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“Switchblade” Jay White Joins The Firing Squad

Steve Russell
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At this year’s New Years Dash, which took place January 5th, the leader of the Bullet Club Kenny Omega personally invited Jay White to become the group’s latest member. White declined, later revealing he had joined CHAOS.

That partnership ended last month as both Gedo and Jay White turned their back on CHAOS, attacking The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada.

In that time, it appears Jay White has reconsidered the Bullet Club offer.

Breathe With The Firing Squad

After losing a hard match to NJPW Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, White would proceed to viciously attack his opponent, leading to the Ace’s greatest rival, Kazuchika Okada, to run out in order to make the save. Things only got worse as Gedo got involved, forcing longtime partner, Jado, to appear and try to calm the storm.

As things looked like they were finally settling, the Bullet Club OGs arrived.

The BCOGs grabbed both Jado and Gedo, giving Okada free reign to continue doling out payback to whomever he wished. Though uncertain at first, Okada ran to the ropes in order to attack Gedo only to be hit by an unexpected Gun Stun from Tama Tonga.

Jay White finally slithered into the ring, choosing this moment to enter the fray as both Tanahashi and Okada lay prone on the mats. It was uncertain if this was just a temporary alliance of convenience between the men until ‘The Switchblade’ stood over Okada and raised his hand into the ‘Too Sweet’ gesture. He would then hit his finisher, Blade Runner, onto The Rainmaker.

The group then left together, with “Switchblade” Jay White, Gedo, and Jado now aligned with Bullet Club’s Firing Squad.

What did you make of this? How do you think the addition of Jay White will play out for the BCOGs?

Chris Jericho Makes Surprise Appearance At King Of Pro Wrestling

Steve Russell
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3

EVIL’s love of Halloween and the macabre may be the very thing that hurt him today at NJPW’s King Of Pro Wrestling event.

Scheduled to take on Halloween-hating Zack Sabre Jr. in a one-on-one match with IWGP Intercontinental Championship ramifications, EVIL would end up being assaulted by one of the druids that had escorted him to the ring during his appropriately gothic entrance.

That druid would eventually unmask, revealing himself to be current IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Chris Jericho.

An EVIL Future

Unhappy with having his match called off, Zack Sabre Jr. proceeded to attack a number of Young Lions who were tending to the beaten EVIL. That attack extended to Tiger Hattori, before LIJ leader Tetsuya Naito made the save.

This one event sets up two future bouts between Tetsuya Naito and Zack Sabre Jr., as well as EVIL and Chris Jericho, most likely with the Intercontinental strap on the line.

“I Don’t Live And Let Die”

Jericho has been vocal in recent months about his low opinion of EVIL. When EVIL ran in to save Naito from a previous Jericho attack, Y2J claimed that EVIL needed to “mind his own f******g business,” and promised that he holds “grudges very deeply. I don’t forget. And I don’t live and let die.”

Today saw Chris Jericho being true to his word. It will be interesting to see how EVIL retaliates against the jet-setting superstar going forward.

What did you think of the Chris Jericho ambush? Where does their feud go from here?

LIJ Reveal New Member At King Of Pro Wrestling

Steve Russell
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1

Last week, New Japan Pro Wrestling released a slick video via YouTube featuring the members of Los Ingobernables De Japon. The video focused on LIJ leader, Tetsuya Naito, teasing that a new member would be joining them at King Of Pro Wrestling.

Naito took to the mic in order to build up towards the reveal of their new recruit, before playfully stating that it was NJPW announcer, Milano Collection AT. Waving it off, the screen changed, now emblazoned with the words ‘The Dragon.’

The newest member took his time entering the ring, allowing the speculation to continue and anticipation to build before finally revealing himself to be Shingo Takagi.

A Shared History

Shingo shares a common bond with the majority of LIJ, having been trained by Animal Hamaguchi – just like Naito, BUSHI, SANADA, and EVIL. This throwback connection makes him an organic choice for their wonderful band of misfits.

A 4-time Open The Dream Gate Champion, 6-time Open The Triangle Gate Champion, 5-time Open The Twin Gate Champion, he is also a former GHC Junior Heavyweight and ROH Tag Team Champion. He has also competed in global tournaments such as King of The Gate, wXw’s 16 Carat Gold, and PWG’s Battle Of Los Angeles.

