Updated betting odds for Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view have been released by sports betting service 5Dimes. The betting odds are historically accurate indicators of who will win each match. We will keep an eye on the betting lines and will post an update if there are any shifts as we get closer to the show.
The men’s SmackDown team is favored to beat Team RAW at -130 to +110 while the SmackDown women’s team is favored at -150 against Team RAW at +110. Also, New WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, is a +220 outsider for his match with Brock Lesnar, who is favored at -300.
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the betting odds:
WWE Survivor Series Odds
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (-300) vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan (+220)
Ronda Rousey (-1000) vs. Charlotte Flair (+500) – Non-Title Match
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins (+115) vs. (-155) United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura – Champion vs. Champion Match
The Bar (+170) vs. Authors Of Pain (-230) – Champion vs. Champion Match
Team RAW (+110) vs. Team SmackDown (-130) – Men’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Team RAW (+110) vs. Team SmackDown (-150)- Women’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy (-190) vs. (+150) Mustafa Ali
Team RAW (+220) vs. Team SmackDown (-300) – Traditional 10-on-10 Elimination Tag Team Match (Kickoff Show)
Join us here this Sunday for WWE Survivor Series Results & Live Coverage.
The date and location for the first Ring of Honor pay-per-view of 2019 have been revealed. On Thursday, the promotion announced several events taking place in the new year including their 17th Anniversary PPV show.
ROH is set to celebrate its 17th anniversary with two shows at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view event will take place on March 15, and there will be an international television taping on March 16.
Also announced were two other shows that include an international television taping in Lakeland at RP Funding Arena on February 9th and a Bound By Honor live event that will be streamed Live for HonorClub the following night at Miami’s Watsco Center.
In the press release that was issued by ROH, it was noted that these events “will have an impact on the historic” event G1 Supercard, which is the big show co-promoted by ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling, at sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 6th during WrestleMania 35 weekend. Tickets for all four events go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. local time for HonorClub members and Friday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. local time for the general public. Although no names were advertised for this show, it was noted that it would feature “all of the top ROH stars.”
ROH ends 2018 with a bang as they hold their Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 14, 2018 in Manhattan, New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. As of this writing, only two matches for the show have been revealed. ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show.
There have been a lot of stories going around in regards to talent being upset about unsafe working. Of course, this is fronted by Nia Jax injuring Becky Lynch on Monday Night RAW earlier this week. Jax punched Lynch in the face during the invasion angle on RAW, breaking the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion’s nose. As a result, she has been pulled from her match with Ronda Rousey Sunday at Survivor Series.
It’s being reported that Jax has some heat backstage for the incident. However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that more talents are seemingly upset by WWE’s preferential treatment of Brock Lesnar. The Universal Champion was also a part of RAW this week. He came out and attacked Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers. During the angle, Lesnar hit some devastating german suplexes on Sunil Singh.
Singh landed awkwardly on his neck, but thankfully it seems like he wasn’t injured. Meltzer reports that more talents seem to be upset that Lesnar is basically “bulletproof” against WWE brass. While Jax’s injuring of Lynch was the most reckless act of the night, Lesnar’s could’ve been just as – if not more – harmful.
What do you think about WWE’s preferential treatment of Lesnar?
Events that transpired over the past week have altered WWE’s plans for the next several months. Becky Lynch’s injury and Vince McMahon’s decision to put the WWE Championship on Daniel Bryan resulted in a dramatic shakeup to Survivor Series. This Sunday, Ronda Rousey now faces Charlotte Flair and Brock Lesnar squares off against Daniel Bryan.
Rousey vs. Flair had been seen as the likely WrestleMania main event. However, the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch now the frontrunner to headline that show. With Lesnar booked against Daniel Bryan on short notice, let’s consider possible WrestleMania scenarios for the Beast Incarnate.
Dave Meltzer has stated multiple times that he’s been told Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent will not be Braun Strowman. That could have been a marquee match for WWE’s biggest show of the year, but they’ve already played that card multiple times. Beyond Strowman, there are not many viable options for what could be Brock Lesnar’s final WWE match.
Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan were named as potential opponents in the Observer report. Bryan seems least likely since they’re fighting this weekend. “They can always take somebody out of nowhere but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of options for that spot so AJ does seem pretty viable for it,” Meltzer wrote.
Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania Opponent
Lesnar recently signed a new deal with WWE that only calls for a few more appearances. For years, Brock Lesnar was portrayed to be in a class aof his own while Roman Reigns was groomed to be the new face of the company. Reigns finally got his big win over Brock Lesnar this past August at SummerSlam, but is now sidelined indefinitely as he battles Leukemia.
After Brock Lesnar fights Daniel Bryan this Sunday, he probably only has one or two matches left with WWE. Even though we saw Lesnar vs. AJ Styles last year at Survivor Series, that’s still a high profile match suitable for WrestleMania.
