WWE debuted the NXT UK brand show on the Network this past Wednesday. This was a long awaited step in the evolution of NXT in terms of global presence for the ‘developmental’ brand.
NXT UK may not be the only branch of NXT in the European territory. According to the Wrestling Observer WWE are looking at expanding into Germany with a specific NXT Germany brand being considered. The Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) brand are reportedly in the fold in a relationship akin to that of PROGRESS and NXT UK.
WWE are holding a four-day tryout in Cologne next month. WWE Performance Center coach and British legend Robbie Brookside was recently seen at a wXw event reportedly scouting talent. This was all believed to be part of WWE’s planned extension into Germany, whether this means that they will be getting an NXT brand? This remains to be seen.
Opinion: It would be interesting for WWE to introduce a specific German NXT programme. The UK division took a long time to establish and bring to the Network and whilst Europe is a big market it is arguably not big enough to have TWO brands. Could WWE introduce an NXT Europe brand in the near future? This would be far more of a likely and intriguing prospect.
NXT UK debuted on the WWE Network earlier this week. The long awaited show has several shows taped and many were waiting for WWE to pull the trigger and release the content.
The initial rumor and belief was that WWE were waiting for the fate of WoS/World of Sport to be decided before unveiling NXT UK on the Network. Whilst this may be way off base it is interesting that WWE has waited this long to finally unveil their new show. With WoS getting a planned tour in 2019 the show may still be moving forward with a second series on the ITV family of channels but is yet to be confirmed.
Another interesting aspect to WWE’s timing of the release is that Rev Pro debuted on the FreeSports channel this week. FreeSports as a channel is in no way comparable to WoS’s ITV, the viewer base is but a minute of the broadcasting giant that is ITV.
Two of WoS’ stars Nathan Cruz and Kay Lee Ray took to Twitter to congratulate their fellow countrymen/women on the new NXT UK show. Kay Lee Ray stated that it was “good to see a lot of hard work paying off for people.” Cruz had further comments, stating that it was a “hell of a debut show for NXT UK. Won’t lie, it was very emotional seeing so many of my friends and peers in that opening package. So many who deserve that stage. The new boom era for the UK continues. Let’s keep competing, let’s keep improving. It’s bloody brilliant.”
Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) debuted on FreeSportsUK this Friday. The UK based company will be using the nationwide channel as the home for their new TV show going forward. FreeSportsUK made the announcement back in August via Twitter where the channel announced that the show initially would be airing “later in September.”
Here’s the results of Episode 1:
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger b. Chris Brookes – Liger took the win after hitting a Brainbuster, Brookes turned heel after the bout after kicking Liger low. El Phantasmo came out for the save
Lord Gideon Grey appeared and announced that he had ‘acquired’ the services of The Great O-Kharn.
The Great O-Kharn b. Harrison Thompson – O-Kharn took the win with the Iron Claw Slam
Zack Sabre Jr. b. KUSHIDA – ZSJ took the win via submission. Zack locked on the Orienteering With Napalm Death after a great 20 minute bout
You may remember FreeSports as the channel that hosted the ill-fated 5 Star Wrestling earlier this year. Rev Pro is an extremely well established promotion comparatively and will relish the opportunity to be available in UK homes.
You can check out the exclusive interview we conducted with Rev Pro owner Andy Quildan here. When we discussed the timing of the new show Andy confirmed that “WoS had no impact on our decision. In all honesty whilst I watch as much product as possible from WWE, ROH, NJPW, CMLL to all the indies here in the UK, aside from learning best (or at times worst) practice I try not to let what others are doing dictate the way I choose to run my business.”
Tickets to WWE’s Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were supposed to go on sale on October 19th. It seems ticket sales have been indefinitely postponed to the event. Advertisements now state tickets will go on sale November 2nd, the same day the event is set to take place. It is not clear if an earlier on-sale date will be announced.
Many are speculating the reason tickets didn’t go on sale as planned could be related to recent events surrounding the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi of the Washington Post. The Saudi government admitted responsibility for the death of Khashoggi yesterday.
