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Impact Slammiversary XVI Results & Videos (7/22/18)

Staff
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Impact Wrestling held their big Slammiversary XVI pay-per-view on Sunday night from Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Rebel Complex nightclub.

Here are quick results from the show and several videos from Slammiversary – courtesy of Impact’s official Youtube channel.

– Johnny Impact defeated Taiji Ishimori, Fenix and Petey Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4R6dlGFynY

– Tessa Blanchard defeated Allie.

– Eddie Edwards defeated Tommy Dreamer in a House of Hardcore match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA6LtgP0AXs

– Brian Cage defeated Matt Sydal to win the X-Division title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wGXSl290p8

– Su Yung defeated Madison Rayne to retain the Knockouts Title.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzmGF-w117k

– LAX def. The OGz to retain the Impact Tag Team championships in a 5150 Street Fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzypsFWcj9s

– Pentagon Jr. defeated Sami Callihan in the Mask vs. Hair match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__d8TGKzP9A

– Austin Aries defeated Moose with the brainbuster to retain the Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQf5F-wHdV8

WWE Personality Wants To Manage Carmella, A Look Back At SummerSlam ’89, Seth Rollins

Daniel Pena
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– James Ellsworth’s future in WWE appears uncertain after Asuka annihilated the man himself to the tune of kicks, strikes and a smothering Asuka Lock following her loss to Carmella last Sunday at Extreme Rules. Then two days later on SmackDown LIVE, General Manager Paige asked Carmella how “her boyfriend” is doing. Carmella appeared disgusted, saying “eww” and that he’s not her boyfriend.

With Ellsworth seemingly out of the picture as Carmella’s associate, WWE Network personality Peter Rosenberg wants to give the SmackDown Women’s Champion “a real manager.”

On Friday, Rosenberg responded to Carmella’s latest Instagram post with the following: “I have so many ideas for when I supplant @jamesellsworthwrestling and give you a real manager!”

https://instagram.com/p/BldpeSEl6ql/

Carmella

– Ahead of SummerSlam on August 19, WWE tweeted this 60-second highlight video looking back at SummerSlam 1989 from the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In the main event, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan enlisted Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake for a tag team match against “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Zeus.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S23JCkfYWIo&w=560&h=315]

Ultimate Warrior also struck gold for the second straight year at SummerSlam, defeating rival “Ravishing” Rick Rude for the Intercontinental Championship.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NESY1J8fW7A&w=560&h=315]

– Seth Rollins is Lilian Garcia’s guest this week on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. You can listen to the episode beginning on Monday.

https://instagram.com/p/Bld1PH1gcqK/

How Long Is Tessa Blanchard’s “Long-term” Contract With Impact?, Madison Rayne On Facing Su Yung

Daniel Pena
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– Two weeks ago, IMPACT Wrestling announced that Tessa Blanchard had signed a “long-term” contract.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Blanchard’s contract with IMPACT Wrestling is a two-year deal.

Blanchard will be in action tonight at Slammiversary as she takes on Allie. Here is a video previewing their match.

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

– Madison Rayne is a five-time Knockouts Champion looking to become Champion for the sixth time. She will have that opportunity tonight at Slammiversary when she challenges Su Yung. Ahead of tonight’s match, Rayne tweeted the following.

In the video below, Rayne reveals the source of her motivation heading into tonight’s match.

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

Their feud took an eerie turn on last Thursday’s episode of IMPACT! as Yung and her Bridesmaids got into Rayne’s head by haunting her.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9a8F4TqnoA&w=560&h=315]

Who Should Brock Lesnar Face At SummerSlam?

Jeff Moss
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WWE has spent the better part of two decades building SummerSlam, their mid-year pa-per-view event, into a show that they deem as big (or almost as big) as WrestleMania. The same kind of glitz, glamour and excitement and big-time matches worthy of The Showcase of The Immortals.

As we move towards this year’s iteration of SummerSlam I can’t help but feel like a lot of that is being undone by the fact that we (almost) know exactly what’s scheduled for the main event: Brock Lesnar losing the Universal Title.

With Brock’s short-term WWE contract and already-announced move back to the UFC, it’s an almost inevitable but then again that is what the fans predicted at both WrestleMania AND the Greatest Royal Rumble when he faced Roman Reigns, so could we once again be ‘swerved’ at the last minute?

Whoever faces Brock at SummerSlam (if we discount any shenanigans with a Money In The Bank cash-in) is likely walking out with the Universal Title. This pretty much means the only thing of interest in this match is the who, and how of it all.

This past week on RAW, Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley won separate triple-threat matches to win the right to face off this Monday to see who will face Brock for the Universal Title at SummerSlam. This presents three possible scenarios:

Lesnar Vs Lashley – WWE is sometimes like a little kid. They fixate on a certain toy or show and that’s all they want. Right now for 3-year old WWE, it’s MMA. With Brock’s appearance in a UFC Octagon, and Lashley’s MMA background, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were to try to put them in the ring and say “As long as Brock loses, just go for it!” Of course, that’s unlikely because there’s more to putting on an MMA-style shoot fight than just doing it. Plus, in the PG era I doubt it’d fly. Another possibility: Heyman turns on Brock and becomes Lashley’s advocate. Lashley really needs to do that “not talking” thing, and we could all use more Paul Heyman in our lives.

Lesnar Vs Reigns – Roman Reigns is a good wrestler. There, I said it. You know it, I know it, and maybe this is the time for him to shake off the bad booking he’s suffered through and make a full (badass) heel turn. Remember his promo the night after facing the Undertaker at Wrestlemania? It was spectacular. If finally beating Lesnar gets us that Roman full-time, it’ll all be worth it. It could really change his career trajectory, and also elevate the title, because who wouldn’t want to beat the crap out of that guy?

