Chris Jericho was in Toronto last night for a Fozzy concert at the Rockpile. While in town he evidently met with the Impact Wrestling management team of Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, and Ed Nordholm.
Jericho posted a photo of the four of them along with Jericho’s father (and former New York Ranger), Ted Irvine.
Anthem Sports and Entertainment’s head office is located in Toronto.
Chris Jericho and Impact Wrestling
Jericho has been linked to Impact since his friend Don Callis was appointed co-Vice President. Callis takes credit for bringing Jericho into NJPW and setting up the WrestleKingdom match between Kenny Omega and Jericho last January. Jericho, Callis, and Omega are all from Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Jericho and Impact Wrestling worked together in October as well for the Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea. He had originally booked just Ring of Honor wrestlers to appear on the cruise but Impact’s involvement was confirmed earlier this year as well.
Earlier this month, the Wrestling Observer printed the following regarding a potential Impact and NJPW talent-sharing arrangement.
“(NJPW) didn’t use guys like Brian Cage and John Morrison because they were Impact guys,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer. “And stopped some of their own talent from working Impact.”
Many things in wrestling seem destined to change in 2019, however. Jericho, Callis, D’Amore, and Nordholm may have touched upon that subject last night.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s November scheduling is usually dominated by the World Tag League shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature some of NJPW’s top stars, but there are some notable exceptions. Some of the shows will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the World Tag League in Korakuen Hall (11/29):
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Michael Elgin and Jeff Cobb b. Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida – Cobb took the win after hitting the Tour of the Islands on Yoshida
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: David Finlay & Juice Robinson b. defeat Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata – Robinson took the win after hitting the Pulp Friction on Nakanishi
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) b. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) – Tenzan took the win after hitting the Moonsault Press on Smith Jr
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Toa Henare & Togi Makabe b. Best Friends (Beretta & Chuckie T) – Henare and Makabe took the win via DQ
5th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa b. Hangman Page & Yujiro Takahashi – Tonga and Loa took the win after hitting the Magic Killer on Page
6th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr b. Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka – ZSJ took the win using the European Clutch on Iizuka
7th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: EVIL & SANADA b. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano – SANADA used the O’Connor Bridge on Yano for the win
Bad Luck Fale, Jay White & Taiji Ishimori b. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & KUSHIDA – Ishimori used the Bloody Cross on KUSHIDA for the win
Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) recently announced a huge International match for their Fear & Loathing XI event. Former TNA World Champion James Storm will be taking on Grado.
An extra stipulation has now been added to the much anticipated bout. WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett will be the Special Guest referee when the two former IMPACT stars collide. Grado made some interesting comments recently on his Fear & Loathing opponent, you can check these out here.
Fear & Loathing XII will be taking place on December 2nd at the SSE Hydro. If you’re an ICW fan you know that the ‘Loathing event is ICW’s biggest in the calendar year and last year’s iteration featured Rey Mysterio, Kevin Nash and Rob Van Dam amongst the homegrown talent.
Insane Championship Wrestling has also announced that British Strong Style will be heading to ‘Fear & Loathing XII.’ This will be first time that the BSS stable has appeared as a unit in ICW. Trent Seven is a former ICW World Champion. More interesting is that Pete Dunne actually defended his WWE United Kingdom Championship in the company previously. British Strong Style are arguably the most popular stars from the thriving UK scene. All three are featured heavily on the WWE UK brands and NXT television.
ICW has also announced a huge Women’s Championship match for their Fear & Loathing XI event. Women’s Champion Viper will be facing challenger Kay Lee Ray. Both stars are considered to be amongst the World’s best and have been a featured part of the weekly WoS programme on ITV/STV.
Tickets are available to purchase via Ticketmaster now.
German based promotion wXw recently announced that British Strong Style will be appearing at their 18th Anniversary show. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven will be joining the 18th Anniversary show on December 22nd in Oberhausen.
This follows the news that NXT Superstar Axel Dieter Jr would be returning for the special Anniversary show. Dieter Jr left wXw back in April of 2017. The German Superstar made his way to NXT but as of yet has not been heavily featured on the WWE Network programme. Dieter Jr finally made his NXT debut in August of this year in a losing effort against Keith Lee.