Crown Jewel Controversy
In the last week, the controversy surrounding the Saudi Arabia-WWE deal has been covered by the mainstream media. JBL and Randy Orton both made public statements recently in support of the event.
JBL was on Fox Business recently and explained his position on why WWE should follow through with the show.
“My personal opinion is that they should go (to Saudi Arabia),” stated JBL. “Look at what we did with Cuba. You isolate a country all you do is impoverish that country. You want to promote change? WWE went to Abu Dhabi, did the first women’s match that had ever happened in the Middle East. The crowd was chanting, in English, ‘This is Change’.”
Matt Hardy debuted on WWE programming when he was just 19-years-old in 1994. Now close to a quarter-century later, Hardy has moved his career behind the camera. Not only is the 44-year-old working as an agent, but he’s also filmed a Halloween special for the WWE Network. There is also speculation the special will serve as a pilot for a more regularly airing show.
According to a report from WWE Network News, the House of Hardy Halloween Special will begin airing on the network Sunday, October 28th, 2018 directly after the upcoming WWE Evolution Pay-per-view.
House of Hardy Halloween Special
Over the last few weeks, Hardy has been dropping hints regarding the special through social media. He Tweeted out a photo from the set after the crew had wrapped filming for the special.
Hardy returned to WWE in 2017 after creating a buzz around him and his brother’s Woken gimmicks. After leaving TNA Wrestling, however, the old-new management team would not allow the brothers to continue portraying the gimmicks. They could not bring the Broken Universe to either Ring of Honor or WWE. After Don Callis was named to the Impact Wrestling management team, the company reversed its stance, however. Now, Impact allows talent to continue performing as characters developed through their programming.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) was back in action this weekend as they held their Smokey and the Bandido event on Friday, October 19, 2018 at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California in front of a sold-out crowd. This show will later be made available on DVD.
There were two big title matches featured on this card – WALTER defending his PWG Title Jeff Cobb in the main event as well as The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) defending the PWG Tag Team Titles against the Latin American Exchange.
This show comes off three events that spanned over the course of three nights that was branded as BOLA, Battle of Los Angeles. This was a tournament that saw Cobb win in order to get a future shot at the PWG Title.
In the headliner, there was one big title change as Cobb beat Walter to become the new PWG World Champion. Here are the results:
Trevor Lee defeats Darby Allin Puma King defeats Flamita and Rey Horus Zack Sabre Jr. defeats Hechicero Bandido defeats Rey FenixTimothy Thatcher defeats Brody King
PWG World Tag Team Title Match: The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) (c) defeat Latin American Exchange (Ortiz & Santana)
PWG World Title Match: Jeff Cobb defeats Walter (c)
– Chelsea Green signing with WWE was confirmed on Thursday as the organization announced the latest batch of talent to join the Performance Center. Green’s NXT debut is imminent as she is scheduled to appear at two live events next week.
Green announced tonight on Instagram that she will appear at Thursday’s show in Cocoa, Florida and Friday’s show in Largo, Florida.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIcBvIHzTV/
– Rusev and Lana will appear on a future episode of Drop the Mic on TBS, which pits celebrities against one another in a comic battle rap competition. Lana revealed the news today on her Instagram Story.
– Ahead of WWE Evolution, Alexa Bliss is Lilian Garcia’s next guest on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. Alexa is teaming with Mickie James at the all-women’s pay-per-view and she will discuss her match against Trish Stratus and Lita. The interview will be available starting Monday.
The National Wrestling Alliance has unveiled the new NWA National Championship, which will awarded to a new champion this Sunday at the NWA 70th Anniversary pay-per-view live from Nashville, Tennessee. Eight men will compete in two 4-way elimination matches. The winners of the elimination matches will battle to crown the new champion.
Elimination Match A:
Willie Mack
Jay Bradley
Mike Parrow
Ricky Starks
Elimination Match B:
Sammy Guevara
Colt Cabana
Scorpio Sky
Sam Shaw
Click here to check out the full card for the NWA 70th Anniversary, which can be streamed live on the FITE app.
