Some changes to the card for the upcoming WWE Starrcade event have been made. The updated advertisements for the show have Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin, The Miz vs. Rusev and Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre added.
Also, WWE pulled the cage match between SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. The cage match between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe will no longer be for the WWE Title. Flair is still advertised for the show but her opponent has yet to be revealed.
Starrcade takes place Saturday, November 24th from Cincinnati, OH at the US Bank Arena. The arena website is advertising the following matches:
Dean Ambrose vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins (Street Fight)
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre
Rusev with Lana vs. The Miz
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles (Steel Cage Match)
Charlotte Flair vs. TBA
United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Bar vs. The New Day
United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rey Mysterio
Special Performance: Elias with Ric Flair
WWE brought back the theme for a live event at the Greensboro Coliseum last November. With it being held a few days after Survivor Series, it will just be a house show and not turned into a special that would air on the WWE Network.
During a recent interview with Comicbook.com in order to promote the release of Marine 6, Shawn Michaels talked about a number of things, including Reigns’ previous battle with Leukemia.
Shawn said that the fact that Roman didn’t use his illness to help him get over shows that he wanted to go on his own merit and be judged on his own ability:
“He could have used that to help in the wrestling business to help him “get over” but that was something the human being, who he is, the real-life person didn’t want to do that he just wanted to put that behind him, go on his own merit, go on his own ability and be judged on that. And that speaks to the real character behind that young man.”
Apart from this Shawn Michaels also talked about how the wrestlers live in a constant world of make-believe and it’s the greatest thing in the world since it allows them to not grow up and become adults.
However every now and then real life throws something in your face. It makes you understand that real life does happen and it also helps in appreciating the time they have with each other.
You can check out the full interview of Shawn Michaels at this link.
While the title change was apparently in works, Daniel Bryan’s heel turn during the latest episode of SmackDown Live was still a last minute decision, so it came as a shock to most of the WWE Universe.
However there was one star who wasn’t surprised with Bryan’s actions at all and he is none other than a former WWE Champion on his own rights, the Miz.
The A-Lister made the following post on Instagram commenting on Daniel’s heel turn, saying that he told everyone who the real Daniel Bryan was but they chose to ignore and boo him:
We noted before how the Rock finally released the trailer of Paige’s biopic titled Fighting With My Family from his twitter account earlier this week.
The trailer was generally praised by the fans and the SmackDown General Manager reacted to it via the following tweet, thanking fans for believing in her:
Fighting With My Family will see actress Florence Pugh portraying the role of the former Diva’s Champion and Lena Headey and Nick Frost acting as her parents. The film is set to be released in February next year.
The SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch recently gave an interview to PinkNews.co.uk while promoting this Sunday’s Survivor Series PPV.
During the interview, the former NXT Star talked about gender equality in WWE and how an openly gay star can also become a top star and main event shows in the company.
While discussing her claim of being the man of the WWE roster, the current Champion said that it’s a testament to the fact that she is the hottest act in WWE:
“It’s walking into the locker room—the male locker room—it’s like, ‘Sorry, lads, none of you are cutting the mustard. I’m the man now. I’m taking over the ship now,” says the champion.”
Continuing on the topic, Lynch explained that she has won the most matches among all superstars in both the Blue and Red roster in 2018. Therefore she is the man of not just the women’s locker room but also the men’s locker room.
Becky was originally expected to face Ronda Rousey at the upcoming PPV but she was injured during the SmackDown invasion angle on Raw this week.
WWE Survivor Series weekend is here, and with it comes four straight nights at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. The company will be producing their thirty-second event promoted under the WWE Survivor Series chronology on Sunday night, as WWE Survivor Series 2018 goes down live on pay-per-view and via the WWE Network.
Sunday’s big PPV features a stacked lineup with multiple world championship matches, as well as the best talents and rivalries from the RAW, SmackDown Live and 205 Live brands. The main event for WWE Survivor Series will feature WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar going one-on-one against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan in a “Champion vs. Champion” non-title showdown. For years now, Bryan has described “The Beast Incarnate” as a “dream opponent” for him, and after pulling off the shocking upset over A.J. Styles to capture the WWE Championship on the WWE Survivor Series “go-home” edition of SmackDown Live. In other featured bouts at the big event this Sunday, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey meets Charlotte Flair in somewhat of another “dream match” pairing on a high-profile event. The match was put together days before the show due to Becky Lynch pulling out of the match after suffering injuries as a result of a stiff punch from Nia Jax on the “go-home” RAW show for the PPV on Monday night.
The traditional Survivor Series elimination matches will be featured this Sunday night as well, as there are the men’s singles, men’s tag-team and women’s singles bouts all scheduled for the show, and the men’s tag-team bout on the “Kickoff Show” pre-show leading into the PPV on the WWE Network.
Finally, rounding out the card will be a RAW Tag-Team Championship bout with The Bar defending against The Authors Of Pain, a WWE Cruiserweight Championship match with Buddy Murphy defending against Mustafa Ali and another “Champion vs. Champion” non-title showdown, as WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins meets WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in what is sure to be a candidate for “Match of the Night.”
As is the case before every high-profile WWE and NXT event, SEScoops.com has you covered from all-angles with pre-show news and coverage leading right up to the event. Writers Andrew Ravens, Ian Carey and Jeff Moss have collaborated to produce their predictions and in-depth analysis for each match on the WWE Survivor Series PPV card. Without any further adieu, let’s jump into the SEScoops.com predictions roundtable for this year’s WWE Survivor Series PPV.
