As The Elite prepare to enter free agency, and get All Elite Wrestling off the ground, Jim Ross says that there are plans in the works for All In 2.
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that All In 2 will happen, perhaps as early as May 2019,” Ross said on The Jim Ross Report.
“All on the rumor mill. I can’t imagine, as successful as it seems that All In was there in Chicago, why wouldn’t you want to have another one?”
All In 2
Ross cautioned that planning for more multiple All In events in a single year might not be the best idea.
“I think that one a year is plenty,” Ross said. “You don’t want to wear out the theme.”
JR went on to discuss the potential of The Elite starting their own promotion, and what may be some pitfalls that they may face.
“The challenging part of this is for the booker types, like Cody and The Young Bucks, who like to be creative and like to book.”
Cody’s Booking Legacy
Ross also mentioned that he feels that Cody has something of a legacy to uphold as the son of a legendary booker.
“I think Cody feels that’s his life’s work because his dad was so good at it,” Ross said. “He wants to honor his father by being known as a great booker as well.”
“And hey, why not? Somebody’s got to do it, somebody’s got to be the booker, somebody’s got to create the content.”
You can hear JR’s full comments in context in the full episode of The Jim Ross Report below.
“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair is often recognized as one of the most charismatic performers pro wrestling has ever had. This is partly due to being so memorable on the mic. Whenever he would speak, he knew people were going to listen.
Flair spoke recently with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the latter’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show. During the show, he divulged what he considers to be a major problem with today’s current product and roster of superstars: heavily scripted promos.
Catch-22
He believes that the majority of current promos are so scripted due to WWE’s lack of faith in their superstars to talk and entertain in the way he, Austin, and The Rock did.
Flair recalled watching Austin pace the backstage area, collecting his thoughts before getting on the mic. He had full faith in Austin because he “knew where he was going” with the flow and point of the promo. He had a “gameplan” and didn’t need “40 writers” to help him craft his story.
“[…] when you have that groove and the capacity to entertain the crowd, they [the WWE] have to let you run with it, and I don’t see that much these days because I think they’re worried that the kids don’t have enough experience,” Flair explained.
“It’s not that they can’t, but that they don’t have enough experience, so I think it’s harder these days from that standpoint.”
The issue becomes a Catch-22 for the WWE. With no faith in their superstars, their roster will never develop and learn the skills needed. Without those skills and trust, the WWE will never veer from heavily scripted promos.
What do you think? Should WWE trust their talent more? Do you believe that scripted promos are fine the way they are?
Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid’s careers will forever be linked by their matches against one another in Stampede Wrestling. They would later feud as part of the Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs rivalry in WWE as well. Bret Hart is now the only surviving member of those legendary tag matches, however, as Jim Neidhart and Dynamite both passed this year. Davey Boy Smith passed away in 2002.
Hart posted the following to Instagram after learning of Dynamite’s passing:
Dynamite’s legacy in the wrestling industry is complicated, as is evidenced by Bret’s comments. The tales of Dynamite’s ability in the ring are often mixed with stories of an abusive, and angry individual. He has left complicated memories in the world of professional wrestling.
For many current active Superstars, however, Dynamite’s influence cannot be understated. Dynamite influenced those who now serve as influences to others. As Dynamite influenced names like Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, and others, those names then influenced many of the wrestlers we see active today.
Impact Wrestling is looking for a new home. The show currently airs on POP TV in the United States but the promotion is looking for a new broadcast partner. Internationally, Impact airs on the Fight Network and on various other channels in different markets.
The deal to air Impact Wrestling in the United States on POP is up at the end of this year. The show is expected to continue on POP in 2019, however, until Impact is able to find a new broadcaster for the show in the USA.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Impact has been meeting with several channels but has yet to strike a new deal.
“Impact is expected to remain on Pop until they can negotiate a deal with a new station,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “They have talked to a ton of stations. Besides the ones mentioned, they’ve also inquired into Bein.”
The issue with Impact having spoken to BeIN is that the station has an exclusive deal with MLW.
The other networks Impact is believed to have met with include SyFy, TruTV, and WGN America. In recent weeks, POP TV has pushed back Impact’s start time to 10 PM. This has caused the show’s start time to also be pushed back in other markets.
