Last week, we speculated that GCW might be one of the indie promotions headed to FITE+. Over the weekend, Brett Lauderdale tweeted and asked if this was their last show on FiteTV.
On Monday night, GCW tweeted that “a major announcement regarding the future of GCW streaming/broadcasts” would be coming Tuesday at 9:30 AM. Lauderdale quote tweeted it and said the announcement was a “game changer for GCW and GCW fans.”
This is a game changer for GCW and GCW fans. Very excited for the future of Game Changer Wrestling. Cant wait to share the news! https://t.co/JJ0Vygppsy
Beyond Wrestling has also hinted at joining Black Label Pro on FITE+. Monday morning, they tweeted about big news coming tomorrow. Owner Drew Codeiro quote tweeted the announcement with “the final puzzle piece.”
All three promotions would be huge for FITE+ and could attract an influx of new subscribers. The current price is $4.99 per month, but the price could be increasing with the new promotions being added.
TJPW made a huge announcement on Monday. Billie Starkz will be facing Yuka Sakazaki for the Princess of Princess Championship on November 27 in the historic Korakuen Hall.
This is Starkz’s first tour of Japan. This is a huge opportunity for the 17-year-old.
Sakazaki just won the Princess of Princess Championship on October 9 at Wrestle Princess III, but she has held the title three times. It is the biggest title in TJPW and has been around since 2016. Her match against Starkz at ALL RISE will be the first title defense of her latest reign.
[IT'S OFFICIAL]
ALL RISE '22 Nov. 27
The challenger to Yuka Sakazaki's Princess of Princess Championship is @BillieStarkz!
Huge opportunity for the 17-year-old prospect on her first Japan tour – will she grasp the Japanese Dream at TJPW?
The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them… I'm going to Japan and I'm coming back a champion #Nevalosthttps://t.co/JLeHKdFkdd
— BIG Billie Starkz • ????????? (@BillieStarkz) October 31, 2022
Starkz has been wrestling for four years. She is a fixture in Game Changer Wrestling. She’s also wrestled for promotions such as Black Label Pro, Wrestling Revolver, and Paradigm Pro Wrestling.
The high school senior wrestles on the weekends and trains during the week after school. She was ranked #52 in 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Women’s Top 150.
Logan Paul is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship this Saturday afternoon at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
This will mark his third time stepping into the squared circle for a match, with it being his only second singles match thus far in his wrestling career.
He teamed with The Miz at WWE WrestleMania 38 to defeat The Mysterios (Rey & Dominik Mysterio), which marked his in-ring debut, and then defeated The Miz at WWE SummerSlam in July.
Paul on the Match
While appearing on TimboSugarShow with Tim Welch & Sean O’Malley, Paul was asked if there are people in the WWE who he doesn’t get along with. He noted that he stays to himself before admitting that it is ridiculous that he is getting this title opportunity so early on in his career.
“Truthfully, I keep to myself. I imagine there are a few wrestlers who have a problem with me going for a title in my third match. That’s ridiculous and I acknowledge that, but I don’t acknowledge the Tribal Chief and I’m going to f**k him up in Saudi Arabia.”
Logan said he’ll be flying to Saudi on Tuesday for his Saturday match against Reigns. Reigns is set to be part of Monday’s WWE Raw before going to Saudi as WWE taped this Friday’s episode of SmackDown last week.
Several professional wrestlers are getting into the spirit of Halloween this year. From creepy creatures, to comic book characters, to other wrestlers, check out some of the best costumes from this year’s Halloween celebrations! Leave a link in the comments section if you find any others!
On October 29, NXT hosted a Halloween-themed Battle Royale featuring several Superstars dressed in their favorite costumes. Accordingly, rivals Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade paid homage to two former champions in the company: Bayley and AJ Lee.
2022 Women’s Breakout Tournament Winner Roxanne Perez resurrected “The Hugger” era of former RAW Women’s Champion Bayley with her signature tassels, headband, and high ponytail. She even shared the love with fellow NXT Superstar Wendy Choo, who dressed up as a sumo wrestler.
The Generation Of Jade honored the previous generation of the “Black Widow” AJ Lee with the Divas Championship, Chuck Taylor shoes, and Lee’s signature “Love Bites” shirt.
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H reportedly had plans for former Universal Champion Kevin Owens but those plans have been put on hold for the time being.
