New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that Taiji Ishimori is currently injured. The Bullet Club member was scheduled to perform at today’s Road To Power Struggle event but was pulled hours before the event.
NJPW confirmed via their English language site NJPW1972.com that “Taiji Ishimori will not participate in the event in Shizuoka at the Twin Messe Shizuoka South Building today, Thursday November 1st, due to a left ankle injury, which happened during the event in Nagano on October 31st.”
Ishimori has been teaming with Robbie Eagles for the Super Jr Tag League 2018 tournament. Eagles took part in a singles match against Yota Tsuji for the Shizuoka show. Eagles took the win over Tsuji with a Turbo Back Pack.
The severity of Ishimori’s ankle injury has not yet been revealed. Ishimori was not yet booked in a bout for the upcoming Power Struggle event in Osaka this Saturday. Ishimori and Eagles have already been eliminated from the Super Jr tournament so their involvement in the show would possibly been in a multi-man tag bout at best. We’ll be able to update you further as the story develops.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s October scheduling is usually dominated by the POWER STRUGGLE shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature the ‘Road To’ shows, some of which will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the show in Twin Messe Shizuoka on November 1st:
Robbie Eagles b. Yota Tsuji – Eagles took the win after hitting the Turbo Back Pack
Tomoaki Honma, Tiger Mask and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger b. Ren Narita, Soberano Jr and Volador Jr – Honma took the win after making Narita tap out to the STF
El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. Shota Umino and ACH – Desperado took the win after hitting the Numero Dos on Umino
Shingo Takagi and BUSHI b. Ayato Yoshida and Ryusuke Taguchi – Takagi took the win after hitting the Pumping Bomber on Yoshida
Rocky Romero and Tomohiro Ishii b. TAKA Michinoku and Minoru Suzuki – Romero took the win after hitting the La Magistral on TAKA
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi b. Toa Henare and Hiroshi Tanahashi – Owens took the win after hitting the Package Driver on Henare
Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – SHO and YOH b. Chris Sabin and KUSHIDA – YOH took the win after hitting the 3K on Sabin
Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Gedo b. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Beretta and Chuckie T – White took the win after hitting the Blade Runner on Chuckie T
Impact Wrestling will present their third show since Bound For Glory tonight. The episode was filmed inside New York’s Melrose Ballroom. The main event will be a rematch from Bound For Glory when Tessa Blanchard defends her Knockouts Championship against Taya Valkyrie.
Impact is also just one-week away from their next branded episode, Final Hour. Johnny Impact will defend the title against Killer Kross on that show.
Impact Wrestling Preview 11/1
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Last week, Blanchard confronted Taya in the back. Two weeks ago, Taya had said she doesn’t respect Blanchard anymore after she used underhanded tactics to secure the victory at the PPV. Tonight, Blanchard wants to show she doesn’t need any help from the referees to defeat Taya.
Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Ethan Page and Matt Sydal
Despite losing at Bound For Glory, Ethan Page and Matt Sydal will get a title match against LAX tonight. The third-eye seeing tandem confronted Konnan and LAX in the back last week which led to them receiving a title match this week.
As for LAX, they might believe they don’t have to worry about King and the OGz anymore but King seems to have found a way to get to Konnan without going through them.
Pengaton Jr. vs Homicide
Kings’ OGZ have figured out they can get to Konnan without skirting the rules set out by the crime bosses in New York. To do so, they just have to get to Pentagon Jr and Fenix, the Lucha brothers. Tonight, former Ring Of Honor World Champion Homicide takes on former Impact (and LU) World Champion Pentagon Jr.
Willie Mack vs Rich Swann
Last week on Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann and Willie Mack were shown in the backstage area. They appeared to be celebrating their win at Bound for Flory when Mack said he wanted to face Swann in his single’s debut next week. His reasoning was that he wants to show everyone what the two of them can do. Meanwhile, the team they beat at Bound for Glory will take on the tag team champions tonight.
EVOLVE Wrestling has announced the opponents for Kassius Ohno at two upcoming events. Ohno will wrestle EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner at EVOLVE 115 while he’ll take on Shane Strickland EVOLVE 116.
EVOLVE 115 goes down on December 15th in Queens, NY while EVOLVE 116 takes place on December 16th in Deer Park, NY. The promotion sent out the announcement on Twitter by writing the following, JUST SIGNED: NXT star and ex-EVOLVE Champ Kassius Ohno will challenge EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner at EVOLVE 115 on Nov. 9th in the Detroit area! JUST SIGNED: Kassius Ohno vs. Shane Strickland at EVOLVE 116 on Nov. 10th in the Chicago area! http://Ticketfly.com for info.”
JUST SIGNED: NXT star and ex-EVOLVE Champ Kassius Ohno will challenge EVOLVE Champion Fabian Aichner at EVOLVE 115 on Nov. 9th in the Detroit area!
JUST SIGNED: Kassius Ohno vs. Shane Strickland at EVOLVE 116 on Nov. 10th in the Chicago area!https://t.co/XDdoejWqDZ for info
The card for Friday’s (November 2nd, 2018) WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event has been finalized. The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium and will air on the WWE Network, but it will most likely be Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant Universal Title. Other featured matches are WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Kane & The Undertaker, and the World Cup Tournament. As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Friday morning starting at 11 AM EST with the main card. In case you missed it, our staff has released their predictions for this show which you can check out here. Here is the final card for the show:
Final WWE Crown Jewel Card
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman – Vacant WWE Universal Title Match
WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Kane & The Undertaker
World Cup Tournament – Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley & Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
(RAW Side) Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz & Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (SmackDown Side)
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. The New Day
What are your thoughts on this card? Do you plan on watching it? If so, which match are you looking forward to the most? Sound off in the comment section.