Shingo is bound to be a great addition to the group if his debut outing is anything to go by:

What do you think of Shingo joining LIJ? Did you think it would be someone else? What did you think of his debut?

Bayley Wants To Wrestle Ivory At Evolution, Ronda Rousey Thanks The Riott Squad

Daniel Pena
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– WWE Evolution is only three weeks away and Bayley would like to wrestle a WWE Hall of Famer at the all-women’s pay-per-view event.

On Saturday, Ivory tagged Bayley in a tweet complimenting her arm drag with the hashtag “#Evolution.” Bayley responded, “Let’s wrestle.”

Ivory responded, “Can I have a year to get in shape, first?!” Bayley then said, “How about I give you until Oct. 28?” — Evolution takes place on October 28.

There’s a personal connection between the two as Bayley met Ivory when she was 12 years old and the then-WWE star asked her if she’s going to see her in the ring one day.

“I remember having the opportunity to meet Ivory as a kid, and she was the first woman’s wrestler that I met. She looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to see you in the ring one day aren’t I?'” Bayley said in an interview earlier this year.

“I took that sign that I was going to make it and then I met her again at Wrestlemania 30 or 31 as a member of the WWE roster and told her that story.”

– At WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins beat The Riott Squad in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match. The match ended in a unique fashion as Rousey made Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan submit simultaneously to a double armbar. Rousey took to Instagram on Sunday to thank Australia, The Bella Twins and even The Riott Squad.

Rousey wrote, “Yesterday moved me to my core. Thank you Melbourne. Thank you Australia. Thank you everyone who smiled back at me at #WWESSD … thank you @thenikkibella and @thebriebella for having my back in the ring last night…. And thank you #RiotSquad @rubyriottwwe @sarahloganwwe @yaonlylivvonce for being the force we had to reckon with.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Boo8mkMhDnC/

Rey Mysterio’s WWE Return Announced For Smackdown 1000

Chris Stephens
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WWE has confirmed that Rey Mysterio’s WWE return will indeed take place at Smackdown 1000. The landmark episode is scheduled to take place on October 16th from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

It will be the first time in 4 years Mysterio has appeared on an episode of Smackdown.

Mysterio had been rumored for the event in recent days but WWE just officially confirmed the news today.

Rey Mysterio Returns To WWE

Mysterio wrestled in WWE for a 12-year stretch from 2002-2014. He is a former 2x World Heavyweight Champion and briefly held the WWE Championship on one occasion as well. Mysterio is also a 2x Intercontinental Champions, and 3x Cruiserweight Champion. He won the tag titles along with Edge, RVD, Eddie Guerrero, and Batista. Additionally, Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble.

Mysterio has also received numerous awards from the wrestling media as well. The Wrestling Observer voted him Rookie of the Year in 1992, Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1996, and was voted into their Hall of Fame in 2010.

WWE Smackdown 1000

Smackdown 1000 will not only feature the return of Rey Mysterio but also the reunion of Evolution. The faction consisting of Randy Orton, Batista, Triple H, and Ric Flair is scheduled for the show as well.

WWE Adds Stipulation To Becky Lynch Vs Charlotte Flair Rematch

Chris Stephens
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0

WWE has added an important new stipulation onto the scheduled Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair match on Tuesday night. Shortly after Lynch was disqualified at Super Show-Down, the promotion announced the rematch would take place this week on Smackdown.

According to the recently announced stipulation, should Becky Lynch get disqualified Tuesday night as she did in Melbourne, Flair will be awarded not only the victory but also the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair Rivalry Statistics

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have met 4x in single’s matches (not including house shows). Lynch has won 3 of the 4, her only loss coming by way of DQ at Super Show-Down this weekend. They’ve met another 3x on house shows (all recently), where Lynch has successfully defended the championship on each occasion.