As well as his time in wXw, Dieter Jr had an impressive run for the UK’s PROGRESS promotion. Bouts against The London Riots, The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper and Travis Banks) and The Hunter Brothers alongside WALTER gained him a strong following. Dieter Jr also faced British Strong Style (Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) alongside Timothy Thatcher and WALTER.
Now wXw has confirmed British Strong Style’s opponents for the event. Recent WWE signee WALTER, Axel Dieter Jr and Timothy Thatcher of Ringkampf will be taking on the NXT UK Superstars. This is one of the biggest bouts in European wrestling right now, it will be a war and a spectacle not to miss.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s November scheduling is usually dominated by the World Tag League shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature some of NJPW’s top stars, but there are some notable exceptions. Some of the shows will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the World Tag League in Ibaraki (11/28):
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: SANADA and EVIL b. Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida – SANADA took the win after the Skull End on Umino
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Zack Sabre Jr and Taichi b. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata – ZSJ beat Nakanishi using a Grapevine Stretch
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Beretta and Chuckie T b. Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan – Beretta took the win after hitting the Strong Zero on Kojima
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka b. David Finlay and Juice Robinson – Suzuki took the win after hitting the Gotch-style piledriver on Finlay
5th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Michael Elgin and Jeff Cobb b. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe – Elgin took the win after hitting the Elgin Bomb on Henare
6th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii b. Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page – Yano took the win by rolling up Takahashi with a SchoolBoy
7th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018 Tournament Match: Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa b. Davey Boy Smith Jr and Lance Archer – Tonga took the win after hitting the Gun Stun on Smith Jr
Shingo Takagi, BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito b. SHO, YOH and Kazuchika Okada – Naito took the win after hitting the Destino on SHO
WWE NXT star Mia Yim recently did an interview with Byron Saxton of WWE.com to talk about various topics. During the interview, she was asked how she’s settling into her role as an official member of the NXT roster. She stated that it’s a dream job but it doesn’t feel like a job and wakes up every morning thankful for her life and being able to train at the WWE Performance Center. She brought up how she has a bunch of friends in WWE both ones she made since signing and those who she has known from the indy scene.
When asked about the opportunity to compete in the Mae Young Classic came about, she brought up how she was invited and was able to wrestle two friends from the indies, Sarah Logan and Shayna Baszler.
“It was kind of a full-circle moment because I wrestled both of them when they first started and then we got to showcase our skills on the big stage. I caught up with Nattie, Charlotte and Maria Kanellis, who continue to give me motivation and advice. I got overall good feedback from the coaches and agents. I received another invite to the second Mae Young Classic, but I was nervous because it would be my first big showing since my injury. After the numerous tryouts, extra work and the last Classic, I was determined to land a full-time spot on the NXT roster.”
She continued, “I was lucky to be among all the great talented women in both Mae Young Classics, and even luckier to have the support of my fans at Full Sail and all over the world. They made sure to be heard and they made my dream come true.”
Finally, she talked about her goals in WWE NXT. This is where she stated that her goal in NXT is to become the next NXT Women’s Champion and to become a champion on either Raw or SmackDown Live. She added that she wants to have a moment at WrestleMania.
The first match for the final Ring of Honor television taping of 2018 has been announced. ROH will hold this taping the night after their final pay-per-view event of the year, Final Battle.
International superstar Zack Sabre Jr. takes on “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams in a singles match at this taping. The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
ROH World Champion Jay Lethal, ROH World TV Champion Jeff Cobb, 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 Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe), “The Villain” Marty Scurll, “Hangman” Adam Page, 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. ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show. This taping will also feature fallout from the programs and matches that went down at Final Battle.
WWE aired the episode of WWE NXT UK that was taped several months ago that featured Rhea Ripley winning the WWE NXT UK Women’s Title, which marks the first-ever champion in the history of the title.
After the episode, Triple H took to his official Instagram account where he posted a backstage handshake photo with Ripley and the title. He also wrote the following in the caption, “The first standard bearer of the #NXTUK Women’s Division. Hard-working, uncompromising, and dedicated to making a mark for her and this brand. Congratulations @rehearipley_WWE.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqvXfPPD5qR/
Finn Balor Pokes Fun At Baron Corbin
Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor decided to have some fun with Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre on social media when he posted this photo of them on a film poster in order to mock them all to continue their recent feud, which you can see here:
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Milwaukee, WI at the Fiserv Forum on the USA Network, Corbin and McIntyre beat Balor in a handicap match that ended up serving as the main event of the show and was beaten down after the match was over by the heels.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mark Henry recently appeared on the E&C Pod Of Awesomeness with former WWE/ECW star Tommy Dreamer and former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Christian where he discussed a wide range of topics.
