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Tino Sabbatelli Returns To NXT After Allegations Of Leaking AEW News

Chris Stephens
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Tino Sabbatelli is once again signed to a WWE contract. According to a report from PW Insider, the 37-year-old from Orlando re-signed with the company last week. The report also states that Ace Steel has been re-hired in a coaching role at the PC as well.

According to a report from Fightful, there are those in AEW who believe Sabbatelli was responsible for leaking news from AEW tapings. It is not clear if he did or not, however.

Shortly after Eric Bischoff’s appearance on an episode of AEW Dynamite was leaked before airing, accusations were made that it was leaked by an “NXT reject” who was at the tapings. Chris Jericho stated as much on an episode of his Saturday night live stream.

“For example, when we had the debate and Eric Bischoff, and it was announced on Reddit. We know who the spy is by the way, oh we know, and he’ll never be back in f*ckin AEW. NXT reject was the spy, so print that!” Jericho said.

Sabbatelli wrestled on an episode of AEW Dark this summer after having been released from his NXT contract this spring. He teamed with Brady Pierce in a losing effort to The Best Friends.

Colt Cabana: “I’m Not Really The Wrestler Who Thrives In Front of No fans, Maybe Jon Moxley and His Style Is”

Jake Skudder
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AEW star Colt Cabana recently discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the affect it is having on live pro wrestling. On the Art of Wrestling podcast, Cabana talked about how his style of performance is not attuned to a setting without live fans in the arena.

“I think my wrestling has taken a tad of a hit, you know?” Colt Cabana began on the podcast. “I was just starting to move forward. My last match was this really fun match, you could watch it on YouTube, it was myself and Peter Avalon in Utah.”

Colt Cabana on ‘No-crowd’ Wrestling

Cabana elaborated further, saying “I’d never been to Utah! The crowd for Utah in this match on [AEW] Dark was going crazy for me! I felt this real connection to the fans and something that I have lived off of for years is a true connection to the wrestling fan.”

Colt would then relay how it felt with the pandemic hitting and the lack of fans being available live in the arena. “I felt the momentum going, ahen we shut down and then when we wrestle? It’s in front of nobody, there are no fans.”

Cabana would finish by making some intriguing comments regarding AEW Champion Jon Moxley. Whilst in context it may be a complement to the Champion, there’s potentially scope to put Cabana in the title picture down the line?

“And I’m not really the wrestler who thrives in front of no fans. Maybe Jon Moxley and his style is. So it’s a perfect time for Jon Moxley to be the AEW champion. But for me? It put me on ice. It put me on ice big time. So if that’s the worst of my worries? It’s fine.”

Colt Cabana
Colt Cabana is All Elite

Bret Hart On Goldberg’s In-Ring Skills: ‘His Workrate Was 0/10’

Steve Russell
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0

Bret Hart recently opened up about the career-ending kick he received from Goldberg at Starrcade 1999. Hart spoke about the incident during a recent episode of his Confessions of the Hitman series, noting how, although he liked Goldberg as a person, his “workrate was 0/10.”

Hart explained how Goldberg “was a guy that nobody seemed to have taught how wrestling really works.” He argued how Goldberg’s approach revolved around picking up an opponent and slamming them down as hard as possible.

“His wrestling, his workrate was 0/10. Like, everything he did hurt – everything! He could tie up with you and hurt you. He’d tie up with himself and hurt himself!”

Turning his attention to the kick that would, unfortunately, end his career, Hart stressed how it was the work of “somebody who had absolutely no skill at all.”

Reflecting on the incident, Hart recalled how Goldberg simply threw him into the ropes and then “tried to kick my head off my shoulders.” As far as he’s concerned, there was no “working aspect” to the strike.

“There’s no way you can do it without hurting somebody, and the thing with Bill was that all the ‘I’m sorries’ in the world don’t mean anything when you hurt somebody for real.”

Bret Hart Explains “The Nature Of The Business”

Bret Hart then shared how he never received a call from Goldberg following the career-ending kick. He explained how Goldberg never reached out to ask how he’s doing or discuss the incident.

“[…] but he did say when I saw him about a year after I got hurt, in fact a few weeks before [WCW] terminated my contract, I remember he said to me, ‘it’s the nature of the business – we all know what can happen out there. It’s the nature of the business.'”

Hart took issue with Goldberg’s flippant approach, arguing how their incident wasn’t reflective of the business at all. He stressed how the nature of the business is to not hurt the guy you’re working with.

Fans interested in Confessions of the Hitman can subscribe to the series here.

Entire 1st Round Of AEW Tournament To Take Place On Dynamite This Week

Chris Stephens
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AEW recently announced a single-elimination tournament to determine a new #1 contender for the promotion’s world championship. AEW has confirmed that the entire 1st round of the tournament will take place on this week’s Dynamite.

Here are the 1st round matches that will take place on Dynamite this Wednesday night:

  • Penta El Zero M vs Rey Fenix
  • Colt Cabana vs Adam “Hangman” Page
  • Kenny Omega vs Joey Janela
  • Wardlow vs Jungle Boy
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Additionally, the following has also been confirmed for this week’s Dynamite:

  • The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) – winner receives a tag-team title shot.
  • Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs TBA
  • Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman have a steak dinner.

The finals of the AEW tournament will take place at Full Gear on November 7th, 2020. Former tag-team champions Kenny Omega and Adam “Hangman” Page are on opposite sides of the bracket. If they were to face each other in the tournament, it would not take place until the finals.

AEW’s is advertising a season’s pass for upcoming shows at Daily’s Place:

Bayley On PWI Women’s Top 100, Embracing The Dark Side

Steve Russell
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WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has shared her feelings on being ranked #1 on the PWI Women’s Top 100 list. She broached the subject while appearing on an episode of the PWI Podcast.

When asked if she believes PWI was right in making her #1, Bayley stated, “Hell yea. I think it’s obvious that I made a major change late last year.”

She explained how it felt that everybody thought her heel turn was doomed to fail. Bayley highlighted how people maybe thought the wrong decision had been made and she “couldn’t pull it off.”

As far as Bayley’s concerned, she’s “proved everyone wrong, especially with the craziness of what has been going on with the pandemic and not being able to perform in front of fans, which makes everything harder. But, I was still able to pull it off and use it to my advantage.”

