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Impact Wrestling 8/23 Preview: Mexican Death Match

Chris Stephens
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0

Impact Wrestling tonight will be their first episode from the August tapings. The promotion taped inside Toronto’s Rebel Nightclub on August 12 & 13th. Next week’s episode will be a special-branded “Impact ReDefined” show. Following the next 4 episodes, Impact will head to Mexico City for two nights of tapings there.

Impact Wrestling Preview 8/23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CZMD1yC5Kw

Brian Cage Speaks

Brian Cage still hasn’t been pinned or submitted since arriving in Impact Wrestling earlier this year. He will speak for the first time since arriving in the territory tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ooJNRxXfbU

The current X-Division Champion found out last week his next title-challenger will be Fenix. The two will meet for the title next week at Impact ReDefined.

Kiera Hogan vs Alisha Edwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-S0fKEaIqw&t=7s

There is said to be mutual respect between Hogan and Edwards heading into this match.

Edwards better not be too worried about the ongoing mental spiraling her husband is going through. If so, Hogan could likely pick up her 3rd televised victory for the promotion. She’s already defeated Laurel Van Ness and Taya Valkyrie (via DQ) so far this year.

Fallah Bah & KM vs the Desi Hit Squad

Last week, Bah and KM were given some advice from Scarlett Bordeaux. The Smoke Show expressed to KM that they had tried things his way and maybe they should try things Bah’s way now.

KM seemed to get behind the idea and even stressed he would be buying matching tights.

LAX Celebrate Their Street Fight Victory

LAX defeated the OGZ and took back possession of the Impact tag-team titles they never officially lost. Tonight, Santana and Ortiz will host a live in-ring celebration.

Perhaps King and the OGZ will be watching…

Matt Sydal In Single’s Action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGzp6buX6QA

Matt Sydal has had to find a new purpose and direction since losing the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary.

Sydal seems to have made peace with the fact that the X-Division Championship chose Cage and not him. He’ll continue his new journey tonight as he takes on a wrestler TBD (not Richard Justice).

Eddie Edwards Speaks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM11TQSlorM&t=182s&frags=pl%2Cwn

Eddie Edwards was robbed of his chance to win the Impact World Championship recently. Just when it seemed as though Edwards had the title won, Killer Kross interfered and cost him the match. It was then revealed that Kross and Aries are aligned.

Kross and Edwards took out Edwards again last week during a talking segment. Edwards is going to try things again tonight, however, and perhaps hope for a better result.

Mexican Death Match
Pentagon Jr. vs Sami Callihan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_73F6etiA&t=8s

Impact Wrestling heads to Mexico in 3 weeks but tonight Mexico comes to the Impact ring. Callihan challenged Pentagon to this Mexican Death Match tonight.

The promotion is advertising that this will be the first Mexican Death Match ever broadcast on national television.

Last week’s quick results:

  1. Fenix defeated Sami Callihan
  2. Johnny Impact defeated Jimmy Jacobs via DQ
  3. Eli Drake defeated Joe Hendry
  4. Allie defeated Su Yung (non-title) via DQ
  5. Street Fight: LAX defeated OGZ

If you missed last week’s episode, check out our 9 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/16.

NWA Announces 70th Anniversary Special Event

Chris Stephens
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Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance is ready to produce their first show. The event will take place on October 21st from the Nashville Fairgrounds in Tennessee.

“It’s such an honor to be leading this historic brand into its next chapter,” Corgan said. “The enduring legacy of the National Wrestling Alliance — the men who forged it and the champions who defended it — illuminate our path in 2018. This event celebrates our first full year shepherding this brand while honoring the everlasting milestones, legends and champions of the NWA.”

The show will be available to purchase live through the FITE app.

Current NWA Champion, Nick Aldis, will next defend the title on September 1st against Cody. The result of that match could factor heavily into the booking of the NWA’s anniversary event.

NWA 70the Anniversary Special

The NWA will be running the show in conjunction with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling. Jarrett was quoted in the press release. He had the following to say in regards to the event. “This will be an event no fan will want to miss, and I’m honored to work with Billy on a show of this magnitude,” Jarrett said.

After taking ownership of the NWA in October 2017, Corgan and company have slowly built the brand back to respectability. Then champion, Tim Storm, carried the title for a few months before dropping it to Aldis at a CZW event late last year.

Other NWA regulars in the last year have included Jocephus, Tim Storm, and Auston Idol.

Chris Jericho To Debut New Special On Travel Channel

Chris Stephens
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Chris Jericho likes to keep busy. In addition to promoting a cruise, wrestling with NJPW, touring with Fozzy, and hosting his own podcast, Jericho has signed on for a special with the Travel Channel.

“The Legend of…With Chris Jericho” will debut on November 17th, 2018 at 11 PM.

Chris Jericho Travel Channel

The network describes the show as following Jericho while he “brings his lifelong fascination for history’s unexplained legends and the figures behind them to Travel Channel. Digging into the past, Jericho searches for answers that separate fact from fiction in order to find the true story behind the legend.”

A previous special involved Jericho searching for Butch Cassidy’s treasure. Jericho will now head to the Louisiana swamp to search for swamp creatures in this new special.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbKa35fHgGE/?utm_source=ig_embed

What’s Next For Chris Jericho?