Ring of Honor has announced some matches for the Global Wars tour that kicks off next week.
The tour stars on November 7th in Lewiston, Maine at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee and concludes on November 11th in Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre. The four shows will stream live on HonorClub.
The Baltimore-based promotion will be holding this annual tour with both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars just like they have done in previous years. More matches for this tour will be announced shortly.
Updated ROH Global Wars Cards
November 7 – Lewiston, Maine, Androscoggin Bank Colisee
Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Chris Sabin and KUSHIDA vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon
Bully Ray and Silas Young vs. The Young Bucks
Juice Robinson vs. Christopher Daniels
The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys
The Briscoes vs. Cody and Adam Page
Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Ky vs. The Bouncers
TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Cheeseburger
November 8 -Lowell, Massachusetts at Memorial Auditorium
Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham vs. Chris Sabin and KUSHIDA vs. The Young Bucks vs. TK O’Ryan and Vinny Marseglia
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hangman Page
TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Christopher Daniels
Jay Briscoes vs. Scopio Sky
Bully Ray and Silas Young vs. EVIL and SANADA
Cody vs. Mark Briscoe
Frankie Kazarian vs. Flip Gordon
November 9 – Buffalo, New York at Buffalo RiverWorks
KUSHIDA vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Flip Gordon vs. BUSHI
Non-Title Proving Ground Match: Champion Jay Lethal vs. Chris Sabin
Tetsuya Naito and SANADA vs. The Young Bucks
The Briscoes vs. Baretta and Chuckie T vs. Cody and Adam Page
Jeff Cobb vs. EVIL
Juice Robinson vs. Silas Young November 11 – Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre
ROH Title Match: Champion Jay Lethal vs. Kenny King
IWGP US Title Match: Champion Cody vs. Beretta
Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI vs. Dalton Castle and Juice Robinson
Dalton Castle and Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI
Jim Ross speaks on Becky Lynch as a heel, the Evolution pay-per-view, and the future of The Elite in the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report.
Ross recorded this week’s episode from aboard the Rock N’ Wrestling Rager At Sea ship, while stationed in The Bahamas. While his internet connection was unreliable during Sunday’s Evolution show, Ross likes what he saw from Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.
Evolution, Becky Lynch As A Heel
“It was amazing what they did,” Ross said. “They didn’t close the show, but they could have. The issue is, WWE likes to close the show with a happy ending.”
“Becky is allegedly being positioned as a villain,” Ross explained. “Which I don’t agree with. It’s not working in that respect.”
Ross feels that Lynch’s current storyline has done wonders for her career.
“I love the fact that she’s developing as a star. If you want her to be a babyface, she’s a babyface. I think that’s what she is. Your paying customer, your greatest research material, tells me that,” Ross said. “The fans cheer her. They’re buying her merch.”
While he advocated for Flair and Lynch to close Evolution, Ross said he understands why Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella went on last.
“Rousey’s the top female in the company… She’s the biggest attraction in the company, of any gender, perhaps. You can make an argument of that,” Ross said.
The Future Of The Elite
The Elite and their future after January has been one of the hottest topics in the wrestling world this year. Good Ol’ JR gives his take on what comes next.
“They’re all doing a lot of good work in New Japan. They’re doing well. The company is successful, which is great,” Ross said.
“But all those guys are desirable dudes. And they’re all getting ready to have contracts come up. It’s interesting.”
JR delves deeper into this subject, interviews Diamond Dallas Page, Ricky Steamboat, and Hurricane Helms, all on the Jim Ross Report.
The full episode can be found below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity.
On the latest edition of X-Pac 12360, Sean Waltman talks Io Shirai, and on the possibility of Ronda Rousey taking on Shayna Baszler.
Evolution has been the talk of the wrestling world this week, and Waltman weighed in with his thoughts on the show.
Sean Waltman Talks Mickie James
“It was a fantastic show,” Waltman said. When discussing the opener, he had high praise for Mickie James.
“She was the MVP of that opening match for sure, she held that match together. She was the workhorse of that match. As far as value in their match goes, she might be the one that brought it the most the whole night.”
Sean Waltman Talks Io Shirai
Toni Storm defeated Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic at Evolution. But to Waltman, Shirai is something special.
“Io Shirai, she’s a big star. I’m watching her in there, and her ring presence, and watching her tie Toni Storm up, she has a big ole grin on her face, just owning it. She knows what’s up. She knows what to do in there. We’re gonna see a lot more of her,” Waltman said.
Sean Waltman Talks Baszler vs. Rousey
Two of MMA’s Four Horsewomen were victorious at Evolution. Ronda Rousey retained her Raw Women’s Championship in the main event, while Shayna Baszler became the first two-time NXT Women’s Champion earlier in the night.
Waltman says he can envision a marquee matchup between the two in the future.
“I look pretty far down the road, and I see some big money being made with Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey. Far down the road… both of them need more experience to be in there with each other in a huge match like that, but still I can see them out there.
Waltman breaks down the rest of the Evolution card, and also interviews famed wrestling trainer Dr. Tom Prichard, all on the latest edition of X-Pac 12360.
The full episode can be found below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Reports coming from the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager At Sea are that Johnny Impact and Jay Lethal have agreed to a match. While no date or time has been scheduled, the ROH World Champion and the Impact World Champion have agreed to go one-on-one.
