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.”
On the latest Edition of The Steve Austin Show Unleashed, Stone Cold gives his take on the state of promos in the wrestling business.
Austin is known for his intense interview style, which he credits to his time working with Brian Pillman in WCW, and his brief stint in ECW.
“I was forced to keep up with him or get left behind,” Austin said. “Through my stop in ECW, everyone in that dressing room could cut a promo, so it was sink or swim.”
Austin feels that that intensity, and a certain authenticity is missing from today’s mainstream wrestling product.
“I think there’s some micromanaging on WWE on the main roster,” Austin said. “Before I had my neck injury, a promo was you go out there with some bullet points.”
Austin pinpoints a shift in WWE’s philosophy right around the time he returned from that neck injury in 2000.
“When I came back from my neck surgery, that’s when they started doing this scripted type thing,” he said. “I was able to pull that off, but I never quite felt the same about what I was doing.”
“Sometimes less is more. And I can see in someone’s eyes when they’re trying to remember something,” Austin said. “One promo sells tickets. The other one’s kinda like, eh.”
Austin also tells a funny story about rooming with Rick Rude, and discusses his favorite country music artists.
Bill Goldberg is making the media rounds to promote the season premiere of Forged in Fire: Knife or Death that airs on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET on the History channel where he serves as the host. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to talk about the show as well as status with the WWE.
Potential WWE Return
Goldberg was asked if he’ll make another return to the company for a run or potentially one match at one of the upcoming shows in Saudi Arabia due to the big money that is being offered. “I don’t really foresee that happening, but if Vince [McMahon] picked up the phone and asked me to do something of that magnitude, I’d have to listen,” said Goldberg. “It’s always a possibility. If it’s just a money grab or it’s just a thing to throw me out there, I’m not interested. The biggest issue there is storyline. I don’t do things just to do them. If they can come up with a story or a reason for me to go back comparable to what they did last time, I’m in.”
His Last WWE Run
After twelve years away from the company, he returned to WWE in 2016 and headlined Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar, and Fastlane against Kevin Owens where he won the WWE Universal Championship. He lost the title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 last year in Orlando, Florida. Goldberg was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year during WrestleMania 34 weekend and was last seen on WWE television the night after Mania on RAW.
Goldberg stated that his last run was so special as it was everything it could have been and that he couldn’t have asked for much more. He continued by stating that nothing that they put out there is ever guaranteed to succeed, but thinks the stars aligned for it to happen.
“It was the right time and the right circumstances. I don’t know if the stars will align like that again.”
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Portland, OR at the Moda Center on the USA Network, there was a segment with The Bar and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day. For those who are wondering who was the man that played Mr. Bootyworth, it was WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE RAW General Manager Mick Foley’s son, Dewey Foley. He works for the company in a behind-the-scenes role. Dewey tweeted the following after the segment:
WWE and DK Books released a new book on the life and career of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson this week, which is titled “The World of The Rock.” According to the promotional material for it, the book is a “comprehensive visual guide chronicles The Brahma Bull’s impressive career from his Survivor Series debut in 1996 to headlining multiple WrestleManias, to becoming one of the biggest attractions in Hollywood.” Rock took to his official Twitter account to comment on the book by writing the following:
“Here’s the 2nd book I’ve published with @WWE. I was a lucky SOB that my 1st book was a @nytimes #1 Best Seller for weeks (J.K. Rowling was clearly on hiatus during my run). I picked every image in this book, including the painful fanny pack days.”
Here’s the 2nd book I’ve published with @WWE. I was a lucky SOB that my 1st book was a @nytimes #1 Best Seller for weeks (J.K. Rowling was clearly on hiatus during my run). I picked every image in this book, including the painful fanny pack days ????? https://t.co/ANYF3YeFuwhttps://t.co/8Q540S3a3b
Ring of Honor COO Joe Koff spoke with Paste Magazine about various topics heading into last week’s Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event.
A few excerpts from this interview were not about the show. One of those topics was about Will Ospreay’s role in ROH and the reason for him being limited in the company. It should be noted that Ospreay lost to ROH World Champion Jay Lethal at this show. “He was originally signed with Ring of Honor in conjunction with New Japan,” Koff said of Ospreay. “But the travel got to Will so he asked if he could work specific and selective dates, which we accommodated.”
