Chris Jericho says there are no restrictions to what he can do in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion has only wrestled 3 matches in 2018, but he has remained one of the most talked about wrestlers in the world.
Jericho made waves when he wrestled Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2018. He appeared at WWE’s big Raw 25th Anniversary just a few weeks later, his first appearance for the company since he started working for New Japan.
In April, he was back in WWE competing in the Greatest Royal Rumble. By June, he was the IWGP IC Champion after dethroning Tetsuya Naito at Dominion.
Chris Jericho On Working For NJPW & WWE
“It’s very cool to go back to Japan, where I started, and be part of this worldwide growth of New Japan,” Jericho said to Sports Illustrated recently. “There are no real restrictions on what I can do in New Japan.”
Jericho would continue to talk about the restrictions in WWE versus NJPW.
“We did the original beatdown with Kenny and got some blood going, which you never see in the WWE nowadays,” Jericho continued.
“We did the press conference where I was swearing and attacking reporters. You can’t do that in WWE, but you can in Japan. Just to have those shackles released, it just felt like all of these things led to more of a Bruiser Brody character than a Shawn Michaels-type vibe.”
Chris Jericho Wrestling For Non-WWE Promotions
Jericho has always said he would never wrestle for a company other than WWE on American soil. Events which have unfolded this year may test his commitment to this, however.
When asked by a fan on Twitter if he still intends to stand by his earlier claims, Jericho gave an answer some fans will find surprising.
There’s been speculation that Jericho is interested in working for Impact Wrestling. Jericho responded, “Of course!” when asked if he’d consider ‘going to’ Impact.
This October, Chris Jericho is hosting the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which departs out of Miami on October 27th and travels to the Bahamas.
Talent from WWE, Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor will be appearing on the ship. Very few people can pull off something like this. Chris Jericho is among a rare breed of performers who makes his own rules in this business.
IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson has publicly addressed a report from this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating WWE is interested in signing him. Robinson, who wrestled as CJ Parker for former WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling and later NXT from 2011-2015, isn’t going anywhere.
“That’s in the rearview mirror now,” Juice said. “I ain’t going back, I ain’t ever going back.”
Robinson made the comments backstage from Night 8 of the G1 Climax 28 tournament. He has lost every single match in the tournament thus far, likely due to competing with a broken hand.
Juice Robinson on WWE and NJPW
Earlier this summer, Juice spoke with Uproxx about his frustrations while with WWE.
“You know, I loved NXT. Just, I just knew I was dead in the water, so I had to get out,” Juice said. “So it wasn’t that it was bad, it was (that) I turned it bad because I got sad. You know what I mean? So what was happening to me on a daily basis… it wasn’t like I was going home every night and crying in my room.”
He would continue to say that in NXT anytime he would try and lighten the mood, he would be told to get back in line. This was under the old head-trainer, however.
“But they’ve got a good guy there now, and everything’s really – I think it’s fun again,” Juice said in reference to current NXT head trainer Matt Bloom. “It’s good to hear. But I’m having more fun, so, haha.”
Juice Robinson’s Other Options
WWE is not Juice’s only option other than NJPW. Don Callis of Impact Wrestling has made it clear they would make Juice a big part of their company if he ever jumped ship.
“Juice is a tremendous performer with unlimited likeability and unlimited charisma,” Callis said on his Killin the Town podcast earlier this month. “He definitely is a rock star.”
“I really like him a lot,” Callis continued. “He’s a guy you build a company around.”
Kenny Omega has chimed in on the recent Twitter escapades of Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns. Tonga was recently suspended from Twitter temporarily and went looking for who turned him in. He eventually concluded it was Roman Reigns which led to an interesting back and forth between the two of them.
Omega took to Twitter to give his thoughts on the situation.
If the enemy of my enemy is my friend but my new friend hates me more than my enemy does, is he still my friend? pic.twitter.com/5dMq4TW2co
“If the enemy of my enemy is my friend but my new friend hates me more than my enemy does, is he still my friend?”
Omega was referring to the fact that while Tama Tonga and he are enemies in current NJPW storylines, Omega and Roman Reigns have had their issues in the past as well.
Kenny Omega and Roman Reigns Rivalry
Late last year/early this year, Omega and Roman Reigns were involved in a mild public spat as well. Their issues began after Reigns claimed he was the best in-ring performer in the world.
“I’m the best performer, in-ring, in the world right now,” Reigns said in late 2017 to the Bleacher Report. “You can go to my matches and my pay-per-views over the last three years and you can say I’m an idiot or you can be like, ‘man, he has a point.’ Do you know what I mean? I didn’t come here for any other reason.”
Omega then responded t Roman’s claims in an interview with the Bleacher Report.
“I don’t know if Roman was put up to saying a comment like that from a social media team or if it was something that he consciously thought of himself,” Omega said. “But I thought it was pretty smart of him to do — to say — that, because it became instantaneously a topic that people were talking about. And just because it sounds so ridiculous. You know what I mean? By no means do I actually think he believes in those words. There’s no possible way. … I don’t have to feel like I have to speak up about it. It is what it is, and I understand that it’s a fun thing for fans to generate interest in the product. I take absolutely zero offense in him saying it. Especially, since it’s quite clear that the fact of the matter is much, much different.”
Impact Wrestling presented their first show since Sunday’s Slammiversary last night. The venue was again Toronto’s Rebel nightclub.
