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Jonah Rock Debuts At WWE NXT Live Event

Andrew Ravens
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0

Popular international indie wrestler Jonah Rock made his in-ring debut under the WWE NXT banner. He did so by taking on NXT star Riddick Moss in the opening match at the NXT live event on Saturday night in Crystal River, FL at the Crystal River Armory.

Rock lost to Moss in a singles match. He was among the twelve new recruits to start training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida last month. He’s best known for his time with both PWG and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan.

Rock’s first match with NXT follows the recent NXT in-ring debuts of ROH/NJPW star ACH, and three-time Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion Trevor Lee.

https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/1104555605908443137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

WWE NXT Crystal River, FL Results

  • Humberto Carrillo defeats Albert Hardie
  • Bianca Belair & Mia Yim defeat Aliyah & Vanessa Borne
  • Riddick Moss defeats Jermaine Haley
  • Brennan Williams & Mansoor Al-Shehail defeat Boa & Mars
  • Kassius Ohno defeats Eric Bugenhagen
  • Punishment Martinez defeats Kona Reeves (w Vanessa Borne)
  • Deonna Purrazzo defeats Lacey Lane
  • The Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake) defeat Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

Luke Harper Returns To Action At WWE Live Event

Andrew Ravens
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5

Luke Harper made his return to in-ring competition under the WWE banner at a RAW live event on Saturday night in Rochester, NY at the Blue Cross Arena. He battled and beat Mojo Rawley in a singles bout. This marked his first match since November 2018.

Harper hasn’t been seen on TV since the August 21st episode of SmackDown Live in Brooklyn, New York the night after the SummerSlam pay-per-view event where he and Rowan lost the SmackDown Tag Team Titles to The New Day. Rowan suffered a suffered a torn bicep and thus the reason Harper was taken off of TV.

He did work working some NXT live events in the latter part of 2018. During this time, Harper also underwent surgery due to a wrist injury. Since then, Rowan made his return to television at the Royal Rumble PPV where he was paired with WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.

WWE Rochester, NY Results

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks) defeat Nia Jax & Tamina
  • Harper defeats Mojo Rawley
  • Drew McIntyre defeats Dean Ambrose
  • Dana Brooke & Natalya defeat Alexa Bliss & Lacey Evans
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor defeats Bobby Lashley
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champion The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) defeat Bobby Roode & Chad Gable – Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match
  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defeats Ruby Riott
  • No Disqualification Match: Braun Strowman defeats Baron Corbin

WWE Fastlane Final Card, Live Coverage

Andrew Ravens
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2

The card for tonight’s (Sunday, March 10, 2019) WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event has been finalized.

The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio that will air on the WWE Network, but it will most likely be The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin.

As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday night starting at 6 PM EST.

Final WWE Fastlane Card

  • WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens
  • The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin – Six-Man Tag Team Match
  • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. Nia Jax & Tamina
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Mandy Rose
  • Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch – If Lynch wins she’s added to Raw Women’s Title Match at WrestleMania 35, if she loses, she’s done
  • WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Chad Gable & Bobby Roode – Triple Threat Match
  • Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura – Kickoff Show Match
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade – Kickoff Show Match

What are your thoughts on this card? Do you plan on watching it? If so, which match are you looking forward to the most? Sound off in the comment section.

NJPW New Japan Cup Results (3/10)

Steve Russell
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0

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual New Japan Cup tournament is underway.

The winner of this year’s single-elimination tournament will earn the chance to face “Switchblade” Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This matchup is scheduled to take place at their upcoming show, co-promoted with Ring Of Honor (ROH), G1 Supercard. The event takes place on April 6th and emanates from the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.

This stage of the New Japan Cup took place on 3/10 from the Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium, Japan.

New Japan Cup Results (3/10)

TAKA Michinoku and Minoru Suzuki defeated Yota Tsuji and Satoshi Kojima via submission.

TAKA finally comes out on top, securing a submission win over the Young Lion.

Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Juice Robinson, and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Taiji Ishimori, HIKULEO, Bad Luck Fale, and Chase Owens via pinfall.

Bullet Club was unsuccessful in putting away this random team of NJPW talent. And Juice Robinson. Robinson would manage to hit Pulp Friction on the giant HIKULEO for the pinfall.

Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, and SANADA defeated Ren Narita, Tomoaki Honma, and Hirooki Goto via pinfall.

Los Ingobernables de Japon picked up the victory thanks to Takagi’s Pumping Bomber.

Taichi, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Lance Archer defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Will Ospreay via pinfall.

Smith Jr. avenges some losses to Yano by nailing him with the Bulldog Bomb. He has new momentum heading towards their elimination match up.