WWE SURVIVOR SERIES
The Bar vs. Authors Of Pain (RAW Tag Titles)
Andrew Ravens: A real toss-up here. Either team could go over in this contest but with the way that the WWE has been booking AOP since making their main roster debuts, they’ve kept them strong, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon especially with there not being any clear-cut challengers on the red brand. (Prediction: Authors Of Pain)
Ian Carey: The Bar can lose and it won’t be a big deal. The Authors of Pain, however, are being built up as monsters so it wouldn’t be advised to have them lose. The Bar will have Big Show on the outside, as he has seemingly become their 3rd member. Unless the match ends via DQ or count-out, I can’t see them having AOP lose. (Prediction: Authors Of Pain)
Jeff Moss: The part of this match that has to, no, NEEDS to happen is outside the ring when Big Show puts Drake Maverick in between two pieces of bread and devours him as part of his crazy giant-with-a-six-pack diet. Aside from that, I expect this match to be a good ol’ fashioned slobber-knocker. 3/4 participants are big dudes who like to hit stuff and Cesaro rounds out the foursome with his amazing ability to be, well, amazing. The Bar is going to take this simply because they have the dynamic of a brawler/wrestler as opposed to brawler/brawler. Also, experience plays a factor and the AOP are still pretty green on the Main Roster. I reserve the right to be surprised, but The Bar wins. (Prediction: The Bar)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Authors Of Pain
Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali (WWE Cruiserweight Title)
Andrew: Buddy Murphy just won the title from Cedric Alexander at Super Show-Down, and it’s too early for him to drop the title especially to Mustafa Ali. I could be wrong with Ali, but he appears to be some who is in the title picture for a short amount of time before WWE goes in a different direction whether that means Alexander being back in the fold or having a new challenger. (Prediction: Buddy Murphy)
Ian: This is a tough one. I feel confident that title is eventually going on Lio Rush but that doesn’t appear to be the plan for the near-future. Rush suffered his first single’s loss on 205 Live this week when he was pinned by Cedric Alexander. It feels like you have to put the title on Ali at some point just because he has become the workhorse of the division. I just don’t see it happening on Sunday, however. (Prediction: Buddy Murphy)
Jeff: Does the winner of this match count as a win for Smackdown or Raw? I honestly don’t know. Bit, with the Tag-Team Elimination match taking place on the Kickoff show, could it be possible that the Cruiserweight title might be defended on an actual PPV? If it does, I hope these guys go out and completely blow the roof off the joint and show people that 205 Live is worth checking out. Murphy has re-invented himself so well in 205 and Ali is a terrific scrappy babyface. Give them 15 minutes and let them go. In terms of winners though, Murphy retains here to continue building him as a dominant champion and the King of The Cru— uh, the Man That Gravity Forg— er, … Buddy Murphy! (Prediction: Buddy Murphy)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Buddy Murphy
Men’s Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
(TEAM RAW: Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. TEAM SMACKDOWN: Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe & The Miz)
Andrew: Another year with another Team RAW win. Yes,, that does sound like a broken record but that’s the way that Vince McMahon sees the brands with RAW being the top show at least until October of 2019 when SmackDown moves to FOX. Although, you have to give WWE credit for stacking both of these teams, which should make for a fun match. Strowman should have an outstanding performance and even might get physical with Baron Corbin, who is expected to be the team captain. (Prediction: Team RAW)
Ian: If Team Raw wins, Braun Strowman will be granted another Universal title opportunity and a match with Baron Corbin. If Smackdown wins…uh, Shane McMahon will be happy. The lack of stipulations surrounding a Smackdown win leaves me to believe Raw will pick up the victory here. We should find out more about what Shane McMahon’s future holds in this match as well. If he is going heel and is to play a bigger role in storylines moving forward, this will become apparent on Sunday. (Prediction: Team RAW)
Jeff: I should preface this by saying that I’ve never been a huge fan of the “traditional” Survivor Series matches. They rarely have any stakes or urgency and slapping the prize of “BRAND SUPREMACY” on them makes it sound like it’s a match between Disney and Coke. That said though, when I look at the members of these two teams, I can see some great matchups like Samoa Joe/Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor/Rey Mysterio and THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD Shane McMahon/The receiving end of Braun Strowman’s fist. RAW has won this matchup two years in a row and I think they’ve got the better team again this year. Unless there’s some shenanigans afoot, RAW’s going to win this and continue to… supremely brand themselves? I guess? (Prediction: Team RAW)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Team RAW
Women’s Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
(TEAM RAW: Natalya, Mickie James, Nia Jax, Ruby Riott & Tamina vs. TEAM SMACKDOWN: Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville & TBD)
Andrew: Another year with another Team RAW win. In last year’s match seeing the RAW brand winning, I don’t think anything changes. RAW is the flagship show of the company and really, the teams just have filler names on it. I think Asuka has a really good performance in this match but the numbers will get the best of her in order to allow RAW to prevail. (Prediction: Team RAW)
Ian: Team Smackdown will win this match after Team Raw implodes. Natalya and Ruby Riott will be on the same team this Sunday, and one of those two owes the other a nice pair of sunglasses. They will likely ditch the match and start fighting with each other. Tamina and Nia Jax could abandon the match altogether, as WWE won’t want either of them getting pinned for a while. I’m expecting the two of them to walk out on their partners, get counted out, or otherwise get eliminated from the match without getting pinned or submitted. Team Smackdown still has a member yet to be named. It could be Mandy Rose, it could be someone from NXT. Whoever it is, however, they are likely in line for a push if they are being kept secret. (Prediction: Team SmackDown)
Jeff: Given how much has happened in the last week within the women’s division on both shows, this is the one 5-on-5 match that I’m actually looking forward to. The seem really pissed off at each other and there’s some genuine excitement at the thought of these two teams squaring off. Will Nia Jax have to pay for what she did? Will Sonya Deville be the breakout star of the match? Will Tamina be able to get into the ring with out tripping? These are all interesting questions. While I’m usually firmly in the “Anything with Ruby Riott is the best” camp, I can only see Smackdown taking this one. Especially if we are keeping “score” on those Brand vs Brand matches. (Prediction: Team SmackDown)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Team SmackDown
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Champion vs. Champion)
