Thursday’s edition of Impact Wrestling on Pop TV, the first episode in the new 10pm time slot, averaged just 98,000 viewers. This was down from 189,000 viewers the previous week, making it the least-watched episode of Impact in history.
The show featured new Impact World Champion Johnny Impact retaining against Rey Fenix in the main event, Killer Kross attacking the champion backstage, Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee, Su Yung in action against Kiera Hogan and the latest chapter of Eli Drake “suing” the company.
Hopefully viewership rebounds once fans become accustomed to the new air time, because this is a disturbing development for the company. Viewership wasn’t going to increase by moving out of prime time, but this is entering dangerous territory.
Impact was consistently drawing over 300,000 viewers for the first half of the year, topping out at 399,000 on March 29th. Impact hasn’t cracked 300,000 since July 5th and was doing 180,000-190,000 for the first 3 weeks of October before moving to 10pm.
Impact’s TV deal with Pop runs through the end of 2018.
In recent weeks there have been reports that Don Callis was finished with NJPW. These reports came on the heels of Callis not being called to commentate for the King of Pro Wrestling event held earlier this month. NJPW has also been auditioning other English-language commentators at the moment. “The Genius” Lanny Poffo called the two shows from Korakuen Hall this weekend.
NJPW and Callis have announced they have struck a deal to bring Callis back to Japan for multiple major shows including WrestleKingdom 13.
#njpw is excited to welcome back @CyrusOverHuge to the commentary desk for multiple upcoming events as well as Wrestle Kingdom 13!
“#njpw is excited to welcome back @CyrusOverHuge to the commentary desk for multiple upcoming events as well as Wrestle Kingdom 13! He’ll be riding shotgun with @realkevinkelly!”
Don Callis NJPW Commentary
Chris Jericho has said that Callis played a key role in bringing him into the promotion to face Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Jericho posted the following to Twitter recently:
Not using @CyrusOverHuge over huge for ANY AND ALL commentary is a big mistake and just plain stupid. @njpw1972https://t.co/uJBzsCnVJK
It’s not yet clear if Callis and Kelly will be working the commentary booth for the upcoming Power Struggle show. The event takes place on November 3rd from Osaka.
Impact Wrestling debuted in a new timeslot Thursday night on POPTV. The station bumped the program back from 8 PM to 10 PM. For the first time in the show’s history, their rating dropped below 100,000 people when they topped out at 98,000. Their previous low-mark had been 161,000.
It should be noted that the importance of Impact’s POP TV deal to the overall financial health of the company is not clear. Impact is owned by Anthem Sports and Entertainment, a Canadian-based media company which also owns the Fight Network. The wrestling promotion helped Anthem secure a deal to get the Fight Network broadcast across the UK earlier this year. Other international television deals are also said to be more lucrative than the deal the company has with POP TV.
Impact Wrestling in 2018
Impact has stated the company is in a far better financial position in 2018 than they were in 2017. They’ve also recently signed Willie Mack and Jordynne Grace to 2-year deals as well as re-upping Sami Callihan to a new deal.
Former Impact World Champion, Austin Aries, is no longer under contract according to comments made on Petey Williams’ Wrestling Perspective podcast. A report from the Wrestling Observer states he is suffering from a concussion at the moment.
We noted before how the news of Roman Reigns relinquishing the Universal Championship was kept secret and most of the locker room found out about it through the Raw segment.
Nikki Bella recently appeared on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast to promote the upcoming Evolution PPV and during her appearance Bella talked about locker room’s reaction to the news among other things.
The former Champion said that she gets the deepest chills when this topic is brought up and claimed that everyone is still in a lot of shock due to this extremely unexpected news.
Though continuing on the topic, Nikki said that if anyone can beat this, it’s Roman Reigns and it was beyond brave of him to go out there and talk about the disease:
“But if anyone can fight through this, it’s Joe. Joe is just so beyond brave to go out there, and to speak the way he did, I just … to me, he is so inspiring and so motivating to never give up. The show is definitely going to feel so different without him. His presence is just strong. He’s beautiful inside and out, and I’m just praying so hard for him.”
Nikki Bella is currently scheduled to face the Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey for her title in the main event of the upcoming Evolution PPV.
There were many who believed that the match between Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella will be main eventing the Evolution PPV and a latest report has seemingly confirmed it.
Ronda and Nikki have apparently been practicing their match ‘all week’ in order to “make sure it goes over well in the main event position,” according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
This report clears all the doubts about the Raw Women’s Championship match being the last bout of the show. Now it’d be interesting to see if this duo is able to put on a match worthy of the spot.
Cody Rhodes Says He Won’t Be At Upcoming ROH/NJPW Supershow
Cody Rhodes has been dropping hints about his future with teases that range from a WWE return to transitioning into a new role in the industry once his contract expires.
Another one of these signs came yesterday morning when he replied to a tweet about the upcoming ROH/NJPW Supershow, saying that he won’t be there:
These teases are expected to continue throughout the rest of the year. However, it’s most likely that we’ll only get an idea about the future of Cody and the rest of the Being The Elite cast next year.
RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey is the latest WWE Superstar to defend the company’s decision to host Crown Jewel from Saudi Arabia. Rousey spoke to TMZ in New York City this week and offered a unique perspective on WWE sticking to their guns despite widespread backlash from fans and the mainstream media.