Jericho has said he pitched an idea to Vince McMahon for Summerslam this year. He pitched the idea of an IWGP Intercontinental Champion vs WWE Intercontinental Championship match. Jericho won the title from Tetsuya Naito at Destruction in Osaka on June 9th.

Following his cruise in October, Jericho will likely be looking to build toward a possible Tokyo Dome match with NJPW in January. Once 2019 begins, however, Jericho has promised things could get interesting.

Jericho has also said he is no longer sticking to his promise of only working for Vince McMahon in the United States.

Update On Pentagon Jr. and Fenix To WWE

Chris Stephens
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New details have emerged in the ongoing saga of Pentagon Jr. and Fenix. Last week, it was reported the brothers have told promoters dates they committed to in 2019 were now in question. In an update to this story, it appears neither brother is accepting bookings beyond 2018 at the moment.

“The main thing is that both are not taking any dates in 2019,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer. “Which is usually a sign of going to WWE.”

MLW pulled the brothers from an upcoming show in October amidst the rumors. They have both been booked for Impact’s Bound for Glory show that month, however. If the brothers planned on committing to any other promotion, they’d probably still be able to accept bookings considering the attitude towards exclusivity currently exhibited by non-WWE promoters such as Impact and MLW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d50dB48baXw&frags=pl%2Cwn

Pentagon Jr and Fenix WWE Speculation

The Lucha Bros contracts with LU contain opt-out clauses following this season. Both would have to wait for 6-months after the season airs to debut for another promotion, however.

The departure of the brothers from the non-WWE scene could potentially affect multiple promotions. As of the beginning of yesterday’s episode of Lucha Underground (I haven’t seen the episode), Pentagon Dark is the LU Champion. The Lucha Brothers are also the MLW Tag-Team Champions and play a large role in Impact Wrestling as well.

WWE Evolution Main Event Expected To Be Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella

Chris Stephens
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There is another reliable report out regarding the planned WWE Evolution main event. According to the Wrestling Observer, Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will face Nikki Bella in the headline match of WWE’s historic all-women’s pay-per-view.

“The lead idea for the Evolution main event on 10/28 at the Nassau Coliseum is Rousey vs. Nikki Bella,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “With the idea you are headlining with the two biggest mainstream women stars in the company.”

Over the past week, we’ve seen The Bella Twins return to WWE television and Ronda Rousey capture the RAW Women’s Championship. At both SummerSlam and Raw, the Bella Twins have had stood alongside Rousey in celebrating her championship victory.

WWE Evolution takes place on Sunday, October 28th from Long Island, New York at the Nassau Coliseum. Expect to see more interactions between Rousey and the Bellas in the coming weeks. The Bellas have been supportive of Rousey thus far. It will be interesting to see how and when things go sideways.

Visit our WWE Evolution event page for more information.

WWE Evolution Main Event

The storyline may have already started to take shape this week. The Bellas were ringside during Rousey’s segment with Stephanie McMahon on Raw. They were also shown watching Rousey win the title at Summerslam.

The Bellas and Rousey are not strangers. The Bellas would sometimes train with Ronda when they were in California before Rousey got into the business herself. Rousey and her team would teach the twins MMA and judo moves, while the Bellas taught them wrestling moves. The Bellas and Rousey appeared together at the 2015 ESPY awards as well.

In 2015, Nikki told TMZ reporters she would love to face Ronda some day.

Update On Alberto El Patron’s Withdrawal From TripleMania

Chris Stephens
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Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) has had a falling out with another pro-wrestling promotion. Yesterday, AAA Lucha Libre announced the full card for this weekend’s TripleMania show. Alberto was noticeably absent from the lineup.

“The promotion soured on him when he no-showed the Impact vs. AAA show in New Orleans and just felt with his track record that he wasn’t worth the risk,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Earlier in the year, Alberto teased he would face a legendary opponent on the show. He has said he had talks with the promotion about wrestling against or teaming with Rey Mysterio Jr. for the event. While Albero has never officially left the promotion, his name has not been mentioned on their television in months.

Alberto El Patron TripleMania

AAA owner, Dorian Roldan, went public in Mexico saying Alberto’s no-showing the Impact vs LU was a significant factor. Alberto has gone public and said the two sides were negotiating after his no-show.

TripleMania takes place August 25th, 2018. The main event of the show will feature a 4-way cage match. Pentagon, Psycho Clown, El Hijo Del Fantasma, and LA Park will be the participants. After 2 luchadors have escaped the cage, the final two will wrestle a single’s match. The loser of that match also loses their mask.

WWE Confirms Erick Rowan’s Injury, Charlotte Made History At SummerSlam

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE Confirms Erick Rowan’s Injury

We noted before how Erick Rowan suffered an injury during his SummerSlam match with the New Day though at the time, WWE was yet to officially confirm that he was injured.

The company confirmed his status after Bludgeon Brothers’ No Disqualification match with The New Day on SmackDown with the following statement, revealing that he is scheduled for a surgery later this week:

“Rowan of The Bludgeon Brothers has suffered a torn right bicep, WWE.com has learned. The former SmackDown Tag Team Champion is currently scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the injury this week.”

Charlotte Made History At SummerSlam

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte made history when she defeated Carmella and Becky Lynch in a triple threat match at the SummerSlam PPV for the title, by becoming the female Superstar with the most Women’s title reigns.