Henry’s last match came when he worked a Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event back in April. This was after 10 months of him confirming that his 21-year in-ring career was coming to an end. When asked what he’s doing now, he noted that “I have been doing the [WWE] ambassador thing, I am not doing it currently, right now the only thing I am employed to do is with Sirius XM.” He added that he owns his Strongman show and planning the first show in Washington D.C.
Henry has been with the company since 1996. He was just 24-years of age when he decided to get into the pro wrestling business. During his time with the company, he held the WWE World Heavyweight Title, ECW Title, and European Title. Most people including Henry believe that his best run was when he did his Hall of Pain gimmick.
Henry said, “That was probably my best work and I was given the chance to do what I wanted. I had the freedom to have a promo segment against somebody like John Cena.” He continued by stating that when he walked between those ropes, it was all him and was only told by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to not hurt anybody. That was all the direction he was given.
John Bradshaw Layfield turned 52 last night. Evidently, he opted to have a few drinks to celebrate. During the course of his evening, JBL posted several Tweets in regards to Cody Rhodes. The former WWE Champion said he could take either Cody or his “daddy” – the late Dusty Rhodes.
The following morning, JBL acknowledged that he was under the influence of “one too many” adult beverages when he was trash talking Cody and Dusty Rhodes.
JBL then offered an apology for at one point (in a possibly deleted Tweet) saying he’d “kill” Cody. JBL offered up an apology for those comments:
“Was having fun with Cody last night and said I’d kill Cody Rhodes, I obviously didn’t mean that literally. It was a very poor choice of words, I go way back with him and his family and I just was talking smack in a pro wrestling sense. I apologize for that poor choice of words.”
Cody Responds To JBL
Cody didn’t offer up much a response to JBL’s comments:
JBL has been offering up a few explanations this morning:
“I go way back with Dusty, tagged with Murdoch/Dusty’s old partner. I didn’t mean disrespect to Dusty. It’s what happens when elation from a Cowboys win, my birthday, talking smack and booze mix.”
Kane’s former Boss and the owner of USWA wrestling promotion Jerry Jarrett recently set down with The Hannibal TV to talk about a number of things and suggested that he may have heat with the Big Red Monster.
Jerry revealed that he saw Kane at the Hall Of Fame but he believes that the former World Champion ignored him. He also recalled sending a tweet to him while Kane, real name Glenn Jacobs was running for office and how he did not receive a reply from the Monster.
Jarrett then talked about how he supported him when Kane’s mother used to call him and be suspicious about his career in pro wrestling and revealed that he was the one who flew Glenn to New York and introduced him to Vince McMahon.
Finally, he implied that he doesn’t know for sure but other stars like Sting and Scott Hall run through the crown to meet him and that’s a big difference from what Kane did.
For those who don’t know, USWA was one of the top promotions Kane worked for before being signed by WWE and he wrestled for the company from 1993 to 1995.
He was a top star for the promotion and also won the USWA World Championship during his time there, before being signed by WWE in 1995.
You can check out Jerry Jerrett’s comments in the video below:
Against Konnan’s best wishes, Santana and Ortiz challenged Pentagon and Fenix to a match at Homecoming last night on Impact. Two weeks ago, LAX told Konnan they wanted to face the Lucha Brothers for the titles but Konnan said he didn’t want to see that match. Evidently, LAX chose to ignore his advice and challenged the brothers to a match at Homecoming anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann when LAX made the challenge. Impact Wrestling management would make the match official shortly after.
BREAKING: It's OFFICIAL for Homecoming on January 6th.
@SantanaLAX and @Ortiz5150 will defend the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles in a dream championship match against @PENTAELZEROM and @ReyFenixMx! #IMPACTonPop
Impact Wrestling Homecoming – January 6th, 2019 – Nashville, TN
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
LAX – Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship Reign
LAX is on their 3rd reign as Impact tag champs. They defended the belts 3x. LAX has defended the belts successfully against the OGZ, Brent Banks & Tarik, and Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch. They also beat Matt Sydal and Ethan Page in a non-title match recently.
