Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw takes place from Boston, MA at the TD Garden arena. This is the final episode of Raw ahead of Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
WWE.com is advertising the following items for tonight:
Follow-up on Braun Strowman locking Kevin Owens in a porta potty last week and pushing him off the stage.
The latest from Bobby Lashley’s rivalry with Roman Reigns ahead of their single match at Extreme Rules.
Dr. Shelby tries to get Sasha Banks and Bayley back on the same page.
Can Finn Balor get his hands on Baron Corbin before Extreme Rules, or will Corbin use his political clout to avoid Balor until then?
As always, join us here tonight for our weekly Live Coverage of WWE RAW.
Ahead of tonight’s Raw, catch up on our feature looking at the main storyline points coming out of last week’s broadcast:
Hiromu Takahashi is currently undergoing a thorough medical evaluation after sustaining an injury Saturday at the Cow Palace. Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex in his match with Dragon Lee. After finishing the match, Takahashi collapsed backstage and was taken to hospital.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega commented on Takahashi’s injury on Monday morning. “As everyone may know, ‘Kenny Omega’ isn’t an LIJ guy whatsoever, but there’s no mistaking that Hiromu was one of, if not, our company’s brightest current/future star. Let’s pray for his recovery.”
Hiromu Takahashi Neck Injury
Earlier today, New Japan Pro Wrestling sent out an update on Takahashi’s condition. “It is reported Takahashi, after the match was immediately taken to a nearby hospital,” the statement reads. “He is currently undergoing a thorough evaluation, Takahashi is conscious, and is able to sit and talk.”
Hiromu Takahashi was having a career year in 2018. He won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament and followed it up five days later by defeating Will Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship at Dominion. It was the second time Takahashi won the title.
Takahashi and his opponent from the G1 Special on Saturday, Dragon Lee, are longtime rivals. Their rivalry sparked during Takahashi’s multi-year excursion to CMLL in Mexico. Dragon Lee unmasked Takahashi when he wrestled as Kamaitaichi as well. It had been speculated the two would meet in a Mask vs Hair match later this year or possibly at the Tokyo Dome show in 2019.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is keeping the door open for another match. On a recent episode of his Heated Conversations podcast, the 5-time WCW Champion stated that he never officially retired from wrestling and wants to get back in the ring again at some point.
At 53 years old, Booker T wrestling would be more of a special attraction than anything. He says his body still feels good and it wouldn’t take an opportunity to compete at WrestleMania again to lure him back. Of course, he’d welcome the chance to appear at a WrestleMania, but said his retirement match would probably be best suited for his Houston-based Reality of Wrestling promotion.
Booker would go on to say part of him feels the need to prove to himself and his students that he can still go. Additionally, he’d like to wrestle in front of his kids one last time.
Below, you can listen to Booker T’s comments about not being retired:
Following their IWGP Heavyweight tag-team title defense at the Cow Palace Saturday, the Young Bucks spoke to the press. When asked what was left to accomplish in their careers, Matt Jackson gave a surprising answer.
“How cool would it be to win the WWE tag team championship belts and not even have to perform on their show?” Jackson asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
After Matt made the comment Nick asked his brother, “a little one off?”, to which Matt replied, “yeah, a little one off.”
The dropped ominous comment could just be the Young Bucks attempting to stir up controversy. This isn’t the first time the Bucks have hinted that they would like to face someone from WWE but not in a WWE ring, however.
The brothers have also hinted they would like to face the Revival at All-In.
The Young Bucks Versus The Revival At All-In?
During an appearance on X-Pac’s podcast in May, the Bucks had this to say regarding who they would like to face on the big September 1st event in Chicago.
“I’d love to have The Revival on the show and do The Young Bucks vs The Revival,” Matt Jackson said. “That’d be my match probably.”
Regarding their opponents from the G1 Special in San Francisco, Evil & Sanada, Matt Jackson had this to say. “Those guys are awesome, honest, I’d love to wrestle those guys every night,” Matt Jackson said before reconsidering. “Well, not really, I’d love to wrestle them once a year.”
Is it possible we see the Young Bucks take on a WWE tag team at All-In?