5 Ways Triple H Can Improve WWE RAW
The reason is a good one. It is because his old pal Sami Zayn has become so popular that plans for him to reunite with KO have been put on hold.
Owens and Sami had a brief interaction backstage on a recent edition of SmackDown. Kevin walked by Zayn wearing his Honorary Uce merch and told him that he needs a new shirt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXnZVPAg1WA
WrestleVotes spoke with Louis Dangoor of GiveMeSport in an interview posted today and revealed that Triple H has “paused” his plans to team Sami and KO due to how popular Zayn has become.
He was pegged to get involved with Sami and The Bloodline, but that’s white hot right now. Those plans from what I’ve been told are definitely pushed back, but they’re not off, because the plan is for Kevin Owens to be with Sami Zayn.
WrestleVotes added that the Honorary Uce’s involvement in The Bloodline was only supposed to last a few weeks but it is going so well that WWE has extended the storyline.
Whatever they had planned for Kevin Owens is totally on pause because this stuff with Sami doesn’t come around often. This was supposed to be a little three, four week comedy deal, and it’s getting big.
The tension between Sami Zayn and Jey Uso almost came to a boiling point on this past Friday’s episode of SmackDown. The Tribal Chief instructed the two Bloodline members to hash out their differences but Jey claimed that he didn’t care what Reigns said.
Roman was visibly pissed off but Zayn calmed everyone down. Sami pointed out that Jey hasn’t been himself lately and is not feeling very “Ucey”. Jey and Roman could not contain their laughter in one of the more entertaining segments in recent memory.
WWE and Wheel of Fortune have announced a partnership for early next year leading into WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles.
New Day’s Xavier Woods was a guest on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and won over $96k for the Gamers Outreach charity.
Getting the chance to be on Wheel of Fortune after trying to get on for years was an unreal experience. I loved every second of it and thank you all for watching! #NewProfilePicpic.twitter.com/60DW2hIxo8
Woods then posted a video last night after his appearance on the show and announced that there will be a full week of Wheel of Fortune with WWE Superstars.
What’s going on? WWE Superstar Xavier Woods, aka Austin Creed, here. And y’all know that I love Wheel of Fortune.
I got a chance to be on the show, meet a bunch of the people. Pat Sajak, Vanna White. And I am here to announce that maybe you get the chance to be on Wheel of Fortune with your favorite WWE superstars because WWE and Wheel of Fortune are coming together to do a full week of WWE on Wheel of Fortune.
So hurry up and go to wheeloffortune.com right now to upload your contestant application and you might get the chance to spin the wheel while standing next to your favorite Superstar, which is obviously me. See you guys there.
Wrestling fans can also apply to be a guest on the show and pick which WWE Superstar they want to play Wheel of Fortune with. You can apply to be on the show here.
Wheel of Fortune also sent out a call for contestants. The episodes will be filmed in early 2023 and air in late March as WWE gears up for WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) October 31, 2022
In addition to being a WWE Superstar, Xavier Woods runs a very popular gaming channel on YouTube. He was a part of the G4 revival but the network was recently shut down by Comcast.
WWE SmackDown has been the superior show as of late and there are several reasons that is the case.
SmackDown flows better and features some of today’s biggest stars in professional wrestling. WWE RAW is overly long and lacks the star power to carry the three hours it asks of the viewer to stay engaged.
5 Ways Triple H Can Improve WWE RAW
Here are three ways WWE SmackDown is a better TV Show than RAW:
The Titles
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns rarely makes an appearance on RAW but WWE just announced that The Tribal Chief will be making a special appearance on tonight’s show.
The United States and the RAW Women’s Championships are currently the most important titles on the red brand. Bobby Lashley was an admirable US Champion before Seth, but the title hasn’t been built up enough to carry a brand.
Gunther and Sheamus have helped elevate the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown to a new level with their excellent rivalry. The Celtic Warrior and The Ring General put on an instant classic at WWE Clash at the Castle and followed it up with a solid rematch on a recent episode of SmackDown.
There should be a mid-card and main title for superstars to fight for on the red brand. Instead, there a whole bunch of superstars with nothing else to do besides chase the 24/7 Champion around or wrestle in tag team matches with no prospect of a title match against The Usos.
Roman Reigns is approaching 800 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The idea of one dominant champion sounds good on paper. However, Reigns isn’t a full-time superstar anymore and there isn’t enough star power on RAW to fill three hours.