Flair is on her 8th reign now after winning the Women’s title 4 times on Raw, 2 times on SmackDown, 1 time in NXT and winning the Diva’s title one time as well.

Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus also has 8 title reigns, but one of them was with the Hardcore Title. With her win, Charlotte now also holds the record for the most PPV wins at 24.

Cody Comments On Modern Booking vs Audiences

Steve Russell
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The ‘All In’ press train is still steaming ahead, with Cody, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks seemingly inundated with media junkets for their sold-out event, which takes place September 1st.

Anticipation for the event is undeniable, with the card offering a mix of wrestling styles and wrestlers from promotions around the world, brought together under one roof at the Sears Centre in Chicago to create wrestling history.

The breadth of work, craft, and organisation to book a feat of this magnitude would intimidate most people. Not Cody, et al.

A Booking Crossroads

Speaking during the Starrcast media conference, Cody broached the topic of modern pro wrestling booking, and how that has inflected ‘All In’, as well as his mindset towards the business going forward.

“The approach and the attitude of a booker, promoter, performer, competitor… however you wanna put it, towards the audience is still a bit gripped in the concrete of old. A little bit,” said Cody. “There was this whole thought process of “We know what they want more than they know what they want”. And to some extent, it’s still your narrative. And it’s still yours to put out there for them to enjoy. And you hope you judge their sensibilities correctly.”

He goes on to comment on today’s modern booking style, as he sees it, “[…] what I’ve learned, especially since I paired up and hooked myself up to the Bullet Club, which has been so beneficial to me, what I’ve learned is that you cannot force anything… anything on the fans.”

“This is the era of absolute gag reflex,” he states. “They [the fans] will push it back. They do not… They’re not interested in things being forced on them and that makes this playing field a lot more even for different wrestlers, managers, different promotions, everything. Because everybody gets to go out there, play their music and maybe it’s not the reaction folks intended but it gives you the opportunity… it’s a whole different ballgame. And it’s made me much more open-minded.”

If there’s anyone who would know about the old way of booking, it would be the son of a son of a plumber.
The education Cody would have been privy to through sheer osmosis watching his father, Dusty Rhodes, would put him in a prime position behind the scenes.

It’s encouraging to see him question the old mindset, pushing forward with his own ambitions for the backstage process, whilst listening to and acknowledging the tastes of a modern audience.

The kind of audience that sells out an event like ‘All In’ in approximately thirty minutes.

Visit our All In event page for more information.

Jason Jordan Produced Match On This Week’s SmackDown Live

Anutosh Bajpai
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While there has been no official news regarding his status, the perspective on Jason Jordan’s future with WWE has changed drastically in the past few weeks.

Jordan who was originally expected to return within a few weeks has spent the last 6 months on the shelf and just recently it was revealed that he has been shadowing WWE producers from a while.

Now Pwinsider is reporting that Jordon actually produced one of the matches on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live and the former NXT Star helped put together the match between Naomi and Peyton Royce on the show.

Jason Jordon was sent home to heal by his storyline father Kurt Angle back in February and he was originally expected to return to the ring just a few weeks later, after WrestleMania.

However, it has been more than 6 months since then and earlier this month it was reported that his neck injury has turned out to be worse than first thought.

With the reports of him shadowing WWE producers and now producing a match on a live show, speculation about his in-ring career possibly being over have begun.

Though since the company has not provided any official statement on his status, there is still hope for Jason and expectation about him returning to ring somewhere down the line are still alive.

Kurt Angle Training For In-Ring Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kurt Angle is gearing up for an in-ring return, which explains the storyline that he has been temporarily relieved of his duties as RAW General Manager.

Angle has wrestled several high-profile matches this year. He teamed with Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania against Triple H and Stephanie. Many people considered that the best match on the card. He later wrestled at the Greatest Royal Rumble from Saudi Arabia.

At this time, there is no definitive word on who Angle will feud with when he returns. Baron Corbin or Triple H seem like logical options.

Kurt Angle Put On Hiatus As RAW General Manager

A championship celebration took place on Monday’s Raw featuring new Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. Women’s Revolution creator Stephanie McMahon and many other top female stars were in attendance. During the segment, Stephanie tried to project Rousey as her protégé, but it ended with the Commissioner in an arm bar once again.

Later in the show, Baron Corbin was quick to put the blame for Stephanie’s assault on Kurt Angle. Stephanie agreed that Angle failed to maintain order, resulting in her own physical pain. As a result, she put Kurt Angle on mandatory vacation and made Corbin the acting Raw General Manager.

It was just a few weeks ago that Kurt Angle stated he’d like to become World Champion one more time.

Do you want to see Kurt Angle back in the ring this year? If so, against who?

SmackDown Audience Increases Significantly For Post SummerSlam Episode

Anutosh Bajpai
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This week’s episode of SmackDown had a huge momentum coming from the SummerSlam PPV and the show was able to cash it in and convert it into ratings.

The SmackDown episode featuring a highly praised No Disqualification match between The New Day and the Bludgeon Brothers drew a total of 2,437,000 viewers.

This is up 11% from last week’s episode of the event and the best number the Blue Branded Show has done since the final episode of April earlier this year.

In comparison, last week’s SummerSlam go home edition of the show featuring AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event segment had drawn 2,189,000 viewers.