WWE is considering a Queen of the Ring tournament in 2019. The promotion has held 20 King of the Ring tournaments previously. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the idea has been talked about as a potential format for a 2nd all-Women PPV next year.
“An idea being talked about for 2019 would be a Queen of the Ring tournament with the main roster women,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “At this point, it’s just an idea thrown around but they are looking for ideas for a second all women’s PPV show next year.”
The company is said to be pleased with the response to Evolution and are looking to do similar shows once a year.
WWE Queen Of The Ring
The Mae Young Classic has generally been for prospects and developmental Superstars. The Queen of the Ring, however, would be for WWE’s main roster Superstars. WWE did hold a similar tournament recently, albeit it did not carry the King of the Ring name. The WWE World Cup concluded at Crown Jewel last month, with Shane McMahon being declared the winner.
The King of the Ring tournament ran almost annually from 1985 to 2002. It skipped 1990 and 1992. The event became more scarcely held after that. The last tournament was held in 2015 and was won by Bad News Barrett. Previously, the last tournament had been 2010 and won by Sheamus.
KUSHIDA, 35, is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a stalwart of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s light heavyweight division.
As their plan for global NXT territories escalates in 2019, it would certainly make sense that WWE would be interested in KUSHIDA for a potential NXT Japan.
The Observer report confirms that the working idea inside WWE is to earmark KUSHIDA for NXT. It does not specify whether that means the current North American brand or a potential new territory in Japan.
KUSHIDA is reportedly under contract to New Japan through January 2019, and the Observer report indicates that for that reason, word of WWE’s interest should not have leaked, for fear of contract tampering litigation.
However a complicating factor there is that NJPW is based in Japan. They are not the financial juggernaut that WWE is. Perhaps for those reasons, WWE feels that litigation is unlikely. WWE appears to be approaching KUSHIDA differently than they would if he worked for MLW or Ring Of Honor.
The report also states that KUSHIDA is just one of the top NJPW names that WWE has interest in, but does not specifically mention any of the other talent that WWE may be targeting. Tetsuya Naito did mention to Tokyo Sports earlier this year that WWE had sent him feelers, however.
KUSHIDA’s Physical Condition
Something else to consider from the WWE side is KUSHIDA’s physical condition. He is 35 years old and has worked a hard style for a number of years.
As seen with Shinsuke Nakamura’s defection from NJPW, this may be a case of KUSHIDA knowing that his body will not be able to take the demands of strong style for much longer.
WWE has to be aware of that fact, and it appears as though they believe that KUSHIDA’s name value is worth the investment, no matter how much he has left in the tank physically.
KUSHIDA’s Accomplishments
KUSHIDA is a former Ring Of Honor World Television Champion, a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion.
In addition, he has won several tournaments in New Japan. He won the Best Of the Super Juniors tournament in 2015 and 2017, the Super J-Cup in 2016, and the Super Junior Tag Tournament in 2012.
KUSHIDA’s MAtches With WWE Talent
Among current WWE talent, KUSHIDA has wrestled both Finn Balor and Xavier Woods in the past. He faced Woods in the 2010 Super J Tag Tournament and faced Balor a number of times.
His most notable matches against Balor came in 2011 when he twice unsuccessfully challenged The Demon for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title.
Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey has been one of the rumored main events for WrestleMania next year ever since Becky was removed from Survivor Series due to her injury.
During his recent interview with Sports Illustrated, WWE legend Jim Ross talked about a number of things and also discussed this potential main event for WrestleMania 35.
Ross said that he would be very comfortable in booking this bout between the two Women’s Champions and wouldn’t be offended if they added Charlotte to this match as well:
“I would be very comfortable in booking Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey in the main event at WrestleMania, I wouldn’t be offended if they added Charlotte to that match, but right now, Becky and Ronda would be my match on top. That’s the hottest thing they have going right now.”
Continuing on the topic, Jim said that none of the male superstars are red hot enough at the moment to make him want to supersede putting them above the two female stars.
Later he also explained how WWE can market this bout to the outside world as this will be the first time women will close the show and it would be an amazing opportunity.