Johnny Impact vs Jay Lethal
“Johnny Impact, the Impact champion and Jay Lethal, the ROH champion, agreed to a title vs. title match,” wrote Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “We don’t have the date and place confirmed. Impact and ROH talked about this months ago, the idea of a match with neither title at stake.”
Earlier this year, then Impact World Champion Austin Aries, appeared on several ROH shows as part of a program with Kenny King.
Ring of Honor and Billy Corgan’s NWA
Ring of Honor has also been working with the National Wrestling Alliance as of late. ROH COO, Joe Koff, had the following to say in regards to the relationship.
“We have a great relationship with Dave and Billy with meetings planned down the road to make decisions that benefit both companies but more importantly the fans.”
Billy Corgan offered up the following, “Our relationship with ROH thus far has been stellar and beyond beneficial to the NWA. And we owe much of where we stand currently to Joe. His trust means a lot to us, I can assure you.”
Daniel Bryan will not be at Crown Jewel tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. His reasons for missing the event aren’t purely to do with Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, however. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, Bryan’s reasons for missing the event are more diverse.
According to the report, Bryan decided at the Greatest Royal Rumble that he would be unable to go back to the country.
“It wasn’t so much that the women weren’t allowed to perform,” Dave Meltzer wrote of Bryan. “But the key was what he learned about the treatment of homosexuals, and also, that they wouldn’t allow Sami Zayn to perform on the show, and he considered that racism.”
Daniel Bryan Crown Jewel
The report continues to say Bryan requested he lose to the Miz in Australia for this reason. According to a report from PW Insider, an empty-arena match was then planned. It would be filmed near the Performance Center and air during Crown Jewel. When that didn’t pan out either, it was eventually decided to just have Styles beat Bryan on Smackdown. Samoa Joe then returned and was named Bryan’s replacement.
The report doesn’t name sources but it reads much like Bryan was speaking directly to the outlet, although that is only speculation. Crown Jewel takes place Friday, November 2nd and will air beginning at 12 PM est on the WWE Network.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his iconic Hell In A Cell bout against Undertaker and revealed the favorite moment of his career.
Foley was interviewed by WrestlingInc on the anniversary of his classic bout and during the interview, the Hall Of Famer talked about a number of things.
When asked which is his favorite career moment, the Attitude Era Star said that his first world title win against the Rock is his favorite moment:
“When I won my first WWE title from the biggest star in the world. The bigger he gets, the better I look in retrospect. That was a big moment even then; looking back that was almost 20 years ago so maybe we’ll have another anniversary tour just to celebrate that one.”
Apart from this Foley also revealed that he thought he would only live for a year when he retired from active competition back in 2000.
Mick Foley defeated the Rock in a match at Rock Bottom: In Your House in early December in 1998 but Mr. McMahon declared that Foley would not be considered the champion because he did not win by Pinfall or Submission.
Mick finally got the WWF title when he defeated the Great One once again during a episode of Monday Night Raw which was taped on December 29th and aired on January 4rth, 1999.
Alexa Bliss missed the Evolution PPV due to an injury, but it appears that the former Raw Women’s Champion may be returning to action soon.
Bliss is now being advertised for this weekend’s Live Events, and this could be considered an indication that she has been cleared to compete by the WWE Doctors.
Alexa Bliss suffered a concussion while wrestling at last Saturday’s Live Event and due to the injury, she was replaced by Alicia Fox in her Evolution tag match against Lita and Trish Stratus.
WWE Superstars Dodge Crown Jewel Questions
TMZ recently caught up with some WWE superstars flying to Saudi Arabia for the Crown Jewel PPV and most of them tried to avoid discussing controversial topics about the show.
When asked about John Cena and Daniel Bryan pulling out of the event, Sheamus claimed that he is excited to put on a great show for the people of Saudi Arabia, saying that this is what they do.
Similarly, when asked if he would like his wife Maryse to be able to wrestle in Saudi Arabia, the Miz said that he would like his wife to be with him all day. You can check out the full video below:
Amidst all the controversy of Crown Jewel being held in Saudi Arabia despite the international crisis, a story that seems to be a little lost is the in-ring return of Shawn Michaels.
This story hasn’t been featured as much as it would be under normal circumstances and it appears that the Heartbreak Kid himself doesn’t feel a lot of pressure on this return either.
WWE recently posted a video of Michaels discussing the upcoming show and during the talk; the former World Champion explained why he doesn’t feel the pressure.
Shawn said that there is no stress and no anxiety and he doesn’t feel a lot of pressure to be ‘Mr. WrestleMania’ probably because it’s not WrestleMania.
According to him, one of the reasons he agreed for this comeback is that it didn’t encompass all the things he feels a comeback dictates.
Continuing on the topic, the DX Member explained that it’s like eating a chocolate pie. You know for the most part that it’s not good for you but every now and then you have a cheat day and according to Michaels it’s a glorified cheat day for him
Does this mean that Michaels is not considering more matches after this as rumored or this return could ease him into wrestling more often in future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
You can check out Shawn Michaels’ full interview in the video below:
While John Cena was written off of Crown Jewel with a brief Bobby Lashley segment on Raw, Daniel Bryan took a clean loss to AJ Styles and he tapped out to the WWE Champion.
This finish and the post-match attack from Samoa Joe led many to wonder if the company is punishing Bryan for his decision, though latest reports reveal that this isn’t the case.