Lesnar Vs Lashley Vs Reigns – This is practically Wrestling 101. It would be easy for WWE to have the match between Lashley & Reigns go to a no contest through some kind of shenanigans, causing them to repeat the match the next week, which would more than likely end in similar circumstances, and they’d just declare it a Triple Threat at SummerSlam. This match would be great for Brock because he could lose the title without being pinned. It’d be terrible for the audience in that it’d be nothing but a glorified Reigns/Lashley match, which we’ve just sat through, like, a lot. This is the most likely of the scenarios, to be honest. It could give us the outcome of a 1-on-1 Reigns/Lesnar match, while protecting Brock and making Lashley…still be there? I guess?

My choice? It’s actually a fourth scenario: With the excitement around the Intercontinental Title right now, Ronda Rousey Vs Alexa Bliss and the rumoured Samoa Joe Vs AJ Styles WWE Title match potentially on the card, honestly, we don’t really need a Universal Title match. The best thing WWE could do is start the show with the Universal Title in a display case in the ring, announce that Brock has been stripped and the Title will be retired to a closet in HHH’s office. In it’s place will be a re-instated Heavyweight Championship (Hey, it’s my fantasy booking, let me have this), which Lashley and Roman will battle for in the Main Event.

The Universal Title debuted at SummerSlam, so ending it there would be fitting.

Sound off in the comments! What scenario would you like to see play out at SummerSlam with the Universal Title? 

Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett Hypes The Return of World of Sport (WoS)

Jake Skudder
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World of Sport/WoS will be making a return to mainstream British television next Saturday July 28th. The iconic UK wrestling brand will be making an initial run of 10 shows on ITV/STV, a channel that is available on every single TV set in the UK.

WoS announced their full roster and on-air personalities over the past month and one of the more intriguing is the involvement of former WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett/Stu Bennett. Bennett will be acting as the ‘Commissioner’ for the show and also providing commentary alongside SoCal Val and Alex Shane.

Bennett recently took to Twitter to hype the upcoming debut show of this WoS reboot, he stated that “1 week from today, the greatest collection of British wrestlers amassed in over 30 years hits prime time on @ITV.. Who are you most excited to see? @WOSWrestling“

Here’s the full official roster for WoS:

  • Rampage Brown
  • Grado
  • Iestyn Rees
  • Sha Samuels
  • Davey Boy Smith Jr
  • Adam Maxted
  • Nathan Cruz
  • CJ Banks
  • Brad Slayer
  • Martin Kirby
  • Lionheart
  • HT Drake
  • Doug Williams
  • Crater
  • Gabriel Kidd
  • Kip Sabian
  • Liam Slater
  • Robbie X
  • Will Ospreay
  • Stevie Boy
  • Joe Hendry
  • Justin Sysum
  • Ayesha
  • Kasey Owens
  • Kay Lee Ray
  • Bea Priestley
  • Viper

Will you be watching next Saturday? Let us know in the comments.

G1 Climax Night 7 Results and Updated Standings

Jake Skudder
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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 7:

YOSHI-HASHI b. Michael Elgin – YOSHI-YASHI took the upset win after hitting a backstabber followed by Karma

EVIL b. Bad Luck Fale – EVIL took the DQ win after Tama Tonga hit him with the Gun Stun. The fans in attendance did not like yet another DQ decision in the G1

Minoru Suzuki b. Jay White – Suzuki handed White his first loss of the tournament after he caught a low blow attempt and hit the Gotch Piledriver for the pinfall

Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Hangman Page – The ‘Ace’ of NJPW hit a standing High Fly Flow to take down Hangman, he followed with another and took the pinfall victory

Kazuchika Okada b. Togi Makabe – Okada recovered after Makabe hit a lariat, he delivered his own and then finished off Makabe with the Rainmaker 

Here’s the updated standings:

Block A Block B
Evil 6 Kenny Omega 6
Hiroshi Tanahashi 6 Kota Ibushi 4
Jay White 6 Tomohiro Ishii 4
Michael Elgin 4 Tetsuya Naito 4
Togi Makabe 4 Sanada 4
Kazuchika Okada 4 Hirooki Goto 2
Minoru Suzuki 4 Zack Sabre Jr. 2
Bad Luck Fale 2 Tama Tonga 2
Hangman Page 2 Toru Yano 2
Yoshi-Hashi 2 Juice Robinson 0

 

You can find the results for Night 1 here, Night 2 here, Night 3 here, Night 4 here, Night 5 here and Night 6 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out how they fared with Night 7’s predictions right here.

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary XVI Preview

Chris Stephens
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Slammiversary is tonight from the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto, ON. The show is sold-out with estimates being over 1000 tickets have been purchased.

Below we have the lineup, notes for each match, and the impressive hype videos Impact has produced for the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kui_90dS2RU&frags=pl%2Cwn

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary XVI
July 22nd, 2018
Rebel Nightclub
Toronto, ON, Canada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD1NtYRl88U

Mask vs Hair
Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan

  • A Mask versus Hair match arguably the most talked about match of the night.
  • Pentagon hit his package piledriver and his tag finisher with Fenix on Callihan on television leading up to this match but Callihan kicked out of both, indicating Callihan won’t be finished so easily tonight.
  • If Pentagon wants to win this match, he’s going to have to go to great lengths to keep Callihan down.