All In took place last month and was a big success for Cody and The Young Bucks. Although it wasn’t under the ROH banner, the promotion did offer to help with the show that includes having their talent and production staff work. When asked how it was received by Sinclair Broadcast Group officials, Koff stated that he doesn’t think one show would ever have that kind of impact and that this show, as well as the event at MSG, showed the capability and where they are in the short period of time that they owned. “There’s a lot of validation inside of a company when good things happen. It’d be on different than buying a new syndicated show and all of a sudden it’s the number one show in the market. “Koff continued by stating that they put the same disciplines and the same foundational logic to every event but All In was just special because there was a specialness to it.
“All In was an unbelievable success not because of Ring of Honor; if there was any success attributable to Ring of Honor, it’s just that these were wrestlers contracted to us, and we saw the potential of this event and how important it is for the industry, for them, for what they were trying to put forth, and we were very supportive of that. That’s very indicative and very much a part of who we are.”
On the latest edition of The Jim Ross Report, Good Ol’ JR gave his take on the current creative picture in WWE.
With Saturday’s Super Show-Down looming, Ross speculated as to why Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Kane anchored the go-home segment on this week’s Raw.
JR’s theory? Those in the office don’t believe that the younger talent is over to the level of the stars from a bygone era.
“I know that based on the ratings Monday night, they weren’t good. So something ain’t stirring the coffee,” Ross said.
JR Not Asked To Call Smackdown 1000
Ross also mentioned that although he called the first episode of Smackdown with Jerry Lawler, he has not been asked to attend the upcoming landmark 1000th edition of the show. “No, I haven’t been invited back,” Ross said. “No, I’m not upset about it.”
JR On New Japan
JR also spoke to Kevin Kelly about New Japan’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed show, which match might headline Wrestle Kingdom in January, Switchblade Jay White, and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s resurgence.
JR’s Future
In the course of the conversation with Kelly, Ross expressed an interest in doing more with New Japan. “I’m not getting any younger. Bottom line, so what are we waiting on?” Ross said.
Ross also outlined a discussion he had with his agent about pursuing more announcing work.
“Let’s be aggressive and look for opportunities where I can do what I love to do… It’s a matter of you live your life. And my life, it’s always for the last 40 years, been about wrestling.”
Other topics covered include JR’s thoughts on the Supreme Court, the Pittsburgh Steelers woes, and this weekend’s Conor McGregor fight.
UK based promotion Fight Forever has announced the second bout for their upcoming ‘Phenomena’ event. This will be the debut show for the new promotion taking place at the PRYZM Nightclub in Birmingham, England.
Brandi Rhodes will be taking on Bea Priestley as part of the debut show. Priestley is one of the stars of the WoS/World of Sport re-boot alongside her partner Will Ospreay. Priestley has been on the UK scene for a number of years working as a top star in promotions such as Pro Wrestling: EVE. Brandi has been building her own brand over the last year with several high profile bouts and appearances alongside Cody Rhodes.
This news comes after Fight Forever announced that NJPW star Will Ospreay will be taking on the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Cody Rhodes in a huge international bout. This will not only be a bout featuring two of the hottest stars on the independent scene but will also be a Bullet Club vs CHAOS showcase.
In an interview with FightBooth Fight Forever Wrestling’s Co-Director Simon Kay said “Cody is on top of his game, he has never been better than he is right now. Will Ospreay, arguably the best wrestler in Britain will not want to lose on home soil. This could very well be the match of the year”.
You can purchase tickets for Phenomena and all upcoming events over at fightforeverwrestling.com. Fight Forever will also be heading to London on December 7th with a co-branded show alongside ‘Something to Wrestle’ starring Conrad Thompson and Bruce Prichard.
Breaking News: @TheBrandiRhodes & @BeaPriestley match made official for @fightforeveruk Phenomena in Birmingham on December 6th!
Who will be the dominant couple in Fight Forever with @CodyRhodes & @WillOspreay set to lock horns the very same night…
Charlotte Flair has pegged an up-and-coming NXT talent as the future of WWE. Flair believes NXT’s Bianca Belair is the future of the company. She made the comments while speaking with Give Me Sport recently.