Out of the last 636 days, LAX has held the Impact tag belts 551 days, the longest of any team in the promotion’s history. They broke Beer Money’s record of 514 combined days last month.
Impact Wrestling presented their 3rd episode from the Las Vegas tapings last night. Last week, however, the promotion only aired one new match with the rest having been flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving specials.
This week, the promotion was back to building towards Homecoming on January 6th, 2019 in Nashville.
Here are 10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 11/29:
Two weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they want to defend their belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t like that match just yet but LAX challenged the Lucha Bros this week anyway.
Pentagon and Fenix had just defeated Willie Mack and Rich Swann to open the show when LAX came out and challenged them. The title match was later made official for Homecoming.
Later in the show, Konnan told LAX that once the two teams went head-to-head there would be no turning back, and no being friends after and that’s why he didn’t want the match to happen yet.
Killer Kross Is Still Trying To Protect Johnny Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyQwX1Wo07Y
Killer Kross wants to help Johnny Impact. Kross again offered to help Johnny “do whatever it takes” to beat Brian Cage at Homecoming this week. It sounds as though Kross is trying to bring out a different side of Johnny, one he believes is more capable of beating someone like Brian Cage.
One has to wonder if Kross is going to take it upon himself to influence what happens between Cage and Johnny at Homecoming.
Eli Drake Goes Hardcore On Tommy Dreamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IitXAhkUMv4
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ MATCH
Eli Drake wants to rid Impact Wrestling of hardcore matches and wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer. Ironically, Dreamer actually beat Drake via count-out in the night’s main event, only for the match to be re-started as a No DQ match by Impact management. Once playing under Tommy’s rules, Drake managed to get the victory.
Dreamer kicked out from the Gravy Train, the first person in Impact to do so. This left Drake needing to take things a step farther to get the win in last night’s main event. He wrapped a steel chair around Dreamer’s head and bashed it with a boat ore before pinning him for the win.
Taya Valkyrie Adds A Submission To Her Arsenal
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
At Bound For Glory, Tessa Blanchard needed to break out a new move to defeat Taya Valkyrie. After Taya kicked out from the Buzzsaw DDT, Blanchard broke out “Magnum”, a top rope codebreaker named after her step-father, Magnum TA.
This week Taya broke out a new submission move to get the win over Ray Lyn. It wasn’t the only new wrinkle added to the Knockouts title match at Homecoming, however, as Tessa Blanchard’s conflict with Impact referees continues.
Tessa Blanchard Will Strangle Referees/Gail Kim Does Not Condone
Taya vs Tessa II at Final Hour ended when Blanchard punched the referee to get purposely disqualified. The referee then visited Blanchard in the back this week and explained that in the ring, he stands for law and order. When Blanchard hit the ring after Taya’s match this week, she ended up punching the referee yet again. She would continue to strangle him until his face was flush red.
Impact Hall-of-Famer, Gail Kim, had to come out and pry Blanchard off of the referee. Management may have to take action against the Knockouts Champion. Will Gail Kim play a further role in the Tessa v Taya rivalry?
Eddie Edwards Is Staying At Shady Acres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6513ph24k&t=7s
Eddie Edwards is staying at a mental institution which shares the same name as the one from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Somehow, his doctors seemed to think it was a good idea to allow Alisha Edwards to berate him for several moments before then allowing Moose to read to him from his own children’s book.
Moose mentioned Edwards’ book didn’t mention Moose power-bombing him on the ramp or any of the other beatings he’s given him. Edwards will likely be released from Shady Acres before Homecoming, and we’ll possibly see him and Moose renew their rivalry then.
Kiera Hogan Pleas For The Old Allie To Come Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KiMJO8V6MY
A new Allie has returned from the undead realm, one now aligned with James Mitchell and Su Yung. This week Kiera Hogan made a plea for the good Allie to return. Hogan believes the darkness hasn’t fully consumed Allie. She said Allie could have really hurt her two weeks ago but didn’t. To Hogan, that makes her believe good Allie is still alive deep within this new dark Allie.
Jordynne Grace Is Very Strong (Still)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZVoE-WU_o8
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Jordynne Grace has started her Impact Wrestling career by defeating Katarina twice in a row. Katarina seemed to get in a bit more offense then she did last time out but the end result was the same: Grace squeezing her opponent in a bear-hug so tight the tap-out comes almost instantly.