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

Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Moose

  • Aries has been saying Moose is a failed football player who is trying a new career.
  • Moose has been saying he left the NFL to chase his pro-wrestling dream.
  • Aries tried his old tricks on Moose recently on television this week. He attacked Moose from behind, hit him in the groin, and beat him up with a chair. Aries assumed Moose was down for good but was shocked when Moose got up and took the fight to him.
  • As Aries left the arena he looked less than confident for the first time in a long time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPbFdu0QBg

Knockouts Championship
Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne

  • Su Yung has been haunting Madison Rayne in her dreams, luring her into fields, and dousing her with blood. It’s been a little weird.
  • Yung most likely has more than a wrestling match in mind for her opponent tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMCp7-KqeWY

X-Division Championship
Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage

  • The X-Division isn’t about weight limits, it’s about no limits. This vague yet somehow also descriptive line defines the X-Division and it also defines Brian Cage.
  • Cage has been kept strong on television all year. His only loss came via count-out against Sydal after Kongo Kong interfered.
  • Can Brian Cage win the X-Division title? Or will Matt Sydal use his 3rd eye to guide him to victory?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTDegMNnXxc&t=9s

House of Hardcore Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards

  • Eddie Edwards has spiraled into madness. His delusions have led him to believe Tommy Dreamer is his enemy.
  • Dreamer had only been trying to stop Edwards from making the same mistakes he did during his feud with Raven. Dreamer said he lost years of his life obsessed with Raven and didn’t want Edwards to do the same with Callihan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiGgsfQ0zas&frags=pl%2Cwn

5150 Street Fight
LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/Konnan vs the OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) w/King

  • The culmination of a story that has been told all year. Eddie Kingston leads the OGz to enact revenge on Konnan.

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

Fenix vs Taiji Ishimori vs Johnny Impact

  • It is being reported that Swann has been removed from this match due to the concussion he suffered on Thursday at MLW: Battle Riot.
  • Johnny Impact has stressed he needs to win this match to move up the rankings as fast as possible. He indicated if he doesn’t win a title in Impact before his wife Taya does, that he’ll never hear the end of it.
  • Fenix has been tearing it up on Impact television lately, he’s also scheduled to take on Sami Callihan on Tuesday night at the television tapings.

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

Allie vs Tessa Blanchard

  • Tessa Blanchard dropped two matches to Madison Rayne during the last set of tapings. Both losses were via pinning combination, however, and Blanchard felt slightly. She attempted to get revenge on Rayne but Allie (who was teaming with Rayne at the time) fought her off, leading to this match.
  • Allie is from Toronto and should get a big pop from her hometown crowd but she will be in tough tonight against the fast-rising Blanchard.

Rich Swann Pulled From Slammiversary Due To Concussion

Chris Stephens
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Rich Swann will miss tonight’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary show from Toronto. Swann reportedly suffered a concussion on Thursday at the MLW Battle Riot tapings. He is believed to have been taken to hospital after.

It was reported on Friday that Impact management was aware of the situation and was looking for possible replacements. Today, the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Swann has in fact been removed from the match although no official announcement has been made from either Impact or Swann.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNO_CsdMBZE&t=4s&frags=pl%2Cwn

International 4-Way – Slammiversary

Swann was scheduled to face Johnny Impact, Fenix, and Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori tonight. He also played a key role in the build-up to Sami Callihan vs Pentagon during the company’s Windsor television tapings.

Earlier this week, Johnny Impact had this to say about the upcoming match.

“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”

“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.” 

Slammiversary is an important night for the promotion. The new management regime consisting of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore has put a lot into this show. Johnny also talked about why he feels fans should be watching the promotion right now.

“You’ve got your traditional American psychology type wrestling but now we’ve got with Ishimori, with Pentagon, with Fenix, with Sami Callihan and Cage and Kevin Kross now, Aries, and of course, Johnny Impact. You’ve got this crazy blend of wrestlers from different styles from all over the world that make the matches on Impact infinitely interesting.”

Eddie Edwards On His Character Being A Young Tommy Dreamer

Chris Stephens
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Eddie Edwards will face Tommy Dreamer in a House of Hardcore rules match tonight at Slammiversary tonight. The match will be a culmination of a storyline which began in January of this year.

Sami Callihan cracked Edwards in the orbital bone with a baseball bat during a set of television tapings this January. After a long feud with Sami Callihan, Edwards’ character spiraled. He began to see Tommy Dreamer as his enemy.

Edwards spoke with Interactive Wrestling radio recently about his upcoming pay-per-view match.

“I’m ready to leave it all out there in that ring to take Tommy out,” Edwards said. “I know Tommy, the Innovator of Violence, is ready to do that too. So, let’s go out there and see what we can do and see what we create along the way.”

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

Eddie Edwards On Being Compared To A Young Tommy Dreamer

As his rivalry with Dreamer has evolved, some fans have compared Eddie to a younger version of his rival.

“Two weeks ago, you got to see the classic ECW Tommy Dreamer promo. He’s bloody, he’s talking crap to me,” Edwards said. “That is what people have wanted to see. That’s the beast, the monster that I’ve created along the way. It is an interesting story we have going on. As you said, mirror images. He’s trying to stop me from what he had become. Why stop me? He’s this Hardcore Legend.”

Edwards would continue to talk about the angle with Dreamer and Callihan which has carried through all of 2018 so far.

“This all stemmed from Sami Callihan and Tommy Dreamer and my wife getting involved,” he continued. “This is emotion. This is something that anybody can feel. Anybody that has been hurt or wronged or thinks they’ve been wronged, this is something they can watch and feel. This is emotion and I think that’s something that we can play with.”

Eddie Edwards vs Tommy Dreamer – Slammiversary – House of Hardcore Match

Edwards also addressed the 47-year-old Dreamer being worried about keeping up with him.