Impact Wrestling aired their first episode since Bound For Glory last night. For the next 4 weeks the Impact will take place inside New York’s Melrose Ballroom.
Here are 9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 10/18:
Fenix To Challenge For Impact World Championship Next Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExgKZhn5VUo
Johnny Impact kicked off this week’s episode with an in-ring promo. He said he will be a fighting champion and then threw some shade on Austin Aries for having been the opposite. Impact also said if he felt someone deserves a title shot, he will give one to them. This brought out Fenix who said he wanted a shot at the title. That title match was then made official for next week.
Sami Callihan Wants A Shot At The X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odg2NQ1acxE
X-Division Championship Brian Cage (c) defeated Rich Swann
Brian Cage defended his title this week against Rich Swann in the main event. After finishing off his challenger with Weapon-X, Sami Callihan hit the ring. Callihan made it clear he wants a shot at Cage’s title next. The Draw became the first person to pin Cage at Bound For Glory on Sunday, albeit it took a barrage of super-kicks from 3 wrestlers and Callihan’s Cactus Driver to do it.
On Sunday, champion and challenger each kicked out of the other’s signature finishing moves. In Tessa’s case, however, the referee was momentarily out of position putting away the ring apron which she had dragged into the ring. The question is then would Valkyrie have won if Tessa hadn’t of brought the ring apron into play? Valkyrie kicked out of Blanchard’s Buzzsaw DDT but was then unable to kick out after a top-rope codebreaker (Magnum – named after her step-father, Magnum TA), allowing Blanchard to retain.
After defeating Katarina this week, Valkyrie said she was not impressed with the champion’s tactics at the PPV, referring to bringing the ring apron in to buy time. Lucha Royalty continued to say she has lost her respect for Tessa Blanchard.
“I’m just more disappointed more than anything,” Valkyrie said after her match with Katarina. “I really respected Tessa and after that, I don’t.”
Allie’s Fine, Totally Fine. Don’t Even Worry About It
Allie defeated Alisha Edwards
Despite having descended into the Undead realm on Sunday, Allie’s fine, don’t even worry about it. That was what she told Kiera Hogan earlier in the show. She defeated Alisha Edwards this week but it’s clear her experience in the underworld has left her unhinged or possibly even possessed. Allie was adamant on Sunday that she and Hogan had to go back for Rosemary.
She began slapping herself in the face near the end of the match. She finished Edwards off with a codebreaker shortly after. Allie then continued to beat down Edwards after the match, choking her until Kiera Hogan brought her back to her senses.
Killer Kross And Moose Have Taken Out Their Competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecSpkIKRZC0
Killer Kross defeated Tommy Dreamer via referee stoppage
Austin Aries may be gone but his two henchmen are still running rampant over the Impact Wrestling roster. They may have lost to Edwards and Dreamer at the PPV, they won the war by taking out Edwards after the match. They delivered a beatdown to Tommy Dreamer this week. Kross defeated Dreamer in single’s action via referee stoppage after 2 Doomsday Saito suplexes. Moose and Kross again kept up the attack after the match.
With Edwards and Dreamer out of the way, Moose and Killer Kross have an open road ahead of them.
The Great Gama Singh Returns To The Ring Next Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8ReWGJuCI
The Great Gama Singh hasn’t wrestled since some reunion shows in Alberta in 2006-07 and also in Puerto Rico around the same time. Backstage this week, Singh told Rohit Raju he would have to face him next week in Rohit’s final test. Raju defeated Gursinder Singh last week in a match where the loser had to leave the Desi Hit Squad and go back to India.
The OGZ Still Have A Piece Of New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSPcDHGsAi8
After losing the Concrete Jungle Deathmatch at Bound For Glory, the OGZ met with the family bosses. King told Konnan the bosses were kind enough to allow them to keep a piece of New York provided they stay on their side and leave LAX alone. Then they left. So, I guess this means King and the OGZ are still around but they can’t do anything to mess with LAX, for a while at least, anyway.