Drew McIntyre is on the rise and WWE could use Lesnar’s final match at WrestleMania as a chance to pass the torch the Scotsman. McIntyre’s star is rising and WWE could solidify his main events status with a decisive win over Lesnar. Seth Rollins is also in play, but he is now embroiled in a heated feud with Dean Ambrose. There is big money in Rollins vs. Lesnar, but that would require WWE winding down the Shield feud before WrestleMania season gets underway.
For the latest on Brock Lesnar possibly returning to UFC, check out the Brock Lesnar news page over at our partner site, MMANews.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7zwYf3G2p8
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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s November scheduling is usually dominated by the World Tag League shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature some of NJPW’s top stars, but there are some notable exceptions. Some of the shows will be available on NJPWWorld.
The headline grabbers are of course the opening bouts of the World Tag League itself. David Finlay and Juice Robinson will be taking on Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida. New Japan legends Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan will be taking on fellow stalwarts Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. Chuckie T and Beretta will face Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page and Toa Henare and Togi Makabe will take on Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga.
Here’s the full card for the World Tag League in Kanagawa (11/17):
Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin vs Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji
Ren Narita and Tomoaki Honma vs Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr
El Desperado, Takashi Iizuka and Minoru Suzuki vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Davey Boy Smith Jr and Lance Archer
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – David Finlay and Juice Robinson vs Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Chuckie T and Beretta vs Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga
SHO, YOH, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL and Tetsuya Naito
NXT UK continued this week with episodes seven and eight airing on the WWE Network. The shows heavily featured the Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang in their feud against Trent Seven & Tyler Bate.
Here’s the full results from week’s 7 and 8:
Episode 7 Results (taped August 25 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
Jordan Devlin b. Sid Scala – Devlin hit the Island’s Call in 3 minutes to take the win
Saxon Huxley & Joseph Conners b. Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams – Connors hit Don’t Look Down on Williams to take the win for his team
Tyler Bate b. James Drake – Bate hit the Tyler Driver ’97 to take the pinfall win
Wolfgang (w/ Joe & Mark Coffey) b. Ashton Smith – Wolfgang took the win after hitting a modified fisherman’s suplex into a slam
Episode 8 Results(taped August 25 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round Match – Dakota Kai b. Nina Samuels – Kai took the win after hitting the Kairopractor to advance to the semifinals
Tyson T-Bone b. Jake Constantino – T-Bone took the quick win after hitting a lariat
Dave Mastiff b. Dan Moloney – Mastiff took the win after hitting a cannonball into the corner
NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round Match – Jinny b. Millie McKenzie – Jinny took the win after hitting a rolling axe kick to advance to the semifinals
Zack Gibson b. Trent Seven – Gibson took the win with a small package, James Drake distracted Seven for the finish
Ronda Rousey cut a memorable promo on Becky Lynch this past week on Raw. In whats been dubbed the “Millennium Man” promo, Rousey laced into the SmackDown Women’s Champion for being an avocado-toast eating snowflake. It seems some of that material came may have been inspired by none other than Paul Heyman.
Rousey keeps a YouTube channel where she uploads a weekly video blog. In latest video (filmed on Sunday), the Baddest Woman on the Planet revealed that she was getting ready to meet with Heyman to work on ideas for Raw.
“After a long, I don’t even know how long flight, I’m going to chill out and finally get to Kansas City,” Rousey said on the video. “And then meet up with Paul Heyman and we’ll go over some ideas for tomorrow. Then Raw’s tomorrow!”
Opinion: The prospect of Ronda Rousey and Paul Heyman working together in any capacity is intriguing. Heyman’s aptitude for professional wrestling is unrivaled and countless performers have credited him with enhancing the trajectory of their careers. One has to wonder what Paul Heyman’s future holds once Brock Lesnar finishes up with WWE. Some fans might love the idea of Rousey being a Paul Heyman Girl, but the real money is in Paul Heyman guiding a slew of challengers to rid WWE of Ronda Rousey once and for all.
Rousey & Becky Lynch’s Trash Talk
“Becky, you are so hypersensitive,” Rousey said on Monday’s Raw from Kansas City. “You aren’t just the man, you are the millennial man. You are the skinny jeans wearing, V-neck sporting, avocado toast munching, winged-shoe wearing, millennial man, with a bubble-wrapped ego and a porcelain self-perception. Someone needs to tell the man that I am not Charlotte Flair, Raw is not Smackdown, and being offended doesn’t make you right.”
Lynch responded to Rousey on social media. The Man tweeted, “When you’re babbling on about avocados, I’m main-eventing my show AND your show. Did you hear that last night, Ronda? That’s the sound they make when The Man comes around.”
The main event for the upcoming ROH Final Battle pay-per-view event. This marks the final Ring of Honor PPV event of 2018. On Thursday, the company revealed that ROH World Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal would defend his title against Cody in the headliner.