New Japan Pro Wrestling has sent out an update on the condition of Hiromu Takahashi. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion collapsed backstage at the Cow Palace Saturday. He is believed to have suffered a broken neck during a triangle to a cradle-suplex spot where he landed on his head.
“It is reported Takahashi, after the match was immediately taken to a nearby hospital,” the statement reads. “He is currently undergoing a thorough evaluation, Takahashi is conscious, and is able to sit and talk.”
Takahashi indicated to the referee after the botched move that he was OK to finish the match despite the injury. He even performed his Time Bomb finisher without looking as though he was in much discomfort. Takahashi walked to the back on his own after winning the match as well.
Hiromu Takahashi Injury
“Hiromu Takahashi has been hospitalized after suffering a neck injury while facing Dragon Lee in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match on Saturday night’s G1 Special in San Francisco.” – NJPW official statement on Takahashi injury.
Several wrestlers have given their thoughts on Takahashi’s injury in the days since it happened. One wrestler, who also has a history of neck injuries, is Sean “X-Pac” Waltman.
“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”
Author Chris Charlton (EGGSHELLS: History of Pro Wrestling at the Tokyo Dome) relayed an interview Takahashi gave to NJPW following Shibata’s injury in 2015.
It’s no secret that being a professional wrestler has its shares of injuries. With recent reports that Fandango will be out due to surgery (more on that here), it’s only fair to look at the list of currently injured superstars.
Main Roster Superstars Injuries And Approximate Return Dates
Samir Singh(The Singh Brothers) – Torn ACL (Late 2018)
Fandango(Fashion Police)– Left Labrum Tear (Early 2019)
Sami Zayn – 2 Torn Rotator Cuffs (Early 2019)
Epico Colon(The Shining Stars) – Shoulder Surgery (Unknown)
Big Show – Hip Surgery (Unknown)
NXT Superstars Injuries And Return Dates
Bobby Fish(The Undisputed ERA) – Torn ACL and MCL (Late 2018)
Tino Sabbatelli – Torn Pectoral Muscle (Early 2019)
Riddick Moss – Torn Achilles Tendon (Early 2019)
Oney Lorcan – Broken Orbital Bone (Out Indefinitely)
Lars Sullivan- Broken Jaw (Unknown)
Roode Awakening
Rumors have been speculating that Bobby Roode may be added to the injury list. This past weekend during the Raw live event at MSG, Roode had a match against Mojo Rowley. The match was cut short and Roode was seen being helped by referees to the backstage area.
Leave A Comment Below On Your Thoughts On These strings Of Injuries.
The WWE has reported that Fandango will be out for some time as he needs surgery to repair his left labrum. Fandango has even gone to twitter to confirm the news.
Fandango is on a list of shelved wrestlers in the WWE. He and Tyler Breeze were part of the recent Superstar Shake and went to Raw. The Fashion Police hold a win over The Bar but have jobbed out a couple of times to the Raw tag team division.
Since their time on Raw, the Fashion Police haven’t been used as much as their tenure on Smackdown. Making many wonder why the move to the red brand was made to begin with.
Until his surgery on this upcoming Tuesday (7/9/2018), it will be unknown how long Fandango will be out.
The current Universal Champion has his sights set for a UFC return, but is the beast eligible to be entered in the pool?
Six Month Suspension
According to MMA Fighting, Lesnar has put his name back into the USADA drug testing pool but is inactive due to his suspension from testing positive for PED’s. His suspension isn’t up until six months, making the fight with Cormier not possible until January, 2019.
WWE Obligations
Lesnar is still contracted with the WWE. His contract includes paid appearances instead of set dates. More on that here.
During UFC 226 post-show, Dana White has gone on record that WWE is fine with Lesnar fighting for the UFC. White even when on to comment that Brock keeps Vince “in the know”.
Cormier has even stated that he is a huge WWE fan and would like to work a program with Lesnar on WWE television in the nearby future.
Are You Excited For Lesnar’s Return To UFC? Drop A Comment Below
Hogan concludes his video by saying, “Maybe I should just come back down through the crowd and take over the whole (laughs) WWE for a couple more decades … for life.”
On the 22-year anniversary of the formation of the nWo, Nash posted the following.
