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Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 5

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New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Start Times:

  • Pacific: 9/27 12AM
  • Eastern: 9/27 3AM
  • UK: 9/27 8AM
  • Japan: 9/27 4PM
  • East Australia: 9/27 5PM

NJPW World Video

G1 Climax 30 Day 5 Results

Gabriel Kidd def. Yota Tsuji (7:40)
The match began with Gabriel Kidd taking the advantage over Yota Tsuji while mat wrestling, as the commentators speculated that Kidd’s training in Lancashire wrestling would grant him the edge when working on the ground. Yota Tsuji, whose new blown out hair style is reminiscent of Andre the Giant, gained control with his superior power landing a body slam into a running splash. He applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Kidd achieved a rope break. Kidd landed a dropkick and won the match with a double underhook suplex.

A Block: Taichi def. Yujiro Takahashi (11:03)
Unfortunately, Yujiro and Taichi’s valets, Pieter and Miho Abe, were absent for this match. As one would expect from a match between two of the dirtiest fighters in NJPW, this match was full of rule-bending. The first move of the match was Yujiro hitting Taichi with his cane, but Taichi would respond with choking Yujiro with a microphone cable and slamming his head into the ring post. Taichi seemed to have the advantage in physical prowess, and he wore Yujiro down with kicks. He yelled at Yujiro, mentioning Tetsuya Naito, likely alluding to how far above Yujiro Naito is now, when years ago they were a tag team. He then hit the Axe Bomber for a near fall. He stood in the corner waiting for Yujiro to rise to his feet, but as he went for the thrust kick, Yujiro caught him and hit the Miami Shine, for another two count. He went to follow up with the Pimp Juice DDT, but Taichi pushed him away, then hit a sneaky low blow and pinned him with the Taichi-style Gedo clutch. Taichi 6 points, Yujiro 0 points.

A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Jeff Cobb (9:24)
Suzuki started by laying on his back and challenging Cobb to grapple with him, a tall order considering Cobb’s Olympic-level ability at freestyle wrestling. And yet, despite Cobb’s physical advantages, Suzuki seemed to be getting the better of him on the mat. Cobb moved to his feet, and from there he used his great strength to throw Suzuki with suplexes. Suzuki made it behind Cobb and applied the sleeper hold, but Cobb threw him off easily when he attempted the Gotch-style piledriver. Cobb continued his series of suplexes and slams, but when he went for the Tour of the Islands, Suzuki caught him in a guillotine choke and forced himself free. He then applied the sleeper hold again and lifted the bulky Cobb up for the Gotch-style piledriver. Suzuki 4 points, Cobb 2 points

A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Tomohiro Ishii (15:41)
Ibushi and Ishii went at each other with a great intensity from the getgo, throwing strikes and with Ishii blocking Ibushi’s loud kicks. Ishii backed Ibushi into the corner and egged him on, tanking Ibushi’s elbow strikes. He knocked Ibushi to the ground and landed kicks of his own, but Ibushi rose up and engaged Ishii in a strike battle: his kicks versus Ishii’s backhand chops. Ishii finally started showing pain, taking a knee, but he Isfired up and they traded German suplexes, but a dropkick from Ibushi put them both on their backs. They sat up and exchanged slaps but Ibushi dropped Ishii with a final slap to the chest. Ishii fired back up, but Ibushi just stared blankly at him and then kicked him in the head, then hit an elevated powerbomb for a near fall. Ibushi tried for a Frankensteiner, but Ishii countered it, then Ishii went for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Ibushi countered that too. In a desperation move, Ibushi went for the Kamigoye, but with a headbutt, Ishii had averted it. However, Ibushi hit the Boma Ye for a near fall, followed by another Boma Ye and the Kamigoye for the victory, in a match that was exhausting to watch and keep up with. Ibushi 4 points, Ishii 0 points

A Block: Shingo Takagi def. Will Ospreay (22:03)
These two men have only fought in one singles match before, and it was in the final of last year’s Best of the Super Juniors. Ospreay won that match and since then he has grown in mass, but so has his ego. He spoke recently about wanting to beat Shingo in Kobe City, where this event is taking place, because it’s where Dragon Gate, Shingo’s home promotion, is based. These two fought with great intensity, and Ospreay continues to demonstrate that his increased bulk has not come at the cost of his agility, getting the better of Shingo in the early going. Shingo tried to neutralize Ospreay’s speed by applying a Figure Four Leglock, but Ospreay stopped it before it was cinched in, and when Shingo tried for the Noshigami, Ospreay reversed it into a stunner. Ospreay lifted Shingo for the stormbreaker, but instead hung Shingo upside down over the turnbuckle and hit a corner-to-corner dropkick. Ospreay went for the Oscutter, but Shingo countered it into the Noshigami, then hit the Sol del Japon for a near fall. Shingo went to follow up with the Pumping Bomber, but Ospreay moved out of the way and hit a Liger Bomb for a near fall of his own, and then the Oscutter only for Shingo to kick out again! Ospreay went for the Stormbreaker, but Shingo blocked it and lifted Ospreay into the Made in Japan. Ospreay blocked the Last of the Dragon, when Shingo went for another Pumping Bomber Ospreay reversed it into a spanish fly. Ospreay landed a heavy rolling elbow and went for the top rope Oscutter, but Shingo got to him and hit the Stay Dream from the middle rope for the near fall. He hit one last Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon for the victory! Shingo 2 points, Ospreay 4 points

