Home Blog Page 1652

Mikey Whipwreck Offers His Thoughts On WWE’s ECW Relaunch

Jon Fuentes
-
0

Former ECW star Mikey Whipwreck recently did an interview with Wrestling Inc. to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was WWE’s relaunch of the ECW brand in 2006. It lasted four years before being cancelled in 2010. Here’s what Whipwreck thought of the relaunch:

“I think a lot of guys that were there were rejects at first from WWE and WCW, so they really didn’t have anywhere else to go. Plus, it was the whole atmosphere and the whole attitude of us vs them type of deal, and Paul Heyman wasn’t micromanaging at all,” Whipwreck said.

“He would just tell us where we were going and this is what he has in mind and everything else would be up to you. He’d give you A and he would give you Z, but B through Y was all up to you, so there was a lot of creative freedom to do what you want to do. It was a really fun time.”

In regards to working with Paul Heyman, Whipwreck detailed that they called Heyman “The Mad Scientist” because he didn’t sleep and was constantly working:

“Paul did not sleep. They called him the Mad Scientist because he was. There were plenty of times when it was like 7 p.m., and show would start at 7:30 p.m. and he would have a napkin and pencil and would make decisions that way, asking who I would want to work with that night. Paul Heyman was very good because he was very motivating.

“He was that cult-like leader where you would believe in everything he was saying,” Whipwreck said. “He could have been lying through his teeth, which many times it was the case, but he knew how to motivate you. He had his hand and still does have his hand on pop culture. He knew what the people wanted and where the pulse was so he had it down pretty good and is still doing pretty good today.”

Whipwreck admitted he was indirectly contacted by Paul Heyman about possibly being a part of the WWE’s ECW relaunch. He noted he declined because he didn’t think his body would be able to handle the WWE schedule:

“Indirectly they did. Paul Heyman brought it up but I said that I don’t think I can do it, but my body probably would not have been able to handle the schedule,” he said. “If they had done TV Friday and Saturday with house shows on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, I probably could have handled it, but considering you were doing house shows on the weekend and then TV was on Monday and Tuesday, my body wouldn’t have handled it well. It would have ended quickly for me.”

You can read Whipwreck’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by clicking this link here.

WWE SmackDown Live Results & Discussion (7/10)

Eric Lynch
-
293

The July 10th edition of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH, and was the go-home show for Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

– Tom Phillips welcomes us to this week’s broadcast as he runs down tonight’s card including AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, and a lumberjack match between James Ellsworth and Asuka.

– The Miz is in the ring to kick off tonight’s show with a Miz TV segment. The Miz promotes his upcoming reality show on USA Network, and then he welcomes his Miz TV guests Kane and Daniel Bryan. Kane and Bryan come down to the ring and Bryan threatens to punch Miz in the face right there, but Kane talks him out of it off-mic. Miz talks about Team Hell No’s accomplishments and compliments them, and compares them to N’Sync reuniting. The Miz asks if they’re ready for The Bludgeon Brothers on Sunday. Kane says first of all, N’Sync will never reunite, and the Bludgeon Brothers are no match for Team Hell No. The Miz introduces a video package that shows Kane beating down Daniel in the past, and then the two arguing on SmackDown more recently. Bryan tells Miz to stop trying to stir the pot, and he says the Miz is terrible at that like he is everything else. He says the only thing he’s worse at is wrestling. The Miz predicts Kane will betray Bryan, and Bryan will fall for it. Miz calls Kane a cheesy nostalgia act, and says Bryan can no longer hang with Miz in the ring. Kane tells Bryan to stay calm and holds him back from Miz. The Miz keeps prodding until Kane snaps and grabs him by the throat. Before Kane can slam him, The Bludgeon Brothers comes out to the stage and distract him. As the Brothers walks to the ring, Sanity comes out and hits the ring from behind. All hell breaks loose between Sanity, Team Hell No, and the Bludgeon Brothers now. The Bludgeon Brothers beat down Kane at ringside while Sanity beats on Bryan in the ring. The New Day comes out for the save and they join the brawl. Sanity and The Bludgeon Brothers get the upper hand they beat down all the babyfaces until WWE officials come out to break it up. The Bludgeon Brothers and Sanity have a stare-down before going their separate ways.

– Shinsuke Nakamura is shown backstage getting ready to face AJ Styles in a WrestleMania rematch.

– Back from the break, we’re informed that Smackdown GM Paige has booked a 10-man tag match featuring Team Hell No & The New Day vs. Sanity & The Bludgeon Brothers

– AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: This one is a non-title match. Before the bell, Rusev and Aiden English come out to the stage to cut a promo on AJ. The opening bell sounds and Nakamura gets the jump on AJ and attacks him from behind. AJ fires back with a dropkick that stuns Shinsuke. Rusev and Aiden join the commentary table as Nakamura knocks Styles off the apron out to ringside. Nakamura beats on AJ on the floor before taking him back in the ring. Nakamura hits a kick to the head and a reverse vertical suplex on Styles. Nakamura looks for the Kinshasa, but AJ dodges it up and rolls up Nakamura for 2. AJ boots Shinsuke in the side of the head, but Nakamura fires back with a kick of his own. Nakamura hits a running knee in the corner and AJ is down. Scoop slam by Nakamura for a 2 count. Nakamura lays into AJ with kicks and covers for another 2 count. AJ starts to fight back and he hits a fireman’s carry into a neckbreaker for a two count. AJ looks for the Styles Clash but Nakamura escapes and goes for a triangle choke. AJ reverses it into a pin for a 2 count. Nakamura looks for a suplex, but AJ lands on his feet and taunts Nakamura. AJ throws Nakamura through the ropes down to the floor, and AJ follows up with a springboard forearm out of the ring down to the floor. Aiden English gets in AJ’s face and AJ decks him with a right hand. The distraction needs to Shinsuke kicking AJ in the head. Nakamura looks for the Kinshasa on AJ, but AJ sidesteps it and NAkamura crashes into Aiden English. AJ decks Nakamura then throws him in the ring, and he sets up for the Phenomenal Forearm. Rusev gets involved and pulls AJ out to ringside for a cheap shot, and the ref calls for the bell.

