The highly-anticipated showdown between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay has finished with ‘The Cleaner’ coming out on top.
The January 4 victory marks the start of Omega’s second reign as IWGP US Champion. His inaugural run with the title in 2017 and 2018 drew widespread acclaim. Omega played up his heel-side against the brash Ospreay in this near 35-minute war.
Both men worked a stiff, hard pace between the ropes, dismantling each other with hard shots and explosive moves. Ultimately, a defiant Ospreay spat in ‘The Cleaner’s face before eating a One Winged Angel to lose his belt.
After several months of re-establishing the US Title’s prestige after a chaotic first half of 2022, Will Ospreay’s defeat here may come as a surprise to some. Omega is of course no longer with the promotion, making the future of the US Title in NJPW more unpredictable than ever.
Today Marks Four Years Since Kenny Omega Last Wrestled In NJPW
Before today’s US Championship war, ‘The Cleaner’ had not competed in NJPW for four years. He was last seen at Wrestle Kingdom 13, where he defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against 2018 G1 Climax winner Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi ultimately got the better of Omega in a classic main event bout.
Since then, Kenny Omega has of course been focusing most of his time on AEW, where he enjoyed a lengthy run with the World Championship in late 2020 and most of 2021. After spending much of 2022 on the shelf due to injuries, ‘The Cleaner’ returned with a bang to team with old pals The Young Bucks.
Kenny Omega in AEW.
If today’s showdown with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17 is anything to go by, Omega still has a lot left in the tank at the singles level.
Karl Anderson and Mercedes Mone (aka Sasha Banks) may have made their presence felt at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom, but they weren’t the only WWE names at the event.
Anderson, who returned to WWE in October of last year, lost the NJPW Never Openweight Champion to Tama Tonga, kicking off the latter’s second reign.
Mone, who was quietly released from WWE in June 2022, debuted as Mercedes Mone and confronted IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI after her successful title defense.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 has played host to several notable title changes already, including the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title.
In a four-way bout, Taiji Ishimori wound up losing his strap to longtime junior heavyweight lead star Hiromu Takahashi. The bout also featured Takahashi’s longtime nemesis El Desperado and Master Wato. It was Wato who wound up eating the pin almost 17 minutes into the match.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 saw the first defense of the junior belt in six months. The long-running four-way angle between this quartet essentially held up the division for much of the closing stretch of last year. Before that, Ishimori’s feud with KUSHIDA had to be cut short when the returning former champ required time off due to severe illness.
Takashi champion again at Wrestle Kingdom 17
Where Does Hiromu Takahashi Go Following Wrestle Kingdom 17?
The now five-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion has a lot of options coming out of the Tokyo Dome. He did suffer a singles bout loss to Ishimori last year. Considering the fact that ‘The Bone Soldier’ didn’t get pinned, a title between the pair soon seems likely.
Interestingly, during and after the match, a confrontation between Los Ingobernables de Japon and NOAH faction KONGO broke out. As the junior ace of LIJ, Takahashi could well have to fend off some NOAH invader challengers in the months to come.
A war between the two factions was first teased last year. Fan interest in a Tetsuya Naito vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima feud has been building for years now. While the pair did wrestle at the 2016 G1 Climax, Nakajima has come a long way since then.
For Hiromu Takahashi, this is another exciting prospect for his latest run on top coming out of Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Keiji Muto is leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling a winner after coming out on top at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
In the sixth match on the card, Muto, better known to fans as the Great Muta, teamed with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shota Umino to defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon.
Muto opened his final match for New Japan against Sanada, who leveled him with a series of dropkicks and landed a moonsault in the opening sequence.
Bouncing back, Muto hit a couple of shining wizards throughout the bout and teased during a moonsault, but was prevented by Tanahashi.
After six long months, Karl Anderson’s polarizing NEVER Openweight Title run came to an end against Tama Tonga today at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Tonga himself lost the strap to Anderson at last year’s Dominion event. In that time, Anderson made successful defenses against former NJPW ace Hiroshi Tanahashi and rising star Hikuleo.
Karl Anderson’s run was riddled with controversy. This was due to his recent return to WWE to reform The OC with AJ Styles. The original Bullet Clubber was also Tama Tonga’s mentor in the latter’s early years in the promotion, lending some interesting long term themes to their feud.
In a match that didn’t quite live up to their considerably more slick first encounter, Tama Tonga bested Anderson with his own Gun Stun finisher.