Rousey talked about the time she was training for 2004 Olympics and recalled how she trained with a boxer from Iraq and they respected each other despite the time being the start of Iraq wars Rousey said that sports is where we find a common ground and believes pulling out of Crown Jewel will be a wrong move because it’s an opportunity to share the American culture and define what we have in common.
She then goes on to explain why holding the event in Saudi Arabia is a good idea in detail. With her being one of the faces of the entire Women’s Division, Rousey’s comment probably mean more than any other star who has talked about the situation so far.
You can check out her full interview in the video below:
We noted before how former Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss suffered another injury last weekend, putting her status for the upcoming Evolution PPV in question.
While Mickie James recently confirmed during an interview that Bliss will at least be at the event, her in-ring return was still up in the air.
Now WWE.com has confirmed that she won’t be wrestling at the PPV and the company released the following statement, announcing her replacement for the show:
“Although James was originally slated to team with Alexa Bliss, The Goddess will be replaced by the wily Fox in this blockbuster match-up, and will instead be in Mickie & Alicia’s corner.”
Alexa Bliss had been out of action since her match against Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey at the Hell In A Cell PPV where she suffered an arm injury.
She returned to action during Friday’s Live Event last week but word started making round that the former SmackDown Star suffered another injury during the weekend.
Later it was revealed that the former Champion suffered a concussion while wrestling at Saturday’s Live Event from Hartford, CT. WWE was still hoping for her to get cleared but now it’s confirmed that she won’t be wrestling at the show after all.
Raw General Manager Kurt Angle recently held another Q&A session from his official Facebook page where the Olympic Gold Medalist talked about a number of stuff.
Kurt first talked about the upcoming World Cup at the Crown Jewel PPV and claimed that he is ready to wrestle 3 matches on the show if he has to.
When asked which Evolution match he is looking forward to, the former World Champion said that he is looking forward to the Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella bout as he wants to see if Nikki is able to keep up with Rousey after staying away from the ring for a while.
Talking about his toughest opponents in the ring, the former Impact Wrestling star said that he found the likes of John Cena and Steve Austin to be tough but his toughest opponent was Chris Benoit:
“Austin was tough…Cena was tough, too. But Benoit was the toughest. It was like wrestling myself when I was in the ring with him.”
Angle also talked about Roman Reigns, saying that he is a very special person. According to him, despite being a locker room leader Roman never acted like one and he loved to interact with everyone.
Apart from this Kurt Angle also discussed a milk drinking contest, thing he would like to change in WWE and more. You can check out his post here.
WWE has released a new DVD on the career of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels to fans in the United States. The three-disc DVD that is titled, “Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper Unreleased,” features a collection of unreleased and never-before-seen matches.
HBK is slated to compete once again when he teams up with Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Kane in a tag team match at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium.
DISC 1 Proud of the Future The Icon Shawn Michaels & Tim Horner vs. Hector & Chavo Guerrero Mid South Wrestling • January 5, 1985 Shawn Michaels vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts Mid South Wrestling • February 1, 1985 The Midnight Rockers vs. “Pretty Boy” Doug Sommers & “Playboy” Buddy Rose AWA Championship Wrestling • April 1, 1986 AWA Tag Team Championship Match The Midnight Rockers vs. “Pretty Boy” Doug Sommers & “Playboy” Buddy Rose AWA • July 13, 1986 The Midnight Rockers vs. Dennis Stamp & Brian Knobbs AWA • January 11, 1987 The Rocker The Rockers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers Prime Time Wrestling • October 25, 1988 WWE Tag Team Championship Match The Rockers vs. Demolition Prime Time Wrestling • November 1, 1988 The Rockers vs. The Brain Busters Boston, MA (NESN Taping) • January 13, 1989 The Rockers vs. Hart Foundation Hamilton, ON, Canada (Dark Match) • December 14, 1989 The Rockers vs. The Orient Express London, ON, Canada (Dark Match; Prime Time Wrestling Taping) • April 29, 1990 The Rockers vs. Demolition Rochester, NY (Dark Match; Wrestling Challenge Taping) • June 5, 1990 The Rockers vs. The Natural Disasters Prime Time Wrestling • November 4, 1991 WWE Tag Team Championship Match The Rockers vs. Legion of Doom Superstars • December 28, 1991 DISC 2 The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels vs. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka Madison Square Garden (MSG Network Taping) • January 31, 1992 Piper’s Pit with Shawn Michaels Syracuse, NY (Dark Segment; Superstars Taping) • April 29, 1992 WWE Intercontinental Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect Phoenix, AZ (Dark Match; Wrestling Challenge Taping) • April 5, 1993 Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. The Headshrinkers Milwaukee, WI (Dark Match; Wrestling Challenge Taping) • August 30, 1994 The Main Event Shawn Michaels and Diesel – Face to Face New York City, NY (WrestleMania XI Public Workout) • March 28, 1995 King of the Ring Qualifying Match Shawn Michaels vs. King Kong Bundy RAW • May 22, 1995 Shawn Michaels & Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Jacob & Eli Blu Louisville, KT (Dark Match; RAW Taping) • July 24, 1995 Six-Man Elimination Match Shawn Michaels, Diesel & The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid, Tatanka & Kama Evansville, IN (Dark Match; Superstars Taping) • July 25, 1995 The Champion Shawn Michaels vs. 1-2-3 Kid Superstars • April 27, 1996 WWE Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Des Moines, IA (Dark Match; Superstars Taping) • April 30, 1996 WWE Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Yokozuna Kuwait City, Kuwait • May 10 1996 WWE Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Vader State College, PA (Dark Match; Superstars Taping) • September 24, 1996 Shawn Michaels vs. Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw Superstars • September 29, 1996 WWE Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Brooklyn Brawler Madison Square Garden • November 15, 1997 DISC 3 The Showstopper WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Van Dam RAW • November 25, 2002 Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho RAW • July 21, 2003 Shawn Michaels vs. Christian RAW • October 4, 2004 Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair RAW • February 7, 2005 Shawn Michaels & Batista vs. Triple H & Edge Birmingham, AL (Dark Match; RAW Taping) • March 21, 2005 Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle RAW • January 16, 2006 The D-Generate Texas Tornado Match D-Generation X vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Charlie Haas & Viscera vs. The Highlanders RAW • October 2, 2006 WWE World Tag Team Championship Match Shawn Michaels & John Cena vs. Rated RKO Bakersfield, CA (Dark Match; RAW Taping) • February 19, 2007 Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Shawn Michaels vs. Batista vs. Chris Jericho Atlanta, GA (Dark Match; RAW Taping) • November 17, 2008 Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker vs. JBL & Vladimir Kozlov RAW • March 16, 2009 The Legend
On Friday, WWE and WWN announced the latest crossover move as part of their working partnership. The Street Profits from NXT will challenge the EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka at EVOLVE 114. This is the first time that an NXT/WWE talent is challenging for an EVOLVE Championship in a WWN ring.
The WWE.com article has also teased that other NXT talent will be at EVOLVE 114, which takes place this Sunday in Ybor City, FL at the Orpheum. The entire EVOLVE 114 card will be broadcast live on Club WWN at WWNLive.com. The promotion is expected to announce more matches for this show shortly. Here is the updated card for this show:
Updated Card
Anthony Henry vs. AR Fox vs. Austin Theory vs. Harlem Bravado vs. JD Drake vs. winner of Allin/Briggs – Ladder Match To Determine The New WWN Champion
EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Jaka vs. The Street Profits EVOLVE Champion Shane Strickland will defend the title against an unnamed opponent Darby Allin vs. Josh Briggs – winner joins the ladder match to determine the new WWN Champion
After this show, the promotion returns with two other events to close out the year. EVOLVE 115 goes down on December 15th in Queens, NY while EVOLVE 116 takes place on December 16th in Deer Park, NY
This Sunday at WWE Evolution, Becky Lynch puts the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match. Their feud has been one of the highlights of WWE television over the past several weeks and Lynch is starting to come into her own as a heel character. Fans are beginning to accept Becky as a villain, but she’s been an underdog fan favorite for so long that getting people to boo her has not been an easy task.
During an episode of Busted Open Radio this week, co-host Bully Ray pitched a pretty clever idea about how WWE should book the finish of this match. He suggests that WWE should utilize Ric Flair in a way that would all-but-guarantee a negative reaction for the Irish Superstar.
“So, remember last week how we were talking about how can you possibly get heat on Becky Lynch?” Bully Ray posed. “We were saying you have to do something drastic, and probably the only person you can utilize in this whole situation would be a feeble Ric Flair.”
“Alright, so what if at Evolution, in the ‘Last Woman Standing’ match, something really, really bad happened to Charlotte at the end of the match. Let’s just say … and I know this is not going to happen … let’s just say Charlotte was bleeding. Let’s just say Charlotte was busted open. Let’s just say Charlotte was in a really bad predicament, and [Ric] Flair came out … ‘Naitch came out because he was really concerned about his daughter. He didn’t put his hands on her, he didn’t try to help her up, he didn’t get involved in the match in any way, shape or form.”
Bully Ray continued, “But as he’s walking over to his daughter, he were to trip and fall and take a bump. Then we saw him clutching or hurting or something happened. What if Becky Lynch were to take a chair and stand over Ric Flair, threatening to cave his head in unless Charlotte stayed down for the ten count. How would you feel about that?”
Threatening physical harm against Ric Flair (who is shielding his daughter from harm) would be a despicable move by the champion. Even Becky Lynch fans would question if she’s going too far to score a victory. Sounds like great storytelling to us.
Becky ‘Balboa’ appeared on Busted Open earlier today (Friday). We will have a report up soon.
Catch Busted Open on SiriusXM satellite radio weekday mornings from 9am-12pm EST on channel Rush 93.
Roman Reigns recently relinquished his WWE Universal Championship due to his ongoing second battle with Leukemia. WWE COO recently appeared on the Elvin Duran Show and discussed Roman’s decision to make his condition public and the reasons why his first battle with the disease was not made public.
Triple H stated that “Very few people knew about [his first battle]. He and I had spoken about it and this was something that he didn’t want to put out there until he had reached a certain point in his career because he didn’t want people to feel like he was being pitied or given things for a certain reason.” The Game elaborated further and claimed that “He wanted to be able to come out at the end and say, ‘Look, I’ve dealt with this the whole time. You can do anything. This is not an end sentence.‘“
Triple H also spoke about RAW on Monday and what he and Roman discussed during the show, stating that “As we talked about on Monday, [I told him] ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.’ The rest of the stuff happens and it didn’t work out the way he thought it would. It’s back and now’s the time to spread that message.”