Winner via DQ: AJ Styles

– Rusev and Nakamura go to heat down AJ, but Jeff Hardy comes out for the save. Hardy dropkicks Rusev and Nakamura down and clears the ring, then he hits a baseball slide kick on them through the ropes. Paige comes out and makes it a tag team match, and that starts right now.

– Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles & Jeff Hardy: AJ and Rusev start this one off. Rusev takes control with a clothesline and stomps on AJ on the mat. Rusev locks in a bear hug and then slams the WWE Champion down. Rusev follows up with a suplex and another bear hug. AJ breaks free and applies a sleeper hold. Rusev breaks free but misses a shot in the corner and both men are down. Jeff Hardy gets the hot tag and lays into Rusev with strikes. Jeff hits the leg drop for a 2 count as the crowd chants “Delete.” Jeff goes up top and hits the Whisper In The Wind, but Nakamura breaks up the pin. AJ runs in and throws Nakamura outside, then knees him in the face. Rusev boots AJ off the apron, then turns his attention to Jeff Hardy. Rusev misses the big boot on Jeff and Jeff hits the Twist of Fate on him. Jeff goes up top, but Nakamura knocks him down. Rusev follows up with the big boot for the three count.

Winners: Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura

– After the match, Aiden hits the ring to celebrate with Rusev and Shinsuke.

– James Ellsworth is warming up backstage when Carmella walks in to give him a pep talk. She warns Ellsworth that if he lets her down she’ll beat her worse than she’s going to beat Asuka on Sunday.

– Lumberjack match: James Ellsworth vs. Asuka: Almost the entire SmackDown women’s roster is at ringside for this one. Ellsworth cuts a promo in the ring before the match taunting the women at ringside. The opening bell sounds and Ellsworth dodges some shots from Asuka then rolls outside. Becky Lynch throws Ellsworth back in the ring. Ellsworth dodges a kick, but she connects with another one and then hits a hip attack and knocks Ellsworth outside. The women throw Ellsworth back in the ring where Asuka lays into him with strikes. Asuka hits a running knee to the face and Ellsworth rolls outside again. Ellsworth tries to run away but the women at ringside grab him. The women at ringside end up fighting each other due to their past differences, and Ellsworth almost gets free and runs up the rampm. Becky and Naomi grab Ellsworth and grag him back to the ring, but the women start fighting at ringside again. Asuka comes flying off the top onto all the other women at ringside. Carmella gives Ellsworth a foreign object and Ellsworth attempts to use it, but Asuka kicks him down and knocks Carmella off the apron in the process. Asuka puts Ellsworth in the Asuka Lock for the win via submission.

Winner: Asuka

– Carmella hits the ring after the match, but Asuka drops her. Asuka goes to pick up Ellsworth, but Ellsworth sprays something in Asuka’s eyes and Carmella kicks her down.

– Team Hell No and The New Day are backstage strategizing for their 10-man tag match tonight. Kane and Bryan start arguing, until Big E screams and gives everyone a pep talk.

– Carmella and James Ellsworth are walking backstage when they run into Paige. Ellsworth tries to flirt with Paige, but Paige shuts him down. Paige decides that Carmella’s match against Asuka on Sunday will now have Ellsworth locked in a shark tank hanging above the ring.

– Sin Cara vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas: Before the match we see footage of Almas beating down Sin Cara last month on SmackDown. Zelina Vega is at ringside for this one. The opening bell sounds and Almas starts off strong with strikes. Sin Cara comes back with an arm drag and a hurricanrana. Almas falls outside and Sin Cara hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Almas fights back and hits a neckbreaker. Cara fires back with a springboard cross body, and then a springboard moonsault. Cara hits a reverse hurricanrana for a near-fall. Almas fires back with a spinning elbow to the face. Almas looks for the hammerlock DDT but Cara escapes. Almas charges but Cara dumps him outside. Cara follows him with a flying hurricanrana to the floor. Back in the ring, they fight up to the top rope. Almas ties up Cara in the middle ropes and hits a double foot stomp onto the apron. Almas follows up with the running knee strike in the corner for the three count.

Winner: Andrade Almas

– Almas and Vega celebrate in the ring while the commentary team promotes Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

– We see a pre-taped promo from Sanity about their plans to break the status quo on SmackDown. The Bludgeon Brothers walk in to join them, and their match is up next.

– The New Day & Team Hell No vs. The Bludgeon Brothers & Sanity: Bryan and Young start this one off, but the aprons quickly clear into the ring and this one turns into an all-out brawl. Whent he dust settles it’s down to Xavier and Wolfe in the ring. Kofi tags in for the double team. The New Day uses frequent tags to continue with the double team moves and control the pace. Xavier gets distracted by the other Sanity members on the apron which leads to Wolf hitting a suplex on Xavier. Rowan tags in and hits a pump handle backbreaker on Woods, and then a powerslam. Rowan hits an elbow drop and then tags in Harper who comes in with a slingshot senton for a two count. Dain tags in but Harper doesn’t seem happy about it. Dain continues the offense on Woods and keeps him grounded. Woods starts to fight back until Dain slams him down and hits a senton. Rowan tags in and continues the beating on Woods. Harper tags in for the double team on Woods. The NEw Day breaks up the pin and this one almost falls apart into chaos. Woods boots HArper in the head and hits a tornado DDT. Eric Young and Daniel Bryan get the tags and Bryan cleans house. Bryan lays into Young with kicks and then he clears off the heel apron. Bryan takes Young up top and hits the Frankensteiner. Bryan follows up with the Yes kicks. Young ducks a kick, but Bryan puts him in the Yes Lock. Wolf comes in to break it up, and Kane chokeslams him. Rowan kicks odwn Kane, then Woods hits a missile dropkick on Rowan. Harper hits a side walk slam on Woods, then Kofi hits the Trouble In Paradise on Harper. Big E launches Kofi into the air and he hits a suicide dive on Harper at ringside. Dain hits a cross body on Kofi at ringside, then he hits the ring to brawl with Big E. Big E dumps Dain outside to the apron and then spears him to the floor. Back in the ring, Bryan hits the running knee to the face on Young for the three count.

Winners: The New Day & Team Hell No

– Kane, Bryan and The New Day celebrate on the ramp as the bodies of Sanity and The Bludgeon Brothers lay all over ringside. Bryan and Kane do the “Yes” chant on the stage, and Bryan makes fire shoot up from the stage like Kane’s entrance. Tom Phillips promotes Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view on commentary as this week’s SmackDown goes off the air.