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– As has been reported, Taeler Hendrix claimed last Wednesday on social media that Jay Lethal sabotaged her career in Ring of Honor in 2017 because she refused to sleep with him. Hendrix worked an indie show on Friday in San Antonio, Texas and fans heckled her over the matter.
While wrestling Barbi Hayden at a River City Wrestling event, fans chanted “Jay Lethal,” “ROH” and a lot worse at Hendrix, according to F4WOnline. She lashed back at the hecklers, although she usually portrays a heel.
Hendrix posted a photo from the show on Instagram and said she “had a great time.”
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar made a surprise appearance at Saturday night’s UFC 226 pay-per-view from Las Vegas and had a physical confrontation with newly crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier.
After a first round knockout of former champion Stipe Miocic, the 2-division UFC Champion called out Lesnar, who was sitting cageside. Cormier told Lesnar to ‘get his ass’ into the Octagon – and Lesnar obliged. As soon as he went face to face with Cormier, Lesnar shoved him – setting the stage for an eventual big-money showdown between the two men.
The big hurdle that will need to be cleared before this fight is officially signed is Lesnar’s USADA suspension stemming from his failed drug tests before and after UFC 200 back in the summer of 2016. In the UFC 226 post-show press conference, UFC President Dana White confirmed that they have already started working to get Brock back into the USADA testing pool and the same was later confirmed by the anti-doping agency as well:
Though it’s worth mentioning here that while the wheels have started moving, Brock is yet to enter the testing pool officially, meaning that his next UFC fight is still at least 6 months away.
What this means for Lesnar’s WWE future is yet to be seen and we’re still waiting for the company’s official reaction to this development.
You can check out both Lesnar and Cormier’s post-fight interviews below:
Hiromu Takahashi is believed to have suffered a broken neck during his match with Dragon Lee last night in the Cow Palace. The injury is believed to have been suffered during a cradle-suplex where Takahashi was dropped on top of his head.
“He finished the match, retained the championship and I guess he collapsed backstage or something. They took him to the hospital and the preliminary word is they thought that he had a broken neck,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “Hopefully, it’s not as bad as that but that’s the word we got.”
Takahashi would continue the match. Red Shoes checked on him after the spot and then backed off as if everything was ok. They did several spots after the injury, including Takahashi giving Dragon Lee the Time Bomb for the win.
Hiromu Takahashi in 2018
Takahashi won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament last month, defeating Taiji Ishimori in the finals. He then defeated Will Ospreay 5 nights later to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship. He is now a 2-time holder of the belt.
Dragon Lee is responsible for originally having unmasked Hiromu Takahashi when he was wrestling as Kamataichi in CMLL. They had a Mask vs Mask match in 2015 which Dragon Lee won. There had been speculation the two rivals could face each other in a Mask vs Hair match in NJPW.
New Japan Pro Wrestling presented the G1 Special in San Francisco tonight from the Cow Palace. 5 championships were defended on the show but none bigger than Kenny Omega defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Cody.
Tama Tonga picked up the pin over Yoshi-Hashi to get the win for his team but King Haku was the real star of the match.
“Haku” chants were heard throughout the Cow Palace. He even started the match for his team!
The finish of this match came when Haku locked in the Tongan death grip on Yoshi-Hashi and then passed him off to Tama Tonga who hit him with a cutter and got the pin.
2.Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) defeated Zack Sabre Jr and Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)
Suzuki-Gun used their wide array of submissions early. They worked on Yano a lot until he made a hot tag to Ishii.
Yano’s shenanigans led to the finish. ZSJ blocked a low blow by clenching his legs (he did that in the NJ Cup too) but ran into a lariat from Ishii and was cradled by Yano for a 3-count.
After the match, Suzuki brought out a chair and looked to want to get at Yano but took his aggression out on young lions instead.
Yano, Ishii, and Zack Sabre Jr are all in the same block in the G1 this year.
3. Marty Scurll and Hangman Page (Bullet Club) defeated KUSHIDA and Hiroshi Tanahashi
Hangman Page and Hiroshi Tanahashi are in the same block in the G1 this year. They paired off for much of this match while Scurll and KUSHIDA did the same.
