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WWE SummerSlam 2017 Preview & Predictions

Robert Lentini
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WWE SummerSlam 2017 airs this Sunday live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Kickoff Show:

Jason Jordan & The Hardy Boyz vs The Miz & The Miztourage

This match happened on this past week’s episode of RAW and was added to the SummerSlam card on Thursday. Predicted winner: Jason Jordan & The Hardy Boyz

SmackDown Tag Team Championship: New Day (c) vs The Usos

I thought this match would be on the main card. The Usos lost the titles to New Day at WWE Backlash. The Usos picked up a victory over Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods on this week’s episode of SmackDown. It has been announced that Big E & Xavier Woods will be the two members of New Day competing at SummerSlam. This match could go either way, but I think the New Day will walk out of the Barclays Center still the champs. Predicted winners and still SmackDown Tag Team Champions: New Day

Cruiserweight Championship: Akira Tozawa (c) vs Neville

Akira Tozawa won the Cruiserweight Championship on this past week’s episode of RAW. Neville quickly invoked his rematch clause and will face Tozawa for the title during SummerSlam’s Kickoff Show. I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened, but I think it would be silly to take the Cruiserweight Championship off of Tozawa 6 days after he won it. Tozawa gets another victory over Neville and Neville loses his mind after the match. Predicted winner and still Cruiserweight Champion: Akira Tozawa

Main Card:

Randy Orton vs Rusev

Orton defeated WWE Champion Jinder Mahal last week on SmackDown. After the match, Rusev attacked Orton on the entrance ramp. On this past week’s episode of SmackDown, Rusev beat the hell out of Chad Gable and applied the Accolade to him while on the announce table. Rusev then got into the ring to cut a promo on Orton but Randy slithered into the ring and hit Rusev with an RKO out of nowhere. Rusev made his return to WWE recently and promptly lost to John Cena at WWE Battleground. I expect the losing to continue for Rusev this Sunday. Predicted winner: Randy Orton

Big Cass vs Big Show

Enzo Amore will be suspended in shark cage above the ring

Big Cass got some help from Gallows & Anderson on this past week’s episode of RAW. Gallows & Anderson tied Big Show’s hand to the cage and Cass slammed the cage door shut on it. Big Show’s hand is now injured and he may not be able to perform the Knockout Punch this Sunday. Big Cass should definitely win this match at SummerSlam. It will be interesting to see if Enzo plays a role in this match besides shouting from the shark cage above the ring. Predicted winner: Big Cass

Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt

Wyatt defeated Finn Balor on Monday’s episode of RAW. After the match, Wyatt poured “blood” all over Balor. Later on RAW, Balor announced that The Demon will return during this match at SummerSlam. Wyatt picked up a victory on Monday night, I don’t envision him winning again this Sunday at the PPV. Predicted winner: Finn Balor

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Naomi (c) vs Natalya

Carmella has been hinting for weeks that Sunday will be the night that she cashes in her Money in the Bank contract. Normally when things are that obvious, I don’t think that they will happen. However, I actually think the cash in will happen on Sunday. Naomi’s title run has been very poorly booked and she defended her title against Lana three times in a row for some reason. Natalya deserves a run with the title, but I think she is going to lose this match. After the match, Natalya attacks Naomi and that opens the door for Carmella to cash in her MITB contract. Predicted winner & new SmackDown Women’s Champion: Carmella

John Cena vs Baron Corbin

This match took on a whole new meaning after Baron Corbin’s incredible failure on this past week’s episode of SmackDown. Corbin attacked Cena during his match against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Cena had just planted Mahal with an Attitude Adjustment off the second rope and had the match won. After he beatdown Cena, Corbin attempted to cash in his MITB contract. Cena hopped back up on the ring apron and distracted Corbin. Mahal then rolled up Corbin from behind and won the match.

Corbin lost his shot at the WWE Championship because he was distracted by John Cena. Unless WWE has completely lost all faith in Baron Corbin, I don’t see how he doesn’t win this match at SummerSlam. Corbin was embarrassed on SmackDown, it wouldn’t be a good sign for him if he also gets his ass kicked at SummerSlam. WWE is making it known that Cena is on a losing streak at SummerSlam. I’ll predict that Corbin wins this match on Sunday, but I won’t be surprised at all if Cena kicks out of End of Days and submits Corbin with the STF. Predicted winner: Baron Corbin

RAW Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss (c) vs Sasha Banks

Bayley was supposed to get a shot at the RAW Women’s Championship, but her shoulder injury prevented that happening. Sasha Banks submitted Nia Jax with the Bank Statement to earn a shot at the title at SummerSlam. I thought Banks should have been in this match to begin with, as Alexa Bliss got herself counted out in their at Great Balls of Fire to retain the title. I’d like to see Sasha Banks win the title at SummerSlam and actually hold onto it for a long time. Predicted winner and new RAW Women’s Champion: Sasha Banks