Tama Tonga bested Karl Anderson today.
Where Does Karl Anderson Go From Here?
Considering his WWE commitments, it’s quite plausible Karl Anderson is done with NJPW for the foreseeable future. After a six-year absence, ‘Machine Gun’ returned to New Japan last year to a fair bit of fanfare and a surprise singles push.
He defeated then-NEVER Champion Tama Tonga in his first singles match back. Anderson then shocked many when he started appearing on Monday Night RAW shortly thereafter.
His second title defense with Hikuleo wound up being delayed due to his WWE commitments. Now, with the belt taken out of his hands, Anderson can likely enjoy a more relaxed schedule in 2023.
For Tama Tonga, this big win is another step in his rise to babyface superstardom in NJPW. Few could’ve suspected the Tongan star would take off so quickly in the redeemed hero role. As a two-time NEVER champ, the sky could be the limit in 2023 for him.
The tournament to crown the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion has come to an end with Zack Sabre Jr. as the victor.
Despite almost six years in the promotion, during which he’s won two New Japan Cups, the technical wizard has never held a New Japan singles belt. He’s enjoyed reigns with the IWGP Tag Team Titles as part of his Dangerous Tekkers act with Taichi. Beyond that, though, he was often slotted into representing RPW in singles bouts earlier in his run.
Now, with a submission victory over Ren Narita in the Tokyo Dome, ZSJ can add the TV belt to his growing list of accolades. Despite being the more established star, many expected Sabre Jr. to lose here. Narita has been presented as essentially the new Katsuyori Shibata. The general consensus was that the belt’s time limit rules were tailor-made for his fast-paced style.
Zack Sabre Jr.’s TV Title.
Zack Sabre Jr. Moving Into New Faction
Throughout his time in NJPW, Zack Sabre Jr. was a key figure in Suzukigun. Run by the legendary Minoru Suzuki, the heel group enjoyed almost babyface-like reactions in recent years despite their villainous ways.
Last month, the group was officially ended by Suzuki himself. Due to the TV Title tournament, Zack Sabre Jr. did not tag with Taichi in this year’s World Tag League either.
Now with a new singles title to establish, it appears the British globetrotter is joining TMDK. The team came out to congratulate the catch-as-catch-can master on his victory. They then offered him a spot with them moving forward after Wrestle Kingdom. Interestingly, rumors have swirled lately of either Sabre Jr. or Taichi possibly leading a Suzukigun-like faction in 2023. Whether or not this TMDK alliance leads to such an angle remains to be seen.
For fans of NJPW, more news on this development will likely unfold on tomorrow’s New Year’s Dash show.
After 190 days on top in New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Division, FTR finally met their match today.
Bishomon, the team of longtime upper midcard fan favorite Hirooki Goto and perenial underdog YOSHI-HASHI, are tag team champions once more. In a surprisingly quick 10-minute showdown, these two teams enjoyed a heated response from the audience. The crowd popped in particular for the Big Rig.
Despite playing babyface for much of 2022, FTR heeled it up here in service of NJPW’s home team. Goto and YOSHI-HASHI won the 2022 World Tag League tournament to get here. All in all, this is the second consecutive year of the well-liked CHAOS members winning the tag leagues before securing the titles in the Tokyo Dome.
The match came to an end when YOSHI-HASHI landed an upset pinfall on Dax Harwood.
FTR with the IWGP Titles.
FTR Lose Another Set Of Tag Titles
Last month, the former three promotion champions dropped their ROH Tag Titles to the Briscoe Brothers. It was the final chapter in the acclaimed trilogy of epic bouts between the two teams. After besting the Briscoes twice in 2022, FTR crumbled in a blood-soaked Dog Collar Match that garnered widespread acclaim.
FTR’s contracts with AEW reportedly come to an end in April. The popular duo suddenly losing all of the titles they’ve snatched up does appear to lend credence to the rumors they won’t be continuing with the land of the Elite past April.
The pair also lost their AAA World Tag Team Championships to Dragon Lee and Dralistico in December, essentially freeing them up for 2023.
If FTR decide against sticking with AEW, it’s very likely Triple H and co. will want them back in WWE for another run as The Revival.
Mone posed in the ring, and made it clear she wants a shot at the IWGP Women’s Championship.
The former Raw Women’s Champion dropped KAIRI with a modified Gory Bomb, and said she knows all about making history.
