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.
Jake Jeremy – Ok so we’re talking Night 5 of the G1, here are the scheduled matches:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Bad Luck Fale
Togi Makabe vs EVIL
Michael Elgin vs Jay White
Kazuchika Okada vs Hangman Page
YOSHI-HASHI vs Minoru Suzuki
As a reminder here’s the standings for A Block:
Jay White – 4 Points (2-0-0)
Michael Elgin – 4 Points (2-0-0)
Togi Makabe – 4 Points (2-0-0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Hangman Page – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Evil – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Bad Luck Fale – 2 Points (1-1-0)
Kazuchika Okada – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Minoru Suzuki – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Yoshi-Hashi – 0 Points (0-2-0)
Ian Carey –
To me Bad Luck Fale will beat Tanahashi because he has a history of doing so in these matches.
EVIL beats Togi Makabe and I still don’t understand how Makabe beat Minoru Suzuki the other day…
Elgin and White is interesting as they are both undefeated but Elgin has been selling an injured arm though, and that’s death for these tournaments so I think White improves to 3-0 there.
Okada beats Hangman Page but in the course of doing so Kevin Kelly will sing Page’s praises
…and Minoru Suzuki rips one of YOSHI-HASHI’s limbs off and wins by referee stoppage
Jake Jeremy – I think that Okada loses the match against Hangman Page. I still believe that Okada will have to work from the ground up now, he doesn’t need the G1
Ian Carey – You know I’m starting to think we could get ZSJ vs Okada in the finals. It would be their rubber match so I still think Okada’s winning
Jake Jeremy – Here’s my predictions:
Bad Luck Fale beats Hiroshi Tanahashi
EVIL beats Togi Makabe
Jay White beats Michael Elgin
Hangman Page beats Kazuchika Okada
Minoru Suzuki beats YOSHI-HASHI
In my mind if White wins the block then he can outright say to Okada “you’re too weak to be the leader of CHAOS”. That’s Okada’s feud for Destruction for me and what would a win do for Hangman as well here? A standout bout against one of the world’s best PLUS a win would make him an instant star
Ian Carey – White could also win his block, they clearly want to elevate him…Page beating Okada would be huge for him but at some point Okada has to turn this thing around
What are your predictions for Night 5? Let us know in the comments.
Former SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair was recently interviewed by Instinct Culture at the Sports Humanitarian Awards, and discussed her involvement in ESPN Magazine’s Body Issue.
“The Queen” first discussed getting a black eye during her match with Asuka at WrestleMania 34 just before the shoot, but she turned out to like it because it shows the raw physicality of what WWE Superstars do inside the ring:
“Okay so I got a black eye at WrestleMania,” Flair said. “I was like, ‘of course I would get a black eye before the Body shoot. But I actually think it made it that much more raw and real and natural and it really goes to show that what we do as Superstars isn’t fake.
“Like I walk around with my battle scars all the time. I was really nervous at first but after an hour I was like, ‘I’m in the ESPN Body Issue as the first WWE Superstar. I’m gonna rock it.'”
One of the most famous photos of Flair’s shoot is her nude moonsault inside the ring. She revealed that she had to do 45 nude moonsaults to get the shot right, and discussed how awkward it was:
“Doing forty-five naked moonsaults was awkward. Which it’s like a backflip in the air. I’m like, ‘ah this is my worse nightmare.’ You know when you wake up and you have forgotten you like shoes or something for work, I forgot my ring gear.”
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 4:
SANADA b. Tama Tonga – SANADA took the pinfall win with a bridging O’Connor roll
Zack Sabre, Jr. b. Toru Yano – ZSJ took the pinfall win with the European Clutch
Kota Ibushi b. Juice Robinson – Ibushi took the pinfall win with the Kamigoye
Tetsuya Naito b. Tomohiro Ishii – Naito took the pinfall win after hitting the Destino
Kenny Omega b. Hirooki Goto – Omega took the pinfall win with the One-Winged Angel
The Rock was recently named to the fifth place on Forbes’ 2018 Celebrity 100 list.
“The Great One” shot up from his 22nd place ranking the previous year in which he made $65 million. He nearly doubled his earnings in 2018 by making $124 million between June 2017 to June 2018. On the list of highest-paid entertainers across the world, the former WWE Champion was named the highest-paid actor in the history of the list.
He took to Twitter to react to the news:
Wow unexpected news. I don’t have a Harvard MBA, but my business philosophy has been sharpened over time and thru failure. I have one boss I serve and connect with – the world and the people in it. I’m the dude who started w/ $7bucks. I’m awestruck ($124M) grateful & hungry. https://t.co/0VWSn5YU6N
Rock’s former boss and WWE’s “Chairman Of The Board” Vince McMahon Tweeted out a congratulatory response to the accolade:
“Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes#Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work.”
Congratulations to @TheRock on becoming the highest-paid actor in @Forbes#Celeb100 history. The hardest working man in show business proving once again that anything is possible through hard work. https://t.co/xJScYQ0jxD
Impact Wrestling has scheduled another set of television tapings for August.
The company just announced they will return to Toronto on August 12th and 13th, 2018 for another set of tapings.