They have been in 7 of the same multi-person matches including 2 Money in the Bank matches. Of those 7 matches, Charlotte has won 2, Becky just one, and the rest were won by other competitors. In tag-team matches, they’ve only been on opposing sides once, which was the Raw vs Smackdown match at Survivor Series 2017. Flair’s Raw team won that match. So of the 12x they’ve been opposed each other on WWE programming, with each of them having won 4 matches, with the remainder having been won by other competitors in multi-person matches.

Impact Wrestling “Motown Showdown” Lineup For Tonight

Chris Stephens
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1

Impact Wrestling will present a live show on Twitch tonight in conjunction with Scott D’Amore’s Border City Wrestling. “Motown Showdown” will begin airing at 7PM live from Detroit city.

The show can be watched live and for free on Impact’s Twitch channel.

Impact Wrestling/Border City Wrestling
Motown Showdown

  • Johnny Impact vs Moose
  • Eddie Edwards and Tommy Dreamer vs Johnny Swinger and Jon Bolen
  • Kiera Hogan vs Gisele Shaw vs Scarlett Bordeaux
  • D-Lo Brown vs Kongo Kong
  • Ace Romero vs Sami Callihan
  • N8 Mattson vs Petey Williams vs Ace Austin vs Matt Sydal

The promotion released the following promotional video for the event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKaT4Rj6sM

Impact Wrestling Upcoming Schedule

Impact Wrestling kicked off a busy October last night in Windsor.  They filmed a One Night Only PPV with Border City Wrestling which is scheduled to air on the Global Wrestling Network on November 9th. They have the live Twitch show tonight and then head to New York for Bound For Glory.

Following BFG, Impact will remain in the Melrose Ballroom for 2 nights of television tapings. Their November tapings will take place over 3 days in Las Vegas’ Sam’s Town Casino, a former longtime ROH venue. Impact will film episodes there from November 11-13th. They will also run a seminar the night before for wrestlers, referees, and personalities.

Big Show’s Return Announced, WWE World Cup Qualifying Matches Scheduled

Chris Stephens
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The Big Show will wrestle his first match since losing inside a steel cage to Braun Strowman on the September 4th, 2017 edition of Monday Night Raw. Show will take part in 1 of 2 WWE World Cup Qualifying matches scheduled to take place Tuesday night on Smackdown.

Big Show will face Randy Orton with the winner earning a spot in the World Cup tournament scheduled to take place at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. In the other World Cup Qualifying match to take place on the show, Jeff Hardy will face Samoa Joe.

Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women’s Championship has already been confirmed for Tuesday’s Smackdown as well.

WWE World Cup At Crown Jewel

Little information is available regarding the format of the tournament. It is not clear as of this writing if it will be a tournament for individual competitors or if they will be grouped together by nations.

Confirmed matches for Crown Jewel include:

  • WWE Championship
    AJ Styles (c) vs Daniel Bryan
  • Universal Championship
    Roman Reigns (c) vs Braun Strowman vs Brock Lesnar
  • WWE World Cup Tournament

Shawn Michaels and Triple H versus Undertaker and Kane is also rumored for the event. That match could become official later this week.

Shayna Baszler Blasts 4 Horsewomen Of NXT

Chris Stephens
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2

Former NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler, recently took a shot at the 4 Horsewomen of NXT. During the inaugural Mae Young Classic, Baszler’s 4 Horsewomen of MMA got into a posturing-battle of sorts with the version consisting of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks.

Baszler took a stab at her faction’s rivals during a recent interview with Uproxx.

“They’re not in a stable,” Bazler said in reference to the NXT Horsewomen. “We’re not just four random guys. This is my whole argument about the thing. People are like, ‘Yeah but Charlotte is Ric Flair’s daughter.’ But they weren’t just four guys that made history which the fake Four Horsewomen did. They’re four girls that made history. That’s great, but that’s not what the Four Horsemen did. They were a team. They were a stable. And we’re a team. You don’t see us needing counseling to stay friends and bickering and feuding over … You know what I mean?”

Shayna Baszler in WWE 2K19

Baszler recently made her video game debut in WWE 2K19. An avid gamer, Baszler and Jessamyn Duke regularly stream games on their Twitch channel. She was asked if her move-set in the game is reflective of her real one.