Calling herself the CEO of this women’s division, More vowed to make KAIRI bankrupt when they face off.
Mercedes Mone has challenged Kairi for the IWGP Women’s Championship at Battle In The Valley on February 18th. "I'm going to leave you bankrupt, bitch!" pic.twitter.com/1eV7FZwswD
Fans of All Elite Wrestling have been given a glimpse of the show’s new introductory package, complete with a remixed theme song.
It has been reported that the new look has been in the works for some time ahead of tonight’s show.
In a tweet, the official AEW account shared the new intro which includes the likes of Chris Jericho, FTR, Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and MJF.
Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite will take place at the Climate Arena, in Seattle, Washington, marking the debut for AEW in the city known for the likes of Bill Gates, Jimmy Hendrix, and Dr. Frasier Crane.
Here is an EXCLUSIVE look at the new #AEWDynamite intro!
This week’s AEW Dynamite will see AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe defend against Darby Allin.
AEW World Champion MJF is “contractually obligated” to make an appearance, while AEW World Tag Champions The Acclaimed will defend against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Jon Moxley has also been announced to make an appearance.
New Era
After a difficult 2022, with injuries, suspensions, arrests and more, AEW is looking to turn over a new leaf in 2023.
Appearing on the Sports Guys Talk Wrestling podcast, AEW President Tony Khan addressed the new look for the show.
“It’s a sports-based presentation and that’s what we always go for. It’s a great pro wrestling show and we wanted to change the set to reflect a new era, and I think it’s going to be a great look. It’s a great set.”
Fans of the current AEW roster won’t have to worry too much about the fate of the in-ring action, which will remain unchanged according to Khan.
“It’s still going to be the same great wrestling with new matches and new stories and a lot to look forward to.”
Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will defend the IWGP World Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but the trip to the show has been far from easy.
The AEW tag team will defend their titles later today against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.)
The IWGP World Tag Championships are the only titles that FTR currently holds, after losing the Ring of Honor World Tag Titles and AAA World Tag Team Titles in December of last year.
Travel Delay
Taking to Twitter, Wheeler explained that he had intended to make the trip to Tokyo on Monday morning, but he was not allowed to board his flight.
A flight to Atlanta that would have allowed Wheeler to fly to Japan was also delayed before later being canceled.
With no alternative, Wheeler had to drive to Atlanta to make his flight to Japan, and only recently arrived at his hotel in Tokyo.
Despite these setbacks, Wheeler remained positive about the match, saying it is “can’t miss.”
7am Monday: Issue with paperwork. Can’t board my flight to Japan. Bad.
7pm Monday: flight to ATL for new Tuesday morning flight delayed. Then cancelled.
10pm Monday: drive to ATL.
4:15am: Arrive at hotel.
WrestleKingdom day: land & go straight to the Dome.
Today’s title defense will make the third for Wheeler and Dax Harwood who captured the titles at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door in June of last year.
The AEW tag team’s first title defense was against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) at NJPW Royal Quest II in October 2022.
Their second defense saw Wheeler and Harwood retain against United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan) at NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the same team FTR dethroned at Forbidden Door.
The January 3, 2023 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) def. Apollo Crews
Axiom def. Trick Williams (with Carmelo Hayes)
Dijak def. Channing Lorenzo (with Tony D’Angelo)
Alba Fyre def. Isla Dawn in an Extreme Resolutions Match
Oro Mensah def. Javier Bernal
Drew Gulak (with Hank Walker) def. Andre Chase (with Thea Hail and Duke Hudson)
Kofi Kingston def. Joe Gacy
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Extreme Resolution Match
Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn in an Extreme Resolution Match took place.
Following Deadline, where Dawn defeated Fyre, they have continued their conflict. Prior to a match against Sol Rouca two weeks ago, Dawn attacked Fyre twice, once backstage and once as she entered the ring. They traded words last week.
They brawled backstage. Fyre tried to drop several ladders onto her. Fyre put her into a chair and hit her with a trash can lid. Fyre dumped a bunch of chairs onto her.
They made it back into the ring. They used various weapons. Dawn smashed her hand with the steel steps. Fyre hit a front senton off the top rope to the outside, but the table didn’t break. Fyre sent her through the table for the win.
Grayson Waller and NXT Champion Bron Breakker had a contract signing for their title match New Year’s Evil next week.
Bron Breakker saw a video of Grayson Waller explaining on last week’s show that he wasn’t at NXT since he was back in Australia. After the video ended, Breakker smashed the TV because he was still upset about being knocked out two weeks earlier while attempting to spear Waller.