It would be Page pinning KUSHIDA, however, after giving him the Right of Passage to end the match.
Tanahashi and Page will meet on Sunday, July 22nd in the G1.
4. NEVER Openweight Championship Hirooki Goto (CHAOS) (c) defeated Jeff Cobb
Goto seemed to wrestle a bit more of a heel style here than normal. This was likely due to how popular Cobb was with the live crowd.
The champ got the early advantage by throwing Cobb into the steel post on the outside.
After Goto worked him over for a few minutes, Cobb started his comeback with a standing dropkick. He was cut off pretty quick after missing a standing moonsault and then they went into their bigger moves around the 10-minute mark.
Cobb got a few near falls with a Stampede style power-slam and after hitting his standing moonsault.
They reversed each other’s finishers a bit but Goto eventual hit the GTR and got the win.
The IWGP Tag Team Championships on the line in a rematch from Dominion! The Bucks venture into the heart of the Darkness World as these teams push each other to the limit!#G1USA is LIVE on @njpwworld ! (Non US) Sign up Now?? https://t.co/CcdQ1XrpWApic.twitter.com/BFivGBQKxR
5. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships the Young Bucks (Bullet Club) (c) defeated SANADA and EVIL (LIJ)
The Young Bucks pick up their first title defense victory as IWGP Heavyweight champions.
The match started with the Bucks doing some fun spots until LIJ took control and isolated Nick Jackson. Nick eventually made a hot tag to Matt and eventually all four wrestlers were brawling in the ring.
The Bucks kept control but SANADA moved out of the way from More Bang For Your Buck and tagged in EVIL.
EVIL hit a series of German suplexes and then LIJ got near falls from EVIL’s Darkness Falls powerbomb and a Magic Killer.
EVIL ducked a double super-kick and the ref got taken out. LIJ then brought out a chair but EVIL eventually had it super-kicked into his face.
The Bucks attempted the Meltzer Driver on a chair but LIJ reversed it and gave them their own Meltzer Driver onto a chair! They got a near fall on that as well.
The Bucks eventually regained offense and quickly hit their Meltzer Driver and got the win.
IWGP United States Championship Juice Robinson defeated Jay White (c) – New Champion
Before the match, it was announced that if Juice uses his cast as a weapon he may be disqualified at the referee’s descretion. He teased using the cast early in the match.
White cut off Juice’s early momentum by suplexing him to the outside.
White then beat him up on the outside and sent him flying into guardrails.
Juice started to make a comeback but White cut him off and put him in submissions based around his injured hand. He’d bend his fingers back and stuff like that.
They spilled to the floor and White and Barnett got into a shoving match which caused Barnett to chase him into the ring but red shoes cut him off before he could get to White.
White tried to hit Juice’s hand with a chair but Juice got out of the way.
After taking some suplexes on the outside, Juice gave White a spinebuster on the ring apron.
They brawled on the outside some more before Juice took control inside the ring, hitting a cannonball in the corner.
White got control back shortly after and locked Juice in a crucifix. He then landed a series of unprotected elbow shots to the head.
The ref ended up out of position and White landed a low blow, however with the ref distracted again Juice used his cast to hit White in the head. He then hit Pulp Friction but only got a near-fall.
White got the advantage and went for the Slingblade but White countered with a roll-up for the win!
Cody got an early near-fall on a power-slam and they went for some big moves early.
Omega was going to springboard to hit Cody on the outside but Cody used Brandi as a shield and Omega stopped.
Cody then took control and hit his own springboard move to the outside on Omega.
Cody worked on Omega for a bit but Omega eventually made a comeback. Omega then hit several of his bigger moves for near-falls.
Cody then hit a dragon suplex to get back into it and then locked in a traditional figure four-leglock (not Cody’s usual leglock move).
After Omega got out of the figure four, he went to the outside and got a ladder. Then Cody got a chair. Cody then slammed Omega on the ladder.
Cody then slammed him onto a ladder on the outside as well.
Cody and Matt Jackson started arguing over the use of weapons as both Cody and Omega climbed the ladder on the outside.
Omega teasted super-plexing Cody off the ladder on to the outside but Cody countered and super-plexed him inside the ring instead.
After teasing leaving the ring with Brandi, Cody hit a Disaster Kick. He then grabbed the title belt and motioned as if he was going to hit Omega with him. The Young Bucks pleaded with him not to do it.
Cody chose not to hit him with the belt and after some reversals he hit Cross Rhodes for a near-fall.
The Bucks cleared the ladders out of the ring. The fans weren’t too happy with that.
Omega then hit a series of V-Triggers to regain the offence. He power-bombed Cody to the outside on top of a table but the table didn’t break. Cody looked like he hit hard.
Omega rolled him back in the ring but Brandi shielded Cody from taking another V-Trigger. After Brandi left the ring Cody clotheslined Omega as he was going for a V-Trigger.
Omega regained the offense shortly after and hit his 1-Winged Angel for the win.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, King Haku Attack Kenny Omega and Other Bullet Club Members
After the match Omega cut a promo about how everyone, including Cody, deserves a second chance. He then thanked the nearly sold out crowd for being lively. As Omega and Bullet Club were celebrating on the stage area, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and their father, King Haku, attacked from behind.
They attacked Omega and the Bucks first and then Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens after they questioned what they were doing. Cody eventually came out and Tama Tonga handed him a chair to hit Omega with. He motioned as if he was going to hit Omega but then tried to take out the Guerillas of Destiny instead. They cut him off, however, and Haku gave him a piledriver on a chair.
After the Tongas left, Omega, Cody and the Bucks all hugged, solidifying they are all together again.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and their father King Haku attacked Kenny Omega tonight following his victory over Cody in the Cow Palace. The G1 Special in San Francisco appeared to be over as Bullet Club celebrated in the ring but suddenly Tama Tonga attacked Omega from behind.
Even their allies in Bullet Club, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi were attacked by the Guerillas of Destiny. Cody finally came out and Tama handed him a chair to hit Omega with. Cody motioned as if to hit Omega but then tried to take out the Tongans instead. They eventually cut him off and Tama gave him a cutter. Haku then gave Cody a piledriver on a chair.
The trio left the ring area as Tanga Loa stated they are the real Bullet Club into the camera. Jim Ross speculated as to where Bad Luck Fale stands in this, as he is likely aligned with the Tongans as well. Fale is their cousin and Fale and Tonga are 2 of the 4 original Bullet Club members.
After the Tongans cleared, Cody, Omega, and the Bucks hugged it out in the ring and showed they’re solidified again. With that, the Cody vs Kenny storyline is over and it will be the Elite against the Tongan faction.
Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Haku
There had been dropped hints of Tama Tonga’s dissension with Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and referring to themselves as “the Elite”. Tanga Loa made it clear into the camera tonight that they had no leader and that everyone is equal. Despite this, JR and Barnett speculated that Haku was the mastermind behind the attack.
Kenny Omega and Tama Tonga will meet on Saturday, July 21st, 2018 in the G1.
Juice Robinson has won the IWGP United States championship. He defeated “Switchblade” Jay White tonight in the Cow Palace at NJPW’s G1 Special in San Francisco.
Jim Ross and Josh Barnett spoke early in the match about how Juice really needed to win this match to show he can win big matches. Robinson had challenged for every heavyweight single’s title in the promotion minus the IWGP Heavyweight title but won his first tonight.
White would kick-out of Juice Robinson’s Pulp Friction, even after Juice had hit him illegally with the cast on his injured hand. Juice looked like he was going to drop yet another title match but then he countered White’s Switchblade into a roll-up and got a 3-count.
In doing so, Robinson becomes the first American to hold the IWGP United States championship.
Juice Robinson IWGP United States Champion
Winning a single’s championship in the semi-final of a big show at the Cow Palace should solidify that Juice Robinson is a guy NJPW wants to promote to their international audience. The live crowd was definitely behind him tonight.
Robinson earned a lot of praise for his profanity-laced promo earlier this month. Seth Rollins tweeted out that his former WWE developmental teammate was the best promo in the business in response to it.
They built up an angle leading up to this match where White broke a bone in Juice’s hand by hitting him with a chair. They announced a special rule before the match that if Juice used his hand as a weapon he could be disqualified at the referee’s discretion.
