Kaitlyn had taken a break from wrestling after being released from WWE in 2014, but she returned to ring earlier this year, and since then the company has brought her back to work the second annual Mae Young Classic tournament.
During a recent interview with ESPN, the former Diva’s Champion talked about a lot of things including her days in NXT, how things have changed since then and more.
When asked about being part of Mae Young Classic and if this can serve as a springboard for her career, the former Champion said that she does see herself going through the NXT route to the main roster again:
“Now that I’ve been there and done it, the stakes are higher, the level of competition is higher, so I see myself just going through it, going through the Mae Young Classic, going through NXT, going through the SmackDown roster, going through the Raw roster. I know I’m capable of it, and I think the Mae Young Classic is just the beginning.”
Kaitlyn won the third season of NXT back when it was still a reality show and was rewarded a WWE contract. Her run lasted till July 2014 after which she took a break from wrestling.
She returned to ring earlier this year and started competing in the independent circuit. In July this year, WWE announced that she will be returning to the company to compete at the Mae Young Classic.
After the historic low viewership number of Raw last week, the numbers on the side of SmackDown had seen a decline too and the show had made some records for low ratings.
While this week’s episode of the show didn’t see a significant increase, it was still able to hold up the previous numbers against some tough competition, thanks to the Super Show Down.
The episode featuring the follow up from Super Show Down and matches like Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair and AJ Styles vs. Shelton Benjamin drew 2.135 million viewers.
This is a 1.9% increase from last week’s SmackDown episode which had a Becky Lynch-Charlotte Flair segment for the main event and had drawn 2.095 million viewers.
The Blue Branded Show ranked at #9 for the cable viewership of the night, behind shows like MLB Division Series game, Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, Rachel Maddow Show, Special Report, The Story and The Five
With big returns like Ric Flair and Rey Mysterio announced for the upcoming SmackDown 1000 episode happening next week, the ratings are expected to see a temporary boost.
The interesting thing to see will be if the company is able to capitalize on this boost and turn enough heads towards SmackDown’s regular programs to see a steady increase in ratings.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa came down to the ring to start off this week’s episode of NXT. Ciampa referred to himself as the greatest sports entertainer of all time and also claimed that his entrance theme was all the best ever.
Tommaso brought up Velveteen Dream and how he craves attention. The crowd broke out in a very loud “Velveteen!” chant as Tommaso stated that Dream has gone about getting his attention the wrong way.
Velveteen Dream interrupted and came down to the entrance ramp. Velveteen laughed at Ciampa calling himself the greatest sports entertainer of all time. Dream added that he doesn’t appreciate Ciampa’s threats and then hopped up on the ring apron.
Dream said that Tommaso was an angry little bald man hiding behind his insecurities. Ciampa replied that he is an angry little bald man with a shiny belt. Ciampa claimed that Dream accused him of attacking Aleister Black because he just wants attention and asked Dream to admit it. Ciampa joked that Dream just isn’t “Tough Enough”.
Velveteen Dream laughed and made his way into the ring. Dream claimed that he was more man than Ciampa can handle. Velveteen asked Ciampa for a moment with him and the NXT Championship.
Nikki Cross interrupted and came down to the ring. Nikki laughed her way down the entrance ramp and then started slapping her jacket on the canvas as the crowd chanted “Triple Threat!”. The crowd then chanted “Nikki knows a secret!” as Nikki bopped around the ring, Cross then told Velveteen that she knows what he doesn’t and then pretended to have a conversation with Ciampa’s title.
Tommaso got annoyed and Cross slapped the microphone out of his hand. Nikki then laid down on the mat and shouted into the microphone that she knows what they don’t. Cross scrambled towards Dream and Velveteen comically rolled out of the ring. Tommaso tried to pick up the microphone and Nikki booted it out of the ring. Nikki left as Ciampa’s music played to end the segment.
Keith Lee faced Kona Reeves tonight on NXT. Reeves taunted Lee before the match as the crowd chanted “Kona’s trash!”. Lee shoved Reeves to the corner and slapped Kona across the chest. Keith followed it up with a Dropkick and then launched Reeves out of the ring with ease.
Lee tried to bring Reeves back into the ring but Kona used the ring apron as a distraction and blasted Lee in the face. Kona took control of the match and hit an Elbow Drop off the second rope. Reeves applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Lee.
Keith escaped but Reeves knocked him back down to the canvas. Kona punched Lee in the face several times but all it did was piss Keith off. Lee connected with a shoulder tackle and then a Supernova for the pinfall victory.
Ricochet defended his North American Championship against Adam Cole and Pete Dunne in a Triple Threat match in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT.