Though since the legal news regarding President Trump’s associates earlier in the day resulted in a big day for news channels, the show ended up being #13 in the cable viewership for the night.

The episode of Miz & Mrs. which aired after SmackDown Live also saw an increase in audience and it drew 1,235,000 viewers, which is the third biggest audience for the show since its premiere.

With a Championship match between Charlotte and Carmella and more announced for the upcoming episode, it will be interesting to see if SmackDown is able to maintain the ratings next week or sees a drop.

WWE NXT Recap & Results (8/22)

Robert Lentini
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Bianca Belair Defeated Deonna Purrazzo

Bianca Belair NXT 8 22

Bianca Belair battled Deonna Purrazzo on this week’s episode of NXT. Belair started off the match control and connected with a Dropkick. Bianca followed it up with a Gutbuster for a near fall.

Belair hit Deonna with a couple of elbows to the midsection and then connected with a Body Slam. Belair went for a standing Moonsault but Purrazzo rolled out of the way and Bianca crashed to the canvas.

Deonna hit a couple of chops and followed it up with a boot to the face. Purrazzo then dropped Belair with a Hip Toss and followed it up with a Dropkick for a near fall. Belair battled out of an Arm Bar and then lifted Purrazzo up in the Torture Rack. Bianca then hit a Facebuster for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1032419756811411456

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1032420849326977024

Pete Dunne Retained The United Kingdom Championship

Pete Dunne NXT 8 22

Pete Dunne defended the United Kingdom Championship against Zack Gibson tonight on NXT. Gibson and Dunne locked up to start off the match. Gibson brought Dunne to the canvas as the Brooklyn crowd was heavily behind the United Kingdom Champion.

Gibson hit Dunne with a cheap shot to Dunne’s throat but Pete battled back with a gigantic forearm to the face. Dunne brought Gibson to the mat and started to manipulate his fingers as Zack screamed in pain.

Both Superstars got tied up while upside down on the canvas. They then started to trade shots and the crowd erupted. Dunne got the upper hand and stomped on Gibson’s elbow as the crowd chanted “Bruiserweight!”.

Gibson hit Dunne with a forearm to the face and then applied a Headlock in the center of the ring. Pete battled free with a chop to Gibson’s chest but Zack responded with a Belly to Back Suplex for a near fall.

Zack got some revenge and started to bend Dunne’s fingers back before transitioning into a Cobra Clutch. Dunne quickly battled to his feet but was greeted with an elbow to the face from Gibson.

Dunne got pissed off and hit a massive right hand to Gibson’s face that knocked him on his ass. Dunne followed it up with an Enziguri and a roundhouse kick to Gibson’s face. Dunne hit an Exploder Suplex and went for an Arm Bar but Gibson escaped out of the ring.

Pete Dunne climbed up to the top rope and hit Gibson with a Moonsault off the top rope as the crowd chanted “NXT!”. Back in the ring, Dunne hit a Double Stomp to Gibson’s midsection as Zack pleaded for mercy.

Dunne followed it up with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Gibson was able to kick out at two. Pete went for a Moonsault off the second rope but Gibson was ready and connected with a kick to the face. Gibson then hit a Lumbar Check for another near fall.

Gibson went for another cheap shot but Dunne blocked it and stomped on Zack’s hand. Dunne and Gibson then took each other out at the same time and crashed to the canvas as the crowd once again shouted “NXT!”.

Dunne hit Gibson in the face with an Enziguri and then perched him on the top rope. Pete joined him up there and set up for a Superplex. Gibson blocked it and connected with a Superplex of his own for a two count.

Gibson tried to apply the Shankly Gates submission but Dunne blocked it for a moment. Gibson stayed on the attack and was able to lock in the hold in the middle of the ring. Dunne battled through the pain and was able to use his mouth and bit the bottom rope to break the hold.

Zack Gibson stomped on Dunne several times as the crowd booed. Dunne’s mouthpiece fell out while he was being stomped on. Gibson leveled Dunne with a Lariat and then picked up the mouthpiece.

Gibson went to throw it into the crowd but Dunne grabbed his hand and snapped his fingers back. Dunne then hit Gibson with the Bitter End for the pinfall victory. Pete Dunne is still the United Kingdom Champion.

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/1032432257053667328

The majority of this week’s episode of NXT was devoted to recapping NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 that aired this past Saturday night on the WWE Network. It was also revealed that NXT Superstar Nikki Cross may have witnessed who attacked Aleister Black in the parking lot.

Exclusive: Interview with Rev Pro Owner Andy Quildan

Jake Skudder
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Revolution Pro Wrestling/Rev Pro will be holding their first set of Television tapings this September. The British based company is part of the ‘Big Four’ UK brands alongside PROGRESS, OTT and ICW. We recently spoke to company owner Andy Quildan on the upcoming tapings. Rev Pro’s working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, WoS and more.

SEScoops: Thank you for your time Andy. The television tapings for Rev Pro ‘International Wrestling’ take place on September 5th/6th in York Hall. What was the catalyst for bringing about a television show for Rev Pro?

Andy Quildan: We were asked nicely to do it! In all seriousness though I’ve always maintained (and still do) that television isn’t the be all and end all of any pro wrestling product, especially with how the business has evolved & with the advent of new technology. For me having a product on TV needed to be right for us.