Ethan Page and His 3rd Eye Pick Up A Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkMR8u3Q8QA
Ethan Page defeated Trevor Lee
Page and Sydal lost at Bound For Glory but that’s ok because as the Buddha teaches, life is suffering. That was how Sydal told Page to think about it, at least. They got back into the win column this week when Page defeated Trevor Lee in single’s action.
Jordynne Grace Is On Her Way To Impact Wrestling
Josh Mathews mentioned the news that Impact signed Jordynne Grace to a contract. Grace competed in the Battle Royal at All In. With the nickname “Thick Mama Pump”, Grace is a powerhouse who has won over fans across the independent scene.
Check out Grace in this free match from Smash Wrestling’s Northern tournament held this summer. Grace takes on Joey Janela in the tournament’s 1st round:
Quick Results:
Taya Valkyrie defeated Katarina
Ethan Page defeated Trevor Lee
Killer Kross via referee stoppage
Allie defeated Alisha Edwards
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) defeated Rich Swann
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, which was the 1000th edition, in Washington, DC at the Capital One Arena on the USA Network, Sheamus and Cesaro defeated The New Day to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. The finish of this title match saw The Big Show chokeslam Kofi Kingston through the announce table in order to help Sheamus and Cesaro win the titles.
According to Mike Johnson of Pwinsider.com, there has been some talk about naming the Big Show, Sheamus and Cesaro team as “Showbar.” WWE fans will likely find out why Show turned heel and joined forces with the newly crowned SmackDown Tag Team Champions on next week’s show.
The Rock’s Jingle Cruise Movie Gets New Release Date
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced on Friday that his film “Jungle Cruise” has a new release date, which was pushed back to July 24, 2020. Johnson and Emily Blunt will star in the movie, which is set to be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. He wrote the following on his official Instagram account:
“IT’S OFFICIAL. It’s a ways away, but we plant our summer flag today — JULY 24th, 2020. Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages. My partner in crime, Emily Blunt and I, cordially invite you to join us for THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME. What could possibly go wrong? All aboard.. DISNEY’S JUNGLE CRUISE.”
Braun Strowman is sporting a minor eye injury thanks to WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre. Cathy Kelley noted on the latest episode of “WWE Now” that Strowman suffered an eye injury after McIntyre connected with the Claymore. The injury is not serious and he should be fine.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Philadelphia, PA at the Wells Fargo Center on the USA Network, The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) defeated Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & McIntyre in a six-man tag team match, which served as the headliner.
Strowman recently took to his official Twitter account to send a warning to McIntyre heading into next Monday’s episode of RAW in Providence, RI at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
He wrote, “Took two of your best shots and got up from them!!! After I put the big dog down for good I’m coming for you @DMcIntyreWWE #GetTheseHands #TheMonstersComing.”
Strowman is slated to take on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns in a Triple Threat Match with the Universal Championship on the line at the upcoming Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Saud University Stadium on the WWE Network.
The groundwork is being laid for a new wrestling promotion. It involves some of the top players in the industry and financial backing from a billionaire family already involved in professional sports.
Jim Ross and Chris Jericho have been working with renowned agent Barry Bloom in putting the pieces together. JR’s contract with WWE expires shortly and he has declined an offer to renew. He has been sending out feelers to select WWE performers, while Jericho has been handling the New Japan side. Bloom was recently in Japan taking meetings related to this deal.
The project is being financed by the Khan family. Shahid Khan, the patriarch, is one of the wealthiest men on the world (and a colorful personality). He owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. of the English Premier League. Shahid’s son, Tony, is a big wrestling fan and has been hands-on with getting this off the ground. He follows a few wrestlers on Twitter, including Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll.
Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are on board, as are Hangman Page and a few others. Kenny Omega’s status is unclear. For what it’s worth, Bill Goldberg is a client of Barry Bloom, along with JR and Jericho. When The Elite has talked about sticking together next year, this is what they’ve been alluding to. Jim Ross has been coy about this on his podcast, vaguely teasing something big on the horizon without showing his cards.