Bayley On How Doubters Helped Fuel Her Motivation

Bayley also spoke about how everyone second-guessed turning her heel. She stressed how the uncertainty stemmed from her long-term run as a babyface, highlighting how she had found so much success with that character over 7 years. Despite this success, she knew it wasn’t something she wanted to do forever.

“I want to experience everything in my career. I want to ride the wave and do all sorts of things. I knew I couldn’t do it being that one character. Honestly, once I had the company’s blessing and Vince’s blessing, I knew I had to make it work. I had to make it work because it was my decision. If I failed then I failed myself and I failed the company.”

She shared how she used people’s doubts as fuel to prove them wrong. Bayley noted how this translated on-screen, explaining how she was committed to making the heel turn work for herself on a personal level.

By making it work and proving it to herself, it subsequently quietened the doubters and proved she could do it to those backstage, including Vince McMahon.

Lance Storm Isn’t A Fan Of Miro’s Character Direction in AEW

Steve Russell
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Former WWE Producer Lance Storm hasn’t been too impressed with how All Elite Wrestling has been utilizing one of its latest signings, Miro.

Storm shared his thoughts on AEW’s use of the former WWE Superstar during a recent appearance on the Figure Four Daily podcast. He revealed how he’s personally “not a fan” of Miro’s current character direction. Storm did, however, acknowledge how he’s not necessarily representative of AEW’s target audience.

He argued how, if AEW were able to put on shows with full arenas, fans “would get a far better feel on how the Miro presentation is working.” Storm explained how the lack of live fans means pro wrestling is missing a vital “barometer to which you gauge what was working.”

Real Life Interests Weakening On-Screen Characters

Lance Storm explained how he’s always been a fan of powerhouse wrestlers like Miro, juxtaposing his current gimmick with how Rusev was portrayed in WWE. To him, showcasing real life interests with onscreen characters can potentially weaken a wrestler’s gimmick.

“Tying him up in a wedding angle and playing video games, which may be who he really is, I’m not a big fan of. I think it’s very much like when they did the personality type profile thing with Finn Balor in NXT when they showed him playing with his Legos. I’m like, ok, he may really play with Legos, but the demon Finn Balor shouldn’t be playing with Legos. I thought he was a cool badass and now I think he is a guy that plays with Legos.”

Although he knows Miro has interests outside of pro wrestling, Storm would rather see them kept separate from his AEW character.

He explained how he’d much rather see a “big badass Miro” instead of the version “hanging out with Kip Sabian playing video games.”

Storm then stressed how he is aware he may not be the kind of viewer AEW is targetting. He acknowledged how he’s barely in the over 50+ demographic versus the younger demo that is so crucial to AEW’s ratings.

Booker T Explains Why He’s ‘Glad’ WWE Separated The New Day

Steve Russell
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WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on the WWE Draft during a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast. He also explained why he’s “glad” Big E has been separated from his New Day stablemates.

Booker T noted how the recent WWE Draft was different from the drafts that took place when he was an active in-ring competitor. He stressed how the hype WWE attempted to create for the Draft was only “for the fans.’

“The draft to me, it’s just working for another show. It wasn’t about the hype. The hype was for the fans. […] I’m not trying to rag on these guys or anything these days, but the draft back in the day, there was a reason why we had to have a draft, and a SmackDown and a RAW. We had so much talent on the roster.”

Booker T was quick to add that today’s current roster is also filled with talented Superstars. However, according to him, there was a notable “abundance of talent” flooding WWE after WCW was purchased.

“[…] we literally had the best talent roster in the world at that time. We had an abundance of talent that could fuel two shows. It was totally different as far as how I looked at the draft back then compared to how I look at it now.”

Booker T On Big E Going Solo On SmackDown

Regarding the New Day, Booker T shared how separating the stable is in the best interest of Big E:

“This is the only way Big E can really run on his own. He could really put himself out there without having that umbrella of the New Day. You have to let it go and go out there and be Big E and create his own brand in order to fuel what he’s trying to do right now and that’s take it to the next level.”

He noted how Big E doesn’t have to “change anything” and uses this opportunity to “step up.”

Booker T then shared how he wished he could have the opportunity to coach Big E, sharing how:

“If I was to manage someone, it would be a guy like Big E because I really feel Big E could run through the whole territory if the stars were aligned right for him. I’m not saying I want to be a manager, but I feel if there is anyone I could manage and get some feelings out of the fans watching this would be a guy like Big E. Big E could really be the guy if he had the right expert tutelage.”

Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were drafted to Raw following the WWE Draft. Big E, however, remained a SmackDown Superstar.

Sheamus Reflects On Jeff Hardy Feud, Possible Drew McIntyre Rivalry

Steve Russell
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0

Raw Superstar Sheamus has reflected on his recent SmackDown feud with Jeff Hardy during a recent interview with SI.com.

Sheamus revealed how his storyline with Hardy “hit so many raw nerves” before calling the personal story one of his all-time favorite feuds.

“That was very, very personal, and it’s one of my favorite feuds in my career. For me, the pandemic has really given me a chance to be who I really am. I’ve never been afraid of cutting to the bone and saying things that put people in an uproar. The match with Jeff at the end, the barroom, that brought out this new shady side of Sheamus.”

Now a member of WWE’s red brand, Sheamus turned his attention to Raw’s roster. In particular, he pointed to the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. Regarding a potential match with the champion, Sheamus promised how, if it does happen, McIntyre will quickly remember “how hard I hit.”

Sheamus confessed he isn’t aware of Raw’s landscape since being drafted. However, he has heard rumblings about a feud between himself and McIntyre.

“If it does happen, I feel sorry for Drew. He’s going to remember very, very quickly how hard I hit. I’m worried I’ll hit him so hard that he’ll just turn to dust. He’s my friend, I don’t want to do that to him,” Sheamus said. “He’s been messing around with these American wrestlers for so long, tippy-tappying around the ring, but one shot from me will make him realize how easy he’s had it before I got there.”

Sheamus was recently drafted to Raw as part of the 2020 WWE Draft.

NJPW Power Struggle Card Announced For Nov. 7th

Evan S
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Following the ending of the G1 Climax 30 tournament yesterday, NJPW is moving forward with the Power Struggle tour. The live-streamed events for this tour on NJPW World will October 23, November 1, November 2, and the major event to end the tour on November 7th.

It was also announced that the Wrestle Kingdom 15 contract will allow its holder to challenge for both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Wrestle Kingdom.

NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Card

New Japan has announced the full card for the upcoming Power Struggle event on November 7th. Six singles matches are signed:

  • King of Pro-Wrestling 2020 Championship: Toru Yano (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Great O-Khan
  • IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Match: KENTA vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Wrestle Kingdom 15 Contract Match: Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Jay White
  • IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL

Daniel Bryan Talks Wanting to Face “The Best” in WWE, Having Less Mobility

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan appeared on Talking Smack after this Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. The ‘Yes’ man discussed a number of topics on the show, including his future as a Superstar on the blue brand.

“I am at a point now, in my life and career, where I want to test myself against the best performers in WWE,” Bryan stated. “Whether that’s against people I haven’t faced yet, and even people I have faced, since we’ve all evolved.”

Daniel Bryan would also admit on the show that he has lost a ‘spring’ in his step. Bryan has of course had multiple issues with his health in the past, including the head injury that forced him to retire back in 2016 before returning in 2018 at WrestleMania 34.

“I noticeably have lesser spring in my step as the match goes on, something I realized during my match against AJ Styles. I never had a problem with endurance before. [Although] I still don’t get tired but later in a match, I can’t jump as high anymore, and AJ still can.”

credit Talking Smack and a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

NJPW Confirms That Wrestle Kingdom 15 Will Be a Two Night Event

Jake Skudder
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New Japan Pro Wrestling confirmed at the G1 Climax final that next year’s Wrestle Kingdom will be a two night event.

This year’s event was the first time that the 2-night WK format was used. That was presumably due to the fact that January 4th (the traditional date for WK) was a Saturday and January 5th a Sunday. The 2021 shows do not fall on a weekend, so this announcement was somewhat unexpected.

New Japan managed to draw over 70,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom 14 over the two nights earlier this year.

Kota Ibushi will once again be in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom, having won the G1 Climax tournament this weekend. His opponent will likely be IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito, however that is not yet confirmed.

Check out the full results from the G1 Climax finals here.

Wrestle Kingdom 14
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 from the Tokyo Dome (January 4th & 5th, 2020)

Cody Rhodes Touts AEW’s Success in The UK

Jake Skudder
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0

AEW EVP and Star Cody Rhodes recently tweeted an infographic with some of the company’s major stats in the United Kingdom.

All Elite Wrestling is currently broadcast on ITV4, a channel that is much more widely accessible on Freeview than WWE is on BT Sport (a paid channel). Cody wrote “this is some really positive/staggering data & research about our friends across the pond! @ITV / @AEW. Thanks to our incredible fans for such a successful first year of #AEWDynamite. We can’t wait to take the team over and wrestle there.”

Cody Rhodes on AEW’s UK Success

Here’s some of the bullet points from the infographic:

  •  AEW Dynamite is beating the first-run broadcast of all its competitors in the UK for audience volume
  • Dynamite’s audience is 5 times that of NXT, double that of SmackDown and almost double of RAW
  • It is also almost double the audience of Impact Wrestling; which had been airing in the same slot as Dynamite and also free-to-air channel.
  • Dynamite benefits from reaching considerably more people than any of its competitors.
  • Full episodes of Dynamite on ITV4 have reached 2.8m people, based on five plus consecutive minutes of viewing.

Jim Ross Talks Negotiations With Triple H As a Talent and COO

Jake Skudder
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0

WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently discussed WWE RAW from 2005 on the Grilling JR podcast.

This week’s episode of the show was a watch-along of RAW from 10/10/05. That episode was eventful for JR as an on-screen character as he was ‘fired’ on television. As is usually the case, Jim Ross would discuss players and events from the timeframe, including former WWE COO Triple H.

Jim Ross on Triple H

“Triple H, he has a great heel too. Great deal, he was…he felt it. He lived it, You know?” Jim Ross began on the podcast. “He really was an extension of his own personality, or what he perceived his personality to be. He did a good job. I never had too many issues with him.”

JR would then add an interesting little tidbit into the conversation. The Man in The Black Hat would admit that he found negotiations with Triple H difficult once ‘The Game’ moved into a position higher than JR in the company.

“When he became an administrator? We didn’t have…we didn’t have a lot of successful negotiations. I was kind of always disappointed in that a little bit because I was…I always went to bat for him and got him the contract that he wanted.”

JR has mentioned in the past how he had to be the liaison between talent and management in the then WWF. JR was the Head of Talent Relations at the time Triple H was becoming a major player in the company (1999 onwards), and Jim Ross said that he helped get him a huge deal. “That was important to him, to have the same million dollar downside guarantee that all the other guys had.”

Not Reciprocating

Co-host of the podcast Conrad Thompson would then ask “are you saying that when those roles reversed and then he was sort of moving up the food chain, he wasn’t willing to reciprocate for you?”

JR then finished by admitting that he felt Triple H was just ‘following Vince McMahon’s lead.’ Alluding to how the industry had changed to a more corporate style in the years since JR stopped working in talent relations.

“Well, I’m just saying that…I think he just took Vince’s lead. ‘JR’s just an announcer.’ And then they found out over the years that to the audience [that wasn’t the case].”

Arn Anderson Says That FTR Could End Up The “Greatest Tag Team Ever”

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE Agent and AEW on-screen Coach Arn Anderson recently discussed the FTR tag team on the ARN podcast.

This week’s episode of the podcast was an ‘Ask Arn Anything’ edition of the show. Co-host Conrad Thompson opted to give the podcast this format every other week as Anderson has been involved in the industry at many levels; from the NWA and WCW all the way to the last decade where he worked as an agent for WWE.

One the questions posed to Anderson involved the FTR tag team. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood are hugely influenced by the team of Arn and Tully Blanchard, and Conrad asked Arn Anderson if he believed the group would ever ‘split’ and have singles runs. The reasoning being that the Brainbusters ‘split’ themselves and had singles runs.

Arn Anderson on FTR

“Backing up a little bit, Tully and never split up” Arn Anderson began on the podcast. “We went separate ways because of business decisions, but it was [cordial]. We never got into a feud or anything of that nature. These guys [FTR] are committed to being a team. I think being the best team, when it’s all said and done? That ever lived.”

Arn Anderson would then make a huge claim about the AEW Tag Team Champions. “I think that’s a very achievable goal for them. And I think it’s a admirable one, because if they do become that team and they do survive the test of time? That’ll mean they’ve been in some incredible tag matches with some of the best teams alongside them of their era.”

