The expected card for the final ROH PPV event, Final Battle, of 2018 has surfaced online.
ROH Champion Jay Lethal defending his title against Cody is expected to serve as the headliner. Other big matches on the card include ROH TV Champion Jeff Cobb vs. Adam Page and ROH Tag Team Champions Kazarian & Sky vs. The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks in a ladder match. Also, there will be a fatal 4-way match that will see ROH Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai defend her title.
The Baltimore-based promotion is expected to start announcing 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.
According to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, here is the card for the show:
Bully Ray vs. Flip Gordon
Jonathan Gresham vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Matt Taven vs. Dalton Castle
Christopher Daniels vs. Marty Scurll
ROH Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Madison Rayne vs. TBD vs. TBA
ROH Tag Team Champions Kazarian & Sky vs. The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks (ladder match)
Reby Hardy had some harsh words for her husband’s ex-girlfriend, Ashley Massaro, on Twitter recently. The matriarch of House Hardy responded to Massaro’s Tweet mentioning she found an old CD burned for her by Matt Hardy in 2005.
Reby Hardy vs Ashley Massaro On Twitter
Omgoodness so I’m going through my garage looking for old tax stuff (yea good times lol) n I find a box including one cd burned for me by @MATTHARDYBRAND from 2005 currently listening to it n had some really good music on it-only up to song 8 rn-hope he n his fam r doin amazing!
Sit down Reby, was living in NY in 2011 n nowhere near NC-there was no ‘aw precious moments’ here-I simply stated I found a cd from 2005 Matt made frm BACK IN THE DAY! No nostalgia!Bless ur heart darlin’-Just u.getting rowdy.per usual.n ps knock my a$$ on site?BAHAHA ya ok-growup https://t.co/spFt0VaiIY
Hardy then posted a couple of Tweets not directed at Massaro but addressing their conflict.
“Seems like I dislike a lot of people for ‘no reason’, huh,” Reby Tweeted. “Lemme make it clear: there is ALWAYS a reason. And reason #1 is almost always bc someone enabled, encouraged or supplied drugs to my family. They will NEVER not be called out for it & I will never forget that.”
The former Divas Champion Massaro is currently a DJ for 943 the Shark Radio. She left WWE in 2008 to spend more time with her daughter.
Last summer, a fan tagged Lita in a post with Matt Hardy. Reby then issued a response to that as well.
Ross and Lothario went way back, to JR’s time working for Bill Watts in Mid South Wrestling, where Lothario used his pull to get a young Shawn Michaels a job.
“Bill got a call from Jose saying he had trained this kid, Shawn Michaels, and that he wanted Bill to give this kid a shot, give him a break, and hire him.”
Certainly similar requests must have been made of bookers all the time in the territory days, but Ross said that Lothario’s word carried weight with Watts.
“Bill had never seen Shawn. He didn’t have 8x10s, he didn’t have any video tape. Shawn was a rookie. Bill hired him sight unseen, strictly on the word of Jose Lothario. That’s how trusted and respected this man was throughout his career,” Ross said.
“It was a blessing for me to even know him… The consummate pro. My thoughts and prayers go out to Jose’s family and friends.”
“Jose, we will miss you. But it’s been a pleasure knowing you. Until we meet again.”
Marty Scurll
Ross interviews Marty Scurll as well on The Jim Ross Report, and Scurll discusses the reason he got interested in the wrestling business as a kid.
“I think a big thing growing up was that my parents separated at a very early age. It was my mother that brought me up, it was my auntie, it was my grandmother,” Scurll said. “And then when I went to school, it was female teachers, so I didn’t really have many male role models around me.”
“I think when I turned on the TV and I saw your Hogans, and your Bret Harts, it was someone I could look up to and sort of be a male influence in my life.”
Busted Open
Ross also talks to David LaGreca on this episode. LaGreca hosts Busted Open Radio, which can be heard on SiriusXM.
Ross and LaGreca discuss the upcoming ROH and New Japan show at Madison Square Garden, their broadcast careers, and Busted Open celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Ross also discusses Survivor Series, Crown Jewel fallout, a potential finish for Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch, and much more.
The full episode can be heard below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
For starters, Kenny Omega,Cody, Marty Scurll, Hangman Page and The Young Bucks made their Bullet Club departure official.
“This group right here is no longer The Bullet Club,” said Cody. “From this day forward, why don’t we just call ourselves The Elite?” asked Matt Jackson.
Cody and Omega further clarified their statement.