“I think that is a solid concern on his part,” Edwards said. “The same goes for me going into a House of Hardcore match. He was part of the original ECW – The man who created this violence. He is the “Innovator of Violence”. I know that. It is kind of this meshing of styles, putting he and I in a blender and seeing what comes out! (laughs) I’m looking forward to taking what he’s got. Does he still have it? Is he still that Tommy Dreamer that everybody loves? Let’s have a House of Hardcore match on the biggest pay per view of the year in front of a sold out crowd!”

Cody To Reprise Role On Stephen Amell’s “Arrow”

Chris Stephens
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Cody will be back on the comic-book superhero show, Arrow this season.

The former ROH World Champion had previously stated he dyed his hair back to black due to an upcoming television commitment. It’s possible this is what he was referring to.

https://twitter.com/ALL_IN_2018/status/1020821279778254848

Cody In Entertainment

Cody’s IMDB credits for non-wrestling related entertainment is on the rise. He previously appeared in the WAGS Atlanta reality television show this year as well.

He also appeared in two episodes of Arrow in 2016 and 2017.

41 Days Until Cody Challenges For NWA World Heavyweight Championship

There are just 41 days left until All-In on Saturday, September 1st, 2018. Cody is scheduled to face whoever is the NWA World Heavyweight Champion for the belt on the show.

The current Champion, Nick Aldis, recently defended the title successfully against Flip Gordon on an ROH show from Nashville Friday night. Had Flip won, not only would he have won the NWA title, he would have qualified for All-In.

During the match, Cody began cheering for Flip and appeared to turn the corner in regards to his opinion of him. It’s possible Flip’s performance in the match might be enough for Cody to book him at All-In regardless of the fact he didn’t win.

We will most likely be updated on Flip Gordon’s All-In status early this week when the next episode of Being the Elite is release.

“Valiant attempt,” Cody Tweeted in reference to Gordon’s performance Friday night. “Made me a fan.”

Kenny Omega Reacts To Match With Tama Tonga From G1 Climax 28

Chris Stephens
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Yesterday, Tama Tonga and Kenny Omega met in the round-robin of the G1 Climax 28. Omega went into the match with a 2-0 record with victories over Tetsuya Naito and Hirooki Goto. Tonga went into the match 1-1, winning his first bout against Juice Robinson but dropping his next to SANADA.

A win for Tama Tonga likely would have led to an IWGP Heavyweight Championship opportunity for him and a big-time main event match for the Bullet Club civil war angle. It was not to be, however, as Tonga was disqualified after repeated interference by Tanga Loa and Bad Luck Fale.

Omega responded to the match result recently on Twitter.

“I’m very indifferent about these 2 points, but I get it, I really do,” Omega Tweeted. “You’re not trying to ruin it just me but for everyone. You won’t ruin it for Ibushi. Onward and upward.”

Tama Tonga and Kota Ibushi will meet on August 8th, 2018.

Kenny Omega vs Tama Tonga

Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale, King Haku, and HIKULEO (out with leg injury) currently comprise the Bullet Club “Firing Squad”. The Bullet Club sub-faction is still introduced in NJPW as the Bullet Club OGs, however.

Tama Tonga explained his actions in an interview shortly after the G1 Special in San Francisco.

“This has been a long time coming,” Tonga said to Sports Illustrated. “Kenny Omega started a subgroup, ‘The Elite,’ within Bullet Club. No one is the head of Bullet Club, no one ever has been, and we had a self-proclaimed leader focusing on his own ‘Super Kliq’ or whatever else nerd ass name it’s called. This war was sparked the moment ‘The Elite’ was formed.”

“We tried, over time, to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it kept getting worse,” he continued. “The ideals of Bullet Club working together, being a team, and watching each other’s backs was no longer what we stood for. We were a divided club. It was just too much to ignore.”

Austin Aries Gives Advice To WWE Superstars Who Are “Spinning Their Wheels”

Chris Stephens
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Austin Aries will defend his Impact World Championship tonight against Moose. Aries returned to the company this year and promptly won the World Title shortly after. In the half-year since Aries has been back in Impact, he has sung the praises of the new management team of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore.

On a recent Impact Wrestling media call, Aries suggested that the promotion provides a platform for wrestlers to be successful.

“I mean listen, if there’s a number of men and women over there (WWE) who feel they’re in a position where they’re spinning their wheels,” Aries said. “Or maybe not getting the opportunities they feel they earned that are immensely talented.”

“I’m not gonna name names,” he continued. “But I think anyone in that position who wants to better themselves, I think IMPACT Wrestling provides a platform at least that’s not gonna tie you down and lock you in and give you the opportunities to actually go and prove that.”

Aries has also been involved in a back-and-forth with DeAngelo Williams on Twitter. Williams appeared on a recent episode of Impact to update fans on Moose’s training. Aries attacked Williams during the segment, possibly due to Williams’ performance while on Aries’ fantasy football team:

Austin Aries On Impact Wrestling

Aries also noted that the WWE roster is very large. There are only so many high-profile spots to go around, however, and some wrestlers might find there are more opportunities available to them outside the company.

“Listen, there’s a lot — they have a huge roster and there’s a lot of talent on there,” Aries continued. “There’s only so many spots and so many hours of television. So you know I’m sure there are people who feel like they’re getting left out or they’re not getting the shots that they want, and if they find themselves free and clear, it’s cool. There’s a nice vibrate professional landscape right now for people to go out and apply their craft.”

Slammiversary takes place tonight at 8 pm from the Rebel Nightclub Complex in Toronto, ON, Canada. The event will live on pay-per-view, available on the FITE app.