Ths was the main event segment. Waller talked some trash. Bron was trying no sell Waller’s shots at him and be extra nice. This was getting underneath the skin of Waller. Bron said Waller can talk all he wants because come next week, he will get his. Waller said that Bron is overrated and stole his dad’s gimmick. Bron punched Waller then laid him out with his finisher then hit an outside dive.
After losing to Bron Breakker at Deadline last month, Apollo Crews made a comeback two weeks ago on an episode of NXT. Hayes cut off his promo, and the two exchanged words. Williams competed against Axiom after Axiom disqualified him for losing to Hayes.
The match opened the show with Hayes going over with his finisher. It was a really good match. Post-match, Axiom took out Williams.
Andre Chase vs. Drew Gulak in a singles match was booked.
During last week’s episode, Dempsey interrupted a training session led by Drew Gulak in pursuit of a match for this week. Walker accepted the match by stating that it would be an exhibition match. Walker had joined Gulak for the training session.
Drew with a dragon sleeper and body scissors for the win.
Mercedes Varnado, formerly known as Sasha Banks, has given her thanks hours before she is reportedly expected to appear at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17
The former WWE star sent out multiple thank you messages on social media to WWE, Vince McMahon, Triple H, William Regal, the WWE Universe, The Krew (her fans), and her former persona.
Banks hasn’t appeared on WWE television since last May when she and Naomi, who were the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time, walked out on the company due to a creative dispute with Vince McMahon.
Banks negotiated her WWE release months ago before becoming a free agent on January 1.
AEW talent told Fightful Select they’ve been “no sold” when asking about Sasha Banks being Saraya’s partner on January 11, but they’re still of the belief it’s her.
“The fact that it wasn’t shot down either on screen or internally, promoting it a month out, it being a week after her Wrestle Kingdom appearance, and the cast of characters involved in the tag match were all points brought up to us by talent in the company when assuming it was her.”
One talent said they didn’t believe a deal was done or “could have been completed” as of last week because she had to wait out her WWE non-compete clause.
Bianca Belair had to get stitches following her match on Monday’s WWE Raw.
On the January 2 edition of the weekly show, Belair defeated Alexa Bliss via disqualification to retain the Raw Women’s Championship after Bliss snapped and attacked Belair after more mind games by Bray Wyatt.
After the match, Bliss continued to attack Belair by throwing her into the steel steps and then hitting a pair of DDTs on the steps. Belair came out bleeding from the match after the attack.
Stitches
Belair took to Twitter to post photos showing several stitches to her face after the attack with Bliss. The E.S.T. of WWE wrote the following caption:
“I am not okay…But @AlexaBliss_WWE won’t be either…Payback is a…3 Stitch Belair.”
WWE had Bliss explain later in the broadcast why she attacked Belair, which was her taking control back and wanting the Raw Women’s Title back as she felt it was hers, not Bianca’s.
This is leading to a rematch between Bliss and Belair, but the question remains when it will occur. While it’s possible they run it back on an upcoming episode of Raw, perhaps even the 30 Anniversary show, WWE may save it for the Royal Rumble.
Hours before her former WWE tag team partner prepares to make an expected return to the wrestling stage on Wednesday in Japan, Naomi’s wrestling future has some clarity after several months of uncertainty as she is slated to make a return to WWE.
Bryan Alvarez reported on Tuesday’s Wrestling Observer Live that his impression is that Naomi would be returning to the company, meaning she will not be joining NJPW along with Sasha Banks.
Naomi is Staying
“My belief is she will be returning to WWE because she will almost certainly be returning to WWE,” he said on the broadcast, although he did not give any return date or timeline.
Banks is expected to appear at tonight’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, marking her promotional debut. As previously reported, Naomi is reportedly in the country, as is Bayley, in a show of support for their good friends.
Banks and Naomi, then WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, walked out before an episode of WWE Raw in May 2022 due to issues with their creative direction. They were later stripped of the titles and suspended.
Throughout 2022, fans speculated about them potentially returning to WWE, especially after Vince McMahon resigned and Triple H took over as head of creative as part of the new regime this summer.
Last month it was first reported that Banks was headed to NJPW with her expected to make an appearance at this event. She is currently a free agent after she negotiated her WWE release several months ago.