“The Tongans, Jay White, The Bullet Club, they’re all going to kick ass, we wish them the best. This is The Elite,” Cody said. “I don’t want this to be a negative announcement,” Omega said. “We fully support The Bullet Club and what they’re doing moving forward, it’s just that what we have in mind for ourselves and the business, just doesn’t align with what the Bullet Club OGs are doing.”
While careful to note that he meant no negativity towards the OGs, Omega went on to make some statements that could be construed that way.
“We take a lot of extra time to do the Being The Elite show, we really feel that it’s important to give back to you fans… Whereas the Bullet Club OGs just prioritize the other aspects of professional wrestling. They’d rather not do the extra stuff, which is fine. It’s okay to punch the clock,” he said.
“I’ll never forget it,” said Matt. “The Bullet Club was the best thing in our career. It’s time to do something new, something fresh, and to look out for ourselves and our families, and make a little bit of money on those t-shirts.”
Hangman Page
There was some collective head-scratching in the wrestling world when Hangman Page joined Bullet Club in 2016. Page had never held a title in Ring of Honor and had yet to debut in New Japan.
Page has since acquainted himself quite well, and has established himself as a can’t miss prospect, destined for singles stardom.
On Talk Is Jericho, Page revealed that he too was taken aback when he was told that he would be joining Bullet Club.
“I was a high school teacher at the time, I taught graphic design and journalism classes,” said Page. “I was really treading water, I didn’t know how long I could go on doing this.”
That changed with a phone call from ROH booker Delirious.
“I got into a good opportunity, I was told I’d be touring Japan a lot, including a three-week tour in a month or so… I asked, ‘Hey, am I going to make a lot of money doing this?’ Yeah, so I quit teaching that month,” Page said.
For much more, including how much input The Elite have into their New Japan booking, the Jericho cruise, and how Stardust came to be, you can check out the full episode below.
If using any of the above quotes, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Ronda Rousey recently appeared on the PWI Podcast. The RAW Women’s Champion discussed a number of wrestling-related topics, including the possibility of women headlining WrestleMania and which WWE Superstar she most wants to work with.
Women Headlining WrestleMania
Ever since Ronda Rousey’s incredible in-ring debut at last year’s WrestleMania, there has been buzz that women will be headlining WrestleMania sooner than later. Rousey is arguably the top star in the company and she will almost certainly be part of a women’s WrestleMania main event when that day comes.
“Yeah, I would love to be one of the first women to headline WrestleMania,” she said. “I think it’s time. But it’s not up to me. Even if it’s just somebody [else], I just think it’s time for any women to be headlining WrestleMania. I don’t own a multimillion dollar company and I don’t make these decisions.”
She aded that there are many female Superstars who could work the final match at WWE’s biggest show of the year, but she’s not convinced it will happen in the immediate future.
Rousey Versus The Boss
WWE has never had so many talented women on their roster. When asked which wrestler she’d most like to work with, Rousey named Sasha Banks. As much as she’d like to mix it up with Banks Rousey doesn’t feel she’s ready for that challenge just yet.
“I would really love to wrestle Sasha Banks. I think I’ve just been so impressed watching her work, and see her in the back, and see her work. And I was already a fan of her’s before. I think that we would be able to make something great together and I think she has given a lot of women their best matches ever. But I almost feel like I’m not at the right level yet for her.”
While she would love to embark in a feud with The Boss, it seems that the WWE isn’t interested in paring the two just yet, but in a perfect world, it would be dream match many would love to see.
Other topics that were discussed were equal matches on cards for both the men and women on the roster.
“I would just like to see women represent 50% of the roster and 50% of every card. I don’t think that’s too unreasonable.” Rousey noted, “I think that’s a far way down the line, but I think it’s a good goal to pursue.”
You can listen to the interview here.
Credit to Wrestlinginc for transcribing the quotes from the interview.
Sean Waltman discussed the return of D-Generation X and Triple H undergoing surgery this week on the the latest episode of his X-Pac 12360 podcast.
While the return of DX and Shawn Michaels’ return to the ring for the first time in eight years held promise of a nice bit of nostalgia, the match between DX and The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel fell apart when Triple H tore his pectoral muscle, which required surgery. Waltman experienced a similar injury during his career and was impressed that his longtime friend finished the match.
“What a beast,” said Waltman. “I know what that feels like. They still finished the match. None of us could tell if they subtracted or anything,” he said. “It didn’t look like that much changed after the injury.”