We also got a rematch from Slammiversary last night. Former X-Division Champion, Matt Sydal, cashed in his rematch clause or rather, as he put it, the title itself cashed in the rematch clause.
Actually, the X-Division Championship itself invoked the rematch clause. I’m simply flowing with the natural order of things. Nature seeks homeostasis, the X-Division Championship seeks me. ????
Don’t look at Sami Callihan’s head. Don’t laugh at him and don’t make fun of him. Even if you don’t, he’ll probably think you did, however.
Callihan has become unhinged (more so) since Pentagon Jr. cut off his hair at Slammiversary.
This week we saw Callihan lose it on a guy in the urinal next to him. Callihan thought the guy was laughing at him so he and oVe beat him up and shaved his head in the washroom.
Pentagon delivered this promo later in the show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDlE8bJREVs
Austin Aries Has 2 New Challengers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fidMR6tfspY
When Austin Aries gave his Championship Address last night on Impact, much of what he said applied to both himself as champion and Impact Wrestling as a promotion.
Aries talked about how in Impact Wrestling nobody hands them a script. In Impact they allow talent to be creative as opposed to just following directions. This was as much of an Impact Wrestling address to fans as it was Aries gloating over his victory.
Eddie Edwards attacked Aries from behind, signifying he wants in the mix for Aries’ world title.
He wouldn’t be the only person who would challenge Aries by the end of the night, however. Anthony Carrelli’s student, Dustin Quicksilver, challenged Aries in the back after the champion interrupted an interview with Carelli.
Don’t Hot-Shame Scarlett Bordeaux
Scarlett Bordeaux: “I want to be remembered as the greatest women’s activist of all time.”
Alicia Atout: “Like Susan B Anthony?”
Scarlett Bordeaux: “Ew. Like Marylyn Monroe. Or Cardi B.”
Bordeaux is a heel. She is the anti-hero in terms of female wrestlers being treated as athletes rather than models. She wants to bring sexy back to wrestling but will it be to the detriment of other Knockouts in the division?
King Says Konnan Didn’t Win The War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8lJYnxdzk
We didn’t see LAX this week. Konnan and the tag champions are likely out of action for a week or two after the beating the OGz gave them after the match at Slammiversary. Even though LAX was victorious over the OGz, King and his crew beat up Konnan an the champs after the match was over.
King told Homicide and Hernandez that Konnan and LAX thought they won the war but they had only won a battle.
Tessa Blanchard Is A Very Good Professional Wrestler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpHyZuymLkU
News flash: Tessa Blanchard can wrestle. Her intense style is heavily influenced by old-school wrestling eras. The ones her father and step-father, Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA, made their names in.
We spoke to Blanchard in May about what has influenced her in-ring style.
“I have huge respect for the 4 Horsemen, all bias aside,” Blanchard said of her father’s old faction. “My Dad and Arn were one of the greatest tag-teams of all time.”
“I watch that era of professional wrestling for inspiration and to study tape,” Blanchard continued to say. “I want to portray that style through my work.”
She made quick work of Rebel this week, defeating her in the very nightclub which bears her name.
The Desi Hit Squad Attacked Taiji Ishimori and Petey Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itz2O9RKgV0
In the opening match, Taiji Ishimori defeated Petey Williams. After the two former X-Division Champions shook hands after the match, they were attacked by the Great Gama Singh’s Desi Hit Squad.
Gursinder Singh (Lance Storm Wrestling Academy graduate) and Rohit Raju delivered the beatdown while Gama Singh shouted instructions from outside the ring. It’s likely we see a tag match involving these four wrestlers sometime soon.
Johnny Impact Has Un-Finished Business With Kongo Kong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewywZm95Q4A
After Johnny Impact defeated Trevor Lee this week, he said his goal is to become Impact World Champion. He said he has some unfinished business to take care of first, however.
It was Kongo Kong who put Johnny out of action and now Johnny wants his revenge.
Allie and Kiera Hogan are Coming For Su Yung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrJRSCTlMQk
In a backstage interview, Allie said her match with Blanchard distracted her from getting even with Su Yung. Allie says she is not going to let Su Yung lock any more wrestlers in coffins. Kiera Hogan then showed up to offer her support as well.
The Young Bucks vs the Motor City Machine Guns
The GWN moment of the week just so happened to be the Motor City Machine Guns vs Generation Me (aka the Young Bucks).
Alex Shelley has been making statements lately which seem to indicate he is not returning to the ring.
The X-Division Is In The Brian Cage Era
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWgWsjyhFUI
After an action-packed main event, Brian Cage once again hit the Drill Claw on Sydal. The victory gives Cage is first-ever title defense of the X-Division belt.
Cage has never been pinned and never submitted in Impact. If anyone can beat Cage for the title, they are going to have to do something no Impact wrestler on the roster has been able to do yet.
After Slammiversary, Cage posted the following to his Instagram account:
PROGRESS held their 74th Chapter event ‘Mid Week Matters’ from the Camden Ballroom in London last night. This was the first ever UK Chapter event to be held on a weekday and it delivered in a big, big way.
The main event of the show saw PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks defending his title against one of the hottest independent stars running the circuit: WALTER. Banks has been a dominant champion ever since his September 2017 win against Pete Dunne in the main event of PROGRESS’ first Alexandra Palace show.
WALTER dethroned Banks to a rapturous reception from the PROGRESS faithful in what likely means that he will be walking into the Wembley Arena show holding the most coveted title in UK independent wrestling.