After Homecoming, it’s likely a new challenger for the Knockouts title will need to be declared (assuming there are no further immediate Tessa vs Taya matches). Grace is someone who could rise to the top of the division quickly as we head into 2019.
The Rascalz Have Arrived
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoWe7pscr7o
Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz have arrived in Impact Wrestling. They’d each participated in tapings before but now it’s clear the trio are about to make a splash in the promotion. All three have impressed many on the independent scene and look primed to do the same thing in Impact Wrestling.
Gold Rush – November 30th
Gold Rush takes place tonight from Newark, CA. The show gets going live on Twitch at 10:30 PM. Some of the matches advertised for the show are below:
Brian Cage vs Moose
Kiera Hogan vs Tessa Blanchard
Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal
oVe vs the Freaks
Johnny Impact vs Eli Drake
Quick Results:
The Lucha Bros defeated Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Jordynne Grace defeated Katarina
Taya Valkyrie defeated Ray Lyn
Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz w/ Trey Miguel defeated Mike Sydal & Chris Bey
Eli Drake defeated Tommy Dreamer – No DQ
Next week:
Johnny Impact & Taya Valkyrie vs Tessa Blanchard & Moose
Dark Allie debuts
Ultimate X Qualifier
Matt Sydal vs Ethan Page
Confirmed Matches for Homecoming (Non-Spoiler):
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
TBD vs TBD vs TBD vs TBD
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
Big Show has lived through both the Attitude Era and The Ruthless Aggression Era in WWE and as he confirmed during a recent interview, he is not ready to hang his boots yet.
During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, the former World Champion talked about the different eras he has lived through and compared the backstage mentality of them.
Show said that the locker room was more competitive back in the Attitude Era because your position on the card had a direct relation to how much money you were going to make.
He claimed that it was a shoot in the respect that if you were champion of any division or you were being featured on the upper end of the card then you made more money compared to those who were not in similar positions.
Explaining the atmosphere back then, the Largest Athlete In The World said that it wasn’t the everybody gets along situation like today as you didn’t like the guys who were making more money than you.
Finally, he said that you had the opportunity to work live events and get over by working an angle in order to be paid more and claimed that the biggest thing that bothers him in today’s wrestling is that everybody is too nice to each other.
Apart from this Big Show also said that today there is a lack of storytelling and in-ring psychology and he wishes that today’s stars were more motivated to make a name for themselves. You can check out his full interview here.
From our first report to being an actual registered company who is preparing for its official launch next year, All Elite Wrestling has traveled very far in the last couple of months.
However, the main people involved with the promotion are still playing with the report. Some of them are like Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes who are just having fun.
Then there are people like the Young Bucks who also have legal limitations since they are still under contracts.
However, this is not going to stop people from discussing it. It also means that whether or not they can answer the questions, the people who are involved with the promotion are still going to be asked about it.
This was the case during the latest episode of Wrestling Perspective podcast, where the host Petey Williams talked to the Bucks about the promotion, asking them what they can say on the situation.
Answering the question both the brothers tried to protect the information and work around the question.
Matt Jackson said that they are in a situation where they don’t really know what they are going to do. Though he accepted that after All In they have offers from investors which they are still thinking about.
Nick Jackson took a slightly different route and accepted that they have offers from every major company in the world. He explained that they have not said no to anyone since they are keeping their options open.
Although whether or not they accept it, AEW has already become one of the hottest topics of discussion among fans. It doesn’t look like these discussions will be cooling down anytime soon. For now you can check out Matt and Nick’s comments in the video below:
As announced earlier, Major League Wrestling’s first-ever live special will be taking place on Friday night, December 14th. MLW Fusion Live will broadcast live on beIN SPORTS from Miami, Florida. In a press release sent in to SEScoops.com, MLW revealed the 1-hour special will feature a double main event.
The first bout will see Los Ingobernables leader RUSH taking on Rich Swann. The other blockbuster contest will be a 5-Man Ladder Match for the MLW World Middleweight Championship. MJF will put his championship on the line against Kotto Brazil, Dezmond Xavier, Andrew Everett and Jason Cade.