Ricochet and Dunne beat the hell out of Adam Cole in the corner of the ring to start off the match. Cole battled back and shoved Ricochet into Dunne. Pete rolled out of the ring as Cole and Ricochet traded shots. Cole connected with a boot to the midsection but Ricochet hit a Hurricanrana out of nowhere.
Cole launched Ricochet out of the ring as Dunne climbed back inside. Dunne leveled Cole with an awesome Clothesline as Ricochet got back inside the ring. Dunne and Ricochet circled each other and then locked up in the middle of the ring. Dunne dragged Ricochet to the canvas but Ricochet hopped back up. Dunne and Ricochet proceeded to have an awesome exchange in which they dodged each other’s moves.
Dunne and Ricochet then teamed up on Cole again and booted him out of the ring. Ricochet extended his hand to Dunne but Pete opted to punch Ricochet in the face instead of shaking his hand. Dunne went to work on Ricochet’s fingers but Ricochet countered with an Arm Drag.
Cole bashed Ricochet in the face and then stomped on both of them before posing in the ring. Cole threw Ricochet out of the ring and hit Dunne with a Neckbreaker for a near fall. Ricochet got back up on the apron but Cole quickly sent him back to the floor outside the ring. Cole hit Dunne with a boot to the face and went for the cover but Dunne kicked out at two.
Pete Dunne hit Cole with an Enziguri but Ricochet leaped into frame and hit an awesome springboard Headscissors on Dunne. Ricochet hit Cole with a flying uppercut for another near fall. Dunne hit Ricochet in the face with an elbow and then did the same to Cole. Dunne then applied a single legged crab to both Cole and Ricochet at the same time in the middle of the ring.
Ricochet escaped but Cole quickly hit him with a Backstabber for a two count and then knocked Dunne back down to the mat. All three Superstars started trading punches to the face from their knees and then got back to their feet. Cole hit Dunne with an Enziguri that sent him out of the ring and followed it up with a running knee to Ricochet’s face for a two count.
Everyone started trading kicks and Ricochet ended the exchange with a Shooting Star Press. Ricochet went for a springboard Moonsault but Cole and Dunne connected with a double Superkick to Ricochet’s face while he was upside down in midair. Cole and Dunne then traded punches to the face from their knees again as Ricochet slowly got back up.
Dunne stomped on Cole’s hand and then booted him out of the ring. Cole and Dunne then battled on the ring apron and Cole planted Dunne face first. Cole went for a Superkick but Dunne got out of the way and then stomped on Cole’s elbow against the steps. Cole took out Ricochet with a Superkick and turned around into a Moonsault from Dunne.
Back in the ring, Dunne hit Ricochet with an X-Plex and went for the cover but Cole leaped into the ring to break it up at the last moment. Dunne made his way up to the top rope and Cole greeted him with a punch to the face. Cole and Dunne then battled on the top rope before Ricochet joined the party. Ricochet hit a double Frankensteiner that sent Cole and Dunne flying across the ring. Ricochet connected with a Flatliner on Dunne and went for the cover but Pete somehow kicked out at two as the crowd chanted “fight forever!”.
Ricochet brought Dunne to the corner of the ring and then climbed up to the top rope. Cole sprinted across the ring and crotched Ricochet on the top turnbuckle. Dunne bent back Cole’s fingers but Cole countered into a roll-up and used the ropes for leverage. Dunne kicked out and hit Cole with the Bitter End. Ricochet went for a Shooting Star Press off the top rope but Dunne caught him in a Triangle submission. Cole hit Ricochet with a Superkick and then delivered the Last Shot to Dunne and went for the cover but Dunne kicked out at two as the crowd shouted: “this is awesome!”.
Dunne hit Cole with a ridiculous Clothesline and then hit him with the Bitter End once again. Dunne went for the cover but Ricochet came out of nowhere with a springboard 450 Splash for the pinfall victory. Ricochet is still the NXT North American Champion.
The following promo for Shayna Baszler aired during tonight’s broadcast. Shayna Baszler will look to recapture the NXT Women’s Championship at WWE Evolution later this month.
Tammy Sytch, who you also know as Sunny, is a free woman after spending most of 2018 behind bars.
As reported earlier, the WWE Hall of Famer was released on parole on Tuesday from the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, where she had been held since March.
Sytch issued her first public statement since being released from jail this afternoon through her two personal Facebook accounts. The former WWE star plans to take both pages down soon since she wants to keep her personal life private but will have a business page for fans to follow and promoters to get in touch with her.
“I’m home. From now on, my personal life will be kept private, and both of these pages will be taken down. I will eventually start a new PERSONAL page reserved for real friends and family only, and a business page for fans and bookings. Please respect my privacy, and only add the new personal page if you are, in fact, a real friend or family. Fans are welcome and encouraged to follow the fan/business page. Thank you all for your continued support in the recent months and in those to come. — Tam.”