Anderson would finish by stating that he doesn’t see the team ever splitting up. “I don’t see them splitting up, I think their goals are too consistent. I think their friendship is too consistent and they really are tight close friends. And to be honest with you? I don’t want to see them split up. I think the sum of the parts is more valuable than them individually.”

Do you agree with Arn Anderson? Do you think that FTR could end up the greatest tag team of all time? Let us know in the comments

Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Final

Evan S
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0

New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s thirtieth G1 Climax tournament is almost over! Who will be the victor in the main event and etch their name in G1 Climax history: Kota Ibushi or SANADA?

Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Start Times:
October 16, 11PM Pacific Time
October 17, 2AM Eastern Time
October 17, 7AM UK Time
October 17, 3PM Japan Time
October 17, 5PM East Australia Time

NJPW World Video (English Commentary)
NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

G1 Climax 30 Final Results

Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & DOUKI) def. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano) (10:34)
Although part of me is disappointed that the young lions were not booked for this card despite having performed impressively for the whole tour, I have missed all the wrestlers who were not part of the tour due to the truncated card structure. Zack Sabre Jr. was the star of this match, as it showed both the vicious technician he is, in the way he stretched Hirooki Goto by his bad shoulder, but also played the straight man to the chaotic Toru Yano. He tried to stop Yano’s cheating by repeatedly re-tying the turnbuckle pad, showing that he might have the most respect for fair play of anyone in Suzuki-gun.
Finish: Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi hit YOSHI-HASHI with Zack Mephisto, then allowed DOUKI to pin YOSHI-HASHI

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) def. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (11:54)
At first, this tag team match was more like a tale of two singles matches. Shingo Takagi and Minoru Suzuki wanted each other’s blood, and were brawling with each other before the bell. Meanwhile, Hiromu Takahashi was trying to burn off some stored up energy, as a result of not having wrestled in a whole month. Eventually, these two paths converged, and Suzuki-gun used their greater propensity for taking advantage of numbers.  The both of Kanemaru and Suzuki teamed up on the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. With a pop-up Death Valley bomb on Kanemaru, Shingo was able to even the odds. Kanemaru, suddenly thirsty, tried to take his whiskey that he normally spits in his opponents’ faces, but Hiromu superkicked it out of his hand, and Kanemaru’s largest threat was neutralized.
Finish: Hiromu Takahashi over Yoshinobu Kanemaru by pinfall with the Time Bomb

Suzuki and Shingo continued jaw-jacking after the match, and Suzuki held the NEVER Openweight Championship with his teeth as he stared menacingly at Shingo. At the same time, Hiromu Takahashi was speaking to the commentators, saying that he wanted him and BUSHI to challenge El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Master Wato def. Bullet Club (Jay White, KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) (9:12)
Coming off of his loss against Tomohiro Ishii, when even a draw would have sent him to the Final, he was seriously sulking, but he seemed more willing to fight and rely less on Gedo than usual.Ultimately, this match was less a structured eight man tag team bout and moreso a chaotic burst of action. Most everyone got their moment to shine, especially Jeff Cobb, who ran roughshod to help set up his team’s comebacks against the less-than-sportsmanlike Bullet Club, especially when he tossed Taiji Ishimori like he weighed nothing into Bullet Club.
Finish: Hiroshi Tanahashi tapped out Gedo with the Texas Cloverleaf.

Before the intermission, NJPW announced that Wrestle Kingdom 15 will be held next year at the Tokyo Dome. As with last year, it will be a two-day event, on January 4th and 5th, 2021.

The Empire (Will Ospreay & Great O-Khan) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & SHO) (12:36)
Bea Priestley entered with Ospreay and O-Khan while wearing her wrestling gear and carrying her SWA World Championship from STARDOM. Okada attacked Ospreay before the bell, rightfully frustrated at having someone who he invited into NJPW, and took under his wing, turn on him with seemingly no warning. Ospreay was noticeably avoiding actually wrestling Okada, and left The Great O-Khan to do most of the work in the ring until the end. O-Khan has seemingly kept the look that he had cultivated during his time wrestling in England, with some very comfy-looking red and yellow pants. The new Ospreay, as previously evidenced by his match against Okada on Friday, seems to have no qualms with accepting help to achieve victory, as Bea Priestley delivered a dragon-screw to SHO from the apron, which led into the ending.
Finish: Will Ospreay submitted SHO with an elevated Figure-Four Leglock.

Bullet Club (EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) (14:14)
Amusingly, the tag team that LIJ would be facing tonight consists of two people who were both partners of Tetsuya Naito at some point and, obviously, would both eventually join Bullet Club. Los Ingobernables de Japon were working from underneath, even with the lowest-performing G1 entrant Yujiro as one of their opponents, thanks to the aid of the well-dressed Dick Togo. BUSHI, especially, was taking seemingly one continuous beating at the hands of EVIL and Yujiro, but the crowd was with him all the way.
Finish: EVIL submitted BUSHI with the Scorpion Deathlock.

G1 Climax 30 Final Match: Kota Ibushi def. SANADA (35:12)
This is Ibushi’s third consecutive G1 Final, and he won the whole tournament last year, while this is SANADA’s first time making it this far. Kota Ibushi’s left leg was heavily wrapped due to his celebration of kicks against Taichi on Friday. As any student of Keiji Mutoh well should, SANADA saw the leg as a weakness and didn’t take long to begin dismantling it wherever possible. Ibushi, of course, still had one good leg and two good arms, but SANADA was making life difficult for him, applying a figure four leglock that Ibushi could not escape without a rope break. Ibushi tried his best to continue with high-flying offense on one bad leg, but the pain that would follow often stopped him from capitalizing on it. Ibushi landed a powerslam and went for a top rope phoenix splash, but SANADA moved out of the way and used the opportunity to perform a top rope moonsault, but that move missed as well. Ibushi tried to throw strikes, but SANADA kept going back to his leg, and Ibushi’s desperation was palpable. He hit a sitout powerbomb on SANADA and called for the Kamigoye, but would receive a low dropkick to the knees for his troubles. SANADA put the pressure on with a bridging Tiger Suplex, and then a giant swing into the Skull End. He would let go to try and land a top rope moonsault, but Ibushi would roll out of the way again. Suddenly, he rearranged SANADA’s jaw with a head kick followed by the Boma Ye, but when he went for the Kamigoye, SANADA turned it against him with a pop-up TKO! He followed it with a top rope moonsault, and then went for another, but Ibushi blocked it with his knees! SANADA managed to rise to his feet and apply the dragon sleeper, but Ibushi turned it into a leg-hook tombstone piledriver to nearly put SANADA away. SANADA rolled Ibushi into the Japanese leg roll clutch but Ibushi would barely kick out before three, which would make the crowd break the rules and vocally pop. Ibushi landed flush with a jumping knee strike and followed it with a Kamigoye, but SANADA kicked out! Ibushi was unfazed, and struck with one more Kamigoye to win the G1 Climax!