What do you think about Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch potentially main eventing WrestleMania 35? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
During last night’s episode of NXT, Mauro Ranallo provided an injury update on one half of War Raiders, Hanson.
It was revealed that Hanson suffered multiple injuries during the War Games clash at WWE’s recent NXT TakeOver event. Ranallo listed off the injuries, which included: broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, and multiple torn ligaments.
The announcement stated that the War Raiders haven’t competed since TakeOver on November 17th during Survivor Series weekend. This, however, isn’t the case as the tag team performed at recent NXT Live events on November 30th and December 1st. They would defeat Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan and the team of Dan Matha and Kona Reeves, respectively.
With Hanson out of action, it is unknown whether the team will be written off until he has healed up. They didn’t work the recent set of TV tapings.
An Official Statement
The WWE has released an official statement regarding Hanson’s injuries:
“It is now known that The War Raiders’ Hanson suffered broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and torn ligaments in last month’s WarGames Match against The Undisputed ERA. The injuries, which were previously unspecified, were reported by Mauro Ranallo on tonight’s edition of WWE NXT.
Though Hanson and teammate Rowe forged a victorious unit with NXT North American Champion Ricochet and WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne against Undisputed ERA in Los Angeles, the brutal confines of the WarGames steel cage took their toll on both War Raiders, who haven’t been in action since that night.”
There’s never a good time to suffer an injury, let alone as many as Hanson reportedly has during one match. Given how the War Raiders have been primed for a top position within NXT, it’s a shame to see them suffer such an unfortunate halt to their progression.
Further details have since emerged regarding Bliss’ journey back to the ring. Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com speculated on a projected timeframe and what her training regime currently looks like.
“What I heard about Alexa Bliss is she will probably remain out until Royal Rumble. Watch her wrestle next week on RAW,” he added, sarcastically, “[…] anyway, that’s what I was told.”
Regarding the actual physicality of her training, Alvarez commented on the set up at the WWE Performance Center. He stressed that the facility has a number of rings, including one that is, essentially, a giant crash pad.
“So when you hear that Alexa Bliss is taking light bumps and that sort of thing, she’s not even bumping in a real ring right now.”
“[…] as of last week,” he continued, “she was taking bumps on the crash pad and they were making sure she could bump on a crash pad without I guess ending up with vertigo.”
The WWE has taken giant strides over the years in how they analyse and monitor injuries and concussions. It’s reassuring to know that Bliss won’t be back before she’s 100% ready.
It’s no surprise that Becky Lynch has become one of the top superstars in WWE today. Ever since turning heel against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam, ‘The Man’ has been on a perpetual upswing as she has fully embraced a brash, cocky anti-heroine persona. The WWE Universe has been making their voices heard each and every week by clearly supporting Lynch in her efforts.
That’s now further reflected by the fact fans have helped to sell out Becky Lynch’s Royal Rumble VIP Axxess meet-and-greet within an impressive 90 seconds.
The “Lass Kicker” shared the news via social media, telling her fanbase that “I see and hear you all, all the tee shirts, the signs, the posts, the love. The Man sees you all. They didn’t expect us, but here we are”.
The WWE has managed to capture lightning in a bottle with Lynch’s new persona, despite their efforts to initially turn her heel. The crowd weren’t buying into the narrative the WWE was trying to tell. With the audience cheering her as she would dole out beat down’s on the women they were meant to be cheering, Lynch has since become one of the WWE’s top talents.
Did you pick up a VIP Package for the Royal Rumble to meet Lynch? Are you surprised by this at all?
Drew McIntyre had formed an alliance with Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley in recent weeks and drifted away from Dolph Ziggler, who he was originally paired with upon his arrival on main roster.
Due to this, many believed that this pairing will be ending soon. These speculations turned out to be true after Drew attacked Ziggler during a segment on this week’s Raw, confirming their break up.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer talked about Dolph’s status after this angle and speculated that he will once again drift down the card. Though as noted before, WWE Officials are still high on McIntyre and his main event push is expected to continue.
Heath Slater Apologises
We noted before how Rhyno and Heath Slater were put in a match with the stipulation being that the loser will be fired from Raw on this week’s episode of the Red-Branded Show. This bout was won by Slater.