It may be time to consider splitting the WWE and Universal Championships once again and make someone a star with a victory over The Tribal Chief.
As stated above, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and Undisputed Tag Team Champions rarely appear on RAW.
The Bloodline has become the most popular act in professional wrestling. Every time they are on screen on Friday nights, they must watch television.
The ongoing friction between Jey Uso and Sami Zayn is highly entertaining to watch and most fans can’t wait to see how the story plays out. They just simply don’t have to tune in on Monday nights to find out.
WWE has had members of The Bloodline appear on RAW occasionally but they aren’t doing it enough. It is hard to imagine any fans complaining about seeing more of the Honorary Uce or upcoming star Solo Sikoa on the red brand more often.
In addition to The Bloodline, Bray Wyatt is also on the SmackDown roster. The wildly successful ‘White Rabbit’ teaser campaign captured the WWE Universe’s imagination for weeks leading up to Bray’s return at Extreme Rules.
Now, the story is getting even more interesting on Friday nights. “Uncle Howdy” interrupted Bray and called him a liar to end this past week’s edition of SmackDown on an intriguing note. If Bray Wyatt piques your interest, you don’t have to watch RAW on Monday nights at the moment to stay up to date with the storyline.
The Time
Yes, WWE RAW remains an hour too long. It is unlikely to change any time soon, as the extra hour leads to extra revenue. However, the difference between how RAW and SmackDown flows as a television show is jarring.
There often is a point during every episode of RAW where it becomes a slog or a chore to watch for the viewer. It might be the weekly thirty-minute Baron Corbin match with JBL on commentary for some, or it might be an edition of Miz TV, a 24/7 Championship segment, etc.
It is a lot to ask for a viewer to sit through every week. A three-hour show on Monday, a two-hour show on Tuesday, and another two-hour show on Friday is a lot of content for WWE fans to consume on a weekly basis, and that isn’t even factoring in the premium live events.
RAW dropping an hour would instantly eliminate a lot of the filler that hampers the show. The backstage interview with a superstar that has already cut a promo in the ring earlier in the night that provides nothing of substance won’t be necessary anymore. The entire 24/7 Championship scene can be eliminated or banished to YouTube where it belongs.
Two hours on a Monday night would force the company to focus on the stars that are more important. There will be fewer multi-superstar matches that go multiple commercial breaks just to fill time.
WWE SmackDown features the same high-profile stars on a weekly basis. RAW is an hour too long and lacks the names to provide enough reason for a casual fan to stick around the duration of the show.
The XFL football league will feature 8 teams when it returns in 2023. On Monday, the league announced the 8 team names, host cities, head coaches and home stadiums. They also revealed the official logos for each team.
The XFL Draft takes place next month, with kickoff scheduled for Feb. 18, 2023, the weekend after the NFL’s Super Bowl LVII.
“Countless hours of creative sessions and collaboration went into bringing these team brands to life,” the league’s chairwoman and owner, Dany Garcia, said in a statement.
“Each team’s identity represents the fabric of their local community while also embodying the XFL’s vision and ethos: they are authentic, dynamic, modern, and unapologetically bold.”
The professional wrestling world awoke to great shock recently upon Pro Wrestling NOAH’s announcement of Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling the Great Muta at the start of next year.
On January 1st, 2023, Nakamura will battle the Great Muta, also known as Keiji Muto, at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, amidst Muta’s ongoing retirement tour. The journey to confirm this match, however, wasn’t easy, as Nakamura is still under contract with WWE. An article with Tokyo Sports explained how exactly the dream match came together.
Upon Muto’s announcement of his upcoming retirement, the NOAH organization originally pitched Nakamura as an opponent for him. “Despite initially disagreements, they persistently negotiated with the new structure after the retirement of Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in July,” Tokyo Sports reported. Under the new leadership of WWE with the likes of Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, all parties finally managed to reach an agreement on October 26th. Therefore, Shinsuke Nakamura has permission from WWE to appear at NOAH for this special occasion.
The former Intercontinental Champion himself revealed that the match itself is “a miracle” despite the “people in WWE who pushed me back.”
Nakamura continued on to express his excitement for the match, as the two meet for the first time in 14 years. “Of course, I wanted to do it. It opened a door that no one had ever stepped into, or a door that no one had been able to pry open. Ha ha ha…, it’s the real ‘F?rbidden D??r’ (Forbidden Door),” Nakamura said.