“Obviously I spent a lot more time developing my in-ring style here at the [WWE Performance Center]. So even since the game, this new game, came out, I think I would probably be different than that. But it’s pretty wild to just be a selectable character. And to think my nieces can select me and play as me, that’s weird to think of.”

Penelope Ford To Challenge for NWA Women’s Title at 70th Anniversary

Staff
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The National Wrestling Alliance has announced it will be Penelope Ford challenging Jazz for the NWA Women’s Championship at the upcoming NWA 70th Anniversary show.

NWA 70th Anniversary Card

The NWA Women’s Championship match is the latest high-stakes contest to round out this card. The main event of the NWA 70th Anniversary show will see NWA World Heavyweight Champion Cody defending against Aldis. This “All In” rematch will be Best of 3 Falls.

Additionally, 8-men will compete to crown a new NWA National Champion. Two 4-man elimination matches will be held. The winners will advance to a singles match to with the National Championship on the line. The competitors include Sam Shaw, Willie Mack, Ricky Starks, Sammy Guevara, Scorpio Sky, Jay Bradley, Mike Parrow and Colt Cabana

The NWA 70th Anniversary takes place on Sunday, October 21st from Nashville, Tennessee. The show is available for purchase at FITE.TV for $24.99.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5xQmSIn2zI

Kota Ibushi Teases Putting His Career On The Line At King Of Pro Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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0

Kota Ibushi has a chance to become the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion tomorrow at King of Pro Wrestling. Ibushi will wrestle Kenny Omega and Cody in a triple threat match with the title on the line.

At a recent KOPW press-conference, Ibushi teased putting his career on the line in the match. His comments were transcribed by occasional NJPW World commentator and author, Chris Charlton.

“Wow! Ibushi: ‘Cody has a title, Kenny obviously is putting his title on the line. I have nothing to put on the line. So I want to put my wrestling career on the line here. That’s how much I want to have a legendary match.’”

The comments were made in such a way, however, that they likely shouldn’t be taken as a literal stipulation.

NJPW King of Pro Wrestling Lineup – October 8th, 2018

  •  IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
    Kenny Omega vs. Cody vs. Kota Ibushi
  • G1 Briefcase
    Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White
  • IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
    KUSHIDA vs. Marty Scurll
  • EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano and Roppongi 3K vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI, and a new LIJ member TBD
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and Takashi Iizuka
  • The Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Chase Owens vs. Guerillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale and Taiji Ishimori
  • Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma vs. Juice Robinson and Toa Henare
  • IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title Match
    Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask

Becky Lynch: “I Own Charlotte Flair”

Chris Stephens
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0

It has been an interesting weekend for Irish trash-talkers. Becky Lynch lost to Charlotte Flair at Super Show-Down in Melbourne yesterday but she is still the Smackdown Women’s Champion. Lynch was disqualified during the match for hitting her opponent with the title belt. Charlotte had her locked in figure-8 at the time.

WWE cameras caught up with Lynch as she was preparing to leave the venue at the event’s conclusion. Despite being the loser of the match, Lynch seemed proud just to be leaving with the belt.

“One of us walked out of Australia as the champ and the other was helped out as not the champ,” Lynch boasted. “WWE is filled with champions and nobody’s and for the champ business is good.”

Becky Lynch (c) vs Charlotte Flair – Smackdown

Shortly after Lynch retained her title through dubious means, the rematch was announced for this Tuesday on Smackdown. Lynch offered up her thoughts on the rematch as well.

“I don’t know how many more times I need to prove that I own Charlotte Flair,” she continued. “And I don’t care if I have to fight Charlotte. if I have to fight this company, if I have to fight anybody. I will make my mark on WWE and prove that I am the face of this company.”

How Long Do You Think Becky Lynch Will Be Smackdown Women’s Champion For? 

Triple H Says Inter-Gender Matches Are Just “Shock Value”

Chris Stephens
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2

Ahead of Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia Triple H spoke with Manny Tsigas of ABC Australia. The topic of inter-gender wrestling came up and Triple H offered his thoughts on the subject.

“There’s just a shock moment to that and a spectacle moment to that,” Triple H said. “They don’t need a man to step in the ring with them to make them have a spectacular match.”