We were approached by a company about providing the wrestling content for a show whilst they provide the production. Anyone that knows me and knows my story knows that I’ve built RevPro from the ground up. Through necessity we’ve had to do a lot of stuff in house & teach ourselves how to do things.

I understand fully the fact we’re not perfect as every single day is a new learning experience (& I expect this venture to be no different). What I do know is I know how to put on a good wrestling show! This venture has given us the opportunity to work with people who know what they are doing when it comes to production. That means it’s a chance for us to not only grow but also learn which will hopefully help our all around production methods moving forward. It really was a no brainer.

Was WoS a Factor?

SEScoops: Did the return of WoS/World of Sport have an impact on your decision? Was Television always going to be the next step for Revolution Pro?

Andy Quildan: No and no! 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.

I feel if you are constantly comparing yourself to others you will never measure up as everyone has their strengths, things they do better than others. This can lead to quite a negative mindset. Therefore the only thing I compare myself to is myself yesterday. So I speak for myself and RevPro when I say WoS had literally no baring in this.

Did it open the eyes of the production company and TV station? I don’t know the answer to that. But it’s possible. Was TV the next step? As I discussed earlier, no. It really never was the plan. But I’m open minded and I know when opportunities arise you need to take them. I don’t want to ever be one of those people that finishes up and asks ‘What if I’d given it a go.’ Carpe diem and all that!

Working with NJPW

SEScoops: Your working relationship with New Japan has brought some incredible stars over to the UK and even given the likes of Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr and Marty Scurll a platform to reach NJPW. If you could send another U.K. scene star/tag team to New Japan on an ‘excursion’ who would that be?

Andy Quildan: If you mean to compete I think we have a number of candidates who would do tremendously well there. Aussie Open, El Phantasmo, Chris Ridgeway to name a few. As far as an extended stay I feel the likes of our recently graduated ‘Contenders’ Kurtis Chapman, Dan Magee & Rob Lias would all benefit greatly from the experience.

NJPW Stars on UK TV?

SEScoops: You’ve already announced several New Japan stars for the show including Zack Sabre Jr, Roppongi 3K and even Kevin Kelly on commentary. Were New Japan talents always going to be part of the new TV project or did that materialise after you begin preparing for the tapings?

Andy Quildan: We are just being us, presenting a product that represents us, our values, beliefs. Wrestlers from New Japan and indeed around the entire world are a big part of our identity & it wasn’t even something I needed to think about. Kevin Kelly got the role of announcer as I believe him to be the best play by play man today. It was of course the Strong Style Evolved UK shows that opened up our working relationship and again he was an absolute pro, did a great job and that has led to us continuing that relationship. I think his involvement can only be seen as a positive.

British J Cup

SEScoops: You have the British J Cup event coming off the heels of the International tapings on September 8th and 9th in Manchester. The Super J Cup styled tournament had a very successful start in 2017 and appears to be becoming a staple of the Rev Pro calendar. Would you ever consider running a G1 style tournament for heavyweights?

Andy Quildan: If the market was there for it I would love to. I’d run wrestling shows every day of the week if I could, but it’s one step at a time. Let’s keep growing, moving forwards, entering new areas, putting together a strong team and hopefully one day we’ll be in a position to do that.

SEScoops: You recently held your Summer Sizzler 2018 event at York Hall. How on earth did Tomohiro Ishii face WALTER 5 days after the G1?

Andy Quildan: I often wonder how Tomohiro Ishii does a lot of things. He is consistently outstanding and for my money the best wrestler in the world. He has been the MVP of so many of my shows and Summer Sizzler was no different.

 

Cody, Kenny Omega, Young Bucks & Adam Page Pledged to Stay Together Next Year

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Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Adam Page have made a pledge to stay together next year, no matter what.

On Wednesday, a media conference call was held to promote next weekend’s All In event and the weekend-long Starrcast convention. I had a chance to participate in the call and there was a pretty newsworthy statement made by Cody about the Bullet Club members behind All In.

When Cody and the Bucks sold out a 10,000+ person arena for All In in less than a half hour, you can be sure it got on WWE’s radar. When Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling sold out Madison Square Garden in a matter of minutes, many fans were left wondring the same thing. Which of the performers involved will WWE attempt to sign, in an effort to suppress the momentum of the Bullet Club, ROH and New Japan?

Cody Rhodes was asked what’s next for his gang after All In on September 1st. Cody said he does not know where he (and the others) will be working next year. However, he did reveal that he, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Adam Page have made a ‘verbal commitment’ to each other that they will stick together no matter where they wind up.

“As far as what’s next, I really wish I could answer, ” said Cody.  “A lot has happened in the last few weeks. A lot of discussions about the future. One thing that’s special about this, and I have to be rather cagey in answering, one thing that is special about this group is we have verbally committed to each other and I don’t know that that’s ever been done in the history of professional wrestling, where I have verbally committed to the Bucks, the Bucks, Kenny Omega, Hangman Page.”

He continued, “There’s this verbal commitment that the next step we take because it’s no secret.  Our contracts are all up…what happens next?  The next step we take, we’re going to take it together and we’re going to take it as a family.  It could be the dumbest move ever. Wrestling is sorta a shady business or we can do what my gut tells me, the right call.”