With the A-level talent they are getting commitments from, the group will burn through a ton of cash quickly. They are moving forward with the understanding that significant losses are expected for the first couple years.
Talks are underway with AXS to secure a TV deal. AXS TV executive Adam Swift is fast-tracking this. (Update: A rep from AXS TV has denied this report.) AXS currently airs New Japan Pro Wrestling and recently announced Jeanie Buss’ Women of Wrestling premieres in January. Sinclair Broadcasting, which provided logistical support for All In and has been acting in good faith, has been in the dark about this story.
The timeline for this going live is 12-16 months from now (late 2019 / early 2020).
We’ve reached out to the involved parties for comment and will update this article if necessary.
Ring of Honor has announced some matches for the Global Wars tour that kicks off next month. The first match is at the event on November 7th where Tetsuya Naito & EVIL & BUSHI & SANADA will face ROH Champion Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham & Chris Sabin & KUSHIDA.
Also announced is ROH Champion Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham vs. The Young Bucks vs. Chris Sabin & KUSHIDA vs. The Kingdom’s TK O’Ryan & Vinnie Marseglia at the show on November 8th.
The Baltimore-based promotion will be holding this annual tour with both ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars just like they have done in previous years. More matches for this tour will be announced shortly.
The tour kicks off on November 7th in Lewiston, Maine, Androscoggin Bank Colisee and concludes on November 11th in Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre. The four shows will stream live on HonorClub. Here are the dates and locations:
November 7 – Lewiston, Maine, Androscoggin Bank Colisee
November 8 -Lowell, Massachusetts at Memorial Auditorium
November 9 – Buffalo, New York at Buffalo RiverWorks
November 11 – Toronto, Ontario at Mattamy Athletic Centre
ROH is hyping that the “Global Wars events could play a significant role for both companies” heading into the co-promoted G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 6, 2019.
There was one key member of the WWE NXT announce team that was not at Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. That person was lead announcer Mauro Ranallo. The reason for his absence was due to him being in New York City to receive a Mental Health Advocacy award from Fountain House. Vic Joseph did the announcing for NXT TV.
Ranallo posted the following on his official Instagram account, “Much love to my @shosports fam for coming out and supporting me last night as I received a #MentalHealth advocacy award from the FANTASTIC folks at @fountainhouse in New York city. Fountain House is the standard bearer for mental health care!”
Although WWE has yet to officially announce any matches or segments for next Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live in Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center, there are two matches being locally advertised. SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair and WWE Champion AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan & Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz & Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton in a six-man tag team match.
This episode will feature the fallout from SmackDown 1000 as well as continue to build the hype for WWE Evolution and Crown Jewel pay-per-view events.
WWE has announced a new special that will air on the USA Network this coming Monday, October 22nd.
Unlike previous specials that would typically air on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network, “Road to Evolution” will air after Monday Night RAW goes off the air on the USA Network.
In the official announcement, WWE notes that this special “will chronicle the journey to the first-ever all-women’s pay-per-view event, WWE Evolution” as well as “look back on the groundbreaking Women’s Evolution in WWE, featuring Superstars of the past, present and future coming together to celebrate a new chapter in WWE history.”
The special is also slated to air on E! on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 10/9 C following the latest episode of the reality series, “Total Divas.” 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
Battle Royal: Tamina, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Lana, Carmella, Sonya Deville, Naomi, Torrie Wilson – Winner will a receive championship match
As WWE gets closer to Crown Jewel on November 2nd, they will further the build to DX vs the Brothers of Destruction on Monday. According to a recent report from PW Insider, there are plans for Shawn Michaels to be on Monday Night Raw next week.
Monday Night Raw this week will be held in the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Shawn Michaels On Raw This Week
Shawn Michaels’ last match in WWE was a loss to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. Now, 8.5 years later, it’s looking as though HBK will be coming out of retirement. In storyline, the justification appears to be that it is the man who retired HBK who is calling for him to come back. In reality, the Saudi Arabia deal makes it possible for Michaels to earn more in one night than he’d previously been able to do.