“To have a man vs a woman, it’s just shock value, you don’t need it,” he continued.

Triple H On Inter-Gender Matches

The interviewer continued that inter-gender wrestling would empower female wrestlers but Triple H disagreed.

“To say for a female to prove that she is empowered she has to compete against a man, or to have a man in the ring with her to be able to do what she does at a high enough level? No, you know what makes a female empowered?” Triple H asked. “When she is so good with another female in the ring that no man on the card can stand up to them.”

WWE has had several inter-gender wrestling matches in the past. The most recent of which involved James Ellsworth losing to Asuka on Smackdown. Ellsworth defends the Inter-Gender Championship on the independent scene.

ROH Announces Full Card For Glory By Honor Baltimore

Chris Stephens
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0

Ring of Honor has announced several new matches for their upcoming event on Friday. The promotion will be in their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland for Glory By Honor on October 12th.

Here is the scheduled lineup for the event:

ROH Glory By Honor
Friday, October 12, 2018
UMBC Event Center
Baltimore, Maryland

  • ROH World Championship
    Jay Lethal (c) vs Silas Young
  • ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Championships
    Cody and the Young Bucks (c) vs Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky
  • Kenny King & Flip Gordon vs TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia (the Kingdom)
  • Villain vs Hero III
    “The Villain” Marty Scurll vs Shane “Hurricane” Helms
  • Shane Taylor vs Adam “Hangman” Page
  • Bully Ray vs Jonathan “the Octopus” Gresham
  • Non-Title
    the Briscoes vs the Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas
  • Non-Title
    Jeff Cobb vs Eli Isom

Ring of Honor is also advertising that Madison Rayne is scheduled to appear. Rayne recently signed a 1-year deal with the company. She’ll be looking to give a boost to the Women Of Honor division which just lost Tenille Dashwood to shoulder surgery.

2 nights after Glory By Honor in Baltimore, ROH will head to Philadelphia for a set of television tapings from the 2300 Arena. So far, a 6-man tag has been scheduled for that night featuring Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, and a partner TBD will take on all three members of the Kingdom.

WWE Crown Jewel Moved To Smaller Venue

Chris Stephens
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8

WWE’s upcoming show in Saudi Arabia has been moved to a new venue. The event will now take place at King Saud University Stadium. As with the Greatest Royal Rumble, the event was originally scheduled to emanate from the King Fahd International Stadium.

The capacity of the new venue is listed at 25,000. King Fahd stadium’s capacity is listed at just under 70,000. Both venues are located in the city of Riyadh. No word has been released as to why the change was made.

WWE Crown Jewel

There have only been two matches announced for the event thus far.

WWE Championship
AJ Styles (c) vs Daniel Bryan

Universal Championship
Roman Reigns (c) vs Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman

Another heavily speculated match could involve Shawn Michaels wrestling his first professional match since losing a match with his career on the line to the Undertaker at WrestleMania. The match was teased in the closing moments of Super Show-Down in Australia this weekend when the Undertaker and Kane attacked Shawn Michaels and Triple H. At the time, Triple H had just defeated the Undertaker in the main event of the show.

The Saudi Sports Authority has also advertised a “WWE World Cup” will take place on the show.

Charly Caruso On Joining ESPN, WWE Issues Statement On Her Status

Daniel Pena
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0

In addition to asking the tough questions on Monday Night Raw, Charly Caruso has begun working for ESPN as an on-air talent under her real name, Charly Arnolt.

Caruso revealed in an Instagram post on Thursday that she is now “officially an ESPN employee.” She will remain with WWE, which she considers her “home.”

“I’ll be doing a few things at ESPN from time to time for now, including SportsCenter updates and hosting the SportsCenter on Snapchat show,” Caruso wrote.

“I’m still in disbelief. WWE + ESPN = KILLER COMBO! I am so incredibly appreciative and fortunate for both of these wonderful opportunities!”

Caruso did a follow-up post on Friday discussing her thoughts on joining ESPN and the journey along the way.

“Feeling so incredibly blessed this morning! It’s tough to put my emotions into words. Not only do I get to work for one amazing company, I get to work for two…and live out a career I once only dreamed about,” Caruso wrote.