Michael Elgin, Colt Cabana, and Mikey Nicholls defeated Toa Henare, Togi Makabe, and Kazuchika Okada via pinfall.

Mikey Nicholls manages to pull off the Mikey Bomb onto Henare for the win.

Tournament Results

Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan via submission.

Jr. Heavyweight, Taguchi, pulled out a victory over Tenzan with the Kido Clutch.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Shota Umino via submission.

Though an unsurprising result, Umino continues to impress as he managed to hold his own with ‘The Ace’ for over 16 minutes.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated EVIL via submission.

A great back and forth from two competitors who have recent history in NJPW. ZSJ, however, was able to advance in the tournament after submitting EVIL.

Kota Ibushi defeated Tetsuya Naito via pinfall.

Probably the best first round match of the tournament so far. These two brought it to each other, wrestling as though it were already the finals. A fantastic sequence would culminate with Ibushi executing the Kamigoya, eliminating Naito for the tournament.

Teaser Trailer For Kenny Omega Documentary, ‘Omega Man,’ Released

Steve Russell
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1

There’s not much more time to wait for fans eagerly anticipating TSN Sport’s documentary special on Kenny Omega. The documentary, entitled ‘Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story,’ will air later this month.

In anticipation of the documentary, the team behind it has released an official teaser trailer in order to further hype it.

The teaser features a number of key names from the wrestling industry, the majority of whom have had a major impact on Kenny Omega’s career. Don Callis, Chris Jericho, and, of course, his Golden Lovers tag team partner, Kota Ibushi, will all feature.

Omega Man

There’s no word on how long the crew was following Kenny Omega for. Because of this, it’s unknown whether ‘Omega Man’ will include footage of his epic feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi. This feud culminated with “The Best Bout Machine” losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January. It’s also unknown if his eventual involvement and signing with All Elite Wrestling were captured in any way.

Still, with the documentary airing at the end of the month, fans don’t have to wait long to find out.

‘Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story’ airs as a part of TSN’s Engraved On A Nation series. It will air on Wednesday, March 27th.

Roman Reigns Addresses WWE’s Use Of Leukemia In Storylines

Steve Russell
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On the very same night that Roman Reigns revealed that he was once again battling leukemia, WWE would pull the trigger on turning Dean Ambrose heel. Ambrose and Seth Rollins, Reigns’ Shield partners, would successfully capture the WWE RAW tag team championships prior to Ambrose assaulting Rollins.

Rolling from a harsh, real-life announcement, and then folding aspects of it into a storyline would always prove to be a divisive creative choice. It’s something that Reigns is acutely aware of.

“The Show Must Go On”

Speaking with Yahoo! Sports, Reigns reflected on that night, relinquishing the Universal Championship, and then watching this new chapter to the Shield’s legacy unfold.

“[…] it’s hard,” Roman confessed. “The majority of the time, we’re just factoring in Roman, the character, but who I really am, Joe, was all over that first segment. We really broke the fourth wall down and it was so real it changed the dynamic of the crowd and emotion. It’s like hitting a wall almost in a car wreck, getting that kind of news.”

He continued, “ For me, as Joe, it was hard to tell, but as Roman, I just thought ‘next man up’ like in any professional sport or form of entertainment, the show must go on. I felt comfortable with that fact that we need to continue to entertain our fans, push these storylines and our product. As long as I was on board with it, it wasn’t going to be tasteless. I think it came off great, it had such a huge impact that night.”

Thankfully, Roman Reigns has since returned, announcing he is in remission. In another interview, he discussed this ‘show must go on’ mentality, so it’s no surprise that he was understanding of WWE’s intentions.

More Information Regarding Luke Gallows And Karl Anderson Declining WWE Offer

Steve Russell
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We have some new information regarding our report on Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson’s WWE offer.

With the tag team’s WWE contracts set to expire in September this year, the Good Brothers have decided to not take up WWE on their offer. This comes in the wake of a number of Superstars vocally sharing their frustration with their position in the company, with some even requesting their release.

According to PWInsider.com, the duo was offered quite the lucrative deal to stay. However, it appears that the money on the table just wouldn’t satiate their creative frustration. It’s reported that the team were offered a five-year offer and that, if you factor in WWE offering its talent raises, it would mean the offer would have ranged in the multi-millions when accumulated.

WWE has been on an aggressive hiring streak recently, actively trying to lock down talent in the process. This has been done in retaliation to All Elite Wrestling’s intentions and bankroll — factors the WWE are obviously aware of.