The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 14, 2018 in Manhattan, New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The only other match revealed for this show is Dalton Castle battling Matt Taven with the “real world title’ being on the line.
This match will mark only the second time in three years that Lethal and Cody have met at Final Battle. If you recall, back in 2016, Cody made his promotional debut with ROH where he scored a victory over Lethal.
Just six months later, Cody beat Christopher Daniels to win the ROH World Title. Cody ended last year on a “down note” as the promotion stated in its press release about this upcoming match. That down note was the fact that Castle beat Cody to win the World Title that ended his 175-day reign as champion.
ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show.
Triple H has opened up on recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn right pectoral muscle after suffering the injury at WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event where he and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels beat Kane and The Undertaker in a tag team match.
The operation was done by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama with the belief that he will be out anywhere from 5-9 months. It’s an unfortunate injury due to the rumors going around that he could face Batista at WrestleMania 35 Obviously, this injury may have put these potential plans in jeopardy.
During a media conference call on Wednesday to promote this Saturday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center on the WWE Network, Triple H gave an update on his recovery.
“I had surgery a week ago yesterday (Tuesday, November 6). Everything is feeling good. In an immobilizer and on the road to recovery. It’s just rehab, rehab, rehab and I will be back but that does not stop this machine from rolling on and its business as usual. I will be headed to L.A. (Thursday) to begin preparations for what is a very exciting NXT TakeOver.”
Former WWE Champion CM Punk recently talked about a potential return to pro wrestling, which is the business that got him his start into being a big name.
Punk recently appeared on WGN Morning News’ Primetime special and at one point in the show, Pat Tomasulo asked Punk about a potential pro wrestling return. Punk responded with, “A time machine.”
.@pattomasulo: What would it take to get you back in wrestling?
CM Punk: "A time machine"
He's gonna get to play the GRAND PRIZE GAME! Jealous! #WGNPrimeTime
Punk, real name Phillip Brooks, was the biggest Superstar that WWE made in this current era aside from John Cena. The former WWE Superstar made a name for himself on the independent scene and while working in Ring of Honor.
Once he signed with the WWE, his career took off, and he would later hold several championships including the WWE Title. However, after dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to walk out of the company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014.
Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the Octagon in the UFC.
The former WWE Champion fought Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. As seen in the fight, Jackson dominated it and Punk showed a ton of heart but was winded after the first round. Jackson was able to pick up the unanimous decision win. He lost in his MMA debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 by first round submission.
Impact Wrestling will present its first show from their Las Vegas tapings tonight. The promotion held tapings at Sam’s Town Casino from November 11th to 13th.
Impact Wrestling 11/15 Preview
X-Division Championship – Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
Previously on Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage traveled to Ohio to confront Sami Callihan. Cage was greeted by Callihan’s numerous Ohio-based minions. Tonight, the X-Division title is on the line, however. Callihan is the only man in Impact Wrestling to ever pin Cage, if he does as such tonight he’ll be the new X-Division Champion.
Johnny Impact vs Matt Sydal – Non-Title
Johnny Impact’s World Championship won’t be on the line in his match with Matt Sydal tonight. If Sydal comes out victorious, however, he’ll likely put himself in title contention. We are just over 7 weeks until the Homecoming PPV in Nashville and somebody will likely be declared the new #1 contender in the coming weeks.
Johnny suggested he might be stretching himself a little thin recently on Impact Press Pass. He’s already had to fend off Fenix and Killer Kross since winning the title and a match against Matt Sydal isn’t any easier.
Tessa Blanchard In Single’s Action
The Knockouts Champion will also be in action tonight. Her opponent for tonight’s non-title match has yet to be announced, however. Blanchard still has unfinished business with Taya Valkyrie. She lost to Taya previously via DQ in a rematch from Bound For Glory. At some point, Blanchard will have to defend the title once more against Valkyrie.
Eli Drake Has Requested Time On Impact Wrestling Tonight
Last week, Eli Drake attacked Joseph Park. Drake said he doesn’t like the hardcore wrestling style Abyss was famous for. He especially didn’t appreciate Abyss attacking him at Bound For Glory.
Tonight, Drake has requested time to speak and explain his actions.
Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated after wrestling at Northeast Wrestling’s Redemption event.
During the interview, Van Dam spoke about a potential return to WWE. At this stage in the game for RVD, he doesn’t think it’s a certain but a likely possibility. “I know that my fans want to see me back in WWE, To that, I can say, it’s good to be wanted. I can tell you that I enjoy my days off a lot more than my days on, but I appreciate the fans. It’s because of them I have the life I have. So thank you to the fans, I know they’re going to stick with me for life, and never say never.”
RVD’s latest run with WWE was from June of 2013 through August of 2014. He made a one-off appearance at the 2014 Slammy Awards to present the Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year. At his advancing age and for his mind, RVD has decided to work a selective number of dates on the independent scene. Van Dam made his name known while working for ECW in the late 1990s, with the WWE in the early to mid-2000s, and then with TNA in the early 2010s. Van Dam gained his mainstream popularity by 1998 when he won the ECW World Television Championship, which he held for a record 700 days.