Bryan Alvarez talked about the upcoming show during the latest Wrestling Observer Live and he revealed that Bryan wasn’t punished.
According to him, the tap out finish we saw was the original plan for the Crown Jewel event, which the company moved up to SmackDown.
Though he also noted that the company doesn’t appear to have any big plans for the former Champion for the rest of the year. So after this loss we can expect Daniel to move away from the title picture.
Although the decision to move up the finish was probably made on the fly after Officials failed to convince Bryan to wrestle at the show. So it can’t be considered their reaction to his refusal.
Whether or not the company actually punishes him for this will be revealed in upcoming times and Officials’ reaction to his decision should be reflected on Bryan’s storylines in near future.
We noted before how Hulk Hogan teased an appearance at the Crown Jewel event. WWE then seemingly confirmed him for the show by adding him to the list of featured stars on the event’s page of WWE.com.
At the time it wasn’t known what the Hulkster would be doing at the show. Though a latest report has now revealed Hogan’s role for the event.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reached out to WWE about Hogan’s appearance on the PPV. Replying to him, the Officials revealed that Hogan will be serving as the official host for the event.
This is Hulk Hogan’s first appearance for the company since being banished in 2015 and being reinstated in the WWE Hall Of Fame in July this year.
It’s worth mentioning here that in the interview in which Hulk teased a Crown Jewel appearance, he also talked about working the upcoming WrestleMania event.
With his Crown Jewel appearance being confirmed officially, it will be interesting to see if he makes more appearances for the company in near future and actually works WrestleMania next year as teased.
What do you think about Hulk Hogan returning to WWE at the Crown Jewel event? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
The Young Bucks dropped the first ever Halloween special of Being The Elite yesterday and as expected, the group continued to play out the various stories that have been heard about their future.
The episode, which was shot entirely on the Jericho Cruise started with all the members of the Elite sitting together and telling scary stories for the special episode.
Cody was the first and he started telling the story of an independent contractor with no healthcare who has to be on the road for more than 250 days a year but the story was too scary for everyone so he had to stop.
Matt Jackson then took the role and he started telling a story about a ship hijacked by aliens with Adam Hangman Page being his center character.
Page spends some time figuring out what’s going on in the ship and during the time we see that Marty Scurll has been attacked by the creatures.
Once he figures it out, Adam tries to fight off the aliens but he fails. He then decides to blow the whole ship up by shooting its fuel tank with a gun.
After this, they play with the report of Hangman Page being offered a WWE contract and the story ends with a big twist. You can check out the latest episode of Being The Elite below:
Nikki Cross faced Mercedes Martinez tonight on NXT. Cross and Martinez traded submission holds to start off the match. Mercedes connected with a Suplex and then went back to a Headlock. Nikki escaped and leaped on Mercedes’ back for a Sleeper Hold.
Martinez broke it up by slamming Nikki into the turnbuckle and then stomped on her ribs in the middle of the ring. Cross battled back with a Splash in the corner and then a Bulldog. Nikki made her way to the top rope and hit a Crossbody for a near fall.
Nikki was busted open and went for a Suplex but Martinez countered into a Spinebuster. Martinez followed it up with a two Back Drop Drivers in a row and followed it up with a German Suplex and then a running knee to Nikki’s face.
Cross battled back with a Neckbreaker and then slapped herself. Nikki then connected with the Purge Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory. After the match, Nikki Cross got in Mercedes Martinez’s face and said “that was fun!” over and over again. Candice LeRae came down to the ring to confront Cross and Nikki laughed in her face.
Aleister Black then got in Nikki’s face on the entrance ramp and Nikki retreated. Black then got in the ring with Candice LeRae and asked where Johnny Gargano was. Candice told him that he was not here. Aleister then said the future of Gargano in NXT is gone before walking away.
Matt Riddle made his NXT debut and faced Luke Menzies on this week’s episode of NXT. Riddle drove Menzies to the ropes to start off the off the match as the crowd chanted “bro!”. Riddle locked in an Arm Bar but Menzies countered into a roll-up for a two count.
Menzies leveled Riddle with a shoulder tackle but then Matt responded with a flurry of kicks in the corner of the ring. Menzies connected with a headbutt and then and Overhead Toss for a two count.
Riddle connected with a Senton and a punt to Menzies’ face that echoed throughout of the arena. Matt followed it up with a bunch of elbows to Luke’s face and then applied the Bromission for the submission victory.
Street Profits Defeated The Mighty
Angelo Dawkins and Shane Thorne started off the match. Dawkins took control early in the match and then tagged in Montez Ford. Montez hit Thorne with a Dropkick and then flipped onto Nick Miller. Miller tagged in and planted Ford with a Spinebuster for a near fall. Miller and Thorne isolated Ford in the ring for a few minutes and beat him down.
Dawkins finally was able to tag in and he cleaned out. Dawkins connected with a Powerslam on Thorne and went for the cover but Miller broke it up at the last second. Ford tagged in and connected with a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.
Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch battled Raul Mendoza and Humberto Carrillo on this week’s episode of NXT. Mendoza and Burch started off the match by locking up in the middle of the ring. Mendoza took Burch down and tagged Humberto in. Carrillo walked into a chop and an uppercut from Burch.
Lorcan tagged in and hit Humberto with a giant chop to the chest. Burch and Lorcan took turns beating down Humberto for a bit before Carrillo was able to fight back and knock them both out of the ring. Mendoza and Carrillo then hit Lorcan and Burch with Suicide Dives.