The Club

Anderson and Gallows made their initial debut on WWE during an episode of Monday Night RAW in 2016. They were initially paired with their former Bullet Club comrade, AJ Styles, forming The Club. WWE would soon split this group up, however, and the team have struggled to gain consistent traction since.

Jim Ross Discusses The Undertaker’s Starrcast II Booking

Steve Russell
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0

We’ve reported previously that The Undertaker is now taking bookings outside of WWE. He will be making an appearance at the Starrcast II event later this year in May. According to Jim Ross, this announcement supposedly rankled a number of WWE officials.

Ross would once again discuss ‘Taker’s Starrcast II booking on his podcast, The Jim Ross Report. His guest for this particular episode was Conrad Thompson, who trademarked the name ‘Dead Man Talking.’

In the past, JR has supported The Undertaker’s decision to take these bookings, saying “I’m not surprised about it and to me, it’s just a third-party booking. He’s still under contract to WWE and I’m sure WWE gave him the blessing to go make a payday.”

Elaborating on WWE’s feelings on this, Ross would now comment on ‘Taker’s decision from a personal and business standpoint.

“They’re not happy in the front office, apparently,” Ross said. “How mad can you get at The Undertaker? And secondly, you’ve got a 50-year-old guy with young children, a son in college. His track record with marriages is much like mine. It takes a while sometimes to find the right one and he has. But he has got to make a living and if he’s at a point age-wise where WWE doesn’t want to use him in the ring, or if he doesn’t feel able to compete in the ring, and you want to keep him around, then you’ve got to pay him something! But you might not pay him the same if you can’t get the one, two, three matches a year out of him.”

Conrad would confess to Ross that he was “shocked” when he learned Undertaker was available for appearances. He, somewhat fairly, assumed that ‘Taker would simply be an instrumental part of WrestleMania, and therefore be locked down by WWE.

“I understand how that got people talking,” Conrad said. “The publicity alone when we announced, or when we had Sports Illustrated announce that he was coming, I mean it was a worthwhile investment just for all the attention it brought our convention just because he hasn’t done anything like this before.”

Starrcast II takes place from May 23rd to 26th. It will emanate from Las Vegas, Nevada, and already has a number of top tier talent involved. The Young Bucks, Cody, Lita, and Bret Hart are all scheduled to appear.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Jim Cornette Discusses The Importance Of Bruce Prichard’s WWE Return

Andrew Ravens
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0

Jim Cornette appeared on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast this week to promote his appearance and 35th Anniversary Celebration of The Midnight Express at The Two Man Power Trip’s TMPT Con 3 this coming May in Richmond, VA.

During the interview, Cornette spoke about Bruce Prichard working as a Senior Vice President since rejoining the WWE a few weeks back. His start date was at Monday Night RAW TV event in Atlanta, GA last month.

Although he’s best known on camera as Brother Love, his work behind the scenes has earned him the great reputation that he has due to him directly working with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon as one of his top lieutenants.

According to Cornette, he thinks Prichard will be able to articulate what McMahon wants to people probably better than McMahon can.

“It was about twenty-two years ago as a matter of fact and I was there when Vince got fed up and decided that he wanted to go with the only person that wasn’t responsible for anything and that is how we got Vince Russo because he was mad. Here’s the thing; he sends out in a lot of cases (and we used to joke about it) he sends out what he wants by mental telepathy and if you don’t pick up on it it’s your fault. I’m sure that he’s been thinking, Vince McMahon didn’t not hire Bruce Prichard back because he’s the greatest booker since Bill Watts or Toots Mondt, Bruce Prichard is going to serve on the creative team because Vince McMahon knows that Bruce get it. He gets it and he can relay it to other people. What is “it”? “It” is what Vince McMahon likes and what Vince wants and I he is probably (and I can see Vince sitting there) saying that they just don’t get it, these damn people and these kids they just don’t get it.”

“I guarantee you that Bruce Prichard will be able to articulate what Vince McMahon wants to these people probably better than Vince can because Vince sometimes sends it out by mental telepathy. But Bruce has been picking up on those signals for twenty-five years. So is Bruce going to come in and immediately re-write the television program and come up with the most interesting finishes since Eddie Graham, no. Bruce is going to be able to convey to everybody else what Vince wants. I didn’t comment on the quality or the quantity. I’m just saying that Bruce gets “it” and “it” is what Vince wants.”

Rob Van Dam Hints At Working More Events For Impact Wrestling

Andrew Ravens
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1

Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam is set to make his return to Impact Wrestling alongside Sabu as they’ll team up to face Pentagon Jr. and Fenix at the United We Stand event. The show goes down on April 4th during WrestleMania weekend from the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, New Jersey.