A Block: Jay White def. Kazuchika Okada (18:48)
Like the villain he is, Jay White got on the microphone before the match began and chanted for Okada, encouraging the audience to do so as well, except they aren’t allowed to cheer out loud. Gedo was a continual thorn in Okada’s side throughout this match, making minor offences like pulling Okada’s leg from the outside, but running like a coward whenever Okada was perturbed enought to confront him. Jay White was dominating Okada, wearing him down with punches to the lower back, but when Okada went after Gedo again, Jay chased after him. It ended up with Okada planting both Gedo and Jay with a double DDT on the entrance ramp. Okada then put Gedo’s bucket hat on, which made the audience laugh. In the ring, Okada tried for the reverse neckbreaker, but his back was in too much pain, and he crumpled to his knees when he tried to lift Jay onto his back. Okada irish whipped Jay into the ropes and followed up with the dropkick, but Jay hung onto the ropes and Okada just landed on his back. Gedo yelled for Jay to do the Rainmaker, but Okada countered Jay’s Rainmaker into the tombstone Piledriver, then applied Money Clip. Jay was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold, however. Okada hit a rolling lariat and applied the Money Clip again, but Gedo distracted the referee and Jay broke the hold with a low blow. Jay went for the Blade Runner, but Okada blocked it applied the Money Clip again from a standing position. Still in the hold, Jay hit the SSS suplex and the Blade Runner for the victory, which made the crowd react in shock. Jay 6 points, Okada 2 points

Jay White got on the microphone and thanked Okada for wrestling him when two years ago, almost on the same day of the year, Gedo turned on Okada and teamed up with Jay. He said that he is the present and the future, and that Okada is history.

Standings

A Block:
6 points – Taichi, Jay White
4 points – Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi
2 points – Kazuchika Okada, Jeff Cobb, Shingo Takagi
0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Yujiro Takahashi

B Block:
4 points – Tetsuya Naito, Juice Robinson, Toru Yano
2 points – Hirooki Goto, KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., EVIL
0 points – YOSHI-HASHI, SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi

Ryback Has Harsh Words About Triple H & Vince McMahon

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Ryback decided to go on social media and give his true feelings about Triple H and Vince McMahon. 

The former WWE star made it clear in his various responses to fans that he is a fan of pro wrestling, but isn’t fond of WWE. Coming from someone who actually worked at the company, he would know how things work behind the scenes. 

At one point, he went after the WWE Chairman and CEO. In fact, he thinks the world, not just the pro wrestling business, will be a better place when McMahon passes away. He did note that this opinion isn’t him having a death wish for McMahon. 

“It was ALWAYS the talent. He just created a platform as a human circus that he modified from his father. The guy is a piece of shit, can’t stress this enough. World will be a better place when he passes. This isn’t wishing death, but stating an opinion I believe to be true.”

Ryback also went after Triple H, who currently oversees NXT, as “The Game” is likely the person to take over the company when McMahon does pass away. 

“Pussy Paul is not the savior to anything. He will go down with the ship.”

Ryback had a successful run in the WWE that ended once he decided to depart from the company in 2016. He has since focused on his podcast and YouTube channel. You can see his tweets here: 

WWE Clash Of Champions Final Card

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The card for Sunday’s (September 27, 2020) WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view event has been finalized.

The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center that will air on the WWE Network but it will most likely be WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match. 

As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 6 PM EST. Here is the final card for the show:

Final WWE Clash Of Champions Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton – Ambulance Match
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot
  • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lucha House Party
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – Ladder Match
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza
  • WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews
  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Zelina Vega – Kickoff Show

WWE Reschedules NXT UK TakeOver To 2021, New Head Writer Named

Damien Priest Talks Speaking To Edge Before Takeover Ladder Match

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NXT North American Championship Damien Priest recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The former Ring of Honor star discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including the Takeover ladder match where he won his North American Championship.

Damien Priest on Ladder Matches

Damien Priest would reveal that he studied past ladder matches ahead of the bout at NXT Takeover: XXX. “Any great matches, it’s hard to pick one. It depends on the circumstance” Damien Priest began, describing which matches he looked at in particular. “Why they’re actually in the ladder match? I find that more intriguing than anything. The story behind it.”