Sytch was incarcerated in Pennsylvania for seven months after having been extradited from Monmouth County Correctional Facility in Freehold, New Jersey on March 28. Sytch ended up at Monmouth County Correctional Facility after being arrested on February 27 on charges of two counts of fugitive from justice and six counts of contempt of court.
Carbon County Court officials said in March that a motion was made to revoke her parole in August 2017 due to multiple violations of the terms of her release the prior February.
After the motion was filed, Carbon County Court Judge Joseph Matika ordered Sytch arrested on a bench warrant so that she could return before him to face sentencing. However, Pennsylvania authorities were unable to locate Sytch until she was arrested in New Jersey, where she was flagged as a fugitive of justice. Authorities were unable to find her because she moved out of Pennsylvania.
TMZ Sports reported on March 2 that Sytch was arrested for DUI on two separate occasions a few weeks before her last arrest. She had been on probation for three DUI arrests in 2015.
Sytch was arrested for DUI in New Jersey on January 23 at 8:53 p.m. She was then involved in an automobile accident on February 2 at 8:52 a.m. and cops say she fled the scene. Sytch was tracked down and cited for DUI, as well as leaving the scene of an accident.
She was then charged with failing to appear in court for either of the two arrests, which led to her last arrest.
Sytch, who turned 45 years old in December, has been arrested several times this decade. In 2012, she was arrested five times in a four-week span; for disorderly conduct, third-degree burglary, and three counts of violating a protective order. She was arrested a sixth time in January 2013, also for violating a protective order. She served 114 days in jail and was released in May 2013 (this all happened in New Jersey).
In January 2016, Sytch pleaded guilty to driving while under suspension in the state of Pennsylvania. On August 18, 2016, Judge Matika sentenced her to 90 days in jail but counted her 97 days in rehab as jail credit. On September 23, 2016, 18 days into her probation, Sytch was arrested for violating her parole. The arrest was due to three DUI arrests in Pennsylvania in 2015. Sytch remained in jail on these charges through her arraignment in January 2017. She was fined $1,496.45 for the remaining charges and released on February 3, 2017.
Becky Lynch Reacts To Stipulation Added To Her Evolution Match
WWE has already announced that SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch would make her next title defense against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match at the Evolution pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the WWE Network. Following the announcement of this match, Lynch took to her official Twitter account to write the following on the match:
“Bring on Last Woman Standing. For three years this whole place couldn’t keep me down, you really think Charlotte Flair can?”
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Indianapolis, IN at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on the USA Network, Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe on to qualify for the WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel.
Following the match, WWE’s YouTube channel released this video of Mike Rome asking Hardy how the recent Hell In a Cell match with Randy Orton changed him, which he responded by stating that it made him realize weakness in his opponents. He pointed out that he saw something was wrong with Joe and advantage of it
– After it was revealed last week that Michelle McCool will appear at SmackDown 1000, it looks like she has plans on wrestling at WWE Evolution as well.
The former WWE women’s champion posted a wrestling training video of herself today on Instagram with the hashtag “#evolution.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BowiuuJBVYB/
McCool competed for the first time in seven years last January in the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble Match. She scored the most eliminations at five before being eliminated by Natalya.
– The Bella Twins are now officially back on Raw as WWE.com finally updated Brie and Nikki‘s brand status.
Up until this week, Brie had not been designated to a brand, and Nikki was still listed as a member of SmackDown LIVE. Since returning in August, Nikki has exclusively appeared on Raw, whereas Brie has appeared on both Raw and SmackDown LIVE.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy continues to make the media rounds to talk about a wide range of topics including his win over Cedric Alexander at WWE Super Show-Down on Saturday in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the WWE Network.
While speaking with Fox Sports Australia, he was asked if he was nervous to wrestle in front of a bigger crowd, which was the biggest thus far in his pro wrestling career.
Murphy stated that a lot of people asked this question which he always says that he wasn’t nervous once he realized that he shouldn’t be due to the fact that this is where he believes he belongs.
Murphy was also asked about which brand he thinks is the best in the WWE, which he responded 205 Live that features all cruiserweight stars. “This is what we do. Not just me, all of 205 Live. We are the best brand in the WWE and I think tonight we proved that. We had 70,000 people out there who now know that.”
Since Triple H took over the creative 205 Live earlier this year, fans have been more prone to praise the show and tune in. WWE continues to make changes in order to improve and draw more viewers for the 205 Live brand, which appears to be working.