Back in the ring, Humberto climbed to the top and went for a Moonsault but Lorcan got his feet up. Oney followed it up with a big uppercut in the corner and then tagged Burch in. Humberto escaped and tagged in Mendoza.
Raul took out Burch and Lorcan with a double Dropkick but ran into a Hip Toss from Burch. Lorcan tagged in and took out Carrillo with a Clothesline. Lorcan and Burch then planted Mendoza with a DDT for the pinfall victory.
Undisputed Era Will Battle War Raiders, Ricochet & Pete Dunne In WarGames
Undisputed Era was in the middle of a backstage promo before their match against War Raiders. Hanson and Rowe decided to attack them before the match and beat the hell out of Cole, Fish, O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong. War Raiders launched Adam Cole like a dart into a side of a truck and then slammed Fish and O’Reilly on top of some tables. Undisputed Era battled back with trash cans and lids before Ricochet came out of nowhere to help the War Raiders.
Ricochet then battled with Adam Cole in the parking lot as War Raiders traded shots with Undisputed Era. The brawl made it’s way to the ringside area with the War Raiders in control. Bobby Fish hit Hanson with a steel chair and O’Reilly blasted Rowe with a knee to the face. Adam Cole hit Ricochet with a Superkick and then UK Champion Pete Dunne decided to join the party. NXT GM William Regal then announced that the two teams will battle in War Games at NXT TakeOver.
Matches Announced For NXT TakeOver: WarGames
NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano
WarGames Match: Undisputed Era vs. War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet
Lars Sullivan got pissed off after Regal announced that Velveteen Dream got the title match and vowed to take it away from him. Sullivan will face Velveteen Dream on next week’s show. Lacey Evans will also have a match on next week’s episode of NXT.
New matches have been announced for the next special for the yellow brand, NXT TakeOver: WarGames II. As seen on this week’s episode of NXT TV on the WWE Network that was taped back on October 17, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University, WWE announced that The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) would take on War Raiders, Ricochet & Pete Dunne in a WarGames match.
Also, announced was NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa defending his title against Velveteen Dream as well as Johnny Gargano facing Aleister Black in a singles match.
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. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
WWE decided to bring the match back for NXT TakeOver event that took place on November 18, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and aired on the WWE Network. Sanity vs. Undisputed Era vs. Authors Of Pain & Roderick Strong served as the main event in the gimmick match at the event last year.
For those who may not know, the gimmick match was originally used in the NWA and later held annually in WCW.
Becky Lynch has become one of the biggest fan favourite performers in the WWE this year. This, despite WWE’s seemingly asinine attempts to position her as a ‘heel’ character have actually propelled her to the top of the card.
Lynch recently spoke to Sam Roberts and had some interesting comments on her fan reaction. Lynch said “I will say that I think around Money in the Bank was when it kind of came to light and people were behind me and people have really supported me along the way. There was a time when I was down and wasn’t really doing anything. I was doing interviews at WrestleMania, so 2017 wasn’t really my best year.” Lynch followed this stating her plans going forward; “I am trying to change that now. I think that at Money in the Bank 2018 people were caring and people really wanted me to win Money in the Bank. When I climbed that ladder, they were heavily cheering me and it was noticed [by WWE officials].”
Cheered as a Heel
Roberts asked Becky if she was surprised by the crowd reaction given her booking as a heel character. Becky replied by saying “I don’t know how surprising that is to me because, like I said, anybody can identify with that story. Anybody can identify with the story of feeling overlooked and feeling frustrated after doing the right thing for three-and-a-half years and not going anywhere with it.” Lynch elaborated by saying that “you finally realize, you know what I am tired of this crap, I am going to do what it takes because I have been cheated out of championships and cheated out of opportunities because there were lines I wasn’t willing to cross, but now it doesn’t matter. I am willing to cross any line to take what I want.”
Credit to Not Sam Wrestling and h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Randy Orton had an interesting response when asked about John Cena’s decision to pull out of WWE Crown Jewel.
The WWE crew is currently in Saudi Arabia ahead of Friday’s pay-per-view event from King Saud University Stadium in the city of Riyadh. John Cena had been advertised to participate in the WWE World Cup tournament, but ultimately decided against attending.
Orton was approached by TMZ at the airport this week and said he was preparing for “a long flight, shitty airplane food and a hot plane.” He was asked how the WWE crew felt about going to the Middle East despite all the recent controversy. Orton said, “We’re at the airport, aren’t we?”
When asked specifically about the 16-time World Champion pulling out of the show, Orton threw some shade his longtime rival. In true heel fashion, Orton asked, “Does he still wrestle? I didn’t know he pulled out.”
He also commented his decision to wrestle at Crown Jewel, stating that it really comes down to being a company man and a father who has to provide for his family. “I’ve got 5 kids,” said Orton. “I gotta go make that dollar. If they want me in Saudi, I’m going to Saudi.”
Randy Orton will participate in the WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel. He faces Rey Mysterio in the first round.
Watch Randy Orton react to John Cena pulling out of Crown Jewel
NXT UK will be airing on the WWE Network later this evening with some top bouts already announced.
The feature bout will see Noam Dar face Zack Gibson. Gibson appeared during last week’s episode and labelled Dar an “embarrassment.” NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint made the match between the two Superstars for this week. Both men are stalwarts of the UK scene and this could be a barnburner, Noam Dar has been criminally underused since joining WWE and Gibson is one of the best heel characters in the world right now.