Paige Announces Tournament For Smackdown Tag-Team Title Shot

Chris Stephens
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After attacking both Kane and Daniel Bryan before their match at Extreme Rules, Harper and Rowen were able to defend their titles successfully against Team Hell No. Now, Smackdown General Manager, Paige, has announced a tag-team tournament to determine their next challengers.

The winning team will meet the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. Paige made the announcement on Twitter yesterday.

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1020794734930026497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1020794734930026497&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwe.com%2Fshows%2Fsmackdown%2Farticle%2Fpaige-announces-tag-team-tournament

Smackdown Tag Team Title Tournament

Paige stated that the tournament will be contested over the course of 3 weeks. The tournament will also consist of just 4 teams. That means a 3-match tournament with one match per week, most likely.

Assuming there will not be any debuting or newly formed teams in the 4-team tournament, here are the teams who could possibly be included from the Smackdown roster:

  • The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
  • The Bar (Cesaro & Sheamus)
  • Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, Eric Young)
  • The Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)
  • New Day
  • Rusev & Aiden English

Smackdown Tag Team Championships

The Bludgeon Brothers are the 6th team to have won the Smackdown tag-team Championships. Harper was once part of a 3-person team with Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton who held the titles in 2016 briefly as well.

The Usos are the most decorated team in the history of the belts thus far. They’ve held the titles 3x for a combined 329 days. The longest single reign with the belts is also by the Usos, who held the titles for 182 days in their last reign.

The Bludgeon Brothers have currently held the titles for 105 days. They defeated the Usos and New Day for the belts at WrestleMania and have since defended the titles successfully against the Usos (1x), the Cub (3x), and Team Hell No (1x).

Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy Predict The G1 Climax: Night 7

Jake Skudder
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0

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.

SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy have made their predictions for Night 7 of the tournament, here they are:

(You can check out the Predictions for Night 6 here)

Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 7 of the G1. Here are the scheduled matches:

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Hangman Page
  • Togi Makabe vs Kazuchika Okada
  • Michael Elgin vs YOSHI-HASHI
  • Jay White vs Minoru Suzuki
  • EVIL vs Bad Luck Fale

Ian Carey – Ok so Night 7: Kazuchika Okada will get his second win over Makabe.

Jake Jeremy – I can see that happening too, I really thought that Okada would not win any matches but he MIGHT still make the final at this rate

Ian Carey – Elgin beats Yoshi-Hashi. i don’t think Yoshi is going to win until the final couple of matches and then the story will be he needs to win a few to be invited back next year

Jake Jeremy – He definitely needs a win (YOSHI-HASHI) and I agree Elgin will win here

Ian Carey – Bad Luck Fale beats Evil I think – unless they are just going to have him get DQ’ed all the way through the tournament

Jake Jeremy – I’m actually going with EVIL by DQ, purely because this G1 has been infected with the things

Ian Carey – I’m going say Suzuki hands Jay White his first loss of the tournament

Jake Jeremy – Ahh ok I’m actually going to go against this, White is still my finalist and he will get the sweep here, granted I think he will beat Suzuki in a very screwy fashion

Ian Carey – While I would love to say Hangman Page beats Tanahashi, I doubt its in the cards, The Ace gets the win there

Jake Jeremy – I agree, Tanahashi gets the win here

Here are the full predictions:

Ian Carey

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Hangman Page
  • Kazuchika Okada b. Togi Makabe
  • Michael Elgin b. YOSHI-HASHI
  • Minoru Suzuki b. Jay White
  • Bad Luck Fale b. EVIL

Jake Jeremy 

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Hangman Page
  • Kazuchika Okada b. Togi Makabe
  • Michael Elgin b. YOSHI-HASHI
  • Jay White b. Minoru Suzuki
  • EVIL b. Bad Luck Fale (via DQ)

What are your predictions for Night 7? Let us know in the comments

G1 Climax Night 6 Results and Updated Standings

Jake Skudder
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0

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 6:

Toru Yano b. Kota Ibushi – Yano took the win by pinfall using a Schoolboy. This followed a low blow and a chop block whilst Ibushi’s wrists were taped together

SANADA b. Zack Sabre, Jr. – SANADA took the pinfall win with a bridging prawn hold

Tetsuya Naito b. Juice Robinson – Naito took the win over the US Champion using the Destino

Kenny Omega b. Tama Tonga by – Omega took the win via DQ after Tonga hit a Gun Stun on referee Red Shoes

Tomohiro Ishii b. Hirooki Goto – Ishii took the pinfall win with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster

Here are the updated standings:

Block A Block B
Jay White 6 Kenny Omega 6
Michael Elgin 4 Kota Ibushi 4
Evil 4 Tomohiro Ishii 4
Togi Makabe 4 Tetsuya Naito 4
Hiroshi Tanahashi 4 Sanada 4
Bad Luck Fale 2 Hirooki Goto 2
Kazuchika Okada 2 Zack Sabre Jr. 2
Hangman Page 2 Tama Tonga 2
Minoru Suzuki 2 Toru Yano 2
Yoshi-Hashi 0 Juice Robinson 0

 

You can find the results for Night 1 here, Night 2 here, Night 3 here, Night 4 here and Night 5 here. Don’t forget that SEScoops staff writers Ian Carey and Jake Jeremy are posting their predictions for the tournament and you can check out how they fared with Night 6’s predictions right here.

Brock Lesnar’s First Drug Test Since Entering The USADA Pool

Lesly Sincere
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5

Lesnar has made his desire to return back to the Octagon known to the world as he confronted Daniel Cormier after his win at UFC 226. While the current WWE Universal Champion still retains the gold for the top promotion in professional wrestling, his planned title bout with Cormier is in the works for 2019.