Charlotte Flair and WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated the Fabulous Truth (R-Truth and Carmella) on this week’s episode of Mixed Match Challenge in Indianapolis, IN at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse that aired on Facebook. This is after Flair speared WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch through part of the stage after their match on SmackDown Live. WWE’s YouTube channel has released this video where Styles praised her following their victory
Kane To Open Wrestling School
It was recently announced by Dr. Tom Prichard that former WWE Champion Kane, real name Glenn Jacobs, would be working with him soon as they plan to open a new wrestling school in Knoxville, Tennessee where Kane is the mayor of Knox County. The announcement will be formally made at the Bandit Wrestling live event on October 21. The school will be called Jacobs – Prichard Wrestling Academy.
Kane is slated to team up with The Undertaker to take on Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels in a tag team match at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event next month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium and will air on the WWE Network.
Impact Wrestling World Champion, Austin Aries, says he has never had more fun in his wrestling career than he has had in 2018 with Impact Wrestling. He was not as enthusiastic about the company during his initial two runs with them, however.
Aries wrestled in Impact from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2015. According to Aries, his run with the company ended in 2007 after he was suspended for “bad behavior”. He revealed what it was which led to his suspension and subsequent leaving of the company on the latest edition of Talk is Jericho.
Austin Aries on Suspensions from TNA Wrestling
Aries mentioned that he was suspended twice while wrestling in TNA from 05-07. A conflict with Vince Russo then led to him deciding to leave and go back to Ring of Honor.
Jericho asked Aries what he got suspended for and Aries didn’t hesitate to answer that it was “a bad attitude”.
“So basically the story is, we are at the tail-end of this PPV which is obviously leaving a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths,” Aries said. “The next day was a travel day, this happened to be my birthday weekend. We had a travel day Monday, we had television on Tuesday. At this point, the company decided to inform us shortly around the holidays that they are no longer going to provide our hotel rooms or transportation, Merry Christmas.”
Aries continued to say he cashed in some favors and he and the X-Division guys got a nice hotel, some food, and some alcohol for their day off. Vince Russo then came in and told everyone to be by their phones on their day off in case they needed someone to come in and film vignettes. Aries made a point of not being by his phone. He would also say the company got mad when he began asking questions such as why he couldn’t do the vignettes the next day while he was there for 8 hours. These question evidently did not go over well.
Jericho then asked if he got a letter saying he was suspended. Aries then said they opted to call him and leave a voicemail when they knew he was on a flight.
“Like real men do they dropped the voicemail when you are in the air,” Aries said. He decided at that time it was time to leave and go to ROH.
WWE has confirmed that Edge will be appearing at next week’s big SmackDown 1000 special. The WWE Hall of Famer will host a special edition of his Cutting Edge talk show.
WWE is stacking the deck for SmackDown 1000. In addition to Edge, other legends confirmed to appear include The Undertaker, Batista, Ric Flair, Rey Mysterio, Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, Teddy Long and Vickie Guerrero.
As of this writing, the only match WWE has announced for SmackDown 1000 is Shinsuke Nakamura vs. the returning Rey Mysterio. The winner of this bout will qualify for the WWE World Cup tournament, which unfolds next month’s Crown Jewel event from Saudi Arabia.
While not yet acknowledged by WWE, the arena website is also advertising:
AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz and Samoa Joe
Charlotte Flair, Asuka, & Naomi vs. Becky Lynch and The IIconics
SmackDown 1000 takes place next Tuesday from Washington, D.C. at the Capital One Arena.
The WWE Network will present 3 previously unaired shows tonight. 205 Live, NXT, and the Mae Young Classic will all air tonight beginning at 7 PM EST.
NXT Preview 10/10
NXT North American Championship Ricochet (c) vs Adam Cole vs Pete Dunne
The NXT North American Championship is on the line tonight in a triple threat match. Arguably 3 of the top wrestlers on the roster will compete in this match.
This match was scheduled by William Regal after a title vs title match between Dunne and Ricochet was interrupted by the Undisputed Era.
Keith Lee vs Kona Reeves
Kona Reeves only enjoys the finest things in life. Keith Lee tried to introduce himself to Reeves a few weeks back but the Hawaiian Superstar took offense to Lee approaching him. Lee then made fun of Reeves’ win/loss record leading to this match tonight.
Velveteen Dream Responds To Tommaso Ciampa
Velveteen Dream indicated to William Regal a few weeks back that Tommaso Ciampa is likely who attacked Aleister Black. Ciampa took offense to this and cut a promo on Velveteen last week. This week, Dream will respond to Ciampa’s promo from last week.
Does Nikki Cross Know Who Attacked Aleister Black?