For months after the proverbial ‘Brawl Out’ situation between CM Punk and The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) CM Punk has pretty much remained radio silent on all of his social media platforms.
Recently, Dax Harwood spoke about Punk on the first episode of his podcast for Adfree Shows. Since then, Punk has come out of the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
As always, Punk has chosen to remain mysterious and evocative with his social media presence.
On December 28, a twitter user quote a comment that Dax made on his podcast, in which he pleaded that CM Punk and The Elite “find a way to make it work.” Punk responded to the tweet, simply saying ‘Duh.’
It gave a lot of people hope that maybe, possibly, there might be a way to turn ‘Brawl Out’ into an angle that would make everybody involved a lot of money.
(AEW)
CM Punk Toots His Own Horn
Now, Punk has made a couple more posts, touting his success in AEW in terms of merchandise and video views.
Punk noted that his action figure was the number-one seller for AEW action figures in 2022. His AEW debut action figure was also the number-six best seller. That action figure came complete with an ice cream bar and commemorative t-shirt.
Punk was also the subject of three of the top 10 viewed YouTube videos that were published in 2022.
Whether Punk is simply taking a victory lap, or trying to sell others on how big of a “draw” he was remains to be seen. But there can be no question, Punk was a big component of the success of AEW in 2022.
Hopefully he could be a part of their success in 2023 as well.
After the Triple H regime took over in the middle of 2022, the broadcast teams for Raw, NXT, and SmackDown were switched up.
Wade Barrett was moved from NXT to SmackDown as Pat McAfee focused on his duties with ESPN’s College Gameday. WWE brought in Booker T for the NXT role and has been calling the action alongside Vic Joseph. The belief was that after McAfee would return after the college football season wrapped up, Barrett would return to NXT.
While speaking on the newest episode of Booker’s ‘Hall of Fame’ podcast, the WWE Hall Of Famer shared that his NXT commentary stint was supposed to wrap up in December, but he’s now full-time on the brand and joked about taking Wade Barrett’s spot.
Booker T is Staying
“I gotta get back to work. NXT duties start tomorrow. My thing is, that job was only supposed to be until the end of December. But like I say, what’s that kid’s name that used to work there?… Yeah, Wade Barrett. He’s gone and forgotten as you can see. That’s my job now. That’s my job, full-time… I’m full-time now. I’m full-time on NXT, all right? I’m gonna be up in your ear, all up in your ear, every Tuesday (Booker laughed)… Wade Barrett, I don’t know if they’re gonna keep him on, find a spot for him over on Raw or SmackDown or something but his ass ain’t coming back to NXT.
This week’s episode of NXT is the first live show for the brand in several weeks and will be the go-home episode before the New Year’s Evil special on January 10th.
The former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion was suspended for her actions, which were deemed “unprofessional” on TV.
Boss ‘n Hug
Banks’ former tag-team partner Bayley will be at Wrestle Kingdom to support her friend, PW Insider has learned.
The report did not specify whether the Damage CTRL member was sent by WWE, but notes that she “shouldn’t be expected to be seen on camera.”
Bayley isn’t the only support Banks will have, as reports have come out that Naomi, who walked out of WWE with her in May, is also in Tokyo for the show.
Naomi’s status with WWE remains unclear and there has been no confirmation as to whether she has been released.
Bayley has been feuding with Becky Lynch since The Man’s in-ring return at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, and appeared on this week’s Monday Night Raw.
Banks in New Japan
Sasha Banks’ impending arrival in New Japan Pro Wrestling is a huge score for the company as they seek to grow their own women’s division.
It is believed that Banks will confront the winner of the IWGP Women’s Championship match between KAIRI (aka Kairi Sane) and her challenger Tam Nakano.
Banks’ contract is said to be for five matches a year with New Japan, and she is set to make more per appearance for the promotion than she did during her tenure with WWE.
Alexa Bliss is just one of many WWE stars who have to deal with negativity on social media. While there is negativity on social media platforms, there is also positivity, and they receive praise from fans.
Bliss is looking to stay off social media to improve herself heading into the new year.
Despite her success and fame, some fans don’t like her. In a post on Twitter, Bliss stated that she is focusing on improving her physical and mental health by going off Twitter. This appears to be a new year’s resolution. She wrote the following:
The Change
“This year I’m focusing on my mental & physical health & I think majority of that is gonna boil down to staying off twitter lol.”
The WWE star has found a lot of success in WWE across all three brands Raw, NXT, and SmackDown. Throughout her time in WWE, she has won a total of 8 championships.