“For those who don’t know, I worked in local news for about 5 years before coming to @WWE. It’s been a serious grind. I was a one man band news reporter in Huntington/Charleston, WV…meaning I carried around a camera, tripod and microphone and covered all my stories by myself (oh, the stories I have) then I was a morning live news reporter in Kansas City, MO…then I went back to my hometown of Indianapolis, IN to work as a sports anchor/reporter. I was always a sports fan, but it was in Indy that I realized how much I belonged working in sports.

“After deciding I wanted to leave Indy, I was unemployed for about 4 months. I then co-hosted the Bob and Tom Show in Indianapolis for about 6 weeks (which was a blast) and in the meantime started shooting a YouTube show in my spare bedroom called “BackTalk Ball” (the episodes are still online!) A little while later…WWE saw my work, brought me in for an audition, and then thankfully brought me on board—where I entered into the world of sports entertainment! What a wild ride that has been. I’ve learned so much, traveled all over the world, and have met so many wonderful people with WWE. Most importantly, they’ve allowed me to be me and have provided great leadership for me to prosper and grow as a broadcaster.

“Now here I am…with the ability to work at both WWE and ESPN. I can’t think of a better fit for me. I’ve got the best of both worlds. A huge thank you to @ESPN for adding me to the team and a huge thank you to WWE for allowing me to do both. I know there’s a lot of overlap between the two worlds and I’m so excited for this new adventure of pulling #doubleduty!”

Caruso did six episodes of “BackTalk Ball” in spring 2016 on her YouTube channel. This is the final one she did before joining WWE in June 2016.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwMrr_mqMQ&w=560&h=315]

A spokesman for WWE told TheWrap.com that Caruso’s job with ESPN “will have zero impact on her WWE obligations.”

Peyton Royce And Billie Kay React To Australian Homecoming Victory

Chris Stephens
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6

Australia’s Peyton Royce and Billie Kay were victorious at WWE Super Show-Down today at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. They defeated the team of Asuka and Naomi in tag-team action.

WWE cameras caught up with both of the Iiconics shortly after their victory. Needless to say, they were emotional about the response they received from the live crowd.

The Iiconics: Billie Kay and Peyton Royce

While Billie Kay and Peyton Royce did go to the same high school together, they are actually 4 years apart in age. Billie is 29 and Peyton 25. They both received tryouts when WWE toured Australia in the summer of 2014, however. At the time, both were competing on the indy scene in Australia. Kay and Royce were signed and reported to the WWE Performance Center the following April.

“Melbourne is where we had our WWE tryout,” Royce said to Fox Sports recently. “Not the same venue, obviously – but it really is full circle for our whole journeys so far.”

During the same interview, Billie Kay mentioned they hope to spearhead a new Women’s tag-team division. “That’s realistically the next step in this evolution,” Kay said to Fox Sports.

Before signing with WWE, they were both regulars for the Pro Wrestling Alliance in Australia. Each was trained by Madison Eagles, a former 2x Shimmer Champion. Royce also traveled to Calgary, AB, Canada earlier in her career to train with Lance Storm. The Storm Wrestling Academy also trained the first-ever female Australian to sign with WWE, Tenille Dashwood.

Austin Aries & Johnny Impact Take Personal Shots At Each Other On Twitter

Chris Stephens
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4

Austin Aries and Johnny Impact will face each other for the Impact World Championship in 8 days at Bound For Glory. They took some time to build up their feud today through social media and they were not holding anything back. In fact, it’s not altogether clear things didn’t just get intensely “real” between the two.

Austin Aries and Johnny Impact

Johnny got things started by taking a stab at Aries’ height:

https://twitter.com/TheRealMorrison/status/1048351155082780673

Aries took offense to the “short shaming” and offered up some negative comments of his own. He referred to Taya Valkyrie (Johnny’s wife) as “husky” and also made other disparaging comments.

https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/1048393216255389697

This obviously did not go over well with Hennigan:

https://twitter.com/TheRealMorrison/status/1048413336096989184

Johnny’s wife, Taya Valkyrie, offered her own insights:

https://twitter.com/TheTayaValkyrie/status/1048417957410365440

https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/1048576087968509953

How Much Of That Was A Work?