A verbal pledge like this is unprecedented. It is the latest sign that Cody, the Young Bucks & company are onto something special and have tremendous confidence in themselves.

It’s been reported that Cody and The Bucks’ Ring of Honor contracts expire at the end of the year. Kenny Omega is signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling through January 2019.

Will Cody, the Bucks, Omega and Page remain with ROH & New Japan? Will they join WWE together? Will they star their own promotion? Only time will tell. One thing we do know: it’s going to be a very interesting few months ahead.

For more on ALL IN, visit our All In news page.

The Young Bucks Release New Theme Music (Audio)

Chris Stephens
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The Young Bucks will debut a new entrance at All In. Their new ring entrance music debuted earlier today, however, during an episode of Chris Jericho’s podcast.

The entrance music was produced by Meat Sauce Media in conjunction with Killing the Business. Check out the new Young Bucks theme in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8sMOe1qRQc&frags=pl%2Cwn

New Young Bucks Theme Music

The song is by the band Class of 88. On August 24th, fans will be able to purchase the theme on 7-inch vinyl which will also feature bonus tracks by “Papa Buck” Matthew Lee Massie.

Fans can also purchase a “Championship Gold Bundle” which features the vinyl and various Young Bucks merchandise.

“This exclusive CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD Bundle includes the Superkick Party 7? Gold Vinyl Variant with alternate cover artwork, printed on gold foil, and the bundle exclusive Superkick Party Shirt and Bumper Sticker,” states the Meat Sauce Media webpage.

The popular tag-team announced last week that a new theme song and new entrance would debut at All In “Nick and I are excited to announce, we will be debuting our new entrance & theme song at ALL IN!” Matt Jackson wrote on Twitter recently.

“Tune into @IAmJericho’s Podcast, Talk is Jericho on Aug 22 to check out the song in its entirety! (follow @MeatSauceM on Twitter for more)”

Following All In, the Young Bucks will defend their IWGP Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships against the Firing Squad at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.

Chris Jericho Reveals Vince McMahon’s Reaction to All In

Chris Stephens
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On the latest episode of his Talk is Jericho podcast, Chris Jericho revealed how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reacted when he learned about All In. The latest episode features an interview he conducted with Cody and the Young Bucks back in June. The interview took place in Osaka, Japan following NJPW’s “Destruction in Osaka” event.

Vince McMahon All In Reaction

Chris Jericho says he told Vince McMahon about All In earlier this year. Vince’s reaction was classic Vince. “I told Vince about All In about 4 or 5 months ago,” Jericho said. “We were just discussing and shooting the breeze and I said ‘Yeah the show’s in September in Chicago’ and Vince said ‘I wish they would have called me. September is the worst time of year to promote!'”

Jericho, Cody, and the Young Bucks got a good laugh at the notion of calling up Vince McMahon to get advice.  “Hey Vince, it’s Cody, I’ve got the Young Bucks on the phone,” Cody joked. “Couple of questions about promoting in the fall.”

“Don’t say ‘Rhodes’ haha,” Jericho joked in a Vince McMahon voice.

The story takes place just after the first commercial break in the episode. Subscribe to Talk is Jericho at iTunes.

For more on ALL IN, visit our All In news page.

Jeff Hardy Reveals The Most Painful Bump Of His Career

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Although Jeff Hardy has accomplished so many goals that he has set out for himself in the pro wrestling business, there are still some that he’s still pursuing. The former WWE United States Champion was recently interviewed by the Kingston Whig-Standard to talk about various topics.

Goals Before Retirement

Hardy started in this interview that he still wants to wrestle in a Hell in the Cell match before he calls it a career as that’s one match he’s never been a part of. He also wants to be in a ‘Deletion’-style match which was the contest that Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt did as part of the Ultimate Deletion on their property.

“Hopefully we’ll get to do another one, one of these days. I can bring Brother Nero back to life. I would definitely, before I’m done, like to be the world champion.”

He added that he thinks he has what it takes as long as he can stay healthy and avoid injury then he thinks he is good to go for a couple more title runs.

His Painful Bump

Jeff Hardy is known for taking big chances while performing such as his ladder bumps. When asked which one stands out to him, he pointed out that it was a match with RVD where he had this idea he wanted to go through a table vertically off a 14-foot ladder.

“I did a swan dive off [the ladder] and he moved and I crashed and burned and the table exploded, and I knew, ‘OK, this is the one. I’m not gonna get up from this.’ I thought I had broken my lower spine. It hurt so bad and it knocked the wind out of me.”

Watch here: Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam (Title vs. Title Ladder Match)

NXT Preview 8/22: Preliminary Matches From Takeover: Brooklyn IV

Chris Stephens
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Tonight’s episode of NXT will feature matches taped before Takeover: Brooklyn IV on Saturday night. The main event will feature a match for the United Kingdom Championship.

Two matches have been announced for tonight’s show. Fans can likely expect several highlight packages of Saturday’s Takeover event as well.

NXT 8/22 Preview

WWE United Kingdom Championship
Pete Dunne (c) vs Zack Gibson

The winner of the NXT U.K Championship tournament in London earlier this year will get another crack at Pete Dunne tonight. Dunne defeated Gibson in Royal Albert Hall following Gibson’s tournament victory.