A former Superstar made a surprise return to WWE this past Friday, and it looks like she’s here to stay.
The Australian veteran has officially signed with World Wrestling Entertainment, according to a report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. No additional details were given on her contract, such as the length, but we do know Emma is slated to join the SmackDown roster.
Emma returned to WWE on SmackDown last week, accepting a Smackdown Women’s Championship open challenge from “The Baddest Woman On The Planet,” Ronda Rousey. The two would battle back and forth before Rousey forced Emma to tap out from the armbar.
This marks Emma’s first appearance in five years, since her release in October 2017. Since then, she performed under her real name of Tenille Dashwood, notably competing in Ring of Honor and IMPACT Wrestling. Dashwood would claim the Knockouts Tag Team Championships earlier this year alongside Madison Rayne, before dropping the titles in June. Dashwood’s contract with IMPACT expired this summer, before she announced her free agency.
Now, Dashwood returns to Friday nights as Emma.
WWE published this video of Emma backstage after he return on SmackDown. Despite a loss to Rousey, she believes she learned from the match and is confident as she embarks on this new chapter of his career.
The NXT UK brand may be a thing of the past, but one of the brand’s popular Superstars has now taken their first steps in WWE NXT.
In August, WWE announced the formation of NXT Europe, which is set to launch at some point next year.
In the same statement, WWE said that NXT UK will be on hiatus until the new brand is up and running.
A New Dawn
Immediately after the announcement of NXT Europe, WWE released the vast majority of their NXT UK talent.
Those who weren’t released, including Ilja Dragunov and Pretty Deadly, have since made their way to WWE NXT: the company’s U.S.-based developmental brand.
At a recent WWE NXT Live event, Isla Dawn made her debut for the white and gold brand, facing fellow NXT UK alum Alba Fyre.
The match, which took place at last weekend’s NXT Live event, say Fyre get the win.
Dawn’s career with WWE began in 2017 when she lost a November 6, Raw squash match to Asuka.
Competing in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, Dawn was eliminated in the first round, but would still be signed by WWE.
Competing for NXT UK, Dawn would be unsuccessful in the tournament to crown the first NXT UK Women’s Champion, being eliminated in the first-round by eventual winner Toni Storm.
In February 2022, Dawn would steal the title from then-Champion Meiko Satomura, and would return the gold in exchange for a title match that she’d lose.
Dawn would compete in a fatal four-way match on what would be the final episode of NXT UK, losing to Blair Davenport.
NJPW Never Openweight Champion Karl Anderson is officially off the card for Battle Autumn, the promotion has confirmed.
Anderson had previously been booked for the show on November 5, where he was scheduled to defend his title against Hikuleo.
In a statement on their website, New Japan confirmed that despite “extensive efforts,” the match is now off.
New Japan apologized for Anderson not being on the show, adding that they hold their champions “to the highest standard of professionalism.”
Instead of the pre-announced title match, Hikuleo will now face Yujiro Takahashi in a non-title match.
The Openweight Championship
Anderson returned to WWE earlier this month as the NJPW Never Openweight Champion, and the match with Hikuleo had already been booked and announced.
It was in a social media video that Anderson claimed he would not be at Battle Autumn and instead compete at WWE Crown Jewel (also November 5.)
In a response, NJPW said that Anderson will be stripped of the title if he does not compete at Battle Autumn, but the title’s future was not addressed in the recent statement.
More than Meets the Eye
The conflict between Anderson, New Japan and WWE has been going on for weeks now, but this isn’t how things are behind the scenes.
A report last week notes that there have always been plans for Anderson to wrestle for New Japan despite his WWE return.
Sources close to the situation said that “things are fine” between Anderson and the two promotions.
The AEW women’s locker room and wrestling podcaster JDfromNY206 have gotten into a war of words today on Twitter.
JD has been a vocal critic in the internet wrestling community for years now. His “Off the Script” podcast has become quite popular and sometimes his opinions garner a response from the wrestlers themselves.
Alexa Bliss recently responded to JD’s podcast after he criticized her main eventing an episode of WWE RAW with IYO SKY.