PROGRESS co-owner Glen Joseph took to Twitter to confirm that Zack would not be appearing due to his New Japan commitments and he also revealed the contingency plan for the massive event in Wembley Arena.
Joseph announced that “between Chapter 74 and Chapter 75 inclusive and the whole USA Coast to Coast Tour any wrestler that puts together 3 back-to-back consecutive singles wins in competition will qualify for the World Championship match and indeed the main event at Wembley Arena.”
Will WALTER be walking into England’s most prestigious Arena as the World Champion? There’s not long left to find out…
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors are competing in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Ian Carey – We’ve reached Night 9, here are the scheduled matches:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe
Michael Elgin vs Minoru Suzuki
Kazuchika Okada vs YOSHI-HASHI
Jay White vs Bad Luck Fale
EVIL vs Hangman Page
Jake Jeremy – too…much….wrestling
Ian Carey – Straight out I think that Tanahashi beats Makabe
Jake Jeremy – It’s looking like your Tanahashi/Okada final day showdown is coming to fruition so I completely agree
Ian Carey – I think Suzuki should defeat Elgin
Jake Jeremy – Is it really bad if I enjoy seeing that? Suzuki must beat Elgin
Ian Carey – Okada will run right through YOSHI-HASHI I’m sure
Jake Jeremy – I’m still sad that they didn’t run with the “you’re nothing without the title” story for Okada, I wanted to see him go through hard times….baby, but yes Okada will beat YOSHI-HASHI
Ian Carey – Jay White vs Bad Luck Fale should be interesting. The Firing Squad and Jay White have both brought very western-influenced heel tactics to NJPW this tournament. I’m not certain the live crowds are enjoying it but I feel as though it might be a tactic NJPW is using to lure in more international fans.
Jake Jeremy – Possibly, I mean Bullet Club was always meant to be an ‘infection’ of western influence on the NJPW style. I think that Fale might actually take this though
Ian Carey – White should win the match though, as Fale has made it quite apparent he does not care about win/loss records. I also think they will give Hangman Page the win over EVIL. I have a feeling that will be a great match too.
Jake Jeremy – Agreed, Page will get the win over EVIL to at least give him SOMETHING
What are your predictions for Night 8? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors are competing in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom. The tournament has now begun and here are the results from Night 8:
Hirooki Goto b. Toru Yano – Goto took the win early after hitting the Ushigoroshi and GTR for the pin
Tetsuya Naito b. Tama Tonga – Naito took the win after hitting a low blow followed by Destino
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Tomohiro Ishii – ZSJ took the submission win after locking in an armbar, this looked painful…
Kenny Omega b. Juice Robinson – Omega took the pinfall win after hitting a fair few V-Triggers
SANADA b. Kota Ibushi – SANADA took the pinfall win after hitting a moonsault, this was somewhat of an upset but a fantastic match
WWE Champion AJ Styles has given his take on WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
‘The face that runs the place’ on SmackDown Live recently spoke to Noelle Foley at San Diego Comic Con. Styles addressed Brock Lesnar’s WWE schedule, which allows him to make millions of dollars without having to be on the road full time.
“Well, you know what? I don’t care what anybody says,” Styles said. “Brock Lesnar is what we call ‘a draw.’ People come see Brock Lesnar and the fact he’s not wrestled that’s on WWE. That’s on Kurt Angle and anybody else that has anything to do with it.”
Styles noted that he does what he does and that he is a fighting champion because he is going to defend his title, give it the respect that it deserves and can’t say much about Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar returns to WWE television this coming Monday when Raw returns to Miami, FL. The Universal Champion will then face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Brock Lesnar is rumored to be leaving WWE after SummerSlam.
What are your thoughts on Styles comments? Sound off in the comment section.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has reported interest in bringing back Shinsuke Nakamura to the company once his current contract with the WWE expires.
Dave Meltzer noted when asked by a fan of the possibility of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura going back to NJPW during the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that both stars signed three year deals with the WWE that are slated to expire in a few months.
Meltzer stated that he wouldn’t be shocked if Nakamura went back to NJPW after his WWE contract is up because he knows that the promotion wants him back but did note that his family lives with him in Florida as well as him being in a good spot on the card in the WWE right now where he has toned down his style in the ring since making the jump from NJPW.
What’s interesting is the fact that it was noted that NJPW is in the middle of expansion mode and they are willing to spend money to get a top name like Nakamura.
Nakamura was a top star for NJPW during his run as he was a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and five-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Before his WWE main roster debut, Nakamura competed in WWE’s developmental branch, NXT where he is one of only two wrestlers to have held the NXT Championship on more than one occasion.
What are your thoughts on Nakamura potentially returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling? Do you think he should stick with WWE or return to NJPW? Sound off in the comment section.
Details about the upcoming season of the WWE produced reality show, Total Divas, has surfaced online after a press release was issued to the media on Thursday morning (July 26, 2018).
Season 8 of the show is slated to premiere on September 19 on the E! Network and will see a few changes to the cast on this season of the show as Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Maryse will not be returning to the main cast. Although the reasoning behind Bliss and Carmella not returning are not known at this time, Maryse not appearing on the series is due to the fact that she and The Miz just aired the debut episode of their reality show, Miz & Mrs, on the USA Network this week.
