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WWE NXT Recap & Results (10/3)

Robert Lentini
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Lacey Evans Defeated Candice LeRae

Lacey Evans NXT 10 3
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Candice LeRae faced Lacey Evans on this week’s episode of NXT. LeRae and Evans had an altercation outside the arena during last week’s episode. The two Superstars locked up to start off the match.

Neither LeRae or Evans could get the upper hand until Candice connected with a Facebuster for a two count. Lacey battled back and sent LeRae into the turnbuckle. Evans followed it up with a Bronco Buster to Candice and then taunted her by doing pushups.

LeRae connected with an Enziguri to Evans’ face and then hit another Facebuster off the second rope for a near fall. Evans avoided the Unprettier and shouted that Candice was a loser just like her husband.

Candice got pissed off and beat the hell out of Lacey in the corner of the ring. The referee was forced to pull Candice off of Evans and then Lacey capitalized on the distraction and hit LeRae with the Woman’s Right for the pinfall victory.

The Forgotten Sons Dominated

Forgotten Sons NXT 10 3
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Jason Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake dominated Torry Kirsh, Cesar Rise, and Vinny Mixon on this week’s episode of NXT. Ryker connected with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

Gargano Picked Up A Victory

Gargano Escape NXT 10 3
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Johnny Gargano battled Tony Nese on this week’s show. Nese controlled the match early and hit Johnny with a shoulder tackle. Gargano shrugged it off and planted Nese with a Hurricanrana out of nowhere.

Nese bounced right up and turned Gargano inside out with a Clothesline and then stomped on Johnny in the corner of the ring. Johnny knocked Nese out of the ring and immediately hit him with a Suicide Dive through the ropes.

Back in the ring, Nese planted Gargano with a Gutbuster and then went after his ribs. Johnny battled back with a DDT and then the Slingshot Spear for a two count. Johnny then went to apply the Gargano Escape but Nese was able to counter into a Powerbomb. Nese then hit a 450 Splash for another near fall.

Tony Nese then connected with a German Suplex that sent Gargano flying into the corner of the ring. Nese sprinted towards Gargano but Johnny was ready and hit him in the face with a Superkick. Johnny then applied the Gargano Escape for the submission victory.

Lars Sullivan Defeated EC3

Lars Sullivan NXT 10 3
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Lars Sullivan squared off against EC3 in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. EC3 didn’t bother making his entrance and elected to storm down to the ring instead. EC3 attacked Lars before the match started and slammed him to the mat.

The ref called for the bell and EC3 was in control early. EC3 bashed Sullivan into the steel steps a few times and then connected with an Elbow Drop in the ring for a near fall. Sullivan was then able to battle back and send EC3 to the corner of the ring.

Lars hit EC3 with a couple of massive Splashes but EC3 decked him with a Dropkick to take the momentum back. Lars quickly took back control with a devastating Clothesline. EC3 showed off his own power and hit Lars with an impressive German Suplex and followed it up with a Crossbody off the top rope for another near fall.

Sullivan connected with another ridiculous Clothesline and then set up EC3 for the Freak Accident. EC3 escaped and both Superstars tumbled out of the ring after EC3 connected with a Clothesline. EC3 geared himself up but walked right into a Freak Accident from Sullivan on the ring apron. Lars then brought EC3 back to the middle of the ring and pinned him for the victory.

On next week’s episode of NXT, Ricochet will defend his NXT North American Championship against Pete Dunne and Adam Cole in a Triple Threat match.

The following promos for Shaya Baszler and Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan also aired during this week’s broadcast.

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa warned Velveteen Dream to keep his name out his mouth during tonight’s show.

Bianca Belair vowed to embarrass Nikki Cross in their rematch in two weeks.

Johnny Gargano Explains Why He Doesn’t Want To Leave WWE NXT

Andrew Ravens
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Johnny Gargano has made his feelings known about one day potentially being called up from NXT to WWE’s main roster whether that puts him on their flagship show, Monday Night RAW, or SmackDown Live.

The former NXT Tag Team Champion talked to the Daily Star while promoting the WWE 2K19 video game, which comes out on October 9, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Although he came up short against his rival Tommaso Ciampa with the NXT Title on the line in his most recent feud, he believes that there is still a lot for him to do and accomplish in NXT. Thus, he doesn’t want to get called up to the main roster at the moment.

“I do not see why not,” revealed Gargano when asked by Daily Star if there are wrestlers that want to stay in NXT. “Everyone’s dream – and mine too – is to wrestle at WrestleMania, but right now NXT is such a special place.”

