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Former MYC Competitor Explains Difficulty Of Developing Characters In WWE

Jon Fuentes
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0

It doesn’t work out in the WWE for everybody. Just ask former WWE Mae Young Classic competitor Zeda Zhang. Zhang participated in the first-ever Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017. She was recruited by WWE and trained in their Performance Center while making appearances on NXT.

Zhang is an extremely talented athlete. As a former mixed martial artist, she’s trained in disciplines such as boxing, jiu-jitsu, judo, muay thai, and more. She’s also a former model and singer, giving her a ton to work with when it comes to developing a character in WWE. However, Zhang found it very difficult to develop a gimmick while with the company. She explained the situation during her appearance on the “Women’s Wrestling Weekly” podcast:

“I don’t have the freedom of what kind of character I want to be. I can’t really test it out. They tell you when you wrestle and when you get to try things out, and they just tell you, “be yourself”. But the thing is everything that makes me is my background – my modelling, singing, dancing, music and MMA – and me just being Chinese in general.

“That’s what I am but when I was there, I can’t do the MMA thing because someone else has it, I can’t do the singing thing because someone else has it, can’t do the dancing thing cause someone else has it, can’t do the modelling thing because someone else has it, so I’m left with nothing.

“I can’t be Chinese either, they told me, I wasn’t allowed to be billed from China because it’s not true so because of that I was left with this heart gimmick.”

What do you make of Zhang’s comments?

David Arquette Discusses Possible WWE Run

Jon Fuentes
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2

David Arquette is back in the fold of the professional wrestling world. Arquette is a former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. He was brought in by WCW to participate in storylines in 2000, following his role in the “Ready To Rumble” film. Arquette’s title win was seen as a huge slap in the face to the professional wrestling industry. The embarrassment is still joked about today by the likes of WWE Hall Of Famer Bully Ray.

Shortly after Arquette’s title reign, WCW went out of business and was shut down after being bought by WWE. Now, almost 20 years later, Arquette has been wrestling indy shows and establishing himself within the business. Arquette hopes to soften the blow his WCW Title reign had on his career by legitimizing himself.

While doing that, Arquette’s fame outside wrestling could earn him some big opportunities. Perhaps even a run with WWE? Arquette was asked about this during an interview on “The WINCLY.” Arquette said he’s a huge fan of WWE, but doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers there by doing anything he doesn’t deserve:

“I’m a huge fan of WWE and I have the utmost respect for what they’ve done in the business over there. I love NXT, what they’re doing is incredible,” he said. “I don’t know, if anything made sense, I also don’t want to ruffle any feathers in that world – I don’t want to do anything I don’t deserve. You know what I’m saying?”

What do you think about Arquette possibly getting an opportunity in WWE?

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Paige Criticizes Riott Squad’s Handling Of Liv Morgan’s Injury, Morgan Responds

Jon Fuentes
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5

Two weeks ago on Monday Night RAW, Liv Morgan suffered a nasty injury on live WWE TV. During a match between The Bella Twins & Natalya against The Riott Squadd, Morgan was knocked unconscious. Brie Bella hit Morgan in the face with a “YES! Kick” and Morgan crumbled over and knocked out.

Morgan was dragged to her corner and tagged out of the match. She jumped back in and participated in a Triple Suplex before being taken to the back and undergoing medical attention. SmackDown Live General Manager Paige took to former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory, to offer her thoughts. The former Divas Champion doesn’t think Brie would ever intentionally hurt anyone:

“I feel so bad for Brie,” Paige said. “She’s never hurt anyone, it’s the first time she hurt some and she gets blamed for it? Come on dude, it’s an accident. Liv doesn’t blame her. The thing I didn’t like about it is the fact her teammates brought her back in the ring to do a suplex when everyone knew she was knocked out. That’s the thing I don’t like.”

Paige then criticized The Riott Squad for not taking care of their partner better:

“Ruby and Sarah, take care of your teammate. You see that she got hurt, don’t let her back in the ring again. Referee, don’t let her back in the ring again.”

Liv Morgan then took to Twitter, seemingly responding to Paige’s podcast comments and firing back at her:

What do you make of Paige’s comments and Morgan’s response?

Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Underaker & Kane Announced For WWE Crown Jewel

Andrew Ravens
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3

The reports came true regarding a huge match being booked at the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel event. As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Rosemont, IL at the Allstate Arena on the USA Network, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels opened the show to talk about Super Show-Down that saw “The Game” beat The Undertaker in a No DQ match with Kane his in his corner. Following this match, Taker and Kane attacked Triple H and Michaels.

On RAW, Triple H and Michaels issued a challenge for a tag team match against the Brothers of Destruction at WWE Crown Jewel. WWE has since confirmed that the match will take place. This will mark the first time that Michaels has wrestled a match since losing a retirement match to Taker at WrestleMania 26 in 2010.

WWE presents the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE Crown Jewel Card

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns  vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman – Triple Threat Match

WWE Champion AJ Styles  vs. Daniel Bryan

Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Kane & The Undertaker

WWE RAW Results & Live Coverage (10/8)

Eric Lynch
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The October 8th, 2018 edition of WWE RAW took place at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL.