Kota Ibushi is now a two-time G1 Climax winner. Not only that, but he is the third wrestler ever, after Masahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, to win the G1 Climax two years in a row.

Becky Lynch Was Backstage At Friday’s WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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Becky Lynch decided to visit friends at Friday’s WWE SmackDown TV event. 

This episode marked the season 2 premiere of the series on FOX and the first episode of SmackDown with its new roster. WWE had a number of special guests appear on the ThunderDome screens to make the show feel special. Ric Flair, Brie Bella, Goldberg, and Jeff Jarrett were featured. 

While Lynch wasn’t on the screen, she was reportedly backstage. Alex McCarthy of talkSport was able to confirm today that Lynch was backstage at the Amway Center alongside Seth Rollins. 

The former RAW Women’s Champion has been out of action since this past March. She was last seen in action when she retained the title by defeating Shayna Baszler during night one of Wrestlemania 36 tapings.

Fast forward to May, she announced that he was expecting her first child with Rollins. As a result, she relinquished the title and took a step back from the limelight during her pregnancy.

Lynch is expected to give birth in December. If WWE can have fans in attendance for WrestleMania 37, there is a rumor that WWE officials may try to get her to work the show. 

Jim Cornette To Tony Khan: “I’m The Only One That’ll Tell You The Truth Because I Don’t Want a Job”

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE, TNA and WCW personality Jim Cornette recently discussed Tony Khan and AEW on the Drive Thru podcast. Cornette is extremely vocal about his hate of the All Elite product, and he referenced when Khan spoke to him potentially to come in for an ‘advisory’ type of role.

“The first time I ever spoke to him on the phone? I said ‘Tony [Khan], I’m the only one it’ll tell you the truth because I don’t want a job” Jim Cornette began on the podcast. “That was two years ago, I was 57, now I’m 59. That’s almost 60.”

Jim Cornette on Road Life

“I was not going to be getting on aeroplanes and flying around” Cornette continued. “Or driving around to a wrestling promotion’s events that were being held all over the country. That’s regardless who it was, I’m f*cking not interested in that.”

Cornette would discuss how he could’ve helped in a consultancy role, but wasn’t interested. Jim Cornette has in the past worked in a similar capacity for some of the biggest promotions in the world, so this referenced conversation between he and Tony Khan, although not publicly acknowledged by AEW or Khan, is very likely to have happened.

“Am I going to stay home and write my thoughts down via email? Or phone them in and take a cheque for it? Well, if it was a goddamn real promotion Pinocchio? Absolutely, if there was a way I could help” Cornette stated. “You couldn’t do anything with this show, even if you were on the f*cking ground there. Unless the first thing was fire half the f*cking roster and start over.”

Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Do AEW need to “fire half the f*cking roster and start over?” Let us know in the comments

Jim Cornette

Update On AEW’s “Blood & Guts” Match

Chris Stephens
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Before the pandemic hit, AEW had planned a “Blood & Guts” match for a special episode of Dynamite. The match was supposed to take place inside 2-rings covered by a steel cage on March 25th, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey.

With fans not being allowed at shows, however, the decision was made to put off holding the match. The Young Bucks were recently interviewed by 411Mania and noted that they spent a lot of money purchasing the structure and still plan to use it, however.

“Obviously, the blood and guts steel cage match never happened. And we spent a lot of money building that structure. (LAUGHTER) But the good thing about it is that at least we now have it. So, we can pull the trigger on that at any time. I feel like we are saving that for fans. I think that is the biggest reason we haven’t done it,” said Nick Jackson.

AEW did hold a big team vs team match in May at Double or Nothing. Members of the Elite squared off with the Inner Circle in the Stadium Stampede match. Matt Jackson spoke about how the pandemic has helped the promotion to think outside the box.

“You got to remember without this pandemic, there may have never been a Stadium Stampede match, there may have never been that crazy tag team brawl match that we had with Butcher and The Blade. We really have had to think outside the box and one big thing that was said, if we are going to do this in front of nobody, let’s do things we have always wanted to do but wouldn’t have worked as well if there were people out there,” Matt Jackson said.

The full interview can be read here.

Ben Carter Headed To WWE After Receiving Interest From AEW

Chris Stephens
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Ben Carter has had a very eventful last couple of months. He made his AEW debut in September, competing on an episode of Dark and in a match against Scorpio Sky on the late night Dynamite special. In late September he then tested positive for COVID-19.

Carter had reportedly draw interest from both AEW and WWE but it appears the young up-and-comer is headed to WWE.

Miro noted on a recent video game stream that AEW “had lost” Ben Carter to “the Dark Side”.

“We lost Ben Carter. Ben Carter is lost. He’s gone to the dark side,” said Miro. “I mean, good luck to Carter. All the best to him. I was really impressed with his stuff.”

https://twitter.com/TheLouisDangoor/status/1317242030502912000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1317242030502912000%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_0&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F411mania.com%2Fwrestling%2Fmiro-suggests-ben-carter-has-signed-with-wwe%2F

Carter is from the UK but trained at Seth Rollins and Marek Brave’s wrestling school. It is possible he could be headed to the NXT UK brand.

Shortly after debuting for AEW, Carter spoke with Fightful about having played against Fulham F.C, the football club Tony Khan is the President of.

“I met him when for the first time when I wrestled Ricky Starks on AEW. It’s crazy that Tony [Khan] is basically the equivalent of Vince McMahon. Because he’s so easy to talk to and the fact that I’ve played soccer, at a high level all my life, I’ve actually played against [the Fulham Academy] when I was playing for my [island of Jersey], we went over and played [Fulham], the sports director of [Fulham]. So, I’m having these back and forth conversations just spitting football with him.”

Ronda Rousey Spotted Training With James Storm

Chris Stephens
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Ronda Rousey is rumored to be gearing up for a WWE return. The former UFC and RAW Women’s champion was once again spotted training in a wrestling ring.