However, the good news for fans of the show is the fact that Paige, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Natalya, Nia Jax, Lana, and Naomi will be the main cast. Here is the synopsis for the first episode of the new season:
“The season kicks off with the girls getting ready for WrestleMania Week in New Orleans. All eyes are on Nia as she continues to impress in the ring. With her much-anticipated Raw Women’s Championship Match forthcoming, Nia tries to up her game and enlists the help of a veteran Superstar to pick up some new moves.”
Also, it was noted in the release that Nikki’s personal life will be front and center in this season as she hopes to set the record straight between gossip and what she knows as the truth regarding her split from longtime boyfriend John Cena. It should be noted that Nikki also serves as a Co-Executive Producer of Total Divas Season 8.
What are your thoughts on this upcoming season? Do you plan on watching it? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE officials are reportedly interested in potentially signing New Japan Pro Wrestling star Juice Robinson. Dave Meltzer reported the news in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE has a lot of interest.
This wouldn’t be the first time that Robinson has garnered interest from the company as Robinson portrayed the CJ Parker character while in the developmental brand, NXT, for the WWE from 2011 – 2015.
However, he was used a comedy figure and his run didn’t go exactly how he wanted, thus, he departed the company then went to NJPW where he worked up the ranks as a Young Lion where he is the current IWGP US Champion.
He is just another example of a WWE talent not being used the way they should and then going to another promotion where they would become a bigger star than they were in the WWE. It should be noted that NJPW regulars actually aren’t under contract which means that legally WWE can approach them without it being tampering.
“You know, I loved NXT. Just, I just knew I was dead in the water, so I had to get out. So it wasn’t that it was bad, it was I turned it bad because I got sad. You know what I mean? So what was happening to me on a daily basis… it wasn’t like I was going home every night and crying in my room.”
What are your thoughts on WWE possibly bringing back this talent? Sound off in the comment section.
Randy Orton has received some high praise from a WWE Hall of Famer over a recent promo that he delivered on WWE television.
That praise comes from former WWE Tag Team Champion Bubba Ray Dudley as he talked about Orton’s promo in the opening segment from this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network where he talked about the reasoning behind his attack on Jeff Hardy at both the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event after his United States Title match with Shinsuke Nakamura and then last week on the blue branded show.
This promo was highly received from fans because they believe that Orton is a better heel on WWE TV.
Dudley noted on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM that he enjoyed the show including Orton’s promo as he thought that Orton knocked it out of the park and did a great job with it from the words that he was saying to his tone in his voice.
“Randy Orton believed everything he was saying last night. If you listened to the reaction of the people, there was a hush over the crowd. That hush wasn’t disinterested, that was ‘oh my God, Randy does sound pissed off, and he’s about to take out his frustrations on a lot of different people.”
The Andre “the Giant” documentary released earlier this year by HBO is the most-watched sports documentary in the history of the channel. Over 7 million viewers have tuned in to see the film.
Many are speculating the news could lead to more wrestling-related documentaries in the future.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news. The outlet spoke with the film’s producer, Bill Simmons after he’d signed a new deal with HBO earlier this week.
“I’m thrilled to keep going with the HBO family and can’t wait to get started on a couple of the more ambitious projects we’ve hatched,” said Simmons. “I witnessed it firsthand with our Andre doc — when you create something unique for HBO, they’ve built so much trust and equity in their audience over the years that it’s always going to be seen. Every single time. If it’s good and it’s on HBO, it will stand out. Even though we have more entertainment choices than ever right now, HBO still cuts through in an incredibly precise, almost unassailable way — and they work better with creatives than anyone, period. I am lucky to work with them and I know it.”
Andre the Giant Documentary
Bill Simmons had originally wanted to do a documentary on Andre the Giant while he was still at ESPN. According to Simmons, Andre’s doc was on the list of original 30 for 30 series.
“I have this old computer that has a lot of the original 30 for 30 stuff from 2007 on it,” Simmons said. “Andre was on the initial list of 12 documentaries that I just thought could really resonate. Back then, HBO had a monopoly on the sports documentaries. They were doing a lot of older stuff like Joe Louis and Vince Lombardi and people like that, and it just seemed like there was an inefficiency with subjects and athletes and teams from the ’80s and ’90s, so he was always on that list but at the time the WWE kept everything for themselves and rightly so.”
Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is believed to want to wrestle this year at WrestleMania. In previous years, however, his Hollywood schedule has prevented this from happening.
WWE is hopeful the Rock will be at the event this year, though. Should the Rock be available, it’s likely he’ll be involved in a program with Elias.
“Elias has been teasing a confrontation with The Rock,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the recent Wrestling Observer. “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show, but he hasn’t wrestled in years.”
The Rock At WrestleMania 35
The Rock’s last official match was at WrestleMania 32. He defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match that night. His previous match before then had been against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.
Unfortunately, the Rock suffered multiple injuries at WrestleMania 29. He tore his abdominal and abductor muscles and also suffered a hernia. This meant he required emergency hernia surgery after the event. His injuries almost caused a delay in filming “Hercules” as a result.
The biggest obstacle in the way of Rock being at WrestleMania concerns insurance taken out on him. For instance, a movie studio might take out an insurance policy on Tom Cruise so if he breaks his leg and is unable to film Mission Impossible for a few months, the company receives compensation. If the Rock competes in a wrestling match, it will drive up the cost required to insure him. To make a long story short, Hollywood has a lot of money invested in the Rock. They would obviously prefer he doesn’t engage in risky activity, such as wrestling.