– Triple H comes out to kick off tonight’s show right off the bat. As soon as Triple H steps in the ring, Shawn Michaels’ music hits and HBK follows him out to the ring. They’ve got microphones. Triple H talks about reaching the summit at the Super Show Down and the introduces a video package looking at what went down with them and the Brothers of Destruction. Triple H talks about how this business is supposed to be about respect, and he talks about Shawn taking him under his wing and how they fought against the world. Shawn speaks up and talks about how respect is no longer a two-way road for them. Shawn talks about the last 8 and a half years since his retirement, and calls them long years sitting there honoring his word to be retired. Shawn says he stayed retired out of respect, but that respect isn’t being returned. Shawn talks about hearing those three words again, “Are you ready.” Triple H and Shawn ask if the Brothers of Destruction are ready for Crown Jewel, because D-Generation-X is ready. Michaels says he has something to say to Kane and Taker, with absolutely no respect at all — if you’re not down with their challenge, they got two words for you, suck it. The DX music hits and HHH and HBK do their classic poses in the ring.

– Still to come: The Shield vs. Strowman, Ziggler & McIntyre; The Riott Squad vs. Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins; and Trish Stratus is in the house.

– Coming up: Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

– Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens: Lio Rush is at ringside talking trash to Owens on a mic in the opening moments of this one. Lashley starts this one off strong until Owens dodges a shot and dumps Lashley to the outside. Lashley leaps from the floor up to the apron, but Owens kicks him back down and then brawls with him around ringside. Owens gets back in the ring and runs the ropes and hits a suicide dive on Lashley. Back in the ring, Lashley turns things around as Rush continues to talk trash on the mic at ringside. Owens rolls outside to get in Rush’s face, which leads to Lashley dropping Owens at ringside. The crowd seems to be turning on Rush or Lashley, or both. Back in the ring, Lashley beats on Owens in the corner as Rush shouts instructions. Owens starts to fight back, but Lashley shuts him down with a spinebuster. Owens fights back and hits a Stunner for a two count. Owens climbs up to the top rope, but Lashley bumps Owens down and Owens gets tangled up in the ropes. Lashley puts the boots to Owens and kicks out his knee. Lashley hits the dominator for the three count.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

– After the match, Rush celebrates with Lashley. Lashley starts to leave, but then he turns around and hits the ring again. Lashley beats down Owens, and then repeatedly slams Owens’ knee around the ring post. Lashley chases off the referees and starts slamming Owens’ other knee on the ring post. It looks like Lashley has turned heel. Lashley jumps from the floor up to the apron like Lesnar and poses, then he leaves.

– The broadcast team shows us a video package looking at John Cena, who will be taking part in the World Cup Tournament at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view.

– Finn Balor and Bayley are backstage for an interview about their rematch tonight with Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox. Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush interrupt, and Lio starts hyping up Lashley. Lio and Bobby think this should be Lashley’s interview time.

– Elias is in the ring with his guitar. Elias starts singing and trashing Chicago, but then Ronda Rousey comes out to interrupt, and her match is up next.

– The Riott Squad vs. Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins: Nikki gets some offense in on Ruby early on, but some interference from the Riott Squad at ringside leads to Ruby dropping Nikki at ringside. Nikki tries to tag in Ronda but the Riott Squad double teams her and shuts her down. Nikki finally fights them off and hits a missile dropkick off the middle rope on Ruby. Ronda finally gets the tag and she cleans house. Ronda drops Ruby and goes for the arm bar. The Riott Squad tries to interfere, but the Bellas stop them. Ronda applies the arm bar for the win.

Winners: Ronda Rouse & The Bella Twins

– After the match, Nikki and Bella turn on Ronda and attack her. The Bella Twins beat down Ronda, but Rona fights back. Ronda drops Brie, and then she throws Nikki down. The fight spills out to ringside where the Bella throw Ronda in to the ring post to turn things around. They put the boots to Ronda as refs try to haul them off. The Bellas throw Ronda against the ring steps and fan barricade before leaving.

– Bayley & Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox: Jinder starts off strong and keeps him grounded with a side headlock. Alicia and Bayley come in now and Alicia drops her then stomps on her. Alicia and Bayley grab each other by the hair, and Bayley dumps her outside. Balor gets the tag and Jinder comes in. Balor and Mahal trade kicks and they fight in to the corner. Finn hits the Sling Blade and pins, but Alicia breaks it up. Bayley comes in and deals with Alicia, then drops Sunil Singh. Balor drops Jinder and hits the Coup De Grace for the three count.

Winners: Finn Balor & Bayley

– We go backstage to Braun, Dolph and Drew’s locker room. Drew and Dolph argue until Braun tells them to shut up and focus on watching his back.

– Heath Slater approaches Baron Corbin in the back and asks to be part of the battle royal for Crown Jewel. Corbin tells Slater there’s one problem – Slater is not any good. Corbin walks off.

– Baron Corbin comes out after the commercial break, and the ring is full of wrestlers for a battle royal. The ring appears to be full of enhancement talent whove never been seen before. Corbin says he didn’t just want to put himself in the World Cup at Crown Jewel, so he’s going to prove himself in this battle royal tonight. Corbin says his opponents in this battle royal are the most talent ever seen in one place, but to the viewers they appear to be jobbers.

– Battle Royal: The opening bell sounds and the jobbers surround Corbin. They swarm Corbin and try to eliminate him. Corbin finally starts fighting them off, and we see one masked jobber sitting outside who hasn’t been eliminated. The last jobber in the ring puts The Claw on Corbin, but Corbin fights him off and eliminates him too. Corbin thinks he’s won, but he has forgotten about the last masked jobber who was waiting outside. The jobber rolls in the ring as Corbin rolls outside to grab him. Corbin rolls back in the ring, but the masked man grabs him and hits a series of German suplexes as the crowd pops. The masked man, going under the name The Conquistador, then hits the Olympic Slam on Corbin and the crowd goes wild. The Conquistador pins for the three count.