The potential main event for WrestleMania 35 may have been revealed. For several months, the belief has been that the main event would see Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Championship. However, those plans appear to have changed.
WWE has confirmed that SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch had been pulled from her scheduled champion vs. champion match against Rousey at Sunday’s (November 18, 2018) Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center. It’s been reported that she suffered a broken nose and concussion during the RAW invasion angle on Monday’s show. Now, Rousey will face Flair at the show. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the current plan is for Lynch vs Rousey to headline WrestleMania 35. It was noted in the report that once Lynch suffered these injuries, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Rousey decided that the best thing to do was save the match for the biggest event of the year for the company. Thus, this is the reason that Lynch and Rousey exchanged heated words on social media on Wednesday. WrestleMania 35 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network.
Randy Orton Reacts To Being Left Off Team SmackDown
As of this writing, Randy Orton will not be working Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center on the WWE Network as he was left off the card. This is after him not being able to make Team SmackDown for the 5-on-5 Traditional Elimination Match. He recently commented on it when he responded to a tweet from James Ellsworth. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why WWE did not include him on the card.
He wrote, “Me not being in the traditional #SurvivorSeries match for the 11th time even though I am the GOAT in that particular match. And @AJStylesOrg got kicked in the nuts. Again.”
WWE has officially confirmed Matt Riddle’s next match under the NXT banner as he’ll take on Kassius Ohno in a singles match that will be taped either at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings in San Jose, California or before Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center. The match will air on next Wednesday’s episode of NXT TV on the WWE Network. WWE released this video from this week’s episode of the yellow brand from a segment with Cathy Kelley, Ohno and Riddle that you can see here:
Vince McMahon is said to know which match he wants to main event WrestleMania this year. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the current planned main event for WrestleMania 35 is Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey.
“Right now the plan is for Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch to headline WrestleMania,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say the decision was made after Lynch suffered a concussion Monday. The injury will prevent Lynch from competing on Sunday but likely allows WWE to move the match to their premiere event of the year.
“The next day, both Vince McMahon and Rousey decided that the best course of action was to do the match at WrestleMania,” Meltzer continued. “Rousey and Lynch immediately went at it hard on social media, even though Rousey’s new opponent on the PPV is Charlotte Flair.”
WWE considered doing Ronda vs Charlotte Flair as the main event of WM35 earlier this year. At the time, there were concerns about Ronda’s ability, however.
“Rousey vs. Flair was talked about after last year’s Mania, and at the time there were questions about Rousey headlining such a big show as a single with her level of experience,” Meltzer continued. “There is far less doubt about that now.”
WrestleMania 35 Main Event & Top Matches
This last month has seen a lot of shakeup at the top of WWE’s roster. Roman Reigns will not be involved in WrestleMania this year either. He had previously been in the main event of the last 4 WrestleManias.
Barring an extremely rapid recovery, Triple H will probably not be back for WrestleMania either. His torn pec suffered at Crown Jewel will likely prevent a potential match with Batista taking place.
It is believed Brock Lesnar is signed through WrestleMania. Current speculation holds he will not face Braun Strowman at the event, however.
Don Callis and Impact Wrestling would love to bring in some of the top-talent from NJPW to their promotion. While it’s likely some in-roads have been made with Callis serving as English color commentator, it appears NJPW still isn’t budging. NJPW has talent sharing agreements in place with ROH & CMLL and apparently, they aren’t adding more North American promotions to the fold.
“(NJPW) didn’t use guys like Brian Cage and John Morrison because they were Impact guys,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “And stopped some of their own talent from working Impact.”
There have been rumblings in the past that some members of the NJPW roster were upset they weren’t allowed to work for Impact but who those wrestlers are is unconfirmed. As for Brian Cage and Johnny Impact, they were both said to be interested in working for the promotion but NJPW decided against it due to their status with Impact.
Don Callis Wants Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho In Impact Wrestling
The new management regime for Impact has been working in 2018 to clear the bad name left by the previous one. This includes a botched excursion between NJPW and Impact which saw Kazuchika Okada largely wasted by the former TNA Wrestling.
At a Slammiversary press conference in Toronto earlier this year, Callis said to me he’d love to bring both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho to his promotion.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him, his name is Kenny Omega,” Callis said. “Another is Chris Jericho.”
NXT TakeOver: WarGames II goes down this weekend, kicking off four straight nights at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California for WWE. The company will be producing their second “WarGames” themed show and their twenty-third overall event under the “NXT TakeOver” banner on Saturday, live via the WWE Network.
Saturday’s live WWE Network special features an excellent, albeit brief card containing only four matches. Each match is an important one, however, as included in the card are NXT World Championship and NXT Women’s Championship matches, the namesake WarGames bout and a grudge match between Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano.