Britt Baker, Jade Cargill & The AEW Women’s Locker Room Respond To JDfromNY
Earlier today, popular wrestling podcaster JDfromNY responded to the announcement that Marina Shafir will battle Jade Cargill this Wednesday on Dynamite. He had a negative reaction to the match and Jade Cargill responded to him.
Damn. I heard you all the way from your moms basement. Calm down Mark. https://t.co/euFKdjAROd
A wrestling fan sent a question to JD wondering if the wrestlers don’t realize that he is talking about the characters they play and not them personally. JD claimed that they do not realize that and Britt Baker responded with a screen shot of JD personally criticizing her.
This you? You’ve been pushing this narrative for months. Nothing to do with the character I play on TV. You don’t know me and you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. You can judge the wrestler you see on TV, but not the person behind it.
This you? You’ve been pushing this narrative for months. Nothing to do with the character I play on TV. You don’t know me and you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. You can judge the wrestler you see on TV, but not the person behind it. pic.twitter.com/B4rvxQULuf
TBS Champion Jade Cargill had some more words for JD after he criticized her for insulting him.
Better insults? Like what? Like I’ll buy your whack ass podcast IN REAL LIFE??!Don’t f*** with my coworkers. It’s 11:44a on a SUNDAY and I wake up to you trying to sh** on someone. Don’t sh** on anyone when I doubt your ass can do a pull up on your BEST DAY
Better insults? Like what? Like I’ll buy your whack ass podcast IN REAL LIFE??!Don’t fuck with my coworkers. It’s 11:44a on a SUNDAY and I wake up to you trying to shit on someone. Don’t shit on anyone when I doubt your ass can do a pull up on your BEST DAY https://t.co/gbP4toJ0R9
AEW star Rebel added that their response is not just about a singular post and claimed that he has a history of slander.
He’s not a Victim. Opinions are one thing. This is not about a singular post, he has a history of insults, False accusations, defamation, slander and libel. Enough is enough.
He’s not a Victim. Opinions are one thing. This is not about a singular post, he has a history of insults, False accusations, defamation, slander and libel. Enough is enough.
READ it again @JDfromNY206 your defensiveness is not allowing you to see straight. “This is not about a singular post” YOU KNOW what YOU have said. Not about me. ALL the women.
Sonny Kiss added that it is hilarious for JD to try and play the victim now that someone has responded to his criticism.
That’s what I’m trying to understand. He’s upset that someone clapped back at something rude he’s said? Like, honestly it was about time. Hilarious that he’s trying to play victim now.
Ava Raine debuted in Joe Gacy’s Schism faction on a recent episode of NXT.
Ava stated that Schism is her family and posed with the group at the end of her debut. Raine cut a promo a WWE Live Event over the summer. She referred to herself as “The Final Girl” during the promo.
The 21-year-old began training at the WWE Performance Center in 2020. She is the daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the grandaughter of Rocky Johnson, and great granddaughter of Peter Maivia.
TMZ Sports recently caught up with The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso and asked him about Ava Raine’s debut in NXT. Jimmy said that he is ready to see her “pop off and represent The Bloodline”.
Shout out to her, you now what I’m saying. Anyway the family can get it I’m all for it. I’m ready to see what she do. I’m ready for her to pop off and represent The Bloodline.
Jimmy added that The Bloodline always looks out for each other and the whole family is behind her.
We all family, bro. We all look out for (each other). She’s got the whole squad on her side, the whole family bro. Her dad (The Rock), us, the cousins, she can reach out and we got it.
He said that the door is always open in The Bloodline for Ava Raine if she wants to join the group down the line and said the sky is the limit for her career.
It’s always an open door and we’ll keep it at that. The sky is the limit. You’ve got to put your work in here.
I’m sure she’s got the workhorse in her like we all do.
It runs deep in the blood and I’m excited for her future. I can’t wait to see where this takes her.
The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns is scheduled to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship this Saturday against Logan Paul at WWE Crown Jewel.
Logan will challenge for the title in just the third match of his WWE career. Roman Reigns is heading into the match a heavy favorite and will likely leave the premium live event as still the champion.
The 27-year-old debuted at SummerSlam with The Miz in a victory over The Mysterios in a tag team match. The Miz turned on him after the match and Logan defeated the A-Lister at this year’s SummerSlam PLE in Nashville.
5 Opponents for Roman Reigns After WWE Crown Jewel
The 61-year-old said that he is looking forward to the match and complimented Logan Paul on taking this seriously. Cornette added that this is another good match for the Saudi Arabia crowd because Logan is a big American celebrity.