Winner: The Conquistador / Kurt Angle

– After the match, Corbin recovers at ringside as The Conquistador celebrates and does flips in the ring. The Conquistador pulls his mask off to reveal that it’s Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle. Kurt’s music hits as Corbin looks shocked from ringside.

– After the break, Kurt Angle is backstage for an interview. Kurt says technically he’s still on vacation, and walks off.

– Ember Moon vs. Nia Jax: The opening bell sounds and Nia controls this one off the jump. Nia throws Ember across the ring and then goes to pick her up, but Ember latches on to Nia with a sleeper attempt. Nia throws her down, and they trade strikes now. Ember hits a hurricanrana on Nia and then kicks her out to ringside. Ember hits a suicide dive but Nia doesn’t go down. Nia charges at Ember, but Ember moves and Nia crashes in to the ring apron by herself. Ember rolls back in to the ring, and the ref counts out Nia.

Winner: Ember Moon

– After the match, Nia gets in the ring and has a stare down with Ember. They end up hugging and leaving.

– Trish Stratus makes her way out to the ring next. Trish gets in the ring with a mic and talks about wanting to enlighten Alexa Bliss with some Stratusfaction. Alexa and Mickie James interrupt, and they trade some insults with Trish. Trish calls out Alexa to come get in the ring right now. Mickie insults Trish, and Mickie suggests a tag match, if Trish can find a partner. Trish says that sounds good, and then she introduces Lita. Lita hits the ring, and the two sides start brawling. Lita and Trish clear the ring and Alexa and Mickie retreat up the ramp.

– The Shield does a pre-taped promo in the back saying they are a brotherhood and they don’t break. Rollins and Ambrose say that they are the bad guys, not Braun and his friends.

– Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. Viktor & Konnor: The Ascension cuts a brief promo before the match. Konnor and Viktor take turns working over Gable in the opening moments, using frequent tags to control the page. Roode finally gets the tag and cleans house. Roode hits an inverted atomic drop on Viktor and then a blockbuster off the middle rope. Gable takes Konnor outside, then Roode goes for a glorious DDT but Viktor escapes. Roode drops Viktor, and then Gable tags himself in. Gable hits the German suplex for the three count, but Roode looks confused about Gable tagging himself in to get the finish.

Winners: Bobby Roode & Chad Gable

– It looks like Roode and Gable are about to argue, but then the Authors of Pain run in to attack them. The Authors drop Roode and Gable, and then they double team them and The Ascension.

– We go to a replay of The Bellas beating down Ronda Rousey earlier.

– The broadcast team shows us a promotional video for D-X vs. The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel.

– Paul Heyman comes out to the stage and says he’s here for the same reason as everyone else – he’s here to see a fight. He wants to see what happens when The Shield goes against Braun, Drew and Dolph — but he finds it ironic that 72 hours ago Reigns and Strowman beat the crap out of each other. Heyman talks about wrestlers flying around the world and beating the hell out of each other to put smiles on the faces of the WWE Universe. Heyman says his client Lesnar is home sleeping so he can go to his own gym tomorrow 1 mile away from his house. Heyman says Lesnar will enter Crown Jewel and he is the only one who will leave with the Universal Title. As Heyman finishes up his promo, The Shield’s music interrupts, and they come through the crowd to the ring.

– The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre: Drew starts off strong against Ambrose, and then Strowman tags in. Strowman continues the offense until Reigns tags in. Reigns and Strowman trade strikes and have some tests of strength. Reigns and The Shield end up clearing the ring, and Strowman yells at Drew and Dolph at ringside to get it together. Back in the ring, Braun chokeslams Reigns on the apron to turn things around. Ziggler tags in and continues the offense on The Big Dog. Braun tags back in and misses a spear in the corner. Reigns comes back with a Samoan Drop, and both men are down. Rollins and Ziggler get the tags and Rollins cleans house. Rollins hits a suicide dive on Drew at ringside, and then back in the ring he hits a springboard clothesline off the top on Ziggler for a two count. Rollins follows up with a kick on Ziggler and looks for the curb stomp, but Ziggler dodges it. They both reverse some shots until Rollins hits the turnbuckle powerbomb. Braun comes in and looks for a double chokeslam on Ambrose and Rollins, but Reigns comes in and they triple team Braun. Ambrose and Rollins hits suicide dives in tandem on Drew and Dolph at ringside. Braun picks up Ambrose and Rollins, but then Reigns comes flying out of the ring with a dive on Braun. Back in the ring, Rollins and Braun go at it now, and Braun drops him then applies a chin lock. Drew comes in now and continues the offense on Rollins, but Rollins drops him with a boot to the head. Braun tags in and drops everyone, but then Braun start arguing with Dolph. This leads to Ambrose coming in and decking Braun. It’s down to Ambrose and McIntyre. They fight up to the turnbuckle and Drew headbutts Ambrose down. An interference from Dolph leads to Drew hitting a suplex on Ambrose. Everyone runs in now which leads to Rollins taking Ziggler outside. Ambrose and Drew go at it now, and they hit a double clothesline and both men are down. Meanwhile at ringside, Braun and Reigns go at it, until Ambrose goes flying out of the ring with a shot on Braun. Back in the ring, Drew hits the Claymore on Ambrose for the three count.