Andrew: This could be the best-worked match of the night and steal the show from a wrestling point of view. Rollins has been one of the most interesting star to follow thus far this year and although many would pick him to win, I think there is one factor missing, which is Dean Ambrose, who doesn’t have a match booked here. Thus, I have Nakamura going over with the help from Ambrose. (Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura)
Ian: One guy is in a rivalry with another Superstar and one is not. Shinsuke Nakamura should pick up the victory here but only after some outside interference from Dean Ambrose. Ultimately, WWE will be able to keep both guys strong here as Nakamura will win the match and Rollins will only lose because of Ambrose, giving him motivation in his ongoing feud on Raw. Rollins really wanted this match which means he’s likely motivated to put on a good show. Expect this to be the show-stealer. (Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura)
Jeff: If there is one match on the card that SHOULD be great, it’s this one. Rollins is easily the best thing going on RAW right now and we know what Nakamura is capable of when he shows up and the leash is loosened a bit. Nak has been in the background on Smackdown for too long and this is a great chance to remind people what he can do with someone who can keep up with him. Rollins can take the loss here (Either clean or via Ambrose interference) and still be the best thing on RAW, so it makes sense for Shinske to get the pin. If allowed to be, this could be another Nakamura/Zayn level match, we’ll just have to wait and see what they put into it. (Prediction: Shinske Nakamura)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Shinsuke Nakamura
Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair
Andrew: Well, Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair is happening earlier than originally expected and it’s a shame as many fans were looking forward to seeing Lynch take on Rousey. However, we have to deal with that. I actually think that Flair vs. Rousey is going to be a better match as Flair is arguably the best in-ring wrestler that the WWE has right now in the women’s division. Flair puts up a heck of a fight but falls to Rousey. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
Ian: I have to imagine Rousey is going to pick up the victory here. It’s too early to have her lose, especially if they are hoping to put her in the WrestleMania main event this spring. Flair is on a losing streak as it is, having lost the title to Lynch and then failing to win it back again. Her drop in confidence has also been made a part of storyline, where she initially turned down a spot on the Smackdown Survivor Series team. A loss to Rousey simply allows them to continue with that story while Rousey moves her attention to Nia Jax before ultimately placing it back on Lynch before Mania. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
Jeff: I was very surprised when Charlotte was named as Becky Lynch’s replacement in this match. WWE had been teasing and talking about Flair/Rousey being a Wrestlemania Main Event. This isn’t to say it still couldn’t be, but it seems strange to pit them against each other now if that’s still the plan for April. Then again, given how, uh, fluid, things have been with this show, I guess they felt they needed a big matchup like this to make up for losing the hottest performer in the company (Lynch). Rousey has shown she can be entertaining in the ring when she has someone to help her out a bit (She’s only been a pro wrestler for 10 months or sol) and Charlotte has developed into a cagey veteran who can do that. I expect Becky to be involved in the finish of the match to keep her in the spotlight, but in the end WWE’s not ready to hand Ronda her first singles loss just yet. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Ronda Rousey
Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan (Champion vs. Champion)
Andrew: Daniel Bryan will finally get to take part in his dream match against Brock Lesnar, but unfortunately, I don’t see a way that he wins this match nor do I think he should. Yes, Bryan just turned heel and needs as much momentum as possible but no one is giving him a chance to win. Like it or not, being the Universal Champion means that you’re the top star in the company and currently, Lesnar is just that. (Prediction: Brock Lesnar)
Ian: Daniel Bryan was moved into this match after winning the WWE Championship and turning heel all in the same night on Tuesday. It seemed like Vince Russo was booking WWE again there were so many things happening at once. Once upon a time, Brock Lesnar was too squash Daniel Bryan in the SummerSlam main event. Something tells me that plan gets put back into place on Sunday only at Survivor Series instead. I’m expecting Lesnar to roll through Bryan without giving up much offense in return. (Prediction: Brock Lesnar)
Jeff: A dream matchup if there ever was one, and a matchup that Bryan has lobbied for a LOT. While the size difference between the two puts Bryan at a disadvantage, this is Heel Bryan we’re talking about, so he could find a way to win. Unfortunately for him, WWE isn’t going to let Brock eat a pin in a situation like this, so I think he will take the win in the end. But, that said, if anyone can pull a decent match out of Brock Lesnar at this point, it’s Daniel Bryan. Hopefully it’s not a straight-up squash and they can both look good in the end. (Prediction: Brock Lesnar)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Brock Lesnar
What do the experts think is going to happen on Sunday evening? Check out the official WWE Survivor Series betting odds. What do you think of the above WWE Survivor Series predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here on Sunday evening for live play-by-play results coverage of the entire event.
Matt Hardy has had a tremendous career in the professional wrestling industry. Having competed since 1992 when he started the Trampoline Wrestling Federation (TWF) with his brother Jeff, the pair quickly began working the indy scene. He signed a full-time contract with WWE in 1998. Over his years with the company Hardy has won the ECW, Cruiserweight, United States, European, and Hardcore Championships.
He is also a 10-time Tag Team Champion in WWE, eight of those coming alongside his brother. Following his most recent run with WWE, Hardy has decided to retire from in-ring competition for the time being. He has been working various roles backstage with WWE in preparation for the next chapter of his career in the business.
Feeling Accepted
Recently, Hardy appeared on an episode of fellow Attitude Era star, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman’s podcast, “X-Pac 12360.” During their conversation, Hardy was asked when he finally began to feel accepted in WWE. Matt said that feeling didn’t come until he and Jeff were paired up with WWE Hall Of Famer Michael Hayes in 1999:
“I would probably say the very first time I felt that we were kind of accepted or like part of the machine was when we first got an opportunity to be with Michael Hayes and were repackaged and we won the tag titles.
“Even though obviously we weren’t the best representation of the best tag-team in the world, but it was like the titles would help us at that juncture. Around that point and then working Bradshaw and Farooq. After being with them for a month and them kicking the hell out of us night in and night out and then kind of half-ass earning their respect.