Waltman also had high praise for Michaels, who stepped back in the ring at 53 years old.
“Shawn went out there like a boss and held that match together. He looked better than anyone in that match. The guy who hasn’t had a match in the better part of a decade. Not slighting Paul, because Paul always looks great out there, but Shawn was just a pleasure to watch,” Waltman said.
“Shawn Michaels does not go out there, even for that kind of money, and embarrass himself. And he covered some stuff out there. There were some botches.”
Waltman also discusses why wrestlers have long hair, the upcoming Survivor Series card, and interviews Kevin Sullivan, all on this week’s X-Pac 12360.
The full episode can be heard below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tokyo Sports published a report this week stating Tetsuya Naito received an offer from WWE back in June. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Naito is one of three NJPW stars to have been sent feelers from WWE. He is the only one to have turned down the offer outright, however.
“Naito would be one of the three (at least) Japanese top guys feelers have been sent to,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The other two that we’re aware of didn’t turn the offers down without thought although one would be a huge surprise and the other would be a great worker who I didn’t see flourishing in the WWE system, but also probably wouldn’t have any reservations about moving to the U.S. like many of the Japanese might.”
For clarification purposes, this “offer” was not a firm contract sent but rather “feelers” from the organization to see if they might be interested in jumping ship.
Who Is WWE Interested In?
Judging by the report, it appears at least two NJPW stars have contacted Dave Meltzer to say they have been sent feelers from WWE. He specifically mentions they are Japanese top guys as well, indicating it is not members of the Elite (as has previously been the case).
The NJPW star that “would be a huge surprise” could be anyone from Okada, Tanahashi and down. The other NJPW star “wouldn’t have any reservations about moving to the U.S” could be just about anyone as well. An important note regarding this, however, is that most NJPW stars are under 1-year contracts which end following Wrestle Kingdom.
Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic) battled Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler, Jaxson Ryker, Wesley Blake) tonight on NXT. Jaxson Ryker was ringside for the match.
Knight and Cutler started off the match. Steve took control and tagged Blake into the match. Cutler tagged back in and Knight took him out with a Crossbody. Otis tagged in and slammed Cutler on top of Blake.
Otis hit Cutler with a Splash in the corner of the ring and followed it up with an Elbow Drop. Dozovic knocked Blake off the ring apron but Cutler capitalized on the distraction by slamming Otis to the canvas.
Blake tagged in and hit a Knee Drop for a near fall. Blake followed it up with a massive Clothesline and then tagged Cutler back into the match. Cutler stomped on Otis’ shoulder several times for a two count.
Blake got back and hit a Leg Drop on Otis’ injured shoulder for a near fall. Blake then applied an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring as Otis screamed in pain. Blake transitioned into a Triangle but Otis showed off his strength and broke the hold with a Powerbomb.
Cutler tagged in and Otis finally was able to tag out. Knight hit Cutler with a big boot and then Clotheslined Blake to the outside. Tucker stomped on Cutler in the corner of the ring and followed it up with a Splash.
Knight climbed to the top rope and hit Cutler with a Cannonball for a near fall. Blake tagged in and Cutler hit Knight with a Backstabber. Blake followed it up with an Elbow Drop off the top for a near fall.
Blake perched Knight on the top rope and tagged Cutler back in. Cutler connected with a Superplex and Blake followed it up with a Splash off the top. Blake went for the cover but Otis broke it up at the last second.
Otis launched Blake out of the ring and then got launched to the outside by Cutler. Knight went for a roll-up but Cutler kicked out. Tucker connected with a Clothesline and tagged Otis back in.
Blake took out Knight as Cutler planted Otis with a Backstabber. Blake tagged in as Knight launched Cutler onto Ryker outside the ring. Otis then hit a Pop-Up Slam on Blake for the pinfall victory.
Dakota Kai faced Taynara Conti on this week’s episode of NXT. Conti slammed Kai to the mat and shouted “are you crazy?” at her. Dakota caught her attempt at a kick and connected with an Arm Drag. Kai followed it up with a Dropkick for a one count.
Kai rolled up Conti for a near fall and then locked in an Arm Bar. Taynara broke free and slammed Kai into the turnbuckle. Conti unloaded several kicks on Dakota and went for the cover but Kai kicked out at two.
Conti tossed Kai and then delivered a kick to her face for another near fall. Conti got pissed off that Dakota kicked out and applied a Wrist Lock. Conti missed with a Splash in the corner and turned around into a kick from Dakota.