Chris Jericho On His Real Life Heat With Scott Hall

Jon Fuentes
-
9

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho recently took to his podcast, Talk Is Jericho, and discussed some real life heat he had with Scott Hall. “Y2J” noted that he and Hall “don’t have any love lost for each other” and admitted they never really got along. Jericho opened up on what started the tension between them:

“Those guys are very sarcastic, and almost kind of bullying in a way. I did things my way with my group of guys like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and those kinds of guys,” Jericho said.

Jericho recalled he had an opening match in WCW with Jerry Lynn. After the match Hall walked up to him and said “it may have been a little long, but it was a great match.” It should be noted that WCW never gave Jericho or Lynn any time restraints:

“Scott Hall came up to me and told me that nobody was coming to see me, get in there, do your 5-10 minutes and get out. No one wants to see you. I remember thinking, wow, what an asshole.

“Why would you say that? I told Chris Benoit that, and Benoit was already furious with Scott Hall after Hall pissed on Chris Benoit’s cowboy boots by the urinals. He just leaned over while they were both pissing and he leaned to the side and pissed on his boots.”

Jericho then claimed Hall was the kind of guy that “whenever he talked you just wanted to slap him in the face.” Hall apparently once asked Jericho how his “little Terry Taylor push is going” before threatening to end it with one phone call:

“Scott Norton, who is a friend of mine from my time in Japan said to me that if you don’t say something to him next time he bullies you then I am going to say something and I will bully you. Either you do something about it or I will. If you do something about it and he wants to cause anything then I got your back.”

Finally Jericho stood up to Hall one day and got an approving smile form Norton. “Y2J” noted Hall was always that way, and it’s a shame. He gave Hall his credit for what he did in the business, but admits even to this day there’s no love lost between them:

“When Scott made another comment I went up to Hall and said to never f–king talk to me like that again, you understand me? I told him that there was no rib, or no joke, don’t ever f–king talk to me like that again.

“He would tell me to calm down and that he was just joking, ‘geez Jericho, can’t you take a joke?’ I looked over at Scott Norton and he was just smiling like I did the right thing. That was a Scott Hall for you. He was always like that, which is a shame. He was obviously a great worker and a great performer but no love lost for him even until this day.”

You can listen to Talk Is Jericho by clicking this link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM1ehODaM98

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Lita Reveals Who Gave Her The ‘Most Devastating Blow’ During 2018 Royal Rumble

Jon Fuentes
-
7

In a recent edition of WWE Network’s “Table For 3” WWE Hall Of Famers Lita and Trish Stratus spoke to current RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss. During their conversation, the three discussed the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble that took place earlier this year in January.

Lita and Trish participated in the match while Bliss watched from the sidelines with Charlotte Flair as they were the Women’s Champions of their respective brands. Lita said that at one point in the match she was hit by NXT star Kairi Sane with a hard shot that she described as “the most devastating blow”:

“I had a private moment with Charles Robinson, after I had ninety pounds of ‘Japanese Pirate,’ who just came at me and gave me the most devastating blow I’ve had,” Lita said.

“Charles was like, ‘Hey, you alright?’ I just looked at him and was like, ‘What the hell man?’ I go, ‘I guess.'”

https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/1016661455893139456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Daniel Bryan: WWE Ignores My Creative Suggestions

Jon Fuentes
-
6

WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan recently joined the Gorilla Position podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Bryan first voiced a bit of frustration with WWE seemingly ignoring his creative suggestion.

Bryan said that should he have an idea on how to better a segment or angle he’s involved in, he’ll throw in his two cents, but to no avail:

“If I see stuff on the show that I don’t like, right, I’ll be like, ‘okay,’ for me, for my stuff, I’ll go in and I’ll say, like, ‘hey, I don’t like this because of this, this, and this. Here’s my idea of how to fix it, how I think it’s better,’” Bryan said.

“And 95% of the time, nothing changes, but I’m not like, ‘you need to do this’ or ‘you need to do that’ or whatever it is. It’s like, ‘hey, this is my opinion from my experience within this business and this is how I think it would work better both for me and who I’m working with.’ But I don’t fight for it because I’m happy to be back.”

Interestingly enough, WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels recently pulled Bryan aside and explained to him that even stars the calibre of John Cena still have issues with creative:

“So Shawn Michaels once showed me.” Bryan said. “He told me, but he showed me. He said, ‘look at John over there.’ He’s talking about John Cena. ‘He is constantly fighting every week to make sure that his segments are the best possible segments that they can be.’ Right?

“And so, like, that’s a gift that you have to fight every week. And I have to re-get, get back into that mindset of fighting for that and I don’t know that I’m mentally at that place yet. Now I’m just mentally grateful for being back.”

Check out the Daniel Bryan’s full interview with the Gorilla Position podcast:

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Titus O’Neil Files Counter-Suit For Incident On “Swerved”

Jon Fuentes
-
8

The legal issues between Titus O’Neil and WWE cameraman David Anderson continue.

Anderson filed a lawsuit against O’Neil and WWE back in April claiming that O’Neil got very angry after getting shocked by Paige on WWE Network’s “Swerved,” before kicking the camera out of Anderson’s hand. Anderson claims the kick injured his hand and he sued for $15,000 in damages.

PWInsider reports that O’Neil has filed a counter-suit on June 19th for $15,000 as well. It also alleges conspiracy to commit battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more.

In an interesting twist, O’Neil’s counter-suit also details that he “acted out of necessity to prevent being assaulted.” He also noted that the shock prank wasn’t on the list of approved pranks by WWE’s then-Vice President of Development, Brian Terwillinger. The prank was apparently “unbeknownst to WWE.”

We’ll keep you updated on the legal situation between O’Neil and Anderson as more information becomes available.

Tables Match Booked For WWE Extreme Rules Pre-Show, Updated Card

Andrew Ravens
-
2

WWE has announced the match that will take place on the Extreme Rules Pre-Show.

WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Paige revealed on her official Twitter account that The New Day would battle SAnitY in a table match on the kickoff show. 

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1016778209751371776

The Extreme Rules pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.