The last time Shawn Micheals and Triple H teamed up as part of D-X was just two weeks before WrestleMania 26, aka the end of Shawn’s career. HBK and Triple H teamed up with John Cena on the March 14th, 2010 house. They defeated the team of Jack Swagger, Sheamus, and Batista. Michaels’ last match on Monday Night Raw was a win over Kane in a No DQ match.
From October 2017 to October 2018, Billy Corgan has turned the NWA from a nearly dead brand to one with renewed relevance. He expects the next year to be just as monumental as this last one.
Corgan’s NWA will run their first branded event on Sunday from the Nashville Fairgrounds. The NWA 70th Anniversary will be main event’ed by the NWA World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Cody and Nick Aldis.
Corgan sat down with the Ringer to give his thoughts on where his promotion is going.
Billy Corgan on the NWA in 1-Year
Because of Corgan’s financial independence, he’s in a good position to take his product where he believes it should go.
“I don’t need anybody’s financing, I don’t need anybody’s TV network. I can operate on my own and do exactly as I please. And so that gives me sort of a different ability on a street level to pursue what I think is the coming market,” Corgan stated.
Corgan also mentioned at some point the person who dictates where wrestling is going is going to be the person who is writing the cheques.
“The question is as simple as this: This alternate kind of universe, this 24/7 collection of disparate forces that now exist, non-WWE in the world, they are going to come together at some point. Because the market will dictate it. Cody and the Bucks have already proven that that’s there. And I feel pretty strongly in saying that I think everybody in the business, including WWE, is aware that that’s coming. The question is, who’s going to write the check to decide which direction it’s going to go in?”
WWE’s all-female PPV, Evolution, takes place in Long Island on October 28th, 2018. Up until recently, ticket sales had not thought to be going well.
According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, however, sales spiked after WWE announced Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella would headline the event.
“The announcement of Rousey vs. Nikki Bella last week did lead to a surge in ticket sales for the Nassau Coliseum show and it is expected to sell out,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella at WWE Evolution
WWE originally had announced Alexa Bliss vs Trish Stratus and Mickie James vs Lita for Evolution. Those two matches were later changed to single’s matches, however. The company was not able to announce Rousey vs Nikki until after Super Show-Down and Nikki’s heel turn. Some speculation holds that WWE announced the two single’s matches originally in an effort to boost ticket sales. Then, after they were able to announce Rousey vs Nikki Bella, WWE produced the angle where the legends matches were combined into one tag-team match.
In addition to Rousey vs Nikki and the legends matches, the NXT, Smackdown, and Raw Womens’ Championships will be defended on the show. Evolution will take place October 28th from Uniondale, New York.
On the latest episode of The Jim Ross Report, Good Ol’ JR gave his take on the likelihood of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks leaving the ROH and NJPW promotions in January.
Ross also discussed Impact’s Bound For Glory, Evolution, and much more.
Jim Ross On Kenny Omega And The Young Bucks
“As I said early on, the card for the Ring of Honor Madison Square Garden Show, with New Japan, will probably look entirely different then, compared to what one would assume it look like if it was booked today,” Ross said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of movement with some of the biggest stars in the game.”
While not betraying anyone’s confidence, Ross implied that his opinion is informed, and not just speculation. “Just picking up a little bit here, a little bit there, and I’ll keep you apprised,” Ross said.
“I’m talking to a lot of these cats that have opportunities to do other things, casually… I think some people’s motors are running and the wheels are turning,” he said.
JR On Bound For Glory
Ross also gave his take on Impact’s Bound For Glory event. Specifically, he discussed the angle involving Johnny Impact and Austin Aries.
“It was a creatively structured event. Got a lot of people talking. I’m guessing that was the goal, because I’ve never known Austin Aries to be unprofessional in anything,” Ross said. “I love what they did because it got people talking about a show that needed positive verbal reinforcement.”
WWE Evolution
JR also discussed the upcoming WWE Evolution show. He strongly put over Nikki Bella and Ronda Rousey’s segment from Raw this past Monday, and gave his thoughts on a potential match order for the event.