Credit to the Elvis Duran Show and h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Pro Wrestling: EVE has announced the blocks for their upcoming SHE-1 tournament. This is the second year of the SHE-1 and is set to be an absolutely massive event. Current EVE Champion Charlie Morgan won the first iteration of the tournament and went on to beat Sammii Jayne for the belt at Wrestle Queendom.
One of the biggest names confirmed for the tournament is NXT UK’s Toni Storm. The Australian star is in the final of this year’s Mae Young Classic and will be taking part in the Evolution Network event this Sunday. Also confirmed are NXT UK Superstar Jinny, WoS/World of Sport’s Viper, Jetta, Rhia O’Reilly and Joshi wrestling legend Command Bolshoi.
Pro Wrestling: EVE also recently released their Wrestle Queendom show on YouTube for free. The event took place on May 5th earlier this year and featured some of the most critically acclaimed bouts in Women’s wrestling in 2018. Japanese legend and Mae Young Classic competitor Meiko Satomura, Aja Kong, Viper/Piper Niven, WoS Star Kay Lee Ray and more can be seen on this incredible card.
NXT UK Episode 2 aired on the WWE Network earlier this week. The show featured a big main event between former United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate and Wolfgang. Here’s the full results from Episode 2:
Ligero b. Mike “The Wild Boar” Hitchman – Ligero took the pinfall win after hitting a Tornado DDT
Dakota Kai b. Killer Kelly – Kai took the pinfall win after hitting a code red/backstabber move
A highlight package aired of Zack Gibson winning the last United Kingdom Championship tournament.
Eddie Dennis appeared for a promo, he refers to Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews.
Ashton Smith b. Tucker – Smith took the pinfall win after hitting the Ash Cloud
Tyler Bate b. Wolfgang – Bate took the pinfall win after hitting the Tyler Driver ‘97
As mentioned this was episode 2 of the new series. Here’s the full results from Episode 1 which aired on the WWE Network last week:
Joe Coffey (w/ Mark Coffey) b. Mark Andrews (7:38) – Coffey took the win after hitting the Lariat
Dave Mastiff b. Sid Scala (1:58) – Mastiff took the quick win after hitting a Cannonball
Toni Storm b. Nina Samuels (4:10) – Storm took the win after hitting the Storm Zero
NXT UK Championship Match – Pete Dunne b. Noam Dar (11:35) – Dunne took the win after hitting the Bitter End
Unfortunately, Samoa Joe is currently out of action with another injury, according to longtime pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, who reported the news in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on the undisclosed injury but it was noted that he has not been cleared to compete. Originally, WWE advertised him to challenge WWE Champion AJ Styles at the Supershow live events last weekend. However, he did not work the shows.
The last match that Joe worked came back on October 9th during an episode of SmackDown Live on the USA Network where he competed in a World Cup qualifier match for the upcoming tournament at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event but lost to Jeff Hardy.
Before that, WWE wrapped up his feud with Styles with the WWE Title being on the line at the Super Show-Down event in Australia. He spent the majority of September and now October out of action.
For what it’s worth, Joe did send out a cryptic tweet back on October 17th with the following caption, “I’m gonna let you all feel comfortable, for now.” You can see his tweet here:
PROGRESS Wrestling will be holding their 78th Chapter on November 11th. Chapter 78: ’24 Hour Progress People’ will be taking place at the O2 Ritz in Manchester.
The company recently announced that a “debut of someone you guys have been asking us to book for literally years” would be taking place at the event. Fans have been asking the question who will the “mystery man” be?
PROGRESS recently replied to a comment on Twitter that claimed “mystery name for Progress in Manchester will be PAC. If he’s doing all these bookings it must be him” (full tweet below). The company outright stated that they would nip the rumor in the bud and say that PAC will not be appearing at the show.
Ireland’s Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) recently announced that the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville/PAC would be heading back to the promotion shortly. The company has not confirmed what date the high flying superstar will return but have confirmed that it will NOT be in November. This seems to correlate with the idea that PAC will not be appearing in Manchester.
PROGRESS has announced that wXw Unified Champion Ilja Dragunov will be heading to the O2 Ritz on November 11th.
Fight Network UK has announced that Bound For Glory will be airing on their UK channel for free. The channel will be broadcasting the show on Sunday 28th at 9pm.
Sky users will be able to find the show on channel 192 and Freesat users on channel 161. You can read the full results for the show here.
One of the biggest stories coming out of the show of course emanated from the Austin Aries angle. Aries had everybody guessing whether his bizarre antics from IMPACT’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view were a work or a shoot. The situation unfolded following the main event, which saw Johnny Impact capture the Impact world title. Following the finish, Aries immediately leapt up, exited the right, shouted a profanity at commentator and IMPACT executive vice president Don Callis before flipping off the crowd as he exited the arena.
Aries’ reaction had a lot of people questioning how much of what transpired was scripted. Aries’ feud with Johnny Impact grew increasingly personal in the days leading up to the show, which included deleted tweets about Johnny Impact’s wife Taya Valkyrie.
You can read the full story surrounding Aries here.