This has led to speculation about his future with Impact Wrestling. RVD dropped a teaser to add fuel to the fire during a recent interview with TV Insider, in order to promote his new documentary, Headstrong.

This is where he made it known that he might be making more appearances for Impact Wrestling.

“There are people who have RVD money. But having said that, I can tell you after talking so much about AEW, Impact Wrestling also has RVD money,” he said. I don’t know if I’m spoiling any big announcement or anything, but yes.”

Here is the updated card for United We Stand:

  • Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. RVD and Sabu – Extreme Dream Match
  • Jake Crist vs. Dante Fox vs. Pat Buck vs. Kotto Brazil vs. Jack Evans vs. TBA – Ultimate X
  • Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc – Monster’s Ball Match
  • Brian Cage, Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Johnny Impact vs. Drago, Daga, Aero Star, and King Cuerno
  • Eli Drake vs. Tessa Blanchard
  • Impact X Division Champion Rich Swann vs. Yamato
  • Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie vs. Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Katie Forbes

Chris Jericho Seemingly Defends Ronda Rousey From Criticism

Andrew Ravens
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Chris Jericho has given his take regarding some of the recent comments made by WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey including a YouTube video where she made several interesting comments including calling wrestling fake.

The former IWGP Intercontinental Champion commented on Rousey breaking kayfabe that caused a big reaction from fans. Although he didn’t specifically name Rousey, it seemingly appears to be about the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

Jericho wrote the following on his official Twitter account, “Makes me smirk when wrestling fans & critics get up in arms about something a performer says or does. This is show business…nothing more, nothing less…so when an action or promo elicits a reaction and connects with an audience, it’s successful! Sit back & enjoy the ride kids!”

The stipulation going into the Fastlane pay-per-view event is that if Becky Lynch wins then she’ll get her wish. She will be added to the RAW Women’s Title Match between Rousey and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. On the flip side, if she loses then she’s done.

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho 2 is expected to headline the AEW Double or Nothing event that is set to take place May 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jerry Lawler Drops Interesting Hint About Jim Ross’ Future

Andrew Ravens
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2

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler made some interesting comments about the future of legendary announcer Jim Ross during the latest episode of his podcast Dinner With The King.

Ross’s most recent WWE televised appearance was part of the pre-show panel for the Greatest Royal Rumble event last April. He made some big news when he revealed on this week’s Ross Report podcast that after recent discussions with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, both sides decided it was best to go their separate ways.

“I will not be returning to WWE after the 29th of March. I’m leaving with great thoughts, very positive,” said Ross.

Lawler spoke on Ross’ departure from WWE when he stated that he had talked with Ross before he made the announcement, which made him think that it was sad to see Ross leave.

However, Lawler says that Ross is going onto “bigger and better things” and “more money than he’s ever made before in his life.” This led to co-host Glenn Moore asked King to elaborate, which is when he stated that he was surprised that Ross hasn’t already announced it.

He strongly hinted that he would go to AEW, which is not a big secret as Ross stated on his podcast that “We’ll see where the next step takes us… I don’t think I’ll be out of work long.”

Former MLW Champion Bids Farewell At Indie Show, Could Be WWE Bound

Andrew Ravens
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0

Former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Strickland said goodbye to DEFY Wrestling on Friday night at an event when he told the fans in attendance that it would be his final appearance for the promotion. He added that he’s moving on to bigger and better things, according to PWInsider.

Back in January, he announced on his Twitter account that he’s now a free agent after being able to fulfill the rest of his Lucha Underground deal after season four.

There have been rumors that he could be headed to the WWE as the company has an interest in signing him. Strickland is also a former EVOLVE Champion and it’s no secret that WWE and EVOLVE have a working relationship.

Strickland will be working the next two EVOLVE shows. EVOLVE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. two members of The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston, Joe Gacy, Colby Corino & Strickland) will take place at EVOLVE 123 on March 15th at the Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Mass.

At EVOLVE 124, Strickland, Kingston & Gacy will take on Dream & The Street Profits the following night at the La Boom in Queens, N.Y.

New Bullet Club Member Revealed at New Japan Cup

Jake Skudder
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4

New Japan has revealed that there will be a new member of the Bullet Club debuting soon. A promo package teased the new arrival to NJPW at a recent New Japan Cup show (video below). The package showed a lone figure standing in a dimly light ring, that figure was UK based star, El Phantasmo.

The Canadian born performer originally got his start in NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, where he debuted in October 2005. El Phantasmo worked his way through the Canadian independent scene before relocating to the UK. Phantasmo then started with Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) in 2017.