Due to the nature of the wrestling business, it’s not easy to determine how much of what is written above was real and how much was in an effort to build up their match at Bound For Glory. It’s possible it started as a way to build up the match and was taken too far. On the other hand, it’s possible everything written above was a work. Then again, on a rare 3rd hand, it could be that everything happened organically in this situation.

Taya and Aries each offered closing thoughts on the matter earlier today:

https://twitter.com/TheTayaValkyrie/status/1048465781929861120

Taya will face Tessa Blanchard at Bound For Glory. The Knockouts Championship will be on the line as well.

Undertaker and Kane Blindside Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WWE Super Show-Down

Jake Skudder
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10

Triple H defeated The Undertaker in the main event of WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia. The Deadman finally fell after two Sweet Chin Music superkicks from Shawn Michaels and a Pedigree from ‘The Game.’

After the match ‘Taker and Kane stood with their arms raised alongside Triple H and Michaels. All four men appeared to be celebrating the ‘end of an era’ (again). Fireworks going off around the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the show appeared to be over. Both Undertaker and Kane then attacked the D-Generation X founders. Michaels was taken out of the ring and thrown through the announcer’s table.

We reported back in September that Shawn Michaels was preparing for a bout at the Crown Jewel event. It now looks as though the proposed tag team bout between the Brothers of Destruction and DX will now be coming to fruition in Saudi Arabia.

As we mentioned before this will be Michael’s first bout in 8 years. HBK lost in a retirement match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 and he has vowed to honor that stipulation. The exact monetary offer for Michael’s was not revealed however Brock Lesnar will perform at the show for a 7-figure sum, so the potential payday is lucrative. The actual revenue that WWE could be potentially gaining from the Saudi Arabia shows is huge. The exact number will not be available until the fourth quarter earnings are revealed in January/February but it is believed to be in the $40-45 million dollar range.

WWE Championship Match Confirmed for Crown Jewel

Jake Skudder
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10

WWE has confirmed the WWE Championship match for November 2nd in Saudi Arabia. WWE Champion AJ Styles will be defending against Daniel Bryan at ‘Crown Jewel.’

Bryan defeated The Miz at WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia earlier today. The match was unexpectedly short, Bryan took the win with a quick roll up very early on to a stunned reaction. WWE confirmed shortly after that Bryan would be heading to Saudi Arabia for the title match shortly after.

Daniel Bryan appeared for the bout with his mid-section taped. There did not appear to be any obvious signs of injury during the contest so it may have been cut short due to time restrictions. With the show being a WWE Network event it would be odd for a time cut but at the time of writing the Undertaker vs Triple H match had not yet occurred and may be going long.

AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are two of the most well respected Superstars in the industry. The two former independent stalwarts have tread much the same ground in Ring of Honor, New Japan et al. This could be a potential match of the year candidate if the match is given adequate time.

The Shield Victorious at WWE Super Show-Down, Ambrose Heel Turn Incoming?

Jake Skudder
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The Shield were victorious at WWE Super Show-Down against Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman. The story heading into the bout revolved around Dean Ambrose and whether he would turn on his long time stablemates, ala Seth Rollins’ original heel turn back in 2014.

There was a big tease during the bout that may have seen the ‘Lunatic Fringe’ finally turn heel. Ambrose has been portraying a babyface/tweener since late into the Shield’s initial run. Many fans are anticipating a change of pace for the character in the near future.

This came when Roman Reigns inadvertently hit Dean Ambrose with a Superman Punch. Ambrose was on the apron when Reigns attempted to hit his signature move on Drew McIntyre when the Scottish Superstar ducked out of the way. Ambrose was sent flying and reappeared several minutes later.

Later in the bout Reigns and Seth Rollins were surrounded by Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre. Ambrose then appeared and took several moments to enter the ring and help his Shield brothers.

In an interesting twist Roman Reigns hurled himself into a charging Strowman on the outside through the barricade, thus ‘saving’ Ambrose and allowing him to enter the ring and hit his Dirty Deeds finisher on Ziggler for the three count. The move from Reigns got a big pop from the crowd and when the three men celebrated post match.