The main event will feature Tommaso Ciampa defending his NXT World Championship against Velveteen Dream in one-on-one action, while the NXT Women’s Championship bout will feature “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler defending her title against former title-holder and the first-ever Mae Young Classic tournament winner Kairi Sane in a two-out-of-three falls match. The WarGames bout will include all four members of The Undisputed ERA — Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly — facing off against The War Raiders — Hanson and Rowe — as well as WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne and NXT North American Champion Ricochet. Finally, The Black-Gargano bout will be the culmination of a longstanding rivalry that picked up momentum when Gargano turned heel and was revealed as the man who attacked Black in the parking lot of Full Sail University following the August 8th episode of NXT TV.
SEScoops.com writers Andrew Ravens, Jeff Moss and Ian Carey have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Saturday night’s big event. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for NXT TakeOver: WarGames II.
Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane (2-Out-Of-3 Falls NXT Women’s Title)
Andrew Ravens: Baszler just won the title back at the Evolution PPV event, and with this current stipulation that goes along with this match, I think it plays a factor into Sane winning here. Baszler had to cheat to even win the title back, and Sane has her number when going one-on-one. Thus, Sane gets her title back and moves onto another program. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
Jeff Moss: At Evolution, these two were a high spot in a night of high spots and if ever there was a more deserving pair to pick up the “fight forever” tag, it’s Sane and Baszler. Their matches tend to play off of the previous one, which I love. Too often when wrestlers face each other over and over, they forget what worked and didn’t work last time. These two learn from each match and have surprises for each other in the next one. I have a feeling there’s a Horsewoman battle a-brewing, so I think Sane will win back her title here, freeing up Shayna to play with her friends for a bit. But when that’s done, she might be a rare case of someone who comes back to NXT for a last run before permanent call up. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
Ian Carey: I feel as though Triple H is really high on Baszler. Also, at Evolution, she established that her old MMA training partners are now in the promotion as well and looking to help Shayna protect her championship. It seems unlikely to me that they would take the title off of her so quickly after she regained it at Evolution and established new allies in the process. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Kairi Sane
Undisputed ERA vs. War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet (WAR GAMES)
Andrew: Wrestling 101 says that the babyfaces go over here and I agree. It just makes sense as The Undisputed Era are up for getting beat as it plays into the story. Unless WWE just wants to go for a swerve with Pete Dunne turning heel and joining the group, I don’t see why the heels would go over here. (Prediction: War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet)
Jeff: So, let me just recap here: 1. Ricochet. 2. Double Ring Steel Cage. 3. The rest. Yeah, this is going to be AWESOME. I found myself enjoying last year’s War Games match way more than I thought I would and damn if this one doesn’t look like it’s going to be even better. Pete Dunne is gold, the War Raiders have the ability to be devastating in this kind of match and the Undisputed Era id back to full air-guitar-wailing strength. I cannot wait to see this match and though the Undisputed Era won it last year, I think they will go Back-To-Back, more than likely due to the re-ignition of a Dunne/Ricochet beef. (Prediction: The Undisputed ERA)
Ian: The last WarGames match was one of the best matches in NXT history so there is good reason to be looking forward to this match. Kyle O’Reilly picked up the win over Hanson to earn his team the advantage at WarGames on NXT last night. The match was far more exciting than the usual coin flip. I’m giving this match to the babyfaces almost purely to even out the wins on the show between heels and faces. Come the next Takeover, however, expect the tag, North American, and UK titles to be on the line in matches involving some of the wrestlers involved in this match. We could find out who will be challenging for what title next Takeover based on how things shape up in the WarGames match on Saturday. (Prediction: War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
Andrew: No doubt this will be a fun match that could go either way depending on how long the WWE wants to extend this program or what plans are in place for these two stars. This is the first match between them in this current feud and should be a barnburner depending on how much time they give them. The obvious choice would have Black going over here, but I have the feeling that we get one more match with these two stars. Gargano cheats and sneaks out a win. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
Jeff: This one is going to be U-G-L-Y. Gargano has snapped and Black is out for blood. This is the real test for Gargano. Has he completely turned to the Dark Side? or is there an idealistic farm boy and ghostly space wizard waiting to bring him back to the light? Or will Black force him to kill Johnny Wrestling for good in order to win. The drama for this match is so wonderfully high, we win either way. But, given how monkey-wrench-prone the main roster is these days, it wouldn’t shock me to see Black on Raw or Smackdown post-Takeover to add a little of his brand of sinister chaos, so I’m picking Gargano here. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