White’s title reign ends at 3 defenses over 160 days. Kenny Omega, the only other person to have held the title, defended the title 4 times over 210 days.
The Undertaker is wrestling his first match at Madison Square Garden since September 2010 tonight as “The Deadman” partners with Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman against Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, and Elias in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Ahead of tonight’s show, The Undertaker did his trademark eye roll backstage for New York Knicks star Enes Kanter.
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The official Instagram account of Madison Square Garden also posted this photo of The Undertaker and Kanter.
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Kanter is a long time wrestling fan and said as far back as 2010 that he wants to wrestle after he’s done playing basketball.
Kanter said The Undertaker is his favorite wrestler.
“I started watching like four or five years ago, and right now I feel like [The Undertaker] on the court. His nickname is unbelievable that’s why I love it, “The Deadman,” I love it.”
He even has a little play on words with his last name.
“People started calling me the Underkanter. Right now my nickname is Underkanter.”
Now in 2018, the 26-year-old would still consider a WWE career after retiring from basketball. He said so while answering a question on Twitter in May.
Kanter isn’t shy about his love for professional wrestling as he posed for photos with Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, The New Day and John Cena at WWE’s last event at Madison Square Garden back in March.
In a recent interview, former WWE superstar and second generation athlete Cody Rhodes broke his silence on his attitude towards WWE, especially when in regards to current talent still within the company.
When asked what his advice would be to WWE superstars currently mired within the sports entertainment juggernauts’ midcard, and therefore looking to possibly branch out on their own, the son of a son of plumber heavily implied sticking with the ‘E, having this to say on the matter;
“The reason I tell them that, unless you have the balls to do this, and when I say the balls to do it I mean full hustle, full commitment; that date book should be filled within three days. It’s not like WWE where you drive into a town and you’re on a loop, this is a different story here. You’re flying every morning, every show you’re expected to be this..the ex-WWE name carries some weight, you’re expected to be that and be on, and not everyone can do that”.
It seems that whilst leaving the sports entertainment leviathan, Cody still understands the benefits of being a part of Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire, and how it can immeasurably help anyone build a name worthy of investing in on the independent scene.
Bobby Lashley continues to make it pretty clear that he wants to fight Brock Lesnar.
The former ECW Champion recently spoke to Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub to talk about various topics. In this interview, he gave some insight into his desire to fight the former WWE Universal Champion.
As for the reason, he said that it’s to finish business as there are a lot of reasons. He noted that in order to display his wrestling ability, he wanted to be on a big stage and the WWE is just that.
He brought up the fact that he is on the RAW brand now and Lesnar is the champion of that brand. “I’ve been training and training and ever since I started the business everyone’s kinda compared Brock and I so I think the match needs to happen at some point in time.”
Lashley also talked about which WWE star could make the transition into MMA. He noted that believes everybody has an opportunity to make the jump because they don’t necessarily have a wrestling background or boxing or anything like that they’ve just picked it up and have been training for years.
He pointed out Chad Gable as he is an Olympian and due to him having a great work ethic. He added that Authors of Pain could make the jump due to one being a Kickboxing World Champion and one guy’s a multiple-time wrestling champion. “As far as other guys on the main roster, I think a lot of guys have the opportunity to do it. Since I’ve been in the ring with these guys, some of these guys are just tough beyond what people actually know of. I mean Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe. I think Samoa Joe would definitely be able to do it. Samoa Joe is great at kickboxing, he’s super aggressive — he’s tough. Shelton Benjamin, I think there’s a handful of guys who could possibly do it.”
WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, will be airing a new episode of Table for 3 this coming Monday night (July 9, 2018) after Monday Night RAW goes off the air at 11:06 PM EST. The sports entertainment company has sent out this synopsis:
“Alexa Bliss joins WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita, sharing road stories as well as discussing the evolution of women’s wrestling!”
Lio Rush Tweets
205 Live Superstar Lio Rush had fans of the sports entertainment company talking after he tweeted the following video where he compares himself to cruiserweight legends like Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio. He wrote this:
New Japan Pro Wrestling plans to run 3 more events in the United States before the end of the year. It was reported earlier this week that the promotion planned to return to Long Beach on September 30th (Fighting Spirit Unleashed). They have now announced 2 more shows in Anaheim on November 10th and 11th.