Former Impact Wrestling star James Storm, who says he was on his way to WWE before the COVID pandemic hit, posted a photo with Rousey and her husband Travis Browne. Storm was truly impressed with Rousey’s passion for the sport and likened her to all-time great Kurt Angle.

Latest On Rousey & Storm In WWE

There were also rumors recently that Ronda Rousey’s WWE contract had just months left on it. Paul Heyman recently hinted in an interview, however, that it’s possible Rousey and WWE have agreed to an extension.

“I don’t understand why people don’t realize that perhaps, just perhaps, Ronda Rousey’s contract has been extended or she has worked out a new deal and it would not benefit either WWE or Ronda Rousey to go public with that information. But why wouldn’t people understand that it would be kept secret?” Heyman said.

A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently noted that Rousey is expected back for WrestleMania next year.

“Rousey is still under contract and was expected to do WrestleMania in Los Angeles,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

James Storm also recently commented on why he believes his deal with WWE fell apart.

“Once I seen that they were making all these cuts with all these different guys and stuff like that I just knew it was a matter of time before they retract the contract,” Storm said. 

“All I can do is keep on keeping on and doing my thing and hopefully there’s another opportunity to come in the future.”

The Young Bucks Comment On Kenny Omega’s Role In AEW

Chris Stephens
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AEW’S use of Kenny Omega has been a frequent point of contention for some fans of the young promotion. According to recent comments from the Young Bucks, however, the next year of Dynamite will feature Omega in a bigger way.

“I think year two’s going to be all about Kenny Omega,” said Nick Jackson. “He’s been very … what’s the word I’m looking for … I guess “unselfish,” and he’s ready to explode. So I would keep my eye on him.”

Nick Jackson also listed Darby Allin as someone who coud really breakout further over the next year.

“Another one off the top of my head would be Darby Allin. He’s got so much potential to be such a massive star for AEW that we have to use him in the right way, and he’s definitely going to be a top player.”

Matt Jackson would say that Hangman Page will continue to be a major player in the promotion’s near future.

“I still think it could be ‘Hangman’ Adam Page,” said Matt Jackson. “The guy’s a star. He’s a sensitive dude who thinks about every little nuanced thing. He’s so interesting, and he puts so much thought into his stuff, and he’s one of my favorite people to collaborate with. He’s going to be a huge mega star. Obviously he’ll be a world champion one day. I don’t know if it’s this year; maybe it is. I don’t know.”

The full interview with The Young Bucks can be read here.

Mark Henry Tells Today’s Performers To Stop “Prostituting” Moves

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on the perceived ‘spot battle’ nature of some modern professional wrestling.

Henry was extremely critical of modern performers and his belief that they are destroying the importance of ‘finishing’ moves. “There was a time in the 80s that if you got hit with a DDT? It was OVER” Mark Henry began on the show.

Mark Henry on Finishing Moves

“You got hit with a Superkick? You were done. Piledriver? Done, any variation! Standing, sitting, Tombstone, any kind of Piledriver? It was over, cancel Christmas” Mark Henry would continue.

The World’s Strongest Man would then note that it wasn’t any particular brand or promotion that has this ‘issue;’ Henry stated that it is entrenched across pro wrestling as a whole. “But now? It’s across every brand of pro wrestling. And I challenge every wrestler out there in the world is, don’t prostitute moves/manoeuvres. Don’t prostitute them, make them mean something.”

Henry would elaborate further, saying “allow me as a fan to start to believe and love again. What we’re hearing from the fans? Is that they love pro wrestling, they love what they got from the WWE, the WWF, and the WWWF. We still have some of those people living, we (wrestlers) should put an emphasis on the love for the business.”

Mark Henry would finish by making an incendiary comment against some of today’s stars. “The way that we ingest it as fans? It’s being shoved down our throats by people that barely know how to do it. So, the owners of the companies? Put your people to task. Veterans in the locker room? Tell the young guys quit doing sh*t that they don’t know how to do well.”

Do you agree with Mark Henry? Let us know in the comments

Update On Possible Rock vs Roman Reigns Match At WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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There have been rumors that Roman Reigns could possibly face the Rock at WrestleMania next year. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, The Rock’s Hollywood commitments may prevent it from happening.

The Rock is worth a lot of money in Hollywood and an injury during a wrestling match could potentially cause delays in shooting a major motion picture. After tearing his abdominal and abductor muscles at WrestleMania 29, there was concern that filming of the movie “Hercules” would have to be delayed.

“The issue has been insurance issues regarding other work he has coming up,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “It’s been an issue since the second Cena match. There have been at least three ideas, a singles with Lesnar, a singles match with HHH, and Rock & Rousey vs. HHH & Stephanie for him but none ever materialized.”

The Rock has several projects in the works at the moment, including “Black Adam” and the series based on his youth, “Young Rock.”

Roman Reigns recently spoke about possibly facing The Rock on ESPN’s First Take.

“It would be amazing, Reigns said. “I think for any Superstar of my generation to have someone on his level, someone that has done so much not only in sports entertainment, but the movie industry, entertainment in general.

The man has what a billion followers online and stuff. To be able to put that type of spotlight on our current generation and what we do within our product in WWE would be amazing and just sharing the ring with him.”

Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 18 (B-Block Playoffs)

Evan S
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New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

Watch live on NJPW World with a paid subscription. English and Japanese commentary are available! This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Start Times:

  • Pacific: 10/17 1AM
  • Eastern: 10/17 4AM
  • UK: 10/17 9AM
  • Japan: 10/17 5PM
  • East Australia: 10/17 7PM

NJPW World Video (English Commentary)

NJPW World Video (Japanese Commentary)

G1 Climax 30 Day 18 Results

Gabriel Kidd def. Yuya Uemura (8:16)
Based on the math, Yota Tsuji has already clinched his place as the winner of the unofficial “C-Block” between these three young lions. Neverthe less, Uemura and Kidd did not give off the impression that they were any less motivated to fight their hardest. Both men jockeyed for position, trying to attack each other’s arm to set up for their finishing arm-trap suplex, before the match devolved into an energetic slugfest. Gabriel Kidd’s standing dropkick followed by the double underhook suplex sealed the deal for Uemura. This would put Kidd, unofficially, in second place, and Uemura in last.