“I would pick Charlotte and Becky to close the show, in spectacular fashion, with death-defying athleticisism and physicality, and I would open the show with the tag match, Lita and Trish against Alexa Bliss and Mickie James. That’s a lot of star power and it gets people emotionally invested early,” he said.
Drew McIntyre
Ross offered some insight into Drew McIntyre’s booking, his potential, and his future. “It’s really clear to me now that the brass in WWE fully realize how great McIntyre can be as their top champion.”
JR posited that McIntyre may be headed for a coronation at the upcoming WrestleMania. “Let’s all keep our eye on Drew McIntyre and how he’s booked between now and WrestleMania,” he said.
“If my intuitions are right, and what seems to be the general direction WWE may be traveling right now, McIntyre is destined for greatness in the most supreme way.”
Other topics Ross covered on the show include the booking of Braun Strowman and what he would do differently, Bobby Lashley as a heel, Smackdown 1000, and the controversy surrounding Crown Jewel. The show also contains the second part of JR’s chat with Matt Hardy.
The full episode can be found below.
When referencing this transcript, please credit SEScoops.com. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Alexa Bliss has been out of action since Hell in a Cell. After losing a match to Ronda Rousey, Bliss began complaining of numbness in her arm. It’s not clear if that was her actual injury or whether it was to sell Rousey’s armbar, however.
According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, Bliss will be back in action this weekend at house shows.
“Bliss is scheduled back on the road for the house shows this weekend,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “She hasn’t wrestled since the Rousey match at Hell in a Cell on 9/16 due to an injury that had caused numbness in her arm.”
Alexa Bliss At Evolution
Bliss’ return to the lineup comes just in time for her program at Evolution. Bliss is scheduled to team with Mickie James to go up against Lita and Trish Stratus. The match was originally announced as two separate single’s contests but was later changed.
Lita recently spoke to UpRoxx regarding the all-female PPV and how she found out she’d be on it.
“We were told a while ago that there was going to be an all-women pay-per-view and they were still getting it together, but they asked if I’d be interested in being a part of it in some capacity – and I told them to count me in. That’s pretty much all the conversation was. I didn’t know if I’d be doing commentary or even just being invited to attend to support the women. And then I found out when you all did that Mickie James would be my opponent and I would not just be a part of Evolution but I’d actually be in the ring. That’s when you just hold your breath and go with it.”
Rumors were confirmed yesterday after WWE uploaded an official post to WWE.com highlighting their newest batch of NXT recruits.
One of those is former Impact Wrestling performer, Chelsea Green. She performed for Impact as the “hot mess,” Laurel Van Ness. She has also performed for Lucha Underground and recently wrestled in front of 10,000+ fans at the historic All In event.
Taking to Twitter, Green was ecstatic as she proclaimed, “WE DID IT!!!”
“Years of blood, sweat & tears have been she to take this picture. Thank you @wwenxt @wwe for giving me this opportunity to show the world the Hot Mess.”
WE DID IT!!! Years of blood, sweat & tears have been shed to take this picture. Thank you @wwenxt@wwe for giving me this opportunity to show the world the Hot Mess. Let the hard work begin. See ya at the top! pic.twitter.com/u6VK3h1bfV
Green was trained at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. She was a participant on the 2015 season of Tough Enough and is dating WWE superstar, Zack Ryder.
NXT Talent
Joining her in the recent batch of NXT signees are indie sensation, Matt Riddle, Mia Yim, Humberto Carillo, Luis (Punishment) Martinez, Daniel Vidot, and Jordon Omegbehin.
Matt Riddle debuted at NXT’s recent TV tapings. There has been rampant speculation that his first feud with the company will be against the Knockout Artist, Kassius Ohno at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
There is no word yet on when the “Hot Mess” Chelsea Green or any of her NXT cohorts will be making their television debuts.