The Anaheim shows will not feature the top-tier stars of NJPW, however. Rather the two shows will be deemed “Lion’s Break” events similar to the Lion’s Gate shows in Japan and feature trainees. Although not specifically mentioned, it’s possible the Lion’s Break shows could feature talent scouted at their Long Beach dojo camps earlier this year.
In total, NJPW will have run 5 shows in the United States by year’s end. They have also toured the UK, Australia, and Mexico this year. Many believe the increased focus on international expansion has come from their newly appointed President, Harold Meij.
Just announced! Get ready for more NJPW action coming Stateside!
Meij told Japanese media his plans for the promotion include an emphasis on expanding from their traditional market.
“I want to expand the fan-base regardless of age, gender or nationality,” Meij explained. “New Japan has fantastic content, so it has the possibility of picking up popularity overseas. At the moment, there are some 100,000 registered members on our video streaming service ‘New Japan Pro-Wrestling World,’ and 40,000 of them live outside Japan. I would like to aim for the international market with things like videos in English or events for foreign tourists.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling is just outside of San Francisco tonight for their G1 Special. Earlier today there were slightly over 1000 tickets available for the event online. NJPW announced there were a small number of walk-up tickets available at the Cow Palace. Earlier reports had the building half sold-out but with it being the most expensive half of seats sold. It now looks as though it should be just under a sellout tonight.
WWE Hall Of Famer and Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle recently held a Q&A on his Facebook page. You can find some of the highlights here below:
Who he’d like to see Kenny Omega face in WWE:
“Seth Rollins or AJ Styles. I’d love a shot at Kenny as well. I have a list of dream opponents that I would like to compete against. These three are in the list.”
If he has any regrets about leaving TNA for WWE:
“I can’t. I had a great career in TNA, maybe better than my WWE career. I had a reduced schedule there. And I wrestled so many greats AJ, Joe, Sting, Roode…To name a few. My body couldn’t hold up to the rigorous schedule in WWE at the time. I always imagine the career I could have had if I stayed in WWE. It would have been incredible, but I couldn’t stay so I can’t keep asking myself ‘What if?'”
Which tag team he’d like to face if he partnered up with Shawn Michaels:
“Tag teams? Cesaro and Shaemus or The Usos. But the most cohesive tag team right now is…The Revival. They are amazing together as a unit. Great things coming from them.”
Should aspiring wrestlers get an education first or start training as young as possible:
“Education first! You’re still young after you graduate college. If you skip college and promise yourself you’ll go back and graduate later on in life, there’s a 99 percent chance you won’t. Get your degree. Then focus on wrestling.”
Is he writing a biography:
“Yes. Someday. I have a documentary I’m making right now. I’m excited to show all of you my entire life story. Stay tuned.”
Yesterday (Fri. July 6, 2018) IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega spoke at the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) G1 Special press conference. “The Cleaner” was asked where in the United States he’d like to see NJPW go next.
Omega offered a rather unorthodox answer, saying he’d like to see the promotion go somewhere such as Alaska. Omega explained it’s tough for fans in locations such as those to go see professional wrestling shows and he wants NJPW to make their product available to as many fans as possible:
“I mean, this might sound strange, but maybe a place like Alaska? The reason why I say that is because geographically it might be the most difficult place for citizens of Alaska to travel outside of to get to [shows],” Omega said.
“Like I said, I feel like if we’re already making the strides to visit these new and exciting places, I want to make it as fair as possible for everyone to get to places we’re going to. Of course, we can’t travel to every state, we can’t travel to every country, but for ease of travel and to spread our wealth – so to speak – it would be cool to do that.
“I’m not sure how much wrestling is in Alaska. I know they have independent promotions, but for me that sounds exciting and I think we’d reach a lot of new people and the people there would probably also appreciate it, as well.”
Yesterday (Fri. July 6, 2018) IWGP Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, took part in the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) G1 Special press conference and answered several questions.
One such question was about a possible move to WWE when their current deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Ring Of Honor (ROH) expires. The pair had signed a two-year deal back in 2016 which is coming up in November.