Impact Wrestling is currently preparing to run shows on 3 straight nights from Toronto starting this Sunday. Impact will have two nights of television tapings following the pay-per-view from the same venue.
Previously in 2018, Impact has held television tapings in Orlando, FL (Impact Zone) and at St. Clair College in Windsor as well.
Impact Wrestling Television in the United Kingdom
While the second straight set of television tapings being filmed from Anthem’s home city of Toronto might make it seem as though they will settle in there as they did Orlando, the company is making strides to expand internationally as well.
Impact Wrestling’s ownership group at Anthem Sports and Entertainment also run the Fight Network. The channel recently announced they are expanding their reach into the UK.
“We are delighted to expand Fight Network’s global footprint to the UK,” said Peter Einstein, COO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of Fight Network. “The UK is rooted in combat sports tradition, producing many world champions and memorable personalities over the years.”
“Based on popular demand, we are excited to announce that IMPACT Wrestling fans in the UK can now watch our weekly show contemporaneous with its North American broadcast premiere, as well as replays in primetime,” stated President of Impact, Ed Nordholm.
WWE Hall Of Famer and former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg has issued out a challenge to video gamers.
Goldberg took to Instagram and announced a challenge to parents who have issues with their children playing too many video games. He announced the “100, 100, 100 Challenge,” something he said his own son does.
The object of the challenge is to do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 punches. After that, you get 20 minutes on the video games or iPad. You can check out the video below:
Goldberg comes off a Hall of Fame Induction on WrestleMania 34 weekend this past April. He returned to WWE in 2016 for a feud with Brock Lesnar, which led to a match at Survivor Series that year. Goldberg defeated “The Beast” in just one-minute and twenty six seconds.
Eventually he’d go on to defeat Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship, but dropped it to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
Roman Reigns has given his take on the latest super fight that is trying to be made by the UFC.
In the main event of the UFC 226 pay-per-view event, Daniel Cormier was able to score a KO win over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title and after the fight, Cormier invited WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar Lesnar inside the Octagon with Lesnar accepting the invitation and shoving Cormier in the process. Lesnar then cut a promo on the heavyweight division and Cormier.
The former WWE Champion recently spoke to Helen Yee Sports where he discussed being a big fan of Cormier and how he would fare in the WWE if he did decide to make the transition from MMA to pro wrestling.
“He’s really into what we do and he always seems like a super nice guy. But with our schedule and the amount of events that we run I wasn’t able to see it. I did hear about it obviously about Brock coming in and making a spectacle, but that’s the showman in him.” “I don’t see why not,” Reigns replied. “You know he has all the instincts. He’s a natural fighter. I think he’d be able to learn very fast. It really just depends on where he is in his career physically and his health and his age.”
Reigns continued by stating that Cormier is a great talker and would be very comfortable on the microphone which is something that he would have an advantage in the WWE. He also believes that there would be a lot of people helping him to kinda get on the fast track and get on the main roster with the WWE.
Reigns was asked what he thought about Lesnar fighting Cormier, which led to the RAW star stating that Cormier has a good shot at beating Lesnar and that WWE is always looking to create a buzz and with what Lesnar is doing, it’s a good crossover between WWE and UFC.
”We’d love to have him in WWE a lot more. We’d love for him to show up a lot more, but you know it’s Brock Lesnar. He’s The Beast, he’s gonna do what he does. If he shows up I’m ready for him.”
The card for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV has taken shape after the latest set of TV tapings.
WWE was in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University on Wednesday night (July 19, 2018) for the NXT TV tapings where several matches were revealed at those tapings that will take place at this event.
As noted, there was a shocking title change that saw Tommaso Ciampa beat Aleister Black to win the NXT Title, which was later set up by NXT General Manager William Regal as he announced that Ciampa would defend his newly won title against Black and Johnny Gargano in a triple threat match that is expected to serve as the main event of this show.
As seen in the past, these special events typically feature several title matches and this show is no different as NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler defends her title against 2017 Mae Young Classic Winner Kairi Sane.
The NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 event takes place on Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.
The Card
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black in triple threat match
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane
NXT Tag Team Champions Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven NXT North American Champion Adam Cole vs. Ricochet Singles Match: EC3 vs. The Velveteen Dream
What are your thoughts on these matches and the card? Is this what you expected to be booked? Sound off in the comment section.
Tommy Dreamer will face Eddie Edwards this Sunday at Slammiversary. The match will be contested under “House of Hardcore” rules.
Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion has collaborated with Impact, Billy Corgan’s NWA, and we’ve even seen Tommy Dreamer in Lucha Underground this year. According to Dreamer, however, WWE once offered him a lot of money to close his promotion. Dreamer commented on the matter during today’s Impact Wrestling media call.
“WWE asked me to sign a contract when I went back with the Wyatts,” Dreamer said referring to his brief 2015 run with the company. “They offered me a lot of money to close House of Hardcore and I refused.”
Dreamer would also say he’s apprehensive about signing contracts with anyone.
“Impact Wrestling, I’ve worked there under a lot of different regimes,” Dreamer continued. “Once politics or BC started getting involved, I just left.”
Dreamer commented on how his experiences with ECW are what helped shape his policy of not signing contracts.