Kai hit a flurry of kicks and then a big boot to Taynara’s face. Dakota followed it up with two Facewash Kicks and then a Chiropractor (Backstabber) for the pinfall victory.
Johnny Gargano Explained Why He Attacked Aleister Black
Johnny Gargano sent in a video to NXT to explain why he attacked Aleister Black. Gargano said that he was on a path to right a wrong and to defeat Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. Johnny accused Black of getting in the way and that it was nothing personal.
Gargano claimed that he will be the hero at the end of this story. Johnny added that he still fights for what is right but sometimes you have to fight a little dirty. Johnny admitted that he accepts that Black wants to kick his face off but isn’t scared of him. Gargano noted that he is not afraid of the dark anymore and is kind of starting to like it.
Johnny then took a seat in the same spot he left Black laying. Johnny vowed to leave Black laying once again at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
Sullivan Picked Up A Win & Velveteen Dream Sent A Message To Ciampa
Velveteen Dream squared off against Lars Sullivan in the main event of this week’s show. Sullivan drove Dream to the corner to start off the match and then launched him across the ring with ease.
Dream connected with a shoulder tackle that knocked Sullivan to the outside and then shoved him into the steel steps. Dream bounced Lars’ face off the steps and then tried to get back into the ring.
Lars brought Dream to the outside and slammed him into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Sullivan threw Dream across the ring and followed it up by slamming Velveteen’s face into the mat.
Sullivan hit a massive right hand to Dream’s face and then a giant Clothesline for a two count. Lars launched Dream out of the ring and then posed in the ring. Dream battled back with a Dropkick off the top rope for a near fall.
Lars hit a huge Powerslam for a near fall as the crowd chanted “Velveteen!”. Sullivan climbed to the top rope but Dream hit him with a Superkick. Dream slammed Sullivan into the ring post and then hit the Dream Valley Driver on Sullivan.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa came down the entrance ramp and Dream hit him with a Crossbody off the top rope. Lars Sullivan capitalized on the distraction and hit Dream with the Freak Accident for the pinfall victory. Tommaso Ciampa attacked Velveteen Dream after the match and shouted that Dream wasn’t in his league. Dream battled back with a Superkick and hit a DDT onto the NXT Championship.
Velveteen Dream climbed to the top rope but a bunch of referees came into the ring to prevent Dream from hitting the Purple Rainmaker Elbow Drop. Dream hopped down and then quickly hopped back up to the top rope and hit the Rainmaker Elbow Drop on Ciampa. Dream then posed with the NXT Championship as the crowd chanted “Velveteen!” to close the show.
A member from the two teams competing in the WarGames match at TakeOver will battle next week. The winner of the match next week will earn the 2 vs. 1 advantage in the early stages of the WarGames match at NXT TakeOver.
A new match has been announced for the next special for the yellow brand, NXT TakeOver: WarGames II.
As seen on this week’s episode of NXT TV on the WWE Network that was taped back on October 17, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University, WWE announced that NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler would defend the title against Kairi Sane in a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match at the show.
The NXT TakeOver: WarGames II event takes place on Saturday, November 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days as historically that are five matches featured on these specials for the NXT brand. Thus, expected another match to be revealed by the company. Here is the updated card:
Updated NXT TakeOver: WarGames II Card
The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong) vs. War Raiders, Ricochet & Pete Dunne – WarGames Match.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane – Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Stephanie McMahon made an interesting comment while speaking with Elizabeth Schulze at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this week about WWE’s ability to build a global brand.
During this appearance, the daughter of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was asked about various topics including how she had a big goal that she wanted to achieve for the company going forward. That is to make the WWE as big or bigger than Disney, which is quite the goal to have.
It should be noted that WWE’s current market cap is $5.8 billion compared to Disney’s $172.7 billion, according to The Big Lead. Thus, WWE will have to bring in some major money in order to get that goal achieved.
The company is on the right track as they announced this summer that SmackDown Live would move to FOX starting next October that will see the 5-year deal be reportedly worth over $1 billion. Also, USA Network signed WWE to a new deal to air Monday Night RAW. “10-20-30 years from now, there’s no reason we can’t be as big [as] or bigger than Disney,” McMahon said. “Now that’s a tall order, especially given recent transactions. However, there’s no reason why we can’t get there. You have to dream big, have big, bold goals, and go after them.”
Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze had an interesting exchange on Twitter after Breeze appeared to be taking a shot at WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan’s tweet that he sent out earlier this week about the size of the current WWE stars. You can see Ziggler poking fun at Breeze with his own response here:
I was gonna tweet a reply… but honestly no interest in him so I’ll say this… our roster is talented as hell.. thanks for giving back… brother ?