Rev Pro and New Japan have a close working relationship. El Phantasmo actually won the British J Cup event co-hosted by Rev Pro/NJPW in 2018 at the Manchester Wrestling Media Con. Phantasmo defeated Rich Swann, Rocky Romero and KUSHIDA in the final of the tournament to take the cup.

It is likely that the close affiliation between Rev Pro/NJPW is the reasoning behind Phantasmo’s signing. The Canadian star is one of the standout performers in the UK and will soon taking on PAC for the Fight Forever promotion.

Kay Lee Ray Debuting On NXT UK Next Week

Jake Skudder
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0

WWE has announced that newly signed NXT UK Superstar Kay Lee Ray will be debuting next week. Kay Lee Ray was the first ever WoS/World of Sport Women’s Champion and appeared to be staying with the company for the long haul. KLR shockingly appeared at NXT UK’s Takeover: Blackpool event earlier this year and this caused many to question the future of the ITV reboot. Fellow WoS performer Viper was also being linked with WWE although AEW were reportedly also interested. You can read more on this story below:

Kay Lee Ray is also the current Insane Championship Wrestling Women’s Champion. Ray recently defended her title against NXT Women’s Champion Toni Storm. The bout took place at the Square Go! event in somewhat of a European dream bout. Ray took the win in the match when Kasey Owens interfered and attacked both women.

KLR has also previously appeared for Pro Wrestling: EVE, TNA’s British Bootcamp and WWE’s Inaugural Mae Young Classic. Ray is one of the most well respected performers on the UK scene and this is a big boost to the NXT UK brand.

NJPW New Japan Cup Results (3/9)

Steve Russell
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0

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has begun their annual New Japan Cup tournament. The winner of this year’s single-elimination tournament will earn the chance to face “Switchblade” Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This matchup is scheduled to take place at their upcoming show, co-promoted with Ring Of Honor (ROH), G1 Supercard. The event takes place on April 6th and emanates from the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.

This stage of the New Japan Cup took place on 3/9 from the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Aichi, Japan.

New Japan Cup Results 3/9

Chase Owens and Taiji Ishimori defeated Tomoaki Honma and YOSHI-HASHI via pinfall.

Chase Owens continues to put people away with his Package Piledriver. He would pick up the win after nailing it on Honma.

Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Satoshi Kojima defeated Taichi, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Minoru Suzuki via pinfall.

Toru Yano would reverse a powerbomb attempt, ending up in a pinfall situation with Davey Boy Smith Jr. A three count later, and CHAOS walks away victorious.

Shingo Takagi and EVIL defeated TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr. via pinfall.

The Los Ingobernables de Japon members made short work of TAKA and ZSJ. TAKA would eat the pinfall after Takagi’s Pumping Bomber lariat.

Juice Robinson, Hiooki Goto, and Kota Ibushi defeated BUSHI, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito via pinfall.

This random team were able to best LIJ after Juice nailed BUSHI with his Pulp Friction finisher.

Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, and Hiroshi Tanhashi defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Colt Cabana, and Shota Umino via pinfall.

The Young Lion, Umino, wouldn’t be the one staring the lights this time. Makabe would manage to land his King Kong Knee Drop to Nakanishi, giving his team the win.

New Japan Cup Tournament Results

Lance Archer defeated Toa Henare

Archer would pick up the victory after only 11 minutes after pulling off Black Out for the pinfall.

Mikey Nicholls defeated HIKULEO

The former member of WWE’s TM61, Nicholls picks up the win over the gigantic HIKULEO after a Mikey Bomb.

Will Ospreay defeated Bad Luck Fale via pinfall

Ospreay continues to prove he can hang with NJPW’s heavyweights. Reversing an attempted Bad Luck Falls into a Hurricanrana, Ospreay would advance to the second round.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin via pinfall.

A lengthy, hard-hitting main event that saw Okada come from behind, nailing the Rainmaker in order to stay in the New Japan Cup.

Trevor Lee Debuts At WWE NXT Live Event

Andrew Ravens
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1

Former Impact Wrestling X-Division Champion Trevor Lee made his in-ring debut under the WWE NXT banner. He did so by taking on NXT UK star Luke Menzies in the opening match at the NXT live event on Friday in Dade City, FL at the Dade City Armory.

He lost to Menzies in a singles match. He was part of the recently announced Performance Center recruiting class and has been training at the facility since then in Orlando, Florida in order to get used to the WWE style that Triple H implements to all new talent.