“Everyone talks about ECW and the greatness of what was ECW and it was,” Dreamer said on the call. “But none of us ever knew that Paul Heyman was in bed with the WWE the entire time. I had to live with those effects for a long, long time.”
“I would not sign a contract with anyone,” Dreamer continued.
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards – Slammiversary XVI (House of Hardcore Rules)
The Dreamer versus Edwards rivalry grew out of Edwards’ previous rivalry with Sami Callihan. Throughout the course of the Callihan vs Edwards feud, Dreamer attempted to talk sense into Edwards only to eventually become the subject of his delusions.
Edwards came under the belief that Dreamer was sleeping with his wife and confronted him at a House of Hardcore show in Philadelphia. Dreamer, upset at Edwards’ actions towards him, then challenged him to this match at Slammiversary.
AJ Styles’ opponent for SummerSlam is expected to be announced on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live by General Manager Paige.
“The Phenomenal One” comes off a longtime feud with former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Shinsuke Nakamura, which stretched back all the way to WrestleMania 34. He also defended his WWE Title against Rusev at Extreme Rules.
Cageside Seats is confirming recent speculation that former NXT Champion Samoa Joe is next in line to feud with the ex-TNA poster child. They report that Styles is currently scheduled to go one-on-one with “The Destroyer” at SummerSlam. Joe squashed Tye Dillinger on last week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Styles put on a great match with recent NXT call-up Andrade “Cien” Almas, in a bout that the WWE Universe likely wouldn’t be opposed to seeing again at some point down the road on a much grander stage. Styles vs. Joe will certainly be an enjoyable experience for SmackDown Live viewers as we approach “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.”
WWE is always searching the globe to acquire the biggest and best stars in professional sports, in attempt to mimic that stardom into a career as a professional wrestler under their promotional banner.
It looks like the company now has their sights set on former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. You might remember the Mexican slugger as the man who dethroned Brock Lesnar from the heavyweight mountaintop back in 2010 at UFC 121 via first round knockout.
Velasquez was recently at a WWE event earlier this year to show support for Ronda Rousey, and said he’d like to possibly jump into the WWE ring and take another belt from Brock Lesnar, who is currently the WWE Universal Champion. He might just be gearing up to do exactly that.
WWE announced that Velasquez was recently at their Performance Center and drilled with PC coach Norman Smiley. He also participated in a DDP Yoga session led by WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page himself. The Arizona State wrestling product also trained in the WWE PC weight room before attending an NXT taping at Full Sail Live.
Here’s what the former UFC heavyweight champ had to say about the experience:
“My experience here has been amazing. I’m just looking forward to being here and learning as much as I can. I’ve been a fan of the sport since I was a little kid, and now I get to participate in it.”
Brock Lesnar’s return to Monday Night RAW is on the horizon.
“The Beast” has been featured in headlines across the combat sports world for the past several weeks after making his reemergence into the mixed martial arts (MMA) community. Lesnar was cage-side at UFC 226 and confronted Daniel Cormier after his UFC heavyweight title win over Stipe Miocic.
UFC president Dana White confirmed Lesnar will challenge Cormier for the UFC heavyweight throne next. His United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension is set to lift in January, making him eligible to return to fighting action after then.
While Lesnar has picked up a ton of hype surrounding his MMA return, he still has some obligations to fulfill in his professional wrestling career with WWE. He is currently the promotion’s Universal Champion. There has been some unrest amongst the WWE Universe due to Lesnar’s part-time status and reluctance to defend the strap on a regular basis.
It’s expected that “The Beast” will finally be dethroned at SummerSlam next month, with likely Roman Reigns taking the helm. In regards to when we may see Lesnar back on Monday Night RAW, the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida is now advertising that he is scheduled to appear on the July 30th episode of the program.
That’s one week after next week’s scheduled Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley match to determine who Lesnar’s opponent at “The Biggest Party Of The Summer” will be. Lesnar will likely confront the winner to begin the build-up to the match. “The Beast’s” match at SummerSlam is reportedly the last on his current WWE contract, but he’s also being advertised for the post-SummerSlam RAW the following night at the Barclays Center.
On Wednesday night, NXT held the latest round of television tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL. Thanks to Jacob Cohen & ProWrestling.net for these results:
– Jeet Rama defeats Chase Adams.
– Adam Cole defeated Sean Maluta. Ricochet challenged Cole to a North American Championship match at Takeover, but Cole declined.
– Lacey Evans defeated Tenilla Price.
– Heavy Machinery over The Mighty.
– Trent Seven and Tyler Bate defeated State Line.
– EC3 over Kona Reeves.
– Shayna Baszler defeated Candice LeRae.
– Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to win the NXT Championship. The referee got knocked out during the match, which led to Johnny Gargano running in and attacking Ciampa and Black. Ciampa got the upper hand and pinned Black to win the title.
– Nikki Cross defeated Amber Nova.
– Kassius Ohno defeats Adrian Jaoude.
– Keith Lee defeats Marcel Barthel.
– Taynara Conti beat Vanessa Bourne in a Mae Young Classic qualifier.
– Street Profits defeated The Mighty.
– Tommaso Ciampa came out for a promo, which brought out Aleister Black. Johnny Gargano interrupted and Ciampa. Black blamed Gargano for Ciampa winning the title.