Both Corbin and Heath have continued this storyline on Twitter since then and as seen below, Corbin is seen blaming the One Man Band for Rhyno’s firing while Heath Slater apologizes for it:
A lot of people are blaming me for @Rhyno313 being out of a job. If you want to blame someone blame @HeathSlaterOMRB he is the one who beat him. He could have just quit. That’s what a real friend would have done. #RAW
It’s all your fault. I know it, The @WWEUniverse knows it, and you know it. I didn’t want this to happen. But when you put my back up against the wall. I will fight back no matter what. #igotkids@WWE I’m so sorry @Rhyno313https://t.co/frH43uIf16
As we noted before, initially, it appeared that Rhyno is done with WWE after this loss. However, the latest update on the situation suggests that he will be sticking around.
We noted before how Mark Henry while appearing on Busted Open Radio had said that the former Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss has been cleared for an in-ring return.
However, Dave Meltzer opposed these comments on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and claimed that Bliss has only been approved for light activity under medical supervision.
WWE has been trying to keep Bliss on TV without taking any bumps in recent weeks, by making her the in charge of the Women’s Division. So it makes more sense if Alexa has not been cleared. We’ll keep you posted on her status.
Next Challenger For Cruiserweight Title
205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick announced via the following video that Cedric Alexander is the new #1 contender and the next challenger for Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy:
Cedric has been rewarded this title shot after he defeated the previously-undefeated Lio Rush in a recent bout and also pinned Murphy in a tag match.
No word yet on when Alexander will be getting his title match against the Cruiserweight Champion. Though the most likely destination for it is the upcoming TLC PPV. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
The likely main event for WWE NXT’s next Takeover special has been officially announced. As seen on this week’s episode of NXT that taped on November 28, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University and aired on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, a big match was booked. It was also later confirmed by NXT General Manager William Regal.
WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will defend the title against Aleister Black. Also, Black will take on Johnny Gargano in a steel cage match next week on NXT TV. Regal wrote the following:
“.@WWEAleister will face @ProjectCiampa at #NXTTakeOver Phoenix for the #NXTChampionship! And to square things away, @JohnnyGargano and @WWEAleister will get their matters settled in a #SteelCage Match in two weeks!”
.@WWEAleister will face @ProjectCiampa at #NXTTakeOver Phoenix for the #NXTChampionship! And to square things away, @JohnnyGargano and @WWEAleister will get their matters settled in a #SteelCage Match in two weeks!
Ciampa is the 16th champion in the history of the NXT Title that was created back in 2012 when the inaugural champion was Seth Rollins when the brand was first introduced to the WWE fans. Ciampa is also a former NXT Tag Team Champion under the WWE banner when he won the titles with Johnny Gargano.
The NXT TakeOver: Phoenix event takes place on Saturday, January 26, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.
Natalya recently did an interview with The Wrap where she talked about a wide range of topics including the reason that WWE has decided against re-branding the name of their reality series, Total Divas, on the E! Network. This is where she admitted that she’s not sure but has heard some different rumblings. “You know, I’m not sure actually,” Neidhart said. “I’ve heard different rumblings. I’ve heard that, you know, [‘Total Divas’ co-star and executive producer] Nikki Bella had talked about it openly and said, you know, she wanted to change the name, and that we should go from ‘Divas’ to something else.”
The longtime WWE star did admit that while she thinks the decision to change the name may make the WWE fans happy, she does have a concern about how the mainstream audience will react to the change due to their connection with the title of the show.
“It’s tough because, the way I look at it is, yes, in WWE we’re not called Divas anymore, we’re called Superstars,” she added. “But ‘Total Divas’ is such a popular show that, would the mainstream audience understand if we changed the name? But at the same time, I always think change is good and I think it could be a unique dynamic to take the fans, you know, on a journey where we do change the name. It just depends, the stars have to align. And I also, you know, I think the most important part is keeping the show authentic. Keeping it real and true to what it’s always been, and that really starts with the cast.”
Punishment Martinez is officially a member of the WWE NXT roster as he has made his NXT television debut. WWE taped tonight’s editionof NXT on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University. This episode hit the airwaves on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
On this show, Martinez lost to Matt Riddle in the opening match of the show. Back in October, it was announced that the former Ring of Honor TV Champion had signed with the company. Since then, he had been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida to begin training and eventually, be used on the NXT brand. He made his in-ring debut at an NXT live event back on November 3, 2018.