Nikki Cross has been claiming she knows who attacked Aleister Black. William Regal doesn’t believe her, however. Cross has been angling for a rematch with Bianca Belair as well. WWE is advertising we will find out just what Cross knows regarding the attack tonight.
205 Live Preview 10/10
Lio Rush Open Challenge
Lio Rush is on fire these days. Not only is he the new hype man for Bobby Lashley, but he is also undefeated on 205 Live. Tonight, he plans on issuing an open challenge to anyone in the back.
Buddy Murphy is the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion and his reign begins tonight on 205 Live. After winning the title from Cedric Alexander in front of his hometown Melbourne fans, what does the champ have in store for tonight?
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Mark Cuban’s AXS TV announced today the premiere date for Buss’ emerging hit series WOW-WOMEN OF WRESTLING, making its network debut on Friday, January 18, 2019.
JEANIE BUSS’ WOW-WOMEN OF WRESTLING MAKES ITS DEBUT ON AXS TV, THE SERIES’ EXCLUSIVE BROADCASTING HOME, ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 18
Los Angeles, CA – October 10, 2018 – Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Mark Cuban’s AXS TV announced today the premiere date for Buss’ emerging hit series WOW-WOMEN OF WRESTLING, making its network debut on Friday, January 18, 2019. AXS TV is the exclusive broadcast home for the Buss-owned WOW-Women of Wrestling, which joins the network’s highly successful Friday Night lineup that also includes the fan-favorite NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING promotion and live MMA action from Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA).
WOW Superhero events present all-female professional wrestling bouts with the theatrical flair of a blockbuster concert mixed with the hard-hitting action fans have come to expect from the popular promotion. WOW has amassed a large and dedicated fan base throughout the years, on the strength of the unique personalities of the captivating warriors who put their skills on full display as they go toe-to-toe inside the squared circle. The eight-episode series will feature 35 wrestlers, including third generation wrestling superstar Tessa Blanchard, returning superheroes The Beast, Stephy Slays, Jungle Grrrl, Beverly Hills Babe and talented newcomers to WOW such as Faith the Lioness and Princess Aussie.
David McLane, the beloved commentator and impresario behind the iconic ’80s TV series GLOW “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling,” has produced an action-packed series of intriguing matches. All eyes are on WOW World Champion Santana Garrett as she defends the coveted WOW World Championship belt from a bevy of determined challengers. Will this be the season a new champion is crowned?
McLane will provide insightful ringside commentary, joined by play-by-play announcer Stephen Dickey. Wrestling royalty Shaul Guerrero will serve as the ring announcer for each event while Brigiite Valadez will be delivering the inside scoop as backstage reporter.
“We are excited to add the series and welcome the incredible athletes and characters of WOW to our hit Friday night lineup”, said AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon. “This is the perfect time to add WOW and deliver on Jeanie Buss’ vision of strong women wrestlers in the spotlight on national television.”
“AXS TV broke ground with its airing of New Japan Pro Wrestling,” said McLane. “They are doing it again with the broadcasting of WOW. AXS TV is providing fight fans an amazing hour of action … and WOW is proud to be a part of their epic lineup!”
WOW-WOMEN OF WRESTLING is the leading women’s professional wrestling organization and is owned by Jeanie Buss in partnership with MGM Television and David McLane.
Becky Lynch survived two title matches with Charlotte Flair this last week. She’ll have to defend her title against Flair yet again at Evolution, however, this time in a Last Woman Standing match.
Lynch recently revealed she’s been working injured lately as well. She revealed on Twitter recently that she has a cracked jaw.
She is believed to have suffered the injury at Super Show-Down on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia. Last night on Smackdown, Lynch was speared through the stage by Flair following their match being ruled a double count-out.
Becky Lynch in 2018
Becky Lynch has become one of the most talked about Superstars on the WWE roster as of late. While her rivalry with Charlotte Flair hasn’t always gone the way some fans have wanted it to, it’s hard to argue that Lynch is more popular now than she’s ever been.
Unlike many others from her NXT class, Lynch was not a blue-chip prospect when she signed with WWE in 2013. Lynch was already 11 years into her pro-career by that point and had even quit the business once already. Her NXT career didn’t get off to a hot start either. She was given an Irish dancing gimmick which thankfully was abandoned not long after it began. In the following years, however, Lynch would be a key figure in the development of NXT’s women’s division and the subsequent Women’s Revolution/Evolution.
Nikki and Brie Bella attacked Ronda Rousey on Monday night in Chicago. The twins and the Raw Women’s Champion had just defeated the Riott Squad for the second time in a row when the attack occurred.
During the attack, the Raw commentary team speculated as to why the Bellas would attack Rousey. After the show, however, WWE cameras caught up with the pair to ask them why they did what they did.