– Kairi Sane beat Aliyah.
– Tyler Bate over Roderick Strong.
– Velveteen Dream cut a promo on EC3, setting up EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
– Johnny Gargano fought Aleister Black to a no-contest when Tommaso Ciampa attacked both men.
– William Regal came out and announced Ciampa vs. Gargano vs. Black for the NXT Title at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
This Sunday, Impact Wrestling will present Slammiversary from Toronto’s Rebel Nightclub. The company announced yesterday the event has sold-out. The current belief is that the set-up for the venue will host 1000 fans for the show.
Tonight is the final episode of Impact before the pay-per-view.
Up until tonight the rivalry between Moose and Austin Aries has been contested through sit-down interviews. Last week, however, Aries assaulted Moose’s friend DeAngelo Williams.
Moose has promised to confront Aries tonight about his actions from last week.
Eli Drake vs Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry makes his Impact Wrestling debut tonight and he’s got his hands full. Hendry will face former Impact World Champion, Eli Drake. Last week, Drake defeated Grado and then tried to tell his opponent that Hendry and Katarina had something going on behind his back.
It doesn’t appear Hendry and Katarina have Grado’s best interests at heart. What that will mean for this match, however, remains to be seen.
Desi Hit Squad vs Fallah Bah & KM
This match came about as a result of a backstage interaction last week. The Great Gama Singh said Bah and KM represent Western culture in that one of them can’t control what they put into their mouth and the other can’t control what comes out of it.
Singh has been running the members of the Desi Hit Squad through traditional conditioning drills and will likely have them ready for tag-team action tonight.
Konnan Addresses the OGz
Last week, King said the reason Homicide and Hernandez joined him is Konnan reunited LAX without them. Now, they were out for revenge on him. Tonight, Konnan will address his former tag-team just days ahead of the 5150 Street Fight at Slammiversary between the two teams.
Tessa Blanchard & Shotzi Blackheart vs Kiera Hogan & Allie
Tessa Blanchard and Allie will go one-on-one at Slammiversary. Before Sunday, however, they will meet in tag action tonight.
Allie will team with the young upstart, Kiera Hogan. Blanchard will align with the standout from a recent RISE seminar, Shotzi Blackheart. Allie defeated Blackheart last week.
Killer Kross vs Petey Williams
Before Killer Kross was discovered as the man behind the attacks in the back, there was suspicion on Petey Williams. Tonight, Williams will get a chance for revenge and Kross will get a chance to hurt someone (which he seems to enjoy).
Jake “the Snake” Roberts is often cited as having had the best in-ring psychology of all-time. He’s now passing down that knowledge to students at the Snake Pit Wrestling Academy.
“Wrestling came naturally to me,” Roberts said to Sports Illustrated recently. “Whenever I thought about something, I’d think, ‘There is only one way to do that.’ There was no question about doing this or doing that. Hell no. Now that got me in trouble a couple of times, because I spoke my voice, but I always believed that if you’re going to do it, you do it right.”
According to Jake, wrestling today needs more psychology and less big bumps and high-spots.
The WWE Hall of Famer will be running a seminar on July 28th, 2018.
“That’s what I don’t get about the young talent today,” Roberts continued. “So many matches are the same. Don’t they get bored? It’s ridiculous what they waste, and they don’t even know they’re wasting it. I blame that on the new way of wrestling; if you come up now, you can be in the main event within a year. In my day, you had to learn. We had the territories that forced us to constantly grow and change.”
Another difference between wrestling in his day and today Roberts notes is the psychology behind moves.
“I had six moves,” Roberts said. “I knew when to do them and I did them absolutely perfectly, and people believed them. Teaching this class, I’m going to make people think differently. The truth is in what you’ve done and where you’ve been, and there are not many people who have done more than I have.”
Roberts would continue to say that wrestling fans have given him everything he has in his life.
“Without the fans, you have no wrestling,” he said. “Without the fans, I’d have had no life. The fans have given me more than I can ever give them. They showed me that all my years of sacrificing meant something, and I do appreciate it.”
Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling will be running a super-card from Madison Square Garden next year. The G1 Supercard will be held on April 6th, 2019.
While the deal is now official, it almost didn’t happen. There were reports that WWE initially prevented a deal between the famous venue and the two wrestling promotions.
“We had a deal with [Madison Square] Garden and they then told us they were backing out after communications from the WWE,” ROH COO Jeff Coff told PWInsider last month.
WWE is apparently not happy they were blamed for the initial deal following through.
ROH/NJPW in Madison Square Garden
A report from Sports Illustrated is stating WWE is not happy with how they are being portrayed publicly in regards to the deal.
“WWE was not happy they were blamed for having anything to do with ROH’s pursuit of Madison Square Garden,” the report reads. “Multiple industry sources also verified that MSG officials found WWE very cooperative during the entire process.”
WWE released the following statement on ROH & NJPW working with MSG: “MSG is, of course, free to work with ROH however they want.”