Meanwhile, Dunne has expressed interest in challenging for Ricochet’s newly won NXT North American Championship. He’ll have to get by Gibson tonight for that to happen, however.

Bianca Belair vs Deonna Purrazzo

A back injury forced Bianca Belair out of title contention but she’ll return tonight to take on newcomer Deonna Purrazzo. Belair is hoping the newly signed Mae Young Classic competitor isn’t the first one to hand her a loss in NXT.

Purrazzo made her in-ring NXT debut at a live event on the 17th. She competed in the MYC tapings which were held on August 8th and 9th.

The fallout from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV

With two new champions crowned on Saturday, fans can expect to see plenty of the Takeover fallout tonight.

Ricochet is the new NXT North American Champion but you can bet Adam Cole won’t simply let that go without a fight. Shayna Baszler was also dethroned by Kairi Sane and does not appear finished with the original MYC winner either.

Jerry Lawler Provides Update On Brian Lawler Death Investigation

Chris Stephens
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Jerry Lawler appeared on Local 24 Memphis recently to speak further about the investigation into his son’s death.

“It’s like a nightmare that we can’t wake up from”, Lawler said. “It seems like every day something new comes up, we hear something from someone that was either an eyewitness to incidents that happened the day that Brian died or people that have heard stories about just different things that went on in the jail.”

Yesterday, we reported that Lawler’s lawyers are trying to make sense of an affidavit filed regarding an inmate using Brian’s identity.

“Even as recently as just a couple days ago,” Lawler continued. “Somebody in the jail is still using Brian’s identity and was caught for identity theft.”

Brian Lawler Death Investigation

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death. The Lawler family has consistently stated they doubt the official version of events which states Brian died via self-inflicted hanging.

“It just doesn’t pass the smell test,” Lawler said earlier this month. “We’ve received literally countless calls, text messages from people, actual eyewitnesses, that were in the jail and saw things that happened on the actual day that Brian died that now has opened up a new can of worms,” he continued. “It just doesn’t seem like it was suicide.”

Experts have also cast doubt on ligature marks found around Brian’s neck.

“Just look at his neck and look at his hand,” Lawler said earlier this month. “You can see the lines on his neck all the way around here to here and what would be the length of your hand as if he was trying to keep the pressure off.”

Luke Harper and Road Dogg Praise Rowan For Working Injured

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Last night on Smackdown, the New Day defeated the Bludgeon Brothers to win the tag-team championships. Rowan entered the match with a torn biceps but competed hard anyway. He will have surgery next week and is expected to be out for 2-4 months.

Following the match, both Harper and Smackdown creative head, Road Dogg, offered praise for the man who worked the main event match while injured.

Smackdown Tag Team Division

Rowan’s injury means the tag-team division on Smackdown is opened up quite a bit moving forward. Now all the teams the Bludgeon Brothers defeated while champions are back in the mix.

During a backstage segment last night, the Bar and the Club scheduled a match for next week which could determine the New Day’s first title challengers.

Bludgeon Brothers Smackdown Tag Team Championship Reign

Harper and Rowan held the Smackdown Tag Team Championships for 135 days. They won the titles at WrestleMania 34 in a triple threat tag match against the Usos and New Day. The Usos were the champions going into the match.

BB then defeated the Usos at the Greatest Royal Rumble. They defeated the Club at Money in the Bank and then again on Smackdown just two days later. Harper and Rowan also defeated Team Hell No at Extreme Rules before dropping the Summerslam match to the New Day via DQ.

Alberto El Patron Withdraws From TripleMania, Full Card Released

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Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) has withdrawn from AAA’s premier annual event, TripleMania. The event is scheduled to take place on August 25th.

Alberto is saying the company did not pay his agreed upon deposit and did not make other necessary arrangements for his participation. The letter also says he will send out information about new projects he is working on shortly.

TripleMania Lineup
August 25th, 2018

  1. Cruiserweight Championship
    Australian Suicide (c) vs Multiple opponents TBD
  2. AAA Mixed Tag Championships
    Big Mama and Nino Hamburguesa vs Hijo Del Vikingo and Vanilla vs Dinastia and Lady Maravilla vs Angelikal and La Hiedra
  3. AAA Tag Team Championships
    Aerostar and Drago vs Golden Magic and Laredo Kid vs Bandido and Flamita vs Andrew Everett and DJZ
  4. Mamba, Maximo, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Carta Brava Jr, Mocho Cota Jr, Tito Santana vs Hijo de LA Park, Puma King, and Taurus
  5. Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera and Teddy Hart vs Averno, Chessman, Super Fly
  6. La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, and Texano Jr. vs Joe Lider, Murder Clown, and Pagano
  7. AAA Heavyweight Championship
    Jeff Jarrett (c) vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann
  8. Mask vs Hair
    Lady Shani vs Faby Apache
  9. One Luchador Will Be Unmasked Cage Match (After 2 Luchadors escape the other 2 wrestle, loser losing his mask)
    Psycho Clown vs Hijo Del Fantasma vs LA Park, vs Pentagon Jr.

Impact Wrestling Announces UK Event Will Stream Live On Twitch

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling has announced that their event from Wrestling MediaCon will be streamed live on Twitch. The show is scheduled for September 9th from Manchester.

Impact’s return to Manchester coincides with the launch of Anthem’s Fight Network in the UK, which can now be seen on Sky Channel 455. The show will begin at 5 pm UK time and 12 pm EST.