When asked why they would attack someone who had been standing beside them in recent weeks, Brie offered up the following response:
“Been by our side? You mean taking up our space,” Brie said. “Standing in front of us, taking our shine, is that what you mean?”
“Brie and I are here for evolution but we’re here to remind everyone, even Ronda Rousey, that this is a ‘Bellalution’,” added Nikki.
Nikki and Brie Bella’s “Bellalution”
Both Nikki and Brie are former Divas Champions. Nikki held the title twice and Brie on just one occasion. Nikki’s 301-day title reign with the belt is the longest in the now-retired championship’s history. AJ Lee still holds the record for most combined days spent with the title at 406, split between 3 reigns. Unless the title is brought back, AJ will be the all-time record-holder in that category.
Ronda Rousey posted this on Instagram in regards to the attack:
5 and 1/2 years after Bullet Club’s formation in New Japan Pro Wrestling, the faction appears to be going back to their roots. At King of Pro Wrestling on Monday, Jay White joined the faction, something he opted not to do when originally offered a spot by Kenny Omega earlier this year.
According to comments White made after King of Pro Wrestling, he doesn’t believe “the Elite” is part of Bullet Club. Rather, White feels the sub-group of Bullet Club which took shape after the departure of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows is just a “rip off”.
“Inevitable. One word, inevitable,” White said backstage. “I met Bad Luck Fale in London in 2014. Since then it’s been inevitable that I would end up here with these boys. Not the BC Elite, what is that rip-off sh**? Original Bullet Club taking it back to what started it. Get used to these faces, we’re taking over!”
Original Bullet Club member, Bad Luck Fale, yelled out “Full Circle” as White finished his speech.
Upcoming NJPW Schedule
NJPW’s new Bullet Club faction will be on the Road to Power Struggle tour. On November 3rd, White will team with Bad Luck Fale to take on Kazuchika Okada and Beretta from CHAOS.
NJPW Power Struggle
November 3rd, 2018
Osaka, Japan
The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) (Bullet Club Elite) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs EVIL (LIJ)
NEVER Openweight Championship
Taichi (Suzuki-Gun) (c) vs Will Ospreay (CHAOS)
Tetsuya Naito (LIJ) vs Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-Gun)
Kazuchika Okada and Beretta (CHAOS) vs Bad Luck Fale and Jay White (BCOG)
As we approach arguably the most important period of free agency in wrestling since the Monday Night Wars, one free agent claims to have signed with NXT.
On the latest episode of Being the Elite, the faction reiterated they would stay together in 2019. One member then spoke up and claimed he was heading to NXT, however. That man was “Fat-A$$ Masa”.
— "FAT ASS" MASA ??BEING THE ELITE ??AEW ??????????? (@Masa_Anchan1971) October 10, 2018
This is just part of Being the Elite, however. Masa hasn’t actually signed with NXT.
Where Will The Elite Sign?
Between now and 2019, there will be much speculation about where the group could land. On the surface, there are actually only a few available options for them. Let us review:
WWE/NXT – likely to be the largest offered contract but comes with little creative freedom. They would be able to join back up with Masa, however.
ROH/NJPW – Arguably the front-runner to end up with the team once again is a combination of ROH and NJPW.
Impact Wrestling – This group has more money than what is being let on. Whether they see bringing in all 5 guys on monster contracts as a good investment for them at this point in their development is another story, however. In all likelihood, Impact would be better off partnering with other groups such as MLW and Lucha Underground to put in a joint offer to the group. Impact also has deals with promotions in Australia, Europe, Canada, and Mexico where the Elite could also wrestle from time to time.
ROH/NJPW and Impact/MLW/Lucha Underground – There is a chance that every non-WWE territory who wants the faction will team up to offer them a deal to prevent them from going to WWE or any other non-talent-sharing territory.
Other international territories could be in play as well.
Former WWE tag-team champion and current ROH producer, Joey Mercury, was arrested over All In weekend. He had been found sleeping in his car as finding a hotel room was a little difficult. When the police looked him up they found he had an outstanding arrest warrant in the state of Florida.
They arrested him but released him the next morning (likely just allowing him a place to sleep that night) as the warrant for his arrest in Florida was not on a charge serious enough to warrant extradition.
Joey Mercury Charged With Credit Card Fraud Under $300
Mercury is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Orange County, Florida. He is pleading not guilty to everything he is charged with and claims he’ll be able to prove he was out of the country at the time they took place. Mercury is accused of charges relating to fraudulent credit card use above $100 but below $300. Nothing too serious but he is being charged in criminal court. The official charges can be read here.