“I felt that was kind of the turning point. And then once we had the tag-team ladder match with Edge and Christian and it was like, ‘wow these guys did something special.’ We definitely felt like we belonged and were part of the family of the WWE locker room at that point.”
Recently, former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champion Luke Harper was spotted backstage wearing a cast on his left hand. Per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Harper is currently recovering from a wrist surgery. Harper recently underwent surgery since WWE wasn’t doing much with him due to his partner, Erick Rowan, being sidelined.
Rowan suffered a torn right bicep during “The Bludgeon Brother’s” SmackDown Live Tag Team Title defense against The New Day at SummerSlam. However, the following Tuesday, due to Rowan’s injury, The Bludgeon Brothers dropped the titles to The New Day on SmackDown Live. It was unfortunate timing given Harper and Rowan were receiving a nice push as a monster tag team.
As it turns out, there have been pitches made to have Harper return in a reunion with Bray Wyatt. That would be fitting given WWE hasn’t done anything with Wyatt after Matt Hardy’s in-ring retirement from WWE. Perhaps the pair will get back into the mix in time for a WrestleMania 35 program.
Still A Tag Team
Recently, Rowan spoke on “E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness” to talk about his WWE career. At one point, Harper and Rowan were to be split up. However, they were then thrust into The Bludgeon Brothers, and things worked out:
“Years ago, me and Rowan were told we’re done. We’re done being a team, we’ve done everything we can, and we’re here for five years later in a whole new thing and we’re tag team champions, so I can’t complain.”
What do you think WWE will do with Harper upon his return?
Updated betting odds for Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view have been released by sports betting service 5Dimes. The betting odds are historically accurate indicators of who will win each match. We will keep an eye on the betting lines and will post an update if there are any shifts as we get closer to the show.
The men’s SmackDown team is favored to beat Team RAW at -130 to +110 while the SmackDown women’s team is favored at -150 against Team RAW at +110. Also, New WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, is a +220 outsider for his match with Brock Lesnar, who is favored at -300.
The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the betting odds:
WWE Survivor Series Odds
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar (-300) vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan (+220)
Ronda Rousey (-1000) vs. Charlotte Flair (+500) – Non-Title Match
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins (+115) vs. (-155) United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura – Champion vs. Champion Match
The Bar (+170) vs. Authors Of Pain (-230) – Champion vs. Champion Match
Team RAW (+110) vs. Team SmackDown (-130) – Men’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Team RAW (+110) vs. Team SmackDown (-150)- Women’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy (-190) vs. (+150) Mustafa Ali
Team RAW (+220) vs. Team SmackDown (-300) – Traditional 10-on-10 Elimination Tag Team Match (Kickoff Show)
Join us here this Sunday for WWE Survivor Series Results & Live Coverage.
The date and location for the first Ring of Honor pay-per-view of 2019 have been revealed. On Thursday, the promotion announced several events taking place in the new year including their 17th Anniversary PPV show.
ROH is set to celebrate its 17th anniversary with two shows at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view event will take place on March 15, and there will be an international television taping on March 16.
Also announced were two other shows that include an international television taping in Lakeland at RP Funding Arena on February 9th and a Bound By Honor live event that will be streamed Live for HonorClub the following night at Miami’s Watsco Center.
In the press release that was issued by ROH, it was noted that these events “will have an impact on the historic” event G1 Supercard, which is the big show co-promoted by ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling, at sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 6th during WrestleMania 35 weekend. Tickets for all four events go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 10 a.m. local time for HonorClub members and Friday, Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. local time for the general public. Although no names were advertised for this show, it was noted that it would feature “all of the top ROH stars.”
ROH ends 2018 with a bang as they hold their Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 14, 2018 in Manhattan, New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. As of this writing, only two matches for the show have been revealed. ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show.
There have been a lot of stories going around in regards to talent being upset about unsafe working. Of course, this is fronted by Nia Jax injuring Becky Lynch on Monday Night RAW earlier this week. Jax punched Lynch in the face during the invasion angle on RAW, breaking the SmackDown Live Women’s Champion’s nose. As a result, she has been pulled from her match with Ronda Rousey Sunday at Survivor Series.
It’s being reported that Jax has some heat backstage for the incident. However, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that more talents are seemingly upset by WWE’s preferential treatment of Brock Lesnar. The Universal Champion was also a part of RAW this week. He came out and attacked Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers. During the angle, Lesnar hit some devastating german suplexes on Sunil Singh.
Singh landed awkwardly on his neck, but thankfully it seems like he wasn’t injured. Meltzer reports that more talents seem to be upset that Lesnar is basically “bulletproof” against WWE brass. While Jax’s injuring of Lynch was the most reckless act of the night, Lesnar’s could’ve been just as – if not more – harmful.
What do you think about WWE’s preferential treatment of Lesnar?
Events that transpired over the past week have altered WWE’s plans for the next several months. Becky Lynch’s injury and Vince McMahon’s decision to put the WWE Championship on Daniel Bryan resulted in a dramatic shakeup to Survivor Series. This Sunday, Ronda Rousey now faces Charlotte Flair and Brock Lesnar squares off against Daniel Bryan.
Rousey vs. Flair had been seen as the likely WrestleMania main event. However, the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Rousey vs. Becky Lynch now the frontrunner to headline that show. With Lesnar booked against Daniel Bryan on short notice, let’s consider possible WrestleMania scenarios for the Beast Incarnate.
Dave Meltzer has stated multiple times that he’s been told Lesnar’s WrestleMania opponent will not be Braun Strowman. That could have been a marquee match for WWE’s biggest show of the year, but they’ve already played that card multiple times. Beyond Strowman, there are not many viable options for what could be Brock Lesnar’s final WWE match.
Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan were named as potential opponents in the Observer report. Bryan seems least likely since they’re fighting this weekend. “They can always take somebody out of nowhere but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of options for that spot so AJ does seem pretty viable for it,” Meltzer wrote.
Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania Opponent
Lesnar recently signed a new deal with WWE that only calls for a few more appearances. For years, Brock Lesnar was portrayed to be in a class aof his own while Roman Reigns was groomed to be the new face of the company. Reigns finally got his big win over Brock Lesnar this past August at SummerSlam, but is now sidelined indefinitely as he battles Leukemia.
After Brock Lesnar fights Daniel Bryan this Sunday, he probably only has one or two matches left with WWE. Even though we saw Lesnar vs. AJ Styles last year at Survivor Series, that’s still a high profile match suitable for WrestleMania.
Drew McIntyre is on the rise and WWE could use Lesnar’s final match at WrestleMania as a chance to pass the torch the Scotsman. McIntyre’s star is rising and WWE could solidify his main events status with a decisive win over Lesnar. Seth Rollins is also in play, but he is now embroiled in a heated feud with Dean Ambrose. There is big money in Rollins vs. Lesnar, but that would require WWE winding down the Shield feud before WrestleMania season gets underway.
For the latest on Brock Lesnar possibly returning to UFC, check out the Brock Lesnar news page over at our partner site, MMANews.com.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7zwYf3G2p8
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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.
The headline grabbers are of course the opening bouts of the World Tag League itself. David Finlay and Juice Robinson will be taking on Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida. New Japan legends Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan will be taking on fellow stalwarts Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata. Chuckie T and Beretta will face Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page and Toa Henare and Togi Makabe will take on Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga.
Here’s the full card for the World Tag League in Kanagawa (11/17):
Jeff Cobb and Michael Elgin vs Yuya Uemura and Yota Tsuji
Ren Narita and Tomoaki Honma vs Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr
El Desperado, Takashi Iizuka and Minoru Suzuki vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Davey Boy Smith Jr and Lance Archer
1st WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – David Finlay and Juice Robinson vs Shota Umino and Ayato Yoshida
2nd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata
3rd WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Chuckie T and Beretta vs Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page
4th WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2018: Tournament Match – Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga
SHO, YOH, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL and Tetsuya Naito
NXT UK continued this week with episodes seven and eight airing on the WWE Network. The shows heavily featured the Coffey Brothers and Wolfgang in their feud against Trent Seven & Tyler Bate.
Here’s the full results from week’s 7 and 8:
Episode 7 Results (taped August 25 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
Jordan Devlin b. Sid Scala – Devlin hit the Island’s Call in 3 minutes to take the win
Saxon Huxley & Joseph Conners b. Amir Jordan & Kenny Williams – Connors hit Don’t Look Down on Williams to take the win for his team
Tyler Bate b. James Drake – Bate hit the Tyler Driver ’97 to take the pinfall win
Wolfgang (w/ Joe & Mark Coffey) b. Ashton Smith – Wolfgang took the win after hitting a modified fisherman’s suplex into a slam
Episode 8 Results(taped August 25 at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, England)
NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round Match – Dakota Kai b. Nina Samuels – Kai took the win after hitting the Kairopractor to advance to the semifinals
Tyson T-Bone b. Jake Constantino – T-Bone took the quick win after hitting a lariat
Dave Mastiff b. Dan Moloney – Mastiff took the win after hitting a cannonball into the corner
NXT UK Women’s Title Tournament First Round Match – Jinny b. Millie McKenzie – Jinny took the win after hitting a rolling axe kick to advance to the semifinals
Zack Gibson b. Trent Seven – Gibson took the win with a small package, James Drake distracted Seven for the finish
Ronda Rousey cut a memorable promo on Becky Lynch this past week on Raw. In whats been dubbed the “Millennium Man” promo, Rousey laced into the SmackDown Women’s Champion for being an avocado-toast eating snowflake. It seems some of that material came may have been inspired by none other than Paul Heyman.
Rousey keeps a YouTube channel where she uploads a weekly video blog. In latest video (filmed on Sunday), the Baddest Woman on the Planet revealed that she was getting ready to meet with Heyman to work on ideas for Raw.
“After a long, I don’t even know how long flight, I’m going to chill out and finally get to Kansas City,” Rousey said on the video. “And then meet up with Paul Heyman and we’ll go over some ideas for tomorrow. Then Raw’s tomorrow!”
Opinion: The prospect of Ronda Rousey and Paul Heyman working together in any capacity is intriguing. Heyman’s aptitude for professional wrestling is unrivaled and countless performers have credited him with enhancing the trajectory of their careers. One has to wonder what Paul Heyman’s future holds once Brock Lesnar finishes up with WWE. Some fans might love the idea of Rousey being a Paul Heyman Girl, but the real money is in Paul Heyman guiding a slew of challengers to rid WWE of Ronda Rousey once and for all.
Rousey & Becky Lynch’s Trash Talk
“Becky, you are so hypersensitive,” Rousey said on Monday’s Raw from Kansas City. “You aren’t just the man, you are the millennial man. You are the skinny jeans wearing, V-neck sporting, avocado toast munching, winged-shoe wearing, millennial man, with a bubble-wrapped ego and a porcelain self-perception. Someone needs to tell the man that I am not Charlotte Flair, Raw is not Smackdown, and being offended doesn’t make you right.”
Lynch responded to Rousey on social media. The Man tweeted, “When you’re babbling on about avocados, I’m main-eventing my show AND your show. Did you hear that last night, Ronda? That’s the sound they make when The Man comes around.”
The main event for the upcoming ROH Final Battle pay-per-view event. This marks the final Ring of Honor PPV event of 2018. On Thursday, the company revealed that ROH World Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal would defend his title against Cody in the headliner.
The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show in the coming weeks. 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. The only other match revealed for this show is Dalton Castle battling Matt Taven with the “real world title’ being on the line.
This match will mark only the second time in three years that Lethal and Cody have met at Final Battle. If you recall, back in 2016, Cody made his promotional debut with ROH where he scored a victory over Lethal.