Bliss was in action on Monday’s episode of Raw when she challenged Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. The match saw Bliss snap at a WWE official and give Belair a beatdown. It appears that WWE will build to a rematch at the upcoming Royal Rumble event, but that has yet to be confirmed.
When Cody Rhodes does return to WWE, it’s “absolutely not” going to be a surprise.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, WWE has begin hyping up Rhodes return with a multi-part video series. Dave Meltzer addressed this on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer noted that, many speculated that Rhodes would return as a surprise entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble match.
However, Meltzer says that’s “absolutely not” going to be. Instead, WWE is focusing on their multi-part series to hype up his return. He ended by saying, evidently, Rhodes will be slotted into a high spot on the WrestleMania 39 card.
Rhodes returned to WWE in April of last year as the surprise opponent for Seth Rollins at “The Show Of Shows.” After emerging victorious in, arguably, the match of the weekend, Rhodes went on to continue an excellent feud with Rollins over the next several weeks.
(via WWE)
This culminated into a Hell In A Cell match at the similarly named Premium Event later in the year. However, it would prove to be Rhodes’ final match before an injury layoff, as he entered the bout with a torn pectoral muscle that would need surgical repair and rehabilitation.
Now, Rhodes is expected to be wrapping up his recovery soon, and is right around the corner from getting back into the ring – just in time for WrestleMania season. While it’s expected he’ll have a high profile match at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, it remains to be seen who his opponent will be.
It has been a whirlwind of events for Sasha Banks (Mercedes Varnado) since she and her then WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion partner, Naomi (Trinity Fatu), walked out on Raw on that fateful mid-May day. For Banks, she kept herself busy, which only added to the rampant speculation as to her eventual destination – if it was even in professional wrestling.
Then, a figurative bomb dropped: Banks is set to appear at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year on January 4, Wrestle Kingdom 17, which is once again a one-night affair. While her appearance has yet to be announced by New Japan, speculation is she will be jump straight into the IWGP Women’s Championship picture.
So, how did we get here? Here’s a timeline dating back to Varnado’s and Fatu’s walkout to what we know now. Much of this was corroborated through the December 19 Voices of Wrestling podcast’s flagship episode beginning around the 1:45:10 mark.
Note: I will refer to Banks and Naomi while discussing anything regarding WWE, but use Varnado and Fatu when discussing them outside of WWE. Varnado has also trademarked “Mercedes Moné,” indicating this may be her name outside of WWE.
May 16, 2022 – The Walkout
(via WWE)
It was reported during that night’s Raw that Banks and Naomi walked out due to creative differences they had concerning the tag team division. They had been set to involved in a six-pack challenge match to determine Bianca Belair’s challenger for her title at Hell in a Cell.
Michael Cole informed viewers – in very WWE-friendly terms – that Banks and Naomi walked out during the show. WWE also issued this statement, which blamed the wrestlers because “even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence.”
May 20 – Indefinite suspension
It was four days later on SmackDown that Michael Cole announced that Banks and Naomi had been suspended indefinitely and stripped of their Tag Team Championship. This announcement was made notorious by Cole stating that Banks and Naomi had “let down millions” of WWE fans with their actions.
In those four days, word came down that Naomi had been set to win the six-pack challenge and face Belair while Banks was set to face Ronda Rousey for her title. Both Banks and Naomi were set to lose though as mentioned earlier, they had concerns over the direction of the tag team division and not about their scheduled losses.
Fans also noticed during the packaged “WWE Then, Now, Forever, Together” intro video that both Banks and Naomi were removed. Cody Rhodes replaced Banks while Rousey replaced Naomi. WWE also removed all of their merchandise from WWEShop.
June 15 – Banks’ release
I'm hearing Sasha Banks has been released. I don't know if it's he requested it or if it was on WWE's end
June 15 saw even more breaking news as WrestlingInc.com founder Raj Giri tweeted Banks had been released from WWE. While some questioned his reporting, his news was confirmed by other wrestling journalists, thus refuting the skepticism from the questioning.
While Banks was released, nothing was known at the time about Naomi’s status. The VoW pod reported that WWE had come to their separation agreement with Banks over the summer with the agreement that January 1, 2023 was the earliest she could take wrestling bookings. Fightful later confirmed she signed a deal with Bushiroad for multiple dates with VoW reporting her per event fee was the highest in Bushiroad’s history.