RAW Tag Team Championship: Sheamus & Cesaro (c) vs Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins

The mini-Shield reunion finally happened on Monday’s episode of RAW. Ambrose and Rollins had denied each other’s attempts at a fist-bump and started throwing punches. However, they came together to beatdown Sheamus & Cesaro when they attacked them at ringside. Ambrose and Rollins then fist-bumped in the ring as Boston crowd went nuts. Ambrose and Rollins have all the momentum in the world and I would be stunned if they didn’t win the titles on Sunday. Predicted winners & new RAW Tag Team Champions: Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins

United States Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs Kevin Owens

Shane McMahon is the referee for this match

In the past couple of weeks, AJ Styles has accidentally hit Shane McMahon with a Pele Kick and Owens has accidentally hit him with a Superkick. Shane McMahon is going to be involved in this finish to this match somehow and I’m guessing Kevin Owens isn’t going to like it. Shane McMahon will wind up costing Owens the victory and Owens will attack Shane after the match. Predicted winner and still United States Champion: AJ Styles

WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated John Cena to earn his shot at the WWE Championship. On this past week’s episode of SmackDown, he interrupted Jinder Mahal’s celebration on India’s Independence Day and confronted the WWE Champion. Nakamura will have this match won several times, but the Singh Brothers will keep getting involved in the match. Eventually, Nakamura will be able to eliminate the Singh Brothers and capture the WWE Championship. Predicted winner & new WWE Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura

Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman has claimed that he and his client Brock Lesnar will be leaving WWE if Brock Lesnar loses the Universal Championship on Sunday. Monday’s episode of RAW ended with Lesnar and Strowman being separated in the ring by the WWE locker room as Reigns and Samoa Joe battled outside the ring. The locker room eventually separated Reigns and Joe as well. Paul Heyman seems to believe that RAW GM Kurt Angle and WWE have conspired to take the title off of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. I cannot wait to see this match and I think Lesnar will somehow escape Sunday with the Universal Championship. Predicted winner & still Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar

What are your predictions for WWE SummerSlam? Let us know in the comments below.

Jinder Mahal Reveals The One Thing That Will Make Him Give Away The WWE Title

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Champion Jinder Mahal recently joined Dave Lagreca on Busted Open, alongside fellow WWE Superstar Mark Henry, to promote this weekend’s (Sun. August 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV), and his WWE Title defense against former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Shinsuke Nakamura.

“The Maharaja” talked about looking forward to working with “The Artist,” what he needs to look out for the most against the Japanese star, and the one thing that would make him give away the WWE Title. Check it out here:

What he thinks about working with Nakamura:

“Yeah I’m really looking forward to my match with Nakamura, obviously a huge star in Japan, and the crowd loves him. But it’s Brooklyn man, the crowd is unpredictable. It’s just like Chicago, when I beat Randy Orton for the title I said in some interviews, ‘Man, I honestly don’t know what this crowd is going to be like. I don’t know if they’re going to cheer me or cheer Randy, boo me out the building, or whatnot, but as long as they’re making noise it’s good and I know they’re gonna be making a lot of noise.’ I’m interested to see where this match with Shinsuke goes. I’m definitely looking forward to working with Shinsuke. Man, his strikes are surgical.”

What does he needs to look out for the most against Nakamura:

“Yeah man, his striking, his unpredictability is a major factor. Just his charisma, his body movement, it’s unlike anybody else’s. He’s unlike anybody that I’ve ever faced before. Very unorthodox but effective. So I think we’re gonna have a strong, strong match and I look to working with him in the future cause I see him being a main event level talent for a long time. Along with myself, I see myself in that same light too. I’m not gonna back down, a lot of people ask me this question, ‘What was it like when you won the WWE Championship? Was it like ‘Oh my god I accomplished something -” Honestly it wasn’t weird man, it really wasn’t, because my goals are much bigger than this.

“I don’t want to just be a one time champion. My goal is not just to win the championship, and it was a lot of work to get here but when I won it, I want to keep it. I actually said this on Talking Smack, when Baron Corbin won the Money In The Bank contract, they had asked me something about it and I’m like, ‘When Baron Corbin out-works me, I will personally hand him this title. He doesn’t need to cash-in anything. If I get outworked, I will give the title away.'”

Listen to Mahal’s full interview with Busted Open by clicking here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Triple H Talks NJPW & If Their Success Forces WWE To Make Adjustments

Jon Fuentes
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WWE’s Triple H recently made an appearance on CBS Sports’ In This Corner Podcast to promote tomorrow’s (Sat. August 19, 2017) NXT TakeOver III: Brooklyn. During the interview, “The Game” talked about which competitor WWE needs to pay most attention to, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), and if NJPW’s success has forced WWE to make any adjustments to their product. Here’s what he had to say:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCkcVx1QL6g

Which WWE Superstar the company needs to pay the most attention to:

“When you say, ‘What’s the No. 2 promotion?’ and ‘WWE doesn’t have a promotion knocking on its door and pushing them,’ Raw and SmackDown do. Raw and SmackDown have a promotion right on their tail pushing them to do more. That promotion is going to run a show on Saturday night at the Barclays Center, and it’s called NXT.

“[NXT] is going to set a bar, and the main roster is going to have to step up to that bar. And trust me, those are all people that are coming from NXT, and now the kids here are pushing them to do the same thing that they pushed the people in front of them to do.”

If NJPW’s success forces them to make any adjustments:

“I don’t think anyone forces anyone to make adjustments, I think it’s just that the world changes. What people will accept changes? What people will like changes?

“People’s styles that I bring in, I’m not trying to change these performers, I’m trying to give them a platform and then take them on that platform and make the biggest, global star you can make. Whether that goes on to NXT and then on to SmackDown or Raw, whatever that is. A lot of these kids, I want them to be headlining WrestleMania.”

You can check out Triple H’s full interview on In This Corner at this link.

Braun Strowman On Especially Trusting Roman Reigns In The Ring, His Wrestling Mentality, More

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Superstar Braun Strowman recently did an interview with Cheap Heat to promote this weekend’s (Sun. August 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) in which he will be involved in the main event. Strowman will be part of a Fatal Four-Way match for the Universal Championship involving champion Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe.

During his interview, “The Monster Among Men” discussed trusting Roman Reigns inside the ring, his mentality in wrestling, and his massive growth spurt in high school. Check out the highlights here:

Trusting Roman Reigns inside the ring:

“I solely trust my partner going out there, and especially the guy I’m working with, Roman [Reigns]. There’s not another talent on this planet like him. He is the best, if not the best in the ring, hands down. I know that he’s going to do the same thing that I do — he’s going to put his body on the line too. You’ve seen that. I’ll knock his hind end into the dirt, time after time, and he keeps getting back up.

“Whether it be stupidity, stubbornness or pure heart, you can’t argue that Roman is one tough SOB and entertaining, to say the least. At this point, I mean, what else is there to do? I feel like the next match we’re going to have is going to be on top of a volcano, and the only way to win is to throw your opponent into the volcano.”

His wrestling mentality when he performs:

“I’m not one of those guys that sits here and goes, ‘Well, if I can just do this or that.’ I’m gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing, and that’s going out with my peak performance, giving 100 percent, breaking new things out, and continuing to make you go, ‘Oh my God, what else can he possibly do?’ If you love me, you love me, and if you hate me, you hate me, but you’re going to get me. I’m going to give you everything I’ve got, I’m going to put my body on the line, and I’m going to entertain you. Plain and simple.”

Hitting a massive growth spurt during high school:

“You know, I wasn’t too much out of the spectrum of normal until I really started high school. Literally, my freshman year, I was a 5-[foot]-8 or 5-9, 180-pound little butterball. When I graduated high school, I was 6-5 and 305. I think I swallowed a magic bean pill.”

You can check out Strowman’s full interview with Cheap Heat here.

Jim Ross Talks SummerSlam Sleeper Match, If Brock Lesnar Will Drop His Title, More

Jon Fuentes
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0

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross has posted another blog on his JR’s BBQ website ahead of SummerSlam this weekend (Sun. August 20, 2017). Ross talked about trying to compare Okada vs. Omega to Flair vs. Steamboat, this weekend’s Title Matches, and his sleeper pick for the pay-per-view (PPV). Here’s what he had to say:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY8g1q3PGoo

Comparing Okada vs. Omega to Flair vs. Steamboat:

“I had the privilege of commentating all three of the famous Flair-Steamboat trilogy of classics in 1989 and did it with three different partners, Magnum TA, Terry Funk, and Bob Caudle. Ric and Ricky were simply amazing in those bouts that still hold up very well today. I get a kick out of some people trying to intelligently compare the recent Okada-Omega bouts to Flair-Steamboat, as I feel that it is impossible to make valid judgments on matches that were held in totally different eras.

“I do agree that everyone has their own opinions of which we all should respect, but to honestly say that any match is the greatest of all time – including the amazing, Flair-Steamboat bouts – is iffy. Too many people rush to judgemental to declare ‘The Greatest Ever…’ connotations when there is no way to document, to quantify, and to discern what truly is the greatest match ever or the greatest wrestler ever for that matter as we all have our takes.”

SummerSlam World Title Matches and his pick for ‘sleeper’:

“Regarding SummerSlam – of which I have high expectations – I am anxious to see how Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura mesh bell to bell as this one could be a sleeper. Both men have much to prove, in my opinion, on this stage and in this specific match. Also, I am not of the mindset that it is automatic that Brock Lesnar will lose the Universal Title on Sunday. I could see, however, this huge main event setting up Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman down the road on another big stage.”

You can read Ross’ full blog entry by visiting the following link here.

Final Card For NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III

Staff
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This Saturday night, SummerSlam weekend officially kicks of with NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III from the Barclays Center. WWE COO said this week that ‘Takeover: Brooklyn’ has become somewhat of a ‘WrestleMania’ for the NXT brand and this weekend’s show should live up to those lofty expectations.

The following is the final card for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III

NXT World Championship
– Bobby Roode (C) vs. Drew McIntyre

NXT Women’s Championship
– Asuka (C) vs. Ember Moon

NXT Tag-Team Championship
– The Authors Of Pain (C) vs. SAnitY (Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe)

– Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami

– Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

Join us here on Saturday night for our NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III play-by-play coverage and live discussion!

Jim Cornette Comments On His New Role With GFW (Audio)

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Jim Cornette made a surprise appearance on Thursday’s ‘live’ edition of Impact Wrestling and immediately made his presence felt.

In light of Alberto El Patron being stripped of the GFW World Championship due to his conduct outside the ring, authority figure Bruce Prichard announced that he would be presenting the championship to the man Alberto defeated to unify the TNA/GFW titles, Bobby Lashley. Lashley’s music hit, but out came Cornette, who proceeded to fire Bruce Prichard on behalf of Anthem executives. He also announced a championship gauntlet match for next week’s Impact, the results of which you can find here.

Cornette spoke with his podcast co-host Brian Last on Thursday night about what transpired on Impact. Cornette has been very outspoken about TNA (including Dixie Carter and of course Vince Russo), but said he likes a challenge and is looking restore order in GFW. He added that he’s not currently under contract with GFW. “I’m not a member of the Global Force Wrestling roster. I’m not interested with anything full-time with any promotion.”

Listen to the Jim Cornette Experience each Thursday and Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru each Monday on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, and everywhere else podcasts are available!

WATCH: Southpaw Regional Wrestling Season 2

Staff
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Season 2 of Southpaw Regional Wrestling is out and you can watch it in its entirety right here. WWE’s online comedy series about a fictional 1980’s wrestling territory was a runaway hit when it premiered earlier this year.

Lance Catamaran, Chett Chetterfield, Tex Ferguson, Chad 2 Badd, Clint Bobski, Big Bartholomew and the gang are back with several new additions to the cast. Watch below and see which WWE Superstars you spot on Season 2 of Southpaw Regional Wrestling.

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Southpaw Regional Wrestling Season 2

A second Southpaw Regional Wrestling VHS tape has been discovered! This tape contains the promotion’s build to their Showdown at the Swamp event in August 1986.

Spoiler: Former WWE Superstar Debuts For GFW

Anutosh Bajpai
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24

The first day of latest Impact Taping schedule was filled with a number of interesting events including the crowning of a new GFW World Heavyweight Champion and the Impact debut of a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.

As we noted before the first episode of Impact which was taped during the first day of the 4 days taping schedule saw the return of Jim Cornette.

Cornette announced a Gauntlet match for next week to determine the new GFW World Champion after Alberto El Patron was stripped of the title recently.

During the episode, they also announced the debut of former WWE Star John Morrison now renamed as Johnny Impact. The announcement was made through a video package which can be seen below:

The episode featuring the Gauntlet match was taped later in the night and Johnny Impact made his debut during the Championship bout while coming out as a participant at number 13.

He stayed in the match for a while and was one of the final four contestants in it along with Moose, Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards, before being eliminated. Below are some of the photos of his Impact debut:

https://twitter.com/theredstandard/status/898366501111123970

It’s worth mentioning here that John Morrison made his GFW debut during a Live Event earlier this month from Long Island New York on August 4rth.

The Rock Serving As Executive Soundtrack Producer For WWE 2K18

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On Friday 2K announced that WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will serve as the Executive Soundtrack Producer for WWE 2K18.

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2K Announces Dwayne Johnson as WWE® 2K18 Executive Soundtrack Producer; Now Streaming on Apple Music

Global entertainment icon and legendary WWE Superstar to deliver unique track list comprised of high profile artists from several music genres

New York, NY – August 18, 2017 – 2K today announced the in-game soundtrack details for WWE® 2K18, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Executive produced and personally curated by legendary WWE Superstar and global icon Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson, the soundtrack will feature 11 unique songs that represent many of Johnson’s favorite artists and music genres, including hip-hop, classic rock, hard rock, blues, R&B and soul. In addition, Apple Music will serve as the premier streaming provider for the WWE 2K18 in-game soundtrack, which is available now for streaming at apple.co/wwe2k.

“Music is one of my soul’s anchors. All genres. I’m excited to celebrate my WWE roots by partnering with the 2K and Apple Music teams and share some of my favorite hardcore training songs with fans all over the world,” said Johnson.

The WWE 2K18 in-game soundtrack, executive produced by Johnson, will include the following artists and songs:

  • Blues Brothers – “Soul Man”;
  • Boston – “Smokin’”;
  • Bruno Mars – “Runaway Baby”;
  • Disturbed – “Down With The Sickness”;
  • Eazy-E – “Boyz-N-The-Hood”;
  • George Thorogood & The Destroyers – “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”;
  • Joe Walsh – “Rocky Mountain Way”;
  • Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”;
  • Kid Rock – “You Never Met a White Boy Quite Like Me”;
  • ¡MAYDAY! (feat. Tech N9ne) – “Last One Standing”;
  • Tech N9ne (feat. Krizz Kaliko, Serj Tankian) – “Straight Out The Gate”.

“Over the years we have collaborated with some of the world’s most popular artists, including Florida Georgia Line, Metallica, The Weeknd and Diddy to name a few, but partnering with one of our own is always special,” said Neil Lawi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, WWE Music Group. “Working with Dwayne is always a creative and inspirational experience, and we are thrilled to partner with him on this year’s WWE 2K18 soundtrack, and bring his diverse selection to our fans around the world.”

“For the past few years, we have presented music as an integral part of both WWE and WWE 2K culture by aligning with several big names in music and entertainment, from Sean Combs a.k.a. Puff Daddy for WWE 2K17 to our WWE Superstar John Cena® and Wiz Khalifa collaboration for WWE 2K15,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K. “The opportunity to work with an individual as accomplished, down-to-earth and respected as Dwayne – our inaugural WWE 2K cover Superstar for WWE 2K14 – significantly complements the gameplay content and overall experience we look to deliver every year.”

Developed collaboratively by Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, a 2K studio, WWE 2K18 is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. WWE 2K18 is currently scheduled for worldwide release on October 17, 2017 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, as well as in Fall 2017 for Nintendo Switch™. Players who purchase the WWE 2K18 Cena (Nuff) Edition at participating retailers will receive Early Access to their game copies and in-game bonuses beginning four days early on Friday, October 13, 2017 for the PS4™ system and Xbox One. In addition, players who purchase the WWE 2K18 Deluxe Edition, available in both physical and digital varieties at participating retailers, will also receive Early Access to their game copies and in-game bonuses – including all Cena (Nuff) Edition digital content – beginning four days early on Friday, October 13, 2017 for the PS4™ system and Xbox One.

For more information on WWE 2K18 and 2K, visit wwe.2k.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #WWE2K18 and #BLN1 or subscribe on YouTube.

Spoilers: Impact Wrestling Tapings Results (Airing 8/24)

Staff
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Global Force Wrestling taped next week’s episode of Impact on Thursday night following the “live” Destination X show. H/T to The Rogue Fan and WrestleZone for the report:

– Taryn Terrell comes out and says she came back to help Gail retire. Gail comes out and chases her away.

–  oVe defeated The Heatseekers

– Grado comes out and says his time is up, and now he has to leave the country. Fans chant ‘Please don’t go’ at him, then Laurel Van Ness comes out, and she’s her normal self, not the ‘Hot Mess’. She says she’s a changed woman because of him, and ends up proposing to him. Grado says yes and the crowd cheers. Kongo Kong comes out to break up the party, but Mahabali Shera comes out and Kong backs away.
Eli Drake wins Gauntlet For The Gold to become the new GFW World Champion

– Gauntlet match participants order of entry:

  • Eli Drake
  • Eddie Edwards
  • Mario Bokara
  • Eddie Kingston
  • Braxton Sutter
  • Richard Justice
  • EC3
  • Kongo Kong
  • Suicide
  • Mahabali Shera
  • Chris Adonis
  • El Hijo De Fantasma
  • Johnny Impact (Johnny Mundo / John Hennigan)
  • Garza Jr
  • Fallah Bahh
  • KM
  • Taiji Ishimori
  • Bobby Lashley
  • Moose
  • Low Ki

Final six participants are Moose, Johnny, Low-Ki, Eddie Edwards, Lashley, and Eli Drake. Final four was Moose, Drake, Eddie Edwards, Johnny Impact, then it was down to Drake versus Edwards, who entered at 1 and 2, respectively. Eli Drake pinned Eddie Edwards after a Gravy Train to win the GFW Title.

Tetsuya Naito Proposes Changes to G1 Climax Format

Jake Skudder
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G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito took part in a press conference for New Japan recently and he made some ‘proposals’ on the format of the G1 and how he feels that the tournament could be changed for the better. The following comes from New Japan’s English language site NJPW1972.com:

‘I said as much in the ring last night, but I’m honestly grateful for all the fans for the atmosphere they all created in Ryogoku. But that’s not limited to the last match yesterday. This G1 I was able to put on amazing matches in front of amazing audiences every night. I think this was the best G1 Climax of all time.

But I have one… proposal? Or maybe a problem as winner. Something I want to happen if possible, as it relates to next year.

I want there to be a more sound selection criteria for anyone who enters the G1.

On August 11 and 12, the final group matches. There were five group matches on each night, but on the 11th, Tanahashi v Naito was the only match that decided the block. On the 12th, only Kenny and Okada. So out of 10 matches, 8 were meaningless.

That’s an issue with league matches, it can’t be helped to an extent. But it’s on the company to ensure that the fans are excited, kept on the edge of their seats until the very end, is it not? You have to raise questions over whether the choices made were the right ones, or whether 20 wrestlers was really the right number.

Recently the G1 Climax has been made up of 19 cards. Wrestlers in two blocks of ten. Nine group matches each and a final. That’s the framework that’s been laid out. It’s only after that that the company decides who goes in. “Ah, he sucks but we need to fill the blocks up so he gets in.” That’s how I felt it was this year. It should be a case of finding the absolute best of the best and only then deciding how many shows there needs to be.

Anyway, that’s just an idea, as this year’s winner to make the tournament better for all concerned. I know the company never really listens to me. If you just bear in mind that ol’ Naito had that suggestion for ya, I’d appreciate it.

So then.. this contract. This appears every year, doesn’t it? I knew I’d be getting one of these, but I didn’t know until right now that you’d go as far as to lay it out in front of me. A part of me suspected that they’d say “Naito won, so let’s nix it this year.” I gotta say, it’s kinda surprising to have this actually in front of my eyes. If I can have it, I’ll take it. But what I do with it? I think you know the answer. Of course- tranquilo- asssen na yo. That’s about it.”

 

Jack Swagger to Challenge for WCPW Title

Jake Skudder
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3

Former WWE superstar Jack Swagger will be challenging for the WCPW Title at the Pro Wrestling World Cup finals on August 26th.

Swagger will go one on one with the current Champion and leader of ‘The Prestige’ Joe Hendry. Tickets for the event in Newcastle are available to purchase via Eventbrite now.

Also confirmed for the event are:

  • KUSHIDA
  • Ricochet
  • Zack Sabre JR
  • Martin Kirby
  • Mike Bailey
  • El Ligero
  • Penta El Zero M
  • Alex Gracie
  • Bad Bones
  • Angelico

WATCH: Fatal Four Way Match for WWE UK Championship at ICW

Jake Skudder
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Insane Championship Wrestling recently posted the WWE UK Championship match from “Shugs Hoose Party 4” in it’s entirety.

Pete Dunne defended the belt against Trent Seven, Wolfgang and non WWE contracted wrestler BT Gunn. If you’ve never had the opportunity to catch an ICW show then this would be a great place to start, check it out below:

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/898143014496997376

Spoiler: New GFW World Champion Crowned

Anutosh Bajpai
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The GFW World Heavyweight Championship has been in controversy lately thanks to its former owner and former WWE World Champion Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio was infamously involved in an airport fight incident with his girlfriend Paige and was suspended by the company due to it while he still held the belt.

Officials stripped him of the World Championship just a few days ago despite no longer being a suspect in the mentioned incident. Since then it was rumoured that GFW will scrap their old plans and take a completely new direction for their top title.

During the latest episode of Impact Wrestling Jim Cornette returned to the company and announced a Gauntlet match for next week’s episode of Impact to crown the new GFW Champion.

The episode was taped later on the same night and Eli Drake won the announced Gauntlet match to become the new GFW World Heavyweight Champion.

Drake joined TNA back in 2015 and this is not the first championship he has won on the Promotion now rebranded as Global Force Wrestling. He has previously won the TNA King of the Mountain Championship once too.

Eli has worked for WWE on a number of occasions as well but he has mostly worked in dark matches for the company and he hasn’t had any meaningful stint with them.

Former Champion Finally Returning To WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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One of the most exciting announcements WWE made in the initial days of 2016 Brand Extension was the return of former WWE Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin.

Unfortunately, the announced return never took place because Benjamin had a torn rotator cuff. It required him to undergo surgery which put him on the shelf for about 8 months.

He got medically cleared for his in ring return back in March this year. However, he revealed afterwards that he never officially signed a contract with WWE, putting a huge question mark on his status.

After staying a ‘Free Agent’ even after months of being medically cleared, many believed that his return may never happen, but thankfully, that’s not the case.

We noted before how Shelton started negotiating with WWE again recently and now PWInsider is reporting that the former US Champion has officially signed a contract with the company.

Though no further details have been released about his new contract and it’s not known when or where the former WWE Star will make his official return.

What WWE has in store for the former Champion is not revealed either so it’s unclear whether he will join the SmackDown roster upon his return as originally planned or end up on the Raw roster instead.

Nia Jax Reveals Her Original WWE Name & Who Hated It

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Superstar Nia Jax was recently a guest on former WWE Champion Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk Is Jericho to talk about her WWE career. During the interview, Jax talks about the original plans for her WWE name and who shut it down. Here is what she had to say:

Her original WWE name:

“My first name during my first match was ‘Lena.’ I was still Lena then, just because we hadn’t gotten a name yet,.”Then I was ‘Zeda’ for half a second; I picked it and thought it was such a cool name, and it got approved, but once I kind of put it out on Social Media, someone from the higher ups and was, ‘Who the F*** is Zeda?’ They said that they were changing that name, and to go back to Lena for the time being.”

Triple H not liking ‘Zeda’:

“I submitted a bunch of names. Nia is like a Samoan girl name that a lot of women have. Jax is from Sons of Anarchy, I was super into Jax, so I threw the name Jax in there and it came about that way. I believe Hunter gets the final say on the character names. He was actually the one who didn’t like the name Zeda, so he has the final say.”

Jim Cornette Returns To GFW, Announces GFW Title Gauntlet

Robert Lentini
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On tonight’s Destination X, Bruce Prichard addressed the crowd about the situation with the GFW Championship. Prichard claimed that Alberto El Patron voluntarily vacated the title and that he now planned to give the title to Bobby Lashley.

Jim Cornette arrived and stated that he had other plans. Cornette claimed that he got a call from Anthem and he was asked to help fix Global Force Wrestling. Cornette then fired Prichard, who was then escorted out of the ring by security.

https://twitter.com/nickpiccone/status/898344228236935168

Cornette once again said that Anthem wanted to make things right and claimed that El Patron was stripped of the title and that he did not relinquish it.

Cornette announced that their will be a 20-man Gauntlet match next week to determine the next GFW Champion. LAX approached Cornette as he was about to leave. Low Ki said that there should already be a #1 contender and threatened Cornette. Low Ki will be 20th in the Gauntlet match.

https://youtu.be/qCqHOOPU8ME

Gail Kim On Vince McMahon Not Liking Women’s Wrestling, Her Career Winding Down

Robert Lentini
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Gail Kim spoke to Brian Fritz of Sporting News and below are some highlights from the interview:

Vince McMahon not liking women’s wrestling:

My honest opinion, and this is only my opinion and I don’t know this as fact, I just think Vince McMahon did not like women’s wrestling. With this whole revolution that happened in WWE these past couple of years, it’s because of the fans. Remember they were saying  “Give Divas a Chance” that it got to the point where Vince is like OK, I’m going to give them a chance. It was really truly Hunter (Triple H) who created all these great girls in NXT. It wasn’t Vince. It’s almost like, thank God Hunter did it so that Vince could see the reaction that these girls were getting in NXT. Then it was OK, let’s jump on the bandwagon and let’s make it happen. I think he was never a fan of women’s wrestling whether he had talented girls or not and he didn’t want to watch that.

Being involved backstage after her in-ring career is over at the end of 2017:

We’ve already started that process and I’m going to continue with that. (She now works in a behind the scenes role as an agent for the women’s division.) I love helping the girls. I want to help rebuild this division to where it has the potential to go. I’m very invested, I’m very dedicated and passionate about the division and the company.

On taking a moment to pause before her matches:

Not with the taping schedule we have. (laughs) It’s very overwhelming so when I’m at work, I’m kind of running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But I think, for my last match when it starts coming near the very, very end, I definitely will. Who knows how I will react that last match. I just don’t know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgIJXIx-98

You can check out the entire interview by clicking here.

Samoa Joe Explains Why Roman Reigns Is An ‘Elite Performer’

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Superstar Samoa Joe recently did an interview with The New York Post to promote this weekend’s (Sun. April 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) event, in which he will be involved in a Fatal Four-Way match for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman.

During the interview “The Destroyer” discussed this weekend’s bout being the biggest of his career, his relationships with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, his thoughts on Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, and more. Here are the highlights:

Is this fatal-four-way match for the Universal title on Sunday maybe the biggest of your career, considering it is SummerSlam and for a title?

“Absolutely, I say it is. Obviously I’ve had big matches all around the world, but I think the biggest thing is [Sunday] at SummerSlam, one of the biggest kind of pay-per-view franchises in the industry, and I am in the main event. So yeah, by far this is the biggest match of my career.”

What’s your relationship with Brock and Paul backstage? I know there has been talk that they are big supporters of yours.

“I think there is a lot of mutual respect there, for the most part. I think we both understand and have great respect for what we bring to the table. So, it’s at times amicable.”

What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns?

“I think when you look at the top, elite performers in this industry right now, I think Roman Reigns is in that discussion. I think he is a polarizing figure, which is always a great thing in this business. I think whatever success that he comes by he works for, so I give him that credit.”

Braun Strowman?

“Braun by far is probably one of the most, how should I phrase this. For how little time he’s spent in the industry, his knowledge and his abilities have grown 10 fold every week. He is a guy that is constantly improving. He is constantly getting better. Now he is probably one of the biggest consummate, complete acts in the industry.”

You can check out Joe’s full interview with The New York Post here.

Roman Reigns On Having To ‘Swing The Sword’ As The Locker Room Leader

Jon Fuentes
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WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently made an appearance on the Off The Board podcast with Jimmy Traina to promote this weekend’s (Sun. August 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) from Brooklyn, New York. Reigns is expected to be a part of the Fatal Four-Way match between Brock Lesnar, himself, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe for the Universal Championship. During the interview, rumors of Enzo Amore having heat backstage in the locker room were brought up, as a story broke earlier this month that Reigns kicked Amore off of a bus at one point.

Reigns claimed that it is his job as the locker room leader to ‘swing the sword’ when someone has heat backstage:

“I swing the sword, if I put the sentence down then I lay it down. If you have heat, that is what a locker room leader does, he speaks up for the rest of the bunch. It is tough when you too some many cooks in the kitchen and I am not the only guy that would speak up. But as the man that I am before I was in this business, I would have spoken up if something was wrong. To what I am today, within our industry I am a locker room leader”

“The Big Dog” claims that nobody will disrespect the business in front of him, and he wants to leave WWE better than he found it:

“People can say whatever they want about me but  I was born into this business. This business runs through my veins, if you cut my arm it is WWE that will leak out……

I’ve experienced many hardships and great moments in my life because of this business. The bottom line is, it has fed me my entire life. I don’t care who you are. You will not disrespect it. Not in front of me. Not today, not any day that I am alive.”

H/T IWNerd for the transcriptions

Alexa Bliss Reveals How Long She Wants To Wrestle

Jon Fuentes
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Monday Night RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with ESPN to promote her title defense against Sasha Banks at this weekend’s (Sun. August 20, 2017) SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV) event from Brooklyn, New York. Bliss talked on a variety of topics including how long she plans to wrestle, getting called up to the main roster, and being on Total Divas. The highlights can be found below:

Her call-up to the main roster from NXT:

“I didn’t feel that I was ready to leave NXT. When I was called up to SmackDown I was very nervous. I hadn’t done many of the things at NXT that I thought I was supposed to. I didn’t have a TakeOver match. I never held the title. I only had a few matches on NXT TV and to be called up and told, ‘Well, here you go!’”

How long she wants to wrestle:

“I’d like to wrestle for as long as I can. I’ve always liked watching wrestling, but once you are on the other end of it, you develop a certain passion for it and respect for it and I would like to accomplish everything I want to before calling it quits.”

Being on Total Divas:

“I’ve been kind of the peacekeeper between people. If people get into an argument, I tell them, ‘I’m the youngest one here why am I the most mature, why is that?’ I try to mend everything. I don’t do drama. I don’t like drama. I just watch it happen, but I don’t want to be in it.”

You can read Bliss’ full interview with ESPN by visiting this link here.

Southpaw Regional Wrestling Season 2 Premieres Tomorrow (Trailer)

Staff
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Southpaw Regional Wrestling is back. The popular WWE comedy series about a fictional 1980’s regional wrestling promotion returns tomorrow, Friday, August 18th.

The new episodes will be available at WWE.com and WWE’s official Youtube channel. According to a tweet by John Cena, the episodes drop at 10AM, presumably eastern standard time.

Here’s the official trailer for Season Two of Southpaw Regional Wrestling:

Da Pope Announces His Departure From GFW

Staff
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Global Force commentator “Da Pope” D’Angelo Dinero announced on social media that he is leaving the company. He’s since updated his Twitter name to Elijah Burke (his former WWE persona) and his bio now reads, “Former WWE Superstar and Impact Wrestling Commentator.”

Dinero joined TNA Wrestling as an active competitor back in 2009. He left in 2013 but later returned in 2015 as a color commentator.

He wrote on Instagram, “The clock is ticking, never standing still, yet memories will come, in floods they will. This was no surprise as things began to click, when negotiations stalled because of arithmetics. In arriving hello is easy to say, in departing it’s different as some will sway. But no not me as I look towards the sky, for there’s a reason I’ve always walked with my head held high. Although the past will come trickling around and through, the future is bright with much things for me to do. So thanks to my friends and staff who showed me goodwill, because those memories are the only moments that makes the clock stand still.” ~PHS

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX5s-TdlQeZ/

First Look At GFW’s New Title Belts, Big Appearance Teased For Impact

Staff
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Global Force Wrestling is expected to introduce new championship belts on tonight’s live “Destination X” edition of Impact Wrestling. GFW posted the following photos on Instagram of the new titles (scroll to view each photo).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BX55NuXlPqo

GFW announcer David Penzer is currently backstage in Orlando ahead of tonight’s tapings and says he just bumped into somebody backstage that left him speechless.

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