“Then of course the match has to deliver you know” Priest would continue. “But those are a lot of the matches that I looked at [psychology wise]. A lot of Edge matches or Undertaker matches you know? Like putting them in a ‘different’ atmosphere, to see how they reacted. Now Edge obviously was a little bit more accustomed to it.”

Damien Priest would then reveal that he actually contacted Edge before the match for his input. Edge of course has a long history of ladder match experience; the first ever tag team ladder match, the WrestleMania 2000, Summerslam 2000 TLC and Unforgiven TLC match against John Cena to name a few.

“Seeing that we’re very similar size and style? I kind of watched a lot of his stuff to see how he [Edge] manoeuvred” Priest stated. “How he structured stuff and his thought process going in. Then I got to talk to him about it and question him and ask him. I spent about an hour on the phone with him!”

Do you think that Damien Priest will be a top star on RAW or Smackdown in the future? Let us know in the comments

Eddie Kingston Responds To Criticism From Disco Inferno & Others

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Eddie Kingston recently responded to comments made by Disco Inferno and others on an episode of Konnan’s “Keepin’ it 100” podcast. The hosts and guests of the show were critical of Kingston for perceived similarities between his angle with his new stable on Dynamite and Bret Hart’s Hart Foundation angle in 1997.

https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1309561258757287936

During the conversation, it was brought up that Kingston winked at the camera while hugging his stablemates, much like Bret Hart did when he helped Owen Hart and British Bulldog reconcile after weeks of teasing that they would break up in 1997. Evidently, some on the Keepin it 100 podcast felt this was akin to stealing from the angle.

“He was quite clearly a ripoff of Bret forming the Hart Foundation in 1997 even to the hug and the wink at the camera. He stole the entire thing,” said a guest named Billy on the show.

Former WCW commentator Mark Madden offered up his opinions as well.

“There was a reason he was on the indies for so long. There’s a reason he was barely on TV for so long, there’s a reason he never made it for so long,” Madden said about Kingston. “And none of the reasons are good reflecting on him.”

Konnan then chimed in.

“He can cut good promos cause he cut good promos with me in Impact,” Konnan said. “But what Billy is bringing up is true because I saw people on Twitter bringing up that thing about Bret Hart.”

Kingston then posted comments made by Cody about Disco Inferno in 2018 in response.

https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1309562492218212354

The critical comments about Kingston can be heard below:

Mia Yim & Mercedes Martinez Receive Their Retribution Names

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The members of Retribution all have new names now. 3 members received new names earlier this week and the names for Mia Yim and Mercedes Martinez have now been revealed as well.

Previously, Dio Madden was renamed MACE, Shane Thorne Slapjack, and Dominic Dijakovic as T-Bar.

According to her new Twitter account, Mia Yim will now be known as Reckoning.

https://twitter.com/ReckoningRTRBTN/status/1309724112961626114

According to a report from PW Insider, Mercedes Martinez will be going by the name Retaliation. She does not appear to have started a fun new Twitter account yet, however.

Retribution Causing Chaos On Social Media

Retribution members seem to have been having a lot of fun on Twitter recently. T-Bar in particular has been sending out quite a few Tweets that have gained traction online.

T-Bar commented on why WWE signed Retribution to contracts recently:

https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309722682473275395
https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309729464268525568

T-Bar has also taken aim at Cesaro & Sheamus, collectively known as The Bar.

https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309515269925228544

T-Bar and Bryan Alvarez have been debating just how many viewers watched Retribution on Monday night.

https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309478909239590913

It might appear as though no one is safe from Retribution, but T-Bar let everyone know that X-Pac is safe.

https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309288102528192515

Chris Jericho and T-Bar also exchanged a couple of Tweets.

T-Bar also expressed confusion:

https://twitter.com/TBARRetribution/status/1309850857333235712

Tessa Blanchard Issues Statement On Recent Hiatus

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Former Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard, recently returned to the ring at a Warrior Wrestling show in Chicago. It was her first match since the start of the pandemic back in March. Blanchard took to Instagram recently to update her fans on what she has been doing while away from the ring.

“I’ve been away for a while, the main reason for that is to focus on my wedding & honeymoon. The past few months I’ve gotten back to the basics & been focusing on the relationships I have with family, friends & myself,” Blanchard wrote.

She then borrowed a phrase from EC3 and noted that she is taking back “control of her narrative.”

“The point of this post is because I’m taking back the control of my narrative. I’ve had people weigh in on what I should do, what I should say, what interview to do, where to go.. now, I want to listen to what I want and what’s in my heart.”

She then referenced the allegations against her for allegedly using racist language.