G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden
So far, only Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito, and Kazuchika Okada have been confirmed for the show.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ring of Honor Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling to Madison Square Garden for the much anticipated G1 Supercard,” said Executive Vice President of MSG Marquee Events, Joel Fisher. “We expect April 6 to be another memorable night of wrestling at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’”
Ring of Honor has a couple of shows this weekend. They are in Nashville tomorrow night and then return to Atlanta for television tapings on Saturday. NJPW just completed night 4 of their 19-show G1 Climax 28 tournament. It was the first of 3 straight shows in Korakuen Hall.
Bret Hart and Martha Hart have been debating Owen Hart’s legacy in public. Recently, Martha Hart made a public statement regarding Hart’s comments about her erasing Owen’s legacy.
Early this morning, Bret Hart posted a response to Marth on his Facebook page. He is saying that Martha has isolated her family from the rest of the Harts so much that Bret wouldn’t even recognize his own niece if he saw her.
Bret Hart’s Responds To Martha Hart and the Owen Hart Foundation
Bret Hart on Martha’s Comments About Him:
“This past week, I have received multiple requests for comment regarding my recent interview on a podcast and the rebuttal made by Dr. Martha Hart. First of all, I want to express my disappointment in both the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald for running a gossip-style article and making it front page news when there are more pressing issues in the world to highlight. You are better than that. I listened back to the interview in question and I specifically want to address Martha’s comments about my words being “cruel, reckless, irresponsible, and hurtful”.
Stampede Wrestling was an institution in the city of Calgary. Wrestling was our family business. My brothers and I either wrestled for my father Stu or worked behind the scenes. Fans packed the Victoria Pavilion every Friday night for decades. Martha has seemed to have forgotten that she attended those same shows before she met Owen. She was, by definition, a wrestling fan. That same group Martha appears to look down upon and ignore.”
The Issue of Owen Hart Not Being In The WWE Hall of Fame
“Earlier this year, Mark Henry took time during his WWE Hall of Fame induction to specifically address Martha,” Hart continued. “With tears in his eyes, Henry pleaded with her to allow Owen to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. My nieces and nephews were in the audience with tears in their eyes as he expressed how much he deserved to be there with his peers. Fans have told me they had tears in their eyes when they watched the moment on television.
Those same fans Martha sat side-by-side with at Stampede Wrestling and WWE events. Those same fans that donate to the Owen Hart Foundation and helped make it what it is today because they remember the joy he brought to their lives and not by how he died. Those royalty checks she receives from the company she says she doesn’t want any part of? Those are also from those same fans. To her, their tears do not matter. To me, that is cruel and hurtful.”
Bret Hart On His Relationship With Marth Hart
“It is true that Martha and I were close at one time. I was right by her side after Owen’s death until she received her settlement from WWE and proclaimed me a “pest”. Martha later declared herself and her children Harts in name only, called us all “black sheep”, and ceased contact with the rest of the Hart family.
She further isolated from us when we all came together in 2010 to honour our father Stu being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and participated in a DVD that celebrated our family (Hart & Soul). Owen’s children do not have a relationship with his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
One of my nieces, in fact, named her son Owen after him. I do not know Oje and I wouldn’t know Athena if she walked passed me on the street. Owen’s children only know of their father’s family by what is told by their mother, whatever that may be, painting us all with one broad brush. To block Owen’s children from knowing their father’s family, to me, is cruel, reckless, and irresponsible.”
On Owen Hart’s Death
“Owen’s tragic accident almost 20 years ago changed our family forever. Martha lost her soulmate and her children lost their father. You have to remember, however, that I also lost my brother. My children lost their uncle. My grandchildren will only know him through pictures and stories. His peers lost a close friend who filled them with endless laughter through long periods on the road. The fans lost someone that they lovingly connected to. Martha is not alone in her loss and grief.”
On the Owen Hart Foundation
“The Owen Hart Foundation is a wonderful charity that has raised millions of dollars and has helped many people in its 19 year history. I am not disputing or denying that whatsoever. I disagree, however, that it should be the sole outlet to remember Owen by.
This is not just about Owen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This is about his wrestling career, his wrestling legacy, his contribution to the business that he loved and honouring that contribution. Owen Hart was a world-renowned professional wrester, and a damn good one.
He was part of the foundation that our family name was built on not just in the city of Calgary but all over the world. For Martha to want to rewrite history, to refuse to acknowledge or recognize his great wrestling career, to brush off what he, myself, and my father did as “that fake stuff” is wrong.”
On Owen Hart’s Wrestling Legacy
“Owen Hart was a wrestler. The next generation deserve to know how great he truly was.
I am happy to hear that my brother Owen will be inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 28 in Waterloo, Iowa. My father and I are past honourees. While I will not be in attendance, the Hart family will be well-represented with my brothers Ross, Bruce, Keith, sister Diana, and my nephew Harry Smith accepting the honour on his behalf. Thank you to the Board of Directors for recognizing his wrestling career, his contributions to the wrestling business, and his legacy. I’m sure the event will be filled with laughter, tears, and an overall appreciation for the man that he was. I can only hope that this is only the beginning.
Titus O’Neil has released further comment in regards to Hulk Hogan’s apology to the WWE roster on Sunday. O’Neil had earlier expressed support for the statement released by the New Day but has now released further comment.
The reports and rumors concerning my boycotting “Extreme Rules” in Pittsburgh is false and inaccurate. I was not scheduled to attend or be a participant in the Extreme Rules match/production and was otherwise not booked for the show.