Outside of being an X-Division Champion, Lee was also an Impact World Tag Team Champion and OMEGA Heavyweight Champion and held titles in AAW, and PWG.

https://twitter.com/FLWrestlingFan/status/1104187882913386497

WWE NXT Dade City, FL Results

  • Stacey Ervin Jr. defeats Daniel Vidot
  • Mia Yim defeats Jessie Elaban
  • Humberto Carrillo & Raul Mendoza defeat Brennan Williams & Mansoor Al-Shehail
  • Luke Menzies defeats Trevor Lee
  • Punishment Martinez defeats Kona Reeves (w/Vanessa Borne)
  • Marina Shafir & Shayna Baszler defeat Candice LeRae & Taynara Conti
  • Roderick Strong defeats Danny Burch
  • Johnny Gargano & Matt Riddle defeat Undisputed ERA (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

NJPW New Japan Cup Results (3/8)

Steve Russell
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0

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) has begun their annual New Japan Cup tournament.

The winner of this year’s single-elimination tournament will earn the chance to face “Switchblade” Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This matchup is scheduled to take place at their upcoming show, co-promoted with Ring Of Honor (ROH), G1 Supercard. The event takes place on April 6th and emanates from the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York.

The first stage of the New Japan Cup took place on 3/8 from Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

New Japan Cup 3/8

Taiji Ishimori, HIKULEO, and Bad Luck Fale defeated Rocky Romero, Mikey Nicholls, and Will Ospreay via pinfall.

Ishimori would manage to execute the Bloody Cross onto Rocky Romero for the pinfall victory.

Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki defeated Toru Yano, Toa Henare, and Satoshi Kojima via pinfall.

An impactful Bulldog Bomb saw the Suzuki-Gun walk away the winners of this encounter.

BUSHI and EVIL defeated TAKA Michinoku and Zack Sabre Jr. via pinfall.

In a short match last just over 5 minutes, BUSHI would hit TAKA with his MX finisher and take the pinfall.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Togi Makabe, Kazuchika Okada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Ryusuke Taguchi, Colt Cabana, Michael Elgin, and Shota Umino.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Young Lion who would eat the pin. This came after Okada nailed Umino with a Rainmaker.

YOSHI-HASHI defeated Manabu Nakanishi via submission

The very first round of the 2019 New Japan Cup saw YOSHI-HASHI submit Nakanishi via the Butterfly Lock.

Taichi defeated Tomoaki Honma via submission

In a surprisingly hard-fought affair, a valiant Honma just couldn’t away Taichi. After finally locking in the Holy Emperor’s Crucifix Tomb, Taichi would advance.

Chase Owens defeated Juice Robinson via pinfall

In an upset, Chase Owens would pick up the win after a Package Piledriver. This is particularly notable as Owens not only advances but now has a clean win over the IWGP US Heavyweight Champion.

Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yuji Nagata via pinfall

Hard-hitting throughout, Ishii would manage to best Nagata, ending the match with his Vertical Brain Buster.

Roman Reigns Discusses An Off-Season In WWE

Steve Russell
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8

Roman Reigns recently returned to WWE Monday Night RAW in order to deliver the good news that he is in remission. Later that same night, Reigns would be inserted into a storyline with his former Shield brothers, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. He was back to work straight off the back, doing what he loves.

In an interview with Talksport.com, “The Big Dog” was asked whether WWE and pro wrestling as a whole, might benefit from an off-season being implemented. Reigns’ response was a poised, considered reply, acknowledging the benefits an off-season could provide to both fans and WWE Superstars from a health and creative standpoint.

He admitted that “This formula has worked and Sports Entertainment is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ industry.”

Reigns continued, expressing that “Unfortunately, we don’t have an off-season like most sports, or other kinds of forms of entertainment or competition, but, you know, I think if we could make it work, it would give a great benefit to our performers and our fans as well.”

He explained that “It would definitely give our performers another couple of months, if not a full quarter, to rest and recover, not only just from a physical standpoint, but creatively.”

“It’s Just A Part Of The Gig”

From a creative perspective, Reigns contemplates that a break would allow Superstars to grow as characters and further develop the stories they are trying to tell. He admits that “doing it over and over and over” can be tough.

“I think that’s what makes WWE and its superstars so tough and it’s an accomplishment to get to where we are. Only we can handle this and we’ve proved it, so it’s just a part of the gig. I don’t think it’s something that shouldn’t be looked into, but if the schedule stays the same I’m gonna be the guy that’ll run it.”

It’s a surprisingly candid take on the concept from one of WWE’s biggest modern era Superstars. Giving their talent an opportunity to rest and heal, whilst still pushing storylines and character development has no real creative pitfall. It would potentially stop Superstars from suffering frequent injuries.

The constant battle for a top spot, however, across all of WWE’s brands, and this “’what have you done for me lately” mindset is probably enough to ensure that WWE will never adopt an off-season into their structure.