‘Flash’ Morgan Webster will be taking on Mark Coffey. Webster broke up an assault from The Coffey Brothers on episode 1 two weeks ago, the brothers were attacking Mark Andrews after he challenged Joe Coffey.
Jordan Devlin will also be in action when he takes on Tucker. This will be Devlin’s debut match for the new WWE Network series. The Irish Superstar has been one of the standout performers on the UK independent circuit this year, having blow away matches for Over The Top (OTT) wrestling as their Champion. Devlin has also been in action for PROGRESS, scoring an incredible bout against Will Ospreay for their ‘Got Got Need’ card earlier this year, a potential Match of the Year candidate.
You can check out the results from weeks 1 and 2 here:
RIPTIDE Wrestling has announced Chuck Mambo’s first Brighton Championship defence. Mambo will be heading to RIPTIDE’s ‘Black Water’ event this Friday to face NXT UK Superstar Eddie Dennis.
Dennis has been one of the highlights of the UK scene over the past year. Since ending his career as a school headteacher Dennis has moved from strength to strength, culminating in an incredible bout against Mark Andrews for PROGRESS’ Wembley Arena event back in September. Huge appearances for the likes of ATTACK and his featured promo slots on NXT UK have put Dennis on the map in the United Kingdom.
Mambo also has excellent momentum during a stellar 2018. The Brighton Champion also appeared for PROGRESS at Wembley Arena and won the pre-show Battle Royal, eliminating Spike Trivet. Mambo won the Brighton Championship back in August at the Brighton Championship Tournament. Interestingly Mambo actually defeated Spike Trivet at the event to become the inaugural champion. Fans swarmed the ring following the match and actually crushed it under their weight.
Other matches confirmed for the show this Friday include Kris Wolf vs. Kurtis Chapman, Cara Noir vs. Mike Bailey, Chris Brookes vs. David Starr, Gideon Grey vs. Jordon Breaks and Aussie Open appearing in an open challenge.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s October scheduling is usually dominated by the POWER STRUGGLE shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature the ‘Road To’ shows, some of which will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the show in Nagano Athletic Park Gymnasium on October 31st:
ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi b. Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji – ACH took the win after hitting a German Suplex Hold on Tsuji
Shingo Takagi and BUSHI b. Ren Narita and Shota Umino – Takagi took the win after hitting the Pumping Bomber on Narita
Toa Henare, Tiger Mask and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger b. Ayato Yoshida, Chris Sabin and KUSHIDA – Henare took the win after hitting the TOA Bottom on Yoshida
Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale b. Chuckie T, Beretta and Hirooki Goto – Fale took the win after hitting the Grenade on Beretta
SHO, YOH, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii b. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, TAKA Michinoku and Minoru Suzuki – Yano took the win by pinning TAKA with a Schoolboy
Tomoaki Honma and Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi – Tanahashi took the win after hitting the High Fly Flow on Owens
Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – Soberano Jr and Volador Jr b. Robbie Eagles and Taiji Ishimori – Volador Jr took the win after hitting an Avalanche Frankensteiner on Eagles
Jay White and Gedo b. Rocky Romero and Kazuchika Okada – Gedo took the win with a Clutch Hold on Romero
Following a considerable amount of controversy that was covered extensively by mainstream media during the build-up, WWE Crown Jewel will go down as advertised this Friday from King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show features talent from both the RAW and SmackDown Live brands, as well as the first-ever “WWE World Cup” tournament and in-ring return of WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels. The one thing the show will not feature, at least inside the squared circle, is any women’s matches.
The main event for Friday’s big event is Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant WWE Universal Championship. The title was put up for grabs after Roman Reigns was forced to relinquish it on RAW following his leukemia announcement. In another featured match, D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) will team up to take on The Brothers Of Destruction (The Undertaker & Kane) in tag-team action in what will be HBK’s first match since retiring back in 2010. The WWE Championship will also be on-the-line as A.J. Styles defends against Samoa Joe yet again after Daniel Bryan was pulled from the show.
Also on the show this Friday will be The Bar defending their SmackDown Tag-Team Championships against The New Day and the first-ever “WWE World Cup” one-night, eight-man tournament will play out “to determine the best in the world.” The participants in the tournament are Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Kurt Angle, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley. Lashley was a late addition after the originally scheduled John Cena was pulled from the event.
SEScoops.com writers Andrew Ravens, Ian Carey and Lesly Sincere have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Friday’s big event, which airs live via pay-per-view and on the WWE Network. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for WWE Crown Jewel 2018.
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (World Cup Quarterfinal)
Andrew Ravens: Although WWE has kept Mysterio strong since making his return, I feel that they believe with Orton getting a cheap victory here, it can protect Mysterio while taking the loss. Also, this could lead to a program after this show, which could be quite fun. (Prediction: Randy Orton)
Ian Carey: Rey Mysterio’s return to WWE isn’t even a month old. That’s too soon to have him lose on a PPV, even this one. I expect Orton to lose via pinning combination, DQ, or count-out then continue the attack on Rey after the match, softening him up for the second round. (Prediction: Rey Mysterio)
Lesly Sincere I’ll say Rey will take this win. Him coming back and just to loose to Orton in the quarterfinals will make him look bad. (Prediction: Rey Mysterio)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Rey Mysterio
Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz (World Cup Quarterfinal)
Andrew: This could be a really fun match. Since making the move to SmackDown Live, WWE has pushed Hardy as one of the top stars on the blue brand. Miz doesn’t need a win here and really should see Hardy winning. He’s a fan favorite, and with him advancing to face Orton, it plays a factor in their history. (Prediction: Jeff Hardy)
Ian: The Miz was supposed to get the winner between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. Bryan not traveling to Saudi Arabia has led to Samoa Joe getting that spot for now. Miz should get that spot later, however, meaning he doesn’t need to win this tournament. I expect Jeff Hardy to pick up the win here. (Prediction: Jeff Hardy)
Lesly: The Miz will most likely take the win. I see the Smackdown side of the bracket has one face and one heel making it to the next round of the tournament. (Prediction: The Miz)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Jeff Hardy
Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Cup Quarterfinal)
Andrew: I don’t see Angle working two matches in this tournament at this stage in the game of his pro wrestling career. Outside of doing a few spots in a battle royal a few weeks ago, he hasn’t worked a full match since April. A fun match with Ziggler is advancing. (Prediction: Dolph Ziggler)
Ian: Expect a match heavy on the technical side as two Olympic style wrestlers go at it here in a part of the world which values the sport. Angle is the bigger star, however, and this is a star-driven event. (Prediction: Kurt Angle)
Lesly: As much as I like Kurt Angle, I feel this is a match to put over Ziggler and giving a win over Angle will help elevate him to the main card status. (Prediction: Dolph Ziggler)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Dolph Ziggler
Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley (World Cup Quarterfinal)
Andrew: An interesting dynamic with the styles of these two performers. Lashley has a new lease on his career once being turned heel and being managed by Lio Rush. Despite this, Rollins is being positioned as one of the top guys on the red brand. Personally, I see him winning the whole tournament. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
Ian: While WWE has Rollins positioned as the bigger star, I think Lashley gets the win here. Rollins’ next few months will be devoted to his feud with Ambrose. He can lose here. Lashley has lost two weeks in a row to Finn Balor, he really shouldn’t lose. (Prediction: Bobby Lashley)
Lesly: Last minute addition of Bobby Lashley sounds cool on paper but its really a match to help put Rollins over and have him relive his feud with Ziggler from this past Summer. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Seth Rollins
The Bar (c) vs. The New Day (SmackDown Tag-Team Titles)
Andrew: WWE just did a title change involving these teams on SmackDown 1000. Although you can never rule out what WWE can and can’t do with their booking because it’s all over the place, I think having The New Day reclaim the titles this early would be a mistake. Plus, you can still extend this program to Survivor Series if The Bar retains, which I think they will. (Prediction: The Bar)
Ian: With Big Show now rounding out their trio, it’s unlikely much will stop the Bar for awhile. Not until a new tag-team comes along which fans get behind. (Prediction: The Bar)
Lesly: In Australia I said The Bar was going to win, but they didn’t till that following Smackdown. I’m going with The Bar again, just because it doesn’t make sense to play hot potato with the tag titles. (Prediction: The Bar)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, The Bar
A.J. Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Title)
Andrew: This is really a bridge gap match as the only reason it’s taking place is due to Daniel Bryan not wanting to work the show. Joe and Styles have had months to play out their program. This is a one-off match with what I assume Bryan and Styles are battling it out going forward. Styles and Joe have good chemistry, so I expect a good match. (Prediction: A.J. Styles)
Ian: Have to go with AJ Styles here who will likely become the first person since CM Punk to wear the WWE Championship for longer than a year. I don’t expect him to lose it until at least WrestleMania. (Prediction: A.J. Styles)
Lesly: Styles vs. Joe III. As I predicted, Joe would get injured following the Australia PPV. He must be well enough to compete for Crown Jewl, but him winning the title isn’t happening. Too risky. Styles for the win. (Prediction: A.J. Styles)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, A.J. Styles
Mysterio/Orton Winner vs. Hardy/Miz Winner (World Cup Semifinal)
Andrew: I am projecting Orton and Hardy advancing to this match. With that said, this plays right back into their program that ended at the Hell in a Cell PPV. Either guy winning here makes sense, but if WWE wants a classic heel vs. face dynamic, then Orton has to go over here. It doesn’t hurt Hardy to lose especially if Orton cheats. (Prediction: Randy Orton)
Ian: I have this as being Rey Mysterio vs Jeff Hardy. Mysterio is the star they are looking to push more so I expect him to win and make it to the finals. (Prediction: Rey Mysterio)
Lesly: Mysterio vs Miz for Mysterio to take the win and make it to the finals. (Prediction: Rey Mysterio)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Rey Mysterio
Angle/Ziggler Winner vs. Rollins/Lashley Winner (World Cup Semifinal)
Andrew: I am projecting Ziggler and Rollins advancing to this match. As a result, this could be one of the better matches on the card should WWE give them some time. Rollins moves past Ziggler, and it doesn’t hurt Ziggler because of the position that WWE has put Rollins in over the past few months. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
Ian: I have this as being Kurt Angle vs Bobby Lashley. Angle is the bigger star on a show which is all about star-power. That’s why I think he goes to the finals to take on Rey Mysterio. (Prediction: Kurt Angle)
Lesly: Ziggler vs Rollins for Rollins to get over and make it to the finals. Mysterio vs Rollins with a 5 star performance but Rollins will win in the end. To help elevate him as the future face of the company. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Seth Rollins
D-Generation X vs. The Brothers Of Destruction
Andrew: It makes no sense to bring Michaels out of retirement just for him to lose. Although, you could make the argument that since Triple H beat Taker at Super Show-Down then Taker and Kane should get their revenge with a win here. Some might be excited to see Michaels work another match no matter what the match is. However, it’s disappointing to see him work a tag team match in his comeback contest. With that said, just like with Super Show-Down, I see this leading to something bigger. Maybe a Michaels vs. Taker match at WrestleMania 35? Sure does seem like it. Michaels and Triple H once again win another battle but not the war in the end. (Prediction: D-Generation X)
Ian: HBK’s return requires an HBK victory. I’m expecting the balder version of Shawn Michaels to pick up the win with Sweet Chin Music to send the fans home happy. (Prediction: D-Generation X)
Lesly: HHH won the last battle. Let’s give the win the Taker and Kane just because Taker lost the last match. (Prediction: D-Generation X)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, D-Generation X
World Cup Tournament Finals
Andrew: With me projecting that Seth Rollins and Randy Orton making it to the finals, it’s a toss-up. The betting odds released for this tournament have Rollins winning, which is something I agree with as he’s known as the workhorse for the company and always putting together great matches. With them working so much in one night, I don’t have expectations that it will be as a good as their WrestleMania 31 match back in 2015, but a solid compelling contest that Rollins eeks out to win. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
Ian: I’ve got Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio advancing to the finals. This is tough but I think Angle is going to get the win and main event a show against Braun Strowman before the end of the year. (Prediction: Kurt Angle)
Lesly: I’m going with my prediction of Mysterio vs Rollins. Both superstars will give a 5-star performance but Rollins will win in the end. In order to help elevate him as the future face of the company. (Prediction: Seth Rollins)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Seth Rollins
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman (WWE Universal Title)
Andrew: This is another compelling outcome that may have people split as to who will win this match. Yes, Lesnar is going back to the UFC and only working this show due to the big bucks he’s expected to make. However, with Roman Reigns no longer being the guy, history shows that WWE goes back to Lesnar as the top champion on RAW in need. This could be the case, but I see Strowman winning here. Let him have his big babyface run as champion that could lead to another encounter with Lesnar down the road. (Prediction: Braun Strowman)
Ian: I think Braun Strowman is the new face of WWE with Roman Reigns out for awhile. I expect him to beat Brock and for the commentators to act as though it is the start of a new era in WWE. It will be Strowman’s second big win in the country after having won the Greatest Royal Rumble match earlier this year. (Prediction: Braun Strowman)
Lesly: Hard to call this one without Reigns. I’ll say Strowman just so WWE can have an over superstar that can appear every week. (Prediction: Braun Strowman)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Braun Strowman
What do the experts think is going to happen on Friday? Check out the official WWE Crown Jewel betting odds. What do you think of the above WWE Crown Jewel predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com on Friday for live play-by-play results coverage of the show!
Former WWE Superstar Emma (Tenille Dashwood) had released a lengthy statement and several photos detailing her battle with the skin condition psoriasis. Dashwood first spoke about her experience with the auto-immune disorder earlier this year. On Tuesday, World Psoriasis Day, she gave an unprecedented look at her battle in an effort to raise awareness about the condition and provide hope to those who are struggling with it.
If only you could hear all the stories my skin would tell…
I’ve contemplated whether I should share these picture. Vulnerability is terrifying.
Growing up, I never pictured myself suffering from an auto immune disease and being covered from head to toe with a skin condition. I never pictured myself having surgery on my spine because a herniated disc was touching my spinal cord. I also didn’t imagine that I’d be recovering from a second shoulder surgery now, let alone a first! But here I am… realizing this is life. In fact, it’s these things that made me who I am!
I’ve had my lows, but with each low I’ve scrambled for answers and solutions, I’ve fought, I’ve researched and I’ve done everything I can to get better. I’ve dreamed big and I’ve learned not to take life for granted.
The physical damage is rough yes, but the mental and emotional damage far outweighs that. You just never know what someone is going through.
Lately I’ve realized that sometimes we need some help, some encouragement, someone to speak to. We need to hear there is hope, and to know that things can get better.
These picture were taken about 6 weeks ago. You can see the scar on my spine, and you can see my body marked from psoriasis. This is by no means the worst of what it’s been, this is on the mend actually. My entire body was covered.
In these photo the red spots had started to calm. The white spots were the result of red marks resolving and causing loss of pigmentation. The even more extreme photos I have are reminders of how far I’ve come and that things could be worse. I added an old photo too so you can see me at one of my extreme stages like what it was again this time.
Today, thankfully I am almost clear as I wait for the pigmentation to continue healing.
Our bodies are amazing… We need to take care of them, and sometimes we need help from others to get there. Hopefully I can help someone now, whatever you are going through. There is hope!
I’m thankful for what I’ve learned from @mygoodnessrecipes and @medicalmedium and I’m thankful for my Mum, my family and my friends for being there for me as I heal! ??
#WorldPsoriasisDay #psoriasis ? @lovesquish
Tenille Dashwood in 2018
Dashwood currently competes in Ring of Honor’s WOH division. She lost a title match to Sumai Sakai recently in which her shoulder injury played heavy into the story they told.
In August, she posted the following comments in regards to her condition:
“I’m still trying to deal with it now, unfortunately. It’s not an easy fix,” Dashwood said. “But I guess I had like a realization a couple months ago when this all kind of starting coming on again and knowing that I’ve been through it before, and all that I’ve been through in my career.”
“I know that people go through a lot worse than I am, so it’s just kind of a way to say, ‘Hey, I’m human and there’s more people out there going through these really hard times,'” she added. “You know, that’s life and we all go through it, and life isn’t basically as amazing as what you might see on social media, unfortunately.”