Winners: Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre

– After the match, it looks like Ambrose is going off by himself, leaving Rollins and Reigns behind. RAW goes off the air with Ambrose standing alone.

WWE Names Top 15 SmackDown Superstars, John Cena To Co-Host “Today” Show

Andrew Ravens
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6

WWE Names Top 15 SmackDown Superstars

WWE has released a new article looking at the top 15 Superstars in the history of SmackDown. This is the latest piece of promotional material to hype the upcoming SmackDown 1000 episode on October 16th at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. WWE has confirmed that Batista will make his return as part of an Evolution reunion along with Triple H, Randy Orton and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair on this show.

Also, the arena is advertising Charlotte Flair, Asuka and Naomi vs. Becky Lynch and The IIconics and AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan The Miz and Samoa Joe. Here’s the list:

15. Michelle McCool
14. JBL
13. John Cena
12. Randy Orton
11. Current SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch
10. Rey Mysterio
9. Current SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day
8. The Usos
7. WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle
6. Batista
5. WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero
4. WWE Hall of Famer Edge
3. Current WWE Champion AJ Styles
2. The Undertaker
1. The Rock

John Cena To Co-Host “Today” Show

John Cena is slated to appear on NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday morning, October 9 to serve as a co-host in the fourth hour.

As seen at Saturday’s (October 6, 2018) WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia on the WWE Network, Cena and Bobby Lashley beat Kevin Owens and Elias in a tag team match. Cena is not booked for any shows under the WWE banner at this time.

Two WWE Hall Of Famers Backstage At Tonight’s Raw (Possible Spoilers)

Andrew Ravens
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4

Two WWE Hall of Famers is currently backstage for tonight’s WWE RAW in Rosemont, IL at the Allstate Arena, which will air later on the USA Network. Pwinsider.com is reporting that WWE Hall of Famers Kurt Angle and Lita are those stars. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if either star will be appearing on the show.

It should be noted that it’s possible Lita appears in order to promote her match against Mickie James at the Evolution pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 28, 2018, in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the WWE Network.

Regarding Angle, he has been rumored to return to the ring at WWE Survivor Series in November for the feud with Acting RAW General Manager Baron Corbin.

WWE is looking to rebound after two straight weeks of lowest viewership numbers in the modern era of the show. Thus, they have already announced three big names that will be appearing.

Those stars include Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who will talk about the Super Show-Down attack from Kane and The Undertaker, as well as Hall of Famer Trish Stratus to promote her match against Alexa Bliss at Evolution.

Impact VP Scott D’Amore Addresses Meeting With WWE Officials

Andrew Ravens
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4

It’s well known that last month WWE and Impact Wrestling officials had a meeting at WWE headquarters in Connecticut. It was reported that the meeting had members of Triple H’s team there as well as Scott D’Amore and Ed Nordholm from Impact where both sides had a general discussion.

Over the last few years, both promotions have been building a relationship. WWE is allowing footage of Impact to be shown on their streaming service. WWE has paid for material from Impact’s video library to use as content on the WWE Network.

Impact Vice President Scott D’Amore recently appeared on Wrestling Perspective podcast with hosts Petey Williams and Dennis Farrell where he talked about a wide range of topics including this meeting. In this podcast, he noted that there was “no agenda” as he made it known that the meeting was just to establish a better relationship between both promotions going forward.

D’Amore stated that since the start of 2018, they’ve done three content deals with WWE and he thinks the WWE is looking at Impact Wrestling in a different way now as it’s a different day and age in wrestling.

He added (transcript courtesy of Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet), “There was a meeting, we got together, we talked. It was kinda like ‘Hey, it’s kinda nice to be face-to-face and say hello. Just say that it’s 2018, it’s a whole different world, and there’s no reason why people shouldn’t communicate.’”

D’Amore made it known that there was no agenda as he thinks that is how the business is now, which he thinks is tremendous. You can hear his comments about this meeting around the 33: 00-minute mark here.

Trish Stratus Talks Facing Alexa Bliss At WWE Evolution PPV, Today’s Stars

Andrew Ravens
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3

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus spoke with Natalya as part of the latest edition of the Calgary Sun column to talk about various topics.

Facing Alexa Bliss

Stratus will make her in-ring return at the upcoming Evolution pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where she’ll face former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss.

Stratus stated that she has a lot of emotions going into this match as she is proud, honored, and nervous about it. She brought up how a decade or even a few years ago, they could never imagine they would be where they are today.

” It’s amazing, as back then we felt accomplished just getting a match on a pay-per-view event, and here we are with an entire event devoted to us!”

Today’s Female Stars

Although Stratus is no longer a full-time star, she does keep an eye on the stars of today as she noted that she’s proud to know that the blood, sweat, and tears they shed have helped pave the path. She stated that it’s the work of the women of today that have carved a viable and credible place for women in WWE. She brought up how she’s honored and humbled to have been asked back to participate at this event.

“I think pairing me with Alexa Bliss – a woman who in a very short time has accomplished so much – is great as there is a definite parallel to our careers. I think seeing the generational faceoff is intriguing to fans. We’re bringing together the past and present – conceptually it is exciting.”

Several NXT Stars Confirmed For WWE Evolution (Possible Spoilers)

Andrew Ravens
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0

More names that are expected to be backstage at the upcoming WWE Evolution pay-per-view event have been revealed.