SummerSlam

Lesnar is scheduled to face either Bobby Lashley or Roman Reigns at SummerSlam for the Universal title. It has been rumored that Lesnar will drop the strap to whoever he faces so that he can prepare for his upcoming UFC title bout with Cormier.

Six Month Remaining Suspension

Due to testing positive for growth hormone in his last UFC fight, Lesnar has been forbidden to fight until he served his suspension and re-enlist in the USADA pool.

It has been reported that Lesnar has re-entered the testing pool on July 3rd and his remaining suspension is for six months.

First Test Results

Lesnar has taken his first drug test since re-entering the pool and the results are not out yet. In order for Lesnar to be eligible to fight in the UFC, he must pass all USADA tests before being permitted to fight.

Cormier has made a recent statement on the matter on Lesnar being clean for their upcoming bout.

Brock’s got to be clean, I’m not going to fight him if he’s not clean. We’ll do USADA testing, and we’ll do another testing. We’ll do testing above USADA to make sure this man’s clean because I’m not going to fight him if he’s cheating. I’ve done that on a number of occasions already (with others). I don’t want to fight him if he’s dirty, man. Do it the right way.

Batista Reacts To James Gunn Firing

Lesly Sincere
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23

It has been 24 hours since the firing of James Gunn from Marvel. The firing was due to the numerous controversial tweets that Gunn has produced in the past and Batista is one of the many actors who worked with Gunn to express his opinion.

Batista made a return to WWE back in 2013 to mixed reviews. This run would have him win the 2014 Royal Rumble and face Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 30 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Due to the popularity of the Yes Movement, Bryan would be added to the title match making it a triple threat match and would make Randy Orton tap out to win the title.

Batista would then go on to reunite with Evolution members Triple H and Randy Orton and feud with the shield. The run would be cut short as Batista would ask for his release and would go on to promote Guardians Of The Galaxy that year.

Ryback Comments On Hulk Hogan’s WWE Return

Lesly Sincere
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8

“The Big Guy” Ryan Reeves aka Ryback has made his opinion known of Hulk Hogan recent Hall of Fame reinstatement.

The Wrestling Community And Their Reaction

He has done all of the right things. That is not an easy thing to overcome — to deal with all of the scrutiny and criticism, and again, you can’t defend any of that by any means. It was a huge mistake on his part. I think if you take any of us in our private moments and private lives anyone can judge anyone at any given time, and granted that was as bad as it gets. There is nothing you can say to defend that, but all you can do is know that you are wrong and realizing your mistakes, and is now going out and helping other people make better decisions to not go that road, so that if somebody has a private conversation you just raise awareness to be a better human being. It was a horrible incident and I think him being back in WWE makes all of the sense in the world.

Reaction To The News

I listened to Mark Henry’s interview on TMZ; Mark is a very intelligent human being. Mark Henry loved and adored Hulk Hogan growing up, as did everyone, and I am sure he was deeply hurt by the situation, and just from the standpoint that it was one of his childhood heroes,” Ryback said. “But as stated, he is a human being, which people tend to forget about wrestling in general, but somebody of that magnitude he has created so many amazing moments in people’s lives, and kids’ lives that are now adults and what not that it is easy to forget when you put these people on pedestals up on higher levels but we forget that at the end of the day they are humans and they do everything as everyone else does, including making mistakes so I think it is a good thing that he is back. That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to forgive him, but all he can do is live a better life for his fans and for everyone that supports him

Ex-WWE Superstar Elijah Burke Forgives Hulk Hogan

Lesly Sincere
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12

The news of Hogan’s WWE Hall of Fame reinduction is a popular topic among the African American wrestling community. Former WWE superstar Elijah Burke is the latest to announce his opinion on the matter.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157555174658976&set=a.282005098975.187278.825768975&type=3&theater

Burke is among many in the African American Wrestling community to forgive Hulk Hogan. Mark Henry and Booker T are among the many African American wrestlers who generally seem to forgive Hogan, but controversy seems to hover over full-timer Titus O’Neil who has gone on record to say that Hogan’s apology wasn’t “genuine”. More on that here.

 

Impact Wrestling Announces Several Matches For Television Tapings

Chris Stephens
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0

Following tomorrow’s Slammiversary pay-per-view, Impact Wrestling will run two consecutive nights of television tapings. The promotion has recently announced several matches for the shows.

Impact Wrestling- Television Tapings
Rebel Nightclub
Toronto, ON, Canada

July 23rd, 2018

  • Kongo Kong vs Stone Rockwell
    • Kongo Kong defeated Abyss earlier this year only to lose to Brian Cage recently. He’ll be looking to reaffirm his status as Impact’s monster here.
    • Stone Rockwell has competed on 3 Impact Wrestling shows this year. He lost on an episode of Xplosion to Rohit Raju of the Desi Hit Squad. Then he lost a tag match to the Desi Hit Squad on a One Night Only show from Windsor. He teamed with Fallah Bah at the One Night Only show in Mississauga and defeated the Fraternity.
  • The debut of Scarlett Bordeaux
    • Bordeaux is a Chicago-based indie wrestler. She previously worked as Matt Taven’s valet in Ring of Honor.