Buddy Murphy Wins WWE Cruiserweight Title At Super Show-Down

Andrew Ravens
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The title reign of Cedric Alexander as WWE Cruiserweight Champion has come to an end and a new era under Buddy Murphy has begun.

Murphy was able to beat Alexander to win the title at Saturday’s (October 6, 2018) WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia on the WWE Network. This marks the first reign as WWE Cruiserweight Champion for Murphy and his first title win on the main roster.

Alexander held the title for over days after winning it when he beat Mustafa Ali in a tournament final to win the vacant championship that was part of the WrestleMania 34 pre-show on April 8, 2018.

This feud will continue as Alexander is owed a rematch for the strap against Murphy and it could come as soon as an upcoming episode of 205 Live or the next main roster pay-per-view event for the company, which is Crown Jewel.

The WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event takes place on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium and will air on the WWE Network.

What are your thoughts on Murphy being crowned champion? Was this the right time for a title change? Sound off in the comment section.

Jerry Lawler Says He Received Hate Mail For Attending Trump Rally

Rayan Sayyed
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WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler was an attendee at a Trump rally held in Mississippi this week.

He was seen wearing a Donald Trump t-shirt sitting right behind Trump in the front-row at the Landers Center.

In the rally, President Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony where she alleged that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her.

Jerry Lawler told TMZ that he got backlash from fans on social media and got hate mail for attending the rally.

“We were asked by some people to go to the rally, and I went and unbelievably received from some social media some actual hate mail just for going to the rally of Donald Trump.”

He clarified that he wasn’t there to support Trump, he just went there to “see a fellow WWE Hall of Famer.”

Lawler was also asked if he thinks Trump would return to the ring once his presidency is over. Lawler said he wouldn’t doubt it as Trump “did pretty good the first time.”

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AJ Styles Retains WWE Title At Super Show-Down

Andrew Ravens
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The title reign of AJ Styles as WWE Champion has continued and the era of him being the top star on the blue brand remains. 

AJ Styles was able to beat Samoa Joe to successfully retain the WWE Title at Saturday’s (October 6, 2018) WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia on the WWE Network. This marks yet another win for Styles over Joe in a top match on WWE PPV. 

Styles has held the title for over 300 days after winning it from Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown Live in November of last year in Manchester, England, which started his second reign as WWE Champion.

It will be interesting to see if this feud will continue as it appeared to be the final match in this rivalry. However, WWE could always keep it going and book them in another match, which could come as soon as the next main roster pay-per-view event for the company, which is Crown Jewel

The WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view event takes place on November 2nd, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium and will air on the WWE Network. It’s possible that WWE books this rematch at Survivor Series that also takes place in November instead.

What are your thoughts on Styles still being champion? Sound off in the comment section.

John Cena Victorious At Super Show-Down, Addresses WWE Future

Jake Skudder
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John Cena appeared as part of the WWE Super Show-Down event in Melbourne, Australia. The 16-time WWE Champion teamed with Bobby Lashley in a winning effort against Kevin Owens and Elias. Cena hit his new ‘Sixth Move of Doom’ on Elias to take the win.

Michael Cole also repeatedly called Cena the greatest of all time, the latest indication that Cena is in fact in the twilight of his career.  We recently reported that John Cena had got fans talking with a cryptic tweet that may have been referring to the 16-time champ potentially retiring. After the bout Cena, took took the microphone and addressed the WWE Universe.

“WWE has always been my home and will always be my home.” Cena then went on to say that “I have no idea what the future holds so I’m focusing on the now, and right now I’m standing in front of 70,000 plus people saying ‘what!?’ 70,000 people making some noise.”

Cena also thanked the fans in attendance for allowing him to come to Australia and perform at such an epic event. Michael Cole again referred to Cena’s legacy as he left the ring alongside Lashley to head to the back.

John Cena has been spending more time in China. The 41-year-old WWE legend has been filming a movie with Jackie Chan over the past three months and recently spoke to WWE.com regarding his experience.

Cena stated that “I feel adjusted, things are still new and fun and I don’t quite understand everything. I think it would probably take a few years, but it’s amazing how much more comfortable I became after about a month and a half.”

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