship Match: Joel Redman & Charlie Sterling b. War Machine – Redman and Sterling took the win to retain their titles after hitting a spinning tombstone on Rowe
YOSHI-HASHI b. Pete Dunne – YOSHI-HASHI took the win after hitting the Karma
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Marty Scurll – Sabre took the win after avoiding a Crossface Chickenwing attempt and rolling Scurll up for the three count
Trent Seven b. Trevor Lee – Seven took the win after hitting his second Snap Piledriver of the match to take the pinfall
Jay White b. Martin Stone – NJPW Young Lion Jay White took the upset win after making Stone tap with a Boston Crab
RPW Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship Match: Katsuyori Shibata b. Matt Riddle – In what was easily the MOTN Shibata retained his title using a rear naked choke. Shibata will now defend his belt against Will Ospreay at the NJPW New Beginning show in February
Rev Pro have announced more matches for their January show in the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. Having already announced two huge bouts in Riddle/Shibata and Scurll/Sabre Jr the mid card for the event is also starting to shape up nicely:
FloSlam announced this week that German-based promotion wXw will have shows available live through the streaming service going forward.
“Based in Germany, wXw is world-renowned for the quality of their shows and now they will be easier to see than ever. Over the next several years, FloSlam will be bringing you their top events as part of our World Premiere Events series, including the annual16 Carat Gold tournament.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait long. Their 16th Anniversary Show will be coming to you at 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 21st. The card features the FloSlam premiere for Adam Cole, as he takes on Marty Scurll and Jurn Simmons in a three-way dance for the Unified World Wrestling Championship.
After the initial airing, shows will be available for unlimited rewatching via our ever-growing library. In fact, the partnership also will include selections from the wXw back catalog as we continue to seek ways to bring you more and more incredible wrestling content.
We’d like to welcome wXw to FloSlam, and can’t believe we now get to bring you two House of Hardcore shows, Shine 39, ACW: Yuletide Beatings, IPW:UK Supershow 5 and two OTT shows all before the New Year. There’s never been a better time to sign up….”
Here are the results from PROGRESS’ Chapter 40 show – ‘Intercepted Angel.’ The show was PROGRESS’ first event to be held in Sheffield:
The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) b. The New Nation (Alexander Henry & Jason Prime) – The Riots took the win after hitting the GBH and securing the pinfall
NATURAL PROGRESSION SERIES MATCH – Toni Storm b. Bea Priestley – Storm hit a top rope leg drop to take the pinfall victory and move on in the tournament to crown the first ever PROGRESS Women’s Champion
ATLAS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – Rampage Brown b. Dave Mastiff – Brown hit the Piledriver on ‘Banter Claus’ to retain his ATLAS title
Jimmy Havoc b. Marty Scurll – Havoc took the pinfall victory after hitting the Acid Rainmaker to become the Number 1 Contender to the PROGRESS Championship
F.S.U. (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) b. The Origin (El Ligero & Nathan Cruz) – Eddie Dennis rolled up El Ligero for the win
Adam Cole b. Will Ospreay – In what was an incredible bout (and possibly Cole’s best of 2016) Adam Cole took the pinfall win following his third Last Shot
PROGRESS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – Pete Dunne b. Zack Sabre Jr – Dunne took the win following a Drop Dead Facebuster to retain his Championship
UK promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling hosted a series of high profile events throughout 2016 and they look set to continue that trend into the new year. Their first show at The Cockpit in London is already shaping up to be the biggest Cockpit show in company history and the following bouts have been announced:
Main Event – Pete Dunne & Marty Scurll vs Shane Strickland & Ryan Smile
British Tag Team Title Match – London Riots vs Joel Redman & Charlie Sterling (c)
2016 was arguably the biggest year in British wrestling history. Now one of the biggest companies in the UK Revolution Pro have announced the two matches that will headline the first York Hall show of 2017:
Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship Match – Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Matt Riddle
“Best Friends/Bitter Enemies” – Marty Scurll vs Zack Sabre Jr
PROGRESS have finalised the card for their debut show in Sheffield, and it is as follows:
PROGRESS Championship Match – Newly crowned PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne will be defending arguably the most prestigious title in UK Wrestling against Zack Sabre Jr. Sabre Jr has had a very stop-start year in PROGRESS with his appearances in the CWC and Rev Pro being far more high profile.
Number 1 Contender Match – After returning at Chapter 36 Jimmy Havoc has been relentless in his attacks on ‘The Villain’ Marty Scurll, and now they face off for the first time one-on-one in PROGRESS ring for the chance to be Number 1 contender to Pete Dunne’s title.
Will Ospreay vs Adam Cole (BABAAAYYYY!) – Two of Ring of Honor’s top stars face off in a bout that could easily steal the show. Ospreay has had an absolutely incredible year having won the BOSJ and making the transition to ROH.