Fight Network has also confirmed that their first run airing of IMPACT will be changing. The company’s official Twitter account sent out the following message: “Fans still have three way to watch IMPACT each week – live and free on @GWNapp at 3am on Friday (and any time thereafter), the TV premiere each Friday night at 11pm on @5spiketv and the repeat on Sunday nights at 9pm on @FightNetUK. 3/3 #IMPACTUK#FNUK“
Bound For Glory 2018 is coming exclusively to Fight Network UK (Sky Channel 455) this Sunday night!
New Japan Pro Wrestling has officially announced the New Beginning shows for the 2019. New Beginning follows the huge Wrestle Kingdom, New Year Dash and Fantasticamania tour in late January. This year’s tour featured some top bouts including Kazuchika Okada vs SANADA in Osaka. Minoru Suzuki vs Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega versus Jay White for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in Sapporo.
Here are the official dates for the tour:
Road to THE NEW BEGINNING
SAT. JANUARY. 26. 2019 | 18:00 Saitama Wing Hat Kasukabe
MON. JANUARY. 28. 2019 | 18:30 TOKYO Korakuen Hall
TUE. JANUARY. 29. 2019 | 18:30 TOKYO Korakuen Hall
WED. JANUARY. 30. 2019 | 18:30 Miyagi Sendai Sunplaza Hall
Ireland’s Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) promotion has announced a huge return. Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville/PAC will be heading back to the promotion shortly. The company has not confirmed what date the high flying superstar will return but have confirmed that it will NOT be in November.
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.
OTT World Champion WALTER has already challenged the former 205 Live Superstar. The Ringkampf stable member took to Twitter and proclaimed “Come and fight me!” whilst retweeting the initial announcement. PAC’s opponent is yet to be revealed and a bout against WALTER could be a huge match for the independent company. One of the bigger stars that frequently appears for OTT is NJPW’s Will Ospreay. Ospreay has repeatedly made his intentions clear for a match against PAC and the Irish promotion could be the place.
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s October scheduling is usually dominated by the POWER STRUGGLE shows – and 2018 is no different. This year’s lineup of shows will of course feature the ‘Road To’ shows, some of which will be available on NJPWWorld.
Here’s the full results for the show in Korakuen Hall on October 26th:
Shota Umino, Yota Tsuji and Toa Henare b. Yoya Uemura, Ren Narita and Ayato Yoshida – Umino took the win after making Uemura tap out with the Boston Crab
Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii b. TAKA Michinoku and Minoru Suzuki – Yano took the win after rolling TAKA up with a Schoolboy
Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe and Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi and Kota Ibushi – Tanahashi took the win after hitting the High Fly Flow on Owens
Jay White, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa and Gedo b. Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, Beretta, Chuckie T and Rocky Romero – White took the win after hitting the Blade Runner on Rocky Romero
First Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – KUSHIDA and Chris Sabin b. Tiger Mask and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger – KUSHIDA took the win after hitting the OUTTA TIME on Liger
Second Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru b. Soberano Jr and Volador Jr – Desperado took the win after hitting the El Es Culero on Soberano Jr
Third Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – Shingo Takagi and BUSHI b. Robbie Eagles and Taiji Ishimori – BUSHI hit the Rebellion on Eagles to take the win
Fourth Super Jr Tag League 2018 Match – ACH and Ryusuke Taguchi b. SHO and YOH – Taguchi took the win over YOH after hitting the Korakuen Suplex Hold
Mick Foley recently spoke with Wrestling Inc to talk about a wide range of topics including his daughter, Noelle, expressing interest in becoming a women’s Superstar in the WWE. During the first season of Holy Foley, there was even footage of her training for it. However, he talked about why Noelle stopped pursuing an in-ring career in this interview. “No, she got banged up quite a bit,” Foley said. “Injured, not just banged up but injured.”
The first season “Holy Foley,” which featured Foley, his daughter Noelle and the rest of the family, aired on the WWE Network in 2016 and lasted for ten episodes. Foley made it known that although his family enjoyed doing the show, it was expensive for the WWE compared to their other shows such as Ride Along.
The WWE Hall of Famer continued by stating that he feels if the show was on either the USA or E! Networks then it would have been a better home because you could have a big budget for it and found fans who are not WWE loyalists. “I was glad they took a chance on it. We really enjoyed those 10 weeks together… and to get paid. But it just didn’t work out. It was the highest-rated show [on WWE Network] of all-time for a little while, but there’s only so many times people can watch 10 episodes over and over and over.”
Impact Wrestling presented their second show from the Melrose Ballroom tapings held in the days following Bound For Glory. Johnny Impact vs Fenix for the world title was the night’s main event.
Here are 10 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 10/25:
Killer Kross Attacked Johnny Impact In The Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCuwnJQPjyY
Killer Kross is a frightening individual. The final scene of Impact this week was Killer Kross standing over an unconscious Impact World Champion, Johnny Impact.
Kross then said the following to the knocked out champion, “I don’t like that word (crazy), I find it offensive because when someone calls you crazy they’re insinuating that you’re not very intelligent. In this particular circumstance, I’d call you crazy because you really believe that you can change things and you can’t because I am the change and all paths moving forward lead to damnation.” Creepy guy.
A title match was then made official between the two for the November 8th branded-edition of Impact named “Final Hour.”
Knockouts Championship Rematch Next Week
.@Tess_Blanchard insists she can beat @TheTayaValkyrie no matter the circumstance and she plans to do that in a Knockouts Championship match NEXT WEEK.