The talent present in Pittsburgh, which I was a part of, was asked to attend a mandatory meeting in which Mr. Terry Bollea addressed everyone and informed the same that he would be reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame. At no point during, after or otherwise, did I make any scene concerning Mr. Bollea’s communication to the talent. In addition, let it be known that I did not refuse to shake Mr. Bollea’s hand; we did not have any type of one-on-one interaction whatsoever that would or did necessitate any exchange between us individually.
As to the reinstatement of Mr. Bollea, I can only communicate that I am a proponent of second and even third chances for individuals that show true remorse, acknowledgment of wrongdoing, fulfill their punishment, if applicable, and otherwise put forth sincere efforts to correct the issues.
Unfortunately, I must echo the sentiment and dissatisfaction expressed by many of my fellow contemporaries concerning Mr. Bollea’s apology and its lack of true contrition, remorsefulness and a desire to change. Mr. Bollea’s apology “that he didn’t know he was being recorded” is not remorse for the hateful and violent utterances he made which reprise language that has caused violence against blacks and minorities for centuries.
I stand firm in my position that Mr. Bollea is entitled to reinstatement; he was and is a role model, hero and icon to countless people. I hope that Mr. Bollea’s missteps in communicating to the WWE talent in Pittsburgh are not repeated to his fans and I expect that he shall pursue an agenda that clearly communicates to all third parties that his language was inappropriate, wrong and should not be tolerated in a civilized and inclusive society.
As the father of two young Black men, I have spent their entire life and the majority of my adult life with a singular focus; being a role model for my children and young black boys and girls. I take tremendous pride in my charity work and the community outreach programs that I have fostered via the platform I have been given. I teach my sons love and tolerance for everybody, but I also teach them to operate in truth and respect.
I hope this clears up any confusion. I, like New Day, will continue to use my platform to positively affect, entertain, embrace, celebrate and love people from all backgrounds both inside and outside of the WWE Universe.
Lacey Evans squared off against Dakota Kai to start off this week’s episode of NXT. Evans mocked Kai to begin the match and Dakota responded with a Dropkick to Lacey’s face. Kai rolled up Evans for a two count and then booted her in the face for another near fall.
Kai went for a running kick in the corner but Lacey dodged it and tied up Dakota on the turnbuckle. Evans then connected with a Bronco Buster and Kai fell to the canvas. Lacey continued to taunt Kai as she struggled to get back to her feet.
Evans knocked her back down and stomped on her a few times for a one count. Lacey caught Kai’s attempt at a kick and sent her back to the canvas. Evans dropped an elbow across Dakota’s back and then applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring.
The crowd got behind Dakota as she fought through the pain and reached for the ropes. Kai finally was able to get out of the hold but Evans quickly knocked her back down to the mat. Evans applied a submission hold targetting Kai’s lower back in the center of the ring.
Dakota refused to give up and Evans started to get pissed off. Lacey shouted “give up!” but Dakota wouldn’t submit. Evans broke the hold and brought Kai to the ring apron. Evans stood on Kai’s ribs on the apron and stomped on her a couple of times.
Kai rolled back into the middle of the ring and Evans greeted her with a Slingshot Elbow Drop for a two count. Dakota made her way to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Dakota was somehow able to roll out of the way just in time.
Evans splatted on the canvas and Kai made her way back to her feet. Kai hit a flurry of kicks to Evans’ face and then geared up in the corner of the ring. The crowd clapped along as Kai connected with the Facewash Kick two times in a row. Dakota hit another Facewash Kick and went for the cover but Evans was able to power out at two.
Lacey planted Kai with a Powerslam and both Superstars fell to the mat. Evans was the first Superstar up and went for a Clothesline but Kai caught her with a boot to the face. Lacey dodged a kick and connected with the Woman’s Right for the pinfall victory. Evans taunted Kai after the match some more before finally exiting the ring.
Ricochet Wants To Be The Next North American Champion
Ricochet was interviewed backstage during tonight’s show. Ricochet said that he doesn’t like Undisputed Era but he knows they will defend the tag titles because they love to fight. He brought up Adam Cole and how he continuously finds ways to steal victories. Ricochet stated that he will not stop until he becomes North American Champion and takes the title from Adam Cole.
EC3 ran into Kona Reeves backstage. Reeves said EC3’s suit was nice but it is not the finest. Reeves aid the same thing about EC3’s watch and his spray tan. EC3 poked fun at Kona Reeves wearing sunglasses indoors to hide his dead and creepy eyes. EC3 then challenged Kona to a fight and Reeves told EC3 to give him space.
EC3 stated that he would give Reeves the beating of a lifetime and walked away. Reeves stated that they could of the finest of friends but vowed to fight EC3 in the near future.
Nikki Cross, Candice LeRae, and Kairi Sane battled in a Triple Threat Match to determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Women’s Championship. Bianca Belair was scheduled to be in the match but was not medically cleared to compete.
The match started out with a bunch of Arm Drags and then Nikki hit Sane with a Crossbody. Sane knocked LeRae off the ring apron and then turned her attention to Cross. Sane knocked Cross to the corner of the ring and beat her down as NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler said she doesn’t care who wins on commentary.