July 6-7 – Removal from WWE’s internal roster
(via WWE)
Further strengthening Giri’s report about Banks’ release, between July 6 and 7, WWE removed both Banks and Naomi from their internal roster. The distinction of “internal roster” is key as WWE still has made no acknowledgement of Banks’ – or Naomi’s – status with the company.
In fact, if you go to WWE.com, Banks and Naomi are still listed as SmackDown wrestlers even though WWE has released Banks and has no plans on bringing back Naomi.
September 9 – Walking the runway
Varnado and Fatu kept their names in the headlines, but not within the world of wrestling. In September, they walked the runway at New York Fashion Week, a high honor. This was another sign to their detractors that both Varnado and Fatu have name recognition and demand outside of professional wrestling.
Then, on December 3, Varnado tweeted that she had just finished filming her first movie. Apparently, she was set in The Collective from Tom DeNucci. This comes after she appeared in the hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
December 5 – Barmageddon!
While the news of her appearing on the new USA show Barmageddon was revealed by Brie Bella on The Bellas Podcast in October, and previews that aired during both Raw and NXT showed clips of The Bellas and Banks (presumably filmed while still with WWE), Barmageddon debuted on December 5.
December 8 – Reported to appear at Wrestle Kingdom 17
NJPW does not have a women’s division, but is owned by the same company that owns World Wonder Ring Stardom. Varnado has made her affinity for Stardom and the wrestlers there known, but even if she doesn’t wrestle there, she can always wrestle on NJPW productions.
The inaugural and current IWGP Women’s Champion is KAIRI, fka Kairi Sane. Varnado teased a potential match with KAIRI a few months ago, and the plan seems to be her confronting the winner of the title match between KAIRI and Tam Nakano at WK 17 (presumably KAIRI).
December 21 – Arrival in Japan
Varnado then arrived in Japan on December 21, two weeks ahead of her scheduled debut with NJPW and Stardom. It’s likely she’s using the time to acclimate to the time difference while training in preparation of her upcoming appearances.
The VoW pod reported that Bushiroad is adamant about exposing the West to their women’s wrestling with the belief that there is a “dearth of quality women’s wrestling” in the West. they believe their best way to make this happen is through NJPW and the IWGP Women’s Championship. Having Varnado and presumably KAIRI – two names well known to Western wrestling fans – leading the way should do well in achieving this goal.
That’s the timeline of Sasha Banks’ WWE release and Mercedes Varnado’s path to New Japan Pro Wrestling and Wrestle Kingdom 17. Be sure to tune into Wrestle Kingdom 17 in a few short days on January 4, 2023 to witness Varnado’s debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling!
Although it’s said she made a staggering amount of money, WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T doesn’t believe Mandy Rose’s FanTime earnings will be sustainable in the long run.
The two-time WWE Hall Of Famer recently took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to offer his thoughts on the situation. After it was claimed that Rose made about $1 million in earnings last month from her FanTime account, Booker said he doesn’t believe that will be enough to hold her over if she’s “living large.”
“Speaking on the staggering dollar figure, Booker T said. “”A million dollars ain’t gonna take care of you for a solid year if you’re living large.” He continued, “I think [Rose launching a FanTime account] was the wrong decision, and I stand by that because I feel that Mandy Rose’s talent was so much more than her beauty.”
(WWE)
FanTime actually congratulated Rose for earning $1 million in the month of December. She’s listed as one of the site’s top creators on its homepage. However, WWE didn’t appear to be too excited by Rose’s side business.
She was released from the company after it was discovered that she was posting mature content on her profile. Rose had reigned as WWE NXT Women’s Champion for 413 days before she was defeated by Roxanne Perez on the December 13 episode of NXT.
It proved to be Rose’s final match before news of her release came through. Just prior to her release, Rose’s FanTime content got leaked to the public, which is likely what put it on WWE’s radar.
There has been speculation about Jeff Hardy’s future in AEW following his DUI arrest last year, and now his brother, Matt, has cast doubt on whether he will return to wrestling.
Matt also revealed that Hardys were set to become AEW Tag Team Champions if Jeff had not been suspended by AEW and entered rehab after his legal issues.
Jeff Gone for Good?
“It’s just very unfortunate, the things that happened with Jeff. Hopefully it’s something that he is going to make into a positive and he’s going to turn everything around in his life, and he can come back and be better. We’ll see, I don’t know, I don’t know.
