While many thought their match at the Greatest Royal Rumble was the final chapter of the rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, it appears that WWE thinks differently.
We noted before how Lesnar was not expected to wrestle anytime soon. His next match is expected to be at the SummerSlam PPV and it was said that the Universal Champion is slated to main event the show.
At the time there was no news on the possible opponent for the Beast, though now the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed the current plans for his challenger.
According to it, the working plan for the SummerSlam main event is for Roman Reigns to once again challenge the former UFC star and if some recent reports are to be believed, then the former Shield Member may finally win the title this time.
The fact that the commentary team was heavily pushing the idea that the Big Dog deserves a rematch after the controversial finish to their GRR match also appears to be an indication of the company’s future plans.
Things can obviously change between now and the PPV. However, so far Officials have been playing the idea that Reigns was screwed in the Universal title match and if it’s indeed Brock’s final bout for WWE, it’s most likely that Roman will get another shot at the title.
Discussion: Would you like to see Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship once more? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
– During a red carpet interview at WWE’s For Your Consideration event in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday night, Brie Bella said she’s considering having a baby “next summer,” but only after she returns to the ring.
Brie said to E! News that she had a conversation earlier with her husband, Daniel Bryan — real name Bryan Danielson — about having another child. Bryan is eager to “start trying,” whereas Brie is eyeing 2019 for an addition to the family.
“I need to kick more butt in the ring still,” Brie revealed she told her husband. “‘Next summer.’ In mom world that’s like really close. So, next summer.”
– Sonya Deville and Lana are in attendance at tonight’s GLAAD + Ty Herdon’s Concert for Love & Acceptance event in Nashville, Tennessee, “featuring a coalition of artists and celebrities appearing and performing to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people.”
The SmackDown LIVE Superstars are documenting their experience on social media.
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) June 8, 2018
– John Cena’s entrance theme briefly played during the second period of tonight’s NHL Stanley Cup finals Game 5 between the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Knights (taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena).
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has responded to the recent comments made by Eric Bischoff about his run in WCW.
During a recent edition of Bischoff‘s podcast 83 Weeks, Hart was a topic of discussion that covered his time in the promotion among other things. For the entire recap of that podcast, please click here.
The pro wrestling legend recently did an interview with The Pro Wrestling Show. A clip of that appearance has surfaced online of Hart responding to Bischoff stating on his podcast that Hart ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run. This is when Hart fired back. “Eric Bischoff is an idiot, total complete idiot, Hart stated (transcript courtesy of Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet). “Maybe the single stupidest idiot that ever got into wrestling.” “A guy that never came through on anything he ever said, he had zero ideas for wrestling,” the legendary wrestler continued. “I’ve heard him say that I came there and I was a broken man. That I didn’t have it in the heart anymore. That I broke my heart with wrestling. That’s such horsesh*t. Absolutely an insult to me. It makes me so mad I’m glad he’s not around me.”
“He was the stupidest guy I ever met..”@BretHart responds to @EBischoff’s claims on @83Weeks that he ‘brought nothing creatively’ to his WCW run ?
What are your thoughts on the comments made by Hart? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Hart gained success in the professional wrestling business throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the WWE. He left the sports entertainment company for World Championship Wrestling following the controversial “Montreal Screwjob” in November 1997 where he remained until October 2000.
Hart would return to WWE in 2006 to be inducted into their Hall of Famer and later wrestle at WrestleMania 26 in 2010 in a match against Vince McMahon.
With the WWE U.K. brand show on the horizon, it’s only appropriate to appoint a GM for the show.
Johnny Saint has been chosen as the GM for the WWE’s U.K brand. Saint is a British wrestling legend that had a career that spanned over five decades. A protege of the legendary Bill Robinson, Saint began his career in the 1950’s and is considered a pioneer of technical grappling wrestling in the U.K.
In a 2013 interview with WWE.com, Daniel Bryan cited Saint as a true “wrestlers’ wrestler.” Though perhaps best known for his elaborate and aesthetically pleasing counter-wrestling, Saint also brought a hard edge to the ring, according to Bryan.
“Johnny Saint is somebody who does fancy reversals, but what made him a wrestlers’ wrestler is when he’d get gritty with his wrestling,” Bryan said. “He entertained people through wrestling. He knew a million different holds. He’d go out there and always have fantastic matches. I wrestled him when he was 60-something years old and was still absolutely phenomenal in the ring. He was so good at what he did, technique-wise.”
Once Saint finished his career, he began coaching the next generation of British grapplers. He even spent six months as a coach at the WWE Performance Center in 2017.
Saint’s first job as GM will be to oversee the upcoming U.K. Tournament that will be held on the June 25 and 26 on the WWE Network. More on the tournament here.
It will be interesting to see how the WWE will manage all five brands and what different routes the U.K brand will take.
In that interview, Punk addressed potentially appearing at All In in September and if he would return to wrestling. The former WWE Champion stated that “it’s not happening” regarding appearing at All In.
He would go on to say that, “Nobody has ever asked me, like straight up asked me, to come wrestle for them. Nobody.” Punk added, “[People have said] hey, if you ever wanna do anything… Nobody’s ever been like, ‘hey, here’s the deal, we’re having a show, we’re paying you X amount and you’re working this guy. Whaddaya say, yes or no?’ Nobody’s ever done that.”
This led to a lot of fans speculating that if someone did make him an actual offer then he might consider returning to the squared circle.
Fast forward to Thursday (June 7, 2018), Punk clarified his position about a potential return while speaking with Aaron Bronsteter of TSN during media day.
“Yesterday, I said a bunch of stuff about wrestling and how I never got a true offer, this doesn’t mean that I want to wrestle. I’m done with professional wrestling. A lot of people want to be mad at me about that, make fun of me for losing my first fight and that’s fine because you are entitled to your own opinion but you don’t own me and I am entitled to do what I want to do.”
He went on to say that wrestling is in the rearview mirror for him and has been trying to do that for the past five years but some people don’t want to let go. He added that he understands that wrestlers come and go from retirement but this is his head space now [in MMA].
After dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to take time off the sports entertainment company on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014. He would later be served with his termination papers from WWE on his wedding day later that year. Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the world famous Octagon in the UFC.
What do you think about Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE will likely add one more match to the Money in the Bank card.
According to a recent report by PWinsider.com, WWE officials have discussed potentially adding Sin Cara vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas to the card. Although the WWE has yet to officially announce the match, it could end up serving as the Pre-show match.
As noted, WWE has already announced that a singles match between these two Superstars would be taking place on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.
The Card
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
It appears that WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy is dealing with another injury. This comes via a report from Jonny Fairplay of the PWTorch Pro Wrestling podcast. Hardy reportedly has a pinched nerve that is causing numbness in his fingers.
Hardy hasn’t been used on SmackDown Live in two weeks and only made a handful of TV appearances in May. He was able to retain his United States Title over Randy Orton at the Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) on May 6th, and a few days later lost a match to The Miz on SmackDown Live.
He hasn’t been seen on TV since his loss to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live on May 22nd. Despite not making a ton of TV appearances, Hardy has been working dark matches and live events. He and Daniel Bryan defeated Big Cass and The Miz in Tag Team action after 205 Live tapings this week in a dark match.
Hardy also retained his title against Shelton Benjamin in a pre-show dark match on May 29th in North Caroline. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more on the situation.
Glenn Jacobs (better known as Kane) has been declared the winner of the Knox County primary for mayor by a narrow margin. Later this year, citizens of the country will decide by voting who they want to win the mayoral race.
The former WWE champion recently sat down with William Steakin of IJR to talk about the country’s current political landscape as well as other topics including receiving support from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
“Vince is one of the first people that I talked to because we have a good personal relationship, and I needed his support just as a friend,” Jacobs said.
“Vince has got a vision. From the very beginning. And you just can’t discount that. And that’s why I think so many organizations fail, is their leader doesn’t have a vision of where he’s going to go. And Vince has always had that. He has that pigheaded determination,” Jacobs said. “And all that stuff has helped me with my business and, really, in my personal life.”
If you recall, in previous years, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has teased about potentially running for U.S President. In this interview, Kane was asked if he ever envisions running for office with The Rock:
“You ain’t never going to see a Kane part of that, I’ll tell you that right now.”
What are your thoughts on Kane’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Kane started his pro wrestling career in 1992. He wrestled in promotions such as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association before joining the WWE in 1995. Following his debut as Kane in 1997, he remained a component of the company’s Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Eli Drake’s future with IMPACT Wrestling remains unclear. So much so that Drake is currently not advertised for IMPACT’s Slammiversary pay-per-view (PPV) in Toronto. Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer reports that Drake’s deal expired this past weekend, but he still worked IMPACT Wrestling TV tapings to lose a match.
Both Drake and IMPACT continue to discuss a new deal but nothing has been signed as of this writing. As for a return to WWE, Meltzer confirms that there has been talk within the company about bringing Drake back.
Drake signed with WWE back in 2013 to a developmental deal but was released in August of 2014. He then went on to sign with IMPACT the following spring. In April, Drake did an interview with The Mirror, and discussed where he sees himself in the future:
“It really depends. I am looking at all my options. I am very grateful for the opportunities Impact have given me and putting me on the stage they have put me on. I also have grown my bank account enormously! I’m doing well on that front. So I’m very grateful for it,” Drake said.
“But at the same time, I am a businessman, I am going to look into any opportunities that are afforded to me and anybody who wants to talk and wants to throw numbers my way and anything like that, of course I am open to that. Will I stay with Impact? That’s a definite possibility. It could be a likelihood, I really don’t know. It really depends on what else is out there. But I am interested in any opportunity that comes my way, that’s for sure.”
WWE’s Recent Trademark Application Could Indicate A New Show
According to a report from PWInsider, WWE has applied for two new trademarks on the term “WWE VIP.” The report indicates that the trademark could be in reference to VIP experience at Live Events, or potentially a new show on the WWE Network.
Discussion: What do you think the new trademark could mean? And would you like for WWE to implement a “VIP Experience” at Live Events?
Batista Wants Video Game Movie Role
Former WWE Superstar Batista has been making the media rounds to promote his new film, Hotel Artemis. The Animal participated in a Twitter Q&A with fans for Gamespot. One question from a fan asked if he would be interested in playing Marcus Fenix in the upcoming Gears Of War film, which is based off the famous video game series.
The film is currently in the works from Universal Studios, and apparently Batista has been trying to land the role for years now:
@DaveBautista I've enjoyed basically all the film's you've been in and was a huge fan during your WWE run. What's your dream role? I'm hoping they ask you to play Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War movie! #AskDave
Tessa Blanchard recently did an interview with WrestleZone to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Blanchard first discussed her upcoming appearance at “All In” in September and what it’s like to be a part of the card:
“I don’t think anyone quite understands how huge this is going to be – huge for the history of professional wrestling, and independent wrestling. It’s the largest indie show in the history of pro wrestling I believe, and especially for women’s wrestling, it’s going to be huge.
“Cody, Matt and Nick are giving us the platform to ensure that the evolution of women’s wrestling is in good hands. When Cody asked me to be the face of the women on All In, I was a little bit taken back because it was super humbling. I don’t have the words to describe it. I was very grateful and thankful that he believed in me that much.”
Blanchard also discussed her upcoming match at PCW Ultra tomorrow night in California:
“I’ve had nothing but good experiences with them, they’ve been awesome to work with. I wrestled Chelsea Green last time for their first ever Women’s Championship, and it was an honour to do that. They’re the premier wrestling company on the West Coast, they’ve got a huge following, and everyone’s talking about PCW. It’s really cool to just be a part of it.”
She also discussed what she learned during her experience working the Mae Young Classic, where she was knocked out in the first round by eventual Tournament winner Kairi Sane:
“When I wasn’t in the ring wrestling during the Mae Young Classic, I was in the back either doing pre-tapes or watching the other matches. They picked some of the best female wrestlers in the world, some who I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the ring with, and some of them who I hope to share the ring with some day. No matter whether someone has been in the business longer than you or for less time, you can learn something from any of them.”
You can ready Blanchard’s full interview with WrestleZone by clicking this link here.
Former WWE Divas Champion Paige announced her retirement from WWE in-ring competition earlier this year. The following night she was then introduced as the SmackDown Live General Manager, after former GM Daniel Bryan resigned to return to full-time in-ring competition.
Bryan was out-of-action for several years due to a medical suspension of his own, but was finally cleared to return to the ring. After his departure as General Manager, SmackDown Live needed a new boss – and Paige happily stepped in.
Paige has been doing a solid job as SmackDown General Manager lately, but how does the WWE feel about her performance? According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the WWE is “extremely happy” with Paige as General Manager.
Also, it was noted that with the upcoming movie based on her family coming out around WrestleMania season next year, Paige will likely be getting a lot more screen time to help promote the film.
Discussion: How do you feel about Paige’s performance as SmackDown Live General Manager? Will you be checking out the film on her family next year?
WWE recently signed a slew of new talent that they hope to mold in the next several years in NXT. One of those stars is Keith Lee, who has done work for promotions such as Ring of Honor (ROH), EVOLVE and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). Lee also wrestled for WWE at WrestleMania Axxess when he defeated NXT star Kassius Ohno.
Another talent signed by the company is Io Shirai, who worked for Stardom and is widely regarded as one of the best female wrestlers in the world. One familiar face that WWE has worked with several times over the past few years is Deonna Purrazzo. She has worked for ROH, IMPACT and Stardom as well. Purrazzo was also used on RAW a few weeks ago as she was squashed by Nia Jax during a Ronda Rousey segment.
WWE not only signs established professional wrestlers, but they also go after promising professional athletes. WWE signed Stacey Ervin Jr., boyfriend of U.S Olympian Simone Biles, an extremely talented gymnast who was working for a U.S. wrestling promotion.
Finally, WWE also signed two Rugby stars, Daniel Vidot and Luke Menzies. Menzies worked as an independent wrestler in the United Kingdom for a brief amount of time before being signed by WWE.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that these men and women are expected to start with WWE in July.
Former WWE Tag Team Champion and WCW Hardcore Champion Haku recently did an interview with Sportskeeda to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Haku was first asked about who the toughest man he has ever faced was:
“They’re all tough. It’s very kind of others to talk like that about me. But, as you know, I come from a Third World Country, hoping only to spread the name of Tonga in the world. My parents, my grandparents, my cousins, my hundredth cousin…they wanted me to send money home. I had to fight my way for everything, to send money home.”
Haku has earned himself quite a huge reputation as a tough guy amongst his peers in the professional wrestling world. He discussed being challenged by many when he was younger:
“There are people out there who don’t understand wrestling, who wanted to try the wrestlers and the wrestler they faced just happened to be me (laughs). We were just told that we have to take care of ourselves, inside and outside the ring. Pro wrestling has been great to us, to me and my family. It was wrestling that helped me survive all these years.”
Finally, Haku was asked about tomorrow’s PCW Ultra event in California. Haku said he’d like to go to the event and pass the torch to a new generation:
“I’ve done it. I’ve given everything to wrestling. I want to go to PCW Ultra and pass the torch to new generations. Martial arts and all that stuff is far behind me now and I gave it all to wrestling when I was able to.”
You can read Haku’s full interview with Sportskeeda by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross offered some encouraging advice to WWE SmackDown star Big Cass.
The legendary commentator spoke about various topics during the latest episode of The Ross Report. In this podcast, Ross gave his feedback and observations on the current product put out by the sports entertainment company this week.
Ross gave Cass some advice as well as stated that he sees a lot of potential in this talent (transcription credit to Dominic DeAngelo at Wrestlezone):
“What this kid has gotta do in my opinion is continue to be aggressive. I don’t need a seven-footer that’s a finesse guy, a style guy. I need physicality. And he also needs to work on his delivery. That’s ‘out-of-the-ring’ practice in your car, in your home, in front of a mirror, wherever you are to make sure that you see what you’re saying, see your face when you see these things.
And I think he needs to work on promo sounding a little bit more organic and not memorized. And sometimes because you have to memorize them, by in large, it’s hard to not sound memorized, so you don’t want it to sound like a script, by the way. But I tell ya, being seven feet tall is an asset for him. He’s got a great look, I have confidence he’s going to become a star, but he’s gotta fill some holes in his game and that’s a daily effort.
A daily plan and I don’t know the kid well enough to know what that daily plan is or what they’re doing with him behind the scenes to work on some of these issues, but again you can’t teach that. He’s seven feet tall, young, a good looking kid.”
Big Cass is slated to wrestle Daniel Bryan in a singles match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event next weekend in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network.
What are your thoughts on this advice? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin decided to take some time to reflect.
On a recent edition of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, (transcript via wrestlinginc.com), the WWE Legend gave his take on his first thoughts about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Triple H.
Starting out with The Rock, Austin noted that once he saw the former WWE Champion, he knew that he had potential.
Although Rock had to go through some hurdles at first with his gimmick in the sports entertainment company, he changed it all around and become the character that fans around the world came to love.
“I remember when The Rock came in, Rock, man, you knew this guy had potential when you saw him.” Austin continued, “he was a good looking guy. You just knew the gimmick wasn’t right at first. And then, he ended up changing his gimmick around. He joined the Nation and then turned into The Rock. And then, me and Rock started working together. I was always cool with The Rock. I knew he had potential. I think everybody did. He had the right frame, the right look, really smart, charismatic, so you saw a lot of potential in him as he came in, but the gimmick wasn’t right. But, boy, when he turned into The Rock and joined the Nation and started turning heel. I mean, the people rejected him first as a baby, but they took to him as a heel and he had some serious, serious heat. And then, of course, when he turned baby, he was mega over.”
Switching gears to “The Game,” Austin first met him in WCW and they hit it off right out of the gate due to their mutual interests.
“I met Triple H when he first came into WCW.” Austin remembered “and here he came in, good looking dude, good worker, even back then. He wasn’t too long out of Killer Kowalski’s school. I think he’d probably been working. He worked several matches because he was already very polished even when he came into WCW. We hit it off right off the bat. Same sense of humor. I was a little bit older than him, but I hadn’t been in the business too much longer, if any. So, man, we introduced ourselves, to each other and I knew he had a bright future in the business. And I don’t know what he thought about me.
Austin continued by stating, We always hit it off. Same sense of humor, same taste in music. He was a huge bodybuilding, powerlifting fan, always hit the gym. He wasn’t a drinker – I respected that. Good dude, great sense of humor, low-key, one of the boys. So that’s how I met Triple H and we hit it off from day one. And, to this day, whenever we see each other, it’s like old times. We didn’t run in the same crowds. We didn’t travel together. He had his crew and I had mine or I was traveling solo at the time. But nothing but good things.”
What are your thoughts on Austin’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
New matches have been announced for ROH Best in the World PPV.
Ring of Honor recently announced through their official website that Bully Ray would take on Flip Gordon in a singles match while The Kingdom (Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia) would defend their Six-Man Tag Team Titles against Los Ingobernables De Japon (BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA) at the upcoming pay-per-view event.
The Best in the World PPV takes place on Friday, June 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland at the UMBC Event Center. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.
CM Punk did offer some advice to Ronda Rousey before her in-ring WWE debut.
Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut by teaming up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 34 in April.
Punk, who is good friends with the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, continues to make the media rounds to promote his welterweight bout against Mike Jackson in the opening bout of the main card for the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Punk was asked by media members on Wednesday if he gave any advice to Rousey about her journey from MMA to the WWE.
“The only thing I told her was to just have fun,” said Punk (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting). “I don’t know what it’s like back there in this current environment. I know she’d probably get treated differently, just as I know I probably get treated differently here. The only thing I ever told her is, ‘I know you’ve got a lot of people telling you, do this, don’t do this’ — whatever you do, when you go out there for WrestleMania, make sure you have fun. Period.” Punk did mention that although he didn’t watch the match, he was able to see some clips of it.
“No, I did not,” CM Punk said. “I saw a couple of clips here and there. And still, when I say it’s hard for me to watch wrestling, it’s not like an anxiety thing, it’s not like an, ‘ugh, I can’t do it.’ I literally, I can’t get through eight seconds without being like, ‘OK, umm, can I change the channel? I’m bored, I gotta watch something else.’ It’s like going to a baseball game at [New York Mets stadium] CitiField. I like Wrigley Field, it’s old school. Going to a baseball game at CitiField, it’s like a guy gets ball four and they blow off fireworks and there’s LED screens on everything. “Wrestling now is completely like that. There’s LED screens everywhere and there’s flashing lights and I feel like I’m gonna have a seizure.”
What are your thoughts on Punk’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
It’s a big fight week in the world of MMA with the UFC 225 pay-per-view event taking place this weekend. To keep up with Punk’s fight week activities and to get your latest MMA news, make sure to check out our sister site,MMANews.com.
Impact Wrestling airs a show tonight main event’ed by a “Fight in the Woods” match between Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards.
The tag team championships will also be on the line and Josh Matthews will sit down with 3x and current Impact World Champion, Austin Aries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DpkLH5HiEE
Impact Wrestling 6/7/18 Preview
Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan Fight in the Woods
Edwards has spiraled in recent weeks, arguably becoming just as sadistic as Callihan. Several people in Edwards’ life, including his wife and Tommy Dreamer, have attempted to calm him down but Edwards won’t move forward until his business with Callihan is finished.
Callihan and Edwards will face each other in an unsanctioned “Fight in the Woods” tonight.
Impact Tag Team Championships
Z&E (c) vs Aerostar and Drago
Luchadors from Lucha Underground will get a chance to win tag title gold on Impact tonight. It will be the last episode of Impact before the next season of Lucha Underground begins airing next Wednesday.
Z&E won the titles from Steiner and Eli Drake recently but there is no rest for the champs, they will be in tough to keep the titles around their waists throughout television leading up to Slammiversary.
Will the Mystery Attacker Come Forward?
Last week, X-Division veteran Sonjay Dutt was attacked in the backstage area. Joseph Park and Jimmy Jacobs have also been attacked in the back. Sonjay has said he has no memory of what happened let alone of who it was who attacked him.
Will the Mystery Attacker come forward tonight? Or will someone else be attacked in the back?
Su Yung Segment
Impact Wrestling has promised a segment tonight will be devoted to the new Knockouts Champion, Su Yung. The deranged undead bride has been the talk of the promotion as of late. Last week, Yung defeated Allie in a Last Rites (coffin) match to win the Knockouts title. She’s now locked both Rosemary and Allie in coffins, so a new challenger will have to be determined for the undead bride before Slammiversary (her opponent was actually announced earlier this week but it will play out on television).
Sit-Down Interview with Madison Rayne
It appears Madison Rayne’s in-ring career will be continuing in Impact. She recently pulled off a victory over the highly-touted Tessa Blanchard last week. Blanchard had controlled much of the match, however, before Rayne scored a victory on a roll-up.
Tonight we will find out more about the 5x Knockouts Champion’s plans for the future.
LAX vs the Cult of Lee
LAX returns to action tonight but will still be without their leader, Konnan. In his place, however, will be Eddie Kingston (now known as King).
The Cult of Lee could be in some trouble. Trevor Lee recently had this to say regarding his partner and their challenge tonight against LAX. “As long as Caleb listens to me and follows my instructions, we will be just fine,” Lee said. “We aren’t worried about LAX or any other tag team in IMPACT Wrestling. The fact that Z&E or E&Z or whatever they are called are tag team champions is a joke! We prove that tonight on IMPACT against these guys.”
Austin Aries interview w/ Josh Matthews
After regaining his Impact World Championship in controversial fashion last week, Austin Aries will be on vacation this week. He sat down with Josh Matthews for an interview regardless, however. That interview will air tonight.
At the press conference in Toronto this week, Aries announced he was merging the Impact Grand Championship and World Championship. This will probably be mentioned tonight as well.
This Saturday, New Japan Pro Wrestling presents Dominion from Osaka Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. The main event is scheduled to be a best 2-of-3 falls match between Omega and IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada. Chris Jericho also returns to NJPW to face Tetsuya Naito.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZIGbS1GRTE
NJPW Dominion 2018 Preview
1. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh)
All 4 members of this match managed a 3-4 record in the Best of the Super Juniors. While Kanemaru and Desperado are likely not pleased to have gone under .500, it was a great showing in the tourney for the members of Roppongi 3K. It was Sho’s first BOSJ tournament and Yoh’s second. Yoh wrestled a few years ago as a young lion in the tournament and went winless.
Kanemaru and Desperado defeated Roppongi 3K for the titles on the NJPW anniversary show on March 6th, 2018.
2. David Finlay and Juice Robinson vs Yoshi-Hashi and Jay White
The feud between David Finlay and Jay White will never end. This has sort of been insinuated by each guy. Either Finlay or Robinson would move into position for a shot at the IWGP United States Championship by scoring the pin for their team here. This possibility would increase tenfold if they score the pin on White.
3. Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii vs Zack Sabre Junior and Minoru Suzuki
Ishii and Yano are former tag champs and would seemingly love to move back into the title picture. ZSJ has risen up the NJPW rankings considerably this year with his victory in the New Japan Cup.
As for Minoru Suzuki, as he approaches 50 years of age he still believes he’s better than others on the roster. He’s lost both the Intercontinental and NEVER Openweight Championships in 2018, however. Suzuki is without a title belt for the first time in a long time.
4. NEVER Openweight Championship
3-Way
Hirooki Goto (c) vs Michael Elgin vs Taichi
In a match that has gone slightly under the radar, Goto will defend his NEVER Openweight title in a 3-way match. Former IWGP IC Champ, Michael Elgin, and Taichi will look to take the title from him.
If Taichi were to be victorious, it would be his first single’s title in NJPW. He’s previously held the jr tag-team titles with Taka Michinoku.
5. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Evil and Sanada (c) vs the Young Bucks
According to the Young Bucks, they’ve been asking NJPW to move to the heavyweight division for 3 years. In NJPW, anyone under 220lbs is a junior heavyweight, making the cut off 15lbs heavier than for cruiserweights. Whether the Bucks actually have bulked up to over 220lbs or not is currently unknown. Their only match in the division so far was a loss to the Golden Lovers at Strong Style Evolved.
The Bucks’ unmatched record in the junior heavyweight tag division is likely what earned them the title match here (in storyline).
Evil and Sanada won the titles at WrestleKingdom this year after having won the 2017 World Tag League. They haven’t defended the titles much this year as Evil broke his orbital bone on a tour of Australia in February.
6. Rey Mysterio Jr, Jushin Liger, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, and Cody
On the final night of the BOSJ, Marty Scurll continued his attack on Hiroshi Tanahashi after the bell. Liger came in to make the save and then a Japanese language promo seemed to indicate a 3-way dance had been organized. Turns out something was actually lost in translation and what Liger was really challenging Scurll for was a 6-person tag match. Liger and Tanahashi would team up with Rey Mysterio and they would face Scurll and two Bullet Club members of his choosing.
Rey originally challenged Jushin Liger for Strong Style Evolved but an injury kept him out of action. Now it appears Rey and Liger will be teammates instead.
7. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Will Ospreay (c) vs Hiromu Takahashi
Takahashi earned the right to challenge Ospreay for the title by winning the most recent BOSJ tournament. Ospreay failed to reach the finals for the 4th straight year despite going 5-2 in the round-robin. He lost to group A block winner, Taiji Ishimori, on night 1 and that prevented him from going through.
As for Takahashi, winning the tournament after going 4-3 the year before in his first ever BOSJ is a significant accomplishment. The popular member of LIJ has his hands full in Ospreay, however, who has held the title since WrestleKingdom.
8. IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito (c) vs Chris Jericho
Jericho seems to be enjoying the loose vocabulary restrictions available in NJPW. He used the term “F***face” to refer to Naito on the final night of the BOSJ.
During Jericho’s pre-recorded message to Naito on the show, Naito pretended to fall asleep in the ring as it was playing.
These two have been at each other since before WrestleKingdom when Jericho referred to his match with Omega as the real main event. Naito continues to claim he does not know who Jericho is.
9. IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Best 2-of-3 Falls
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega recently sat down with New Japan World to discuss his motivation for this match. His comments were pretty interesting.
“You (Okada) may be the best wrestler on the planet. I’ll admit it, you are,” Omega said “It’s not even an opinion thing anymore, this is something that you’ve proven. But you can’t say you are the best performer. That goes to me. If we’re going to move this thing forward – if we’re going to cause this revolution of professional wrestling and make it worldwide and something cool, we can’t just have the best natural wrestler steering the ship. We need someone who captures the imagination, who captures the heart. We need a professional wrestler and a showman. Which is why I’m doing everything in my power, to overtake your natural wrestling ability.”
As for Okada, even though he’s already broken all the records for a single title reign, he still has more to accomplish. Tanahashi has defended the title 28 times across all his reigns with the belt. Okada still trails this number by 3.
Glenn Jacobs tried multiple gimmicks before settling in for the infamous persona of Kane and the character of the Big Red Monster is what made him a legend in the wrestling world.
However, while appearing at the Dinner With The King podcast of Jerry Lawler, the former World Champion revealed that his gimmick was originally expected to be a one-off thing.
According to Kane, initially, the company was only looking for a one-off opponent for the Undertaker and they came up with the idea of presenting Jacobs as his brother.
However, after seeing his debut match, Mr. McMahon thought that he could make a really good story out of it and decided to keep the gimmick around:
“Initially, they were going to hot-shot the whole thing and they needed it to be a one-match deal for [Undertaker] to have an opponent. Vince liked the storyline so much that he didn’t just want to do one match, he thought that he could make it a really good story out of it.”
Apart from this, Kane also talked about why his Isaac Yankem gimmick did not work, working as the fake Diesel and more. You can check out the full episode here.
With the defamation lawsuit behind him, CM Punk is now free to focus on his UFC return against Mike Jackson at this Saturday’s UFC 225 event from Chicago.
However, while there is ample excitement about Punk’s return to Octagon, there are some wrestling fans who are more interested in knowing about his future in the industry instead.
During a recent interview with MMAFighting.com, the former WWE Champion talked about the case against Dr. Chris Amann, his upcoming fight and more.
In the closing minutes of the interview, the former WWE Star was asked about possibly being part of September’s wrestling show and he replied negatively:
“It’s not happening” Punk said
Continuing on the topic, the UFC Star revealed that while he has been told that the doors are open for him, nobody has ever come up to him with an actual offer for a wrestling return:
“[People have said] hey, if you ever wanna do anything… Nobody’s ever been like, ‘hey, here’s the deal, we’re having a show, we’re paying you X amount and you’re working this guy. Whaddaya say, yes or no?’ Nobody’s ever done that.”
It’s worth mentioning here that Punk had made similar comments about a possible appearance at the show during a short interview immediately following his trial.
However, you can never say never in the wrestling business and as Booker T believes, things could change if the former Champion is defeated in his second UFC fight as well.
You can check out the full interview of CM Punk in the video below:
Nikki Cross Got The Better Of Shayna Baszler Once Again
Photo Credit: @WWENXT on Twitter
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler came down to the ring and said that she showed that she runs the locker room by defeating Dakota Kai last week. Baszler said that she is tougher and smarter than everyone.
Baszler then brought up Nikki Cross and stated that there is always one person in the group that thinks the laws don’t apply to them. Shayna added that if Cross ever got in her face again, it will be the last thing she ever does.
Nikki Cross interrupted and made her way down to the ring as Baszler waited for her. Cross had a grin on her face as she hopped on the ring apron and started bouncing around. Nikki got into the ring as the crowd cheered “Nikki is gonna kill you!”.
Shayna once again threatened Cross and poked fun at her for being crazy. Baszler stated that she could put Cross to sleep in a heartbeat and threw her microphone at her. Nikki picked it up and dared Shayna to do it. Nikki begged her to do it and started laughing wildly into the microphone.
Baszler raised the title in her face and then Nikki moved towards her. Shayna backed away in fear and Nikki laughed. Baszler then shoved Nikki and Cross bounced off the ropes and attacked Shayna. Cross beat the hell out of Baszler and stomped on her in the corner. Nikki went to grab the title but Baszler got up and punched Nikki in the face.
Cross battled back with a forearm to the face and connected with a Crossbody off the top rope that sent Baszler to the outside of the ring. Baszler was busted open as Cross slid the NXT Women’s Championship out of the ring. Baszler slowly backed up the entrance ramp and retreated backstage as Cross stared at her with a menacing look on her face in the ring. Baszler will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.
TM61 faced a jobber team tonight on NXT. Miller and Thorne dominated the entire match and showed disrespect to their opponents while doing so. The crowd chanted “let’s go jobbers!” during the match but TM61 wound up winning the match with ease.
After the match, Miller and Thorne stated that they have proven that they are the best team in NXT. TM61 added that every team in NXT should kneel down and call them “The Mighty”.
Roderick Strong battled Danny Burch on tonight’s episode of NXT. Burch and Strong locked up to start off the match. Strong took Burch down to the canvas and applied a side Headlock. Burch quickly broke free and locked in an Arm Bar. Strong escaped to the ropes and told Burch to back up.
The two locked up once again and Danny got the better of the exchange once again. Strong connected with a boot to the face as Burch was hung up between the ropes. Roderick locked in a Crossface and then raked at Burch’s face.
Roderick hit Burch with a couple of loud chops that echoed throughout the arena. Strong followed it up with a Backbreaker for a two count. Strong applied a front Facelock in the middle of the ring. Danny broke free but walked into a Dropkick to the face from Strong for a two count.
Strong got Burch in the Abdominal Stretch in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Burch. Danny broke free and threw Strong out of the ring. Roderick got right back in there and went for a knee in the corner but Burch got out of the way. Strong slammed knee-first into the turnbuckle but was able to deck Burch with a headbutt.
Burch shook it off and delivered an uppercut in the corner. Danny hit a Dropkick off the turnbuckle and followed it up with a German Suplex. Burch then leveled Strong with a Clothesline as Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly rushed the ring.
Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan came down for the save and a brawl broke out. Back in the ring, Danny Burch applied the Crossface but Cole hopped back up on the ring apron. Burch was distracted and charged at Cole. Strong capitalized and planted Burch with a Backbreaker for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Pete Dunne attacked Strong in the ring. Dunne leveled him with a forearm to the face as the crowd chanted “Bruiserweight!”. Kyle O’Reilly hit Dunne in the back with a tag title, which allowed Strong to hit Dunne with a Backbreaker. Undisputed Era then exited in the ring and posed on the entrance ramp.
Lacey Evans once again faced Kairi Sane on this week’s episode of NXT. Evans had Kairi’s name written on her right hand and vowed to hit her with the Women’s Right. Evans and Sane locked up to start off the match. Sane planted Evans on the mat and stomped on Lacey’s right hand.