The Rock calls his own shots, however. If the 46-year-old wants one more WrestleMania match, it’s his decision to make.
Maxwell J. Friedman (MJF) is expected to miss several weeks of action due to a knee injury. The cocky Long Island native has been on a roll as of late. In addition to holding the CZW World Heavyweight Championship, MJF became the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion last week by defeating Joey Ryan at MLW Battle Riot. That match airs Friday night on beIN SPORTS as part of MLW’s 2-hour Battle Riot cable special.
Friedman wrestled for AAW on Saturday night and defeated Ace Steel in a Bourbon Street Fight. After the match, he tweeted this photo of his knee iced up and told the “pimpled up tubby marks” asking about his knee that he doesn’t need their sympathy.
To everyone who’s tweeting and messaging me about my knee…. I don’t need sympathy from a bunch of pimpled up tubby marks. I’ll be good by Monday. pic.twitter.com/BYgCIKJcii
He was not ‘good’ by Monday. MJF posted a message on Facebook on Wednesday night and revealed that he suffered a small tear in his lateral meniscus and a tear in his LCL. Recovery time for this type of injury is approximately 2-6 weeks.
MJF had been scheduled to compete for CZW and Beyond Wrestling this coming weekend. Hopefully MJF is back in action soon, just don’t send him any well wishes on Twitter.
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) vs Matt Sydal
After losing the X-Division championship on Sunday, Sydal will have a chance to win it back tonight.
At Slammiversary, Sydal missed a shooting star press (hitting his foot on the top rope) which allowed Cage to hit the Drill Claw for the win. How Sydal missed the shooting star press while having his 3rd eye open is still not entirely clear.
Tonight, Sydal claims it is not him who is asking for a rematch but rather the championship itself. He explained his comments recently on Twitter.
Actually, the X-Division Championship itself invoked the rematch clause. I’m simply flowing with the natural order of things. Nature seeks homeostasis, the X-Division Championship seeks me. ????
Johnny Impact returned to the company at Slammiversary following time away for reality television and matrimony commitments.
At Slammiversary, Impact pinned Fenix in the fatal 4-way match. The victory should vault the former title-challenger back up in the rankings. Tonight we will find out more about what comes next for Johnny.
The Chicago-based indie wrestler will make her Impact Wrestling debut tonight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqlFaCuEL1A
Fallout From Slammiversary
Impact Wrestling is also advertising tonight’s episode will see the fallout from numerous Slammiversary matches.
Su Yung is still Knockouts Champion and Madison Rayne is now locked in a coffin. King and the OGz stole the titles from LAX after losing to them at Slammiversary. Several Impact Wrestling storylines will be further developed tonight.
It’s been an interesting G1 Climax tournament in New Japan Pro-Wrestling so far this summer. Easily the most talked about part of the tournament has been the actions of Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale, the two members of the Firing Squad entered into the tournament.
Yesterday, we reported that Twitter temporarily suspended Tama Tonga’s account. Tonga has a knack for handling trolls online and evidently, Twitter decided he needed a timeout for a little while. Once back, however, Tonga went looking for the person who turned him in. It wasn’t long until WWE’s “Big Dog” was centered on as a suspect.
Got the #Snitch. Your bark can’t seem to get OVER your Yard for me to hear you. My yard has no fences, come test your skills here anytime. “Jealousy is a bitch trait”- what album is that from? #RomanTheRatpic.twitter.com/VMTMKjlyNR
“Got the #Snitch. Your bark can’t seem to get OVER your Yard for me to hear you. My yard has no fences, come test your skills here anytime. “Jealousy is a bitch trait”- what album is that from? #RomanTheRat”
I actually doubled your lil videos views for you in like 4 hours. You should be thankful. Thanks for the laughs tho! ???? https://t.co/cfNXpUSSGd
“I actually doubled your lil videos views for you in like 4 hours. You should be thankful. Thanks for the laughs tho!”
Thanks for time keeping and view counting, must be looking for new material…writers gave up on you? If you need more laughs just continue fist cocking, it gets funnier every time. https://t.co/Nt5eR9PsOn
“Thanks for time keeping and view counting, must be looking for new material…writers gave up on you? If you need more laughs just continue fist cocking, it gets funnier every time.”
Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale in the G1 Climax 28
Disqualifications are rare in New Japan Pro Wrestling but they have happened multiple times in this year’s G1 tournament. Fale and Tonga, who are joined by Tanga Loa on the tour, have repeatedly used outside interference in their matches to the dismay of the live crowds.
As a result, they have only have 1 win between the two of them so far. Fale, in particular, has seemed to come into this tournament with an unsportsmanlike attitude.
Fale met Hangman Page on the first night of the tournament. It was the first match in the G1 between a member of rival Bullet Club factions. It didn’t take long for both Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to interfere, however, resulting in a disqualification.
Tonga also got himself disqualified in his match against Kenny Omega.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, is believed to still be in hospital 19 days after his match with Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace.
Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex spot on the July 7th card. After finishing the match, Takahashi is said to have collapsed backstage. He was taken to a local hospital and then was transported back to Japan a few days later.
Hiromu Takahashi Injury Update
“He’s still in the hospital,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “He’s in good spirits but it’s 18 days and he’s still in hospital. That’s not a good sign to me, at all.”
The day after his injury, NJPW updated fans on his condition by stating he was awake and able to sit and talk.