“racist? That’s not me, that’s never been me, I don’t have a history of being that way, I don’t have a history of using that language & that’s the end of it, it’s just not who I am. & I’m tired of being called & my family seeing me be called something so hateful.”

Impact stripped Blanchard of the world title slightly before Slammiversary. Eddie Edwards then won the vacant belt before dropping it to current champion, Eric Young.

Blanchard’s full statement can be viewed below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFlmZvXAYAP/?utm_source=ig_embed

The Rock To Induct Ken Shamrock Into Impact Hall of Fame

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Ken Shamrock will be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame next month over Bound for Glory weekend. The Rock says he will be providing a video introduction for Shamrock.

Shamrock and The Rock exchanged messages on Twitter relating to the upcoming Hall of Fame induction.

Impact’s Ethan Page is hoping to serve as MC so that he can say he worked with the Rock.

https://twitter.com/OfficialEGO/status/1309829746147168257

Ken Shamrock vs The Rock

During WWE’s Attitude Era, Ken Shamrock and the Rock crossed paths frequently. One of the most memorable moments between the two involved the Rock hitting Shamrock with a nasty chair shot on RAW.

Both the Rock and Shamrock commented on the moment after Shamrock was interviewed by Chris Van Vliet.

Shamrock and the Rock met in singles competition 5x on WWE programming. This does not include house shows, tag matches, or multi-person matches. The Rock holds a 3-2 lead in their all-time head-to-head stats, with it being very likely they won’t wrestle again.

The last singles match between the two on WWE programming was in the 2nd round of the Deadly Game tournament at Survivor Series 1998. The Rock would defeat Shamrock en route to winning his first-ever WWE Championship.

Erick Rowan Comments On Potential Reunion With Brodie Lee

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Both Erick Rowan and Luke Harper once wrestled under the leadership of Bray Wyatt. After the disbanding of the Wyatt Family the two had numerous stints as a tag team before being released from WWE.

However, things have changed now as Luke Harper has joined AEW as the leader of the Dark Order, Brodie Lee and Rowan will likely have to accept the leadership of the current TNT champion for a possible reunion between the two.

The former WWE star talked about the possibility of reuniting with Lee during a recent Q & A with Pro Wrestling Junkies and Erick Rowan said that he is not sure how to answer that question:

“I’m not really sure how to answer that question because I’m not used to him being the leader, I’ll have to watch a little bit more of his stuff. Yeah, I’d love to lock back up with Brodie and get back together, but there’s a place and a time for it, you know? Now just might not be the right time.”

Rowan also talked about his future in pro wrestling and explained that he hasn’t joined any company because he doesn’t want to get lost in the shuffle once again.

Though later in the session, the former Wyatt Family member revealed that he has been training recently and according to him, he is staying ready for a potential in ring return.

Former WCW Champion Returns To Backstage WWE Role This Week

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Former WCW star Billy Kidman returned to his position as a backstage producer for WWE this week, according to reports from PWinsider.

Kidman returned to work during the tapings for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown and he is expected to continue working for the company in the coming weeks.

The former Cruiserweight Champion was furloughed by the promotion as part of their budget cuts when the coronavirus pandemic forced them to suspend their normal operations in April.

Now that the company has moved to a bigger arena from the Performance Center, they have brought back a number of employees and Kidman seems to be one of them.

Billy Kidman started his wrestling career in late 1994 and he was signed to a contract by WCW in mid-1996. Though he spent the first year of his stint as an enhancement talent with no character.

He was then added to Raven’s Flock and the high flying star found some success after he got out of the group.

He started competing in the cruiserweight division in 1998 and Kidman won the Cruiserweight championship 3 times during his WCW tenure. He even teamed up with Rey Mysterio to win the Cruiserweight tag titles once.

He was one of the stars who WWE signed when they bought WCW and the lightweight star remained with the promotion until 2005. He was brought back as a trainer in 2007.

WWE SmackDown Results (9/25): Roman Reigns Attacks Jey, Alexa Bliss & The Fiend

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WWE SmackDown aired from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center in Orlando. It was the final episode of SmackDown before Clash of Champions this Sunday night.

SmackDown Results (9/25)

  1. Sami Zayn def. AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy in a Triple Threat match
  2. Shinsuke Nakamura def. Gran Metalik
  3. King Corbin def. Matt Riddle
  4. Lacey Evans def. Alexa Bliss via DQ

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

AJ Styles Sent A Message Heading Into Clash of Champions

aj styles smackdown 9 25

AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy came down to the ring to begin this week’s SmackDown. The ring had three ladders in it to hype up the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match this Sunday at Clash of Champions.

Corey Graves announced that tonight will be the first ever “Intercontinental Championship Ascension Ceremony”, in which Sami and Jeff Hardy’s IC titles will be raised above the ring.