Should Mercury be able to prove he was out of the country during this time (as passports and wrestling performances are able to prove) then he likely will be found not guilty. That is just speculation, however.
Mercury appeared on Lucha Underground recently. He was a guest at Taya and Johnny Mundo’s wedding and later a sacrifice to Matanza Cueto.
During the interview, the Dead Man discussed the longevity of his career and attributed it to his ability to evolve his character over the years saying that to keep a gimmick relevant for so long, you have to keep your finger on the pulse of things.
Recalling the time when Vince McMahon called him, the former World Champion revealed Mr McMahon already had the gimmick in his mind for him and he inquired for the Undertaker when he called him about working for WWE:
“I got the call from Vince. The call was something like this. The phone rings. I pick it up. ‘Hello?’ ‘Is this The Undertaker?’ ‘Undertaker? Yeah, this is The Undertaker.’ ‘Haha! Alright then. Can you be up here tomorrow?’ And the next day I was on a plane. That was Vince, [he] called me. He had this character. The original character was based on an old western undertaker. at the time, people were just so enthralled with it because it was so different.”
Apart from this Taker also talked about various other things such as being approached by fans, getting annoyed when people try to hide the fact that they are photographing him and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:
We recently reported on the Twitter storm that was brewing between Austin Aries and Johnny Impact as the two took to social media to sling insults at one another.
In a series of Tweets that have since been deleted, Austin Aries spoke up against the “short shaming” by Johnny Impact. In turn, Aries directed his anger towards Impact’s wife, Taya Valkyrie, referring to her as “husky” amongst other unfavorable remarks.
Since then, Aries has spoken with WOL to defend his position.
He claimed that “when it comes to short things, it’s something I’ve dealt with my whole life. I’m used to it. It drives me.”
“If you want to make things personal, I can get personal and clap back,” he stated, before stressing that if you were to read his tweet and understand what he’s actually attempting to express he’s “not condoning any of those things. I’m saying if I were to make a joke on any of those things or mention these words or type them out in a derogatory way that people would be outraged.”
Further defending his stance, Aries believes “In this day and age, we’re outraged about making fun of people or telling them that they are less than for things that are out of their control. Yet, when it comes to people’s heights, it’s ok for people to continue to use that. I was simply pointing it out.”
“I Didn’t Take Personal Shots”
Austin went on to say that in the build-up to his Bound For Glory match with Johnny Impact, he has never taken “personal shots” or focused on “his real deficiencies.”
The Belt Collector continued, stating that he “never talked about the fact that you’ve never been the guy that you look like because your personality is non-existent. You’re kind of a dork.”
“You come out with this cool image but anyone in the back knows that you’re not cool. I didn’t say any of that. I didn’t take personal shots.”
Austin Aries will face Johnny Impact for the Impact World Championship in 4 days at Bound For Glory. The event takes place October 14th from the Melrose Ballroom in Astoria, New York.
It’s no secret that The Best Bout Machine, Kenny Omega, is a massive video game fan. He has attended numerous video game conventions and has even had competitive gaming confrontations against New Day member, Xavier Woods.
Even his finisher, The One-Winged Angel, takes inspiration from classic PlayStation game, Final Fantasy VII.
So it’s not a major surprise to see the current IWGP Heavyweight champion relaxing online, streaming on Twitch and enjoying some Super Mario Party.
It was during this stream, however, that he divulged new information regarding his current injury situation.
Omega suffered an unfortunate heel fracture during his recent war against Cody at the G1 Climax Special this past July.
Speaking candidly during the stream, Omega admitted that his foot is “doing much better,” before confessing that “It is my rib actually that is fractured right now. And I know it’s crazy, right? How do I keep getting injured?”
The champion continued to discuss his physical well-being, with only minor distraction from the colourful antics of Super Mario Party.
“[…] my ribs are in a bad way. But what can you do? I’m not one of those guys that likes to try to brag like ‘Hey, look, I’m injured,’ ‘I’m so tough, I’m going to keep fighting’ – it’s not like that at all. It’s just, you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m in a position right now – you just gotta go when you’re the champ. You can’t take days off.”
What do you think? Should Kenny Omega be able to take some time off to heal
The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, only recently defended his SmackDown WWE Championship against Samoa Joe at the recent Super Show-Down in Australia. He now has new number one contender, Daniel Bryan, eagerly awaiting his opportunity at WWE Crown Jewel on November 2nd.
That hasn’t stopped the champ from surveying the rest of the WWE roster.
Inaugural WWE United Kingdom champion, and Big Strong Boy, Tyler Bate, recently spoke on facing AJ Styles, stating matter of factly that he believes he could “have a good one [match] with AJ.”