Martinez finished up with ROH at the TV tapings on September 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Orleans Arena, which was the first batch of episodes taped since their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event. It was noted at the time in reports that he opted not to sign a new deal with the promotion as he wanted to be free going forward.
It will be interesting to see if WWE books him in a match on the next NXT special. The NXT TakeOver: Phoenix event takes place on Saturday, January 26, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and will air on the WWE Network. Triple H sent out the following post about Martinez on Twitter:
Imposing, unrelenting, focused… and ready. This is just the beginning for @RealPunishment in @WWENXT – I expect to see big things from him. Congratulations on your debut. pic.twitter.com/YG2Z9mPD3V
A new match for the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view event may have been released.
There is a new #1 contender for the WWE Cruiserweight Title and that’s Cedric Alexander. WWE has yet to reveal when Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy will make his next title defense against Alexander but it could come as soon as the TLC event. WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick tweeted this video to make the announcement today:
WWE presents the TLC pay-per-view event on Sunday, December 16th, 2018 in San Jose, California at the SAP Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship is expected to headline TLC. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE TLC Card
WWE Title Champion Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
TLC Match: Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman – If Strowman wins, he’ll challenge for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble & Corbin loses all authority or if Corbin wins then he’s the permanent RAW GM.
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka – TLC Match
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. The Usos vs. The New Day – Triple Threat Match
Tuesday’s edition of WWE SmackDown Live from Austin, TX at the Frank Erwin Center on the USA Network averaged 1.948 million viewers, down from 2.264 million the previous week, according to ShowbuzzDaily. The episode was the second-lowest audience since the blue brand moved to Tuesday nights.
SmackDown had some notable moments including Charlotte Flair and Asuka vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, a SmackDown Women’s Title contract signing, Cesaro (w/Sheamus) vs. Xavier Woods (w/Big E, Kofi Kingston) vs. Jey Uso (w/Jimmy Uso) in a Triple Threat, Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy, and AJ Styles vs. The Miz.
WWE hyped the upcoming TLC PPV and the matches taking place at that show. In case you missed the show, you can check out the results here.
Despite WWE putting some together some intriguing segments for the show, this episode faced some solid competition. The show had to go up against was Hannity Rachel Maddow Show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Last Word, The Five, The Ingraham Angle, Special Report and The Story.
WWE will attempt to bounce back starting with next week’s episode. Charlotte Flair will battle Asuka in a singles match. Also, a rap battle will take place between The Usos, New Day, and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar on next week’s show.
Watch: Top 10 Moments from Tuesday’s SmackDown Live (12.4.18)
Matt Riddle squared off against the debuting Punishment Martinez on tonight’s episode of NXT. Dueling “let’s go Riddle!” and “Punishment!” as the two Superstars locked up to start off the bout. Riddle locked in a Sleeper Hold but Martinez broke it by slamming Riddle to the canvas.
Punishment followed it up with a big right hand and went for a Splash in the corner but Riddle got out of the way. Riddle delivered a flurry of kicks but Punishment responded with a Cyclone Kick of his own for a two count.
Martinez grabbed Riddle by the throat but Riddle escaped and leveled him with a kick to the head. Riddle clubbed Punishment in the chest several times and then applied the Bromission for the submission victory.
Humberto Carrillo & Raul Mendoza faced The Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake) tonight on NXT. Jaxson Ryker of The Forgotten Sons was ringside for the match. Cutler and Mendoza started off the match. Cutler brought Mendoza to the canvas and applied a Headlock.
Mendoza escaped and dropped Cutler with an Enziguri. Humberto tagged in and hit a Splash for a one count. Cutler drove Carrillo to the corner and Blake tagged in. Wesley lit up Mendoza with a loud chop to his chest in the corner of the ring.
Carrillo battled back with an Enziguri and Mendoza tagged in. Mendoza hit Cutler with a springboard Hurricanrana and was then promptly launched across the ring by Blake. Cutler tagged back in and connected with a Backbreaker on Mendoza.