His toy cat, Darryl Takahashi, then sent out the following update:
— ????? / Hiromu Takahashi (@TIMEBOMB1105) July 14, 2018
Dragon Lee also reacted to Hiromu’s injury. “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”
Juice Robinson also commented on Takahashi’s injury while on Jim Ross’ podcast.
“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”
Sean Waltman, who has a history of neck problems, made the following comments:
“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”
Do not expect former WWE Superstar Gail Kim to appear at the company’s upcoming all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view.
Kim is widely considered one of the best female wrestlers in WWE history. She is a former WWE Women’s Champion and worked for the company from 2002-20004 and 2008-2011.
A fan asked Gail Kim on Twitter why she won’t consider returning to WWE, even for a one-time appearance. Gail Kim said it’s really a matter of what makes her happy – and she never felt happy in WWE.
Bc I’ve been there twice. I have never been happy there. Life is about happiness. Impact Wrestling is my happiness. It’s not about money sometimes…. people just don’t understand that https://t.co/rOaehEimOH
Gail Kim had a successful WWE career and is a former WWE Women’s Champion. However, her frustration with WWE has a lot to do with with her unhappiness.
During her first WWE run, wrestlers such as Trish Stratus were often made to participate in degrading and over-sexualized storylines, such as Bra and Panties matches. Her second run involved an angle where she was Daniel Bryan’s girlfriend and another one where she and Melina were “Frenemies”.
Gail Kim spoke candidly about her dissatisfaction while in WWE during an appearance on Sean Waltman’s X-Pac 1-2-360 podcast.
“I felt held down in WWE,” Kim said. “It was just the wrong timing in that company. When I first came into the company the woman’s division was strong with Trish and Jazz with all those girls. When the first diva’s search happened it kinda went away, that’s when I got fired actually, and mind you, it brought me my best friend Christy Hemme. It always felt like it was just never a right fit for me.”
Gail Kim in Impact Wrestling
Kim signed with Impact (then known as TNA) in 2005. She won the Knockouts Championship in 2007 and was also involved in several high-profile storylines and angles. After leaving WWE in epic fashion in 2011, she re-signed with Impact in 2011. She retired from in-ring competition in 2016 and was hired as a producer.
She now works with Impact’s current Knockouts division featuring the likes of Su Yung, Allie, Tessa Blanchard, Kiera Hogan, Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, and Madison Rayne.
James Ellsworth has been fired from WWE again. Smackdown General Manager, Paige, fired Ellsworth on Tuesday night.
It had previously been reported that Ellsworth was working on a per show agreement with WWE and had not signed a contract. Ellsworth took to Twitter last night to make a statement.
The 33-year-old first debuted on WWE programming in 2016 shortly after the brand split. At the time, WWE was going back to using squash matches on television. Ellsworth was brought in as a frequent enhancement talent, losing his first WWE match to Braun Strowman.
It is believed that Mick Foley was a big supporter of hiring Ellsworth and Steve Austin has also sung his praises on his podcast. As a result of his time in WWE, Ellsworth cracked the PWI top 500 ranking in 2017. He managed to hit #410 on the list.
James Ellsworth on Steve Austin’s Podcast
When Ellsworth was on Steve Austin’s podcast earlier this year, he spoke about always wanting to become a wrestler.
“I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a pro wrestler,” Ellsworth said. “I started watching it at a young age. In kindergarten and first grade, they would ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. People would dress as doctors or police officers, nurses, but I would come dressed as a wrestler. My dad would try to dress me up as a baseball player, but I’m like, no, I want to dress up like the Ultimate Warrior because I want to be a professional wrestler when I grow up,” Ellsworth said. “I can’t remember not wanting to be a professional wrestler my whole life. I started watching wrestling at a young age; around 4 or 5 years old. Ricky Morton was the first pro wrestler that I noticed in the NWA around 1988, 1989 when I was 4 or 5 years old. Then I noticed ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual G1 Climax is widely regarded as the greatest tournament in pro wrestling today. Two blocks of competitors are competing in a round robin format to determine the number 1 contender to Kenny Omega’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at January 4th’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Adam Cole faced Sean Maluta on tonight’s episode of NXT. Cole started out the match in control but Maluta was able to battle back and connect with a Neckbreaker. Cole tripled up Maluta on the turnbuckle and then booted him in the ribs. Maluta leaped off the second rope but Cole was ready and hit him with a Superkick to the face. Cole then hit Maluta with the Last Shot for the easy pinfall victory.
After the match, Cole cut a promo and bragged about being NXT North American Champion. Cole praised himself for giving Maluta an opportunity and asked if there was anyone in the back that wanted a shot at him. Ricochet came down to the entrance ramp and complimented Cole from not running from his competition tonight.
Ricochet stated that Cole has done nothing but become a coward since becoming the NXT North American Champion. Ricochet challenged Cole to prove how good he was by defending his title against him at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Adam Cole claimed that he was not going to diminish himself by fighting Ricochet in Brooklyn. Cole then exited the ring as Ricochet called him a coward once again.
The NXT Universe joined in on the fun and started chanting coward. Cole rushed to the ring apron but backed away after Ricochet flipped across the ring. Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong joined the party and Undisputed Era marched towards the ring. War Raiders interrupted and chased Undisputed Era into the crowd.
Mustache Mount appeared behind Undisputed Era and attacked them. O’Reilly, Strong and Cole once again escaped through the crowd as War Raiders, Mustache Mountain, and Ricochet stood tall.