A Phenomenal Response
Word of this has reached Styles, and his reaction is a positive one. Speaking with DailyStar.co.uk, the WWE Champion said:
“If the opportunity presents itself, I think that him and I could have an unbelievable match.”
Tyler Bate has been making waves internationally – not only as a tag team competitor in Moustache Mountain but also as a worldwide singles competitor.
He recently headlined PROGRESS wrestling’s main event at their ‘Hello Wembley!’ event in a losing effort against PROGRESS champion, WALTER.
The two men have never met in singles competition before, but have found themselves on opposite sides of the ring on in a six-man tag bout for Chikara.
What do you think of this potential match up? Do you think we’ll ever get the chance to see it?
While not many details are available about the show, WWE has still announced a number of big names for the upcoming SmackDown 1000 and another name has been confirmed for the episode.
According to reports from Pwinsider, the Big Red Monster Kane has been confirmed for the upcoming special. Since the Undertaker has already been announced for the event, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see the Brothers of Destruction reuniting next week.
Apart from this, the company has announced that Evolution will be reuniting during the SmackDown 1000. Rey Mysterio’s return match has been announced for the show as well.
Cody Rhodes Vs. Willie Mack For NWA Title (Video)
We noted before how Cody Rhodes was scheduled to defend his NWA Worlds Championship for the first time against Willie Mack. Now the NWA has uploaded the full match between these two from the latest ROH Vegas tapings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwkiiSyJoME
The match is more than 20 minutes long. It ends with Willie delivering a couple of stunners and trying to deliver a frog splash. Cody counters the splash and delivers the CrossRhodes for the win.
After this victory, Cody is now scheduled to defend the NWA title against Nick Aldis in a rematch from All In at the upcoming NWA 70th anniversary show.
WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was released from the Carbon County Correctional Facility yesterday and she is once again on parole now, according to Pwinsider.
She was arrested back in February this year and had been in jail since then for failing to appear in court for two DUI arrests and due to multiple violations of the terms of her earlier release.
Sunny was a part of WWE from 1995 to 1998. Apart from her WWE run, The Hall Of Famer also made appearances for ECW and WCW after leaving the company. You can check out more details about her arrest here.
Randy Orton On Upcoming World Cup Tournament
The main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown saw Randy Orton defeating a returning Big Show to qualify for the WWE World Cup Tournament on the Crown Jewel PPV.
After his win, Randy joins stars like John Cena, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy who have already been confirmed to be a part of the upcoming tournament from Saudi Arabia.
Orton was interviewed backstage after his victory on the show where he talked about the upcoming PPV event and said that he has beaten all these people before and he’ll just have to do it again:
Paige suffered a career-ending injury during a Live Event in December last year, and she officially announced her retirement from in-ring competition during the Raw episode after WrestleMania 34.
Though she didn’t stay away from WWE Programming for long after retirement and the former NXT Star was introduced as the new General Manager of SmackDown on the Blue Branded Show the next night.
During a recent interview with TV Insider, Paige talked about a lot of things including having chemistry with the Miz and R Truth, paying attention to Miz’s promos and more.
While talking about her role as the SmackDown General Manager, the former Diva’s Champion claimed that she was pitching ideas at the time and Vince McMahon already had this position for her in mind:
“I actually pitched the idea, too. I knew a few months back that I pretty much wasn’t going to be wrestling anymore, so I was constantly pitching ideas of what I could do. Maybe I could manage someone and be the female Paul Heyman. I was constantly pitching. I think Vince [McMahon] already had the idea to make me general manager. That was his idea.
Apart from this, Paige also recalled how Shane McMahon helped her during the first two weeks as the GM of SmackDown Live and said that she has been having fun in the role.
In a statement released on WWE.com, Officials confirmed that Mysterio is back on ‘full-time basis’ and he will be competing regularly for the company.
While the announcement didn’t reveal the length of his new contract, previous reports suggested that the former World Champion has signed a two years deal with the company.
Not only that but the press release also confirmed Rey Mysterio for a number of upcoming events. You can check out a list of events he will be appearing on below:
Hartford, Conn. – Oct. 20
Boston, Mass. – Oct. 21
White Plains, N.Y. – Oct. 22
Cardiff, Wales – Nov. 3
Aberdeen, Scotland – Nov. 4
Birmingham, England – Nov. 5
It’s worth mentioning here that all these events are either dual branded or SmackDown exclusive shows.
Considering this and the fact that the Master of 619 will make his return to WWE programming during SmackDown 1000, it appears that he will become a regular for the Blue Brand in the upcoming days.
Rey Mysterio originally made his return during the Royal Rumble PPV earlier this year and had been negotiating a longer run with WWE Officials since his appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