Tessa Blanchard cut a promo on Taya Valkyrie in the back. The Knockouts Champion was not happy with what Taya said last week about her using underhanded tactics in their match at Bound For Glory. Blanchard said she doesn’t need shortcuts to beat Taya and said she’d put the title on the line again next week.
The OGZ Get To Konnan Through Fenix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD_EuaJlKlo
Earlier in the night, King told Homicide and Hernandez he had an idea about how they can get to Konnan even though the bosses say they can’t touch him or LAX. Then after Johnny Impact and Fenix had a stellar main event match, the OGZ hit the ring and continued the attack on Fenix until Pentagon came in with a chair to make the save. It looks like King and the OGZ will look to get at Konnan by attacking his longtime allies, Pentagon and Fenix.
Allie Backs Away From Su Yung
Last week, Allie continued to attack Alisha Edwards after defeating her. This week when she attempted to prevent Su Yung from giving Kiera Hogan a Panic Switch off the entrance ramp she stopped in her tracks at only a creepy stare from Yung. Allie uncharacteristically backed away and left Hogan alone.
Yung would pin Hogan after giving her a Panic Switch moments later.
Sami Callihan’s Bat Is Ineffective Against Brian Cage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRXIUJUOKA
Sami Callihan defeated Trevor Lee in single’s action this week. After the match, however, Brian Cage hit the ring to attack the guy who pinned him at Bound For Glory. Callihan was ready with a bat but even that wasn’t effective against the X-Division Champion. Cage stood in the ring as Callihan and OVE backed off to close the segment.
Eddie Edwards Has Come Back For Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lUbSVEcDLU
Killer Kross and Moose defeated KM and Fallah Bah this week but it’s not clear if Moose knows that or not. Eddie Edwards returned during this match and dragged Moose away. Kross then choked out Fallah Bah to end the match.
Moose and Edwards then continued to brawl throughout the backstage area and eventually onto the roof. Moose eventually locked Edwards on the roof and got away. Alisha Edwards would later berate Edwards for being out of his mind.
LAX Defend Against Matt Sydal & Ethan Page Next Week
Sydal and Page confronted LAX in the back and said they were destined for greatness. Konnan said they were consuming too much peyote and/or mushrooms. Despite this, a match between the two teams for the tag-team titles was made official for next week.
There Is A New Member Of The Desi Hit Squad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIe0h6flNn4
The Great Gama Singh took on Rohit Raju this week. While the 63-year-old may not be as athletic as he once was he still knew to have a devious plan to get the victory. Someone who appears to be a new recruit into the Desi Hit Squad attacked Raju from behind and gave him a super gut-buster. Gama Singh then lifted Raju up and the three of them left the ring together.
Scarlett Bordeaux’s Talent Search Open To Everyone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMJfEZ9Gbnk
Scarlett Bordeaux continues to scout for talent both from the Impact roster and also from fans submitting their videos. She was watching a few of such videos in the bath this week.
Eli Drake’s Lawsuit Against Impact Continues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwG8a1jZS9Y
Eli Drake is suing Impact Wrestling. This was revealed last week but this week Drake still decided up to do commentary for LAX’s victory over the Heavenly Bodies. Josh Mathews was critical of Drake’s lawsuit but Drake insisted he’s just one of a few to sue the company.
Quick Results:
Sami Callihan defeated Trevor Lee
LAX defeated the Heavenly Bodies
The Great Gama Singh vs Rohit Raju – no contest after interference
Killer Kross and Moose defeated KM and Fallah Bah
Su Yung defeated Kiera Hogan
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) defeated Fenix
Next Week:
Willie Mack vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Matt Sydal and Ethan Page
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Triple H recently spoke with ESPN to promote Sunday’s WWE Evolution pay-per-view event in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic, which will feature Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai.
During the interview, “The Game” spoke about the success of Mae Young Classic where he noted that he had been pitching to do the tournament for a while and once got the green light from Vince McMahon, the WWE Chairman was under the impression that there would be 16 competitions. However, Triple H said that there would be 32. The only problem with 16 competitions was due to sometimes having to tell talents that they wouldn’t be in the tournament.
“You are trying to balance it all out stylistically and everything else, because the styles, and how people match up fight-wise is what makes these things unique. It was deep then, but along the way to finding the 32, or whatever we ended up with in total with all of the alternates, you’re digging up all of these diamonds that you’re going like, “Oh, yeah, we’re already packed, but next year [we will use you in the tournament].”
Ronda Rousey has caught fire with the WWE fans since signing with the WWE and making her in-ring debut earlier this year. He said that when they first met, she told him that she wanted to inspire young girls and young people and show them that you can do anything.
She felt that there is no bigger platform in the world for her to do that than WWE. She wanted to do every single entertainment and sport aspect of it and reach the world on a global basis. He added that he told her, “We go everywhere. That’s a game changer.”
On Friday afternoon, WWE announced that they will be simulcasting the Evolution pay-per-view event on Twitter, which marks a first for a WWE pay-per-view in the history of the company. Starting at 7 p.m. ET, the first 30 minutes of Evolution will air on the social media platform.
WWE has yet to announce the opening match for this show, which would air on Twitter. The top matches for this show includes a RAW Women’s Title Match between Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship.