MLW CEO Court Bauer spoke with Sports Illustrated about the promotion’s first live special. “There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
Bauer also commented on MLW’s “roster reload initiative,” which includes the recent additions of RUSH And Dragon Lee. Visit SI.com to read the full interview
MLW Fusion airs every Friday night on beIN SPORTS. Full episodes of MLW Fusion are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel the following night.
Welcome back to The 3 Count. Last week I discussed Becky Lynch and her meteoric rise in WWE. Every week I will be looking at the hot topic in pro wrestling, this could be WWE or otherwise. This week’s topic is WWE and the new NXT UK contractual situation.
1. The Outline
If you weren’t aware, WWE has told NXT UK talents that they will no longer be permitted to perform in certain promotions. This is across England, Scotland, Wales, NI and Ireland. Earlier this year WWE imposed a sanction that meant contracted Superstars could not perform on a show within a week of a planned NXT UK live show or taping. Fast forward to now and talents are now reportedly not going to be part of promotions outside of the ‘WWE bubble.’ Promotions that WWE have seemingly green-lit are PROGRESS, ATTACK! Pro, ICW, OTT in Ireland and Fight Club: Pro.
FCP is an interesting one, the company will be heading to Japan next year for a show at Korakuen Hall around the New Japan Wrestle Kingdom event. NXT UK Superstar Trent Seven runs FCP and you would assume he could have some pull when it comes to talent, however Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Seven have all been pulled from that show. This aspect of the story remains a bit of an anomaly.
Even with these companies having the ability to use NXT UK Superstars they still run into a stumbling block. Superstars CANNOT be in matches against non-WWE talent and they also cannot be shown in an on-demand capacity…this all comes into play on January 1st.
2. The UK Scene
Now, if you’ve been following this site for a while you’ll likely know that I report mostly on the UK scene. I’ve spoken to several promotors who are split into two camps; 1. WWE has taken some of the biggest stars and undercut the scene here massively. 2. Now is the time for the undercard talents to step up and make themselves known.
The UK scene was absolutely booming a year ago and it has been for around 2-3 years. Stars such as Jimmy Havoc, Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr, Mark Haskins et al helped build the British scene and brought international attention to the Isles. Those four names are not contracted to WWE and there are a bunch of extremely talented individuals who are ready to step up into the spotlight and become the second wave of the new generation in UK wrestling.
If you’re not a keen follower of the UK scene then here is a rough breakdown. There are 4 “top” promotions in Britain: PROGRESS (England), Rev Pro (England), ICW (Scotland) and OTT (Ireland), whilst perception varies between different fans it is fairly common belief that these are the top dogs in the region. We then move onto a de-facto ‘second tier,’ this is where the likes of Pro Wrestling: EVE (the biggest all-women’s promotion in Europe), Fight Club: Pro, ATTACK, Futureshock, NGW and PCW all sit. There are literally hundreds of performers in all of these promotions and new stars will be made.
3. Looking To The Future
Granted, WWE’s new sanctions will hurt several promotions. If you put Pete Dunne on an event poster then you are more likely to bring in fans, this is just how big of a star he has become. Before WWE decided to branch out into global NXT territories the UK scene was thriving and it is now up to independent promotions (including those WWE has green-lit) to take a chance and look to the future.
The latest update on WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s second attempt at the XFL has been made.
The official Twitter account of the XFL confirmed that they will reveal all eight teams playing in the inaugural season of the XFL reboot on December 5th. It was written in the tweet, “The wait is almost over! This coming Wednesday, Dec. 5, we unveil our eight cities and the venues we will play in for our inaugural season in 2020. Watch LIVE at Noon ET on http://XFL.com or right here on Twitter! #XFL2020.”
The wait is almost over! This coming Wednesday, Dec. 5, we unveil our eight cities and the venues we will play in for our inaugural season in 2020.
Earlier this week it was revealed that the XFL will be bringing a team to St. Louis for its revival in 2020 with five games being held at the Dome at America’s Center. We will pass along the list of cities announced when made available.
The original XFL only had one season, which took place in 2001 and was produced by WWE and NBC. It took place during the NFL off-season and promoted as having fewer rules and encouraging rougher play than other major leagues. Although NBC signed with WWE to air two seasons of the league, NBC pulled out of its broadcast contract for the XFL after the inaugural season, citing the poor viewership. The league ceased operations entirely in May 2001.