Ian: I’m expecting Aleister Black to tear through Johnny Gargano Saturday night. Even though this will be Gargano’s first big match as a heel, I still don’t think Triple H wants Aleister Black losing any matches before he gets another shot at Ciampa. Black vs Ciampa should main event the next Takeover. What will likely happen not too much longer after Takeover, is Ciampa and Gargano will re-align officially. In fact, we could see the former tag partners start to work together again on Saturday against their respective opponents. (Prediction: Aleister Black)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Johnny Gargano
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT World Title)
Andrew: Might be the funniest match on the card and with the title being on the line, expect for them to go 20 minutes if not longer as they should have enough time to tell a compelling story. I don’t see it being Dream’s time to win the title here as Ciampa has only had the title a few months and this is his real first test outside of working with Gargano. Dream’s character also isn’t one that needs a title to get over. Ciampa is better off as being that heel on top of the mountain in order to gain more heat. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
Jeff: Good Lord, this is like Sophie’s choice, isn’t it? Arguably the best heel in the company vs arguably the best performer in the company and EACH OF THOSE TITLES COULD APPLY TO EITHER COMPETITOR!!! if this isn’t the Match of the Year, I’ll eat Ian Carey’s hat. Both men deserve the title. Both are incredible performers and wrestlers. While I would like nothing more than to see the title draped over the shoulder of the Dream, I think that Ciampa will retain here. Unless they are planning an Evil DIY reunion, Ciampa and Gargano still have one more good story to tell and the Wrestlemania Takeover could be a great place to do that. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
Ian: Ciampa is likely going to retain “goldie” in his title defense against Velveteen Dream here. As much as I’d like to predict the 23-year-old Dream will win the title, it feels as though Ciampa is going to hold that thing for a while longer still. Dream defeated EC3 at the last Takeover event and has generally been kept strong in 2018 but it doesn’t feel as though he’s hot enough right now to put the title on. Ciampa, on the other hand, is still one of the hottest heels in the business. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Tommaso Ciampa
What do the experts think is going to happen on Saturday evening? Check out the online NXT TakeOver: WarGames II betting odds. What do you think of the above NXT TakeOver: WarGames II predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here this Saturday for live play-by-play results coverage of the show.
Cody Rhodes hasn’t participated in a G-1 tournament, or tournament of any kind for that matter, since arriving in NJPW in early 2017. His first match for the promotion was at Wrestle Kingdom 11 when he defeated Juice Robinson inside the Tokyo Dome. He did the same thing at Fighting Spirit Unleashed but an undaunted Juice recently challenged Cody to a third match as well.
Cody’s contract with Ring of Honor is said to be up and he doesn’t have a deal in place with NJPW. He’s always competed for NJPW as part of their talent-sharing agreement with ROH. As he heads to free agency, however, Cody appears motivated to stay with NJPW despite potentially leaving ROH.
“Cody outright said that he wants to work more New Japan in 2019,” Dave Meltzer wrote. Although Meltzer doesn’t list his source, the report reads as though he was talking directly to Cody.
“He’s already said doing a G-1 is something he wants to do, but last year his filming “Arrow” made that impossible,” Meltzer continued. “But he wants to do more than just the big shows like he did in 2018 with the idea that he wants to improve as a wrestler, and you want to improve as a wrestler, New Japan is the place to work.”
It sounds as though Cody wanted to send a message to NJPW management through the Observer but that is only speculation.
Where is Cody Going To Wrestle In 2019?
If Cody is saying he wants to wrestle in NJPW next year, he’s not going to WWE, although he has already stated as much. It’s likely he’s not happy with contract negotiations with ROH if he is lobbying to stay in NJPW despite leaving the promotion they have a talent-sharing agreement with.
2 of the 3 members of SCU have reportedly not signed contracts offered to them by Ring of Honor. Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels will both be free agents at the end of the year if they don’t re-sign according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Add Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian to the list of those who haven’t signed new deals for 2019 after being offered contracts,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “Daniels just indicated that he hasn’t made any decision yet. I don’t think any regular on Being the Elite has signed a new deal, although Flip Gordon just signed a two-year ROH contract and Marty Scurll has months left.”
Ring of Honor Free Agency Period
ROH frequently structures their contracts so they end after Final Battle. This year the event will take place on December 14th. In the case of Marty Scurll, however, he is reported to have signed a contract extension which takes him through the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden. This means ROH will have to lock-up several of their wrestlers to deals before the MSG show in April.
At the moment, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky are the promotion’s tag-team champions. They successfully defended those titles against the Super Smash Bros at the Global Wars: Toronto show.
Becky Lynch has become arguably the hottest act in WWE. Even her recent injury, described on Smackdown as a “broken face” sustained at the hands of Nia Jax on Raw this week, has added to her aura.
The sight of Becky Lynch standing in the crowd with a bloody face Monday is already becoming an iconic image. It’s one that likely will be used in WWE video packages for years to come. WWE Hall-of-Famer, Jim Ross, agrees.
Jim Ross on Becky Lynch’s Injury
And as he stated on The Jim Ross Report this week, he thinks Lynch’s injury could serve as a blessing in disguise.