Just six months later, Cody beat Christopher Daniels to win the ROH World Title. Cody ended last year on a “down note” as the promotion stated in its press release about this upcoming match. That down note was the fact that Castle beat Cody to win the World Title that ended his 175-day reign as champion.
ROH will be holding TV tapings in Philadelphia the following night for upcoming episodes of their television show.
Triple H has opened up on recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn right pectoral muscle after suffering the injury at WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event where he and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels beat Kane and The Undertaker in a tag team match.
The operation was done by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama with the belief that he will be out anywhere from 5-9 months. It’s an unfortunate injury due to the rumors going around that he could face Batista at WrestleMania 35 Obviously, this injury may have put these potential plans in jeopardy.
During a media conference call on Wednesday to promote this Saturday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center on the WWE Network, Triple H gave an update on his recovery.
“I had surgery a week ago yesterday (Tuesday, November 6). Everything is feeling good. In an immobilizer and on the road to recovery. It’s just rehab, rehab, rehab and I will be back but that does not stop this machine from rolling on and its business as usual. I will be headed to L.A. (Thursday) to begin preparations for what is a very exciting NXT TakeOver.”
Former WWE Champion CM Punk recently talked about a potential return to pro wrestling, which is the business that got him his start into being a big name.
Punk recently appeared on WGN Morning News’ Primetime special and at one point in the show, Pat Tomasulo asked Punk about a potential pro wrestling return. Punk responded with, “A time machine.”
.@pattomasulo: What would it take to get you back in wrestling?
CM Punk: "A time machine"
He's gonna get to play the GRAND PRIZE GAME! Jealous! #WGNPrimeTime
Punk, real name Phillip Brooks, was the biggest Superstar that WWE made in this current era aside from John Cena. The former WWE Superstar made a name for himself on the independent scene and while working in Ring of Honor.
Once he signed with the WWE, his career took off, and he would later hold several championships including the WWE Title. However, after dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to walk out of the company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014.
Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the Octagon in the UFC.
The former WWE Champion fought Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. As seen in the fight, Jackson dominated it and Punk showed a ton of heart but was winded after the first round. Jackson was able to pick up the unanimous decision win. He lost in his MMA debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September of 2016 by first round submission.
Impact Wrestling will present its first show from their Las Vegas tapings tonight. The promotion held tapings at Sam’s Town Casino from November 11th to 13th.
Impact Wrestling 11/15 Preview
X-Division Championship – Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan
Previously on Impact Wrestling, Brian Cage traveled to Ohio to confront Sami Callihan. Cage was greeted by Callihan’s numerous Ohio-based minions. Tonight, the X-Division title is on the line, however. Callihan is the only man in Impact Wrestling to ever pin Cage, if he does as such tonight he’ll be the new X-Division Champion.
Johnny Impact vs Matt Sydal – Non-Title
Johnny Impact’s World Championship won’t be on the line in his match with Matt Sydal tonight. If Sydal comes out victorious, however, he’ll likely put himself in title contention. We are just over 7 weeks until the Homecoming PPV in Nashville and somebody will likely be declared the new #1 contender in the coming weeks.
Johnny suggested he might be stretching himself a little thin recently on Impact Press Pass. He’s already had to fend off Fenix and Killer Kross since winning the title and a match against Matt Sydal isn’t any easier.
Tessa Blanchard In Single’s Action
The Knockouts Champion will also be in action tonight. Her opponent for tonight’s non-title match has yet to be announced, however. Blanchard still has unfinished business with Taya Valkyrie. She lost to Taya previously via DQ in a rematch from Bound For Glory. At some point, Blanchard will have to defend the title once more against Valkyrie.
Eli Drake Has Requested Time On Impact Wrestling Tonight
Last week, Eli Drake attacked Joseph Park. Drake said he doesn’t like the hardcore wrestling style Abyss was famous for. He especially didn’t appreciate Abyss attacking him at Bound For Glory.
Tonight, Drake has requested time to speak and explain his actions.
Former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated after wrestling at Northeast Wrestling’s Redemption event.
During the interview, Van Dam spoke about a potential return to WWE. At this stage in the game for RVD, he doesn’t think it’s a certain but a likely possibility. “I know that my fans want to see me back in WWE, To that, I can say, it’s good to be wanted. I can tell you that I enjoy my days off a lot more than my days on, but I appreciate the fans. It’s because of them I have the life I have. So thank you to the fans, I know they’re going to stick with me for life, and never say never.”
RVD’s latest run with WWE was from June of 2013 through August of 2014. He made a one-off appearance at the 2014 Slammy Awards to present the Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year. At his advancing age and for his mind, RVD has decided to work a selective number of dates on the independent scene. Van Dam made his name known while working for ECW in the late 1990s, with the WWE in the early to mid-2000s, and then with TNA in the early 2010s. Van Dam gained his mainstream popularity by 1998 when he won the ECW World Television Championship, which he held for a record 700 days.
The potential main event for WrestleMania 35 may have been revealed. For several months, the belief has been that the main event would see Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Championship. However, those plans appear to have changed.
WWE has confirmed that SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch had been pulled from her scheduled champion vs. champion match against Rousey at Sunday’s (November 18, 2018) Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center. It’s been reported that she suffered a broken nose and concussion during the RAW invasion angle on Monday’s show. Now, Rousey will face Flair at the show. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the current plan is for Lynch vs Rousey to headline WrestleMania 35. It was noted in the report that once Lynch suffered these injuries, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Rousey decided that the best thing to do was save the match for the biggest event of the year for the company. Thus, this is the reason that Lynch and Rousey exchanged heated words on social media on Wednesday. WrestleMania 35 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network.
Randy Orton Reacts To Being Left Off Team SmackDown
As of this writing, Randy Orton will not be working Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center on the WWE Network as he was left off the card. This is after him not being able to make Team SmackDown for the 5-on-5 Traditional Elimination Match. He recently commented on it when he responded to a tweet from James Ellsworth. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why WWE did not include him on the card.