July 24th, 2018

  • Sami Callihan vs Fenix
    • Just two days after Pentagon and Sami Callihan will collide with a Mask vs Hair stipulation at stake, Callihan will face his brother, Fenix.
  • Matt Sydal vs Pentagon Jr.
    • Sydal may or may not still be X-Division Champion when this match takes place.
    • Pentagon may or may not still have his mask when this match takes place.
  • Petey Williams vs Tyson Dux
    • The Canadian Destroyer takes on one of the top stars from Toronto’s Smash Wrestling in Dux.
    • Dux wrestled singles matches against Matt Sydal and Taiji Ishimori last year in Impact, dropping both matches. He defeated Braxton Sutter on a Twitch special in March.
    • Earlier this summer, Dux won the Northern, a 16-person tournament with similar rules to BOLA. Notable participants in the tournament included Matt Riddle, Joey Janela, Kimber Lee, Mia Yim, Andrew Everett, Brent Banks, and several others.
  • The Cult of Lee vs The Deaners
    • The Cult of Lee will look to get back into the thick of things in the Impact tag-team division.
    • Cody Deaner has wrestled on a One Night Only and Twitch specials for Impact in 2018. His partner is Jake Something. They have previously lost to the Desi Hit Squad as a team in Impact.

Alexa Bliss Comments On Ronda Rousey’s WWE Run Thus Far

Chris Stephens
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4

Alexa Bliss will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam. Bliss was a guest on the Cheap Seats podcast and gave her opinion on Rousey’s WWE run so far.

“I am absolutely impressed, Bliss said. “She does really well at her facial expressions, which I appreciate because I am really big on facial expressions. It is really easy to appreciate the fact that you know she has been hit before, and you know that pain, you have that emotional connection to her one way or another when you watch her perform. I was very impressed with her match against Nia Jax, and also her match at WrestleMania with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, it was just awesome. I am very proud of her and it’ll be fun to see where things go with that.”

Alexa Bliss On Babyface Move-sets and Heel Move-Sets

Bliss has her detractors who say her in-ring work is not as good as other athletes on the roster. She believes, however, this is only because she is a heel and utilizes a less crowd-friendly move-set as a result.

“I don’t, but here’s the thing, I’m a bad guy,” Bliss stated. “Who likes a bad guy that does a lot of flashy things? You know what I mean? It is my job to be hated, so if that means coming in when the opportunity is right and cashing in on other people’s misfortunes in the ring that is what I am going to do.

“Now, when I become a good guy are people going to see a brand new skill set from me? Absolutely. Right now, my job isn’t to wow the crowd with my in-ring ability,” she continued. “My job is to be hated, which is what I love to do. My job is to be hated because people get that much madder when I win a title because they talk about me not being able to wrestle in the ring—I can, but I am choosing not to, and the fact that when I win and they are getting angry that only means that I am doing my job that much more.”

Transcriptions via WrestlingInc

John Cena Comments On Turning Heel

Chris Stephens
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13

John Cena took part in a Q&A session at the San Diego Comic Con recently. He was asked what it is like to play a villainous role in a movie. In answering the question, Cena also addressed the possibility of his WWE character turning heel.

“To actually answer your question, I think it is a really great opportunity,” Cena said. “I have had a great career in the WWE and for that entire time I have been the good guy and that kind of went into my films so far, and now it doesn’t seem like my character in the WWE will ever evolve into that bad guy role that perhaps a lot of people have wanted; so this is kind of a way for my fans from that aspect of my career to see that side of me.

So, don’t expect heel John Cena in the WWE – that’s Inside Baseball talk for some of you,” Cena continued. “But it means bad guy John Cena isn’t happening there, so this is that chance for me.”

Heel John Cena

According to former WWE writer, Kevin Eck, there were plans to turn Cena heel in 2012.

“We were very close. We had Vince sign off on it at one point and Cena was on board to do it,” Eck said. “We started making plans for it and then Vince got cold feet “. He further added, “we had signed an exclusive Cena merchandise deal with Walmart”.

ROH: Honor For All 7/20 Results: Did Flip Gordon Win the NWA Title?

Chris Stephens
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5

Ring of Honor presented “Honor for All” from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium tonight. The main event featured Flip Gordon challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Not only was the NWA title on the line, however, if Flip wins he will earn the right to defend the title against Cody at All-In.

ROH: Honor For All
July 20th, 2018
Nashville, TN
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

1. ROH TV Championship
Punishment Martinez (c) defeated Scorpio Sky (SCU)

This was Martinez’ second title defense. He defeated Silas Young for the belt on June 16th and would later defend it successfully against Hangman Page at Best in the World 2018.

2. WOH Championship Proving Ground Match (non-title but if the challenger wins they earn a title shot at a later date)
Sumie Sakai (c) defeated Karen Q

Karen Q attempted to distract the ref and then attempted to convince the ref that Sumie Sakai was going to hit her with the championship belt. All of this led to Karen Q trying to pick up Sakai in a fireman’s carry but Sakai reversed it into a sunset flip and got the pin.

3. Jonathan Gresham defeated Shane Taylor, Chris Sabin, and Kenny King

After Shane Taylor had taken out the others in the match, Jonathan Gresham got a hold of his back and never let go. He locked in a sleeper and with both Sabin and King out of the equation at that point in the match, Taylor went out and the ref called for the bell.

4. Chuckie T defeated Bully Ray via DQ

Bully Ray has been picking on smaller wrestlers and young lions for the past several months. Chuckie T been wrestling for 16 years, however, which Bully Ray pointed out. Bully said he has no problem with Chuckie and even said he’s a fan. He even mentioned Chuck’s work in Pro Wrestling Guerilla and compared it to ECW.

When Chuckie T got on the mic, however, he told Bully Ray where he could shove all those nice things he said about him.

Not long after the match started, Bully kicked Chuckie in the groin to cause the disqualification. He continued to beat on Chuckie until Colt Cabana left the broadcast station to make the save. Bully ended up getting the advantage on Cabana as well though. This brought out a returning Beretta to make the save!