He added that there are a lot of wrestlers like him who have been wrestling around the world for ten years whose goal was to get here, and now they are all here. Gargano stated, “We are focused on building something wrestling fans can be proud of, and we are building it together.”

Steve Austin Comments On What’s Lacking In Today’s Promos

Ethan Renner
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On the latest Edition of The Steve Austin Show Unleashed, Stone Cold gives his take on the state of promos in the wrestling business.

Austin is known for his intense interview style, which he credits to his time working with Brian Pillman in WCW, and his brief stint in ECW.

“I was forced to keep up with him or get left behind,” Austin said. “Through my stop in ECW, everyone in that dressing room could cut a promo, so it was sink or swim.”

Austin feels that that intensity, and a certain authenticity is missing from today’s mainstream wrestling product.

“I think there’s some micromanaging on WWE on the main roster,” Austin said. “Before I had my neck injury, a promo was you go out there with some bullet points.”

Austin pinpoints a shift in WWE’s philosophy right around the time he returned from that neck injury in 2000.

“When I came back from my neck surgery, that’s when they started doing this scripted type thing,” he said. “I was able to pull that off, but I never quite felt the same about what I was doing.”

“Sometimes less is more. And I can see in someone’s eyes when they’re trying to remember something,” Austin said. “One promo sells tickets. The other one’s kinda like, eh.”

Austin also tells a funny story about rooming with Rick Rude, and discusses his favorite country music artists.

You can listen to the full Steve Austin Show Unleashed episode below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S2r52IXisE]

Do you agree with Austin’s take on promos?

Goldberg Not Optimistic About WWE Return, Willing To Listen To Offer From Vince McMahon

Andrew Ravens
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Bill Goldberg is making the media rounds to promote the season premiere of Forged in Fire: Knife or Death that airs on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on the History channel where he serves as the host. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to talk about the show as well as status with the WWE.

Potential WWE Return

Goldberg was asked if he’ll make another return to the company for a run or potentially one match at one of the upcoming shows in Saudi Arabia due to the big money that is being offered.

“I don’t really foresee that happening, but if Vince [McMahon] picked up the phone and asked me to do something of that magnitude, I’d have to listen,” said Goldberg. “It’s always a possibility. If it’s just a money grab or it’s just a thing to throw me out there, I’m not interested. The biggest issue there is storyline. I don’t do things just to do them. If they can come up with a story or a reason for me to go back comparable to what they did last time, I’m in.”

His Last WWE Run

After twelve years away from the company, he returned to WWE in 2016 and headlined Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar, and Fastlane against Kevin Owens where he won the WWE Universal Championship. He lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 last year in Orlando, Florida. Goldberg was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year during WrestleMania 34 weekend and was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on RAW.

Goldberg stated that his last run was so special as it was everything it could have been and that he couldn’t have asked for much more. He continued by stating that nothing that they put out there is ever guaranteed to succeed, but thinks the stars aligned for it to happen.

“It was the right time and the right circumstances. I don’t know if the stars will align like that again.”

Mick Foley’s Son Involved In WWE SmackDown Angle, The Rock Hypes His Latest Book

Andrew Ravens
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Mick Foley’s Son Involved In SmackDown Angle

As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Portland, OR at the Moda Center on the USA Network, there was a segment with The Bar and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. For those who are wondering who was the man that played Mr. Bootyworth, it was WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE RAW General Manager Mick Foley’s son, Dewey Foley. He works for the company in a behind-the-scenes role. Dewey tweeted the following after the segment:

The Rock Hypes His Latest Book

WWE and DK Books released a new book on the life and career of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson this week, which is titled “The World of The Rock.” According to the promotional material for it, the book is a “comprehensive visual guide chronicles The Brahma Bull’s impressive career from his Survivor Series debut in 1996 to headlining multiple WrestleManias, to becoming one of the biggest attractions in Hollywood.” Rock took to his official Twitter account to comment on the book by writing the following:

“Here’s the 2nd book I’ve published with @WWE. I was a lucky SOB that my 1st book was a @nytimes #1 Best Seller for weeks (J.K. Rowling was clearly on hiatus during my run). I picked every image in this book, including the painful fanny pack days.”

ROH COO Joe Koff On Will Ospreay’s Limited Role, How SBG Viewed All In Event

Andrew Ravens
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Ring of Honor COO Joe Koff spoke with Paste Magazine about various topics heading into last week’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event.

A few excerpts from this interview were not about the show. One of those topics was about Will Ospreay’s role in ROH and the reason for him being limited in the company. It should be noted that Ospreay lost to ROH World Champion Jay Lethal at this show.