Styles noted that Jeff Hardy cheated to win the title from him in the first place. AJ mocked Sami and claimed he took a couple months off to grow out his neckbeard. Zayn said AJ was a fraudulent champion and so was Jeff but he never lost the title.

Sami complained about having to defend his Intercontinental Championship in a Ladder match. Jeff told Zayn that he should be grateful and then they put their titles on the rung. As they were being raised above the ring, Sami shoved over the ladder onto AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy. Adam Pearce then announced a Triple Threat match for tonight.

Match Recap: AJ Styles dominated early and hit Jeff Hardy with a Backbreaker. Styles followed it up with a Dropkick to Sami that sent him tumbling out of the ring. Sami battled back and leveled Styles with a Clothesline for a near fall. Styles sent Jeff to the outside and applied a Headlock to Sami in the middle of the ring.

Jeff Hardy got back into the ring and hit Sami and Styles with a double Dropkick. Hardy climbed to the top rope but Zayn shoved him to the floor. Styles then took out Sami with a Crossbody as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Jeff connected with Whisper in the Wind of Zayn and Styles. AJ hit Jeff Hardy with the Phenomenal Forearm but Zayn threw Styles out of the ring. Sami then pinned Jeff Hardy for the victory. After the match, Styles hit them both with ladders and posed with the IC titles.

Opinion: I’m looking forward to the Triple Threat Ladder match at Clash of Champions the most out of anything on the card. However, I don’t understand why these three superstars needed to have an entire match two days before their match at the PPV. AJ Styles attacking them and posing with the titles on the ladder would have sufficed.

Bayley Warned Nikki Cross

Bayley SmackDown 9 11

SmackDown Women’s Champion came to the entrance ramp with a steel chair in her hand. Bayley took a seat and said she could watch the footage of her attacking Sasha Banks over and over but she is not going to because she doesn’t have an ounce of time to waste on Sasha.

Bayley said she has a championship match to prepare for and that she admires Nikki Cross’ fighting spirit. She claimed she was going to slap the smile of Nikki’s face and then grabbed the chair. Bayley warned Nikki that “she can only imagine what is going to happen next, right Sasha?”.

Opinion: Nikki Cross didn’t appear tonight and Bayley’s promo was mainly about Sasha Banks. It is impossible to be invested in the SmackDown Women’s title match at Clash of Champions.

Lucha House Party Still Aren’t On The Same Page

lucha house party smackdown 9 25

Shinsuke Nakamura faced Gran Metalik tonight on SmackDown. Nakamura and Cesaro will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Lucha House Party Sunday night at Clash of Champions.

Match Recap: Nakamura brought Metalik to the outside and launched him into the barricade. Shinsuke followed it up with a running knee on the apron before the action returned to the ring. Nakamura then hit the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory. After the match, Nakamura and Cesaro attacked Metalik and Lince Dorado. Kalisto didn’t help and Metalik and Dorado shoved him down to end the segment.

Opinion: Andrade and Angel Garza aren’t getting along as a tag team. Lucha House Party aren’t getting along as a tag team. Both teams have title shots Sunday at Clash of Champions. I would have rather just seen Nakamura & Cesaro versus Street Profits at the PPV instead of a quick match on “RAW: In Your Face”.

Betting Odds For WWE Clash Of Champions

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The final betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the WWE Clash Of Champions pay-per-view event have been released.

The card for the show that takes place tonight (Sunday, September 27, 2020) from Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center has been finalized as only matches have been announced.

Make sure to join us tonight for match recaps and our takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE. 

Clash Of Champions Betting Odds

The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre -120 vs. Randy Orton -120
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns -3000 vs. Jey Uso +850
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley -600 vs. Nikki Cross +350
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler -250 vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot +170
  • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura -300 vs. Lucha House Party +200
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – Ladder Match
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits -140 vs. Andrade and Angel Garza -140
  • WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley -950 vs. Apollo Crews +500
  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka -1250 vs. Zelina Vega +525 – Kickoff Show

WWE Reschedules NXT UK TakeOver To 2021, New Head Writer Named

WWE Reschedules NXT UK TakeOver To 2021, New Head Writer Named

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There have been some changes made regarding the WWE NXT UK brand. 

First up is the brand getting a new head writer. Inside the Ropes first reported that talent was told that Glen Joseph has left NXT UK due to “personal reasons.”  Jim Smallman has been promoted to head writer of NXT UK. 

The report stated that Smallman “still has to answer to Matt Bloom and Shawn Michaels, who are running the brand remotely from the US due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.”

Dave Meltzer confirmed the report in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter as well provided some more details. 

Meltzer reports that the change is because there was a feeling at the last tapings the ringwork wasn’t good and a number of matches ended up being re-shot. It was added that some blamed this on stars not having wrestled for months.