NXT GM William Regal sat down with Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane for a contract signing. Baszler will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Kairi Sane at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.Shayna Baszler stated that Kairi Sane was just like every other female Superstar in the locker room pretending to be tough.
Baszler called Sane pathetic and signed the contract. Kairi vowed to defeat Shayna at NXT Brooklyn and Baszler responded by chuckling to herself. Baszler said that Sane is going to hear “and still your NXT Women’s Champion” in Brooklyn. Shayna then walked away and Sane told NXT GM William Regal that she can defeat Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Later on NXT, Baszler was confronted by Candice LeRae backstage. Candice was held back but said that she was going to find the time to slap Shayna in the face.
Tenilla Price had the misfortune of having to face Lacey Evans tonight on NXT. Evans dominated early and beatdown Price in the corner of the ring. Sane connected with a Neckbreaker and then regrouped in the corner. Price flipped right into the Woman’s Right from Evans for the pinfall victory.
Aleister Black defended the NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT. Ciampa started off the match in control and targetted Black’s arm. Aleister grabbed Ciampa’s leg and wrestled him down to the canvas.
Ciampa escaped for a moment but Black got him trapped in a Headlock. Ciampa battled up to his feet and countered into a Headlock of his own. Black broke free and went for an Arm Drag but Tommaso countered into a roll-up for a two count.
Tommaso smiled in the corner of the ring and pointed out to Black how close he was to winning the title. The action spilled out of the ring and Black connected with a ridiculous kick to Ciampa’s chest that sent Tommaso tumbling to the floor.
Black brought Ciampa back into the ring but Tommaso battled back and sent Aleister to the corner of the ring. Black dodged Ciampa and knocked him back down with a boot to the face. Ciampa missed with a Clothesline and Aleister once again knocked him down with a kick to the chest.
Aleister faked like he was going for a Suicide Dive but bounced off the ropes and took a seat in the ring. Black waved to Ciampa as he was regrouping on the entrance ramp. Ciampa got back into the ring and was greeted with a boot to the face. Ciampa then followed Black to the ropes and launched him out of the ring.
Ciampa launched Black into the barricade and then into the steel steps. Ciampa took a seat on top of the steel steps and waved to Black. Back in the ring, Ciampa connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Backbreaker.
Tommaso Ciampa applied the Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring and Black screamed in pain. Black transitioned into the Cloverleaf in the middle of the ring. Aleister made his way to the bottom rope to break the hold and Ciampa slammed the mat out of frustration.
Black rolled to the ring apron and Ciampa followed him out there. Tommaso pulled him up and blasted him in the face with a couple of punches. Black battled back with a couple of elbows and then a flurry of kicks that sent Ciampa back into the ring.
Aleister connected with a kick to Ciampa’s knee and then rolled him up for a two count. Both Superstars got up and connected with a Clothesline at the same time. Black connected with a boot to the Ciampa’s face and then impressively flipped to his feet. Aleister followed it up with a springboard Moonsault for a near fall.
Ciampa went for the DDT while Black was trapped in the ropes but Aleister escaped with a kick to the head. Black unloaded a series of knee strikes to Ciampa’s head and went for the cover but Tommaso was somehow able to kick out at two.
Black shouted “tweet about this!” to Ciampa and hit him with several kicks in the corner of the ring. Ciampa tripped up Aleister on the apron and Black fell back-first on the ring apron. Ciampa then leaped onto Black off the top rope for another near fall.
Tommaso hit an insane Clothesline that turned Black inside out for a two count. Ciampa took down his knee brace and ran towards Aleister but Black countered with a massive kick to the face for another two count as the crowd chanted “NXT!”.
Aleister went for Black Mass but Ciampa countered into a roll-up for a two count. Black hit Double Knees off the top rope and followed it up with an awesome German Suplex for a two count. Black went for a Moonsault off the second rope but Ciampa dodged him and shoved Aleister into a cameraman.
Ciampa then struck Black with a crutch as the referee was distracted and went for the cover but Black somehow kicked out. Black sent Ciampa out of the ring and flipped onto him. Aleister rolled Ciampa back into the ring but Tommaso caught him in the ropes and planted him with the DDT. Ciampa went for the cover but Black once again kicked out and the crowd erupted.
Tommaso got out of the ring and pulled off some padding to expose the concrete floor below. Ciampa dragged Black to the ring apron and set up for a DDT on the floor. Tommaso argued with the referee and Black escaped back into the ring. Aleister shoved Ciampa towards the ropes and Tommaso bumped into the referee.
Black then hit Black Mass and went for the cover but the referee was on the ground outside the ring. Aleister brought Ciampa back to his feet and Tommaso raked Black’s eyes. Ciampa rolled out of the ring and grabbed the NXT Championship. Johnny Gargano got into the ring and hit Ciampa with a Superkick.
Ciampa then shoved Gargano and Johnny accidentally hit Black with the NXT Championship. Tommaso then hit Project Ciampa on Aleister Black for the pinfall victory. NXT went off the air with the crowd booing as Ciampa posed with the NXT Championship on the entrance ramp.
Tommaso Ciampa is the new NXT Champion. Title changes on weekly WWE NXT television are rare these days but a changing of the guard at the top of the brand for the developmental system has taken place.
Tommaso Ciampa beat Aleister Black to win the NXT Title on this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network, which was taped on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University. As a result of winning this match, it marks the first time that Ciampa has held the title.
Ciampa is now the 16th champion in the history of the NXT Title that was created back in 2012 when the inaugural champion was Seth Rollins when the brand was first introduced to the WWE fans. Ciampa is also a former NXT Tag Team Champion under the WWE banner when he won the titles with Johnny Gargano, who he had been feuding with for the past few months on television where they would later headline the last two TakeOver events.
Black held the title for 102 days once when he won it from Andrade “Cien” Almas during Survivor Series weekend at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November of 2017 in Houston, Texas.
The next NXT special is NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, which with everything that has gone on in this brand lately, it will be interesting to see how WWE books the new few weeks of television for the NXT brand leading up to this event that is slated to go down on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this title change? Sound off in the comment section.
Matt Riddle is talking in-depth about the possibility of signing with WWE and the “endless possibilities” that would await him in NXT.
The King of Bros is the latest guest on Sean Waltman’s popular XPAC 1-2-360 podcast at AfterBuzz TV. He also spoke about WWE’s upcoming all-women’s Evolution Network special.
The entire episode of Matt Riddle on XPAC 1-2-360 is embedded below.
Below are highlights sent in by the show’s producers. Matt Riddle, one of the top independent wrestlers in the world, has been rumored to be signing with WWE over NJPW. With the popular opinion that Matt Riddle is WWE bound, here is what the Evolve Champion said about:
Being One Of The Top Free Agents In Pro Wrestling
“I am in a really good position right now, I work with Evolve on a regular basis and they have a great relationship with WWE and other companies as well. Zack Saber Jr. worked with us, New Japan…I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world and wrestle guys from New Japan, Ring of Honor, especially Progress and still wrestling WWE guys. I’m in a really good spot. The last couple of years you {Sean Waltman} helped me out a lot too but you know how granted they took issues with my past… I was kinda stuck but from what I’ve gathered, what I’ve heard from everybody, everybody is at the point where they all want me and they’re all willing to work with me. I think they’re all big fans of Matt Riddle. And I think it’s my time to make the right decision, do it and let’s see what happens.”
NXT Presenting “Endless Possibilities” For Him & Who He Wants to Work With
“I had one match with Roderick Strong, which was great and I’d love to do something like that again. I’ve wrestled Kyle O’ Reilly all around the world from Ireland to the U.S to everywhere, I’d love to do that again. Adam Cole the same. Aleister Black, I wrestled him only once and we didn’t call anything and it was one of my fave matches I’ve had and I’d like to do that again. Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet… the list goes on. Endless possibilities for great matches.”
Being Terrified to Work With James Ellsworth:
The one that sticks out to me the most and he was terrified, he was like ‘you’re so good though’ and this and that and I’m like, ‘Bro, relax. It’s like a 5 minute match and we’re gonna kill it, it’s gonna be easy.’ And this person was James Ellsworth. He was terrified. I’ll be honest I had a lot of people tell me just to kick the shit out of him… and I’m like ‘I’m not that kinda person. And James Ellsworth can’t really defend himself against me…I don’t like that.’ But we were talking about the match and he was just shaking and nervous for it, I don’t know if he thought I was gonna turn it up on him or what. It ended up being a good match… he thanked me for the match and said it was a great experience and ‘thank you for not killing me.’
CM Punk’s Downfall in MMA:
“CM Punk, for example, he started training MMA. Did he start at like a local Jiu-Jitsu gym? No. He went to Duke Roufus, he went to one of the biggest camps in the world with some of the toughest people and I’ll tell you this that’s probably the worst thing he could’ve done. Because there are a bunch of killers there that want to beat you up. They don’t go five miles per hour, they already know all the moves and they’re going to but the beat on you because that’s what you do in fights.
While I personally think he probably should’ve gone and got a couple personal trainers. Like a personal Jiu-Jitsu instructor, a personal Muay Thai instructor got his hands, his feet, everything educated. His Jiu-Jitsu educated. And then started to maybe roll with a couple white belts, some blue belts that aren’t at the highest level school in your area and then eventually you make your way to the killers. Then you can be a killer yourself. But I think he just hopped in way to quick.”
Check out the full segment of Matt Riddle talking to Sean Waltman:
Stephanie McMahon continues to make the media rounds to promote the upcoming WWE Evolution all-women’s event that goes down later this and spoke about the importance of it during a recent ESPN interview.
Recent Major Announcements
McMahon discussed making announcements for the women’s division which she noted was an honor beyond description to be the one who gets to make these announcements then listed off the first ever all-women Royal Rumble match, and now the first ever all-women pay-per-view. She noted that to be able to honor the memories and legacies of all of those women who have competed in the WWE and paved the way for today’s stars is a demonstration of equality for them as well as for all of the young girls and women around the world.”
Her Evolution Role
Although McMahon didn’t fully answer the question about her role at this show, she did make it clear that her goal is to make it the WrestleMania version of the women’s division. “What’s awesome about this pay-per-view event is that it’s being treated the same as every other pay-per-view, because we believe in it so much. It has the creative writing team. It has all of our live events production, talent relations — all of the different departments that go into making every pay-per-view a success are behind this pay-per-view. In terms of my role, I’m going to do everything I can to make it as big and as successful as it can possibly be. I’m hoping, at any rate, that this is going to be the WrestleMania of the women’s division.”
The Evolution pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on McMahon’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