Lemme tell you something…Is this a bit for one of your comedy shows bud…the “held down” role doesn’t work for you anymore….now I think you’re the vet who doesn’t know when to hang it up… https://t.co/oPeXy04uAc
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Manchester, England at the Manchester Arena on the USA Network, WWE Champion AJ Styles cut a promo about facing WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in a non-title match at the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, November 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California at the Staples Center.
This will be the second encounter between the top stars of their respective brands. Paul Heyman responded to that promo by writing the following on his official Twitter account:
“Attn: @WWE Champion @AJStylesOrg: I am a great admirer of your in-ring abilities, but to close your promo w/ “not a prediction .. a spoiler?” In #@BrockLesnar’s SuplexCity, we don’t do other people’s shtick. Respectfully, (My name is) Paul Heyman. The Jew Who Runs The Zoo.”
Attn: @WWE Champion @AJStylesOrg: I am a great admirer of your in-ring abilities, but to close your promo w/ "not a prediction .. a spoiler?" In #@BrockLesnar's SuplexCity, we don't do other people's shtick.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Survivor Series PPV. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy will defend his title against Mustafa Ali. Although not confirmed, this match could end up serving as the pre-show match.
WWE presents the Survivor Series pay-per-view event on Sunday, November 18, 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 days. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Survivor Series Card
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles
RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch – Champion vs. Champion Match
Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs. United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura – Champion vs. Champion Match
The Bar vs. Authors Of Pain – Champion vs. Champion Match
Team RAW (Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler) vs. Team SmackDown (Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, The Miz & Randy Orton) – Men’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown (Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Asuka, Carmella) – Women’s Elimination Tag Team Match
Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Killer Kross will challenge Johnny Impact for the Impact World Championship tomorrow night at “Final Hour”. The two were both guests on this week’s Impact Press Pass to build up their match on tomorrow night’s branded episode. During the call, I had the chance to ask Kross what led to his attack on Johnny in the back a few weeks ago.
“To be completely frank with you, John zigged when he should have zagged. I was honestly going to get a cup of coffee, I happened to see him there,” Kross said of the altercation. “(He’d had an) excellent match with Fenix, in my opinion, probably the match of the year, I decided to wrap a cable cord around his head, that’s really all there is to it.”
Kross then revealed some storyline information which wasn’t previously known regarding the personal history between the two.
“He had it coming, he’s had it coming for a long time,” Kross continued. “In terms of our history, John and his wife now Taya, were in Mexico crushing the competition, taking over the industry, typically he always does wherever he goes. This guy had nuclear heat.”
Kross continued to say that Johnny and Taya called him to watch their back in Mexico and he obliged. He would then show something almost resembling emotion when he admitted he thought the two were friends.
“I thought there was something a little bit more other than just professionalism there,” Kross said. “Maybe, I thought, maybe I thought John and I were friends.”
Johnny Impact (c) vs Killer Kross – “Final Hour” November 8th
Kross would also say that he knows a side of Johnny nobody else does. He implied it was a more vicious side and that he wants to bring that Johnny to the surface.
As for Johnny’s side of the story, he feels if Kross wanted a title shot, he could have just asked for one. Johnny didn’t dispute Kross’ side of their alliance in Mexico either.
“My version isn’t even that different,” Johnny said. “The things Kross just said about Mexico are true. We trained down there, I didn’t have anybody to turn to. I was down there with my wife Taya. Kevin (Kross), Taya, and I all had each other’s backs. I did think we were friends and the one thing that confuses me is Killer Kross has been undefeated since he’s come to Impact, never been pinned. Two weeks ago, I make this statement about how I’m going to be a fighting champion. I’m going to give title shots to anyone I think deserves them. Somebody who is undefeated and unbeaten deserves a title shot. If you wanted a title shot, bro, you could have just asked me.”
Johnny then said that Kross likes theatrics and wants to “send messages” and “make statements”.
“Those messages and those statements were obviously more important than whatever type of friendship or relationship we had,” Johnny said.
You can listen to the conversation in the player below:
Titus O’Neil voiced his opinion about WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan in the past after Hogan gave his apology speech backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event earlier this year. He was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame after Hogan was fired from WWE in the summer of 2015 after racially charged comments from a sex tape came to light.