Matt Jackson answered the question and stated that he and Nick are going to do what’s best for their families at this point in their careers. They were then asked about WWE following them on Twitter last week.
Matt Jackson joked that he didn’t know what that was about but said “I have a really good Twitter account” before laughing. Nick then responded by saying that they followed the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in response.
Discussion: Do you think The Young Bucks are WWE bound later this year?
Ring Of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Cody Rhodes took part in yesterday’s (Fri. July 6, 2018) G1 Special press conference to answer various questions. Rhodes appeared at the event in black hair, reverting away from the blonde haired look he adopted not too long ago.
It turns out Rhodes got called to do a TV show, some news he hopes to officially be able to announce soon, and they said it was a no-go on the blonde hair:
“I got called to do a TV show, hopefully we can break that news soon,” Rhodes said. “It doesn’t affect my wrestling dates at all, which means I’ll be burning things at both ends, but production is going to fly me to every show I had on the books. I’m not missing a damn thing.
“It’s exactly the type of career I was looking into. I was looking at my two-year plan yesterday for what I want, maybe move into a feature length film, but also keep everything I have with wrestling, because if I lose the wrestling part of my identity then I don’t have a clue who I am anymore. I’m very happy about it, but they said no on the blonde.”
Former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt missed Monday Night RAW earlier this week after being involved in a three-car accident that he was reportedly cited for causing.
“The Eater Of Worlds” missed RAW because he needed to nurse several injuries sustained during the incident. Wyatt is one-half of the RAW Tag Team Champions alongside “Woken” Matt Hardy, and the pair are scheduled to defend their titles against The B Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) at Extreme Rules on pay-per-view (PPV).
Wyatt appears to be good-to-go for the title match, as he got back into the ring last night (Fri. July 6, 2018) for WWE’s house show in Philadelphia. He and Hardy successfully defended their RAW Tag Team Titles against Titus Worldwide and The B-Team in a Triple Threat Tag Team match.
Given that Wyatt was able to work his match in Philadelphia last night, it’s safe to say he should be all set to defend the RAW Tag Team Titles come Extreme Rules. Check out some videos and photos from Wyatt’s return to action in Philadelphia here:
Samael Say "And every time I die, I always come back" .?
They always encourage others by their actions. #WWEphilly <Hennefer>
Former WWE head of security Jimmy Noonan recently interviewed two-time WWE Women’s Champion Jazz on his podcast, Noonan Speaks. Jazz first talked about getting her start in 1998 in ECW and praised both Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer:
“I was in ECW in ’98 and I had my first pay-per-view match.” Jazz recalled, “I was doing house shows and all that and I was part of Justin Credible’s entourage at pay-per-views before the single’s match. I debuted my single’s pay-per-view match against Jason Knight at Heat Wave in ’99.
“And that was the birth of ‘The Female Fighting Phenom’. That did it.” Jazz added, “I always give props to Paul E. and Dreamer for seeing something different in me and something that I had to offer to the [pro wrestling] business, so I owe a lot of credit to Dreamer and Paul E.”
Jazz credits Heyman for being the most influential person in her professional wrestling career. She revealed that Heyman actually advised her against getting breast implants because she didn’t need them to stand out:
“I always put Paul E. over in every interview.” Jazz explained, “I always put him over because, first, at the time, there [were not] many African American women in the business, especially on that level. He saw something in little old me and he gave me an opportunity. And he knew I was different.
“He told me, ‘please, no matter what you do, you don’t need [a] boob job. You don’t need this and that. Like, you’re totally different and that’s going to make you different. That’s going to set you out and make you look different from any other girls. Never, ever consider getting boobs or any of it.’ And that’s why he came up with the motto of, ‘my T and A [does not] stand for t–s and ass.
“My T and A stands for talent and ability.’ So Paul E., he knew what he was doing with me and he set the tone of who Jazz is and he turned me into ‘The Female Fighting Phenom’. Like, Paul E. Heyman, and Dreamer, he had a great mind for the game as well. They still do. Do you know what I’m saying? And this is what they saw in me and they gave me my first opportunity to showcase what I can offer to the business.”
You can listen to Jazz on Noonan Speaks by clicking this link here.