Updated Card for Extreme Rules

– WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Rusev

– Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley

– Steel Cage Match: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

– 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. Team Hell No

– Extreme Rules Match: Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Asuka

– Raw Tag Team Champions Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The B Team

– United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

– Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

– Tables Match (Pre-Show): The New Day vs. SAnitY

What are your thoughts on WWE announcing this match? Should this match be positioned on the pre-show or does it deserve to be on the main card? Be on the lookout for our Extreme Rules Staff Predictions coming this Thursday.

Early Betting Odds For Brock Lesnar’s Potential UFC Fight Against Daniel Cormier

Andrew Ravens
-
1

The opening betting odds for the potential fight between Brock Lesnar and Daniel Cormier have been released.

BetDSI Sportsbook has released early odds on this potential heavyweight showdown that has Cormier a -260 favorite over Lesnar at +200.

It’s been well documented that current WWE Universal Champion was invited by Cormier into the cage after he was able to score a KO win over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title in the main event of Saturday’s (July 7, 2018) UFC 226 pay-per-view event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This led to Lesnar accepting the invitation and shoving Cormier in the process. He then cut a promo on the UFC heavyweight division and told DC that he was coming for him.

Lesnar has started the process to get back in the USADA drug-testing pool. With Lesnar back in the pool, he will still have to serve a little more than six months left of his previous suspension. Thus, he is not able to fight inside of the Octagon until early January, which is around the time that this fight is rumored to take place.

It should be noted that Lesnar is still under contract with the WWE until the end of August and there is some speculation that he’ll be working the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center that will air on the WWE Network, but that has yet to be confirmed. 

For the latest on this fight and to get all of your UFC news, make sure to check out our sister site, MMANews.com.

James Storm Opens Up On If He’s Ready For WWE Full-Time Schedule

Andrew Ravens
-
14

James Storm has made it known that he is willing to take on a full-time schedule with the WWE.

He recently spoke to Inside The Ropes about various topics including his stint with the WWE where the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Storm debuted in WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, during the October 2015 tapings, which aired on the October 21 episode of NXT by defeating Danny Burch and later appeared on the December 2 episode by defeating Adam Rose.

However, Storm opted not to sign with WWE NXT and return to TNA instead. Storm returned to the promotion back in January of 2016. Now that he is free and clear of Impact Wrestling as he works on the indy scene, Storm noted that once he made the call to go back to Impact after his NXT run, it just seemed like creative didn’t know what to do with him, which he didn’t understand because he believed that he was their biggest babyface on the roster.

“All you gotta do is give me a microphone, show me the ring, hit my music, and I’ll go out and entertain the people. It’s not that hard, it’s not rocket science. So I don’t wanna say I was going through the motions but to me, it kinda felt like I was.”

Storm also noted that he is more than ready to jump on the road full-time with the WWE if they call him. He brought up the fact that he is the in the best shape that he can get in and he got his stuff together after some personal and family issues.

“I’m one of those guys that I like to be considered a road warrior. Like I don’t care about how many days I’m on the road. My wife loves for me to be on the road, she’s like: ‘get out of the house.’ I just love to wrestle. That is why I got into wrestling is to wrestle. You always hear people complaining about being on the road too much and the travel and the hotels — pussies, f–k that. That’s what I’m about. Put me on the road because that’s what I signed up for to entertain these people. Run around in the world in my underwear and entertain the people.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcribed quotes.

What are your thoughts on Storm’s comments and a potential return to the WWE? Sound off in the comment section.

Update On Shinsuke Nakamura, Undertaker Gets Custom Sneakers (Photo)

Jon Fuentes
-
2

Injury Update On Shinsuke Nakamura

Former NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura returned to in-ring action during yesterday’s (Mon. July 9, 2018) WWE live event in Augusta, Maine. Nakamura suffered a defeat to AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a No Disqualification main event match.

This was the Japanese star’s first match since being bitten by a dog a few weeks ago. The belief is that Nakamura was re-evaluated yesterday and then cleared. Nakamura will take on Styles in a non-title match tonight on SmackDown Live.

Undertaker Receives Custom Sneakers

The Undertaker recently took part in WWE’s live event from Madison Square Garden this past weekend (Sat. July 7, 2018). “The Deadman” teamed up with Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman to defeat the team of Kevin Owens, Elias & Baron Corbin.

While visiting MSG, Taker apparently received some custom sneakers from Mache Custom Kicks. The design is actually pretty cool, and you can see a picture of them being presented to Taker via Mache Custom Kicks’ Twitter account:

Video: The Rock Reveals His Daughter Wants To Wrestle In WWE

Jon Fuentes
-
5

It looks like former WWE Champion The Rock’s oldest daughter, Simone, has aspirations of one day being a WWE Superstar.

The Rock appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to promote the release of his latest film, Skyscraper. Simone is currently 16-years-old. Here’s what “The People’s Champ” had to say about his oldest child:

“You know what the crazy thing about my oldest daughter, Simone, is she’s so smart, we’re all so proud of her. She’s going into her senior year. She signed with IMG as a model. She was Golden Globes Ambassador. Simone, is working so hard, and her work has already started, she wants to be a WWE wrestler.

“Yes! I love that idea and I think – we had this big conversation. She came with me to Hong Kong and Beijing and I said ‘Honey, whatever your passion is, I support that.’ It (wrestling) was good to me, I started my career in Madison Square Garden so, yeah. Bring it on. She’s gonna be a champ!”

Grandma Rock, who was also in attendance, gave her nod of approval as well, saying “Yes, she will lay the SmackDown!”

Check out the video here:

WWE & 2K Sports File To Have Orton Tattoo Artist Lawsuit Dismissed

Jon Fuentes
-
2

Randy Orton’s longtime tattoo artist, Catherine Alexander, filed a lawsuit against WWE and 2K Sports back in April in the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois over “The Viper’s” tattoos being used in WWE 2K18.

Alexander is suing for copyright infringement in regards to the tattoo designs. She has been Orton’s tattoo artist since 2003. Alexander wants a trial by jury and is seeking damages over her accusation that the defendants infringed upon her copyrighted work.

According to a report from PWInsider, WWE and 2K Sports have filed motions to dismiss this lawsuit for several reasons. For one, Alexander has apparently not obtained copyright registration for any of the tattoos she alleges to own.