The Evolution pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Evolution Card
Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella
SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair – Last Woman Standing Match
Mae Young Classic Finals: Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai
Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad – Six-Woman Tag Team Match
Battle Royal: Zelina Vega, Torrie Wilson, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Lana, Carmella, Naomi, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, Tamina Snuka, Michelle McCool, WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze, WWE Hall of Fame Ivory, Molly Holly, Kelly Kelly, and Maria Kanellis – Winner will a receive championship match
WWE Evolution takes place on Sunday evening from Uniondale, New York at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. WWE makes history with their first-ever pay-per-view event consisting solely of women’s matches. The card is stacked from top-to-bottom with multiple world championship matches featuring talent from RAW, SmackDown Live, NXT and the NXT U.K. brands, as well as returning legends, and the finals of the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament.
The main event for Sunday night’s big event is Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the RAW Women’s Championship in a grudge match after Nikki turned heel and attacked Rousey with her twin sister, setting up a rivalry between the two, which spread to social media leading up to this weekend’s historic event.
Also on the show this Sunday night is Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship, Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship and Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm in the finals of this year’s Mae Young Classic tournament. The NXT U.K. Women’s Championship held by Rhea Ripley is expected to be defended on the show as well, however an opponent has yet to be officially announced by WWE.
Additional matches scheduled for WWE’s first-ever all-women’s PPV include Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya vs. The Riott Squad, Trish Stratus and Lita vs. Mickie James and Alexa Bliss and a Women’s Battle Royal that includes Torrie Wilson, Ivory, Molly Holly, Kelly Kelly, Alunda Blayze and others for a future shot at the women’s championship.
SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey, Andrew Ravens and Jeff Moss have prepared their predictions for each of the matches scheduled for Sunday night’s big event, which airs live via pay-per-view and on the WWE Network. Without further adieu, here are the SEScoops.com staff predictions for WWE Evolution 2018.
Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya vs. The Riott Squad
Ian Carey: I’m going to take the Riott Squad here to pick up a surprise victory. The punk-rock trio could use a win after taking losses to the Bellas and Rousey recently. This match could also be used as a way to build a division for eventual tag-team titles. (Prediction: The Riott Squad)
Andrew Ravens: This is a nothing match and more or less just filler and getting names on the show as that is WWE’s goal. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the heels go over here but with this event supposed to be a feel-good moment, I have the babyfaces winning. (Prediction: Sasha Banks, Bayley & Natalya)
Jeff Moss: I’ll lay this out right from the jump: I’ve been a Ruby Riott homer from day one. Under her leadership, I’ve even warmed to Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan, which I did not see coming. Bayley and Banks and (Googles match) Natalya (Sure?, why not) have all got classic matches under their belts, but the fire is in the Riott Squad. Since there’s virtually no story behind this match aside from “The Battle Royal was full” I’m going to go with Ruby & co. (Prediction: The Riott Squad)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, The Riott Squad
Women’s Battle Royal For Title Shot
Ian: While I’d love to see Sunny make a triumphant return to WWE here, she’s likely used up all her goodwill with the company at this point. I’m expecting Asuka to take the win here. She seems to be the only competitor with a realistic shot at challenging for either women’s world title. (Prediction: Asuka)
Andrew: WWE is attempting to put a lot of focus on this match even though it’s not a huge part of the build for this show. Yes, there are a lot of names competing with stars from today to the past. I doubt that any legend would win here just like they had the same chances back in January during the Royal Rumble match. To me, it appears the same mindset of oddsmakers, there are a handful of names that have a good chance to win. I have it coming down Naomi and Ember Moon with Naomi winning in order to challenge Becky Lynch at a later date. (Prediction: Naomi)
Jeff: Woof. I am pretty tired of “Everybody into the pool” Battle Royals, but I’m also not so big of a jerk that I would deny what it would mean to these women to at least have an appearance on an event like this. That said, I do find it strange that at Evolution, a historic event celebrating the Women’s Revolution in wrestling, we have a match featuring several people that Women’s Wrestling has evolved from. Including “Divas Era” talent in the same ring as the women who’ve worked so hard to move past that era seems like a bit of a misstep, but it’s pretty much the only one at Evolution, so I can give it a pass. There’s a few win-deserving women in the match (including Naomi who never got her Title Match from the last Battle Royal) but I’m pulling for Asuka here so she can remind people why she’s as great as she is. (Prediction: Asuka)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Asuka
Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Mickie James & Alexa Bliss
Ian: I’ll go one step further and predict that Stratus pins Mickie James to end the match. This will be a short match as Bliss is working injured and Lita and Trish have both been away from the ring for awhile. The legends will get their feel-good moment and that’ll be that. (Prediction: Trish Stratus & Lita)
Andrew: Might be the easiest pick of the card as I have Stratus and Lita going over here. Both sides have gotten their shots in during the build-up of this program. If WWE wants to put the younger talents over here, I have no problem with that. However, it makes sense to let the young lions have a good performance but with the veterans going over in the end. (Prediction: Trish Stratus & Lita)