Moving along to the planned NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin show that was supposed to take place back in April from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. 

Pwinsider.com reports that the show is now scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 20, 2021. 

New episodes of the weekly NXT UK television shows started airing on September 17th. Before this, the brand was on hiatus for several months due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Update On The Future Of NWA Power

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The National Wrestling Alliance’s weekly digital series NWA Power is not dead, according to NWA Champion Nick Aldis.

Power has been on hiatus for the past several months. The COVID-19 pandemic led the NWA to suspend television tapings. The season 3 finale, a ‘lost episode’ of repurposed footage, aired on the NWA’s Youtube channel in May.

Former NWA VP Dave Lagana resigned from the promotion ‘effective immediately’ on June 18th in the wake of sexual assault allegations by a female wrestler he worked with. As a result of the Lagana scandal, the NWA stated at the time, “All production of NWA content is temporarily halted, pending a restructuring of executive management positions.”

Since then, several key players from the NWA roster have found work elsewhere, most notably Ricky Starks, Eddie Kingston and NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa.

The NWA recently partnered with the United Wrestling Network for a live, weekly PPV series, United Wrestling Network’s Primetime LIVE.

Earlier this week, an NWA fan wrote on Twitter, “I’m sad #NWAPowerrr is gone.” This caught the attention of Nick Aldis, who replied, “Steve, let me be crystal clear: #NWAPowerrr is not gone. Stay tuned.”

This is certainly encouraging news from the NWA Champion. The retro-themed studio wrestling show was building a loyal audience before things went off the rails earlier this year.

Serena Deeb & Deonna Purrazzo Pull Out Of Events Due To COVID-19 Concerns

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Both Serena Deeb and Deonna Purrazzo have pulled out of upcoming events due to concerns relating to COVID-19.

In the case of Deeb, the recent AEW signee was scheduled to face Allysin Kay on the next episode of the NWA/UWN weekly PPV series. She put out a statement noting that she had come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus and will be self-quarantining as a result, however.

The NWA has since announced that Nicole Savoy will replace Deeb against Allysin Kay on the show.

As for Impact Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, she noted on Twitter recently that she is pulling out of an upcoming Game Changer Wrestling show. Purrazzo will face Kylie Rae at Bound For Glory on October 24th, 2020 and wants to make sure she does not have to miss the event.

“Unfortunately, I’ve made the decision to cancel my shows for The Collective weekend. With BFG coming up, my highest priority needs to be staying healthy and leaving adequate time self-isolate, if need be. This is just precautionary. I’ll see y’all soon, I promise. Stay safe!” Purrazzo Tweeted.

Additionally, Ben Carter, who recently performed for AEW on the 1-hour Dynamite special on Tuesday and on AEW Dark, noted that he has tested positive for the virus. It’s been a week of highs and lows for him. Carter posted the following to announce his positive test:

Chelsea Green Confirms She Had COVID-19

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Chelsea Green hasn’t wrestled since May. She fired Robert Stone as her manager and then seemed to disappear shortly after. While rumours had Green set for a main roster debut, it appears she has been sidelined with COVID-19.

Green posted to Facebook that she is feeling better after having dealt with a positive COVID-19 case. Screenshots of her post have been circulating online:

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Chelsea Green in WWE

Green was signed to WWE in the summer of 2018. Previously, she is a former Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. Wrestling as Laurel Van Ness, she defeated Rosemary in 2017 to win the vacant championship. She would drop the title 2 months later to Allie.

Green has had 4 singles matches on NXT programming this year. She holds a 3-1 record after exchanging wins with Kayden Carter over 2 matches and defeating Shotzi Blackheart and Xia Li.

On the May 27th edition of NXT, she teamed with Charlotte Flair and defeated Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley. After the match, Green opted to fire her manager, Robert Stone.

It is not clear if Green’s positive COVID-19 case is related to the recent outbreak at the Performance Center as she has been out of action for some time now.

WWE Statement on COVID-19 Outbreak at the Performance Center

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WWE is dealing with multiple positive COVID-19 tests among talent and staff at the WWE Performance Center. The positive cases include talent assigned to the NXT roster as well. WWE issued a statement to the media recently regarding the situation.

“As part of ongoing testing protocols, WWE completed its second round of weekly COVID-19 testing on Tuesday. Individuals that tested positive will quarantine for 14 days, receive medical care, and then will only be cleared when they are symptom-free and test negative. Additionally, extensive contact tracing has taken place and other individuals have been placed in 14-day quarantine, and will then only be cleared after they test negative.”

WWE has not mentioned how many positive tests they are dealing with at the moment. Of talent currently assigned to NXT, Chelsea Green has publicly mentioned that they have tested positive recently.