They also argue that the lawsuit should be dismissed due to lack of personal jurisdiction, providing a 22-page memorandum which stated Alexander failed to prove the court had jurisdiction over WWE in Illinois when they are incorporated out of Delaware and headquartered in Connecticut.

WWE Inks Deal With FOX+ To Air RAW Live In The Philippines

Staff
-
0

WWE has signed a new deal with Fox Networks Group Asia to broadcast Raw in the Philippines on Tuesdays via video streaming service Fox Plus, along with weekly broadcasts of highlight shows Afterburn, Experience and This Week.

Here’s the official press release, including quotes from WWE Co-President Michelle Wilson.

WWE Raw® to Stream Live in the Philippines Exclusively on FOX+

MANILA, Philippines & STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE) and FOX Networks Group Asia today announced a new agreement to stream WWE’s flagship program Raw® live exclusively on FOX+ in the Philippines.

Beginning next week, Raw will stream live on FOX+ at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays in the Philippines with a same day, primetime re-air on FOX Sports at 8 p.m. Additionally, each week, FOX+ will stream on demand WWE weekly highlight shows Afterburn®, Experience® and This Week®.

“We are very excited to bring more of the best content to our viewers in the Philippines with the exclusive live streaming of Raw through FOX+,” said Jude Turcuato, General Manager for FOX Networks Group Philippines. “Having this partnership with WWE further strengthens FNG’s push to make FOX+ the best go-to OTT entertainment platform in the country.”

“FOX Networks Group Asia shares our vision and passion for engaging and entertaining our fans,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Co-President. “This partnership to stream Raw live in the Philippines on FOX+ allows us to deliver action-packed, family-friendly entertainment to our fans throughout the country.”

FOX+ is FOX Networks Group Asia’s (FNG) video-streaming service and is available on Android and iOS devices as well as on Apple TV and select Android TVs. A free 30-day trial is available for new subscribers.

Tessa Blanchard Signs Long-Term Deal With Impact Wresting

Chris Stephens
-
7

Impact Wrestling has locked up Tessa Blanchard to a multi-year contract. The 22-year-old prospect started with the company earlier this year but had yet to sign a long-term contract.

Impact Wresting announced the signing earlier today on Twitter.

Tessa Blanchard in Impact Wrestling

Blanchard started with Impact in April this year. She first appeared on the Redemption pay-per-view at the commentary booth while Kiera Hogan wrestled Taya Valkyrie. Over the next few days of tapings, she would defeat Hogan twice.

Blanchard looked as though she would skyrocket to the top of the Knockouts division upon her debut but she dropped two matches to Madison Rayne, knocking her out of title contention. Rayne used pinning combinations to score victories over the stronger Blanchard in each match. Now it will be Madison Rayne, and not Blanchard, who will challenge for the Knockouts Championship at the pay-per-view.

Blanchard attempted to get revenge on Rayne for the two losses last week on Impact. She interfered during Rayne’s tag-team match against Su Yung and one of her undead brides. Rayne’s tag-team partner last week, Allie, fought off Blanchard, however, allowing Rayne to pick up the win for their team over Yung’s undead bride.

Although not confirmed, Blancard and Allie could be on a collision course. Considering they are likely two of the top-ranked Knockouts in the division, a match between them could be scheduled for Slammiversary. Neither has a match booked for the pay-per-view as of yet.

Blanchard also regularly competes for organizations such as RISE, Shimmer, Bar Wrestling, and WOW. Impact is currently touting flexible contracts for their talent, which likely means Blanchard will be free to compete for other promotions while signed to Impact provided they don’t interfere with Impact taping and pay-per-view dates.

Details On The Trademark For War Games

Staff
-
6

On Monday night, Major League Wrestling announced that MLW War Games is coming to Ft. Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, September 6, 2018.

Since then, fans have been wondering how MLW could feature the War Games name, which was created by the National Wrestling Alliance in the mid 80’s, later used by WCW at the annual Fall Brawl pay-per-view and most recently used by NXT last November at their Takeover event from Houston TX.

As it turns out, MLW LLC is the official owner of the “WAR GAMES” trademark. MLW actually has two trademarks on the “WAR GAMES” name, with their usage covering:

“Entertainment services in the nature of organizing and arranging professional wrestling exhibitions for entertainment purposes; providing information and news about professional wrestling via a global computer network; presentation of live wrestling show performances.”

WWE never actually trademarked the name WAR GAMES – and MLW’s usage of the event back in 2003 pre-dated NXT co-opting the show for an event 14 years later.

The original MLW War Games event took place on September 19, 2003 from Ft. Lauderdale, FL during Major League Wrestling’s initial run.

When asked if we’ll see September’s War Games event televised at some point, MLW CEO Court Bauer made it clear that is definitely in the works. Next week’s MLW Battle Riot event from New York City will be airing on beIN SPORTS as a 2-hour television special, so we could very well see a similar rollout for War Games.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1016761025507610626

For more on MLW’s upcoming War Games event, visit MLW.com.

Ronda Rousey No Longer Advertised For Next Monday’s WWE RAW

Andrew Ravens
-
1

Ronda Rousey is no longer advertised for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

This has fans speculating as to why WWE pulled her from advertisements for the show. As of writing, WWE has yet to make an announcement on the change.

She has already confirmed that she plans to sit in the front row to watch Alexa Bliss defend her RAW Women’s Title against Nia Jax at this Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena on the WWE Network.

Once it was revealed that WWE pulled her from next week’s RAW, the assumption is that Rousey being in the crowd at Extreme Rules as a fan will possibly see her suspension being extended.

Rousey is currently off WWE television as she serves a 30-day suspension. Despite being suspended, she is still scheduled to appear to work all of the events that she is advertised for.

She most recently beat former Jax in a singles match with Bliss as the special guest referee at a live event on Saturday night in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden then worked a live event on Sunday in Bridgeport, CT at the Webster Bank Arena where Rousey, Jax, Bayley, Natalya and Ember Moon defeated Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, and Bliss.