What do you think? Is an off-season a good idea? Would it be achievable given the current WWE landscape?

WWE Superstars React To Ronda Rousey’s Comments

Steve Russell
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Ronda Rousey recently set the pro wrestling world abuzz with her damning words towards the WWE Universe. Uploading a video to her YouTube channel, the “Rowdy” one would live up to her name, ripping into fans, the WWE, and other members of the WWE roster. She would commit what many fans and those in the industry consider a cardinal sin by referring to pro wrestling as fake.

“Wrestling is scripted,” she stated, emphatically. “It’s made up, it’s not real. None of those b****** can f****** touch me. The end.”

Her words have clearly affected a number of WWE Superstars, as members of the roster took to their social media accounts in order to address Ronda’s comments.

“You Were Untouchable. Now? Not So Much”

Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey’s scheduled opponent at WrestleMania 35, chimed in with her rebuttal via Twitter, writing:

“Can someone please remind Captain Badass here that her last two fights before coming to WWE ended with her unconscious and sobbing in the cage?

Four years ago, you were untouchable. Now? Not so much.

You’re a class act, @RondaRousey”

The two are currently slated to clash come April 7th. Before that, however, Charlotte Flair will be competing against Becky Lynch at Fastlane. Stephanie McMahon recently added the stipulation that if Lynch emerges victorious tomorrow night, she will be added to the championship match at ‘Mania, making it a triple threat affair.

She wasn’t the only one to take issue with Rousey, however. Both Liv Morgan and Rusev also expressed their thoughts on the video.

Morgan would reflect that “my body is sore all the time … that’s not fake. That’s real.”

Rusev’s tweet would be a little more confrontational, saying:

“Ronda’s new character is not real. She is playing a badass but we all know she ain’t in REAL LIFE”

Ronda’s words have clearly disgruntled a number of people in the industry, but the question remains: just how much of a shoot is it? It will be interesting to see if there is any sort of ramification for her vocal, and public, breaking of kayfabe.

Former WWE Superstar Joining Impact Wrestling In Producer Role

Steve Russell
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In recent weeks, numerous former wrestlers from Impact Wrestling have joined the ranks of WWE. Abyss, Sonjay Dutt, “Hurricane” Shane Helms, even “Double J” Jeff Jarrett are all officially backstage personnel for the promotion.

In a twist to this formula, a former WWE Superstar has revealed that he will be joining Impact Wrestling in an agent/producer role.

It was revealed in Figure Four Daily that Lance Storm would soon begin work with Impact. He spoke with them regarding this opportunity, mentioning he would begin at the upcoming Impact TV tapings in Ontario, Canada. Storm did stress that, at this point in time, it is not a permanent position.

“I’m going to be doing the agent/producer role for Impact Wrestling in the near future. The March 22 and 23 tapings in Windsor, Ontario, which I think are their next TV tapings,” Storm divulged. “[…] it’s only a couple of weeks away now. It is not a permanent position. It is a bit of a test to see if I like the job and if they like my ability to do the job, but, I will be in Windsor for the next Impact Wrestling tapings.”

He credited the taping schedule as a key factor in his decision, mentioning that “It’s possible [for me] because they only tape two days a month and it’s a Friday and a Sunday, so I would only have to adjust one day, per month, out of my SWA training schedule. So, it’s doable, and obviously I get along extremely well with both Don Callis and Scott D’Amore.”

Storm claims he has been watching Impact Wrestling “religiously” for the past month. Pragmatic in his approach, he confirms that “if both sides like it, I will probably do it moving forward for a while.”

https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/1104213875505881088

Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view is entitled United We Stand. It will air live on the company’s Twitch channel on April 4th. The event takes place from the Rahway Rec Center in New Jersey.

It will be interesting to see what Lance Storm can bring to the company. His wealth of experience and knowledge alone should immediately benefit them, but will his input be enough to entice fans?

Tommaso Ciampa Undergoes Successful Neck Surgery

Anutosh Bajpai
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The current NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa underwent a successful neck surgery this past Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama, WWE has confirmed.

The company posted some graphic photos of Ciampa’s anterior cervical fusion surgery on their website which you can check out in the link below.

While they have not provided any update on his recovery yet, the usual recovery time for similar operations is 3-6 months, which means he could return in time for a SummerSlam feud.

As noted before, prior to his injury Tommaso Ciampa along with his DIY partner Johnny Gargano seem to be entering in a feud with the Raw Tag Team Champions the Revival.

Though with Ciampa being out of action for a considerable time, this feud is obviously off and it appears that Aleister Black and Ricochet could be given this spot instead.

As far as his NXT Championship goes, the title holder is expected to drop the belt at next Wednesday’s TV tapings from Full Sail.