AEW has also been dealing with multiple COVID-19 cases. Lance Archer publicly confirmed that he has tested positive for the virus. Brian Cage was not on Dynamite this week and had posted a Tweet about not feeling well.

NXT has enough content filmed to take them through to October 4th. According to PW Insider, no training is currently taking place at the Performance Center as they deal with the outbreak.

AEW Dynamite Tops NXT Viewership, But NXT Narrows The Gap

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AEW Dynamite has secured another decisive win over WWE NXT in the Wednesday night war. Dynamite topped NXT in total viewers and the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic, but the gap in viewership narrowed from 197,000 viewers last week to just 139,000 this week. Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • AEW: 835,000 viewers, 0.32 rating (9th on cable for the night)
  • NXT: 696,000 viewers, 0.18 rating (30th on cable for the night)

For comparison, Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.667 million viewers with a 0.49 in the 18-49 demo.

AEW viewership was down 5.6% from 886,000 for last Wednesday. Dynamite saw Jon Moxley defend the AEW World Championship against Eddie Kingston, the surprise return of Cody, Hangman Page in singles action, Miro’s in-ring debut, the AEW & NWA Womens’ champions team up and Brodie Lee defend the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy. (AEW Results & Takeaways)

Cody Returns On AEW Dynamite With a New Look

NXT viewership was up 1% from last week, which averaged 689,000 viewers. This week’s NXT saw Candice LaRae win a #1 contender’s battle royal, Tommaso Ciampa in action, Ridge Holland pick up another win and Kyle O’Reily win the Gauntlet Eliminator to earn a shot at NXT Champion Finn Balor at the next Takeover special. (NXT Results & Takeaways)

Updated Card For Takeover 31, NXT Preview For Next Week

Naomi Recovering From Recent Surgery

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WWE Superstar Naomi (Trinity Fatu) is recovering from recently undergoing a myomectomy.

The Mayo Clinic describes this as a, “surgical procedure to remove uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas. These common noncancerous growths appear in the uterus. Uterine fibroids usually develop during childbearing years, but they can occur at any age.”

Naomi competed at WrestleMania 36 back in April in a 5-way elimination match for the SmackDown women’s title.

She posted a message on social media stating, “In the midst of Hurricane Sally and Covid, I also underwent an unexpected – hour surgery to finally remove a massive fibroid that’s caused me severe anemia fatigue horrible abdominal pains and more problems I don’t even want to mention over the past year and a half.”

Namia says that she is recovering well and already feels so much better. She urged her family, friends and fans not to worry because she is feeling well.

We wish Naomi a speedy recovery.

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Quick Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 4

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New Japan Pro-Wrestling held their fourth day of the G1 Climax 30 tournament today.

NJPW World Video (Japanese commentary)

English commentary will be uploaded this week.

NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 4 Results

Yota Tsuji def. Yuya Uemura (8:13, Submission, Boston Crab)

B Block: Hirooki Goto def. SANADA (11:03, Pinfall, GTR)

B Block: Toru Yano def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (7:15, Pinfall, Leg Hook Cradle)

B Block: Juice Robinson def. KENTA (17:01, Pinfall, Pulp Friction)

B Block: EVIL def. YOSHI-HASHI (17:21, Pinfall, EVIL)

B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. Zack Sabre Jr. (28:28, Pinfall, Destino)

Standings

A Block
4 points – Will Ospreay, Taichi, Jay White
2 points – Jeff Cobb, Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi
0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Yujiro Takahashi

B Block
4 points – Juice Robinson, Toru Yano, Tetsuya Naito
2 points – KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Hirooki Goto, EVIL
0 points – SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI

Update On The Death Of Road Warrior Animal

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News broke yesterday that legendary wrestler and 1/2 of the famous Road Warriors tag-team, Joseph “Animal” Laurinaitis, had passed away. According to a report from TMZ, Road Warrior Animal’s death was of natural causes, although an exact cause is not currently known.

Laurinaitis passed away at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO. Police received a call from his wife at 11:49 on Tuesday evening. When deputies arrived, however, Laurinaitis had already been declared deceased by responding emergency personnel. He is not known to have been suffering from any medical conditions or ill-health.

Laurinaitis’ son James is a former NFL player and took to Instagram to pay tribute to his father:

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“I don’t have the right words to say. I’m absolutely crushed. I miss you already. I hate that I wasn’t able to say goodbye. Say hello to Mum Mum, Pop Pop, and Hawk for me. Thank you for your love and support and the many lessons you’ve taught me. I can’t believe you’re gone. I love you Dad,” wrote James Laurinaitis.

The Rock recently shared a tribute to Animal as well.

“When I was making my bones, still learning the business in the WWE as a very young “The Rock” – I wrestled these guys so many times on the road and they always took good care of me and made sure I learned.”