Jeff: Unlike the resurrection of DX or the Bros of Dist. I’m actually excited to see what these legends can do. Last we saw of both of them, they seemed to be in pretty decent shape and able to go. That said, you don’t bring back Lita and Trish just to have them get stomped on by the likes of Mickie James and a slightly-dazed Alexa Bliss. What I’d really like to see out of this match, since apparently Trish and Lita are sticking around for a bit, is the beginning steps on the road to Women’s Tag titles. That’d give a lot of the women not in the Title picture something to fight for and present a new dynamic we haven’t seen in the WWE/F since the golden days of 1989. Anyways, Trish and Lita Twist and Stratusfy their way to victory here. (Prediction: Trish Stratus & Lita)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Trish Stratus & Lita
Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm (Mae Young Classic Finals)
Ian: I’d really like to write I’m not sure on this one. If I have to guess (and I do) I’m going to say Toni Storm. Let’s face it, this match was supposed to be won by Tegan Nox but she’s not here. Storm seems like the more likely winner and then I think they could move her into a rivalry with Ripley on the NXT UK brand. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Shirai won though. (Prediction: Toni Storm)
Andrew: This match will likely have high expectations going into it due to the match quality that these two female stars have for great in-ring work. I see WWE signing both stars after this show and well deserved. This is really a toss-up for who will win this contest. Storm has a good following with the hardcore fans which I see being in her favor and winning this match. (Prediction: Toni Storm)
Jeff: This year’s MYC has been a great tournament, with lots of story and motivation beyond “we are wrestlers and would like to win.” In terms of the audience, this is an absolutely win-win. Storm and Shirai are going to put on a hell of a match and I would love to see either one of them getting a shot at the NXT Women’s Title at Takeover: War Games. But, the point of these predictions isn’t just to say “Hey, that’ll be great” it’s to pick a winner, so I’m going to go with Toni Storm on this one. (Prediction: Toni Storm)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Toni Storm
Kairi Sane (c) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT Women’s Title)
Ian: I believe Baszler is going to take this one. Her bully persona on NXT has become one of the most talked about acts on the show this last year. Sane is better at chasing the title and Baszler is better at holding onto it, so I expect a title change here. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
Andrew: Historically, Triple H likes to have champions in NXT have long title reigns, and Kairi Sane is no different. Basic wrestling 101 with the booking of Sane as the underdog fighting her way to the top. Baszler has been one of the best heels in NXT since she made her debut and has been a great opponent for trying to get Sane over. In the end, this one might steal the show. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
Jeff: Easily match of the night for me. These two are so wonderfully over-the-top, their characters almost seem like throwbacks. A Pirate Princess with a killer elbow vs a Psychopath with an arm-breaking fetish? Yes please! It doesn’t hurt that these two are so damn good in the ring too. Sane has proven herself worth of the top spot over and over and Baszler is an amazing heel, probably the best in the company, non-Tomasso Chiampa Division. I’d love to see her arrive on the main roster sooner than later, so I’m pulling for Sane in this one. (Prediction: Kairi Sane)
CONSENSUS: 2-1, Kairi Sane
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte (Last Woman Standing For SD! Women’s Title)
Ian: Becky has become too important to have her lose here. There are plenty of ways to have Becky win and Charlotte still look strong in a Last Woman Standing match. I’d expect Becky to behave in much the same fashion as Tommaso Ciampa did in his recent Last Man Standing match. WWE may knock Charlotte down a peg or two while they deal with a lawsuit from her ex-husband regarding her “Second Nature” book. (Prediction: Becky Lynch)
Andrew: If WWE wanted to have a shocking finish in this contest then Flair would win the title here. However, I think the majority of the WWE fanbase is really enjoying this feud as well as Lynch being the heel champion. I see this being the blow-off of this feud with Lynch retaining to go onto face the next contender. (Prediction: Becky Lynch)
Jeff: To quote a certain young upstart from a few years ago, here’s what I’d like from this match: RUTHLESS. AGGRESSION. We know that both Becky and Charlotte are insanely athletic and probably the two best women wrestlers on the RAW or Smackdown Rosters right now. They also benefit from being the only match on the card with an actual story behind them. That said, throw it all out and just beat the crap out of each other. I want this to be a down and dirty fight, with Becky standing tall at the end. If Rousey/Charlotte is perhaps-maybe-possibly going to headline Wrestlemania, let’s take Charlotte down a peg and give her a great “climb back up the mountain” story to lead into it. (Prediction: Becky Lynch)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Becky Lynch
Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella (RAW Women’s Title)
Ian: Ronda is going to tear through Nikki Bella in this match. Nikki will get some offense after Brie does something devious but then Ronda will recover, mount a comeback, and win. The events won’t take longer than 10 minutes but they will be the most exciting 10 minutes on the show. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
Andrew: Obviously, Rousey will retain her title here, and I doubt that many people will take Nikki to win here. The real intrigue is to see how long this match will go as WWE could keep it short. The build for this match has been a lot of fun, and until Rousey faces Charlotte Flair in the distance future, Rousey will remain champion. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
Jeff: Honestly, if this match lasts more than 5 minutes I’ll be shocked. Nikki should get a bit of offence in (most likely via Twin Magic or something of the like) but most of it should be Rousey mopping the floor with her and putting the final nail in the “Divas” coffin. Also, I’m hoping this will lead to less of the WWE retconning the Bella Twins as some kind of wresting pioneers, but hey, baby steps. (Prediction: Ronda Rousey)
CONSENSUS: 3-0, Ronda Rousey
What do the experts think is going to happen on Sunday evening? Check out the official WWE Evolution betting odds. What do you think of the above WWE Evolution predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section below.