“I believe that this injury could help propel her, and get her over even more,” Ross said. “I think when it’s all said and done, people are now going to have some empathy for her in an organic and natural way.”
Ross expounded on that thought, drawing parallels between Becky Lynch and arguably the biggest star in WWE history. Ross feels Becky has much in common with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
“It’s how Austin and every top star got over,” Ross continued. “Their audience made an emotional investment in their persona, and they became very loyal to that persona.”
Jim Ross’s contract status and potential future plans have become a hot topic in wrestling. We have reported on what some of those potential plans may be.
Ross has made some cryptic remarks of late on The Jim Ross Report about what he might do if he were starting a wrestling promotion, and in an episode two weeks ago, mentioned that Chris Jericho might make a good booker, adding fuel to the fire.
Ross addressed his contract status on his show this week, in his first extensive public comments on his future.
“It’s a tough week for me with AXS TV,” Ross said. “I’m here (in Los Angeles), going to do my last three shows for them (yesterday). That will take us through the end of the year on our Friday night slot on Mark Cuban’s network.”
“I’ve enjoyed that for several years now. I found friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life,” Ross said, before naming some behind the scenes folks at the network.
“My shows will run through the end of the year, that’s when my contract will be expiring. So then, I have a contract with WWE that will end at the end of March,” Ross explained.
“And then we’ll see where things go. I have a lot of options, a lot of opportunities. I’m very blessed with everything that’s happened.”
Ross’s cryptic comments then continued.
“Let’s be honest. I don’t need to start a new career. I’m 66 years old for god sakes,” Ross said.
“But I still love to work. And I love to call wrestling matches. So, something will come along, and I’ll be just fine… I’m going to miss that part of my life. At least for now. So come April, let’s see where the cards fall.”
“It’s all going to be good. I promise you,” Ross said.
This week’s episode of SmackDown was full of impactful events from Becky Lynch announcing her replacement for Survivor Series to Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship from AJ Styles.
However, despite the big angles and the show being the go home episode for Survivor Series, Vince McMahon was not backstage for SmackDown Live this week, according to Pwinsider.
Though as we noted before, he was still involved in the decision to turn Bryan heel and put the WWE Championship on him. You can check out some more backstage details on the title change here.
NXT UK Women’s Championship Tournament Announced
During the eighth episode of NXT UK, we saw the debut of the WWE UK Women’s Championship and a tournament to crown the inaugural champion was then announced as well.
The tournament began later in the show and after a couple of matches which saw Dakota Kai and Jinny advancing to the semi-finals, below are the updated standings of the tournament:
As we noted before, the whole tournament has already been taped and you can check out the full results and know who has been crowned the first NXT UK Women’s Champion by clicking here.
Bianca Belair faced Mia Yim on this week’s episode of NXT. Belair shoved Yim to start things off and then grabbed Mia by the hair. Bianca slammed Yim to the canvas and taunted her by saying “this is my house”.
Yim took Belair down and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Yim dished out some trash talk of her own as Bianca battled back to her feet. Belair leveled Yim with a shoulder tackle and went for a Dropkick but Mia dodged it.
Mia hit three Dropkicks in a row and geared up in the corner. Yim hit a fourth Dropkick in a row but Belair regrouped and threw Mia to the outside. Yim got back in the ring and Belair attacked her right away. Belair went for a cover but Yim was able to kick out at two.
Belair applied a Headlock but Mia quickly countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Bianca hit a Clothesline for another two count. Belair bounced Yim’s face off the top turnbuckle a couple of times and then started choking her in the corner. Belair broke the hold and booted Yim to the canvas.
Bianca stomped on Yim’s midsection a couple of times and shouting “you are nothing!” at Mia. Belair took a seat on Mia’s back and continued to taunt her. Mia turned the tables and slammed Belair face first to the mat for a two count.
Belair connected with a Dropkick of her own for a near fall. Bianca locked in a Cravate but Yim broke the hold with a few elbows to Belair’s ribs. Bianca went for a Leg Drop but Yim got out of the way and slammed Belair’s head into the middle turnbuckle.
Yim followed it up with a Clothesline and a Gutwrench Suplex for another near fall. Belair responded with a big Spinebuster and went for the cover but Yim got her shoulders up at the last second.
Bianca sent Yim to the corner and drove her shoulder into Mia’s midsection. Yim battled back with some palm strikes and then a Pele Kick for a two count. Biana battled back with a punch to the face and then a Torture Rack/Facebuster (K.O.D.) for the pinfall victory.
Karissa Rivera battled Lacey Evans on tonight’s episode of NXT. Evans dominated the entire match and taunted Rivera while doing so. Evans started off the match by bashing Rivera’s head into the turnbuckle several times and then hitting her with a Bronco Buster.
Rivera battled back with a couple of chops and then a Dropkick for a one count. Evans got pissed off and slammed Karissa’s head into the mat several times. Evans hit the Woman’s Right for the easy victory.