WWE is advertising Rousey for the following dates including live events:

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 30th in Miami, FL

– WWE Live Event: August 3rd in Augusta, GA

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 6th in Jacksonville, FL

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 13 in Greensboro, SC

– WWE SummerSlam: August 19 in Brooklyn NY (RUMORED)

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY

– Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA

– WWE Super Show-Down: October 6th in Melbourne, AUS

– WWE Live Event: November 3rd in Madrid

– WWE Live Event: November 4th in Barcelona

– WWE Live Event: November 9th in Bologna

– WWE Live Event: November 10th in Rome

Ronda Rousey Says Why She Won’t Watch Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Cormier

Chris Stephens
-
1

When WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, and UFC Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, clash in the octagon, Ronda Rousey will not be watching.

TMZ reporters recently caught up with the new UFC Hall of Fame inductee. When asked, Rousey said she will probably not watch the heavyweight clash between her two friends.

Ronda Rousey on Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Cormier

“Both of them are friends of mine so I don’t really want to pick sides,” Rousey said. “I can’t get involved on that one. That one will be hard to watch, I probably won’t watch.”

Rousey double-down on her comments and reiterated she wouldn’t enjoy watching either of her friends get hit.

“I hate watching friends of mine fight,” she said. “It’s heart-wrenching.”

Ronda Rousey on WWE Hall of Fame

Rousey was on her way home from the UFC festivities this weekend when reporters caught up with her. Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this weekend and reporters asked her about the possibility of someday being inducted into WWE’s version.

“I don’t know, that’s up to them,” Rousey said. “I think I would have to put in a whole lot more work to be worthy of an honor like that.”

When asked if the WWE Hall of Fame was her next goal, Rousey responded, “We’ll see, I’m trying my best,” Rousey continued. “The best I can do is the best I can do.”

With Daniel Cormier winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship this weekend, Rousey was asked if she felt he is the greatest fighter in the world right now.

“I think right now, (Daniel Cormier’s) the best in the game right now,” Rousey said. “Olympic team captain, you don’t get that kind of position for nothing.”

Rousey is currently serving a 30-day suspension from Monday Night Raw. Despite the suspension, Rousey has purchased a front row ticket and will be present this Sunday at Extreme Rules.

Final Card For Friday’s PWG Threemendous V Event (7/13)

Andrew Ravens
-
0

PWG returns this weekend with their latest event, which is titled Threemendous V.

The promotion announced the full card a few weeks ago and the show will be headlined by The Rascalz defending the PWG Tag Team Titles against The Young Bucks.

Two other big matches on this card are former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle, who recently lost the strap to Jay Lethal, taking on David Starr as well as EVOLVE Champion Matthew Riddle facing Marty Scurll. These will be single bouts.

The event is slated to take place on Friday, July 13 at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Tickets for Threemendous V are already sold out and will not be streamed but rather released on DVD and digital at a later date. Here is the full card:

– PWG Tag Team Title Match: The Young Bucks face The Rascalz ©

– Non-Title Match: Brody King faces WALTER

– Singles Match: Matthew Riddle faces Marty Scurll

– Singles Match: Dalton Castle faces David Starr

– Singles Match: REY FENIX faces Trevor Lee

– Singles Match: Rey Horus faces PENTA EL ZERO M

– Singles Match: Jeff Cobb faces Joey Janela

What are your thoughts on the lineup for this show? Sound off in the comment section.

Smackdown & 205 Live 7/10/18 Preview: Styles vs Nakamura, Alexander vs Itami, more…

Chris Stephens
-
1

5 matches have been confirmed for WWE’s Smackdown and 205 Live shows tonight. Both shows will emanate from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH.

Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles will go one-on-one for the 7th time in their rivalry tonight, not including house shows. It will be just the second time they have faced each other without a single’s title on the line.

Additionally, the main event of 205 Live will feature a Cruiserweight Championship match. Cedric Alexander will defend the title against top contender, Hideo Itami.

Smackdown Live 7/10/18 Preview

Team Hell No Kick-Off Smackdown

  • MizTV will kick off Smackdown tonight. The Miz’s guests will be Daniel Bryan and Kane.
  • While not invited on the show, one might suspect Team Hell No’s opponents at Extreme Rules, the Bludgeon Brothers, might make an appearance.
  • Even though Bryan and the Miz aren’t currently in a program with one another, the two long-time rivals always have an interesting back and forth whenever they are in the same segment.

AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura

  • At Extreme Rules, both AJ and Nakamura will have championship matches. Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Rusev and Nakamura will challenge Jeff Hardy for the US title.
  • This will be the 7th match between the two (not including house shows). They are 2-2-2 against one another:
    • WrestleKingdom 10  – Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated AJ Styles – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
    • WrestleMania 34 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Title
    • Greatest Royal Rumble – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (double count-out) – WWE title
    • Backlash 2018 – AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (No-contest) – WWE Title
    • Smackdown May 15th, 2018 – Shinsuke Nakamura defeated AJ Styles
    • Money in the Bank 2018 – AJ Styles (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE title.

Asuka vs James Ellsworth – Lumberjack Match

  • Asuka will challenge Carmella on Sunday for a chance to win her first title on the main roster. She’ll get to enact some revenge on James Ellsworth tonight, however.
  • Ellsworth’s return to WWE at the Money in the Bank PPV caused enough of a distraction to allow Carmella to pull off a huge upset and defend her title.
  • Asuka might be looking for revenge tonight but rest assured Carmella is probably looking for an opportunity to soften up her opponent for Sunday.

Tye Dillinger vs Samoa Joe

  • Last week in a WWE exclusive, R-Truth volunteered up Tye Dillinger to take on Samoa Joe this week.
  • Truth had originally been trying to recruit Tye as his newest tag-team partner but some comic hijinks resulted in Truth challenging Joe on Tye’s behalf instead.

Sin Cara vs Andrade “Cien” Almas

  • In a match that has been pushed to the back-burner for a few weeks, Andrade Almas will finally face Sin Cara tonight.
  • The angle they have been going with is that Sin Cara and Almas used to be friends but now Almas has adopted a new outlook under the guidance of Zelina Vega.

205 Live 7/10/18 Preview

Only one match/segment is scheduled for 205 Live tonight.

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Cedric Alexander (c) vs Hideo Itami

  • Cedric Alexander insisted 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, make this match as Itami defeated top-contenders Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali in a triple threat match on June 19th.
  • Maverick was hesitant only because Itami has been interfering in matches and the GM didn’t want to reward bad behavior.
  • Alexander is the 8th champion in the title’s lineage and the belt is currently in its 10th reign.
  • Not including house shows, Alexander will be attempting to defend the belt for the 3rd time.
  • Should Alexander be victorious tonight, his reign will move into the second longest all-time position, passing Enzo Amore’s 2nd run with the belt of 93 days. The longest reign in title history was Neville’s 197-day run between January and August of 2017.
  • Neville’s 7-title defenses during this reign is also a record.

Ronda Rousey Hypes WWE 2K19, Segment For Next Week’s RAW

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Ronda Rousey Hypes

As noted, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has been officially announced as the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19 alongside Rey Mysterio. The news was made on Monday (July 10, 2018). Rousey tweeted the following on her WWE video game debut:

RAW Segment

The first segment for next week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center has been announced, which will see Sasha Banks and Bayley giving a post-counseling update to RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. This will also mark the post-Extreme Rules show for the red brand.

Last week’s RAW featured Dr. Shelby making his return to WWE TV as he tried to help Banks and Bayley work out their issues with one another by being their counselor. He became popular with WWE fans him from his work with Team Hell No several years ago.

As seen on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in Boston, MA at the TD Garden on the USA Network, part 2 of this segment aired on the flagship show of the WWE but Shelby didn’t appear. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why he didn’t appear on the show.

What are your thoughts on 2K Games selecting Rousey to be the second pre-order bonus character for WWE 2K19?

Recent Photo Of Neville Surfaces Online

Andrew Ravens
-
8

Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville has surfaced online.

The WWE star appeared this week on the Mid Breath Gym’s Instagram page, which marked his first public appearance in any form on social media since his dispute with the WWE that started back in 2017. You can see the photo here:

https://instagram.com/p/BlDNOa1gnn1/?utm_source=ig_embed

It all started once Neville initially scheduled to lose to Enzo Amore in a lumberjack match on RAW in mid-October. However, plans changed to Kalisto wrestling Amore and Neville decided to take time off. WWE has officially denied that he quit the promotion.

At the time, it was reported that Neville was frustrated by the direction of his character, the lack of pay-offs and the rough WWE life on the road. It was also noted that Neville had pushed for his WWE release with the idea of working the indies and making a name for himself there.

As of a few months ago, the belief within the WWE is that the company will not grant Neville his release and will make him sit out the remainder of his contract. Once that deal has expired, then he will have a 90 days non-compete.

Since then, there have been rumors that Neville and WWE were once again talking about how to resolve their differences. With Triple H in creative control of 205 Live, there was speculation that could play a factor in Neville’s return to the WWE but obviously, that is not the case.

The latest update on this situation is the fact that WWE had decided to freeze his contract until both sides could come to an agreement. In the meantime, Neville is not permitted to wrestle for any outside promotions as he still remains technically under a WWE contract.

Daniel Cormier Rips Critics of Brock Lesnar Confrontation

Chris Stephens
-
10

Daniel Cormier doesn’t have any patience with MMA fans who are calling his altercation with Brock Lesnar “fake” or too much like pro-wrestling. The newly minted UFC Heavyweight Champion issued a challenge to Lesnar following his knockout victory of Stipe Miocic Saturday night.

Cormier, a longtime wrestling fan, channeled his best wrestler persona after the match and called Lesnar into the cage. Despite the two being friends and fans of one another, Lesnar shoved Cormier hard upon walking into the octagon. The WWE Universal Champion then cut a profanity-laced promo on the entire UFC heavyweight champion.

In response to fans who feel his confrontation with Lesnar was too much like pro-wrestling, Cormier had this to say, “Stay broke,” Cormier said. “You’ve got a guy like Brock Lesnar in front of you and you don’t go crazy on him? Are you crazy? Brock is a pro wrestler, he does fake fighting. So I will do fake fighting with you until I put my fist upside your face. I’ll do fake fighting with you, Brock. And then I’ll punch you upside your head.”

Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar Confrontation

“So yeah, yeah. You guys call it fake online,” Cormier continued. “I see a bunch of fighters. ‘Oh, it’s so fake, I don’t want to watch this.’ Tune in and keep lacing my pockets. You’ve guys gotta get on board. These guys get on the microphone after their fights and say, ‘Yeah, it’s whatever the UFC decides.’ OK.”

Cormier also spent time during the interview speaking on his love for pro-wrestling.

“You know me, I love wrestling,” he said. “I watched some WWE stuff this weekend. I watched WrestleMania back in the day. I love it. I think it’s great. But look, Brock Lesnar is the champion of the WWE. So, when he comes over here, there’s no script. There’s no Vince McMahon saying, ‘Hey DC, easy on the punches.’ There’s no [WWE star] Braun Strowman where if Brock punches him hard on purpose he isn’t gonna respond. The moment Brock Lesnar punches me, I’m gonna get in his ass. And we’re gonna have him running across that Octagon like a lot of other dudes did. So he can be big and bad and tough right now. But once that cage door closes, he’s gonna have to answer for his words. And he’s definitely gonna have to answer for that shove.”

Former Ring of Honor World Champion Announces Return To Wrestling

Chris Stephens
-
4

A former Ring of Honor World Champion and 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion for Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced he is attempting a return to the ring. Takeshi Morishima retired on the advice of doctors in 2015. Morishima’s test results showed abnormally high levels of glycated hemoglobin, a likely indicator of diabetes.

Morishima’s return to the ring was announced at a show held earlier today and promoted by WON Hall-of-Famer, Riki Choshu. It was revealed Morishima is planning to return this October.

Check out footage of Morishima’s match with Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem in 2007 below. The match was awarded “Match of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Takeshi Morishima

Takeshi Morishima held the Ring of Honor World Championship from February 17th, 2007 until October 6th, 2007. He defeated Homicide for the belt but eventually dropped it to current NXT color commentator, Nigel McGuiness. His 20 defenses of the championship are good for 7th in Ring of Honor history.

ROH World Champion Title Defenses

  1. Bryan Danielson – 38
  2. Nigel McGuiness – 38
  3. Austin Aries – 29
  4. Samoa Joe – 29
  5. Jay Lethal – 28
  6. Adam Cole – 22
  7. Takeshi Morishima – 20
  8. Kevin Steen – 18
  9. Jay Briscoe – 18
  10. Cody – 16
  11. Davey Richards – 10

Morishima is a 3x GHC Heavyweight Champion, 5x GHC Tag-Team Champion, and won the Global League in 2011. He won the Cauliflower Alley Club Future Legend Award in 2007.