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey delivered an impassioned promo against the Bella Twins on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, surprising a lot of fans as to how well delivered, energetic, and genuine she was able to make her words – especially when compared to previous promo time that the former UFC champion, and current Raw Women’s champion, Ronda Rousey has had.
The reason for this stark change is surprising: she wrote the whole promo herself.
“Do Nothing Bellas”
According to Dave Meltzer, the promo was based on her real-life feelings about women who get by in life on nothing but their looks. That spark was the genesis for her promo this past Monday, highlighted by her coining the phrase, “Do Nothing Bellas.”
Speaking about it on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alveraz commented that the “Ronda Rousey promo Monday […] she wrote the entire thing herself. She did not have a writer. She wrote that. The line about the Bella’s name being a stain on society? She wrote that. That’s how she talks.”
Evolution Sell Out
Since announcing Nikki Bella vs Ronda Rousey at WWE’s Evolution event last week, ticket sales have reportedly increased. With the crowd engaged and reacting positively to the feud as it continues to develop, it appears the WWE has tapped into a prominent feud that continues to escalate as Evolution continues to grow ever closer to selling out.
What did you think of her promo? Surprised that she was allowed free reign to script her own words?
Fans have different opinions on what WWE should do with their upcoming Crown Jewel event. Some believe that the company should switch places while others are raising their voice for the show to be canceled entirely.
During the latest edition of his Not Sam Wrestling Podcast, Sam Roberts discussed the issue and gave his thoughts on the whole situation surrounding the event.
Sam claimed that while Saudi Arabia has done a lot of questionable things, he is okay with WWE’s deal with the Kingdom in general.
However, continuing on the topic, Roberts said that since US is still figuring out whether or not they are going to have to retaliate against Saudi Arabia, Crown Jewel should not take place in the country.
Roberts also discussed how WWE has made a big investment in the show, and it will cost them money but he said that the company has to eat this one, mentioning how they were recently featured on the John Oliver show this week.
The last official word that came from WWE was after the reports of superstars being uncomfortable with the show came out. They said that they are maintaining an open line of communication with talents while also monitoring the situation.
At this point, WWE looks to be moving ahead with their plans for the Crown Jewel event. With the show being only 2 weeks away we should get a better idea on their final decision in the next few days.
WWE has released three NXT Superstars from their development deals without an official announcement, according to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The stars that have been released include Tian Bing, Jason Cheng, and Gabriel Ealy. It’s worth mentioning that Gabriel’s twin brother Uriel Ealy was released from his development contract back in June this year as well.
Tian Bing was signed by the company back in 2016. The Chinese star was brought into the promotion with a lot of hype and it’s a surprise that he was released so quietly.
Bing did appear in this week’s episode of NXT where he teamed up with Rocky to face Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Bing’s team lost this bout.
He was signed by WWE when they went to China looking for their next big star from the region. Tian Bing competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 and it was probably the biggest match of his career.
Jason Cheng who also goes by the name Cheng Yuxiang was signed with 6 other Chinese recruits 2 years ago. He competed in several NXT episodes and Live Events but rarely won.
Gabriel Ealy who was signed alongside his twin brother Uriel Ealy competed in a team called the Ealy Brothers but their team also did not achieve much during their time in the company.
Booker T has previously supported Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Hall Of Fame and the former WCW Star believes that it’s time to move on from this controversy.
T was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated and during the talk; he discussed matters such as WWE Hall Of Fame not having a building and more.
While talking about Hogan, the former World Champion said that if people still judged him for his past mistakes, he wouldn’t be where he is right now and it’s time to move on:
“If people still judged me from what I did 30 years ago, I would not be where I am now. Now I still have my broom, and I carry it around to sweep up all the dirt and trash I’ve left behind in my past. Hulk is also going to have to carry that broom in his back pocket and atone for his mistakes. But I think it’s time to move on.”
For those who don’t know, Booker T served 19 months in prison for two counts of aggravated robbery. He committed the crime in 1987 when he was 22 years old.
Apart from this Booker also continued talking about a possible in-ring return after he discussed it in an interview earlier this month and more. You can check out his full interview here.