B Block: YOSHI-HASHI def. Toru Yano (6:10)
Yano spent all of fifteen seconds calling for a “clean fight” before he attempted to remove a turnbuckle pad. As it turned out, YOSHI-HASHI had hidden a roll of tape in his own trunks that the referee did not find before the match. He used them to tape his staff to Yano’s wrist between the bars of the guardrail on the outside. Yano was barely able to find a way to get his hand free and make it back in the ring before being counted out. From there, he tried to roll YOSHI up repeatedly, and even hit a low blow from behind. As he did, YOSHI-HASHI caught Yano’s arm between his own legs, and used that to roll into an arm-trap cradle for the pinfall victory over his CHAOS stablemate. He has truly performed well above his station and I’m glad he ended his tournament on a happy note.
YOSHI-HASHI finishes with 4 points (2 wins, 7 losses).
Toru Yano finishes with 6 points (3 wins, 6 losses).

B Block: Juice Robinson def. Hirooki Goto (12:07)
Both Goto and Juice have ended up with fairly unfavorable G1 records after starting off strong. Goto in particular, his story the whole tournament has been his hurt arm, which KENTA caused by targeting it relentlessly in their match together, and has dragged his performance down since. At first, Juice went to targeting the hurt arm as well, before switching gears to trying to prove that he could brawl with a weakened Goto. Juice won a battle of lariats, but Goto caught the running Juice with an Ushigoroshi. Still, Juice had the werewithal to catch Juice’s kick and rise to his feet, then rock Goto with a right-handed punch. He called for Pulp Friction, but as he was setting it up, Goto applied a sleeper hold and tried to transition it into a pinning combination, but only achieved a near fall. Out of nowhere, Juice landed a big left-handed punch, then one more, and finally the Pulp Friction to end his G1 with a win.
Hirooki Goto finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)
Juice Robinson finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses)

B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Zack Sabre Jr. (12:01)
I wonder if Zack Sabre Jr. spins a wheel with different names of body parts to decide what he’s going to focus on for his match on any given day. Today, it would be Tanahashi’s neck. With locks and cranks, Zack did his best to immobilize the Ace with neck work. Tanahashi, being technically-versed in his own right, was never at Zack’s mercy for too long. He turned a headscissors neck lock into a modified cloverleaf. Tanahashi used all his bursts of momentum to attack the leg, as he usually does, and it was a battle of who could be clever and creative enough to take control long enough to steal the win. Suddenly, Tanahashi was able to hit a Sling Blade, then immediately went for the High Fly Flow. He managed to land it on a standing Zack, but Zack rolled through it to apply an armbar. Thinking quickly, Tanahashi got to his feet and, with his arm-still trapped, rolled Zack into a lateral press cradle for the victory! He even kept pinning Zack after the three had been counted, because he’s just that cool.
Hiroshi Tanahashi finishes with 8 points (4 wins, 5 losses).
Zack Sabre Jr. finishes with 10 points (5 wins, 4 losses).

B Block: KENTA def. Tetsuya Naito (21:06)
No one who knew what KENTA was like before entering NJPW would have thought that this match with Tetsuya Naito would be a battle of mischevious personalities. At first, KENTA tried to provoke Naito by repeatedly bailing from the ring, but he had a clever plan in mind. As KENTA left the ring again, Naito followed him, but KENTA picked up his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 contender briefcase and hit Naito with it as he leaned over the ropes, making a loud smacking sound. He was trained on Naito’s neck in much the same way that Zack just was against Tanahashi, hoping to hurt it before finishing with the Go 2 Sleep. After landing the Shibata-style corner dropkick into the diving foot stomp, Naito was really struggling to find any breathing room for himself. However, as KENTA lifted Naito onto his shoulders, Naito sat up and hit a reverse frankensteiner, and then went after KENTA with repeated elbows to the back of the neck. He pressed his new advantage with a super frankensteiner and the Gloria slam for a near fall. He tried for the Destino, but KENTA elbowed him away easily, and then lifted Naito’s feet onto the second rope for a DDT. He tried again for the Go 2 Sleep, but Naito would turn it into a counter Destino! He followed up with Valentia and went for the arm-trap Destino, but before he could lock it in, KENTA turned it into an inside cradle roll up for the flash pinfall victory on Naito. KENTA can’t win the G1, but now Naito is out.
KENTA finishes with 10 points (5 wins, 4 losses).
Tetsuya Naito finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).

B Block: SANADA def. EVIL (27:01)
EVIL left the ring immediately upon the first bell and offered a too-sweet to Hiromu Takahashi, who was a guest commentator at ringside. Hiromu just gave him a goofy grin and a thumbs-up. SANADA eventually got tired of waiting for EVIL to fight him, and chased him, but this gave EVIL the opportunity to suplex him on a pile of chairs that he had taken out on the outside. The hurt SANADA was a sitting duck for EVIL’s offense, and a smattering of well-timed aid from Dick Togo. SANADA finally rose up and delivered a standing dropkick and plancha to EVIL to take him out. He then brought Dick Togo into the ring and put him in the Paradise Lock, and would do the same to EVIL upon his recovery. He followed up with a springboard dropkick and a bridging tiger suplex for a near fall on the former double champion. SANADA then landed the giant swing into the Skull End, but released it too soon to hit the moonsault and EVIL was able to move out of the way. EVIL would rise to his feet first to deliver a superplex before applying the scorpion deathlock, and held it for a good long time before SANADA finally managed to grab the bottom rope to force the rope break. Still reeling, he barely managed to kick out of Darkness Falls as it was announced that the time limit would come in 10 minutes. EVIL tried for the EVIL (STO), but SANADA blocked it and locked in the Skull End with bodyscissors once again. SANADA stood up and landed two top rope moonsaults on EVIL, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out of the ring and started hitting SANADA with a chair. The two of them landed the Magic Killer on SANADA, but Hiromu, having seen enough, got out of the commentary chair and laid Togo out with a superkick, but EVIL would hit a low blow on Hiromu. Togo and EVIL then hit the Magic Killer on Hiromu as well. EVIL picked up SANADA and threw him back down with a running lariat, and then Dick Togo started choking SANADA. Hiromu came back again to hit another superkick on Togo. But, finally, SANADA pushed EVIL into Dick Togo, and then pinned him with the Japanese leg roll clutch!
EVIL finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).
SANADA finishes with 12 points (6 wins, 3 losses).

Due to his victories over both other men who have 12 points, Tetsuya Naito and EVIL, SANADA is the winner of the B Block. He will face Kota Ibushi and one of them will leave tomorrow the 30th G1 Climax winner!