WWE is bringing back their Tribute to the Troops special for another year. This 16th annual event will take place on Tuesday, December 4th, at Fort Hood, Texas. As of this writing, WWE did not provide an airing date for the special on the USA Network but it will likely air around Christmas.
This is the second time Fort Hood has hosted The Most Patriotic Show of the Year, first serving as host in 2010. It was noted in the announcement that Superstars will spend time giving back to military personnel and their families stationed on base and activities include a Be a STAR bullying prevention rally, as well as hospital visits and military outreach initiatives at various installations across the base. It was also noted that “WWE Tribute to the Troops began in 2003 to honor our servicemen and women and their families. In the tradition of Bob Hope, WWE brings together the best of sports, entertainment and pop culture with celebrity appearances and performances from music’s most popular acts in what is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show of the year.”
As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce any matches or segments for the show.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s November scheduling is usually dominated by the World Tag League shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature some of NJPW’s top stars, but there are some notable exceptions. Some of the shows will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the World Tag League in Ishikawa (11/26):
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr b. Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida – Taichi took the win after hitting the Taichi Style Last Ride on Yoshida
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Davey Boy Smith Jr and Lance Archer b. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata – Smith Jr and Archer took the win after hitting the Killer Bomb
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page b. Toa Henare and Togi Makabe – Takahashi took the win after hitting the Pimp Juice on Henare
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka b. Chuckie T and Beretta – Suzuki took the win after hitting the Gotch Style Piledriver on Chuckie T
5th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: SANADA and EVIL b. Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan – SANADA took the win after hitting the Rounding Body Press on Tenzan
6th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: David Finlay and Juice Robinson b. Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii – Ishii took the win after hitting the Vertical Brain Buster on Finlay
7th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match: Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga b. Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin – Cobb took the win after hitting the Tour of the Islands on Tanga Loa
Shingo Takagi, BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito b. SHO, YOH and Kazuchika Okada – Naito took the win after hitting the Destino on YOH
John Cena is set to receive this year’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award by Sports Illustrated. The award is given annually to an “athlete or sports figure who embodies the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership, and philanthropy while using sports as a platform.”
Cena commented on the award to the Associated Press.
“To have a legacy award of any kind bestowed upon you is tremendous,” Cena said. “To be in the company of people who have received this and to receive an honor named after Muhammad Ali is an honor that means so much to me.”
“It really is a wonderful match. I never try to downplay that experience because a family has been given one wish and that is to meet you or hang out for an afternoon,” he continued.
John Cena Muhammad Ali Legacy Award
Cena’s younger brother is a survivor of brain cancer. This influenced Cena to approach WWE about doing more to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
“I saw baseball doing the pink bats, football with the pink cleats and I asked why we weren’t doing anything. I pretty much established the connection and years later we have donated millions and helped a lot of people.”
Former winners of the award include Colin Kaepernick, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
WWE officials decided to bring back the special live event, Starrcade, for the second straight year.
According to longtime pro wrestling journalist, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this event drew 8000 fans, which is an increase of attendance for what typical house shows are doing from a numbers standpoint. The show was a success for WWE as live event business has been down as of late.
Another indication that this show was a success is the fact that it was the most-watched show of the week on the WWE Network. This event went down this past Saturday night at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati. WWE’s streaming service aired a one-hour edition of the event the following night.
WWE Starrcade Results
Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ember Moon & Dana Brooke defeated Nia Jax, Tamina, Mickie James & Alicia Fox
Drew McIntyre (w/Dolph Ziggler) defeated Finn Balor
The Revival defeated The B-Team
The Bar defeated The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team titles)
Bray Wyatt defeated Baron Corbin
Charlotte Flair defeated Asuka
Miz TV segment. Rey Mysterio and Shinsuke Nakamura are the guests. Nakamura says he doesn’t care about Starrcade’s history and attacks Mysterio.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rey Mysterio (United States Championship). Mysterio wins via disqualification after Miz interferes, meaning Nakamura retains. Rusev evens up the numbers and a tag match is set up
Mysterio & Rusev defeated Nakamura & Miz
AJ Styles defeated Samoa Joe (Steel Cage)
Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship Steel Cage)
The potential return date for Braun Strowman may have been revealed after a recent report by PWinsider.com was published. On Thursday morning, it was noted that Strowman is slated to appear on next week’s episode of WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center on the USA Network.