“Bianca Belair,” answered Charlotte when asked who she feels is the future of the business. “She is the future. She’s a real stud.”
Flair is not the only one confident in Belair’s abilities.
Bianca Belair – Blue-Chip Prospect In Development
Amy “Lita” Dumas has also chimed in on Belair’s talent after working with her in the WWE PC recently as well.
“Bianca Belair, along with some other the others there, is very talented,” Lita said to SunSports recently. “She’s physically gifted, a great attitude, and when I very first saw her she had that intangible star quality that I just want to see more.”
Belair was a Track and Field star at 3 different high-level Universities. She then competed in power-lifting and Crossfit before getting into wrestling. Belair was scouted on the Crossfit scene by Mark Henry and signed after shortly after. She was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in April of 2016. In that time, she has developed into someone the company is confident in putting on NXT television and someone who is turning the heads of others in her industry.
Belair was married earlier this summer to a member of the Street Profits, Montez Ford. The newlyweds will both make their video game debut in WWE 2K19 which will be released later this month.
PROGRESS has announced the main event for their upcoming Chapter 77 event ‘Pumpkin Spice Progress.’
PROGRESS World Champion WALTER will defend his title against New Japan’s Zack Sabre Jr. ZSJ won the Super Strong Style 16 tournament earlier this year. When Zack took the coveted tournament trophy he opted to main event last weekend’s Wembley Arena event. Unfortunately New Japan had an unannounced show in Los Angeles (Fighting Spirit Unleashed) which meant that both he and Will Ospreay could not compete at Wembley. Now that Zack is free to challenge he is taking the first opportunity to do so in October.
WALTER defended his PROGRESS World Championship against Tyler Bate this past weekend at Wembley Arena. The Ringkampf stable member put on an instant classic with Bate that earned it’s place amongst some of the greatest matches in PROGRESS history. When the former wXw Unified World Champion faces ZSJ at the Electric Ballroom in Camden he’ll hope to find more of that magic.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has given his take on the rumors of fellow Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan potentially appearing at the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium. These rumors started once the Chairman of the General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia (Al-Sheikh) recently sent out a photo on his official Twitter account of Hogan.
The WWE Legend spoke about it on the latest episode of his podcast, Ross Report, that was released on Wednesday. In his opinion, Hogan should be there. “Why wouldn’t you have Hulk Hogan there? It just makes sense that you’d figure a way to have Hogan on the card.” Ross continued by stating that people grew up idolizing him in that part of the world and that it would be a massive hit due to the publicity and build great anticipation in the country if he was featured.
Hogan was backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where he held a meeting with Superstars to talk to them about privacy as a celebrity and the incident that got him shunned from WWE for years.
Super Show-Down Main Event
WWE’s next pay-per-view event is Super Show-Down and there are several matches that could headline it. Ross thinks that it has to be Undertaker vs. Triple H as WWE has Shawn Michaels and Kane out at ringside. He says it’s a big-time show and will be interesting to see which matches open and close the show.
Samoa Joe Vows To Become WWE Champion At Super Show-Down
Samoa Joe is once again challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Title but this time it goes down at the Super Show-Down pay-per-view event this Saturday where the match is being hyped by the WWE as there must be a winner. The former NXT Champion noted on his official Twitter account that he watched the Spanish version of this week’s SmackDown Live and decided to mock Styles before stating that he’s winning the title.
He wrote, “I enjoy the Spanish translation because the speaker actually has some bass in his voice. Everybody, stay in your feelings. They are just going to get worse when I win the WWE Championship.”
I enjoy the Spanish translation because the speaker actually has some bass in his voice. Everybody, stay in your feelings. They are just going to get worse when I win the WWE Championship. https://t.co/UuqDcuTEQp
WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne made it known that he hit a big milestone through the power of social media. He is celebrating the fact that he has been the champion for 500 days. If you recall, he beat Tyler Bate at the WWE NXT Takeover: Chicago event n May 20, 2017. He is close to passing Brock Lesnar’s recent WWE Universal Title reign of 504 days this week. He posted the following on Instagram:
