Major League Wrestling (MLW) picked up a hot prospect tonight (Thurs. October 4, 2018). Longtime Mexican professional wrestling star Rush was announced to make his debut for the promotion during “MLW: Fury Road.” The event took place from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. Mid-way through the show, MLW played a video package hyping Rush’s debut. A date or location was not given. We’re told that Rush is coming into MLW strong and will be in the mix for the next few months.
Rush has been in the professional wrestling business since 2008 when he debuted for International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) in October. He performed under the name “Latino” for several months, sticking around the mid-card before leaving in June of 2009. Rush then signed with top Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in the summer of 2009.
He has remained there for the past nine years and is a member of the famed Los Ingobernables faction. During his time in CMLL, Rush has been extremely successful. He is a former CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion, a two-time and current World Tag Team Champion, and former Mexican National Trios Champion.
Rush was named the number 131 best (out of 500) wrestler in the PWI 500 list back in 2013. Most recently, he was awarded “Best Gimmick” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2017 as a member of Los Ingobernables.
Trish Stratus vs. Sasha Banks. It’s a match that many fans have been clamoring for since it was first teased in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match in January.
I spoke with both Banks and Stratus at personal appearances in August, and both seemed eager to face each other.
Although Stratus is booked for the upcoming WWE Evolution show, the company had a different creative vision, and announced Alexa Bliss as her opponent. Does this mean that Stratus vs. Banks will never happen? Not necessarily.
Both Banks and Stratus are appearing at New York Comic Con on Thursday, and if their social media chatter is any indication, it seems as though there may be a verbal confrontation of some sort between the two.
Stratus is semi-retired, and Banks has not been pushed as a focal point of the women’s division in nearly a year.
Does WWE see Banks as a star at the level of working with a Hall of Famer like Stratus? Where would the match take place? Would the company deem it worthy of the television time needed to build the feud during a WrestleMania season?
We are down to the final two episodes of Impact Wrestling before Bound For Glory. The two episodes left will both be from the 2nd night of tapings from Mexico City last month.
Impact Wrestling 10/4
Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal
Two of the most innovative wrestlers there are will clash tonight. Sydal and Swann are two big reasons fans have to be excited about the future of the X-Division. Swann has rebuffed Sydal’s offer at being his mentor so Swann will want to prove he doesn’t need one tonight. I would have to imagine that whoever comes out of this program the winner would be the next in line for a shot at Brian Cage’s X-Division title. That will have to wait until after Bound For Glory, however.
Joe Hendry vs Murder Clown
Possibly the best-named wrestler ever, Murder Clown, has been enlisted by Katarina to help get revenge on Joe Hendry and Grado. Murder Clown is part of the clown faction in AAA, with Psycho Clown perhaps being the best known of the bunch.
Katarina is a woman-scorn and she wants revenge on Hendry and Grado. Murder Clown seems like a good wrestler to turn to with help on this.
Eli Drake Open Challenge
Eli Drake will issue another open challenge tonight. Anyone from the Impact roster or any luchador near Mexico City could answer the call.
Su Yung vs Kiera Hogan
Kiera Hogan picked up arguably one of the most important victories in her young Impact career last week. Hogan pinned former Knockouts Champion, Su Yung, in a tag match. Hogan and Allie defeated Yung and one of her undead bridesmaids. A win in a single’s match for Hogan could push her high up in the Knockouts rankings. Yung, on the other hand, could be out for revenge.
Scarlett Bordeaux Smoke Show
Last week, Scarlett Bordeaux announced she was holding a global talent search. The lucky winner will have Bordeaux’s mentoring services all to themselves. Perhaps we will find out more about her plans tonight.
On a side note, Scarlett Bordeaux’s AAA debut is one of the most watched things on YouTube for the promotion ever. She has certainly been winning over new fans as of late.
What Is Next For LAX?
Last week, King burned Konnan’s mask in an act of disrespect. King called Konnan one of the biggest myths in all of Mexican wrestling. Tonight, Konnan and LAX will have to adhere to the ceasefire but they might just have something to say with only 10 days left until Bound For Glory (wow, just realized that).