There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Tommaso Ciampa upon his return. It’d be interesting to see if he returns to NXT or ends up becoming a regular on the main roster once he is cleared to compete.

WWE Gave Local Officials List Of Words Not To Use Before Tampa Press Conference

Rayan Sayyed
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As previously reported, WWE held a press conference in Tampa, Florida to announce WrestleMania 36 for April 5, 2020 which is going to be held at the Raymond James Stadium.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, before the event was conducted, WWE gave a list of “WWE Do’s and Don’ts” to local officials at the conference which contained some interesting information.

The list asks the officials to not use words such as “professional wrestler” but instead use “WWE Superstar” to refer to their talent.

Other words such as “Divas,” and “belt” are also not to be used. “WWE Superstars” and “WWE Championship/WWE Title” are to be used instead, respectively.

The company should be referred to as just “WWE” and not “World Wrestling Entertainment” nor “the WWE.”

The list also highlights how to describe WWE’s brand with a very useful example. The word “professional wrestling” should not be used while talking about WWE but instead, you could describe them with a natural-sounding sentence like “I have always been a fan of sports entertainment.”

It has always been known that WWE likes to keep a distance from some words that are mentioned above. But this also gives an insight on how the company operates its events and what rules the non-WWE staff have to follow while working with them.

 

Rob Van Dam Reveals Vince McMahon’s Advice On Taking Chair Shots To The Head

Rayan Sayyed
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Former WWE Superstar Rob Van Dam revealed touching advice that Vince McMahon gave to him about taking chair shots to the head years ago.

While promoting his new documentary ‘Headstrong‘, Rob Van Dam spoke to TV Insider and discussed about a conversation that he had with Vince McMahon when he first signed with the company. RVD revealed that McMahon advised him to put his hands up to protect his head from the chair shots but he didn’t want to do it because he wanted to show how tough he was.

“I never knew I could be doing long-term damage. For me, one of the things I enjoy about professional wrestling is showing how tough I am. That’s an outlet for it. I would get hit in the head with a chair, and I knew it would knock my senses a little loopy. This was part of the job for me. I just thought I was really tough because I could take it. Now I feel very fortunate that at this point in life that I don’t have the CTE that the football players have suffered…Vince McMahon told me when I first got into WWE to put my hands up to protect my head from those chair shots.”

Eventually the former WWE Champion argued with Vince McMahon but the boss “went all fatherly on him.”

“I was arguing with him because I was stupid because I thought I was tough. He went all father on me, ‘I’m your father telling you to put your hands up. He was really serious. Now I won’t be cheering on chair shots to the head, but most of my concussions have probably come from landing and hitting the back of my head. So, I’m going to be cautious of that as well. There’s been once or twice I’ve had similar things happen since shooting the movie. Thankfully, I didn’t get concussed.”

RVD also talked about his his wrestling schedule, his upcoming marquee match teaming up with Sabu to face Pentagon Jr. & Fenix at Impact Wrestling’s United We Stand event, AEW, and more. You can read the entire interview by clicking here.

 

wXw 16 Carat Gold Night 1 Results (03/08) feat. NXT UK Superstars

Jake Skudder
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German based promotion wXw will be holding their prestigious 16 Carat Gold tournament over the weekend. The company are heading to Oberhausen on March 8th, 9th and 10th for the 2019 iteration of the event.

The opening round matches of the tournament took place last night. The results for these bouts are as follows:

  • Alternate Four Way Match (The Winner Will Be An Alternate If Any 16 Carat Gold Performer is Injured) – Veit Müller b. Julian Pace, Kyle Fletcher and Leon van Gasteren

16 Carat Gold Bouts

  • Axel Dieter Jr. b. Marius Al-Ani – NXT UK Superstar Dieter Jr took the win to advance
  • Fenix b. Rey Horus – Fenix took the win in the battle of Lucha Underground stars
  • Shigehiro Irie b. Chris Brookes – Irie took the win over popular UK scene star Brookes
  • Lucky Kid b. Timothy Thatcher – Kid took the shock win over the Ringkampf stable member Thatcher
  • Falls Count Anywhere Match – Avalanche b. Jurn Simmons – Avalanche took the win in this special Falls Count Anywhere first round match
  • Pentagon Jr. b. Mark Davis – Pentagon took the win over Aussie Open star Mark Davis to advance
  • Ilja Dragunov b. Daisuke Sekimoto – Newly signed NXT UK Superstar Dragunov took the win over Big Japan’s Sekimoto
  • WALTER b. David Starr – NXT UK Superstar WALTER continued his winning streak over Starr
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