“He was originally signed with Ring of Honor in conjunction with New Japan,” Koff said of Ospreay. “But the travel got to Will so he asked if he could work specific and selective dates, which we accommodated.”

All In took place last month and was a big success for Cody and The Young Bucks. Although it wasn’t under the ROH banner, the promotion did offer to help with the show that includes having their talent and production staff work. When asked how it was received by Sinclair Broadcast Group officials, Koff stated that he doesn’t think one show would ever have that kind of impact and that this show, as well as the event at MSG, showed the capability and where they are in the short period of time that they owned.  

“There’s a lot of validation inside of a company when good things happen. It’d be on different than buying a new syndicated show and all of a sudden it’s the number one show in the market. “Koff continued by stating that they put the same disciplines and the same foundational logic to every event but All In was just special because there was a specialness to it.

“All In was an unbelievable success not because of Ring of Honor; if there was any success attributable to Ring of Honor, it’s just that these were wrestlers contracted to us, and we saw the potential of this event and how important it is for the industry, for them, for what they were trying to put forth, and we were very supportive of that. That’s very indicative and very much a part of who we are.”

Jim Ross Says He Wasn’t Asked To Call Smackdown 1000, Talks His Future, more…

Ethan Renner
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On the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report, Good Ol’ JR gave his take on the current creative picture in WWE.

With Saturday’s Super Show-Down looming, Ross speculated as to why Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Kane anchored the go-home segment on this week’s Raw.

JR’s theory? Those in the office don’t believe that the younger talent is over to the level of the stars from a bygone era.

“I know that based on the ratings Monday night, they weren’t good. So something ain’t stirring the coffee,” Ross said.

JR Not Asked To Call Smackdown 1000

Ross also mentioned that although he called the first episode of Smackdown with Jerry Lawler, he has not been asked to attend the upcoming landmark 1000th edition of the show. “No, I haven’t been invited back,” Ross said. “No, I’m not upset about it.”

JR On New Japan

JR also spoke to Kevin Kelly about New Japan’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed show, which match might headline Wrestle Kingdom in January, Switchblade Jay White, and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s resurgence.

JR’s Future

In the course of the conversation with Kelly, Ross expressed an interest in doing more with New Japan. “I’m not getting any younger. Bottom line, so what are we waiting on?” Ross said.

Ross also outlined a discussion he had with his agent about pursuing more announcing work.

“Let’s be aggressive and look for opportunities where I can do what I love to do… It’s a matter of you live your life. And my life, it’s always for the last 40 years, been about wrestling.”

Other topics covered include JR’s thoughts on the Supreme Court, the Pittsburgh Steelers woes, and this weekend’s Conor McGregor fight.

The full episode can be listened to here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfQOu7qG5uM]

Would you like to hear JR call more wrestling events?

Brandi Rhodes vs Bea Priestley Announced for Fight Forever ‘Phenomena’

Jake Skudder
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UK based promotion Fight Forever has announced the second bout for their upcoming ‘Phenomena’ event. This will be the debut show for the new promotion taking place at the PRYZM Nightclub in Birmingham, England.

Brandi Rhodes will be taking on Bea Priestley as part of the debut show. Priestley is one of the stars of the WoS/World of Sport re-boot alongside her partner Will Ospreay. Priestley has been on the UK scene for a number of years working as a top star in promotions such as Pro Wrestling: EVE. Brandi has been building her own brand over the last year with several high profile bouts and appearances alongside Cody Rhodes.

This news comes after Fight Forever announced that NJPW star Will Ospreay will be taking on the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes in a huge international bout. This will not only be a bout featuring two of the hottest stars on the independent scene but will also be a Bullet Club vs CHAOS showcase.

In an interview with FightBooth Fight Forever Wrestling’s Co-Director Simon Kay said “Cody is on top of his game, he has never been better than he is right now. Will Ospreay, arguably the best wrestler in Britain will not want to lose on home soil. This could very well be the match of the year”.

You can purchase tickets for Phenomena and all upcoming events over at fightforeverwrestling.com. Fight Forever will also be heading to London on December 7th with a co-branded show alongside ‘Something to Wrestle’ starring Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard.

Charlotte Flair: Bianca Belair Is The Future Of WWE

Chris Stephens
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Charlotte Flair has pegged an up-and-coming NXT talent as the future of WWE. Flair believes NXT’s Bianca Belair is the future of the company. She made the comments while speaking with Give Me Sport recently.

“Bianca Belair,” answered Charlotte when asked who she feels is the future of the business. “She is the future. She’s a real stud.”

Flair is not the only one confident in Belair’s abilities.

Bianca Belair – Blue-Chip Prospect In Development

Amy “Lita” Dumas has also chimed in on Belair’s talent after working with her in the WWE PC recently as well.

“Bianca Belair, along with some other the others there, is very talented,” Lita said to SunSports recently. “She’s physically gifted, a great attitude, and when I very first saw her she had that intangible star quality that I just want to see more.”

Belair was a Track and Field star at 3 different high-level Universities. She then competed in power-lifting and Crossfit before getting into wrestling. Belair was scouted on the Crossfit scene by Mark Henry and signed after shortly after. She was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in April of 2016. In that time, she has developed into someone the company is confident in putting on NXT television and someone who is turning the heads of others in her industry.

Belair was married earlier this summer to a member of the Street Profits, Montez Ford. The newlyweds will both make their video game debut in WWE 2K19 which will be released later this month.

PROGRESS Reveal Chapter 77 Main Event

Jake Skudder
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PROGRESS has announced the main event for their upcoming Chapter 77 event ‘Pumpkin Spice Progress.’

PROGRESS World Champion WALTER will defend his title against New Japan’s Zack Sabre Jr. ZSJ won the Super Strong Style 16 tournament earlier this year. When Zack took the coveted tournament trophy he opted to main event last weekend’s Wembley Arena event. Unfortunately New Japan had an unannounced show in Los Angeles (Fighting Spirit Unleashed) which meant that both he and Will Ospreay could not compete at Wembley. Now that Zack is free to challenge he is taking the first opportunity to do so in October.

WALTER defended his PROGRESS World Championship against Tyler Bate this past weekend at Wembley Arena. The Ringkampf stable member put on an instant classic with Bate that earned it’s place amongst some of the greatest matches in PROGRESS history. When the former wXw Unified World Champion faces ZSJ at the Electric Ballroom in Camden he’ll hope to find more of that magic.

Jim Ross Believes Hulk Hogan Should Appear At WWE Crown Jewel

Andrew Ravens
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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has given his take on the rumors of fellow Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan potentially appearing at the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium. These rumors started once the Chairman of the General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia (Al-Sheikh) recently sent out a photo on his official Twitter account of Hogan. 

The WWE Legend spoke about it on the latest episode of his podcast, Ross Report, that was released on Wednesday. In his opinion, Hogan should be there. “Why wouldn’t you have Hulk Hogan there? It just makes sense that you’d figure a way to have Hogan on the card.” Ross continued by stating that people grew up idolizing him in that part of the world and that it would be a massive hit due to the publicity and build great anticipation in the country if he was featured.

Hogan was backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where he held a meeting with Superstars to talk to them about privacy as a celebrity and the incident that got him shunned from WWE for years.

Super Show-Down Main Event

WWE’s next pay-per-view event is Super Show-Down and there are several matches that could headline it. Ross thinks that it has to be Undertaker vs. Triple H as WWE has Shawn Michaels and Kane out at ringside. He says it’s a big-time show and will be interesting to see which matches open and close the show.

Samoa Joe Vows To Become WWE Champion At Super Show-Down, Pete Dunne Hits Big Milestone

Andrew Ravens
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Samoa Joe Vows To Become WWE Champion At Super Show-Down

Samoa Joe is once again challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Title but this time it goes down at the Super Show-Down pay-per-view event this Saturday where the match is being hyped by the WWE as there must be a winner. The former NXT Champion noted on his official Twitter account that he watched the Spanish version of this week’s SmackDown Live and decided to mock Styles before stating that he’s winning the title.

He wrote, “I enjoy the Spanish translation because the speaker actually has some bass in his voice. Everybody, stay in your feelings. They are just going to get worse when I win the WWE Championship.”

Pete Dunne Hits Big WWE Milestone

WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne made it known that he hit a big milestone through the power of social media. He is celebrating the fact that he has been the champion for 500 days. If you recall, he beat Tyler Bate at the WWE NXT Takeover: Chicago event n May 20, 2017. He is close to passing Brock Lesnar’s recent WWE Universal Title reign of 504 days this week. He posted the following on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BocsqmqgsAW/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoeGZAPAycN/?utm_source=ig_embed

Mae Young Classic 10/3 Preview: 2nd Round Begins

Chris Stephens
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The second edition of the Mae Young Classic enters its Sweet 16 tonight. On the line in all 4 matches will be a spot in the tournament’s quarter-finals as we start the 2nd round tonight.

Mae Young Classic 10/3 Preview

Kacy Catanzaro vs Rhea Ripley

2 of WWE’s hottest prospects clash in the MYC second round tonight. Rhea Ripley defeated MJ Jenkins in the 1st round while her opponent tonight defeated Reina Gonzales.

Catanzaro is a veteran of American Ninja Warrior and the gymnast has been receiving rave reviews since joining the WWE PC earlier this year. Ripley joined the PC after last year’s tournament and looks to have bulked up considerably over the last year. Both are considered top prospects, although Ripley’s been in the system for a year longer.

The winner of this match will face the winner of Tegan Nox vs Nicole Matthews in the quarter-finals.

Mercedes Martinez vs Meiko Satomura

Martinez defeated Madison Rayne in the first round while Satomura defeated Killer Kelly.

Martinez is an 18-year pro out of Waterbury, Connecticut, and a former 2x SHIMMER Champion. Satomura competed on WCW Nitro as a teenager and now at 38 years of age, is one of the most experienced in the tournament.

These two veterans of women’s wrestling clash tonight with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line. The winner will face the winner of Lacey Lane vs Taynara Conti in the next round.

Toni Storm vs  Hiroyo Matsumoto

22-year-old Toni Storm steps into the ring with Hiroyo Matsumoto tonight. The woman from Gold Coast, Australia has been winning over a lot of fans in her short career thus far. Storm was a big success in both Progress and Stardom before signing with WWE earlier this year. She defeated Jinny in the 1st round.

Matsumoto is a Stardom vet and was ranked #25 in the 2017 PWI Top-50 female rankings. She defeated Rachel Evers in the 1st round.

The winner of this match will take on the winner of Mia Yim vs Kaitlyn in the quarter-finals.

Lacey Lane vs Taynara Conti

Both of these two women are already signed to WWE and working in the Performance Center at the moment. Lane is a local talent as well, having attended Winter Park High School not far from Full Sail University. She trained with the Dudley Boyz at the Team 3-D Academy. Lane defeated Vanessa Kraven in the 1st round.

As for Conti, the 23-year-old is the first female Brazilian signed to the company. The Judo and Jiu-Jitsu expert defeated the awkward Jessie Elaban in the 1st round.

The winner of this match will face the winner of Martinez vs Satomura in the quarter-finals.

NXT and 205 Live Previews 10/3: Tommaso Ciampa Addresses Allegations

Chris Stephens
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WWE is back with 3-hours of previously unaired programming tonight. 205 Live, NXT, and the Mae Young Classic will take up primetime on the Network tonight.

NXT 10/3 Preview

EC3 vs Lars Sulivan

Two top-ranked wrestlers in the men’s single’s division clash tonight.

EC3 alleged that Lars Sullivan was the person responsible for the attack on Aleister Black, leading to Lars wanting revenge on the top 1-percenter tonight.

Tommaso Ciampa Addresses Velveteen Dream’s Allegations

Velveteen Dream made comments to William Regal that NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa, may have been responsible for the attack on Aleister Black. Otiz Dozovic and Candice LeRae have implied the same thing.

Tonight, Ciampa addresses the allegations tonight.

Johnny Gargano vs Tony Nese

Ciampa’s former tag-team partner, Johnny Gargano, will look to get back in the winner’s column tonight against 205 Live’s Tony Nese. Gargano hasn’t wrestled on NXT programming for over a month (in TV time).

Gargano has said he’s done with complaining and now just wants to get back to competing, which is what he’ll try and do tonight.

Candice LeRae vs Lacey Evans

A big match atop the NXT Women’s division this week as Candace LeRae takes on Lacey Evans.

Evans has been critical of LeRae for not acting like a “real lady” as of late. LeRae said she wants to separate her personal life from her professional one and not focus on her husband, Johnny Gargano’s, career. Evans seems to take offense to this and will bring her 1950s pin-up girl style into action tonight.

The Forgotten Sons in Trios Action

Jaxson Ryker, Wesley Blake, and Steve Cutler will be in trios action today. The Forgotten Sons will look to continue their NXT unbeaten streak since debuting on the brand in early September.

Their opponents have yet to be announced, which likely means they are enhancement talent.

205 Live 10/3 Preview

Akira Tozawa vs Gentleman Jack Gallagher

The stable of Drew Gulak, Brian Kendrick, and Jack Gallagher have been making life difficult for many as of late on 205 Live. Kendrick also returned to action last week and attempted to take out Tozawa.

Tozawa will have to worry about Gulak and Kendrick but he’ll have a chance to get revenge on Gallagher tonight.

TJP vs Kalisto

2 weeks ago, TJP ripped off Lince Dorado’s mask during a match. In Lucha rules, TJP would have been DQ’ed but in 205 Live the move helped him pick up the win.

Despite wrestling as a luchador himself for a period, TJP dishonored the tradition of masks in Mexican wrestling. The Lucha House Party will seek revenge for that tonight.

Sting Shares Ideas He Had For Feud With The Undertaker

Andrew Ravens
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5

Sting has made it well known in various interviews over the years that he wanted a match with the Undertaker under the WWE banner. However, fans never got to see that match due to Sting being in WCW then TNA and having his career cut short due to injury.

Seth Rollins wrestled Sting for the WWE Title at the 2015 Night of Champions PPV, which marked Sting’s last match after he suffered a neck injury after taking a powerbomb in the corner.

The WWE Hall of Famer talked about a potential feud with “The Deadman” in the WWE during an appearance on The Apter Chat and his ideas that he had for it if it was ever booked by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Sting stated that he had so many ideas that developed over a couple of decades based on both of their characters and that they are so similar that he wanted to have some special effects and holograms go on. “I had some ideas that would have rocked everybody.”

Sting continued by stating that it would have matched both characters and he thinks that it would have left people with their jaws open and very entertained. He brought up doing disappearing acts where he could come out of the portal over there on the north side of the arena than to the east and more. He also had an idea that they would have people dressed up as him in different parts of the arena and trying to have people guess which one was him. 

Viewership Continues To Decline For WWE Mixed Match Challenge, Matches Booked

Andrew Ravens
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The third episode of WWE’s Mixed Match Challenge Season 2 is in the books as it took place on Tuesday night in Portland, OR at the Moda Center on Facebook after SmackDown Live went off the air. As seen on the episode, Finn Balor & Bayley, Jimmy Uso & Naomi advanced. Balor and Bayley defeated Alicia Fox & Jinder Mahal while Naomi & Jimmy defeated Rusev & Lana.

The episode peaked with a live audience of 42,800 viewers. This is a continuation of a decline in viewership as the premiere of season 2 peaked at 52,400 live viewers, which was down 61% from the season one premiere in January that peaked at 135,600 viewers.

As of this writing, the first episode has a total of 1.1 million views while episode 2 has 555,000 and episode 3 has 430,000.

Matches for next week’s episode is slated to have Bayley & Balor vs. Braun Strowman & Ember Moon plus R-Truth & Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair & WWE Champion AJ Styles.

Ten co-ed teams will participate in a round-robin style tournament to determine the winners. The finals of the tournament will take place at the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view on Sunday, December 16th, 2018 in San Jose, California at the SAP Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets.

Brian Pillman Jr. Talks Training, Steve Austin, More

Ethan Renner
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0

Brian Pillman Jr. was the guest on the most recent episode of Talk is Jericho.

Host Chris Jericho and Pillman Jr. covered a wide range of subjects, including Pillman’s memories of his father, who died when the younger Pillman was just four years old.

“Growing up, I knew he was a big deal in wrestling, and I knew that he was a famous person in that business, but I more or less thought that people would forget about him,” Pillman said. “I was so wrong about that.”

Training For Wrestling

Pillman also discussed his decision to get into the wrestling business, and specifically his choice to begin his training in Calgary with Lance Storm. He said that his father’s ties to the city were one reason for his choice, but perhaps not the driving factor.

“I did my research,” Pillman said. “Who’s the best trainer? I want to be in the most professional training environment.”

Pillman also said that Storm presented him with the pros and cons of the wrestling business before he agreed to take him on as a student.

“More or less, I was led to believe by my mother and my family that this would be bad for me, that it was going to do all this harm to me, that it killed my father and all that. But then you meet guys like Lance and you [Jericho] that, it didn’t kill you, you’re still making a good living,” Pillman said. “All these people that say wrestling is terrible are wrong.”

Football

Pillman also spoke to his decision to go to college before entering the business. He said that while he had impukses and ideas of following in his dad’s footsteps right out of high school, ultimately he chose to pursue an education first, so that he would have something to fall back on.

Pillman talked about his high school football career, and how it paralleled his father’s football career as well. Both played defensive line, and in spite of their small stature, both were successful. “I went to the d-line, and at 185 pounds, I was just manhandling dudes,” he said.

Steve Austin

Steve Austin was a pivotal figure in the elder Pillman’s career, and the two were tag partners in WCW.

In the interview with Jericho, Pillman Jr. mentioned that Austin reached out to him via Twitter. Austin would later send the younger Pillman a weightlifting belt that belonged to his father.

Austin also reached out when Pillman Jr. recently suffered a knee injury, and offered some moral support and advice.

Other topics covered in the interview include a very early interaction with Triple H, different training philosophies, choosing a functional hairstyle, and learning moves.

The full interview can be found below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVr92Bx2-wY]

What did you think of Jericho’s interview with Pillman? Will we see him in WWE one day?

Former Seattle Supersonics Players Lash Out At Elias And Kevin Owens

Chris Stephens
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On Monday Night Raw, Elias made a crack about a basketball team in Seattle not making sense. The live crowd, likely still upset at the Sonics departure a decade ago, pelted Elias and Kevin Owens with boos for the remainder of the segment.

While the city is hoping to bring not only NBA basketball but also NHL hockey back to Seattle, they were not pleased with Elias’ comments. Several former Seattle Supersonic basketball players even got in on the action through social media.

Former Slam Dunk contest winner, Brent Barry, played on the Sonics from 1999-2004.

Detlef Schrempf, referenced on commentary by Renee Young on Monday night, also chimed in. He even tagged Renee in the comment as well.

To which Young offered up:

Now Renee and Schrempf are booking matches:

Shawn Kemp could not be reached for comment (nobody tried).

Renee Young and Detlef Schrempf

Some fans on social media felt Young’s Schrempf reference was so obscure that the line was likely fed to her. Young offered up that she used to be a sports reporter for the Score in Canada. She insinuated that she knows more about team sports than some fans seem to think she does.

The Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The team had suffered heavy financial losses since 2001 at the time.

Titus O’Neil Picked By Michelle Obama As An Ambassador For Two Projects

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Michelle Obama has selected Titus O’Neil to lead two projects of hers.  Titus will be an official ambassador for “When We All Vote” and “Reach Higher.”

“When We All Vote” is a get-out-the-vote campaign.

“When We All Vote—a new national, nonpartisan not-for-profit—brings together citizens, institutions, and organizations to spark a conversation about our rights and responsibilities in shaping our democracy. Namely, the responsibility of registering and voting,” a description for the organization reads. Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw serve on the board of the organization.

Reach Higher is another organization headed by Michelle Obama. The organization aims to encourage more young people to attend college.

“.@MichelleObama I can’t thank you enough for having me as an Ambassador for the @WhenWeAllVote Campaign and Also @ReachHigher Campaign as well!! We’ve been Blessed for sure and part of that comes with Blessing others!! Proud to team with @KeeganMKey @PiperPerabo and Many More.”

Titus O’Neil and Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama may see Titus as a great leader but some of his Titus Worldwide teammates may not. Dana Brooke recently left the group, stating she feels she would do better on her own. She Tweeted out the following last month:

Alexa Bliss Reveals Her Favorite Opponent

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Lil’ Miss Bliss, Alexa Bliss, was asked a pretty direct question during a recent interview. The former WWE Raw Women’s Champion didn’t take long to respond.

When asked by the host her favorite opponent is, Bliss paused momentarily before replying, “My favorite opponent so far has to have been Becky Lynch.”

“I had my first rivalry with her when coming into the main roster and it was a lot of fun,” she explained. “And I feel like, without Becky being such a great counterpart I wouldn’t have been able to be the villain that I knew I could be.”

“It’s Been A Long Time Coming For Becky”

It was reported last month that Alexa was a big fan of Becky’s “attitude change,” admitting that she felt “it’s [turning heel] been a long time coming for Becky.”

“I think that attitude change is what she’s needed,” Bliss noted. “The attitude change really allows her to show that. Where, before, she was restricted. I think it just fits her far better.”

WWE Evolution

Despite having suffered from numbness in her left arm, Alexa Bliss has been cleared for “minimal contact.” She is still scheduled to face off against Trish Stratus in a one-on-one match at WWE Evolution. Evolution takes place October 28th from Uniondale, New York.

Surprised by her choice of favorite opponent? Who would you have thought, if not Becky Lynch?

Booker T Wants To Have One More Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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After his recent appearance on SmackDown Live a few weeks ago, Booker T had discussed possibly teaming up with New Day for one more match, and he has once again talked about possibly returning to ring for one more bout.

Booker was recently a guest on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast and during the episode, the two wrestling legends talked about a number of wrestling related topics.

While talking about possibly having one more bout, Booker T joked that if WWE calls him for one more match against Stone Cold, he will do it in a heartbeat.

The Hall Of Famer then expressed the desire to wrestle one more match for his own wrestling promotion Reality Of Wrestling, to show students of his wrestling school that he can still go out there and do it.

Continuing on the topic, T also revealed how his son recently asked him questions about the time he was still an active competitor, and this is another reason why he wants to have one more match, so his son can see that he can still go out there and hold on his own.

Apart from this, Booker T also talked about how he enjoys his current role in WWE and how he loves interacting with younger talents like Bray Wyatt who he spoke to recently.

Do you think Booker T should return to the ring for one more match? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Chris Jericho Recalls Time When Vince McMahon Saved Him From Getting Arrested

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling Legend Chris Jericho recently stopped by Orlando’s 101.1 WJRR for a Q&A and while he mostly talked about his influences in music and his latest Fozzy album, the former World Champion also discussed wrestling for a bit.

During the interview, he was asked about his appearances for NJPW and his wrestling schedule, and answering it Jericho said that he will continue making sporadic appearances for the company because he doesn’t have the time to do anything more.

Continuing on the topic, Jericho was asked whether Vince McMahon was supportive of his decision and answering it, Y2J said that he has nothing but respect for the Boss.

To prove the fact that Vince has his back, Chris Jericho told a story where Mr. McMahon helped him and prevented his imminent arrest by flying him out of the country.

According to Jericho, during a Live Event in Brazil a few years ago, he had kicked a flag without knowing that it was a felony. Things escalated quickly after this and reached to a point where the army wanted to arrest him and take him to their jungle prison.

However, while McMahon was mad at Chris, he took him straight to the airport and flew him out of the country a day before they were supposed to, in order to prevent his arrest.

Chris Jericho is the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion but there is no word yet on when he will make his next appearance for the company.

WWE Reportedly Made Offer To Bullet Club Member Recently

Anutosh Bajpai
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We noted before how Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks talked about their impending free agency on the latest episode of their YouTube show Being The Elite.

The episode also featured a segment where Bucks gave Adam ‘Hangman’ Page a pair of cowboy boots with a note that read “Nice Try. If you want to be an assassin, try being more cerebral. – H”.

While this BTE segment involving the NJPW Star was considered just a fun take at the beginning, a latest report reveals that there is more to it.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about the latest BTE and revealed that WWE had actually made an offer to Adam Page recently.

According to his WWE sources, Adam turned this offer down. Though a different source says that he simply told officials that he didn’t want to sign with them right now “because it’s not the group and the group’s sticking together.”

Although this doesn’t mean that the door for Page’s WWE debut is closed completely and as we reported before, Cody Rhodes recently stated that it’s pretty possible the Bullet Club will end up in WWE once their current contract is up.

Cody and the Young Bucks are expected to become free agents at the end of this year, and we should get more information about the future of the Elite in the upcoming episodes of their YouTube series.

Kevin Nash Says No One Cares About Younger WWE Talents

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There are a lot of people who believe that WWE has failed to build younger stars in the last decade and that’s why they have to rely on older wrestlers to sell tickets, and it appears that Kevin Nash thinks the same.

Nash recently had an interview with Sporting News where he talked about the Young stars not getting over, the upcoming Super Show Down event and more.

When asked about the criticism WWE is receiving over the fact that Undertaker is facing Triple H at the show instead of a younger talent, Kevin said that no one cares about the young prospects:

“No one cares about the young guys. When I watched Summerslam that (Undertaker and Tripe H) package caught my eye and made me want to see that match. I don’t know if I want to see Roman Reigns versus Undertaker again. What more of a rub can you give than that? He’s [been] given rubs before, and they just aren’t getting over.”

Later in the interview, Kevin Nash was asked who should we blame for the fact that fans don’t care about the younger talents and he said that he just thinks there won’t be guys like the Undertaker anymore.

Nash explained his comments by saying that this is because the current wrestling style will not allow wrestlers to have longer careers and went on to point how Seth Rollins has already had a couple of knee surgeries.

What do you think about WWE relying on older and part-time talents to promote their shows instead of the newer stars? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Kofi Kingston Reveals His Future Goal In WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kofi Kingston recently got his name written in WWE’s record books once again as he surpassed Billy Gunn and became the Superstar with the most days as a tag team champion in the company’s history.

Kingston recently set down with Renee Young to talk about his new record and what are the future goals for the New Day Member among other things.

Kofi first talked about his various tag team partners over the years and what he has learned from them. He said that CM Punk taught him how to be a top guy in WWE, and R Truth taught him to have fun in the ring while competing.

What Are His Future Goals?

When asked about his future goals, one half of the current SmackDown Tag Team Champions said that when he was a kid, his goal was to hold every single title in WWE.

Continuing on the topic, the former Intercontinental Champion said that he feels like he is on his way to achieving that but there are obviously a couple of titles that have eluded him and winning them is definitely a goal.

Kofi Kingston has won all the mid-card titles in WWE multiple times but he has yet to have a run with a World title in the company. At the age of 37, it’s safe to say that his road to a world championship won’t be an easy one.

You can check out his full interview in the video below:

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