5. Will Ferrara, Rhett Titus, Silas Young, the Beer City Bruiser defeated Cheeseburger, Eli Isom, Ryan Nova, FR Josie vs

Cheeseburger teamed up with 3 Future of Honor wrestlers in Eli Isom, Ryan Nova, and FR Josie. In the end, it was the more established heel team who picked up the victory, however.

6. Marty Scurll defeated Vinnie Marseglia

Before the match, Matt Taven came out in streetwear. He brought the old ROH World Title with him, though he kept the belt covered with a red tarp for his whole promo. Taven eventually said that Scurll would not face him tonight, he would face his Kingdom minion, Vinny Marseglia instead.

Scurll made Marseglia tap to the chicken-wing but Taven hit the ring after and the Kingdom started teaming up on Scurll. This brought out Cody to make the save and led into the next match between Cody and TK O’Ryan.

7. Cody defeated TK O’Ryan

Security had to separate Cody and Scurll from the Kingdom. Eventually, Scurll, Taven, and Marseglia were sent to the back. Brandi Rhodes and Bernard the Business Bear were allowed to stay, however.

Cody picked up the win with the Cross Rhodes and celebrated with Bernard and Brandi before leaving the ring area.

8. NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Nick Aldis (c) defeated Flip Gordon

As much as Flip’s fans wanted it to happen, Flip Gordon did not defeat Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Cody joined the commentary team for this match. He said that in 5-7 years, Flip Gordon might be a franchise guy but he’s not ready yet. Cody continued to say that he considered this match an open-workout for Aldis.

Aldis took control early. He hit a standing suplex, a couple of fall-away slams, a modified camel clutch and a chin lock. Flip began his comeback after the chinlock, hitting several springboard moves. He hit a springboard dropkick, running kick in the corner, a suicide dive, and a diving moonsault. He began selling as if he had tweaked his knee, however, which led the commentary team to speculate that Flip is too inexperienced to change his gameplan mid-match due to injury.

Flip missed a diving move which allowed Aldis to hit a Jerry Lawler-style piledriver and then a flying elbow. He pinned Flip after the flying elbow. The ref counted Flip’s shoulders down for 3 but Flip had actually gotten his bottom foot on the rope. The match was awarded to Aldis but several refs and even Cody came down to argue. It was declared a “Dusty Finish” and the match was restarted. Flip hit a suicide dive on Aldis to re-start the match.

Gordon hit a Star-Spangled Stunner for a near fall. Cody started cheering for Flip at this point while back at the commentary booth. Flip then went for a springboard move but tripped on the ropes and went down selling his knee. Aldis got back on offense, locked in the cloverleaf, and Flip eventually passed out causing the referee stoppage.

After the match, Cody came to ringside. Aldis and Cody helped Flip to his feet. Cody raised Flip’s arm as the crowd chanted “All-In” and later “Flip! Flip!”

After Cody left Flip in the ring by himself to celebrate, Bully Ray hit the ring and hit Flip low.

9. The Young Bucks defeated the Briscoes, and The Addiction (non-title match)

In 2018, Jay and Mark Briscoe have become the biggest anti-Bullet Club threat in Ring of Honor. This was a non-title match but the commentary team mentioned that if either the Bucks or the Addiction win they could get the next shot at the Briscoes’ titles.

The Bucks hit a Meltzer Driver on Mark Briscoe for the win, seemingly putting them in a position now to challenge the Briscoes for the tag-team titles.

The Bucks celebrated to close the show.

Top Bouts Announced for PROGRESS Chapter 74 ‘Mid Week Matters’

Jake Skudder
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0

PROGRESS has announced a slew of bouts for their upcoming chapter 74 event ‘Mid Week Matters’ which takes place Wednesday 25th July from the Electric Ballroom in Camden, London. This will be the first ever Chapter event held by the company NOT on a weekend, hence the name.

The headliner will see PROGRESS World Champion Travis Banks defend his title against former ATLAS Champion WALTER. Banks has had a run of countout losses recently and to counteract this cowardly act of retaining his belt PROGRESS officials have announced that this match will be no countout.

The following bouts will also be taking place this Wednesday:

  • PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match – Jinny (c) vs Millie McKenzie
  • ATLAS Championship Match – Doug Williams (c) vs TK Cooper
  • THUNDERB*STARD Qualifying Match – Anti-Fun Police vs Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson vs James Drake)
  • Toni Storm vs Lara Di Matteo

IWGP United States Champion Appearing for OTT Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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1

Over The Top Wrestling (OTT) has announced that IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson will be heading to the promotion on August 18th/19th as part of WrestleRama 2 weekend. Robinson will be available for both WrestleRama 2 and the subsequent Contenders show which features more unknown stars from the UK/Irish scenes.

Juice was announced as the replacement for Matt Riddle. The former UFC fighter and PROGRESS ATLAS Champion can no longer make the booking due to a ‘scheduling conflict’ and the announcement of Robinson is a ‘make good’ for the fans in Ireland and the opportunity to see the IWGP United States Champion live in Ireland for the first time.

The following stars and matches have already been confirmed for the event on Saturday August 18th:

  • OTT Champion – Jordan Devlin
  • OTT Tag Champions – The Kings of The North
  • Session Moth Martina
  • The Angel Cruzers
  • WATLER
  • KUSHIDA
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • Shane Strickland
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • David Starr

Confirmed Matches

  • OTT Championship Match – Jordan Devlin vs WALTER
  • Timothy Thatcher vs David Starr
  • KUSHIDA vs Shane Strickland

Tickets for WrestleRama 2 are available to purchase now via Eventbrite.

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