PWInsider is reporting that they have been able to confirm that NXT stars Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Jessamyn Duke, Candice LaRae, Dakota Kai, and Marina Shafir will be at the show. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on their roles at this show but it’s possible that WWE books a battle royal to have as many stars working the show.

The Evolution pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on the WWE Network.

WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. WWE is hyping that there will be over 50 women from WWE’s past and present competing in the first-ever WWE Women’s pay-per-view broadcast.

Michelle McCool, WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, Sasha Banks, WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Carmella, Asuka, Nia Jax, The Bellas and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix are all advertised for the PPV.

The Evolution PPV will also feature the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic Tournament as well as Championship bouts for the Raw, Smackdown and the NXT UK Women’s Championships.

Updated WWE Evolution Card

  • Singles Match: Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss
  • Singles Match: Mickie James vs. Lita
  • NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Mickie James Discusses Facing Lita At WWE Evolution, Charlotte Flair’s Progression

Andrew Ravens
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1

Mickie James spoke with Landon Buford of The Hype Magazine to discuss various topics including her next big match.

WWE has already announced that James will take on WWE Hall of Famer Lita 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.

James brought up how Lita has been a big influence on her career even before she signed with the WWE as they met while she was working the independent scene in North Carolina. James talked about Lita helping her out and gave her advance about what to do and what not to do in the ring

“Lita has so much knowledge she really paved the way both in the ring and how she’s made money. She was able to separate herself. Before Lita, women weren’t doing moonsaults, hurricanrana, and other highflying maneuvers. I think she really changed the game in the women’s division. I’m excited to work with her and to maybe give these young girls a little competition.”

Charlotte Flair’s Progression

The former WWE Women’s Champion also spoke about Flair where she noted that Flair is incredible especially being that this wasn’t her dream and that she was totally content with the life she was living at the time before her brother, Reid, passed away. James brought up how that was what pushed Flair to go full force and pursue a career in wrestling after his passing.

“Obviously, Ric flair’s shoes are such big shoes to fill…. She recognizes that she’s going to be constantly compared to her father and she wants to be at least perceived somewhat on that same level. Obviously, she’s done well for herself thus far.”

Big Show Sends Warning To Randy Orton, Neville Changes Finisher Name

Andrew Ravens
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2

Big Show Sends Warning To Randy Orton

The Big Show is slated to make his in-ring return on WWE television as he’ll face Randy Orton in a World Cup Qualifying Match on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Indianapolis, IN at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The former WWE Champion was in attendance for Sunday’s New York Jets game where WWE.com caught up with him. In this video that they released on social media, Big Show sent a warning to Orton. For those who may not know, this match will mark the first time that they have gone one-on-one in a match in three years.

Neville Changes Finisher Name

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville, who is now going under the name PAC on the independent scene, has made a few changes to his character now that he’s outside of the WWE bubble. One of those changes is the name of his finisher. PAC’s Red Arrow finisher will now be known as the Black Arrow. This was revealed at Sunday’s Gate of Victory show at Hakata Star Lane.

PAC will face Flamita in an International Dream Match at the November 4th Gate Of Destiny show. Also booked for this show is Bandido challenging for the Open The Brave Gate Championship against Dragon Kid.

Kurt Angle Q&A: His Relationship With Eddie Guerrero, Dream Opponent

Andrew Ravens
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2

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently did a Q&A on Facebook and commented on a number of interesting topics.

Right off the bat, one fan asked him about Eddie Guerrero, and if they were good friends before the former WWE Champion passed away in 2005. Angle and Guerrero had some classic matches for the WWE Title with the most notable match coming as a key part of the WrestleMania 20 card back in 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“Eddie and I were so close”, Kurt responded. “Like brothers. Some days we got along, other days we fought… literally! We had a fight once backstage 15 years ago. We always treated each other like brothers though.”

Also, Angle was asked if Daniel Bryan was still his dream opponent in the WWE, which he responded by stating that he would love to face the former WWE Champion and SmackDown Live General Manager. However, he understands that Bryan needs to be on board with the match as it takes two to tango.

“Daniel IS my dream match. To be honest, I’m not sure that I’m his dream match. It takes two to tango.”

Angle has been off of TV for a few months. If you recall, back in August, Stephanie McMahon announced that she would send Angle on “vacation” before announcing that Baron Corbin would be acting general manager in Angle’s absence.

There have been rumors that once Angle would return to TV, it could lead to a match between Corbin and Angle. Time will tell how WWE brings Angle back to TV.

NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling Results

Steve Russell
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0

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s event King Of Pro Wrestling took place earlier today emanating from the Ryogoku Sumo Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

King Of Pro Wrestling Results

Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (c) defeated Jushin “Thunder” Liger & Tiger Mask IV via pinfall.

Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) defeated Juice Robinson & Toa Henare via pinfall.

Makabe landed his signature move, the King Kong Knee Drop onto Henara to secure the victory for the GBH team.

Firing Squad (Bad Luck Fale, Taiji Ishimori, Tama Tonga, & Tanga Loa) defeated Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Hangman Page, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson) via pinfall.

Tama Tonga hit an impactful Gun Stun onto Owens with a flapjack assist from Tanga Loa.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, & Will Ospreay) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, & Takashi Iizuka) via pinfall.

Will Ospreay was able to hit Taichi with the Storm Breaker to gain the pinfall victory. Afterwards, Ospreay picked up the Never Openweight Championship, hinting towards a future encounter between himself and Taichi.