Hogan made his first appearance with the company in years once he appeared as the host of the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event last Friday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
O’Neil spoke to SkySports about why he has no hard feelings towards Hogan in his return. “It’s not my decision who goes where, I support whatever decision the company goes with. But at the same time we are all independent thinkers; I have no ill will towards Hulk Hogan whatsoever. He’s a part of the WWE family and as a part of the WWE family we embrace him and we’ll make whatever we have to work, work.”
O’Neil continued by stating that they are entertainers, not politicians and that there’s not been one entertainer in the history of WWE who has been at a higher level of WWE than Hogan.
He continued, “Him going over to Saudi Arabia was a decision that was made solely on the basis of being entertaining and I know the princes and the fans over there ate it up. They wanted him over there before too and it was good for the fans there to see him and for him to get that rush of the crowd.”
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, now going by the name ‘Real 1’, continues to attempt to make a name for himself outside of the WWE world and build up his reputation as a rapper.
On Wednesday, he announced his first-ever live performance in two weeks would take place in California. He wrote the following, “I’m going-going back-back to Cali-Cali … COME SEE ME DOG. 11.19.18. meet & greet. new merch. comedy. And… NEW MUSIC!”
I’m going-going back-back to Cali-Cali … COME SEE ME DOG. 11.19.18. meet & greet. new merch. comedy. And… NEW MUSIC!
Amore has gone on record by stating that he will never wrestle again due to him working on starting a hip-hop career. He has made appearances in a non-wrestling capacity at other wrestling events and released several music videos over the past few months.
Amore parted ways with the WWE after rape allegations were made against him. If you recall, the WWE was not aware of the rape allegations against Amore until January of this year once the media reached out to them for comments once the allegations went viral on Twitter.
Amore denied the allegations were true. The reason that WWE cut ties with him was over the fact that Enzo failed to notify officials that he was being investigated. It should be noted that the investigation against him has been closed and no charges were ever filed against him.
Dragon Gate has announced a huge Championship match for their December 4th show in Korakuen Hall. Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion PAC/Neville will be facing Masato Yoshino. The bout will be contested for Yoshino’s Open The Dream Gate Championship.
PAC recently took part in his first singles match since leaving WWE. The former Neville faced Flamita in an International Special Singles Match for Dragon Gate’s ‘The Gate of Destiny’ event (11/04). PAC took the win after hitting his renamed ‘Black Arrow’ in around 18 minutes. You can check out some of the highlights from the incredible bout here
In other PAC/Neville related news Japan’s Dragon Gate promotion recently confirmed their new streaming service which featured PAC in a short promo package hyping the new over the top service alongside his RED stablemates. Fans will be able watch live/past shows for just over $13 a month. PAC made his return to the company earlier this year after leaving WWE’s 205 Live brand.
Drew McIntyre Receives Praise From WWE Hall Of Famer
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry gave high praise to Drew McIntyre on a recent edition of Busted Open Radio where he stated that McIntyre came back to the WWE and has a new moniker as he has been stellar. He praised him for having promos that are priceless and he is unrivaled. Henry believes McIntyre is grabbing the business right now and he’s doing things that a lot of the young people are not doing.
“I think that he will be champion. I think before next year is over, Drew McIntyre will be world champion.”
"I think before next year is over, Drew will be world champion."
One injured WWE star is preparing to make a return to in-ring action as PWInsider reports that Curt Hawkins is expected to be cleared for in-ring action soon. It’s possible that he’s been cleared already.
He has been out of action with a hernia and was last seen on the August, 20th edition of RAW when he confronted Elias and challenged him to a match but lost. He currently holds a long losing record as he has lost 219 matches in a row. It’s safe to say that he’ll continue that streak once he returns.
New Japan has released the official poster for their biggest card of the year. Wrestle Kingdom 13 will be taking place on January 4th from the world famous Tokyo Dome.
The poster features Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, KUSHIDA, Jay White and Tetsuya Naito. One of the biggest omissions from the poster is the IWGP Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho.
Chris Jericho recently returned to New Japan Pro Wrestling at the Power Struggle event in Osaka, Japan. The IWGP Intercontinental Champion defended successfully against EVIL after locking him in a Walls of Jericho that transitioned into a Liontamer.
When Jericho would not release the submission Tetsuya Naito appeared and forced Jericho to retreat to the back. Naito then issued a direct challenge to Y2J for the Intercontinental Championship. It is not yet known whether this bout will be taking place at Wrestle Kingdom or Madison Square Garden in April.