Knockouts Championship Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
There doesn’t appear to be anything specific dedicated to this pending matchup on tonight’s show but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything. Likely we’ll get backstage promos from both or a video package.
Sami Callihan and OVE Issue A Challenge To Brian Cage and the Lucha Brothers
As I was writing this, Impact posted the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01kI289R2ig
Bound For Glory Lineup
Just for reference:
Bound for Glory LIneup October 14th
Melrose Ballroom, NYC
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Johnny Impact
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Eddie Edwards vs Moose
Sami Callihan & oVe vs Brian Cage & the Lucha Brothers
Concrete Jungle Deathmatch
LAX & Konnan vs OGZ & King
Not content with crafting one of the best stories to ever unfold in a WWE ring with his recent NXT feud with Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano is set to get fans eagerly awaiting his main roster call-up as he discussed his top three main roster dream match opponents in a recent interview.
Speaking with Alex McCarthy during a media event, Gargano would take a moment to ponder the question, before diving straight into his first answer.
“[…] so I’m going up to the main roster…after I win the NXT title and everything’s done…” he added with a laugh. “After that…man, I’m gonna say, obviously Daniel Bryan. That’s a dream match that a lot of people would love to see now.”
“I think I just posted a Tweet recently that the internet went nuts for, and that’s me and Seth Rollins,” Gargano said. “Because, of course, I wore my Captain America Infinity War gear and he just wore the Thanos gear, so you never know what can happen there.”
“One more’s tough…so Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins…and, of course, I would be remiss not to say AJ Styles. I’m going strictly on wrestling dream matches, I guess for certain people. Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles.
“Those are my three picks, I think right now,” he stated, before adding, “If we’re going ‘story,’ maybe [it would be] a different answer, but if I’m going strictly wrestling dream matches those are my three.”
I asked @JohnnyGargano what three superstars he would like to face in a long programme – a la Gargano/Ciampa – on the main roster one day.
Despite being knocked unconscious and suffering a subsequent concussion due to Brie Bella’s errant ‘Yes Kicks’ during the September 24th episode of Monday Night Raw, it’s been revealed that Liv Morgan has now been cleared to compete.
According to the Wrestling Observer, Morgan underwent testing backstage this past Monday and has been officially cleared for this Saturday’s Super Show-Down event in Melbourne, Australia.
Liv Morgan was present this past weekend at the WWE Live Events, though she did not take any bumps as she was only permitted limited contact.
A lot has been made over the ‘Yes Kicks’ that led the Riott Squad member to suffer a concussion, with Brie Bella candidly pushing back at the negative comments she found herself confronted with.
Her husband, Daniel Bryan, would also speak up, defending Brie against the wave of ‘cyber bullies’ that she had encountered since the event.
Liv Morgan is now set to compete this Saturday with her fellow Riot Squad members, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, against the team of “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie.
WWE Super Show-Down
WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
#1 Contenders Match: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Buddy Murphy
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day (c) vs. The Bar
Triple H (w/Shawn Michaels) vs. The Undertaker (w/Kane)
John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Elias and Kevin Owens
The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre
The Bella Twins and RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. The Riott Squad
Major League Wrestling announced on Thursday that Shane Strickland has optioned his rematch clause against MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki. Four months after Low Ki throned the champ, “Swerve” will get a shot at redemption at MLW Fightland on Thursday, November 8th from Chicago, IL.
It’s expected that Strickland will be facing Low Ki at Fightland, but Low Ki first has to get through his title defense against Daga tonight in New York City at MLW: Fury Road.
Both Fury Road and Fightland will be TV tapings for MLW Fusion, which airs every Friday night on beIN SPORTS.
Strickland’s MLW World Championship rematch is the second title match announced for Fightland. Earlier this week, the company announced the main event will see Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix (cornered by Konnan) defend the MLW World Tag Team Championships against LA Park & Hijo de LA Park (presented by Salina de la Renta).
The MLW World title shot at Fightland is being seen by many as Strickland’s best chance to climb back to the top of the mountain in MLW. Tonight at Fury Road, he’ll face “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, who has his own championship opportunity waiting for him as the winner of MLW Battle Riot.
If you’re in the Chicago area, check out MLWTickets.com for details on how you can attend MLW Fightland!
Former four-time WWE Women’s champion, Lita, commented recently about the possibility of wrestling in the WWE past her one-on-one encounter with Mickie James at WWE Evolution, stating that “you never know.”
If it were to pan out that Lita wanted to continue wrestling, it would be interesting to see where that trajectory takes her. The WWE Hall Of Famer has evidently been keeping up to date with the current product as she has an unabahsed admiration for one NXT superstar in particular.
Speaking with The Sun, Lita was effusive with her praise for Bianca Belair.
“Down at the performance center, all the guys at NXT are in the ring every day and in class,” Lita said. “They have everything they need to learn and there is so much talent in regards to physical ability and thinking about their character. But for someone to have that intangible star factor… Bianca Belair, along with some other the others there, is very talented.”
Lita would highlight Bianca Belair’s “great attitude,” and note how “physically gifted” she is before confessing “[…] when I very first saw her she [Belair] had that intangible star quality that I just want to see more.”
Commenting on Belair’s unique offense, where she utilizes her hair as a weapon, Lita observed, “It’s crazy, no-one has ever used their hair as a weapon. It’s so cool how she thought of that and how it works. She sure has that star quality and uniqueness.”
You can now catch Charly Caruso on ESPN. The 31-year-old announcing veteran revealed Thursday via Instagram that she is now officially an employee of ESPN. Under her real name, Charly Arnolt, she will be handling SportsCenter Updates on ESPN and hosting the SportsCenter show on Snapchat. Caruso starts today as she is handling SportsCenter Updates today and tomorrow.
Caruso issued a statement on Instagram saying that she’s waited her entire life to say she is officially an employee at ESPN. She confirmed that she’ll remain part of the WWE family, calling WWE her home. “WWE + ESPN = KILLER COMBO!”
Prior to joining WWE in 2016, Caruso worked as a television reporter under her real name. She studied broadcast journalism at American University in Washington, D.C and worked as a sports news reporter in various markets across the Untied States.
Charlotte Flair recently did an exclusive interview with Mirror where she talked about the increase of new group of talent in the WWE.
This is for good reason as the company is putting more of a focus on women’s wrestling with the revolution going on right now to the point that they are presenting an all-women’s pay-per-view event, Evolution, that goes down later this month in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
With WWE going in this direction and signing more female talent, Flair feels that it has motivated her to raise her own game. She talked about it in this interview.
“What I love about the new crop of women is that I look at them and I go ‘wow, I need to up my game’. We continue to hire women who seem to already be polished and who have already made it outside of WWE, and whose whole goal was to get to WWE.”
Flair continued by stating that it makes her think that she needs to work that much harder because this crop of girls can take her spot and is more excited to see what they have built now and the women who are coming up now build in the future as she doesn’t think it is going to stop at Evolution.
Flair’s next big match is a few days away as she’s slated to challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch with the title being on the line at the WWE Super Show-Down.
Former WWE Superstar Melina continues to speak about wanting to wrestle at WWE’s upcoming all-women’s pay-per-view event, Evolution. Recently, Melina was actually called out by current WWE Superstar Naomi for a match at Evolution when Cathy Kelly interviewed her at the 2018 Kids’ Choice Awards.
Melina briefly responded to her on Twitter but gave a more extensive reaction when she was recently interviewed by “Ring The Belle” where she talked about a wide range of topics. “I wanted to hug her face off. I would love to have a match with her. I would love it.” The former WWE star continued by stating that Naomi is a good person and that they could make magic together in a match. She brought up how WWE Hall of Famer Lita has stated in the past that Melina and Mickie James had the most amazing matches. She credits it due to them having great chemistry and that’s because they’re friends and love each other. She added that the creativity between the both of them was just so amazing. “So, I feel like it’s gonna be the same way with Trinity.” Melina stated that Naomi’s eagerness, wanting to work and being a great person, as well as so creative, would be a beautiful thing if they ever had a match.
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 Super Show-Down Ring Construction Begins (Photos)
The WWE Super Show-Down event is right around the corner as it takes place this Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia and will air on the WWE Network. Construction on the stage and ring design have begun as photos that give fans the first look inside of the stadium for the event have surfaced online.
Several big matches for this show have been confirmed including Triple H vs, the Undertaker, AJ Styles vs, Samoa Joe for the WWE Title, The Shield vs, the Dogs of War in a six-man tag team match, and Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz in a #1 contender’s match. We will be providing live coverage of this event starting at 5:00 AM EST so make sure to be on the lookout for it.
WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter gave some high praise to Becky Lynch on Twitter. The SmackDown Women’s Champion is slated to make her next title defense against Charlotte Flair at Super Show-Down. The WWE Legend wrote the following:
“@BeckyLynchWWE The Greatest Villans Are Masters On The Mic & Can Back Up Their Words With Wrestling?UR Promo’s Remind Me Of @R_Roddy_Piper.”
@BeckyLynchWWE The Greatest Villans Are Masters On The Mic & Can Back Up Their Words With Wrestling?UR Promo’s Remind Me Of @R_Roddy_Piper
New Japan Pro Wrestling Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, recently shared his concerns over the Americanization of NJPW’s essence and aesthetic as the company continues to grow in the west. Since then, news has come from the recent Wrestling Observer highlighting some concern and confusion over New Japan’s future business strategies.
It’s reported that there is, in fact, an entirely new regime in charge. Not just Harold Meij as the new President, but others that have been placed into prime positions within the company, courtesy of the new President.
These individuals, who have found themselves in a lofty position within New Japan, apparently don’t have any background whatsoever in wrestling, and it has been noted that the etiquette within NJPW’s top tier has shifted accordingly. They have replaced popular long-time officials that the wrestlers on their roster trusted and respected.
Questions
This dramatic shake-up has supposedly forced a number of wrestlers to question why a company that has been experiencing such burgeoning global success would undertake such a dramatic change to their core business team. Many wonder what could be gained from replacing those who had helped helm the company to its current success.
Naturally, the agenda remains unchanged as they continue to expand the business outside of Japan and proceed with their aggressive Western expansion, but it has been highlighted there is an undeniable concern.
“The Real Deal. That’s What I Want To Show Them”
Tanahashi noted, “I want to show that Made In Japan feel. With NJPW World there are so many fans now that watch our cards live or near live. I want to bring them what they see streaming on their devices in person right in front of them,” he said, before recalling, “It reminds me of when WWE came to Japan and I was at the show. It would have been 2002 maybe? The Rock was definitely there (March 1 2002, Yokohama Arena). They had a Japanese ring announcer translating what the English announcer said. Whenever that guy spoke he got booed.”
“They were saying ‘forget the translation, we want to see the authentic American product’ I think. I think there are American fans that want the same from NJPW. Not something rearranged for ‘American tastes’ but the real deal. That’s what I want to show them.”
What do you make of this? Is this corporate upheaval going to have a major impact on the NJPW product going forward? Is this something to be concerned about as a fan?
The WWE has been busy putting plans in place for their SmackDown 1000, which takes place October 16th in Washington D.C. They have already announced a stellar amount of talent will be present and returning. Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and the entirety of Evolution (including Batista) are all scheduled to be at the show.
One name on that list, however, is the man who helped popularize the word that would become the name of the show itself: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Locked Down In London
According to Dave Meltzer, the WWE are working hard, trying to secure an appearance by “The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment” at their landmark event.
It’s worth noting, however, that The Rock is currently in London with Jason Statham, filming ‘Hobbs & Shaw’, a spin-off to the mega-successful ‘Fast & Furious’ movie franchise. The movie is currently slated to release on July 26th 2019.
With that in mind, unless an appearance doesn’t conflict with any sort of scheduling commitment, it might be difficult, if not impossible, for The Brahma Bull to finally return home to the blue brand come October 16th.
Double Main Event
The current card for that night’s historic SmackDown event is being advertised with a double main event (as per the Capitol One Arena website):
AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe & The Miz
Charlotte Flair, Asuka & Naomi vs. Becky Lynch, and The Iiconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay)
The card is, naturally, subject to change. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz, and Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton were originally scheduled but have subsequently been altered.
The WWE Network has been running for about four years now and while content new and old has been added to the titular streaming service, it seems that more features will be added to in order to gain new subscribers.
Similar Hulu Structure Service
With the television deal with Fox now in the books. WWE is planning on revamping their Network similar to a tier pricing plan like Hulu’s. The concept has been considered for a few years now and WWE is planning on making the changes in the not so distant future. Vince McMahon himself is said to be leading the project.
A survey from WWE back in 2016 was given to fans on what kind of streaming structure tier would interest them if WWE were to change the Network.
Here are the 4 Options WWE presented during the 2016 Survey:
Plan One – Free
FREE, featuring five hours of archived material, five-minute video clips, and a 24/7 live stream that would feature WWE content without PPVs, NXT and the Cruiserweight Classic. The idea would be that this would be a free service, featuring commercials, that would be available to watch on all devices. Think Hulu’s free content without a subscription.
Plan Two – $4.99
Priced $4.99 a month would feature the WWE Network as it currently exists, with the exception of NXT and its Takeover specials, would feature limited commercials and access to only the “Big Four” WWE PPV events. The tier would also feature a VOD proponent that would add all new WWE “live events” (assuming this would mean Raw, Smackdown, etc.) 30 days after they air. This content would only be available for those watching via phones and tablets.
Plan Three – $9.99
Priced at the still-current WWE Network price of $9.99 would offer the WWE Network as it currently exists, except WWE NXT would air live every week (similar to how Raw and Smackdown currently air). This would also have limited commercials.
Plan Four – $14.99
Priced at $14.99, this version would feature a commercial-free version of the WWE Network with all the current bells and whistles, a live version of NXT, a weekly Cruiserweight Classic series, and “access to independent wrestling content such as TNA & Ring of Honor” plus additional “Fan Perks” including early ticket ordering access, the right to vote in the WWE Hall of Famer, “offline” content download, small group online chats, exclusive second screen content and invites to exclusive in-person VIP meet-ups.
It will be interesting to see how the WWE will restructure their Network in order to keep up with the ever-changing demand for streaming services.
It was recently reported that the WWE had secured a number of new trademarks, mostly for show names that related to their old rivals, WCW.
Though it wasn’t apparent at the time why the WWE had suddenly decided to lock down a number of show names – as well as a number of trademarks relating to NXT talent – it has been noted by the Wrestling Observer that it comes down to Major League Wrestling (MLW) and their recent War Games event.
The WWE weren’t happy about MLW’s ability to trademark and use such a recognized name and stipulation for one of their recent shows, which would explain the WWE’s sudden eagerness to gain the trademarks they recently obtained.
Recent Trademarks
WWE filed trademarks for the following names, which were almost all exclusively past WCW events:
Saturday Night’s Main Event on 9/24
WCW Saturday Night on 9/24
WCW Thunder on 9/24
NWO New World Order on 9/21
All Star Wrestling on 9/21
WCW Monday Nitro on 9/21
WWE Hidden Gems on 9/21
World Championship Wrestling on 9/21
Halloween Havoc on 9/21
Fall Brawl on 9/21
Starrcade on 9/14
Many NXT superstars also found themselves with newly associated trademarks with the WWE, including Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford, Otis Dozovic, Tucker Knight, Adam Cole, Danny Burch, and Lars Sullivan.
Major League Wrestling returns to New York City tonight for MLW Fury Road. 11 matches are scheduled for the show, which takes place from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY. This will be a television taping, with matches from Fury Road airing on MLW Fusion Friday nights on beIN SPORTS.
The following matches are advertised for the MLW Fury Road event that will be held on Thursday in New York, New York at Melrose Ballroom.
MLW World Champion Low Ki vs. Daga
LA Park vs. PCO.
Jimmy Havoc vs. Sami Callihan (Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal)
Shane Strickland vs. Tom Lawlor
The Hart Foundation (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Teddy Hart & Brian Pillman Jr.) vs. ACH, Rich Swann, and Marko Stunt
Tommy Dreamer vs. Brody King
MLW Middleweight Champion Maxwell J Friedman vs. Jimmy Yuta vs. Jason Cade
Sammy Guevara vs. El Hijo de LA Park
Smash N Dash Connection vs. Samoan Island Tribe
Joey Ryan vs. “Most Marketable” Richard Holliday
Simon Gotch’s Prize Fight Challenge
If you’re in the New York area, a limited number of tickets are still available at MLWTickets.com. Check back later tonight for MLW Fury Road results!
Steve Borden, better known to wrestling fans as Sting, wrestled for TNA between 2003 and 2014 after his legendary tenure in WCW. WCW would be bought by their main competitors the WWE, then-WWF, in 2001.
During a conversation with Bill Apter, Sting reminisced on his negotiations with the WWE prior to signing with TNA, as well as Vince McMahon’s reaction when told he would be heading to Total Nonstop Action.
“I had probably had three… on three separate occasions, I had a conversation with Vince [McMahon] and I was close on a couple of those occasions to leaving [WCW],” Sting remembered.
He explained that a primary reason he would never leave the WWE’s primary rival was that “WCW always ended up giving me what I asked for as far as…it wasn’t just financial – it was how much I work. I wanted to have it be in black and white, contractually. ‘I want to work X number of days and blah, blah, blah, only a certain number of house shows that I want to do throughout the year,’ so they gave me what I wanted.”
“That’s Exactly What He Said…”
When Sting confessed to Vince that he was bound for TNA, he can still remember Vince McMahon’s reaction.
“I’ll never forget having that conversation with Vince,” Sting recalled. “He’s on the phone with me and he says, ‘you know, Sting,’ he said, ‘I find this hard to believe. The legacy that you leave behind and the thought of you going to TNA is just, blah.’”
“That’s exactly what he said, ‘blah!’ And so then you fast forward to me coming back to do WrestleMania [31], I sent out a text to Vince and Triple H, and I simply said, ‘have you guys turned the page on Sting yet?’ because I honestly didn’t know. Did they turn the page? Are they done or would they consider a run up there?”
Sting would finally wrestle for the WWE at Wrestlemania 31. He would face off against Triple H in an eventual loss to the King Of Kings.
It has been a banner year financially for WWE. The new TV deals the promotion signed along with a lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia have broken new ground for the company. With the new deals comes increased revenue to invest. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that revenue is going to be invested in international territories, NXT, and new Performance Centers.
“WWE is looking at expanding talent and the NXT side with all the added revenue coming in from the new deals,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “Among the ideas are more international Performance Centers and international territories, which means being even more aggressive in locking down people who they spot having marketable potential.”
WWE To Present More NXT
There has also been talk of increasing NXT to 2-hours every week as well as increasing the time of Takeover specials.
“There are those in the company pushing for the idea of the NXT TV show going two hours because they have so much talent, and to also increase the time of their Takeover shows.”
Johnny Gargano recently mentioned more NXT wrestlers are starting to feel as though they’d rather stick it out with the brand than go to the main roster.
“Everyone’s dream – and mine too – is to wrestle at WrestleMania, but right now NXT is such a special place. You have guys like me who have been wrestling around the world for ten years whose goal was to get here, and now we are all here tighter. We are focused on building something wrestling fans can be proud of, and we are building it together.”
Despite having spent most of the year accused of Joey Ryan’s murder, there appears to be significant interest from WWE toward Adam “Hangman” Page.
On the most recent edition of Being the Elite, Page received a gifted pair of boots and a note that read “Nice Try. If you want to be an assassin, try being more cerebral. – H”.
It was later reported that WWE has made an offer to Page recently, which BTE was spoofing. In an update to this story, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is noting Page has not turned the offer down.
“There has been serious WWE interest in Page in real life,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “He didn’t accept the offer but it was apparently more of a ‘needs time to decide answer.'”
Hangman Page Free Agency
Members of the Elite have said they will stick together as a group when most of them become free agents at the end of the year. Marty Scurll will not be a free agent and has already been confirmed for the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden next year, however. It’s not clear how Scurll’s situation will impact the rest of the group.
Page did an interview with CBS Sports recently and made a point of stating they were not ruling any promotion out of their negotiations.
“I think as a collective, as a group, we have been able to change wrestling,” Page said. “I think, as a group, we are really on to something, and I think we wanna continue this. It would be a real disservice to everyone who has supported us and got us to this point if we were to abandon what we’ve built.”
“Which could conceivably happen anywhere. It could happen … You catch my drift. So I don’t want to, at any point, rule anything out. If you kinda catch my drift on that one.”
It should come as no surprise that Don Callis and Impact Wrestling are hoping to make a talent-sharing arrangement with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Callis would likely love to bring Kenny Omega and others into Impact for a show or two.
Taiji Ishimori competes for both promotions but according to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, we shouldn’t expect many more to do the same.
“At least one NJPW wrestler asked about going to Impact and got a very negative reaction,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Impact officials have met with NJPW officials and even apologized for Kazuchika Okada’s negative excursion experience under a different Impact management. It appears NJPW is still not ready to do business with them again, however.
Impact Wrestling and NJPW Talent Sharing
It should be noted that the report is not clear on who the one wrestler in question is, who they got the reaction from, or if it is reflective of a general attitude the promotion still carries. Still, the report makes it clear that a wrestler from NJPW contacted Dave Meltzer and said NJPW didn’t want them wrestling for Impact Wrestling. That’s a significant development considering how badly Impact likely wants to strike a deal for NJPW talent.
NJPW has a long-standing talent-sharing agreement with Ring of Honor. Even though Impact’s television and live event markets are international, NJPW likely feels Impact is a competitor of ROHs similar to the relationship between CMLL and AAA.
While Sean Waltman has made sporadic wrestling appearances every now and then since leaving WWE, it has still been a while since he last wrestled.
Though some latest comments from the former DX member make it seem like he could return to the ring in the near future, and wrestle on a bigger stage then many would imagine.
During a latest episode of his X Pac 1,2,360 podcast, Waltman talked about a number of wrestling-related topics, including the recent return of Neville and more.
Sean Waltman On Recent Offer
While talking about possibly wrestling again, Sean revealed that he was actually asked about it recently by NWA Vice President Dave Lagana. But he refused the offer because he can’t do justice to it at this time.
Though continuing on the topic, the former WWE Star said that he would like to have some singles matches before performing on a bigger stage as he would like to be sharper.
While not confirmed, this likely means that Sean is actually thinking about making an in-ring return and we may see him returning to action sooner rather than later.
Do you think Sean Waltman should return to wrestling as an active competitor? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
The month of September wasn’t the best for WWE when it comes to TV ratings and so far the month of October has only made things worse.
As we noted before, the final episode of Raw in September did the lowest ratings in the Show’s history and the ratings for the first episode of October sunk even further.
And this trend has now continued with SmackDown as this week’s episode of the Blue Branded show has also made some new records of historic low ratings.
This week’s SmackDown featuring a match between Daniel Bryan and Shelton Benjamin and a closing segment between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair drew a total of 2.095 million viewers
This is down 4.47% from last week’s episode of the show which had AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event and had drawn 2.193 million viewers
This is the third worst rating for the Blue Branded Show since it moved to Tuesday night and started airing live and the worst rating the show has done since the July 3rd episode.
SmackDown was ranked #10 in cable viewership for the night, and it found itself behind shows like MLB Wild Card on ESPN, Hannity, Rachel Maddow, Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, Last Word, The Five, The Story and Special Report.
While SmackDown is generally praised by the audience as a better show than Raw, the ratings for it continue to decline. What do you think is the reason for this continuous sink? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section
The Hardy Boyz were paired with Lita in early 2000, and this trio known as Team Extreme went on to become part of some of the best tag team storylines of Attitude Era before splitting up two years later.
One of the team’s members Lita was recently interviewed by Planeta Wrestling, where she talked about a number of wrestling related topics.
When asked which stars she would pick to be the modern version of Team Extreme, Lita said that she would love to see a similar pairing because it was so dynamic.
Continuing on the topic, the Hall Of Famer recalled the time when Cesaro and Tyson Kidd were paired with Natalya, implying that this trio had some similarities to their team.
At the end, Lita said that as far as athleticism and excitement goes, the Usos paired with Naomi could become the modern-day Team Extreme.
Lita made her in-ring return at the Women’s Royal Rumble earlier this year. She is now scheduled to compete in her first singles match in more than a decade at the upcoming Evolution PPV where she will face Mickie James.
Do you agree with Lita’s choice of stars for the modern day Team Extreme? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Candice LeRae faced Lacey Evans on this week’s episode of NXT. LeRae and Evans had an altercation outside the arena during last week’s episode. The two Superstars locked up to start off the match.
Neither LeRae or Evans could get the upper hand until Candice connected with a Facebuster for a two count. Lacey battled back and sent LeRae into the turnbuckle. Evans followed it up with a Bronco Buster to Candice and then taunted her by doing pushups.
LeRae connected with an Enziguri to Evans’ face and then hit another Facebuster off the second rope for a near fall. Evans avoided the Unprettier and shouted that Candice was a loser just like her husband.
Candice got pissed off and beat the hell out of Lacey in the corner of the ring. The referee was forced to pull Candice off of Evans and then Lacey capitalized on the distraction and hit LeRae with the Woman’s Right for the pinfall victory.
Jason Ryker, Steve Cutler, and Wesley Blake dominated Torry Kirsh, Cesar Rise, and Vinny Mixon on this week’s episode of NXT. Ryker connected with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
Johnny Gargano battled Tony Nese on this week’s show. Nese controlled the match early and hit Johnny with a shoulder tackle. Gargano shrugged it off and planted Nese with a Hurricanrana out of nowhere.
Nese bounced right up and turned Gargano inside out with a Clothesline and then stomped on Johnny in the corner of the ring. Johnny knocked Nese out of the ring and immediately hit him with a Suicide Dive through the ropes.
Back in the ring, Nese planted Gargano with a Gutbuster and then went after his ribs. Johnny battled back with a DDT and then the Slingshot Spear for a two count. Johnny then went to apply the Gargano Escape but Nese was able to counter into a Powerbomb. Nese then hit a 450 Splash for another near fall.
Tony Nese then connected with a German Suplex that sent Gargano flying into the corner of the ring. Nese sprinted towards Gargano but Johnny was ready and hit him in the face with a Superkick. Johnny then applied the Gargano Escape for the submission victory.
Lars Sullivan squared off against EC3 in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. EC3 didn’t bother making his entrance and elected to storm down to the ring instead. EC3 attacked Lars before the match started and slammed him to the mat.
The ref called for the bell and EC3 was in control early. EC3 bashed Sullivan into the steel steps a few times and then connected with an Elbow Drop in the ring for a near fall. Sullivan was then able to battle back and send EC3 to the corner of the ring.
Lars hit EC3 with a couple of massive Splashes but EC3 decked him with a Dropkick to take the momentum back. Lars quickly took back control with a devastating Clothesline. EC3 showed off his own power and hit Lars with an impressive German Suplex and followed it up with a Crossbody off the top rope for another near fall.
Sullivan connected with another ridiculous Clothesline and then set up EC3 for the Freak Accident. EC3 escaped and both Superstars tumbled out of the ring after EC3 connected with a Clothesline. EC3 geared himself up but walked right into a Freak Accident from Sullivan on the ring apron. Lars then brought EC3 back to the middle of the ring and pinned him for the victory.
Johnny Gargano has made his feelings known about one day potentially being called up from NXT to WWE’s main roster whether that puts him on their flagship show, Monday Night RAW, or SmackDown Live.
The former NXT Tag Team Champion talked to the Daily Star while promoting the WWE 2K19 video game, which comes out on October 9, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Although he came up short against his rival Tommaso Ciampa with the NXT Title on the line in his most recent feud, he believes that there is still a lot for him to do and accomplish in NXT. Thus, he doesn’t want to get called up to the main roster at the moment.
“I do not see why not,” revealed Gargano when asked by Daily Star if there are wrestlers that want to stay in NXT. “Everyone’s dream – and mine too – is to wrestle at WrestleMania, but right now NXT is such a special place.”
He added that there are a lot of wrestlers like him who have been wrestling around the world for ten years whose goal was to get here, and now they are all here. Gargano stated, “We are focused on building something wrestling fans can be proud of, and we are building it together.”