Maybe he comes back, maybe he doesn’t, but we were scheduled to do all kinds of things during the summer and it really sent me down a big path of detour following that, but it is what it is. It’s pro wrestling where you have to adapt and change on the fly, and I’ve made the most of it and tried to do what I can.”
The former WWE Champion was arrested on June 13. Hardy has been charged with Driving While License Canceled/Suspended/Revoked, Violation of Restrictions Placed on Drivers License, and DUI Alcohol/Drugs Third Offense within 10 Years. Hardy has entered a “not guilty” plea to the charge.
The 2-time SmackDown Women’s Champion is expected to accompany Sasha Banks to the event, which will mark the Legit Boss’ first wrestling-related appearance since walking out of the WWE back in May 2022.
Banks — real name Mercedes Varnado — will make her debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling at the company’s biggest event: Wrestle Kingdom. The 17th iteration of the event will begin on January 4, where Banks will make her first appearance with NJPW in a series of dates agreed upon between both parties.
The deal finalized in November, including one date with NJPW’s sister company, STARDOM, in April for their All-Star Grand Queendom event.
Japan Feels The Glow
(Naomi & Sasha Banks)
As of this writing, it’s unclear if Naomi’s presence in Tokyo, Japan will be for anything more than supporting her friend, Sasha Banks.
Banks’ departure from WWE was reportedly solidified last summer, despite still being listed on WWE’s official website as an active member of the roster. While Banks’ next moves in professional wrestling look towards work away from WWE, Naomi’s future with the company remains uncertain.
In September, Naomi, as well as Banks, walked the runway in New York Fashion Week. The duo also appeared at the C2E2 event in Chicago under their real name in August, signing autographs and taking photographs with fans amidst meet and greets.
The National Wrestling Alliance sent out the following press release on Tuesday morning:
First run National Wrestling Alliance programming returns to YouTube with NWA Powerrr airing Tuesdays at 6:05 p.m. EST
CHICAGO — The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is making bold changes this year to allow our television programming to be available to the largest international audience possible. We are proud to announce that starting immediately, NWA Powerrr will return as first run programming on the NWA YouTube Channel on Tuesdays at 6:05 p.m. EST and NWA USA will remain airing at 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturdays on the channel as well. NWA pay-per-view programming will still be available through FITE TV.
First run programming will begin Tuesday January 3, 2023 and includes matches which will determine the teams that will head to the finals of the Champions Series Tournament.
“I want to thank our viewers who used FITE’s Monthly or Annual subscription service to enjoy our product,” said William Patrick Corgan, president of the NWA. “Making the switch to having the world be able to watch NWA Powerrr at the same time is essential to our growth strategy going forward. FITE has been an important partner and we are happy to continue our relationship with FITE as our pay-per-view provider,” Cogan said.
The NWA Annual Subscription on FITE began to be phased out on August 26, 2022. Viewers who have active subscriptions can still use them to watch pay-per-view programming until their subscription expires. The NWA Monthly Subscription is canceled effective immediately.
NWA pay-per-views, such as Nuff Said, the Crockett Cup and NWA 75, will be available for individual purchase on FITE.
Additionally, the NWA is having its first ever LIVE NWA Powerrr on Tuesday January 31, 2023 from the Knoxville Convention Center which is scheduled to go on air for free on the NWA YouTube Channel starting at 7:00 p.m. EST. The show is being delayed about an hour from our normal time slot to give our fans in attendance more time to make it into the venue. This event will feature Ultimate Team War, the finals of the Champions Series Tournament which began with 32 incredible wrestlers. The winners of Ultimate Team War will receive future title shots at a time of their choosing. NWA Championships will be defended at this event as well.
NWA Nuff Said will be our next pay-per-view wrestling event scheduled for February 11, 2023 from the Egypt Shrine Center in Tampa, FL. The main event is scheduled to be NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Tyrus vs Matt Cardona for the 10 Pounds of Gold. The pay-per-view will be followed by two days of NWA Powerrr and NWA USA television tapings at the WEDU Television studio on February 12 and 13, 2023. The Sunday taping is currently scheduled to be a matinee before the ‘Big Game’ the same day.
For the first time of the modern era, the NWA is headed to Mexico as part of the “World is a Vampire Festival” on March 4, 2023 in Mexico City. Wrestlers from the NWA will take on luchadors from Lucha Libre AAA with several NWA titles scheduled to be defended.