Jericho appeared in a backstage interview following the win and declared that he would not face Tetsuya Naito. Chris Jericho stated that as he already beat Naito at Dominion earlier this year that there would be no rematch. Jericho even went as far to say that it definitely wouldn’t happen at “Wrestle Kingdom, Madison Square Garden or anywhere.”
There’s a good chance that NJPW consciously left Jericho off of the poster. Whilst Y2J is a big international star the emphasis appears to be on ‘homegrown’ talents. Kenny Omega and Jay White certainly found their feet in the company and the surrounding talents are native Japanese stars.
DEFIANT Wrestling will be presenting the third annual instalment of Refuse To Lose from Newcastle upon Tyne this evening. The card is already set and has some huge UK and International talent involved.
Here’s the full card for Refuse To Lose 2018
Rampage (c) vs John “Bad Bones” Klinger – World Championship
Aussie Open (c) vs Alpha Bad – Tag Championship
Joe Hendry vs Martin Kirby – I Quit Match
Rory Coyle vs Gabriel Kidd
El Phantasmo vs Brent Banks
Lana Austin vs Kay Lee Ray
Nathan Cruz vs David Starr
SCC vs Chris Brookes & ???
Taking place at Northumbria University’s Student Union, limited tickets remain on sale for just £15 here.
Two names that unfortunately will not be involved are NJPW star Will Ospreay and PROGRESS World Champion WALTER. Ospreay is current out with a suspected rib injury, the reasoning for WALTER’s absence from the event is not completely clear. WALTER is the company’s Internet Champion and will hopefully be available for their next iPPV show.
The show will broadcast LIVE all over the world on PPV at 7pm UK (2/1c). You can watch with a one-time purchase via FITE TV for $14.99, while the show will also be available to Access Defiant subscribers, which is priced at just $8.99 per month. The broadcast will be available on-demand as soon as possible after the conclusion of the event.
Rey Mysterio defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas to earn a spot on the Men’s Team SmackDown for WWE Survivor Series on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Manchester, England at the Manchester Arena on the USA Network.
WWE’s YouTube channel released this video of Mysterio talking to Dasha Fuentes about being on Team SmackDown where he gave some praise to Daniel Bryan for still being able to compete at the level he’s competing at now despite his past injuries. He added, “We’re going to make a helluva team, let me just say that.” Team SmackDown battles Team RAW at the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view event.
Legends On WWE Ride Along Season Finale
The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan) in one car while Christian and WWE Hall of Famer Edge ride in the other car will be featured on the season three finale of WWE Ride Along on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on the air date of this episode but it could air as soon as next Monday’s RAW goes off the air. Also, there’s still no word on when the fourth season will begin airing.
The Miz spoke with Glasgow Live while touring with the WWE over in the UK to talk about a wide range of topics. During the interview, he was asked about his feud with Daniel Bryan.
This is where the former WWE Intercontinental Champion stated that Bryan is one of the best wrestlers in WWE history but not as good as him as he thinks the Daniel Bryan four years ago was arguably the best. According to Miz, he thinks everything has changed since Bryan has been gone and now, he has to figure out a way to get his trajectory going again. “I think he’s just living off of his fame that he had four years ago. I don’t know how to make Daniel Bryan what he believes he is. I know I am at an upward trajectory and I am at the best I’ve been in my entire life and that I’m better than Daniel Bryan and every other superstar on Smackdown Live. That’s just my mindset, and it’s a mindset I think everyone should have.”
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. Miz was also asked about his goals going into this event.
“I would like to have the WWE Championship and I’d like to be in the main event where that title belongs.”
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Nia Jax spoke to SportBible recently to talk about various topics including Roman Reigns’ fight with leukemia that forced him to drop the Universal Title and take time off from the WWE.
Jax brought up how his character is such a quiet, humble person and larger than life as he is Superman while his true personality is a very shy humble guy and he’s super giving and loving.
“So that’s why when the news came out everybody was hit hard. I feel like that day there was just a hole in the entire locker room. He gives advice to everybody and he’s always there for everybody. And he carried the company on his shoulders on his shoulders for the last few years.” Jax added that they’re thankful to him for all the contributions he’s given and that everyone is trying to find their footing now they’ve lost their Superman.
Jax also talked about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and how she sees him as a goofball but he’s very hard-working and always giving her advice. She stated that he was super excited about the Evolution pay-per-view and watch some of the show.
“His heart is always with the WWE, it’s so crazy because you wouldn’t think that with how busy he is, he wouldn’t keep up with storylines and characters and stuff but he does. If something peaks his interest, he would definitely step back into ‘The Rock’ role.”