Cross trapped Kairi in the ring apron and beat the hell out of her. Nikki got back into the ring and shoved Candice’s face into the canvas. Nikki applied a Crossface in the middle of the ring and then transitioned into a cover for a two count.
Sane got back into the ring and connected with the Interceptor Spear on Nikki Cross. Kairi followed it up with a Double Stomp on LeRae for a two count. Nikki jumped on Sane’s back and tried to lock in a Sleeper Hold. Candice got back up and took them both out with a Dropkick.
LeRae beat down Cross in the corner of the ring and then hit a Cannonball onto Sane off the ring apron as the crowd chanted “NXT!”. Nikki Cross connected with an Inverted DDT to LeRae on the entrance ramp and then turned around into a flying elbow from Sane off the ring apron.
The NXT Universe chanted “this is awesome!” as Baszler wasn’t too impressed on commentary. Back in the ring, LeRae planted Cross with a Powerbomb as Nikki connected with a Superplex to Kairi Sane at the same time. The crowd once again loudly chanted “NXT!” as all three Superstars were down on the mat.
LeRae and Nikki traded shots as the crowd chanted “mama mia!”. Sane joined the party and everyone took turns blasting each other in the face with haymakers. Cross hit a Clothesline on Sane and then got an Enziguri to the face courtesy of Candice.
Sane clocked LeRae in the head but Candice shrugged it off and connected with a double DDT onto Cross and Sane. LeRae followed it up with a Springboard Moonsault onto Sane and went for the cover but Cross dragged Candice to the apron. Nikki hit LeRae with a swinging Neckbreaker off the apron and then got back into the ring with Sane.
Cross tugged at her own hair like a psycho and grabbed Kairi and planted her with a Belly to Back Suplex. Nikki delivered two more Belly to Back Suplexes and then sat up with a giant smile on her face. Cross perched Sane up on the top turnbuckle as Candice rolled back into the ring.
LeRae rolled up Cross for a two count and then slammed her to the mat. LeRae connected with a Moonsault onto Cross but Kairi Sane came out of nowhere and hit Candice with the Insane Elbow Drop for the pinfall victory.
Kairi Sane will now battle Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend. NXT went off the air with Shayna Baszler raising the title on the entrance ramp as Sane looked on from the top turnbuckle.
Roman Reigns has opened up about his recent feud with Bobby Lashley on WWE television.
The former WWE Champion recently spoke to Helen Yee Sports where he discussed Lashley’s run in WWE since his return earlier this year. In this interview, he noted that the feud with Lashley is new and caught us up to speed on their current storyline, which is the fact that Lashley beat him at Sunday’s (July 15, 2018) WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the PPG Paints Arena and that they will square off in a #1 contender’s match on next week’s episode of RAW to find out who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at SummerSlam. “We both had triple threat matches in order to earn an opportunity to be the #1 contender to take on Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. So we’re gonna meet next week and go at it again. This time I have a better feel for him and hopefully, it’ll be a better result for me.”
Also in this interview, Reigns was asked how he thinks Lashley’s WWE return has worked out for him thus far which he noted that he thinks it was a little rocky from the get-go but that Lashley is really settled in and getting comfortable. “You could tell that it seems like he’s starting to feel at home again. When you leave WWE and you move around a little bit you can kinda get out of the shake of things. It seems like he’s really getting comfortable. He had a great showing on Sunday, next Monday’s not gonna be the same.”
Booker T is the latest star to give his take on WWE’s decision to reinstate Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame after the news was broken over the weekend before the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where Hogan held a meeting with the WWE superstars.
The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion was the latest guest on XPac 1 2 360 with Sean Waltman where he talked about various topics including Hogan where he stated that when people say stuff behind closed doors, sometimes they say stuff they would never say in public and that if someone is taping a conversation they’re obviously looking to get something out of it and you have to look at it like that. “You don’t know if someone was drinking or not. There are so many variables that go into that one little episode. And I just don’t think that in the wrestling business coincide with each other. Do we got to set this thing down, reprimand, suspend him? Of course. But for him to be banned from professional wrestling for that one incident? I mean c’mon. That I don’t agree with. Let’s put in the past and move forward.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also gave his take on Bobby Lashley possibly facing Brock Lesnar in the near future. Booker T noted that Lesnar has a lot on his plate right now as he is preparing for his UFC return, being tested by USADA and gearing up for his next match in the WWE at the upcoming SummerSlam event.
He believes that it will be a good thing for Lashley to get in there and mix it up with Lesnar but it might be a rough night for him as well. He brought up the fact that fans have been wanting to see them wrestle each other for years. “Both of them have the amateur background… Bobby is definitely ready to step into the fire… as well as we wonder what Bobby’s still got left in the tank after ten years of being away from the company. We’re fired up, we’ll find out very soon.”
There was a major title change at tonight’s taping of WWE NXT. The match will air on next week’s episode of NXT and will have huge implications for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
Tommaso Ciampa battled Aleister Black for the NXT Championship at tonight’s NXT tapings. Johnny Gargano got involved at the end of the match when the referee was knocked down.
Gargano attacked Ciampa but Tommaso was able to fight him off and pin Aleister Black to become the new NXT Champion.