He wrote, “Me not being in the traditional #SurvivorSeries match for the 11th time even though I am the GOAT in that particular match. And @AJStylesOrg got kicked in the nuts. Again.”
WWE has officially confirmed Matt Riddle’s next match under the NXT banner as he’ll take on Kassius Ohno in a singles match that will be taped either at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings in San Jose, California or before Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames event in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center. The match will air on next Wednesday’s episode of NXT TV on the WWE Network. WWE released this video from this week’s episode of the yellow brand from a segment with Cathy Kelley, Ohno and Riddle that you can see here:
Vince McMahon is said to know which match he wants to main event WrestleMania this year. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, the current planned main event for WrestleMania 35 is Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey.
“Right now the plan is for Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch to headline WrestleMania,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say the decision was made after Lynch suffered a concussion Monday. The injury will prevent Lynch from competing on Sunday but likely allows WWE to move the match to their premiere event of the year.
“The next day, both Vince McMahon and Rousey decided that the best course of action was to do the match at WrestleMania,” Meltzer continued. “Rousey and Lynch immediately went at it hard on social media, even though Rousey’s new opponent on the PPV is Charlotte Flair.”
WWE considered doing Ronda vs Charlotte Flair as the main event of WM35 earlier this year. At the time, there were concerns about Ronda’s ability, however.
“Rousey vs. Flair was talked about after last year’s Mania, and at the time there were questions about Rousey headlining such a big show as a single with her level of experience,” Meltzer continued. “There is far less doubt about that now.”
WrestleMania 35 Main Event & Top Matches
This last month has seen a lot of shakeup at the top of WWE’s roster. Roman Reigns will not be involved in WrestleMania this year either. He had previously been in the main event of the last 4 WrestleManias.
Barring an extremely rapid recovery, Triple H will probably not be back for WrestleMania either. His torn pec suffered at Crown Jewel will likely prevent a potential match with Batista taking place.
It is believed Brock Lesnar is signed through WrestleMania. Current speculation holds he will not face Braun Strowman at the event, however.
Don Callis and Impact Wrestling would love to bring in some of the top-talent from NJPW to their promotion. While it’s likely some in-roads have been made with Callis serving as English color commentator, it appears NJPW still isn’t budging. NJPW has talent sharing agreements in place with ROH & CMLL and apparently, they aren’t adding more North American promotions to the fold.
“(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.”
There have been rumblings in the past that some members of the NJPW roster were upset they weren’t allowed to work for Impact but who those wrestlers are is unconfirmed. As for Brian Cage and Johnny Impact, they were both said to be interested in working for the promotion but NJPW decided against it due to their status with Impact.
Don Callis Wants Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho In Impact Wrestling
The new management regime for Impact has been working in 2018 to clear the bad name left by the previous one. This includes a botched excursion between NJPW and Impact which saw Kazuchika Okada largely wasted by the former TNA Wrestling.
At a Slammiversary press conference in Toronto earlier this year, Callis said to me he’d love to bring both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho to his promotion.
“There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him, his name is Kenny Omega,” Callis said. “Another is Chris Jericho.”
NXT TakeOver: WarGames II goes down this weekend, kicking off four straight nights at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California for WWE. The company will be producing their second “WarGames” themed show and their twenty-third overall event under the “NXT TakeOver” banner on Saturday, live via the WWE Network.
Saturday’s live WWE Network special features an excellent, albeit brief card containing only four matches. Each match is an important one, however, as included in the card are NXT World Championship and NXT Women’s Championship matches, the namesake WarGames bout and a grudge match between Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano.
The main event will feature Tommaso Ciampa defending his NXT World Championship against Velveteen Dream in one-on-one action, while the NXT Women’s Championship bout will feature “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler defending her title against former title-holder and the first-ever Mae Young Classic tournament winner Kairi Sane in a two-out-of-three falls match. The WarGames bout will include all four members of The Undisputed ERA — Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly — facing off against The War Raiders — Hanson and Rowe — as well as WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne and NXT North American Champion Ricochet. Finally, The Black-Gargano bout will be the culmination of a longstanding rivalry that picked up momentum when Gargano turned heel and was revealed as the man who attacked Black in the parking lot of Full Sail University following the August 8th episode of NXT TV.
SEScoops.com writers Andrew Ravens, Jeff Moss and Ian Carey have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Saturday night’s big event. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for NXT TakeOver: WarGames II.
Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane (2-Out-Of-3 Falls NXT Women’s Title)
Andrew Ravens: Baszler just won the title back at the Evolution PPV event, and with this current stipulation that goes along with this match, I think it plays a factor into Sane winning here. Baszler had to cheat to even win the title back, and Sane has her number when going one-on-one. Thus, Sane gets her title back and moves onto another program. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
Jeff Moss: At Evolution, these two were a high spot in a night of high spots and if ever there was a more deserving pair to pick up the “fight forever” tag, it’s Sane and Baszler. Their matches tend to play off of the previous one, which I love. Too often when wrestlers face each other over and over, they forget what worked and didn’t work last time. These two learn from each match and have surprises for each other in the next one. I have a feeling there’s a Horsewoman battle a-brewing, so I think Sane will win back her title here, freeing up Shayna to play with her friends for a bit. But when that’s done, she might be a rare case of someone who comes back to NXT for a last run before permanent call up. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
Ian Carey: I feel as though Triple H is really high on Baszler. Also, at Evolution, she established that her old MMA training partners are now in the promotion as well and looking to help Shayna protect her championship. It seems unlikely to me that they would take the title off of her so quickly after she regained it at Evolution and established new allies in the process. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Kairi Sane
Undisputed ERA vs. War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet (WAR GAMES)
Andrew: Wrestling 101 says that the babyfaces go over here and I agree. It just makes sense as The Undisputed Era are up for getting beat as it plays into the story. Unless WWE just wants to go for a swerve with Pete Dunne turning heel and joining the group, I don’t see why the heels would go over here. (Prediction: War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet)
Jeff: So, let me just recap here: 1. Ricochet. 2. Double Ring Steel Cage. 3. The rest. Yeah, this is going to be AWESOME. I found myself enjoying last year’s War Games match way more than I thought I would and damn if this one doesn’t look like it’s going to be even better. Pete Dunne is gold, the War Raiders have the ability to be devastating in this kind of match and the Undisputed Era id back to full air-guitar-wailing strength. I cannot wait to see this match and though the Undisputed Era won it last year, I think they will go Back-To-Back, more than likely due to the re-ignition of a Dunne/Ricochet beef. (Prediction: The Undisputed ERA)
Ian: The last WarGames match was one of the best matches in NXT history so there is good reason to be looking forward to this match. Kyle O’Reilly picked up the win over Hanson to earn his team the advantage at WarGames on NXT last night. The match was far more exciting than the usual coin flip. I’m giving this match to the babyfaces almost purely to even out the wins on the show between heels and faces. Come the next Takeover, however, expect the tag, North American, and UK titles to be on the line in matches involving some of the wrestlers involved in this match. We could find out who will be challenging for what title next Takeover based on how things shape up in the WarGames match on Saturday. (Prediction: War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, War Raiders, Pete Dunne & Ricochet
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
Andrew: No doubt this will be a fun match that could go either way depending on how long the WWE wants to extend this program or what plans are in place for these two stars. This is the first match between them in this current feud and should be a barnburner depending on how much time they give them. The obvious choice would have Black going over here, but I have the feeling that we get one more match with these two stars. Gargano cheats and sneaks out a win. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
Jeff: This one is going to be U-G-L-Y. Gargano has snapped and Black is out for blood. This is the real test for Gargano. Has he completely turned to the Dark Side? or is there an idealistic farm boy and ghostly space wizard waiting to bring him back to the light? Or will Black force him to kill Johnny Wrestling for good in order to win. The drama for this match is so wonderfully high, we win either way. But, given how monkey-wrench-prone the main roster is these days, it wouldn’t shock me to see Black on Raw or Smackdown post-Takeover to add a little of his brand of sinister chaos, so I’m picking Gargano here. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
Ian: I’m expecting Aleister Black to tear through Johnny Gargano Saturday night. Even though this will be Gargano’s first big match as a heel, I still don’t think Triple H wants Aleister Black losing any matches before he gets another shot at Ciampa. Black vs Ciampa should main event the next Takeover. What will likely happen not too much longer after Takeover, is Ciampa and Gargano will re-align officially. In fact, we could see the former tag partners start to work together again on Saturday against their respective opponents. (Prediction: Aleister Black)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Johnny Gargano
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT World Title)
Andrew: Might be the funniest match on the card and with the title being on the line, expect for them to go 20 minutes if not longer as they should have enough time to tell a compelling story. I don’t see it being Dream’s time to win the title here as Ciampa has only had the title a few months and this is his real first test outside of working with Gargano. Dream’s character also isn’t one that needs a title to get over. Ciampa is better off as being that heel on top of the mountain in order to gain more heat. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
Jeff: Good Lord, this is like Sophie’s choice, isn’t it? Arguably the best heel in the company vs arguably the best performer in the company and EACH OF THOSE TITLES COULD APPLY TO EITHER COMPETITOR!!! if this isn’t the Match of the Year, I’ll eat Ian Carey’s hat. Both men deserve the title. Both are incredible performers and wrestlers. While I would like nothing more than to see the title draped over the shoulder of the Dream, I think that Ciampa will retain here. Unless they are planning an Evil DIY reunion, Ciampa and Gargano still have one more good story to tell and the Wrestlemania Takeover could be a great place to do that. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
Ian: Ciampa is likely going to retain “goldie” in his title defense against Velveteen Dream here. As much as I’d like to predict the 23-year-old Dream will win the title, it feels as though Ciampa is going to hold that thing for a while longer still. Dream defeated EC3 at the last Takeover event and has generally been kept strong in 2018 but it doesn’t feel as though he’s hot enough right now to put the title on. Ciampa, on the other hand, is still one of the hottest heels in the business. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Tommaso Ciampa
What do the experts think is going to happen on Saturday evening? Check out the online NXT TakeOver: WarGames II betting odds. What do you think of the above NXT TakeOver: WarGames II predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below, and make sure to join us here this Saturday for live play-by-play results coverage of the show.
Cody Rhodes hasn’t participated in a G-1 tournament, or tournament of any kind for that matter, since arriving in NJPW in early 2017. His first match for the promotion was at Wrestle Kingdom 11 when he defeated Juice Robinson inside the Tokyo Dome. He did the same thing at Fighting Spirit Unleashed but an undaunted Juice recently challenged Cody to a third match as well.
Cody’s contract with Ring of Honor is said to be up and he doesn’t have a deal in place with NJPW. He’s always competed for NJPW as part of their talent-sharing agreement with ROH. As he heads to free agency, however, Cody appears motivated to stay with NJPW despite potentially leaving ROH.
“Cody outright said that he wants to work more New Japan in 2019,” Dave Meltzer wrote. Although Meltzer doesn’t list his source, the report reads as though he was talking directly to Cody.
“He’s already said doing a G-1 is something he wants to do, but last year his filming “Arrow” made that impossible,” Meltzer continued. “But he wants to do more than just the big shows like he did in 2018 with the idea that he wants to improve as a wrestler, and you want to improve as a wrestler, New Japan is the place to work.”
It sounds as though Cody wanted to send a message to NJPW management through the Observer but that is only speculation.
Where is Cody Going To Wrestle In 2019?
If Cody is saying he wants to wrestle in NJPW next year, he’s not going to WWE, although he has already stated as much. It’s likely he’s not happy with contract negotiations with ROH if he is lobbying to stay in NJPW despite leaving the promotion they have a talent-sharing agreement with.