Impact Wrestling at Wrestling MediaCon September 9th

5 matches have been confirmed thus far for the event, including a match for the Impact Wrestling Tag-Team Championships. Jimmy Havoc will also wrestle for the promotion for the first time since they toured the UK in early 2016.

  • Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships
    LAX (c) vs Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm
  • Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Death Match
    Sami Callihan vs Jimmy Havoc
  • Eli Drake vs Joe Hendry
  • Su Yung vs Lana Austin
  • Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal vs Trevor Lee

Moose and Eddie Edwards are also scheduled to appear but have yet to be booked in a match.

Impact Wrestling Twitch

“IMPACT Wrestling’s official Twitch channel features exclusive monthly live events, original weekly live shows such as “Prestigious Tuesdays with Joe Hendry,” an Impact press release reads. The Twitch channel also features a 24/7 stream of classic Impact Wrestling events.

Impact Wrestling returns to television tomorrow night when Sami Callihan and Pentagon Jr. clash in a Mexican Death Match.

Daniel Bryan And Brie Bella On Their HIAC Match, Star Returns To Action

Anutosh Bajpai
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Daniel Bryan And Brie Bella On Their HIAC Match

The opening of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw the former Diva’s Champion Brie Bella returning to SmackDown Live and attacking the duo of Miz and Maryse.

After this, it was revealed that General Manager Paige has made a mixed tag team match between Miz and Maryse and Daniel and Brie official for the upcoming Hell In A Cell PPV.

Following this announcement, both Bryan and Bella were interviewed backstage where they talked about their upcoming match and what advantage they have over their opponent. You can check out their full interview in the video below:

Injured Star Returns To Action

We noted before how SmackDown Live Star Tye Dillinger appeared to have suffered an injury last week while he was competing in a Live Event match with Shelton Benjamin.

Dillinger was knocked out during the bout. The referee then threw the X sign indicating that he was injured for real and the former NXT Star had been away from ring ever since.

Tye made his in-ring return during a Live Event this Monday Night. He teamed up with The Usos to defeat Shelton Benjamin and The Bar and so it seems like his injury was nothing serious.

Shawn Michaels Addresses the Possibility of Getting Back into the WWE Ring

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Shawn Michaels officially ‘left the building’ back in 2010 when he announced his retirement from in ring competition in WWE but now eight years later, is there a chance he might consider a return to action?

While Michaels has never actually walked away from working with WWE, he’s only made occasional appearances in the ring like when he delivered his ‘Sweet Chin Music’ to a couple of people at WrestleMania 32.

Lately, Michaels has primarily been working as a WWE ambassador while helping his real life best friend Triple H promote brands like NXT internationally. Even at 53, Michaels can never go too far before somebody asks about the possibility that he could get back into the ring and mix it up with the next generation of superstars.

“I always try to explain it to people, if you take me as a younger version and put me in with those guys, of course it would be a blast, but at the same time I’d like to be the younger version of me and be in the ring with a Harley Race or a Buddy Rogers. But none of those things can really happen in real life,” Michaels said in a recent interview with “Inside the Ropes”.

“To put me in a singles match at WrestleMania, I was always thrilled to do it but it’s a very strenuous, it’s a very anxious, there’s a lot that goes into it, the anxiety. Once you get in there, and especially when it’s done, it’s phenomenal but the getting ready for it is 100-percent work and I don’t know that I want to put myself or my family through that, to go out there and try to steal the show at 53 for God’s sake.”

While Michaels quickly shot down the idea of getting in the ring with the new generation of athletes who are currently occupying the majority of the WWE roster, he had a different opinion about potentially appearing with the superstars closer to his era.

Obviously, Michaels is never going to return to any kind of full time schedule again but he didn’t shut the door on the possibility of mixing it up with somebody a little closer to his age.

“It’s a whole different ball of wax if somebody says do you [and Triple H] want to go down and work with some other 40-plus year old guys or 50 and mess around and be silly’. That doesn’t seem like work to me,” Michael stated.

“So it’s stuff like that, that I would consider. Nobody ever talks about that. It’s always me and somebody half my age.”

Would you like to see Shawn Michaels return for a legends match in WWE? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

Author Reveals WrestleMania 34 Matches That Were Nixed Due To Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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A number of matches which were rumored to take place at WrestleMania 34 ended up being nixed because the injury bug struck again and several stars were put on the shelf.

During a recent interview with The Wrestling Estate, Jon Robinson, the writer of the book Creating The Mania: An Inside Look at how WrestleMania Comes to Life, revealed a couple of matches which were planned for the show but couldn’t take place.

According to him, both Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose and Kurt Angle vs. Jason Jordan were planned but these bouts were affected by Jordan and Ambrose’s injury:

“There were a lot of matches in play that could have completely changed the card, and then you hear about injuries affecting things like Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose. They were also trying to do Kurt Angle vs. Jason Jordan, but then Jordan got injured.”

After Ambrose’s injury halted these plans, Rollins ended up competing in a triple threat match against the Miz and Finn Balor where he won the Intercontinental Championship then held by The A-Lister.

Angle, on the other hand, ended up competing in a mixed tag match where he teamed up with Ronda Rousey to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. This was Ronda’s debut in pro wrestling.

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