It’s going to be good. Logan Paul takes this seriously and he’s a very prideful person.
He’s been training. We saw him do way better before than what he ought to of for his level of inexperience.
They’re not going to switch the belt but they’ve given Saudi Arabia for their 50 million dollars a big main event with somebody they can say, and truthfully so, is a big American celebrity.
It’s kind of a freak show match. In terms of a celebrity from YouTube who’s dabbled in other sports and now is in wrestling, but he can compete at a high level because he’s an athlete.
It doesn’t have to sell tickets because nobody thinks he’s going to win. They’ve tried to create the doubt, ‘well if I get one good shot’. Well, you know, but he’s not.
Omos and Braun Strowman are set to battle this Saturday night at WWE Crown Jewel.
Braun recently returned to the company and was confronted by the Nigerian Giant on a recent episode of SmackDown.
Strowman and Omos stood face-to-face and it was revealed that Braun is several inches shorter. WWE advertised the match on social media as “two giants” and MVP claimed that it was false advertising because Strowman is significantly shorter.
Jim Cornette Previews Omos vs. Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel
Legendary wrestling manager and promoter Jim Cornette discussed the upcoming bout between Strowman and Omos on episode 455 of The Jim Cornette Experience.
Jim suggested that they keep the match short because it will likely be rotten. The 61-year-old added that Saudi Arabia is a good place to have this match because domestic fans would ridicule it.
Saudi Arabia is probably the best place, no pun, no joke, and no sh**.
If you go back through wrestling history, a big show in a foreign, and I’m talking foreign to the United States, if you are in Saudi Arabia right now I’m sorry.
But a big show in a foreign market, two giants, the people are just thrilled to see live wrestling and thrilled to see the stars in person.
They get two giants and it looks great on a poster, or whatever. It’s going to be hopefully short, and not necessarily sweet.
They’ll be there for a good time but not for a long time.
A domestic audience would sh** all over this because they see wrestling on a regular basis and it’s going to be rotten.
Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and attacked Bobby Lashley on a recent edition of WWE RAW.
The All Mighty was set to defend the US Title against Seth Rollins but Brock’s music hit instead. Lesnar marched to the ring and attacked the champion.
Seth Rollins then capitalized on a weakened Lashley and defeated him to become the United States Champion.
Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar battled at the Royal Rumble PLE earlier this year. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns interfered in the match and The All Mighty picked up the victory.
WWE Crown Jewel 2022 Preview
???????
The #AllMighty Era resets and the NEW @WWE Champion’s reign begins!
Keep taking me lightly Brock. The longer this match goes, you’ll see you can’t keep up with me.
Jim Cornette Previews Lesnar vs. Lashley at WWE Crown Jewel
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette previewed the upcoming match between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley on episode 455 of The Jim Cornette Experience.
The 61-year-old noted that the crowd in Saudi Arabia will likely be behind Brock Lesnar, which is the exact opposite reaction that WWE is going for.
They suddenly had Brock reappear and switch heel out of nowhere.
He just beat the sh** out of Bobby Lashley, the babyface, and the people cheered madly while he did it.
So, unfortunately, I think they are probably going to cheer Brock against Lashley, even though it is supposed to be set up to be exactly the opposite.
Bobby was a stronger heel, and also could take care of himself better as a heel with the manager and the group, because he’s not an over-the-top personality.
They are going to gravitate to Lesnar because he’s a f***ing freak of various natures.
I’m looking forward to seeing it from an athletic standpoint, but I think it will probably accomplish exactly the opposite of what they apparently want, which was Brock to turn heel on Lashley.
Were the ideas for Retribution and Raw Underground original concepts from WWE’s vast creative team? Not according to EC3.
After being released in May 2013, EC3 returned to WWE in 2018 and was a prominent upper-mid-carder in NXT.
This would not translate over to the main roster and after an underwhelming run, EC3 was released for the second time in April 2020.
Stolen Ideas
Not long after his release from WWE, EC3 shared cryptic videos, claiming he would control his narrative.
In August of that same year, WWE would introduce their Retribution stable, and later their Raw Underground show.
Speaking to the Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 claimed that the masked gang and the grimy setting were too similar to his videos to be a coincidence (via Sportskeeda.)