Here are the results from PROGRESS’ Chapter 37 show ‘A Sudden Sense of Liberty’ which took place at a sold out O2 Ritz in Manchester:
Bubblegum b. Chuck Mambo – Bubblegum took the win via pinfall in his return to PROGRESS
Kay Lee Ray b. Kimber Lee – Kay Lee Ray defeated Kimber Lee via pinfall
James Drake b. Fabian Aichner – PROGRESS debutant James Drake defeated Fabian Aichner via pinfall, this was also Aichner’s debut match for the company after impressing at WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament.
PROGRESS Championship Number One Contender Match – “The Villain” Marty Scurll b. Pete Dunne, Joe Coffey & Trent Seven – Scurll took the submission victory to become the Number 1 contender to the title he lost to Mark Haskins at Chapter 36, after the match Jimmy Havoc appeared through the crowd and gave Scurll and Acid Rainmaker.
South Pacific Power Trip (w/ Dahlia Black) b.FSU & The Origin – The SPPT took the win via pinfall and now look likely contenders for the PROGRESS Tag Team Championships at a later show.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship – Rampage Brown b. Mikey Whiplash – Rampage took the win in his first defense of the PROGRESS Atlas championship via pinfall.
PROGRESS Championship Match – Mark Haskins b. Zack Gibson – Haskins took the win via submission in his first defence of the PROGRESS title since winning it at Chapter 36
Pete Dunne & Trent Seven b. Damian Dunne & Tyler Bate – Pete Dunne and Trent Seven took the win via submission
Nixon Newell b. Alex Windsor – Nixon took the win via pinfall
Jack Gallagher b. El Ligero, Eddie Dennis & Zack Gibson – Gallagher took the win via Submission. After the bell Dave Mastiff distracted Dennis and Gallagher allowing Zack Gibson to attack both men with a car stereo
Atlas Championship Tournament Semi-Final:Joe Coffey b. Dave Mastiff – Coffey took the win via pinfall to advance to the Atlas Championship final
Shane Strickland (Lucha Underground’s Killshot) b. Will Ospreay – Strickland took the win via pinfall. After the match Ospreay stated that his schedule no longer works for PROGRESS and that he would be taking a long hiatus
Mark Haskins b. Mikey Whiplash – Haskins’ Championship opportunity at Chapter 36 was on the line in this match and he took the win via Submission
Atlas Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Rampage Brown b. T-Bone – Rampage took the win via pinfall to advance to the Atlas Tournament final
PROGRESS Championship Match: Marty Scurll b. Mark Andrews – Scurll took the win via Submission to retain his title and move on to a 3 Way Dance at Chapter 36 in Brixton against Mark Haskins and Tommy End
Rob Lias b. Josh Wall – Lias took the win via submission
Jake McCluskey & Kieran Bruce b. Dan McGee & Kurtis Chapman – McCluskey and Bruce took the win via pinfall
Jinny b. Xia Brookside – Jinny took the win via pinfall, Lucas delivered a Dragon Suplex to Jinny after the match
Jeff Cobb (Matanza Cueto) b. Big Damo – Cobb took the win via pinfall, after the match Damo challenged Zack Sabre Jr to put his title on the line against Cobb at Uprising on August 12th if he defeated Trent Seven in the main event
Josh Bodom b. Ryan Smile – Bodom took the win via pinfall
Marty Scurll B. Jay White – Scurll took the win via submission
Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr b. Trent Seven – ZSJ took the win via submission to retain his championship, he then agreed to defend his title against Cobb at Uprising this Friday
Chapter 34 – ‘Keep it Unreal’ takes place at the O2 Ritz in Manchester on August 14th and the first two matches have been announced.
Arguably two of the most talked about British wrestlers on the planet collide when New Japan Pro Wrestling BOSJ Champion Will Ospreay takes on WWE CWC Competitor Zack Sabre Jr in a potential Match of the Year Candidate.
A Mixed Tag bout has also been announced with PROGRESS Champion Marty Scurll teaming with Jinny to take on Number 1 Contender Mark Haskins and Laura Di Matteo.
At this past Sunday’s Chapter 33 ‘Malice in Wonderland’ event Mark Haskins became the Number 1 contender to the PROGRESS Championship by defeating NJPW star Will Ospreay. Moments after the match Haskins laid out his intentions, he wanted a shot at the title at PROGRESS’ biggest ever event; Chapter 36 at the O2 Academy in Brixton, London.
The match has now been made official, Mark Haskins will be challenging for the PROGRESS Championship at Chapter 36 ‘We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Room Again.’ Who that will be against is yet to be confirmed, however Marty Scurll recaptured the title against Pastor William Eaver this past Sunday and a marquee matchup of Haskins vs Scurll is likely although plans may change between now and September 25th.