NXT and 205 Live will both air tonight on the WWE Network. In the case of NXT, tonight’s episode will be the penultimate before Takeover: WarGames on November 17th.
NXT Preview 11/7
Velveteen Dream vs Lars Sullivan
To the dismay of Lars Sullivan, Velveteen Dream was awarded the title shot at WarGames. Sullivan has vowed to prove tonight he’s the top contender for the NXT title no matter what William Regal decides.
Johnny Gargano Provides Answers
.. next week.
I promise I will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know. Pinky swear!
Last month, Johnny Gargano was revealed as the man behind the attack on Aleister Black. Now, Gargano is scheduled to face Black one-on-one at Takeover: WarGames. Tonight, Gargano hs promised to explain why he did what he did. His old DIY tag-team partner, Tommaso Ciampa, might be listening closely to what he says.
Heavy Machinery vs The Forgotten Sons
Two teams looking to move up in NXT’s tag-team division face each other tonight. With teams like the Street Profits, the Mighty, and Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan kicking around the division, there is not much room for error or losses.
Dakota Kai vs Taynara Conti
The captain of Team Kick has been competing in NXT UK in addition to the North American version. She’ll take on Taynara Conti tonight. Conti may not have a single’s victory yet in NXT but she did make it to the 2nd round of the MYC II before losing to Lacey Lane in the 2nd round.
205 Live Preview 11/7
TJP and Lucha House Party Rivalry Continues
Last week, TJP attacked Gran Metalik after the luchador had won a single’s match. TJP ripped off Metalik’s mask as he continues to disrespect lucha libre culture. Tonight, TJP may have his sights set on stealing another member of the factions masks.
Mark Andrews vs Buddy Murphy
The new Cruiserweight Champion, Buddy Murphy, will wrestle Mark Andrews tonight. The champion decided that since tonight’s 205 Live emanates from Manchester that he should take on one of NXT UK’s brightest stars.
Waiting in the wings for Murphy is Mustafa Ali, however. Ali defeated Tony Nese last week in a #1 contenders match.
PAC (former WWE Superstar Neville) has resurfaced on social media. Using a new Twitter handle KING IS DEAD (@BASTARDPAC) he fired off his first tweet since September 2017.
PAC recently returned to the ring after a one year layoff due to a dispute with WWE. He wrestled his first singles match for Dragon Gate over the weekend and is scheduled to compete for Revolution Pro later this month on November 22nd.
The latest episode of Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast features a unique discussion with The Elite’s Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Adam “Hangman” Page and Marty Scurll. The show was recorded in front of a live audience last week on the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise.
During the discussion about The Bullet Club, the gang spoke about WWE Champion AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One led the faction before Kenny Omega took over. Chris Jericho asked Kenny Omega if he ever wrestled against AJ Styles. The IWGP Heavyweight Champion explained that he actually did face AJ Styles in singles competition once – and it’s the reason he is still a pro wrestler to this day.
Omega explained that back in 2006, he was at a crossroads in his career. He was enjoying professional wrestling, but was also a serious jiu-jitsu practitioner. He was competing in tournaments around the country and realized he could not do both at a high level.
“I found that my in-ring performance was suffering because you know there’s an aesthetic look you have to maintain in professional wrestling,” Omega said. “If I’m cutting 20 pounds for a tournament or a fight and then I have to go to the ring I’m going to look like I came out of a dryer and it just didn’t jive. So if I was going to concentrate on one, the other was going to suffer.”
Knowing that he had a match with AJ Styles coming up, he decided that he’d use that experience to determine what his future would be. Omega said, “[It was] after that AJ match when I thought, ‘Oh my goodness there’s this guy who’s so much better than me but we have this chemistry together.’ It kind of showed me my true potential and maybe something that I could grasp and something I could achieve that I hadn’t seen yet.”
He continued, “It really made me look in the mirror and say to myself: ‘Jeez, even when I do these all-time jiu-jitsu tournaments I’m always going for a finish, I’m always trying to have that exciting match when really you should just be concentrating on getting that gold medal or whatever. So I found that I was actually and entertainer, I was a performer. So I was going to give this wrestling thing one more shot.”
It was after that match with AJ Styles that he began his first tour with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he met the Young Bucks. Soon after that, he was wrestling in Japan and the rest is history.
There’s much more to this hour-long discussion, which you can (and should) check out on the Talk is Jericho podcast.