“The two things [Retribution and Raw Underground,] they stole from Control Your Narrative and my little video! Like, pull back in time and watch my original Control Your Narrative, my original little narrative, and watch RAW Underground and watch RETRIBUTION.
“A bunch of guys in hoods, walking around, real tough, causing mayhem. Where did I see that before? Oh yeah, Control Your Narrative on YouTube.”
Earlier this year, EC3 would found his ‘Control Your Narrative’ promotion, though the show is on hiatus at this time.
Retribution & Raw Underground
While EC3 believes WWE stole his ideas, neither Retribution nor RAW Underground received rave reviews.
After members of Retribution were revealed, the group faced ridicule from audiences until the group’s end in early 2021.
Raw Underground, a reported personal favorite of Vince McMahon, would only last a few weeks and received criticism for being too different from the wrestling fans tuned in for.
WWE Crown Jewel is the company’s next premium live event.
This year marks the fourth installment of Crown Jewel as a standalone show. It was established in 2018. This year’s event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Crown Jewel follows October’s Extreme Rules event and precedes the Survivor Series premium live event later on in November.
WWE Crown Jewel Match Card
The following matches are confirmed for WWE Crown Jewel 2022:
WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul
The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows) vs. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio)
Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross (Steel Cage match)
Braun Strowman vs. Omos
WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Bayley (Last Woman Standing Match)
WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The Brawling Brutes
WWE Crown Jewel takes place Saturday, November 5th from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at Mrsool Park. The main card of this premium live event starts at 12pm ET / 9am PT. It is an early start time in the United States and North America due to the time zone difference.
How to Watch
WWE Crown Jewel streams live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Pro Wrestling NOAH dropped a bombshell early this morning as they have announced Shinsuke Nakamura will wrestle the Great Muta on January 1st, 2023 at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Keiji Mutoh will be retiring next February and has been announcing dates plus new matches in the process.
While he will be teaming with Sting in his final match for Pro Wrestling NOAH, he will be wrestling as “The Great Muta” to open the 2023 calendar wrestling year against another Japanese legend.
Shinsuke Nakamura is no stranger to big time matches in Japan. Nakamura is a 3-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and 5-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Nakamura last wrestled outside of the WWE organization on January 30th, 2016 in his final New Japan match. That was a six-man tag where his team emerged victorious. A team that included Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii.
The Great Muta and Shinsuke Nakamura have wrestled one other time in their careers. As an active member of the All-Japan roster, Muta crossed over to over New Japan Pro Wrestling and defeated Nakamura on April 27th, 2008 to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
This match will take place on the Pro Wrestling NOAH “The New Year 2023” card. Nakamura took to Twitter this morning saying “This is miracle.”
The fact that we are getting a match between a WWE contracted employee and a legendary performer from Japan who is not under the WWE umbrella is astounding.
What’s more surreal about this bout is it’s taking place outside of the WWE promotion. One thing is for sure, this announcement has already made a lot of waves.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Great Muta is not a typo folks. This match between two of the biggest Japanese icons is coming at you in less than two months.
Dax Harwood has said that he and Cash Wheeler are prepared for their “one last run” in the ring.
Harwood and Wheeler, collectively known as FTR, have been with AEW since 2020 and previously worked for WWE as The Revival.
The duo currently holds the IWGP Tag Titles, the Ring of Honor World Tag Titles and the AAA World Tag Titles, the first team to have the three championships simultaneously.
One Last Run
FTR has proven to be one of the most successful and popular teams around today, but Harwood is thinking about the group’s future.
On Instagram, Harwood shared images of FTR’s biggest matches, and addressed the possibility of “one last run.”
“All we’ve ever wanted to do in life was be a professional wrestler. Height, body-type, accent, life situations, we had all of it against us.Now, we leave a body of work I think we can be proud of.
When we started this journey in 2014, we tried to make sure we were always different from the everyone else wrestling currently. We also wanted to work so hard that eventually we’d go down as one of the greatest tag teams to ever do it. I’m not sure if we have reached that, but we’ll damn sure keep trying.
Thank y’all for going on this journey with us. Not sure where the next few years will take us, but I can’t wait for One Last Run
This marks the latest appearance from the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet,’ whose deal with AEW came together just days before the announcement.
More than a Commentator
After Tyson’s appearance for next week was announced, it was reported that this will be a one-off for the Boxing legend.