AEW Reportedly Dealing With Multiple COVID-19 Cases

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Last night just before AEW Dynamite, it was revealed that the #1 ranked Lance Archer has tested positive for COVID-19. Brian Cage also posted to social media that he was not feeling well and was also not on last night’s broadcast. According to Tweets from Florida-based reporter, Jon Alba, AEW is dealing with multiple positive COVID-19 cases at the moment.

Alba is jointly reporting the news along with Fightful:

“Sean Ross Sapp and I are jointly reporting, via multiple sources, several individuals who present at AEW tapings earlier this month have since tested positive for COVID-19, including talent seen on AEW Dark,” Alba Tweeted.

“It’s entirely plausible talent were kept off this week’s show for precautionary reasons, and didn’t necessarily test positive,” Alba continued to Tweet. “But we can report there were multiple positive cases in the past couple of weeks involving talent who were present at tapings earlier this month.”

Lance Archer’s COVID-19 Status

Just before Dynamite, Archer revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

“While at home, now I’ve also gotten sick tested positive,” Archer wrote. “I feel ok, expect to see me in 2 wks.”

Brian Cage Deletes Tweet Regarding Health Status

Recently, Brian Cage posted to Twitter, “Not feeling very well, but still looking GOOD! Best body guy even while sick and out of then gym [flexed biceps emoji] #machine #swolverine #redcon1 #bodyguy #luchaundergroundunderwear.”

Ryback Believes That WWE ‘Killed Off’ Live Events Due to AEW

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Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed WWE laying off the majority of their Live Events department recently. The Big Guy revealed why he believes the company did so on the Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report this week.

Ryback would state that whilst on the surface WWE have had to remove Live Events due to the COVID-19 pandemic? In reality they had to cut down on dates because of the more attractive offering that All Elite Wrestling has in place.

Ryback on WWE Live Events

“We talked about this before with AEW” Ryback began on the podcast. “Either they’re gonna force WWE to change some of their business tactics, their model and improve.
Or WWE is going to just keep slowly burning, because more and more talent are going to leave for this better place with money.”

“The money is just as good or close to as good and [you’re] working one day a week” Ryback continued. “I think they’re [the talent] smart enough to realize [that] because they don’t care about the talent? It’s just the way that it is. They look at this as an opportunity, they can change the business model, because of the circumstances of society in the world. But in reality? they’re changing because they have to change in order to keep talent happier.”

“With the competition, AEW, on the rise? It’s great thing for the wrestlers regardless. But they’ve never stopped Live Events, never” Ryback continued. “Since Vince Jr has taken over? They have never stopped live events, and they never would [if they could avoid it]. He [Vince McMahon] finds a way to make money regardless. Again with AEW and things changing? I think they see this is as…they have to adjust. That’s in order to keep talent happy and from losing more.”

Do you agree with Ryback? Let us know in the comments

Updated Card For Takeover 31, NXT Preview For Next Week

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Following this week’s episode of WWE NXT, the following matches are confirmed for NXT Takeover 31:

  • NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly
  • Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae
  • North American Champion Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano

TakeOver: 31 takes place on Sunday, October 4th from Full Sail University. The show will air live on the WWE Network.

NXT Results (9/23): Gauntlet Eliminator, Battle Royal, Ciampa In Action

Two matches have been confirmed for next week’s NXT broadcast on the USA Network, including a #1 contender’s match for the NXT Tag-Team Championships.

  • Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. Undisputed Era
  • Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai

The winner of the tag team #1 contender’s match will face Breezango at Takeover 31.

Jeff Hardy Can’t See Himself As A Trainer Or Agent When He Retires

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WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy has revealed he may not transition into a trainer or agent role when he eventually retires from in-ring competition.

Speaking with the Daily Star, Hardy shared how he hopes there will be a “creative place” for him when he decides he can’t wrestle anymore.

“I still don’t feel like I’m a trainer, a coach or a leader. I just feel like somebody who would never really be seen but has these unique ideas that might be cool for a show or a storyline.”

Hardy then revealed the only circumstances that would convince him to become a trainer. He confessed he would embrace the role only if his daughters wanted to become pro wrestlers:

“[…] If my two daughters ever want to wrestle and they’re serious about it, that’s when I’ll get a ring and a building, and get my training boots on. Other than that, I don’t know what it is…”

Jeff Hardy then spoke about how invested he is in his musical career. He shared how he’s been writing a lot and attempting to improve despite being such an “intimidating industry.” He also pointed to his love of art and painting before once again stating how “[…] I don’t think like I’ll ever be a wrestling trainer, an agent, a coach or anything like that.”

Jeff Hardy is set to defend his Intercontinental Championship this Sunday at Clash of Champions. He competes in a Triple Threat Ladder Match against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn.