WWE has decided to put Lana in an interesting position at the Money in the Bank PPV.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center on the USA Network, Lana defeated Billie Kay and Naomi beat Sonya Deville in Money in the Bank qualifying matches. As a result of these wins, Lana and Naomi have been added to the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming MITB PPV event. They join Ember Moon, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, and Natalya in the match.
During a recent Instagram Live video, The Ravishing Russian revealed that she has been preparing for the upcoming match by taking ladder bumps at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE will be adding one final superstar to this upcoming ladder match by having the winner of the last-chance gauntlet match that is slated to take place this Monday night on RAW placed in the contest. Those stars competing in this match include Sasha Banks, Dana Brooke, Mickie James, Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Bayley.
Rey Mysterio has pitched an interesting idea for a new stable in the WWE.
Despite his recent appearances for the sports entertainment company this year (competing in the Royal Rumble Match at the pay-per-view event in January and wrestling in the 50-Man Royal Rumble Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble PPV) Mysterio has not agreed to terms for a new WWE contract. His appearance in Saudi Arabia was a one-shot deal. It’s still expected that Rey will sign with WWE and that he’ll likely return to TV later this year after he finishes up his other commitments.
Mysterio recently spoke with Harry Ruiz of Telemundo Las Vegas and during the media appearance, he revealed that he wants to create a super stable when he returns to the sports entertainment company.
As far as the members of the group, he would want Sin Cara, Kalisto as well as former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. “@ReyMysterio told me the only thing missing with the Latino talent in #WWE right now (@SinCaraWWE, @KalistoWWE, @AndradeCienWWE) is him, so that way they could form a stable. LWO 2.0 coming up? Do it @VinceMcMahon! #LuchaLibre.”
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has had two completely different runs with the WWE.
In April of 2011 Mahal made his main roster debut and would eventually find himself as a member of the Three Man Band (3MB) trio alongside Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater. In 2014, however, his run with the WWE came to an end when he was released from his deal. He would return to the independent circuit for two years, where he would reinvent himself creatively and physically, before being brought back to WWE around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up last year.
He has been the talent who has worked on both brands, RAW and SmackDown Live. The former WWE Champion was recently interviewed by Planeta Wrestling (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc).
During the interview, he was asked about the locker room differences between RAW and SmackDown. “Generally, it is still the same but different competitors. Obviously, in WWE everyone is on top of their game. WWE is the epitome of Sports Entertainment, it gets no bigger than this. So, whether you are on Raw or on SmackDown, the level of talent that we have on both sides is second to none. Overall, feeling in the locker room is still the same, but I keep to myself and focus on myself, and hope for the best.”
Back at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34, Mahal defeated Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Rusev to win the United States Title. “WrestleMania is amazing. 78,000 people there all over the world, including people from Spain. Everybody thought it was ‘Rusev Day,’ no way, it was ‘Maharaja Day.’ Unfortunately, Kurt Angle put me in a match that I wasn’t prepared for when I lost the United States Championship to Jeff Hardy on Raw after WrestleMania, or else I would have brought the US Championship to Spain but we will get that Championship back. I look forward to many other WrestleMania moments, even main eventing WrestleMania.”
What are your thoughts on Mahal’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
AXS TV sent in word that they will be airing a live broadcast of NJPW’s upcoming G1 Special In San Francisco on Saturday night, July 7th at 8pm ET.
Below is the official press release, including a quote from AXS TV Fights CEO Andrew Simon .
AXS TV TO LIVE BROADCAST NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING’S THIRD U.S. EVENT, THE ‘G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO,’ ON SATURDAY, JULY 7 AT 8pE/5pP
‘G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO’ Marks AXS TV’s Third Live NJPW Broadcast
10,000 Fans Expected at the Historic Cow Palace
Los Angeles (May 25, 2018) – AXS TV announced today that it will exclusively live broadcast New Japan Pro Wrestling’s third U.S. event—the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO—on Saturday, July 7 at 8pE/5pP. The G1 SPECIAL continues the network’s partnership with the fast-growing wrestling promotion and its Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi, building on the success of AXS TV’s presentation of STRONG STYLE EVOLVED in March 2018 and G1 SPECIAL IN USA in July 2017, along with its award-winning Friday Night NJPW series.
The event marks NJPW’s most ambitious foray into the U.S. market to date, with a crowd of over 10,000 expected at the historic Cow Palace in Daly City, California. Wrestling Hall of Famer Jim Ross and former UFC Heavyweight Champion and NJPW veteran Josh Barnett will call the action ringside as the best wrestlers in the world, including “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, enter the ring at the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO.
“As NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING continues their U.S. expansion, we are proud to provide a platform for NJPW and TV Asahi to bring their electrifying events to as many fans as possible through our live, primetime broadcasts,” said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “The Cow Palace has a rich history of major pro wrestling events and we are excited to continue that tradition with our presentation of the G1 SPECIAL IN SAN FRANCISCO.”
Tickets to the live event are available at www.ticketmaster.com.
John Hennigan is now confirmed as a contestant of the 37th season of the CBS reality competition series, Survivor. ‘Survivor: David vs. Goliath’ was filmed in Fiji and will see “Davids” (underdogs who have overcome adversity) competing against “Goliaths” (standout athletes and lifelong overachievers) competing for the big $1 million prize.
Survivor host and executive producer Jeff Probst spoke to Entertainment Weekly about Hennigan being a perfect fit for the David vs. Goliath theme. “This guy that’s known as Johnny Mundo [a.k.a. John Morrison], the mayor of Slamtown. He’s a professional wrestler, he’s gigantic, he’s charming, and he’s smart. He started with advantage, he had a great family, and he’s used all of these skills to slay everybody his entire life.”
Hennigan is no stranger to the reality television scene, having won the third season of WWE Tough Enough along with Matt Cappotelli. He would later become a WWE Superstar, winning the Intercontinental Championship (3x), the WWE and World tag team championships and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
Hennigan is part of the fourth season of Lucha Underground that premieres on June 13th. He’s also been working for Impact Wrestling as Johnny Impact and has competed for MLW. It’s rumored that he could be working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in the near future.
The MLW World Heavyweight Championship will be defended on FUSION for the first time ever tonight. After weeks of build-up, World Champion Shane Strickland will face off with Pentagon Jr. in tonight’s main event. Team Filthy makes an appearance tonight with the first-ever Simon Gotch Prize Fight Challenge. And the firsts continue, as the initial women’s division matchup ever on MLW: FUSION will be featured tonight.
Learn more how you can watch FUSION on beIN SPORTS here. If you can’t access beIN SPORTS on your cable/satellite/streaming provider, the full episode will be uploaded to MLW’s official Youtube channel Saturday night at 6:05pm ET.
Battle of the Besties
Santana Garrett and Chelsea Green are best friends. They have traveled up and down the road together in professional wrestling. But tonight, they make history. Green and Garrett will be the first two women’s grapplers to be featured on FUSION. How will their friendship and intimate knowledge of one another affect this match? What effect will the outcome have on the MLW women’s division? Those questions will be answered at 8 p.m. ET in our first bout of the evening.
Filthy Fallout
Two weeks ago on FUSION, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, Simon Gotch and Team Filthy laid out Jimmy Havoc. Havoc had just finished a brutal encounter with “Bad Boy” Joey Janela and accidentally bumped into Lawlor outside the arena. Lawlor wasn’t happy about being interrupted. So he and his buddies beat down an already exhausted Havoc. Tonight, Lawlor has promised to apologize for his actions. Stay tuned …
Gotch Prize Fight Challenge
Team Filthy and Simon Gotch have offered a cash prize to anyone who can last five minutes with “the Great Gotch.” The first man to step up and accept the challenge will get his chance tonight. According to Gotch, his opponent doesn’t even have to win tonight’s matchup, just avoid submission or pinfall for five minutes. Team Filthy says they have lined up an accomplished martial artist lined up as an opponent. Will Gotch hang onto his “large sum of cash”?
The Gold Is On the Line
Major League Wrestling fans know the impresaria Salina de la Renta lusts after championship gold. Heck, her company – Promciones Dorado – is named after the Spanish word for gold. Tonight, her top star Pentagon Jr. has the opportunity to bring gold home to Promociones Dorado with a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Shane “Swerve” Strickland.
While it’s about the World Title, this matchup also got a bit more personal over the last few weeks. First, de la Renta tried messing with Strickland’s mind, doing some “interior decorating” in his locker room. Then, Pentagon Jr. tried messing with Swerve’s eyesight. In a backstage altercation, set up by de la Renta, Penta sprayed red mist into Strickland’s face, causing damage to the champion’s eyes. Following that brazen attack, MLW officials stripped Pentagon Jr. of his No. 1 Contender status and forced him to put his World Title shot on the line against his brother Rey Fenix last week. Following an incredible battle, Pentagon Jr. reclaimed the opportunity to take on Strickland for the World Title.
Will Strickland’s vision be affected by the mist attack? Was Swerve’s ability to train for this important defense of the World Championship impacted by his injuries? How much does Pentagon Jr. have left in the tank after the brutal match with Fenix last week? Or will his victory give Pentagon the momentum needed to unseat the champ?
We’ll find out, as it all goes down tonight on FUSION!
Join Tony Schiavone and Rich Bocchini as they call the action for an action packed 60 minute shot of Major League Wrestling: FUSION!
Use #MLWFusion when tweeting about tonight’s broadcast.
WWE fans around the world are interested in when Brock Lesnar will make his return.
The current WWE Universal Champion surprisingly retained his title against Roman Reigns in the main event of the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania 34, in April.
The expectation at the time was that WWE would crown Reigns the new champion as it was reported that Lesnar would be leaving the WWE for another stint in the UFC.
Shortly after this event, it was revealed that Lesnar had signed a short-term contract with the sports entertainment company. He was last seen at the Greatest Royal Rumble pay-per-view event where he retained his title against Reigns in a Steel Cage Match.
With Lesnar being under contract with the WWE for a short-term and his UFC return appearing to be just a matter of time, there is speculation as to not only when Lesnar will return to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, but when he will drop the Universal Title.
Bryan Alvarez recently spoke about Lesnar’s return to the ring on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Live (transcript courtesy via ringsidenews.com) where he gave his take on when the WWE will use Lesnar once again. Here is what he had to say:
“He is not on Money In The Bank so my guess is when they first announced that he had re-signed a deal I did have someone tell me they believed he was going to be there through Summerslam. So all we know is that it is a short-term deal. I presume he is going to drop the title at Summerslam I don’t know what.
It could happen I guess in July. But he is not at Money In The Bank so it will either be the July pay-per-view or Summerslam and if you got Brock Lesnar and you’re paying him big money it will probably end up being Summerslam.”
When do you think Lesnar will make his WWE return? Sound off in the comments section below.
The card for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank PPV is taking shape.
However, we are still a few weeks away from the latest pay-per-view event that will be produced by the sports entertainment company. Here are the matches that have already been confirmed for the show:
Based off of the ongoing storylines, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the following matches could take place on the card:
Cedric Alexander defending the Cruiserweight Title against Buddy Murphy, Seth Rollins defending the Intercontinental Title against either Baron Corbin or Elias, Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt defending the RAW Tag Team Title against Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler or Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel, Jeff Hardy defending his United States Title against Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan or Andrade “Cien” Almas, and Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn.
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.
What are your thoughts on this card thus far? Sound off in the comments section below.
Daniel Bryan recently appeared on the “Why Not Now?” podcast hosted by Amy Jo Martin. During the episode, Bryan spoke about how he struggles to advocate for himself and his character backstage.
“I’ve never been very good at being like, ‘Hey you guys should do more with me’ or ‘you guys should do this or do that with me’,” Bryan stated during the podcast. “I’ve never been someone who is motivated by that or pushes himself towards that or pushes myself towards financial goals, or pushing myself towards anything other than what I love to do. And I’m constantly having to remind myself, like, ‘hey, if you want to get to the next level where I want to be, you do have to do some pushing here.’ And so yeah, that’s a constant thing that I struggle with.”
Heads-up book lovers: @WWEDanielBryan & I have started a book club! The 1st book is Factfulness by @HansRosling. We'll review it together on the Why Not Now? podcast in June. To join us, just read the book & share your thoughts using the hashtag #WhyNotNowReadABookpic.twitter.com/c5mE3OeTvo
Bryan and the show’s host are starting a book club as well. They will be reviewing Hans Rosling’s “Factfulness” beginning next month.
Daniel Bryan in 2018
It’s been an up and down return to WWE recently for Daniel Bryan. Including house shows, Bryan has now wrestled 16 matches since being medically cleared to compete. Bryan teamed up with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and they beat their rivals Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in his first match back after 3 years.
A dream match between Bryan and AJ Styles went to a no-contest on the first episode of Smackdown after WM34. Bryan then lasted a record amount of time in the Greatest Royal Rumble from Saudi Arabia. At Backlash, Bryan submitted Big Cass in just under 8 minutes. He then suffered his first televised loss in a single’s match to Rusev on the May 8th edition of Smackdown. Rusev qualified for the Money in the Bank match as a result of the victory.
This week on Smackdown, Bryan submitted Jeff Hardy in a match where the winner qualified for another shot at MITB qualification. Bryan will meet Samoa Joe next week with the winner moving on to the MITB match.
Jim Cornette is not a fan of Kenny Omega. As he does with all of his opinions, Cornette has made this one perfectly clear.
While previous rivals of Cornette’s have gone so far as to take out restraining orders against him, Omega believes a good hard-handed Tweet is enough to get the job done.
Cornette sent out the following response to a video of Kota Ibushi giving repeated Canadian Destroyers to a dummy:
So apparently this is the "great" Kota Ibushi that some people rave about, another piece of shit playing wrestler that hangs around with noted disgrace to our business @KennyOmegamanX . Birds of a feather shit the same, apparently. Someone please tell him I said Fuck You. https://t.co/txpdFpKfsD
Jim, I warned you about this. I said you could use my name to continue making your living as long as you refrain from polluting my TL. Don’t force my hand.
Kenny Omega really has warned Cornette about tagging him in his posts before. Omega has said Cornette can bury him all he wants but would rather he didn’t tag him in the comments so that they appear on his Twitter timeline.
Omega first made these statements to Cornette last year:
I like you, Jim, but if you want to bury me, please don't tag me in it. We just started the G1 and I can't have this polluting my TL. Thanks
What is Jim Cornette’s Issue with Omega and the Young Bucks?
Cornette’s old-school no-nonsense approach to pro-wrestling is unwavering. As a result, he is not in favor of highspot-centric wrestling which he feels is exhibited by many of today’s modern wrestlers.
In some cases, Cornette believes this wrestling is too dangerous and at other times he feels it hurts the credibility of the sport.
In response to a question about why he continues to tag Omega in his posts, Cornette posted the following:
Because I want this dipshit to know exactly what I say about him so there's no misunderstanding. He should not be allowed in our business. https://t.co/eZXOSxX9f2
Kenny Omega probably isn’t too concerned about Cornette at the moment, however. One of the biggest matches of his career is upcoming at NJPW’s Dominion show on June 9th, 2018.
Omega will challenge IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada, in a best 2-out-of-3 falls match. Should Omega be victorious, he will only be the second member of Bullet Club to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
This week was the 19th anniversary of Owen Hart’s tragic death. He was to descend from the rafters of Kansas City’s Kemper Arena on May 23rd, 1999 but tragedy struck. Owen died after falling from the arena rafters and landing chest first on the top rope.
His official cause of death was listed as internal bleeding due to blunt force trauma. He was only 34 at the time of his death.
Yesterday, Owen’s older brother Bret sent out the following to his social media accounts:
I miss you every day Owen, and I vow to keep your memory alive despite the efforts to let you fade away.
Owen’s widow Martha does not want WWE to profit off of using Owen’s likeness. This likely has prevented Owen from being inducted into the Hall of Fame or receiving the historical attributes many feel he should on WWE programming.
In 2010, Martha and WWE were in court over WWE continuing to use Owen’s likeness. Bret responded with the following statement:
“I feel that it’s ridiculous for anyone to think they are serving the best interests of Owen’s memory or his children to pretend he wasn’t a wrestler. Not only was he a wrestler, he was a great one and proud of it. I personally believe Martha Hart has done nothing to keep his memory alive and sadly, he fades from view a little more every year. I do suspect this lawsuit is more about publicity, ego, and small-mindedness than it is about pro-wrestling and all of those that are in it.”
The Fight Network talked with Bret in 2015. He spoke to John Pollock on the topic of Owen’s 2015 DVD:
Owen Hart DVD
In 2015, a planned DVD about Owen was in the works. After learning of the planned documentary, Martha made the following statement:
“My children and I were unaware of this project until May 7, when it was brought to our attention by a friend who had read about it online. Contrary to your report, we do not back or support it in any way, nor has WWE requested our backing or support. From what little we know of the project, it seems to be another attempt to exploit Owen’s memory, and his tragic death, for commercial gain. We have resisted that kind of initiative for almost 16 years. If WWE really wanted to honor Owen’s legacy, it would just let him rest in peace.”
There is reason to believe that 2018 could feature yet another “Summer of Punk”. The 39-year-old is scheduled to face Mike Jackson on the main card of UFC 225 in Chicago later next month. He also could be headed to trial with WWE’s doctor, Chris Amann.
Last week, reports were the two sides were negotiating on a settlement. Now it appears Punk is pushing for a trial by jury.
Amann filed the suit against him in 2014 after Punk appeared on his friend Colt Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast. During the interview, Punk made derogatory comments regarding the medical care he received from Amann while in WWE. Amann’s legal team is seeking $1 million in damages from the libel and slander lawsuit.
Before his fight with Mickey Gall in 2016, Punk was asked if WWE or Vince McMahon had wished him luck. Punk responded, “No, he’s currently bankrolling a lawsuit against me, so I don’t think he’s going to be reaching out.”
CM Punk at All-In
There has also been recent speculation that CM Punk could appear at the “All-In” event on September 1st, 2018. Punk was not announced as one of the many wrestling personalities taking part in Starrcast or All-In. He is scheduled for a Meet and Greet with fans at the Pro Wrestling Tees retail store in Chicago the night before the event, however. This has led some fans to believe Punk could make an appearance at the show.
Punk was also reported to have been backstage during the All-In press conference which was also held at the Pro Wrestling Tees retail outlet.
“I’m just saying [All In] literally might be the best in the world,” said Jenn Sterger, the host of the press conference. “I will only say someone wearing sweatpants and training for something walked into the back of the building that the press conference was in, with marks, mind you, lining the entire sidewalks in the front of the building, and I just kept thinking ‘If they knew you were back here, they would literally tear down the front of the store.’”
While reports suggest that WWE will keep pushing Roman Reigns as a babyface in upcoming future, it hasn’t stopped people from giving their opinion on how the company should turn him heel.
During a recent interview with Pancakes & Powerslams show, Wrestling Legend Bobby Fulton gave his thoughts on the situation regarding the former World Champion among other things.
Fulton said that if the former Shield Member is not getting over as a babyface then the Officials should either turn him heel or fire him altogether because the Raw Star is not getting the job done:
“If he can’t get over as a babyface and the people are booing him, fire him! Get rid of him or turn him heel. He’s not getting the job done. It is plain and simple! They gotta make a change somewhere. People just ain’t buying Roman Reigns.”
Apart from this, Fulton also talked about his announced retirement, the modern days of wrestling being different than the territory era and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:
Braun Strowman has emerged as a big star since parting ways with the Wyatt Family during the 2016 drafts and he has continued to be one of the most entertaining wrestlers of the Red Branded Show in the last couple of years.
Many fans believe that he is the perfect candidate to be the next top star of the company and it appears that Legendary WWE Commentator Jim Ross is also one of them.
During the latest episode of his Ross Report podcast, the Wrestling Legend talked about Strowman and claimed that the company still considers Braun to be one of their top stars despite his recent bookings.
Continuing on the topic, Ross said that Strowman is not ready for the top spot yet but he is getting better every week and claimed that the Monster Among Men is the future lead mule of the company:
“I like the continued advancement of Braun Strowman. He’s not being force fed to me. I think he’s going to be the next big thing in 2019. I wouldn’t do it before then. I don’t think he’s quite ready for it. But man you can see him getting better and better every week. Braun Strowman in my opinion the future lead mule in the WWE.”
Discussion: Do you see WWE pushing Braun Strowman as their top guy in future or do you think the company will keep using him in comical segments and mid card spots as they currently are? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
WWE Altered Plans For Takeover Match Because Of MITB Bout
Fans were surprised when WWE announced that Johnny Gargano will face Tommaso Ciampa in a street fight at the upcoming NXT Takeover: Chicago II because it felt like a repetition of their unsanctioned match at Takeover: New Orleans.
Though it appears that the company had a reason to choose this stipulation and according to reports, they were forced to alter the original plans for this bout because of an announced Money In The Bank match.
According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Officials were originally planning a Last Man Standing match between the two stars but they changed their mind after deciding to use the stipulation for the AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura bout.
Gargano is now set to compete with Ciampa once again at the upcoming NXT Takeover: Chicago II event on June 16th.
Alternate Angles Of Strowman vs. Balor
This week’s episode of Raw saw the Monster Among Men Braun Strowman going against the first ever Universal Champion Finn Balor in a one on one match. Their bout was praised by fans and Balor took Strowman to the limit before losing the fight.
After the show, WWE posted the following video on their official YouTube channel, featuring alternate angles of the main event of the Red Branded Show:
On Thursday, we had a chance to speak with Major League Wrestling competitor Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The 22-year-old wrestling prodigy from Plainview, Long Island is perhaps best known known for his oversized ego and lavish North Shore upbringing.
Friedman sounded off on a wide range of topics, including what it’s like being a pro wrestler in this social media era, his upcoming fight against Joey Janela at MLW’s next Fusion tapings (6/7) and much more.
We did our best to transcribe the interview accurately – our audio recording of the conversation was hard to make out at times, as MJF was in a helicopter en route to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend when we spoke.
SEScoops: You’ve been a part of Major League Wrestling since the promotion’s re-boot last fall at One-Shot. How did you first get involved with MLW?
MJF: “[MLW CEO] Court [Bauer] basically begged me to join. I felt pretty bad for the guy. He said, ‘Look, we need star power. We need top guys, somebody that can carry the company to the next level and get us on national TV.’ Let’s face facts, without me, they wouldn’t have gotten that TV deal. So I said, ‘Look Court, if the money’s right, I’ll think about it.’ We took it from there and ever since, we’ve been off to the races.”
What is it like coming up in today’s era of social media, where fans can interact with you 24/7? It seems there would be pro’s and cons to this dynamic. On one hand, you can promote yourself nonstop. But there might also be the risk of being ‘too accessible,’ which takes away from the mystique of you as a performer.
MJF: “Here’s the thing. I don’t let those nerds and losers into my life completely. What I do is, I tell it like it is. I tell them facts and the fact of the matter is, I’m the fastest rising star in professional wrestling. That’s the positive about social media. People get to see what MJF is doing and where MJF is going to be. At the same time, the negative is, these fans have an opinion that they think is valid. It’s not. They’re not important. They’re poor, they’re stupid and quite frankly, almost never know what they’re talking about.”
Ok. With the recent launch of MLW FUSION, the show has featured a hybrid of various wrestling styles – amateur, brawling, lucha libre, MMA, etc. How would you describe your in-ring style?
MJF: “My style is that I’m better than anyone I’m in there with. I don’t need to do flippy flops, I don’t do cool technical wrestling. At the end of the day, I do what I have to do to win. And that’s just that. That’s what’s wrong with pro wrestling today. People are concerned what the fans think. They want to look cool, they want to act tough. I don’t care about that. You know what I care about? The bottom dollar. I care about filling up my bank account. So you know my style is? My style is making money and winning.”
On June 7th, you’ll be across the ring from Joey Janela at the next MLW FUSION taping from Orlando. You’ve competed against Janela before and have seen what he’s done thus far in MLW. What’s your strategy going into this match?
MJF: “Joey Janela is brain dead. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but he’s been in some incredibly brutal matches, one of them with me, where I defeated him at Cage of Death in CZW, so I know what it’s like to get in the ring with that lunatic, and I’m quite proficient at it. The picture with Joey is that fans seen to take likening to him because he’s willing to put his body on the line. But that’s what’s wrong with Joey Janela. Joey doesn’t understand that you don’t have to do that, he doesn’t have to play to these people, if he wasn’t so dumb, I bet he could be a very talented, well-rounded wrestler. He puts his body on the line trying to impress people. Time after time again, he gets hurt.
Here’s what’s going to happen, I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen in our match. Joey Janela is going to have me on the ground. He’ll probably be close to having me beaten. But what he’s going to do wrong is he’s going to try to do something stupid. He’ll try to do a big stunt like he’s Evel Knievel, I’m going to move out of the way, he’s going to break every bone in his body and I’m going to pin him. The guy has so much potential, but he doesn’t think things through. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of the wrestling fans of today. They don’t think things through and they act on instinct and emotion. It’s really sad, honestly.”
MLW recently crowned a World Heavyweight Champion in Shane Strickland. Are you focused on making a run at MLW’s top prize in the near future?
MJF: “Here’s the thing. I think Court is protecting his little pet project there in [MLW World Heavyweight Champion] Shane Strickland. I think the MLW office is protecting Shane Strickland. I think everyone who is reading this interview right now is very well aware that if I wanted to, I could tap Shane Strickland out like a little school girl, ok? Right now, that’s not what I’m interested in. I’m interested in focusing on myself, making my money and proving week in and week out, show after show, month after month, year after year, I’m the best in the ‘biz.
Maybe, just maybe, Shane will stop ducking me, maybe the office will allow me to wrestle Shane, maybe that will go down. When it does, there will be a new MLW World Heavyweight Champion. You know, there’s talk of there being other belts, other titles, other championship titles. Quite frankly, I’d rather pioneer the next class of championship, the next generation. Once I’m done doing that, if I feel like it, if Shane Is done being a scared little girl, I’d love to wrestle him for that title.
I can’t badmouth Shane Strickland. He’s quite possibly one of the best hybrid wrestlers in the world today. He’s very proficient in almost every style. But as I said, my style is winning – and business is good right now.”
As one of the top prospects to come out of New York in recent years, what’s it going to be like for you when MLW comes to New York City on July 19th for the big MLW FUSION TV taping at the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City?
MJF: “It’s going to be a homecoming. The people are going to out in the streets. They’re going to be going nuts. There’s going to be parades for MJF. I think you and I both know that I’m the hometown hero. Everybody loves me. Everybody loves me everywhere!
I don’t know if it’s going to be crazy different, because let’s face facts: every town I go to, people are excited to see Maxwell. But it’s going to be a little bit of a different feel. Born and raised in Plainview, Long Island, I think people are going to emotionally connect with that. I’m excited to perform in front of people of my ilk, so to speak.”
Where do you see MLW one year from now?
MJF: “I see MLW growing rapidly already, so I can’t imagine where we’ll be in a year from now. I’m just excited for the future, but more importantly, I’m excited for myself. It’s not like MLW is the only spot I’m working. I’m all over the place. I’ve worked for every top-tier promotion in independent wrestling. If you can think of a top-tier company, I’ve wrestled there twice. Places like Progress, House of Hardcore, Limitless, Beyond Wrestling, CZW, the list goes on and on. If I keep going I’ll probably lose my voice.
If there’s a difference about MLW compared to all those companies, it’s that MLW 1) Has phenomenal TV, 2) Has one of the best rosters in all of professional wrestling. I think you’re going to be seeing a lot of growth out of Major League Wrestling over the next year.”
Parting words for the readers of SEScoops.com:
MJF: “You’re all dumb, stupid and poor, but at the end of the day, if you need somebody to look up to, if you need someone to distract you from being a complete loser, just follow me on Twitter and Instagram @The_MJF. My name is Maxwell Jacob Friedman. I am better than you and you know it.”
Catch MJF each week on MLW FUSION, which airs Friday nights on BeIN SPORTS. The weekly episodes are also uploaded to MLW’s official YouTube page Saturday nights at 6:05pm ET.
A new match may have been revealed for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank PPV.
This match involves Sami Zayn and Bobby Lashley. Based on the recent storyline, there is speculation online that the WWE will be adding this match to the card of the upcoming PPV event. WWE is teasing more from these two superstars for this coming Monday’s edition of RAW.
This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Albany, NY at the Times Union Center NY on the USA Network featured a segment involving Zayn and Lashley. By watching the show, Zayn brought Lashley’s three sisters to the show with him as a way to try and expose him. Jessica was played by independent wrestler “Mr Everything” Victor Andrews. Frances was played by wrestler Max Caster.
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. Here is the updated 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
– 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
It has been rumored that two of the UK’s biggest independent promotions (PROGRESS and Insane Championship Wrestling) would be heading to the WWE Network for at least the past six months…well it now looks as though that the two companies could finally be heading to the Network.
The Wrestling Observer claimed that the “the idea of ICW and Progress from the U.K. going to the WWE Network is back on, at least this week. But this is close enough that we’ve been told the announcement, if it happens, would be coming right around the time or at the Royal Albert Hall shows.”
The working relationship between the two companies and WWE has been well publicised but never officially revealed. NXT star Kassius Ohno has appeared for both ICW and PROGRESS over the past year and many PROGRESS competitors have been heavily featured on WWE’s United Kingdom shows, NXT and 205 Live.
Both companies currently run On Demand services and the status of these following a Network merger has not yet been revealed, it is also not yet clear if these deals would be parted of a ‘tiered’ WWE Network at $15 per month.
PROGRESS will be heading to the United States for a special run of dates running August 4th to 12th.
The company has released an update on the availability of tickets for the tour and to also make a change that will see PROGRESS invade one of the most revered independent venues in history…Philly’s ECW Arena.
Tickets for the shows will be available on the dates listed below:
4th August – 2300 Arena, Philadelphia (aka The ECW Arena). TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK
5th August – Melrose Memorial Hall, Melrose, Boston. TICKETS
7th August – La Boom, New York City. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM ET / 5PM UK
9th August – Washington Hall, Seattle. TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 28TH MAY AT 12PM PT / 8PM UK
11th August – Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Chicago TICKETS
12th August – Monaghan Knights of Columbus Hall, Livonia, Detroit TICKETS
The ticket pricing for the shows is as follows:
Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, Chicago, Detroit: $75 Front Row
$50 Row 2/3
$40 Row 4 and back in reserved seating (number of reserved seating rows varies from venue to venue)
$30 G.A.
Seattle:
$90 Front Row
$70 Row 2 or Balcony
$50 Row 3
$30 G.A. Standing
Toni Storm has reportedly come to terms with the WWE.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the young exciting wrestler has signed a UK contract with the sports entertainment company.
According to the report, once she was asked about working the upcoming Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix tournament in August and September, there was no confirmation and thus, WWE contacted her about competing in the second installment of the Mae Young Classic which is scheduled to film in August. If you recall, she took part in WWE’s Inaugural Mae Young Classic where she defeated Ayesha Raymond in the first round, beat Lacey Evans in the second round and Piper Niven in the quarterfinals. She would later lose to Kairi Sane in the semifinals. This prospect is already advertised to appear at WWE’s second UK Tournament that takes place on June 18th, and June 19th.
For those who are wonderful, although she is under contract with the WWE, this deal will allow her to continue working for PROGRESS and other promotions What are your thoughts on WWE signing Storm? Sound off in the comment section below.
FITE TV has announced a new partnership with WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett.
On Thursday, May 24, 2018, it was officially revealed through a press release that FITE and Jarrett’s Global Force Entertainment (GFE) have come to an agreement that will see GFE develop sports and entertainment programming for the combat sports platform, which is a digital network for live streaming of combat sports on a global basis.
It was noted in the press release that was sent out to members of the media that GFE will also be developing and acquiring wrestling events for the platform.
The final note of this release was the fact that Jarrett’s company is working with Flipps Media Inc (FITE’s parent company) to develop non-combat sports programming for a to-be-determined digital platform. “FITE has a long standing relationship with Jeff Jarrett dating back to the first ever live PPV event on the digital platform, NJPW WrestleKingdom 9,” said Michael Weber, FITE COO. “Currently we are working with Jeff on some very exciting programming for FITE that we will be announcing over the summer that help us to continue to be the number one digital platform for combat sports.” “Currently FITE airs programming originating from over 30 different countries in the world for over 300 different live event promotions,” said Global Force Entertainment CEO, Jeff Jarrett. “FITE TV is the future of how fans will be watching their favorite combat sports programming. This is the right place for GFE programming.”
What are your thoughts on this agreement? Sound off in the comment section below.
Ronda Rousey will be going overseas for WWE once again later this summer.
The former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion competed at her first WWE live event earlier this month from Geneva, Switzerland at the SEG Geneva Arena (Video). During the recent European tour, it was announced that Rousey will be in action when WWE returns to London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday, August 29th, as part of a special, one-night-only WWE live Event.
It has now been confirmed that Rousey will also be at the WWElive event from Osaka, Japan just two days later on Friday, August 31st. For more information on this show, visit WWELive.jp.
Rousey will be appearing on WWE television regularly in the coming months, including television, pay-per-view and live events. In addition to the London & Osaka shows, WWE is advertising Ronda Rousey for the following dates through the end of August:
Monday Night RAW TV Event: May 28th in Richmond, VA
Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 11th, in Little Rock, AR
MITB Event: June 17th, in Chicago, Illinois
Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 18th in Grand Rapids, MI
WWE Live Event: June 24th in Anaheim, CA
Monday Night RAW TV Event: June 25th in San Diego, CA
WWE Live Event: July 7th in New York City
WWE Live Event: July 8th in Bridgeport, CT
Monday Night RAW TV Event: July 16th in Buffalo, NY
Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 20th in Brooklyn NY
Monday Night RAW TV Event: August 27th in Toronto, CA
Former Ring of Honor World Champion “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes recently spoke with Mike McGuire about a number of topics related to All In, the biggest independent wrestling show of the year scheduled for 9/1 from Chicago. Here are some highlights from the discussion, with the video of the interview available at the bottom of this article.
Bringing a sense of unity to Independent wrestling:
“Somebody told me, ‘You’ve stumbled upon wrestling’s ‘Woodstock’’. As much as I’d like to say that and cut that promo, I won’t know that until that Thursday, All In weekend.. This has the feeling. I think we all need it. Wrestlers, fans, whether there’s a bunch of All In’s or just one, we’re going to make it count.”
Challenging for the NWA Championship:
“Billy (Corgan) wanted the NWA Championship represented on All In and I said “absolutely, and I’ll be the one to challenge for it.” We also talk a little in storyline about Nick Aldis and his refusal to want to do the match without being asked.
The Possibility of Live Streaming All In
After a long pause and a bit of a smirk, “I don’t know. I can’t say. I don’t know, but I am gonna do my damndest to give people who couldn’t get tickets an opportunity to see it”.
Cody also gave some great feedback on the unknown Indy wrestling hotbed that is Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, even teasing he’s going to endorse it to The Young Bucks to make a visit. You can watch the full interview below:
The first match for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: Chicago II event has been announced.
This event is approaching fast and a lot has changed since the last Takeover event, which was in New Orleans as part of WrestleMania 34 weekend that was headlined by Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa. This event also featured a change of the guard at the top of the developmental brand, which was Aleister Black beating Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Title.
A lot of new faces have also shown up in the brand while some have left as they were called up to the main roster to compete on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live brands.
The sports entertainment company is gearing up for their next Takeover special, which will be part of Money in the Bank weekend come next month.
On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, the WWE announced that Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly would defend their NXT Tag Team Titles against Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch at the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Chicago event that takes place on Saturday, June 16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network.
The promotion will be announcing more matches for this card in the coming weeks.
The Big Show had a different role at WrestleMania 21 and has reflected on the moment.
Instead of wrestling in some big matches including championships like had done in the previous years, the sports entertainment company decided to book him an interesting contest.
Back on April 3, 2005, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for WrestleMania 21, the biggest event of the year for the WWE went down in Hollywood, which was a theme that was heavily promoted.
At the event, the former WWE Champion lost to sumo legend Akebono in a sumo match in front of a record attendance of 20,193 WWE fans.
Show was recently a guest on Steve Austin’s podcast, The Steve Austin Show, and during the interview, he reflected on why WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was mad at him before Wrestlemania 21.
The reason that the WWE boss was upset was due to the fact that he weighed more than the sumo wrestler. Here is what he said (via Wrestling INC):
“I think my heaviest I was 537 lbs. When I did that match with Akebono, I think Akebono, for a shoot, weighed 488 [lbs.] and I weighed 509 [lbs.] because I remember Vince being pissed at me because Akebono was supposed to weigh more than me. And [McMahon] looks at me and goes, ‘509 lbs.?’ He shook his head and walked off. I was like, ‘I’m a quarter-ton of fun! What do you want me to say?’”
What are your thoughts on Show’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