Cutler hit another Backbreaker and went for the cover but Raul kicked out at the last second. Mendoza hit a Belly to Back Suplex and leaped across the ring to tag in Carrillo. Humberto hit Blake with a Crossbody and followed it up with an awesome Dropkick off the top rope.
Humberto hit a Moonsault and went for the cover but Blake broke it up. Mendoza went for a Suicide Dive but Blake caught him and slammed him on the entrance ramp. Cutler and Blake then hit Carrillo with a Stomp/Scorpion Death Drop for the pinfall victory.
Velveteen Dream Addressed His Loss To Ciampa At TakeOver
Velveteen Dream was interviewed backstage about what is next for him following his loss to Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver. Dream said that the people are still talking about him and that he has even heard Triple H talking about him. Thus, he didn’t feel like he lost anything at TakeOver: WarGames.
Dakota Kai and Shayna Baszler battled tonight on NXT. Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir accompanied Baszler down to the ring for the match. Shayna drove Kai to the corner to start off the match. Dakota escaped and knocked Shayna out of the ring with a kick to the face.
Baszler grabbed Kai by the leg and slammed her into the ring post. Back in the ring, Shayna tried to stomp on Kai’s elbow but Dakota got out of the way. Kai went for a roll-up but Shayna kicked out at one and then stomped on Kai’s arm.
Dakota battled back with a flurry of kicks to Shayna’s head and then hit the Facewash Kick in the corner of the ring. Dakota went for another Facewash but Baszler dodged it and hit a running knee to her face for a near fall.
Kai leveled Shayna with a kick to the face and then made her way to the top rope. Kai connected with a Stomp for a near fall. Baszler and Kai traded shots on the top rope. Dakota hit a Headbutt but Shayna responded with an Enziguri.
Shayna followed it up with a Gutrench Superplex and both Superstars crashed to the canvas. Kai went for another kick but Baszler countered into the Kirifuda Clutch. Kai reached for the ropes but couldn’t get there and passed out from the pain to end the match.
After the match, Baszler, Duke, and Shafir surrounded Kai and started stomping on her. Io Shirai rushed down to the ring for the save. Io knocked Duke and Shafir out of the ring and sent Baszler to the corner. Kai went for the Facewash Kick but Duke and Shafir pulled Shayna out of the ring at the last moment.
Ciampa Suggested A Steel Cage Match To Gargano & Black
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa and boasted about his victory over Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: WarGames II. Ciampa blasted the crowd for still refusing to believe in him, Tommaso then pointed directly at Mauro Ranallo and shouted: “you don’t believe in me but mamma mia here I stand!”.
Ciampa declared himself the sports entertainer of the year but was then interrupted by Aleister Black. Aleister made his way to the ring as the crowd chanted his name. Aleister stated that he absolved Gargano of his sins at TakeOver and accused Ciampa of creating those sins.
Black said that Ciampa is not a real champion, he is another sin that he be absolved. Black announced that he will invoke his rematch clause at NXT TakeOver: Pheonix. Johnny Gargano joined the party and said that he wasn’t finished with Aleister Black.
Gargano added that it is over when he says it is over and got right in Aleister’s face. Ciampa jokingly called Gargano “Johnny Badass” and said that Gargano gets fixated on things and refuses to let things go.
Tommaso suggested that Black and Gargano finish their rivalry inside of a steel cage. Ciampa asked the crowd if they wanted to see that and the crowd responded with a “yes!” chant. Gargano wanted the match and Black shouted that he would fight him back in the parking lot.
Johnny asked Black how that worked out for him last time and Aleister went for the Black Mass but Gargano got out of the way. Aleister then hit Ciampa with a Black Mass to end the show.
If @JohnnyGargano & @WWEAleister want to settle things the right way, they'll need to do so inside of a steel cage.
Joey Ryan is expected to miss quite a bit of time from the ring. Ryan suffered a torn pectoral muscle recently which will require surgery to repair. He hasn’t competed since the MLW taping in November, where he wrestled with a sling on his arm. With the significance of the injury, Ryan will likely spend a significant time on the shelf.