Lacey dragged Sane to the mat by her hair and followed it up with a springboard Elbow Drop for a two count. Evans then punched Sane in the stomach and started to taunt her. Evans applied the Cobra Clutch in the middle of the ring. Sane battled to her feet but Evans maintained the hold while spinning Sane around. Evans dropped her in the corner and connected with a Bronco Buster for a two count.
Sane ducked under a kick but wound up running into a knee to the midsection. Evans planted Sane with a Body Slam for another two count. Evans did a pushup on Sane while covering her. Lacey climbed to the second rope and missed with a springboard Moonsault.
Sane connected with three Interceptor Spears in a row. Kairi fired herself up and stomped her way to the corner. Sane connected with a sliding elbow and then hit a forearm to the face off the top rope for a two count. Kairi applied an Arm Bar but Evans quickly escaped.
Kairi planted Evans with an Alabama Slam and then made her way to the top rope. Kairi hit the Insane Elbow for the pinfall victory.
Tommaso Ciampa made his way to the ring as the crowd chanted “you suck!”. Ciampa took his time getting into the ring as the crowd continued to chant “you suck!” in his face. Tommaso posed on the ring apron without a care in the world as the crowd booed as loud as they could.
Ciampa got in the ring and a “Johnny Wrestling!” chant broke out. Tommaso took a seat on the top turnbuckle as the crowd shouted “you tapped out!”. Ciampa shook his head and said that the crowd all gave up on him long before he gave up on them. Tommaso said that the crowd disgusted him and the “you suck!” chants started again.
The crowd transitioned into chants of “a**hole!” as Ciampa stated that he doesn’t care what they have to say. Tommaso hopped down back to the mat and started ranting about Gargano. Ciampa bitched about Gargano interrupting a match last week on NXT to announce their Street Fight and said that things always have to be about Johnny Gargano.
Ciampa joked that Johnny Wrestling has become Johnny Badass and the crowd chanted along. Tommaso called it adorable and then brought up Gargano almost crippling his wife two weeks ago. Ciampa blamed Gargano for bringing his wife to the ring and insisting for a fight.
Tommaso claimed that all he did two weeks ago was simply defend himself. He called Gargano “boy” and scolded him for not listening to his wife. Ciampa warned Gargano to not show up at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. Ciampa vowed to put the Gargano fairytale to an end. Gargano then shoved security away from him and sprinted to the ring. Johnny attacked Ciampa and then hit him with a Suicide Dive that sent Tommaso over the barricade.
Gargano threw a security guard into the steel steps as Ciampa got back to his feet. The brawl continued through the crowd and Gargano leaped onto Ciampa and a bunch of security guards. Ciampa retreated to the ring but Gargano caught up to him again. A couple of security guards got in Johnny’s way and Tommaso capitalized. Ciampa leveled Johnny with a Clothesline and added insult to injury by applying the Gargano Lock to Johnny in the middle of the ring.
Ciampa finally let go of the hold and waved to Gargano with a smile on his face on the entrance ramp. Gargano got back up and ran after Ciampa on the entrance ramp. Johnny caught him once again and slammed him into the screens on the stage. Ciampa’s face was busted open but Gargano couldn’t resist attacking him once again. NXT went off the air as Johnny had Ciampa in the Gargano Lock on the stage. The final moments were Ciampa screaming in pain and tapping out as security tried to drag Gargano off of him.
A match and segment have been officially announced for next week’s episode of WWE NXT.
First, EC3 will battle Kassius Ohno in a singles match. Also, NXT Champion Aleister Black will address the attack by Lars Sullivan from two weeks ago on this show on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
Black is slated to defend his title against Sullivan at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II next weekend in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
WWE taped next week’s edition of NXT on Thursday, May 10, 2018, from Winter Park, FL at the Full Sail University. It should be noted that next Wednesday’s episode of NXT will be the go-home show for NXT TakeOver: Chicago II.
What are your thoughts on these announcements for next week’s show? Sound off in the comment section below.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan gave some praise to NXT General Manager William Regal in a response to Regal’s initial tweet in which he said that he did not train Bryan and Brian Kendrick. Bryan wrote the following:
“To classify us as “great” in 2000 would be a generous overstatement. Rudy and Shawn provided excellent training for a beginner who wanted to learn, but I would have never had the success I did without your mentorship #fact.”
To classify us as “great” in 2000 would be a generous overstatement. Rudy and Shawn provided excellent training for a beginner who wanted to learn, but I would have never had the success I did without your mentorship #facthttps://t.co/7N1D7whViV
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
Unhappy Sin Cara
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Corpus Christi, TX at the American Bank Center on the USA Network, Sin Cara was brutally attacked backstage by Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Now, they will square off next week in a match on SmackDown. Sin Cara took to Twitter to give his thoughts on his former friend:
Better to have an enemy that slaps you in the face, than a friend that stabs you in the back! ?
I may wear a mask but you are the one ?? that is two faced! I didn’t lose a friend, I just realized I never had one! This is far from over Andrade! ?????#Enemigos ?? pic.twitter.com/v3nxAqUer5