Below are some photos from the NXT Championship match tonight:
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.
Jake Jeremy – Ok so we are talking Night 4 of the tournament (it feels like it’s been weeks already…), here are the bouts:
Juice Robinson vs Kota Ibushi
Hirooki Goto vs Kenny Omega
Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito
Toru Yano vs Zack Sabre Jr
SANADA vs Tama Tonga
Ian Carey – Alright, 4 shows in a row, 3 of them at Korakuen Hall
Jake Jeremy – I think that to start Ibushi will need to defeat Robinson, it’s a tough position for the new IWGP US champ but I still see Kota taking this block.
Ian Carey – Yes I agree, Kota beats Juice. I also see Kenny Omega beating Hirooki Goto and Tetsuya Naito defeating Tomohiro Ishii
Jake Jeremy – I actually see Goto getting the shock win over Omega to set up a nice little bout before WK and give Goto his shot in the main event. I can also see Naito beating Ishii
Ian Carey – Here is my underdog pick of the night…Yano defeats Zack Sabre Jr
Jake Jeremy – Ahhh but will Yano actually lose every match BECAUSE he’s playing it a little more ‘straight’ this time with less cheating?
Ian Carey – I was thinking that, but I think Omega is losing to Ibushi and Tonga. i also think he’ll drop a tie at the top of the block at 7-2. In terms of Yano? Well, I don’t know if they’ll keep going with that because historically having Yano in a group is a great for giving someone a cheap loss without making them look weak
Jake Jeremy – That’s a great point
Ian Carey – With ZSJ i think he’ll have a great tournament but ultimately not win the block…so he’s got to have a few cheap losses. I also see Tama Tonga beating SANADA
Jake Jeremy – Agreed on Tama beating SANADA
So here are the full predictions:
Ian Carey
Kota Ibushi beats Juice Robinson
Kenny Omega beats Hirooki Goto
Tetsuya Naito beats Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano beats Zack Sabre Jr
Tama Tonga beats SANADA
Jake Jeremy
Kota Ibushi beats Juice Robinson
Hirooki Goto beats Kenny Omega
Tetsuya Naito beats Tomohiro Ishii
Zack Sabre Jr beats Toru Yano
Tama Tonga beats SANADA
What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments.
The second pay-per-view event of the new Impact Wrestling’s management regime will bring in the maximum gate revenue possible this Sunday. Slammiversary at the Rebel Nightclub in Toronto is now sold out.
Tickets for the next two nights of television tapings are still available, however.
Slammiversary THIS SUNDAY is officially SOLD OUT!
We absolutely cannot wait for a jam packed crowd in The Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV! pic.twitter.com/k4ILBPz2fe
The Rebel Nightclub is Canada’s largest nightclub complex. On a recent Impact Wrestling media call, Austin Aries mentioned he has visited the venue and believes it will create a special atmosphere for the event.
Slammvierary XVI will also air live on pay-per-view through the FITE App.
Impact Wrestling Slammiversary Lineup
Mask vs Hair
Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan
Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Moose
Knockouts Championship
Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne
X-Division Championship
Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage
House of Hardcore Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards
5150 Street Fight
LAX (Santana & Ortiz) w/Konnan vs the OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) w/King
Fenix vs Rich Swann vs Taiji Ishimori vs Johnny Impact
Allie vs Tessa Blanchard
Johnny Impact On Why Fans Should Be Watching Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling has been running frequent media calls to promote Slammiversary as of late. Johnny Impact was the featured guest yesterday and spoke about why he feels fans should be watching Impact Wrestling.
“When you’re surfing right before a wave breaks, that’s where you want to jump on and surf because you don’t want to miss the boat,” Johnny explained. “That’s what Impact is now.”
“The current roster of Impact Wrestling is possibly the best roster in the world,” Johnny continued. “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.”
“You’re seeing this collision of styles every time you’re out there.”
PROGRESS Wrestling has announced a major change to their upcoming event in September. The ‘Hello Wembley’ show will be taking place on Sunday September 30th from the hallowed grounds of Wembley Arena in London, England and is easily the biggest show in company history…and it already appears to be creating more headaches for the PROGRESS co-owners Jim Smallman, Glen Joseph and Jon Briley than perhaps initially anticipated.
First came the news that Will Ospreay would no longer be able to compete in a long anticipated rematch against rival Jimmy Havoc. The two men are responsible for arguably the hottest angle in company history which many fans claim put PROGRESS ‘on the map’ in terms of independent wrestling. The cancellation of Ospreay’s appearance was due to an unforeseen booking conflict with New Japan Pro Wrestling; Ospreay is contractually obligated to appear on the planned United States show on September 30th for NJPW.
Once the news broke of Ospreay’s absence from PROGRESS’ biggest ever show fans questioned whether another big time performer for the company would also be missing the date in London…
Zack Sabre Jr competed in and was the eventual winner of this year’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament, outlasting the field and gaining himself a World Title shot against Travis Banks at an event of his choosing. ZSJ informed the PROGRESS fans that he would be taking the shot at Wembley but 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 this 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.”
It is messy situation however this does give the #CoastToCoast tour in the United States an extra shot of importance and does embody the spirit of competition that the company was built upon.