That no longer appears to be the case, as PW Insider reports that his return to AEW will include multiple appearances.
If so, it is likely Mike will get physical during his time on Rampage, setting up a future appearance.
The last time Tyson appeared for AEW, he became a member of the Inner Cirlce, but Chris Jericho has since dissolved the group and formed the heel Jericho Appreciation Society.
Tyson and Boardwalk Hall
Friday’s Rampage will be at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall which has played host to some of ‘Iron Mike’s biggest fights.
In October 1987, Tyson knocked out Tyrell Biggs in the seventh round, retaining his Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.
Less than a year later, the undefeated Tyson would face the also undefeated Michael Spinks, who also had a legitimate claim to being the heavyweight champion.
Tyson would again win, this time with a first-round knockout, giving Spinks his first loss in 32 fights.
Mike would fight Carl Williams in July 1989 and Alex Stewart in December 1990, winning both fights with first-round knockouts.
Snoop Dogg appeared for AEW on the January 6, 2021 edition of Dynamite, which was the company’s ‘New Year’s Smash’ special.
Appearing in the corner of Cody Rhodes for his match with Matt Sydal, the rap legend would get physical himself later on, delivering a frog-splah to Serpentico.
Rhodes would then deliver a three-count, given Snoop an unofficial victory in AEW.
Snoop was one of the four judges for season one of the Go-Big Show, which Rhodes is also a judge for.
Snoop and WWE
Snoop has appeared for AEW, but the vast majority of his wrestling appearances have come with WWE.
The rapper was the Master of Ceremonies for a women’s tag team match at WrestleMania, and later shared a kiss with Maria Kanellis, who won the match alongside Ashley Massaro.
In March 2016, Snoop was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 32.
At WrestleMania, Snoop would perform for the entrance of his cousin Sasha Banks, who unsuccessfully competed for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Ronda Rousey issued an Open Challenge last night for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and a familiar face answered the call.
Emma, outside of WWE known as Tenille Dashwood, returned to the company and challenged the champion. She was released from WWE in 2017 and spent several years in Impact.
The 33-year-old put up a good fight but in the end The Baddest Woman on the Planet locked in the Armbar for the submission victory to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Following her shocking return to the company, Emma took to Twitter to send a message to the WWE Universe.
She revealed that she was heartbroken following her release from the company five years ago, but her heart is overwhelmed by the support she has now.
5 years ago today I was heartbroken feeling like my dream had come to an end. Today my heart is so full! I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support I have. You guys are the best. Now… I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of!@WWE
5 years ago today I was heartbroken feeling like my dream had come to an end. Today my heart is so full! ?? I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support I have. You guys are the best. Now… I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of! ? @WWEpic.twitter.com/PspxTxEhLF
Former WWE Superstar Paige, now known as Saraya in All Elite Wrestling, reacted to Emma’s return to the company last night on SmackDown. Saraya tweeted out “proud of you sister” earlier today following Emma’s appearance on the blue brand.
Saraya debuted in All Elite Wrestling last month at Dynamite: Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 30-year-old confronted Britt Baker and is scheduled to have a face-to-face interview with her on Dynamite with Renee Paquette serving as the moderator.
Gunther is scheduled to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
Rey Mysterio was a member of the RAW roster until a couple of weeks ago. He approached Triple H backstage and tried to quit the company because he refused to fight his son, Dominik Mysterio, and The Judgment Day anymore.
The Game orchestrated a trade with the red brand and sent Baron Corbin to RAW in exchange for the WWE legend. Rey won a Fatal 4-Way on his first night on the blue brand to become #1 contender for the IC Title.
Karrion Kross was originally scheduled to be in the match but Drew McIntyre attacked him following losing to him in the Strap Match at WWE Extreme Rules.
Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci) appeared on The SmackDown LowDown this week ahead of the title match this Friday.
During the interview, The Ring General claimed that Rey Mysterio is a legend of the sport but the current version of him is despicable. Gunther added that Rey is in this business for himself while Imperium is in it for the greater good.
Rey Mysterio is a legend of this sport. But the version of him I see right now disgusts me. It’s despicable.
I’m glad he’s happy to be over here on SmackDown and he is having a good time.
And he wants to prove himself again but not at my expense. He’s running away from family issues.
That’s again a difference. He is in this for himself, we are in this for the greater good.