WWE confirmed that Strowman underwent successful elbow surgery at Andrews Sports Medicine in Birmingham, AL on Tuesday. As noted, WWE believes the injury to be a minor issue and something the company can work around leading into the WWE TLC PPV next month where he’s scheduled to face Baron Corbin.
This is a big match for Strowman as there are important implications on the line. There are some stipulations that go along with this contest. If Corbin wins, he’ll be the permanent GM of RAW, but if he loses, he’ll lose all authority. If Strowman wins, he’ll face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble. This will also be a TLC Match.
WWE presents the TLC pay-per-view event on Sunday, December 16th, 2018 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has provided some new commentary on All Elite Wrestling. Ross, who has been involved in the early stages of the upstart promotion, calls it a “feast or famine” proposition whose success is predicated on securing a meaningful television deal.
“I certainly want to address the trademark issues filed by the Kahn family,” Ross said.
“If this thing happens, it’s going to be one of two things, in my opinion. It’s either going to never happen, because a television deal could not be acquired, or the television deal is going to be finalized, and it’s going to be big,” Ross said.
Later in the show, while interviewing Dave Meltzer, Ross again addressed the possibility of an All Elite Wrestling promotion.
“Two things you have to have to start a wrestling promotion: television, and talent. In that order,” Ross said.
“If you don’t have viable television, I’m not talking about Pop TV, I’m talking about a real television outlet, a major cable entity that everybody has access to, you damn sure don’t need any talent.”
“This company, if it ever happens, it’s an idea right now. If they don’t get TV, there is no company.”
Jim Ross’s Involvement With All Elite Wrestling
Ross also addressed his potential involvement with All Elite Wrestling.
“I’ve been rumored to be in every role with this company. It’s just eye-rolling. At one point it’s Jericho and me, which I thought was really stupid. Me and Jericho are going to spend all the money we’ve made over the years to get in the wrestling business? Are you crazy? Are you nuts?”
(To be clear: Our exclusive report said nothing about Jim Ross or Chris Jericho’s involvement being financial.)
Ross continued, “And then we’re not involved at all, it’s these other guys that are really the movers and shakers. There ain’t nothing to move here, folks. There ain’t nothing to shake.”
It’s worth noting that Ross never went so far as to deny his potential involvement with the proposed company, despite all of his bluster. He only stated that the company may not get off the ground.
The full episode of The Jim Ross Report can be heard below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Last week, Impact Wrestling featured mainly GWN flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving-themed matches. Tonight, the promotion is back with a full episode featuring previously unaired matches.
Impact Wrestling Preview 11/29
The Lucha Bros vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Two of Impact’s top tag-teams will face each other tonight. Granted, Mack and Swann have only teamed up once before. They were victorious over the team of Matt Sydal and Ethan Page at Bound For Glory, however.
2 weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they wanted to defend their tag belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t want that match to take place, however. We’ll see if anything changes regarding the LAX/Konnan/Lucha Bros situation tonight.
Eli Drake vs Tommy Dreamer
Eli Drake wants to rid professional wrestling from hardcore matches. Tommy Dreamer made his name from such a style of wrestling and plans to defend it tonight. Dreamer previously interrupted an anti-hardcore wrestling promo by Drake, leading to tonight’s match.
The Rascalz Debut
A few weeks ago we saw Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz in a “That 70s Show” style smoke circle. This week they will be in action, though their opponents have yet to be named. This could be the beginning of a good run with the promotion for 3 wrestlers who have impressed many on the independent scene.
Jordynne Grace vs Katarina
This is a rematch from Grace’s first match in Impact. Grace was victorious but the next week Katarina approached Grace in the back and let the newcomer know she thinks she can beat her. “Thick Mama Pump” seemed amused by this and a rematch was scheduled for tonight.
Taya Valkyrie In Single’s Action
Taya Valkyrie is preparing for her rematch with Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming. In the meantime, however, she’ll be in single’s action tonight, though her opponent has yet to be revealed.
Knockouts Champion, Tessa Blanchard, will likely be watching this match closely as she prepares to face Taya for the 3rd time in Nashville.
Gold Rush On Friday
Impact Wrestling is actually back tomorrow as well for a live special on Twitch. Impact Gold Rush will start at 10:30 PM est and 7:30 PM local time from Newark, CA.