A few days ago, Ryan took to Twitter and provided fans with an update on his status. Ryan confirmed doctors are recommending surgery and he will have to call to make the appointment soon:
“The MRI revealed that I have an acute tear of the left pectoral muscle including a high-grade tear of the clavicular head at the myotendinous junction and a high-grade intratendinous tear of the sternal head with retraction and hemorrhage into the muscle belly. Disorganized fibers of the muscle tendon tear identified within the deltopectorial groove.
“The Doctor is recommending surgery and I’m to call the surgeon on Monday or Tuesday to set up an appointment to see them. A timetable on recovery will be determined by the surgeon.”
He again took to Twitter last night to provide fans with another update. Ryan revealed a list of appearances on his tour that he was forced to call off due to the injury. You can see the dates below:
IWGP heavyweight champion Kenny Omega could possibly get an HBO documentary. Joseph Shabson, a Toronto musician, did an interview on the “Kreative Kontrol” podcast. He noted that he recently scored music for a documentary about a professional wrestler named Kenny Omega.
Here’s what Shabson had to say about the project:
“I just finished a documentary about a wrestler. That’s going to be coming out on HBO in the New Year, which is going to be really exciting.
“It’s a wrestler named Kenny Omega. He’s a wrestler from Winnipeg, but went to Japan and formed this tag team called the Golden Lovers, which was sort of like the first ever queer storyline in wrestling. He’s a pretty incredible dude; I was really happy with scoring that.”
HBO is no stranger to professional wrestling documentaries. They recently co-produced a very successful one about WWE Hall Of Famer Andre The Giant. WWE, JMH Films, and Ringer Films also produced the documentary. A potential documentary about Omega would certainly be an interesting one.
To listen to Joseph Shabson’s comments about the potential Kenny Omega documentary on HBO, click this link here.
Would you be interested in seeing an Omega HBO documentary?
Samoa Joe has defended his verbal assault about Jeff Hardy over the past two weeks of SmackDown Live. It all started once interrupted Hardy’s celebration of being with the WWE for 20 years. During this segment, Joe brought up Hardy’s past issues with substance abuse.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Austin, TX at the Frank Erwin Center on the USA Network, Hardy lost to Randy Orton in a singles match once Joe distracted him by appearing on the big screen while at a bar pouring himself a beer and talking about responsible drinking. Orton won the match with an RKO.
Joe took to his official Twitter account to defend his verbal assault on Hardy by writing the following, “It’s amazing how all you virtue laden people will bludgeon your high horse in a instant to justify the actions of your so called hero’s . Yet your upset with me because I just want to bludgeon your hero directly. #SmackDownLIVE.”
It’s amazing how all you virtue laden people will bludgeon your high horse in a instant to justify the actions of your so called hero’s . Yet your upset with me because I just want to bludgeon your hero directly. #SmackDownLIVE
The twelfth episode of season 2 of WWE Mixed Match Challenge aired on Facebook on Tuesday. R-Truth and Carmella defeated Hardy and Charlotte Flair. Thus, this means that Hardy and Joe do not have a match set for WWE’s next pay-per-view event. It’s possible that Joe vs. Hardy takes place at TLC on Sunday, December 16th, 2018 in San Jose, California at the SAP Center
Several matches for the final Ring of Honor television taping of 2018 have been announced. Those matches include ROH TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Luchasaurus in a Proving Ground Match, PJ Black vs. Juice Robinson, and CMLL star Rush vs. TK O’Ryan.
This will be an important television taping for a few different reasons. It will feature the fallout from the programs and matches that went down at Final Battle. Also, it will likely be the final appearances for The Young Bucks, Cody and Adam Page with the promotion.
ROH will hold this taping the night after their final pay-per-view event of the year, Final Battle. The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show in the coming days. Here’s the updated card:
Post-ROH Final Battle TV Taping Card
ROH TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Luchasaurus – Proving Ground Match
Rush vs. TK O’Ryan
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tracy Williams
PJ Black vs. Juice Robinson
ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, ROH World Tag Team Champions SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky), ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan, Vinny Marseglia), Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai, Rush, “The American Nightmare” Cody, The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe), “The Villain” Marty Scurll, Madison Rayne, Christopher Daniels, Bully Ray, Flip Gordon are also advertised to appear at the taping.
Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 14, 2018 in Manhattan, New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
WWE presents two hours of previously unaired programming tonight in prime time. Both 205 Live and NXT will air on the WWE Network beginning at 7 PM est.
NXT 12/5 Preview
Tommaso Ciampa Addresses The NXT Universe
In what will be his first appearance since defeating Velveteen Dream at WarGames, Tommaso Ciampa will address the NXT audience tonight. We’ll find out what Ciampa has to say about his win at Takeover and possibly find out what is next for him tonight on NXT.
Shayna Baszler vs Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai used to be petrified of Shayna Baszler. She eventually learned to stand up for herself, however. Tonight, the Captain of Team Kick will be back inside the squared circle with Baszler. Kai’s allies in Io Shirai and Kairi Sane might be nearby but so will Baszler’s teammates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir.
Matt Riddle vs Punishment Martinez
The King of Bros will take on the former Ring Of Honor Television Champion tonight. These two only recently started with the promotion this year but both are likely to become major players in NXT moving forward. Neither Riddle nor Martinez will likely want to take a loss this early in their run with NXT so there’s a lot on the line for each tonight.
The Forgotten Sons vs Raul Mendoza and Humberto Carrillo
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler will represent the Forgotten Sons tonight in tag-team action. The team has been getting wins on WWE programming as of late and could start to move up the rankings further as we move into 2019.
205 Live 12/5 Preview
TJP & Mike Kanellis vs the Lucha House Party
TJP and Kanellis might want to have a consulting session with the Revival before this tag match. It’s still not clear if Drake Maverick endorses the use of Lucha House Party rules as is done on Monday Night Raw. It’s possible Maverick has entirely other problems to deal with, however. It is scheduled to be a tornado tag team match tonight between these two teams but as of yet, it’s not clear how many members of the Lucha House Party will be allowed to compete in this match.
The Brian Kendrick vs Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak recently kicked the Brian Kendrick out of his cruiserweight bad guy stable. Tonight, Kendrick and Gulak will go one-on-one. Akira Tozawa has recently become aligned with Kendrick as well, so he might need to help fend off Jack Gallagher should he decide to interfere on Gulak’s behalf tonight.
The New Daniel Bryan may not have wrestled during last night’s SmackDown Live, but he did get the opportunity to lace up his boots once the show had concluded.
Facing off against The Miz — who had not only wrestled in the SmackDown main event against AJ Styles, but also for the Mixed Match Challenge — Daniel Bryan was prepared to clash with his longtime rival for that night’s dark match in an interesting role reversal.
Before they locked up, however, Daniel Bryan grabbed a microphone and singled out a young fan in the audience. Having seen the fan was holding a sign about their birthday, Daniel Bryan took the opportunity to relish his developing heel persona.
“It’s your birthday,” he said, curtly. “Congratulations, you’re stupid.”
“And your parents should be very proud because on your birthday it got recognized that you’re stupid,” Bryan continued before turning on the crowd for chanting ‘Happy Birthday.’
Daniel turned heel a few weeks ago on SmackDown, embracing the moniker of ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan. This heel turn led him to victory, defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship after a low blow followed up with a running knee.
He will defend the WWE title against Styles in a rematch at WWE’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs event on December 16th.
The Elite is a polarizing group. While many fans love their antics, YouTube show, and matches, some NJPW fans feel their comedic antics take things too far and is not consistent with the style of NJPW they are used to.
Some of these critics decided to bring a sign to a show recently which read “Harold Meij and the Elite Ruined NJPW”. A fan took a screenshot of the sign and sent it to members of the Elite. Kenny Omega then responded.
Omega continued to respond to people on Twitter after as well. He responded to this fan who questions Omega’s drawing power:
Didn’t I outdraw Tana vs Okada by over 2 times and set attendance records across the board spanning multiple years? Can we talk about that? Nah, didn’t think so ?
“Didn’t I outdraw Tana vs Okada by over 2 times and set attendance records across the board spanning multiple years? Can we talk about that? Nah, didn’t think so”
A fan of Omega’s then took to Twitter to voice their concern that Omega doesn’t let fans disagree with him. Omega had the following response:
Cool. I’ll agree next time that I’m destroying a company I sacrificed everything for and pray to the heavens that you like me