His highest ranking ever achieved in the PWI 500 rankings was 10th in 2007. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded him Most Improved Wrestler of the year honors in 2006 and two more awards the next year.  In 2007, he won Match of the Year w/ Bryan Danielson at Manhattan Mayhem and also the “Best Brawler” award.

Update On Change To WWE’s PPV Schedule

Chris Stephens
-
3

During Monday night’s live Raw taping from Boston’s TD Garden arena, an on-screen graphic advertised a “WWE Live SuperShow” for Sunday, October 21st. That show had previously been advertised as the Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view.

https://twitter.com/Krusczinski/status/1016538184400896005

When WWE announced via press release that all future PPV events will feature talent from both Raw and SmackDown, the following shows were listed:

  • July 15th: Extreme Rules
  • August 19th: SummerSlam
  • September 16th: Hell in a Cell
  • October 21st: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
  • November 18th: Survivor Series
  • December 16th: Clash of Champions

According to WWE sources, TLC has been moved to December 16th (from San Jose, CA), effectively bumping Clash of Champions from the schedule.

Making Room For The Australian Super Show-Down

With October’s TLC PPV moved back to December, it appears WWE is clearing the calendar for the big WWE Super Show-Down stadium show from Australia on October 6th.

It seems likely WWE did not want to feature 2 pay-per-views just 15 days apart. Triple H and other WWE officials have stated publicly that holding WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble show so close together was challenging logistically and creatively.

There have been 9 WWE TLC pay-per-views in history. At last year’s event from Minnesota, Kurt Angle joined Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins in the Shield to take on the Miz, the Bar, Braun Strowman, and Kane in a 5-on-3 handicap match.

NXT UK vs. WoS: Which Brand Has The Better Roster?

Jake Skudder
-
5

The battle lines have been drawn…NXT UK and the WoS (World of Sport) rosters have been revealed in some form or fashion and now the new ‘war’ for supremacy on the British Isles has begun.

NXT UK

The long touted NXT UK brand was FINALLY announced as part of the Royal Albert Hall shows back in June with British wrestling legend Johnny Saint at the helm as the General Manager. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne will be the focal point of the show which is being taped sporadically throughout the year (for the Network but potentially television if a deal can be reached), new Tag Team and Women’s Championships will also be created.

So, here’s the NXT UK roster as we currently understand it:

NXT UK Roster

  • Mark Andrews
  • Travis Banks
  • Tyler Bate
  • Joe Coffey
  • Mark Coffey
  • Joseph Conners
  • Noam Dar
  • Eddie Dennis
  • Jordan Devlin
  • Pete Dunne
  • Jack Gallagher
  • Sam Gradwell
  • Saxon Huxley
  • Amir Jordan
  • El Ligero
  • Dave Mastiff
  • Trent Seven
  • Ashton Smith
  • Tyson T-Bone
  • Flash Morgan Webster
  • Wild Boar
  • Kenny Williams
  • Wolfgang
  • Isla Dawn
  • Jinny
  • Killer Kelly
  • Charlie Morgan
  • Nina Samuels
  • Toni Storm
  • Zack Gibson
  • James Drake

World of Sport

The story behind the second reboot of WoS has been quite an unstable one. With the initial show airing way back on New Year’s Eve there was a huge opportunity for the programme to capture a whole new audience in the mainstream…unfortunately that did not come to fruition and a co-branding deal with IMPACT/Global Force Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett certainly did nothing for the brand.

Fast forward to earlier this year and WoS held television tapings for a new 10 part series that will be airing later this month. With a huge proportion of UK based stars having signed with WWE’s UK division there was certainly skepticism as to who WoS could even bring in. With former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett installed as the ‘Executive’ for the show and essentially the ‘General Manager’ they have a recognisable face for fans in the UK and here is the roster that they have amassed:

WoS Roster

  • Will Ospreay
  • Davey Boy Jr
  • Grado
  • Moose
  • Primate
  • Joe Hendry
  • Martin Kirby
  • Iestyn Rees
  • Viper
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Bea Priestley
  • Sha Samuels
  • Doug Williams
  • Rampage Brown
  • Lionheart
  • Nathan Cruz
  • Kip Sabian
  • Robbie X
  • Adam Maxted
  • Gabriel Kidd
  • CJ Banks
  • Liam Slater

NXT UK vs. World of Sport

Deciding which roster is ‘better’ is of course subjective. Even the idea that WWE and World of Sport/ITV are ‘at war’ is speculative at best but with the way that NXT UK seemingly ‘snapped up’ UK stars to contracts was certainly telling. Looking purely at the starpower on offer you have to give it to NXT UK, the likes of Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Jack Gallagher and Zack Gibson are now well established to the WWE audience and Dunne in particular is seemingly being groomed for a huge run on the main roster when WWE deems him fit.

WoS however is not slouching when it comes to in ring talent, with Will Ospreay leading the charge but huge underrated stars such as Nathan Cruz (PROGRESS’ first ever Champion), Kip Sabian and Martin Kirby having charisma and in ring guile that should translate well to a mainstream audience.

Another area where NXT UK appears to have the edge is in their Women’s Division. Viper, Kay Lee Ray and Bea Priestley are indeed three of the best in ring female performers on the planet but when you line them up against the likes of Isla Dawn, Jinny, Killer Kelly, Charlie Morgan, Nina Samuels and Toni Storm it just doesn’t stack up and WoS are found wanting…IF ONLY we could get all of these stars on one programme.*

Something else to factor in is the fact that WoS will only be running for 10 episodes initially, so do they really need a completely ‘stacked’ roster right now? Granted they DO have an incredibly talented pool of performers but in terms of numbers WWE again does have the edge…but seeing the likes of Ospreay light up mainstream British television is an extremely exciting prospect.

What do you think of the two rosters and who do you think has the edge heading into the summer? Let us know in the comments.

Side Note: The Pro Wrestling: EVE promotion can be very proud of the work they’ve accomplished on the UK scene when looking at these Women’s division stars, most if not all have been featured on an EVE card in the past few years and it has given Women’s wrestling a massive platform in the UK.

1...1,6511,6521,653...3,103Page 1,652 of 3,103