After the match, Evans grabbed the microphone and said that NXT is full of a bunch of “classless nasties”. Lacey scolded the women of NXT and claimed that they have forgotten what it means to carry themselves with sophistication. Evans stated that if they do not adhere to her standards, she will teach them all a lesson with the Woman’s Right.
Kyle O’Reilly battled Hanson from War Raiders to determine which team will have the advantage in the WarGames match this weekend at NXT TakeOver.
O’Reilly tried to avoid Hanson to start off the match but Hanson leveled him with a massive shoulder tackle. Kyle rolled out of the ring to regroup as Hanson dared him to get back into the ring.
Kyle got back in the ring and laid down on the mat and dared Hanson to come at him. O’Reilly got Hanson in a Headlock and tried to take Hanson down but Hanson stayed on his feet.
Hanson hit another ridiculous shoulder tackle that sent O’Reilly across the ring. Hanson launched O’Reilly into the turnbuckle with an Irish Whip and then delivered 10 shots to Kyle’s midsection.
O’Reilly tumbled out of the ring and splatted on the floor. Hanson went after him and rolled him back inside. Kyle hit a Dropkick as Hanson tried to get back in the ring and then went after his left knee. Kyle delivered a flurry of kicks and finally knocked Hanson to the canvas.
O’Reilly went for a cover and Hanson kicked out so hard it sent Kyle flying to the outside. O’Reilly got back in the ring and hit Hanson with a chop block on Hanson’s injured knee for a one count.
Kyle followed it up with a Dragon Screw and then more shots to Hanson’s knee. O’Reilly applied a Knee Lock in the middle of the ring. Hanson escaped and connected with a Back Body Drop to change the momentum.
Hanson hit O’Reilly with a punch to the face and then a Sidewalk Slam. Hanson followed it up with a giant Splash and then another one in the corner of the ring. Hanson hit a Powerslam and went for the cover but O’Reilly was able to kick out at the last second.
Hanson sent O’Reilly to the outside and hit him with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Hanson made his way to the top rope but Adam Cole came down to the entrance ramp for the distraction.
Hanson went for a Moonsault but O’Reilly got out of the way. O’Reilly locked in the Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring but Hanson was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold.
Cole connected with a cheap shot while the referee wasn’t looking and O’Reilly hit a punch for a near fall. Rowe sprinted down the ramp and bounced Cole’s face off the apron. Hanson hit a knee to the face and then a Clothesline that turned O’Reilly inside out.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish came down to the ringside area and attacked Rowe from behind. Pete Dunne joined the party and blasted Strong in the face. Dunne bent Cole’s fingers back but Bobby Fish hit him from behind with a chop block.
Ricochet sprinted into the ring and hit everyone with a flip. Kyle O’Reilly grabbed an NXT Tag Team Championship title and hit Hanson with it while the referee was distracted by the chaos. O’Reilly then pinned Hanson and Undisputed Era has the advantage at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames airs this Saturday night on the WWE Network. The following videos were also shown during tonight’s broadcast to hype up the event:
The card for the next special for the yellow brand, WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames II, has been set. WWE has been revealing and building matches for this show on their weekly television show on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, since taping the latest batch of episodes on October 17, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University.
There are a total of four matches booked for this show with two of them being championship matches. Earlier this week it was revealed that the reason there only being four matches instead of five is due to timing as the four matches will need plenty of time. The past several events have all featured five matches.
The NXT TakeOver: WarGames II event takes place on Saturday, November 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center and will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:
Updated NXT TakeOver: WarGames II Card
The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) vs. War Raiders, Ricochet & Pete Dunne – WarGames Match.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane – Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
What are your thoughts on the matches announced for this card? Sound off in the comment section.
The WWE Performance Center has launched a new YouTube channel that will give viewers a behind the scenes look at some of the top up and coming talents in the sport.
For years, the WWE Performance Center has been the landing spot for athletes looking to join the organization as well as a home for current superstars looking to hone their game or work back into shape when coming back from injury.
Most notably, the WWE Performance Center has been the first stop for future superstars en route to NXT or the main roster and the new channel will give a deeper look at those stories.
The first few features on the new WWE Performance Center YouTube channel have already launched including a behind the scenes look at Matt Riddle’s first day arriving in NXT.
‘The King of Bros’ has been regarded as one of the top talents on the independent circuit for several years and his arrival in WWE was a welcome sight.
The feature on Riddle goes beyond his arrival in WWE as the former UFC fighter also describes how tough the road was to get here in the first place.
Among the other videos already available on the new YouTube channel including a look at how WWE action figures are made as well as a fantasy game where superstars pick their own ‘War Games’ teams ahead of the highly anticipated card coming up in NXT.
The new channel promises ‘real life stories’ for the superstars coming through the WWE Performance Center so this will be one more way to see another side of the athletes who are all trying to become household names in the future.