The entirety of Los Ingobernables de Japon enter the ring before their match, with Naito taking to the mic in order to introduce the newest member to the collection: Shingo Takagi.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito) defeat CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, SHO, Toru Yano, & YOH) via pinfall.

Tagaki hit his finisher, Last Falconry, on SHO in an impressive debut.

EVIL vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. is declared a no contest due to Chris Jericho’s surprise assault on EVIL during his entrance.

KUSHIDA defeats Marty Scurll via pinfall with Back To The Future to win the vacant IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats “Switchblade” Jay White via pinfall.

As Jay White was readying himself to hit his finisher, Blade Runner, Tanahashi is able to roll White into a small package. The Ace retains the G1 Climax 28 Winner’s Contract, guaranteeing his spot at Wrestle Kingdom 13.

Kenny Omega (c) defeats both Cody Rhodes and Kota Ibushi via pinfall after hitting the One-Winged Angel on Ibushi to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

With King Of Pro Wrestling done, the table is set for our Wrestle Kingdom 13 main event, with Tanahashi and Omega both coming out victorious despite steep competition.

A War Of Ideologies

Post-match, Kenny gets on the mic and declares that he won’t leave until Ibushi and Cody are standing with him. He speaks briefly on Wrestle Kingdom and makes specific mention that today’s main event may not have been what the fans were expecting. He also tells Cody, Kota, The Young Bucks, and even Cody’s dog, Pharoh, that he loves them all.

As he winds down, ready to say goodbye (and goodnight), Tanahashi appears.

Tanahashi confronts Kenny, making sure to highlight that this is New Japan. It looks like they’re doubling down on Tanahashi not respecting Omega’s in-ring style and attitude for their feud.

It’s deeper than just wanting a title shot – it’s a core difference of ideology and in-ring principles, which makes their inevitable clash all the more intriguing – and personal – come January 4th.

“Switchblade” Jay White Joins The Firing Squad

Steve Russell
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At this year’s New Years Dash, which took place January 5th, the leader of the Bullet Club Kenny Omega personally invited Jay White to become the group’s latest member. White declined, later revealing he had joined CHAOS.

That partnership ended last month as both Gedo and Jay White turned their back on CHAOS, attacking The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada.

In that time, it appears Jay White has reconsidered the Bullet Club offer.

Breathe With The Firing Squad

After losing a hard match to NJPW Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, White would proceed to viciously attack his opponent, leading to the Ace’s greatest rival, Kazuchika Okada, to run out in order to make the save. Things only got worse as Gedo got involved, forcing longtime partner, Jado, to appear and try to calm the storm.

As things looked like they were finally settling, the Bullet Club OGs arrived.

The BCOGs grabbed both Jado and Gedo, giving Okada free reign to continue doling out payback to whomever he wished. Though uncertain at first, Okada ran to the ropes in order to attack Gedo only to be hit by an unexpected Gun Stun from Tama Tonga.

Jay White finally slithered into the ring, choosing this moment to enter the fray as both Tanahashi and Okada lay prone on the mats. It was uncertain if this was just a temporary alliance of convenience between the men until ‘The Switchblade’ stood over Okada and raised his hand into the ‘Too Sweet’ gesture. He would then hit his finisher, Blade Runner, onto The Rainmaker.

The group then left together, with “Switchblade” Jay White, Gedo, and Jado now aligned with Bullet Club’s Firing Squad.

What did you make of this? How do you think the addition of Jay White will play out for the BCOGs?

Chris Jericho Makes Surprise Appearance At King Of Pro Wrestling

Steve Russell
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EVIL’s love of Halloween and the macabre may be the very thing that hurt him today at NJPW’s King Of Pro Wrestling event.

Scheduled to take on Halloween-hating Zack Sabre Jr. in a one-on-one match with IWGP Intercontinental Championship ramifications, EVIL would end up being assaulted by one of the druids that had escorted him to the ring during his appropriately gothic entrance.

That druid would eventually unmask, revealing himself to be current IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Chris Jericho.

An EVIL Future

Unhappy with having his match called off, Zack Sabre Jr. proceeded to attack a number of Young Lions who were tending to the beaten EVIL. That attack extended to Tiger Hattori, before LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito made the save.

This one event sets up two future bouts between Tetsuya Naito and Zack Sabre Jr., as well as EVIL and Chris Jericho, most likely with the Intercontinental strap on the line.

“I Don’t Live And Let Die”

Jericho has been vocal in recent months about his low opinion of EVIL. When EVIL ran in to save Naito from a previous Jericho attack, Y2J claimed that EVIL needed to “mind his own f******g business,” and promised that he holds “grudges very deeply. I don’t forget. And I don’t live and let die.”

Today saw Chris Jericho being true to his word. It will be interesting to see how EVIL retaliates against the jet-setting superstar going forward.

What did you think of the Chris Jericho ambush? Where does their feud go from here?

LIJ Reveal New Member At King Of Pro Wrestling

Steve Russell
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Last week, New Japan Pro Wrestling released a slick video via YouTube featuring the members of Los Ingobernables De Japon. The video focused on LIJ leader, Tetsuya Naito, teasing that a new member would be joining them at King Of Pro Wrestling.

Naito took to the mic in order to build up towards the reveal of their new recruit, before playfully stating that it was NJPW announcer, Milano Collection AT. Waving it off, the screen changed, now emblazoned with the words ‘The Dragon.’

The newest member took his time entering the ring, allowing the speculation to continue and anticipation to build before finally revealing himself to be Shingo Takagi.

A Shared History

Shingo shares a common bond with the majority of LIJ, having been trained by Animal Hamaguchi – just like Naito, BUSHI, SANADA, and EVIL. This throwback connection makes him an organic choice for their wonderful band of misfits.

A 4-time Open The Dream Gate Champion, 6-time Open The Triangle Gate Champion, 5-time Open The Twin Gate Champion, he is also a former GHC Junior Heavyweight and ROH Tag Team Champion. He has also competed in global tournaments such as King of The Gate, wXw’s 16 Carat Gold, and PWG’s Battle Of Los Angeles.

Shingo is bound to be a great addition to the group if his debut outing is anything to go by:

What do you think of Shingo joining LIJ? Did you think it would be someone else? What did you think of his debut?

Bayley Wants To Wrestle Ivory At Evolution, Ronda Rousey Thanks The Riott Squad

Daniel Pena
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– WWE Evolution is only three weeks away and Bayley would like to wrestle a WWE Hall of Famer at the all-women’s pay-per-view event.

On Saturday, Ivory tagged Bayley in a tweet complimenting her arm drag with the hashtag “#Evolution.” Bayley responded, “Let’s wrestle.”

Ivory responded, “Can I have a year to get in shape, first?!” Bayley then said, “How about I give you until Oct. 28?” — Evolution takes place on October 28.

There’s a personal connection between the two as Bayley met Ivory when she was 12 years old and the then-WWE star asked her if she’s going to see her in the ring one day.

“I remember having the opportunity to meet Ivory as a kid, and she was the first woman’s wrestler that I met. She looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to see you in the ring one day aren’t I?'” Bayley said in an interview earlier this year.

“I took that sign that I was going to make it and then I met her again at Wrestlemania 30 or 31 as a member of the WWE roster and told her that story.”

– At WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins beat The Riott Squad in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match. The match ended in a unique fashion as Rousey made Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan submit simultaneously to a double armbar. Rousey took to Instagram on Sunday to thank Australia, The Bella Twins and even The Riott Squad.

Rousey wrote, “Yesterday moved me to my core. Thank you Melbourne. Thank you Australia. Thank you everyone who smiled back at me at #WWESSD … thank you @thenikkibella and @thebriebella for having my back in the ring last night…. And thank you #RiotSquad @rubyriottwwe @sarahloganwwe @yaonlylivvonce for being the force we had to reckon with.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Boo8mkMhDnC/

Rey Mysterio’s WWE Return Announced For Smackdown 1000

Chris Stephens
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WWE has confirmed that Rey Mysterio’s WWE return will indeed take place at Smackdown 1000. The landmark episode is scheduled to take place on October 16th from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

It will be the first time in 4 years Mysterio has appeared on an episode of Smackdown.

Mysterio had been rumored for the event in recent days but WWE just officially confirmed the news today.

Rey Mysterio Returns To WWE

Mysterio wrestled in WWE for a 12-year stretch from 2002-2014. He is a former 2x World Heavyweight Champion and briefly held the WWE Championship on one occasion as well. Mysterio is also a 2x Intercontinental Champions, and 3x Cruiserweight Champion. He won the tag titles along with Edge, RVD, Eddie Guerrero, and Batista. Additionally, Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble.

Mysterio has also received numerous awards from the wrestling media as well. The Wrestling Observer voted him Rookie of the Year in 1992, Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1996, and was voted into their Hall of Fame in 2010.

WWE Smackdown 1000

Smackdown 1000 will not only feature the return of Rey Mysterio but also the reunion of Evolution. The faction consisting of Randy Orton, Batista, Triple H, and Ric Flair is scheduled for the show as well.

WWE Adds Stipulation To Becky Lynch Vs Charlotte Flair Rematch

Chris Stephens
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WWE has added an important new stipulation onto the scheduled Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair match on Tuesday night. Shortly after Lynch was disqualified at Super Show-Down, the promotion announced the rematch would take place this week on Smackdown.

According to the recently announced stipulation, should Becky Lynch get disqualified Tuesday night as she did in Melbourne, Flair will be awarded not only the victory but also the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair Rivalry Statistics

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have met 4x in single’s matches (not including house shows). Lynch has won 3 of the 4, her only loss coming by way of DQ at Super Show-Down this weekend. They’ve met another 3x on house shows (all recently), where Lynch has successfully defended the championship on each occasion.

They have been in 7 of the same multi-person matches including 2 Money in the Bank matches. Of those 7 matches, Charlotte has won 2, Becky just one, and the rest were won by other competitors. In tag-team matches, they’ve only been on opposing sides once, which was the Raw vs Smackdown match at Survivor Series 2017. Flair’s Raw team won that match. So of the 12x they’ve been opposed each other on WWE programming, with each of them having won 4 matches, with the remainder having been won by other competitors in multi-person matches.

Impact Wrestling “Motown Showdown” Lineup For Tonight

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling will present a live show on Twitch tonight in conjunction with Scott D’Amore’s Border City Wrestling. “Motown Showdown” will begin airing at 7PM live from Detroit city.

The show can be watched live and for free on Impact’s Twitch channel.

Impact Wrestling/Border City Wrestling
Motown Showdown

  • Johnny Impact vs Moose
  • Eddie Edwards and Tommy Dreamer vs Johnny Swinger and Jon Bolen
  • Kiera Hogan vs Gisele Shaw vs Scarlett Bordeaux
  • D-Lo Brown vs Kongo Kong
  • Ace Romero vs Sami Callihan
  • N8 Mattson vs Petey Williams vs Ace Austin vs Matt Sydal

The promotion released the following promotional video for the event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKaT4Rj6sM

Impact Wrestling Upcoming Schedule

Impact Wrestling kicked off a busy October last night in Windsor.  They filmed a One Night Only PPV with Border City Wrestling which is scheduled to air on the Global Wrestling Network on November 9th. They have the live Twitch show tonight and then head to New York for Bound For Glory.

Following BFG, Impact will remain in the Melrose Ballroom for 2 nights of television tapings. Their November tapings will take place over 3 days in Las Vegas’ Sam’s Town Casino, a former longtime ROH venue. Impact will film episodes there from November 11-13th. They will also run a seminar the night before for wrestlers, referees, and personalities.

Big Show’s Return Announced, WWE World Cup Qualifying Matches Scheduled

Chris Stephens
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The Big Show will wrestle his first match since losing inside a steel cage to Braun Strowman on the September 4th, 2017 edition of Monday Night Raw. Show will take part in 1 of 2 WWE World Cup Qualifying matches scheduled to take place Tuesday night on Smackdown.

Big Show will face Randy Orton with the winner earning a spot in the World Cup tournament scheduled to take place at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. In the other World Cup Qualifying match to take place on the show, Jeff Hardy will face Samoa Joe.

Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women’s Championship has already been confirmed for Tuesday’s Smackdown as well.

WWE World Cup At Crown Jewel

Little information is available regarding the format of the tournament. It is not clear as of this writing if it will be a tournament for individual competitors or if they will be grouped together by nations.

Confirmed matches for Crown Jewel include:

  • WWE Championship
    AJ Styles (c) vs Daniel Bryan
  • Universal Championship
    Roman Reigns (c) vs Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar
  • WWE World Cup Tournament

Shawn Michaels and Triple H versus Undertaker and Kane is also rumored for the event. That match could become official later this week.

Shayna Baszler Blasts 4 Horsewomen Of NXT

Chris Stephens
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Former NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, recently took a shot at the 4 Horsewomen of NXT. During the inaugural Mae Young Classic, Baszler’s 4 Horsewomen of MMA got into a posturing-battle of sorts with the version consisting of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks.

Baszler took a stab at her faction’s rivals during a recent interview with Uproxx.

“They’re not in a stable,” Bazler said in reference to the NXT Horsewomen. “We’re not just four random guys. This is my whole argument about the thing. People are like, ‘Yeah but Charlotte is Ric Flair’s daughter.’ But they weren’t just four guys that made history which the fake Four Horsewomen did. They’re four girls that made history. That’s great, but that’s not what the Four Horsemen did. They were a team. They were a stable. And we’re a team. You don’t see us needing counseling to stay friends and bickering and feuding over … You know what I mean?”

Shayna Baszler in WWE 2K19

Baszler recently made her video game debut in WWE 2K19. An avid gamer, Baszler and Jessamyn Duke regularly stream games on their Twitch channel. She was asked if her move-set in the game is reflective of her real one.

“Obviously I spent a lot more time developing my in-ring style here at the [WWE Performance Center]. So even since the game, this new game, came out, I think I would probably be different than that. But it’s pretty wild to just be a selectable character. And to think my nieces can select me and play as me, that’s weird to think of.”

Penelope Ford To Challenge for NWA Women’s Title at 70th Anniversary

Staff
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The National Wrestling Alliance has announced it will be Penelope Ford challenging Jazz for the NWA Women’s Championship at the upcoming NWA 70th Anniversary show.

NWA 70th Anniversary Card

The NWA Women’s Championship match is the latest high-stakes contest to round out this card. The main event of the NWA 70th Anniversary show will see NWA World Heavyweight Champion Cody defending against Aldis. This “All In” rematch will be Best of 3 Falls.

Additionally, 8-men will compete to crown a new NWA National Champion. Two 4-man elimination matches will be held. The winners will advance to a singles match to with the National Championship on the line. The competitors include Sam Shaw, Willie Mack, Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Scorpio Sky, Jay Bradley, Mike Parrow and Colt Cabana

The NWA 70th Anniversary takes place on Sunday, October 21st from Nashville, Tennessee. The show is available for purchase at FITE.TV for $24.99.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5xQmSIn2zI

Kota Ibushi Teases Putting His Career On The Line At King Of Pro Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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Kota Ibushi has a chance to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion tomorrow at King of Pro Wrestling. Ibushi will wrestle Kenny Omega and Cody in a triple threat match with the title on the line.

At a recent KOPW press-conference, Ibushi teased putting his career on the line in the match. His comments were transcribed by occasional NJPW World commentator and author, Chris Charlton.

“Wow! Ibushi: ‘Cody has a title, Kenny obviously is putting his title on the line. I have nothing to put on the line. So I want to put my wrestling career on the line here. That’s how much I want to have a legendary match.’”

The comments were made in such a way, however, that they likely shouldn’t be taken as a literal stipulation.

NJPW King of Pro Wrestling Lineup – October 8th, 2018

  •  IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
    Kenny Omega vs. Cody vs. Kota Ibushi
  • G1 Briefcase
    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
    KUSHIDA vs. Marty Scurll
  • EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano and Roppongi 3K vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI, and a new LIJ member TBD
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and Takashi Iizuka
  • The Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Chase Owens vs. Guerillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori
  • Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma vs. Juice Robinson and Toa Henare
  • IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title Match
    Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask
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