Last weekend saw Japanese wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi defeat Kota Ibushi to win the G1 Climax tournament. This should cement his place in the main event of January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom event in the Tokyo Dome.
Tanahashi spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso following his incredible bout against the ‘Golden Star.’ He discussed a variety of topics including the longevity of his career, his love of Shawn Michaels and the difference in ideologies between himself and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega.
The ‘Ace’ of New Japan began by stating “Many times I have heard that phrase about my age, but what can I say?” My future is my future. I don’t want to let anyone close the door on my future. I survived the G1. This means I am the best in New Japan.”
Tanahashi is also reportedly a huge fan of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, he spoke about ‘picturing’ the WWE Hall of Famer before his G1 final match: “Before I walked to the ring tonight, I was very, very nervous, So I pictured Shawn Michaels. I love, love Shawn Michaels. He was my inspiration, and always seemed to be having fun all the time in the ring. There is pressure and injury in the ring, but I needed to remember there is joy, too. So that’s what I did.”
Tanahashi also commented on the difference of ideologies between himself and Bullet Club’s Kenny Omega: “Kenny made a new movement, created a new trend in New Japan Pro Wrestling,” said Tanahashi, alternating between English and Japanese. “He does extreme moves and people love him, but New Japan Pro Wrestling has a different ideology of pro wrestling. Kenny’s ideology is different than my ideology, and that is the biggest difference between us.”
Luke Harper, one-half of the current SmackDown Live tag team champions, was a recent guest on the popular podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness.
Hosted by WWE legends, Edge and Christian, the podcast covered a range of topics, including how Harper assumed WWE wouldn’t sign him, his run with the Wyatt family, as well as building chemistry with his partner Rowan.
The conversation turned to how Harper and Rowan were going to be split up, as well as his initial reservations over the mallet gimmick.
“Years ago, me and Rowan were told we’re done. We’re done being a team, we’ve done everything we can, and we’re here for five years later in a whole new thing and we’re tag team champions, so I can’t complain.”
Forgotten Push
It was only last year that it looked like Harper was being prepared for a major single run. Matches against the likes of AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and even his old leader, Bray Wyatt, pointed towards a renewed belief in his singles ability.
All that was put to the back burner, however, after WWE repackaged the former Wyatt members as the Bludgeon Brothers.
Harper said during the podcast, “[…] what WWE wants right now, they want me in a team, so here we go. Let’s make it the best we can. And maybe there’ll be a time when I’m not in a team and then I’ll worry about that.”
When first approached by WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon, about the team carrying hefty mallets around with them, Harper recollected, “[…] instantly, in my head, I go, ‘man, it’s 2018. What are we doing?’ And that lasted about a fleeting second. And then I said, ‘oh, this is f*****g awesome!”
The Bludgeon Brothers defend their SmackDown Live tag team championships against The New Day this Sunday at SummerSlam, in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s been reported that former ECW and WWE wrestler Justin Credible, real name Peter Joseph (PJ) Polaco, is currently behind bars after violating a protective order.
According to ProWrestlingSheet.com, who broke the news, Connecticut authorities state that Credible was taken into custody on Tuesday, August 14th. He is currently being held on a $7,500 bond.
With information still scarce, it is unclear as to what the 44-year-old former superstar did in order to violate the protective order. It’s worth noting there was a prior incident involving his wife last year in June following a domestic dispute.
In his last Tweet before his arrest on Monday, Credible posted a lengthy, confusing diatribe that ends with “welcome to the blood lost faith in dreams.”
Welcomening. The beginning of blood lost sacrifice dreams and hatred. This is become the new show I love lust Hatred and the dreams. There is a new leg and nothing in between where clowns we are just yours we are killers among men welcome to the blood lost faith in dreams
Justin Credible had only recently returned to the independent scene after announcing his retirement in 2015. He has been unassociated with the WWE since 2003, with his last stint seeing him involved in minor angles on shows like Sunday Night Heat.
Though he enjoyed success in ECW, Justin Credible was never fully utilised during his time with the WWE, even after breaking from the X-Factor stable in order to join Paul Heyman and his old cohorts in the ECW faction during the infamous Invasion angle.
SEScoops will be sure to keep you updated as further news breaks.
It was only for a few days ago that Revolution Pro (Rev Pro) surprised the Brit Wres scene by announcing a pair of television tapings taking place on September 5th/6th at York Hall, London.
Today, they announced via Twitter that Kevin Kelly and Andy Boy Simmonz will be the commentary team for the production.
Introducing your hosts of our TV Tapings Kevin Kelly & Andy Boy Simmonz.
Kevin Kelly has just finished a gruelling schedule, providing commentary duties for the entirety of NJPW’s G1 Climax 28. He will undoubtedly add the same level of insight and detail that he gave to NJPW’s summer event.
His partner, Andy Boy Simmonz, is an experienced grappler with a keen understanding of the British scene. His skills will no doubt be able to showcase RPW at its finest during the two-day taping.
Rev Pro have cultivated a wonderful working relationship with not only NJPW but also Ring Of Honor, with the promotions frequently working in tandem to craft intriguing cards and dream matches.
This three-way relationship has also allowed for crossover storylines, with feuds and matches developed and furthered on a plethora of different shows on different shores.
Just recently, Rev Pro and NJPW teamed up in order to put on a series of successful shows in the United Kingdom entitled Strong Style Evolved UK, with the action being articulated by the same commentary team attached for the upcoming RPW TV tapings.
It’s not that far until September, and it will be interesting to see what Rev Pro have planned with these tapings, especially given ITV’s recent reboot of World Of Sport.
So do you indeed to be there in York Hall, Bethnal Green in order to, as RPW put it, “#BeAPartOfHistory”?
Tickets for the tapings are on sale now, with tickets costing £15.
PROGRESS has announced the first bout for their upcoming Chapter 75 show ‘These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends’ on Monday August 27th from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London.
PROGRESS World Champion WALTER and PROGRESS ATLAS Champion Doug Williams will be taking on British Strong Style’s Pete Dunne and Trent Seven in what is sure to be one of the biggest tag team bouts in the UK this calendar year.
Doug Williams and Trent Seven are set to face each other at PROGRESS’ upcoming Wembley Arena show on September 30th for the ATLAS belt. The company recently announced that the bout could potentially be Williams’ last as his career is on the line.
WALTER and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne are also confirmed for the Wembley Arena show. WALTER will be facing the winner of the ongoing ‘Three And In’ series and Dunne will be challenging the wXw Unified Champion Ilja Dragunov in a bout to determine ‘the best wrestler in Europe.’
Unlike his former tag-team partner, Enzo Amore, Big Cass will be continuing his professional wrestling career post-WWE. Cass will make his return to wrestling on September 21st for Big Time Wrestling, just days after his 90-day no-compete clause with WWE expires.
Another promotion, Championship League Wrestling, has booked Cass 8 days later but not to wrestle a match. Instead, CLW is advertising that Cass has somethings to get off his chest and will use their show to do so.
“Hot off of his release, Former WWE Superstar “Big Cass” will be making one of his first post-WWE appearances on our debut show on September 29th,” a company release reads. “And he will be doing so in a big way.”
“What is sure to make this interesting is he will be given an open mic with no limitations. The big man has been silent since his WWE departure. On September 29th, he promises to deliver his first public comments since being released.”
Big Cass Release
Cass was released from his contract on June 19th. WWE did not wish him well in his future endeavors when they announced his release either. While there are many rumors regarding the reason for Cass’ release, he has not made any public comment on the matter. Evidently, he plans to do just that at the end of September.
AJ Styles is now the longest reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown history. He passed JBL’s record recently to earn the honors. JBL himself commented on Styles’ achievement.
My record has been broken and I Could not be more proud of ?@AJStylesOrg? -a world class individual and athlete, looking forward to watching this incredible performer Sunday at @WWE Summerslam. pic.twitter.com/VjT33wKsVj
John Bradshaw Layfield won the WWE Championship on June 27th, 2004 from Eddie Guerrero. He would hold the title until WrestleMania 21 when he lost the title to John Cena. At that point, the title was drafted from Smackdown to Raw.
In 2016, the second brand extension era began and the WWE Championship once again became the property of Smackdown. AJ Styles won the title from Jinder Mahal on November 7th, 2017 in Manchester and has held for 281 straight days since.
AJ Styles WWE Champion – Longest Reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown History
Styles currently ranks #13 all-time in combined days spent with the WWE Championship. In a little over 40 days, Styles will pass CM Punk for the 12th spot on that list.
Combined Days Spent as WWE Champion:
Bruno Sammartino – 4,040 days
Hulk Hogan – 2,185 days
Bob Backlund – 2,138 days
John Cena – 1, 257 days
Pedro Morales – 1027 days
Randy Orton – 658 days
Bret Hart – 654 days
Triple H – 609 days
Brock Lesnar – 579 days
Stone Cold Steve Austin – 529
“Macho Man” Randy Savage – 520 days
CM Punk – 562
AJ Styles – 421
Styles will take on Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship Sunday at SummerSlam. Joe has yet to win a title belt on the main roster.
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with a show on Pop TV. They will also be back on Sunday as they present “Uncivil War” in Knoxville, TN airing live on Twitch.
Several matches have been booked for tonight’s show as well as a segment where we will hear from Austin Aries and his new ally, Killer Kross.
Impact Wrestling Preview 8/16
Austin Aries and Killer Kross Segment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerVEuPtYCU&t=32s
Last week, Killer Kross helped Austin Aries retain his Impact World Championship against Eddie Edwards. Aries is a smart and strategic veteran and he knows if he wants to keep his title, he’s going to need some insurance. Kross makes for some very large insurance.
Tonight, we’ll hear from Aries and Kross and find out more about the nature of their allegiance.
The Smoke Show with Scarlett Bordeaux
Last week on Impact, the management team was left all fluttered after Bordeaux interrupted their meeting. She managed to convince the group of men that the other Knockouts in the division are jealous of her. They somehow decided that giving her a talk show would solve the problem.
We will find out just what Bordeaux has in store for her show tonight.
Fenix vs Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG6vUSY0YuA
Sami Callihan’s mental stability has never been in more question. After having his head shaved by Pentagon at Slammiversary, Callihan has become even further unhinged.
He’ll have a chance for revenge tonight, however, when he takes on Fenix in single’s action.
Street Fight
LAX vs OGZ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UiepoXsV2I
Fans have been raving about how good this match was live and it airs tonight.
LAX may have won a battle at Slammiversary but they didn’t win the war. The OGZ have possession of their tag titles and have even tagged them. If LAX want back their possessions, they’ll have a chance tonight.
As for Konnan, he has been very strategic in how he has approached this rivalry. I wonder if there is more Konnan is worried about…
Johnny Impact vs Jimmy Jacobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ecq5OJV04
Johnny Impact came looking for Kongo Kong but when Jacobs wasn’t quick enough to produce his monster, Impact punched him in the face.
Last week, Jacobs gave Impact a stern warning: He is the real monster. Jacobs and Impact collide tonight.
Su Yung vs Allie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPvxFLFUlmE
There are no title belts on the line here as Allie takes on Su Yung. Allie isn’t concerned with championships, she just wants to make sure Su doesn’t lock anyone else in a coffin.
Someone who does care about titles, however, is Tessa Blanchard. Expect the 3rd generation star to be watching this match closely.
Brian Cage has been added to All In. The current X-Division Champion in Impact Wrestling will take part in the Over Budget Battle Royal during the Zero Hour pre-show on WGN.
When speaking about the event previously, Cody used Brian Cage as an example of a truly talented wrestler that there originally wasn’t a spot for on the show.
Cody said they would not want to job someone like Cage out. It looks as though the Zero Hour battle royal had an open spot, however, and now Cage is booked for the event.
All In Lineup
September 1st, 2018
Sears Center Arena
Chicago, ILL
Main Event
the Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi vs Rey Mysterio Jr., Bandido, and Fenix
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) vs Cody
Christopher Daniels vs Stephen Amell
Pentagon Jr. vs Kenny Omega
Marty Scurll vs Kazuchika Okada
The Briscoes vs Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian
Madison Rayne vs Britt Baker vs Tessa Blanchard vs Chelsea Green
ROH World Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs Over Budget Battle Royal Winner
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 takes place this Saturday night from Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. The card for this WWE Network special is stacked from top to bottom.
The main event will see Johnny Gargano challenging NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa in a Last Man Standing match. Shayna Baszler will put the NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Kairi Sane. The Undisputed Era’s gold will be up for grabs in two highly anticipanted contests. Ricochet will challenge Adam Cole for the NXT North American Championship. Tyler Bate & Trent Seven will look to capture the NXT tag titles from Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong. Finally, Velveteen Dream faces EC3 in what’s sure to be an exciting bout.
SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey, Andrew Ravens and Jeff Moss have prepared their predictions for each of the 5 matches. Without further adieu, here are our predictions for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4:
The Velveteen Dream vs. EC3
Andew: People say styles makes fights. It will come true at least in terms of pro wrestling in this contest. Dream has been someone who has been on fire for over a year now . However, EC3 is known for his promos, not necessarily his in-ring performance. I see this being a good back and forth match to keep up the momentum of this card. EC3 goes over here as WWE intends to continue to present him as a big star. (Prediction: EC3)
Ian: This really comes down to who you think NXT is going to push as a bigger star. Unlike the main roster, a random single’s match on a pay-per-view tends to carry more importance in NXT. There’s usually just one title-less match a Takeover and the winner often finds themself in the title picture shorty after. I’m taking EC3 here, I think he becomes a fixture in the NXT title picture after a win over the Dream. (Prediction: EC3)
Jeff: We do not deserve a match as wonderful as this. That said though, I’m going to drink up every drop, because this may end up stealing the show. It’s a stacked show, so that says a lot. EC3 has done a great job of transferring his character into the NXT universe, filling a Bobby Roode-shaped void and doing it really, really well. But, Dream hasn’t won a Takeover match since January, defeating Kassius Ohno at Takeover: Philadelphia. It’s time for the Dream to pull the trigger and take the next step into a title picture and a victory over EC3 would certainly do that. (Prediction: The Velveteen Dream)
CONSENSUS: 2-1 for EC3
NXT Tag-Team Champions The Undisputed Era vs. Tyler Bate & Trent Seven
Andrew: We’ve seen these two teams wrestle each other in the past and fans will have high expectations coming into this one as it will be one of the best matches on the card, which is quite stacked. Although they have been swapping title changes as of late between the two teams, there is not a demand to have Bate and Seven as the champs as O’Reilly and Strong are main characters on the NXT brand right now. O’Reilly and Strong should retain. (Prediction: Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong)
Ian: I’ll take the Undisputed Era here as I imagine if they wanted Moustache Mountain to have the belts they would have kept them on the team after the UK tapings. The other option is MM take the belts with them to NXT UK but I think its more likely they stay with the current champs. (Prediction: Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong)
Jeff: This is a tough one. I like Moustache Mountain because, well, who wouldn’t? But I also like Undisputed Era with the tag straps. But I ALSO like the idea of giving them someone to feud with. So I’m hoping that this puts a cap on the current feud and sets up a new challenger for the Era. Perhaps a pair that’s fond of steaks? Or weights? (Prediction: Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong)
CONSENSUS: 3-0 for Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong
NXT North American Champion Adam Cole vs. Ricochet
Andrew: The big question coming into this match is the fact of how confident is WWE officials in Ricochet. Obviously, they’re big supporters of him but with him being out of action over the last several weeks to allow him to heal up, do they believe that he is ready to work on a regular schedule going forward. If so, I can easily see them putting the title on him and freshen up not only that title but also have a way to continue this feud. Ricochet wins this match and title. (Prediction: Ricochet)
Ian: I have a feeling Ricochet will in some way show he is better than Coler but still not come away with the championship title. Whether Ricochet wins by DQ, count-out, or it’s a no-contest, Adam Cole leaves with the belt but Ricochet leaves with a reason for William Regal to book a rematch. (Ricochet)
Jeff: What, no ladders? This is one of those matches that’s virtually impossible not to like. Adam Cole? Goooood! Ricochet? Goooood! Title on the line? GOOOOOOD!! Unless there’s some shenanigans from Cole’s Undisputed Era bandmates (I still say it sounds like a screamo group) it’s time for Ricochet to get his first taste of NXT Gold. I wouldn’t be upset if this was the beginning of a longer feud between the two over the North American title. It’d give both men a nudge towards the top and elevate the still-new title as well. (Prediction: Ricochet)
CONSENSUS: 3-0 for Ricochet
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane
Andrew: An intriguing bout that could see either star win here as Baszler has breathed fresh air into the division as champion, but it’s clear that WWE officials are very high on Sane and could make her the queen on this night. However, I don’t see a reason to take the title off of Baszler at this point, this is why I see her retaining. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
Ian: I’m picking Baszler to pick up the win here. She has just done so well as champion that I can’t see them taking the belt off her before Evolution. The all-women pay-per-view is basically WrestleMania for the women’s rosters in WWE this year, so I don’t see her being dethroned before then. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
Jeff: I have to be honest; I was way more into the Shayna Baszler/Nikki Cross battle than I am Baszler/Kairi sane. No disrespect to the Pirate Princess, but Baszler playing off of the unknown entity that is Cross was far more entertaining. Now, that said, this match will be good because both women are at the top of their game and could easily steal the show, and Sane showed some real aggression this week on NXT. I still don’t think Sane is the one to dethrone the dominant Baszler however, so I can’t see a title change here, but it will be a hell of a match. (Prediction: Shayna Baszler)
CONSENSUS: 3-0 for Shayna Baszler
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano (Last Man Standing)
Andrew Ravens: After months of this feud, this appears to be the finale of it. Although WWE’s original plans of having a triple threat match with these stars and Aleister Black would have been very good, having these guys go on last with a type of match where they will have full creative freedom, should deliver a contest that WWE fans won’t soon forget and should not only steal the match of the night but also of the weekend. Ciampa just won the title recently and the fact that this will likely be the end of this feud, it doesn’t make much sense to have Gargano win. Thus, Ciampa retains. (Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa)
Ian Carey: Things in this story got all messed up when Aleister Black got injured. Whatever their plans were, they have changed. At some point, they must have planned for Gargano to beat Ciampa so I’m thinking they’ll have that happen here even if they had originally planned for it to happen in November. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
Jeff Moss: While I never like to see anyone hurt, especially for a long period of time, losing Alistar Black from this match has made it better, which is really hard to say because I really like Black! But, Gargano and Ciampa are physically and psychologically unable to have a bad match as we’ve seen and the missing piece of the picture was always that Championship. The funny thing is, now that it’s involved I don’t care who holds it! The audience/story wins no matter who wins this match!
Ciampa is the best heel in WWE (maybe all of wrestling) and Gargano is the purest Babyface I’ve seen in years. I’m torn as to if I’d rather this be the end of their feud in NXT and one goes to Raw or Smackdown to elevate the talent there, or if they can stay in NXT and fight forever. Regardless, if I think about it hard enough, I think it’s time to give Johnny Wrestling his due and either start a long-term feud over the title or send Tomasso to SummerSlam to wreck Roman’s night. (Prediction: Johnny Gargano)
CONSENSUS: 2-1 for Johnny Gargano
What do you think of our NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 predictions? Let us know by sounding off in the Comments section.
The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion signed with the company earlier this year. She burst onto the professional wrestling scene in April. Rousey teamed up with Hall Of Famer and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34.
The pair of former Olympians defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match. Rousey got her first singles nod for a WWE Title at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV).
She challenged Nia Jax for the RAW Women’s Championship. Just when Rousey looked to be on the verge of winning the title, her match was interrupted by Alexa Bliss. Bliss, the MITB briefcase winner at the time, attacked both Jax and Rousey.
Bliss cashed-in her briefcase and left Chicago with the RAW Women’s Title. Rousey will get her shot at redemption this weekend. She’ll challenge Bliss for the RAW Women’s Title at SummerSlam from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday.
Rousey recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about her WWE career. “The Rowdy One” noted that she’s absolutely loving her life in WWE right now. In fact, she loves it so much she’s thinking about prolonging her current run.
Upon initially signing on with WWE, the two sides agreed to a set timeframe for Rousey’s run. Now Rousey is thinking about prolonging that and said she understands why some people have such a hard time leaving the industry:
“I love this way more than I ever thought I would,” Rousey said. “We had a set timeline set, and now we aren’t so sure about it because I love it so much.
“I guess that’s the best thing that could’ve happened, that I would love it so much, it would be so hard to stop. I can see why people have a hard time leaving this industry because it’s such a joy to be a part of every day.”
Discussion: How do you feel about Rousey’s comments regarding her WWE career? Would you like to see her stay in WWE extended? Let us know in the comments!
It looks like a possible NWO reunion actually could be coming in some capacity.
For the past few weeks Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan have been teasing bringing back the black and white to professional wrestling. Hogan confirmed on Twitter that the trio reunited to film some NWO material.
He posted the following teaser of himself, Nash and Hall in a black and white video spray painting a WCW World Title. Watch the video from “The Hulkster” here:
Perhaps this could go hand-and-hand with what Hogan was teasing earlier this month. While appearing at a National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Hogan teased a big announcement coming on his website:
“All the brothers out here with the nWo shirts on, something really special is going to be going down,” Hogan said.
“Just remember, the date, October 27. Go to HulkHogan.com, something very special is gonna happen October 27.”
When you visit Hogan’s website, the following message appears at the top with a countdown graphic to October 27th:
“Something big is coming and it’s going to be 2 sweet brother – Hollywood HH
Save the date, October 27th.”
Discussion: What do you think Hogan’s big announcement will be? Do you think it’s NWO related? Let us now your thoughts in the comments!
Killian Dain wore a singlet during his match with New Day on Tuesday night. Some people aren’t letting this fact go either.
Smackdown creative head, Road Dogg, has had to deal with complaints about it on Twitter recently. Fortunately for him, Killian Dain came to his rescue.
While his choice in ring gear is questioned by some, there is little question Dain has potential. The 33-year-old was originally trained by Robbie Brookside via NWA Scotland but honed his skills in the WWE Performance Center when he was sent there in 2016. Oddly enough, Brookside is now a coach at the WWE Performance Center.
“I don’t think there is enough hyperbole to explain how good a coach he is,” Dain said of Brookside. “I can’t think of a better coach I’d met in any sport”
Real name Damian Mackie, he began competing with ICW in 2013. He wrestled Drew Galloway for the EVOLVE title in 2014 as well. Dain would wrestle a couple of matches in 2015-2016 for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling and with TNA. He was signed by WWE that summer and began competing on the NXT house show circuit under the name Damo. In December of 2016, Dain was put alongside Eric Young and Sawyer Fulton as Sanity.
We have an update regarding Rey Mysterio and his expected return to WWE. The legendary performer was scheduled to appear for Northeast Wrestling next Friday night, but the organization announced he will not be able to appear. As for why he won’t be there, Northeast Wrestling cited his “upcoming contractual situation with WWE.”
Northeast Wrestling announced on Facebook, “Unfortunately due to his upcoming contractual situation with WWE Rey Mysterio is unable to appear on August 24th. If you purchased Rey Mysterio preordered meet and greet items they will be refunded or can be used towards other superstars.”
Rey Mysterio will be appearing at the big All In wrestling show on Saturday, September 1st. He is part of one of the featured matches on that card. Mysterio will team with Bandido and Rey Fenix against the Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi.
As of this writing, Mysterio is still scheduled to appear at Warrior Wrestling 2 from Chicago on September 2nd.
Mysterio is expected to be back in WWE by October prior to the release of the WWE 2K19 video game. He is a featured character in that game, which will be released on October 5th. If he is back in time for the release of WWE 2K19, Rey Mysterio would be available to appear at WWE Super Show-Down. The stadium show from Australia the following day.
Rey Mysterio’s WWE Negotiations
Rey Mysterio and WWE have been discussing a possible deal for several months now. He’s made one-off appearances for WWE at the Royal Rumble in January and the Greatest Royal Rumble in April.
He recently spoke to the Miami Herald about his negotiations with WWE.
“We started off with the Royal Rumble at the beginning of the year in January,” Mysterio said. There was another offer on the table to do the Greatest Royal Rumble, and in between those two events, we’ve been going back-n-forth in conversations, trying to work out the right deal…It’s still up in the air. Nothing secure, yet.”
WWE’s plans for the Mae Young Classic finals reportedly had to be changed due to an injury. WWE held two nights of TV tapings for the Mae Young Classic tournament earlier this month. Click here to read complete results from those tapings.
The remainder of this article will contain spoilers for the Mae Young Classic tournament.
Mae Young Classic competitor Tegan Nox (formerly known as Nixon Newell) suffered a bad knee injury during her tournament match against Rhea Ripley. It was a bad situation all around that is now compounded by this latest development. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Tegan Nox was originally booked to make it to the finals.
The news that Tegan Nox was supposed to reach the finals of this year’s Mae Young Classic tournament makes her injury in the quarter finals all the more heartbreaking. However, she is taking the setback with a positive attitude. After she had time to process what happened, she released an encouraging statement on Twitter explaining that she will return stronger than ever. “Freak accidents happen,” she said. “It’s part of the job.”
The finals of the Mae Young Classic will take place at October’s WWE Evolution pay-per-view. Io Shirai and Toni Storm will compete at WWE’s all-women’s pay-per-view to crown this year’s winner.
Sin Cara was spotted in Birmingham, Alabama a couple of days ago and it was later confirmed that the former NXT Star has undergone a surgery. According to WWE, Sin Cara underwent surgery on his right knee. Dr. Jeffrey Dugas performed the procedure.
Sin Cara underwent a medical evaluation last week after sensing something was wrong with his knee. It was discovered that scar tissue was causing his discomfort. He began physical rehabilitation less than 24 hours after going under the knife.
Con los pies en la tierra ?? y la vista al cielo ??. Primer día de recuperación…
With my feet on the ground ?? and my eyes in the sky ??. First day of recovery … pic.twitter.com/0gXnqanvMC
Sin Cara last wrestled in a one on one match during the SmackDown Live Event from Albany, Georgia on August 5th. The former NXT Star had scored a victory over Aiden English in this bout.
Prior to that, he was involved in a short-lived feud with the former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Their rivalry ended when the two faced off in the Extreme Rules kick off show.
No word yet on how long Cara will be out of action or if the company has any plans for his return but we’ll keep you posted.
While this week’s Raw was able to maintain its audience for the SummerSlam go-home episode of the show, the same cannot be said about the SmackDown Live episode.
This is down 0.36% from last week’s episode. The episode featuring The New Day vs. Bar in the main event had averaged 2.197 million viewers.
The show was #6 in cable viewership in the night, behind programs like Hannity, The Rachel Maddow Show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle and Last Word.
The SmackDown episode also featured matches and segments like the opening segment among Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Carmella and the match between The New Day and Sanity.
You can check out a top ten moments video of the event posted by WWE on YouTube below, which features the match between Jeff Hardy and Shelton Benjamin as the #1 moment from the episode:
The decline in the audience just days before the SummerSlam PPV is not a good sign for WWE. Now it’d be interesting to see how Officials react to it and if we see any changes to the programming of the show in upcoming times.
Chris Jericho has had a wild 2018. The former World Champion not only went to NJPW but opposed to many people’s expectation, became a Champion there as well. If the latest tweet from the Master Of Manipulation is to be taken into consideration, then the upcoming year could be even more surprising for his fans. The IWGP Intercontinental Champion tweeted on Wednesday:
These tweets have only fuelled the speculation about Chris’ future in the wrestling business. There are a lot who believe that he may be planning to work for companies other than NJPW in the future as well.
If Chris Jericho does decide to make appearances for other promotions then the two obvious destinations for him would be Impact Wrestling or the upcoming MSG Supershow of ROH and NJPW.
Though Jericho is known to manipulate people through his comments. So it’s entirely possible that he takes a completely different route and ends up having another run with WWE instead.
Whatever Chris is planning will be revealed down the line. One thing is sure that he will continue to be one of the most entertaining acts in all of pro wrestling in the upcoming year as well.
Tonight’s episode of NXT was the final episode before NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn this Saturday night.
Street Profits Defeated The Mighty
Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) battled The Mighty (Shane Thorne & Nick Miller) on this week’s episode of NXT. Miller and Ford started off the match. Miller launched Montez into the turnbuckle and then tagged Thorne into the match. Dawkins tagged in and decked Thorne with a shoulder tackle.
Thorne battled back with a chop to Dawkins’ chest and followed it up with a Clothesline. Nick Miller got back in and hit Dawkins with a few punches to the face for a two count. Miller tagged in and planted Dawkins with a Suplex for a two count. Miller followed it up with a Spinebuster and went for the cover but Dawkins was able to kick out at two.
Thorne tagged in and connected with an uppercut to Dawkins in the corner. Shane brought Dawkins down to the canvas and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Angelo battled to his feet and finally was able to tag Ford back into the match.
Montez Ford Clotheslined Miller out of the ring and then delivered a Clothesline to Thorne. Ford knocked Miller of the ring apron and Thorne tried to capitalize on the distraction by rolling Ford up while grabbing Montez’s tights. Ford reversed the roll-up and grabbed Thorne’s tights for leverage for the pinfall victory.
Kairi Sane faced Aliyah tonight on NXT. Before the match started, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came down to the entrance ramp and then joined commentary for the match. Aliyah and Sane locked up to start off the match. Sane quickly got distracted with Baszler and Aliyah attacked her from behind. Sane battled back and locked in a submission hold but Aliyah reached the bottom rope to break the hold.
Aliyah knocked Kairi to the mat but Sane got right back up and connected with a Neckbreaker. Sane followed it up with the Interceptor Spear and then marched to the corner of the ring. Sane hit Aliyah with a sliding forearm and then the Insane Elbow. Kairi stared at Shayna and then went back up to the top rope.
Kairi delivered a second Insane Elbow and then followed it up with a third Insane Elbow. Sane went for the cover but got up at a two count. Kairi then applied The Anchor submission and pointed at Shayna Baszler as Aliyah tapped out.
Velveteen Dream came down to the ring and cut a promo on EC3. Dream sarcastically said that EC3 was clever and charming as the fans started chanting “NX3!”. Velveteen Dream stated that EC3 had his attention and was now his enemy. Velveteen added that it will be dream over for EC3 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
EC3 interrupted and said “this is what it sounds like when doves cry?” and poked fun at Dream’s fanny pack. EC3 stated that the time to fight has come and vowed to win on Saturday night. Dream said that EC3 will not have his hand raised this Saturday and the only thing that will be on his mind in three days is “dream over”.
EC3 took off his jacket and added that they don’t have to wait til Brooklyn to fight. Velveteen Dream took off his fanny pack and then threw his jacket in EC3’s face. Dream then attacked EC3 but EC3 battled back and planted him with the One Percenter.
Roderick Strong faced Tyler Bate in the main event of this week’s NXT. Bate started off the match by going right after Strong in the corner. Tyler connected with a couple of uppercuts and Kyle O’Reilly hopped up on the ring apron to distract him. Strong capitalized on the distraction and connected with a Backbreaker.
Strong took Bate down to the mat and applied a Chin Lock as the crowd chanted “Mustache Mountain!”. Tyler escaped but Strong hit him with another Backbreaker for a two count. Bate broke free with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a boot to the midsection. Strong shrugged it off and hit Bate with a chop that echoed throughout the arena.
Roderick perched Bate up on the top rope and went for a Superplex but Bate blocked it and sent Strong to the mat. Bate then leaped off the turnbuckle and connected with a flying uppercut. The two Superstars traded shots in the middle of the ring and Bate got the upper-hand. Bate beat the hell out of Strong in the corner of the ring and then hit an Exploder Suplex. Bate followed it up with a running Shooting Star Press and went for the cover but Strong was able to kick out at the last second.
Tyler went for an Airplane Spin but his back gave out on him. Bate was able to hit a Belly to Back Suplex for a two count. Strong battled back with a knee to the face and then slammed Bate face-first to the canvas for a near fall. Strong went for the End of Heartache but Bate escaped and landed on his feet. Tyler bounced head-first off the top rope and leveled Roderick with a Clothesline.
Roderick rolled out of the ring and Bate greeted him with a Crossbody. Back in the ring, Bate set up for the Tyler Driver 97 but O’Reilly hopped on the ring apron. Seven and O’Reilly then battled outside the ring as Bate hit Strong with a boot to the face. Bate then went for the Tyler Driver 97 and hit it this time for the pinfall victory. Undisputed Era will defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against Mustache Mountain at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Cabana filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Punk for breach of contract and fraud stemming from a defamation lawsuit they beat a few months ago. The lawsuit claims Punk promised to help Cabana with legal fees that were being accrued during the defamation case.
Now Cabana claims he has a text message from Punk saying his legal fees would be ‘100% covered.’ The lawsuit claims Punk didn’t live up to his promise. Cabana racked up a legal fee of $513,736.
Cabana also included an email from Punk saying “whatever my bill is currently will be cut in half and half will be yours. If you choose to make this ugly, that’s fine too. I hope you won’t but I gave up on you doing what is right a long time ago.”
Now Cabana is seeking $200,000 in general damages as well as another $1 million in punitive and exemplary damages.
Former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman recently commented on Colt Cabana suing CM Punk on his podcast, X-Pac 12360. Here’s what X-Pac had to say:
“It’s worse than [being] at each other’s throat. When you say good friends, that’s an understatement. Punk used to live in Colt’s studio apartment with him. The whole thing is over money right?
“It’s really sad, especially when you know the two people and you’re fond of both of them, which I am. [CM] Punk, he can be unlikable, he has that quality, but I like him. Part of why I like him is because he’s unlikable. (laughs)”
It looks like The Big Show is ready to return to WWE. The former WWE Champion has been out-of-action for the past several months. His last match went down in September when he lost a Steel Cage match to Braun Strowman. The match was used to write Big Show off WWE TV.
He subsequently underwent surgery on his right hip. The recovery process took longer than expected, but it looks like the former WCW World Champion is ready to get back into the ring. Earlier this week The Big Show spoke to ESPN at a charity event at the Hackensack Meridian Health Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Show said he’s trying to get cleared as soon as possible. In fact, he said he’d like to be back as soon as the Monday Night RAW after SummerSlam this weekend:
“Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, I will be back in the ring,” Big Show said. “That’s the main goal. I’m actually going to try and get cleared Sunday, by [WWE’s] doctors; moving around the ring a little bit.
“I could be back as soon as the Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam, if they have something for me. Just because I’m healthy, doesn’t mean our creative team is healthy for me yet.”
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross took to his podcast, The Ross Report, ahead of this weekend’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV). In one of the more pivotal match-ups of the night, Braun Strowman will defend his Money In The Bank (MITB) briefcase against Kevin Owens.
There’s a ton of speculation going around suggesting the winner will cash-in at the end of the night. WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will defend his title against Roman Reigns on the card as well.
Many are expecting Strowman or Owens to cash-in and leave New York Universal Champion. Ross discussed when he thinks Strowman should cash-in his MITB briefcase. Ross said he’d prefer to see Strowman win the World Title at WrestleMania:
“Ain’t going to happen. They’ve got the guy primed to be the man. And, quite frankly, what title in any company is hot right now? There’s about a million of them. Pick you out one. Good luck on it,” Ross said
“I think in time, and I do say this, now he [has] got the Money In The Bank briefcase, now he does, speaking of Strowman, throwing around that pronoun ‘he’. I still think he should be anointed at WrestleMania.
“If you want a guy to be eternally over, in the sense of given the chance to be eternally over, you make the transition at WrestleMania. That’s my looking at it. It doesn’t get any bigger.”
Listen to The Ross Report by clicking this link here.
WWE NXT star Dakota Kai spoke to Stuff to talk about her professional wrestling career. Kai was first asked about getting to compete on the WrestleMania pre-show in April. She took part in a 20-woman Battle Royal at the event in New Orleans:
“It’s still hard to believe that happened. Us girls involved found out literally the night before,” Kai said.
“Before I went down the ramp towards the ring, someone told me that it’s going to be overwhelming, it’s going to be insane but just take a moment, take a breath and absorb it as best you can because it’s going to go by like that and it really did.
“The whole experience was a whirlwind of emotions. Walking out in front of 80,000 people, as you could imagine, it’s the scariest thing in the world. But it was really, really cool.”
“Being here has been my dream for at least the last 13 years. I spent a lot of that time working the independent scene so to be here is still really crazy to me. And from there the opportunity to have a tryout happened and I got offered a contract,” Kai added.
“So it’s been a crazy ride but I’ve never been more passionate about anything in my life. All that travelling was something I loved to do and I always, always hoped that one day I’d be given the opportunity and here we are.”
He took to Twitter to apologize to fans and said he is already in talks with the UK promotion about rescheduling:
“Sorry to announce to the Uk fans about my withdrawal from this weekends @RevProUK Shows. I was really looking forward to coming back to the Uk. We are in talks about about rescheduling a future booking for @kelitesquad@inc_kes to the UK.”
Sorry to announce to the Uk fans about my withdrawal from this weekends @RevProUK Shows. I was really looking forward to coming back to the Uk ??. We are in talks about about rescheduling a future booking for @kelitesquad@inc_kes to the ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/kgRcN4OHg9
— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) August 14, 2018
Aiden English’s Message To Rusev & Lana
On last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, Aiden English lost his match against former NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas. Almas will team up with Zelina Vega to take on Rusev and Lana in a Mixed Tag Team match.
After his loss, English was interviewed by WWE cameras backstage. He apologized to Rusev and Lana for his shortcoming against Almas, saying “I tried”:
We reported yesterday that SmackDown Live star Sin Cara suffered an injury. PWInsider first reported the news. It was noted Cara said on his Instagram story he was on his way to visit Birmingham, Alabama to see a doctor.
Today on Twitter, Cara confirmed that he underwent surgery. The operation was performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas on Tuesday. Check out Sin Cara’s Twitter post here:
Hoy hicimos con el doctor Jeffrey Dugas unos pequeños ajustes en mi rodilla para volver con todo a mi terreno ????. El cuerpo es sabio y te indica cuando parar ??. Pero también tiene memoria y sabe cuando volver ?. pic.twitter.com/7yeYAWPHOs
Brock Lesnar has a big weekend ahead of him. The WWE Universal Champion will defend his title against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. All the action goes down live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on August 19th.
In the weeks leading up to the fight Lesnar has had issues with RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. Angle has continuously called Lesnar the worst WWE Champion of all time. “The Beast” hit Angle with an F5 on RAW several weeks ago.
Angle recently took to Twitter to issue out one final shot at Lesnar before SummerSlam. He said he hopes Roman Reigns “kicks Brock’s ass” in New York on Sunday. Here’s what the Olympic gold medalist had to say:
“Brock hardly ever shows up, nor does he defend the Universal Championship consistently. I Hope @WWERomanReigns kicks Brock’s ass this Sunday at SummerSlam. Then the Title will show up on Raw each week, the way it should.”
Brock hardly ever shows up, nor does he defend the Universal Championship consistently. I Hope @WWERomanReigns kicks Brock’s ass this Sunday at Summerslam. Then the Title will show up on Raw each week, the way it should. #itstruehttps://t.co/jsFOrJBlNC