G1 Climax 30 Final Standings

A Block:
14 points – Kota Ibushi (Block winner)
12 points – Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay
8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii
6 points – Minoru Suzuki
2 points – Yujiro Takahashi

B Block:
12 points – SANADA (Block winner), Tetsuya Naito, EVIL
10 points – Zack Sabre Jr., KENTA
8 points – Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Hiroshi Tanahashi
6 points – Toru Yano
4 points – YOSHI-HASHI

WWE SmackDown Results (10/16): Reigns vs. Strowman, Daniel Bryan Returns

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center. It was the season premiere of SmackDown tonight. Roman Reigns defended the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Goldberg was in the ThunderDome to watch the match.

SmackDown Results (10/16)

  1. Lars Sullivan def. Jeff Hardy
  2. New Day def. Sheamus, Nakamura, Cesaro
  3. Street Profits retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
  4. Roman Reigns def. Braun Strowman via submission to retain the Universal Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Lars Sullivan Picked Up A Win

Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan. Image credit: WWE.com

The entire SmackDown locker room was on the stage to begin the show as Stephanie McMahon and Triple H came down to the ring. Stephanie welcomed everyone to the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown. Triple H said that there is a little bit of something for everyone tonight and plugged Strowman versus Reigns as the main event.

Stephanie stated that New Day will face Sheamus, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura in their SmackDown farewell match. Stephanie added that Daniel Bryan will making his first appearance in the ThunderDome and the virtual fans started up a “yes!” chant. Triple H and Stephanie announced that Street Profits will be defending their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler tonight.

A massive brawl broke out before Lars Sullivan’s music hit. Sullivan beat everyone down and planted Shorty G with the Freak Accident. Jeff Hardy then sent Sullivan out of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Hardy then battled Lars Sullivan in a singles match when SmackDown returned.

Match Recap: Hardy booted Lars in the midsection and he stumbled to the corner. Sullivan connected with a Clothesline and then slammed Hardy into the turnbuckle. Lars hit Hardy with a sliding Clothesline and went for the cover but Jeff was able to kick out at two. Sullivan made his way to the top rope and went for a Flying Heabutt. Jeff rolled out of the way and hit Lars with a Jawbreaker.

Hardy followed it up with an inverted Atomic Drop but Sullivan shrugged it off and sent Jeff to the corner. Hardy hopped right up to the top rope and hit Whisper in the Wind but Lars kicked out at one. Hardy hit Twist of Fate and climbed to the top rope but Sullivan had already gotten up. Lars grabbed Jeff by the throat and planted him with the Freak Accident for the pinfall victory.

New Day Won Their Final Match Together

Xavier Woods responds to the people suggesting that the New Day should break up
Xavier Woods responds to the people suggesting that the New Day should break up

New Day cut a promo before their match tonight. Woods noted that Big E will be staying on SmackDown and the New Day will be split. Kofi said that they have had a week to think about this and that he couldn’t help but have a smile on his face. Kingston stated that New Day has provided the fans with so many special moments. Xavier Woods got emotional because Kofi and Big E took a chance on him and it turned into the best six years of his life.

Kingston said he was at a point in his career where he didn’t know he wanted to do this anymore but they approached him with an idea to do something special. Woods noted that tonight they were here to get it done one last time. New Day then faced Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Sheamus in a 6-man tag match.

Match Recap: Kofi connected with a Double Stomp on Nakamura for a near fall. Shinsuke connected with a kick to the face and tagged in Cesaro. Kingston leveled Cesaro with a Dropkick and tagged in Big E. Woods and Kingston lifted Big E up onto their shoulders and dropped him for a Splash on Cesaro for a near fall.

Cesaro hit Woods with a Clothesline and tagged in Sheamus. Cesaro and Sheamus posed as The Bar for a moment before Sheamus stomped on Xavier a couple times. Woods escaped and tagged in Big E. Big E Powerbombed Woods on top of Sheamus and quickly tagged in Kofi.

Kingston hit Sheamus with a Splash off the top rope and went for the cover but the Celtic Warrior kicked out at two. Nakamura sent Kofi out of the ring and Cesaro planted him with a Suplex outside the ring. Back in the ring, Nakamura went for the cover but Kingston kicked out at two.

Cesaro tagged in and hit Kingston with a Leg Drop for a near fall. Sheamus tagged back in and continued to beat Kofi down. Cesaro and Big E tagged in after SmackDown returned from a break. Big E planted Cesaro with a Belly to Belly and followed it up with a Splash. Big E went for the Big Ending but Cesaro broke free and connected with a Gutwrench Suplex.

Xavier tagged in and hit the Morning Woods (Uranage/Backstabber) on Cesaro for a two count. Nakamura planted Woods with the sliding German Suplex for another two count. Sheamus hit Kingston with White Noise and went for the cover but Big E broke it up. Big E and Woods then planted Sheamus with the Midnight Hour for the pinfall victory.

Daniel Bryan Returned & Murphy Attacked Rollins

Daniel Bryan SmackDown

Daniel Bryan came down to the ring and said that he loves being in the ThunderDome. Bryan pointed out that Brie and Birdie were watching on one of the screens.

Bryan stated that there are some fresh faces that he is really excited to have on the roster like Bianca Belair, Riott Squad, Kevin Owens, Aleister Black and others he is excited to get into the ring with.

Seth Rollins interrupted and told Daniel that he is thrilled that Brie let him off daddy duty so he can come to work. Rollins noted that Bryan didn’t mention him and he is the most important acquisition of SmackDown. Seth asked Bryan which side of history he would like to be on because he is either with or against him when it comes to the greater good. Bryan said he is all for changing things for the better but Rollins’ vision is short sighted, self centered, and dumb.

Daniel continued to mock Seth Rollins and said it was kind of dumb for him to wear a sports coat with no shirt. Seth leveled Bryan with a Clothesline but Daniel popped right up and hit a Clothesline of his own. Rollins retreated out of the ring but Rey Mysterio and Dominik joined the party. Seth wanted Bryan to fight with him but Daniel simply left the ring.

Murphy rushed the ring and stood beside Seth. Murphy tackled Rollins to the canvas and followed it up with a knee to the face. Seth retreated up the entrance ramp as Rey and Dominik stared at Murphy. Murphy extended his hand but Dominik and Rey refused to shake it.

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